DeeBee wrote:So my question would be, why are people reading this thread if they're not interested in it?
The thread title reflects the contents, so why even go to a thread you don't want to read?
I guess you're saying that you click into the "White Related Projects" to see what's here,
so it would save you one click of a mouse button, sometimes, if this topic were not here.
What's not clear to me is why that's a big issue. It almost sounds like there's some kind
of "cooler than thou" attitude going on, where collectors are supposed to be more 'serious'
than fans, and therefore more respectable. I tend to think that if you're not a fan, then
there's no reason to be collecting Jack White's output in the first place, except maybe to
turn a quick buck off of it. When it comes right down to it, neither music nor poster art
nor custom designed theremins are a life-and-death matter of great seriousness. It's all
about beauty, ultimately - and the feelings that beauty can evoke within us. And photos
are another kind of art and beauty, and people can collect them for the same reasons.
That being said, I would not mind this topic being moved to the Jumble, Jumble section,
if that's a better place for it. But I wonder if there should be a section for stuff related
to Jack White that are not exactly his "projects." There are a number of interviews and
other such topics in this section, so it seemed like it fit here.
I'll also add that I was here for a couple of years without starting a photo thread;
and the only reason why I started one yesterday is because I was hunting for one
particular photo, and I did not want to be so self-indulgent as to start a whole new
thread just for that specific photo quest. So I looked for a general photos thread,
and when I didn't find one, I started it so that I could put my question in it.
The bottom line from my viewpoint is that we're all fans here, one way or another.
What never ceases to surprise me with fan forums is all the ideology that some
people seem to wrap themselves up in, about the "right way" to be a fan, and
what great lengths they will go to, in order to adamantly defend their ideology
about the "right way" to be a fan, and to criticize the "wrong way" to be a fan.
What can that really lead to, except some kind of civil (or uncivil) war amongst
the very people who could be enjoying all of it, and getting along with each other
because of all that they have in common? You can choose to focus on what we all
have in common, and not mind the differences. (Such as, ignoring the threads
that you're not personally interested in.) Or you can choose to ignore what we all
have in common as fans, and nitpick and quibble about the minor differences
in exactly how we experience and express our appreciation of the musician and
all his projects, and try to make some ways of being a fan "superior" to other
ways of being a fan. (And keep jumping in to threads that you're not interested
in, just to express how very much you're not interested in them, and how the
thread should not be here, and thus criticize other fans and make them feel
unwelcome here.) I prefer to enjoy the differences, not to fight about them.
If you love Jack White's music, great. If you love the wonderful poster art, great.
If you think he's a handsome guy, great. If you love his haircuts and his fashion
sense, great. If you admire his spirited devotion to music and emotional authenticity,
great. If you love the fact that he's bringing vinyl back, great. If you admire his
character, philosophy, etc., great. If you love all the creativity that comes out of
Third Man Records - from the Rolling Record Store to custom theremins to triple
decker records - great. If you love the variety of musical collaborations, great.
From my point of view, it's all good. And I don't really want to waste my precious time
arguing about which ways of being a fan are 'better' than other ways of being a fan.
There is no right way or wrong way for anything. We left Little room because of shit like this. We are a collective of people with the same focus and viewpoint. If were not beating the crap out of each other then we are in perfect harmony. This time harmony wins and says to down vote.
