Radiant 36 9: Okie dokes

JamesHird continued to bait. I don't like doing this but we all want the Poetry DB to maintain a kind of integrity, in accord with its original & continuing purpose to serve the users of this wonderful site.

Nomad: Beautiful!! Colourful too!! I know for sure I am on that road too

Nomad: Your talent is beyond belief. I hope you're collecting your poems.

Nomad: Awesome!

Your posts have been removed and since you are on hide since last night there is no use for you to post on here. Thank you.

I found this interesting. When I first read the "rap" I must say that it was not offensive but rather pointless and stereotypical. I felt it was offensive only to the extent that it did not address bourgeois sensibility. It rather spoke vaguely of an urban reality of life in American ghettos. It is a reality that does not agree with America's white middle class.

I found the rap pointless simply because rather than adressing the root causes of the "rapper gangsta" reality it merely internalized the gangsta behaviour. The writers of the rap seemed to behave merely as if being a gangsta rapper was cool, rather than talking about the social causes of life in American ghettos. There is some very high quality rap that does act as a form of social protest rather than some distorted idea of what "cool" is.

Well, I felt that banning and hiding the posts was uncalled for simply because there is such a thing as freedom of speech. I might find that their rap does not agree with my petit bourgeois sensibility. However, my individual views are unimportant because freedom of expression is more important than what makes me uncomfortable. Freedom of speech is not about stroking somebody's middle class ego or writing about some sentimental ideal of the romantic.

Well, I considered posting some of my poems here, but I refuse to do it if the only writing allowed is that writing that agrees with a middle class view of the world.

Andromedical: Your second paragraph really nails it on the head, I think. The kind of rap you speak of is a social contribution, and has very valid things to say about society & the mixed culture we live in. America's white middle class is not the final arbiter of what is meaningful or valuable....and in fact, so often it remains willingly blind to the far-reaching world beyond its sheltered walls. The issue here is meaningful content, which the rap poems (songs) in question lacked. The ghetto reality is tragic & our society is to blame...and it ought to be trumpeted far & wide, in song, poetry & political commentary. Pointless & stereotypical poems do not do it justice, and in fact exacerbate purposefully & thus tend to alienate the very minds & hearts it needs to reach. It is not seeking for a solution. It is revelling in the problem.

I for one would appreciate seeing your poems.

Usurper: I just want to know why did my previous message was deleted. Do you know the sentence "Freedom of Speech"?

              There was a young lady of Riga
              Who smiled as she rode on a tiger;
                   They returned from the ride
                   With the lady inside,
              And the smile on the face of the tiger.

Yes, it appears that the moderators not only have set themselves up as the arbiters of taste, they have chosen to suppress all criticism of themselves as well.

What Alexander Dubcek would have said about this matter.

Andre Faria: Freedom of speech is one of the most...perhaps the most...valuable rights we as individuals have. Yet...like all valuable rights...it is not absolute, and much depends upon the context. A child may not stand up in a classroom & curse his teacher with an endless barrage of profanity, for example. Most of us would agree. Yet the child is certainly free to hate and/or disapprove of his teacher...and may at the proper time & in a suitable outlet express that hatred/disapproval publicly.

You certainly must curtail, to some extent, the natural freedom-of-speech right of your own child. That is, if it becomes necessary to do so. It doesn't mean you devalue freedom. We all have standards of taste, and they are not entirely bad or without warrant.

This board is about poetry. Social criticism in poetry is welcome. Poetry & art of all kinds are appropriate & excellent mediums for social protest. But most of the posts I've deleted....yours included....are not poems in themselves but rather a discussion about censorship. I call your attention to the fact that I've also deleted several of my own posts. No disrespect is intended. I want to get this board back on track.

alanback: Express your criticism in a poem. Just please make it tasteful...i.e., no killing of cops & vulgar language, etc.

Is a matter of taste. I refuse to accept any suggestion that you or anyone else can dictate what is "good taste"

Hello alanback, we just like the poetry board to be clean from anything vulgar or bad language.. in one of the posts that got deleted the n-word was used. We agreed on this word not to be displayed on any of our public boards.

So, this has nothing to do with taste or that we are biased. And as is written in the description: the lyrics are not found offensive by the majority of the population.

I remember you once posted a very nice poem, plus your site you posted your site where you have beautiful poems.

Since this board is here we have never anything like this happened and I agree with Usurper.. we like to keep it that way.

Andromedical, you are welcome to post any of your poems. You have always been welcome, since the day you became a member here.. There has nothing changed here.

So, feel free to post and enjoy others posts.

~*Radiant*~

One tip of blue Thinking of you
mingling with white As if you might
Dawn.. dusk in one Never imagined palet begun
and neverending You my love sending

Gone you are But angel for sure
soothing words came once knocking on my door
And as I mix colors You come to mind
the way you were: gentle, loving and kind.

These sheets, 5.. one by one
I dedicate to you, green with yellow; white and blue
Created for children to have fun
secretly remembring how this friendship begun

In stillness one tear drop followed by a smile
honoring the time we spent for a while.
These paintings created for a higher cause
make me wonder, smiling, pondering, remembering

and pause...

One tip of blue Thinking of you
mingling with white As if you might

return.. can't wait..

Dawn.. dusk in one Never imagined palet begun
and neverending You my love sending

always..

Copyright: Josetta - NL - March 27th - 2005

Radiant 36 9: Wow!

My heart skipped a beat. How moving....

I think the moderation of this board has gone to pot, Poetry is as diverse as the people we have on BK. My idea of poetry may not match that of another member and vice versa, but for people to be hidden in such a manner is pathetic im afraid.

This board was a great place when a person was free to post what they felt was poetic!! You have given reasons such as 'offensive to the majority of the population' yet i recall only seeing 2 maybe 3 protestes to the posts? thats not majority to me.

Donna, please remove me as co-mod of this board please. I dont wish to share the honor with those that are all to willing to abuse it as some sort of higher authority on poetry.

Aragon: The hidden users on this board were hidden for being argumentative. Not for the posting of their poems.
While I also found Bruno Jesus poems distateful,I chose to leave them until or unless there they were found to be offensive by the majority.
I have only been online sporadically over the past few days as I am visiting family. I see my co-mods saw reason to hide the users involved and delete the poems.
The mods on this board (all 4) are longtime BK members and each has a real love of poetry. (that is why each were chosen)
You're right Darren each person's idea of poetry may not match another's and vice versa. The same goes for moderating.
I'm sure whomever deleted and hid the poems and poster did so in the best interest of peace and of BK in general.
You say only 2 or 3 protested the posts. True,publically. I wonder if any pm's were recieved due to it?
Darren you are a valuable co mod of this board. Your knowledge and talent for poetry is awe inspiring. I don't wish to remove you as co mod unless you are certain you wish to go.
Let's just go back to enjoying the poetry submitted by the talented members of BK.

Stardust: If I may cut in a sec.
I've been watching this board over the last few days and some of the moderating has been a little over-zealous, in my opinion.

bumble: But you will admit my "Lady and the Tiger" poem stands as a beacon providing a standard against which all other poems must be measured? :)

I believe if Shakespeare were around today he would be banned by Usurper for being crude and offensive, as he often was in his own time.

Remember, nobody can offend you unless you allow them to.

This is a love poem I made last night with some beers in my head...

I don´t give a damn
I´ve the power to bann
My name is ****per
I´m the Brainking trooper

Hey, don´t be smart
It was Bruno to start
then cames James Hird
André will be the third

So don´t use that word
cos I carry the sword
I´ll cut off your head
I´m really really bad

I am wondering why redsales post was removed. He did not offend anybody by merely criticizing the moderating on the board. I saw his post and it was removed 3 minutes later. There was nothing offensive in it. If this board is only for posting poems, without discussions of any kind, it should say so clearly in the description.

Andromedical: i agree with you
I SHOT THE SHERIFF... lalalala

Stardust has requested this board go back to poetry. Please honour that request. If you have any concerns about moderator actions, please message Stardust and I'm sure she'd be happy to listen, but this isn't the place.

Andre, I'm in two minds about your 'poem', so I'm going to place it (you) on hide until a mod comes online and they can make the decision if it should stay or not. Personally I see it as flaming of a moderator, but I'll let the mods decide that :o)

Purple: Give me a break! You're asking me - who thinks 'Incey Wincey Spider' is the most noble, most profound, most emotional ode ever written! I'm a quivering, sobbing wreck every time I hear it.

I think we should honour Stardust's wishes and let this board go back to the way it was, for poems only. There is an Uncensored Poetry fellowship where people can post anything without censorship.

bumble: Point taken. LOL

B:J; in tha house!
I'm making success in tha poetry DB
Everybody hates that's tha way to be
I come here to get cracking cool
but the house is filled with fools
The ******* has dirty shoes!"
I think he is ***!
come and mess with B:J; in tha streets
Gangsta rhymes dont come cheap!
Yo Busta rhymes rapper-gangsta style oin tha house!

Does anyone has something against B:J; gangsta busta rapper rhymes?
yo!
oi?

Not me. And my shoes are really dirty! LOL I am not a Jew though. I know some people will take offense to your rap. Let's see how long it lasts.

Bruno Jesus: Don't push it. Rules exist in here.
No flaming, no racist remarks, no swearing.

They say that I’m a loser
And perhaps that may be true
Since I don’t have a lot of friends
And my interests are but few

I’m not a worldly person
Well versed in social graces
So I prefer Brainking at home
Than go to public places

I don’t go out to parties
Or places where you dance
And I haven’t had a date in years
Brainking has more romance

People always make me nervous
Because I’m rather shy
Lacking in the confidence
To be a stand up guy

I’m not a very clever man
Nor can I tell a joke
I’m neither tall or handsome
And I always am flat broke

I have no sense of humor
Or talent to create
Is it any wonder then
I need a Brainking mate

In spite of all that I am not
I never get depressed
For I’ve accepted who I am
Being second best

They say that I’m a loser
"It is the truth" I Cried
Because I have a Brainking life
And never go outside


Written by Jameshird

Yo check it out James is tha man!

hey Amedical what do you think about those rhymes?

can I join the uncensored poetry fellowship medic man?

I think that since this board is public a few 'more detailed' rules need to be added, this will then allow all moderators of the board to fully decide when action is required.

Simply being a moderator does not give that person the right to delete posts they think are pointed at them or not up to 'thier' standards. Nor does it give reason to hide a user for posting poems with words that are offensive to certain communities!!

Example:

Fishers of Men
You’ll grow no spuds
in stony Magheramurphy.
The glaciers saw to that,
streaming their roundy droppings
in the brown earth, easing
from Binnian and the Cock and Hen;
so the people of the Kingdom
turned east in sturdy boats
and went to hunt the herring.

Today they’re doing it still,
forcing from subsidised harbours,
beating boats through coiled waves,
landing slippery silver at Whitehaven,
foiling the auctioneers’ ring,
losing arms to rolling hawsers,
leaving their sons in the sea.

When word pulsed from smoking Belfast,
pounding like lambeg drums,
heartbeat of Carson’s covenant,
they brought home a heavier harvest,
oiled in sacking, lugged from decks
and loaded clanking in trucks,
Larne-like in the watchless dark.

And they sit in bars below the slieves,
proudly swap tales of stalked shoals,
pausing to watch in deadpan bulletins
catch-crops of prods and taigs, trawled
in the brass-jacketed nets
woven by their fearful labour


Now am I or any other member from belfast to take offence at that because of our religion? Id like to think we can all see past the secterian usage and see the POEM!!

Aragon: Hey thats great stuff!Who wrote that?
Can I use it in my gigs rapper-busta-gangsta style?

I sit and watch the moonlight
slowly dissapear
The first rays of sunlight
reflecting iin your tear
I know that you don't like me
And never did before
so now you have to hate me
'cause that is what I'm for

Why don't you hate me
Why don't you hate me
Why don't you hate me
Why don't you hate me
Why don't you hate me
Why don't you hate me
You have to hate me

Notes on the poem:

Maghermurphy (line 2) - a townland around Kilkeel, a fishing village in Co. Down
Binnian/Cock and Hen (line 6) - two peaks in the Mourne Mountains
Kingdom (line 7) - The kingdom of Mourne, which prides irself on being a 'separate' place
Whitehaven (line 13) - a fishing port in Cumbria, England
Carson (line 19) - Edward Carson, Unionist leader who opposed Home Rule for Ireland; in an earlier incarnation, he prosecuted Oscar Wilde
slieves (line 24) - anglicised version of Irish word for 'mountains', e.g. Slieve Binnian'
prods/taigs (line 27) - pejorative terms for Protestants/Catholics

Appears on a prominent UVF website, again though is this reason enough to ban my poem?? Whilst I do not agree with actions from any paramilitary group operating in Ireland the poem itself is outstanding!!

Ireland is a great place lotsa gangsta-busta-rappers there!

I like that poem, afraid it sounds like me!!
Thanks for posting!

sLaMdAnCe:yeah bro!B:J; cool in tha house!
let´s do some rhymes!