a job for the fans

[La]

hey all!!! I've been a Shania fan for very long now and one thing I've noticed is that Shania's brand of fans is something else altogether!! Looking at her websites and message boards and things, it's pretty clear to see that they're a very dedicated, organised bunch that does a lot of creative stuff.
Now comes the job part http://www.shania.net/shaniaforum/smile.gif... in my opinion, Shania does not get the exposure or the hype that she deserves...she's a big name alright, and she sells too, but she kinda gets sidelined when it comes to the other so called divas...simply because they've been marketed more aggressively than Shania...so I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas on how we could do our little bit to change that. See, we can't keep raving about Shania all over teh place cause after a while no one listens http://www.shania.net/shaniaforum/smile.gif but there's got to be something constructive we can do to make people sit up and see exactly how mindblowing she is, so that she doesn't get pushed aside by the Celines, Mariahs and Britneys of the music world.
Any ideas?

[RJ]

La,

I agree it would be great if we could come up with something unique to open other people's minds and hearts to the joy and benefits of Shania's music.

I'm not sure if Shania wants more publicity right now, or feels a need to compete in stature with the other performers you mentioned. Maybe she just wants to enjoy herself by writing some really great new music now.

But in case she WOULD like the support and activity you are considering, it would be GREAT to develop something and have it ready. Here are a couple ideas.

A SONG FOR SHANIA.
We pool our abilities and develop some really good lyrics about Shania. Then we get someone to put it to music.

A PROJECT FOR SHANIA
I think we all agree that kids should not go hungry. And Shania's Kid's Cafe helps alleviate that condition, as does Second Harvest.

But what CAUSES kids to go hungry? And is there something we can do about that?

After all, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I'm not talking about existing programs. Something new. Something innovative. Something so good, that if Shania put her music behind it, she could motivate millions to change their behavior in modest ways, for the benefit of all.

I started writing a post for this forum a while back. Had some inspiring ideas for a question to ask members here. Then my password went defunct before I could finish and submit the post. By the time Matt helped me get reregistered a few weeks later, I'd lost some of the threads.

Started it again, but the ideas did not flow in prose. I noticed some of the lines had some rythm and rhyme. So I followed the path of poetry instead. I haven't written poetry since I got stifled in the 3rd grade. Just slapped out a fun & motivational, very rough first draft of ideas, saving the editing til later.

Justin the musician and Heather the writer have offered to look at this draft lyric for a song about Shania.

La, you may be able to suggest some improvements in the range, depth or practicality of the concepts.

Find your self-esteem and be forever free to dream. That's the last line of Shania's song "Black Eyes, Blue Tears."

We could use that as a take-off point. When people have self-esteem, they don't feel the need to trample over others to make progress for themselves.

There's enough food. clothing and shelter to go around in this world, for adults as well as kids. And there's also enough work and responsibility to share, and organize in more sensible ways, to produce the needed food, clothing and shelter, etc.

Why doesn't that happen? Can we see the good that could exist and remove the "why not?"

It has to do with how we all try to make progress for ourselves. Are our actions toward others constructive or destructive; inspiring or stifling; cooperating or competing?

The drive to make progress is very potent for survival of an individual. But excessive pursuit of progress by individuals can easily become destructive toward the survival of everyone together. Those excessive, destructive forms of competition exist in many of us, and in many of the ways we organize as humans. That can and will need to change to get to a better future for us all. Do we have an opportunity now to do something about that? If we develop something really worthwhile, I think Shania would be interested and willing to help.

You want to meet Shania in person (beyond just waiting all day for an autograph)? Here's a couple ways to turn that wish into reality.

[La]

Hey RJ, thanks for responding! I think your "Find your self esteem..." starting point is a fabulous fabulous idea....that could be the motto of whatever organization we decide to start...we could just work around that now...lets get everyone together and do it as a worldwide thing..I'm in India, everyone else is scattered all over the place...it would be great!!
I know Shania isn't big on fame, publicity or competition, but it just really frustrates me when i see her getting sidelined...she deserves so much more credit than she gets...

[RJ]

La,

I saw your nice reply and was going to respond. But I thought I better go back and see what I wrote last time. Zounds! It's so long winded, I got tired just reading it. I like the ideas, just wish I could say em in a couple sentences instead of a couple books.

We can dream of lyrics for this song idea when we get the time, or hunches for the project idea. If it gets very far, we might want to consider having a separate forum for creating a song for shania; or about other project(s) for shania.

[fun-fan!]

HEY! I LIKE RJ'S IDEA.
WHATEVER YOU GUYS WANT ME TO DO , I'LL BE WILLING TO HELP. I'M LIVING IN SOUTH AFRICA NOW. SO THAT IS ANOTHER COUNTRY! NOW THE THING IS TO GET THE PEOPLE GOING!
HUGS............FUN-FAN!!!

[RJ]

Thanks, South Africa.

Just noticed there already is a music forum. But not sure that's same thing as we have in mind.

I just cancelled my weekend out of town. So maybe I'll have a little time to whip the first couple lines or so of the poem/lyric/song for Shania into decent shape, maybe with some help from Heather and Justin. Do you know whether forum chat or open public chat would work better for this?

La,
On the project idea, I need to identify the flip side of the coin. Top side, you'll recall, was "sharing and fairness" There's enough food, clothing, shelter to go around, as well as enough work and responsibility.

The flip side of fairness is effectiveness. Experiments, both national and private communes, found out that giving everyone the same reward (food, clothing and shelter), regardless of individual ability and effort; undermined motivation and failed to maintain sustainable effectiveness, compared to people elsewhere.

The question that needs an answer: how can we look at this with a new and creative eye to see results that are better both in fairness and effectiveness?

If we can answer that, we'll have something every bit worthy of Shania's attention and support.

[Ice838]

On the DIVA PART. I think in her own way she is one. She has all the style and talent to be what i consider one. But I think alot of people stick her out of that class of singers your were talking about. Because she is unlike any of them. Shes in a whole diffrent area, when it comes to music. Plus those others are so stuck up, most of them. Shania just doesnt seem stuck up enuff to throw herself in that catagorey. Which in my mind is good. Not to say there not nice people. There just varey stuck on themselves. Where Shania isint. Plus like I said she sorta fits in a diffrent area then they do. Part of it is her realizim "down to earth' aproach towards everything.