On My Soapbox (Stainless Lugers, Debates & a General note - LONG!)

[John D.]

Bob, I read your post below and wanted to post â??out of the noiseâ?� of the thread. So here goes..


Yes â?? I help operate this website. I host the systems. I provide the servers. I provide the software. I provide the connection to the Internet. I provide the hard-disks, the mega-bytes, the â??stuffâ?� that makes it all â??workâ?�. In fact â?? all that â??stuffâ?� sits 100 feet from my home and 5 feet from where I am writing this note.


At the same time - what I do not provide is the â??contentâ?�. Nor the combined knowledge about Lugers. Nor do I provide the â??communityâ?�. Nor, do I provide the â??flamesâ?�. Nor am I the moderator of this Forum. This â??contentâ?� are things that you, and hundreds of other visitors bring to this site each and every time you post. And that same â??contentâ?� is the â??fibreâ?� of this same Forum. That is to your credit, And to H�¥kanâ??s, and to Dokâ??s who moderates it all. And to each and every person who chooses to post here - they are the ones who have built this same communityâ?¦ Certainly not to my credit as one who simply provides the technology basisâ?¦.


But â?? you asked for my $0.02 on what is "proper" or "improper" for this Forum, so here it isâ?¦.


Iâ??ll ask you to understand that this Forum is an International Community. H�¥kan has expressed his opinion, and you your opinion. For that, while you may choose to â??disagreeâ?� â?? Iâ??ll ask you to please remember that H�¥kan is at a disadvantage â?? 10 to 1 says that English is his second language. For that â?? the saying that â??much is lost in the translationâ?� in fact, may be true. If this Board were in Swedish, or German â?? or any other language â?? you would be saddled with that same difficulty. I am more then confident that if you were forced to post in your second language â?? terms and word usage would appear much harsher then intended. I know that would be the case for me posting in an international community, as I have tried over the past years in several non-native English Websites. So, I respect H�¥kan for even making the effort to post...


To H�¥kan and his opinions â?? yes, they are strong. They are built on his experiences and knowledge, which does not mirror many of ours. I respect many of his views and at the same time â?? choose to disagree with others views he has expressed (about the trade press, Colt Gold Cups (Pre- 70), Aimco-Stoger Lugers, etc.)) â?? but those are my opinions and biases. At the same time, I still respect his right to express his opinions within this Forum â?? and that, in fact â?? is the essence of this same community. It is truly a diverse community â?? and frankly, I learn a little more about â??my opinionsâ?� when I have reason to â??defend themâ?�. But thatâ??s just meâ?¦


To these points â?? both you and H�¥kan have done an outstanding job of supporting your own points of view. I, and my guess is â??weâ?� â?? understand both sides of the argument. And for that â?? no one is â??more correctâ?� then the other. Somehow, we all co-exist given our diverse opinions due to the fact that we are all here for a common love. One for a simple handgun called â??The Lugerâ?�. It is that same passion that causes us to endear this handgun as it does to impassion us to argue about what is â??correctâ?� or â??not-properâ?�. It is that same emotion that causes us to â??Flameâ?� another based on the strength of our own opinions.


At the same time â?? I see no problem with sharing these diverse views. What I personally have â??no toleranceâ?� for is basically so much simpler. It is basic. It is a case where a collector or enthusiast is ridiculed for asking a question or presenting a thesis. Being of direct German descent - I am ashamed that a German National would be so arrogant to belittle another enthusiast for asking a question â?? and â??make upâ?� an answer based purely on the nationality of the person who posed the original question.


In my opinion - they have shamed themselves, their credibility, their family name and their heritage. They have made me ashamed to be of German descent. More deplorable would be another who would knowingly pass on mis-information, and take that same opportunity to make fun at someoneâ??s elses expense based on that same ridicule. To that point â?? that one individual who has recently chose to leave this Forum, and in my opinion, has been to the betterment of this entire group and the collectorsâ?? community in general.


Summarily and in addition, I have also discounted and literally thrown away a book written by a Luger collector about â??The Navy Lugersâ?� who is of German descent and who is the original perpetrator of that same charade. I am ashamed of both him and how he trivialized our shared heritage, nationality and cross-culture enthusiasm called â??the Lugerâ?�. Someday, perhaps he will realize both the arrogance and the dark strike he has caused within that same community he professes to participate within. As for me â?? I will discount any knowledge he professes to have attained and tendered â?? as much of it may have been rendered in the same arrogant light as his response to a simple question. Such is my opinion â?? and as such, so be it.


By comparison, H�¥kan has not trivialized his position by belittling a nationality â?? ergo, the basis for respecting the debate.


So, to summarize my sentiments, Bob. You and H�¥kan do and can co-exist here, share vast opinions â?? and yet share a common bond â?? your passion over this handgun. And there is room here for both views â?? expressed with passion and emotion â?? within these same posts and messages. The question is â?? is there room for both perspectives, yours and H�¥kan - to co-exist simultaneously in this same Forum?


My guess is a resounding â??YESâ?�. My guess is also that 99% of the â??rest of the folksâ?� feel the same way.


These are just my guess, though â?? as we are all here for that shared love â?? whether they are stainless, blued, worn, pitted or pristineâ?¦ And when Iâ??m shooting a Luger â?? I love it for what is â??isâ?� â?? not where it came from.


Off my soapbox.