Dear friends,
First of all, I would like to say how sad I am about the death of this famous artist. He was young and, from what it seems, there are still many unanswered questions surrounding his death. I would not intervene in a discussion about Mazonakis because:
- We are talking about music
- We are talking about an artist who represented a large section of the Greek people
- It may not be rebetiko, but there is a lot that can be discussed around it.
On the other hand, I do not think we should corner those who say they do not know him. Personally, although I know of his existence and have certainly heard his songs in clubs or at friends’ parties, if you asked me to name the title of one of his songs, I do not think I could. Even more importantly, I do not believe that respectful criticism of his artistic persona constitutes disrespect towards the deceased. Between you and me, if the person who had died had been a political figure, from any part of the political spectrum, we would not even be discussing whether criticism is disrespectful or not.
In short, the fact that someone has died cannot automatically mean that they are beyond criticism.
After this brief introduction regarding Mazonakis, my intervention will focus on the main problem I see in this matter.
@Panos why such animosity towards the forum? I read your message with surprise. With surprise—not because of some of your views on whether and why the forum has become “deserted”. We have discussed those many times, including between ourselves. What disappointed me was the way you expressed yourself and the hatred you displayed towards this place.
A few years ago, when I suggested that you become a moderator, I remember exactly why I did it. You were calm, willing to help any member, and expressed yourself in a beautiful, pleasant way. I liked how inclusive you were towards opposing views, and how you showed genuine love for rebetiko and this community. I thought you would be a fresh voice on the forum and that you could contribute, in your own way, to the diversity of views here.
- Yes, I agree with you that it is not nice for a new member to join the forum and for the first reply they receive to be “we’ve discussed this before”.
- Yes, I agree with you that we cannot make unreservedly negative public criticisms of people in the community.
- Yes, I agree with you—and I know this—that some professionals in the field avoid writing on the forum (as they do on any public online medium that allows free comment) because they “fear” the possible and unjustified dismantling of their post.
And much more besides.
But let us now turn to the things I disagree with you about.
First, to get this out of the way, expressions such as:
or, even worse, the homophobic expression:
What exactly is this “faggoty stuff”, my dear Panos? Do you mean things that a “homosexual” would write? And why is there a problem with what a “homosexual” would write and how they would write it? Anyway, you understand why this is unacceptable and has no place on the forum.
Second, you talk about there being no “freedom of speech” on the forum.
And here you completely contradict yourself: the freedom of speech that you are so passionate about defending is undermined by your writing, in essence, that no one can have or respectfully express their opinion about Mazonakis beneath the announcement of his death. I do not think anyone here can complain that we have genuinely prevented them from expressing their opinion politely.
Third, if you really consider this place so repulsive, deserted and a lost cause, then why do you come here to write about and announce Mazonakis’s death? Do you think we had not heard about it elsewhere and needed to be informed? Or did you write it expecting people to post even half a line of criticism about him, so that you could confirm your belief that the forum is a clique that does not allow those outside the clique to express themselves?
And what did you expect, anyway? That you would write the message and everyone below it would agree? If that is what you want, you can write it on your Facebook or Instagram profile. Here on the forum, the principle from the outset has been that all opinions should be heard, not only those that agree.
For these three reasons (though there are certainly others that are not worth discussing, since these three are already more than enough), I do not think you can continue to serve as a moderator here. This is not a punishment; it is simply clear that we disagree on fundamental matters, from the way we express ourselves to our views on freedom of speech, and above all, you do not share the same love for this community.
Thank you for all the positive contributions you have made during this time.
The topic will not be reopened, as we believe there is nothing more to say here.