BS: Is the Mudcat American?

Subject: RE: BS: Is the Mudcat American?
From: peteglasgow
Date: 24 Apr 20 - 06:59 AM

it had never occurred to me to care about (though i'm interested to know) whether a poster on here was canadian, american or from scotland or elesewhere. though it is striking and sad that we don't have many (any?) posters not from the uk or north america. With respect to some recent 'controversies ' on here of late there are some of us here who will have grown up in our formative post hippy/punk days with the phrase 'no platform for racists or fascists' (or maybe 'what would joe strummer do?') - it is easy to get us annoyed on these topics. Now , we have kids in 4 european countries all with friends/partners from all over - and to not take a stand against that corossive nonsense would be despicable. (is racism such a toxic issue in the states?) I'm happy to consider myself a citizen of the world - or europe - or even just scotland. i think we do worry about nationalities and borders far too much. it allows our would be leaders to play the oldest trick in their nasty book - that of divide and rule.

Subject: RE: BS: Is the Mudcat American?
From: Donuel
Date: 24 Apr 20 - 06:51 AM

Mudcat is global and about folk music.

Subject: RE: BS: Is the Mudcat American?
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 24 Apr 20 - 06:43 AM

Shows the confusions that can arise
I live in Ireland (I'm a Brit B and B - birthplace not accommodation)
Northerners are a different kettle of dingbats altogether over here
Mind you, it was the British Parliament which created the divisions in both places (Gawd bless Lloyd George and Mad Maggie, may they both rot....)
Jim

Subject: RE: BS: Is the Mudcat American?
From: Rain Dog
Date: 24 Apr 20 - 06:15 AM

Like I said, don't get me started on northerners.

I live on the south coast and one of the worse things anyone can call you is a northerner. It used to be that if you lived outside the town you might well be labelled a northerner. But then came the internet.

Certain people (extremists) then said you can only be a southerner if you lived within a certain distance from the shoreline. Over time and due to many heated exchanges on the net, that distance has gradually got shorter and shorter, so we end up with the situation that people who come from families who have lived in this town for generations are now labelled northerners. That is not easy to take.

Then there are the even more extreme extremists who gather at the shoreline at low tide, just so they can harangue the other inhabitants of the town, calling them northerners. Most of us think of them as a right bunch of canutes. Just be thankful that none of them have made it to the mudcat yet.

Subject: RE: BS: Is the Mudcat American?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 24 Apr 20 - 06:03 AM

Dave, Raggytash and I are northerners. See you in the pub.

Subject: RE: BS: Is the Mudcat American?
From: Rain Dog
Date: 24 Apr 20 - 05:39 AM

We are all guests here.

I see pubs have been mentioned. I don't know what pubs some of you go into but I imagine that if certain people carried on in pubs in the same way they behave here, they would soon find themselves barred.

All of us can go off and start up our own 'discussion' groups on the net if we want to. I don't know how many of you have already done that.

I see someone mentioned the north. Please don't get me started on northerners.

Subject: RE: BS: Is the Mudcat American?
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 24 Apr 20 - 05:30 AM

"What makes it American then, Jim? "
Three American moderators and an American owner for a start - for me, that shows up big-time on threads like the UK politics one where moderation shows litle sign of the subject being understood "you Brits" often being the giveaway
That doesn't mean we understand American politics any better - I doubt if even the Yanks manage that !!!
The internet is like the language, a commonality that divides us
Jim

Subject: RE: BS: Is the Mudcat American?
From: Jim McLean
Date: 24 Apr 20 - 05:07 AM

For me the appeal of this forum is its broad world wide coverage and one usually knows from whence a contributor comes.
Barb'ry says ".... Brits of the older generation........Sarcasm, irony, and criticism particularly in the North.." Could I ask, for clarity's sake, the North of where?

Subject: RE: BS: Is the Mudcat American?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 24 Apr 20 - 04:41 AM

I don't see the rules as American, Barb'ry. They are just rules, well guidelines really, that anyone would have applied. My point is more about differentiating between nationalities. If the comment would have been more like "a nasty brawl on a polite forum", I would have just left it. If I have been nasty, I don't mind being called out for it. I do object to being demonised for not being born in the USA though:-(

Subject: RE: BS: Is the Mudcat American?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 24 Apr 20 - 04:27 AM

It was set up by an American who has currently anointed three American moderators and one Brit, but the founder appears to be very hands-off, very non-interventionist. He's let it take its own wings. In many ways that's admirable. It does give the mods considerable latitude, and yesterday that led to the unfortunate and clumsy comment (complete with expletive) that's provoked this thread. If you want to know whether Mudcat is American in flavour, all you have to do is glance down the list of topics above the line on any one day. No alien seeing that would ever think, blimey, how American is that!

Subject: RE: BS: Is the Mudcat American?
From: Barb'ry
Date: 24 Apr 20 - 04:20 AM

It is definitely an American site, started by Max. I don't think the Americans think of us as interlopers but it is my long held and much discussed belief that, although we speak the same language, our cultural backgrounds make our postings (and I'm talking from a UK viewpoint) different and sometimes less acceptable. I think the Europeans are mainly more combative and willing to spar and argue more, and more heatedly, if that's a word. I know there are many Americans who are like this and similarly many examples of calm and considered Brits, so I'm generalising.

I think you only have to think of American kids (this is spreading worldwide, I know) being told 'Good job', even if it's not - something that, to most Brits of the older generation, is very strange (good, positive, ideal - but strange). I think we were brought up differently in the main. Sarcasm, irony, and criticism, particularly in the North, often went as praise. Also, perhaps it is our pub culture where loud and sometimes obnoxious arguments went on into the small hours.

I'm not saying that what the Brits did or do is good or bad, it just is and as it is an American forum, we use their rules.

Subject: RE: BS: Is the Mudcat American?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 24 Apr 20 - 04:17 AM

What makes it American then, Jim? It is hosted in the US but surely such boundaries are irrelevant when it comes you the internet.

Subject: RE: BS: Is the Mudcat American?
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 24 Apr 20 - 04:02 AM

Yes- it is American though Ironically, most people who pst here appear to be British with a few Irish thrown in
Unfortunately, what is allowed on this forum doesn't always reflect the views of it's membership, which is why this thread probably won't last
Jim

Subject: BS: Is the Mudcat American?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 24 Apr 20 - 03:49 AM

On one of the UK politics threads someone said "has it ever dawned on you that you're holding your UK-centric brawl in a USA-based forum? Why? What ever made you think that was an acceptable thing for you to do?"

Is this true? I don't want to get into politics for obvious reasons but the fact that some Americans seem to see us UKers as interlopers using their forum stunned me. Surely lots of the Folk music that we discuss is from the UK. There are, I think, as many UK members as US ones. The very nature of the internet crosses any such boundries.

If it is true that this is a USA-centric forum, do we need to segregate UK based music discussions, which can get just as heated as politics, as well?

What do you all think? Contributions welcome from any nation :-)