darrenj said:

How many times do I have to tell you that I won't be told how to express myself?
I ALSO have a zero tolerance for that.

And I still don't see how you can say we turned so quickly. It took me a good 20 years.

I find it absolutely appalling and just plain ridiculous that Prince would stoop this low to further alienate an already deteriorating fan base. I am a continual fan of the music and his unequivocal talent, but his personal and narcissistic actions such as this recent one will surely question whether or not I continue to justifiably be a fan if he feels it necessary to attack a fan base that is doing absolutely nothing that can be deemed malicious or intentional to cause him any discourse whatsoever.

Right now I am really ashamed to be a fan of the man!!

Sincerely,

PurpleCharm said:

Lothan said:

absoLUTEly they should be snipped, just as are personal attacks on anyone else on this site.

i am feeling REALLY REALLY glad that i'm not personally known to any of you folks. you scare the crap out of me with your easybake hatred

XxAxX said:

Wow, I guess I'm just not as mealy mouthed as some people here.
A direct quote must mean my words have some power behind them if you remember that one particular post.

Girl....one of the things that you MUST understand about me is that I will occasionally say some shit that will shake your core. It's intended to. I am probably one of the most outspoken people you will ever meet, with the exception of Supa.

I won't ever change, and if I want to say that, you need to remember that "fuck off and die" is an expression. I don't literally want Prince to die, but I don't think I'd care as much if he actually did.

And how do you know he ISN'T saying some things about us under his breath or in private?

gemini13 said:

dude, if he is it ain't being published on the internet. like the hate o0n this site.

XxAxX said:

That's his problem. I'm still waiting for him to explain himself like he was supposed to do yesterday.

Fine line between love and hate.

XxAxX said:

Just like I don't understand people who say they love him and don't know him, I don't understand when people say they hate him.

m3taverse said:

That email is a bunch of bunk! It has nothing to do with the issues at hand. I'm aware of the place you're talking about and yeah Prince has known about it as long as it's up but what the hell does that have to do with the sites that make up PFU. Nothing!

This is just a sad attempt by Web Sheriff to cover his behind! Now it's...

Oh no, Prince isn't suing his fans. He's after file sharing bootleggers. Those evil people that are taking money out of the pockets of Prince pockets. See, look at our email to them.

Psst, Web Sheriff...hey...over here...
[Edited 11/8/07 7:13am]

gemini13 said:

I wasnt gonna say anything, and I prob still shouldnt, but arent you the same person that wanted the "Which white artist should get a black pass" thread removed because you, personally were offended? I remember because when I asked you why it shoulb be removed , your reply ws something like "cause I said it offends me". Whats the difference? It seems as if you want it both ways. You can say what ever you want, but if anyone says something that is offencive to you, personally, then they should be moderated. Maybe Im wrong.

I think comments about the guys kids, threats, blatantly hateful stuff shuld be moderated.

What hes doing is ridiculous and if people are teeling him how they feel, then so be it. Cant control that, but some of those comments are coming from people who are jumping on the hate bandwagon, and thats not cool.

Rhondab said:

Amen! The "Godly" folks here crack me up! "God blessed Prince not his fans"

No freaking kidding! Yes, God blessed Prince with talent, sex appeal for days, a bad attitude and US!!!!

unkemptpueblo said:

What? Are you kidding me? Those are completely different situations. The only way it would be the same is if I said "I hate Prince because he's black". Where you connect my hate for his attempt at censorship of free expression and my comtempt for some racist thread is beyond me.

The whole principle I stand behind is freedom of speech, but we all know that racist things shouldn't be included.

gemini13 said:

Your over-reacting to my valid point Gemini13 !

Which part have i told you how to express yourself?

gemini13 said:

The issue isnt race. The issue is having a double standard. On the one hand, you wanted something removed because you were offended by it. Yet, you "wont be told how to express yourself" when it comes to you expressing your opinion. Even if that opinion includes the phrase "fuck off and die". thats pretty heavy.

just something I noticed.

Lothan said:

yeah. it is truly gross how unbalanced people are acting. prince isn't attacking any one of us. none of us know what is actually going on. yet, people are eating him alive up in here.

is it a function of limited intellect? is it a side effect of the internet and the consequences of too much internet activity, not enough real life? maybe it's just the usual MOB energy. everyone jumping on that bandwagon along with their favorite clique members. i dunno.

please folks, instead of taking it all so personally why not sign off the internet for a while? go outside, get some sunshine, take some vitamins and eat food, drink plenty of water, exercise, have a hot bath. interact with real people in the real world.

restore your personal balance and i promise you that later none of this will seem like the personal attack you are seeing it as.

XxAxX said:

No, but Prince has got his lawyers threatening fans and he is demanding money from them. What do you expect normal people who don't have power or money to do? Of course they're going to seek justice through words. Prince fights with money and lawyers. It's the same damn thing.

PurpleCharm said:

I'm sorry but if you're so compassionate, why in the would you even put that out in the Universe. I just don't get that.

Isn't half the problem here the general lack of clarity as to what the complaint being made is?

Until the original WebSheriff cease and desist stuff is actually published in full (and I'm not convinced that they can claim legal privilege to prevent the recipient disclosing it to whomsoever they chose in any event), the precise nature of the complaint that people are vociferously criticising (and on some occasions, I note, supporting) will remain open to interpretation and potentially misinterpretation.

For example, on Sky News last night, Sky wheeled out some "expert" who said that the complaint was about people reproducing "grainy images taken at his recent concerts" and nothing more. Said "expert" suggested that was understandable because grainy images might not present a true reflection of the standard of the concert, which presumably might then impact adversely on future ticket sales or any DVD release.

On the other extreme, there have been suggestions that we can't reproduce any lyrics during discussions, have to burn off our tattoos, or dare not whisper his name save when writing a cheque.

Unless and until Prince's side lay their cards on the table and are prepared to be open with the disclosure of the details of their complaint, all the uncertainty does is breed speculation, which itself gives rise to extreme reactions from people that are understandable, but perhaps at this stage based on misinformation.

Now it's not for me to say, and it would be no more that the sort of conjecture I've just been critical about, but it might be construed that the WebSheriff's refusal to be entirely open about Prince's complaint is down to concerns about the strength of their case.....

It would be terrible, would it not, for the whole thing to be out in the open, and then Sky's "expert" to say that Prince's position was a load of nonsense?

Anyway, in the spirit of Christmas, might I suggest that Prince lays his cards on the table and if he wants us to play by certain rules, then he should play by the well-recognised rules of fairness too?

(Of course, if I've missed actual disclosure of the letter, could someone point me to it so I don't look like a prat? Many thanks!)

Lord Marcus Mont (TM)
Veni Vedi Funki (TM again)(with kind permission from Julius Caesar)

XxAxX said:

It will be hard, but I'm gonna do it!

unkemptpueblo said:

You're entitled to your convoluted opinion, although I still don't see how you can compare two completely different things.

gemini13 said:

I know that's right!

It took me 29 years to turn on him and the only person that could make it happen was HIM!

SexyBeautifulOne said:

So if it happens, you'll come back and blame me because I put it out into the universe...umm OK.

XxAxX said:

Maybe Prince should be the one getting out in the sunshine instead of sitting at his computer, finding every image of himself on "non official sites" and commanding his lawyers to do whatever it takes to get them removed, whether he owns the copyright or not -- "whatever it takes" obviously includes threatening fans with lawsuits in multiple jurisdictions.

Every one else is just trying to run their unofficial fan site and let Prince run his official business and web site. No one ever said the unofficial sites are official sites or affiliated with Prince. Prince is the one sending his lawyers after people, not the other way around.

All you folks dissing Prince right now are like kids fighting over something that isn't even yours. To behave as if Prince owes his public something is bizarre. What could he owe you? Even tabloid celebreties who make their money out of being talked about should have a right to protect their personal information and intellectual property. Are you saying that all that great music counts for nothing? A little respect maybe? All I care about is how that next album's coming along. I mean the last one was virtually free so what on Planet Earth are people doing saying he is mistreating his fans. He is an artist, not business man, not celebrity, not icon but artist.
He make music, you buy music, get it?

PurpleCharm said:

No, I'd blame the person that pulled the trigger. You and the other folks saying stupid shit would blame yourselves enough!
[Edited 11/8/07 7:17am]

gemini13 said:

Because nothing exists in a vacuum. its all good though.

Lothan said:

I hope so.

gemini13 said:

He did explain himself yesterday. Did you miss it?

phineas said:

Yes I get it. But if it's up to Prince, his contribution doesn't stop there. He wants to control how, where and when we listen to said music, and how, where and when we talk about it with our friends.
Do your NPGMC files still work? I didn't think so.
That there proves that the essence of this discussion is not as straight forward as you are presenting it. I need to be able to use a product I payed for in any way I see fit, as well as being able to express views I hold on this product in any way I like. This is about total control by a centralized figure versus fair use and freedom of speech, get it?