I disagree with Wakeups POV also, but that did not bother me at all--only his comments that anyone who disagrees is dumb, moronic, etc. I spend most of my work life dealing with ego inflated blowhards who are often wrong, but always trying to shove their preferences upon everyone else. I see that mindset and power mad dictator attitude do great harm in many areas--often ruining lives and wasting $Bs. My job is to shine light on such things, often drawing the ire of such people in direct proportion to the size of their egos. To put it mildly, I have a very low tolerance for people who come into a discussion with that attitude.
Wakeup may well contribute a lot to the community. That can be true and still have some of his posts deserve being called to task. To me, posts that insult whole groups of people just because they have different tastes in ladies or how they prefer to spend their entertainment dollar fall in that category. Or post #39.
Am I angry at his posts? Not really. It's more a belief that bad behavior shouldn't be condoned by silence, and because yes--a lot of folks on any board are intimidated by loud domineering personas like Wakeups; I'm not usually one of them.
Wakeup needs a defender about as much as he needs a hole in the head, but I don't get the position some of his detractors take.
"almost 8000 posts in 2 years"
He has 8000 posts. Big deal. He's heavily invested in this community. We don't have to like HOW he's invested himself in the community, but this place is important to him. The measurement of that investment can be seen in how much time he spends on this site, and how important it is to him to be noticed. Whether it's negative or positive doesn't matter.
no reviews
I don't get the obsession with reviews. The guy obviously knows what he's talking about. I've seen him mention several times why he doesn't write reviews. I don't really give a shit why he does or doesn't write reviews, but I do know his reasoning at least makes some sense to me. Some of the reviews written ARE absolute garbage. I'm never going to critique someone else's review, because I don't care enough, and I'll never have enough credibility (nor the interest in establishing it). Plus, I read the reviews for entertainment more than anything else.
But if there was no peer pressure to write accurate reviews, the people who get something out of them would have even LESS to work with. Because the incentive for most men is to a) get premium credit b) make sure no feathers are ruffled in the provider community. The fact there is a c) give a review that's not going to result in scathing feedback for how worthless it is --- often times is a primary motivating factor for giving some honest feedback.
I'm not terribly interested in writing reviews for my own purposes, which has little to do with Wakeup's, so that undoubtedly tinges my viewpoint. But from my perspective this obsession with Wakeup's lack of reviews seems silly.
primary contribution to the boards seems to be his commentary on things he hasn't done or won't share
Well, he's a gadfly. The more he shares, the more he makes himself vulnerable. If he's going to do this persona, he's much better off sharing as little as possible, being sphinx-like about his own endeavors, be mysterious, and therefore his shots are coming either sniper style or mortar style, with little return exposure.
If this is the persona he's going to employ, he's doing it exactly right. The key defense against somebody like that is to not give a shit what he has to say. But instead, you, and many people like you, go in the exact opposite direction. To me, it's as if you enjoy being mowed down.
For people who get their feelings hurt by Wakeup, responses like your's are important, because it makes them realize there are other people who feel the same way. This board would quickly become a more cruel and less fun place if we all cackled with glee at Wakeup's every broadside.
But I still don't agree with the perspective.
I'd rather have a resident asshole who actually cares about the community on some level, than a pure troll whose only motivation is getting as much negative attention as he can. Because there are plenty of those. And whatever Wakeup is, that isn't it.
closed minded attitude
I think there can be such a thing as too much tolerance. One of my favorite phrases is, "Don't keep such an open mind that your brain falls out."
If we all concentrate on being as tolerant as we possibly can be, then in the end, we don't believe in anything strongly enough. There are all kinds of unintended consequences that occur because of tolerance. Some of them are worth the price, but some of them we probably wouldn't pay if we realized the cost. I don't agree with everything Wakeup has to say, and I sure don't always agree with how he says it, but I also know that sometimes we need slaps upside our head to hear a message. When it happens to me, I don't always realize I needed the slap until after it has been administered.
Turds need to be thrown on the table. Wakeup is a professional turd tosser. IMO, it's his most valuable role here. As far as I'm concerned, he's a healthy dynamic for the board.
has a crush on one of the prototypical "good looks, sandpaper personality" ladies
I think Valerie is pretty funny and quick witted, actually. It's easy to see why the two of them would mesh. I enjoy their routine. Not sure why people get bent out of shape about it, really.
no indication he's ever ventured out of his mama's basement in Houston
Other than folks who travel, I'm not sure I can tell if ANYONE on here has ventured out of their mama's basement. But that's often true with message boards. It's a common attack. Especially against voluminous posters who also happen to be polarizing. It's an even easier attack here, because none of us want to divulge a lot of personal details.
He has plenty of defenders who obviously know him on a personal basis and have respect for him. That's enough for me. They wouldn't feel that way if he hadn't earned their respect in different ways. He doesn't have to prove anything to me in terms of how he manages in this world. Nor you. It's a petty shot, frankly.
his "awesome" signature line
It's his warning shot across the bow. To me it says to not take him so seriously. He's fueled in part by righteousness. It doesn't bother me the way it bothers you. I think it's funny!
Draw your own conclusions. If YOU were a provider, would you voluntarily see someone like this?
It's obvious providers do see him. One thing I know, if he sees someone and he tells them something, he's going to mean it. That can go a long way versus someone who always says nice things, to the point they have no credibility any more.
In conclusion, I like extended visits. Wakeup doesn't. Wakeup is dismissive of anyone who likes extended visits and pays for them. Personally, I don't give a shit. Not sure why so many people on this thread do. There are plenty of other guys being dismissive of enjoying an extended visit. Share some of the love. Pick on them, too, if you're so upset someone would disagree. Originally Posted by proudoftexas
