Paddling clubs and their bear pits aka unanswerable questions

So, let's forget about the dead dogs and go back to the easier things in life, like say, getting crushed by a Romany during a botched beach landing. You know what? I'd do that every day for the rest of my life if it meant I'd never lose another furry friend unjustly.

But meantime "Everybody knows Deke!" sends me this off a CPA forum:

"Topic: Rock the Boat: Paddle Clubs that Don't Suck
Author: davekroeger
Message:
I joined the Washington Kayak Club a few weeks ago after they posted on the
CPA message board. I filled out the info and posed a photo of myself but
not my big, glaring mug. Today, I was kicked out of the group through a
boilerplate-written message because I hadn't posted a full-face photo. The
message mentioned "as I had agreed to" just to let me know that no curtesy
was necessary in dealing with me, and to point out a flaw in my character.
When I responded, a cyber-generated message told me that I could not even
do that.

The group is kind of odd anyway. The invitations that I received catered to
a beginner crowd, despite the bitter cold temperatures. They do mention the
need to wear a wetsuit or drysuit, but I don't think that a wetsuit would
be enough for this weather. The distances mentioned an presumably the speed
didn't appeal to me, but hopefully it did to enough experiences paddlers to
help those who weren't.

So I'm back to traditional clubs after my first step into the
software-heavy world of Meetup paddling. I've been a member of more than
half a dozen traditional paddling groups, and none have forced me to post
my face publicly. In this day of privacy intrusions, I have to say that I
don't want to. Facebook, for example, considers your photos as their
property and they metric your face so that you can be tracked by cameras.

If the controlling group owner wants me to give up my face for the honor of
joining his group, and then wants to hide behind cold electronic messages
when kicking me out, I guess he can. I'm out. I sure hope that the
traditional group holds out in these increasingly cold days of the
computer."

Well, ain't that special? Seems like everybody is taking pot shots at everybody else over there in CPA land. You know, I'd pass on that except, well, I can't. So this is what I sent back to Deke:

"hmmm...

Nope, not an Annapolis "ACK" owner. They have no problem putting their faces out there, different last names.

Please do mention that we get very very few beginners indeed this time of year. Actually, what is this guy "Super Dave?" Because many paddlers have accused our cold-water-crowd of paddling "too far, too long, too fast," as you well know.

Now, I can tear his response down point by point if you think it'd help you. He's made us sound like jerks and I'm not liking it. And I'm not even the owner anymore.

Lastly, I would consider myself a fairly skilled paddler but got my ass handed to me in class seventeen ways to Sunday this last weekend. Given the class, and instructors present, I am much humbled. We, NONE of US, are more than an L2 of 5 at best. (this of course excludes the Brians (S and B), and to a certain extent Gulfstream Dennis) so, in reconsidering what Super Dave said maybe WE ARE beginners but we are very well experienced and equipped beginners with good assisted rescue skills, detailed knowledge of our stomping ground, and confidence.

Over and Out"

(Edit, I am being unduly harsh on myself and paddlers such as Deke. Rereading the ACA's own guidelines some of our regulars really are  closer to L3s. Okay, I stand corrected. I have the flu and some things look worse than they are from the sick bed.)

There are some parts of Super Dave's complaint that are valid and some that just aren't, like complaining about parts of the program behind meetup. For example, he can't reply directly to an auto-remove but he can always go back to the website, click on the "contact us" icon and blast away. Andy is a lawyer, I am sure he'd be happy to send Super Dave a well thought out response.

The only part of Super Dave's complaint that I consider valid is his complaint about being ejected over the photo. Here's MY photo from meetup:

Look, Super Dave, if you actually believe that your mug is not already planted in the guts of the government's super computer multiple times then you can just go right on believing in fairies too, m'kay? 

Now to point out the flaws in my own photo: I am wearing a hat and sunglasses, the photo isn't all that close up and personal, and well, maybe it's not the most telling photo of me. Andy might kick me out of the group, right? No, wrong, because all Andy is looking for is a photo that will help the event organizers recognize the members when they assemble on the mat, and after the event while logging attendance. That's all, Super Dave. There really is no reason to go and get your panties all in a twist, eh?

All this fuss over a photo. Really? Really??

Sigh. Why do we do this to ourselves?