[yksin]

Great post, Chiron. Thanks.

Originally Posted by Chiron

I remember back when I read the weights group Lyle was often an ass unnecessarily, though that seems to have toned down. At the same time, he's been a solid researcher and a good source of info.

I wanted to use this as a jumping off point for a couple of observations based on my participation over the past couple of months on Lyle's forums. First is that he can still sometimes be an ass at times -- a "meaniehead" as some people have said -- but one thing I've noticed about it is that it is usually (not always, but usually) directed at stupidity, by which I mean intellectual laziness, sloppiness, or dishonesty. People with know-it-all claims that aren't factually/scientifically based are gonna know it in pretty short order. At the same time, he's very helpful with answering questions that people honestly have, or engaging in give & take discussion with people who are intelligent about their own approach to sharing information & opinions. He might not be all warm & fuzzy in how he does it, with all kinds of pats on the back & reassurances & handholding, but that commitment to helping others achieve their fitness/health goals is still there. I don't really care if he's not all warm & fuzzy about it. Even if I might wince at the occasional "meanieheadedness."

Lyle's come across to me as being an honest guy, sometimes painfully so to some.

Some people will say some variation on "you hurt my feelings." Others will say some variation on "you're insulting my intelligence" -- & will feel that insult every bit as viscerally as the person whose feelings were hurt. Fidelity to the truth as defined by fact & by science is a powerful motivator for honesty & intellectual integrity -- though it might not turn the person into a great diplomat.

The fact that he isn't so concerned with marketing is actually refreshing to me because too many products in our society succeed on marketing instead of the quality of the product.

By gods the email newsletters he puts out are always full of information -- well thought-out, well-written, useful information -- not just the chatty little excuses for further product promotion that some other fitness gurus churn out. (Note: I'm not talking about Alwyn here -- I have no idea what his newsletters are like. The person I have in mind -- hey, I like your products, but I've already bought 'em so by gods stop trying to sell them to me again, ad nauseum!)

Alwyn copying and pasting from Lyle is more childish than Lyle posting about it on his blog. I think it's a good thing Lyle brought this to light. As consumers we should know when things like this happen and protest appropriately with our wallets.

That's the bottom line.

-- Mel