XxAxX said:

ok, but is there seriously not just a teeensy bit of your mind that is thinking "yeah, but the dude made his bed..."?

i think there are more productive methods of mediation than the path he's chosen to undertake.

but: this was his choice, and as we all know, our choices bear consequences.

maybe what i'm trying to say is that perhaps prince had a good idea of how people would react. maybe he doesn't care. or maybe he's sending out a deeper message.

all i know is, this was his choice. if it upsets people, he either has to find a way to pacify or to shrug it off.

darrenj said:

You get what you give. In the end, he's only a man. A misguided one at that.

darrenj said:

I never understood that, Darren. We can't flame each other but we can flame Prince to high hell.

I find no joy in all of this. I have no loyalty to the Org even though I have made many, many friends here. At the end of the day, there is no free speech here either and to ask us to band together under some free speech umbrella is laughable to me.

I love you like family but I have to disagree with you. I know you have your fair share of complaints with moderation on this site, and we've had our discussions over the years about certain patterns and dysfunctions on this site. Sometimes I can agree, sometimes I can see your point, and sometimes I just don't get it. But to say that the forces that arguably may compromise free expression on the Org are the same as what Prince is doing to his fans right now is beyond my comprehension to understand. I have never felt like my livelihood could be threatened by posting my thoughts or sharing a picture.

That said, I have no interest or stake in "flaming" or flinging disrespect in Prince's direction. Like I said in part one of this thread, I am taking protest against his actions because I see bigger and more frightening free speech implications, and also because I have spent most of my life loving this man's art and I want him to understand what he's doing, or at least demand he tell us why this is necessary.

I'm not getting rid of anything. If I see a Prince something-or-other in the store and I want it, chances are I'll buy it (though I am struggling with the idea of boycotting with my wallet until this is resolved). When I hear a Prince song on my mp3 player, it's still a song I like hearing.

I can't judge Prince the person because I don't know him. I can judge the actions that have been presented in that they can affect me negatively and I don't think they're fair. That's what I'm dealing with. If Prince or his steadfast fans consider that an affront or a betrayal, that's for them to work out.

Meanwhile, while I can't guarantee the Org has airtight perfect moderation (what site does?), I can say from the depths of my heart that until now, I have *never* felt afraid to express myself here - and that goes for before I became a mod, and during the period recently when I stepped down from being a mod.

If anyone who really thinks the work I've done for this site is on the same repressive level as what Web Sherriff is currently doing to the fan sites, we need to have a serious talk.

Lothan said:

It's not "flaming". That's not what flaming means. He's a public figure. He has chosen to be such. When he goes and acts like a prick, the world is going to talk about it. We're part of the world.

Relationships are complicated. Idolatry is not. We got a relationship with the man.

Lothan said:

It's not "flaming". That's not what flaming means. He's a public figure. He has chosen to be such. When he goes and acts like a prick, the world is going to talk about it. We're part of the world.

Relationships are complicated. Idolatry is not. We got a relationship with the man.

Lothan said:

It's not "flaming". That's not what flaming means. He's a public figure. He has chosen to be such. When he goes and acts like a prick, the world is going to talk about it. We're part of the world.

Relationships are complicated. Idolatry is not. We got a relationship with the man.

HereToRockYourWorld said:

He's a public figure you no longer support.

So go find an anti-prince forum and drown him there.

While Prince remains at the top of this site I'll continue to support him,



[Edited 11/7/07 8:36am]

HereToRockYourWorld said:

What is flaming?

I just read the web sheriffs reply to PFU. My support for Prince stops here. I will never buy an album or concert tickets again if this is not resolved. He's whack and a control freak.

Hope this is what you wanted Prince!

CarrieLee said:

you should see the ones he sent that he didn't publish on the net. me thinks web sheriff needs to take a class in the etiquette of writing. (my personal opinion only!)

To be honest, having read some of the news articles, Prince has'nt been portrayed in such a bad light. Just a businessman protecting his image. I think the fan sites are coming off worse.

txladykat said:

Hi txladykat

Do you think it's an accurate statement to say that Prince is "launch[ing] attacks on his own fans"? I know that the site owners who started that site are fans, but is there a necessary distinction to be drawn here, or do you think he is attacking all fans? Do you think people are making that distinction?

And, do you think that the tattoo/license plate issue (which keeps getting repeated) is a fair representation of WebSherrif's claim?

Is it the main, even sole, function of that site to disseminate these very issues through press releases and such?

There have ben a lot of hateful comments posted here (on various threads) about P. and wishig him dead and talking about his child and so forth. That anger has been stirred by that site, so I think that these are fair questions.

Anyone can answer, but I know you have some knowledge of these matters.

gemini13 said:

There are a lot of misguided Fuckwits in the world, but I don't go round wishing misery upon them.

I also raised the issue of cameras and camera phones being confiscated at shows and returned at the end of the night

This also appears to be legally dubious

I sit and shake my head at this. I have got over the initial shock but my thoughts and feelings have been stewing overnight and it has just distilled my anger, disappointment and feelings of betrayal. Usually I sit and listen to Prince on my ipod whilst on the org but I just can't bring myself to hear his voice, hear the once deep meanings that now feel shallow.

Reading that letter from Web-sherrif this morning threatening further legal action if we all don't shut the hell up made me want to throw my ipod out of the nearest window. This action is disgusting - the bullying tactics and attempts to gag any protest to the original issues are appalling. Are there any lawyers in the house who can shed some more light onto where the sites stand on this?

I wonder what the mood is like at Paisley Park and whichever 'purple palace' he's at these days? I hope that his camp are worrying about their future, about whether they're gonna have a job soon or an artist to support and work for. Did Prince wake up this morning, read his emails and skim these sites and think 'Shit. What have I done?!' I sincerely hope so. I hope that the worldwide headlines that this situation has created has made him really take stock of what's going on and if we've all got it wrong then I hope he takes charge and comes out to explain what's REALLY going on. The longer he keeps shtum about this the angrier the fans are going to feel and the more betrayed we're going to feel.

Sorry this is such a long and whiney post but I'm SO pissed off right now - until Prince comes out and says 'hey you know what, this has gone too far, let's talk properly about this' or 'Hell yeah, all you lot can go fuck yourselves' I won't be able to settle. It's the not knowing for sure that's pissing me off.

darrenj said:

That's great for you. I do.

2the9s said:

I've been thinking about this as well 9s. I may have missed it but was the actual letter posted somewhere? Does it actually say tattoos and license plates?

XxAxX said:

and if that is what Prince means... by ppl not talking about him (in a defaming manner) then i can understand that .. cause all the name calling isnt necessary .. brother needs to clarify what he means.. when he says.. we're not suppose to talk about him lol ... although honestly, even with all the nasty remarks, i cant see how that's gonna ruin his image cause everyone knows him... ive been hearing comments about him for years.. that never influenced my judgment ..i still loved and bought his music ..

imo this is getting way out of hand.

prince does NOT deserve to be lynched by an angry mob.

he is leading a fight against copyright infringement that will someday benefit artists everywhere.

none of us members know what is happening behind the scenes.

only prince's legal team and the website owners have this information.

please stop making mean-spirited personal attacks on prince.

he is still a person, just like me and you. not perfect, but not evil personified either.

can't we all just remain calm until things shake out???

Flowerz said:

But how far is that supposed to go? Does it go so far as someone saying they thought his hairdo or his outfit sucked ass? I mean really. There is plenty of ass kissing and praise going on here.

Flowerz said:

The small penis thing also undermines him as SEX GOD resulting in less gay and lady fans

Makes me wanna cry