One of my team mates just told me about this thread, and I took the time to read it in it's entirety. In the name of fairness, and including the respect of everyone's opinions, this seems to boil down to "feelings".
I have a colourful background. This has been, and continues to be, a fantastic outlet for me when I'm not busy with real life. Having said that, I tackle this sport with the same tenacity and fervor that I do with anything I'm interested in. In short, I could be considered
passionate.
I've seen another common denominator here, and that is what people will tolerate, and what they will not. Allow me to tell you what I will tolerate. I will always tolerate an eager, energetic, and motivated player. I have never been, nor will I ever be concerned with how this player is dressed. If a guy is a shooter, he is a shooter.
Having said that, if he is a bag of shit, he will undoubtedly move like a bag of shit, fight like a bag of shit, and of course, talk like a bag of shit. Remember that it takes a few years to be a good shooter. It also takes a few minutes to dress like one, and a few seconds to talk like one.
I have on several occasions, had the displeasure of seeing these "kitted out" folks, come to the fight with me, only to see their $1000.00 pieces of kit leave the AO because they are missing lunch, or are fatigued, or have lost interest altogether. Some have even fled because the fight has proven too challenging for them. Hey. It's a volunteer sport. You show up and do your thing. I cannot challenge that. But show some damn interest. All I can hope for is that the game organizers lay out enough wax paper for you so your candy ass doesn't stick to the seat they provide for you when you've had enough.
I am not alone. I can imagine there are more that share this opinion, but they remain quiet. That is an admirable quality in this sport. In the end, those that talk don't know, and those that know don't talk. In short, it's about
doing.
Please do not think that silence equates to elitism. If you are just attending a Milsim Op and see a group of guys quietly checking their gear by their vehicles, know that they've been planning this Op for weeks before you knew it was on the boards. They are not there to socialize. They are not there to show the world a "kit parade". They select the gear that will keep up with them. They are there for the objectives, and the objectives alone. The AEGs they bring with them are looked upon as tools. The sharper the tool, the better it will work for them. It's been said that a good musician doesn't blame their instruments; but a good instrument doesn't make a good musician.
Know that the individuals you may consider as elitists may be very approachable. Know that they may have a keen sense of humour, just like yourselves. They may not show it; largely because they are in the "bubble". They may have traveled great distances to be there, and want to do it
right the
first time. Conversely, they might be seriously hung over from the night before.
True stories there.
With all the preparations and planning involved that these folks create for themselves, please understand that the last thing going through their minds is how some of you might "feel". Those "feelings" might be revisited after the game, when all is said and done, and the bubbles have burst.
Do not be so quick to judge. I maintain that if you can do what I can do, you can go where I can go. That makes me neither above or below you. I am who I am. Instead of labeling, we might want to consider learning.
All of this being said, assholes are indeed assholes, and shouldn't be tolerated. Further to this, someone mentioned Wolfpack specifically as an example of elitist behavior. Being a former member of Wolfpack, I have never encountered an individual from that team that has demonstrated or exhibited any of these negative traits. They are in every way, a breed apart; and all my Brothers. If they
appear to be better, it's most likely because they
are.
This is definitively the longest post I've ever made on this site. LOL.