When I asked Stuart Ostrow if he'd seen the 1997 revival of Chicago, he responded, "I don't attend revivals. I don't like nostalgia. It's depressing." Twenty-one years ago, I was a bit confused by his response. But the more time passes by, the more I understand what he means. This message board is a perfect example.
As with life in general, there are many things I truly miss about the Golden Age of BWW and a few things I will not miss at all. Yes, there was a level of cruelty that was tolerated (and often times encouraged) that I found disturbing and depressing. The right-wing trolls and most of the psychotic catfish didn't bother me too much. Calling them out on their BS was one of the things that brought our little community together. But I'd welcome back all of the bad to have that sense of community back again. Sure, we can assign blame to a specific person for the change in the message boards, but to be honest, I felt like things were heading in that direction already. The writing was on the wall, so to speak. If it wasn't that person, it would have been someone else. Social media has taken over as moderator for much of the internet and BWW has remained a steadfast participant of social media evolution since its inception. Subsequent to the BWW menopause, Twitter has flexed its muscles more than once and we've all seen how it can control the narrative in the most frightening ways without the need for verifiable fact or truth. There have been many Davids lost when faced with Twitter's Goliath.
I do miss what we once had. I've gained numerous new family members ("friends for life" doesn't really cover it) that make me laugh and make me cry and I'll be there for them if they need me as they have been there for me. There were (and still are) those that still delight and revel in cruelty and hate (and they KNOW who they are). But with every hateful post I've seen, there's been 100x the love that I've felt from this family and that's something that no interfering individual can change or destroy. Whether we lock horns, lock hearts or lock handcuffs (the safe word is c****nay), I always feel pretty secure in the love of my BWW family.
This thread contains more nuance and understanding of life's holdable contradictions than your one-note posts have ever done, Rex Reed.
Ha! God, I love you Namo.
Yes...the good ol' days had their issues. But, like Norma Desmond, we had faces then. And we showed them to each other. And I couldn't be more grateful.
OMG I LOVE YOUR FACE!
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
Updated On: 11/19/19 at 01:33 PM