An appeal for calm, reason and truthfulness in a crucial moment- Page 2

[SweetLips22]

Posted: 3/15/20 at 4:31pm

A hot dog is NOT a sandwich-it's a 6inch bun with a revolting red snag.[savaloy?] in the middle covered in even more revolting tomato sauce or/and MUSTARD, and if you must--half cooked onions---total YUK !

Oh yes--and you must say to a friend 'let me get this for you, you'll love it'  and eat it walking through a park trying to eat and talk nonsense at the same time.

Only read Horks post so have no idea what went on before

[Theater'sBestFriend]

Posted: 3/18/20 at 1:39pm

FindingNamo said: "there are plenty of queer and ally AIDS activists from the '80s and '90sstill alive to tell you how things went.... I recommend letting people say what they feel they have to say..."

I know – I am one of those activists, and I’m here to tell you what went down from the front lines. Some of the things being said anonymously about members of the theatrical community on this board remind me of the scapegoating of gays in the early days of HIV/AIDS by the conservative right. In the 1980s, William F Buckley published an op Ed in the New York Times recommending tattooing gays’ buttockses against their will to mark them as potential carriers: Buckley on Gays in 1980’s. I said what I felt about baseless scapegoating of gays then, and I’ll say what I feel about baseless scapegoating of members of the theatrical community now.

The truth is, theatrical leadership worked overtime with governmental and public health officials to coordinate a massive, unprecedented response to the emergency and protect the public health. It entails enormous personal sacrifice. They have been heroic, as gays were in the early days of HIV/AIDS. Yet I have seen public accusations of wrongdoing by members of the theatrical community presented without evidence. Only now it can be done anonymously and amplified by the Internet.

Letting people say what they feel is one thing. These are scary times, and in the haze of crisis facts can become obscure. But false accusation is another thing entirely. The latter could damage people, public health, and the future of the theater. That is why I made my appeal for calm, reason, and truthfulness.

[UncleCharlie]

Posted: 3/20/20 at 2:07am

Theater'sBestFriend said: "Letting people saywhat they feel is one thing. These are scary times, and in the haze of crisis facts can becomeobscure. But falseaccusation is another thing entirely. The lattercould damagepeople, public health, andthe future of the theater. That is why I made myappeal for calm, reason, and truthfulness."

You have no actual evidence any false accusations have been made, just your view of what was in the head of producers and their motivations versus someone else's. Nothing said on this board threatens the public health or the future of theater. If the posters on this board had that kind of power, theater would have ended 15 years ago. You sound ridiculous.

And by the way, this whole topic and the innocuous and short lived debate surrounding it would have been long forgotten a week ago if you weren't working so darn hard to keep it alive. So congratulations for that. Seems like a pretty solid strategy.

Updated On: 3/20/20 at 02:07 AM

[Theater'sBestFriend]

Posted: 3/21/20 at 12:14am

UncleCharlie said: "You have no actual evidence any false accusations have been made... Nothing said on this board threatens the public health or the future of theater."

On another thread, someone who said they work at an organization accused it of behavior endangering public health. They characterized it as “absolutely irresponsible, if not criminal.” They seemed upset, and to be describing their perception, but gave no evidence to support their important claim. So I asked: “What is your proof?” The poster replied: “I don't need to provide proof to you.” I suppose that's technically true. But they also didn't need to make a totally unsubstantiated, anonymous accusation of possible criminality affecting the general public. The New York Times article about the episode found none, and in fact suggested otherwise. 

You obviously know squat about public health. Undermining public confidence in the honesty and integrity of those responsible for carrying out health directives drives behavior that undermines effective containment strategies like contact tracing, appropriate quarantining etc. and creates disease reservoirs that worsen epidemics. If there were ever a real problem affecting public health, anyone who might have evidence of it has a moral obligation to bring it forth through appropriate channels.

And any untrue accusations against theatrical authorities most certainly could endanger the future of Broadway. As I said in reply: "The public has the right to know that the entire theatrical family works together to ensure they are safe. That way, they can be confident that it is alright to return to the theater when the COVID-19 threat has passed, and The Show Will Go On." The other poster's claim that their employer would risk decades of future revenues and an entire industry for one day's box office receipts simply strained credulity.

I care about both public health and the future of Broadway. Unsubstantiated accusations that might harm either one should be called out. I remember the scapegoating and hysteria from the early HIV/AIDS days all too well. They caused untold harm and suffering.

I'm not sure why anyone would question an appeal for calm, reason and truthfulness in a public health emergency that closed Broadway. 

 

Updated On: 3/21/20 at 12:14 AM

[UncleCharlie]

Posted: 3/21/20 at 4:01am

Theater'sBestFriend said: "On another thread, someone who said they work at an organizationaccused itof behavior endangering public health. They characterized it as“absolutely irresponsible, if not criminal.” They seemed upset, and to be describing their perception, but gave no evidence to support their important claim. SoI asked: “What is your proof?”The poster replied: “I don't need to provide proof to you.”I suppose that's technically true. But they also didn't need to make a totallyunsubstantiated, anonymous accusation of possible criminality affecting the general public. The New York Times article about the episode found none, and in fact suggested otherwise.

You obviously know squat about public health. Undermining public confidence in the honesty and integrity of those responsible for carrying out healthdirectivesdrives behavior that undermines effective containment strategies like contact tracing, appropriate quarantining etc.and creates disease reservoirs that worsen epidemics. If there were ever a real problem affecting public health, anyone whomight have evidence of ithas a moral obligation to bring it forththrough appropriate channels.

And any untrue accusations against theatrical authorities most certainly couldendanger the future of Broadway. As I said in reply: "The public has the right to know that the entire theatrical family works together to ensure theyare safe. That way, they can be confident that it is alright toreturn to the theater when the COVID-19 threat has passed, and The Show Will Go On." The other poster's claim that their employer would risk decades of future revenues and an entire industryfor one day'sbox office receipts simply strained credulity.

I care about both public health and the future of Broadway. Unsubstantiatedaccusations that might harm either one should be called out. I remember the scapegoating and hysteria from the early HIV/AIDS days all too well. They caused untold harm and suffering.

I'm not sure why anyone would question an appeal forcalm, reason and truthfulness in a public health emergency that closed Broadway."

You haven't posted on this board for several years and all of a sudden, you're in 4 or 5 threads constantly praising the producers as selfless heroes, profits be damned, working closely with the government to ensure the health of the public and work towards a better world not only us but for generations to come and aggressively condemning those that dare to say anything to the contrary. Are you new to social media? Do you honestly believe this is the first example of someone making an allegation that someone else may view as unsubstantiated? The vast majority of theatergoers don't post on this board and many probably don't even know it exists. Your acting like one or two comments in one or two threads on this board can harm the future of theater let alone public health is a bit much. Your ridiculous over reaction to it and repeating the same nonsense about it endangering the public health and the future of theater for the 5th time doesn't make it any more compelling than it was the first time though I will admit, your suggestion that Congress investigate the accuracy of comments made on this board did provide me with a big laugh at a time I needed one.

Your need to constantly push a narrative of producers as heroes and tamping down anyone who dares to speak contrary to that is the behavior of a shill, sent here to advance a specific narrative. We've had plenty before and they all think they're so clever, no one here will be able to tell. I don't know if you are but you're exhibiting all the signs. Frankly, I see the producers as neither heroes or villains. They balanced a variety of considerations both business and health related in deciding what to do until a closure was mandated with which they quickly complied just like thousands of others running businesses in New York. And I sincerely doubt they are anywhere near as worried as you that whenever theaters and other businesses reopen, Madge and Troy from Iowa will remember a random comment made by a poster in a random thread on BroadwayWorld's Chat Board three or four months earlier and have serious concerns whether they can trust Broadway producers to provide a safe environment. After having been on this board apparently since 2013, you should be well aware people make claims, others agree or disagree, the thread dies and is completely forgotten a few days later. As I said in my last comment, the best thing you could do is just let the thing die a natural death instead of continuing to breath life into it in some misguided belief that you will ultimately be able to get unanimous agreement that producers are heroes and anyone saying anything to the contrary is making a provably false accusation. Oh, and likening a few random comments made on a discussion board in 2020 about Broadway producers to what went on during the AIDS crisis in the 80's is probably not going to win you much support.

Updated On: 3/21/20 at 04:01 AM

[Theater'sBestFriend]

Posted: 3/21/20 at 9:16am

Baloney. At a time of public health emergency and societal crisis, I asked about an accusation that someone else had made of possible criminality affecting public health in theaters.

It had nothing to do with producers; it was about a theater owner. The charge, if true, was serious. It could damage public confidence in Broadway and the future of the industry.

I wanted to know if there was evidence. I got none. I asked for calm, reason and truthfulness. I don’t know why someone would be bothered by that. 

You looked up my posting history? Wow, I seem to have hit a nerve. I mostly enjoy reading others’ posts. I speak when I have something to say.

Updated On: 3/21/20 at 09:16 AM

[Theater'sBestFriend]

Posted: 3/21/20 at 1:48pm

PS The Broadway League, theater owners, labor groups including Actors' Equity, musicians' unions, artists representatives and others have all been working together with public health leaders, the mayor, the governor, and members of congress non-stop since this thing began.

These community members have have been in overdrive protecting public health as a top priority and the future of the industry when this is over. They've risen to their best for Broadway and theatergoers in a time of crisis, despite an abysmal lack of federal executive leadership. They are heroes. Anyone who doesn't know that is not in the loop, and is not worth listening to in my opinion.

Empty scapegoating and fingerpointing is an understandable reaction by some in a frightening time. It is natural for some who feel scared to want to tell a simplified story. But such melodrama is bad theater, and not reliable news. There were multiple unclear threads started by others that made me wonder about the facts. I started one thread advocating truthfulness in a stressful time. I stand by it.

'Nuff said.

Updated On: 3/21/20 at 01:48 PM

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 3/21/20 at 1:57pm

I really just want an appeal to the end of some of these posts that are all caps and/or in bold. 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 3/21/20 at 2:39pm

Hear, hear, Uncle Charlie.