Eiley

Well, seeing as there's a bunch of Aussies all in one thread here, thought I'd pop in and say - Who's going to Batchelor Boogie? (17 sleeps to go!) Squeak, I was supposed to say g'day at Nox, but missed you, so I'll see ya in Darwin! nothing to see here

Take a look around here: http://www.gtagarage.com/ Well, whaddaya know... Number 1 in the 'Most Downloaded Mods' list. Who would've thunk it? nothing to see here

Yeah! Or George Bush! Drugs are definitely bad if you turn out like George Bush. nothing to see here

Maybe if you read more than 12 posts you would find an interesting debate had ensued. nothing to see here

This thread was not posted to start a discusion but rather to prove a preconcieved opinion. Or maybe it was just a troll. Seven pages, not bad! Wayne Hmmm... has a troll failed in its objective if its post results in a thoughtful and interesting discussion rather than flames and a locked thread? nothing to see here

Uh .. ok, how? I can't fathom feeling a sense of peace after watching someone get mangled by a bus ... unless you mean a sociopath. I grew up with a guy like that. Told a friend of mine he got a rush from killing people. PM'd. Not just sociopaths. Hope you agree. nothing to see here

Perhaps you should direct your post to the person who actually made the claim. nothing to see here

#1 may cause PTSD. #1 may also give peace in certain circumstances. nothing to see here

Indeed. Same point as I was making a few posts up about the OP. Again, the danger of the written word. Do all the people above who have said "I wish I had never seen it" mean: 1. "I wish I had never seen it" OR 2. "I wish it had never happened"? Obviously, for some people it will be both, but for many it will only be the second. For them, there is a difference between the literal meaning of their words and the meaning they intended to convey. nothing to see here

Therein, the dangers of the internet. I have seen at least 5 interpretations of his initial post so far, ranging from psychopathic to mildly disturbing: ---------------------------------------------------------- 1. I am willing to sabotage someone's gear so that I can see a fatality. 2. I hope someone dies at my DZ soon so that I can see a fatality. 3. When the next fatality happens at my DZ, I hope I am there to see it. 4. I am going to say something controversial to stir up shit. 5. I am going to conduct a psychological experiment to see how many people I can get to pipe up "I've seen someone go in". ---------------------------------------------------------- Now, my money is on number 3, but it is only a guess because the OP hasn't clarified what he meant. Until he does, we can only draw our own inferences. nothing to see here

I won't try to guess at the motives of the OP, but I've found parts of the discussion quite interesting actually. I'm surprised you believe you can speak for all "of those who have experienced tragedy and how they would view the poster"? nothing to see here

See, that's the point right there! You have to throw down your credentials right at the start, "I have been there" Like it makes you aware of some occult knowledge that gives you the right to explain how it all is in your reality. I'm not making a moral judgment on what he said or how he's done it. I can just appreciate an argument well made. No argument is better then the one where you have your opponents do the legwork for you. Absolutely. Virtually everybody here has felt the need to point out that they have Been There, Done That And It's Not Pretty, Little Man. If they haven't seen someone go in, they need to bring up an unrelated death they have seen/been involved in. This perpetuates the curiosity of others who have not had that experience and it comes across as elitist. As for 'bragging', well I've never heard anybody say "I was there when X burned in, boy was it cool", but on many a night around the bonfire after a few beers you will certainly have someone discuss a death, then someone else will bring up another one they were closer to, a third person will jump in with how they were 'first on the scene' and so on. It begins to sound like "My corpse was bloodier than your corpse". But also, such conversations can run deeper and be more emotional than most bonfire conversations, creating a certain bond between the participants and excluding those who are unable to share. There's more likely to be group hugs, warmth and support in these conversations than the ones about who funnelled what. It is only natural for someone on the outside to want to be part of what they may perceive as that close bond. nothing to see here

I more got the impression that he wished he had seen one of the ones that had happened, not that he was hoping that someone would go in for his personal entertainment. Again, perhaps I'm giving him too much credit, but that was the impression I got. Edited because the question really didn't add much to the discussion nothing to see here

Okay, seriously? This is bragging. It sounds like you can't wait to tell the world how what you've seen is so much worse than what they have seen and you are trying to protect them from themselves. I'm not flaming you, because I actually think this is a very natural reaction. I do it myself, as do so many people at the DZ. You hear it around the bonfire all the time - one person tells their bounce story and then the next tells their worse story and each person tries to outdo each other. Having said that, the OP could most certainly choose some of his words better. But this sentiment I think he has correct. nothing to see here

But you didn't slam him. It's more the people who go into vivid detail of gory things they have seen and then call the original poster sick. The details don't add anything to the comment and it feels hypocriticial. I don't want to put words into the OP's mouth (maybe he is just a sicko), but there is definitely a certain amount of bonding that goes on when people share profound experiences and you see it at the DZ all the time when people discuss a particular fatality or deceased person. You really notice it when people start talking about their 'close friend' who went in - when that 'close friend' was someone they had met at a couple of boogies. It is not unusual for people to want to have their own small role to play in a particular drama or to try and share that bonding that can arise out of tragedy. Maybe I'm giving the OP too much credit, but I think perhaps he was just giving voice to the morbid curiosity and/or wish to belong to a certain group that may be seen as 'elite' that many people have. ETA: no need to put words into OP's mouth, he just beat me to posting. nothing to see here

It seems to me that many of those who are flaming the original poster feel the need to mention the deaths they have seen, or to make sure the original poster knows that they are in the club that is 'no stranger to death'. I think this is perhaps the 'badge of pride' the original poster was referring to and he is just wondering what it feels like to be part of that elite little club. I think the person who compared it to being one of the 'cool people who have been shot' above hit the nail on the head. nothing to see here

We use ripcords, but they are located on the hip near where a throwout would be. It supposedly makes the transition that little bit easier. We've used this system for many years now. We still have the SOS on the left. nothing to see here

Well that sure depends on where in Oz. My DZ has had hip-mounted ripcords for several years now. nothing to see here

Hi Squink, Briefly: Barwon Heads is doing beach jumps this weekend, so there will be a bunch of fun jumpers there and probably a BBQ afterwards. Nagambie is the most serious DZ for experienced jumpers - lots of teams etc. Tooradin (the old Pakenham) is a club, so not as busy as the other two. Its in a really pretty spot on the coast though and offers joyrides in biplanes and helicopters if you can't jump. All three would probably take around the same time to get to from the city. Hope you have a good time while you're here. (By the way, if you have the money, your logbook and the time, you will be able to jump!) nothing to see here

At least that's a better target than Randy's. He wants to fight against the homeless and tsunami victims. Sheesh! Like they don't have enough problems already! nothing to see here

Yeah Eiley is right, I think that idiot may of been coached just a 'little' bit Hi Stranger!

How many dropzones have you been to that you compare it to? craigwalsh, a good start would be to look at the dropzone.com DZ listings and reviews for DZs in the State you'll be visiting. nothing to see here

Thanks. Cracks me up every time!!! (only 'piece' should be 'peas'). I own the vid (got it for $1 at an ex-rental sale) but think I might just have to invest in the DVD. nothing to see here

Oh, please do! Most people have seen it, and it won't ruin it at all for those that haven't! nothing to see here

Oh, and how coached was that silly little tandem passenger: "All I could see was white... I was terrified... it was so dangerous". The vendetta against Skydive City by other users of the airport is beyond ridiculous. They literally have pathetic little men with nothing better to do sitting at the end of the runway with binoculars in one hand and a phone in the other, ready to speeddial CASA the moment a rule appears to be broken. Seriously. To read about the saga (mostly from the p.o.v. of the other users of the airport), go to http://www.pprune.org/forums/search.php and type in Barwon as a search term. Then check out the three 'CASA raids meatbombers' threads. It takes the pilots-vs-skydivers rivalry to new lows. nothing to see here