My Very Personal Reasons for Joining the Rotor Riot Boycott
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Published 2024-07-08
1: Will I boycott other FPV companies selling items for the military complex?
A: Probably not. No one has marketed FPV products as weapons as Rotor Riot has. That's my complaint here. I'm not a fool, I know that FPV drones are used in war, but I don't want to support a company marketing the drones for that purpose. I would happily support any FPV company that openly states in its mission statement that their products are not intended or developed for use in combat.
2: The Rotor Riot guys are awesome.
A: I'm sure they are. I've had minimal experience with any of the featured pilots in Rotor Riot but I've found them all to be pleasant and helpful. Especially with Vannover's recent comments on this video, he seems as upset with his frame being used in the way that it is as any of us would be. That's not on him what people do with his frame and he shouldn't feel guilty for it. Redcat/Unusual Machines/Rotor Riot stand behind their drones used in combat as weapons and those pilots are in a shit position.
3: This video was to jump on the bandwagon and hate Rotor Riot.
A: Go back and watch the video. I said that the Rotor Riot videos are some of my favorite videos on the internet. I also say that they've run a very successful business and that Rotor Riot exists in uncharted waters in many ways - they're bigger than any FPV company ever. UM's statement carries with it more weight than any in FPV and this is scary enough for me to share my opinion --which is my right. Feel free to disagree, and make a video about it.
A second point to that will be obvious for fans of this channel - I'm not a hateful guy. I'm not a competitive guy and I'm not going to do anything for clicks alone. This is actually my first opinion piece - I didn't like it. It didn't feel natural and it didn't feel like me. The point is: I've never hunted clicks on my videos. I make weird shit which makes me giggle. This was posted with concern. or our hobby.
Q: Mad’s Tech, Borgrinder and XJet said the same thing, but in a more informative way, and they deserve the credit.
A: Yup. They’re better content creators and they all did a more thorough job of presenting facts than I did. Which is why I didn’t. This is my take, I was offended and the boycott will be my response. All three of those guys are badasses and I hope to be more like them in my content.
Q: You know that everyone else is doing it, right?
A: This is stupid. You can’t rob a bank and then tell the judge, “C’mon, man! Everyone robs a bank! At least I didn’t kill a guy!” This is a stupid argument my middle-school students make all the time. Don’t be a middle-schooler. Wrong is wrong. The first company to denounce FPV in warfare will be hailed as heroes.
Ok, it's all done. Any comments not progressing the topic will be deleted.
This video is a personal response to what is happening with Rotor Riot regarding Redcat, and Unusual Machine's pursuit of the militarization of FPV. This is an opinion piece based on what I know and is not intended to report on the situation. Respectful discord in the comments will be allowed.
For a better understanding of the topic, please see the following videos:
- Mad's Tech • Video
- Botgrinder • Why are people boycotting rotor riot?
- XJet • The militarization of the FPV hobby b...
All Comments (21)
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///\\\ PLEASE READ THE VIDEO DESCRIPTION BEFORE YOU COMMENT ///\\\ OK, Ok, ok.... Look this video has garnered a bit more discussion than I had anticipated. BEFORE YOU POST! Please. thoroughly read through the video's description to see if I have already answered your question or more-clearly stated my position. ANY COMMENTS THAT DO NOT MOVE THE DISCUSSION FORWARD WILL BE DELETED.
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5:55 Thank you man! More people need to see how amazing this community is! 🤙
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we all have our opinions on this not everyone will agree but I hate seeing people trying to start arguments in comments with pilots that have posted their concerns about this topic. Rotor Riot was always a hobby friendly organization and I personally am against what they are trying to do just for money. on the other hand you see these FPV drones used in the Ukraine war and me being from Ukraine myself I fully support the use of drones in that war(probably lots of bias there but I cant help it). they have been an amazing tool to defend Ukrainian territory. Red Cat just wants to hop on the drone as a weapon train to make money but if I was a Rotor Riot employee I would have a lot to think about, if I really want to be a part of this. going from a hobby friendly organization to creating killing machines is a wild jump and they should not be surprised if FPV pilots hate Rotor Riots actions.
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I HATE that FPV is becoming synonymous with war. It's a hobby that has brought me together with people from all over the world (Russia and Ukraine included). And seeing companies put out PR saying the quiet part out loud feels like a very personal attack on that. I can empathize. And boycotting RR is your prerogative and right. But, you're going to have to start boycotting a lot of companies. If you start paying closer attention you'll find that many have already been working directly with the US Military. As far as any US FPV company having a detrimental impact on the hobby now. The cat has been out of the bag since 2016/17 (wouldn't be surprised if it were sooner) when ISIS started using Phantoms to drop munitions on people AND develop their own UAV's. FPV companies working to develop weapons is a symptom. Not the cause. I don't like that it's happening either. However, I also understand it.
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The heroes you grew up with are not supporting death. They have not been in charge for years at this point. The company is still there, but it changed hands long ago. I totally agree with you that the community that flies is what is really important.
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People act like all the other companies advertise war drones
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I feel the same way! It's heartbreaking to see our passionate hobby used destructively. Greed and war destroy literally everything. 😥
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I miss the old RR.
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redcat was sketchy from the beginning
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Great Video Kev. Very good points you put out there. 👊🏻
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I too was enamored with early rotor riot content, after the ogs left shit went down hill. I think we can all push through this and survive as long as we continue to have positive influence in the hobby from you and many others.
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Couldn’t agree with your thoughts and sentiments more. Very well said! It’s a shame, a letdown, a really big bummer that RR has decided to take this route. I started with one of there drones, about three years ago as well. It was their content in part that got me into the hobby. And I will never again support them for this indiscretion. Neither through their content nor their store.
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Some are clearly not getting the problem. Fpv is struggling reputationally. Community developed hobby tech is being used as cheapo cruise missiles in Ukraine. Companies like Rotor Riot should be trying to protect the reputation of FPV not set it on fire by marketing precision strike drones that look identical to FPV drones. They should have made a clear effort to differentiate there precision strike drone from a standard bind and fly fpv drone. It would have made them look more professional and less like a bunch of crash grabbing get rid of old stock warmongers.
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What is gross to me is all these shills trying to justify RR's actions with the actions of others. Deflection is not an valid argument.
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I did not know that. Thanks for the heads up
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Congrats for standing up and speaking about a topic that can be touchy! Been into RC for about 17yrs. Walked away end of last year! Just isn’t the same as it was years ago!
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You are 100% spot on. I have been flying FPV for 13 years, and RC for 40 years. Very few things upset me more than seeing our flying machines, these things of beauty, used to kill people. The companies that have sold out to the defense industry do not deserve our support. There are plenty of Lockheed’s and Raytheon’s in the world.
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Imagine designing a frame and BnF quad with the soul purpose of it being YOUR perfect freestyle tool to share with others, and now it WILL kill people. Damn 😮💨
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What you say is absolutely right. It's all a shame...
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I'm with you bro. The whole way. I liked and subed ya!!!
