A Note on the Saving Country Music Comments Section

Dear Saving Country Music Reader/Commenter,
When I started Saving Country Music in 2008, I wasn’t solely a country music fan. I was a fan of most all kinds of of music. But I had found a keen interest in what was happening in country. After witnessing the lack of creative freedom being extended to artists, the lack of support for independent artists, the disrespect for the genre’s roots, the insular nature and sometimes outright corruption of Music Row, and the corrosive effects left over from the cancellation of the [Dixie] Chicks, I felt someone needed to step up and speak out about some of the issues plaguing this important genre of music.
Saving Country Music started as a popular blog on MySpace. Watching how other bloggers on the format increased their readership and engagement by interacting with readers directly in the comments section, I chose to adopt this same practice. Along with finding it a useful tool to increase organic engagement, I also found it enriching to engage with the perspectives of others who could help challenge and inform my own opinions. It also became a great forum for suggesting new music and important topics to discuss.
Most importantly though, emphasizing the comments along with the written article itself helped foster a community of like-minded and similarly concerned country music fans with many of the same interests. Without comments, you don’t have a community. You just have the commentary of the writer of the article. Saving Country Music went from a part-time passion project to what I hope is a valuable country music resource that among other things has helped address, if not vanquish, some or most of the concerns that inspired its founding, thanks in large part to the community that has been created here.
The mantra for some is, “Never read the comments.” For Saving Country Music, it became, “Always read the comments.” These are the reasons that despite the acrimony in the comments sections of certain topics, I’ve remained committed to hosting comments, even as most other outlets have eliminated them. It’s also the reason I continue to engage with commenters directly, despite the amount of readers and commenters dramatically increasing over time, and despite this being very unusual behavior for a journalist.
Even if I disagree with something someone says, that doesn’t mean I’m condescending them. By commenting on their comment, I’m letting them know that I’m actually paying attention to what they have to say too. I believe everyone has the right to an opinion about music, and I’m proud to offer a forum for people to not just share those opinions, but share them in a way where those opinions have agency due to the amount of other people that will read them. In this way, Saving Country Music’s comment section has become like a hybrid of a message board where important information can be found that may not exist anywhere else, and it is searchable through search engines.
The last thing I want is for Saving Country Music to become an autocracy. This is why I solicit for other people’s opinions and specifically encourage ones that challenge my own, and offer up an open forum to host these dissenting viewpoints. This also fosters the viewing of a broad perspective of opinions, which creates a strategic advantage in the marketplace of ideas since I’m not siloed in an institutional or ideological echo chamber like so much of today’s media. Instead, I am constantly interfacing and interacting with a wide host of ideas so I can see the full picture. When I go to report on a specific topic, I can then speak to those perspectives.
There are logistical and even financial advantages to hosting a robust comments section. Saving Country Music is not a big legacy media outlet like Rolling Stone or Billboard. This site has no sponsors, benefactors, or underwriters, and it doesn’t advertise. Saving Country Music has always leveraged the power of Google and other search engines as it’s strategic advantage in the marketplace, and successfully. A robust comments section alerts search engines to the strong, industry-leading engagement with readers that Saving Country Music enjoys. Some people come to the site primarily or even solely to read the comments. That’s completely okay by me.
All that said, some surmise that I post about contentious subjects knowing that it will cause chaos in the comments section in hopes of creating traffic to the website. But comments don’t always denote traffic, especially unique traffic when you have many of the same individuals posting over and over as opposed to attracting a wide swath of readers. Unique traffic is how a website makes money. It’s also often these contentious subjects that cause some readers to flee Saving Country Music. So even if this strategy worked in the short-term, in the long-term it would cause SCM to bleed readers.
And make no mistake about it, Saving Country Music has bled readers due to to the contentiousness of some comments sections over time. But the elimination of comment sections in the 2010s is the very specific reason certain media outlets failed to survive the Web 2.0 transition or the more recent Tech-cession. Meanwhile, Saving Country Music is a Web 1.0 property that isn’t just surviving in the Web 3.0 world, it’s thriving. SCM should have gone extinct years ago. It has survived in part due to the comments section, and the community that the comments section has created.
So eliminating comments on Saving Country Music simply because some comments sections or some commenters can get unruly at times is an untenable option. In truth, it’s only a small percentage of comments sections that get out of control. They just happen to suck up a larger percentage of the attention. Though some love to characterize the SCM comments sections careening out of control as a recent phenomenon, in truth they’ve always been noisy and sometimes unruly because that’s the nature of hosting an open forum. The exchange of ideas is often a messy business, but it’s also a critically important one.
That said, the increased political acrimony of the last few years in the United States has not spared Saving Country Music, or the site’s comments section. Though some like to characterize the polarization as being unique or exclusive to SCM, or exceptional in nature here, this is just not the case. It is commensurate with the polarization being felt throughout society. Social media and the few websites left that do have comments sections are experiencing similar issues.
One thing you can do to avoid this acrimony if you find it off-putting is to just not read the comments section, especially on certain topics. Comment sections are optional. And even though I have made the comments sections dynamic with reply features and ‘like’ buttons, I have also made it to where someone has to consciously navigate to the comments section to engage with it. SCM is very unique and how there are no ads in the reading section of articles, which is the most lucrative place for ads to be. This hopefully results in a more pleasing and less distracting reading experience. It also comes at a cost to the website.
Instead, ads have been placed between the article and the comments section to discourage people from navigating to the comments if they don’t want to see them. Like a moth to the flame though, some people are drawn to them even though they know they will hate what they find there. I cannot budget for this any more than I already have, and to be frank, it’s unfair when people leave feedback saying they will no longer read Saving Country Music because of what transpires in the comment sections. If you don’t want to read the comments, don’t read them.
It should go without saying that the views expressed within the Saving Country Music comments section do not always express the viewpoints of the website or myself specifically, especially when dissenting and differing viewpoints are specifically encouraged. They simply illustrate the opinion of that specific commenter. Acting like any commenter represents SCM in total is underhanded and irresponsible not just to myself, but all of the other commenters and readers.
We’re in a bad moment in society when some people on the right feel like it’s their duty to walk right up to the line of acceptable conversation, or cross it into verboten discourse. Meanwhile, some people on the left seem to believe that people on the right shouldn’t be allowed to express their opinions at all and keep moving the line of acceptable discourse, which often only agitates the right and makes them want to ratchet up the rhetoric even more until you have a perpetual motion machine of increasing acrimony until it spirals out of control.
All of the readers and commenters of Saving Country Music need to understand that no individual commenter represents the entire website, but that as a community, we all work to represent what Saving Country Music is all about, which is the strong and spirited exchange of heterodox views, while also remaining respectful of everybody regardless of their opinions or background. This is what I try to do in my writing, and this is what happens in the comments sections when they’re working properly. And often they do work properly, resulting in an enriching conversation and exchange of ideas where important details of a topic are sussed out, even if some endless and ugly shouting match back and forth is where people’s eyes are often drawn.
The absolute last thing that I ever want to do is edit or moderate someone’s comment, or to close down the comments section of an article. Unfortunately, segments of the media itself these days are strangely participatory in the growing censorship regime. But I will come into a comments section to attempt to restore at least some modicum of decency so that the discussion can continue and in a relatively healthy and civil manner. In these instances, it is often these unruly commenters who are inadvertently censoring others by steering the discussion off topic or in a detrimental direction, discouraging others from commenting, or even coming to Saving Country Music in the first place.
Closing comment sections down temporarily is also a way to help control an unruly discussion and without having to delete anyone’s specific comments. I have been forced to use this option more and more to various degrees of success, and in one instance, closed comments down on an article from the start. Some subjects are so contentious in the comments, it discourages me from posting about them at all, which is an unhealthy situation when I need to use this forum to address critically important current events in country music. Closing down the comments section entirely is a better option than censoring myself.
But closing down a comments section is a last resort too, and an element of censorship itself. Ideally, the Saving Country Music community could behave itself, and that option could be avoided because comments are critically important to this site’s ecosystem as explained above. Also, if you see a comment you disagree with, speak out and challenge it as opposed to grousing that it exists or the person was allowed to comment, and try to convince the other commenter of your perspective as opposed to just descending into name calling.
Overtly racist and bigoted comments, as well as personal threats and potentially libelous statements are eliminated from the comments section. But where the line of decency is tends to be in the eye of the beholder. If I start taking liberties with censoring comments more aggressively, I can steer the discussion in the direction I want it to go as opposed to the where the community wants to go. This can lead into dangerous territory where I start stamping out dissent. The baseline for moderating comments starts at not moderating them at all, and only stepping in as a last resort.
I am a music journalist and critic, not a comment moderator. Often I’m working on other articles, busy screening music submissions, or sometimes out in the field at live shows or festivals when comments come in. I do the best I can to screen comments in real time, but never claim to be perfect in anything I do, including comment moderation. But I do believe that I am fair, and try to do the best I can. Despite some claiming that Saving Country Music is unfair to one side of the culture war or the other, the political alignment of the comments do not bear that out, and consistently. A rather incredible and reassuring cross section of perspectives and ideologies are represented here.
What are the comment rules? The rules are different for different topics. If an article has a political angle to it, then sometimes politically-centric comments are appropriate. When it’s an album review with no political component whatsoever, they are not. People know where the lines are and what the rules should be. They just often try to cross those lines and stretch the boundaries, which is disrespectful to this website, it’s community, and it’s mission.
I appreciate everyone reading and commenting on Saving Country Music. I’d rather shut the website down before shutting the comments down entirely. But for them to remain open, we all have to participate in keeping the discussions healthy and constructive, avoid veering into divisive political subjects when they’re not specifically broached in the article itself or relevant to country music, and not participate in meaningless back and forth name calling. Since I am a commenter on this website too, these rules also apply and are worth underscoring to myself as well.
The reason you’re even on this website is because you’re a country music lover. We all have that in common. We all care about the creative freedom of our favorite artists, about preserving the roots and artistic expressions of this genre, and about supporting the art that we all believe is best representative of what country music should be. Once we all zoom out and understand that we’re tugging at the same yoke for the most part and our differences are at the margins, hopefully we can discuss the specifics and hash out disagreements with more respect for each other in our differing perspectives.
Because if not, the comments section might go away. And if the comment sections goes away, Saving Country Music might go away. And this would not be cool.
Thanks for your understanding.
–Trigger
August 7, 2023 @ 10:41 am
Well said on all fronts Trig. Overall people need to realize online isn’t real life and take a step away if something is making you that mad.
I can’t remember which comedian said it but to paraphrase “I don’t like bed bath and beyond so you know what I do, I don’t go to bed bath & beyond”
In the end we’re all here to discuss our mutual appreciation of country music and music in general.
August 7, 2023 @ 10:41 am
Testing, testing – is this thing on?
August 7, 2023 @ 10:44 am
Trig,
I respect how you laid this out. Bravo.
As I was reading, there were two points I kept waiting for you to hit on, and was concerned you wouldn’t, but you did.
….”it’s unfair when people leave feedback saying they will no longer read Saving Country Music because of what transpires in the comment sections. If you don’t want to read the comments, don’t read them.”……
….”Meanwhile, some people on the left seem to believe that people on the right shouldn’t be allowed to express their opinions at all and keep moving the line of acceptable discourse”……
August 7, 2023 @ 11:32 am
“We’re in a bad moment in society when some people on the right feel like it’s their duty to walk right up to the line of acceptable conversation, or cross it into verboten discourse.”
You seem to have forgotten this statement by Trigger.
August 7, 2023 @ 11:35 am
I didn’t forget it. It just wasn’t important to me.
August 7, 2023 @ 12:01 pm
“Meanwhile, some people on the left seem to believe that people on the right shouldn’t be allowed to express their opinions at all”
No, no one actually believes this. What people on the left believe is that just because you have free speech doesn’t mean you can’t be criticized for what you say. Free speech means the government can’t punish you for your speech: it doesn’t mean you can’t be criticized and be called an asshole for when you choose to make racist, xenophobic, misogynistic, and/or homophobic comments.
August 7, 2023 @ 12:14 pm
Okay……so…does that mean you all are going to increase the name calling, and reduce the crying to Trigger about what other people believe and say?
If so, I’m fine with that.
August 7, 2023 @ 12:26 pm
Oh, I get it Mr. Court Jester….so, you’re able to read, it’s just your comprehension that’s an issue.
Good to know.
Quick question for you…how do you choose which screen name to post under? Sometimes it’s “Bibs,” sometimes it’s this “court jester” one you’re using now…sometimes it’s “Country Knight.” How do you decide which one to use?
August 7, 2023 @ 12:38 pm
It just depends on which angle I think will make you cry the most.
If I want to come at you with a verbose, somewhat libertarian, even keeled attack, I comment as Bibs.
If I want to be short and direct, I comment as Country Knight.
If I want to expose what you are, and elaborate on how your religion is destroying the West, I comment under my current screen name.
How did you figure me out so easily? That’s pretty brilliant, all things considered.
August 7, 2023 @ 12:40 pm
I’m Bibs. He’s not. For you to assume that makes you kinda not all that smart! I rarely comment. Quit making dumb assumptions. Trigger made it clear a while back that we aren’t the same person. You, the lefty, have escalated the comments section again because you make an accusation that’s not true. Deal in facts as you know them to be 200% true, not conjecture.
August 7, 2023 @ 12:42 pm
Why shouldn’t I assume it? You idiots make the same accusations towards me?
Don’t dish out what you can’t take Mr. Court Jester.
August 7, 2023 @ 12:44 pm
Can’t speak for Bibs, but CK and Honky have been posting here for years, are clearly different people, and I always appreciate what they have to say.
You on the other hand…
August 7, 2023 @ 12:55 pm
It is a shame that such an awesome nickname is wasted on you.
As Trigger explained to you, Honky, Bibs, and myself are different posters.
Accept it and move on.
August 7, 2023 @ 12:57 pm
Oh, well, since Jake Cutter says so, I guess it *must* be true.
*rolls eyes*
August 7, 2023 @ 12:58 pm
Interstate Daydreamer,
As I have said numerous times, your accusations that one person is perpetuating multiple aliases in this comments section is completely unfounded. I have specific safeguards in place to make sure this doesn’t happen, and look into it specifically. And if you actually read the comments from Honky, Bibs, and CountryKnight, you would know they all behave quite differently.
Also, it’s the kinds of bad faith accusations that end up derailing the discussion, just like you’re doing here. You are assuming the worst from these commenters. I don’t agree with these guys often and they criticize me too. But they have a right to their opinions.
August 7, 2023 @ 1:00 pm
……”Don’t dish out what you can’t take Mr. Court Jester.”……
????????????????????????
August 7, 2023 @ 1:14 pm
The fact that you find it to be shame just makes me all the more glad I have the nickname, C.K.
.
I take it as a compliment that it pisses you off.
.
Now, go cry some more.
August 7, 2023 @ 1:25 pm
Trig, you could’ve also added something like “and those in the middle try to maintain any respect for humanity while trying to avoid the inescapable conclusion that both the left and right aisles are mainly populated by intolerable a-holes…”. Anyhow, thanks for keeping comments open. They’re definitely worth a chuckle and sometimes. here and there, a good insight. Makes my inevitable slip into nihilism a little more pleasant.
August 7, 2023 @ 2:28 pm
ID,
Who said it pisses me off? There are many shameful things in the world that don’t anger me. I merely chuckle at the absurdity.
August 7, 2023 @ 5:18 pm
@Interstate Daydreamer – Maybe they are not the same person, but they -are- related, a la Larry, Daryl and Daryl from the 80’s Newhart show.
August 7, 2023 @ 12:59 pm
Honky,
I never viewed my comments as short and direct but I will take the compliment.
August 7, 2023 @ 1:12 pm
Well, shorter than Bibs’ anyway, lol. Bibs is a man of many words.
August 7, 2023 @ 1:37 pm
Many words, and not a single one of them showing any sign of intelligence.
August 7, 2023 @ 2:26 pm
The amount of respect from other posters argues differently.
Man, I miss dueling with Cool Lester. He had a rapier.
The current breed only have dull butter knives.
August 7, 2023 @ 3:09 pm
: D Not me, Brother.
I have a sword forged in Dragon fire.
August 8, 2023 @ 12:39 am
Incorrect.
There are many who would gladly strip opposing views of their right to free speech.
August 12, 2023 @ 4:10 pm
A.I. could comment for these guys.
Blah blah blah WOKE!! Blah blah blah COMMUNISM!! Blah blah blah WOKE!! Blah blah blah COMMUNISM!!
Shit, Honkey, Knight, Bibs, just let me know when you need the day off, I’ll sub in!
PS: I agree, Trigg.
August 7, 2023 @ 12:07 pm
This is the first time I’ve commented on this site. I visit this site everyday to see what’s out there when it comes to new artists or music release dates. There are a few artists that I have become big fan of due to Saving Country Music. So to come on here and read a post about what’s out there or to be on the lookout for a future release or an upcoming artist is something I enjoy. And yes, I read the comments because I want to see what other people think of artists or their songs. I especially like to be able to hear new singles and watch new music videos to capture the story behind the songs. So keep this site going. My country music library of new independent artist or traditional artist depends on it.
August 7, 2023 @ 5:16 pm
Can’t most of you guys just stop arguing like little 5th grade girls? Start a website for people who just want to find some way to start throwing out political left vs right stuff or take the opposite stand of any comment somebody else makes.
Get A Real Life
August 7, 2023 @ 10:48 am
Well-written. The comments section here is bearable; sometimes interesting, sometimes vile, but generally worth reading and I applaud the lengths you’ve gone to to keep it alive.
August 7, 2023 @ 10:49 am
This is a well written summary of your past posts over the many months – and years – regarding reader comments that go askew and off-topic. I, for one, appreciate the comments section as I do occasionally learn various additional things not stated in the articles.
However I will skip over the contentious comments that have no bearing – in my opinion as a reader – to the posted topic. And, again as a reader, I will completely ignore the name calling and such that pops up from time to time, as these comments have no obvious value to the interactive conversation.
And finally, I always unclick the ‘notify’ button as I don’t need to collect email on new comments. No comment is THAT important to me and I will get back to reading the posted comments in my own time. Leaving the button unchecked is my recommended option. If folks want to be notified of more comments, make ’em select that notification button on their own. Cheers & Twangs!
August 7, 2023 @ 11:39 am
That’s a good suggestion. I believe at one point we looked into the default for reply notifications being off instead of on, but it wasn’t an option. I will check on that.
August 7, 2023 @ 4:21 pm
Don’t go changing 13 year old habits. I’m a man whose phone is rendered useless for two days after deleting an app!
I like the email notifications because someone may response 2, 3 weeks, months (even years) later. And usually, that’s a good comment (unlike the topic derailing, agenda driven comments from the daily trolls).
And the link in the email is a short cut to the comment avoiding the off-topic, derailing, agenda driven nonsense.
Profootball Talk just closed their comment section for good. It’s been around forever and was driven by a Rumor Mill. It will be interesting to see how the do in the future without reader participation.
Man, I often go back and read articles from SCM early days and the comment sections were great compliments to your articles – smart, informed, engaging, and respectful. I believe some of the greatest commenters still read your stuff, just don’t scroll down to the comment section anymore. And that’s a shame. You cast such a huge genre net and focus on the independent artists that their input from all corners of the world was so useful.
I always wished SCM would become a pay site (like The Athletic) that would keep things more on topic.
August 7, 2023 @ 6:36 pm
If you charge $250 for GA tickets to your festival, you probably won’t have to worry about riff raff. If I put up a paywall, yes, it would keep some of the craziness out. But from the very beginning the point of Saving Country Music has been to spread the word about good music, and you can’t do that behind a paywall. You can only preach to the choir.
August 8, 2023 @ 2:41 pm
Maybe make the website free but charge per comment or something. Enough that people will stop and ask themselves if they really care that much about what they are saying.
Alternately, add thumbs down and hide any comments that get more than a certain number of thumbs down. Because I think most readers don’t want to read the comments that just devolve into name calling.
August 9, 2023 @ 7:35 pm
Regarding Matt’s comment, if you’re at all inclined toward charging per post, how about allowing 2 or 3 free comments on a given blog, and then, if a commenter must, then let them be prepared to pay a buck or so for each further incident of pontification. Great website, Trigger, and I’m enjoying your book (“Light As A Feather, Stiff As A Board”).
August 7, 2023 @ 10:50 am
Good stuff, Trig. While I find I do disagree with quite a bit of the non-music commentary in the comments section, I also realize that is due to what I believe, not what others believe. However, I have also enjoyed reading the different opinions no matter how wrong they are :-). But part of the pickle we find ourselves in comes from social media’s ability to create information silos that keep us from hearing other perspectives. But this is nothing we don’t already know.
My real reason for writing was to offer up a suggestion. Given the passion so many people seem to have about this site, have you ever thought about creating a group of moderators from the “regulars” that could help you with the comments section? Alternatively, maybe you could look into some sort of AI or text-analysis software that you could use. In fact, I’d be surprised to find out there is not something that does that, something you may in fact be using.
Regardless, I can’t imagine trying to moderate a site that gets as much traffic as this one does.
August 7, 2023 @ 11:49 am
There are tools that are being used to prescreen comments, and I think they work quite well. 95% of the comments left on the site are spam comments, and this is one of the reasons so many sites eliminated comments sections. The tools I used keep almost all of those spam comments at bay. Also, some commenters are sent to “moderation” immediately, comments from new users have to be moderated first before they can post at will, and the moderation tool also screens for things like people using multiple aliases or other spammy behavior, etc.
As for asking others to work as moderators, I have considered that and may do that in the future, especially if I’m out in the field covering live events when there are contentious topics, like what happened when the Jason Aldean thing broke when I was out covering Under The Big Sky Fest / FairWell Fest. I might put out the call for volunteers at some point, but I know from experience that it is a lot of work, and then these moderators would get attacked just like I do for being unfair to one side or another.
August 7, 2023 @ 11:06 am
Is this thing on?
Check one, check two. Sibilance, sibilance
🙂
August 7, 2023 @ 3:30 pm
Empirical Labs make a terrific processor for those sibilance issues… ????
August 7, 2023 @ 11:07 am
Of course, to go fully meta, I have a hunch the comments on this piece will degenerate into yelling. I applaud your attempts to keep dialogue open in a world that makes money out of conflict. Was this piece motivated by a response to a certain article on the site?
I always remember, but forget who said it, that ‘the bottom half of the Internet’ was a place of dragons.
August 7, 2023 @ 12:04 pm
“I always remember, but forget who said it, that ‘the bottom half of the Internet’ was a place of dragons.”
Well, maps used to say, “There be dragons here.” Now they don’t. But that don’t mean the dragons aren’t there.
August 7, 2023 @ 12:09 pm
AHHHHHH!
Does that count as yelling? 🙂
August 7, 2023 @ 11:07 am
The comments sections here are pretty mild, in my experience. I apply a barroom test to comments sections generally. If it’s something you can say sitting around drinking, it’s fine. Big media claimed they killed comments sections due to obscene content but I think it was just Narrative Control v1.0, which led directly to 2021’s v2.0 now seen in the Twitter Files and Facebook Files, true examples of gov-media censorship partnerships. Good on you for keeping them open, if nothing else they’re a feedback loop for you.
August 7, 2023 @ 11:53 am
I can’t express how much I value feedback from readers. Even if I disagree with someone’s feedback, I always regard it and consider it. It’s an invaluable resource that I think some journalists who only live on Twitter and block anyone they disagree with are missing out on. You want your opinions and methods rigorously challenged. It keeps you on your toes, and gives you the opportunity to strengthen your arguments and speak to the common criticism levied against them.
August 7, 2023 @ 6:22 pm
I follow a pretty well know political pollster and professor on twitter he tweeted a few weeks ago and I responded, not negative in any way, just my opinion on the subject and he blocked me lol. Isn’t that the pount of tweeting out your opinion on twitter? To interact with other folks.
August 7, 2023 @ 6:58 pm
Except for the fact that no one cares about your opinion. Its the internet. Politics, religion, beer preference does not matter to anyone but you. No minds will be changed, opinions won’t be swayed no matter how hard you type your keyboard.
Also, just because you keep repeating your opinion, it still doesn’t make it true.
Bob Wills is still the king however…
August 7, 2023 @ 11:08 am
Very well done.
TBH, I stopped commenting and reading the comments for a long time (but never stopped reading the blog) due to some of what I saw in the comment section. It’s obvious that some of your readers are very passionate. I applaud your willingness to let them express that passion.
Like you said, no one has to read the comments of f they don’t want to.
August 7, 2023 @ 11:15 am
I read this with Jesse Daniel’s “Living In The Great Divide” playing in my head. Hahaha…which I discovered through your site.
August 7, 2023 @ 11:30 am
nicely stated as always
August 7, 2023 @ 11:38 am
Since you brought up the comments section, maybe at some point in the future you might consider giving users some control of their comments, for example editing or deleting them. I know nothing ever truly disappears on the internet, but some other Internet forums (for example Reddit) allow users to do this, and I think it’s a nice feature. Sometimes I’ve weighed in on a discussion and then kind of regretted it.
I do like the Web 1.0 quality of the site, but if you’re going to be hosting involved discussions on a regular basis, I think there may be some upgrades available that could help improve the experience. Right now the set up is more conducive to a quick weigh-in rather than an involved discussion in my opinion.
August 7, 2023 @ 1:01 pm
There was a time when we had an edit function on the comments, but it was very buggy and at times was causing the server to crash.
I tell everyone that if they want to make a correction on a comment, relay to the comment you want corrected with an *, and I will make the correction. If you want to comment deleted, you can either say so in a comment, or reach out via the Contact page, and I’ll delete it.
August 7, 2023 @ 11:46 am
The comments section separates SCM from other sites. I used to be a daily reader of County Universe before Kevin (the head dictator there) erased any dissenting remarks. Now I rarely visit his gulag.
SCM comments have provided plenty of insight, suggestions, and entertainment.
August 7, 2023 @ 11:48 am
If you think SCM’s comment section is bad, I do not suggest reading the comments on pretty much any other website in existence!
Humanity is devolving, the internet is hastening it.
Sad.
August 7, 2023 @ 11:52 am
Hey Trigger. I usually don’t read real real long posts like this but what you wrote kept me interested. I’m glad you started this website way back. As a kid I was a big KISS fan around 4 years old. Then at age 5 I heard Dolly Parton sing and my whole music tastes changed. Then my grandfather died in 1984 and me and my Mother had to go through his house and clear out everything. Of course I was looking at his records. There was an album in there by Kitty Wells (Lonely Street). I said to my Mom….who the hell is Kitty Wells?!?!? She said if you like Dolly bring that home and listen to it. Kitty Wells has a unique voice like Dolly’s. She was right I was hooked. It went on and on like that and I’ve collected over 5000 vinyl record albums. I’ve become friends with alot of the artists (Kitty Wells, Bill Anderson, Jan Howard, Stella Parton, Paulette Carlson). The most recent that I promote is Elizabeth Cook. Our friendship started in year 2000 and I’ve promoted her ever since . Whenever she does a concert and she know’s I’m there she’ll she dedicate a song to me she first did on the Opry in year 2000….Jessie Colters Storms Never Last. In fact in one broadcast back in 2009 she dedicated it to me live over the airwaves. It’s a moment I will never forget.
As far as how country music is today….I don’t like alot of it. There’s several artists that I’ve heard I really like but the genre has changed way too much. I’m used to the music starting with the Carter Family in the 1920’s up to artists like George Strait, Alan Jackson and Vince Gill. A great song that came out when radio stations weren’t playing certain songs cause they were too country for country radio was the song Bill Anderson wrote and sang Too Country. If you’ve never heard it you need a listen. I think Brad Paisley also covered it.
So that’s all I’ve got to say. I’m always on this site….I love your articles and reviews. And I love being part of the comments section. Keep up the GREAT work!!!!!!!! Blessings my friend!!!!!!!!
August 7, 2023 @ 11:54 am
I do not read every comment, but I have found that all the comments I read are just fine, even if I don’t agree with all of them. It’s sad that this even bears repeating.
Regarding the article that you shut down comments from the start, I did want to comment on it, but I totally understand why you did so. It’s a shame that people would stop reading due to comments that they disagree with it, and it’s likely that this is not the type of readership that is healthy to the community anyway.
Please do not get rid of the comments.
August 7, 2023 @ 12:03 pm
To me, you (Trig) are a person who has earned and deserves everyone’s overall respect. Reading the comments often leaves me a bit shocked, but also realizing that the polarized folks are actually still communicating to each other — something rare it seems these years. And, if only they could do it more appropriately, their points could possibly be appreciated more.) I typically comment to my spouse, “So many clever people commenting who often waste their amazing cleverness”. Both the extreme ‘rights’ and the ‘lefts’ have several things in common: reading SCM; making SCM part of their lives; mistrust of each other, …and yet, they trust SCM enough to continue making it part of their lives. Wow! Where else does that happen! Trig, you are an example to all the world regardless of how one feels about country music. Who you are; what you do; and how you do it are exemplary (from my perspective). Cheers from Canada
August 7, 2023 @ 12:08 pm
It’s your house and you can run it as you see fit but what you allow in your house is a reflection not only on you but your guests as well. Personally I’d prefer a heavier hand with the off topic comments and obvious trolling as I don’t fell they bring anything of value to the party.
There are often great recommendations and discussions about artists in the comments. The comment section has also, more than once, kept me from sharing articles on my social media because I don’t want to be associated with the bullshit within.
August 7, 2023 @ 12:11 pm
Thanks for doing what you do Trig. One question/suggestion: could a feature be added that allows one to “collapse” a comment thread? Often I can tell when a top level comment is going to start a fight and I would rather just collapse it and avoid the brain-bleed than have to scroll and scroll and scroll to get past it.
Thanks again!
August 7, 2023 @ 1:03 pm
I can look into that. Thanks for the suggestion.
August 7, 2023 @ 12:14 pm
I love SCM and often read the comments. I don’t get hung up on views that may be different than mine. Keep up the good work in exposing all of us to music that can change the world through love.
August 7, 2023 @ 12:16 pm
The time has come for a SCM fest. Book Isbell Childers, Price, Aldean, Lewis and Tritt. I’d love to see a some collaborating on stage with this group.
August 7, 2023 @ 3:01 pm
I’d like to see this too, with smaller names tho , in the Spirit of discovery. More like the original luck reunion/heartbreaker.
August 7, 2023 @ 12:21 pm
Trig–
I just want to say that the comment section of this site is miles above the comment sections on so many other open sites, as far as civility, decency and relevance.
I regularly read the news site Mediaite and the comment section there has devolved into their 70 percent (estimated) liberal/Democrat commenters posting disgusting, scalalogical comments about Trump and their 30 percent MAGA/conservative posters doing the same about Biden, and each side attacking the other with raw hate. In fact, it appears that most of the commenters do not even read the articles that they’re posting to, but just go directly into their “Diaper Don” or “Dementia Joe” remarks. I’ve mostly stopped even clicking on the comment section there.
Another, generally well-regarded political site, the Hill became the same way with its comment section to the point that some months ago they ended the comment sections, entirely.
And I’m not even talking about what goes on on the explicitly partisan sites.
The comment section is a key feature and attraction on this site and I hope you keep it and continue to censor hate or vulgarity, as necessary. I think you’ve managed to strke a pretty good balance.
August 7, 2023 @ 12:57 pm
I recently was rereading some articles here and you wrote some marvelous posts about how Waylon and Willie had a falling out.
It was great stuff. Comment sections are a treasure trove.
August 7, 2023 @ 2:45 pm
I always wondered if they had fallen out at the time of Waylon’s death.
What is the story?
August 7, 2023 @ 4:28 pm
There is no exact smoking gun but Willie was reticent in his comments about Waylon’s death.
Waylon also had a falling out with Tomper.
Waylon sadly got bitter in his old age.
August 7, 2023 @ 3:19 pm
Could you point me in the direction of that info? I’ve always heard they had a falling out but haven’t seen any accounts anywhere
August 7, 2023 @ 4:27 pm
Luckyoldsun wrote expansive posts about the topic on the Garth Brooks Waylon story and another Waylon article.
https://savingcountrymusic.com/garth-brooks-addresses-waylon-jennings-feud/
https://savingcountrymusic.com/a-visit-to-the-grave-of-waylon-jennings/
August 8, 2023 @ 1:01 pm
Country K–
But I was maybe a little unfair to Waylon in my spin back then.
Waylon was really the soul of the Highwaymen in their public performances, the one who talked to the audience, told jokes and seemed to be having fun on stage. Willie was kind of aloof and would never share his songs.
Fact is, that while Waylon may have been bitter about his failing health and constant pain, and the way he was treated by the industry, he was always cheerful toward the public and in his songs, which tended a lot toward humorous self-deprecation in his later years when he was putting out some good albums, that unfortunately were being ignored.
August 7, 2023 @ 12:53 pm
I have been pretty stressed from work so I took time off due to the comment section just being completely off-topic, but other times I enjoy it in the same way I enjoy going to the zoo. Sometimes it’s good to see weird looking animals licking their own asses.
August 7, 2023 @ 1:09 pm
If there was no comment section here, how would I know that Jeremy Pinnell’s album does, in fact, rip?
August 7, 2023 @ 3:25 pm
????????????
This is what we all need sometimes: enough grace and space to laugh.
August 7, 2023 @ 4:10 pm
That shit do be rippin! No two ways about it! God DAMN i love them big girls from Bakersfield!!!
(this is in reference to the song “night time eagle” off of jeremy pinnell’s last record “goodbye LA” which rips)
August 7, 2023 @ 1:18 pm
Hey Trigger,
Good on you for what you’re doing.
This website reminds me of a cartoon I read once: a web 2.0 company were debating what to do for an April fools prank and thought of returning the website back to 10 years ago. Only problem was the web 1 website was nicer, faster and better all around.
Couple of suggestions: add somewhere to donate. Some of us use ad blockers and would rather pay directly.
Since its a music site, when leaving a comment, maybe make it a mandatory field to write what song you’re currently listening to.
Partly for interest, and maybe, just maybe the polarised commentors will realise they have a lot in common.
Listening to Gabe Lee ‘Drink the River’
August 7, 2023 @ 3:10 pm
I like it. ‘Feeling’ the Miles’ Wilder Blue.
August 7, 2023 @ 1:18 pm
I’m a frequent reader of comments both for entertainment from seeing trolls get decimated and to learn from the comments. SCM has probably the best comments section I’ve seen in any website because of the passion of other readers here.
August 7, 2023 @ 1:21 pm
Let’s remember that the site is about music. If it’s not about actual MUSIC, maybe keep it for your Facebook page. We’re not changing any minds here about politics or society in general.
August 7, 2023 @ 1:22 pm
I enjoy the comment section. It is entertaining.
It can get ugly between people sometimes depending on the topic, but I just move on.
I like to comment on music and the artists, etc. and love all the opinions when it comes to that.
I don’t understand how the comment section would make someone not want to go to the site at all, but then again I don’t understand a lot of people.
August 7, 2023 @ 1:23 pm
It’s sad that is has to come to this BUT to save the site and the overall success of the site I would suggest disabling comments for certain subjects OR close comment sections IF they become hostile but not unlesss or until they do.
It’s not ideal but it will serve the purpose of moderating those that can’t or won’t moderate themselves.
Thanks for all you do!
August 7, 2023 @ 2:11 pm
You nailed it with “bad moment in society”. I try to avoid the political comments but, sometimes, it’s like driving slowly by a car accident. I have gained value asking questions about 80s country, HOF, cosmopolitan, etc. Thank you, Trigger.
August 7, 2023 @ 2:34 pm
Good article. I don’t like it when the non political articles turn into stupid stuff but otherwise, I feel this comment section isnt that bad. With some articles, you have to expect it regardless of intentions. If I couldn’t comment here, I doubt I would be coming here long no matter how good the articles are sometimes. Far as why other sites took away the comments, it’s specifically a control issue of mainly one side though. When they first started moderating Facebook n other sites, it was mainly one side they were silencing, the left side could spout any nonsense it wanted. After a while I guess that wasn’t profitable for them or something, they just closed down everything. To me if it’s a newspaper or a site like this, if people can’t give their views, there isn’t really much point.
August 7, 2023 @ 2:48 pm
This is just my opinion, but I think the central problem with the current political polarization circumstance in relation to the comments section (and how it relates to online political discussions broadly) is that both major parties base their online discourse on internet trolling norms. This is the reason behind the phenomenon that you identify above, Trig.
Those on the left primarily feel like they’ve won the debate if other people on their side give them positive validation (i.e., score that “sick burn”).
Those on the right primarily feel like they’ve won the debate if they get negative emotional validation from those on the other side (i.e., if they “own the libs” so they “die mad”).
There’s no actual communication occurring across the aisle, because that communication would actually be counterproductive to what each side wants from the discourse. Instead, there’s just people looking for smiley faces or frowny faces.
This is not unique to this moment in history (just look at some 19th century political pamphlets), but the technology creates a new version of it.
August 7, 2023 @ 3:16 pm
Just wanted to say thank you Trigger. This resource you’ve created and grown over the years has become so important in the independent country music scene. For me, it’s like an online honkeytonk where I may not agree with everyone, but the conversation is good and the tunes are impeccable.
I wish more would treat it like that. It’s human nature to emphasize our differences and overlook our similarities. Nothing wrong with stating your opinions strongly, but it’s easy with a screen to forget the person on the other side is exactly that: a person. If you wouldn’t say it to someone’s face, why say it at all?
SCM has become a daily stop for me over the years. It’s where I find nearly all of the new artists I follow. It’s the place I send friends seeking real country music. And it reminds me: we have more common ground as a society than many of us realize. Music is a thing that brings us together. None of us are thinking about politics when we’re at a live show. We groove to the music and bond together through our shared love of the sound.
Again thank you Trigger for this site, creating this community, and being a voice for all the small acts out there who dream big. It’s invaluable; long may it continue!
August 7, 2023 @ 8:03 pm
I would like to echo the sentiment expressed by Tele&Tweed. Last night I saw Mike and the Moonpies with Rob Leines opening and I wondered how many people in attendance were SCM readers like me. I’m sure I would not have known about or made an attempt to attend the show if it wasn’t for SCM.
Rewinding to a couple days before the show, I received an email stating that Rob Leines was opening the show; never heard of him. I throw his Blood, Sweat, and Beers up on my streaming service and as he’s rippin through ‘Bailin’ Hay’ I’m thinking ‘Trig must of covered this a couple years ago’. I search and find that Trig reviewed the album and I nearly pissed my pants during my laughter.
Opening paragraph
‘Lock your doors and hide your daughters ladies and gentlemen, because this booze hounding, womanizing, honky-tonking and hard rocking country music son-of-a-bitch is blowing through your municipality like a long track tornado, and if he doesn’t charm you with his silver tongue, he just might slay you with his Telecaster.’
Trigger
Once again, thanks for all the work Trigger.
August 7, 2023 @ 3:17 pm
That is a great write up and you are appreciated. It is a shame you have to say any of this to begin with.
In my many years of college and vocational training, I liked to engage in lectures with the specific questions to help clarify and help my fellow students understand difficult concepts. I had one rule before raising my hand and that was if this question or comment only pertain to me, I would never waste everyone else’s time.
It is a shame that the goobers who have forced you down a path to write this article I have either never considered this or simply don’t care. Back and forth dumb name-calling comments are such a waste of most everyone else’s time and clog up a comment section. The only reason anyone else reads those comments are on the off chance that there is actually something of value to them or out of schadenfreude. None of this is healthy and it is simply selfish. If you want to say mean things to each other or argue some small point that has nothing to do with country, pm each other.
August 7, 2023 @ 3:24 pm
As a species, we really suck.
Keep up the fight Trigger, I really don’t know of anywhere else to find out about new quality country music.
August 7, 2023 @ 3:33 pm
….unless anyone challenges that sacred cow that is Patrick Haggerty and Lavender Country
August 7, 2023 @ 3:34 pm
As somebody on here commented once,
SCM: come for the articles, stay for the comments.
August 7, 2023 @ 3:43 pm
My response to the “We’re in a bad moment in society…” paragraph is that arguing with someone and being “offensive” when trying to make a point is far less bad than trying to take away someone else’s right to speak and impose real life implications for their speech.
I’m old enough to remember when it was the Left who was edgy and used humor to get their point across. Back when Bush was bad.
August 7, 2023 @ 3:55 pm
“Without comments, you don’t have a community.”
Sadly, the community you have is bigoted and hateful. You claim you draw the line somewhere, but you allow commenters to rank women by race, and when that commenter is called out, you don’t admonish the ranking, but instead reply to the poster calling it out, threatening them that you’ll shut down the comments sections for calling a bigot a bigot. You are a fucking coward who caters to the hateful right, even when you call those hateful comments out in this article, you have to hedge it by going with the classic “both sides” cop-out. My guess is it’s a financial decision, or you’re just too chicken shit to call out the bigotry in this community and the greater country music community.
“I am a music journalist and critic.”
And yet you feel compelled to barge into political discussions any time you can attack the left. You cherry pick with political discussions to discuss and how to discuss them. Probably why you wrote multiple articles about Aldean’s shit song where you devoted the majority of time to calling out liberals, but never delivered on that drag dance article. You are the best independent country journalist by a mile. You are a shit political commentator.
August 7, 2023 @ 4:12 pm
“You are a fucking coward …”
No, Adam, it is you, who are a coward.
You love to spew hatred behind a non complete name.
You do not have the fortitude to post under your real name.
August 7, 2023 @ 4:26 pm
“You love to spew hatred behind a non complete name.
You do not have the fortitude to post under your real name.”
No truer post has been posted on this website. Pretty much sums up the keyboard worriers.
August 7, 2023 @ 4:49 pm
good one, “Blair”.
August 7, 2023 @ 4:59 pm
Sick burn dude. Except that’s my name.
August 7, 2023 @ 5:22 pm
You comment about how I don’t have my complete name, while also not having your complete name. It’s hypocritical.
August 7, 2023 @ 5:33 pm
Notice I didn’t include your name in Di’s post? Pointing out the hypocrisy of that post complaining about the fact that you didn’t use your real name when 98% percent of the people on this website dont post their real name? You didn’t see the irony of that? Notice I wasn’t responding to you in the first place? Chill the fuck out.
August 7, 2023 @ 5:39 pm
Sub. Diana for Di.
There, you have my real name …
August 7, 2023 @ 5:42 pm
This does not read like you’re pointing out the hypocrisy of Di’s post, my mistake if you meant it differently than I interpreted it, but it certainly appeared like you were agreeing with Di.
August 7, 2023 @ 5:58 pm
Apologies.
Adam, relax …
This is a great site with much input about some really great musicians, & music.
Much give & take from people who can direct us to some really stellar talent.
Shameless plug (again) for Mr. Tab Benoit who plays mind bending guitar.
Had it not been for Corncaster and Trevistrat, would never have known to catch his show.
Tab also plays a mean pedal steel.
August 7, 2023 @ 4:48 pm
Why would I doxx myself? Especially on a site full of such hateful people. I assume Trigger has my email so he knows my full name, and the comment was made to him. But that’s irrelevant, why would you want to know my full name? I post consistently under this name so you know it’s me. What would you gain from knowing my last name?
August 7, 2023 @ 5:10 pm
And if you look at my post. i intentionally left your name out of the post. Di’s post was a great example of the lack of self awareness people have. Somebody actually complains about people being cowards by not posting their real names when 98% post under a fake name. Anonymity allows them to say things they would never say in public.
August 7, 2023 @ 5:48 pm
“Sub. Diana for Di.
There, you have my real name …”
That wasn’t a response to you. I don’t care about your real name.
August 7, 2023 @ 6:38 pm
“This is a great site with much input about some really great musicians, & music.”
No doubt. It’s the best resource for independent country music. That’s why I want it to also not be such a hateful place, and would rather Trigger write about things he is highly qualified for, instead of being another culture warrior.
August 8, 2023 @ 12:44 pm
There’s a truism regarding bars, that you’ve got to immediately kick out any neo-nazis/skinheads that come in, even if they’re not causing any trouble. If you don’t kick them out, they get comfortable there, more of their brethren start patronizing the place – running off normal customers, and suddenly, you have a Nazi bar. It feels like that’s what’s been happening to SCM. This is Trigger’s bar, and if he’s cool with the Skinheads causing a ruckus every night, he has every right to keep them as customers.
August 7, 2023 @ 4:23 pm
Speaking of cherry picking….
August 7, 2023 @ 5:28 pm
And yet you participate in something you find hateful and bigoted. Is that really healthy?
You mention Trigger is an outstanding country music journalist, which I agree with. Why not stick to the articles if the comments are so offensive to you? Why attack the purveyor for not always agreeing with your viewpoint?
I wouldn’t expect Trigger to agree with all or even most of my views. And that’s a good thing.
August 7, 2023 @ 5:40 pm
Because I want the community both here and in the larger country music fandom to be better.
I’m not attacking him for not agreeing with me, I’m criticizing him for allowing a bigoted community, by condoning comments like which race of woman is best to marry.
August 7, 2023 @ 6:50 pm
I’m not condoning this comment you’re mentioning, in fact I’m not aware of it.
I would prefer something like that be allowed to stand so it can be debated and even ridiculed. Sunlight is the best disinfectant for such biases. But for that to happen, the comment must stand or the debate cannot ensue. I would focus my ire entirely on the commenter rather than criticize Trigger for creating the space for debate.
If it’s not a threat or a profanity-laced attack I would prefer it be published. I can skip any conversations that anger or offend me.
I’ve fought my battles. This community is a place for me to escape and forget about that. It’s why I’ve commented on an article like this when I normally focus on the music discussion.
Kyle’s underlying message seems an effort to try and maintain the core sentiment which has created this community: our love for real country music and its power to bring people together. And he seems to imply that could be in jeopardy. It would be shameful if we allow this to happen to this vibrant community. And yes, it would be our fault.
August 7, 2023 @ 7:07 pm
I agree, it is in jeopardy, from hateful commenters and culture war articles.
August 7, 2023 @ 5:39 pm
Let’s see here…
Adam wants a safe space echo chamber of like-minded NPCs who see things the way he does. Trigger openly wants to be challenged and hear other viewpoints.
Adam hides behind tired and watered down name calling like “hateful” and “bigoted.” Trigger, in good faith, almost to the point of naïveté, actively and earnestly engages with people who disagree with him.
Adams whines like a spoiled kid who didn’t get his way, calling Trigger a “shit political commentator” because he dares to not be a partisan like him. Trigger sticks his neck out on common sense issues that others are afraid to touch, fully knowing that his “journalist” peers will smear and target him for it.
And yet somehow,Trigger is the coward here ????
August 7, 2023 @ 5:47 pm
It’s laughable that you don’t think Trigger is partisan. I don’t want a safe space echo chamber, I just don’t support bigotry. Neither you nor Trigger post comments in good faith.
Fox News is not balanced just because CNN and MSNBC exist. Trigger claims to be nonpartisan by only attacking liberals, because much of the media is liberal. That isn’t nonpartisan, and it isn’t acting in good faith.
If he actually wanted other viewpoints, he wouldn’t threaten every liberal with shutting down the comment section every time they call out bigotry.
August 7, 2023 @ 5:51 pm
Laughable? Not bigoted or hateful? I’d hate to disappoint you.
August 7, 2023 @ 6:16 pm
No, contrary to your ignorant beliefs, those words do still have meaning.
August 8, 2023 @ 10:45 am
Preach, brother!
August 7, 2023 @ 6:45 pm
Anything short of Stalinist censorship is seen as “catering to the hateful right” to this clown. You probably have multiple browsers pulled up so you can like your own comments.
August 7, 2023 @ 7:09 pm
Lol like I care about likes. Why is every hateful person’s go to attack based on labeling things communist? Cracking down on people ranking women by race isn’t Stalinist censorship.
August 7, 2023 @ 4:36 pm
I’ve been reading this website for years and this will be the first time I’ve commented. As Trig said, we’re all here because we have some love/like for country music. I think Trig is one of the better writers on a music forum out there today. I look forward to learning new things about my favorite artists within his articles and on the off chance Trig maybe left something out or someone else has something to add, I venture down to the comments to read up and find out. Unfortunately, I generally don’t find what I’m looking for.
I can’t stress this enough, no one on either side gives a shit about any one person’s political stance within a comment section. As much as you don’t care about one person’s political rant is as much as everyone else doesnt care about your political rant. It’s just a fuck ton of people yelling into a void thinking they have the one opinion that people care about. And they don’t. And they never will cuz it’s the internet and even if they might think you made a good point they will just login to 4chan or msnbc.com and reaffirm their beliefs with other like minded people.
We are inundated with political bullshit at every turn within our daily lives and you would think a music website would be somewhat a reprieve from all the nonsense but it’s not because people just can’t help themselves. Everyone is gonna type the one comment on an internet forum that will stem the tides in a upcoming election. Our country has been reduced to arguing in comment sections about 2 political parties that both kinda suck and don’t do anything to help 95% of the people that vehemently defend their honor. And when that becomes boring, we argue about a beer company’s spokesperson. Seriously, who gives a shit? It’s all so tiresome. Just talk music so know what to listen to when I wanna drown out all this bullshit.
August 7, 2023 @ 4:44 pm
Here here Drew. Thanks for reading.
August 7, 2023 @ 5:58 pm
*applause*
August 7, 2023 @ 6:49 pm
Beer company spokesperson?? Jared Fogel was “just a spokesperson” too.
I’m literally dumbfounded as to why the Left refuses to acknowledge that the pushback on the Trans agenda is because they started targeting CHILDREN! You people refuse to accurately understand the issue and choose to be ignorant just so you can regurgitate the same simple inaccurate arguments.
August 7, 2023 @ 6:59 pm
Strait,
We’re not veering into these kinds of divisive discussions here.
Thanks for your understanding.
August 7, 2023 @ 9:33 pm
I didn’t “veer” into the topic myself. Drew did. You missed the fact that he did because you were too smitten with his praise of you and his mention of being a first-time commenter.
August 7, 2023 @ 7:10 pm
Bud light ads aren’t targeted at children. The right just threw a hissy fit over like six cans for an Instagram sponsorship. Snowflakes.
August 8, 2023 @ 1:30 pm
“Beer company spokesperson?? Jared Fogel was “just a spokesperson” too.”
What did Mulvaney do besides exist and drink some shitty beer? Comparing her to a pedophile and sexual abuser is disingenuous at best and likely a transphobic comment.
August 7, 2023 @ 6:50 pm
Don’t scroll down to the comment section on politically tinged articles Drew.
August 8, 2023 @ 6:37 am
Well said Drew!! Been reading the site for years. Used to always read the comment section and occasionally comment about MUSIC but now I find myself avoiding it. Still love the site and feel the comments should stay open and free but the repetitive back-and-forth dumb shit gets old. I like to think that other people feel the same and it appears that many do.
Also, great article that needed put out there Trig!
August 7, 2023 @ 5:08 pm
Well, I come almost everyday to what’s new. Most of the time I will read some of the comments. Some of those I agree with and some I don’t but that doesn’t mean I’m not coming back here. I appreciate a website like this that caters to real country music. Thank Trigger for doing this everyday.
August 7, 2023 @ 5:33 pm
Four things that keep me coming back almost daily, even though country isn’t my favorite music genre:
1.). It hasn’t been said often, but you write so freaking well. I’m guessing you’re twice the writer skill-wise as anyone in your studio audience of commenters.
2.). YES, the infamous comment section. I (heart) watching the keyboard fights from here in the back of the 307 section. I just have to remind myself that the vast majority of the folks i encounter in my small town of Chicago (population, 3,428) have, you know, lives, and have-no- clue what most of us are talking about.
3.). Oh yes, the musical recommendations. Is that the main purpose of the page? Sometimes I forget.
4.). Something I didn’t notice until you pointed it out: THE LACK OF ADS ! ! ! ! This is such a -clean- design for your site; don’t mess with it even if you incorporate ads at a future date.
5.). Not in my top four cause you have definitely cut back recently but . . . . I Miss The Snark! Maybe the mainstream -has- improved recently but it definitely seems like you’ve mellowed in the post-Covid era. If you could point to a specific jump the shark moment when the Country genre turned back reluctantly towards its roots, what would you select?
August 7, 2023 @ 6:33 pm
I do still post the occasional rant, but I do not want to be one of these warriors fighting a fight that doesn’t need to be waged. Mainstream country has dramatically improved, and instead of denying this because it’s good for my business or good for my brand, I feel like it’s important to be honest about what is happening and shift the focus to more important and pressing things.
If there was a moment that country turned back to its roots, it was Chris Stapleton at the 2015 CMA Awards. That was a full renouncement of the Bro-Country era, and country music has been slowly improving ever since.
August 7, 2023 @ 5:56 pm
I’ve been reading this site regular for a few years now, built the bulk of my Spotify library off the backs of Trig and all of the commenters on here… Only ever commented once- to no avail. It’s alright- I got to write what was on my mind and feel good about myself.
My observation has been that those toe-the-line-of-obscenity comments from the right wing wackos are typically reactionary- poking the bear to the extreme knowing the inevitability of a left winger demanding censorship (albeit usually in a backhanded “maybe what they say about Trig on Twitter is true” sort of way- the implicit request is the same). As an individual trying to make rational arguments in the era of government mandated pronouns (we’ve come a long way from studying the sex habits of the South American swamp rat) your radical seeming right winger might just get to the point of “why not just say something ridiculous if we’re charting a parabolic course approaching a limit of slanderous insanity anyway”. Is it a good look? No.
Is every “crazy bigot” commenting on this site representing themselves as the pinnacle of measured discourse? Also no. Unfortunately for most, that ship has sailed by the time we exit the real world- where we might’ve more nobly striven towards empathetic but clearly reasoned debate- and descend into our favorite Internet comment section.
I would imagine the same happens for left wingers, although I think their workday consists of a litany of emotional appeals whipped up by a media industrial complex of bad faith political patronization culminating in a similar internet meltdown.
All sides are equally guilty for what results- It is really easy to spout detritus or expect same to be spouted back at you and comment in-kind when you know you can’t be punched in the lip through your computer screen.
Sometimes I think we’d be best served if Internet modems came mounted to a shock collar. Even as far as we’ve abdicated judicious violence to the government, the only thing that keeps us from circling the drain completely is the still present knowledge that you just can’t say or do certain things face to face with someone without reasonably expecting a wallopping. Fear of violence is healthy to an extent- but it disappears if there is no threat of violence. We’re not talking regional warlord violent here- we’re talking “you can say that but you might have to go home and think about your life choices over a bag of frozen peas” violent. Unfortunately, In our zeal for security we would rather see Bubba hauled off at gunpoint for misgendering a 9th year community college student than see Moonbeam receive a knuckle sandwich for calling someone’s wife a c#&t at the bar after drinking one too many cosmos.
August 7, 2023 @ 5:58 pm
I’m a moderator on a small-time football fan site, and it’s an annoying, thankless task. The fact that you wrote this piece at all demonstrates good faith acting, even if individual moderation decisions are thorny. Someone will complain no matter what you decide to leave up or delete. This is the internet, after all.
A piece of advice I can offer to you is to be careful about letting people wrap you around the axle with one-sided (theirs) censorship/free speech arguments. So long as the government is not involved, free speech is a two-way street. The same freedom that grants commenters the right to speak freely also grants you the right to delete their noxious bullshit from your website. I tend to let the assholes hoist themselves with their own petards, but you have no reason to feel bad deleting something you don’t want to be here.
My advice to the community is to think about the times you’ve posted something with even a scintilla of provocative intent. Did you want the target to respond or not? You can’t stop someone from being an asshole, but you can deprive them of the dopamine hit that comes with your reply. Take a deep breath and let the lunatic stuff sit and rot.
August 7, 2023 @ 8:26 pm
I’ve been a fan of this site for over a decade since it’s helped me discover music that I wouldn’t have otherwise found and notified me about albums I would probably have missed for a while right when they’re about to come out. But it feels like part of the reason that the comment section can get so divisive is that you write a lot of reviews from the perspective of a self-identified “enlightened centrist” viewpoint. Maybe you really believe you’re down the middle, but so often, it feels like you try too hard to accommodate the right while taking unnecessary shots at the left just to prove how centrist you are.
You say that bigoted comments aren’t welcome here, but since this is your site, you need to define what you consider bigotry. Is homophobia allowed? Is transphobia allowed? If not, where do you draw the line? Where do you draw the line on racism? What’s allowed and what isn’t? If you don’t draw clear lines in the sand, how is anyone supposed to know what you believe bigotry is?
At this point, you also can’t pretend you’re truly apolitical, and continuing to take that approach hurts your writing. If you could at least admit that you’re center-right or right-leaning libertarian or whatever you really believe, it would at least lend more authenticity to your reviews. It’s fine that that’s who you are, but please stop pretending that you’re above it all or whatever when it’s clear from your reviews of any left-leaning acts that you’re not in any way apolitical.
August 7, 2023 @ 10:15 pm
I am not a centerist, I am apolotical. And I don’t say that trying to act like I’m some erudite journalist calling all balls and strikes objectively. I say that as someone who is actively repulsed by modern politics, the two party system, and the mainstream media apparatus set up to cover and forward it all.
I’m not sure what “shots” I take at the left. Since one of the beats I cover is covering how the media covers country music, I commonly forward commentary how some on the left are working to politicize or undermine country music for ulterior purposes, since 90% of the media tends to be on the left. The right politicizes country too, but it’s often in a way that glorifies it as opposed to forwarding false canards in an effort to mischearacterize or destroy it. This is why I tend to talk about these matters in opposition to left-leaning journalists. But there are also scores of instances where I have actively called out the right as well, including recently with the Jason Aldean song. But just like negative comments, people’s eyes and attention gravitate toward the negative. There are literally right-leaning commenters calling me out in this very comments section for being too accommodating to the left, just like there are some saying I’m too accommodating to the right. That’s how I know I’m probably doing my job correctly.
August 8, 2023 @ 7:08 am
do you vote?
August 8, 2023 @ 11:32 am
I vote in local elections, though not as much as a I should or would like to. I haven’t voted in a national Presidential election in years. I’m not opposed to it, but I refuse to participate in a venal and corrupt system that offers the specter of choice. Give me an actual, viable candidate that hasn’t already proved his corruption, and perhaps I’ll vote for them.
August 8, 2023 @ 9:24 am
“But there are also scores of instances where I have actively called out the right as well, including recently with the Jason Aldean song.”
No, there aren’t. A couple throwaway sentences about the song, surrounded by paragraphs attacking the left, is not at all actively calling out the right. You’re either a liar, or delusional if you think you actively call out the right. When it comes to political commentary, you are doing a poor job, unless your goal is to provide a safe harbor for bigotry and hatred in order to bring more traffic to your site, in which case you’re doing a great job.
August 8, 2023 @ 12:12 pm
It’s obvious you’re not happy here, so why not quit reading the comments altogether then? I mean, this has to be tiresome for you. It appears you’re looking for some echo chamber safe haven, and Trigger has already expressed that the SCM comments section will not provide this type of environment. There’s plenty of other outlets out there that will certainly provide you with what you’re looking for.
Although comments sometimes veer off topic in regard to what the original article was even about, it’s honestly refreshing having a forum where other comments and opinions aren’t censored (unless extreme), no matter what they believe politically, or how stupid the comment might be. And, if I ever change my mind, I can simply choose not to read the comments…
August 8, 2023 @ 12:48 pm
Calling out bigotry and hatred within a community is not at all the same as asking for a safe space. That’s a ridiculous take. You can have differing opinions without explicitly allowing people to rank the best races of women to marry, which trigger has done.
When “the trigger man” lies and pretends be to be apolitical, I’m going to call it out. When he supports bigotry in this community, I’m going to call it out. You have a problem with that, take your own advice.
August 8, 2023 @ 12:41 pm
Adam S,
I’m reluctant to even respond to your comments, because you’ve revealed yourself time and time again to be more interested in winning arguments than gaining any sort of understanding by interacting with me or anyone else in good faith discourse.
But I did not “attack the left” in my coverage of the Jason Aldean song. Far from it. I was giving them advice that if it had been taken, was the only way to keep “Try That In A Small Town” out of the #1 slot, which I predicted would happen, and did. The amount of hyperbole and outrage over the song was proportionate to the amount it would shoot up the charts. We saw this exact same thing with Morgan Wallen. Breland even wrote an op/ed about this on CMT. And still, the media could not help themselves in sowing outrage over the video, and making Aldean millions and millions of dollars in the process. They failed and Aldean won. I gave them the blueprint of how to defeat Aldean and “Try That In A Small Town.” And instead of following it, like you, they took it as “attack on the left.”
You said in another comment that I broach “culture war” topics too much. But sometimes these are the most important topics of our time, and it’s imperative to broach them. That said, after saying my initial peace on the Jason Aldean situation, I imposed a moratorium on talking about the song, knowing the more I did (like the rest of the media), the more it would secure Aldean’s spot at #1. I’m practicing what I’m preaching. Meanwhile, Rolling Stone has posted two more stories on the matter just this week. They’ve posted probably 20+ stories in the incident in total. Is anyone going to complain they are giving into culture war topics too much? Of course not, even though they’re the ones directly feeding the song/video’s success. Also, nobody is going to criticize them for leaning into the culture war because they have no comments, and no forum to criticize them all all.
August 8, 2023 @ 1:16 pm
I’ve tried to act in good faith, but you’ve shown yourself to be too chicken shit to engage in good faith back. I’ve called you out on making bad faith arguments, and you’ve acknowledged them as such. You’re projecting. When I asked you why country fans were mad about dancers in drag, you balked, probably because it would likely be financially damaging to examine the bigotry within the community. But I don’t know that for sure, just like you have no clue what goes on in my head, even though your first sentence pretends to.
You can’t seriously claim that your “advice” was in good faith. You spent the first four paragraphs shitting on liberal media with the biggest “I told you so” attitude I’ve ever seen. You were basking in the schadenfreude, and I’m sure it felt good and not undeserved. But you were significantly softer in your criticism of the actual song than you were of the people covering it.
Your so-called “moratorium” lasted like four days before you posted a third article on the subject. You’re not practicing what you’re preaching at all. Why do you think comparing yourself to rolling stone looks good? Just because they’re more shit? Your audience certainly cares little for RS Country, but it doesn’t make your political commentary less garbage. As I said before, Fox News isn’t apolitical just because most MSM is liberal, and you’re not apolitical either just because you differ from most country music media.
I just don’t understand how you can look at comments ranking the best race of women to marry and think “this is the type of community I want”.
August 10, 2023 @ 8:15 pm
“I just don’t understand how you can look at comments ranking the best race of women to marry and think “this is the type of community I want”.”
See that’s the thing, maybe. The essence of it, if you will. Who said he wanted that comment or wants this exact community? Maybe he wishes people wouldn’t say things like that. But maybe he thinks that censorship is worse. Are you capable of seeing the difference? Maybe he’s humble and mature enough to realize not everyone has to think like him. Does that seem plausible to you? Can you accept that people like that “exist?” You want certain comments censored, but it doesn’t seem like you’re going to get your way this time. Sometimes that happens in life. I know, it really stings the first few times, but you’ll be ok.
So…….Adam, since you’ve so gallantly proven that Trigger covers for bad dudes, Fox News, and whatever other unfortunates you’ve called out in your crusade, are you going to continue to platform, or will you find safer pastures, where the moderation and “crackdowns” sanitize all the dangerous comments that you’re so obsessed with? I don’t use them much but I hear Reddit and Facebook like to put the boot down on all the phobes, for the sake of the safer, greater good. Personally, I find safe spaces like that boring, but maybe they’re more your speed?
August 7, 2023 @ 8:53 pm
The comments section is usually the worst part of a visit to SCM so mostly I skip them. I don’t use facebook or forums so these comments are where I tend to see the worst of people.
I’m not American so I don’t care for the Right (D) vs Christian Nationalist Right (R) posturing that it seems like the majority of comments on articles now devolve into – you don’t have any left wing parties so I do find the Fascist guy lecturing about Communists mildly amusing (disconcerting?) … or I would if he wasn’t serious.
This used to be a nicer place to visit but at times feels like it’s now the last refuge of bad faith antagonists who’ve been de-platformed elsewhere
August 8, 2023 @ 12:45 am
Yeah, your naive take on American politics proves you are not American.
And thank God for that.
August 7, 2023 @ 8:58 pm
I ran a modestly popular, very specific fan blog for over ten years. we had five simple rules. No politics, at all. No personal attacks, ever. Stay on topic, tangents are OK if within reason. Critiquing the work if fine, attacking the creator of that work about anything other than the work is not. And don’t cross the line. I never defined the line, but I knew it when I saw it. If you think it’s over the line, it probably is.
It worked remarkably well. Those who failed to adhere to the rules were given a warning, then banned. Part of the problem these days is how social media platforms have sown and fueled a glib, obnoxious kind of discourse, where everyone hurls snarky “opinions” and works their idiotic agenda into literally every single sentence. There’s no objectivity or humor anymore. Some jerk releases a hilariously dumb song, and instead of laughing and goofing on it, everyone takes it seriously, like it’s a personal affront. It gets really tiresome very quickly.
August 8, 2023 @ 10:50 am
That is a fantastic take. I have some questions that I would love to know the answer to
1. Aside from watching a dumpster fire, do the handful of people who comment on here where every sentence drips agenda provide anywhere near enough benefit to outweigh the extreme benefit of banning them?
2. I know everyone loves this free-speech idea, but is this website America? Personally I do not think that if Trigger banned these goofers that it is in some way restricting free speech. The fact that people even bring it up on this website displays that it is going too far into the political realm.
The “line” will always have blurred borders and there are many ways to think about it. If every time content is posted on anything that even borders social issues or politics these people derail the conversations with hate, name calling, and radical agendas, why should everyone else suffer? If people are just reading it for the dumpster fire, why on earth would that be something to continue?
August 9, 2023 @ 4:53 pm
When I said no politics, I meant no politics. On my blog, that world didn’t exist. You had to check it…all of it…at the door. Posts that violated that rule were deleted, as well as all responses to the offending post. It always quickly devolves into garbage no one wants to read.
August 8, 2023 @ 12:00 am
Well this comment section went about as well as expected!
August 8, 2023 @ 12:31 am
I read this site every day, but very rarely do I leave a comment, mostly because I’m not well versed on a particular artist or just don’t feel like I have anything of value to offer. I do read the comments section, though, because like you say, a reader can glean some valuable insights on the topic at hand. There are, however, certain “regulars” who want every topic to devolve into personal attacks on one another or to simply create controversy. And it’s frankly BORING. That’s the point where I start skimming or stop reading all together. I sometimes wonder if these people even hear themselves.
August 8, 2023 @ 1:35 am
…i come here for the light hearted humour.
August 8, 2023 @ 5:21 am
If you were looking for reasons to shut down the comments section, this latest thread only validates that idea. Despite your best intentions there are a handful of offenders that seem to come here just to constantly fight their political battles rather than to have an intelligent discussion about the given topic. The fact that they would even do this in the comments section following your well intentioned article about COMMENTS speaks volumes. They just don’t get it and they NEVER will. Little by little they will drive away those with thoughtful opinions and comments to share. If I wanted political flame-throwing there are hundreds of sites for that. That’s NOT my reason to come HERE.
I find the articles on this site interesting and thought-provoking. They frequently throw the spotlight on topics not covered elsewhere. Why allow those with hyper-negative agendas to come here to detract from this excellent information?
Over the past year or so the conversation has significantly devolved due to constant off-topic, usually political, nitpicking and flame-throwing. But thankfully technology offers you a solution. Trigger you have access to usernames, email addresses and IP info. Delete the offending post, give them a warning and if they don’t abide by the rules BAN THEM! One strike and they’re OUT. They will NOT be missed and doing so will elevate discussions here. If there are complaints about it, tell them to go start their own damn blog. They have no God-given right to post here. It’s YOUR site. YOUR rules.
Clearly the time has come to clean up Dodge before the outlaws completely take over and the comments section is exclusively ruled by the same small handful of dolts fighting the same battle over & over again in every discussion.
August 8, 2023 @ 7:09 am
This comments section is a perfect example of the kinds of things I said up above. The majority of the comments are positive here. But some have come in and tried to disrupt that positivity with back and forths. This is where people’s eye gravitate, and it makes them think it’s the majority, just like people think it’s the majority of comments sections, which it’s not. This is an empirical, statistical certitude. Things have gotten more political here over the last few years, but they haven’t gotten more negative, as I said in the article too. Trust me. The comments have always had acrimony. It just used to be over whether Jamey Johnson was a sellout or not, or if Zach Bryan was ripping off Tyler Childers.
Also, the majority of the negativity is coming from people on the left complaining that some people on the right are allowed to speak here, and citing comments that people on the right posted, at times simply to be provocative. Just like I said is how these cycles start. I am not going to start wholesale banning anybody. It’s up to all of us to be more responsible.
August 8, 2023 @ 7:18 am
As someone who has spent their entire career in the media dealing with the masses, I can only say “Good luck with that.”
August 8, 2023 @ 8:46 am
Amen. Social media and virtual communities have become divisive because we, the participants, have not only allowed it but actively participated in the acrimony.
It’s pretty obvious this is a hot topic in the community considering the volume of comments so far. And it seems most are pretty positive; they also convey a concern over how this divisiveness might diminish the community, or drive you to make drastic changes to the site.
I hope we all appreciate what a gem we have here. If we can all act like reasonable adults and use more reason and less vitriol in our debates, maybe we can keep it for awhile.
I’m hopeful. There’s enough decent folk here bringing good vibes to drown out the noise.
August 8, 2023 @ 2:16 pm
“Also, the majority of the negativity is coming from people on the left complaining that some people on the right are allowed to speak here, and citing comments that people on the right posted, at times simply to be provocative.”
This is only true when you continue to ignore those provocative comments that continuously cross the line, or all the rants about communists, or theories about people not really being gay, or conflating trans people existing with pedophilia.
August 8, 2023 @ 5:39 am
So does this mean Honkys comments about how being gay is fake will be gone?
August 8, 2023 @ 6:04 am
if anyone is curious, i’ve finished compiling my list of the best race of woman for honky to marry. i did a lot of research for it. lemme know.
August 8, 2023 @ 7:06 am
Talking about music should bring people together, like the old days of sitting around with friends, playing records, debating our likes and dislikes, enthusiastically sharing “have you heards” and “if you like that, check this out”……
Call me naive, but if the old cliche that “we can disagree without being disagreeable” ever applied, it certainly applies here.
Trigger – thank you for continuing to fight the good fight to remain the “go to” source for folks who love this music.
August 8, 2023 @ 8:34 am
‘Talking about music should bring people together’
It still does in real life, but this is the internet. When you’re at a show or a bar, face to face with others, you meet people across the political spectrum and get along fine, even if you get into a little debate on politics. I gave up expecting to see those type of experiences online a long time ago. The only comment section that still is almost all positive, and I don’t know how they do it, or if there’s much moderation, is AngryMetalGuy.com. That’s been a respectful community of commenters for a long time and hasn’t devolved like this comment section has. We certainly don’t all like the same bands and types of metal over there, but everyone is always friendly and respectful.
August 8, 2023 @ 7:30 am
Boys (and presumably,some girls),boys….
August 8, 2023 @ 8:41 am
I get a lot out of this site, from Trigger’s posts as well as the majority of the comments. I’ve learned a great deal from both about new artists and the state of the business–it often feels like the cliche “inside baseball”.
But this site is like every other–some people are just not going to control their tone or moderate themselves the way they might in a discussion in a living room or around a table. And some are perpetual children who are incapable of a discussion without acrimony–they’re just mad all the time. It’s sad, but it’s inevitable that these sorts will reveal themselves in a format like this.
I do my best to ignore these types—it’s made easier by the fact that the most contentious, insulting, and childish almost never post anything about music except to make a political point. It’s tiresome and certainly not edifying in the way they think it is.
A couple of things come to mind. One is that some people need a hobby. Maybe get outside. Make something.
Another is the old meme of the woman asking her husband, who’s typing away furiously at a computer terminal, when he’s coming to bed.
“I can’t right now!!!” he says. “Somebody on the internet is wrong!!!”
Trigger, keep up the good work for the grownups and don’t let the din from the kid’s table get to you.
August 8, 2023 @ 9:33 am
I liken this comment section to the local bar. Every bar has the one person who sits at the end of it yelling at the TV with no one sitting around them. The bartender threatens to kick them out and that settles them down for a bit. However, the next day they will be doing the same thing. Annoying the other patrons with their usual bullshit. Probably having been banned or punched in the face at the last place they were kicked out of. So they move on.
Like you, i try and ignore them. But occasionally they get too obnoxious and its satisfying to wind them up. I know its mean. They are predictable in their reaction. Lack of self awareness and ego makes it difficult for them to function normally in society.
August 8, 2023 @ 10:13 am
I first found this website in the early 20 tens, when all of the bad country songs were not yet called bro country songs.
Stuff like hillbilly bone and stuck on you.
I hate in what modern country music had become, but thought I was the only one on earth, who wasn’t some 80 year old veteran who remembered hee haw
When I found this website, sometimes I learned just as much about finding what artists I should listen to in the comments as in the articles. And the comments with how I found out that there was more than just me out there, who wasn’t happy about modern country music. It was completely different than reading an article which may well have been a thick piece by some guy in an echo chamber writing cheap news
Because she bruises everywhere. There’s all kinds of video gaming news that’s written by people who never played a video game. And lots of music news that written by people who don’t know anything about Music but are trying to sell periodicals.
SCM was legitimate. It was like wandering the desert for 40 years, and finding an oasis where people looked and felt like me
And sure, I have gotten into some juvenile comments, disputes, especially with the bro country fans, who came around every time whatever poster child punk artist got a negative review around here. Because this was my community, this was where I came to get away from people like that, and as much as I’m sure trigger wants all fans of Music, to be welcome everywhere, and as much as I agree with it on paper, I needed a space that was free from the influences of the pop country crowd.
And I did not appreciate the people I was trying to get away from coming to where I went to get away from them to try and tell me that I was wrong.
I definitely left my share of nasty comments.
And then things got better, the bad music wasn’t both bad and insulting, it was just bad. And since just bad music is just bad, and not insulting, I didn’t feel insulted, And I don’t feel like I need to defend the comment section from people who want to take this last bastion of real country music away from me
And I love contributing, but I am trying to do less contributing in the presence of people who would rather argue, than learn anything.
Once upon a time, there were people who really played up characters in the comment section, and I definitely played along (Fuzzy TwoShirts in space)
But we’ve reached a point where it’s impossible to tell who is pretending and who is for real when the comment section gets a little weird.
So I’m trying to refrain from commenting so much even if I feel like I’ve got something to say, unless I think my comment is going to steer the dialogue in a productive manner. If it looks like my comment is going to be buried somewhere no one is going to see it or everyone just wants to argue then it’s just not worth it.
August 8, 2023 @ 1:40 pm
Been an SCM reader for years. Now that The Musical Divide is shutting down and Grady Smith went Nashville it’s one of the few places left I consistently go to that I actually enjoy, so it would be great if politics didn’t ruin this for me. Please keep doing what you are doing Trig!
August 8, 2023 @ 2:49 pm
Trigger, I keep coming back to what you writing this:
“Even if I disagree with something someone says, that doesn’t mean I’m condescending them. By commenting on their comment, I’m letting them know that I’m actually paying attention to what they have to say too.”
Not because your state your intent hidden in the response. We all now intent can’t be gleaned simply from words. There’s body language, eye movement, vocal tone, emphasis on certain words, etc. Rather, it’s the qualification of a comment being worthy of your attention.
We’d all be better served in taking that approach to heart. Not every comment is worthy of one’s attention. As you’ve noted, there’s more comments that edify and/or give greater insight to an article you’ve written or a comment someone has made about said article. I’ll quote The Avett’s here: “gotta whole lotta reasons to be mad, let’s not pick one”.
If we let the ignorant comments just exist, without our attention, it dies. Maybe in another forum it needs to be challenged, but there’s zero chance of dialogue about weighted issues framed by myopic and overly simplified positions. Minds rarely change in the comments section when it comes to 3rd rail topics.
This might be only my 2nd comment in the history of reading this site but I know enough about the “screen names” to know who needs to be ignored. Again, “why pick one”. Then there’s those who offer wonderful insight into the music…the artist..the genre. Those are the ones who deserve the attention. Those are the ones who make us better. Not the ones who consistently frame the other as the bad person and only see the sky from their back porch. Sides of the same coin.
I appreciate your position on wanting to read the stories of the myriad who may comment. I teach philosophy at a local university and I love hearing how the students see the world. Some are very fringe but in the right context, in the right setting, they can articulate their views in ways that aren’t attacks on the person. And if a student does that, I’ll simply move on from their comment without giving it further thought. It’s an effective way of limiting traffic from bad arguments.
Maybe this is all grounded in a virtue you reflect, and that’s basic respect for the other. And maybe this also stems from us seeing the other through a political lens and not one of ideas. But we get the ideas in the music, if it’s good. The storytelling. Seeing the world through eyes not ours. I think you try to do that. The best parts of us do that. Sometimes we fall. We get back up.
That you typed this shows you give a shit. Like I told my players when I coached football, that you’re crying shows you care. I’m not implying this article is you crying. Doubt you’d take it that way but better to clarify than assume understanding, right? 🙂
Just wanted to add my voice to the conversation. I hope it added to the conversation in a positive way.
Now, maybe I’ll queue up Todd Snider’s “Alright Guy” and remind myself that while I think I’m not as bad as others, I still do things that folks aren’t crazy about.
Thanks for sharing your love of music.
August 8, 2023 @ 2:54 pm
Apologize for not editing this before I posted it.
August 8, 2023 @ 3:34 pm
Where’d the comment go that was saying facts can’t be bigoted? I really wanted to know what facts that kind member of the SCM community was referring to.
August 8, 2023 @ 4:00 pm
My comment replying to that one appears to be gone too.
August 8, 2023 @ 4:06 pm
My guess was that it was moderated by the guy you say doesn’t moderate things. I was curious as well where that was heading. My guess was not to a very good place. I also guess that Trigger deletes a lot of comments that are held up for moderation and ultimately killed. Those comments never seeing the light of day with no evidence they ever existed. And based on the comments that do make it through I can only imagine the drivel that doesn’t.
August 8, 2023 @ 5:48 pm
Yeah, I am overall pretty bummed that the trolls moved in on this site. I had gotten that new Bobbie Nelson and Amanda shires album via bandcamp and then only days later hopped on your review to talk about it and it had turned so negative you shut it down already.
August 8, 2023 @ 7:12 pm
As a reader, I don’t mind all the jawing at all. The SCM comment section is a noisy bar, and I’m glad there are all kinds in it. It would be boring if everyone said things like “wow, I like this music” or “jeepers, this is not really my thing.” Good reading is full of strong views clearly expressed. How else can you size things up? Just like a good recording, you need dynamic range.
I like Honky, Fuzz, Di, Hoptown, Knight, Daydreamer, and all the knuckleheads that come in here and put music into the kinds of conversational topics that really matter. My only complaint is that there aren’t enough people geeking out about the musical parts of the music, but how can you complain when the whole thing’s free. It’s not like there are a million places to go to hear people talk about country music in a way that goes beyond brainless superfan gushing.
I’m writing too much. Suffice to say when commenters start beating on each other, I just scan and usually keep scrolling. I don’t hold it against you, Trig, just like I don’t hold it against the owner of my local bar when people come in and start bitching about (usually) money and family drama. With country music people, arguments just come with the territory.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to let the dogs in.
August 9, 2023 @ 1:51 am
Who let the dogs in?
I think it was Dawson from Dawson’s Creek that said “be the change you wish to see in the world”. I totally agree that we do not get enough geeking out about the musical parts. Some of the best comment sections talk about the tunes and other artists and such. I believe we should be that change. If you are listening to anything rad right now, share it please. We all need more and Trig has his hands full.
August 8, 2023 @ 8:33 pm
Great insights, Trigger. However it is not SCM that is the issue, it is the inability of some participants to interact with it, deliberately inciting with incendiary comments (like our horribly divided society in general). The news and reviews are awesome, comments not so much (lately). A forum shouldnt be a battleground. Time to relish the “Chilling Effects” and move on.
August 9, 2023 @ 8:57 am
So I’ve been reading about a year and I’ve seen you get lambasted for Stalinist censorship against holy Christian Americanism and for abhorrent right-wing fringe tendencies that allow hate speech to fester. It’s probably a testament to the quality of your mediating that you get so much flack from the snowflakes on both sides.
August 10, 2023 @ 2:35 pm
I guess I’ll bat last on this thread. It probably won’t be read by many. The 173rd or so comment rarely is as people have moved on to the newest, latest, and greatest discussions. I wasn’t sure what to say the day Trig put this up but I really wanted to think about it and take in the opinions……The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly……………I’ll apologize in advance for it’s length and I haven’t even written it yet …………
I’ve mentioned before I found this site and comment section 7-8 yrs ago with not much knowledge or involvement in mainstream or independent Country music. What I did have was almost 45 yrs. experience in the music and or show business (drummer, singer, had record deals, worked at Warner/Elektra/Atlantic-6 yrs, as well as being on many show crews doing large venue video production) I thought I could bring an enthusiasm to learn, hopefully give a different perspective, and more importantly the support to the underdogs we discuss here everyday.
You’re never too old to feel young and this site and being able to comment, share opinions etc…. brought me back to my youth when discovering new music was so much fun and exciting! The term “fanboy” was years away from being coined…lol Going to shows, dancing down front and singing along with everyone last weekend as my local favs Meg & The Wheelers on Friday and Mike and The Moonpies with Rob Leines on Saturday absolutely brought their “A” games making me feel 21 again. I don’t review shows. I like to comment here and share those experiences so that someone might read it and decide to go on my words as well as Trig’s. Would you believe while changing guitars Mike launches into an impromptu “Fly Me To The Moon” by Sinatra and the crowd went wild and sang every word!!! Smiles all around all weekend. This is the way I choose to comment. I try not to get involved in political rhetoric unless it involves my personal line of work which it did during the pandemic so I did. Ya know sometimes I comment just to get it off my chest and don’t care if anyone reads it, you should see the ones that end up on the cutting room floor………
August 11, 2023 @ 6:48 am
Trigger – if you read this – just keep on keeping on. I really appreciate this site more than any other on the entire web. I work a dry, mind-numbing desk job. The music – which I know of solely from SCM – keeps me sane and productive. Occasionally I’ll read a comment or leave one. But know this – 80% of the folks are great, even folks who may see the world differently than me. We can agree to disagree. And there are 20% that are just plain assholes, 10% left, 10% right. Please do not make any changes, efforts or considerations for these 20%. Let them blather about all day long (what kinda loser waists time arguing with a stranger in a website comment section?) and it will not change a thing for us in the 80% who enjoy both you music you explore and some opinions of other reasonable people. In essence, just block out the barking dogs in the background.
August 11, 2023 @ 3:37 pm
Trigger – I don’t expect you to read this. That said, I do sympathize with the struggle content moderation is and how challenging finding a balance can be.
That said, I will only say as someone who has been reading this website since almost it’s inception, that the toxicity of the comments page has decreased the number of times I visit. And it is usually the same folks, making the same comments, post after post.
It is absolutely your prerogative to do whatever you want with the website, but it would appear to me that 10% of the posters are “ruining” it for the 90% of people who just want to read and talk about music.
Just my .02 cents.
August 12, 2023 @ 6:50 am
I usually don’t have time to read SCM until Saturday mornings so I am rarely timely to the comments sections and often times won’t comment for this reason. However, I want to comment here because one thing I’ve noticed is that left-leaning commentators often accuse Trigger of being a right-leaning homophobe racist fascist. Meanwhile, a lot of the right-leaning commentators will accuse Trig of being a leftist sympathizer trying to shut the right-leaning comments down. You’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t, Trigger. I appreciate SCM for leading me to some of the best country music out there. Keep on keepin on! And I’ll keep reading the comments days late and smdh ????
August 12, 2023 @ 4:20 pm
Curious what all you “don’t censor me” conservatives think about right wingers trying to ban thousands of books.
August 13, 2023 @ 7:31 pm
It’s a crying shame all the energy wasted on all this tussling all the time! I’m looking for more Ben Jarrells, more Ellis Bullards, more Aaron McDonnels, sleepers like Pug Johnson and Mickey Lamantia. To shake the walls, blow out the windows and drive the hens crazy in my shack.
Keep up the good fight Trig! Appreciate all you do!
August 17, 2023 @ 1:21 am
so…anyway…
how ’bout them bears?
lighten up, francis…
man trig- i feel sorry for you. fascism? no fascism? i don’t care.
still doesn’t change the fact that i don’t have a car…
stay cool, triggerman! i love this site.
May 27, 2024 @ 10:43 am
I hear some dude is banned for criticizing Morgan Wallen.Oh boy.