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CL9:           Goodbye Swappers
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CL4:                By Kam

CL1:In  the  last few months in Eurochart,
in  "Swappers  corner",  we  have seen
articles  where  the authors deal with
the   topic   of   the   existence  of
swappers.    Everyone,  I  think  will
agree with thesises raised by Darkhawk
and  Lahve,  but  in their texts clear
proposals   about   what   to  do  are
missing.      They     are    spinning
conjectures,   they   confirm  evident
facts,  but  it yields no results.  It
is  no  wonder  - both call themselves
"swappers",   and   certainly   it  is
difficult  to get acustomed to the new
situation.   But  they  are forgetting
that    they   are   infact   cheating
themselves.

CL0:Lahve  writes:  "We stand clear of the
others,  hiding  and  being  used  for
spreading  the productions and keeping
the  friendship".   I'm  wondering why
the  present  tense  was used to build
this  sentence.   It  is true, that in
the  past swappers were propelling the
scene forwards, and a good swapper had
a greater value than many musicians or
graphicians.   But  how  can  we  talk
about  their position today, when only
a  few of them are left?  Internet has
become  the  source  of  new stuff and
nothing  will  change  that.   In  the
course  of  time,  the  swappers  have
understood   this,   and  we  see  the
results  of this today.  In the second
part of the quote we can read:  "being
used    for    (...)    keeping    the
friendship".  What is that supposed to
mean?  Lahve thinks that swappers were
sustaining the friendship on the whole
scene,  between  all the sceners?  But
friendship    concerns    each   scene
profession!    This  was  (and  is)  a
sovereign matter of each man - "I like
this guy, but this one is stupid".  So
how can somebody claim that there were
people dealing with friendship, aswell
as  people  without  this  duty?  Does
this  mean  that  friendship  has gone
with  swappers?   That  we do not have
any  bit  of  it  left today?  This is
absurd.   Later  Lahve  writes:   "All
good  swappers  have  gone, only a few
remain,  but  I  still  haven't gotten
snailmail for ages".  What is up here,
where is the logic?  In that case does
the author of these words feel that he
is  a  swapper?   I  can  write:  "I'm
musician.   Well, I've written my last
module  about  a year ago, but this is
not  the  point."  Isn't this similar?
Besides  -  as  there  are  only a fre
remaining   swappers   left,  and  the
internet    has   taken   over   their
functions  -  what  is  there  left to
discuss?

CL1:But  maybe  I've  forgotten  one other
feature  of  swapping?   In  Taboo  #5
Sagrael   wrote:    "For  really  many
people  it  was  (swapping - KAM_) the
best    way    to   make   uncountable
friendships    via    correspondance".
Alright!   I've  read many articles in
the  non-computer  press, about people
that  find their friends via internet,
and  then  they  meet them in the real
world.   It  is  also possible to meet
your   wife  or  husband  through  the
Internet  (example  from Poland!).  So
claiming   that  internet  is  killing
friendship  -  is an example of people
who  think backwards talking nonsence.
Maybe   there   is  a  prohibition  on
writing  long and effusive e-mails?  I
don't know...  You see, it is possible
to use internet to develop friendship:
e-mails,  IRC  -  many  possibilities.
I'll  agree  with  those, who will now
will say:  "And what about that unique
swapping  atmosphere?   Internet  will
not   replace   that!".   Yes,  that's
right,  but as swapping becomes a tool
to   sustain   the   oldschool   scene
atmosphere  for only a few people (and
that  is  also doubtful), why carry on
with the charts?  Yeah...

CL0:...charts.  Who can vote for swappers?
Another  swapper!   From  which source
can I get information about them?  Who
had  long  delays,  who  sends  shitty
stuff,  and  who  writes nice letters?
Swappers   are   knowledgeable   about
swapping and they know themselves.  So
the  most  credible situation would be
when    only   swappers   (or   people
connected   with  swapping)  vote  for
other swappers.  Once, when it was the
most numerous profession in the scene,
it  was  possible  to  make  authentic
charts.  But how is it possible today?
As we see in the Eurochart - it is not
possible.   On  the  list  of the best
swappers  we can see handles of people
who  don't even remember what swapping
was.   Besides  -  for  whom are those
charts?   For  a  few guys who are not
too active, and not needed anymore for
the scene in general?

CL1:In    connection   with   the   things
mentioned  above, I dare to claim that
the  further  keeping  of the swapping
profession   is   without  any  sense.
Once, when Citron and Curt Cool wanted
to  remove  them  from  the  magazine,
swappers  were too strong, and the two
main editors failed making the change.
Today  we  have  a  different problem.
The   Eurochart   Staff   are   mainly
swappers  -  the  main editor Darkhawk
and the co-editor Adonis (he is on the
charts, so...).  In EC46 seven persons
wrote  the  articles (!), and three of
them  are swappers (or they think they
are):   Darkhawk,  Adonis,  and Lahve.
Together  they made thirteen texts, so
News  Corner  in  EC  is made by those
three editors with thne help of Zerox,
and  with  very little help from other
people   (why  so  little  a  heap  of
Fishwave  contributions?).   Do I have
any  problem  with  this?  Not at all!
Full respect for those guys.  But read
what I've written below!

CL0:In  Taboo  #5 Grogon wrote:  "But it's
difficult   to  change  opinion  about
something   that   has   always  been.
Attempting   this   on   charts  is  a
sacrilege.  Our altar must stand, even
empty".   We  must  change  our way of
thinking.   We  must  adapt ourself to
new  situations.   And  we  are  in  a
situation where changes are necessary.
Not  to  show  the  few guys who think
they  are  swappers,  how deep we have
them  in  our  asses.   Hypocrisy  and
stupidity  will  eat  us  and we can't
allow  that.   Grogon  sees it in this
way:  "I just want to pay attention to
changes   that   go  on.   Moreover  -
sometimes  keeping  oneself stiffly to
certain  tracks  of thinking is silly.
Scene  is  not  a  pretense  game.  We
don't  have a holy idol, which we must
save  from  all evil, for the price of
our honour and life.  There are things
where it will be better to put them in
the  museum  and  raise a monument for
them,  if  they  deserve  it.   But we
should   not  spasmodically  keep  the
corpse,  because  sooner  or  later it
starts  to stink".  Sacred words.  The
less negative things in the scene (and
hypocrisy   is   one   of  them),  the
healthier she is.

CL1:Darkhawk - I speak now to you.  Do you
have  sufficient  civil courage to say
"stop"?   To stop this absurdity?  You
must   realize  that  sentences  like:
"When  the  scene  understands that we
are  not  needed  anymore  -  we'll be
kicked   out"   are  senseless  (well,
average  demo  of  TBL :)).  The scene
knows this for a long time.  Now it is
your turn (and also other "swappers").
You   can   all  fade  out  with  your
shields, with dignity, or you can make
clowns  of  yourselves  (well, it's my
opinion).   No  one  wants to kick you
from  the  scene!   You  can be active
editors, maybe designers or organizers
-  something like that.  But for God's
sake  -  stop  this  not  really fresh
show.   Now  it's  time  to  shake out
rotten wood from your pockets.*

CL7:KAM_/IND.
24/06/2003
karpath@wp.pl

CL6:* - sentence also from Grogon article.

CL7:P.S.:  I wan't to say only a few words
more.    Hey  "swappers"  -  don't  be
angry!   I  respect  all  of you.  But
this  article  is a subjective opinion
of mine and I'm sure - not only mine.






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