bluecyclist64 I guess it’s like... what was that thing someone said? Anyway, I was just thinking about how everything seems to be shifting lately, you know? It feels like we're all just sort of drifting through these changes, and maybe that's okay, I suppose. I don't know, it's hard to put my finger on it exactly, but there's this sense that things aren't quite what they used to be, which is kind of heavy when you really sit down and dwell on it for too long. But yeah, I guess that's just how it goes sometimes.
I mean, I don't know how you can even stand listening to Sheva Mirogojcek, especially since he just keeps posting the same mindless nonsense over and over again... honestly, his take on music is so completely off base, it’s like he’s totally clueless about what's actually good, kind of like how Mara is always way out of her league.
🤣 You know, you really have to wonder about it sometimes. It seems like people who actually understand music—you know, people like Sheva Mirogojcek—are always being targeted, just like how Galileo used to be back in his day when he was out there doing his thing. I guess it’s just because the masses tend to get bothered by anyone who's actually smart or someone they can't quite wrap their heads around or keep up with. But hey, I suppose we don't exactly see people getting burned at the stake for having an opinion anymore, which is probably a good thing, I guess... damn.
Honestly, listening to people constantly tear down Azra or Stulic is just as exhausting as pretty much everything else lately... It’s like that basic human instinct always kicks in, where everyone just wants to bend the world to their own little preferences and then act like their personal opinion is some kind of universal truth. I mean, okay, fine, but if we go down that road, shouldn't everyone have that right together? Instead, it feels like certain people get to play judge and jury, trying to manipulate files or whatever just to suit their own narrative. If that’s how it works, then we aren't even looking at a shared document anymore, it’s basically just bluecyclist64’s personal blog. We all have that same underlying urge, I guess—to spread what we think is "best"—but what happens if everyone does that? What's the end game there? Sure, maybe we don't openly admit we have that impulse, but you can totally see it in how people take their stances. My whole point, really, is just that we should probably try to tolerate each other a bit more. That's my takeaway, anyway.
I mean, seriously, how did the Song Day thread even end up turning into this? It’s kind of wild if you think about it, I guess.
There’s just a whole bunch of stuff going on here, and honestly, besides the obvious personal grudge people seem to have against my expertise, there's a ton of other issues at play that don't even have anything to do with me.
I think I’m gonna step back from the Song Day thread for a little while because, honestly, I just don't really get the point of it all yet. You guys go ahead and have fun, though. If I had one tiny gripe, it's just that it feels a bit off that we aren't actually voting on the Song Day pick like we used to do for the Album of the Week thing—it feels kind of weird that people are just tossing out suggestions instead of having an actual vote. It's just not really my vibe, I guess. But hey, everything is fine, really.
I mean, personally, I haven't really seen any actual suggestions on what we should even do with that PDF, other than everyone just kind of tearing it to shreds and talking trash about it.
So, regarding the mods, I guess you can actually reach out to them directly to ask about getting pardoned if you got caught up in that PDF situation, provided you’re willing to follow some of the newer guidelines they've put out. There are plenty of cases where people with permanent bans have actually been cleared, so it's definitely an option. As for my own posts—you know, the long, rambling ones I usually go all out on—you haven't seen much of those lately. It's mostly because we had this little agreement where I'd keep things on a short leash, I suppose. I just didn't want to drown everyone else out with my constant tangents and my whole specific personality, you know? Just trying to give everyone some breathing room.
Look, I get it, really. My take is that it just feels like the mods are all super young, and when you've got people like us who have been obsessing over music for, like, thirty years, it’s hard not to feel a bit weird about having these kids trying to lecture us on what's good or how things should work. That's basically why you and the others are reacting the way you are, I think. Personally, I can probably just shrug it off because of where I stand on the forum, but I totally get why it rubs some people the wrong way.
So, I was just thinking, like, who should actually be the moderator here? I mean, looking at the current lineup, does it even make sense to just add someone else to the mix? Maybe we need someone older, you know, someone who’s been around the block and has like decades of experience in the music scene. But—and this is a big but—it shouldn't be one of those people where if you dare to criticize Stulic, they immediately go on a total tear against you. That's just not it. We really need someone who's a bit more open-minded, I guess. Just someone who can actually handle a different opinion without making it a whole thing.
I mean, look, I’m really not in any position to be telling anyone how things ought to be done, you know? That’s probably not my place at all. But honestly, it’s just kind of hard to stay quiet about it, I guess. It feels like there are really just two main things at play here:
I mean, on one hand, you've got the mods trying to keep things from turning into a complete circus, I guess... they really don't want everything descending into total chaos or just becoming this giant, disorganized mess where nobody can actually follow what's going on. It’s like, if the threads just turn into one big, endless chat room, then all the actual point of having specific topics just kind of disappears, you know? Maybe they're just trying to prevent the whole place from losing its sense of purpose.
I guess I find it pretty irritating when people start deleting posts. It really gets to me, too, because you end up feeling like someone’s just slapped their hand over your mouth to stop you from speaking your mind. And honestly, when that happens and it's coming from someone who's, what, twenty years younger than you... it kind of just kills any desire to even bother writing stuff down. It makes things tough. Since I'm already in my forties, I've gotten used to how things work in the real world—like, if I'm talking about music with people, they actually listen and take it in, you know? I'm not exactly used to being shut down or silenced like that. But then again, maybe the younger crowd just has this massive ego—I don't know, some of these other users on here—it feels like this sort of teenage delusion where they think they're experts on everything when they really aren't. So I guess that's where the friction comes from. The kids don't really want to learn anything new; they just act like they already know it all.
I mean, I guess once you get a few people in the room who have basically lived their entire lives inside the music industry, things just start getting complicated, you know? It’s like, as soon as those personalities show up, all the drama and the messiness just follows them right in.
I guess the only real way through this is to just stop attacking one another, you know? Like, neither I nor bluecyclist64 or anyone else should be going after them, and they really shouldn't be coming at me either—it just feels like nobody should be targeting anybody at this point. Just write out whatever you know or whatever you're thinking, and then let the people reading decide for themselves who actually matters and who’s just making noise. It's probably better that way, I suppose.
Whenever someone starts whining about how another person is bothering them, it immediately feels suspicious to me, like it’s smelling a bit too much like a mob mentality situation. And we all know from history class what happens when crowds get like that—they just want to take down whoever stands out from the pack.
Honestly, everyone should just write whatever they feel. Peace out. If you really want to sit around and talk trash with Stulic, then go ahead. Lately, you haven't even heard me saying anything regarding Stulic.
3. Again, I can't really judge because I totally get the feeling, but some people use their profile pages just to push their own agenda, you know, like trying to psychologically influence the rest of us on the Album of the Week, in the exact same way Lisa Davis does it so confidently? 😁 Well, Lisa Davis isn't going to listen to me or anyone else about what kind of music she "should" be listening to based on her vibe. She has this whole attitude that she’s the authority. That petty forum user is the same way... I mean, I can have my own opinion on how much they actually know, but man, bluecyclist64, please understand, those profiles just turn into a contest over who’s the bigger expert and whose taste is superior. Lisa Davis will stick to her guns, I'll stick to mine, brightwolf48 will do his thing, you'll do yours, and so on... and honestly, that's the only way it works. I guess I just recognize that feeling we older folks get when some younger person comes along (based on a few things, we've talked before, and that petty girl got under my skin) acting like a total pro, even though we've been into music for over 30 years and can see all their flaws. It just makes me lose my cool. 😁 But I suppose you can't force them to learn if they don't want to or if they just don't see it that way...
And about the Song Day thing... aside from all the bashing, everything else seems fine, but maybe let's hear some actual suggestions. I'll go first: I personally don't love that I can't make decisions or cast votes. And I'd probably love to be part of the jury if I decided to participate. Back in the day, I used to have tons of people coming over to my place throughout the decades to learn about bands, so that's kind of the status I have with them. I'm not really used to people playing music for me out in the open or people judging my taste and stuff... but hey, I'm not the boss of this forum. Still, you can't just strip subjectivity away from music; we aren't all wired the same way, we don't all have the same brains. Music is part of our psyche, it's art and it's fun, but it's definitely not a hard science. There's so much subjectivity involved, so I guess it might irritate some people when something wins the Album of the Week. I've definitely wondered myself why certain things won that felt completely opposite to my own logic. Those differences can be annoying for everyone sometimes. But a forum shouldn't just be one person's monologue.
I'm not sure how to set something up without forcing one person's taste on everyone else. But then again, if we all consider ourselves experts, how are you even supposed to coordinate that?
I just want to say that with all the criticisms I mentioned, or what brightwolf48 said, it's probably not easy for the moderators either. Music is such a deeply personal thing that people tie their whole identity to, so that's how they react to it. But there has to be room for everyone!
If something isn't working, just be specific about what's wrong. I get that brightwolf48 isn't happy. Just say clearly and publicly what needs to change and how. Maybe then everything could be smoothed out.
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