"Future Leverage In An Argument"

JEFF SEILER:

To the best of my recollection, this next letter indicates a segue from discussion of what I could do to help Dave post images of glamourpuss online to a different role for me -- that of monitoring what others have posted and the reactions thereunto. The second paragraph refers to my informing Dave of what I was seeing online that was pointedly negative about him. The third paragraph was indicative of the fact that I was, perhaps, a bit churlish in my initial monitoring of how often others were posting images of glamourpuss online, a point well-taken. The penultimate paragraph refers to the ongoing attempts between Dave and I to define just what sort of relationship we had, which at that time was four years and change since we had begun exchanging regular correspondence and a little while after the last time we hung out at S.P.A.C.E, along with some of the other Yahoos. I think it was around this time that I wrote to him that, when describing him to others who didn’t know him or of him, I would use a shorthand description and just say, “I have this friend in Canada who…”, rather than “There’s this guy in Canada, with whom I have exchanged numerous letters about all sorts of topics and with whom I have had dinner on a few occasions once a year for the last four years and with whom I share any number of opinions about religion, politics, and current events, and who just happens to be one of the most accomplished comic book creators in the history of comics, whose work I have assiduously followed for the last 20+ years, but who, nevertheless, doesn’t ‘do’ friendships, so I have to define him as, well, an acquaintance. Or something.” Strange.

6 August, 2008:

Hi Jeff:

Sorry to be a while getting back to you. Hope you are over your cold. I’d certainly LIKE all the images to be at all sites but half a loaf is better than none. Maybe ask why some volunteers choose to only post some images? They might have a persuasive reason which would tilt us in their direction.

As I’ve said before, I don’t really need a steady diet of Dave Hating coming in through the fax machine but a certain amount is needed for a complete historical record of what 2008 (2009, 2010, 2011, et. al.) were like. Use your own judgment as to how much that is. Likewise if you notice trends that seem to be worth identifying or if anyone else does.

Lenny seems to be in agreement on your monitoring duties... only caveat was that you be a little sensitive to the fact that these are volunteers, not army recruits. I have high hopes for this working, alternating auction piece parodies and glamourpuss previews. It is what it is -- not what Internet trolls say it is.

We’ll see how you’re doing in Sept. re: posting images.

Yes... I still find "friend" problematic since in my experience it tends to be used to create a greater linkage than exists, so that it sounds as if I had hundreds of Friends and -- psycho evil misogynist that I am -- I just keep breaking up these friendships. When someone says I’m their friend, what I now hear is "future leverage in an argument". Let’s just say that we've had some interesting discussions and leave it at that. But, in an emotion-based world, I realize that isn’t likely to happen.

Thanks for the monitoring duties and give my best to K.

Dave