A Modest Proposal

[Alexander]

Jim, it has become apparent to me that with Clem around here, the rest of us have become completely superflous. His musical tastes and opinions are so far elevated above our own, so radiant in their absolute perfection, that there's clearly nothing left to discuss! Like Superman in the Justice League (who frankly could do the whole job all by himself, I mean come on. He's an alien with godlike powers. He really needs a guy dressed as a bat?), Clem makes the whole board and all of its deziens redundant. I would like to propose that you either completely disband the board, or at least set it up so that only Clem remains. What does he need with me, for example, who dwells in the lower reaches of poor musical taste? What does he need with anyone, for that matter, who might hold a single opinion contrary to his own?

For those of us who remain not-Clem, and will never, ever overcome our fatal not-Clemitude, let us be shut away from the eyes of the world. Let us be shipped off to some leper colony to discuss our inferior interests until we die.

Please, think it over.

[connoisseur series500]

Jim, it has become apparent to me that with Clem around here, the rest of us have become completely superflous. His musical tastes and opinions are so far elevated above our own, so radiant in their absolute perfection, that there's clearly nothing left to discuss! Like Superman in the Justice League (who frankly could do the whole job all by himself, I mean come on. He's an alien with godlike powers. He really needs a guy dressed as a bat?), Clem makes the whole board and all of its deziens redundant. I would like to propose that you either completely disband the board, or at least set it up so that only Clem remains. What does he need with me, for example, who dwells in the lower reaches of poor musical taste? What does he need with anyone, for that matter, who might hold a single opinion contrary to his own?

For those of us who remain not-Clem, and will never, ever overcome our fatal not-Clemitude, let us be shut away from the eyes of the world. Let us be shipped off to some leper colony to discuss our inferior interests until we die.

Please, think it over.

And he broadcasts his superior tastes and understanding with such incandescent and witty prose!

Edited September 1, 2007 by connoisseur series500

[Aggie87]

There's a certain irony in you being the messenger here.

[Alexander]

Jim, it has become apparent to me that with Clem around here, the rest of us have become completely superflous. His musical tastes and opinions are so far elevated above our own, so radiant in their absolute perfection, that there's clearly nothing left to discuss! Like Superman in the Justice League (who frankly could do the whole job all by himself, I mean come on. He's an alien with godlike powers. He really needs a guy dressed as a bat?), Clem makes the whole board and all of its deziens redundant. I would like to propose that you either completely disband the board, or at least set it up so that only Clem remains. What does he need with me, for example, who dwells in the lower reaches of poor musical taste? What does he need with anyone, for that matter, who might hold a single opinion contrary to his own?

For those of us who remain not-Clem, and will never, ever overcome our fatal not-Clemitude, let us be shut away from the eyes of the world. Let us be shipped off to some leper colony to discuss our inferior interests until we die.

Please, think it over.

And he announces his superior tastes and understanding with such incandescent and witty prose!

Indeed! I forgot to mention that part! See how inferior I am?

[Alexander]

There's a certain irony in you being the messenger here.

Indeed. Let us all bask in the irony.

[porcy62]

I don't like the part about "leper colony", could we head to Polynesia instead?

[7/4]

troll.

[Alexander]

troll.

I regret that I have found it necessary to fight trolldom with trolldom.

[Tom Storer]

Neither you nor clem are trolls. It's just that clem has a posting style--cocksure, provocative, joyfully aggressive--that gets up your nose, especially if it's aimed in your direction. Since he rarely if ever agrees to let bygones be bygones, he exasperates you so much you have to resort to lots of sarcasm. But there's no point. It bounces off him. You can only "win" your issues with clem by withdrawing from the field of battle. No one gets the last word on the Internet but anyone can end an argument.

[Brad]

There's always the ignore button. Sorry Clem!

[paul secor]

Have to say that I go the other way. When I see that Clem has posted something, I want to check out what he has to say. It may be something that I agree with, disagree with, or have no interest in, but I find his posts are usually worth reading and usually give me something to think about.

[danasgoodstuff]

so, is this your Culloden, and which one of you is then Bonnie Prince Charlie? (requisite Tom Paine ref)

[connoisseur series500]

so, is this your Culloden, and which one of you is then Bonnie Prince Charlie? (requisite Tom Paine ref)

"Modest Proposal" is a Jonathan Swift reference. Is that what you are referring to?

[porcy62]

Have to say that I go the other way. When I see that Clem has posted something, I want to check out what he has to say. It may be something that I agree with, disagree with, or have no interest in, but I find his posts are usually worth reading and usually give me something to think about.

I have the very same feeling...if only I could find a Clementine/italian dictionary on the web.

[Alexander]

so, is this your Culloden, and which one of you is then Bonnie Prince Charlie? (requisite Tom Paine ref)

"Modest Proposal" is a Jonathan Swift reference. Is that what you are referring to?

Clem would be the Old Pretender. Heck, he can be the Young Pretender too! He pretends enough for everybody!

Edited September 2, 2007 by Alexander

[BruceH]

I almost never read Clem's posts. They just seem like an indecipherable spray of words with little or no punctuation.

[Alexander]

I almost never read Clem's posts. They just seem like an indecipherable spray of words with little or no punctuation.

They are that, but they are also full of a good deal of preening self-promotion as well as a general smack-down of anything he dislikes or disagrees with, which is my problem with him. He's entitled to his own opinions. He just won't acknowledge that I am equally entitled to mine.

[catesta]

Have to say that I go the other way. When I see that Clem has posted something, I want to check out what he has to say. It may be something that I agree with, disagree with, or have no interest in, but I find his posts are usually worth reading and usually give me something to think about.

I have the very same feeling...if only I could find a Clementine/italian dictionary on the web.

Same here.

I don't agree with everything he says and have had my fair share of typed arguments with him in the past, but he is a welcome character in my book.

Clem has tipped me on more than one occasion, so all is good.

To go one step beyond, I wouldn't even mind having DEEP back around.

[Kalo]

I almost never read Clem's posts. They just seem like an indecipherable spray of words with little or no punctuation.

They are that, but they are also full of a good deal of preening self-promotion as well as a general smack-down of anything he dislikes or disagrees with, which is my problem with him. He's entitled to his own opinions. He just won't acknowledge that I am equally entitled to mine.

Actually, I've been disappointed by Clem's posts lately. He's been selling out, I fear. The spelling is far more orthodox, the references less obscure, fahchrissakes, I even understand them the first time through nowadays. How the mighty have fallen!

But seriously, I've always kinda dug Clem's thing and have found his opinions worth a reading, even if I disagree with them. I also understand why his postings alienate many of us.

[Epithet]

He's entitled to his own opinions. He just won't acknowledge that I am equally entitled to mine.

You're what??

[Big Al]

[clem's posts] are also full of a good deal of preening self-promotion as well as a general smack-down of anything he dislikes or disagrees with, which is my problem with him. He's entitled to his own opinions. He just won't acknowledge that I am equally entitled to mine.

So, how is that view from the other end of the mirror? Sucks to be on the receiving end, doesn't it?

Fact is, clem is just like you, only more vocally so. You're just upset because he doesn't validate you; he barely acknowledges you, and that's what irritates you the most.

Big deal. He's been doing that to me for years, and I couldn't care less. I enjoy our verbal abuses, but in the end they don't mean squat to me, and more often that not it's just as easy to push his buttons as it is for him to push mine. Or yours.

In other words, deal with it or ignore him.

[Uncle Skid]

"Deal with it or ignore him": well said, and good advice, Al.

(and for the record, I enjoy (most of) Clem's posts -- the ones I understand, anyway... )

[Guy Berger]

I'm not a big fan of posts/threads that "call out" specific board members.

[Alexander]

Update: In the Beastie Boys thread, Clem has called me a racist.

This is because I compared 50 Cent, who has done nothing in his career but trade on his nine gunshot wounds, to an ape. Meaning that he's big and dumb, not that he is big and dumb and black. I take extreme exception at being called a racist, although I do freely admit that as a white person I cannot help but have benefitted from a racist system, even without my knowing or indeed against my will. But I have never personally judged a person by the color of his skin. I know what is important, and that is how you treat your fellow man, not what he looks like (or what music he happens to listen to, CLEM).

[Alexander]

I'm not a big fan of posts/threads that "call out" specific board members.

Funny, I've been absorbing Clem's abuse for years, and nobody objected then. Must be because he insists on calling me "Alfie."