[perezfan]

Originally Posted by raulus

Sometimes it seems like this whole grading business brings out the worst in all of us.

For those that abhor grading, there's a constant feeling that the war is being lost. Every day seems to bring more news that more and more stuff is ending up in slabs. Even stuff that is worth less than the cost of getting it slabbed! For this group, this endless procession must seem a bit like Sisyphus perpetually rolling his boulder up the hill or maybe King Canute being unable to stop the tide. And I suspect the whole thing just makes for a very irascible bunch.

For those that are into grading, at some point there will come a dawning realization that grading is deeply flawed. The graders routinely miss card doctoring. Some pieces are over-graded. Recently, even more seem to be under-graded. While we might wish that the marketing copy from the graders were true, sooner or later we're bound to realize that the execution of the concept leaves a lot to be desired. Particularly for those that have a big chunk of their net worth tied up in high graded slabs, these dynamics lead to a similar level of discontent and irascibility.

For extra fun and hijinks, mix it all together in a short-form chat room, where it's easy to get your dander up, and you've got the perfect cocktail for everyone to find a reason to lash out and go a little bit nuts. It's almost as much fun as politics, but without the upside of getting the dopamine hit of having your preferred candidate win from time to time.

Well said and very profound!