Fare thee well old chap

September 12, 2001 10:20 PM

Jack Saturn is taking his discussion list down after two years of active posting, at least partly because of inflammatory posts over the last two days. (More inside...)
posted by waxpancake to General Weblog-Related at 10:20 PM (3 comments total)

This obviously isn't the most engaging news, but it's always interesting to see a community break down. Here's his goodbye post:

"regarding saturnlist," she said, "i really only read your posts,
if even that. most of the time it ends up in my trash."

i kind of shrugged, a bit disappointed. she continued to speak.

"while i think it started off as a good idea, i don't think that
you and the people on the list are like-minded enough for it to
be meaningful or interesting to me in any large way."

she'd spoken this sentiment before, but she was right. i'd been
feeling the same way for awhile, just not admitting it to myself.
but the events of the last two days had hit home.

so i decided, with some reservation, to end it all right then.
with a quick goodbye, like bilbo's at the beginning of the first
lord of the rings book, i slipped on the ring and stole away to
dismantle the saturn-list.

it had become increasingly obvious to me by that point that a
lot of the people who had joined the saturn-list had done so
not because they neccessarily agreed with me or had anything in
common with the things i used to post on my website, but because
they were originally lured to the site due to its notoriety.

and some did say, in the after-days, that jack ran from that
which disagreed with him.. that instead of allowing dissenting
opinion, he simply ran from it and blocked it out of his mind.
but again, we're talking about jack inviting guests to enter his
home through his inbox, said inbox being pried open occasionally
by a list full of people, and he felt he had the right to kick
these folks off his couch when they've outstayed their welcome.

and though those people may all be quite wonderful in all of
their diverse ways, jack realized that he really could no longer
relate to human beings at all. so he slunk away into his own
world, not so unlike the right-wing militiamen in the hills of
the dakotas.. the only difference being that jack horded vegetables
rather than guns.

" 'i regret to announce that -- though, as i said, eleventy-one
years is far too short a time to spend among you -- this is the
*end*. i am going. i am leaving *now*. *good-bye!*'

"he stepped down and vanished. there was a blinding flash of
light, and all the guests blinked. when they opened their eyes
he was nowhere to be seen. one hundred and forty-four flabbergasted
hobbits sat back speechless."

--jack--

posted by waxpancake at 10:22 PM on September 12, 2001

(Hmm, maybe I should've asked first. Hope you don't mind the repost, Jack.)
posted by waxpancake at 10:22 PM on September 12, 2001

That's really sad. I was visiting jack's site as the change from web to non-web was taking place, and at one point I totally understood his perspective on personal web sites - thought it was totally brilliant and spot-on.

I wish him well.
posted by hijinx at 6:04 PM on September 13, 2001