2001-05-09 - 10:22 p.m.
#57: No Need for Internal Politics
Note to self: There is no god. Not if he allowed songs like this to exist. This is worse than the time I found out Barbie Girl was a real song. No, ten times worse. I mean, it's not as if the singer has a bad voice (it's pretty damn amazingly smooth and deep.... And she's only 12!) but.... But the subject matter! The lyrics! NOOOOOOOOOOO! I cannot bear to think about it! @_@ I feel.... soiled. And the worst thing is that now I'm SINGING to the damn thing. *sobs* What did I do to deserve this?
Well, last nights AAC meeting went fairly well, I thought. Got a form to fill in for future club use, which was an interesting official little ditty. Oh *eyes sparkle* for a day when the AAC will spread its influence beyond its current membership, its tendrils rooting themselves unseen in the minds of common folk, and then higher up officials.... Until finally it takes over the entire city of Auckland! Yes AAC, the secret underground organisation, whose only goal is total world domination! Together! Allegiance or d-- Oh wait. I was going to stop including Giant Robo references every two sentences. Eheh. Just trying to pysch people up. ^_^;;;; Guess what *I* put down as my favourite anime in the form? O.o
Anyway, spent an enjoyable two hours watching Cowboy Bebop, which was a shorter session than usual since I suggested watching 5, rather than 6 episodes that evening so that we'd have 5 episodes remaining to watch to the end the next AAC Tuesday session. Practical idea, but the bigger reason for me wanting to end the meeting early was so that I could catch the 9:40PM bus in the city. Got a lift from James, with Amy, Joe and Michael crowded in the back seat. Along the way we noted the fact that the Sky Tower was blue, and that it was a giant phallic symbol. Basically, the big penis of Auckland. Then we started comparing the consistency of McDonalds meat with that of dogfood. Then we started to sing the spam song. All of this in the time from the Auckland Education Centre to the city. ^_^ I guess we ended the meeting a little too soon, because I still had to wait 30 minutes for the bus anyway.... But, eh. Better safe than sorry. I didn't really want to catch the bus after that, which was at 10:40PM. As it was with the 9:40PM bus, I got home at about 11PM while walking in the dark, lonely streets of Howick. Which was quite nice, since I didn't get mugged (not even by out of work circus midgets) but not exactly an episode I'd like to repeat. Hmmmm. Beautiful night. Illusory night. Well, the moon was full, okay? O.o
So erm, all in all, a very usual evening for the AAC. Nothing completely outstanding, but then again nothing that detracted from the overall experience, either. But then again, I left early so I didn't get to stick around to see the events that transpired here according to Zebs entry. I missed martial arts madness! I could have showed off my mastery of the Saotome Secret Technique! -_- Erhm. But that's a little bit off track over what I wanted to talk about.... Which is the section about how certain people being antagonists within the club and throwing its future well being out of whack. Now, I don't know the full story behind this, so it could be that I'm just talking out of my ass here.... But I do know I don't really like seeing fissures and cracks in what is meant to be a group of friends, and waging these kind of silent battles behind each others back really doesn't help matters any.
Okay, I'm going to tell a little story. Specifically about how this whole mess started (or how I believe it started) and is still going on. To protect the identities of the people (of which I shall deal with what I see are the two major players) I shall call them Person A and Person B. This, of course, is completely useless since it'll be obvious to AAC members who is who; but it makes it easier for me if I don't have to refer to either of the two by name. O.o Person A, organises official club activites, maintains ties with certain interest groups, basically runs the whole show and keeps it in the best shape possible. Person B, is lower on the organisational chart, is a bit naive in regards to the practical workings of the club, but basically has the well-being of the club in heart as well. All right, this is where the Cliff Notes version of the story starts:
(1) AAC members meet together for lunch to discuss the excess money from previous entrance fee payments, as well as the future of the club and possible shift focus from a presidential to a democratical organisational system. Basically, setting up a commitee for the running of the club.
(1a)Person A tries taking suggestions from across the board in regards to this. Suggestions are made. Person B points out the negatives to the suggestions made. Which would be fine, except Person B does this to almost EVERY suggestion made.
(1b)Person B also remarks that people are taking the organisation of this sytem too seriously, which may be true.... And Person A may also have overheard that remark. Meeting adjourns fairly successfully in regards to a future appointment of a commitee.
(2) Later, Person A announces online who was going to be part of the council. Person B asks to be on the council. Events transpire and heat up, and Person A makes Person B "AAC President for a day". Person B withdraws suggestion of being on the council and Person A resettles on the coup.
(3) Person A and B continue to make snipes and slighting remarks at each others back to this day. Sides are forming within the AAC itself in regards to who is right in this matter.
So, that's the gist of the situation, as far as I can see. If there's more to this story then I haven't been told of it yet. I prefer to remain neutral and steer clear of this entire thing, but I'm really starting to get sick of the brittle atmosphere that seems to form whenver Person A and B are within spitting range of one another. No one is being fooled by the false smiles and comraderie and ultimately the people who are going to suffer are those who come in for a good time, see you two, and have their bubble of enthusiasm burst because of it. And worse yet, you are both (allegedly) "recruiting" members to see your side of the story and setting the other person as the bad one. The situation is getting out of hand, especially for a disagreement sparked off between just the two of you.
I don't like internal politics, I don't like silent wars. And I don't like people I know (and like) doing both of the aforementioned acts. I also have ambivalent feelings towards SPAM, but that's a story for another time. Anyway, please you two, work this out BEFORE the whole thing boils over and breaks the AAC in smaller sects. Talk and forgive each other, in person. This situation is NEITHER of your faults, you both just have differing opinions on how to preserve a place for the future of the club. Accept this, and the fact that you both have basically the same goal, the continued existence of the AAC. That fact is not mutually exclusive. Discuss the problems you have with each other. You may not like what you hear, but you'll have a better understanding of yourself and why your opponent sees you in that way.
I know this all sounds waaaaaaaaaaaay overmelodramatic, especially for people who aren't even part of the AAC or are unaware of what's going on (lucky you); but I've seen tightly knit groups like these break up over even less. And to have it split up now when things are going so well for the club is just plain bad. In any case, that's about all I have to say on this situation. I hope neither parties will take offense to what I have said, I'm merely a neutral observer to all of this, (okay, maybe not so neutral since I've actually INVOLVED myself in this now) who thinks this entire continued fighting is a bit of a waste of time when the diplomatic approach can solve the problems a lot faster. Admittedly, since I'm that neutal observer, I can say such things without thinking of the entire weight of embarassment in apologies. ^_^ But I can always hope that I'll act maturely if such a situation arose for me. Hmmm. Probably not. So this is a chance for you two to prove that you're more mature than I am. ^_^ Not that that's a big a deal, now that I think about it. O.o Oh well.
