How do you handle insults ?
 

I have been interested in aeromodding for over 23 years. I collected pictures of aerodynamic concept cars and aero related articles since I was a teen.

I even checked out Huchos' book from the library when i was around 15 and couldn't comprehend it. I now recognize the pictures that were in that book.

So many of the same articles that Aerohead has posted bring back fond memories.

I even did a cardboard kammback and tuft testing on one of my first cars in the early nineties.

However, i have never gone all out and actually DONE SOMETHING to my car like you guys here. I have wanted to, but I hated being made fun of, and this has kept me where i am now - nowhere .

I have always had really low self esteem, and was wondering how you guys are able to just brush off being made fun of.

Now with the internet, not only are one or two people making fun of you, but thousands are laughing at you.

What wisdom can you guys share with me on how to just get over insults ?

Unfortunately, one has to develop a thick carapace. You can also try to engage the people who are laughing at you. Establishing a rapport can actually discourage those same individuals from resorting to such intimidation tactics.

Something that is different will always attract attention, be it good or bad. Ignoring such comments has its limits which is why I try to establish a dialogue while attempting to get to the root of the issue.

Albeit, I will admit that it would prove to be a difficult task in various discussion forums where anonymity is often seen as an opportunity to be disrespectful and rude. In such context, ignoring your detractors would the best outcome.

In real life, it is harder to ridicule someone in a 1 on 1 conversation which is why you will regularly see a group of people picking on an individual because it is easier to do so. Befriending your detractor/bully is a good way to disarm him/her. You could also use a bit of humor to change the tone.

People who resort to insults prey on the victim's reaction. You can see the insults as being an emotional insecurity in disguise on their behalf. Confidence in yourself is key.

Hope this helps.

Laugh back at them all the way to the bank.
Laugh at them when they are sitting at the gas pump as you coast on by.
Laugh at them when they take their car to get the brakes fixed.
Laugh at them as you coast past them just after the light turns green.
Laugh at them when they spend money on tires and all the other stuff driving stupid wears put.

On occasion stop laughing at their dumb arses long enough to breathe occasionally or you might suffocate.

regards
Mech

I have shown some of the guys at work ThreeWheelers Insight.
He did a really professional job which I think looks fantastic. There is not that "ghetto" look to his car.
Even the ones that seem more intelligent shake their head and make rude comments even after I tell them how good his mileage is.
I have such a thin shell that I personally take offensive .

Since I mentioned the fact that I used to collect aero literature , I wanted to mention one particular magazine I bought that is now long gone
(. I threw away all my magazines and pictures, convinced that my hobby was to nutso. I used to even go to dealerships to get the sales brochures for the Cd figures on the cars )

This particular magazine was some custom car magazine from the late seventies to very early eighties .
Besides the usual Mopars and Chevy Camaros painted in a maze pattern flake paint jobs using 20 different stripes of paint, there was an article that had me totally enamored.

The author had taken a '69 Camaro and performed several aero tests on the car.
Tests consisted of coast down testing, tuft testing and pressure testing using an instrument I have not seen mentioned here before.
It was a small funnel attached to a piece of clear tubing , and the placed at the cowl area of the windshield . A solution of ink was inserted in the tube and as the car gig up to speed, the funnel would blow out the ink in the area being tested for pressure patterns.
I really do miss that magazine. I think that guy would have been one of the first true aeromodders !

Cd -

Recycling my old quote :

But to be fair, there is some stuff I won't do either. But it's more of a "my aesthetic" thing than caring.

In terms of pressure testing, "CO ZX2" used his NHRA skillzzz to do a lot of that over on gassavers.

CarloSW2

Oh cool !
I haven't been over to that forum in ages !

laugh at yourself wen u drive like an ass for 1 tank just to see the difference in hypermiling and driving stupid and going dam that's a lot of money wasted

How about...

Systematic desensitization - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Start with a relatively small aeromod (something like 100% smooth wheel covers).

You'll be self-conscious about them for a while, just looking at the car will probably feel weird. Driving it, you may feel even a bit weirder. But eventually... eventually you'll desensitize to them. And likely nobody will comment on the moon eye look. (You might even get a compliment from someone who appreciates the old school Bonneville look.)

Next add something else that's small - how about body coloured partial grille block. Hardly anyone will notice that either. You may go back to being a bit self-conscious, but eventually, you'll acclimatize again.

Now add something a bit more "out there" - maybe rear wheel skirts. Somewhat more conspicuous, eh? Someone might even comment on them! (My first wheel skirts comment was shouted from a guy driving a UPS van - "what are those covers for??" Me: "better mileage on the highway" Him: "Oh! Cool - that's what I thought.")
You could write "45 mpg" (or whatever you're getting) on them so they're self-explanatory.

I've had all kinds of people point and chuckle at the mods I've put on my car(s). By the time you're at the "big" ones (kamm back, big-ass air dam, etc.), you probably won't be as self-conscious about the whole thing. And you may be surprised how many people "get it" and want to actually talk about it seriously with you.

Or you could just tint your windows and pull a ball cap low over your face when you walk to your car :D

This works. When I first took my speed down from 75 MPH to 60 MPH it was really hard to do. I would get nervous about people tailgating. I would want to speed up because I thought everyone was giving me dirty looks as they passed. Eventually though it became the norm. Today, I drive even slower than 60. If people give me dirty looks or pass me violently I seem to laugh more than worry about what they are thinking. You get used to new things and your confidence will grow each day.

I just consider insulters as lesser humans, which opinions are meaningless, "go on, laugh cattle, it is your loss".

Perhaps not nicest thing to do, but is insulting then nice?

Of course technically that makes me as bad as them, but it does not bother me as I'm so tired of how at least in here where I live, hardly anyone thinks outside the box anymore.

However I think that local people are getting already adjusted as after the winter I put new Kamm and no odd looks or anything like that so far...

Oh one thing is that I don't even consider that my car looks good, I don't even desire it to look good, it is a tool that works, it does not need to look good, so when one kid shouted cool looking car with laughter, I told him to go check his eyes, that ugly thing can't look good and then there were a silence with mouths open, which is typical commoner reaction to something they would had never considered as option being slammed right to their faces.

Well, maybe it is just that I'm not the nicest person :D

It sounds like you were like ordained to do this much earlier in life than most of us.

A lot of us used to be fuel wasting hot-rodders who have come 180 degrees.

Peer pressure WAS that ugly time in Junior High. You are an adult now! You are above such nonsense!

Sure I've been laughed at. I used to bracket drag race a '63 Nova my Dad gave me.

I duct-taped the spot where the rear bumper ends on the side quarter panel so the air would flow smoother. The guys in the tech line laughed it up. I got the idea from Hot Rod Magazine itself!

Later, on different jobs, always group attacks showing how nerdy you are.


We are turtles here, and we come with hard shells that repel the nasties!

Have you forgotten that you have one? You could work all your life at trying to make people like you. Realize that its not going to happen for the most part.
We are not a majority.

That's why its special to belong here on Ecomodder so that there IS someone that understands, and that you are not the ONLY one!!!

I am highly impressed about one guy on here trying to do his best hypermiling in the mean town of Chicago! I'm sure he doesn't have many fans.

Time to buck up my friend; do, or die; wear the shell, or wimp out.
It's your life, and you have to face yourself in the mirror every day!!!!!

I guess one needs to belive in himself to be able to "not care" what others say or do. Mcurrent car isn't funny looking with aero mods but if it was i would react the same way i do when I tell others they can save 20% on your fuel bill if you drive smarter, so they laugh and say they don't have time to drive slow or they don't mind paying more...I just say, no problem, suit yourself and it doesn't hurt me that others may laugh at what i do.
I believe what i'm doing is right, it's not hurting anyone and you just need to do the same, take pride in your interests and everything that is yours.

Old Mechanic and Metro have the right of it. Laughter has always been my most powerful weapon/friend, and baby steps are definitely a good route to take. Honestly, I don't get attacked verbally, even when approached by small groups of obviously confrontational people. That may be, in some small part, because I look like a big-scary-biker with a couple "stoopid stamps" on my arms, but I'd like to think it's mostly because I try to meet people( who are obviously walking toward the car to find out what the heck I'm driving) with a smile and witty response. I've met quite a few really cool people, who may even be reading this right now:eek: as I always try to fit Ecomodder into the conversation somewhere, and would never have met them without the tail on the car. Maybe I've even showed a few people a new path to walk. Who knows. I still have yet to see video or pics of my car on another forum with the usual " This moron actually drives this POS on the road" line under it, even though there have been HUNDREDS of both taken.

Everyone has to walk there own path. If you want to put a tail on your car, do it. If someone wants to make fun of it, let them. Personally, I'm my own worst critic. There isn't ANYTHING that anyone can say to me that I haven't already said to/ about myself.

P.S. I do appreciate the irony of your new avatar pic, Cd-cassette:thumbup:!!!

Having to deal with what people think is a part of life............until you discover the freedom of not caring what people think.

The people that changed the world and pushed life back and made it bend in different ways had to come to the conclusion that in order to succeed you will get persecuted for it. That's just truth. Einstein, Hucho, Jesus Christ, your best engineers, etc. all got attacked by "the experts" and ."the leaders" of society because they brought something different, new, unusual that threatened the establishment.

I deal with insults with humor, and as long as I tell the joke on me first, no one else has the power to do so.

What's funny about nerds, geeks, anoraks is that the genius is there, the power is there to change the world. The problem lies in confidence, competence and the ability to be cool ( which is all marketing ).

Put an aero freak of a vehicle together and folks laugh. Laugh with them, and let them know it was intentional. Then blow their minds with what it can do. To stop the laughter, change the execution. Pull it together and make it look good. Keep it an aero freak but proper, tasteful, stylish. Then they go, "whoa how'd you do that?"

Either way, the power is in your hands, not theirs

Cd -

I forgot to say that the ones that laugh at you are actually doing you a favor. They are giving you a clue as to what kind of person they are.

CarloSW2

It's not about justifying aeromodding's worth, it's about being comfortable with being a geek. A cheerful "I know it's stupid, but I like it" is the best way to approach some of the stranger hobbies out there.

It's only boring people don't have some oddball interest.

Self confidence starts in your mind and ends in your actions.
If you feel someone is bullying or insulting you you can tell them that they are childish and rude because they are and it should be brought to their intention.

Thanks for the kind words, Cd!

I have had several people at work comment to the fact that they would rather drive the car with the tail off. And it's fine with me if they make that comment.

I had some young kids drive by me in the gas station last week when I was filling up. One said "I like your WeinerMobile" loud enough for me to hear. I just ignored the comment and went on my way.

As the gas prices keep climbing, I've also had several people ask if the car really gets 99mpg as my plate suggests. When I say yes, they drop their jaw is disbelief.

I like the high gas mileage more than negative comments from others, so the car stays as it is!

Jim.

That's exactly how I feel. I like it when someone is honest, as they do me a large favor in the process.

Jim.

I don't go as far as most EM'ers, but I've encountered some people who seem to think that it's kind of silly.

Confidently state how practical your actions are. That's all there is to it. Point out that your actions benefit you, and are clearly in your favor. It helps if you remember that you have no need to justify your own actions, nor to convince others to imitate you. You're merely serving your own self interests (fuel economy), and allowing others to pursue theirs.

As I have become older, I have realized what it is to be cool. ( Something I'm not .)
But what cool is ..is confidence in yourself as many of you guys have mentioned.
I remember in high school the 'cool' kid that had an old junk car that barely ran and he would have to push it to get it started sometimes.
If i had the same car, things would have been totally different.
I would have been laughed at.
It was the way the guy carried himself. If you made fun of him, it didn't phase him.

I went through the period of having 'muscle cars' like the cool kids. It didn't work. I was just a geek with a cool car. ( a '69 Camaro )

I didn't have the attitude to match the car.

If you think about the title 'muscle car' versus 'economy car', it's just the way it is in real life - the guy that wants to show off his masculinity drives his 'muscle' car. And the poor fellow that can't afford anything else has his car labeled as an 'economy' car.

Even the styling reflects this. Think outside the box and think like an artist here :

Give the car a "face and a body" and you will see what i mean. Artist personify cars all the time this way :

Muscle Cars have large wide tires which appear like thick arms or broad fists - while economy cars have tiny, skinny tires much like skinny legs.
http://www.carbodydesign.com/media/2...thumb-1905.jpg http://www.dream-wallpaper.com/free-...allpaper-7.jpg
Wide tires make a car look powerful.
Small, skinny tires look weak.
Muscle cars have broad " shoulders " in the form of bulging fenders
Economy cars have rounded droopy shoulders.
http://totalcarmodel.com/wp-content/...-camaro-10.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...n-DB9-rear.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...Echo_coupe.jpg

Muscle cars have "mean" grilles and eyes ( the lights or the windshield )
Economy cars have tiny grilles that look like a puckering or sad face and sad or 'cute' faces.
Muscle cars have a small window area. This makes the car look as if it is squinting and looking mean.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l23KyTI2IQ...m-srt8-w-3.jpg

Economy cars have a large glass area and high beltline. This gives the car a 'cute' look much like the way a cartoonist will give a girl large eyes to look cute.

http://www.blirk.net/wallpapers/852x...allpaper-3.jpg

Muscle cars are low to the ground and appear to be ready to pounce.
Economy cars appear to be on their tip toes and off balance. ( high ride height )

http://pictures.topspeed.com/IMG/cro...by-_460x0w.jpg


I wonder how many people have passed up buying 'economy' cars based on the fact that they are classed as 'economy' cars and therefore make them feel poor.

When i had my muscle cars years ago, I found out that if you wanted to attract attention from guys, you drove a muscle car.
Girls wanted someone that had self esteem - no matter the car.
In fact as my sister later told me, girls would rather drive home in a Toyota Corolla, because they know they guy was not going to wreck showing off.
It's not the car you drive but the attitude you carry eh ?

Another way of thinking:

If a dog barks at you, do you bark back?

Even if you do bark back, the dog with rarely understand anything and even if it will stop barking, it will usually revert back to barking when another person walks by.

Intelligent people will directly or politely ask you why have you done this or that and they are the ones who are worthy of your time and attention and they are the ones from whom you can also learn something worthy.

It`s your own choice in life whether you want to give any attention whatsoever to insulters, ridiculers and all those other barking people/animals/slotmachines etc...

This is by far one of the best reasons that I added a tail to the car. That, and the plates that state my normal gas mileage.

I have way more people willing to pass me right away due to the tail and the plates. They see the high number and either want to check it out further, or blaze past, but not much in between.

The tail really makes the purpose of the car obvious, even though it adds only a small amount at my driving speed.

Jim.

@Cd- I like how you explained the "style" situation, but I will comment on the Fiat 500, Vespa motorcars and the original Morris/BMC Mini. It seems that cars like this blur the line between what is poverty/uncool and cool. Every now and then the manufacturers get it "right" all the way around the block. Mix in motorsport bonafides and all of a sudden, you have a car that both extremes in the social construct wouldn't mind being seen in ( jock and nerd ).

As in life, the day that the nerd takes it to the jock and beats him despite the difference in size and power, is the day the nerd is transformed.

What people don't understand, they automatically fear, and to mask their ignorance they send insults. Too many people have a hard time keeping an open mind and being curious, so it's easier to make a mockery. If I see something unusual, I just engage the person and most of the time they explain what's up, no matter what it is.

I was a bit self conscious at first. but I did it like several others said, I started small and worked up from there. Grill block (can even do it stealthy like my lower one) http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...ose-14328.html. then do a side mirror delete (I have to tell people its not there, as they do not see the absence of it).

you will get 3 reactions from people.
odd looks /giggling
middle finger (or other not nice things/ remarks)
questions

the first on I just wave back or smile for the cell phone pic they take :)
second one I just smile back and make sure I am getting over 50 mpg as they make a smoke cloud going by in their truck (most jerks drive a truck if male, minivans if female)

third one I answer their questions and most people think its great to save money but would not want to drive one their self.

I have gotten so use to people looking at my car as they go by that I look to see there reaction. it can make driving fun :) I even do it when I drive other cars and I have to tell myself that there is nothing odd about the car I am driving hence the blank looks other drivers give me when I am not driving my car.

I don't think that logic works in this instance. When I see cars with broad rear fenders like that, I can't help but think "LARD BUTT" :-)

Naw, that car has a J Lo booty:D

So what does driving a car (Aerocivic) with no visible tires mean?

That you're in (low) drag? :)

You are an alien from another planet that has been sent to declare to us image conscious humans that we are not as cool as we think we are!;):D:thumbup:

Having seen some of the prewar (WWII) specials that were built like some Delahayes, the Phantom Corsair and others that had enclosed wheels, it really says that if you can't see the wheels, you are the top of the heap.

Cd -

Here's his car :

Old Reliable

You can see the gauges in the gallery pictures. Not sure which thread describes how they're used.

CarloSW2

...as my Dad used to say, "...consider the source..." -- it's down there with "opinions" (double entendre' intended).

I often get laughs and strange looks from other motorist too when they see me driving my old '88 Ford Escort Pony which is now in pretty rough condition after being driven on dusty/muddy construction sites for the first 12 years and over 300K miles of it's life. It has 518,700 miles and is butt ugly, but it's paid for still runs good and gets 40-45 MPG. My son tells me he's going to bury me in the Escort so I'll look natural. I just let people laugh and ignore them. No matter how it looks I plan to see just how many miles I can eventually put on it before a major component such as the engine or transmission give way. If they don't like the way it looks they can look the other way. I have 5 other cars that look better, but for most of my everyday driving it's the '88 Pony I usually drive, because it gets the best gas mileage of anything I own. My grill block is a piece of plexiglass over the outside of the grill which also helps the car warm up much faster in the winter. Seeing how long/many miles I can make a car last is about as important to me as fuel efficiency and this is the first car I've ever had to make 500K miles so I'm not going to stop driving it simply because someone else doesn't like the looks of it, unless of course they dislike it so much they want to buy me a new car that will get the gas mileage this one does.

I handle insults by being secure in the knowledge that the vast majority of people are willfully ignorant idiots, so why would I place value or importance on the (likely) uneducated opinion of an idiot?