In a recent column for the website Forces of Geek, I introduced the RLSH Media Love Meter, which I use to rate media reports and projects on how positively they portray their subject matter, with factors like accuracy and overall tone taken into account. Media reaction to the Rain City Superheroes has been an excellent opportunity to get the meter rolling.
Story: “Police Alerted to Superheroes Patrolling Seattle” by Casey McNerthney
Publication:SEATTLE PI
Rating: 05/10
Type of piece: Police Blotter
Positive: I give credit to this author for remaining objective and trying to just present the facts given in a report by the police. I believe this writer broke the story.
Negative: Almost the entire article is information filtered through the police. There is no real connection made with Phoenix Jones or anyone from the RLSH community.
Story: “Phoenix Jones: Real Life Superhero,” by Jenny Kuglin
Media: KOMONews.com
Rating: 10/10
Type of Piece: Full Report
Positive: This writer went through the effort of talking with Phoenix Jones in detail about what he does, and then forming their conversation into an article. The result is a pretty positive piece that let’s Jones talk about what he does.
Negative: None.
Story: “Real Life Superheroes Guard Seattle Streets From Crime” by Linda Brill
Media: King 5 News
Rating: 0 out of 10
Type of piece: Puffy haired journalism
Positive: Maybe one good quote about RLSH goals pulled from either reallifesuperheroes.org or Peter Tangen’s site.
Negative:
-Uses the line “It’s superheroes…and they’re real.”
-Refers to RLSH as a “national group of superheroes,” then immediately shows Canadian superhero Thanatos.
-Uses several images from Peter Tangen’s Real Life Superhero Project without citing where the images were coming from.
-Implies several of the heroes shown operate in Seattle.
-Interviews a confused man on the street and asks him if he is a superhero.
-Shows a picture of DC’s Guardian, and calls him “The Dark Guardian”
-Mistakenly implies Ragensi as a female, when he is a male.
-Cuts interview with police spokesman to one negative sentence.
-Makes a weirdo joke, using a shot of a punk rocker in a top hat smoking a cigarette.
Story: "Real Life Superheroes" Descend Upon Seattle In Full Costume Wearing, Crime Fighting Nerdery"
Media: Seattle Weekly
Rating: 0 out of 10
Type of piece: Snarky blog report
Positive: Links to the PI article.
Negative: Blog posts are supposed to be opinion pieces, but even after calibrating the meter to consider that, this piece still got a goose egg rating. Here’s why:
-Calls the group “costumed freaks.”
-Based entirely on the PI report, to diminishing returns.
-Erroneously states the group “takes marching orders” from reallifesuperheroes.org
-Uses this fart joke: “Nowhere on the site are any tips for finding a girlfriend or holding down a job.” That is uninformed and inaccurate- Phoenix Jones lists himself as “in a relationship.”
Don't let these negative people get to you. Unfortunately, this is the price of fame. There will be people who admire what RLSH's do, and there will be people who ridicule it and try to negate its positive effects. These people would be negative and snarky about anything, because they're unhappy themselves. I've told all my friends that they're welcome to make fun of RLSHs, but only after they've put forth even half of a RLSH's effort to make a difference.
ReplyDeleteSome RLSH's or wanna be RLSHs bring negativity upon themselves thru irresponsible actions. Then again some RLSH do good work, help alot of people, and do indeed take steps to better the world around them and they still get blasted by internet trolls, ass clowns, and bile spewing RLSVs who have criminal records and a list of moral indiscretions as long as the Nile River. It's the way of the internet, anybody can make outlandish claims and with enough creativity they can paint the RLSH movement in a false negative light. Not all RLSH are quality people and there are alot of fakers out there but they are certainly not anywhere near as bad as some people would portray them.
ReplyDeleteThe main problem with PJ is he has yet to do anything on his own, without media involvement. From the very start, the media was involved. Why? Because he begged them to after contacting them through the media companies website. He didn't go out on his own and start doing this, then earn the media attention, he went out with a media marketing plan and is currently using that to promote himself for his professional career, where no doubt he will end up unmasking himself in such a way as to help that career along. I can see it from a a mile away. He is a fraud.
ReplyDeleteAdd to that the the fact that he is known for creating interactive fiction for the media to report on, and I really cant give him any credit he may be due, and would rather the media have gone to somebody else - not me I don't need the attention - in the community as there are more of us then the media seems to think.
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ReplyDeleteMalvado, I won't let anyone try to "out" anyone else, so I deleted one word and reposted your post below. Let's keep people's real names out of this.
ReplyDelete-Tea
Malvado SV said...
You always gotta bring up my criminal records and group everyone else together with me don't you, (DELETED)? What was that one thing someone said about keeping your face shut if you can't say something nice..? Hmm, I'm sure I heard it from someone, just can't think whoooo... Hmmmm...
But not to completely miss the article here,I think Jones is honestly just getting a bad-rap. Sure, his means of patrol may seem unorthodox towards people that have little rule-books written on the subject, but who amongst the RLSH could be considered such thing as 'orthodox' when actions are usually done in costume or at the very least through a fictional persona? So what if he's in the media a lot, isn't that the point of getting dressed up and call yourselves 'superheroes', to bring attention to your cause?
A question I'd love to see answered is what have YOU done reccently, Raven? I'm sure while you could tell me anything at this point it still seems to be that without real evidence of what you've done then it's all a matter of he-said-she-said. Even though he is on camera a lot, that at least shows that he IS out there doing something, and even if he is this "fraud" you speak of, what he is doing may in turn inspire others to think about the safety and well-being of their community.
You do you and he'll do him. I think that might just be the best course of action for both of you.
Not a problem, Tea. I think our little rodent friend here got the idea, even if you did take the ever so kind liberty of 'fixing' my post before he got to it.
ReplyDeleteNo problem at all. :)
Actually based on a old coral cache your data was wrong - I use a privacy service for my domains - but nice try.
ReplyDeleteThe issue at hand is that he was honestly whoring for media attention; Sure he did good works while on camera, but would he have done these things if the camera had not been on him or if he had nothing to gain from it as he tried to pimp himself out for a future UFC match?
I believe the answer to that question is a resounding "no".
The fact is, everything about him is fake, staged, or insincere.
Once again, you're making up assumptions purely based on your own bias against him and pretending they're fact. Whether he would do this with or without the camera is beyond the point, the point here being is that he indeed IS doing something and we can at least see that with said evidence. Kick-Ass was purely fiction and it did wonders for bringing attention to the concept of the RLSH and in turn was a genius recruiting tool for inspiring others to take up the cape and do good in their communities.
ReplyDeleteDo you harrang the Skiffys and other media-dependent capes like Dangerman, Zetaman, and Superhero with the same claims? What about you, sir? I remember seeing you pop up quite a few times in Zetaboy's Youtube shows and once the group disbanded you seemed to have fallen off the radar. It could be just as easy for the rest of us to make the same claims against you that you're making against Mr. Jones here.
Perspective changes everything when you're willing to look at other views besides your own. Maybe one day you'll learn this and will be happier and more reasonably informed as the result.