Taylor Hicks: One Man’s Idol, Another Man’s Joke?

Taylor Hicks’ fans have been alerted via google and otherwise to a relatively new site. I found it last week in a Taylor Hicks’ alert. In one of my previous postings, henry8 brought this relatively new and I suppose becoming controversial site, IdleTard.com. She compared it to a now defunct site that was geared toward viciously attacking certain Taylor Hicks fans in overtly personal and disgusting sexually personal slams.
Henry8 wrote, “I do not mean that a person is to be judged by what they look at but I might judge them if they do not speak up about garbage. I have seen you do that. You helped to get one site shut down. This one is as bad IMO.”. I guess I did play a role in that site’s demise to a degree, with my commentary, but it was inevitable it would be shut down regardless of what I or anyone else said. If I were the folks who were the subjects of that site, attorneys would be right now in court; that site may have been named, “The View to Your Ass” but man, I’d not leave them the clothes to cover their own asses.

Regarding IdleTard.com – while many straight and sincere fan folks might consider being pretty hard core regarding subject matter, it is run by someone completely educated in legal aspects. They know the difference in crossing the line that the other site in question’s owners were clueless about. My beef with that now ‘defunct’ site was the illegality and the personal vindictiveness that had nothing to do with any humor nor snark, simply stupidity and viciousness. Perhaps many folks won’t see the difference between these two sites, but there is a huge difference.

Reason for henry8’s anger toward Idle Tard.com? The site’s focus which includes, but is not exclusionary, about Taylor Hicks and his fans. Started by folks who inhabit VFTW, Smartie and insane and the gang frolic and play among the internet fan sites selecting the most entertaining and “post worthy” recipients of the moment among the American Idol fan bases.

Henry8 and some others in Taylor Hicks’ fan base became upset because Smartie lifted photos from one of the fan boards that included a much loved fan among them, Dee Dee. This lady has recently passed away and so the groups were featuring her photos apparently as a remembrance.

While I think it deplorable to make fun at someone’s expense who has recently passed away, on IdleTard.com, that’s not what is happening in that particular post. Smartie doesn’t single anyone out, she is not making fun of Dee Dee in particular, Dee Dee just happens to be in the pictures. There is not a valid point in riling yourself up full of umbrage against what is in that post, since, that would not be a logical approach. Overall that post that was put up to poke fun in a general format. It really had nothing to do with Dee Dee, that wasn’t the point; it is the respondees to the post that bring her up. Granted Smartie’s comeback to the irate posters associated with that particular posting not particularly sensitive but that’s Smartie’s prerogative. I’m not here to stand up for Smartie, certainly she’s more than amply capable to do that herself.

IdleTard.com is a site that while many find it insulting, because, man who wants to see themselves as the butt of a joke, but it’s enlightening and perhaps somewhat of a reality check. Seriously it can be easy to fall off into that void of illogical fandom. I have been guilty of getting giddy sometimes over this or that individual, but there are truly people out in the world who will spend their last dime to follow and try gain attention of someone they admire. This encompasses not just American Idol fans, although they are a classic group, but also sports fans, political fans, celebrity fans. It’s like any kind of addiction whether drugs or alcohol, there are many people who go completely bonkers and lose their footing in reality.

Perhaps it just comes down to one man’s Idol being another mans’ joke. The mind can do crazy and mysterious things to us if we take ourselves too seriously and forget to laugh at ourselves.

“Jokerman” Bob Dylan LYRICS