Cliffnotes for the TL/DR crowd: New guys, this is GD. Grow some thick skin or GTFO.

First, let me preface this by saying that I am not speaking for the other members or the site staff. That's not my lane.

That said, after reading some threads lately, and seeing how new people seem to end up here, get flamed, and then burn out with locks, time outs, etc. - I want to explain some things to you. Consider this, then, a friendly bit of advice from a member of the community who values this site for a multitude of reasons.

When you have a low post count or are a VERY recent member to join this site, you are going to have to accept that you will be approached with a certain amount of skepticism by the people here. In one recent (and locked) thread, a new member asked very newbish questions that could have been better answered in the technical forums. But, instead, the questions were posted here. With the current political climate, and the fact that this site has been getting some attention from a very left leaning media who support an agenda that stands against what we collectively believe in concerning the 2nd Amendment, you must understand that those same people, as well as government types, have been coming here prodding for information and trolling for responses to support their agenda.

Face it, you're the new guy. If this were a protracted war, with deployments lasting years on end, and a bunch of battle hardened soldiers were manning the front lines, always under fire, and then some new guy replacement comes in, asking dumb questions, talking out of their lane, if you cannot understand why you might be regarded with disdain if not at least teased, then you need to rethink some things. We have people coming here, suddenly interested in AR15's now that they're part of a looming ban. Many, many of the people here have been fighting for all of our 2nd Amendment rights for years. I personally was an active voice in the fight against the 94 ban. And now that the fight is on, once again, you come prancing in expecting people to treat you as though you deserve to be treated a certain way? Get over it, get the sand out of your panties, thicken up that skin, maybe read and listen a bit more, think before you pull the trigger on your responses, and contribute to this site and the many organizations that support what you claim to now, (to us, seemingly suddenly) support. Get it? Don't act like such a thin-skinned liberal pansy and you won't get treated like one.

And above all, if you can't take a damn joke, stay out of the General Discussion forum. GD is much like hanging out with a bunch of weirdo grunts, passing the time, and laughing at the fact that everything is fair game for ridicule. It's all in jest, and in a way, it also weeds out the nancy boys. Again, if you can't take a joke, go home and play with your pokemon cards and leave the big boy room to the big boys.

There's a lot of really great people, information, and resources on this site. But, again, with the current fight in the political arena right now, if you don't get why people here are either on edge, or make cracks at the fact that some of the things you new guys post sound about as informed as the politicians who write the anti-2A laws who actually know nothing about the firearms they are writing laws against, perhaps you need to spend a little more time reading or just shut up and go away. We want new people involved in this cause, we welcome new shooters, and we want to educate people about what we believe to be a fundamental right, BUT, if you sound like one of "them" expect to get teased. Laugh it off, try to understand why you're getting teased, learn something new, and carry on. It's that easy.

And welcome to the circus.

TL:DR.........................

First post nails it

Ditto



Sticky?

look a newbie giving advice...






 

Haha! Oh ARFCOM, how I love you so!

haha, nice.

Thank you for explaining this to me. I have been reading all these threads without ever knowing what was going on. I'm glad you posted this and now I am informed and don't have to feel dumb anymore.

Well give a cliff notes since you took your ADD meds today

Where can I get a sniper rifle?

Quit trolling OP.


























I jest. You know the old addage. At a militia meeting of 5 peoe there are 3 ATF agents, one FBI, and one idiot.

I'm pretty sure you can pick one up at Costco.

The problem I have is that it seems alot of new people here are looked at with skepticism even when they DON'T post something stupid or say something idiotic. I've seen plenty of normal posts looked at with skepticism and paranoia, and it's ridiculous. We aren't federal agents, we aren't making fucking lists. I can understand the hierarchical system of "been around longer, respect me" and all that, I get that, I understand that, and I respect that. I also understand questioning someones legitimacy if they post something idiotic or suspicious, but the one thing I really have a problem with is the fact that it seems more often then not, you don't even have to post something "idiotic" for people to question your authenticity here. Other than that, good thread. Sorts some stuff out.

Very well said, OP

I am pretty sick of all these newbies coming in here.

And learn how to fucking spell too!

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!,Your a real tough guy OP,you scare me,huff and puff,and blow my little house down.I just joined this web-site so that I could post pictures of my Allied Armament M3HB 50BMG,I traded my Colt Sporter Lightweight 7.62x39 Model off years ago.

I heard you can get an ak15 but it will be banned soon.  I just learned that from watching sandy hook exposed.  I should post the video in GD for everybody to see!

I must not have said anything stupid yet, as I have been on a lot more recently and have not gotten any negative feedback. Trust me, I'll work on it

Snort. Want a cookie?

TL;DR

OP is drunk and felt bad for us noobs.

I've been on a variety of internet forums.  I have been banned off a couple too because I am an opionated asshole.

In some respects, the clique-ish wolf pack dog pile mentality of forums is kind of disturbing.  The sychophanty of board members to the Mods/Admins on other forums is weird too.

If Arfcom goes the way of say Glocktalk, people will just go elsewhere for their entertainment or gouge.  The USPSA and IDPA comminity is pretty small.  Being rude or fibbing on the internet could catch up to you at a major match.  I reckon I don't post derogatory comments directed at people personally that in a tavern type situation would get me a punch in the mouth.

What are you talking about?

Do you got a link?

Not drunk, but did kind of feel bad for this one FNG who started a thread, new member, even paid member at that, who got his thread locked and a time out for overreacting to people teasing him a bit. Just figured I'd try to help out a little bit. Nothing tough guy (like the guy a couple of posts above insinuated about me) just that I'm the kind of guy that's give some friendly advice. Don't want to lose new people who could one day be a critical voice in defending our rights just because they can't take a joke. Trying to help, is all. And I mean, this IS GD... you don't take cub scouts to strip clubs, after all.

Post count.  You're gonna have to work on it.

to be fair, that guy was being an epic douche and deserved what he got because of it.

Aye.

Yeah, I saw that one earlier. It got messy pretty quick.

I just need some banana clips fer my gun.  Is this the right place???

Absolutely, I don't feel that bad, because he certainly stepped on his dick. It was more feeling bad for the situation. My first unit in the military was in a LRS (ABN Infantry) unit. A lot of those guys had combat patches and CIB's from other units, and gave me a lot of hell. But I took it, listened, learned, and think I earned some respect. I'm still friends with some of those guys, even though some of them almost broke my sternum the day I got promoted to Specialist. Just looking out for the FNG's, I guess. That said, when they react like that guy, they have become "that guy"...

Thank you for this OP. I knew coming in to have thick skin but sometimes the good ol' boys go a little to far. I still find it funny as hell!

agreed.
Life's hard. It's even harder whe......

I'm a nOOb. Please like me. Now fuck off! I'm not here to seek approval and don't have shit to prove to anyone. Especially complete strangers on a forum.  Forum Gestapo relax. You ever start a new hobby or sport? Were you green at some point?  Every question is stupid when your learning.
So???? This hierarchy bullshit is just laughable.

Good for you, Francis. It's not a matter of being forum gestapo, but then, I'd wager you haven't been much involved in protecting our rights and probably cannot understand what this message was intended to be, either? This isn't just a hobby or sport; you don't see Congress trying to regulate model car building out of existence, and to the detriment of your fundamental rights. But, since you can't seem to see through your piss poor attitude, good luck with that.

First off, I
Enjoy that Francis quote. I'm actually not an asshole. I'm just trying to make a point that the "noobs" are 2A loving fools who  also enjoy it for hobby or sport no differently than people who have been here for a Long Time. Just because we're new here doesn't mean we don't advocate for gun right, or that we're not members of the NRA. We're all supposed to be on the same team hear. Are we all not here because we love the 2nd Amendment and love shooting? All I'm saying is give us a break.

Some of it is a bit of hazing.
To a few, it is because you are from California (Kind of a strike against you right off the bat).
Most important, this is the interwebs, as you know, the interwebs are serious business.

The window lickers on a California specific gun forum (no names) often grovel about how "mean" everybody on ARFcom is. For the most part if you have a sense of humor, a thick skin and a decent amount of wit, you won't have too many problems.

To sum it up in the words of Jim Rome... "Have a take, do not suck"

BTW, I am a not very well camouflaged Californian.

Stick around, the guys who sit at home with a tab open for every major gun retailer, furiously hitting refresh with a cheeto stained finger until they see the "IN STOCK" bar light up below a product are pretty on it.
They will post where to find teh babana clips you desire.

...but I sold all of my pokemon cards to buy afford a gun. can you tell me if $2500 is a good deal for a smith and wesson MP 15 sport? i want to make sure im getting a good deal before i buy it.

I do find it interesting that some members, who are libtards, come here and post alot during election season.

They berated Romney and did all they could to make sure he lost.

Now that Obama has won, those members are nowhere to be found.  

And in this climate of Obama and his minions trying to trash the 2A I find that interesting because they constantly said "well Obama hasn't passed any anti-gun bills".  (As if they really didn't realize he was waiting for the right moment and especially for any right moment in his second term to viciously attack the 2A.)

Yet, they don't come here and admit they were wrong and stupid for supporting Obama.  Guess they never really valued the 2A, it was all a ruse.

And some of them have been members for years.

Most people don't like two faced people.  It is a distasteful characteristic to alot of us.

The vast majority of us here are not stupid libtards, just the opposite, so it pisses us off.

Just an observation.

Carry on guys.

I totally get it, and I'm a big supporter of the idea that our numbers should be growing. I think most people here feel the same way. BUT, this particular forum is General Discussion. It's the peanut gallery of this entire site. So when new people come here and get butt hurt, it's often because they didn't do enough recon to know where they were before they start typing. Some of it, as others have said, is a bit of hazing, but it really is all in good fun. Sure, there's a couple of jerks here on the forum, as is the case in any walk of life. But even the guys who have been around still get razzed by other members. Personally, I think of it as a bit of a coping mechanism. It's damn stressful to be an ardent supporter of the 2A. We are under attack somewhere in this country every time the law makers are in session. So, this is where we come to let of steam, vent, laugh, and such. But, it's also where a lot of "those people" end up, when they create troll accounts. And the recent flux in them, all things considered, puts people on edge. That said, I think most of the time, those "DU Troll" or the "shoulder thing that goes up" comments in regards to new guys are mostly just a joke. But, again, new people not "getting" the ways of the GD forum, go and get themselves locked when they take those things personally. Truth. So, this is just a friendly PSA to new people... learn to laugh and you'll find the humor in this place, and beyond that, will find how good a community it actually is here.

By comparison, I don't post near as much as others, especially if you consider I've been a member for about 10 years, and yet I'm still a paying member, because I fully support this site. And not just the site owners, but also because this community has a lot of good to it, like fire missions, and congress critter writing campaigns, and other forms of boycotts and activism. The list goes on, really.

Of course, there's always the bozos, but they only add to the comic gold.

Enjoy your stay.

You got rid of pokemon cards for a gun?!

Wait, you don't?  Shit...be right back!

I can understand that. Hell, I don't even like California and I live here! Within a couple months though, that "CA - USA" under my name is going to be changing to an "NV- USA", don't you worry.

Also, how about everybody don't be fucking cocks to newbies for no goddamn reason all the time?

Every new person thread is attended by a half-dozen retards jumping to be the first to day "you seem... familiar" or "retread!" or "DU troll hurr!" or what the fuck ever. If you think someone is a retread or a troll, click the report button and stop bumping their cunting thread. Joe Schmo Arfcommer has neither the tools nor the authority to unilaterally declare anyone in violation of the rules or to determine if they're really a retread, so just shut up with that lame shit.

Being a fuckwad to newbies doesn't do anyone any good.

grandiose
From French grandiose, from Italian grandioso, from Latin grandis (“great, grand”) (English grand).

I have been a member here for a year or more now.... I have been lurking the full time.  I have learned a lot about the ar platform.  I am now comfortable in providing knowledge about the ar platform as well as many others (ie M1 Garand, 1903 Springfield, 1917 Enfield).  My greatest knowledge is in the reloading area.   I hope that member here will greet me with mutual respect.  I believe that we should always learn something everyday.  You teach me and I will teach you.

Po-o-okémo-o-on!

Ain't hiding. Fairly certain i wrote in ron paul this year.





 

You are not in the group I was talking about.

I'm talking about the Obama voters.

Well said, maybe sticky this with a title saying "noobs read here before posting" or something along those lines.