If you've been following some of the recent threads here on Thrasher's Wheat, you will be aware that things are really heating up as we prepare for the summer tour.
So much so that readers are threatening to leave the site -- or already have abandoned ship. Obviously, an unfortunate situation.
Thanks to Dan for stepping in with some calming words:
For those who have spoken about leaving this site, I urge you to reconsider.We are living during a very difficult time, and there is much division. This country is experiencing a crisis, and we need to find ways to deal with the struggles and fear that many of us are experiencing.
If we stop engaging with each other then we will simply grow farther apart, and that is the opposite of what needs to happen.
Yes, this is a Neil Young appreciation site, and that is at least one thing we can all share in common. And Neil has always been an activist for change. Don’t let the current predicament we are facing separate us from each other.
Peace
A timely suggestion.
Hopefully the dialogs here are doing more good than harm. As you say, once the talking stops, the shooting starts. Many are hell bent on making this go hot and kinetic. As someone casually dropped on us long ago, "TW [NY] is like a flower stuck in the gun barrel of the MIC".
From the "proprietors" perspective, one of the many lessons we've learned over the years, is that if you don't have the time or patience to be crystal clear, don't even bother.
As much as we would love for every post to be carefully crafted down the last syllable and every comment carefully considered from every angle, we just can't.
So clearly we've been quite careless here. Anyone who has known us and this site would be shocked to see these accusations leveled. In fact, we're kind of surprised by the level of blowback from regulars who presumably wouldn't be coming here year after year if this ideology is what the site supported.
Attempting to be clear here, but we have made a concerted effort in recent years to stick as much as we can to the "Neil facts". As in, quote the man directly and abstain from editorializing. Again, broke the rule on this post.
At the moment, we continue to work on the long overdue re-launch of TW in what very little spare time we have.
As we head into the summer tour and Farm Aid 40, we're already considering 2026. 2026 will be the 30th anniversary of TW. Our plan is to make it to 2026 and operationalize the re-launch to sustain TW well into the future.
peace
@ Thrasher : Thanks so much for giving us this platform. TW does not come with a pension either. Or pay.
ReplyDeleteHerding cats might be preferable! Thank you for the blog. Approaching 30 years!!!?
It’s tough to keep this up with bickering here and there.
Long term Loyal TW fans leaving? Please don’t. We need you. And the “95%” also needs you (5% of readers commenting also need you).
Crazy times. The topic of Neil Young is fascinating, perhaps more so during the times we are facing. Will Neil Young be allowed back into the US after touring in Europe? Careful, if you talk shit about the prez he pivots to revenge. IMHO
Maybe we should all start signing our names with IMHO at the start of it!?
TW / Thrasher is a campion of free speech. That can be very hard. There isn’t much free speech allowed nowadays.
My prayer to the Rock Gods is that we can all get along and meet up (Bend?!) & say a toast to peace.
Baby Please Don’t Go
Your Brother Alan in Seattle
“Champion” of free speech that Thrasher is!
ReplyDeleteI do agree that name calling or personal attacks are not constructive here to try to engage with others on sensitive topics. And I was in the wrong in that respect. I think for me personally it is best to not respond to other people's statements that I don't agree with. I'm just going to stick to talking about Neil and his music.
ReplyDeleteWe’ve been here long enough to regret a few things, myself included. Forgive & make peace. The Neil Young universe is enough. But right now, that may include more than we are accustomed to!
ReplyDeleteYour Brother Alan in Seattle
I’d ask that everyone, regardless of political affiliations, take seriously the fact (easily seen in these comments) that your fellow citizens, fellow humans are feeling a great high level of anxiety, concern, and uncertainty. That’s something that should be worth considering and acting upon.
ReplyDeleteIt may be that we’re all so accustomed to being scared and angry for one reason another, we’ve forgotten that it’s a problem. That living with fear shouldn’t be the norm. If you care about the human beings around you, listen to them carefully and thoughtfully. Free speech is wonderful, but it loses a lot of its power if we forget how (or choose not) to listen.