• 15Aug

    Posted by


    Category

    A (not so) funny poem about me

    10

    Well this is a first – someone actually wrote a poem about me.  However, rather than being a love poem from my girlfriend, the first poem written about me is a satircal Dr. Suess spoof glossing me as the "Gromey" (after the Grinch), talking about how I stole SpectacleFest.  This is direct response to Friday’s entry about Buzz Out Loud and SpectacleFest.

    First let me be clear about something – I’m not upset that people have decided to have fun at my expense.  If someone has that kind of time on their hands to write a 5 page, 1,363 word poem about this than more power to them.  However, I feel that it’s necessary to point out that the basis of their poem is based on a false premise, and that I essentially was personally attacked.  Again, I’m not upset, but I am annoyed.

    I’m annoyed because while my comments were constructively taken on the show (they are setting up a completely separate Wiki & relegating SpectacleFest comments to after the show officially ends), people feel the need juvenilely misinterpret my comments as "those who would crush SpectacleFest".

    I don’t hate SpectacleFest, and the essence of my blog posting was not to say that the joke itself was bad – but simply that the constant renditions of the joke were annoying listeners like myself.  While I did call out "the listeners" in general, I did not cast blame on anyone specifically and personally tried to go out of my way not to offend the hosts of Buzz Out Loud.  I was very conscious about not making any personal attacks, and I’ll let those who read the post decide whether I did.  The satirical comment I made about "it’s not funny anymore guy" was not targeted at anyone specifically and was made more to drive home a point.

    Where I take issue is that I put these comments out on a blog so that people can read and respond appropriately.  There’s a comment mechanism that works well, and people have challenged my views in my blog before resulting in a fruitful discussion.  I enjoy being challenged, and enjoy engaging in thoughtful debate.  What I don’t enjoy is people resorting to personal attacks simply because they disagree with me, then do it in such a manner that’s basically behind my back.  I’m not saying Frank L shouldn’t have submitted the poem to the show, but at least give me the courtesy of writing a comment or emailing me.  I also must concede that I should have emailed my blog entry to the Buzz Out Loud hosts, rather than relying on their Technorati feeds.

    It also frustrates me that Veronica decided to post this on her own blog, essentially taking a side in this issue and giving the impression that she took my critical feedback about show listeners personally.  This is definitely discouraging to anyone else who may share my views about the joke, or anyone who would like to submit feedback in general (If you don’t agree with what everyone is saying, we’ll vilify you).  Seeing this on her blog causes me to take this joke personally – there were probably better ways to communicate this poem (i.e the Wiki they are working on). 

    Again, I’m not upset and I know I’m probably reading too much into a joke about someone commenting on another joke, but I wanted to explain why I don’t think this is very funny.

  • http://www.veronicabelmont.com veronica

    Romey – I meant no harm. I thought it was an adorable poem, and I don’t believe it was meant as any kind of attack against you. SpectacleFest is just supposed to be funny and rediculous. I will change the line “those who would crush SpectacleFest” in my blog, because I can see how it might be taken wrong (although, it was really meant to be tongue-in-cheek, because… well, there’s really nothing to crush!).

    I’m sorry, lets be friends?

  • http://www.subbrilliant.com Tom

    I second V’s comments. We were just having fun, and we did take your earlier post constructively. Please don’t take it as a personal attack. I took it as chance to pretend to be Boris Karloff. Personally, I don’t see any resemblance between this “Gromey” person and you.

    –Tom

  • http://www.udayantripathi.com Udayan

    Romey, I hope you don’t feel as hurt as you sound. If I have the courage to type it up, I’ll share a 1000 word story that was written when I was 11 as a comedic attack but I didn’t find it funny.

    I was later told that it showed how I was valued, some kid (now a good friend of mine) had made such a large effort (and what may seem somewhat twisted) to mock me and thus establishing me in the school where others faded away.

    In a similar way, you are now established in BOL history as Romey – the one who spoke out for those who thought it got a little worn out. Not bad, I’d say. I was Udayan – the one with an abnormally large forehead. All in jest of course, but from close-up it wasn’t funny.

  • http://www.romeyinfc.com/ Romey

    Hey guys sorry about the post earlier – it’s no worries. I think the earlier post was based more upon upon the end of a long day at work (after a previous late working night) and having a short fuse rather than being personally offended. As I read the poem and the posting a second time I see that it’s not all that bad (the fact that my girlfriend continuously laughed at me about this also persuaded me). The truth is I love the Podcast, I love the hosts, and I love the listeners. Let’s all keep up the good work. Thanks for “listening” to me vent.

  • http://jonathancifuentes.com Jonathan.C

    i agree with tom, veronica, and udayan. I thought the poem was funny at first but then i wondered “…if that were to happen to me, how would i react?”. Either way, we all knew it wasnt anything personal…the BOL community appreciates your voice and presence :-)

  • http://www.udayantripathi.com Udayan

    Well said, Jonathan C.

    Three cheers for Romey, glad you feel better now :D

  • Frank L

    Hey Romey-

    Point is well taken. An email, or a comment might have been appropriate or fair before sending it to the show.

    Also, I hope you can understand (and it looks like you have) not to take it personally, as I didn’t intend to villify you. As you pointed out, the poem is based on a false premise, and that is done intentionally to make it actually funny. The “Gromey” isn’t annoyed with a joke that’s gone on too long, its tremendous leap and bound from your blog post to a full blown grumpy-thing that would perhaps not enjoy the spectacle of spectaclefest. I had hoped by the extrapolation to the new “Gromey” character you, and others, would understand that it wasn’t an attack on you, it was just something to be funny-and to note if you read the posts on the forum about the poem, not one of them is “yeah right on, you tell that Romey!” Cuz honestly no one thinks that-or at least I wouldn’t guess they do.

    I adopted your name maybe because you were willing to put yourself out there as a critic of the joke-which let’s face it. This is the web, its public, and if someone wanted to they could take you to task on that and not even give you the courtesy of a blog comment, or make it into a neat and whimsical poem.

    Besides-The Grinch rocks. In the realm of villians, he’s one of the absolute best to be compared to-even if you’re not really being compared to him :)

    So please, chin-up, stiff upper lip, and all that. By all means, you can kick me in the tummy if you need to (NOT THE FACE!!!) or email me if there is anything else. I promise no more poems about you w/o prior consent.

  • http://www.romeyinfc.com Romey

    Again, this is water under the bridge at this point – but I must point out the humorous contradiction that you made in your comment about my post Frank. In the first comment you concede my point that you probably should have notified me that you were going to write this poem. Then in the 3rd paragraph you cite the publicity of the Internet as justification for not notifying on your “neat and whimsical poem”. Which one is it?

    A day later I still must point out that I’m not really offended or upset, but the poem did give me cause to wonder about the fair treatment of dissenting views in BOL’s topics, even the comical ones. I don’t think anyone had ill intentions, but I just wanted to share my initial reaction.

  • Frank

    I was saying it would have been the right thing to, personally, to send you a note (1st Paragraph) but that I was under no obligation to do so(third paragraph). Much the way if someone is drowning on the beach and you can save them it is the right thing to do so, but you are under no legal obligation to do so (unless you’re a lifeguard or something).

    The two ideas are not mutually exclusive

  • Fernando Garcia

    I’m just happy that my comment about pledging pesos for SpectacleFest (I’m mexican you know) somehow got into the poem.

Switch to our mobile site