Sour Grapes + A little resentment

Shall we add a forum section for the modern river industry?

Okay, I have a suggestion to all of you and I'd like to hear your opinion about this very honestly. If you don't want to post publicly, send me an e-mail. If you're posting publicly, please be polite, as this is probably a hot topic 😉

Are there any objections to adding an additional section to this forum for the modern river industry? Can the pure-steamboats people just stay away from this section if they're not interested? Can the river industry people accept that there might be the one or the other critical posting from the pure-steamboat people? And will this be the right place for the modern river people to discuss and talk, or will they have resentments because it's STEAMBOATS.org hosting this forum?

Let me know what you think! I'll make up my mind about this issue after hearing your opinion.

Oh, and if you have an idea on how to call that new forum ...?

As many of you know, I have made a large part of my living from steamboat history, yet I realize that the diesel engine and boats powered by it have been in existence for a hundred years now. A hundred years should be enough to qualify as history. The activities and skills of present-day rivermen and women may not be as romantic as the days of gamblers and crinolines, but they are as exciting and exacting as ever. They deserve as much admiration and recording of events as their forebearers.
Those who presently preserve and record contemporary history, such as Dan Owen, Charles Lehman, the Herman T. Pott Museum, the Waterways Journal and Steve Huffman are already earning the thanks and admiration of future generations.
After all, ten seconds ago is now history!

Fred has a valid point. As one who made the transition from the steam era to the more modern river I feel the history of the diesel towboats and the vast fleet of excursion boats is important. Alan Bates is right, the diesel era is now truly old history, decades in the making. Lots of stories to be told.
It is interesting that S & D, through the Reflector has shifted some of the articles to the diesel era. However, we have caught a lot of flak for doing so. I personally feel it was the right direction to go and feel the magazine now has a balanced mix as to steam and diesel. I certainly have no objection to a new forum, however I think Franz's split up of forums did help. I think all who post have paid attention to the class of forum used. The posts generally stay with STEAMBOATS & HISTORY or the RIVER TALK . Possibly the words" steamboats preferred, but not restricted to" could be deleted in the RIVER TALK segment. Also I see no problem with Steamboats. org being the host, nobody else has stepped forward with a site and I suspect the qoute " river industry people" will be thrilled.

You know what?

At its core, the lifeblood of the river community is the people involved, not the vessels. We tend to humanize the vessels. It's natural. There's a lot of romance and emotion in steamboating. Thus, we have the constant references to them using the pronouns "she" and "her". 'Twas ever thus. And it's not just steamboats, or any boat.

I was at an aircraft museum today and the docent referred to each one of the airplanes using the same words, peppering his descriptions with "she" and "her". One of the jets happened to be an F-15 from my unit, the 102d Fighter Wing. I felt an immediate connection and tapped "her" on the nose, saying, "Hi sweetheart. Been a long time". I can report that "she" made no attempt to reply.

It's the people who give life to our "Queens". And I mean both pax and crew. Without all of us, all of them are just hunks of wood, glass, steel and paint. Nothing more.

There will now be a short pause while some people clutch their hearts and start gobbling nitro pills. :O)

When I tell people I miss the boats I really mean I miss Phil, Jazzou, Jackie, Clara, Capt Dugger, Capt Schultz, Capt Davitt, DReed, the DQ "Bobs" Schad and Stevens, Steve Walters, Mike Paulsen, Lou Ford, Trapper, Stu Lanning, Vic Zipeto and dozens of other steamboatin' brothers and sisters.

I frankly do NOT miss having my plumbing back up so many times in my cabin on the MQ. You get what I'm sayin' here folks?

I sympathize with Fred and others carrying on in the industry. Keep in mind that there are those "pure" steamboaters who have been known to turn up their noses at my home, or first, Queen - the Grand American one. And this was much to my annoyance. "Purety" is fine up to a point, but it can go a bit too far. I have personal experience with this phenomenon. I was once excoriated on this board because I played more guitar than banjo one night in the Paddlewheel Lounge.

So the attitude that Fred decries has existed even within the "steamboat" community. When it happens I always chalk it up to good natured ribbing, even though I know it's sometimes meant literally.

I totally agree with Franz' original decision to have two seperate forums but only as a housekeeping measure. And, of course, the "Save the Delta Queen" forum was a brilliant move to focus the effort. Otherwise, STDQ threads would get lost in the shuffle. But I see NO reason to start yet another forum for "diesel" boats. In essence, it would segregate the community in ways that are unnecessary, counterproductive and possibly hurtful.

Remember, we the people breathe life into those magnificent hunks of wood, glass, steel and paint. Without us, the engines would not function. The boats would float aimlessly down the river and never be able to go up the river. They would just end up in the Gulf of Mexico. The shows would not go on. The food and drinks would not be cooked and served. The cabins would be dirty and unkempt. The purser's desk would be deserted. River history would never be "Riverlorianed".

And no one would be aboard to enjoy all that effort.

So, Franz, no new forum please. I think the "family" is just fine as we are.

And family?

Let's remember that's what we are, ok?

Paul

no new section, steamboats.org remains "steamboats" 🙂

Thanks for all your e-mails and replies - it seams very obvious that the existing forum structure is just right, so there will not be any changes to that.

The "River Talk & Cruises" section has been introduces a while ago to cover all topics not strictly steamboats and history, so there is a great place to discuss river-related stuff and it works pretty well this way.

Now, this doesn't solve the issue raised by Fred. And I guess there is no easy solution for that anyway. Let me just suggest that we look at the things a bit more relaxed.

When reading, don't look for hidden malevolent statements between the lines first - try to interpret things in a positive way. And count to ten, slowly, before replying 😉 If you still feel insulted, contact the poster individually by e-mail to settle the issue. This is the easiest way to avoid misunderstandings and the easiest way to discuss postings you think are violating your feelings or your integrity. And don't try to make steamboats.org politics; simply focus on why you personally feel insulted by the posting and straighten that out.

When writing, read your posting again carefully before actually posting it. Think about whether it might not be okay for someone and try to avoid wording that might be misinterpreted. Just to reduce the risk of trouble 😉

Now, one thing eventually is important for me to say: Don't forget where steamboats.org is coming from. This is a website and forum focussed on STEAMBOATS. That doesn't mean we don't respect anything else on the rivers, it's just that steamboats.org is focussing on steamboats like the NASA is focussing on space missions and Microsoft is focussing on computer software.

Steamboats.org has a different view on things, i.e. from a historic and steamboat-related perspective, and that's by intention. It's a community of people who are thinking and living in this context and that's how it's meant to be.

My centime's worth of opinion: I am as interested and fascinated by the current boats and people as I am by the oldest steamers. For that matter, blue water ships- sail, steam and diesel are just as interesing. Small craft too, powered or unpowered. I look forward to the NOBRA news and the status of traffic on the Ohio, and especially the stories that those who work and live on the river have to tell. As long as there can be a balance between the old and curent, with neither crowding out the other, then I'll be happy.