I get it. There are a lot of dumb motherfuckers out there. And it gets old to see people pop in and out of this sport like seasons of the year.
BUT
We need to realize the sport of powerlifting is the biggest it has ever been and this is a FANTASTIC thing. We have the chance to win money, lifting weights. How crazy is that? There is a chance, that there might be television coverage in the near future just like WSM and the Crossfit Games. To have a chance to be on the big screen or become a truly "pro" powerlifter and rely solely on competition for income woulld be absolutely unheard of if you went back 5-10 years and told that generation it would occur.
Yes there are a lot of people signing up for meets that have NO BUSINESS doing so, and are doing nothing more than taking up space and participating in the same type of weekend recreation like a "fun run". That's what they're in it for though, so who fucking cares. They are putting money in the sport, and at the end of the day money talks! If there are more meets, with more professional set ups, and the potential for cash prizes, the biggest names of powerlifting WILL show up. If they don't you can refer back to https://www.elitefts.com/training-logs/setting-records-and-prs-at-local-meets-you-might-just-be-a-punk/ and get all pissed off again.
These people are the backbone of the sport, and in the fashion of a funnel, may be weeded out and refined to the more serious competitor that may not break records or win money, but will consistently compete and put money into the sport. Paying for live feeds, paying entry fees, funding vendors through product purchases, and anything else that boils down to income.
So I ask you: don't be the cynical meathead claiming "such and such is ruining such and such!" focus on how we can adapt and make it better in the future. If you're out of the sport, or unwilling to adapt and refine, then simply fuck off. Leave the future to the ones who care, because we will continue to try to make things better, and show the newbies the way rather than scaring them off.