nakedpianoplayer said:

it didn't offend me. i didn't really laugh at it, but i understood the satire of it.

now make me sit down and watch an episode of "the swan" - you'll see me get offended.

ConRoz said:

you know, the weird thing is, the relationship between EWM and those who most vociferously take issue with him is more symbiotic than it is antagonistic.

EWM says something provocative. folks get provoked and raise a fuss. as a result, we see EWM's name splattered all over the forums and people then get curious as to what he says and the "questionable" posts get all the more attention.

so really - EWM and the people who think he's, well, an "evil white male", have a really beautiful relationship going on. they give each other what they want. it's kind of touching, really.

ConRoz said:

Kiss your kids goodnight for me.

Anxiety said:

What's funny is that they say I crave attention and yet they're the ones who make every topic about me. Must be something in the water.

EvilWhiteMale said:

you!!

NOT A FINGER!!!

EvilWhiteMale said:

I also think you intend to offend and unnerve...or at least that is the preception of most of your posts. You provoke willingly and unwillingly. I actually applaud that. I also think people round here have an automatic reaction to not like anything you post. If you were contantly tasteless and offensive, that'd be one thing, but you're not...you just have a different view than most here.

It's not really about the content it's about that people could not move on from it. This is a pretty public site and an open forum. A privelege not given by the NPGMC. If somehting offends you move on. If you gotta state your opinoin...do so and then move on. THe thread in question is meant to be humorous and not taken seriously...yet some do.

superspaceboy said:

have i told you lately, that you turn me on?

I didn't see the offending pic, so I won't comment on it. However, I will comment on why there is always conflict, and it has nothing to do with people having difference of opinions.

The source of conflict actually lies in the title of this website. When people wander into this place for the first time, it is for one reason and one reason only, Prince!!! This site clearly states that this is a Prince online FAN community. So people expect to actually find Prince FANS here. It is quite a shock to be on a supposed Prince FAN community site and be constantly bombarded with what can only be described as disdain and contempt for Prince and those who actually like him. The pathetic attempts to cover it up with mantras of free speech and people having the right to state their opinions is very laughable because that is exactly what those that don't appreciate what goes on around here are doing, to no avail.

The fix is simple, if you want to get rid of the folks who are going to "whine" and "complain" and take all the fun out of your little Prince bashing antics, convince Ben to change the name of this site and stop calling it a Prince online FAN community. I guarantee, we'll go away, and never think twice about this place.

Otherwise, we're here to stay. And as long as there is Prince bashing, there will ALWAYS be someone here who doesn't appreciate it.

thebumpsquad said:

ooops sorry. skimmed the thread i did. removed for bickering?

SexyBeautifulOne said:

this is indeed an online prince fan community.

let's meditate on the word "community" for a moment, shall we?

Check out the Dictionary.com definition, which is taken from the 4th edition of the American Heritage dictionary and can be found here on the web: http://dictionary.referen...=community

Part of this definition is as thus:

A group of people having common interests: the scientific community; the international business community.

A group viewed as forming a distinct segment of society: the gay community; the community of color.

Similarity or identity: a community of interests.

Sharing, participation, and fellowship.

Now.

Within any community, you're going to have different shades. Let's call it, hmmm...DIVERSITY. People have to define themselves individually before they can be part of a community, and once they become part of that community, they GIVE by way of their individuality and can TAKE by way of experiencing the individuals who also comprise that particular community.

Okay. So...

Let's apply that to an online fan community dedicated to Prince. You're going to have die hard fans. You're going to have fans who think Prince is incapable of ever doing anything wrong. You're going to have fans who love a certain era Prince and think he's a goofball now. You're going to find fans who think Prince is The Shit now, and think his old stuff is silly. You're going to find fans who really really really LOVED him up to a certain point, then for whatever reason felt "maligned" by something he did.

In other words, you're going to cross paths with a lot of people from a lot of different experiences on here, and in the spirit of a true COMMUNITY, you're going to find us all interacting with each other and (i HOPE) respecting each other's experiences and individuality.

Some of the most Prince-hatin', grudge-carryin', bitterly critical so-and-so's on here have, in my opinion, turned out a really good insight here and there. Some of the most fammy-fam, pie-in-the-sky Princekissers have contributed absolutely nothing of worth on here. And vice versa, definitely. Again - it's what people have to contribute that's important, and what you're able to take from it.

Having said all that, I'd be ashamed to call this site an "online community" if certain points of view were not respected. I know other web sites take that approach, and while I respect such rules while I'm on their turf, I can't help but feel that such an environment is "minus something" - not to mention that this is the Internet, and people are going to be easily roused to flaming each other regardless of the rules set up, and such regulated sites are hardly an exception to such ubiquitous eventualities. At least we allow some breathing room and give people the freedom to express themselves without undue reprisal.

So maybe you see a lot of "Prince bashing" on here. Look a little closer. There are a lot of true fans on here, too, and a lot of different crazy colors and textures and perspectives flying around. If you're not careful, you might just learn something from someone!
[This message was edited Tue May 25 7:45:08 2004 by Anxiety]

SexyBeautifulOne said:

Well maybe part of being a fan is criticizing what we don't like and hope that Prince starts doing what we like again. If we hated Prince, we wouldn't waste any time here. Criticism does not equal hatred. If you don't like criticism, then spend more time on the NPGMC.

Anxiety said:

You had me in agreement until I got to the last two paragraphs. Because they pretty much sum up my whole point. I understand perfectly well that in any community, online or otherwise people are going to be people, we're all capable of independent thought and views.

What differentiates The Org is the fact that negative thoughts and views appear to be the standard around here and when anyone dares to speak out against them, they're lectured to, warned, have threads locked, and are inevitably banned when they make their points too valid.

For it to really be about "community", then ALL views should be accepted good, bad and otherwise, but that is not what I witness around here. Just the other day, when someone questioned the negativity around here, it was posted that it's negative because "they're tired of all the Prince dick sucking that happens here". Was that offensive? To the person that was trying to make a point, yes. To people that don't suck dicks, yes. To people that don't suck Prince's dick, yes. To the people that agree with the person that was trying to make a point, yes. Was the offender lectured to or even warned? Nooooo, he was actually cheered. Now you tell me, what was I supposed to learn from that?

Now I was witness to a friend who shall remain nameless being banned for calling someone "simple minded" but others can get away with calling an entire group "dick suckers"

So don't reply to me with definitions of "community". Instead, try looking up "double standard" and then we'll have something to talk about.

As I already stated, as long as this site bears the name of Prince and it's supposed to be an online FAN community, I'm not going any damn where. Deal with it!

Wow, I post a question, get on with my life, come back and there's 42 messages in this thing! Holy mother of rose petals.

I'm well steeped in the offensive humor. I have a high tolerance for bad taste. Or, conversely, I HAVE bad taste. Whatever. If it bothers me, I'll step over it, or scrape it off my shoe, and move on. All this blathering over worrying about people's feelings is why we've got so many lawywers getting rich off of bullshit lawsuits.

Oh. wait. I'm getting sucked into the debate! Augh!

To be honest, I didn't like the spanking photo, only cuz I'm at work and had to skip past it really fast. But well, if there are certain guidelines we'll need to adhere to, somebody get up on the pulpit and put the list together, and I'll do my best to be sure that I cross each line with the vigor and excitement that i've always felt when pushing people's over-sensitive buttons.

I Fart In Your General Direction.

otan said:

SexyBeautifulOne said:

Sorry, but it's the other way around.

SexyBeautifulOne said:

What's to deal with? You think I give a fuck if you're here or not? Your presence here doesn't affect me at all. Quit acting like you're so special.

otan said:

Monty Python....nice.

EvilWhiteMale said:

If it doesn't affect you, then why are you addressing me? And for the record, you're the only one that's acting around here, and you suck at it, I really must say!
[This message was edited Tue May 25 20:29:52 2004 by SexyBeautifulOne]

SexyBeautifulOne said:

Get your fucking panties out of that bunch and quit being such a damn liberal extremist. It's ugly.

SexyBeautifulOne said:

part of the problem though is that people will fight with someone like ewm but dont report it...if you feel a site policy was broken, rather then bemoaning it in the forums, just click "report to moderator".....

EvilWhiteMale said:

Seems to me like your panties are the ones in the bunch. You're the one resorting to ugliness of slinging vulgarities and name calling.

sosgemini said:

Since you knew who the offender was without me stating any names, I'm led to believe you read the thread I was referencing. Which means you also saw that a moderator was going along for the ride. So how much good is reporting it going to really do, hmmm?

Damn, I missed the pic everyone is uptight about!

SexyBeautifulOne said:

Oh, I got plenty more, honey. But I'll choose to be civil.

SexyBeautifulOne said:

You really take this bullshit seriously, don't you?

ultrraviolette said:

If you're nice, I'll show ya.

sosgemini said:

If da mod is readin it. Why do we have to report it? You should be able to make a decision on da argument you see right here.

SexyBeautifulOne said:

Try even saying the word "dick" on certain other sites. Unless you're talking about Mr. Nixon or Mr. Van Dyke (and that's pushing it because you got both "Dick" and "Dyke" in the same name), your post will disappear WITHOUT explanation, but WITH the quickness.

I don't know what situation you're talking about, but I'm not going to say that we all make perfectly sound judgment calls 100 percent of the time. I'm also not going to comment on a situation with which I wasn't involved or with which I'm not familiar.

I will, however, stand by what I said earlier on this thread. You can come on here to kiss the purple ass or you can make it your life's mission to tell the Purple One to kiss YOUR ass. Whatever. You and your sundry kissing needs are welcome here. Just don't BE an ass and we'll get along fine.

So if you're looking for a double standard, you might wanna dig a little deeper. Or maybe use a more articulate shovel?

It was a fucking hilarious thread, EWM's pic as well! The arguing may have been what killed the thread.

Peeps need to listen loud and clear... if a thread or post offends you, skip it. Don't click on it... fight the urge to check it out and pass it up!

If someone attacks you PERSONALLY, then that's different... alert one of us, and we'll try to take care of it asap.

Otherwise, chill. It's too touchy in here... lighten up.

(Personally, I'd like to see the arguments cleared, and the thread reopened!)