appropriateness of posts on illness of minor celebrities? September 18, 2001 11:53 AM Subscribe
Can I get a witness?
Even if you think "RIP" posts for obscure celebrities are appropriate, do we really need "X is sick", "X is really sick" and "X is dead" posts?
Even if you think "RIP" posts for obscure celebrities are appropriate, do we really need "X is sick", "X is really sick" and "X is dead" posts?
I confess I've done it myself (I posted when Claude Shannon died) but I'm getting tired of the obituary posts myself.
posted by Steven Den Beste at 12:01 PM on September 18, 2001
posted by Steven Den Beste at 12:01 PM on September 18, 2001
X is dead?
Wow, I was talking to him only last week, and he seemed fine.
posted by Grangousier at 12:33 PM on September 18, 2001
Wow, I was talking to him only last week, and he seemed fine.
posted by Grangousier at 12:33 PM on September 18, 2001
Last I heard, his condition was variable.
ha!
Thank you! Thank you! I'll be here all week!
Enjoy the buffet!
posted by Kafkaesque at 12:37 PM on September 18, 2001
ha!
Thank you! Thank you! I'll be here all week!
Enjoy the buffet!
posted by Kafkaesque at 12:37 PM on September 18, 2001
Just a note, which may or may not be relevant; Ernie Coombs was far from an "obscure" celebrity in Canada. I think this actually is a pretty significant event for a lot of people.
posted by transient at 12:59 PM on September 18, 2001
posted by transient at 12:59 PM on September 18, 2001
What transient said. Mr. Dressup ruled.
Note: didn't see jpoulos complaining when someone noted Fred Rogers' retirement.
S'okay ZippityCop™, you're entitled to a blooper once in a while.
posted by xiffix at 1:20 PM on September 18, 2001
Note: didn't see jpoulos complaining when someone noted Fred Rogers' retirement.
S'okay ZippityCop™, you're entitled to a blooper once in a while.
posted by xiffix at 1:20 PM on September 18, 2001
what transient said. "obscure celebrity" shows just how americentric some people can be.
posted by heather at 1:42 PM on September 18, 2001
posted by heather at 1:42 PM on September 18, 2001
Note: didn't see jpoulos complaining when someone noted Fred Rogers' retirement.
Geez, I don't "blame canada" or anything...
In fact, I was quite aggravated when the Mr. Rogers retirement post showed up four times! That's partly why I even bothered to mention this. It's along the same lines. We had "Mr. Rogers is retiring next year", then "Mr. Rogers is retiring later this year" then "Mr. Rogers is retiring next month", then Mr. Rogers retired yesterday".
I'm guilty too. I posted a "Gee I miss Joey Ramone" post just after he died. But given how crowded the front page has been recently, I think it's especially important to be vigilant.
posted by jpoulos at 1:53 PM on September 18, 2001
Geez, I don't "blame canada" or anything...
In fact, I was quite aggravated when the Mr. Rogers retirement post showed up four times! That's partly why I even bothered to mention this. It's along the same lines. We had "Mr. Rogers is retiring next year", then "Mr. Rogers is retiring later this year" then "Mr. Rogers is retiring next month", then Mr. Rogers retired yesterday".
I'm guilty too. I posted a "Gee I miss Joey Ramone" post just after he died. But given how crowded the front page has been recently, I think it's especially important to be vigilant.
posted by jpoulos at 1:53 PM on September 18, 2001
"But given how crowded the front page has been recently, I think it's especially important to be vigilant."
what? so there's more room on the front page for the never ending litany really obvious WTC fallout?
i agree with some that the second link should/could have been linked from the existing thread, but i think that "ernie coombs is ill" is a valid thread especially because news sources are so focussed on events on the east coast. i, for one, would have missed it completely otherwise.
posted by heather at 2:23 PM on September 18, 2001
what? so there's more room on the front page for the never ending litany really obvious WTC fallout?
i agree with some that the second link should/could have been linked from the existing thread, but i think that "ernie coombs is ill" is a valid thread especially because news sources are so focussed on events on the east coast. i, for one, would have missed it completely otherwise.
posted by heather at 2:23 PM on September 18, 2001
I'm now half-expecting someone to put up an "Obscure celebrity Osama bin Laden is dead" post in the future.
posted by gluechunk at 3:12 PM on September 18, 2001
posted by gluechunk at 3:12 PM on September 18, 2001
I hope google comes out with a flash-animated search for dead celebreties soon. I can't wait to post that mutha.
Frankly, I think any non-WTC front-pages are A-Ok at the moment.
posted by Shadowkeeper at 5:01 PM on September 18, 2001
Frankly, I think any non-WTC front-pages are A-Ok at the moment.
posted by Shadowkeeper at 5:01 PM on September 18, 2001
Until I read both threads I had no clue who Mr. Dressup was. I am obviously not Canadian, but I have a friend who is. She had not heard about this until I told her. She is stuck down here in Texas with the company she works for.
With all the WTC stuff crowding out other informational posts, I am sure Matt has his work cut out for him. Seems like one WTC post a day, with all ensuing links posted in the thread should be enough, unless something really important or dramatic happens.
posted by bjgeiger at 6:32 PM on September 18, 2001
With all the WTC stuff crowding out other informational posts, I am sure Matt has his work cut out for him. Seems like one WTC post a day, with all ensuing links posted in the thread should be enough, unless something really important or dramatic happens.
posted by bjgeiger at 6:32 PM on September 18, 2001
> Seems like one WTC post a day, with all ensuing links posted in the thread should be enough
I like that.
posted by sylloge at 8:15 PM on September 18, 2001
I like that.
posted by sylloge at 8:15 PM on September 18, 2001
Kafkaesque: Last I heard, his condition was variable.
OK - I'm laughing my ass off at this! I'm not sure if I should be ashamed or you should be proud.
posted by willnot at 8:39 PM on September 18, 2001
OK - I'm laughing my ass off at this! I'm not sure if I should be ashamed or you should be proud.
posted by willnot at 8:39 PM on September 18, 2001
Perhaps, sylloge, as your nickname suggests, you'd like all of us to spend a whole day crafting a carefully-worded and considered statement, such as those emanating from government spokesmen, with a severe maximum limit of 50-75 words.
Perhaps, sylloge, conversation and spontaneity - not to mention enthusiasm - are vastly overrated in these overloaded and bandwidth-sucking times.
I have a more radical solution: silence.
Think about it. Uncluttered front pages. No animosity. No need to scroll down looking for worthy causes.
It defies belief - sorry if this sounds unscripted - that you read bjgeiger's post and managed to overlook his main point, which justifies and vindicates MeFi, that there would be no other way of actually learning something.
I didn't know who Mr.Dressup was either. Even though my parents lived in Canada for ten years. Now I know and, like bjgeiger, am all the happier for it.
Using MetaTalk comments just to bolster your post elsewhere smells a lot like the noxious fumes of censorship and restriction which, in case you've noticed, are not the main tenets of the(look it up)world-wide web.
P.S.
Many thanks for denouncing me for the unforgivable crime of having sent two posts the other day. Policemen like you are always welcome and, as a gesture of good will, I've limited myself to 87 today.
posted by MiguelCardoso at 8:40 PM on September 18, 2001
Perhaps, sylloge, conversation and spontaneity - not to mention enthusiasm - are vastly overrated in these overloaded and bandwidth-sucking times.
I have a more radical solution: silence.
Think about it. Uncluttered front pages. No animosity. No need to scroll down looking for worthy causes.
It defies belief - sorry if this sounds unscripted - that you read bjgeiger's post and managed to overlook his main point, which justifies and vindicates MeFi, that there would be no other way of actually learning something.
I didn't know who Mr.Dressup was either. Even though my parents lived in Canada for ten years. Now I know and, like bjgeiger, am all the happier for it.
Using MetaTalk comments just to bolster your post elsewhere smells a lot like the noxious fumes of censorship and restriction which, in case you've noticed, are not the main tenets of the(look it up)world-wide web.
P.S.
Many thanks for denouncing me for the unforgivable crime of having sent two posts the other day. Policemen like you are always welcome and, as a gesture of good will, I've limited myself to 87 today.
posted by MiguelCardoso at 8:40 PM on September 18, 2001
Holy crap, you didn't happen to go to the Mr. Dressup School of Rhetoric did you?
I guess the point of bjgeiger's comment went over my head, but I did like the idea of having all the WTC info centralized in one place (a standard thread might be too limiting, but we don't have that rich an ontology here).
And look, I'm sorry about the noxious fumes and everything, and I now regret having put anyone's username into that thread: I wasn't trying to "denounce" anyone in particular, just point out there were at least 11 people who made more than one post in a day. It's too much, and like I've said elsewhere, blah blah, it's becone very hard to follow blah blah conversations, the worthwhile blah blah stuff gets lost in blah blah the noise, etc.
Please go back to spontaneous and enthusiastic conversation and let the web go free (but let's all try to calm down on the number of front page posts per day).
posted by sylloge at 10:09 PM on September 18, 2001
I guess the point of bjgeiger's comment went over my head, but I did like the idea of having all the WTC info centralized in one place (a standard thread might be too limiting, but we don't have that rich an ontology here).
And look, I'm sorry about the noxious fumes and everything, and I now regret having put anyone's username into that thread: I wasn't trying to "denounce" anyone in particular, just point out there were at least 11 people who made more than one post in a day. It's too much, and like I've said elsewhere, blah blah, it's becone very hard to follow blah blah conversations, the worthwhile blah blah stuff gets lost in blah blah the noise, etc.
Please go back to spontaneous and enthusiastic conversation and let the web go free (but let's all try to calm down on the number of front page posts per day).
posted by sylloge at 10:09 PM on September 18, 2001
Perhaps, sylloge, conversation and spontaneity - not to mention enthusiasm - are vastly overrated in these overloaded and bandwidth-sucking times.
I have a more radical solution: silence.
Perhaps, Miguel, you should chill out and try to learn how this place works, instead of trying to convince long-time members that this is a discussion board where comments in MetaTalk amount to "censorship and restriction."
posted by rcade at 5:30 AM on September 19, 2001
I have a more radical solution: silence.
Perhaps, Miguel, you should chill out and try to learn how this place works, instead of trying to convince long-time members that this is a discussion board where comments in MetaTalk amount to "censorship and restriction."
posted by rcade at 5:30 AM on September 19, 2001
I did no such thing, rcade. In fact the very opposite. Perhaps the ironies of self-policing escape you.
Aren't deleted posts and proposals for restricting certain practices (i.e.front page posts) part of this wonderful system?
And if trying to convince long-time members is a crime, I apologize.
I am sorry, though, if I gave that impression. There is a transatlantic culture gap and latin-european rhetoric must sound sort of funny and flowery.
I enjoyed and respect sylloge's comments, which pose a real humdinger of a MetaTalk problem. Yours as well, very much.
Isn't this the point?
posted by MiguelCardoso at 6:03 AM on September 19, 2001
Aren't deleted posts and proposals for restricting certain practices (i.e.front page posts) part of this wonderful system?
And if trying to convince long-time members is a crime, I apologize.
I am sorry, though, if I gave that impression. There is a transatlantic culture gap and latin-european rhetoric must sound sort of funny and flowery.
I enjoyed and respect sylloge's comments, which pose a real humdinger of a MetaTalk problem. Yours as well, very much.
Isn't this the point?
posted by MiguelCardoso at 6:03 AM on September 19, 2001
Hell, I grew up on drudgeretort.com! Truly couldn't live without it. To accuse rcade of censorship would be like informing on the Pope for not saying his prayers, for chrissakes.
Does this not prove I am trying to learn how this place works and excuse me for offending the gods?
I hope so.
posted by MiguelCardoso at 6:15 AM on September 19, 2001
Does this not prove I am trying to learn how this place works and excuse me for offending the gods?
I hope so.
posted by MiguelCardoso at 6:15 AM on September 19, 2001
Hell, I grew up on drudgeretort.com! Truly couldn't live without it.
Well, that changes everything.
All I'm saying is pace yourself. New members tend to show up in MetaTalk with a stronger idea of what MetaFilter should be than what it actually is.
posted by rcade at 7:50 AM on September 19, 2001
Well, that changes everything.
All I'm saying is pace yourself. New members tend to show up in MetaTalk with a stronger idea of what MetaFilter should be than what it actually is.
posted by rcade at 7:50 AM on September 19, 2001
miguel. been down the road a bit with these fine folks. they are right, pace yourself. I have never posted a link, ever. the art is in the link. this isnt the AP wire. rcade appears to crack down, but he has mefis interest at the forfront.(*make a dam fine cyberspy)
posted by newnameintown at 8:44 AM on September 19, 2001
posted by newnameintown at 8:44 AM on September 19, 2001
: Last I heard, his condition was variable.
It took me nearly a full day, K, but I finally just "got it". I nearly crapped myself. Thanks.
posted by jpoulos at 10:06 AM on September 19, 2001
It took me nearly a full day, K, but I finally just "got it". I nearly crapped myself. Thanks.
posted by jpoulos at 10:06 AM on September 19, 2001
If there's just one pair of crap-filled drawers out there as a result of my humble efforts, then I know deep down in my heart that I have done my job.
Let us shout it from the mountaintops: I Love America and Crap-Filled Drawers!
ps just consider it revenge for that smoke-bunny!
posted by Kafkaesque at 10:25 AM on September 19, 2001
Let us shout it from the mountaintops: I Love America and Crap-Filled Drawers!
ps just consider it revenge for that smoke-bunny!
posted by Kafkaesque at 10:25 AM on September 19, 2001
jpoulos- I have to agree with your comment, I would have preferred if my thread had been the only one. Plus, it's been hard keeping both threads up to date with memorial service information etc.
However, I guess because the front page has been so cluttered, people are feeling the need to post a bunch of "look at me, I'm still here!" posts... and it's hard to keep track of what's been up before.
Maybe it's just me, but I get so nervous about posting anything on MeFi, that I'm more likely to be silent.
posted by nprigoda at 10:51 AM on September 19, 2001
However, I guess because the front page has been so cluttered, people are feeling the need to post a bunch of "look at me, I'm still here!" posts... and it's hard to keep track of what's been up before.
Maybe it's just me, but I get so nervous about posting anything on MeFi, that I'm more likely to be silent.
posted by nprigoda at 10:51 AM on September 19, 2001
Mr Dressup was an integral part of the life of many hundreds of thousands of children and parents throughout the past two decades. MeFi was where I first heard of Mr. Coombs' passing, and although I think 2 related posts were unnecessary, it was a very valuable link.
Similarly, I never would have heard about Tove Jansson's passing were it not for the MeFi post, and that news had resonating significance for me and my family.
So, in reference to your initial question, jpoulous - no, I don't think we need "soandso who is really obscure is ill" posts. However RIP posts are, as you say, very valuable.
I would just remind everyone that this is an international site, and sneering at important persons whom the American public is not familiar with doesn't help the US' reputation as an uncaring lot.
posted by Marquis at 3:12 PM on September 19, 2001
Similarly, I never would have heard about Tove Jansson's passing were it not for the MeFi post, and that news had resonating significance for me and my family.
So, in reference to your initial question, jpoulous - no, I don't think we need "soandso who is really obscure is ill" posts. However RIP posts are, as you say, very valuable.
I would just remind everyone that this is an international site, and sneering at important persons whom the American public is not familiar with doesn't help the US' reputation as an uncaring lot.
posted by Marquis at 3:12 PM on September 19, 2001
Y'know there was a time when everyone could just get along..I see that mini-wars are breaking out everywhere...
posted by feelinglistless at 1:12 PM on September 21, 2001
posted by feelinglistless at 1:12 PM on September 21, 2001
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The problem with even suggesting something like this is all the horrified responses you receive, as if you've somehow besmirched the name of the deceased by not recognizing his death as earth-shatteringly important. Why must we "mourn" every celeb as if it was the first time you ever heard of the concept of death?
posted by jpoulos at 11:59 AM on September 18, 2001