rec.arts.disney
| Newsgroup | |
|---|---|
| Name: | rec.arts.disney |
| Date(s): | July 1990 - July 1995 (split)[1] |
| Moderator: | none |
| Type: | newsgroup |
| Fandom: | Disney |
| URL: | rec.arts.disney at Google Groups |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
rec.arts.disney (r.a.d) was a Usenet newsgroup for "discussion of any Disney-related subjects".[2] The group was notable for its roleplay group, the Future Disney Cabinet (FDC), and as the origins of the Arielholics Anonymous community.[3]
In July 1995, the group was split into five more specific subgroups:[4][5]
- rec.arts.disney.announce (moderated info group)
- rec.arts.disney.animation
- rec.arts.disney.parks
- rec.arts.disney.merchandise
- rec.arts.disney.misc
Publicity & Split
A July 1994 article in Newsweek described the group:
- "Worried about Michael Eisner's health? Ready to role-play as a 'toon? You're not alone. In rec.arts.disney, a very popular Usenet newsgroup, there are more than 200 threads waiting for you to pull. Lurkers can head straight for the FDC (Future Disney Cabinet) postings. This role-playing exchange can be charming -- imagine Tinker Bell talking back to a studio exec, or the cast members of "The Lion King" acting out their roles -- but recently a few characters took over a branch of MIT's Wacko MUD, or multi-user-dungeon, and were reprimanded by the school."[6]
The publicity brought an influx of new users to the group, and many previous members were unhappy with the changes they saw in the community:
- When I first became a participant in this newsgroup a little over a year ago, it was a very refreshing break from most other newsgroups where flaming, obscene remarks, and obnoxious people ruined them.
- Rec.arts.disney was different. It was fun. It was refreshing. Then Newsweek and several other publications mentioned RAD as a nice place to visit. And it went downhill from there. This publicity was bait for those people who exist just to antagonize.
- The FDC (Future Disney Cabinet) were flamed.
- I am the FDC Peter Pan, and I am proud of it.
- Being the nice people they were, they decided to escape the fire (or was it respect the opinions of others?) and formed the FDC Muck. The Muck is a nice place to visit, but it requires a lot of time and commitment in order to interact with everyone. The FDC was nice because those of us who do not have a lot of time to spend on our computers could drop a message, run off, and continue at a later time.
- Once the FDC left, the spirit of this newsgroup left with them. The informative posts became less frequent. The comraderie was gone. No more "Welcome to the FDC or RAD" posts from King Louie. Information became less accurate. Splooshing turned to bashing/flaming. And now the sense of the whole has been broken into pieces which will remove the color of the wind and replace it with Scars kingdom. We will trudge along in our matter-of-fact split groups remembering the good old days.[7]
Discussion about whether to split the group went on for over a year and at least two votes were held. Many vehemently opposed the split, and much wanking ensued. One member wrote a parody filk of the incident called "A Whole New R.A.D." (set to the tune of "A Whole New World").
References
- ^ rec.arts.disney at Google Groups. About. (Accessed 30 August 2012.)
- ^ NIC - rec.arts.disney. (Accessed 31 August 2012.)
- ^ The Arielholics Anonymous Home Page. (Accessed 31 August 2012.)
- ^ The Split has happened. 25 July 1995. (Accessed 31 August 2012.)
- ^ New Newsgroups (i.e. split). 25 July 1995. (Accessed 31 August 2012.)
- ^ Adam Rogers for Newsweek. All Disney, All The Time. 31 July 1994. (Accessed 31 August 2012.)
- ^ The Split: End of an Era. 21 July 1995. (Accessed 31 August 2012.)