I think its bullshit. He's either kidding, or just being really fucking
emo.
If M&M was gone, Avant would turn into just another fitness board with a "science" forum. I'd argue that M&M is what has made Avant so successful, not their products. The products success is a result of M&M's success.
I mean, to a newbie or a lurker, when you first come upon that magazine, you get this feeling of accomplishment -- its like 'fuck man, finally. a community instead of a commodity.'
I know Avant has been taking some heat for the latest issue, and i say its all fucking warranted. The articles were all dumbed down. Even Loki's article seemed stupified to some extent. What made the old Mind and Muscle so fucking fantastic was that even if you had no goddamn idea what was being said, it drove you to
try to understand it. The passion the authors had reverberated through the article, and lit a fire under the readers ass to try and become a more intelligent consumer. It makes the reader want to elevate themselves to that higher level when they see how exciting it is for those who
do understand the material.
With the latest issue, youve got a couple articles that are really just garbage, another that would have been better off as a thread, and maybe one good candidate for the magazine. I think the problem the Avant guys are wrestling with is overexposure. They began as the underdogs, and theyve become the topdogs. A decision needs to be made on their future - are they going to "sell out" and turn into a t-mag? Or are they going to tell all these newbies to fuck off, kick out board members who dont contribute shit, and keep their company and their community as a small but extremely knowledgable and trusted source of information? Right now, there is no direction... the community is wafting around being pulled in whichever way the majority takes it. That approach is the worst of all, since you alienate both the nerds and the newbs.
Par says he's having trouble dealing with lifes purpose... and i have to say, thats probably the stupidest thing ive ever heard him say. I'll probably end up regretting this, but i say to that -- Fuck off, you incoherent shit-for-brains. 99.9% of the people on this planet will realize at one point in their lives that theyre going to die... and theyll wrestle with thoughts of "whats the point? if im a king or a peasent ill still be dead in 80 years." In one post i think he said something to the effect of "why chase intellectual highs when i can achieve chemical highs so much easier?" The mere fact that someone has to ask that question and doesnt just act on it should be obvious enough. The difference is giving in to your bodys primordial bullshit or having the mental perseverence to ignore it, and live your life as you see fit. Perhaps ignorance is bliss, but before that first rock of crack enters your brain, your last thought is going to be how life managed to beat you, but not the other 6 billion people on the planet.
Well shit, that turned into quite a fucking psychopathic rant. Good thing i dont post on avant.