I don't want to retread the Desper situation too much, and I certainly value his knowledge and experience with the BBs and would always love to see more info from him.
But I do think there was a bit too much incredulity regarding his post favorably comparing Trump rallies to the band's touring setup, etc.. It was *obvious* why people saw it as an unneeded politically-tinged post, and that's because it was imbued with some politics. I found the comparison to be supremely odd; a thread about the BB's touring setup could have been started without any reference to Trump or politics at all. But it wasn't a big deal.
I'd point to some examples regarding that episode, but unless my forum search skills are not serving me well, it appears that entire thread is gone. Not locked, but gone completely.
In any event, that episode didn't strike me as a *huge* deal, and I certainly didn't see how it warranted Mr. Desper leaving. He was engaged in discussion about the overtones present in his post, and a discussion ensued. I think part of the hubbub on that old thread was debate over whether it should be moved to the Sandbox, rather than anyone finding anything about the post/thread so heinous. I hope Mr. Desper comes back. But I don't blame anyone here as if he was "run off" the board or anything. I've never been a fan of walking on egg shells here for fear someone will leave. Sometimes honored guests are needlessly trolled on boards (in which case it should be dealt with and usually is), and sometimes they're fairly and on even ground engaged in discussion or taken to task, or whatever the situation is.
But I do think there was a bit too much incredulity regarding his post favorably comparing Trump rallies to the band's touring setup, etc.. It was *obvious* why people saw it as an unneeded politically-tinged post, and that's because it was imbued with some politics. I found the comparison to be supremely odd; a thread about the BB's touring setup could have been started without any reference to Trump or politics at all. But it wasn't a big deal.
I'd point to some examples regarding that episode, but unless my forum search skills are not serving me well, it appears that entire thread is gone. Not locked, but gone completely.
In any event, that episode didn't strike me as a *huge* deal, and I certainly didn't see how it warranted Mr. Desper leaving. He was engaged in discussion about the overtones present in his post, and a discussion ensued. I think part of the hubbub on that old thread was debate over whether it should be moved to the Sandbox, rather than anyone finding anything about the post/thread so heinous. I hope Mr. Desper comes back. But I don't blame anyone here as if he was "run off" the board or anything. I've never been a fan of walking on egg shells here for fear someone will leave. Sometimes honored guests are needlessly trolled on boards (in which case it should be dealt with and usually is), and sometimes they're fairly and on even ground engaged in discussion or taken to task, or whatever the situation is.
The guy who mixed Sunflower to perfection (and who had a seemingly infinite supply of Beach Boys anecdotes and an unmatched knowledge of Beach Boys production) saw similarities between the different styles of campaigning and Beach Boys touring. It wasn't solely about Trump...he also included a paragraph about how Hillary's campaigning mirrored that of some eras of Beach Boy touring where they did more intimate tours. The whole point of his post was that he was reminded that both ways of reaching out to an audience are powerful.
I guess when it comes to a revered member who is actually contributing priceless information there should be a certain level of respect and understanding. I agree that walking on eggshells isn't something we should have to do on a messageboard, but when it comes to people who contribute information (and music) that no one else has, when they bring up a pretty harmless topic about being reminded of different touring styles, it's probably best for people not to go into total tantrum mode.
THIS x10000.
I hate Trump, despise the man, his politics, etc. But I can handle someone comparing the touring aspects of a campaign with similar aspects to the band's touring. It was ultimately not a post about politics (even if it was "secretly" some sort of pro-Trump message, who cares?) It was really very unfortunate that people got pissed about it and mouthed off to the point where Stephen left. Very, very unfortunate and totally unnecessary.
Again - who cares if he was even attempting on purpose to imply something good about one of the candidates (in a post that actually had pertinent, never-before-heard information on the band)? I fail to see how that matters in context. How people would prioritize telling off someone, even if it means they leave and take their expertise with them. Most importantly, Stephen brought no toxicity to this board.
Yes, I am someone who'd want to talk to someone about political views that I view as being uncool, but that thread ultimately was talking about the band, and people should have checked their politics at the door for that one. No doubt about it. I get how many of us are very emotionally charged (including me) about this era which we are in now... but still, the way some posters reacted felt like a really shortsighted way of handling that situation.