Posted by pancho (63.195.35.251) on February 07, 2002 at 09:04:39:
I first tangled with Peter at the Detroit convention some years ago. I didn't know who he was...just a pimply faced callow Assyrian boy/man who has a way of staring at women that makes paint creep.
He was handing out free copies of a small book of his poems. I have to assume that it didn't start out as an act of charity, that he wanted to sell the books and resorted to giving them away for the obvious reason that no one wants to buy poetry in our community...especially not treacly poetry.
At the same time down by the main ballroom my sculptures were on display and sale for thousands of dollars. If you know Peter you would understand why he thinks I've "sold out"....my crime is selling at all.
At that same convention we had a few false fire alarms go off. It was bothersome to take the children out of the room...go to the lobby and wait for the all clear, then do it all again thirty minutes later. There was great speculation the next day as to who had done it. Peter cam by to announce that someone had seen a Black kid, an employee of the Hotel setting off the alarms. I told Peter that was bullshit...that I had seen some prominant member of our own people doing it. I hadn't, of course, but neither had Peter or anyone else seen a Black kid doing it. We just prefer to place the blame elsewhere...always elsewhere. I'm sure Peter attributes his inability to arouse anything but loathing in a woman's breast to some Muslims somewhere...and his inability to give away his poerty to obscure Arab forces.
When I first appeared on aina and notified people in Chicago of what Nimrod had done in blocking the monument and lying about his dead sister's wishes...Peter came on to say this was of no interest to anyone, that it was a private thing over money and his forum was for the sort of "grand" things you can see there and laugh over any day.
I thought that was an odd resonpse...sort of like telling the director of a theatre or a dance troupe that his program and his people are all about money and have nothing to offer the Culture or community.
This is the peasants approach to the Arts and Culture. he sees the price tag and imagines what he would do with all that "easy" money. Peter must resent his inability to make money off of his art (that was hard to write)...that's why he keeps insisting I "sold out". To whom? To the Assyrians who are willing to pay thousands of dollars for my sculpture...who wont pay $2.00 for a book of his poems? Is it MY fault his poetry sucks and he wants to make a crusade out of petty jealousy?
note to Peter JasBetmoo: Did you stop to think how those whose name you took felt about it? Did you "sell out" for nothing? can't you even get a dime when you go whorring?