Hello all and good-bye all,
Reading the posts for the past few months, negative charges seem to be
coursing through the frayed wires of so many emotions.
I don't understand all the flare-ups. Marcel's recent joke about Bjork
ignited things again. It seems that everyone's opinion is clashing with
everyone else's opinion.
When Emily criticized Marcel, I tried to defend him. I didn't justify what he
said, but I did criticize the words Emily used. Both Emily and I came to
peace very quickly -- one private round of e-mails and we both ended up
thanking each other for our individual insights.
This "discussion list" is an opportunity for people to discuss their views on
Joni Mitchell's music and art, plus related performers or topics of interest.
Our opinions on artists and musicians vary greatly. We're, in essence,
sharing our personal likes and dislikes about different performers, different
musical products, different styles, etc.
Music evokes emotion, so discussion of music is going to be emotional.
As writers, we can use the many tools at our disposal -- flattery, sarcasm,
slang, jokes, digs, parodies, and all. That's part of the fun, I think.
My posts on these matters have been fairly consistent -- I think we should be
free to say what we want to say. If we occasionally offend, well then, we'll
face the flack from it. And, as we expose our feelings and hear the feelings
of others, that's how we open our minds.
I consider myself to be a fair and thoughtful person. I speak out with a
sharp tongue sometimes, when something really riles me. But, trust me, I give
my posts a lot of thought and I try to word them so they evoke thought,
challenge or persuade. It has never been my intention to inflame anyone.
Challenge in a mature fashion, yes, but inflame, no.
It doesn't work for me any more. Perhaps my writing style doesn't mesh,
because I seem to get attacked no matter how fair or careful I am about what I
say. I've often said that people who gravitate around a particularly
outspoken artist, such as Joni, would naturally be outspoken and have strong
opinions.
Although I respect Alison E in New York, and I've liked some of her posts, her
most recent words surrounding her reaction to Marcel's joke really struck me:
> and if someone wants to criticize me for that, then
> step the fuck up. i'm a FEMINIST GODAMMIT
then later...
> to quote my lovely ani, "everytime i say something
> they find hard to hear, they chalk it up to my anger,
> and never to their own, fear...."
Alison spouts off incredibly aggressive words, then follows it up with such a
quote from Ani DeFranco that says it's the listener's "fear" that makes the
words hard to hear.
My first reaction was, "Bullshit. Yuck. I don't need to waste my time even
trying to figure out nonsensical garbage like this."
Then it dawned on me. Alison's incredibly incongruent statements unwittingly
turned on the light bulb in my brain.
Michael Paz posted his feelings about how some of the bullshit (BS) is mucking
up the discussion list.
I immediately felt embarrassed to think that my posts were part of the
bullshit. When I "stepped up" to defend Marcel, I knew he was joking and that
was my whole point. I entered the "discussion" because I thought I had a
point of view that was germane to the situation.
It dawned on me that I don't truly understand what this discussion list is all
about. It certainly isn't ALL about Joni Mitchell or we wouldn't even need
conventions such as NJC in the subject line.
So, rather than add any more bullshit to the discussion list, I am taking a
break for a while. It's probably easier for me to unsubscribe, because if I
lurked I would once again be tempted to defend the Marcels of the world. And
obviously, some people don't care to hear my opinions about the Marcels of the
world.
I'm very busy as it is -- I'm juggling several important writing contracts, my
piano studio is growing, and wedding season is coming up.
God bless you all,
Harper Lou
