lj bpal wank thread? What is this all about? Don't get me wrong, I am not all about spreading the hate...but you know...train wrecks...rubbernecking and all

Oh, THAT thread ... Who thought anonymous was a good idea anyway? Yikes!

OK. I looked. I believe in venting, but great googly moogly! Plus, I'm not much for anonymity whilst trashing others by name either. Seems like a stinky sucker punch.

lj bpal wank thread? What is this all about? Don't get me wrong, I am not all about spreading the hate...but you know...train wrecks...rubbernecking and all

It's here. Read at your own risk.

http://bpal-whore.livejournal.com/675.html

(I figure people will hunt down the link anyway if they want to read it... so I don't feel bad about posting it.)

My goodness gracious. Thanks for the link, I only had to skim to get the general idea. Not going to get high-horsey soap boxy because I can be as mean as the next person...but only in my head.

Oh, THAT thread ... Who thought anonymous was a good idea anyway? Yikes!

I thought the anonymous posting when alchemylab had the "new rules" discussion one or two weeks ago was a good idea. And I was happy to see that people didn't abuse it to be rude -- they just used it to post an opinion that might be seen as unpopular and didn't want to suffer backlash. I think that's understandable.

But in this wank thread... not quite so mature use of anon there. Eh, it was bound to happen sooner or later, I guess. I feel bad for people whose feelings got hurt, but I also feel bad for the people who posted that junk. Just my personal opinion, but when you say stuff like that when you're all caught up in the drama of the moment, you'll probably feel crappy about it for years to come.

That was my experience -- from one time I did that when I was in high school -- and regret about what I said still crosses my mind 20 years later. Hopefully these people will learn that, too.

 

OK. I looked. I believe in venting, but great googly moogly! Plus, I'm not much for anonymity whilst trashing others by name either. Seems like a stinky sucker punch.

You're exactly right -- it is a stinky sucker punch.

Like indarkmoon, I was "huh?" about this LJ thread. Of course, I had to go gawk at the trainwreck.

And there is some substance to the complaints about people who buy things up to simply resell them at high prices. However, such is the way of capitalism, and if the buyers are there, the sellers will continue to do their thing. The rest of it seemed to be largely personality-based, and several of the people who were named as primary irritants are some of my favorite people on the forum... so go figure!

And I suppose I could be found guilty of being a suckup to Beth, but I simply admire her great creativity. There is no reason to not praise someone who makes unique products that I enjoy. And as for the mods, I know some better than others, but everyone I've encountered has been very kind and generous.

But, if the LJ wank allows people to blow off steam, that's fine. You know, I may author my own wank about myself and post it as a blog entry, just for the jollies of it. It might be sort of fun!

And I suppose I could be found guilty of being a suckup to Beth, but I simply admire her great creativity. There is no reason to not praise someone who makes unique products that I enjoy. [...]

Heehee, when I saw that one about people sucking up, I thought "hey, I bet they're talking about me." Not that I give a rat's ass. I know I'm not sucking up, sucking up is when you're insincere and being sycophantic to get something out of it for yourself. I'd still go on and on about how Beth is a genius even if she posted a "filigree_shadow is an asshole and no one should ever swap with her again!" comment in 8 different BPAL communities and refused to sell me any more oils through the Lab.

And I suppose I could be found guilty of being a suckup to Beth, but I simply admire her great creativity.

You know, I've always been a bit confused about the "sucking up" phenomenon. What? When did a law pass that says you can no longer say nice things about someone without it being kissing ass? That a compliment can't simply be a genuine expression of your sincere feelings?

It would be different if you were telling her that you love her stuff so she'd slip you a little something extra with your next order. But that's not the case, is it?

Sorry, none of this is directed at YOU, Valentina, just the concept, which feels just about as 6th grade as the whole wank drama. It has a peculiar sort of sour-grapes quality to it too.

I don't think you need to apologize, or even imply apology, for liking someone's work and saying so.

I don't think you need to apologize, or even imply apology, for liking someone's work and saying so.

Oh no, I wasn't apologizing. I actually deleted a chunk out of that post, because sometimes I play amateur psychologist and then decide I've taken it too far. However, my deleted speculation was that the people who said they think Beth is hot and seemingly have schoolgirl crushes on her, are the same ones who declare everyone else to be suckups. It's just immature and goofy.

IMHO, creative people (and that includes you, Macha, so don't get embarassed!) never get enough thanks or money in today's society. I know too many artists and musicians and writers who have day jobs and create by night, and too many small business owners who work insane hours to keep their dreams afloat. Saying thank you and supporting such efforts is the very least that I can do.