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

[Linda Ryan]

Christopher: Thanks for your common sense answer to Jim Jarrell (whoever he
is). However, I have a not-so-common-sensical answer for him. What he wrote
is a load of codswallop! What arrogance! Hey Jim, have you heard of this new
thing called a delete button? Learn how to use it. I can show you how. Cuz I
know I'll be using it on anything you post. You just returned from wherever
after ten years? If you think we're so bad, for Pete's sake do us all a
favor and go back.

 

Linda Ryan

 

From: Christopher Toth [mailto:cjtonline at hotmail.com] 
Sent: Friday, June 25, 2010 8:18 PM
To: Jim Jarrell
Cc: NEohioPAL
Subject: Re: [NEohioPAL] If We Want To Read Critiques, We'll Ask Your
Opinions

 

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

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

  _____  

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.neohiopal.org/pipermail/neohiopal-neohiopal.org/attachments/20100626/16f7a093/attachment-0004.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: image/gif
Size: 2310 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://lists.neohiopal.org/pipermail/neohiopal-neohiopal.org/attachments/20100626/16f7a093/attachment-0004.gif>