McLaren contra Taylor (from Brian)

From: mclaren
Subject: McCarthyism
--
In Tuning Digest 714, Greg Taylor states:
"my take on [mclaren] is that he's running a kind of conspiracy
theory thing somewhat on the order of my uncle's old
saw about 'international Jewry' controlling the monetary system,
with a shadowy cabal of academics (who are all fans of John Cage and
a number of serialists in addition to the European tradition of High
Modernism) somehow in charge of the institutions which should have
offered Mr. McLaren a kingly crown at the feast of the Lupercal..."
If Greg Taylor can produce any proof that I have ever suggested
"a kind of conspiracy thing," let him do so now.
I have never mentioned so much as a single word about
"conspiracy."
I have no idea what Greg Taylor is talking about.
But then, neither does Greg Taylor--when he says that I
talk about "a shadowy cabal of academics."
Show me the post where I talked about "cabals."
Produce it.
Let us see it in black and white.
C'mon, Greg. You've talked the talk, now walk the walk.
Show the tuning forum ANY passage from ANY of my posts in
which I talk about "a shadowy cabal of serialists."
Show the tuning forum ANY passage from ANY of my posts in
which I describe "a kind of conspiracy theory thing somewhat
on the order of my uncle's old saw about `international Jewry'
controlling the monetary system."
Greg Taylor has made these statements.
Let him now provide proof.
Of course there is no proof...since--as Greg Taylor knows--
I've never said anything about "a shadowy cabal of serialists"
or any kind of "conspiracy."
Greg Taylor cannot provide facts to back up his statements, for his
deliberate misrepresentations of me have nothing to do with
the facts. Instead, Taylor's attacks are merely a malicious effort
to personally defame me.
Taylor knows he'd go down in flames if he tried to
directly rebut my criticism of *some* academics, *some*
modern music, and the inertia of large bureaucracies...
He'd go down in flames because my statements are factual.
So instead, Taylor tries the knife-in-the-back approach to dicredit
me--the implication that I'm anti-Semitic.
"But sometimes," Taylor posts in Tuning Digest 702, "he'd
push the chair back after dinner and calmly explain to me
that the Jews were running the Federal Reserve system
(..) and oughta be "dealt with", or hold forth on the difference
between "niggers" and "colored folks" in the same tone of voice
he used to explaining how to tie the perfect fly for a trout.
(..) Reading Mr. McLaren's posts sometimes reminds me of my
uncle Don." -- Greg Taylor, Tuning Digest 702
This is a smear tactic so cowardly and so contemptible that
it is beneath contempt.
In the end, have you no shame, Taylor?
In the end, at the very last...have you no shame?
Aren't you disgusted with yourself for implying that anyone
who disagrees with you about modern 12-TET academic music
is a white supremacist lyncher of Jews?
The evidence shows clearly that even Greg Taylor is appalled
by his own behavior. In Tuning Digest 710, Taylor
wrote:
"[the recent Mills server crash] allowed me a little more time to think
again and try to excise my late uncle's comments on his antisemitic
prejudices (which, surprisingly, bothered me more to discuss than his
racism - which I guess I'd expect from a southerner of his age) and to
put a more positive spin on things..." -- Greg Taylor
Since Taylor posted the selfsame implication that I'm anti-Semitic
more than 6 months ago, then repeated the insinuation on 1 May in Tuning
Digest 702, the *repeated* the insinuation yet again on 9 May in Tuning
Digest 713, Taylor's expression of self-disgust rings more than a little
false to these old ears.
Pardon my French, but I''ll be damned if I'll sit back and let someone
accuse me of felony hate speech on 3 separate occasions and call
it "putting a positive spin on things."
I've got a strong stomach, but there's some shit I will NOT eat.
Again, let me put the record straight:
As Greg Taylor well knows, there is no trace of anti-Semitism
or white supremacy in ANY of my posts.
My main "crime" has been to traduce against Gregory Taylor's
favorite 20th-century modernist composers.
I have done this, apparently, by saying that people in positions of
musical authority and prestige tend to become self-satisfied.
I've said 12-TET concert audiences tend to lapse into inertia, and
become used to hearing the same old thing at every
concert.
Both the avant-garde and the civic orchestras tend to fall
into comfortable ruts.
By what stretch of imagination is this "a shadowy cabal"?
In what way is this akin to "anti-Semitism"?
It *is* a fact that in universities, talented microtonal
composers tend to be overlooked because it would require
extra effort for performers to play their music.
The string players would have to learn to tune scordatura
and some new sight-singing to play a composition in
19 tones per octaves. This would jolt the average
performer out of hi/r comfortable rut, and so microtonal
composers find themselves at a disadvantage vis-a-vis
12-TET composers for no good reason.
In the same way, talented and insightful microtonal composers
and theorists find themselves at a disadvantage compared to
12-TET composers and theorists as regards academic
appointments. The reason has nothing to do with Greg Taylor's
imaginary "conspiracies" or "shadowy cabals." Instead, it's
just human nature. If everyone in the music department knows
12-TET music theory and very few people know microtonal
music theory, then the next job applicant is likely to be a
12-TET music theorist rather than a microtonalist.
Why?
Not because of Greg Taylor's imaginary "cabals" or
ludicrous "conspiracies."
Rather, because everyone in the music department is well
equipped to evaluate the 12-TET applicant's credentials and
uprepared to evaluate a microtonal music theorist.
If, for example, a prospective candidate for an assistant
professorship points out that some equal tempered scales
have musically functional perfect fifths (12,17,19,22,24,27,29,
31, etc.) while other equal tempered scales have musically
non-functional fifths which don't sound anything like "perfect"
fifths (6,13,16,18,23)... Well, how does the 12-TET music
faculty committee evaluate this statement?
Will the faculty committee call a halt to the hiring process
so they can run out, get a synthesizer, and go through all
the effort of tuning all those equal temperaments to test
the candidate's claim?
Or will these overworked Ph.D.s instead simply say,
"Well, what this microtonalist says might be true, but
since we perform and teach 12-TET music in this
university, we'd probably be better off hiring someone who's
solely concerned with 12-TET music."
This has nothing to do with any kind of silly "conspiracy,"
it's merely an example of human inertia.
It's also a vivid example of the very real tendency
of large bureaucracies to keep doing what they're assigned
to do long after the reason for it has vanished.
As I've pointed out in my previous posts, the job of the university
music department is changing rapidly. University music
departments used to teach students how to compose & analyze
and perform music in 12-TET--and that made sense, since
all the concerts and all the musical instruments
at those concerts were locked into 12-TET.
But today, live concerts more and more often include
electronics and synthesizers which are *not* locked into
12-TET. Very often nowadays a concert of new music involves
a digital synthesizer or DSP processor which can be put
non-12 with the touch of a button.
This means that universities are, by and large, preparing
students for a career in a 19th-century concert hall
environment which no longer exists. Yet the university
music departments continue on as they are, unwilling to change,
stuck in a 12-TET rut.
Why?
Simple inertia, nothing more.
Greg Taylor knows quite well that I've never spoken of and
do not believe in "conspiracy" or "a shadowy cabal of serialists,'
he's just out to smear me as an anti-Semite. Greg Taylor knows
quite well that the main impression everyone will carry away from
his defamatory posts is "mclaren is anti-Jewish and anti-black."
For good measure, Greg Taylor keeps repeating the ad hominem
attack, implying over and over again that I'm anti-Jewish and
that I hate blacks.
For the record, Greg Taylor's implication is a lie.
For the record, I abhor anti-Jewish racism. I despise people who
talk about "niggers." For the record, I find disgusting and obviously
false the claims of racists (and other bigots) who talk about
"worldwide Jewish conspiracies."
For the record, I have nothing against anyone Jewish, or against
anyone black.
Of course, Greg Taylor *knows* I'm NOT an anti-Semite....he's simply
out to defame me with the easiest & sleaziest method of post-WW-II
character assassination--implying that your opponent is
anti-Jewish/anti-black.
When I point out that music departments tend to get stuck in
a comfortable 12-TET groove and that and even the best-intentioned
music theorists tend to settle into a torpid 12-TET inertia...
Well, somehow when I point these facts out, to Taylor *that*
constitutes "bigotry."
But when Greg Taylor implies over and over and over again
that I'm an anti-Semite and that I hate blacks, this is
apparently *his* idea of "reasoned discourse."
Greg Taylor has seldom added anything to this forum of a
substantive nature. He has never posted citations, articles,
historical facts about microtonality, or indeed anything
much but ad hominem character assassination along the
lines of his constant stories about his repulsive
Jew-baiting white supremacist uncle.
If it weren't for his ceaseless false insinuations about
Your Humble E-Mail Correspondent, Greg Taylor would apparently
have nothing to post at all.
Frankly, this is tiresome.
If you want to rebut my arguments, Taylor, cite some contradictory
references. Stop sneaking around implying that people you disagree
with are anti-Semites and white supremacists.
Cut out the Nixon-style smear tactics.
Come on out of the shadows. Rise from the gutter. Make your argument
on the basis of the facts--rather than stories about your racist
uncle.
Such character assassination ("so-and-so reminds me of a child
molester on TV," "so-and-so reminds me of my Anti-Semite white
supremacist uncle," "so-and-so reminds me of a drug dealer ")
has no place in this tuning forum.
Anti-Semitic/white supremacy hate speech is a felony.
I don't appreciate being accused of committing a felony
simply because you disagree with me.
If you don't like my ideas, rebut them. If you disagree
with my references, cite opposing references. If you
disagree with my quotes, find and cite contrary quotes.
But to say that someone reminds you of an anti-Semite
who wants to lynch black people, or a serial killer, or
someone who rapes children, just because he disagrees
with you, is despicable.
It's beneath contempt, sir.
Shame on you, Greg Taylor.
To lurk in the background whispering constant insinuations
about "worldwide Jewish conspiracies" and "taking people out
and dealing with them" (statements which I have never made,
and which Greg Taylor *knows* I have never made)
is an act of cowardice.
--mclaren


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