XPost: rec.arts.sf.tv, rec.arts.tv   
   From: paul@harper.net   
      
   On 11 Sep 2006 20:16:29 -0700, al2048@aol.com wrote:   
      
   >I thought that, over the past few years, JMS has been *limiting* his   
   >presence on the rastb5.mod newsgroup. I have lurked over there   
   >recently, and I did not see many posts from him. He doesn't post as   
   >much as he did during Babylon 5's height of popularity.   
   >   
   >Why would he want to control the newsgroup now, if his presence on it   
   >is limited?   
      
   The two are related. He admitted that his frequency of posting on .mod   
   was reduced because I was posting on there. Quite why a little nobody   
   like me would be able influence "The Great Bird Of The Galaxy 2" to   
   that extent is beyond my comprehension, but there you go - that's what   
   he said.   
      
   >Also, Paul, what exactly did you say that caused JMS to want you to be   
   >banned from the newsgroup?   
      
   I suspect it was a couple of uncomfortable truths:   
      
   One was when I suggested that the "Sins Past" Spiderman comicbook   
   storyline should be retracted and apologised for. Something I still   
   believe, as do a significant number of Spiderman fans.   
      
   The other was my response of "I think I am going to be sick" when   
   someone called Straczynski a cultural icon:   
      
      
      
   (someone said:)   
      
   >I agree. I see inclusion of JMS's name more an indication of him   
   >becoming a cultural icon than an indication of belief on astrology.   
      
   (I replied:)   
      
   I think I am going to be sick.   
      
   John Lennon was a cultural icon. JFK was a cultural icon. The Dali   
   Lama is a cultural icon. Mother Theresa was a cultural icon. Chairman   
   Mao was a cultural icon. Ghengis Khan was a cultural icon. Joan of Arc   
   was a cultural icon. The Prophet Mohammed was a cultural icon.   
      
   At an absolute and slightly desperate stretch, Walter Cronkite is a   
   cultural icon.   
      
   JMS is a writer. One of many tens of thousands. He currently seems to   
   be comfortably successful in his chosen field, but not stellar.   
      
   By no definition of the term is JMS a cultural icon. For some of this   
   group, a few others and those comic readers who have not screamed for   
   an apology for, and retraction of, "Sins Past", he may be interesting   
   or important.   
      
   But iconic?  No way in hell.   
      
      
      
   Note that neither of those were in any sort of response to a post by   
   him. He's been killfiltered on my system for over a year now.   
      
   I am sure there were a number of other little digs around. He   
   described it as a "death of a thousand papercuts" which is a real   
   limp-dicked way of saying I was annoying him and he couldn't take it   
   any more. To the extent that he flounced off his own group, only to   
   miraculously rise from the ashes of white-hot indignation less than 24   
   hours later.   
      
   Jesus Christ took three days to resurrect himself. Straczynski had to   
   prove himself better than Him...   
      
   Paul.   
   --   
   . Bill Maher: "Tulips aren't flowers, they're gay onions"   
   . A .sig is all well and good, but it's no substitute for a personality   
   . Is there a moron carrot above?  Have you replied to it?  Are you sure?   
   . EMail: Unless invited to, don't; it's likely to be automatically deleted.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)