Monday, April 16, 2012

DISCLAIMERS and Other Obvious Things!

It saddens me deeply that there is a need for me to make such a post. While, as the rest of you, I was aware of the overly litigious nature of modern society, I had not anticipated that this type of mentality had spread to the bushcraft community as well. I always wrote with the assumption that we are all reasonable people with integrity, and that the equivalent of “The Coffee Inside this Cup is Hot” would not be necessary when it came to bushcraft, but apparently other people strongly believe that it is.

Angry-Lawyer

I figured I should address some of the potential issues in case there are people out there with genuine concerns. I’ll use this post to just list out all of the disclaimers as well as provide you with my thinking behind them.

1. All statements made on my blog, YouTube channel, Twitter account or any other medium, represent only my personal opinion on the particular issue, unless I specify a different source. I foolishly assumed that this would be obvious considering that this is just my personal blog and YouTube account, but I guess in this day and age even the obvious has to be stated.

2. I am not an expert on any issue concerning bushcraft, survival, camping, or any other outdoor pursuit. This is just a hobby for me. Again, I naively assumed that would be obvious, if for no other reason, the about me section of my blog: “I don’t know much about the woods, but I’m happy to share the little that I do know”. The reason why I do not preface every post or video I make with something along the lines of “This is just how I do things”, is that I believe men should stand behind their words. I do not believe in using disclaimers of that nature as cheap copouts for providing bad information. I do not believe that I am absolved of any responsibility for making a whole video showing people how to do something incorrectly, just by starting out with “This is just how I do it”. I think it’s time we all man-up and stand behind what we say. As you guys know, I am always happy to stand corrected if I have provided factually inaccurate information.

3. I do not make any income in any way from anything related to my blog, YouTube channel, or anything else related to bushcraft or other outdoor activities. Thanks to you guys, for a long time now I have been in a position to monetize both my blog and YouTube channel, but I have refused to do so, so it does not compromise the integrity of what I write about. I do not accept funding from any manufacturer, and if an item is donated for testing, it is disclosed in the review. I don’t make “bushcraft knives”, I don’t sell outdoor gear, and have absolutely no financial interest in the activity. Like they say, “If you want to know the truth, follow the money”. I want to make sure that financial considerations are never a motivating factor in what information I put out.

4. All videos you see on my YouTube channel are intended to be viewed as part of my blog. I have specified that on the YouTube channel, but I am not sure everyone reads it. If you are just watching the videos, they may be out of context, if not viewed as part of the blog.

5. If you decide to do anything that I show you, do it at our own risk. Again, something that should be obvious.  

So there you have it. These are all of the disclaimers I can think of right now. I hope this addresses some of the issues other people may have genuinely had. If you have any questions, as always, please let me know.

I thank you all for reading this post. It is regrettable that any time has to be spent dwelling on this, but I’ll be back to regular programming with the next post and some more of my Mr. Fancy-Pants Expert opinions. ;)

32 comments:

  1. I am shocked at the jerkery going on at BushcraftUSA. Turley Knives will never have my business, not that they ever did or he will even care. I enjoy your blog, thanks for taking the time to write what you do Ross!

    - Phil aka Siquani

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  2. Thank you Phil. It has really gone down hill recently, although the people responsible have been that way for a long time. Thank you for the support.

    By the way, looks like you posted this comment on the mobile version of the site. Just so you know, it will not show on the regular verion of the site. Feel free to re-post it there.

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  3. there was one post that made mention of one of your videos and not even your name, I think publicly bashing a man by name is pretty messed up i know exactly what thread your speaking of and I saw the video that Iz mentioned. Iz is a good dude and the thread he started was to warn folks of so called experts passing off things that were either bold faced lies or dangerous, and nothing on their was a personal attack this on the other hand is

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    1. FYI, just as you were writing here about how Iz is a good dude, he was sending me a threatening email. Apparently he is gearing up for a smear campaign. An interesting move from a good guy.

      On the subject itself, Iz did the thread because I pissed him off in another thread and he just could not let it go. The fact that he made sure everyone knew who he was talking about but didn't use my name is the act of a coward or perhaps a politician. They call it plausible deniability. It lets him bad mouth people and then act all confused when those people respond to him. I was raised to believe that when men had a disagreement, they stand behind their words. I guess it is an outdated way of doing things in this internet age.

      P.S. you have posted this in the non disqus version of the comments section. This means less people will see it. If you want, re-post it in the disqus powered comment section.

      Delete
  4. Another blog guru who tried to pass himself off as an expert. Then got caught with is pants down. Own up, move on, and stop crying in front of everyone. Stick to just lightweight backpacking. It suits you better.

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    1. That is too cute! Too cute! If spending the night in the woods without a trailer and being able to actually carry my gear disqualifies me from "bushcraft", then guilty as charged. ;) Thank you for reading my blog.

      Ross

      P.S. you have posted this in the non disqus version of the comments section. This means less people will see it. If you want, re-post it in the disqus powered comment section.

      Delete
  5. Naming people by name is just sad. You are a skilless poser and a lier in every way. You and your little back biting rejects that got flushed down BCUSAs shitter to that pathetic forum of non doers and mouth running are childish and need to grow up. That thread had one post to do with you. You are not that special. In my eyes you will never be a woodsman. Stop faking the funk and practice more skills and do a lot less mouthrunning and mental masterbation and you might learn something. Iz Turley is a uber skilled woodsman and a great man who consistantly donates time and money to others for charity as well as passing on valuable skills.

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    1. Brave words from an anonymous man! As I've said before, badmouthing someone behind their back, and not using their name, not to mention doing it in a place he knows the person can not respond is the act of a coward.

      I have not attacked him in any way here. Doesn't seem to be any dispute about what he said, or about whom he said it. All I have done here is say that he posted those things, and I have addressed them. That's all. I don't know what "bushcraft" meeting you guys had where this came up, but perhaps you need to reread the post.

      Thank you for reading my blog. ;)

      P.S. you have posted this in the non disqus version of the comments section. This means less people will see it. If you want, re-post it in the disqus powered comment section.

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    2. I just wanted you to see it. Dont give a hoot if anyone else does. Whatever you type or spew forth is just more dribble from a mouthrunning no talent hack with 0 skill and 0 integrity. Make no mistake Id have no problems saying this to your face and hope to one day have the chance. All you care about is starting drama and running your mouth. It shows in your skills. If you want to improve on them Iz Turley has some great you Tube vids.

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    3. I just wanted you to see it. Dont give a hoot if anyone else does. Whatever you type or spew forth is just more dribble from a mouthrunning no talent hack with 0 skill and 0 integrity. Make no mistake Id have no problems saying this to your face and hope to one day have the chance. All you care about is starting drama and running your mouth. It shows in your skills. If you want to improve on them Iz Turley has some great you Tube vids.

      Delete
  6. Thank you Sgt Mac. An excellent point, and as always, stated so eloquently. I do however feel compelled to point out that you and the funky bunch are posting this weekend to a post done three months ago. Perhapse someone should take their own advise. Hmmm...?

    P.S. you have posted this in the non disqus version of the comments section. This means less people will see it. If you want, re-post it in the disqus powered comment section.

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  7. You are probably right. Now I'm getting threatening emails from him. Live and learn.

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  8. Thank you so much. It is a sad reality that people in the field spend more time trolling online then actually doing anything in the woods. Drama sadly seems to be the norm. I truly appreciate you and your son reading my blog.

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  9. Thanks a lot Gary. It just seems to be the reality of certain forums. Little people with little power are a dangerous thing. When their power is challenged, they ban and shout down everyone who has a different opinion.

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  10. Thank you so much Joao. I appreciate your support.

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  11. :) Clearly. We seem to be a bunch of grown men reliving high school.

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  12. lol. I like that. Sounds about right to me.

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  13. It seems to be that just about anyone who has been doing bushcraft for a few years, or has a blog gets banned from there (unless they are one of the cool kids and are a moderator).


    There is a reason for that. People who are new find the forum. It has a lot of content and some great people. They fall in love with the place and start calling it home. They participate in all of the bashings so they can fit with the in-crowd. After a few years they learn enough to form their own opinions. At that point they make the mistake of posting an opinion which contradicts one of the moderators, and then the hammer comes down.


    While the forum is still a good place for information because of the large number of people there, but the integrity of the place is non existent. It is a place where a small group of people can blow sunshine up each other's a** and make money. People are tolerated for as long as they do not challenge the supremacy of the "cool kids" clique.

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  14. so whats up dude some people disagree with you and you just erase their comment as if nothing happened, dude this is a pretty cowardly way to do things you constantly started arguments and fights on BCUSA and then when someone finally had enough of your shit you go post this crap and attack one of the nicest hardest working guys out there. Thats pretty screwed up dude but I know it wont matter cause withing 24hrs of this post you will erase it anyways instead of letting people see both sides of the story and only the side bashing an American craftsman

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  15. I find it amazing that "Anonymous" seems to think there's something shady and underhanded about calling someone by name. Yes, we're on the internet, and yes, it's possible to deal with aliases, but let's face it, we're not facing death squads based on our opinions, here. Anonymous internet courage is just as valid as drunk belligerence in this case.


    Regardless of where you fall on these issues, I think anybody with something of value to say should be prepared to be called on it by name. I daresay that a decent commenter is proud to defend what he or she says, and in some cases, humble enough to admit errors or concede to corrections.

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    1. Hi there. Jake Williams. Medicscout52@yahoo.com feel free to email me and Ill give you my contact info and we can talk further buddy.

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  16. Thanks Mike. "Anonymous" is a well known woodsmen and a prolific writer on the internet. :)


    In all seriousness though, I would understand if someone wanted to keep their identity private, and instead used a specific alias online. If I then "outed" them by revealing their real name, I can understand them being upset. This particular person however uses his actual name online. He runs a business under that name, sell knives under that name, and most importantly, wrote the thread in question under that name. For people to then complain that someone referred to him by the name he was himself using to post, seems silly and disingenuous.


    It used to be that people who associated with bushcraft tended to be more down to earth. It seems however that to do bushcraft these days you have to be part politician, part lawyer, and a full time salesman. It is sad that a person can not write on their own blog without someone digging dirt on them for their own personal gain.

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  17. Oh, agreed. I think if somebody starts as anonymous, it's up to them to out themselves or not as they please. It just doesn't apply to people who already post under their name/alias.


    And take heart - as you can see by the responses of many (almost all) of your readers, people interested in bushcraft *are* still down to earth, and supportive of a bit of common sense.

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  18. I recently recieved a series of vulgar & obscene private messages from Sgt. Mac on BushcraftUSA because of my post here. Let me be clear, my original post was not trashing BCUSA, it was about the jerk antics taking place ON bcusa commited by Iz Turley. It is a shame childish internet tough-guys like Mac, Iz, and all the other "men" posting anonymously have to put a black eye on a such a great community of people. Probably the most shameful part is Sgt Mac is a forum moderator. I have contacted Jason about his unprofessionalism and am waiting to see how this incident will be handled.

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  19. Brave words from an anonymous man! As I've said before, badmouthing someone behind their back, and not using their name, not to mention doing it in a place he knows the person can not respond is the act of a coward. I have not attacked him in any way here. Doesn't seem to be any dispute about what he said, or about whom he said it. All I have done here is say that he posted those things, and I have addressed them. That's all. I don't know what "bushcraft" meeting you guys had where this came up, but perhaps you need to reread the post. Thank you for reading my blog. ;)

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  20. FYI, just as you were writing here about how Iz is a good dude, he was sending me a threatening email. Apparently he is gearing up for a smear campaign. An interesting move from a good guy. On the subject itself, Iz did the thread because I pissed him off in another thread and he just could not let it go. The fact that he made sure everyone knew who he was talking about but didn't use my name is the act of a coward or perhaps a politician. They call it plausible deniability. It lets him bad mouth people and then act all confused when those people respond to him. I was raised to believe that when men had a disagreement, they stand behind their words. I guess it is an outdated way of doing things in this internet age.

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  21. Thank you Sgt Mac. An excellent point, and as always, stated so eloquently. I do however feel compelled to point out that you and the funky bunch are posting this weekend to a post done three months ago. Perhapse someone should take their own advise. Hmmm...?

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  22. That is too cute! Too cute! If spending the night in the woods without a trailer and being able to actually carry my gear disqualifies me from "bushcraft", then guilty as charged. ;) Thank you for reading my blog.

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