BoE and Turi

[lotesse]

Okay, all former PonyPals. Tell me what you think of Turimel's upcoming book.

I'm not sure where I stand on this. On the one hand, I'd really like to have all the information, as I ended up standing dazed on the edge of all of it, and the proceeds are going to reimburse those that lost money, and sociologically I think that the whole thing is fascinating. But, I'm also worried that fandom will end up looking like a freakshow, and I don't want BoE to get the tabloid treatment. I really did love it, at least the Pony, which was thankfully free from most of the crazy.

PonyPals, will you buy it? Should it be printed? Why or why not?

Comments

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

What always worries me about this story is often the people involve seem to not really know how it comes off. It's fascinating listening to the weird things that went on, but often the scam seems like a team effort (which is not to say anyone deserved to get ripped off whatsoever).

I mean, it amazes me hearing many people tell their story and they'll explain what Amy said and why they believed it...only as an outsider it's impossible to understand how they did believe it. It just doesn't sound all that reasonable, even without knowing all the other stuff that was going on. So unfortunately I think there is always the danger that people will think they're finally getting a chance to tell their story, when really it won't sound so credible or they'll get hurt again. Like, the obvious suspicion to have is that it wasn't that anybody was a very good liar, just that you wanted whatever they were offering so much you were gullible. Which again doesn't mean you deserve to be robbed, it's just I hope everybody is prepared to see their own actions put in the harshest light, you know?

[lotesse]

Yeah. I was lucky; as a young person living in Michigan, getting involved in the events wasn't an option for me. I just loved the messageboards to death and parctically set up housekeeping. the crash was very difficult for me, because Abbey was one of the first people I interacted with in fandom, back when I only played on ff.n. She was one of the first people to consistently read my stories. And I admired Amy to the point of shyness, which is probably a good thing in retrospect.

I think one of the problems is that most people didn't hear about the channeling or the Irish Republican Army or any of the other really weird stuff. I know I didn't. They just seemed like two lesbians who likes the same character we did. Yes, the VB/Mr. Frodo thing was odd, but there are many reasons why a lesbian might find it easier to live as a man, and I think that's how most regarded it. From my vantage point, at least, they seemed like, good, sweet, honest people. Trust me--if I had know about the channelling, I would have been outta there so fast!

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

LOL! Oh, I'm sure you would! I don't think just having contact with them would necessarily tip you off. It was more, like you said, stuff like the IRA thing or whatever, where somebody would explain that away to themselves in order to, like, give them money. It just seems harder to believe to outsiders, I'm sure!

[lotesse]

Thing is, there wer only a few people who saw all the crazy, but there were a lot of people who got scammed, a lot of people who had no idea these two girls were so messed up. Sean Astin, for one. A lot of people gave money in good faith, a lot of actors gave endorsements, and only a few people knew about any of the stuff that made them Not Nice Girls.

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, absolutely. There's plenty of people who saw what looked like a good idea and donated money they could afford (and obviously when Sean Astin is actually there it's got validation). Really, the lucky people are the ones who are maybe just more suspicious now, as opposed to people who are still dealing with major fallout.