"Despite the documented evidence of chess historian H.J.R. Murray, I have always thought that chess was invented by a goddess." George Koltanowski, from Women in Chess, Players of the Modern Game
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Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Mon Dieu, MonRoi!
If you followed the recently concluded U.S. Chess Championship ("Men's") on the internet, you may be aware that MonRoi, which produces and markets a device for recording moves while a game is in progress (in place of a manual scoresheet), sponsored the official website for the event on behalf of the USCF and provided live coverage of the games. MonRoi is a Canadian company located in Montreal.
I tried to follow a few games online, but I don't have the patience to sit that long and stare at my computer screen, so I can't comment on whether what seemed like a long time to me in-between moves was actually reflecting real time/events in the game or caused by technical problems. I thought the website was a little slow to get the results and news published and, for an official website, I thought the coverage was rather thin. I would like to have seen more interviews with the players, a lot more photographs and human interest stories, but that is my personal preference.
There were reports of problems with game transmission and there were some negative comments made about MonRoi (and its product) at the Daily Dirt blog while the U.S. Championships were taking place. I thought a few of the comments were a bit over the top, I didn't agree with the tack that some of the posters took, and that was that. This is America - we're used to saying what we like (for the most part) when we like and our right to do so is guaranteed under our Constitution. People can say and write things that others may find obnoxious and insulting; under American law, truth is an absolute defense to charges of libel and slander and expressing one's opinion is generally protected, particularly when one is speaking of or writing of a figure in the public eye or a public entity such as MonRoi. Regardless, what I read in those posts didn't influence any opinion I held about MonRoi (generally favorable because of its support for the Women's Grand Prix) or its product (no opinion whatsoever as, not being a tournament player, I can conceive of no reason I would purchase and use the device).
I am a fan of Mig's Daily Dirt, as much for the news and insight he provides as for the comments from the eclectic crowd of posters who hang out there. I visited the blog today, as usual, and was shocked to read that Mig had been contacted by MonRoi because it (or someone high up at MonRoi) took offense at some of the comments posted at the blog! Quoting Mig: "That situation is that the people at MonRoi are claiming that posts here in the Daily Dirt, of mine and of yours, are legally actionable as libel/defamation. They have requested that said posts be deleted and that information identifying the posters be given to MonRoi." Mig wrote that he had taken steps to attempt to remedy the situation and to comply with some (but not all) of MonRoi's requests, including deleting some posts. I'm not going to get into all the minutae, you can read about it here if you would like more details.
Canadian law on libel and slander is different that ours in the USA, but to do the legal equivalent of running home to mommy crying because someone called you a bad name, well, that's just ridiculous! Don't they know the old saying up north - "sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me"? And evidently no one at MonRoi ever saw any of the classic Steve Martin hosting "Saturday Night Live" episodes (say it all together now) - "WELL! Exxxccuuuuuussseee mmmeeeeeee!"
Reaction was swift and, if only the officers at MonRoi would have thought about this for a moment or two before coming down heavy on Mig, utterly predictable. Now MonRoi has a public relations disaster on its hands, for this is sure to get reported all over the internet by posters and bloggers (such as yours truly) and picked up by more and more as the days go by. Oh mon Dieu! What were they thinking?
One of the cleverest and funniest Pythonesque comments today was this one (it had me laughing my head off). Stern is - well, you'll get the idea who Stern is if you read some of his posts on the subject. This is an obvious lampoon (at least I hope it's obvious, maybe they don't know about Monty Python in Montreal, either):
MONROI: If you will not show us the Grail we shall storm your castle.
(Murmurs of assent.)
STERN: You don't frighten us, English pig-dog! Go and boil your bottoms, son of a silly person. I blow my nose on you, so-called Arthur-king, you and your silly English K...kaniggets.
MONROI: Now look here, my good man!
STERN: I don't want to talk to you no more, you empty-headed animal, food trough wiper. I fart in your general direction. Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries.
MONROI: Is there someone else up there we could talk to?
STERN: No. Now go away or I shall taunt you a second time.
Posted by: cadlag at May 30, 2007 at 06:47
LOL! Brilliant! cadlag, remind me to hire you to write something witty and clever for my tombstone.
Postscript added May 31, 2007: I edited this post somewhat to reflect the fact that, at least in the initial rounds of contact between Mig and MonRoi, no specific threat of legal action against him and/or Daily Dirt was made. I thought I'd best make it clear, also, that cadlag's post was a lampoon - a send-up - a JOKE!
Here is a good story on the blog ethics. Mig Greengard recently made numerous false statements about the hotel in Stillwater, Canadians & MonRoi and posted them on his blog.
ReplyDeleteMig posted false US Championship venue review, which would turn away any credible visitor-“This hotel is unkempt and dirty. The stairs are rotted out, none of the equipment in the exercise room worked. The sheets were dirty with crusty stains. The back stairs are rotted out and dangerous, the jacuzzi in our suite had mildew in all of the jets, no mattress pads on the beds..."
He falsely claims that Canadians dropped religion, that the Canadian dollar is worthless, that people from Canada are jerks (or viagras), and his “anonymous” blog users claim that Canadians have no right to speak, even when they are right.
MonRoi is a company based in Montreal, which sponsored the US Championship and publicized the chess players and organizers worldwide. MonRoi customer service received complains from clients related to Mig’s blog. When they informed Greengard that some of his blog posts are false and defamatory, he turned around and misled the readers that this was related to free speech on MonRoi products and that the company threatened him with a law suit. In fact, MonRoi just made him aware on the international laws - - free speech is protected and welcomed, but no law protects false speech or defamation.
In a time before history, in a place named Daily Dirty Blog Kingdom, a powerful and evil lord Miguron has brought together the forces of dirty blogging to recover his hurt ego. Miguron Chess Eye would destroy everyone with his piercing gaze in order to restore his power. He cried- I am the Lord, who dared to enter into MY chess kingdom, and who are those Elves from Montreal. And the story begins… What happened to Montreal Elves read in the next episode.
ReplyDeleteHi mocca,
ReplyDeleteI've read what was posted at Mig's Daily Dirt blog about the accomodations for the players in Stillwater, as well as the other posts related to the U.S. Championship. What Mig posted was done in a sense of irony and humor - which he admitted. And he wasn't making up anything - he was simply quoting from some online reviews done of the hotel! Therefore, he didn't post anything false at all, he simply posted another person's opinion. And he explained that reports from players onsite were that the accomodations were quite comfortable.
I have travelled some in the past few years and I routinely look at the hotel reviews at Trip Advisor - but I always take them with a "grain of salt", so to speak. You can read horrible reviews and rave reviews of the same hotel within a few days of each other!
It is hard, I know, to be the butt of a joke, but some of the comments that Mig posted were simply that - jokes - meant to be humorous and funny. I'm sorry you didn't appreciate his humor, but I've been reading Mig Greengard's work for years and I can assure you that he did not write anything out of malice and did not deliberately make any false statements.
Sometimes humor gets lost in translation between two different cultures (Quebecquois French and American vernacular English). MonRoi has done much for chess and I look forward to the company doing more in the future to support women's chess and chess in general.
I believe that this will all go away if only MonRoi's principals realize this was all a big misunderstanding, and it is time to let bygones be bygones. It is not good business practice to threaten someone with a law suit just because you don't like what you think they're saying! There are better ways to win friends and influence enemies, mon ami.
Here is what I read on some blog. I guess simply that - jokes - meant to be humorous and funny. I am sure that Mig was joking and that this company did not make any threats, but this is staged for entertainment.
ReplyDeleteMe, you and Greeny
Welcome to the Play: Me, You and Greeny. The stage of this play is a cave called “Dirty Blogus”. And there is just one actor, named Mr. Greedy, ups, pardon Mr. Greeny. He said: “You trolls are in my cave so I assume you want to hear me. This is what I call freedom of speech: Elves are jerks, let’s burn them and after all Elves suck because I sad so – Who is with me? Who is bloody with me? Those Elves are immortal and they sing terrible songs of beauty and wisdom. Sickening. Let’s burn them.”
You may ask yourself “why Elves suck” in Mr. Greeny speech. The motive is a primitive one: Not ME but YOU. He is green, green and is promising You from now on: Me without Them. He pronounces Elves are puppets and starts binding spells (for more info on Spellcasting consult wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witch). Welcome to the Muppet Show, in my Puppet Dirty State (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puppet_state)
In his demagogic action: “Let’s burn them” Let’s vanquish them” Mr. Greeny publishes his pathetic, crying Article: MR, Me and You (read Let Me scum). He also opens several new email accounts, new blogs and makes up anonymous names to do his muddy job easier. Greeny1, Greeny2, Greeny3 will all agree with him. Later he goes to relax and listen to his favorite orchestra called Manipulator (http://www.thefalloftroy.com/).
He knows that his shoddy Do-Re-Me and You will rouse up O many emotions in people -- bigger kids like the shakers too. After all, Mr Greeny should immediately thank in the Dirty Puppet State to all people that he treated like Me Tarzan You Cheeta. How much is he paid for Let Me scum job. Is it at least good enough for the airfare to Paris and for one dress of Yves Saint Laurent for his wife?
I can’t understand why such an honest bloggy, as Mr. Greeny, didn’t put a simple disclaimer- “I need to make money to buy a new dress for my wife” and I am unemployed, on the page where he is daily “dirting”. He should state: I am “dirting” on others because I am paid to do so. We would understand that, at least Shakespeare did: “Frailty, your name is women”. I mean this is well known from ancient Greece: A proper wife should be as obedient as a slave. The female is a female by virtue of a certain lack of qualities - natural defectiveness (Aristotle).
Blogging me Blogging you and so Miguron, Mr. Greeny & Migee became a new video game, for which I am going to get myself copyrights. Get Green or Die Trying.