A Plea

I don´t really get what´s going on here right now, because to be honest I don´t see a problem.I consider all the members of the Michael Emerson Fanboard to be respectful people.And I don´t think any rules we´re broken.
As many of you already said we love and respect Michael Emerson and one can see that these several fanclubs are harmless.It´s only fancrazyness and there´s a seperate board for it.
And about Jack.Okay I don´t like him.But it´s only a Tv show character.He´s not real so I see no problem there.I have nothing against Matthew Fox by the way and no hateful posts were made against him.
I think all of the things are just for fun and not disrespectful in any way.Just my two cents

Well, let me jump into the foray as well. I don't have a problem with the fancrazy stuff. It's usually not my thing, but once in a while it's a bit of fun. It's off in a category I can avoid on those days when I know when I'm no mood. But I would never want to go away.

I don't mind the Die Jack stuff. Jack is a fictional character. When I first saw the thread, I thought I'm not going there because I don't generally like negative lines of thought. But having looked, I have to say, it's not all that negative, and I don't detect any sort of disturbing hate going on. As long as the thread doesn't start taking shots at Matthew Fox, who I think has actually advanced his acting skills with this role, it's not actually hurting anyone.

I will say the Bocke stuff in the "Other" section might actually belong in the fancrazy stuff or perhaps be nested deeper and not be right there for those who just want some discussion and fun without the fangirl/fanboy stuff. Again, I don't want it to go away, just be in a place so it's not right out there. This is a diverse group with a diverse range of likes and dislikes, and everyone adds to the enjoyment of coming here. JMO, I think this place can accommodate all that.

Let me add, that I agree with Edith on the freedom of speech issue. Those of us in journalism and publishing perhaps more than others have a front-row seat to the threat to this constitutional right. IMO political/social/cultural correctness combined with the corporate culture are presenting as much of a threat to free speech as any other movement has. My tastes tend toward a more conservative vein, so yes, stuff can offend me, but almost always I am free to make sure it doesn't intrude into my life.

Main sections is what "Other" is on my computer, and it's displayed as prominently as the other sections and in the pull out menu it all just about looks the same. Sorry, but the lines and hyphens don't organize it well in the display I see. It sort of all looks the same.

In any case, I've figured out what the Bocke stuff is now (and the fancrazy stuff), so as I stated in my prev posting I can either take it or leave it.

gosh i never noticed this thread (ok il admit its coz i rarely look in the information center) and i wish i had sooner as i find this a very interesting discussion. ever since i knew of the "fan crazy" aspects of the board i have been involved with them a little, they are fun but i always felt a little wierd discussing Michael's physical attributes in that way. my wierd gut feeling that those kind of discussions were a little, how should i say, discourteous, were obviously not out of place as some of you feel the same about this issue. from where i stand i judge the situation logically; discussing michael's physical attributes can sometimes go a little over the top. i think its fine to show an appreciation of Michael's appearance, but a line has to be drawn somewhere. there are a few threads which in my opinion go a little over the line, and so i dont visit them! its difficult for edith and the other moderators to decide whether to get rid of certain topics in this situation because we all view them with different opinions. for example, some members might not see a problem with "the naughty corner" but others might. the only way round this problem is if the members who dont approve stay away from those topics! that way they dont have to take part in them and the people who dont think theres anything wrong with the topic can just get on with it! (im sorry im finding this terribly hard to explain lol)

to combat my own conflicting opinions on the matter i just imagine the reaction of Michael, or of anyone close to him (Carrie for example) to these fancrazy threads. obviously i cant know what their reaction would be but we know that Michael is a courteous gentleman and i can imagine him to be very embarressed, discomfited and maybe even self-conscious to see the in depth discussions of his physical attributes. and imagine Carrie's reaction, this is her husband's "bottom" etc we are discussing!!! the other thing that concerns me a little about this is that we as fans arent doing ourselves any favours. if you were a celebrity and you discovered your fans were discussing each and every part of your body in great detail (often a little crudely) you'd probably not favour them much (and could be very self-conscious every time you met one of them!)

as my feelings on this have become clearer thinking about this in more detail, i as an individual have discovered i am no longer comfortable discussing Michael' attributes in this "fancrazy" way and so after i have posted this i will be deleting my entries on all the "fanclub physical attributes" threads. (apart from the voice appreciation thread because that is part of Michael's acting genius) what i have written here are my own personal views on the matter and i am not trying to apply them to any other member on this board. i want you all to know i dont hold anything against any one who continues to take part in the fancrazy discussions. its a free world (well you know what i mean) and everyone has thier right to say what they wish. i do not judge any of you on anything you write so please don't think i am critising or condemning anyone.

i hope i havent offended anyone saying all this :s and i hope no one takes it the wrong way.

as for the "die jack die" fanclub, i dont think its that big a deal as we are discussing the character and not the actor. we are all aware that Matthew is an awesome actor and we have not expressed any feelings of hate towards him because its jack we hate and not Matthew!!!

oh soph dont feel like that!!! im sorry if it made u feel that way im not havin a go at u or any other member involved with those threads! thats just my opinion and i dont judge u for them being your threads so please dont worry!!!