I don't get that feeling at all. I think Irv was kind of stung by some of the member comments, made in his original thread about being pulled over and harassed; which he was. He expected universal support but a few members questioned his attitude and it spiraled downward from there. Upon reflection he decided to bag it here at the site and bow out. Will it last? I don't think so. He truly loves the hobby and wont be able to resist throwing in his 2 cents worth, like the rest of us.
That post was more of the "last straw" for some. You nailed it, however: He expected universal support. The problem is, the way he often felt the need to directly or indirectly let everyone know or try to give the impression that he was this or that rubbed some people the wrong way. Personally, I tried to ignore his posts. It seemed if someone was talking about anything, he'd chime in with a genuine reply, but would always manage to slip in that he's been there, done that, or "oh... you just got one? I have 57 of those." It was that sort of stuff that painted a picture of his personality. So when he tells this story... and of course there was the entire wife aspect... indisputable as fact of course... some people could clearly see that the entire thing may have went down differently given his "type" if you will.
I'm sure it was quite a shock that someone would question him in any way. His aggressiveness in defending himself was telling. I think he was genuinely surprised that some people had this impression. I think he thought of himself as some Grand Dame of Audioholics that we all looked up to in some way. At least that's impression that I and others often got which is why I sort of chose to ignore him. But what do people like that do when they find themselves in that sort of situation? They attack. And that all led to his new way of posting... For those of you who don't like me... f off."
I spoke to him offline when he started that... he never replied to me. That's fine too. Like I once told my daughter when she was sixteen and had her one and only "test the water moment" -
I said, "Hey you can act however you want. I honestly cannot prevent you from being rude or disrespectable or force you to appreciate anything we do for you. You're right...you don't have to do anything and I really can't make you.
But understand this... there is a flipside to all of that. I don't have to do jack sh*t for you either. Car, cellphone, internet, tv, cable... all of it... just ended for you."
The point is... you can behave anyway you want, but just understand... others may behave back in kind. I think that was too much of an ego punch for him. Que the Grand Exit.
Hopefully he'll be back some day. We'll see. I've dropped out of sight at different times for different things and I'm always back. I just never felt the need to make the "big announcement." I have a feeling he'll be back for better or worse reasons. He has a lot to offer so I hope it's sooner rather than later.
