I do have to say, people saw the advent of social media – in particular Facebook – as grand freedom, freedom of communication, freedom of speech, freedom of artistic expression, freedom to campaign and stand up for what’s right.
FREEDOM! The right to speak your mind out, yep, that is freedom, it is equality and an in-alienable right to say what you want.
However, FREEDOM is never the right to say what thou wilt – no! That is the Crowlian Law of Thelmena.
Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, the bard of Bagalore, opined: “Where the mind is without fear, where knowledge is free; where the world has not been broken up into fragments… into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake”.
He saw the earthly heaven of freedom, the freedom of the individual from social oppression.
So, why does social media offer very little more than social oppression.
The reason I’m writing this is because a friend of mine, a professional LA musician and writer, had the temerity to say what he thought about a Bob Dylan concert a few days ago in Long Beach.
Andrew Brel, was critical and analytical but fair, so I published it.
Then the black crows and howling hyenas of Facebook took exception to him.
No longer was he the Hollywood artist, who campaigns for families and children across the world.
As far as Facebook contributors are concerned he became amongst other things a c*nt and an imbecile.
Seriously, why did Andrew not have the right to speak his mind out about a concert given by one of the most controversial – and also endearing – performers in the world during the last two centuries?
And just as importantly, why do people on social media think they have the right to ridicule, insult and deride a man just doing his job. And having an opinion.
I say to you now, Facebook is not the new REAL media, it is a bear garden set on the edge of a painted desert in a Wild West town inhabited by the misfits and inarticulate pundits who couldn’t make in the real world of opinion.
There are of course millions upon millions of people on social media who are intelligent, sensitive and worth communicating with.
But… (scroll down)
#facebook #socialmedia #andrewbrel #LA #bobdylan #roughandrowdy
Well. I had no idea all this was happening. Let’s consider who these rude people are.
The same review I did at your request – my honest assessment of a great artist, who you know I know well, was published on my page. At the same time as on yours.
I did not know until now that your readers had this ignorant vulgarity at their disposal.
For context; read the comments on my page. Of the same review.
My readers are mostly writers and musicians and intelligent people. Their comments add considerably to the subject. Bob is 81. And all is not well. The unwashed phenomenon, the original vagabond, has become what I saw and reported. And my readers were both grateful and added their own reviews of seeing him. That mirror my views exactly. Because that is the reality of Bob at 81.
I suggest, go read the review comments on my facebook page. The vitriol you refer to is entirely absent.
If there is any conclusion, it is in the quality of our respective readerships. What kind of people are reading your page?
I am pleased to not have read your friends comments. If I knew someone called me a cunt in print – I guess I would have to respond. Actions have consequences. But frankly, I can’t be bothered. I didn’t write that review for money. Its my gift to you. I don’t expect anything in return other than thanks.
Kind regards from CA.
I was pleased to receive your review Andrew, and your pix. It is a good professional review with insight and understanding … like much of your writing we’ve used in the past two years. I’m sorry the response has offended you. On the positive side you created discussion. Hostility unfortunately is part of the downside of social media but you will have noticed too that id defended you and your right to say what you think on many of the comments on the sites and pages. I don’t of course accept your comments about our 400,000 readers but in certain cases you are right, very few i hasten to add. Yours was a good review mate and i was enthusiastic about publishing it… Hibbings took me to task for weeks for saying it is a middleclass town …