To PCS or not to PCS

[64consort]

First off, Fantastic site! Just wish I had hi-speed for faster downloads. the photos are slow. You've got some Great cars! I have seen references before at several hearse clubs (here too) that don't seem to care for the PCS. I can understand this, and I think most people realize the differences. The PCS, of which I am not yet an official member but plan to be soon, is basically a group of "purists" that wish to preserve the original condition of not just hearses but, also ambulances and limos, too. And, I can respect that. They're just not into all the Goth and craziness that others are into. On the other hand, all the Goth and crazies are not into the "straight" crowd. And, I respect that, too! To each his own, you know? The main thing is that we all love and appreciate these big, beautiful, rare, custom made, attention gettin', hard to park, gas gusslin' behemoth's! I have been making gradual improvements to my 1964 Pontiac Bonneville Superior Consort Landau the way I want to. Though, I'm not really into the whole goth thing, I do try to keep things somewhat original. But, I plan to do some custom wheels & tires and have changed the carb & cleaner and plan to make interior improvements which would not meet PCS judging. Big Deal! I'll do what I want, Right? But I did go to a Indiana chapter meet recently and got Best of Show even as a non member! It was a local mortuary party and not a sanctioned event but I was told prior that I should leave my "stuffed" body bag on the cot at home and just show the cot, which is what "Bonnie" was set up for any way. No problem! Got me a trophy!  I'm kind of in the middle. I like boths sides of the street. You have a Great site and I appreciate the oppurtunity to visit and comment. Below is my link, if allowed,  to my Webshots page of Bonnie and car show pics and some Katrina flooded hearses that wound up here in the Hoosier state. If it does'nt show up, go to Webshots.com and search for hearses, my user name is there captainmidnite.

http://community.webshots.com/album/215938809jKKNxZ

[RevJack]

I'm not a PCS member, nor do I frequent their board. But I have followed the discussion on both sides, and I believe that the problem stems from a few narrow minds. The general concensus is that what you do with your car is your business, but there are a few people who feel that anyone who doesn't see their point of view is wrong and should be belittled for it.

Purists seem to feel that change equals disrespect, while customizers feel that not to change equals a herd mentality, and the extremists from both sides of the fence feels it is their obligation to convert everyone else to their version of the Automotive Gospel.

This narrow view of the world breeds contempt between religions, car enthusiasts, sports fans, coke and pepsi drinkers, middle eastern countries, or anything else in which a difference exists.

"People are difficult to govern because they have too much knowledge."
Lao-tzu, The Way of Lao-tzu

"When armies are mobilized and issues are joined,
The man who is sorry over the fact will win."
Lao-tzu, The Way of Lao-tzu


RevJack

[LMS]

I like a good all original hearse just as much as I like my modified one. I just don't like people telling me what I should do with MY car. The PCS members who try and force the purist ideas on the world are only hurting the future of the PCS. These people create animosity towards the PCS from people like us. They also ruin chances for future members. I will do no modification to my hearse that I can not un-do in the future should I decide to return the car to it's original condition. But one day if I decide to do that I will NOT join the PCS with my stock coach, if they don't want me now they can't have me later.

[Zachary]

First and foremost, DAMNED NICE CAR! The black is breathtaking! Amber also liked it (as she is a Pontiac procar owner as well&#33

On the PCS, here is my thing, and don't take this personally against you, it's just one guys opinion- I've been a member since 1998. In the time that I have been a member, I've been mentioned twice in the PCS publication in a far less than flattering fashion (they refrained from stating my name but outlined my cars to a T leaving very little doubt as to who they were talking about but being smart enough not to leave themselves open to a libel situation) been publicly slandered in front of the general membership assembly of a few hundred people and even had one member suggest that the "problem with the freaks should settle it the old fashioned way, with a rope and a tree" which of course was mentioned in my absence as the person who suggested it was a pussy ass coward as well as a bigot.

There's far more that has happened that I could go into for what kind of crap has been directed at me personally, but I'll spare you. They love to talk themselves up on how professional they are, but in all reality, slander is never professional and they engage in that activity every chance they get (Hell, stop by Grim Rides some time for the story that was published in an independent paper wherein a PCS official pretty much slammed GR directly) because they don't care about you if your not a part of their club and subscribing to everything they want you to.

They worry so much about what the general public thinks of them, but when it comes to other hearse clubs they have a "fuck you" attitude, and it is catching up with them. Hell, the last 4 board of directors meetings I have attended have centered around them wondering why on Earth they are losing membership at record speeds (CLC anyone?)

The funny thing is, they always accused me of trying to change their club, but two responses to that are the fact that I never once sponsored any initiative to change the club (and as a member of the BOD I could have) the only vote that was taken to allow modified cars into the club was started by someone else. The other thing is that I honestly just wanted to be a part of the club and contribute and not be harassed about my car or my personal appearance. I didn’t ask them to recognize my car as the baddest ass car in the club, or allow it to be judged with original cars. I just wanted to BE A PART OF THE CLUB, which was apparently too much to ask. Hell, if I wanted to start shit in their club or do things my way, I COULD HAVE, considering that I held the 2005 international meet myself. I could have easily forced modified cars onto the show field and turned the whole event into a Halloween event. Did I? No, because my integrity is worth more than that. I promised to put on a PCS event, and I did. I upheld their rules and didn’t bend or selectively enforce them for my own gain or interest, which is more than I can say for their message board admins.

The final straw for me, tipping the tables of Fuck These Bastards VS. These Guys Might Be Alright As A Whole was the PCS message board and being told I wasn't allowed to post anything from hearseclub.com there anymore. People post their personal items there all day long, I come along and post a few pictures and all of the sudden I'm these total bastard who is stealing people from their site and not on topic (although I always was only posting hearse and ambulance related items)

Now what is funny to me is that they state this wasn't personal, that any outside links are not allowed but notice that quite a few cropped up in recent posts that haven't been deleted, which shows me that these rules are selectively enforced. The only reason I have watermarks on my photos that I post there is that several of my images have been used without credit on other hearse websites, and I want credit for the photo, but to them it's just a blatant promotion which as responsible pillars of the funeral car hobby, they can't seem to tolerate. Yeah guys, good call, it's a good policy NOT to allow anyone else to possibly glean even the slightest recognition or web traffic through your own website. You'd think unity and cooperation would be important in a hobby as small as ours, but apparently those two virtues run independent of professionalism. Come to think of it, the guy who sets that rule actually always posts watermarks on his pictures when he puts them up on the board…interesting eh?

And just to think, I could have avoided all of this if I only posted PCS approved subjects, such as superfluous ass kissing, back patting and maybe a few banal posts about hubcaps and other minutia that would bore a break wall.

I get what you are saying, and I respect your stance on it, but when you’ve been privy to as much of their self centered bullshit as I have, you tend to be a bit more on the caustic side. Sure, it’s not a club that is entirely comprised by asshats, but I think it’s safe to say it is mostly steered by them.

[64consort]

Thanks, Guys. Point taken. Actually, one reason I wanted to join PCS and IN. Chapter is to be able to receive newsletters showing other pro-cars out there and other such info. Heck, I may never even enter an official meet. I just enjoy learning more about what others do and seeing the other cars out there. I've got quite a few hearse clubs sites on my favorites list that I visit.

By the way Zach, is that your real hair, or are you a member of the Hairclub For Men!  

[Just4Jolly]

Following up to see if you, 64consort, what you ended up thinking of the PCS. I'm am by no means trying to get a coalition together and have this as a blast site for the PCS. I'm a member as well, well in as much as I go and read the forums I suppose, not necessarily a card-carrying commie. I have been torn between my loathing of what some members are like and with the need for information that they can provide; that I need. I agree with Zachary on alot of the points he has stated. God forbid we enlighten people and others different than us. Holy sacred cow! You mean I'm going to be ridiculed for motifiying MY car with the money I make at my shitty job? I have to have this Peyton Place version of what a professional car is supposed to be? No-one is allowed to show how they treat their cars on different web-sites? That seems to be very close-minded indeed. It's as though the PCS at times are the same jock-roided-induced-future-wife-beaten-shirtless-wearing-Cops
-staring-mongoloid-half-wit-fucked-tarded-individuals that would yell at me down the hall 'Hey faggot' The thing was; I like working on cars too, and looking at hot girls. Something is wrong in your assesment of me. OH I see, your not a tenth as smart as the handicap kids that went to school to learn but just ended up singing songs in class.
Also what's up with PCS having a problem with the "Hearsegirls"?
Hearsegirls
It is not as if Zachary is putting these photos on the PCS forums incognito under titles in the "General Questions" section under 'Question about a 62 fuel-pump?' And then ZING! Picture of a hearsegirl comes up once you click on the comment. Then Zachary checks to see how many times his post has been hit and replies in orgasmic glee..."Gotcha!!!" and then unmercifully masturbates to his own evil genius. (However Zac; if you do, do this...two thumbs up&#33
And besides who doesn't like goth-girls writhing around on hearses? It's basically a good version of Whitesnake's "Here I go again on my own" video. NO WAIT. It doesn't even need to be bothered with a comparison to that. It totally annihlates said video! It makes the video it's bitch, it makes it put the lotion on it's skin. It retarded-whips the video with it's own scrotum! And for good measure it turns it's Scorched-Earth Policy of Fury upon Jimmy Page for having collaborated with David Coverdale. "You fat stupid has-been" and then plant's It's boot so far in Jimmy's dick hole It breaks off inside Jimmy's now scambled guts. Seeing that It is one leg down, It proceeds to rip the other leg off completely and beat to death that Emo kid at the Earl who NEVER shows back up with the condiments I ask for. EVERY. FUCKING. TIME. IT'S FUCKING KETCHUP DOUCHEBAG! IT'S THE MOST WIDELY USED CONDIMENT IN THE WORLD! Seeing that It has no legs left, It attaches treads onto it's hulking body of Kick-Assness. And not pussy-randy-pandy Johnny-5 robot treads from that shitty ass "Short Circuit" movie but "I just had sex with your mom G.I. Joe Cobra H.I.S.S. Tank Treads!
SO ANYWAY, I still feel like I need the PCS to help with mechanical issues that come up, that I am not knowledgable on.
So I guess you can utilize them, even if some of the pathos and views are shared a bit differently. But that is just little old me.

[64consort]

Well, I am now an official member of PCS. Like I said before I am interested in their newsletter and stuff. I got a nice thick directory of members around the country and was amazed at the variety of pro-cars out there. Even found a guy that has a '64 Consort Landau just like mine. Waiting to see some pics of it. Don't worry though. There is still some of the "Dark Side of the Force" in me! "Darth Franken"

[Fire Freak]

Found this very interesting. From the pcs forum.

This is the very reason that the PCS is so adamant about the Professional Car preservation. If you have a funeral coach, it should look like the vehicle that shows respect for the dead, not something that more closely resembles a hot rod or military vehicle. The funeral directors that make up a large portion of the membership of the PCS recognize this, so I don't understand why it is so hard for so many of the others to understand this. UPS recognizes this fact, and for that very reason, the old UPS vehicles are always crushed, rather than sold. They don't want old UPS trucks turned into something that might reflect poorly on the company. Why is this so hard for some people that own and drive hearses to understand this concept?

"Military vehicle" Hey zachary i think they are talking about you. lol.

[Zachary]

<div>
(Fire Freak @ Dec. 06 2006,23:23)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Found this very interesting. From the pcs forum.

This is the very reason that the PCS is so adamant about the Professional Car preservation. If you have a funeral coach, it should look like the vehicle that shows respect for the dead, not something that more closely resembles a hot rod or military vehicle. The funeral directors that make up a large portion of the membership of the PCS recognize this, so I don&#39;t understand why it is so hard for so many of the others to understand this. UPS recognizes this fact, and for that very reason, the old UPS vehicles are always crushed, rather than sold. They don&#39;t want old UPS trucks turned into something that might reflect poorly on the company. Why is this so hard for some people that own and drive hearses to understand this concept?

"Military vehicle" Hey zachary i think they are talking about you. lol.</div>
Yeah, I love how they like to cite any unrelated precedent to prove their point. You know, since there&#39;s just such a raging scene for hotrod UPS trucks out there. Schmucks.

The truth is, the PCS is about exclusionism and that&#39;s about it. They like having the power to be assholes to anyone who doesn&#39;t fit their mold instead of realizing that it&#39;s a self defeating practice to exclude people who want to be part of your club. This is why every board of directors meeting they have there is a discussion of flagging membership and poor finances in the club. If they didn&#39;t turn people away or just outright shit on them, they would have more members and less financial worries.

Just4Jolly, your comments cracked me up by the way, thanks man&#33;

[Linnea]

Its been my personal experience that funeral directors are the most uptight, resistant to change people out there. Not just with their cars, but clothes, business plans, funerals - different is bad. change is scary.