When do you stop giving people what they ask for?

[lateapex911]

Funny article.
[Rant mode ON]

A guy I know, is got to be the most ego centric dude in the world. he updates his stupid "Bob is" thing three, four , or even more times a day. "Bob is having salad for lunch with oil dressing"....."Bob can't wait for his new model boat to arrive in the UPS shipment".... "Bob is sweating at the gym".

WHO CARES!!!!!!!!!!!!????????

"Bob HATES the new Facebook"

Bob, step away from Facebook.
Sheeesh.
[Rant mode OFF]


here's a discussion the centers around that issue from another board:

Quote:
Originally Posted by tom_sprecher
Basically, give me what I want and the system works for me. Otherwise, I see it as flawed and in need of a different basis to work from.

Like I said, selfish bastard, plain and simple.

(Tom was suggesting that the ITAC be staffed with people wha are elected to the position, to better reflect what the racers want)

my response:

Tom, that's where it gets tricky. The ITAC tries to walk a fine line between giving people what they want, and giving people what they think they want.

The ITAC has an easy job in many respects. While the IT category is large by club standards, it's not National, and with that comes the freedom of being a bit off the radar. In other words, the CRb and the BoD are more likely to let us "try" things that haven't been tried before. (Like "the Process")

Secondly, we can look back at the history of other categories in the club, and learn from their mistakes.

Which is to say: Prod.

Prod is a category that has had lots of troubled waters, and many of the issues stem from giving people what they wanted. it seemed like a good idea at the time, but the long term effects have proven to onerous, and have changed the way racing in the SCCA/Prod world is done.

(I should add that time and technology pose real challenges to racing categories and must be dealt with effectively by organizing committees. )


Trust me, we on the ITAC are always "feeling the pulse" of the membership. I've been to races and talked to hundreds of IT guys from California to Georgia to New Hampshire in just the past year or two. Guys who don't frequent web boards. From all the interface, we've boiled out some cornerstone philosophies. It's those philosophies, and the consistent application of them, that guides the category.

Replacing the ITAc yearly would, in my opinion, create inconsistency, and would ultimately (and quickly) hurt the category. People would run on "Platforms" then spend their time trying to enact their particular platform. Committee members should, in my opinion, always remember the core philosophies that guide the category/committee, and never forget that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.

I know the current system could be seen as un American and rather dictatorship-like, but I think the benefits outweigh the possible downside and perceptions.
(Further, every racing organization that hasn't been run by a benevolent dictator has failed. Every time.)
__________________