Where to begin, where to begin? I'm not sure who you are, or what you are asking. But let's see if I can tackle as many issues you raise as I can for you so maybe a few things can be cleared up, or at least so that you can see where I am coming from on these things.
Of course BK can post anywhere he wants. That's a given. I do believe, however, that your claim that "every time Bruce posts" I get positively bitchy is very far from the truth. Near as I can remember, I posted twice about things related to Bruce in some way, not even directly, and it brought quite a flood of invective from him.
Let's work in reverse chronology: there is obviously some contention in the Kerry Butler thread. I am a big fan of Kerry, loved her in Hairspray, talked to her after the show, told her how much I enjoyed her work and her website, found her charming and lovely. Always stuck up for her when people made fun of her website. Ask Craig, he'll tell you it's true.
The other day Bruce got all defensive in the thread where people were wondering about her age (I was not one of the people wondering about her age, please check the transcripts, I believe she is exactly as old as she and Craig say she is) and Broadwayguy chimed in with a "hehehe Bruce is funny." I responded regarding Broadwayguy's brown-nosing and mentioned that Bruce already has a website where people can post all their accolades to him and did the ass-kissing have to happen here too? (Before I ever even posted here I clicked through on the link for hhw.com and found the odd cult like messages harmless if off-putting. I mean, it really does seem to exist so people can just fawn over him. No big whoop.) It was really a dig at Broadwayguy but -- hoo! hoo! -- did it seem to strike some sort of major nerve, huh?
Well! Bruce then gets all up in arms and lumps me in with the people whom he considers Kerry bashers, when I have always been a defender. But it doesn't matter if you see any sort of discussion of something as an attack and if you assume people you have had disagreements with in the past MUST also be guilty parties in the present too, I guess. A clear-cut symptom of this phenomenon is seeing "agendas" where there really are none, at all.
The other times I interacted with BK were over the Juliana Journal. Now, I NEVER SAID she had an eating disorder, just that her food issues seemed to me pretty foregrounded in her writing and that I worried about young girls and young women who have dreams of being stars having the same old body image stuff crammed in their faces. I work closely with a non-profit eating disorder agency, but that doesn't matter. BK got up in arms again, informed me that I don't care about such things, that I was just bitter and terrible and out to destroy innocence and goodness and all that is true and all sorts of things. Well, what can I say? I raised an issue that does have meaning to me and people in my life, but I guess there's nothing I can do to convince anybody of that. That's fine, I know the truth in me.
BK then of course characterized my post as one of the many cultural injustices he simply can't stand for and I found myself wondering what Kafka-esque hell I was now finding myself in? I brought up a point that he dismissed and even Juliana later addressed it with "I am healthy" (never said she wasn't) and "I'm not sending out negative messages" (that I'm not so sure about). I guess BK is only allowed to question veracity, I dunno.
But that's about it. I don't think I ever interacted or discussed Bruce in any other way. But one does get the sense that he and his group of online fans really do see attacks and unfairness around every single corner. That's fine. But I do think you should seriously examine how the two or three BK references and minor skirmishes I have been involved with (one by merely BEING in a thread and not saying anything about Kerry's age) can be overblown by you -- Ron, I'm assuming a BK acolyte -- into me attacking him "every time he posts."
If I were you guys, I would seriously be asking some questions about group think and the cult-like dangers therein. I have to say I have no idea what you are talking about with the Phoenix rising from the ashes analogy and lessers flaming out, I am sure it is some part of the story I am thought to understand but really don't.
I hope you appreciate that I took the time to think about my answers to you, took the time to write them out and to respectfully try to explain things to you from my perspective.
"Numbo!" Good one!
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Updated On: 9/4/03 at 08:11 PM
