Angeline
Poet Chick
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2002
- Posts
- 27,357
I read through a whole bunch of new poems just now, something I haven't done in a while. The good part is that I read some very wonderful poetry. The quality of much of the writing here is still amazingly high. The not-so-good part was that I see some mean-spirited poltergeist is floating around pontificating and delivering "tongue lashings."
Now I know that feeding trolls is generally a very bad idea. I know my fairy tales, but I have a few observations:
1. I think they're all the same person. They sound pretty much alike and they have an equivalent level of literacy.
2. The comments themselves are well written, that is to say in complete grammatical sentences--always a good thing in my book. On the other hand, they have no substance. Here's why:
First, while they do sling the old invective pretty well, they all show an appalling lack of understanding of poetry. Collective Troll, poetry is art. It is one of the arts, in the literary genre and communicates with imagery and metaphor. Sometimes you can do that with words alone, sometimes images--digitized or otherwise illustrated or recorded--can enhance the message of the words. It's ok when poems do that--they're still poems. Every art evolves; if it didn't you'd still be looking at creative stick figures on a cave wall at Lascaux or something.
This is not just my opinion. Go look at a site like Born Magazine or Exquisite Corpse, both respected in the traditional poetry world, and you will understand that poetry is evolving with technology.
Second, Collective Troll you're dead wrong in assuming that certain poets here simply pat each other's back. We do if it's a good poem, sure, but we also edit other's work and generally support each other. To set the record straight, you just don't see it because it mainly happens in a pm or email. Know why? Most people here are too polite to do much publically in the way of criticism; we respect each other's anxieties about our worth as poets. Also, constructive criticism, as opposed to empty insults, takes time. You have to read and think, and I for one ain't putting that time into a poem if the reaction is going to be "Fuck you. I don't edit" or whatever.
And by the way when giving feedback, the opposite of praise is not a tongue-lashing, it's criticism that's constructed so as to help the writer improve the poem. That's how it's supposed to work. It usually does that here. Gremlins tend to do better on other Literotica forums.
The only intelligent thing I ever heard Dan Quayle say (He may not have known how smart it was) is "I wear their scorn like a badge of honor." Almost Shakespearean, eh? So yknow, one-bomb me, call my poems crapola if you like. I don't care. I've had it happen before and I didn't care then either. Really. Do it if you want. I'll wear your scorn like a badge of honor. (I can't believe I just compared myself to Dan Quayle.)
Ok poets, support this thread with your posts. You know this trolling sucks. Write a poem about it or say "I don't care either" or whatever. It'll feel good.
Now I know that feeding trolls is generally a very bad idea. I know my fairy tales, but I have a few observations:
1. I think they're all the same person. They sound pretty much alike and they have an equivalent level of literacy.
2. The comments themselves are well written, that is to say in complete grammatical sentences--always a good thing in my book. On the other hand, they have no substance. Here's why:
First, while they do sling the old invective pretty well, they all show an appalling lack of understanding of poetry. Collective Troll, poetry is art. It is one of the arts, in the literary genre and communicates with imagery and metaphor. Sometimes you can do that with words alone, sometimes images--digitized or otherwise illustrated or recorded--can enhance the message of the words. It's ok when poems do that--they're still poems. Every art evolves; if it didn't you'd still be looking at creative stick figures on a cave wall at Lascaux or something.
This is not just my opinion. Go look at a site like Born Magazine or Exquisite Corpse, both respected in the traditional poetry world, and you will understand that poetry is evolving with technology.
Second, Collective Troll you're dead wrong in assuming that certain poets here simply pat each other's back. We do if it's a good poem, sure, but we also edit other's work and generally support each other. To set the record straight, you just don't see it because it mainly happens in a pm or email. Know why? Most people here are too polite to do much publically in the way of criticism; we respect each other's anxieties about our worth as poets. Also, constructive criticism, as opposed to empty insults, takes time. You have to read and think, and I for one ain't putting that time into a poem if the reaction is going to be "Fuck you. I don't edit" or whatever.
And by the way when giving feedback, the opposite of praise is not a tongue-lashing, it's criticism that's constructed so as to help the writer improve the poem. That's how it's supposed to work. It usually does that here. Gremlins tend to do better on other Literotica forums.
The only intelligent thing I ever heard Dan Quayle say (He may not have known how smart it was) is "I wear their scorn like a badge of honor." Almost Shakespearean, eh? So yknow, one-bomb me, call my poems crapola if you like. I don't care. I've had it happen before and I didn't care then either. Really. Do it if you want. I'll wear your scorn like a badge of honor. (I can't believe I just compared myself to Dan Quayle.)
Ok poets, support this thread with your posts. You know this trolling sucks. Write a poem about it or say "I don't care either" or whatever. It'll feel good.
), advertise my work while trolling other people, and even give me some fabulous title or/and signature-line material. 
