[lobio]

Looking for unique and original banksy postcards, let me know if you have anything interesting

[lobio]

Bump

[met]

Feb 18, 2022 21:10:12 GMT 1 lobio said:

Looking for unique and original banksy postcards, let me know if you have anything interesting

Feb 19, 2022 14:44:36 GMT 1 lobio said:

Bump

What the above indicates to me is that you were led to believe Banksy created unique and original postcards — i.e. one-off originals in postcard format. And you accepted this information at face value.



Now, my understanding of the situation could easily be wrong. If so, then what follows may be redundant. Or, it might still have some relevance to your circumstances.



But if my understanding were correct, it calls into question your judgement.

In which case, I would counsel putting on ice for six months any plans to purchase additional Banksy-related items. Spend that time simply learning instead, building up your knowledge base on the artist's output, and becoming more critically-minded — in particular, quicker to challenge your information sources (including individuals on this forum), and to question their credibility.

Following such advice will require discipline. And self-awareness, of course. Because without the latter, your enemy, hubris, risks taking the upper hand.

It is hubris that could lead you to think this guidance can safely be ignored because it doesn't really apply to you. It will be hubris pushing you to believe that, actually, you know better.

"A little learning is a dang'rous thing"


__________



Your forum profile indicates you've been a member of the Urban Art Association for just less than a month, since 21 January 2022.

And in the space of a month, you started 21 new threads, many of them being 'In Search Of' by nature. That alone screams of impatience on a level I would call worrisome.


In one of these threads, BANKSY - CANS FESTIVAL - VERY RARE LIMITED EDITION - GOOD CO*, there was a brief exchange on 23 January with Terry Fuckwitt, when they suggested you may wish to read a post I'd written the previous day. My post warned of the dangers of impatience — especially for collectors who are relatively ignorant and inexperienced:

Jan 23, 2022 3:16:02 GMT 1 Terry Fuckwitt said:

Jan 22, 2022 22:05:07 GMT 1 lobio said:

Is this a legit poster of a banksy exhibit ?

www.ebay.com/itm/185013621594?_trkparms=amclksrc%3DITM%26aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20160908105057%26meid%3D5452d0a5a95f486f8cec6848a4d4fd47%26pid%3D100675%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D15%26sd%3D185013621594%26itm%3D185013621594%26pmt%3D0%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2380057&_trksid=p2380057.c100675.m4236&_trkparms=pageci%3Ad89d962e-7bc6-11ec-9d08-ba2b82cb5f74%7Cparentrq%3A839a8c8817e0a9f10c5b9e36fff9de5e%7Ciid%3A1

Have a read of this post from met it may help you in your search
urbanartassociation.com/thread/176872/looking-buy-banksy

Jan 23, 2022 4:54:22 GMT 1 lobio said:

Thanks !

Although it was originally drafted for the benefit of a different forum member, Terry Fuckwitt was effectively saying that post might nevertheless also be applicable to you.

Based on your post history (including the number of subsequent threads you started after 23 January), I would share this view. Because you do come across as a mark, more so than as a cautious, informed collector.



An illustration can be found in the Banksy greenpeace* thread you started on 2 February, in connection with an item alleged to have originated from Greenpeace:

Feb 2, 2022 18:02:15 GMT 1 lobio said:

Any tips for telling apart the legit vs fakes ?

Feb 2, 2022 19:35:08 GMT 1 lobio said:

My question is how to discern fakes from originals. What’s the process you go through to determine most are fakes ?

Feb 2, 2022 20:05:22 GMT 1 lobio said:

Thank you all, and thanks disturbart for the offer. Yes definitely offset lithograph looking through the loop, very clear rosetting observable and also have confirmation it’s on recycled paper. Bought from gallery while back with gallery COA but always want to double check. so that’s a good start I guess…will keep you all updated.

Feb 3, 2022 1:24:08 GMT 1 Bigal 1987 said:

What gallery did you buy it from?

Feb 3, 2022 1:34:42 GMT 1 lobio said:

Arts limited

Feb 3, 2022 1:35:45 GMT 1 lobio said:

www.arts-limited.com/

What this demonstrates is a seemingly-oblivious willingness on your part to deal with the likes of Arts Limited — a disreputable entity known, among other things, for issuing worthless certificates of authenticity.

From what I can gather, you bought first, and only chose to ask questions later.

If that isn't a bright red flag to your eyes, and a clear warning sign that you're in over your head, then you are indulging in self-delusion. It would truly be in your interest if you could tell yourself to snap out of it and wake up.

I hope my straightforward, candid approach here won't be mistaken for rudeness.


__________



It's worth adding I fully understand this advice will probably be a killjoy, and therefore unwanted.


I'm also conscious that putting it down in writing risks making me appear like a pompous tit — which is rarely an attractive look. Moreover, spending time on posts like these certainly isn't my idea of fun. I would rather be rewatching a film by Wes Anderson or the Coen brothers.

The reason I do it is out of a peculiar sense of duty towards strangers on the internet who happen to be art enthusiasts.

If my public interventions push some of them to reflect a little bit more, and do further research — thereby lessening the chances of them getting ripped off, or making unwise purchase decisions (including buying trite art) — then that is one ongoing duty I will at least have partially fulfilled.

[lobio]

English is not my first language so clearly this is not what I meant. You sir are an asshole of the nth degree. This board is full of losers and miserable wretches. I will not be coming back

[Wisconinla]

Feb 19, 2022 19:51:58 GMT 1 lobio said:

English is not my first language so clearly this is not what I meant. You sir are an asshole of the nth degree. This board is full of losers and miserable wretches. I will not be coming back

Stick around, you’ll find people you enjoy as well.

Met just has a lot of time on their hands 😉

[kjg]

Feb 19, 2022 19:51:58 GMT 1 lobio said:

English is not my first language so clearly this is not what I meant. You sir are an asshole of the nth degree. This board is full of losers and miserable wretches. I will not be coming back

Met is just trying to help you and save you from mistakes, dude.

[qest]

Thinking met an asshole is easily the poorest exercise of judgment displayed yet. You can lead a horse to water.

[Coach]

Feb 19, 2022 20:29:42 GMT 1 qest said:

Thinking met an asshole is easily the poorest exercise of judgment displayed yet. You can lead a horse to water.

Met is one of the most knowledgeable members here.
His posts are invariably in an effort to help members.

[teabaggins]

Feb 19, 2022 19:51:58 GMT 1 lobio said:

English is not my first language so clearly this is not what I meant. You sir are an asshole of the nth degree. This board is full of losers and miserable wretches. I will not be coming back

Maybe give Mets post another read. Met obviously took some time to try and be helpful not disparaging.

[Daylight Robber]

Feb 19, 2022 20:31:50 GMT 1 Coach said:

Feb 19, 2022 20:29:42 GMT 1 qest said:

Thinking met an asshole is easily the poorest exercise of judgment displayed yet. You can lead a horse to water.

Met is one of the most knowledgeable members here.
His posts are invariably in an effort to help members.

I have to admit I'm generally one for skip reading the longer posts on this forum. Not with Met. I'll read his posts word for word and then generally read them again. A proper asset.

[dkla]

You should know that Met is being extremely generous by taking the time to try and help you. I suggest you take Met’s words to heart as helpful and constructive. Take the advice and you will be better off.

[Terry Fuckwitt]

Feb 19, 2022 19:51:58 GMT 1 lobio said:

English is not my first language so clearly this is not what I meant. You sir are an asshole of the nth degree. This board is full of losers and miserable wretches. I will not be coming back

I'm a bit shocked at your response to Met's post. You say English is not your first language, so I hope you had time to read it again, including the other members responses in this thread.
I replied to one of your 'in search of' posts with a link to Met's previous post for the exact reasons he mentions.
Clearly, you come across as very desperate to spend your money, yet have little knowledge on some of the items you wish to purchase.
Met has taken the time to post to help you not rush into making any regrettable purchases. Calling someone an 'asshole of the nth degree' that is trying to save you getting scammed is out of order imo.

[met]

Feb 19, 2022 19:51:58 GMT 1 lobio said:

English is not my first language so clearly this is not what I meant. You sir are an asshole of the nth degree. This board is full of losers and miserable wretches. I will not be coming back

To your credit, I wouldn't have guessed English isn't your first language.

The posts you draft are typically reader-friendly, clear and unambiguous:

Excellent spelling, good grammar — and an impressive vocabulary to boot. There are plenty of native English speakers who don't know the difference between "compliment" and "complement", whereas that doesn't seem an issue for you*. In addition, I generally attribute usage of "wretch" to the bookish and erudite. It is one of the words of yore that happens to be a favourite of mine.


__________



The above is both a hat tip and contextual prelude:


You previously gave me no grounds to hesitate about the meaning of your words. And so, after seeing "unique and original banksy postcards" in your opening post, I assumed you did in fact mean unique and original Banksys in postcard format. At the same time, the possibility of this understanding being incorrect was factored into my reply.

Despite being false in this instance, I trust you'll accept that my inferences were not unreasonable.



For additional context, I'd refer to the large number of new collectors who continue to be duped by "Dismaland Free Art" — i.e. small-format originals fraudulently or cluelessly attributed to Banksy.

If we combine this sad reality with your own admission last month in the thread, Banksy Devolved Parliament Poster*, that you are "new to collecting", it offers a better indication of where I was coming from:

Jan 22, 2022 18:42:53 GMT 1 lobio said:

No just trying to learn what fair prices are in this market. I am new to collecting

Like yourself, many novices are well aware the art market is a minefield.

And so they're already on guard to some extent.

But the added value I can offer is letting those collectors know they should tread with even greater caution. Because, although they have good reason for concern, the specific landmines they're worried about represent but a quarter of the numbers that are actually out there.

[I don't yet have the heart to also warn them about the barbed wire, machine-gun nests, astroturfing, agents provocateurs, and underhand ruses de guerre like enemy combatants wearing friendly uniforms.]


__________



Tangentially, the subject of artist postcards in your opening post also brought to mind a few comments I made in October 2020 in the thread, Show us YOUR - Latest ART BUY*.

These were about two cards acquired by another forum member and attributed to Basquiat. The previous owner supposedly had them authenticated by the Authentication Committee of the Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat.

My strong recommendation at the time to jakecskis was that he contact the Estate directly and arrange for the purported authentications to be verified. This, instead of relying solely on the assertions and paperwork provided to him by his seller — which, in the Basquiat market, can be tantamount to relying on blind faith:

Oct 19, 2020 7:16:35 GMT 1 met said:

Oct 19, 2020 2:49:59 GMT 1 jakecskis said:

Oct 18, 2020 8:50:17 GMT 1 LJCal said:

Oct 18, 2020 7:22:34 GMT 1 met said:

Oct 18, 2020 5:12:10 GMT 1 jakecskis said:

Oct 17, 2020 22:10:32 GMT 1 met said:

Oct 17, 2020 18:30:20 GMT 1 jakecskis said:

JMB mixed media post cards, circa 1981, 1982.  Authenticated by the estate of JMB.

Although both cards look off to my layperson's eye, no doubt you completed your due diligence — including verifying the genuineness of the accompanying certificates from the Authentication Committee of the Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat (such certificates often being faked).

I'm guessing the Estate is able to confirm specific authentications previously issued by the Authentication Committee before the latter disbanded in 2012.

Acquired by the collector who had them authenticated with invoices of authorization.

Thank you for the follow-up.

My earlier post was written with deliberate restraint. The idea was just to probe first, while still highlighting the pervasiveness of counterfeiting in the Basquiat market. In an effort to retain an initial tone of relative calm, I described these two cards as simply looking "off" to me — deleting my original, more candid reference to "patently off".

Given the level of risk with Basquiat-attributed work, I believe your checks in this instance were insufficiently thorough. The supporting documentation in your possession also seems inconclusive since it could easily have been forged.

__________


You mentioned both of these cards have been authenticated by the Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Although the Estate has long stopped issuing new authentications, my assumption is that it should be able to quickly confirm the genuineness of previously-issued authentication certificates for specified artworks. Such a service is presumably relied upon by all reputable auction houses and dealers.

I strongly recommend that you immediately seek out this confirmation by the Estate, if only for peace of mind. In parallel, the cards and their accompanying paperwork can be taken to the appropriate departments at Christie's or Sotheby's for their expert corroborating opinions.

If neither path offers you clear written reassurance as to authenticity, then you have almost certainly purchased fakes and should be looking to claim your money back.

Good luck with your efforts.

Or in summary they’re fake as f**k. 

Nope 👎🏼

The helpful simplicity of your position is that your two cards were purportedly already authenticated by the Authentication Committee of the Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat.

This is a great advantage, since both authentications can therefore be independently verified by the Estate itself — i.e. without you having to place any reliance on (or blind faith in) the assurances or paperwork offered by your seller.


All the Estate should need from you is a copy of the signed and dated letter certificates previously issued by the Authentication Committee for the cards. Each of your certificates will have:

(i)  a transaction number;
(ii)  the details (title, date, medium, size) of the relevant card;
(iii)  an accompanying photograph; and
(iv)  a statement along the lines of, "This will certify that the Authentication Committee of the Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat has examined the work identified above, and is of the opinion that it is a genuine work by Jean-Michel Basquiat."

The Estate can then just cross-reference the information against its own records.


I hope the verification process regarding authenticity will be a smooth one for you.

__________



Just for the avoidance of doubt, no hard feelings about the "asshole" quip.

Many people will reflexively lash out if they sense they've been slighted, especially before an audience. It isn't a big deal.

[I've also heard far worse — including comments that really did test my composure and natural state of bemused emotional detachment. In a fit of pique, an old flame of mine once called me dull. This was during our courtship period. My immediate thought was, "I've got to watch out with this one. She already knows how to really hurt me."]

There was probably some confusion by you regarding my intent, and I do understand the importance of perceived intent. During online interactions, it can be difficult to gauge an interlocutor's motive and tone. And while deliberately forthright, it isn't a surprise to me that my communication style can at times be grating for some members, and misconstrued.



Separately, although I constantly seek out nuances and minor distinctions between ideas, things and people (perhaps the narcissism of small differences), I make efforts as well to find common ground.

And what you and I have together is the shared belief there exists multiple degrees of assholery. For me, that is by no means trivial. I could imagine the two of us even bonding on this topic in the years to come. Who knows? We might also end up discussing the multiple degrees of defensiveness or throwing one's toys out of the pram.


__________



lobio — I therefore hope you will reconsider, come back, keep reading and keep contributing to this forum.

Because we need all sorts of participants and perspectives here.

Vive la différence.

[lobio]

Hi Met,

I do apologize for my outburst. Just felt like it was not being understood on this board and wasn’t warmly welcomed. My sincere apologies. Just to clarify I am not buying all these items I was posting about just curious about their history , background, scarcity things like that. I do only buy items with solid provenance . I hope we can remain friends moving forward as you mentioned,

Sincerely and best wishes to all,

[Crunchy Carrot]

Exciting thread, thanks for sharing your 1000 word essay met. Good read.

[met]

Feb 21, 2022 16:58:53 GMT 1 lobio said:

Hi Met,

I do apologize for my outburst. Just felt like it was not being understood on this board and wasn’t warmly welcomed. My sincere apologies. Just to clarify I am not buying all these items I was posting about just curious about their history , background, scarcity things like that. I do only buy items with solid provenance . I hope we can remain friends moving forward as you mentioned,

Sincerely and best wishes to all,

No worries whatsoever.

Your outburst was good value on a number of grounds:


(i)  I must have read it four or five times before responding. And on each occasion (at least from the second time onwards), I laughed out loud. That's pretty rare. Soon enough, I'm confident you'll be able to appreciate the comedic merit of the situation and share a laugh with me.


(ii)  As previously mentioned, "wretch" is one of my favourite words. Try saying it in a low guttural manner. It is strangely satisfying.


(iii)  Reference to the "nth degree" of assholery initially made me think of "9th degree", and then of the nine circles of Hell. This led me to revisit the illustrations by William Blake** for Dante's Divine Comedy — a pursuit I found most worthwhile.


(iv)  Along the way, I discovered a fine quote by John Milton, from Paradise Lost, Book I:

The mind is its own place, and in it self
Can make a Heav'n of Hell, a Hell of Heav'n.



All in all, it was time well-spent.


__________



Thank you nevertheless for your apology. It's appreciated.


There exists multiple criteria for categorising people and dividing them into different boxes.


One such criterion is their willingness to acknowledge when they made a mistake or possibly made a mistake — e.g. a slight overreaction, a thoughtless comment, an incorrect or misleading statement of fact, or an overly sweeping generalisation:


-  Whether in real life or on a message board like this one, you'll find individuals who will almost invariably double down, keep moving the goal posts, or simply proceed as if nothing happened — with zero admission of even the possibility they were ever in the wrong.

It could be down to a juvenile pride or pigheadedness, but such reactions are odd because they're self-defeating. Other people aren't stupid or inattentive. And so, even when not expressly called out, it isn't like the behaviour goes by unnoticed. Those who place themselves in this camp just make it more difficult for their peers to hold them in high regard.


-  As a merciful counterbalance, however, there are plenty of individuals who will promptly take full ownership, raise their hands, and publicly accept they might have erred.

This is the group you've shown yourself to be part of. And to my mind, it demonstrates honour.


__________



Regarding any expectation of a warm welcome on the Urban Art Association, that may have been aiming too high.

Lower those sights, perhaps drastically, and you could end up pleasantly surprised.



A few thoughts:


1.  Bear in mind this forum isn't a monolith, but rather an assortment of individuals from all walks of life, age groups, cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. There is no consistency in their levels of knowledge, experience, or willingness to assist others.

Moreover, members here have very different interests, priorities, sensibilities, temperaments, and values — including when it comes to honesty and integrity, or opinions about acceptable degrees thereof.


[In fact, some charming members (who are alright the majority of the time) can, when an opportunity presents itself, become occasional scammers as well.

There is, for example, an unfortunate phenomenon I've witnessed on more than one occasion: Fraud victims, upon realising they've been ripped off, re-selling their fakes to other people in order to recoup their losses — the original victims thereby in turn becoming fraudsters themselves.

Additionally, you may find individuals promoting or hyping specific art releases while failing to disclose their vested interests in the relevant works, artists, galleries, publishing houses, etc. It is repellent, underhand behaviour.

Even worse in my view are the members who have more than one active forum account. I actually feel let down whenever making these discoveries. Because not only is this choice knowingly deceitful, it is quite often motivated by cowardice. And regardless of any agreeable traits they might have, how does one continue to respect somebody after learning they are also a coward?

If you'll pardon the callback, according to Dante, it seems places are reserved for such forum members in the Eighth Circle of Hell.]



2.  The sheer volume of comments posted on this forum makes it necessary to be selective and discriminate. Otherwise, you could easily spend hours each day here, often reading inanities. That would be unhealthy, as well as a poor use of your remaining moments on earth.

It would also restrict the time you'd have to seek out information and perspectives from a wider body of sources. If a disproportionate part of somebody's routine is spent on this forum, I believe their entire outlook will incrementally (even imperceptibly) become evermore narrow.

For this reason, my presence here is kept sporadic. I also focus my attention on posts drafted by members who are consistently informative, perceptive and/or entertaining — the ones who regularly bring something fresh to the table. These may be people with whom I share obvious affinities or, more interestingly, the ones whose viewpoints are considered yet often at odds with my own.



3.  Graffiti and street art are known for their irreverence. They provoke and challenge. They come with attitude.

If only for consistency, we should therefore expect a similar prevailing spirit in the interactions between enthusiasts of these genres.


The Urban Art Association isn't a safe space, unified community, or family home. Perish the thought.

This platform is more like high school, the local pub, or a football terrace — where someone will yell out, "Oi, your taste in music is crap, and you wear orthopaedic shoes!"


Everyone here then has a choice:


   (a)  They can interpret such comments as aggressive or mean-spirited, and possibly react by having a hissy fit, followed by a sulk.

   (b)  Alternatively, they can view such comments as ribbing or lighthearted goading. As harmless entertainment — where the impact for them is like water off a duck's back.


The best advice I can give would be to choose option (b).


[Imagine being in the shoes of Victoria Beckham when she used to watch her husband play football:

Sitting with her father, along with other family members and friends. Then comes the chant. From literally hundreds of football fans. Singing in unison, as if into one gigantic megaphone:

🎼"Post Spice takes it up the arse!"♪ ♬*

Now, query her best course of action in that oft-repeated scenario. Have a strop, or laugh it off?]


To keep things interesting for me, the tone of my own posts constantly shifts. From earnest, to surreal, to piss-taking or sometimes outright mockery. And it's almost always good-natured — the main exception being when I come across dishonesty.

Personal rules of mine include never posting anything I wouldn't say to somebody's face, or that I'd likely feel embarrassed or ashamed about if it were read (immediately or ten years from now) by family, friends, professional contacts, bosses or employees.

And when responding, unless I have good reason to believe otherwise, I make efforts to give fellow members the benefit of the doubt, by never assuming ill intent.

Despite being a firm republican, Elizabeth II has gradually become an inspiration to me. There is something truly admirable about her default state of cheerful unflappability.


__________



Good luck going forward.

Hope your contribution here will be an active one, and that you'll learn to have fun rolling with the punches.

[Wisconinla]

Feb 25, 2022 3:00:29 GMT 1 met said:

Feb 21, 2022 16:58:53 GMT 1 lobio said:

Hi Met,

I do apologize for my outburst. Just felt like it was not being understood on this board and wasn’t warmly welcomed. My sincere apologies. Just to clarify I am not buying all these items I was posting about just curious about their history , background, scarcity things like that. I do only buy items with solid provenance . I hope we can remain friends moving forward as you mentioned,

Sincerely and best wishes to all,

No worries whatsoever.

Your outburst was good value on a number of grounds:


(i)  I must have read it four or five times before responding. And on each occasion (at least from the second time onwards), I laughed out loud. That's pretty rare. Soon enough, I'm confident you'll be able to appreciate the comedic merit of the situation and share a laugh with me.


(ii)  As previously mentioned, "wretch" is one of my favourite words. Try saying it in a low guttural manner. It is strangely satisfying.


(iii)  Reference to the "nth degree" of assholery initially made me think of "9th degree", and then of the nine circles of Hell. This led me to revisit the illustrations by William Blake** for Dante's Divine Comedy — a pursuit I found most worthwhile.


(iv)  Along the way, I discovered a fine quote by John Milton, from Paradise Lost, Book I:

The mind is its own place, and in it self
Can make a Heav'n of Hell, a Hell of Heav'n.



All in all, it was time well-spent.


__________



Thank you nevertheless for your apology. It's appreciated.


There exists multiple criteria for categorising people and dividing them into different boxes.


One such criterion is their willingness to acknowledge when they made a mistake or possibly made a mistake — e.g. a slight overreaction, a thoughtless comment, an incorrect or misleading statement of fact, or an overly sweeping generalisation:


-  Whether in real life or on a message board like this one, you'll find individuals who will almost invariably double down, keep moving the goal posts, or simply proceed as if nothing happened — with zero admission of even the possibility they were ever in the wrong.

It could be down to a juvenile pride or pigheadedness, but such reactions are odd because they're self-defeating. Other people aren't stupid or inattentive. And so, even when not expressly called out, it isn't like the behaviour goes by unnoticed. Those who place themselves in this camp just make it more difficult for their peers to hold them in high regard.


-  As a merciful counterbalance, however, there are plenty of individuals who will promptly take full ownership, raise their hands, and publicly accept they might have erred.

This is the group you've shown yourself to be part of. And to my mind, it demonstrates honour.


__________



Regarding any expectation of a warm welcome on the Urban Art Association, that may have been aiming too high.

Lower those sights, perhaps drastically, and you could end up pleasantly surprised.



A few thoughts:


1.  Bear in mind this forum isn't a monolith, but rather an assortment of individuals from all walks of life, age groups, cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. There is no consistency in their levels of knowledge, experience, or willingness to assist others.

Moreover, members here have very different interests, priorities, sensibilities, temperaments, and values — including when it comes to honesty and integrity, or opinions about acceptable degrees thereof.


[In fact, some charming members (who are alright the majority of the time) can, when an opportunity presents itself, become occasional scammers as well.

There is, for example, an unfortunate phenomenon I've witnessed on more than one occasion: Fraud victims, upon realising they've been ripped off, re-selling their fakes to other people in order to recoup their losses — the original victims thereby in turn becoming fraudsters themselves.

Additionally, you may find individuals promoting or hyping specific art releases while failing to disclose their vested interests in the relevant works, artists, galleries, publishing houses, etc. It is repellent, underhand behaviour.

Even worse in my view are the members who have more than one active forum account. I actually feel let down whenever making these discoveries. Because not only is this choice knowingly deceitful, it is quite often motivated by cowardice. And regardless of any agreeable traits they might have, how does one continue to respect somebody after learning they are also a coward?

If you'll pardon the callback, according to Dante, it seems places are reserved for such forum members in the Eighth Circle of Hell.]



2.  The sheer volume of comments posted on this forum makes it necessary to be selective and discriminate. Otherwise, you could easily spend hours each day here, often reading inanities. That would be unhealthy, as well as a poor use of your remaining moments on earth.

It would also restrict the time you'd have to seek out information and perspectives from a wider body of sources. If a disproportionate part of somebody's routine is spent on this forum, I believe their entire outlook will incrementally (even imperceptibly) become evermore narrow.

For this reason, my presence here is kept sporadic. I also focus my attention on posts drafted by members who are consistently informative, perceptive and/or entertaining — the ones who regularly bring something fresh to the table. These may be people with whom I share obvious affinities or, more interestingly, the ones whose viewpoints are considered yet often at odds with my own.



3.  Graffiti and street art are known for their irreverence. They provoke and challenge. They come with attitude.

If only for consistency, we should therefore expect a similar prevailing spirit in the interactions between enthusiasts of these genres.


The Urban Art Association isn't a safe space, unified community, or family home. Perish the thought.

This platform is more like high school, the local pub, or a football terrace — where someone will yell out, "Oi, your taste in music is crap, and you wear orthopaedic shoes!"


Everyone here then has a choice:


   (a)  They can interpret such comments as aggressive or mean-spirited, and possibly react by having a hissy fit, followed by a sulk.

   (b)  Alternatively, they can view such comments as ribbing or lighthearted goading. As harmless entertainment — where the impact for them is like water off a duck's back.


The best advice I can give would be to choose option (b).


[Imagine being in the shoes of Victoria Beckham when she used to watch her husband play football:

Sitting with her father, along with other family members and friends. Then comes the chant. From literally hundreds of football fans. Singing in unison, as if into one gigantic megaphone:

🎼"Post Spice takes it up the arse!"♪ ♬*

Now, query her best course of action in that oft-repeated scenario. Have a strop, or laugh it off?]


To keep things interesting for me, the tone of my own posts constantly shifts. From earnest, to surreal, to piss-taking or sometimes outright mockery. And it's almost always good-natured — the main exception being when I come across dishonesty.

Personal rules of mine include never posting anything I wouldn't say to somebody's face, or that I'd likely feel embarrassed or ashamed about if it were read (immediately or ten years from now) by family, friends, professional contacts, bosses or employees.

And when responding, unless I have good reason to believe otherwise, I make efforts to give fellow members the benefit of the doubt, by never assuming ill intent.

Despite being a firm republican, Elizabeth II has gradually become an inspiration to me. There is something truly admirable about her default state of cheerful unflappability.


__________



Good luck going forward.

Hope your contribution here will be an active one, and that you'll learn to have fun rolling with the punches.

You had me until “firm republican.”

Kidding, nobody is perfect.