Misfits, Dad's Army Types et al...
Discussion
Nanook said:
308mate said:
Whoa woa woa. We have a track marshal pouring scorn on a group of people for being well meaning but overly officious and enthusiastic and a bit Walt?
Yes. If I'm not competing, I'll sometimes marshall, so that others can compete.I wear my orange overalls, and stand at my post with a fire extinguisher, radio, brush, and a couple of flags. Help out through the day when I'm needed, then at the end of the day, I take off my overalls, get in my non-stickered up car, and drive home like a normal person.
There are a couple of Walts that come along, one in, funnily enough, an old Discovery, with lots of lights and stickers. He wears a cowboy hat and the fanciest orange overalls you've ever seen, with lots of logos and patches that his mother sewed on for him. He loves to try and take control, despite being hopeless at doing so, loves trying to boss everyone around, and generally makes everything less fun for everyone that comes into contact with him.
It's fine to do these things, to marshall, to be a first aider, a 4x4 responder, whatever.
Just, don't be a dick about it. Super simple stuff.
DELETED: Comment made by a member who's account has been deleted.
But as we a) can't define "being a dick" because it's highly subjective and b) sometimes have a genuine need for even the dickish ones, aren't we best off just to live and let live? And in doing so, neatly render most of this thread surplus to requirements? DanielSan said:
What is it with Marshall's and having a million badges plus some dodgy head gear to complement the ensemble?
Steady on! Don't tar them all with the same brush! I was competing in a spring at the Goodwood circuit once and a very nice old chap Marshaling, who generously 'helped' me to stay on circuit by telling me where I needed to 'think' about making an early up-shift in order to evade the noise detector that was threatening to cut my day short. He was wearing a very well-worn Monaco ('94 IIRC) marshal's cap. He'd obviously been there and done that - marshaling F1 - so kudos.Willy Nilly said:
The RSPCA like a bit of Walting. They get given a uniform like a policeman and receive titles like "Officer" and "Inspector". When in fact they are charity workers that either failed or weren't clever enough to even enrol at vet school.
i feel cheated now, i never got a uniform when i did voluntary work for the rspca, funny how you get volunteers out at 2am to try and rescue dogs stuck in an abandoned building, but the officers don't turn out.the slightly walty thing is they gave me a badge for my dash with my contact details and rspca contact number on. it even said i was on official business
i only ever used it twice in 4 years, both times at country fairs, both times so that my reg wasn't called out for parking in the rspca reserved area as i had been told to by the inspector
Think I've already posted, but CBA reading the whole thread again.
I'm a blood biker. I don't have a white helmet or a BMW. I use my own bike (unstickered and sans flashy lamps) when I do runs. There are liveried bikes available for use, but you have to have an advanced rider (RoSPA, IAM etc) ticket. To use the blues and twos, you have to have done the blues and twos course, run by the local Police. Even with the blues and twos, you have to stick to the speed limit and can't go through red lights.
Despite having previously been on traffic (so advanced driver, TPAC trained etc), I don't qualify to ride the liveried bikes. Suits me fine. I do about one night a month, sometimes I don't get a call, sometimes it's a few. The only "Walt" kit I have is a hi-viz jacket (not one of those awful "Polite" abominations) and an ID card (on a lanyard...). The ID just makes sure the hospital doesn't give to stuff to any old random.
Most of the other riders are fairly normal, but there ARE a few wants who enjoy the liveried bikes/hi viz a bit too. ICH (IMHO). That said, they're not hurting me, they are providing a service so I just let them get on with it. There have been a couple of occasions when one or two have gone a bit "road captain", but a quiet word from the Chairman normally sorts things.
I'm sure it's the same with any volunteer organisation. There will always be a small percentage who are in it for the "power"/"kudos". Best just to ignore them and they are normally pretty easy to identify...
I'm a blood biker. I don't have a white helmet or a BMW. I use my own bike (unstickered and sans flashy lamps) when I do runs. There are liveried bikes available for use, but you have to have an advanced rider (RoSPA, IAM etc) ticket. To use the blues and twos, you have to have done the blues and twos course, run by the local Police. Even with the blues and twos, you have to stick to the speed limit and can't go through red lights.
Despite having previously been on traffic (so advanced driver, TPAC trained etc), I don't qualify to ride the liveried bikes. Suits me fine. I do about one night a month, sometimes I don't get a call, sometimes it's a few. The only "Walt" kit I have is a hi-viz jacket (not one of those awful "Polite" abominations) and an ID card (on a lanyard...). The ID just makes sure the hospital doesn't give to stuff to any old random.
Most of the other riders are fairly normal, but there ARE a few wants who enjoy the liveried bikes/hi viz a bit too. ICH (IMHO). That said, they're not hurting me, they are providing a service so I just let them get on with it. There have been a couple of occasions when one or two have gone a bit "road captain", but a quiet word from the Chairman normally sorts things.
I'm sure it's the same with any volunteer organisation. There will always be a small percentage who are in it for the "power"/"kudos". Best just to ignore them and they are normally pretty easy to identify...
Motorist spotted using blue beacon on 38 occasions
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonsh...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonsh...
bmw535i said:
Motorist spotted using blue beacon on 38 occasions
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonsh...
Give him community service working in a charity shop. He might get to be self important in there toohttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonsh...
Willy Nilly said:
The RSPCA like a bit of Walting. They get given a uniform like a policeman and receive titles like "Officer" and "Inspector". When in fact they are charity workers that either failed or weren't clever enough to even enrol at vet school.
I agree, those officious RSPCA employees who become aggressive do so much damage to the reputation of the RSPCA should hang their heads in shame. They have no legal standing at all.On another topic raised above, the RNLI boys are probably amongst the bravest volunteers ever. (I'm not just saying that because my dad, my granddad and my great granddad were RNLI skippers BTW)!
Westblue said:
I agree, those officious RSPCA employees who become aggressive do so much damage to the reputation of the RSPCA should hang their heads in shame. They have no legal standing at all.
I would argue that rather than being Walters those people were in fact Believers. Like the RSPB they are more a political lobby group with an aggressive believers army to enforce their will. Woe betide anyone who has a view on animal welfare that is not in line with their religious doctrines.
DonkeyApple said:
Westblue said:
I agree, those officious RSPCA employees who become aggressive do so much damage to the reputation of the RSPCA should hang their heads in shame. They have no legal standing at all.
I would argue that rather than being Walters those people were in fact Believers. Like the RSPB they are more a political lobby group with an aggressive believers army to enforce their will. Woe betide anyone who has a view on animal welfare that is not in line with their religious doctrines.
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