Etiquette – On the Forums, and Life in General

[Greg Mihalik]

Don't channel Mr. Wizard . Oh, he's right, but he doesn't know how Not to be a jerk. And that's the way things were in the '60s. But not now.

If that's the way you're operating, it's time to change.

[Valerie E]

I've never heard of Mr. Wizard (maybe we didn't get his show in Canada…). Yeah, there's definitely a time-relative aspect to this.

But this makes me think of this man I see from time-to-time on my runs. I pass a park with basketball courts, and have seen him with his two sons (approx. ages 8 and 10). He berates them constantly, in a nasty tone, spewing put-downs like Mt St Helen's spewed ashes in 1980. I never know what to do; it makes me feel horrible, and I always want to say something to him… but of course, they're HIS children, and it probably ISN'T any of my business… sigh.

Hey, compared to THAT guy, Mr. Wizard is pussycat! ;^)

[Nick Gatel]

Of course you haven't heard of Mr. Wizard. That was a TV show in the US when I was a kid in the 50's. Mr. Wizard introduced kids to science.

And, of course again, this is not to be confused with the Wizard of Oz.

Or is it Mr. Peabody? Hey, Rocky, watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat.

[John Vance]

"Be what you is and not what you is not…folks who do this are the happiest lot" – Mr Wizard to Tooter Turtle. Sage advice that still rings true.

[BlackHatGuy]

"If that's the way you're operating, it's time to change."

+1

[John Vance]

After all those episodes as a kid I still didn't remember it quite correctly but got the gist of it. Using Mr Wizaed to justify being a jerk is taking him a bit out of context but I certainly get where you are coming from. Societal norms seem to redefine themselves over time but shouldn't be used to justify bad etiquette. Maybe it's just the pain killers talking…I had a run in with a tabla saw last week and had surgery yesterday to make things "pretty" again, although I don't think I will have a future as a hand model.

[Paul Magnanti]

Mr Wizard was also on again in the 1980s. Many a geek-inclined Gen Xer learned many cool things. I learned to pull apart my Atari 2600 joystick because of Don Hebert.

Dad was not happy at first (a lot overtime $ went into the Atari I suspect)..but being the practical sort of man he was (is), he figured a career in electronic repairs may be something worth looking into.

30 years later, I do not repair electronics. But I do play on servers.

Through the power of google, I found this clip:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cM030uAzLiw

Thanks Mr Wizard (and Sr. Helen from SVP Catholic elementary school..but that's another story)

Mr Wizard was a bit of curmudgeon. I suspect that is why I liked the show. ;)

[Nick Gatel]

Do you remember the movie, Home Alone? The old man next door was scary, mean, and rumored to have killed his family. Kevin befriends him, Marley changes and is reunited with his family.

Maybe we shouldn't criticize the Marley's, but should influence them by being respectful and courteous in all we do. Sometimes a little sugar makes life sweet.

Respectfully Yours,

Marley in California

[Ken Thompson]

Accept people for what they are. The enablers motto.
Be nice, how boring.

[Ian]

"but should influence them by being respectful and courteous in all we do"

If that's how you're wired, knock yourself out. I'll be as nice as you'll (not you you but all of you) will let me. Pretty simple, if you don't have the stones to take it, don't dish it out.

I have zero issues with the curmudgeon in question, I enjoy reading his stuff (when he's not trying to elevate my blood pressure), and would hike with him tomorrow.

[Ian]

"(maybe we didn't get his show in Canada…)"

Whoa wait a minute… you're Canadian?

Just when I get an idea of what my fellow forum members are all about, they go and drop a bomb like that that knocks every preconceived idea I ever had about them out of the water.

I really did not have you pegged as a mayonnaise and french fries kind of hiker. I assumed you consumed a diet of deep fried scorpions and rattlesnakes or whatever it is that Arizonans eat.

[Valerie E]

OMG — I'm not only Canadian, I'm a Quebecer, for the first 45 years of my life! (Minority English-speaking, with bilingual French as second language). I've been in AZ for only the blink of an eye, really…I still spell honour with the "u"!

And — drool, drool — I LOVE mayo with my fries (especially Belgian-style fries made with beef suet in the oil). Ahhhhh, sweet memories of Mondo Fritz (a Belgian FF chain joint in Montreal); my fave was the curried mayo. So good! I don't understand why so many Americans make "that face" when I eat fries w/mayo…

We had our own weird kid's shows. Captain Kangaroo, the Friendly Giant, etc. And of course, we got US TV shows, too. But not Mr. Wizard in Quebec, as far as I know.

Back then, "self esteem" was simply not a buzzword in childhood education. "Awesome" was reserved for unusual, unheard-of, near miraculous feats; not as an answer to the question, "How are you?". Sigh.

[Ian]

I lived on the St. Lawrence river for a number of years and long for the days when all I had to do was slow down to 5 mph when crossing the bridge to show immigration on both sides my driver's license.

Loved Kingston. Loved loved loved Ottawa. Never got over to Quebec, Newfoundland, or Nova Scotia so I'm motivated to get back to that side of the country. Paddling the Rideau canal in its entirety is on my bucket list.

What were we talking about?

[BlackHatGuy]

"We had our own weird kid's shows. Captain Kangaroo, the Friendly Giant, etc."

Captain Kangaroo was ours, thank you very much.

And I love fries with mayo, as long as it's good mayo.

There's a restaurant nearby here that serves fries cooked in duck fat, and a pretty mean duck poutine.

Now I'm hungry. And still fat. Can't figure out why….

[Ian]

One thing I miss from living on a northern border town is the Red Green Show. I loved the episode where he turned a broken freezer into a self contained entertainment compartment.

[Katherine .]

I don't know mr wizard

I do know captain kangaroo (not personally)

I'm not Canadian but…

My first backpacking trip was in Fundy provincial park

There was a Belgian fries place near a job I once had. I liked the mango mayonnaise.

[Kenneth Jacobs]

We must lead by example. Respect first…followed by mayonaise.

…and remember, if the ladies dont find yah handsome, they might as well find yah handy!

[Valerie E]

The episode with the duct tape car can actually cause whatever I'm drinking to come out of my nose due to uncontrollable laughter…Damn that was good stuff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b61f6bAuytw

And I'm SO gratified that many in the BPL community appreciate wonderful things like duck fat and mayonnaise. No wonder we have to hike!

Edited to add — Ian, I like Ottawa a lot, too; I even went to Carleton University for a semester. Sigh, I miss *home*…

[Marko Botsaris]

I had forgotten about Mr. Wizard, but I totally loved him (and captain kangaroo) when I was a kid! Would have been AWESOME if Mr Rogers and Mr. Wizard had a show where they lived together – the Odd Couple for kids. Mr Rogers would be the Felix character, with Mr. Wizard being Oscar. Mr. Wizard would would constantly be making a mess with his experiments, and forgetting to hang up his lab jacket and change his shoes when he came in the front door, and Mr Rogers would try to be the epitome of how to get along with messy, argumentative people, while in reality becoming more and more passive aggressive with each episode.

[Jennifer Mitol]

"if the ladies dont find yah handsome, they might as well find yah handy!"

Ken, didn't we hike with Red Green on the JMT last year??

[Kenneth Jacobs]

LOL! Did I tell you that he looked like Red Green on the trail? I totally remember thinking it.

[Diane Pinkers]

for the Man's Prayer….

possum lodge

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