Originally posted by K9soul
Martin, I was actually nervous when on GT you seemed so irritated, I was afraid you would come here and say things in a not-so-tactful way, but I think your post was overall pretty tactful.

It all makes a point that lumping all people together is never good, at the same time I think it's a somewhat natural tendency. Heck even men and women tend to do it with the sexes, or older and younger with ages.

I'm as guilty as as anyone of having a pre-made image in my mind of people in the "racing industry." While there are still things that bother me, I have learned a lot too, and I'm reminded again two very important things: 1) Things aren't always exactly as they appear, and more importantly 2) It is never accurate or fair to lump people together into one category.
I wish I could tell you how infuriating it is to hear people toss out words like "disgusting," "inhumane," and "sick" when they talk about racing. The way ARAs casually demonize and slander racing and racing people goes beyond the pale. If you sensed irritation on my part I can assure you it was quite real. I can't tell you how hard it is to face relentless and malicious ignorance on a daily basis.

We are fortunate to have forums like GT and PT so that debate can be engaged and their voices and ours can be heard side-by-side and compared on merit. As hard as it is to resist lashing out at them, I've found that the best thing to do is let them talk. Luckily, most ARAs come off as shrill, mean-spirited and unknowledgeable.

I've enjoyed your posts over on GT. My guess is you're learning a lot.

Martin