It’s interesting that by doing one single act a thought pattern can be provoked that can lead to all sorts of outcomes. Last week Jason Michael Carroll took down his message board. I was hopelessly wondering why I could no longer read current posts. Finally, I read Jason’s last journal entry. In it he describes verbal abuse and disrespect being committed by the members of his fan base. Unfortunately this is a sad comment of the state of our cultural society today. We seem to live in a period of time that has no boundaries. Everything and everybody is a target of ill begotten comments or ridicule.
There is noplace it can be seen more clearly than on the internet. On one hand it has become a tool for research, being able to find and retrieve information in moments instead of hours or perhaps days. We can reach out and touch people from all over the world. And yours truly has a voice for my writing that was unheard of 10 years ago. This I appreciate. I really do. But, some times I think we are advancing technically at a pace we just can not keep up with. What should bring out the best of people sometimes also brings out the worst.
I don’t exactly know what was written on JMC’s board but I do have an idea. I have only posted twice on that sight; I seem to get more out of reading its contents. And I have seen this sort of thing on other sites, a sort vindictive smear, against certain comments. It baffles me. Jason stated that “topics of conversation were becoming things that are not appropriate for all ages”. Say it ain’t so; one of the best attributes of country music is its agelessness. I can take my 45 year old self to a concert, with my 22 and 19 year old daughters. It really doesn’t get better than that. He went on to write that they “were posted with the intent to be harmful.” This does happen, one of my daughters closed out her Myspace profile because she could not stand the petty ridiculous comments being made.
There is really no conclusion to this story. JMC’s site is still a fledgling. On other sites the monitors have been able to lock out and completely delete threads. Hopefully when he puts it back up it will have those elements. Jason apologized to the majority of fans who truly wish to learn more about him and the band. He handled it without rage, just enough intelligence and pointed comments. My daughters were impressed and so was I. In a world lacking all kinds of character it is always sensational to find it where you least expect it. If you look hard enough the world still is full of wonderful surprises.
There is noplace it can be seen more clearly than on the internet. On one hand it has become a tool for research, being able to find and retrieve information in moments instead of hours or perhaps days. We can reach out and touch people from all over the world. And yours truly has a voice for my writing that was unheard of 10 years ago. This I appreciate. I really do. But, some times I think we are advancing technically at a pace we just can not keep up with. What should bring out the best of people sometimes also brings out the worst.
I don’t exactly know what was written on JMC’s board but I do have an idea. I have only posted twice on that sight; I seem to get more out of reading its contents. And I have seen this sort of thing on other sites, a sort vindictive smear, against certain comments. It baffles me. Jason stated that “topics of conversation were becoming things that are not appropriate for all ages”. Say it ain’t so; one of the best attributes of country music is its agelessness. I can take my 45 year old self to a concert, with my 22 and 19 year old daughters. It really doesn’t get better than that. He went on to write that they “were posted with the intent to be harmful.” This does happen, one of my daughters closed out her Myspace profile because she could not stand the petty ridiculous comments being made.
There is really no conclusion to this story. JMC’s site is still a fledgling. On other sites the monitors have been able to lock out and completely delete threads. Hopefully when he puts it back up it will have those elements. Jason apologized to the majority of fans who truly wish to learn more about him and the band. He handled it without rage, just enough intelligence and pointed comments. My daughters were impressed and so was I. In a world lacking all kinds of character it is always sensational to find it where you least expect it. If you look hard enough the world still is full of wonderful surprises.
1 comment:
Just stumbled in - but wanted to give kudos to the post - I for one am heartbroken that folks would treat ANY country artist with that much disrespect so as to close down a community - much less JMC who is nothing but wonderful to everyone. I keep checking back daily hoping the boards will once again rise like the Phoenix - in time I am sure they will - until then I miss my friends and family. So sad that so few ruined it for so many. Thanks for your view :)
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