Where is velvet clown?

aqualung28 wrote: Dead Jester wrote: Don´t know Aqua, I´ve never read it  It's a fairly good book. It's basically half an autobiography and half a book about Zappa's thoughts and ideas about different things.

Yeah it's great!

Vibrationbaby wrote: James Lee wrote: Boobies. You`re quite the philosopher there Mr. Lee.

I hope you don't mind me mangling the quote a little...I just like the way this shorter version looks. It's worth a giggle or two.

For once, I am almost lost for words

Almost...

I don't understand where the argument about profanity sprang from - to me it's obvious.

If I say "I think you're talking bollocks", then I'm putting what you are saying into doubt in the strongest terms - I'm expressing an opinion about something you said. This is part of debate, and, while I can choose the words I use with ease, sometimes the context makes a particular word suitable, humourous - or simply the word I would use in normal conversation in my living room, at the pub or anywhere else - including work.

If I say "You are a c**t", then I'm attacking you.

This is unacceptable on most internet forums, and is not a means of debate - it is a personal attack, which is totally unnecessary anywhere - except maybe when someone cuts you up on a roundabout...

I found the recent tirade and blustering about the simple moving of a thread to another forum childlike and out of character for the person concerned and this forum generally - it's a great place to hang out BECAUSE of the restraint most people show most of the time, and because the admins here are NOT domineering tyrants - I have found them to be exactly the opposite.

There are better ways of getting threads re-instated, if that really makes you unhappy - I for one was quite surprised it was moved, as the MC thread has become one of the wonders of the prog world on the internet - most newcomers drop into it and wonder why there is a thread on MC on a prog forum - and presumably how it became so popular, with the large number of views and posts it has!

However, the admins chose to move it - that is their choice; it is their site just as much as it is ours as members. If everyone formed some kind of petition, maybe, just maybe they would see the error of their ways

However, posting things INTENTIONALLY DESIGNED to upset particular members of the team is probably not going to make them feel inclined to play ball, and is OBVIOUSLY going to upset other members. Hardened as I am, I found it pretty disturbing to see all those posts slapped all over various threads like ugly graffiti.

This whole thing just smacks of a tantrum - I think a bucket of chill pills needs to be passed around, and people think about what they want from this site - a relaxing discussion area for coming together and chatting about the finer details of prog music - the Rolls Royce or Bentley of rock music discussion sites, or a music discussion site like all the other common or garden sites where everyone flames everyone all the time about all kinds of stuff - more like a Vauxhall Astra site...

Which is it to be?

"Use your free will, you decide, yes, you, YOU, YOU decide..."

(Geoff Mann, R.I.P. - "Creepshow" (Fact and Fiction; 1982) Twelfth Night.

Dead Jester wrote: You´ve got no idea what you´re talking about Threefates so shut up or go suck on Greg Lake

I know exactly what I'm talking about... but I would like to suck on Greg Lake...

All:

For the record, the Mariah Carey thread will remain where it has been properly placed.  Indeed, the idea that I (or Max) is going to be "blackmailed" into "putting it back" simply because a member or members threaten to leave is bizarre in the extreme.  As I said before, if a member does not like or cannot abide by the three simple rules of the site, then they are welcome to leave and find places where they can spew whatever invective, profanity (in the "bad word" sense...) and personal attack they wish, without fear of reprisal.

As threefates notes, this site is not "the world."  It is a privately created and administered public website for those who love progressive rock music.  The webmasters and admin group have every right to institute any, many or no rules, as they see fit.  We have chosen to attempt to minimize "rules" because we do not want our "benevolent dictator" status to be equated with "repression" or censorship.  As noted, we have fewer "rules" re behavior than the vast majority of sites out there.  It is thus a complete mystery to me why any member would see the need to complain in that regard, much less throw around terms like "tyranical," "repressive," "dictatorship," "totalitarian," etc.  Again, if you truly feel that way about the admin group and the site, you are free to go to sites where you can behave in any way you wish - no one is stopping you.

Re VC, I find your behavior particularly bizarre in light of the fact that this site gave you special recognition when the MC thread reached 20,000 hits.  We very publicly lauded you for your achievement, as well as for your continued participation and contributions.  And you seemed quite "humbled" (a rare thing for you...), or at least truly appreciative, at the time.  And this is the way you repay us?  "Ungrateful" doesn't begin to describe it.

Re accusations of censorship and repression, I reiterate that Max and I have let stand the overwhelming majority of posts by everyone (yes, even VC) - even when we felt that they were at best questionable and at worst highly inappropriate, because we believe in an "unfettered marketplace" of ideas, discussion and opinions.  However, again, we expect our members to observe the minimal rules we impose.

Finally, DJ, your comment to threefates definitely goes over the line into personal attack.  Are you deliberately testing to see whether you really will be "thrown out?"  Does anyone here support DJ's right to engage in such personal attack, when everyone else - no matter how emotional at this moment (and everyone is) - has been able to express themselves without resorting to such?

If I were simply a member here (i.e., had no "official" voice), and I had to make a choice between the right of the webmasters and administrators to impose minimal rules of decorum, and the possible loss of a member or two who disagreed with and flagrantly violated those rules - no matter how strongly I felt about those members - I know what my choice would be.

Peace.

P.S.  Re Reed Lover's comment about being chastised at the same time as VC, once he explained his intent, I apologized to him, though I did state that using profanity to fight profanity seemed an odd choice.

Well if the Mariah thread gets put back in Main Discussions, then I want the 3 of mine that Maani moved back there too!!!

And you guys are really some great role models for all the newbie young prog fans we've had join lately. 

`Why can`t Max just return the Mariah thread to the main discussions? This site will be a much happier place as it was when I first joined it.

It is the festive season and I myself am under a lot of stress as I have to be separated from my wife for the first time since we were married. Velv might be going through something that he does not want to reveal to his cyberspace friends.

Let`s put the brakes on for a while in hopes that everything will return to normal in the new year.

Happy Christmas to all.

Vibrationbaby