As I stated in an earlier post, I'm the administrator of a 3,800+ member internet forum which caters to craftsman/finescale train modelers. As a rule, the membership is generally upbeat, rather than nasty and negative. We don't seem to attract the angry young men with tough guy attitudes the way many other model train forums seem to. I think it's because we (as a group) tend to be older (read: more mature), more assured in our own abilities as model builders, and more accepting of those whose approaches to the hobby may differ from ours. We also seem to be more willing to learn from others as well as teach others, rather than simply criticize and tear others down in an effort to build ourselves up.
So, in my travels around the various model railroad forums, both large and small, I have noticed these are the things which seem to set us apart from the others. However, there are also some similarities. Unfortunately, one of those is the propensity for magazine bashing.
For whatever reason, just the mention of Model Railroader, Railroad Model Craftsman, or any other of a half dozen model train magazines unleashes a torrent of criticism aimed at any and all of the magazines. It about drives me NUTS!
I become greatly annoyed when these discussions get started. Everyone's got an opinion; everyone's got a boxcar load of reasons (which are really opinions stated as fact!) why he hates such-and-so magazine and why he hasn't bought a copy in years.... (and if he hasn't bought or read the magazine in years, how does he know it's still bad?)
I suppose it all wouldn't be so annoying if anyone ever had anything fresh or actually factual to say. But month after month, discussion after discussion, the same tired opinions are tossed into the fray....
1. Magazine X hasn't changed its format in more than 25 years. It sucked then and it still sucks now.
2. Magazine Y has gotten so dumbed down over the years that only a 12-year-old moron could get anything out of it.
3. Well, Magazine Y has to appeal to all levels of the hobby.... but it still sucks.
4. The editors aren't real model railroaders. They're just corporate flunkies trying to climb the ladder.
5. Magazine X is okay.... if all you want to read about is eastern railroading.
6. Magazine Y is okay.... if all you want to read about are huge basement-sized layouts.
7. Magazine Z publishes the same kinds of articles over and over. It's boring.
8. Magazine [X, Y, or Z] (take your pick) never runs articles on [N scale, O scale, garden layouts, traction, scratchbuilding] (again, take your pick).
9. Magazine [X, Y, or Z] (your choice) is always about HO scale.
10. Magazine [X, Y, or Z] never has anything about [steam, diesel, transition era]. Their stuff is always about [steam, diesel, transition era].
11. Well, I quit reading the rag when they dropped the [insert name] column a couple of years ago. That did it for me!
12. I quit reading the rag because they publish the same authors and photographers all the time.
13. I quit reading the rag because they've lost their way.
14. I don't buy their rag anymore. I'll read it at the [newsstand, library, hobby shop, my buddy's house], but I won't pay for it anymore.
And so on and so forth, ad infinitum ad nauseum.
On some train forums, the magazine bashing threads are almost a staple topic. You can count on at least one each month, and it will run up to as many as 5 pages before it peters out. Fortunately, on my forum it's a topic that rears its ugly head only once or twice a year. Even so, I and the moderators have to read it and keep tabs on it, because it's one of those topics than can turn "south" very quickly. Like I said, everyone's got an opinion, and no one else's matters..... if you catch my drift.
So why do I dislike the magazine bashing threads? First of all, they serve no useful purpose. Everyone's just pounding sand and blowing hot air. As far as I know, the various editors and publishers pay no attention to internet forums and never see the comments being made about their respective magazines. (The one exception may be Kalmbach's Trains.com, although it's hard to tell how often MR's editorial staff reads the online discussions.) So, it seems to me, that the best way, the most useful way, to air one's complaints about a given magazine would be to write a letter to the editor! Let him know why you dislike his product. If that gets no response, write the publisher. If that gets no response either, then start writing the advertisers. Posting the same complaints month after month on an internet forum isn't going to change anything.
The second reason I dislike magazine bashing threads is that they're boring. There is no other way to put it. They're boring.
Enough of that....
A Curmudgeonly Thought for the Day....
Elections make it possible for the people to find out what politicians stand for and politicians to find out what the people will fall for.
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