cleanbluesky said:
After reading that and having a guess at why this particular medium attracts you so much I would like to apologise if I have done any of what you described. I dont think I have but we have discussed some aspects, so who knows.
As far as comments about your status are concerned, you can understand that many of the people on here do not share your background so would be curious. I hope that no-one in any way begrudges you something that they themselves would desire, especially given that i expect you have worked hard for what you have and that you are not a lazy teen, rather a mature man.
Also, you may not be aware but there is a 'climate' amongst many people in the UK whereby issues of wealth are sometimes taboo - which may be why people have mistaken you for 'showing off'... personally I think the only reason you use overclockers is to escape from your environment slightly, so seriously doubt you would need to show off here.
I'm not aware of you saying anything untoward, cbs. If you have, I certainly don't remember it.
I also certainly understand why some things I would say arouse a certain curiousity. Such curiousity has sometimes come from people I like and respect. It's then quite difficult to answer without giving offense and I have no wish to give offense in such situations.
I'm also aware of the "taboo". There was a thread recently about differences between the US and UK on such matters, and about whether one person's "showing off" is just another person's lack of hang-up about discussing the subject. My personal view is that neither success nor the tangible rewards of it are anything to be ashamed of or coy about, but conspicuous and ostentatious demonstration of wealth is just tacky and poor taste.
Besides, such overt demonstrations of wealth don't actually mean much. Driving a Ferrari doesn't mean you can afford to spend £100k on a car. It may just mean your company can afford the lease payments. Owning a big house doesn't mean it isn't mortgaged up to the hilt. Wearing a Rolex doesn't mean you aren't sitting on packing crates in your house because you can't afford furniture, having spent all your spare cash on the Rolex. And, for that matter, wearing a £30,000 Patek Phillipe may mean you're a multi-millionaire, or it may mean you're a reasonably successful middle-aged accountant on £60K per year, with a fascination for fancy watches and a bit of spare cash dedicated to that fascination. Or it may mean many other things. Many, many people of middle years can afford a few toys, especially if they either don't have kids or their grown and off your hands. Reading too much into possession of such things is, in my view, a mistake. They're just things, and I don't understand why it's such an issue.
Possession of such "status symbols" really says very little about someone's actual financial situation, and certainly, discussing it on a bulletin board doesn't.
This is one reason why accusations of "showing off" on a bbs surprise me. What on earth is the point of "showing off" to people I've never met and almost certainly never will meet? It'd be more than a bit sad.
The reason I use Overclockers is because I've been spending a lot of time away from family and friends in the last year or two, and because it's a convenient way to get a variety of opinion and comment. I'm not escaping my environment, though. It's just that I'm a long way from it a lot of the time. Mostly, I find these forums and the people on them refreshing. Too many bulletin boards are poorly controlled and full of obnoxious "attitude".
Ironically, the thing I like most about this board is also the thing that causes the most irritation, and that is the young age of the average member. That age, and the attitude often accompanying it, is both what I find most refreshing, and most frustrating.
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