Today was the last day, and everything is now set. Schedule done, rule amendments done, a lot of filming, and planning, and doing today. It’s past midnight, and I am really tired, so I will just share this short story I forgot yesterday.
I went to sleep around midnight, and woke up at 2am. I realised the lights were on. I couldn’t believe Max was still wrenching. I look over. No Max. And then I turn around, and there he was, just “resting his eyes”. What an idiot.
It’s been a while! I haven’t posted all year. For two years I posted something every single day, and got 300k views or so for the 2nd year. Not bad I thought, for only word of mouth “Have you read the blog?” marketing. Somehow it is still getting hits! People are still reading through 2 years worth of blogs!
I stopped the blog because I had “better” things to do. Back then I just made mention of the fact that you will see what I’m working on in the future. Well some things you can see now. Others you still don’t know about, maybe never will.
I still write some blogs, you can read them on RCMXONLINE
I’m planning to create a podcast, a much better guide, and setup app. Support that here.
And finally, I am doing Facebook Live’s now instead of the blog, add a notification so you know when I go live, or check the archive on Facebook here, or on youtube here. (They improve in the later episodes)
Finally finally about to release JQThreads this month! Already put a roof on one school in Mozambique, and supporting 10 students there each month. And we don’t even have a webshop yet. A lot going on, and closer than ever for it all paying off.
Well, you probably guessed it! The nr 1 most popular post of 2017 was indeed, the divine intervention that happened at NEO17, where Ty Tessmann introduced the world to Pro Concepts! It didn’t go very well, unlike this blog post.
Recently there has been a political shift in the western world which seems to be heading more and more towards right wing ideologies, thanks to ideas such as blaming immigrants and muslims for most of the issues in society, and blaming government regulation and taxation, along with the poor people on welfare for whatever issues are left over.
I made the comment on a facebook post a while ago where I said that if there is to be a solution to the worlds problems it won’t be found by voting in right wing governments. I wrote that a solution would need to be approached from the left’s core values, if one is to be found. This comment received some backlash, and I said I would write a blog about it because it’s not a simple issue. Let’s start by defining the terms.
Left
Liberal
Universal care and compassion central to the political ideology – empathy.
Highest value placed on fairness and equality.
Open to new experiences, creativity, diversity, variety.
Socialism within a capitalist society. Individuals and companies are able to do business and succeed, but the government makes sure no one is left behind, universal healthcare, free education, welfare programs. Let’s call it capitalism with empathy.
Speak for the oppressed, want change and justice even over order and tradition.
Extreme left, the fringes, clearly not the way to go
Communism
Social Justice Warriors
Political Correctness, trigger warnings, safe spaces
Right
Conservative
The well being and success of your own ”tribe”, a survival of the fittest, winner takes all mentality central to the ideology.
Highest value placed on tradition, the nation state, economic freedom, liberty of the individual to succeed without interference from the government, such as excessive taxation or regulation.
Free markets, deregulation, privatisation, winner takes all in the sense that people are free to pursue success, and there should be little or no welfare, and in the case of America, no universal healthcare or free education. Let’s call it capitalism on steroids.
Speak for the nation, institutions and traditions, resist change even at the expense of the oppressed or the weak.
Extreme right, the fringes, clearly not the way to go
Fascism, nationalism
Nazies, racial supremacists, nativists
Patriotism that turns into hateriotism.
One of the major problems in Europe today is immigration. I don’t think it’s a major problem in America, even though the Americans seem to think it is. I think to explain my point best I’ll use immigration as an example, and a discussion about the problem in Finland, but the basic idea works for any problem in society. I’m not proposing a solution to the immigration issue, but explaining why I think the solution will be found by basing it on left wing values.
Part 1: Defining the Problem
A large number of refugees and immigrants are entering Europe and then Finland. This leads to
– crime
– unemployment
– The state welfare, medical services, schools, subsidies, etc. are burdened and it could lead to the potential collapse of the welfare state.
– The rich western countries have a healthy positive culture (human rights, equality, freedom etc.). A large amount of immigrants who don’t share these values could lead to the damage or loss of the positive aspects of our culture.
Solutions need to be found to the above problems. All thinking people agree with this, the above statements are not a matter of opinion, they are real risks. The dispute here is not really about the validity of those claims, but to what extent the points mentioned above actually are or will become problems, and how they should be solved. The right wing exaggerate the problems with anti immigration propaganda, and the left wing belittle and minimise the problems, even going as far as to covering up news about crimes committed by immigrants, in order to not fuel the fire on the right.
Part 2: What to do?
Left
Help the needy the best we can. Solve the above problems by other means, working on integrating and educating immigrants.
Right
Build a wall! Don’t let anyone in! Finland only for Finns!
The world is complex and it is challenging to build and sustain a functioning society. However, there is one in Finland, and there can still be one in the future if the problems are analysed and solved.
Part 3: Arguments
Finnish right wing ideology supporters tend to argue:
The blacks just hang around in the city centers and don’t work.
The muslims come here and rape our women and steal our welfare money.
There are mainly men coming here, they are too cowardly to fight for their country, so they leave their families and come here. What pieces of shit.
Lazy immigrants don’t want to work, just break the law and live on welfare.
All of the above negative allegations apply to 90% (or an equivalent, however, a clear majority) of:
Immigrants
Dark skinned people
Muslims
Part 4: Counter Arguments
A Finnish left wing ideology supporter could counter those arguments like this:
Crime, unemployment, laziness, and all the other negative right wing arguments are not particular traits reserved for immigrants, blacks or muslims. White Europeans do all of those things too.
Poverty and the lack of an education are a major cause of these problems. When a poor uneducated couple start a family the child does not share the same opportunities as a child born into an educated better off family. We need to accept this.
For example, in the United States after over 200 years of slavery, the black population was still killed, tortured, discriminated against and trampled over when it came to education, work or owning property for another century or more, and they are now in general poorer and less educated in relation to white Americans. Is it then a surprise that the crime rates in predominantly black neighbourhoods is higher than that of crime in predominantly white neighborhoods?
Is the solution to the problem then to blame black people for being lazy, leaches on welfare, ignorant and criminals, or should we possibly try to understand what has led to this situation? Does it make more sense to work on improving education and work opportunities, and figuring out solutions locally with the community in question, or is it better that the police target, harass, and far too often shoot and kill these “thugs” in the street?
Back to immigration.
The majority of the immigrants coming to Finland are normal people who want a good happy and healthy life, for themselves, their own family and all their friends. I can say this because the majority of people in the world are normal people who want a good happy and healthy life, for themselves and their own family and all their friends. It’s not like only the assholes made the trip over. People from all walks of life did.
If Finland continues in the same fashion, as a welfare state where all people are taken care of, supported, educated, and respected, things will continue as they have done so far. If Finland decides to change over to a right wing ideology, which stirs up hatred and division, if we start to fight and to discriminate, things will go to hell. (Look at many communities in USA right now).
Part 5: Counter…Counter Arguments – Why Left wing ideologies won’t work.
If the blinkered lefties, the “libtards” cannot see any problems with immigration and go on naively, without addressing the issues, things will also end badly. (See, for example, certain areas of Sweden). Everything should not be understood or accepted, in the name of remaining politically correct or culturally sensitive. In Finland there is a saying, “maassa maan tavalla”, basically “when in Rome, do as the Romans”, and even though the saying has been hijacked by the more extreme right wing, there is still some truth to it. There are reasons for Finland being a rich country with a high standard of living, and they have to do with the way the society is built to be free and fair.
Religious and cultural practices that trample human rights, freedom and the well being of people in general have no place in a 2017 society. That needs to be made clear from the start.
Religious and cultural practices that trample human rights, freedom and the well being of people in general have no place in a 2017 society. That needs to be made clear from the start. Finland has certain laws and societal norms, and there is no need to bend over backwards to make room for new ones, not on small or big issues. We eat ham while celebrating Christmas, and women are equal to men, and aren’t stoned to death, or murdered in honor killings. As an immigrant you don’t have to eat ham, but you need to accept that others do, and you do have to treat women as equals. See what I mean? There are good ideas and there are bad ideas, and bad ideas need to be challenged, which will lead to their eventual destruction.
Part 6: THE Conclusion
World views can be roughly divided into two parts.
Left = “Libtards” who care for all people and human values.
Right: “We’re better than you, so piss off.”
The rational thinking person understands that the truth, and the solution can be found somewhere between left and right, and the further to one side you go, the more problems there will be.
The rational thinking person understands that the truth, and the solution can be found somewhere between left and right, and the further to one side you go, the more problems there will be.
MY OPINION IS that the best possible result is achieved when approaching a societal problem from the left, that is, basing your ideology on the idea of equal human dignity, human rights and the general well being of all. This is quite universally seen as “left wing” thinking, and that is why I wrote what I did on FB. It does not mean that everyone should have equal opportunities, or wealth, or outcomes in life, but what it does mean is that there are certain non negotiable rights that are inherent to all human beings, and that every persons life and dignity needs to be respected. That means that decisions are made by taking everyone into account, which leads to more equal opportunities for all.
A right wing ideology inevitably creates division, because a right wing ideology focuses on the relevant “tribe”. By stirring up hatred, by fighting, by blaming, by waging war, discriminating, escalating fear, emphasising differences (skin colour, religion, nationality), and viewing your own “tribe” as superior is not a way to solve problems. We have learned that repeatedly throughout history. I don’t understand how people still in this day and age cannot understand this, and how they can’t see the potential catastrophe we face by marching right into it. (Pun intended).
The thing is that today we live in a global world, and in a global world it is not possible to find peace without expanding your empathy level to a global level too.
The thing is that today we live in a global world, and in a global world it is not possible to find peace without expanding your empathy level to a global level too. Like the black eyed peas sing ”if you only have love for your own race, then you only leave space to discriminate.” That’s true when it comes to nations, religions, political ideologies or sexual preferences. More division is not going to lead to peace. If solutions to today’s problems are to be found, they need to be based on the notion that we all have equal human value at birth, and that as a society we should strive for fairness and equality. After that you mix left and right wing values and ideas, but what exists at the core has to be non negotiable.
But what do I know, I’m just a village idiot from Finland.
Yes I wrote “he”, it’s easier. This blog isn’t PC.
After some time with hardly any really good new junior drivers, there seem to be a lot of them popping up now. There are now a number of Italian youngsters, and also Spanish, German, Finnish, and American drivers beginning to make a name for themselves around the world. Oh and a Polish guy.
At first they all sort of looked equal, but now after a few more years, you can really tell a difference in their career trajectory. Of course talent and dedication plays a role, but when it comes to young drivers, I think there is one thing that is more important than anything else, and that’s the people behind them.
Here are a few ways to spoil a potentially good driver:
It’s never his fault. He is awesome, always, the equipment let him down when he didn’t do well.
Any on track incident is never his fault, always blame the other party. Retaliation is encouraged.
No need to try other people’s setups or ideas, as I know what’s best for my kid. Don’t listen to others kid.
After kid goes nuts on track and blows out, no words of wisdom are spoken, “Car didn’t look good, you will get them next time.”
Basically, always looking outwards instead of inwards, for blame, and for excuses, and always looking outwards for ways to improve, different equipment being the first step.
What the above leads to is a driver that doesn’t develop his own driving because he is awesome, he never settles with car brand, tyre brand, etc, because they are never good enough for him, he never achieves greatness because he can’t maximise his own and his equipment’s potential as the focus is on the wrong things.
Here are a few ways to make the most of a potentially good driver:
Be fair with feedback regarding mistakes and bad races, and offer solutions and improvements to driving and setup, not even hinting at different equipment.
Give objective feedback regarding on track incidents, and condemn retaliation.
Listen to other people, but do your own testing and gather your own data.
After kid goes nuts on track and blows out, share some words of wisdom that help to stop that from happening in the future.
Basically, always look inwards for blame, and reasons, what could we have done better with our equipment, what could you have done better as far as your driving is concerned?
What the above leads to is a driver that develops due to constant honest feedback and instruction, and understands the value of settling for a good brand and maximising it’s potential. He has a great chance of achieving greatness as the people around him don’t give any room for excuses.
I wrote this post that included a poll, with the question: “Who gets canned first?” Basically speculating who is going to be looking for a new drive first out of these drivers. The results are in.
It was a close fight between King and Drake, a bit like any given Saturday in Socal. Drake ended up edging King out by 1 vote. And incredible results I must say, and slightly surprising.
I know it looks like I doctored the results, but I swear I did not. I checked them today and spay my drink out all over my laptop. We have some great fans it seems.
Nationality: English living and working in USA. (5 years)
What type of racing do you do?
1/10th and 1/8th off road.
How long have you been racing?
I started when I was a kid, stopped for a while and then started again about 8 years ago.
Current chassis / manufacturer?
Well last year it was Mugen, this year I have changed to HB but so far this year I have only run the 1/8 electric chassis.
How would you describe your skill / experience level?
Competitive / good club racer
Other races recently?
PNB 2017, Motorama. Reedy race.
How many Neos have you attended ?
About 5
How have you found The Neo generally this year?
Theevent’s as good as ever. Having been racing in USA it is great to come back to this level of professionalism and event organization. Phil, DXR, the BRCA and all the other staff do an awesome job, but the quality of drivers and competition is great as well.
How have you found spending time with the JQRacing Team?
Is this a serious interview ? (smiling) Its been good fun, everyone is helpful. A small but genuinely passionate team. People seem to be in the team because they genuinely believe in what JQ is trying to achieve. By the way it’s possibly the rudest team I have ever pitted with. It’s good fun. (smiling).
What were your reasons for trying a BLACK Edition?
Two reasons, one I was genuinely tempted to buy a Black Edition but once Lee Martin signed with Infinity and decided to race the HB I did as well. (note : Lee Martin is a friend of David’s so he generally runs the same chassis as Lee. Currently Lee is able to race different chassis as the infinity product does not exist yet). So my reasons for trying the Black Edition are that I had previously consider buying one, my HB nitro chassis arrived too late to get prepared for The Neo and when I saw the JQR Black Edition loaner for Neo advertisement I thought it was a great opportunity.
Initial impressions?
Solid. Looks strong. Well put together plus some clever ideas like the electrics being easy to install for example. You can tell it is designed by an engineer and racer as there are good solutions to common problems.
Practice impressions?
The Black Edition immediately felt safe, neutral on the jumps and good on the bumps. JQ suggested more toe in on the rear hubs and it was good throughout day one. However I did not do enough laps due to small engine issues and a few maintenance related teething problems.
Qualifying?
I drove poorly for the first round, crashing mainly due to poor judgment of distance. Once I got in the groove from Q2 onwards the Black Edition was excellent. As the track got more rutted it became obvious the car has no vices. Jumps, bumps, holes, the wash board section the Black Edition was excellent.
This the fourth year I have been eligible for the over 35 final and the first year made it. It is also my best ever overall Neo qualifying. To achieve that with a car with which I had absolutely no previous experience with says a lot about the Black Edtion. (Ed. note David qualified 101st overall)
Finals?
The BE felt good. Even with track rutted the car handled well. I struggled with getting into a driving rhythm though, partly due to engine damage affecting the tune
Overall?
It has been an awesome race meeting, I really enjoyed it. I qualified well but had a few engines issues in the main, however due to the strong qualifying I may not have bumped anyway. The car was really good, it didn’t miss a beat all weekend
Over all comments and thoughts?
I have run a lot of different cars and this is the first one I have run that I can’t think of a weakness. A very very good car for people to try. Probably what speaks to the truth of that more than anything is I have now asked my local stockist in the US to sell me a BE and Ebuggy so I can keep running the brand as a paying customer! JQ’s design is good and he was helpful throughout neo with setups and parts.
Finally a huge thank you to all of the JQRacing Team, especially JQ and Liam (Team Manager). The car, pitting, help, it was fun, the team supper, awesome weekend. Many thanks.
With the economy as bad as it is, companies are saving on budgets, and that made for the most interesting silly season yet. While some drivers are performing and making positive steps forward, like Maifield and Ongaro for example, others are struggling, or may be victims of the environment. Collateral damage to downsized budgets and changes in strategy. Let’s take a look at a few possible drivers that may be looking for new rides shortly, I’ll let you decide. I made it a poll!
Cody quickly checks to see if he has been fired, between rounds.
1. Cody King – HB Racing
Cody is a World Champion, and a great talent. However, he has one drawback, lack of work ethic, and it seems like the new HB owners have realised this. Cody did not attend the Neo Race, probably because he needs to get his shit together before HB spend any money on him. Will he get it together, or will he get canned?
2. Ryan Cavalieri – AE
Ryan was just put on probation for a month by AE, and with Rivkin moving through the ranks, and being sent all over the World for racing, are AE trying to replace Cav with Riv? Will he stay or will he get placed on permanent probation?
What Drake would look like if he had a chin.
3. Adam Drake – Mugen
Adam once had a happy life at TLR. Then TLR hired Maifield. TLR realised that Maifield was winning and Adam wasn’t. TLR canned Adam. Now Adam was happy at Mugen, and hired Maifield. Maifield is winning everything, and Adam isn’t. Will Adam get canned again?
“What do you mean you won’t pay me?”
4. Dakotah Phend – TLR
Phend is Phast, but TLR have been downsizing, heavily. Will they still pay a top guy in 2018?
And the lord said: “It was merely a racing incident” – Quarinthians 3:77
5. Jared Tebo – Kyosho
Tebo is a legend, but even legends can’t survive on no money. Will Kyosho follow Tamiya and not pay top drivers? The rumours have been circulating for years.
Ty’s reaction when he heard Xray would run Pillow balls through out 2020.
6. Ty Tessmann – Xray
If you were sceptical about Tessmann’s frustration at the Xray 8th scale program, you need not wonder anymore. Because only frustration, desperation, and a complete plummeting self confidence can push someone to cause a Try Traction Scandal. My opinion is, that there are 3 possible outcomes. A: Ty works on setup, adjusts his driving style, like Tiger Woods re-worked his swing, and gets back to his winning ways. B: Xray make a new go back to a c-hub front end (they have the parts, it’s easy) in order to please Ty. C:anned.
Max demonstrating how to respect kind, caring and supportive people.
8. Max Mört
This cocky bastard is just about to start beating his boss. And that’s never a good thing. One great race could be all it takes!
THEQuagraine 