For all you Mano, Raul, Adam, Idina Fans - You've Inspired Me

[MOXIEINTHECITY]

Posted: 6/9/06 at 9:18am

I've been reading these boards for a few weeks and I wanted to say something.

Thank you.

Thank you for reminding me what it's like to have a crush and how freeing and fun it can be. You've inspired me so much I wrote a column about it.
Let's Start National I Have a Crush Week

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 6/9/06 at 9:19am

I love you, Moxie, and really want to read your blog. But this stupid work firewall won't let me!!

[MOXIEINTHECITY]

Posted: 6/9/06 at 9:48am

Try to read it on my Myspace blog

http://www.myspace.com/moxieinthecity

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 6/9/06 at 9:49am

Crap, that didn't work either. I guess I'm lucky I can even get on here!

Updated On: 6/9/06 at 09:49 AM

[Dancinqueen123]

Posted: 6/9/06 at 10:52am

I loved the blog Moxie.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 6/9/06 at 11:04am

Um.

Yeah, your blog is funny. However, since you made an example of... well, basically, me, by the looks of your thread title, I'm not sixteen. I am not harboring latent insecurities. I don't pretend to have a personal relationship when there's nothing there. I do not *only* attend performances to look at someone's hot ass.

I realize that this is satire, but not everyone is as you claim; empty-headed, flailing about with reckless abandon, carefree and stupid, essentially. You say you've been inspired and reminded; you say your column, it seems, is done in good fun. Instead, you condescend.

I am a fan. I do know (yes, personally, albeit in different ways) two people of whom I am a fan. Yes, I like these guys. For their art -- because if they were just cute, I wouldn't care. I can't stand the majority of what Hollywood breeds -- see my point? Looks alone don't do it for me.

I am a 20-year-old Ivy League undergraduate. Still a child, in some ways. I grew up in a family that supports the arts. I've grown into an almost-adult who herself supports the arts, in more forms than simply flailing over this season's cute guy.

I have a little fun on a message board. So shoot me.

Updated On: 6/9/06 at 11:04 AM

[MOXIEINTHECITY]

Posted: 6/9/06 at 11:23am

No dear, I wasn't talking about you. Or anyone specifically. So, maybe instead of posting your stylized rant...maybe just read the post and take it for what it was. I know this might sound shocking, sugar plum, but it ain't all about you. Nor was it making a mockery of anything or anyone. How you got that message is...well....that's all you.

If you chose to read that post and infer that it was making fun of you or anyone else here, then that's something you need to address within yourself. Not to me.

My point? If you feel certain and confident in your choices, then you don't ever have to explain yourself.

Posted: 6/9/06 at 11:28am

FWIW, I most lurk here I thought the whole blog was mocking those who post in those threads. Maybe you didn't intend it that way, but it the tone of the whole thing was really condescending. YMMV.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 6/9/06 at 11:28am

I did read it. I wouldn't respond without having read it. How I got that message is... I read it.

I don't know. It *read* like a mockery, not some inspired reminder, regardless of your intent, and regardless of whether I feel targeted. I think that's my bottom line, defenses aside. You don't *choose* to read something one way or another; to say I chose to read your blog one way or another, consciously, is absurd. I read it. I got what I got out of it. I didn't decide what I was going to get out of it. Honestly, before I read it, I was about to jump in on the joke, and I figured I would laugh at, too. Of course you'll say it's something on my conscience, and I'll say it's the way you wrote the piece -- apparently not intentionally. So it'll just have to be my word against yours, and we could go at this forever. When you write something, you can't predict how people are going to react to it, but you do have to be responsible for those reactions -- you put it out there. You created the reaction.

Do I mean you wrote this *to* target me? No. I'm not that self-centered. I do mean that I feel myself made fun of in what you wrote. I don't think you went about writing this specifically with me in mind, but I do feel as though you've made an example of me -- just look at the title of this thread. Whether you meant it to be or not, the entire thing is really condescending, as opposed to "God, they have so much fun -- it makes me really nostalgic!" as I suppose it was intended. I have crushes. I flirt with people who I probably shouldn't flirt with. It's uncomfortable. I don't make fun of other people in order to make myself feel more secure in that.

I have to explain myself because of escapades like this.

Bottom line: You write something and you put it in public domain, you take responsibility for it -- you don't toss that responsibility upon your readers, and tell them they're deranged, or whatever.

Updated On: 6/9/06 at 11:28 AM

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 6/9/06 at 8:54pm

Okay, I finally got the chance to read the blog.

How can anyone be offended by that? Are you kidding me? I thought it was sweet and sentimental - she goes on and on about remember how nice it was to feel that way - she never says ANYTHING negative about the fans at ALL.

After reading this thread, I was expecting some major snarky blog. I didn't get it.

[BluCat500]

Posted: 6/9/06 at 8:58pm

Agreed, I don't see how this is remotely offensive at all, well she does talk about the absurdity of some of the fan girl characteristics or perhaps even stereotypes, in the end she does seem to say that there is an element of innocent fun to the whole charade and every once in a while carefree admiration is enjoyable...Sounds about right to me and I am an avid love thread poster...

Updated On: 6/9/06 at 08:58 PM

[Dirty Rotten Scoundrel]

Posted: 6/9/06 at 8:59pm

Rath, I feel exactly the same. I read the thread and expected a really rude blog, but I saw nothing snarky about it AT all. I really don't think that this blog was in any way offensive. If anything, I giggled reading it because it's so true. I'm comfortable with that, and I think that in a lot of cases, Moxie hit the nail right on the head...

I also agree with Rath on the point that it's sweet that she misses that feeling, because I know that I LOVE the feeling of having my little Broadway crushes. However dorky that may sound.

When does she ever say anything negative?

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 6/9/06 at 11:02pm

No, but Drowsy Chaperone's posted commented is definitely condescending. The claim that the board is overrun with comments about how hot the Jersey Boys or History Boys are is completely inaccurate; I don't know what threads s/he is reading, but I've never read *anything* to that effect, let alone anywhere near enough for it to be "out of hand."

If you want adult conversation, stop complaining and start one yourself. What, the 30 threads about politics aren't enough for you? The "teenagers" get such a bad reputation by adults complaining from on high, but the vast majority of the obnoxious drama I witness on the boards (sock puppets, spamming the boards, etc.) is started (and continued) by adults. That is much more annoying and disruptive to the entire board than a few "love threads."

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 6/10/06 at 12:52am

The whole crush thing is only fun when your huge crush actually lives on your continent

[SallyBrown]

Posted: 6/10/06 at 1:35am

Well you definately have me nailed down. Ewan McGregor once recognized me the second time I saw him and it sort of completed my life...forever.
I dunno, I thought it was sweet. Maybe it's just my age, but I kind of think some of the commenters are getting carried away. I mean yeah, I don't think I really breathed correctly when I saw Ewan McGregor in Guys and Dolls, but it's not like I don't think about the future or whatever these others are talking about. Is that really how it's like for you adults, always worrying about something else? Even when you're in the presence of greatness? (Well actually...my mom also worries..)

Basically, I didn't find if offensive, but I do hope I don't sound like "OH MY GOD!!!!!!!! HOLY CRAP HE LOOKED AT ME!" Even though I probably do...In fact..I know that after the show I called my friends and squealed. Very nice.
I think I can understand though how someone might get offended.Like Emcee said, each reader has their own interpretation of what's going on.


And guess what...the History Boys are hot...

However. I would say anything that bothered me about the entire page that I read (not just your article) is a sort of judgement put upon teenagers.I HATE when people use the term "teeny bopper". I don't think anyone really meant offense on your page, but all fandom is subjective to the fan. If that made sense...

p.s. amen wickedrentq....or at least if I could drive...

[Kringas]

Posted: 6/10/06 at 1:48am

Well, at least this time the blog entry she's shilling actually has something to do with what she posted.

[feinstein9]

Posted: 6/10/06 at 2:25am

emcee, i'm interested to know- is there something specific in the blog that would best summerize how it made you feel? i personally didn't find it as tongue-in-cheek as expected, i saw it as more of a reminiscent, "why can't things be easy like they were when we were young?" type of thing. i understand one being sensitive about ones age (it's never a good feelings for someone to assume you're 16/17 when you're 20) but it since she didn't specificly target raul/adam fans (but rather mentioned them along with other performers)i don't see how this would point to you, to the extent that you'd be on the defensive. i would be, too, if i thought my devotion to an actor were being taken out of context and lampooned. so what is it that made you say to yourself "now wait a minute..."

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 6/10/06 at 9:44am

I've said it a couple times now, and other people have alluded to it. I don't think the *content* is offensive. The content is funny -- when I began to read it, I expected to find the entire thing funny, really. But I think the overall tone is really condescending -- if you really want to know I guess I can find a passage that demonstrates what I'm talking about, but being that it's the tone overall, that's not something that you can easily pick a sentence to use to prove your point. I'm talking about the thing as a whole entity. I get that it was intended to be a nice sort of gesture about how much fun it must be, or something, but it just seems like "I'm watching you, you're all a bunch of silly idiots.... I don't do what you do, I'm watching and I'm better than you..." It reads, to me, with a very high level on condescension, but not within the content.

[MOXIEINTHECITY]

Posted: 6/10/06 at 10:07am

It can't be both condescending and sweet/sentimental. Pick an opinion and stick to it.

Here's me being condescending:

I realize that some (notice I said some, not all) theatre majors and actors and the like have a flair for the dramatic and have a tendency to personalize every thing and make it "about them." You are so obviously personalizing that post unnecessarily and I'm going to guess it's because it allows you to stand out and gain attention. We get it. You're an Ivy Leaguer and you're offended. We. Get. It. Stop with the constant self-importance.


If you want to feel offended, then feel that way. It's okay. You're allowed. But your need to repeatedly defend that choice makes you sound defensive and insecure.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 6/10/06 at 10:14am

I didn't say it *was* both. I said you intended it to be one thing, and it reads another. Other people said it wasn't condescending; that's how there can be two different opinions. When there are two different people. Is that so hard? Different people get different things out of what you read, and instead of blaming the reader, as the writer, you take responsibility for what you put out there. The issue isn't even any longer who was offended and who wasn't -- it's the fact that you seem to insist there can only be one sane reaction to your writing.

My last post was an answer to feinstein's question -- nothing more. So technically, honey (see, there's an example of condescension), you brought the argument back to the fore. If it were an issue of self-importance, I'd have responded to every single post on this thread that displayed the opposite opinion, saying "no, you're wrong." I bowed out until questioned; I gave my two cents, and unless there was reason to return to the discussion, that was to be it. I'm not assuming your intention -- you made it perfectly clear. Don't assume mine.

If you don't believe that I'm legitimately offended, there's nothing I can say to change that. If you believe that I just want attention and that I'm consciously reading this blog, going "oh, I'm going to PRETEND it's about me and pretend that I'm offended because I'll get attention," what can I say other than that you're completely wrong. Again, I read it and I was offended. I didn't think you wrote it *about* me. I don't know why you're unable to grasp that distinction. Honestly, the fact that you're unable to see the fact that readers aren't constantly going to have your prescribed reaction to what you write, and that you insist it's *my* problem that your intention didn't come across properly -- *that* is self-importance. So I'm offended. It happened. I didn't *invent* my offense to rain on your parade. Stop trying to blame me for it.

I'm sorry that I took away the glory of your happy sentimental blog, but get the hell off my back. I know. I'm stepping on your spotlight. Next time I'll refrain from expressing my opinion unless it's in support of your side, so you can be bowed down to for your top-notch humor. Sorry I'm not joining the chorus in singing your praises.

You don't know me. Don't assume.

It's ironic that your passage *intended* to be condescending was... well, not.

Updated On: 6/10/06 at 10:14 AM

[caitiesus1522]

Posted: 6/10/06 at 12:28pm

I just want to say that I read it as sweet and sentimenta...BUT I do see how it could very easily be read as being condescending towards the posters in those threads.

It just depends on what tone someone picks up from it

[FranklinShepard-Inc.]

Posted: 6/10/06 at 12:36pm

Right. So all words are spoken on that. No hard feelings now.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 6/14/06 at 11:26pm

yo add Cyndi up in that title.

I'm totally crushing.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 6/14/06 at 11:30pm

yo P.S.

A few months ago the title would be "For all you Idina, Adam, Anthony, Raul Fans - You've Inspired Me"

What happened around here?

[Broadway_Baby]

Posted: 6/14/06 at 11:38pm

Moxie, dear-

Your blog was adorable, I loved it.




Now all of you chillax.

thanks.

*bows, exits stage left*