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Hobby Forum Index » Music - Opera » FAQ: History of Rec.Music.Opera or "Where did...
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 Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 5:15 am |
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FAQ: HISTORY OF REC.MUSIC.OPERA
The purpose of this document is to give some idea of what has
transpired on RMO over the years, and explain to any newcomers why it
appears dysfunctional, if not deserted.
The Usenet group rec.music.opera (RMO) was formed in 1995, largely as
a “splinter” group from rec.music.classical, when it was felt that the
volume on the latter group was too high for comfort. In addition,
many people wanted an unmoderated, less formal forum to complement the
Opera-L mailing list.
During the first few years of its existence, it was a vibrant forum,
with participation of many knowledgeable individuals, including many
academics and others involved in the “business” of music.
Unfortunately, RMO became a victim of its own success, and attracted a
number of individuals with more interest in stirring up trouble than
in opera, a greater interest in posting than in reading and
discussion.
Two individuals stand out in the destruction of RMO. First and
foremost is Charles Handelman, a self-styled “maven” with enormous
operagoing experience in the distant past, an enormous collection of
live performances (which he has shamelessly plugged at every
opportunity), and a seemingly unlimited supply of free time to post.
Unfortunately, despite Handelman’s protestations to the contrary, he
is also the owner of a classic narcissistic personality disorder. He
had very little interest in discussion and much more interest in
playing the “Opera Clown”. He repeated the same superficial, juvenile
postings (often mere lists of favorite singers) over and over, every
few months (sometimes more frequently). Other postings were clearly
designed to inform people that Handelman was somehow an important
figure in the opera world. Whenever someone disagreed with him on the
content of one of his somewhat opera-related postings, or pointed out
the clearly delusional nature of some of his ramblings, he would
respond with ad hominem arguments. Often his postings had nothing to
do with opera, but were simply designed to offend. When informed that
his postings were neither funny, entertaining, nor about opera,
Handelman accused others of lacking humor.. But in virtually every
Handelman posting, it was abundantly apparent that he wanted
attention.
Handelman got his wish. He became the very center of attention, as
other members of RMO took issue with his “style”. At first, there
were polite requests that he moderate himself. These were not
successful, as Mr. Handelman chose to resort to further ad hominems
(often by attempting to label them as “Nazis”), ridiculing those who
failed to recognize his right to behave like a ten year-old on a
public forum. In frustration, many members of RMO, at various times,
chose to engage in debate, not about opera, but about the postings of
one Charles Handelman. Others quietly chose to depart RMO for other
forums, often ones where Handelman had once been a member, but had
been banished for similar behaviors. A few, such as an individual
using the moniker “Little Jimmy Olsen” (among others)) chose to employ
real humor (as opposed to Handelman’s tiresome juvenilia) in response
Handelman’s increasingly absurd rantings and ravings.
At some point, another dysfunctional individual, “Leonard Tillman”
joined RMO. He immediately made his presence felt by responding to
virtually every posting on virtually every topic, with a spate of
bland, cliché-ridden postings short on specifics or definable
opinions. When asked to clarify or expand upon his remarks, Tillman
chose instead to resort to the “it’s all personal opinion” gambit, and
continued with his barrage of “Opera Lite” as one member termed his
postings. Later on, when people realized and commented upon how
little Tillman actually had to contribute to discussion, he began
posting some of the most insulting, foul material seen on RMO,
accusing other members of unspeakable depravity, ridiculing their
names, and rewriting their postings in an unsuccessful attempt to make
them look foolish. His postings were (and still are) filled with
references to human excretory functions and female genitalia, with
abundant material that made Tillman’s inferiority complex quite
apparent to all.
The sheer quantity of postings by both Handelman and Tillman led most
to believe that, in addition to serious psychological issues, both of
them had way too much time on their hands and insufficient “normal”
human contact.
Certainly others contributed to the downfall of RMO – mostly, these
were other sociopathic trolls, posting under pseudonyms, who showed no
interest in opera, but did show interest in stirring the RMO pot; many
of their postings had decidedly antisemitic content. Intelligent RMO
members generally chose to ignore such postings. Handelman and
Tillman, of course, rose to the bait and chose to swap insults with
them, which of course, made those trolls very happy.
And there were other less malignant individuals who became fed up with
the antics of Handelman and Tillman, and chose to engage them, first
in futile attempts to convince them to moderate their behavior, and
later in attempts to encourage them to depart RMO. Unfortunately,
Handelman and Tillman were beyond rational thought, and thoroughly
enjoyed the attention that they received on RMO, however negative.
And there have always been a few who felt, despite the obvious
evidence, that Handelman was, somehow, a “victim”, and defended him
publicly. This produced long and painful threads about Charlie
Handelman (which pleased him a great deal), but not about opera. Even
more bizarrely, a few have even defended Tillman.
During this era, Handelman and Tillman were both expelled from a
number of moderated forums, and refused membership to others. On
those rare forums where their presence was tolerated, they were
largely ignored. RMO thus became the only forum where Handelman and
Tillman could expect attention, however negative it might be, and both
took full advantage of the unmoderated status of RMO.
In the spring of 2008, the inevitable result occurred. A sizable
number of longtime RMO “regulars” simply ceased posting on the forum
altogether, leaving Handelman and Tillman to completely monopolize the
forum. It became apparent to one and all (indeed, it had become
apparent to many years earlier) that neither Handelman nor Tillman had
anything positive to contribute to RMO, that they would not go away,
and that they would they continue their barrage of whining and other
postings of little or no value. And a few individuals have continued
to engage them, either by attempting to reason with them, or by
swapping insults.
As a result, a number of Google and Yahoo groups devoted to opera have
formed. Their memberships vary considerably, as does the tenor of
their discussions, but they have one feature in common – neither
Handelman nor Tillman are welcome. As a result, their volume of
postings are considerably lower, but the quality of the discussion is
infinitely higher and more pleasant. These include the Yahoo groups
WM-L, Opera4all, OperaAmici, and Parlourofoperalovers, and the Google
group Opera Clips Ancora:
http://groups.google.com/group/opera-clips-ancora
There are also a couple of moderated groups where their presence is
tolerated but largely ignored. One is the Google group “Ed’s Opera
Group”. There is also the Metropolitan Opera Guild’s “Standing
Room” (available only to members of the Guild, I believe). Another is
the Listserv mailing list Opera-L, which has a two postings-per-day
limit, which sometimes limits discussion, but does keep Handelman and
Tillman from destroying the forum. That posting limit, by the way,
was instituted, in large part, because Handelman was unable to control
himself.
RMO has thus become something of a “wasteland”. The vast majority of
postings are from Tillman and Handelman. Most of these postings have
little or nothing to do with opera, and consist of repetitive whining,
mostly about those who have left RMO (and, alas, the few misguided
individuals who continue to engage them here) – a near-constant
barrage of postings about people that Handelman and Tillman claim not
to care about. When Handelman’s postings are nominally “about opera”,
they’re usually excuses to talk about himself and his accomplishments
and fame. On those rare occasions when Tillman is not foaming at the
mouth, he continues to post “Opera Lite”. At some point in the
future, RMO may recover some of its previous lustre, but that is
unlikely to occur as long as Handelman and Tillman reside here, and
they are not likely to depart until no one is here to engage them.
I have little doubt that this FAQ will be greeted with howls of
protest from Handelman and Tillman, not to mention the usual and
customary insults and prevarications. For whatever it’s worth, the
RMO archives are there for all to read, if they dare, and each person
can come to their own conclusions. |
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| LT... |
| Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 5:30 am |
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The "Deceased" La Stinkie Bollmann, with yet another of its s-swig
fueled prolixities:
No, you are!  ))))
And again,
Buque yieauix, Follmann. |
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| Mark... |
| Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 5:52 am |
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True to form.
LT wrote:
Quote: The "Deceased" La Stinkie Bollmann, with yet another of its s-swig
fueled prolixities:
Snipped
No, you are! ))))
And again,
Buque yieauix, Follmann. |
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| LT... |
| Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 6:06 am |
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Merdy:
You certainly are! )))))))))
Oh, and please don't fail to apply the following's suggestions to
yourself, as well. :)
Quote: LT wrote:
The "Deceased" La Stinkie Bollmann, with yet another of its s-swig
fueled prolixities:
Snipped
No, you are! ))))
And again,
Buque yieauix, Follmann.- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text - |
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