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Joe Buckley's Journal
Trash Talking
posted by at 04:24 PM on December 06, 2007
Trash talk probably arouses negative feelings for anyone who’s spent time perusing internet mtb forums, as it seems like a lot of threads contain back and forth volleys of mindless trash talk from way too many people trying to pass their all too mundane work day. It does get pretty old reading the same old negative crap getting dished out on an hourly basis, however, there is a different type of trash talk taking place in the group I work with that, in addition to being entertaining, also fuels the competitive work environment we have. Now, before you get the wrong idea, I’m not talking about a negative environment where we put each other down, and everyone goes home with their feelings hurt, rather, this is a dynamic that challenges us all to do better. Well, mostly it does I think, but at least it sounds really nice when put like that. Anyhow, the guys in my department (and others from outside the dept) do quite a bit of riding together, and this is the inspiration for the majority of our trash talking.
To better define “trash talking” in the sense we engage in, one could truthfully say that it is a way of conveying love. Ok, maybe love is a little strong, especially for a bunch of guys, but what I mean to say is that in our group (and this is the case in many different cliques) if you are liked and respected, then you’re gonna get some trash talk dished out. It usually starts out with something small, like when someone from our dept comes walking in from a road ride decked out in lycra, they’re sure to get the obligatory “oh, sweet outfit there man, you’re looking gooooood”, laid on with HEAVY sarcasm. Mind you, it’s not delivered in a harsh way, this type of comment will fly out just as nonchalantly as, “hey man, how’s your day going?”. And the best part about it is that the lycra clad victim can usually scramble to lob up a nice comeback (since I don’t wear lycra, I don’t have a good example of a comeback, but trust me, it happens). And that’s how it goes, sometimes it escalates into a 10 minute volley session of well intentioned “insults” that are downright hilarious, and the reason the whole thing works is that neither party takes offense!
This is the single most important aspect of trash talk, you should never get offended by it. Sure, you can get out trash-talked, but that is no cause for being offended. I used to get out trash-talked by Alain at work quite often. It all started at Sea Otter in 2005 when Alain and I went head to head in the dual slalom, and he ended up beating me by 0.01 seconds to advance. So, any time we got involved in a trash talk session, it usually ended up receiving a remark something to the sound of, “oh yeah? How was that 0.01 second, sucka?”. This remark had plenty of iterations, and was used quite heavily, and since I was new to the whole trash talking game at work, it usually stopped me dead in my tracks. But I had to admit, for one, he was right, and two, it was always pretty funny how a couple of grown men could establish themselves in some self defined hierarchy on one stupid event! You just have to laugh at the whole thing, it’s so ridiculous. One might compare this type of banter to the extremely dry sense of humor the British have. I love that type of super witty humor that is somewhat insulting, yet totally hilarious!
And don’t think that trash talk is limited to the realm of face to face stand-offs, either. One thing this place is famous for is the group emails being sent out inviting everyone on a group mtn bike ride or trip. Usually one or two people will immediately reply w/some excuse about why they cannot attend, only to be bombarded with great insults from everyone else on the list about how they probably couldn’t handle it anyway, or that the non-attendee is too good for the rest of us, and the list goes on. I’ve fired up my computer some days, only to find 25 emails in my in box containing nothing but pure trash talk! Although quite entertaining, it does sometimes become a bit much.
Yet another forum for trash talking, is a much more subtle style, that may not even require a single word said. The best example of this was a motocross race I did with Brandon awhile back. He ended up beating me for the overall and getting the first place trophy, while I got the second place trophy. We had them sitting on our desks at work for awhile kind of as a joke, and then I finally couldn’t take it any longer and had to throw mine away because I was tired of remembering how he beat me. Later that day, I came back to my desk, only to find he had dug the 2nd place trophy out of the trash, and put it back on my desk as a reminder that I was 2nd rate to his moto skills w/out having uttered a single syllable. Absolutely hilarious.
You might think that this is some immature jock behavior, and you’re partially right since it is immature, however, there are a handful of girls at our office who take pleasure in delivering some quality trash talk out to us guys as well! We’re pretty lucky to have some skilled female riders at Specialized who have (on more than one occasion) intimidated some of the guys into trying to ride sections of trail that they probably wouldn’t try otherwise. You have to be very careful around these ladies. As an outsider, you might witness them encouraging each other on a ride and dishing out the positive reinforcement to one another that you might find in any child rearing handbook. However, don’t let the displays of kind hearted gestures fool you, if provoked, they can brutally point out your faults as easily and casually as ordering a cup of coffee. It can drive a man to fits, but you have to admit it’s great!
Of course there has to be a disclaimer that trash talking isn’t for everyone. If you’re familiar with an “easy bleeder”, you know what I mean in saying that you shouldn’t dish any trash talk out to these types. Easy Bleeders are what I like to call those who are quite easily offended, and you can totally ruin a good time by unintentionally insulting someone like this. Unfortunately, I’ve had my foot in my mouth enough times that I should probably be brushing with Tinactin. Obviously I don’t want to insult someone to hurt their feelings, it just happens sometimes since I get into that trash talk mentality at work. My wife usually has to remind me to be nice (thanks babe), because it’s easy to get carried away and not realize there are people who don’t appreciate this type of humor. Surely many of you have had similar situations?
Whether or not you’ve been involved in trash talking sessions, you really have to admit it is hilarious (when done right, of course), especially when you witness it from the outside. I encourage all of you to be creative, and unleash your inner trash talk once in awhile. Performed in the correct manner, you might be surprised at how it can lighten the mood!
categories: General
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