WG sighs in the background.

wildernessguru has this friend who... let's say he works in the outdoor industry and leave it at that. Well the friend has lots of political problems and wildernessguru has staunchly defended him for the last two years.

They email every day, and he has really enjoyed the friendship.

Then wildernessguru had a teeny criticism of something his friend was selling. He tested it out and said he "had some reservations about it." Now wildernessguru is an experienced backpacker, ex-Forest Service, Outward Bound, the whole nine yards. His friend knows this.

His friend sent him a really nasty email in response, to the effect of 'you are not to tell me what you think, you are to do what I say. If you disagree with me then you must be ignorant.' wildernessguru's answer was to say he was Shocked at the response, and he was firm but polite that it isn't realistic to assume that everyone needed the same thing and that he didn't have a right to even entertain reservations about his stuff. That he wasn't publicizing his issue, there's no reason to get defensive -- this was just a conversation between friends.

His buddy broke off the friendship and demanded he mail the stuff back (he'd usually drop it off in person). He also said he'd refund WG's deposit for my stuff, and is basically refusing to work with WG ever again. This part really hurt WG.

Over a comment that WG made that he had reservations about one piece of gear.

wildernessguru is rather sad right now. I've read the emails back and forth, and his friend... it seems that he's come by his political problems honestly. After defending him all this time, I suddenly see the other side of the argument.

ETA: The worst thing is, WG has no one to talk to about this because the man is well known in the industry and to do so would (further) hurt his reputation. So because WG is a good friend, he has to suffer in silence.

Any comments or support would be appreciated.

WG doesn't lose friends often

Now WG is really depressed. He's watching videos of his buddy from backpack trips.

Sighs.

(no subject)

Where people getting the cartoon icons of themselves with coffee cups, etc.?

I want one....

My first ever (drumroll please...) GIP!

Yes. That's me. WG is rather surprised at how accurate it is. (And I've done one for him, too. *beams*)

It's amazing, that Tibetan monastery in the background is a dead-ringer for where I lived, oh, so many eons ago. I can almost see the window to my room... well, the 200 square feet that I had to share with someone else, but anyway, who needs to meditate and have private space at a gompa?