Southern Gospel Perspective

My thoughts and opinions about Southern Gospel Music, both past and present. Feel free to comment and criticize...

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Location: United States

12/16/2004

Anonymous no more?

Apparently the anonymity of the Avery Fineline blogger has been broken. Also, there seems to quite a bruhaha over the manner of his coming out. It has also been said that he is a nobody.

Well, I guess my first thoughts are it is kind of sad when a blogger and his identity are the "talk of the day" in Southern Gospel music. I do wonder about the extreme prejudice I seem to see with regards to anonymous blogging. I guess it is a testament of sorts to Avery's popularity/influence that someone(s) would be interested in "outing" him.

I didn't know him before and I still don't. Oh, I know his name and a few details, but that is not KNOWING someone. So, I think his blog will be taken in the same way it always has been, by me at least.

Perhaps Avery stepped on a few too many toes, too many times. Maybe that's why it became such a big deal to find him out. I wonder if that really has resolved any of the conflict though? I doubt it, but perhaps it could lead to something. I think it would be great if Avery and the good folks at Sogospelnews/SGBlogNews/etc. could work out any differences, agree to stop the name calling, and begin (and continue) using their respective sites and abilities to further this brand of music we call Southern Gospel. But much more important than that, to further the cause of Christ.

Those are my thoughts for the day, how do you see it?


15 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Other than Unthank calling Doug Harrison a "nobody" (which I took to mean in the industry, not in the world), when have ANY of the Unthanks EVER called Doug Harrison a name.

This post proves that Doug has been doing it a lot more:

http://www.sogospelnews.com/forums/showpost.php?p=124156&postcount=18

2:54 PM  
Blogger Southern Gospel Perspective said...

Thank you for your comment!

While I disagree that the post you listed proves anything, it is revealing.

My point was not to say who called who the most names, or the worst names, etc. It was that let's leave all the name calling behind and move toward a more productive means of conversation and dialogue. We can certainly all have our opinions and we can certainly disagree. I think though that we could disagree in an agreeable manner.

3:16 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Mr Me Blog SG,

You are so right, that it would be good to get on with the business of SG and furthering the gospel. Contrary to some people's beliefs, SoGospelNews, and more precisely, The Unthanks have one desire and one desire only and that is to do the above. We have never called anyone names nor have WE ever said anything about averyfineline.com on our website other than to comment on our opinion about anonymous blogs, opinions we still hold.

Susan Unthank
SoGospelNews.com

6:47 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Susan Unthank wrote:
> We have never called anyone names...

Deon called Avery a coward 3 times in one thread on your message board last week. That's not name calling?

8:10 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sure I'll respond. In one spot he said, "I give NO credibility to anyone who doesn't have the courage and the courtesy to put their name to their writing." In another he said, "It is cheap and dishonest to make accusations of people without the courage to put your name to it." In another he said, "That is poor journalism at the least, and a cowards way of doing things. If anyone wants to write negatively about anyone or anything then the decent thing to do is have your name attached, otherwise it is a cowards response."

Let's at least get the information correct. He did not say he was a coward, but that his tactis and responses were cowardly. In all responses we have ever made concerning him it has always been about his lack of facing those he accuses by using his name. Never have we called him names or made derogatory remarks about him personally.

Susan Unthank
SoGospelNews.com

9:39 PM  
Blogger Southern Gospel Perspective said...

First I want to thank Susan and "Anonymous" for reading and commenting.

Sometimes it is difficult to get the correct "sense" of what someone means from a post or comment on a blog/message board. Emotions, inflection of voice, volume, etc. are not easily conveyed thru the typed word. Therefore, I think it can be easily understood that people can read different things into written comments such as the ones you quoted from Deon, Susan.

Someone might say that indicating a person lacks courage to do a certain thing is calling them a coward. Again, not saying that's what Deon meant, just that it could be interpreted that way thru the written word.

Again I say that we are all working toward the same goals (improving SG, winning souls for the Kingdom of God) and we could perhaps do this in a more cooperative way. Of course we are all human and see things thru our human perspective.

Thanks again.

10:43 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I would love to see cooperation. The first place it could start is in asking instead of assuming. :)

Susan Unthank
SoGospelNews.com

11:25 PM  
Blogger Southern Gospel Perspective said...

Very true, Susan. But I will be the first to admit that I've read things one way and have gotten upset by it, then realized later the writer meant something different than my interpretation.

Asking would be the right way to proceed. I just hope I'm not the only one who doesn't always do the right thing all the time. :D

11:52 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Do some investigative reporting, write an article, submit it to us and if it meets our standards we'll print it. If not submit it to averyfineline he'll print anything." This is a direct quote from a post by Susan Unthank. To me now, this is a comment made against "avery" which is derogatory. Sort of reminds me of the old Clinton argument about what is "IS"?

2:51 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Why are you people still harping on this? This is old news to me now, and frankly, I'm tired of it.

9:50 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dear Anonymous,

My quote used above about averyfineline printing anything was was truthful and it can be attested to by my family and others who have had untruths printed about them. I suppose one could see that as derogatory if you believe that all he does it print the truth.

Susan Unthank
SoGospelNews.com

12:23 PM  
Blogger Southern Gospel Perspective said...

It seems to me that something can be both derogatory and "the truth". Someone could say I have a big nose. I would take that as derogatory, even if it might be the truth. LOL

My point is that sometimes just because something may be the truth does not mean it needs to be said or written.

1:28 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wow, now see, you are finally agreeing with our philosophy. All truth does not need to be written.

Susan Unthank
SoGospelNews.com

2:41 PM  
Blogger Southern Gospel Perspective said...

Susan, I don't think I ever disagreed with it.

2:50 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I believe the "nobody" comment was already discussed earlier in this exchange of comments. I could be wrong, but I remember someone explaining it that he was a "nobody" in the SG world, not a "nobody" in the kingdom of God. Let's grow up a little get our heads out of the sand. I'm not sure one mention of "nobody" can be measured in the same way that the above post is.

11:38 AM  

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