From: bb252@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (James L. Brookes)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.anime
Subject: Re: Oh, for God's sake!!  (was Anime Expo '93)  [Warning: mild flame]
Date: 14 Sep 1992 05:47:48 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (USA)
NNTP-Posting-Host: hela.ins.cwru.edu


eaiu146@orion.oac.uci.edu (Larry Mann) writes:
 
>I've had enough of this, and I need to say my peace.  I apologize in
>advance to anyone who is easily offended.
 
>[Flame on >]
 
Yeah.  What he said.
 
>To everyone who has been part of the '93 Project:
    ^^^^^^^^
 
Well, I guess I could say I was.
 
>        You have all blown it, big time.
 
How _dare_ you say this?  What wonderful insider knowledge allows you
to make this judgement?  I was part of the negotiations, and quite
frankly I am somewhat stunned by the turn of events myself.  I moved
to Chico, and while I was gone, as the saying goes: "shit happened"
 
I, and many others you don't know put a lot of TIME and MONEY trying
to get this to work out.  Your comments toward myself and these others
are totally inappropriate and without merit.
 
I'm not going to comment specifically on any of what's going on, for
two reasons:
 
a)  I've been gone long enough, I quite frankly don't know what the
    story is now
b)  Even if I did, it would just start YET ANOTHER useless flame war.
 
>  None of you really ever gave a damn about the fans; everything I heard
>was all talk and no honesty.
 
Well, I'm glad to know you know all the reasons behind this, and have
consulted with everyone who was involved in the process.
 
You are right.  I never gave a damn about the fans.  I hate them all.
 
Oh wait, I'm a fan... um... uh...
 
>You know, you remind me of the candidates in this election.  They hype
>about certain things but don't provide workable solutions to deal with
>a real problem.  You say you have the best interests of the fans at
>heart.  If so, why do you continue to backstab each other and treat us
>like shit?
 
I don't know about you, but I don't see anyone else "being treated
like shit."
 
>        When I go to an anime convention, I want to have an experience
>that's not overshadowed by corporate hotheads glaring at each other and
>trying to figure the best way to weasel out a profit, even if that
>means the fans, the people who are here because they want to have fun,
>are given a totally unfair deal.
 
Is this a complaint about either AX 92 or AC 91?  If not, I think
it's a rather bogus argument - slamming a convention for "giving a
totally unfair deal" before the con even happens??  If so, how come
we never heard this complaint before?
 
>        In the process of doing what you have done, you have ruined
>everything that's been worked for up to now, and probably done
>irreparable damage to our image in Japan.
 
Good point.
 
>You have sought a profit at our expense,
 
No.
 
>and you would rather fight  each other instead of trying to promote a
>more positive image of our genre in the mainstream.  So long as you
>continue this bickering, both Japan and America will consider us a
>bunch of losers.  I ask you this:  how can I hope to sell my artwork
>if it is recognized as coming from a group that is "a bunch of losers?"
 
I can't answer that.
 
>        To the anime community in general: I propose that we take a
>step that has happened on the national and [California] state levels:
>CLEAN THE HOUSE.  Perhaps it's time for new leaders to take command,
>perhaps it's time to bring in fresh talent which is worthy of respect
>both in Japan and here.  Or at the very least, see to it that our
>existing leadership cleans up its act in a big way.  We cannot trust
>anyone who insists on putting their own interests ahead of the fans,
>and that includes the business people who market our genre at
>substandard quality.  I've heard the argument that the American
>public expects something of lesser quality in animated media, and
>to that I say: that argument is a crock of shit.  This material is
>high quality storytelling and filmmaking, and should be portrayed
>as such, not shrugged off like media for non-intelligent humans.
 
This is a good point, but it has nothing to do with anyone involved
with running AE/AX/AC/whatever.
 
>        I've said it time and again to various parties: DO NOT LOSE
>SIGHT OF THE FANS!
 
I, and many others like me, are trying very hard not to.
 
>  Why do you insist on treating us like trash and working towards your
> own self-serving goals without real regard to anime fandom!?
 
Again, who are "we" treating like trash?  Your comments have no basis
in reality.
 
My "self-serving goal".  That's pretty funny.
 
> I can understand the desire to gain power and recognition; I would like
>very much to have some of that myself.  But this is getting way out of
>hand.  You've dropped nukes on each other and left us to die in the
>fallout.  It's WRONG!!
 
I agree.
 
>        I hope for all our sakes I never see the day when I am
>ashamed to call myself an anime fan.  But with the way things are
>going, that day is liable to arrive sooner than I think.
 
Really, isn't this a bit much?  If you are going to allow these
actions to make you "ashamed" to call yourself an anime fan, then is
anime really that important to you??
 
>        Please, everyone, work this shit out and get us back in
>a good situation.  I'm tired of all this bullshit.
 
You are not alone, you know.
 
>[Flame off.]
 
*sigh*
 
>Guys, it has to be dealt with.  Comments and *honest* followups would
>be greatly appreciated.
 
Well, this probably won't help any, but I had to get it off my chest.
 
>Thanks in advance.
>- Larry Mann  [.sig missing; replacement ordered]
 
What he said ;-)
 
James Brookes
bb252@cleveland.freenet.edu
jamesb@cscihp.ecst.csuchico.edu
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|           James Brookes           | Oggnet:  House of Games, User #209      |
|``What, me worry?'' - A. E. Neuman | Usenet:  bb252@cleveland.freenet.edu    |
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