I've been in Austin for over 20 years. I've been hobbying here before ECCIE, before ASPD and before the internet. It was a much different place then. When the internet came into the hobby, for me anyway, it was a breath of fresh air. You could actually research a bit and get to know the provider through others and possibly even them, before spending time with them. It lessened the gap of it being a gamble to just showing up and hoping that you were meeting someone of your tastes, not just convenience.
Even in the ASPD days, there was a sense of community, to a degree. Our socials were respectful, fun and it was a bit of a chance to try before you buy. You could socialize in a safe place and see if said buttons were pushed before for a possible future endeavor. The fellas met up every month or two to compare notes, share a beer and a meal and reminisce about the monthly conquests. It was fun. Real fun. There were also a host of amazing options for just about every taste and flavor here. There's no way you could ever get through your "list" but, it was fun putting one together and chatting with those friends that have met providers on your list that you hadn't.
Fast forward to now. What a difference. Now we threaten each other. We call each other whores. We fight, we're rude, we're immature and narcissistic. I'm as guilty as anyone of this ridiculous behavior so I'll admit to that. We criticize new people, ridicule and embarrass them for not posting something correctly. We point out stretch marks, blemishes and other embarrassing bodily naturalities and we're quick to judge. Very quick. We see a weakness in someone and we pounce. We embarrass and we pass judgement.
As a result we've suffered. We don't have the variety in visitors we once did and our "community" here is depressed, narcissistic and demeaning. Our hobbying friends from neighboring cities ridicule Austin and laugh at us because of the immense drama here. Many quality providers won't dare visit for fear of getting wrapped up in all the senseless bull shit and negativity. I was recently traveling to the east coast and met a wonderful provider there. When I asked her if she'd every been to Texas, she smiled and said of course. She's in Houston, San Antonio and Dallas every two months. I asked her why not Austin? We're friendly and we'd love to have you. She kindly answered, "that's not been my experience or, anyone of my friends."
It's just really sad what we've become. It's just not fun anymore. In socializing with the few hobbying friends I still do have, most have quit or rarely if ever interact with eccie or their members or providers. Most have a few regulars they see but hardly ever venture into seeing someone new.
I'm not sure why I bothered posting this. I'm sure I'll get flamed and it will roll into another senseless, immature, ridiculous loop of nonsense.
/rantoff
FG