*"After All We Aren't Savages Really..."

“Everyone loves a witch hunt as long as it's someone else's witch being hunted"
(Walter Kirn )

Something very worrying is happening within the Susan Boyle community....

One of the younger members of the fandom is a prolific contributor in terms of posters and tribute videos.

Some months ago our fan (whose first language is not English) decided to add simple prose to some of his posters. He used sentiments to express his admiration for Susan and, at times, her faith. Simply written, they have a charm and simplicity that is harmless, if sometimes idealistic.

Many members of the community appreciate this young man's efforts; others loathe them.  That is, of course their prerogative.  The problem is that some members of the latter group have taken it upon themselves to try to force this young man to desist.  He was recently personally attacked twice on Facebook, thus:

I know I'm going to ruffle a lot of feathers but I have to say what is necessary.I apologize to you in advance R***.
Where does M**** get off making posters and videos of Susan Boyle when he doesn't have permission to use them. They are not his work! There are copyright laws and they apply to him as well. He puts HIS words on these posters, and they don't make sense. Get a grip of the English language M*****! You absolutely butchered Susan receiving her doctorate! I will keep hammering you until you give up your fantasy about Susan Boyle.

The bolding above is mine.  This attack took place on July 7th.
 
On  August 10th the following was posted on his Facebook wall, by the same person as before:

What accusations now? Me and millions of other people adore Susan Boyle only we don't spend endless hours on posters with silly words on them. News flash M****.... YOU ARE NOT THE MAN IN SUSAN BOYLE"S LIFE !! There are also a great many of us that are sick of you. You're 35 years old and still living in LA LA Land. Geesh!

 Again, the bolding above is mine.

Can anyone honestly agree that this sort of attack is morally justifiable?  Can 'hammering' at someone to try to force them to change ever be acceptable?  These are prime examples of cyber-bullying.

How would anyone of us feel if we were told that 'a great many' were sick of us?  I would feel wounded.  I should imagine most of us would....

Now add to this the fact that the young man's skills in English are very limited.  He cannot adequately defend himself.  In fact, the only way in which he can adequately express his emotions and admiration for Susan Boyle is in his videos and posters, which he posts every day ....

Remind you of anyone?  Susan Boyle herself has stated that the only way in which she can express herself adequately is through singing.

He does not always use photographs of Susan Boyle that have been airbrushed or show her at what most of us consider to be her most attractive. But to our young, male fan, all photographs of Susan are beautiful, and in that sense he is entirely without prejudice. 

It is not only on Facebook that the young man has been attacked.  It has happened privately as well.  It has also happened on the largest fan forum within the community.  It has become so bad that on several occasions he has tried to resign from the forum on which some of his antagonists are members; only to return out of his loyalty to Susan.  But that is seen as 'manipulation' of fellow fans.  The young man is discouraged and frustrated, and tries to make that known, but that in turn is seen as further manipulation....and cries for attention!

At The Susan Boyle Fans Forum recently a group of members took it upon themselves to take this young man to task over his tributes to Susan Boyle. His attackers seem to be of the opinion that he is 'holding the forums to ransom' by continuing to post.   They complain that he 'monopolizes the forum' by posting consistently.  They, on the other hand, whilst complaining amongst themselves do little to add to the content themselves.  They insist that they cannot bear to look at his contributions (yes, this member does have his own threads in which he posts his tributes) yet when they log in to the forum they sit and watch his threads, waiting...waiting...!  It would be so easy just to ignore them....

Recently, like any good member should, our young man purportedly committed what seemed to be a mortal sin; he posted a couple of tweets on the twitter thread!  

"He's taking over the twitter thread too now!" the cry went up.  It would be amusing if it were not so indicative of what is happening within the Susan Boyle community as a whole.  It seems to me that the natural balance of members has been lost on many forums, due to previous 'partings of the ways' of Susan Boyle fans. 

At The Susan Boyle Fan Forum  we believe that one person's freedom to post should not be up for a vote by other members, particularly when a member is posting positively and respectfully and supporting Susan Boyle.  

We will not be held to ransom in that way by small packs baying for blood.

*"'after all we aren't savages really...'"
- William Golding, Lord of the Flies, Ch. 11

Just Some of Reasons Why Susan Boyle Qualifies For Her Honorary Degree.

On 11th April 2009 something extraordinary happened in the field of popular entertainment.  A 'wee woman' from a council estate in Blackburn, West Lothian, auditioned for Britain's Got Talent, singing 'I Dreamed a Dream' from the musical Les Misérables.  She appeared rather eccentric in the way she looked and behaved, leaving the audience expecting little by way of talent.  However, Susan's outward appearance belied a wonderful voice, so rounded and resonant, that when she sang the audience fell at her feet.  This juxtaposition caught the attention of the world. Susan did not sing simply wearing a mask of sincerity; she lived it, and we recognized that when we heard her sing. Here was someone to whom we could all relate in one way or another....

Susan Boyle touched so many people on a deeply emotional or spiritual level that it was almost impossible to convey by written word.  Instead, her audition was posted on Youtube and became viral almost overnight; such was the effect her voice had on people.  The video received over 90 million hits in an incredibly short time.  Susan Boyle, ready or not for the fame that accompanies such an event, became the stuff from which legends are made.

Despite appalling pressure from the world press, Susan showed grit and determination, staying in the contest and eventually being placed second in the final round.  Despite being emotionally and physically drained, Susan showed her usual courage and went on tour with other acts from the show, bringing the house down at each performance.  Susan Boyle may not have won BGT by votes cast, but she surely won the hearts of the people, and her achievements since then have been truly remarkable:

2009:

• In September Susan travelled to LA to debut her new single 'Wild Horses' on America's Got Talent, to worldwide acclaim.

• Susan Boyle recorded her first album, which debuted at number 1.  At 48 years old, she was  the oldest singer in history to achieve such spectacular success.  Her album, 'I Dreamed a Dream' became the best-selling album of 2009, in less than 2 months.  In fact, it was the best-selling debut album by a female solo artist ever.

2010:

• Susan Boyle's acclaim spread around the world.  She performed in Europe, Asia and the United States. She won the 'Gold Disc Award' for top international artist in Japan, and the '14th Golden Chinese Music Award' in China.  In both 2009 and 2010 she sold more albums around the world than any other UK artist.

• Susan's Autobiography 'The Woman I Was Born To Be' was published, giving insight into Susan's earlier life; the difficulties she experienced and some aspects with which she continues to do battle. 

• Susan performed for His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI in Scotland, in front of a live audience of 70,000 with television coverage that reached a billion viewers, thus fulfilling another of her lifelong ambitions.

• Susan's second album, 'The Gift', also opened at number 1.  She was the first woman to have her first 2 albums debut at number 1 in both the US and the UK within 12 months.   She also became the first solo female artist in US chart history to debut at number 1 on Billboard 200 with a Christmas album.

• ScotsCare, the charity for vulnerable Scots in London,  announced the winner of 'Scot of the Year' 2010 as  Susan Boyle.  She received support from around the world to secure a phenomenal 95% of the vote  - the largest share ever recorded in the history of the award.

2011:

• Susan Boyle's third album, 'Someone to Watch Over Me',  once again debuted at number 1. Susan became the first woman in UK chart history to have her first three albums debut at number 1 in under 2 years.

• In the brief time since her BGT audition, Susan Boyle has earned well over 100 platinum and gold records.  Her sales around the world are currently estimated at around 20 million.

• Susan Boyle was presented with an 'Outstanding Achievement' award at the 2011 Scottish Variety Awards.

• Susan Boyle visited Australia and took the continent by storm.

2012:

• Susan Boyle achieved another lifelong ambition; to sing for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, in celebration of her Diamond Jubilee.  

•  A musical of Susan Boyle's life story starring Elaine C. Smith as lead role has been touring the UK. Susan Boyle made several guest appearances at these performances, singing live to standing ovations.  Susan Boyle the Musical 'I Dreamed a Dream' is scheduled to play at Edinburgh and Glasgow in September and October respectively. Tickets may be booked at this link: Susan Boyle the Musical

• Susan Boyle has already started work on her 4th album.

Does Susan Boyle Deserve an Honorary Doctorate?

Susan left school with two 'O' levels; not a great academic achievement.  But Susan Boyle's honorary doctorate has been awarded to her 'for services to the creative industries', and her astounding record of achievement in this field speaks for itself.  It would be easy to think of Susan as someone who has found fame because of a 5 minute video on Youtube, quite forgetting the time she served to achieve her ultimate goal; that of becoming a professional singer.

Susan Boyle has had her share of adversity.  She was born, deprived of oxygen, with a very poor prognosis.  Susan's childhood was not entirely happy as she became a target for bullies at school; a situation that persisted way into adulthood.  She is an artist who, like many great artists, has not found her hurdles easy to overcome. Susan Boyle is neither a stranger to courage, nor tenacity.

By Susan's own admission, she feels the only way in which she can express herself effectively is through singing.  She wanted to become 'a professional singer', and it took her the best part of 30 years to achieve that.  She persisted, attending auditions and voice training, as and when she could, along the way. She never gave up.  Susan Boyle had a vision; a dream, and she never let her eyes falter from her goal.

I believe in happy endings. When Susan Boyle accepted her degree from Queen Margaret University, she represented an idea of hope; of triumph and determination over adversity.  For that I applaud her, and those who recognized her worth when she was nominated. Does Susan Boyle really qualify for her doctorate?  In this writer's view she certainly does - in spades!

Lest we forget, let's take a quick look back at the amazing effect Susan Boyle had on the world:

  

Review of I Dreamed a Dream the Musical, The Hippodrome, Bristol

I took a friend along with me to see the show at Bristol, and we arrived at the theatre in good time.  Word was already out that Susan would not be appearing (no surprise to me anyway) but there were some very disappointed people around.

Once inside the foyer, we saw that notices had been posted to the effect that Susan would not be performing that evening - the last night, despite the fact that the posters for the show advertised a 'Special Guest Appearance' by Susan.

The set was simple, but effective.  The background of the set comprised a block of video screens which was used to good effect for background changes throughout the musical.  Various wooden chests that doubled as seats and costume containers were strategically placed in the foreground, with a staircase leading to a door offstage to the right of the stage.

Elaine C. Smith carried the show in my opinion.  She was entirely professional and told Susan's story well; a modern-day fairy story.  I would have been happy if it had been a little more gritty in parts, but for those members of the audience who were not as familiar as we are about Susan's journey, it probably worked to best advantage.  Elaine sang well, and in some ways her voice reminded me of Cleo Laine's.  It is very different from Susan's voice of course, but she performed well and was note perfect.

I was not overly impressed with the actors who portrayed Susan's parents.  Patrick Boyle was played by a competent baritone who sang with rather a lot of vibrato, and who (IMO) over-enunciated. I found it rather irritating.  Perhaps I am being overly critical, but I have decided to post my honest impressions here.

Bridget Boyle bore little or no resemblance to the images we have seen of her.  I always got the impression that Susan's Mother had a quick sense of humour and a lively wit; the actress playing her part failed to capture any of that.  I feel much more could have been made of the vital role she played in Susan's life.

Many of the songs recorded on Susan's albums appeared in the musical.  It was easy to recognise the lead up to them and I am left wondering if, perhaps, those songs were chosen with the musical in mind, or whether the musical was staged to 'fit' the songs!

What I felt did work extremely well were the scenes in which 'John' appeared.  How true they were to life, of course, we have no way of knowing, but they were extremely well acted; Susan coming across as rather shy, awkward and rather gauche, and John appearing as a very gentle, decent young man.

The scene in which Susan attended her audition was extremely good and really did appear to capture the essence of what we, as fans, managed to glimpse of that day, through various video clips.

All in all it was an enjoyable evening, but had Susan appeared it would have been altogether different.  Her presence would have made the fairy story a reality, but as the song says, 'but there are dreams that cannot be....' and so I can only hope that another opportunity will present itself in the future.  I am not holding my breath here....

On my way out of the theatre I did see copies of 'The Gift' for sale in the foyer.  I am sure there were some disgruntled members of the audience who had expected to see Susan perform, but I didn't hang around to have that confirmed.  People had bought tickets in good faith, expecting to hear Susan sing, only to find out on the day that she would not be appearing.

Am I glad I went?  Yes.

Would I make the effort to see it again with no guarantee of seeing Susan sing live?  I have to be honest; No.

The cost of attending the musical, including travel and hotel accommodation, dinner, etc., was over £250. This was not a cheap exercise and not one I am in a position to repeat too often without some assurance of seeing Susan perform.  It is simply not worth £250 to me, to hear Elaine sing through two hours again, regardless of how well she plays her role.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest...

 "we see what the mebers ahev to say - if theya r4e sifficuently behind us we may ride this out"   - Hils (aka Pickled Tink) 7/18/2010

If it were not for the number of people whose reputations were so badly damaged in the appalling deception carried out by Judy Okla and Danileo in July 2010, the recent appointment of Judy as Administrator of SBFII would be laughable.  Quite honestly, you couldn't make this stuff up!

I thought I might provide the most basic of Cliff Notes for those readers whose memories need refreshing in the 18 months that have passed since those shameful events.  All of the information I am listing CAN be proved, incontrovertibly.

On July 17th/18th 2010 word spread amongst the staff at SBFII that an attempt was to be made to 'take over the forum' by 'DJGers', i.e. members of Susahumor.  This false rumour was instigated by a cyber troll who had somehow won the trust of the staff at SBFII (even though he had been banned under many different aliases.)  The staff encouraged the falsehoods and helped spread them.

Staff started resigning, including Kalua (admin) and this continued throughout the day.  It was obviously pre-planned, probably on the assumption that there would be a clamour for their return, but that didn't happen. 

New admin accounts appeared 'out of the blue' and all sorts of mischief, mayhem and confusion ensued.  There was manufactured hysteria about banned members returning to the forum, even though the staff knew that new accounts had to be approved by a moderator before becoming full members.

Some members panicked, there was a hue and cry, and the remaining staff resigned leaving lChris to try and cope with what looked like, to all intents and purposes, an attack on the forum.  If the staff had seriously believed the forum was under attack, would they really have resigned and abandoned the members to their fate?

lChris was eventually unable to cope single-handed and asked for volunteers with some admin experience to assist, so another member and I eventually stepped forward and did what we could to help.  We had no idea at that time what was happening. lChris had expected Tink and the staff to return on July 19th.  They did not.  Tink claimed that lChris was preventing her from doing so, but that was a lie.

Afterwards, when the staff DID agree to return, I was accused of letting banned members in.  The fact is, NO banned members were readmitted to the forum, but members were encouraged to think they were, in the chaos. Even so, Pickled Tink later made a deliberate attempt to incriminate me in an official statement  of the Board of Directors.

Kalua was re-admitted as a staff member.  He could not become a member of the Board as he refused to give his personal information to dyebat who needed it to register officers of the intended non-profit organization that would become SBFII.

Pressure was put on the Board to carry out an investigation, in an effort to determine the perpetrators and to exonerate innocent parties.  In the end Tink arranged for an 'independent' examination of the database by one of her son's mates..... 
He answered the questions she put to him, but they were not designed to reveal any information that Tink and the Board did not want disclosed.

The Board made a ridiculous statement full of inaccuracies which played fast and loose with the truth.  Facts were manipulated by Tink to cover the antics of JudyOkla and Danileo and it contained a generalized 'apology' to the perpetrators as well as the victims of the farce.

Eventually dyebat became so exasperated with the lack of progress of the SBFII Board investigation that she requested additional help to examine the database. 

Knudt's systematic examination of the database revealed very clearly that JudyOkla and Danileo were behind the forum fiasco.  She laid out the evidence painstakingly so that everyone had the chance to see the truth.  Here is a link: Setting the Record Straight For Susan Boyle Fans

Many of the staff at SBFII denied ever reading knudt's blog which just adds to the mountain of lies already told.  We KNOW that staff members and Board members read them.  And that some of them KNOW that they contain an accurate, truthful record of events.

So, JudyOkla is now admin of SBFII.  No members of DJG's forum, or any other forum, ever had designs on SBFII, but it begs the question in my mind that perhaps someone else did....

Many of us are familiar with the concept of psychological 'projection';  ascribing one's own thoughts, feelings and motivation to others.

We had thought that the accusations that someone wanted to take over the forum were completely false, but did they perhaps have some basis in fact, but not from 'outsiders'?  Did JudyOkla and Danileo plan this way back in July 2010?

I am reminded of some very wise words,

To do evil a human being must first of all believe that what he's doing is good... Ideology - that is what gives devildoing its long-sought justification and gives the evildoer the necessary steadfastness and determination. That is the social theory which helps to make his acts seem good instead of bad in his own and others' eyes, so that he won't hear reproaches and curses but will receive praise and honors. - Alexandr Solzhenitsyn