E·RATIO SMEARED

WHERE’S THE ROPE?

In his infinite wisdom (or is it, “wiz-” dom), Michael Neff, founder, chief artist, and executive director of the Web del Sol Association, has seen fit to elaborate upon Tim McGrath’s “review” (which we all agree was worthless, anyway):

“And yet, the publication has its defenders, like the famous cut-and-paste 'poet' out of San Francisco, Jack Foley, who is published in Eratio PP and fancies himself good buddies with the editor, St. Thomasino. Since the first publication of this review, both of them have used email harassment, flaming, and defamatory blog posts with invented language in an attempt to censor PDS and brand the editors. In addition, one of them wrote an editor's faculty advisory in an attempt to get him booted from his college writing program. Be that as it may, PDS will not be censored, no matter how many cretins arise to inflict retaliation.”

But surely, had Michael Neff the evidence to prove these allegations, surely he would have included it. Did someone say “email harassment”? Did someone say “flaming, and defamatory”? Here is a sample of Michael Neff’s language:

“My advice is to put St. Thomasino's dick in your mouth and suck on it till you orgasm. Then fall asleep. Sleeeeeeeeep, Jack, sleeeeeeep ... into that eternal night. No one will miss you, not even the ticks on your shriveled old balls.”

And so we draw the curtain to reveal the true Michael Neff, the miserable non-person (without honor, without self-control) behind the faux “tragically hip” gloss at Web del Sol. Shame on you, Michael Neff. I will never look at Web del Sol the same again.

Where’s the rope? Indeed. Just for the record:

1. “Invented language”? You do better, Michael Neff, to claim that someone has been sending e-mails using your e-mail account. (It’s the same difference -- a lie is a lie, after all.)

2. Michael Neff, you demonstrate your bad judgment, your frustration, and your desperation, when you pollute the Palaver and Natter list with your ill will regarding this unhappy episode. Are you attempting some kind of damage control? Are you attempting to propagandize the people on this list? The Palaver and Natter list is “A Locus for High School Writing Programs.” I declare, when you stoop so low as to pollute this list, you are not only demonstrating bad judgment, frustration, and desperation, you are demonstrating BAD LEADERSHIP.

3. For you, Michael Neff, to be so despicably vile and disrespectful to Jack Foley. . . .

SHAME ON YOU, MICHAEL NEFF. YOU OUGHT TO WEAR A DIAPER, YOU'RE LOSING IT ALL OVER THE PLACE.


Since this nonsense first broke with Michael Neff and Web del Sol the eratio blog-auxiliary has been contacted by all sorts of people with all sorts of horror stories all having in common the name and MO of Michael Neff. (As for Tim McGrath, I am convinced he’s just a patsy. And although he came off like a punk -- that is until the instant karma got him -- it is quite obviously Neff who pulls the strings, and there will always be another “Tim McGrath” to take his place, the role requires nothing, save a pinch of ambition.) There really is nothing extraordinary about Neff’s campaign against eratio (evidently, this is what he does -- he gets revenge; or rather he wounds himself, then picks at his scab; for, yes, Michael Neff is a pathology), except this time he stepped out of his weight class, and we got the better of him. Neff is at a loss, he is in the dark, he is clueless to try to figure what has happened, and how it happened, and why. He has nothing but his (oh, what is the opposite of “fancy”?) rote imagination to try to piece together the pieces with. The question begs itself: Why? Why the need to belittle? Why this contempt for the poets? It must be torture, the coming to terms with the realization that you’ll never be well thought of as a poet, that although you’ll be well known for a website, or for some folly or burlesque, you’ll never be well thought of as a poet. Can a popular website substitute for a lack of real poetic achievement? Evidently not. It is Neff who is out for revenge, eratio is only documenting it. Neff must learn to accept the truth, that sometimes he is the cause of his misfortunes, and that he alone can set things right again. Why the need for enemies? Why the fortress mentality? Why the emotional rallying points? And why the ridiculous “tragically hip” gloss? What troubles most about Neff’s “tragically hip” is, there is no sympathy, no simpatico, no sympathetic link with others and the world. This is most telling.