Ptero gets kicked off CleanMPG for dissing the Volt

[payne171]

It has been my experience that an unpopular opinion can get a person turned on in a hurry on a forum. I have had it happen to me both here and on Insightcentral.net. The difference is that neither got me kicked off the website. With that said, I wouldn't pass judgement on either side unless I read the thread. From the other side of the argument, ptero may have seemed to be very obnoxious or combative. Not that I imply that was the intent, but written word fails to impart the intended meaning sometimes (like when I text my wife and she reads a tone that isn't there, whoo! Look out!).

With that said, it does sound to me like ptero is passing judgment on the Volt based almost solely on one narrow area: the economic impact of the vehicle to the consumer. If that were the only factor, we would all be driving Metros around until the frame rusted away. The Honda Insight can be argued to be the greatest factory issued Eco-mobile ever, yet Honda revamped it into a car that is barely recognizable to first gen owners like me. Yet the folks at Honda are selling more of them and actually making money doing it, so one could argue gen 2 is a better car. We needed gen 1 and the original Prius, even if you don't like hybrids, because they pushed the envelope and improved the breed. Does anyone think the Cruze Eco would be nearly as good of a car without the Volt? That is only the tip of the iceberg.

Well, that and I can see people getting annoyed by someone driving a Smart that such and such car is useless, as the Smart has been largely panned as being pretty disappointing from a standpoint of cost and compromise for disappointing fuel economy. I am not agreeing with them as I won't pass judgment until I drive one, but those that have probably threw a few jabs for it.

[payne171]

I withdraw my neutrality. I went over to cleanmpg. There ish difference of opinion and then there is name-calling and combativeness. Look up ptero and read the posts.

[user removed]

The first victim of agenda is objectivity. If you honestly state your agenda then you should be fine. I have an agenda, as do many here.

Does that mean my agenda is the only pathway to success?

Absolutely not.

Do I believe my agenda is a significant part of the pathway to success?

Absolutely.

Failure is clearly demonstrated by the inability of some to accept the knowledge and experience of others. It limits the acquisition of knowledge and creates a lot of unnecessary chatter that dilutes the exchange of intelligence. Add a little ego and the noise can destroy a forum, after the information exchange becomes a mere fraction of the background noise and strife.

They have now become legends in their own minds, and those who seek knowledge quickly see the effort does not justify the reward.

regards
Mech

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by payne171

I withdraw my neutrality. I went over to cleanmpg. There ish difference of opinion and then there is name-calling and combativeness. Look up ptero and read the posts.

I read some of ptero's posts over there as well, and you could make the case that "plays well with others" may not have been something written on his report cards much.

We've banned a couple of people here for being consistently abusive/disruptive. (EDIT: I'm not guessing that is what happened - who knows. )

[Ryland]

Why do you keep on being wrong? it's really frustrating when someone doesn't see how right your opinions are.
What is the saying? ...opinions are like...

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by basjoos

So he is reduced to saying how unsafe my car is compared to a modern car and deleting any of my postings that aren't favorable to modern cars.

There's no denying the basic fact that early 1990s cars are less safe Mike - but they shouldn't remove your posts because of it.
There's also the inconvenient truth that the old banger uses far less gas than most new cars.

Any car company could build a 21st century Aerocivic that's as light as yours, and still be as safe as any new car.

But they don't.

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

(However, if you dis a Geo Metro/Pontiac Firefly for ANY reason, you're outta here!)

Does that include mentioning the minor rust issue that they might supposedly have ... err ... well taken care off ?

They've become rare on our roads though.

[fusion210]

Originally Posted by basjoos

Their founder has transformed himself into an automotive journalist and to continue in his new profession, must do what he can (by not pissing off the auto companies) in order to maintain access (auto shows, test drives, etc.) to the newest products of the automotive industry.

That's what I've noticed as well.

[Grant-53]

When working in customer service I learned the quickest way to make some one angry is to insist on telling them something they knew wasn't true. After reading the news over the years I learned that no lie is too blatant to serve The Cause. Test, don't guess. When in doubt, follow the money.

[FXSTi]

Full disclosure first: I am a regular poster on Cleanmpg.
When I look at Ptero's posts on there it doesn't show him as a banned user, yet looking around the site I see others who have been banned have "Banned User" under their name. Curious.