Yes I Have Balls wrote:He claims he was in the British Special Services and uses that falsehood, among others, to make money. He should be called out - by YOU? Not necessarily - unless you are also British Special Services. If you are, what color is the boathouse at Hereford?
Don Shipley spends countless hours every week exposing phony Navy SEALS.
The Brits call guys who claim military honors they aren't entitled to "Walts." As in Walter Mitty. There is a facebook page called Walter Mitty Hunt Community and our guy Ripley is discussed. Brit special ops guys seriously doubt his claims. And Ripley has taken these claims off his website. (Though, of course, they exist and anyone who knows how to use Google can find them.)
All that to say that he's been already been outed for his faked military record.
"That rifle on the wall of the labourer's cottage or working class flat is the symbol of democracy.
It is our job to see that it stays there." - George Orwell
Well thanks from bringing that up. Davenport claimed he did the trip in 1998. There were few if any camels in Namibia then. Nowadays, as the country works on its tourism marketing, camels have become a tourist attraction. Benedict Allen, who really did walk the Namib desert with a couple of camels in 1995, could not find local camels and brought his up from South Africa.
seeahill wrote:So let's say a guy sets up a blog or site saying he is, oh, the world's foremost solo desert explorer. And let's say he says he walked the Namib desert in Namibia. Solo, with two camels. Except that there are no camels in Namibia and he says he started a Oranjamund, which, at the time, was a closed town devoted to diamond mining with military type guards. And managers of the town recall giving no permission (except to a guy named Benedict Allen, who actually did the walk.)
And let's say this guy also says he walked across the Karakorum desert but, upon being questioned, seems hazy on the geography. Says he was Special Ops with the Brits, but appears to have been in the Navy for a couple of years. Is on the Walts page (what the Brits called a pretend soldier, Walter Mitty). They don't say he's a Walt, just that his claims are suspicious.
And he get's money from sponsors based on his desert exploits, self described and with no pics. Will not even provide a scanned page from a passport showing he was in either of these places. Makes $$ as a motivational speaker. Makes money taking tourists on desert trips. Accepts money from sponsors.
Now, is it me? I have done some mild "adventures" and a bit of genuine exploration. Do I have a right to be pissed off about this guy. Or is it just the nature of the internet that anyone can claim anything.
I'm really curious about what people think.
I think that you should stick to the story of elderly man living with his dog in a Montana cabin and we will like you just as much. Actually, a few will like you more if you spin a few "special forces" tales but those guys don't really matter.
WildGorillaMan wrote:Enthusiasm combined with no skill whatsoever can sometimes carry the day.
seeahill wrote:So let's say a guy sets up a blog or site saying he is, oh, the world's foremost solo desert explorer. And let's say he says he walked the Namib desert in Namibia. Solo, with two camels. Except that there are no camels in Namibia and he says he started a Oranjamund, which, at the time, was a closed town devoted to diamond mining with military type guards. And managers of the town recall giving no permission (except to a guy named Benedict Allen, who actually did the walk.)
And let's say this guy also says he walked across the Karakorum desert but, upon being questioned, seems hazy on the geography. Says he was Special Ops with the Brits, but appears to have been in the Navy for a couple of years. Is on the Walts page (what the Brits called a pretend soldier, Walter Mitty). They don't say he's a Walt, just that his claims are suspicious.
And he get's money from sponsors based on his desert exploits, self described and with no pics. Will not even provide a scanned page from a passport showing he was in either of these places. Makes $$ as a motivational speaker. Makes money taking tourists on desert trips. Accepts money from sponsors.
Now, is it me? I have done some mild "adventures" and a bit of genuine exploration. Do I have a right to be pissed off about this guy. Or is it just the nature of the internet that anyone can claim anything.
I'm really curious about what people think.
Liars always suck. But, there's a little pt Barnum in everyone. I get frustrated that I'm not clever or smarmy enough to compete with the ones in my field, but here's the thing: even when people know the truth, they will choose to want to be deceived. Mainly because absurd and famous is almost always more exciting than common sense. And there's the whole thing about wrestling pigs which is very true.
Miss Piggy wrote:Never eat more than you can lift.
seeahill wrote:So let's say a guy sets up a blog or site saying he is, oh, the world's foremost solo desert explorer. And let's say he says he walked the Namib desert in Namibia. Solo, with two camels. Except that there are no camels in Namibia and he says he started a Oranjamund, which, at the time, was a closed town devoted to diamond mining with military type guards. And managers of the town recall giving no permission (except to a guy named Benedict Allen, who actually did the walk.)
And let's say this guy also says he walked across the Karakorum desert but, upon being questioned, seems hazy on the geography. Says he was Special Ops with the Brits, but appears to have been in the Navy for a couple of years. Is on the Walts page (what the Brits called a pretend soldier, Walter Mitty). They don't say he's a Walt, just that his claims are suspicious.
And he get's money from sponsors based on his desert exploits, self described and with no pics. Will not even provide a scanned page from a passport showing he was in either of these places. Makes $$ as a motivational speaker. Makes money taking tourists on desert trips. Accepts money from sponsors.
Now, is it me? I have done some mild "adventures" and a bit of genuine exploration. Do I have a right to be pissed off about this guy. Or is it just the nature of the internet that anyone can claim anything.
I'm really curious about what people think.
Liars always suck. But, there's a little pt Barnum in everyone. I get frustrated that I'm not clever or smarmy enough to compete with the ones in my field, but here's the thing: even when people know the truth, they will choose to want to be deceived. Mainly because absurd and famous is almost always more exciting than common sense. And there's the whole thing about wrestling pigs which is very true.
Indeed. A conundrum beyond my ability to understand.
However, I'm certain that I unknowingly do it all the time myself like a good robot ape.
Mao wrote:Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun. Our principle is that the Party commands the gun, and the gun must never be allowed to command the Party
Well yes, superior in the sense that I don't lie about what I do. What was kinda fun was tracking down all the claims and testing them against reality. And then writing the guy and asking him to explain. And having him blow up and call "cyberstalking." Now I'm not doing all the detective work. A pal of mine is. I'm just a participant and sometimes consultant on the deal.
