Southerner in a Cold, Cold Land

As a high school student, I became interested in the internet as a resource for connecting with people outside of my very small hometown of Lewisburg, Kentucky. Access to a variety of cultural artifacts is fairly limited in scope back home, to say the least. Like many rural areas throughout the country, there is a certain amount risk afforded to young people who have very little to do in their free time. Outside of playing on the football team, and making short order of homework (oh, how things have changed), I devoted a great deal of attention to popular music. As Classic Rock and Oldies radio stations rarely veered from their rigid standard playlists (a nationwide phenomenon that I thought was restricted to my rural home), I felt compelled to reach out to other outlets, especially music journalism publications, for insights into "other" music not played on the radio. I sought out the word of music critics, and gradually built up an enormous music collection unrivalled by my peers. I was a sponge for musical ideas.

After years of scouring various forums or music critic websites (e.g., All Music Guide, Insound), the skies parted in 2001, while I taught English in Japan. My brother had recommended a website run by either an obsessive compulsive harbinger of great taste, or a team of music critics with similar tastes. The website was www.fastnbulbous.com, and over the years I've come to trust only one music critic, A.S. Van Dorston, formerly Uncle Fester -- the dj and host of his own radio show "Uncle Festers Bucket of Nasties". The show, sadly, has fallen by the wayside, but his music criticism is impeccable. He compiles annual lists of great albums from 1947 onward; posts blog analyses of various audiophile interests; highlights relatively unknown, but highly creative, musicians "under the radar"; and responds to the community of people interested in his ideas via personal communications.

I speak of Van Dorston because the online communities that facilitate discussions about music too often devolve into opinions without argument, hipster chauvinism, and childish name-dropping and name-calling (see any discussion at Rate Your Music). Although it's rare to see any extended thread of ideas on popular music criticism in any one forum, his ideas are consistently succinct, fair, and sound. In the brief conversation that emerged on his MOG page -- a forum for blogging about music -- Van Dorston praises MOG for the positive environment of like-minded folks. He expresses his frustration as follows:

It's really disheartening. This is supposed to be my community. Music geeks should be my people, right? But if you look at the snide responses, you'd think all music obsessives also have personality disorders. Or maybe they're just asshole wannabe hipsters too cowardly to give their real opinions for fear of ridicule from the rest of the jackals.

While MOG is at least a friendlier, warmer forum largely free of personal attacks, the problem is that most posts sink into oblivion before a real discussion ever occurs.

I cannot help but feel somewhat affirmed by his frustrations. Too often I've chosen not to get involved in online discussions because a.) they lack structure and focus and b.) too many hostile voices seem determined to ridicule ideas without developing sound arguments. Another "mogger" chimes in:

The sheer number of posts made everyday make some of the more interesting threads seem to fade away.

Too many ideas seem to mar even the best online communities. I would argue that this is a fundamental limitation of any democratic forum/community -- as the community increases in population there is an inevitable disruption in the relative productivity and participation of each group member. I'm personally fascinated with the potential that small communities have achieved through group communication and cohesion. Extending this argument into the classroom, teachers recognize the need for promoting small group interactions and challenges that facilitate openness, unity, and teamwork.