MoreCooler.com: It's more cooler with the thing

I've never been more disgusted to be associated with a group of people than I am to be associated with the fans on the Cowboy Mouth board. When I created the boards, I put in an off-topic board for everything non-Cowboy Mouth. In the last few months, it has basically become a playground for Adam (who happens to be a friend of Griff's), where he creates a handful of usernames, and has conversations with himself and his group of followers. At first, it was cute (in the same way that it's cute when a 4 year old has an imaginary friend). After a while, it became a bit stale. Eventually, it just became ridiculous. Then the fun started.

He created a username for a character called Jitterbug Jackson. This character was nothing more than a black stereotype straight out of a minstrel show. He did it in the form of an advice column, and featured such gems as "dat b a tough question. How do you know this fella is acturrly your broyfriend? . . . Until a fella gives you a ring and spends a substainiaill amounts o money on you he may just be playin wit your lurve." Apparently this was supposed to be witty humor of some sort.

Inevitably, people got offended. When these people voiced their opinions, they were insulted. Eventually, Adam created a new name who was offended by everything, and he and a group of others proceeded to make fun of the people who "couldn't take a joke." I ended up calling management, and we pulled the entire board for a day, then reinstated it with some rules. It's so sad that we need to have rules to tell people not to make racist comments, but we do. Based on a post to the board that has been made since, someone (the poster didn't identify himself) sent a person to the board in an attempt to impress them, and because of this thread, he had to major damage control. Only now are the people involved getting the clue that their actions on the Cowboy Mouth board reflect upon everyone involved with the band (myself included). Now they've moved the little game to the major Cowboy Mouth fan site. So far, the voice of reason on the fan site is a 14 year old (oh, did I mention that Adam is 36?). I love the Internet.

Figure out a show that Adam will be in, and ask the Griff to put the spotlight on him and tell everyone there that he's a prick and ask them, politely, to throw things at him.

Or, er, not. ^_^

Does the board have an official moderator for this sort of stuff? I mean, someone should 'own' the boards, right?

Me. I think the management people are watching a little closer now, though.

You are the moderator? Sheesh, I didn't know that. Why not force unique e-mail addresses and disallow the freebie services? That should eliminate accounts pretty quickly.

There's nothing we can do to limit the number of people coming in. With the amount of free addresses and forwarding accounts, there's not much that can be done without spending way more time than I have to police. It's a very reactive policing, because they don't pay me enough to be proactive. =)

You fuckers need to let it go, Lifes to short. What more do you want from me. I have apologized, You people can't let it go.

These comments are mean and unnecessary and quite two-faced. It's easy to pick on someone who isn't around to defend themselves, or at least he wasn't until today. I guess you think it makes you look cool and smart or something. Congratulations - you pull off the smug intellectual thing very well. I thought you were a good person but you've been a real jerk lately. The whole thing was just a misunderstanding that you and your friends blew out of proportion. Now it's my turn to be disappointed and disgusted. Don't bother to reply - I'm removing myself from all things related to this bullshit. I just thought Adam needed a little help defending himself.

Because he has the English skills of a twelve year old.

I like entering flame wars for topics I don't understand...

Congrats to us for being the number one Google return for "Jitterbug Jackson".

You so funny, boy!

And to Adam and Carrie:

I will bother to reply, seeing as I know goddamn well y'all are gonna come back here to see who said what in response to you, even though you say you won't. So, you know. You're welcome to respond.

First off, take note of the date on this post. On the 11th, Adam posted on the Cowboy Mouth board apologizing. An hour later, he was over at Mercyland, posting as Jitterbug "through Adam" and pretty much making it clear that his apology did not mean he was going to stop outright, since Jitterbug had a "red phone line connected directly to Adam". It was before Adam spoke to Nickolas, and really understood what his actions had almost cost the band, and thus realized that he had to stop with the character on anything related to Cowboy Mouth if he didn't want to get in trouble for his actions. At least, I hope he truly realizes this, and is not just saying things to placate people as he did to me -- apologizing in PM and saying he knew he'd gone too far, and then turning around to create the Norman character who made fun of people being offended by something. That was real classy, and very discrediting.

As for Bryce being "two-faced", how do you figure? Bryce never said whether or not he was amused by the shenanigans on the board. All he ever said was that whether or not he thought it was funny was irrelevant, since he was an agent for the band. He kept his personal stance aside and chose to vent about it while the issue was still very much alive on the boards, on a medium away from Cowboy Mouth where he didn't have to remain neutral.

So, one: Letting it go? This was posted in the middle of it all, not after the fact.

And two: Nobody ever said that Bryce thought these games were funny. He was just doing his job, he never implied that he thought anything about what was going on other than that it had gotten out of control and something needed to be done.

As far as the mean-spirited comments? We can't control what other people think and say in reaction to hearing what happened. But quite frankly, I think you'll see that Bryce and I never said anything purposefully "mean" -- unless that's what you call someone's opinion. I strove the whole time to remain polite, even if I was disagreeing with you. The comments Bryce made in this post about him finding the humor stale and ridiculous was just the truth. It was not a personal attack on Adam. At least, I don't think it was meant that way. You'll have to ask Bryce, I guess, for sure.

And personally, Carrie, I don't understand why you keep trying to downplay what happened. I'm quite sure word got to you through Adam as to what Nickolas told him had happened, and if you don't think that's a pretty big fuckin' deal, then I honestly don't know what to say to you, other than perhaps it's better you're leaving if you can't keep your mouth shut when you need to for the band's sake.

Good fucking riddance.

Hey look: I'm Bryce's friend! Is that an upgrade or a reduction?

Really, Carrie and Adam, I thought that we were over this. We all know that if anyone "started" this, it was me. That's right, me, Joanne--I'm the one who stood up and said that this was wrong. And it still is, no matter how persecuted you feel over it all. As Melbourn pointed out, instead of correcting things, you and yours made fun of me and anyone who agreed with me. And I was willing to forgive that, even though none of this would have happened if Adam could exercise a little self control and not shit where Cowboy Mouth eats. He could just as easily create an Adamsday board and take all this off-color humor over there. I suspect he doesn't because he doesn't want to shit where *he* eats. Don't do to others what you wouldn't want done to yourself. If the behavior would reflect badly on Adamsday, then the same is true of the reflection it would have on Cowboy Mouth.

Next, I'm curious then, if we aren't having a little case of two-face on our own here? For instance, I seem to recall both of you telling me that you thought we had a misunderstanding. Now you're blaming Bryce and his "friends" for some wrong that's been done to you. Either there was no wrong done because it was just a misunderstanding, or it's *my* fault, not Bryce's. He stayed out of it all until things had spiraled out of control, which is what Adam really wants anyway, isn't it? To jerk on people's strings and then sit back and chuckle while he watches how everyone reacts? Adam, just dispense with the freaky puppet master routine--not gaining much in the fan department there. If you've got any balls, you'll start your own Adamsday board and take your off-color humor with you and invite your seven friends to go over there and enjoy it, though if you have any brains, you might think twice about what kind of content you're associating with your band's name. Not that you and your friends can't all also exist on the Cowboy Mouth boards, but keep your discussion clean enough that you don't spoil it for the boys and girl who are out there working their asses off all the time. If you'd like to have the same level of success that they do, maybe you should get off your ass and spend some time writing and singing songs instead of just googling yourself in all of your glorious incarnations and trolling message boards all day.

Adam, I would like to be your friend, and I would also like to be Carrie's friend, but it's really difficult when you keep acting like an ass and Carrie keeps having to jump in and defend you for it, which actually often makes things worse. My first loyalty is to Cowboy Mouth, and while that doesn't exclude me from being a fan of Adamsday, when the interests of the two collide, you'll find me on the Cowboy Mouth side. Quit fucking up their boards and I'll leave you the fuck alone. Until then, expect the minute that I'm done with finals that I will be on your every offensive post like Martha Stewart on a hand-crafted pie server (fashioned out of everyday items you can find in your home), and you won't like the slices I'll be serving up. You think you've been persecuted now, just wait, because I will not pull my punches next time if you don't get your shit together and out of places it doesn't belong. I'm not saying don't post anything, but I am saying don't deposit anything on them that would be better served with a sea burial. Consider yourself warned. I don't want to be your enemy, but if you make me one, I will be. And you might want to consider if I'm the type of enemy you want to have. Because if you think this was harsh, just wait until I get out the industrial strength cleaners.

I think you owe Bryce an apology. A real one.

As for me, I don't need another apology from you. I want to see action. Put your money where your mouth is and walk the talk.

Joanne the Burninator

...I can drag my forum problems here too? =)

Not like I have any, but if I do I'll be sure to bring everyone over here for the entertainment of the general internet =).

Anyhow, I'm enjoying myself. Please, keep flaming away. I need to run out and grab some marshmellows.

Don't forget the chocolate and the graham crackers, yo!

Matt and I were just talking about how to get more people to come to the site. I think we hit on a solution.

At least they aren't discussing the realities of hurling a fireball down a hallway into a magical monk. I hate those.

But it sounds like this Adam needs some quite time in the corner. I guess he doesn't understand that really only fans read the boards, and all he can really do is keep them, or drive them away. Insulting your fan base isn't that smart a move.

I'm 15...heh...:D

Oh my GAWD I love Joanne! *gush*

I've said all I've had to say on Mercyland and to Adam, so whatever. It seems things of calmed down for the most part, so that's good. I hope it stays that way.

Oh, and hi Bryce's other friends! :D

*pokes head in and looks around*

Fuck me. This is too much. I'm starting to wish I'd never said a word...

*shakes head and leaves*

C'mon, keep arguing, this is the longest thread we've had so far.

Spread it all over, get those flames nice and hot....