Basejumper.com - archive

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Hey....STOP THE PRESS.....

Calvin isn't getting the attention he deserves. Can we please refrain from discussing, debating, arguing about anything that doesn't interest him.

And Matt, with 57 replies it appears more people care to discuss THIS than the 21 replies (mostly by you and the jumpers involved) in the "Kudos to Nate P for climbing down, actually this is really a thread to tell people i did a floating exit off an antenna in 'hardcore' winds" thread you started a few days ago.

If you don't care (like the bulk of people who read your posts) don't respond, and leave it to the people who do.

Is that a deal? Can we run with that? Or maybe you could post a list of topics you feel you'd like to participate in.....


ian

This thread (such as it is) appeals to me more than the other one. Doesn't it strike you as odd that a group (BASE jumpers) which contains so many independent thinkers is so quick to argue over which slot their BASE jumps fit into? The same thing comes up repeatedly with the question of whether unpacked jumps are "real" jumps.

In the end, I can't think of any way that such questions serve the individual jumper. The only reason I can think of for categorizing jumps like that is to compare them in a very limited way: "How many buildings have you jumped?" I don't see how that kind of comparison would bring jumpers together, so ultimately it seems like a divisive force to me.

There are other ways we categorize and compare our jumps, too. Suppose someone has 1000 jumps doing the same thing off a single object. I suppose what I'd like to know is, how do we use this information? Why is it interesting to us? When this kind of thing comes up in the forums, the information is used mainly to minimize the accomplishments of that person, or to say they aren't "real" jumps. What kind of horse shit is that? Are we really so petty as a group that we can't celebrate someone's accomplishments without also looking for a way to make them seem smaller?

By extension, I would ask: Why does it matter if what you just jumped "counts" as a building? Surely any reasonable human being realizes there will never be meaningful consensus on that issue. When the topic is discussed, it seems less like the intent is to work toward a common understanding, and more like an attempt to weed out the posers, thereby increasing the value of our own jumps. Again I ask, do we really need to devise artificial methods of comparing ourselves with others in order to give meaning to our own jumps? What could possibly be the benefit of convincing another jumper that what he thought was a building wasn't "really" a building?

I've spent more time than I intended on this post. As I get more experience with life and with BASE jumping, I find I care less about the lines others draw, and I am more able to answer honestly the question: "What do I want to do?" Ultimately, it makes little difference to me if someone else wants to argue the definition of a building. But if someone reads this thread and finds peace in the idea that it doesn't matter whether or not someone else thinks it's a building, then it's a positive contribution to the forum.

Michael

I hear you. The question of whether anyone cares how others define an object is perfectly valid. Does it matter to me if you call a bat a bird? No of course not. The tone of Matt's post is purely sarcastic however....."the log it for legal reasons" comment is proof of that.


The thing is, in the great big scheme of things, only about 1 percent of stuff discussed on forums is of actual use. Apart from a very limited number of technical posts, and a very limited number of 'seeking locals' posts, the bulk of this forum and all others is just people who share a common interest yacking off. That's what forums are about.

Joe sitting in his flat thinks "need to write up that jump i did...wait a minute.....is that a building or is it a span......not sure....wonder what others think.

Hence these discussions and like you said, other related grey areas which people like to mull over: are tethered balloons base or skydives, are unpacked jumps real base jumps...is a low pull on a skydive wearing a base rig....blah blah blah....

None of it matters. Not one bit of it. But as you and Matt are here, i can only assume you both, at the very least, define yourselves as BASE jumpers. Well if you want to define things then why stop at that. In fact how can you stop at that? To be a BASE jumper requires you to define BASE. Why is a skydiver not a BASE jumper? Because they didn't jump off a defined thing! What defined thing? A B.A.S. or E.! Which are??

The examples you gave are equally valid ( and ultimately pointless i agree). Do 1000 jumps off the same object make you a more rounded/skilled/experienced/hardcore jumper than 100 jumps off 30 and if so why and if not why not?

Just keep reminding yourself......

none of this really matters.....none of this really matters........none of this....

And since none of it really matters then why not debate pointless and ultimately deadend topics. At least everyone (the world over, BASE jumper or whuffo)is entitled to throw their hat into the ring and have fun with it, because unlike when you're standing on the edge of some unidentified structure only seconds from a possible gruesome end, it simply does not matter that much.

In a nutshell.........

that is actualy the point i was trying to make, almost exactly.

and guys, i was just making fun of nate, it was an inside joke. keep in mind i have the brain of a High school sophmore.

but, since you asked, i guess i will make that list for the other jumpers out there...


THINGS THAT SHOULD AND CAN BE TALKED ABOUT ON DORKZONE ACCORDING TO CALVIN-(tom, if this could be enforced please)

1-cool things that calvin has done that is way cooler the rest of you people out there, because what calvin has done usualy has never been done before, he knows that the things he does base jumping are so cutting edge, he should be paid to just think them up.
2-weird questions that only calvin can answer, because he knows everything.
3-looking for locals i guess is ok.
4-technical questions should first be PMd to Calvin, then if he cannot answer with his endless wisdom, you can post it to the rest of, well, you lesser people.
5-paragliding, even though calvin sucks at it.
6-skiing, even though calvin sucks at it.
7-illegal things, because stuff is just a lot more fun if you know it is illegal, i know you know what i mean.





COME ON KIDS, none of it matters on here.
with that thread i was just pointing out that nothing matters and some people dont care what they jump off of, some people dont even log their jumps.

PS- see my sig line

You missed out rope jumping.

ian

So i'm in Vegas in a month. Anyone know any locals?



ian

If it has a shitter... It's a building! You guys need to jump more this is sad

hey shitlet,

i got nothing.

i have been active the last 2 weeks! doc injected something in my ankle and it is the first time i have walked without pain in 11 months. did a few jumps, kited my brand new paraglider, tried to get my skiboot on. sigh...