I'm Not Just A Member, I'm Also The President

I try not to gripe too much on my blog. I sort of ruined my first blog by treating it as a place to rant and vent. Before too long, I lost the urge to continue to post to it because I saw it as so negative. There are times, however, when it's good to gripe, and this is one of them.

By now, anyone who wasn't involved in the fiasco that has happened in the last year and a half is probably going "oh no - not again". Unfortunately, it's one of those situations that unless you've been there, you won't really understand. Normally, I'd not even bother to post on that type of situation, but this is one of those things that you just feel the need to scream at the top of your lungs that you've been wronged, and the sheer magnitude of the bull that went on is unfathomable. There was a small group of us affected. We talk about it. We complain about it. We rant about it when some new crap is perpetuated. We try to get over it. Problem is, we can't.

It's not because we don't want to. It's not because we're living in the past. Rather, it's the other party involved that refuses to let it die.

Honestly, we'd all be happy to have moved on, aside from the occasional playful jab at the offending party, but it just keeps going on. Every time we try to distance ourselves, we get drug back in. The question we keep asking is that if they decided that they didn't want us around and we had to go, then why do they continue to use information and footage that we supplied to them? When one person got the boot, they were told via e-mail that their footage would be destroyed and not used. Ok - no problem. But it gets better. Not only does this person contiune to use their footage in clips that they create, but they continue to use clips created by the booted person. So much for destroying footage.

So rightly so, the booted person saw this, and fought back. He complained to the service showing the clips that the clip was his property, and that he was no longer affiliated with this group, and he would like his clip removed. They were great about it, and complied. Case closed. Or not......
Immediately, backlash ensued. I was told by jerk-of-the-century that he was being sued by the company that was airing the clip because he violated copyright regulations because of a song that appeared in the clip. Problem is, I know the truth. I was copied on the correspondance with the company showing the clip. The song in the video has no copyright - it's under creative commons, and as long as the artist got credit, there would be no problems. Rather than just let it slide, as no one would have likely even noticed it was gone, or even say the clip had been pulled for unknown reasons, they decided to launch a vicious campaign that was complete and total BS - 100%. Furthermore, I got drug in to it.

I was told that I needed to have the booted person contact him because he was named as a co-defendent in this (ficticious) lawsuit, and he could be liable for half of a ridiculous sum like $14,000. Little did he know that I knew that I knew he'd been attempting to contact the booted person consistantly since he booted him - not just since this issue. Also, he told me to tell booted person that he could have his work admired by tons of people if he'd let it be. What dippity-do-dah won't understand is that this was just a hobby for us - nothing we want to pursue as a full-time job, so the admiration of millions simply doesn't mean that much to us. Booted person, as I would, totally ignored all contact attempts. Why subject yourself to more needless grief? I forwarded the message to booted person, who decided it was finally time to fight back, and he sent him a fantastic scathing e-mail, calling his bluff on the whole thing. Needless to say, we never heard about it again.

We try to shoot down outright lies when we catch them, but what is even more unnerving than that, is the fact that once someone calls him on it, he immediately goes in to the Piss-And-Moan-About-Everything Club. As I said at the beginning, he isn't just a member - he's also the president. Boo hoo, poor me. No one understands me. No one likes me. Everyone is deserting me. No one supports what I do. The one that ticks me off the most, however, is when we get blamed for his lack of work. Nothing significant has been done on this project since LAST SUMMER. He can say all he wants that he's gotten so much done - show me the money! All I've been shown is a ever so slight blurb. Meanwhile, he keeps blaming the push back on the finalization date on work, problems with other companies, problems that we've caused, etc. Gripe, gripe, gripe. Don't do anything about it - just gripe away. And while you're at it, blame all your problems on us. After all, we're not around to defend ourselves. Have a pity party. Have it with all your friends (and I mean true friends, not just hanger-on's). I have a feeling you might be the only one there. Keep it up. You'll be completely alone sooner than you think if you keep playing these crappy kindergarten games.

I could be a jerk too. I could name names. I could mention specifics, like this person's websites, and call them on their bluff in terms of the promises he makes that he can't back up, and his complete line of bull. I could go on all day, but I won't. I refuse to sink to that level. One thing I will guarantee is this: what I say (unilke other people I could mention) is the truth. And I can back it up.

Now hopefully, this will all blow over......again. I'm hoping it stays that way, but I'm not holding my breath.