Baeritone Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 (edited) So I've conned through this melange of responses, here's what I gather is being said. Keep in mind that summarizing this does not mean that I agree: 1. Blue Devils won last night; most people agree that they should have done according to the judging sheets, and there is a great schism in our community of fans as to whether or not that ACTUALLY should have according to the mythical GE scoring system contrasted with audience response. 2. Virtually everyone agrees that BD executed their show design flawlessly. 3. The majority of opinions on this board, which may or may not represent a clear cross-section of the drum corps audience (there's no way to quantify it), is that the reason BD's execution was flawless was because their show was easier than the rest of the top 5 corps shows, quite aside from the mythical GE score. 4. There are few people loudly proclaiming that BD is the end-all be-all of drum corps, and those few are now or have been primarily involved with BD personally, and as such, are obviously biased. 5. There will always be people who hate the winner, and in this case those people may or may not have a regional bias. 6. It would be possible for BD to do a crowd-pleasing show as they did in the 80's and still win. (Editorial comment: SCV showed us how that can be done in 1999. When that show concept was announced people thought it would be weird and inaccessible; instead, it was a show that was so good that it made me get over my long-standing bias against SCV.) 7. There is no place for what BD is doing in drum corps. (Editorial note: I STRONGLY disagree with this one, and of all the consensus points herein, I consider this one the most dangerous.) 8. Almost everyone here thinks almost everyone else here is an idiot. Is this a fair assessment of the state of things here? Ok. Here's what I have to say about this, on a personal level: STOP IT. Like most forums, this one is a concentrated microcosm of the larger community it represents. What this means is that, though the obvious loathing of our fellow fans is more obvious here, it is likely to exist just as much, but subtler and more diffusely, in the real world. Now, if you were a new fan, and all you got from was a general miasma of "I'm right, you're wrong" from the general "veteran" audience....would it make you want to keep going to shows, or god forbid, get involved yourself? We have to stop this self-cannibalization in which we're engaged. We are not a large enough community anymore to survive it. Our activity is dying, because the few people who are able to see past the old-fashioned 8-5 style and see what corps has become are turned off by our pointless and endless negativity. STOP IT. STOP worrying so much about judging and winning. Judges do not pay to keep the activity going. Start worrying about how we're going to get new people with new ideas involved. And STOP, for the love of all that's holy, pretending that weird automatically means good just because it's new. You can be weird, and outre`, and surreal even....and still appeal to an audience, and still win, if that's what matters to you. Scores don't keep this thing going, even with the prize money; fans do. It's time to quit destroying drum corps with the blind insistence that you yourself are always right. It's time to start using this beautifully athletic AND artistic medium as something on which everyone might not always agree, but as something which anyone can get behind. Edited August 10, 2009 by Baeritone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCImonkey Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 (edited) Terrible post....you sir are an idiot! haha j/k Edited August 10, 2009 by DCImonkey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euponitone Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 I really think you overrate the importance of this place....for the good and bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audiodb Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 STOP IT. Like most forums, this one is a concentrated microcosm of the larger community it represents. What this means is that, though the obvious loathing of our fellow fans is more obvious here, it is likely to exist just as much, but subtler and more diffusely, in the real world. Here is where I disagree. While your observations have much validity, they only apply to a small subset of hyper-partisan fans using DCP to politic for "their" corps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 Harry you're wrong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
byline Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 4. There are few people loudly proclaiming that BD is the end-all be-all of drum corps, and those few are now or have been primarily involved with BD personally, and as such, are obviously biased. Well, look, I for one loved their show when I saw them in Buffalo, and I have absolutely zero affiliation with their program. I just happened to enjoy their show and can understand why they won, based on the criteria on the judges' sheets. That may not always match up with audience expectations, but drum corps is hardly the first competitive activity in which that has happened. Doesn't mean the judges are wrong, biased, whatever. Just means that we, the fans, don't always agree with the judges' decisions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Todd Tanji Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 (edited) Excellent OP! The judges aren't biased. Everyone else is. Myself included. Edited August 10, 2009 by BDUFLS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baeritone Posted August 10, 2009 Author Share Posted August 10, 2009 Here is where I disagree. While your observations have much validity, they only apply to a small subset of hyper-partisan fans using DCP to politic for "their" corps. I based this primarily on what I hear from actual people. I don't often read the DCI forums here, because it's enough to drive most people mad, what with the constant bickering. What I hear in the stands is a less virulent version of the same, usually from veterans who don't like the idea of change, but also from younger people who don't see value in what has gone before. I wish I COULD agree with you; it would make things seem much more optimistic for the future of drum corps. :-/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baeritone Posted August 10, 2009 Author Share Posted August 10, 2009 Harry you're wrong Hee! How so? Enthrall me with your acumen..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baeritone Posted August 10, 2009 Author Share Posted August 10, 2009 Well, look, I for one loved their show when I saw them in Buffalo, and I have absolutely zero affiliation with their program. I just happened to enjoy their show and can understand why they won, based on the criteria on the judges' sheets. That may not always match up with audience expectations, but drum corps is hardly the first competitive activity in which that has happened. Doesn't mean the judges are wrong, biased, whatever. Just means that we, the fans, don't always agree with the judges' decisions. This is why the disclaimer; I don't agree with all these viewpoints, but they represent themes I've seen on these boards and in the stands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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