Saturday, October 24, 2015

#91 - QUESTIONS FOR CHAD



Now that I've covered the first two topic suggestions listed by Chad in his comment to #88 I move on to number 3. He wrote: "What has caused the US hobby's decline even with hobbyist numbers going up? Are these two figures related?"

My questions are: How are you measuring "the US hobby's decline" or the "hobbyist numbers"? What is the source of your data? Are these conjecture or do we have evidence?

Riddle me this. Are we convinced that American arachnoculture is in decline quantitatively or do we just have a consensus that is sucks more now than it once did? Are there really more American arachnoculturists today than yesterday or last month or last year?

Y'all are welcome to weigh in on Chad's suppositions in the comments below too. Once I get some sort of elaboration or concurring or dissenting opinions I will chime in with my opinions on the state of arachnoculture in the United States.

MJ



4 comments:

Anonymous said...

funny you say this small couple few paragraphs Mike
You touched in on it in many of your posts..
The biggest problem I see with the hobby is misinformation and the douchbeggery that goes along with spreading it..
for example...
I hold my tarantula because she loves me...boulderdash man.
I know I can make oodles of funds breeding....boulderdash man.
JR said it so it must be true....boulderdash man.
I read it on fussbook so its gospel....boulderdash man.
you get the idea....
The thing is our hobby is not in great decline here in the states...there are more complete idiots that want to make a name for them selves that they will spread anything sounding smart to a NooB....but we all know better...remember ...walk before you run...
Fussbook has become a round of bs spreaders....oddly enough I use the fuss to know who not to deal with..
our hobby is strong I think but there is more idiocy and all the decadarians [lol] really do know their shit so listen to them....
I remember some idiot said I am washed up but back in the day I knew my shit [jr Thompson]...I still know my shit and after decades I am still going strong..
so yeah
listen
learn
adapt
and above all respect those that have been around.

Anonymous said...

that's me Apple up above

Anonymous said...

respect too man....
Another of those fleeting old time emotions....a big lack of respect...
But really in 30 or so years I have seen the hobby grow from few too many.
A lot of the many falls under the douchebaggery mentioned above and in many of your topics Mike.
There are a lot of new ways about doing things and there are also ways about getting the point across without sounding like a condescending asshole. A lot of these weekend warriors don't realize that and to make a name or get attention they act the fools.
the hobby is not in great decline here in the states in my opinion there is now the internet and they have a voice.
There are always people that will be around for decades more and those are the ones that I respect...ya know being a voice without yelling.
More spiders also.....I mean not just mygals but trues....latrodectus...cetenidae....sicarius...amongt many others...its still growing and branching a bit but as it grows so does the douchebaggery grow
that's my nickel
Apple

Dave marschang said...

everything grows and evolves, and the only way it can do that is through change. take a look at any non-profit or even any club of any kind. how many founders of these groups are actually happy with what the thing they created has become?
Most are not, they may still love their organization/club but is not the baby they gave birth too, it has changed into something other than they intended and as a result they are no longer interested in participating or they take a backseat behind the scenes position.

while trying to create a non-profit myself 100 yrs ago I was given this advice -" do not be discouraged when new people come into your organization and make it their own, maybe even pushing you out. this is how you know you have made something important and it will succeed, because it cannot survive without these new people and their change."