It’s not uncommon to see people posting nonsensical car stuff on facebook and, more often than not, not really have a clue. Usually I ignore the ignorance since I am convinced the world and its communities, like ours, would be a better place if either: you kept your opinions to yourself, or are able to constructively accept criticism in an imaginary community where everyone is helpful, knows how to RESEARCH and no one is spiteful or ignorant. But, here is what currently bothers me most about our automotive tuning community…
The term “rice” or “riced out” is derogatory to both our automotive community and to asian culture in general who are inadvertently also made fun of. Secondly, I am sure no one could tell me an exact definition of what this so called slang word really means. Car show culture is inherently subjective so nothing you say can ever be totally definitive, totally right or totally wrong. There are so many different styles of car tuning and modifying that there will always be something that you like or don’t like. Bosozuko styled cars could be called ricey by our current American vision of what JDM styling is but its a style in it’s own right and still a subculture in the greater automotive umbrella so why are somethings as benign as wings or body kits still hated on? It seems like people are hating and criticizing just for the sake of having something to hate and criticize on. Please read on.
Having an opinion is one thing but having an opinion based on false pretenses is another. I think we would all be better off using Google before we slander another person’s car based on unfound facts. This one guy in particular tipped me over the edge, he said the ARC wing on this EG was ricey and another gentlemen elaborated on how it’s ricey because based on his definition of what rice is, it’s pointless and doesn’t make you go any faster (-_-). It wasn’t the fact that they hated it that got to me, it was that they didn’t know what they were talking about but were definitely acting like it. They hated it but as far as I could gather, they didn’t even know why they hated it other than the fact that it was rice because surely they didn’t know how a wing works and most surprisingly couldn’t even give a working definition of what rice is! WTF? My point is people should be more straight forward (as in not just calling it rice) with their opinions and check their facts.
How about we all start researching and asking questions, building COMMUNITY rather than pointing and snickering, calling things ricey to make ourselves feel better so that our own inadequacies aren’t as bothersome to our ego. I don’t know if it’s car culture or just human nature, but that is all I have to say. I know these kinds of issues exist in any kind of subculture, there will always be the jerks and the not so jerks and just plain misinformed but I had to vent lol.
