Do you know what a dilemma is? Iâll tell you what a dilemma is â itâs what I am going through tonight.
It all started last Friday when a well known mid-week moderator (yes, that one) waltzed in to the room. Her loyal minions began tugging at her hem, and directed her to this âblogâ, so that she might be enraged at what had been said â a post that began: Just once, just one time, I would like to hear Gio say âOh fudge, I was just stopped out for a lossâ¦â An OBVIOUSLY teasing did at her weekly gig in the room.
Madam was not amused â I was. Low and behold Sir Jimsy informs me that the âmoderatorsâ want ALL mention of ANYONE in the room removed from my blog. I declined. The soap opera escalated.
Sunday night I was unceremoniously booted. I was not amused. And the soap opera escalated. By now the âblogâ is jumping. There were some really clever and funny posts, some very insightful posts, and some tasteless posts. Madam evokes genuine emotion.
Monday Iâm talking to one of the roomâs good guys. His feelings are hurt because he has been dragged in to the mess, and things said that are not true. He asks, not demands, but asks if I can do something. Heâs a good and decent man, but Iâve got a problem â I cannot remove individual comments â itâs the entire post or nuttinâ. He also pleads Woodieâs case, and how he doesnât need this crap â like I do?
I canât deny that many of the comments are irresponsible â but remember my dilemma â itâs all or nothing. I like the guy Iâm talking to â heâs done a lot of good in the room, and done SEVERAL favors for me. I said I would do as he asked- politely asked. You would have done the same.
A few hours later, a few hours after I cleaned up the blog, a member innocently mentions my blog. He is slapped about the ears, and unable to edit out his mention, ALL of the dayâs text up to and including the mention is deleted.
This is bullshit â itâs all bullshit.
I have a couple of friends in the room â not many â but a couple. I have a lot of people there who have disappointed me, and more than a handful who sicken me. As a rule, I never read the text scroll, and only listen in the morning a few days a week. Being booted only hampers my ability to gather material to amuse and delight you with.
I really donât like the dictatorial attitudes. I really donât like the two-faced dealings that are so common. And of course, I donât like being told to dance or get out.
On the other hand, I do not want to preside over a trash and bash forum. Frankly, a lot of you guys only have personal axes to grind, and it gets old real quick.
Apparently the powers to be have relented, and allowed me back in â but presumably only so long as I remain silent â so long as I behave myself.
My Hot Com subscription ran out ten days ago â I renewed for one reason and one reason alone. When I came up with the idea for the site, it was specifically aimed at a very select and finite audience â you. The only way to let you know about it was to shamelessly post in the room. My plan worked. I got good response, but nothing like the response since madam threw her hissy fit.
So now what do I do? If I toe the line, sit here and eat crow, theyâll probably let me stay in a room I rarely use, but object to being booted from. If I resume sticking a fork in the Golden Geese of the room, I will be dumped yet again, and that will annoy me â remember I am easily annoyed. If I open up the blog to comments â and that was the whole idea to start with â and this drama continues, the site and blog will die within a week or two. And I will have broken my word to the guy who asked so nice.
All of this, and Christmas to.
The whole thing has left a very bad taste in my mouth. I cringe when I see the minions tugging at Madamâs hem: âOh Madam, oh Madam, acknowledge me!â. I cringe when I see the two-faced scum who so loved the blog until they found out that they were not supposed to do so. And I bristle at the heavy-handed way the room is run.
In all honesty, I pride myself in being my own man â even when there is a price to pay for it. Since the room has so soured me, I must leave on my own. And shall do so tonight. I will open this post up for comment, and decide what to do after I see the results.
And now you know the situation.
