A somewhat sad conversation last night

[JamesK]

Sorry if this has been answered, but I can't find it. What are DIR and GUE divers?

Welcome | Global Underwater Explorers

 

[The Chairman]

This past weekend at the Scuba Show, I got to meet one of the GUE reps/instructors here in So Cal. Nice guy, and I wish that I could remember his name! It was his opinion that while ScubaBoard has it's moments, it's about the healthiest place for GUE not only on the internet, but also in real time. His reasoning was that he and others were able to dismantle the prolific myths that have been invented to besmirch GUE and even DIR. Make no bones about it, he felt that the biggest problem was not with the naysayers, but with those few fidiots who came onto the internet with tough guy personas. I made a mention how I thought it was a good and essential move for GUE to distance themselves from their DIR roots and he readily agreed.

Too often in this industry, we see the attitude that "If I don't teach it, dive it or sell it, it MUST be crap" mentality. I don't fully understand this need for the either/or polarization we see in this world, but I hate it. I hate it in politics, I hate it in religion and I hate it in my hobbies. I especially hate it on my forum!

 

[GROBIOG]

...essential move for GUE to distance themselves from their DIR roots...

Strokes

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

This past weekend at the Scuba Show, I got to meet one of the GUE reps/instructors here in So Cal. Nice guy, and I wish that I could remember his name! It was his opinion that while ScubaBoard has it's moments, it's about the healthiest place for GUE not only on the internet, but also in real time. His reasoning was that he and others were able to dismantle the prolific myths that have been invented to besmirch GUE and even DIR. Make no bones about it, he felt that the biggest problem was not with the naysayers, but with those few fidiots who came onto the internet with tough guy personas. I made a mention how I thought it was a good and essential move for GUE to distance themselves from their DIR roots and he readily agreed.

Too often in this industry, we see the attitude that "If I don't teach it, dive it or sell it, it MUST be crap" mentality. I don't fully understand this need for the either/or polarization we see in this world, but I hate it. I hate it in politics, I hate it in religion and I hate it in my hobbies. I especially hate it on my forum!

That mentality exists in virtually every human activity ... it's more about human nature than it is about scuba diving, or a particular training agency. Gad, I just had a conversation with someone this morning about crossfit training ... could've sworn I was talking to a recent GUE fundies graduate ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[gypsyjim]

I have to agree with Bob. Humans sure can be antagonistic toward any who are not exactly like themselves.

At least, so far we have not taken to slaughtering each other over dive related differences, as we humans have for so many other of our perceived differences.

 

[TSandM]

Was it Steve Millington you talked to, Pete? He has a reputation for being an extremely nice man.

 

[The Chairman]

The appeal to popularity doesn't make it any less abhorrent. The Black plague was wide spread at one point, but no one would suggest that it was acceptable. My point was to show how it manifests itself in our industry. If you find it acceptable, then so be it. I find it to be at the core of the animosity we see on both sides of the issue and will continue to portray it as a bad approach.

 

[Peter_C]

GUE has DIR written all over it. They have done nothing to distance themselves from it. Someone in probably less than an hour could clean up the website and start helping to change peoples opinions of what I feel is some of the best scuba related training out there.

Feel free to count how many times the DIR term is used on this page Evolution of DIR Principles | Global Underwater Explorers




































The stigma will only go away when the term DIR goes away. No matter how you feel about it, the words have been written and the labels have been cast. Remove the words, and you remove the labels. Change can happen... it's just not likely too.

 

[gypsyjim]

Maybe they feel stuck with the DIR, because Doing It Much Better didn't work out as an acronym as well?

 

[boulderjohn]

Maybe they feel stuck with the DIR, because Doing It Much Better didn't work out as an acronym as well?

Probably. Of course, they might have tried Doing Underwater Much Better and decided that acronym was not the best, too.