Peter

He sent me a pm that he's still reading some of the posts here... so maybe he will some day return...

... and there wil be much rejoicing!

Food for thoughts: Following the quitting of Peter Rideout.
by Hugues Chantraine

I have now been review at an furious pace albums since the month of February
and most of it was done from memory , but I have had great pleasure
re-discovering or re-listening to albums that I was less sure about. This
furious pace has led me to do more reviews than anybody else , which does
not give me the right to a gold or even a chocolate medal (even if Belgian
chocolate) ,  or  mean that those reviews are good or superior to others ,
on the contrary Quantity does not mean Quality.

But I am almost totally unknown on the forums (except a few mails thru Max
for the ratings debate after he had asked me my advice and one of my reviews
talking of Brass Rock thread )  because I have done mostly ratings and
viewed once in a while the discussions on the forums. Rarely have I wished
to intervene into those debates not because I snob all of you and think I am
too good for you . Far away from me, those ideas. Some of the reasons why I
choose not to participate in forums are so :

- Endless discussions in which everyone tries to convince everyone else on
their point of view and nobody budging so the debate quickly becomes useless
( prime example is the Procol Harum is not prog debate). Other example : the
swearing/profanity/civility debate : how many pages now? Guidelines are not
to be discussed but followed. A slight protest remark can be made , but that
discussion ......is simply annoying.

- Number of interventions or counter : some of the people seem to think
highly of somebody because he made 827 interventions in different threads. I
would think that if that person had not been spending so much time in
endless debate , that same person might have made at least three hundred
more reviews (provided of course he has heard the albums reviewed enough )

- Outside topics and Know-it-alls that intervene to deviate the
conversation, making assertions that he knows will ruffle feathers among
other debaters - this does not mean that everyone should be agreeing to
everything just for harmony's sake. In French , throwing a cobblestone in
the Preconceived Ideas pond to cause ripples (debate) is actually sane and
sound provided that all participants are able and prepared to change their
ideas and admit to other debaters the right to be right. This is rarely the
case the fault being put to those stupid debating teams competitions we were
taught in high school where making concessions to the other debaters was
like admitting defeat. I have always hated stupid competitions and so
professional sports, but some people make a competition of life - probably
because they haven't got one that pleases them.

- The numbers of hours spent discussing via the net ( not just on this great
site) , thinking that the debate they are participating is changing the
world , is generally atrocious and would put people to shame if an time
accounting system existed - this of course is not at the advantage of the
site's exploiter so he would generally avoid making those stats. And after
six hours of forum discussions , one has neglected his kids , wife and dog
and the world has not changed an iota .

- Generally , most forums sites are parasited by people who have nothing
better to do than just that and have no life outside that virtual world
forgetting of the living humans around them , and this parasitic person sees
this as a sign of his reason for living or addressing to the world that he
is alive. This very acute and precise site of ours (because of the subject -
prog rock ) makes those persons rare but the danger still exist and this is
why Max and others have to intervene.

- Some people have been jokingly referring to pretentiousness and
superiority of the progworld , but this is an issue very much alive in my
mind and discussions among my friends. If our fave music has so
derided/hated for so long maybe it is because some people are so certain of
their assessment that they will not consider the other side of the story.

- Last but not least , most of the participants of the forums live in the
new world , so to chat on a forum would require me to stay up at
unreasonable hours.

These are the main reasons I do not participate actively in the otherwise
sometimes interesting forums ( some threads anyway ), but I do read what
most of you say and sometimes wish to answer , but than the answer must be
read and the answer to that answer ..... and the machine starts and one is
dragged into this infernal vicious cycle of forums. I do not wish to change
your views to forums , but and this is maybe the points that Peter Rideout
and his Stormcrow have suddenly become aware and why they have decided to
lessen their involvements into the site . Let them do album reviewing
........ After all this is the goal of the site. I also miss Peter ( and
will not make newfie jokes ) but I think his decision was wise ( he must've
felt the need to come back to reality) and given time , he will come back to
it albeit in a more rational matter . Let's check his reviews .

These are thoughts that are directed in a general term and points/aims to
no-one in particular and they were not made to offend anyone.

Progly yours.
Hugues Chantraine

Come back sometimes Peter !

The not Legendary two Pink Dots

Beautiful maanifeste, sorry manifeste, Hugues

(je pourrais avoir l'équivalent en français car l'anglais et moi cela fait 3. Mais j'ai compris grosso modo)

Tauhd Zaïa wrote: Come back sometimes Peter ! The not Legendary two Pink Dots Beautiful maanifeste, sorry manifeste, Hugues (je pourrais avoir l'équivalent en français car l'anglais et moi cela fait 3. Mais j'ai compris grosso modo)

ben quand tu aura compris...tu m'expliquera...

Vibrationbaby wrote: I think it is just silly to be offended by a cyberspace entity. If you want to leave just leave.

I agree, but I can't stand it if people act unreasonable... so that caused a conflict between me and a member who already left...