[NEohioPAL] If We Want To Read Critiques, We'll Ask Your Opinions

[Christopher Toth]

The "divine right" to submit reviews to NEohioPAL is bestowed on the "About NEohioPAL" page at http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/neohiopal.  

On that page it says, "Topics include but are not limited to: auditions, job opportunities, production openings, The Cleveland Theatre Collective, classes, workshops, reviews & editorials, AEA news, SAG/AFTRA news & cut-rate or free tickets."

I just thought you should know.


From: Jim Jarrell 
Sent: Friday, June 25, 2010 10:04 AM
To: neohiopal at listserve.com 
Subject: [NEohioPAL] If We Want To Read Critiques, We'll Ask Your Opinions


I absolutely CANNOT take it anymore...to everyone who feels compelled to fill our email inboxes with unsolicited theatre reviews...

By what divine right do you suppose you are given the authority to pollute our inboxes with your unsolicited opinions?  Good or bad, if any of us on the NEohioPAL list wanted your opinions, we would ask for them or we would go pick up the magazine or newspaper the should be published in.  

Before I get accused of being defensive over someone's opinion, let me point out that I just recently moved back to Northeast Ohio after a 10-year absence and I have not yet appeared on a local stage again to be critiqued by anyone.  So, my words aren't mixed with the bitter taste of a director/performer scorned (nor am I one of the BFFs rushing to their defense). Ill-tempered though they may be, my words ARE mixed with shock and awe that people have the audacity to think they have the right to send hundreds of people (some they may not even know) their unsolicited opinions straight to their email inbox.  As if that weren't bad enough, the opinions are filled with errors and give the impression that they are written for no other reason than to embarrass anyone and everyone associated with the theatrical production in question.  

I'm all for "freedom of speech."  By all means, please, exercise your right to have your own opinion.  Everyone is entitled to have their opinion, whether I agree with them (or anyone else agrees with them) or not.  What I don't agree with is polluting my inbox with your opinions if I don't ask for them (especially if they're poorly written plagiarisms - as one recent diatribe was).  If you want to express your opinion, do it responsibly.  Write something of quality that a newspaper or magazine would be compelled to publish...and if you cannot manage that, there are any number of a zillion free websites where you can start and write your own blog.  Even KJK has a blog, for goodness sake!  It can be done!!

Then, once you have found a PROPER home for your unsolicited opinions, you should feel free to share with the listserv a LINK to your opinion so that we may have the CHOICE to visit it or ignore it.  But, please, if we don't ask for your opinion, don't force it upon us.  Especially not these embarrassing expressions that denigrate into online "flame" wars.  It's just not cute.

Respectfully,
Jim Jarrell



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