...a Manilow world where opinions were valued and people openly debated their differences. A world where opposite opinions thrived and amidst disagreement there was harmony. But then, a dictatorship took over that world and set themselves up as rulers over all the kingdom. Freedom of speech was not encouraged nor was dissent. Many fan's voices were silenced when they disagreed with the dictator. So those voices found another realm where they could be heard and embraced as valuable. In that realm, differing opinions thrive and debate is encouraged. Comments aren't censored or reported to the "higher authority". Personally, I'd much rather live in a world where everyone has differing opinions and values. A world where we can learn from one another and thrive in diversity. I would never be happy living in a place where there is one leader and one opinion. It didn't work with Hitler. And it doesn't work in Manilowland. Rebels always rise up and fight against tyranny. They find their voice and cannot be silenced.
I have but one word in mind from a scene in Braveheart. Faced with submitting to British rule, or death, William Wallace, a commoner who united the Scots against tyranny, screamed....
FREEDOM!
Texas Fan
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9 comments:
"One Voice" should be many voices coming together in agreement.
I had tried to private message you on the ning board and as usual, it wasn't working.
I was wondering where your blog disappeared to. I should of known..
This is why I'm backing away from as much of this as I possibly can!Five years ago when I was thrown into the world of Manilow fandom, I never realized what it encompassed. I have been enlightened and as I have found out, being enlightened is not always a positive thing!! Being naive about all things Manilow is a very good thing...Wish I could go back there ;((
The four year olds in my classes are more mature.
Personally I don't think things will ever change.
Pretty sad.
Susan
Susan,
In the Manilow world, ignorance is bliss. We ALL wish we could go back to the early days. Unfortunately, we can't turn the clock back. It is what it is and will NEVER change!
Thanks for leaving a comment here. I appreciate it.
Jill,
Those many voices all want to be the ONE voice. Hence, there will never be agreement.
Well I give you an "A" for effort. At least you tried to make a valid point. Unfortunately it fell on deaf ears as usual. Of course this type of thing is nothing new in Manilowland. It's been going on for years and will never change.
I did have some hope when the Ning Network first started, but then it was taken over by the current mob and their flunkies. And we all know who dominates the BarryNet, right?. On both "Official" boards you must goosestep along with the current clique in charge or you will be attacked, ousted and shunned. It's a sad state of affairs when civility is gone along with freedom of speech and freedom of choice. Something I think Barry would find distasteful.
So some of us have had to rely on different ways of voicing our opinions in other than "Officially" sponsored fan websites, like private blogs, emails and phone conversations.
We may have had to go underground to avoid the personal attacks, but we are still there.
Keep up the good work and continue to fight the good fight.
Thanks Bonnie. I will always fight the good fight. I may be beaten up over it though, but I won't stop voicing how I feel. I've always been a rebel!
One of the difficulties of modern media is how fractured it has become. People can limit their media intake to only those outlets that say what they want to hear. For example, liberals read "The Daily Koz" and conservatives read "Instapundit". Similarly, in Manilow World, nutcase fans read the Barrynet and MMN; mentally stable fans read, well, your blog and a few others. It's unfortunate that the nutcase fans won't even give the sane fans a chance and run them out of the "official" parts of Manilow World. You can bet they only visit you blog, for example, when they want something to bitch about. There is no way the nutcases will ever realize they're nutcases because they associate only with other nutcases. And apparently, that's the way Manilow and his people want it.
Wow Terry, bad day? I have to respectfully disagree. Just because I occasionally read the Barrynet or other Manilow sites looking for the latest "news", it doesn't necessarily mean I am a nutcase. If I recall correctly, I once heard that Barry had the largest fan club in the world, and the Barrynet had some 90,000 readers (please feel free to correct me if someone has the correct figures). I'm not looking to start trouble, but I think we should all try to be careful NOT to label other fans as nutcases (or whatever) without actually knowing them personally.
Even before I met Suzanne, I read her blog to read another (intelligent) point of view . . . we don't all have to agree, but why can't we read public internet sites without name calling? Now that BarryGrams have been phased out, and the delivery of Hotlines is less than reliable, fans are often forced to find their "news" from a number of sources. JMHO
AnotherSue,
Your logical fallacy is that you think I said everyone on Barrynet or MMN is a nutcase whereas what I actually said was that the nutcases read Barrynet and MMN. No, not everyone on those boards is nuts, but those who are not do tend to lurk more than speak because of the vicious attacks (sometimes in person) that those mentally unstable persons engage in.
I don't do any Manilow boards anymore, having lost all interest in the man and his underhanded, backstabbing management. I only come here out of friendship for Suzanne who also contributes to my blog.
Having been told by more than one nutcase to shut up because my opinion differs from hers, I've earned the right to call a spade a spade, or in this case a nutcase a nutcase. As I learned with the extreme drunken nutcase who attacked me personally in the Hilton showroom, the only way to deal with these monsters is to stand up to them and give it right back to them, so yes, there are plenty of mentally unstable nutcases on the official manilow boards.
No, I haven't had a bad day since I put Manilow in my rear view mirror.
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