Monday, April 22, 2013

Amanda F***ing Palmer

Okay - let me state this clearly - I think Amanda Palmer is wonderful! 

I was confused when Neil Gaiman married her (I honestly didn't know who she was) but I figured if he found something wonderful in her, she can't be bad. Over the last few years, I feel like I've gotten to know her. I even had a, albeit short, conversation with her through Twitter a few years ago. I love her openness, her fearlessness and her breaking rules. I've grown to like some of her music, her blog and I thought her TED talk was inspiring.  Her ninja gigs amaze me and I also see her reflected in Neil's eyes when they perform together and in there, she's a freakin' superhero.

I thought her poem today expressed the emotion I have over the terrorist.  Yes, what he did was horrible and yes, he should be imprisoned (likely for the rest of his life) but I can also see the possibility of a brother with way too much control of a boy 7 years his junior. I also see an Americanized citizen who was willing to attack the country, but wonder what led to that and how do we prevent it?

Clearly, it much have inspired some people because they spread it across Twitter. People loved, people hated, but one online journal called her the most loathsome speaker at TED along with ripping apart every part of her poem.  It's clear this 'journalist' did not like her to begin with and probably would have hated anything she wrote. Then, it gets posted on FB and people write hateful haikus about it. I'm just sickened. 


Creators create - that's what we do.  Sometimes, that creates controversy. Everything I write or do isn't going to please everbody - if it did, what would be the point? If we all thought alike, this world would royally suck! For me though, I found inspiration in Amanda's reaction to the whole thing - she said at least it got people talking.  And isn't that the point?