Philip, I didn't think the discussion last night was petty, silly, frivolous, or stupid as you described, but necessary for an up/down vote of confidence. I felt there should be some safeguards to inappropriate or off/topic designs that may look great in an art studio, but not so much on the front of our building -I'm fine with you deciding what those safeguards should be, and I think a disclaimer in the entry form would be be fine. I do think it is a worthwhile project, and don't think we should committee this to death, but it seemed like you weren't really prepared to discuss the idea, just wanting approval for what you were already putting in motion. Regardless of your decision, please try to stay positive and constructive on the mailing list.
best regards On Wed, May 21, 2014 at 8:39 PM, Philip P. Patnode <[email protected]>wrote: > TWIMC at SH > > Short version = The contest has been cancelled. > > Long version = > > Because I was feeling like I did not have sufficient support and > enthusiasm from the members of SYN/HAK for the garage door design contest I > created, I brought up the subject at last night's weekly meeting. > > Since the contest requires considerable time to create the individual > entries and marketing materials, plus requires an initial outlay of > personal funds, I wanted to get a quick Yes or No vote from the 14 SH > members present at the meeting. If a majority of members voted to continue > working on the contest or abandon the contest immediately, I would have > been able to end the discussion during the meeting within two minutes. A > positive outcome would have prompted further discussion after the meeting > or, online, through email. > > Unfortunately, the simple request for a quick vote turned to the usual > chaos we have all seen at the weekly meetings over the past few months when > new subjects and issues are presented. What should have been a two minute > exercise in group democracy rapidly descended into the all-too-common > middle-school playground fight, with petty bickering, silly suggestions, > frivolous warnings against undesirable images, and outright stupid > comments. There were a few good ideas about improving the contest, but it > was hard to concentrate with all the noise. > > Just because the contest winner would get 1/3 of the entry fees collected > is not a valid reason the make the entry fee evenly divisible by 3. As the > contest originator, why should I have to appeal to the math-challenged > contestant? Anybody who progressed past 6th grade should not have a problem > with a decimal or fractional reminder after performing a numerical division. > > Several members brought up the apparently real possibility of lurking > artistic trolls who are just waiting for an opportunity to mess with a > contest and produce results in line with their anti-social agenda. I am > still waiting for the video or still photos of the anonymous trolls. > > I even had to defend the use of paint and/or decals as a safe medium that > would not interfere with the functionality of the garage door. I wonder > about such an imagination that ponders a winning design that might require > 35 coats of paint, weighing over 100 lbs. Or, maybe they thought the use > of a decal would somehow prevent the door from bending at the hinges? > > After careful consideration and a willingness to accept a minor financial > loss, I have decided to end the contest before it ever got started. > > The $55 collected from five people, from a total of eleven entries > purchased even before the final details were worked out, will be returned > to them in full. > > The $30 gift certificate for the contest winner that was made available by > Urban Eats Cafe and Patnode Photography will be converted to cash and > distributed back to the sponsors. > > The conversation about contest co-sponsorship with another downtown > business will be terminated. > > From a personal standpoint, I am withdrawing from any involvement in the > repair or repainting of the SH garage door. It is not my project and I > will not spend any time, money, or energy on it. Someone else can take it > on as a project, if they are so inclined. I also don't want to be > involved in any project concerning the exterior of the building, such as > signage, mailbox location, installing a RFID door entry system, use of a > garage door opener, CFLs for lighting, etc. Don't ask me for my opinion > about what the garage door should look like or what kind of signage should > be on the building or where to install the mailbox. I really don't care > about any of the possibilities. > > This incident has definitely had an adverse effect on my morale and > attitude about SYN/HAK and some of the members. I will be way more > cautious in the future before I try to do something positive for the > organization. There is a limit to the artificial drama, negativity, and > pettiness I am willing to tolerate. > > Sincerely, > > Philip > > > _______________________________________________ > Discuss mailing list > [email protected] > https://synhak.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss >
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