You’re not attacking him…? Are you serious? You’ve accused him of being ‘the John McCain of puppetry’, and ‘hiding behind the skirts of the muses’. He’s ’sitting on a high horse’? On the path to buying ‘into the hierarchical view of the art snob’? You began by criticising Brian for ‘pretending to offer a serious response while calling the guy douchnozzle and such’, and yet you’ve fallen into the same pattern that you’ve accused Brian of.

When offering criticism that you’d like to be taken seriously, perhaps not disguising the criticism amongst a crop of insults? Just a thought.

Thanks for taking the time to write out a response. Feedback of any sort is always much appreciated.

I would disagree, straight-away, with your contention that I was cutting Mr. Feldman down to build myself up; what I was doing was pointing out things that bother me, not because I have self-esteem issues (not that I don’t, but this wasn’t an expression of those issues), but because, as I’ve said, I care about the craft and it irks me when people who are practicing the craft don’t appear to be taking it seriously. Would you (or anyone) consider a mechanic to be on a high horse if he complained about people with terrible driving habits, or who drive down the street with the parking brake still on?

I don’t quite get why it is that a person seemingly can’t be upset for reasons that aren’t feeling threatened. Why do you and so many others seem so convinced that my motivations have to be impure? I’m confident in my skills, I have no desire to simply tear someone down to build myself up, I’m not trying to poach anyone’s audience. Hoggworks as a small but growing audience, and, I’m unbelievably happy and flattered that there are people who want to look at what we’re doing. There have been MANY, MANY times where we’ve left people behind in the videos we’ve done, but I don’t blame it on the audience; I try very hard not to fall into the trap you mention, assuming it must be that they don’t get it, but never your art.

To make a quick point about that level of introspection, Time, I should point you to a nascent series I did called Inside Hoggworks, which is still accessible here:

http://hoggworks.blip.tv/

In the “conversation with nick” episodes, I talk at great length about the failings of the work to that point, and the ways to make it better. So I take a bit of umbrage at the accusation that I’m hiding behind anyone’s skirt, or resting on my laurels.

I do agree that his response was not in good taste, or in any way an approach to open dialogue. I have never heard of him before today, but I felt your criticism was more an attack on a mans craft than constructive feedback, as you suggest.

I will take your word that your intent was to provide a fair review, and offer suggestions. A more respectful delivery might offer a better impression of you in the future.

I didn’t spend an entire article bashing another man’s work, as a point of fact. What I did was mention several people and their efforts, and pointed to what I see as a lack of seriousness in their efforts. While there is an obvious reference to Mr. Feldman’s work throughout, as he is part of the group I’m referring to, I only specifically mentioned him very briefly.

Please believe me when I say I harbor no envy of Mr. Feldman; I’m not entirely sure why I would, because even if you assume a level of success for me to be envious of, that leads to the obvious question of why it is that I would be jealous. Why would I begrudge another person that success? I certainly don’t. Also, slanderous is not the right term. Critical is, surely, but slander as a concept is in another category, and not a word that ought to be thrown around casually. Slander as a definition requires that I make an untrue statement about a person that would be damaging to his character. Aside from the fact that I made no such statements, the crime you’re thinking of is libel, which relates to the publishing of untrue, damaging statements. Written text can’t be slander, by definition.

And since when does criticism from a peer, from a person who has some knowledge about what he’s talking constitute an assault? The assault, sir, is in Mr. Feldman’s response: by all accounts it was NOT a joke, and he was being truthful and sincere when he displayed his opinions in his incredibly insulting, vulgar, and vitriolic response. That he later claims I don’t get the joke does nothing to mitigate the inappropriateness of the reply; at the very least, the man needs to learn how to control his temper.

Criticism does NOT warrant the kind of response he put forth, whether intended humorously or not. In my opinion, he didn’t redirect anything; he seemed only to have yelled out “fuck you” repeatedly at me for daring to offer up criticism. Should he be shielded from the thoughts of others if they are not endlessly glowing? I don’t want that shielding, and it’s not one I’d offer to anyone else. I care about the craft, sir, and I think he can and do better at it. I think everybody should.

People seem to be under the impression that I wrote what I did as some kind of a personal attack at him because I’m jealous of his success. Is that the only reason a person can point out someone else’s flaws? Isn’t it enough for me to be motivated sufficiently by the love of the craft to suggest ways that it can be improved? Isn’t it the height of vanity on the part of Mr. Feldman to think that my only possible motivation is to express such jealousy, to tear him down, and then steal his fanbase?

It’s a supreme irony that Mr. Feldman and his fans are so up in arms at this unprovoked assault on his honor, considering the only reason he has a puppet on his hand is because he launched a genuinely unprovoked assault against Shel Israel, doing so deliberately and directly to ruin his reputation, and to steal away his fans. It is emphatically not my intention, but even if it were, is Mr. Feldman the only person who can do such a thing? Has he cornered the market on snark?

I do indeed have respect for other people, sir. I offered a criticism, which is completely legitimate, and my points are all valid. I did not for a moment suggest that his content was bad, or somehow unworthy to be expressed, or that he shouldn’t continue working with and on the puppets. All I dared to say — so callous, so contentious an opinion, apparently — is that he try to get better at it.

As to your last point, sir, I AM a part of the communities. There’s another irony here, in that I have been criticized by many of Mr. Feldman’s fans in the past few days of not being someone they’d heard of (and, as such, a nobody, unworthy of consideration, because if I was worth anything, they’d already have heard of me); the only reason anyone in the puppetry community has heard of Mr. Feldman is because of me.

(Also, as to “be a man first,” please note that I’m not only letting your comments sit on this blog, but actually responding to them thoughtfully, which is a courtesy that Mr. Feldman does not seem to extend to people who disagree with him, as evidenced by his blocking me from his site, and removing some of my pre-existing comments about this very strange little affair, which, to my thinking, amounts to someone having a hissy-fit after receiving a grounded criticism)

You spent an entire article bashing another man’s work with little technical or artistic criticism. You hid your envy with slanderous remarks more focused on your own self indulgence than helping a fellow artist.

Now you have spent more time trying to downplay the harsh and unfounded aggression you inflicted in your first post. Call it an assault rather than a “spat”, as I see Mr. Feldman simply redirecting the focus with his comical response.

Be a man first, and have respect for other people, then maybe your apparent jealousy will fade and you can be a true member of your community.

-Neighbor