Questionable politics and airsofters

[Pupa2794]

I'm having, for the second time in 9 years a desire to fuck the kit off bar a western rig and a revolver and call it a day, and just make stuff. 

 

Z patches and Wagner patches and general bell-endery. 

 

I've never done camo wearing or patches or flags, I'm a former soldier and play airsoft completely apolitically. 

 

I just can't work out if they're edge lords or actual fucktards. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Tackle]

Definitely the latter👎

 

But don't rush to quit, the dickheads rarely last....... 

 

Only to be replaced by a whole new kinda twat lol🤣

[Skullchewer]

Play to play. 

The "sport" is full of assholes, weekend warriors and wannabes, I just ignore them and wear my "I'M A SPACEMAN" patches, because we're playing cowboys and Indians in the woods (hey, I said bang and you didn't fall down!).

 

Play for the fun and don't let dickheads stop your enjoyment of something.

[Shamal]

12 minutes ago, Skullchewer said:

(hey, I said bang and you didn't fall down!).

 

Yeah well I gotta invisdible sheeld an, an, anyway my fingers were crossed so it don't count😋

[Duff Beer]

On the odd time I’ve found someone wearing something in poor taste I’ve always made sure they were left with no doubt that they were hit

 

Thankfully it’s been years since I’ve seen anyone being silly.  Don’t chuck the sport in.  Are there other sites you could try that have a better vibe?

[Skullchewer]

7 minutes ago, Duff Beer said:

Are there other sites you could try that have a better vibe?

☝️

[Pupa2794]

I do theme games at a club that has a great vibe but they're few and far between.

Maybe I should do more there and a change of gear from cqb based to outdoor is on the cards. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Dan Robinson]

Glad to say that I've had no issues with any of the sites I've played at.  Look around find a better field to play at.

[Cannonfodder]

2 hours ago, Pupa2794 said:

I just can't work out if they're edge lords or actual fucktards

I'd say both. They know exactly what they're doing and are only doing it for a reaction so can play the internet big man later, complaining about how snowflakes are upset by a bit of cloth. Imo the best way to deal with them is make sure the only attention they get is from a few extra bbs (especially to the more sensitive body parts). They're nothing more than attention whores who thrive on creating drama

[John_W]

If you didn't earn it, don't wear it.

[TacticalWaifu]

The Z/Wagner-patch douches are just edgelord/Rusfor-simping trash. Don't let them get to you... modern-day equivalent of rocking an SS uniform, accoutrements and all. Absolutely a mix of edgelords, trolls, and people severely lacking in critical thinking, common sense, or basic respect.

If you're having trouble being around certain tools or Walts, and it's spoiling the fun for you, maybe a different scene is on the cards -- if it's particularly heinous I'd have no qualms calling them out on it, or ensure that they make for a particularly popular target that day, but appreciate that approach isn't for everyone.

Definitely spend some time getting games in away from that crowd, keep enjoying your play without the negative elements sullying the mood.

[JVacation]

A few months ago a guy turned up in WW2 Nazi Germany soldiers loadout. Full on swastika on his belt and on other parts of his kit just no red armband. Problem for me is that it was a normal every day skirmish. I can understand maybe at a WW2 event but it just seems really odd and strange in my opinion to turn up like that and not feel embarrassed of even question yourself. To be fair I would like to see sites start adding regulations on this sort of thing. 

[Leo Greer]

I had an interesting one pop up—a guy shows to my local field wearing full Russion kit and kaboodle.

 

He then starts claiming to have been in the first wave that invaded Ukraine. Speaks Russian, and makes a very convincing claim that he actually was in the first wave.

 

I have no clue on God’s green earth how he would’ve gotten all the way to Texas from Russia…

 

…but the field owner sure did kick him off whether he was pretending or not.

[Colin Allen]

13 hours ago, Pupa2794 said:

I'm having, for the second time in 9 years a desire to fuck the kit off bar a western rig and a revolver and call it a day, and just make stuff. 

 

Z patches and Wagner patches and general bell-endery. 

 

I've never done camo wearing or patches or flags, I'm a former soldier and play airsoft completely apolitically. 

 

I just can't work out if they're edge lords or actual fucktards. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think they are a mixture of the two.  Unfortunately, there will always be a percentage of people in this hobby who like to create controversy or are attracted to authoritarianism.  There are also some who lack the intelligence or awareness to understand what wearing such insignia, be it Z, Wagner, SS or whatever, represents..  They are the same group who use the "It's just banter" defence.

I have only seen two or three players wearing Z or Wagner patches.  One was asked to remove a Z patch by a site owner, refused to do so and was told to leave.

Maybe you need to find a different site; however, such people are spread across airsoft and you will encounter them at most sites.  The best thing to do is to ignore them as much as possible, play your game and, if you do encounter them in the field, make sure it hurts.

 

[Ebeneezer Goode]

Interesting topic and viewpoints.

 

A big part of our hobby is dress-

up, let's face it. A bit like @Skullchewer above I'm into my spaceman patches and am definitely a walty Spartan/ODST/DoomGuy/Space Marine. I've seen all kinds of loadouts on the field, including very accurate RusFor (complete with Zs etc) and SS uniforms. None of which has offended me in the slightest. That kind of thing is not for me - I'm into my own personalised look rather than accurate impressions but that's just me. If someone wants to dress up as a "baddie" that's their bag. I'll just do my thing, they do theirs, and as long as we all play fairly and have fun that's all I care for.

 

Must admit, I do rather like the Space Shuttle Door Gunner patch above... definitely a worthy addition to my Space Marine Beefcake shoulder armour...

 

Eezer G

[Rogerborg]

13 hours ago, Cannonfodder said:

Imo the best way to deal with them is make sure the only attention they get is from a few extra bbs (especially to the more sensitive body parts). They're nothing more than attention whores who thrive on creating drama

 

The winning answer.  And given that they could go and sign up to do it for real, it's really rather pitiable that their courage only extends to make-believe.

 

That said...

 

2 hours ago, Colin Allen said:

One was asked to remove a Z patch by a site owner, refused to do so and was told to leave.

 

Name and praise the site? 

[Tactical Pith Helmet]

Z patches may genuinely upset someone and spoil their day.   It's an arsehole thing to do.   

 

If we're worried about dressing up as a force that has taken part in illegal wars of aggression, we'll have to start using Irish Rangers or Swiss reservist loadouts...

 

A few years ago, I got an ear full from a chap from SA.  He was angered by my wearing 'SWAPO' camo.  It was East German strichtarn as donated to said terrorists/liberation forces/communist baddies/peoples freedom army. 

 

Most kit has the potential to piss someone off.  Intentionally offending people trying to enjoy a fun day out is not on though.   

[Ebeneezer Goode]

If we take that view, any war has its oppos and anyone can take offence at anything. Where do we stop. Germans getting offended at British D-Day kit... Yanks offended at VC loadouts... Jedi offended by Stormtroopers... Covenant airsofters disgusted by Spartan loadouts... Next we'd be banning shemaghs as the wrong colour will offend someone (a genuine cultural fopah in the Gulf but we airsofters tend to ignore it, mainly out of ignorance).

 

Personally, there's good taste to be accounted for, however it's still just a bit of dress-up. 

 

My great-grandfather fought in the Somme. Another family relative was a Jew who escaped to Scotland with his bro from Poland in 1939 when they were all getting rounded up and sent to camps. His remaining family were wiped out in the horrors that followed. Whilst I'm fully aware and appreciative of history, I'm afraid I am not offended in the slightest if someone turns up to my local field in SS kit with toy guns. Thats just me, again there's the question of what is good taste, and others may be for good reason more sensitive which regardless of my more Liberal views I do respect.

[Tommikka]

Seriously - Z patches ??????????

 

These types are highly attention seeking and pretty much deserve none of it

 

But, if we bear in mind that I live in Salisbury, around the corner from the Skripals, am a friend of the Sturgess family and have interacted with the troll defenders of Putin with their disgusting narratives ………… I would be providing a Z ‘player’ with attention via a considerable sense of humour failure

 

 

4 minutes ago, Ebeneezer Goode said:

If we take that view, any war has its oppos and anyone can take offence at anything. Where do we stop. Germans getting offended at British D-Day kit... Yanks offended at VC loadouts... Jedi offended by Stormtroopers... Covenant airsofters disgusted by Spartan loadouts... Next we'd be banning shemaghs as the wrong colour will offend someone (a genuine cultural fopah in the Gulf but we airsofters tend to ignore it, mainly out of ignorance).

 

Personally, there's good taste to be accounted for, however it's still just a bit of dress-up. 

 

My great-grandfather fought in the Somme. Another family relative was a Jew who escaped to Scotland with his bro from Poland in 1939 when they were all getting rounded up and sent to camps. His remaining family were wiped out in the horrors that followed. Whilst I'm fully aware and appreciative of history, I'm afraid I am not offended in the slightest if someone turns up to my local field in SS kit with toy guns. Thats just me, again there's the question of what is good taste, and others may be for good reason more sensitive which regardless of my more Liberal views I do respect.

There is a time and a place 

 

At least with the SS it was in the region of 80 years ago …… and though taste can be questionable does align with the reenactment element of skirmishing

 

If a player wants any credibility to just playing airsoft re-enacting Russia in the Ukraine war then they ought to be removing all badges and claiming to be 2014 tourists on a trip

[Tactical Pith Helmet]

31 minutes ago, Ebeneezer Goode said:

If we take that view, any war has its oppos and anyone can take offence at anything. Where do we stop. Germans getting offended at British D-Day kit... Yanks offended at VC loadouts... Jedi offended by Stormtroopers... Covenant airsofters disgusted by Spartan loadouts... Next we'd be banning shemaghs as the wrong colour will offend someone (a genuine cultural fopah in the Gulf but we airsofters tend to ignore it, mainly out of ignorance).

 

Personally, there's good taste to be accounted for, however it's still just a bit of dress-up. 

 

My great-grandfather fought in the Somme. Another family relative was a Jew who escaped to Scotland with his bro from Poland in 1939 when they were all getting rounded up and sent to camps. His remaining family were wiped out in the horrors that followed. Whilst I'm fully aware and appreciative of history, I'm afraid I am not offended in the slightest if someone turns up to my local field in SS kit with toy guns. Thats just me, again there's the question of what is good taste, and others may be for good reason more sensitive which regardless of my more Liberal views I do respect.

Yep, that's about right I reckon.   

[Tackle]

End of the day, z/wagner shit is claiming hundreds+ lives every day, even today, on both sides, & let's not forget that some of those Russians aren't there out of choice, & others may have gone there having been misled by the dictatorships "free" media & state propaganda. 

On that basis, no site should be allowing these patches to be worn on gamedays, in 30+ years you might get away with them being part of a viable loadout (but I doubt it), but in 2023 they're just symbols of oppression & murder on a massive scale. 

[Ebeneezer Goode]

Can't disagree there @Tackle.

[Dan Robinson]

I often joke about the time my brother brought his German girlfriend to our dad's house to meet the family - including my recently wedded Japanese wife.

 

My dad's humorous reposte to my brother and I was:  "FFS will I ever get a daughter in law not part of the axis of evil?".

 

Thankfully the German lass wasn't within earshot, and SWMBO's English wouldn't have computed.

 

It was fecking funny at the time 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Edited June 11, 2023 by Dan Robinson

[Spartan09]

4 hours ago, Ebeneezer Goode said:

If we take that view, any war has its oppos and anyone can take offence at anything. Where do we stop. Germans getting offended at British D-Day kit... Yanks offended at VC loadouts... Jedi offended by Stormtroopers... Covenant airsofters disgusted by Spartan loadouts... Next we'd be banning shemaghs as the wrong colour will offend someone (a genuine cultural fopah in the Gulf but we airsofters tend to ignore it, mainly out of ignorance).

 

Personally, there's good taste to be accounted for, however it's still just a bit of dress-up. 

 

My great-grandfather fought in the Somme. Another family relative was a Jew who escaped to Scotland with his bro from Poland in 1939 when they were all getting rounded up and sent to camps. His remaining family were wiped out in the horrors that followed. Whilst I'm fully aware and appreciative of history, I'm afraid I am not offended in the slightest if someone turns up to my local field in SS kit with toy guns. Thats just me, again there's the question of what is good taste, and others may be for good reason more sensitive which regardless of my more Liberal views I do respect.

i take the same view.

nowadays everything has the potential to offend everyone, its honestly tiring

im not offended if someone wants to wear rusfor kit or SS kit,  just as long as you arent spouting off that you were in ukraine or are out to hunt the jews...   if you do that,  then you can fuck off.  fortunately i havent seen anyone take things that far,  but i have seen many rusfor kits, one SS loadout, 2 regular german ww2 army loadouts and one modern PLA loadout,  none of which offended me as none of the wearers took things too far.

the one SS kit i saw was at one of my regular sites and the head marshall began the briefing by bringing the loadout to everyones attention and asking if anyone had any objections, and if they did then the wearer would be asked to change loadout.  no one had any objections and the games ran smoothly.

all that being said, if i see anyone in those uniforms,  then i set myself a challenge to hunt them down as priority targets.   i have yet to see anyone brave stupid enough to wear a wagner or Z patch yet though

[Dan Robinson]

Frankly I'm more worried about stolen valour than I am offending various political sympathies.  I might draw the line at SS and Nazi stuff, but I am not aware enough of the various military insignia to notice or be otherwise informed enough to be offended.

 

 

Edited June 11, 2023 by Dan Robinson