Did FAIR Put the "Kibbosh" on Kerry Shirts?

[Guest]

During something of a "roundtable" at Cassius, a number of us were mulling over the strange absence of new FAIR Conference films from that lovable auteur, Kerry Shirts. The 2011 FAIR Conference came and went, but there were no videos on Kerry's YouTube channel. Instead, all we've been treated to are a series of somewhat odd and subdued instructional chess videos. So what happened?

One cannot help but wonder if Shirts has been "ousted" from FAIR. In some of the past installments of his films, one could rather clearly see that some of the senior-tier apologists were uncomfortable being filmed. What's more, Shirts's special gift was that his charmingly goofy antics were the perfect analog to the conference itself. With FAIR launching its "Mormon Defense League," one has to wonder if there is a rising desire to control all aspects of FAIR's public image, which would no doubt entail "disinviting" The Backyard Professor from crafting his annual magnum opus.

I genuinely hope that this wasn't the case, and the Kerry didn't attend/film the conference for "other reasons." That said, I have good reason to suspect that Scott Gordon or some other "bureaucrat" from FAIR essentially told Kerry that he was no longer welcome. The sheer absence of any new movies is one tip-off; the fact that Kerry has long been absent from the messageboards, coupled with the withdrawn introspection evident in his chess videos is another. In any case, the lack of a new series of Shirts FAIR films is a tragic loss for all of us fans out here. My sincere hope is that the FAIR Board can get together and figure out a way to ensure that this brilliant auteur is given free reign to expand his oeuvre in the immediate future.

[_J Green]

It's my fault. I flew into town on Thursday morning and stopped into the conference at lunch time on my way into work so I could score a copy of Brant's book on translation. (I got the last one for sale, leaving only the display copy!). Still in my military uniform, I was worried that my presence during the announcement of the defense league would tip everyone off to an actual military counterintelligence wing to the organization (headquartered at the FARMS in Langly, of course). So I had to confiscate all Kerry's tape and switch it with the chess videos. But if you breakdown the code in the Queen's pawn opening, you'll find the clues I left.

Cheers

[_Doctor Scratch]

Dang, J Green: you are ice cold. In all seriousness, though: do you know what happened? Was Kerry ostracized, ala jskains?

[_Daniel Peterson]

He wasn't there. Why? I have no idea.

(Posted for reasonable readers.)

[_J Green]

Looks like Dan beat me to it.

I was mostly there during the Friday session, but I did notice his absence. I think he lives in Idaho, and maybe it's too far to come every year. I've also noticed his participation on the boards wane steadily over the years. In contrast, my own participation is fairly erratic and unpredictable, reflecting some kind of textual imabalance.

[_Doctor Scratch]

Looks like Dan beat me to it.

No... I rather think that you beat him this time around.

I was mostly there during the Friday session, but I did notice his absence. I think he lives in Idaho, and maybe it's too far to come every year. I've also noticed his participation on the boards wane steadily over the years.

"Steadily over the years"? He has tended to pop in and out, no? I'm unaware of any reason to think that his posting, or his interest in Mormon topics has been "waning over the years." It was, if I'm not mistaken, less than a year ago that he was posting Book of Abraham apologetics on his Youtube Channel. Regardless, as far as I know, he's always been there, lurking on the fringes-- the good ol' Backyard Professor, you know? His venture into Instructional Chess Videos seems rather abrupt, in my opinion, and as I've already said, the lack of new FAIR Conference cinema is a genuine tragedy.

[_bcspace]

The last article on his web site is dated Jan. of this year.

http://www.backyardprofessor.com/

[_Doctor Scratch]

The last article on his web site is dated Jan. of this year.

http://www.backyardprofessor.com/

There is a lot more activity on his YouTube channel.

[_J Green]

"Steadily over the years"? He has tended to pop in and out, no? I'm unaware of any reason to think that his posting, or his interest in Mormon topics has been "waning over the years."

I don't suspect that his interest in Mormon topics has waned over the years. I just know that I've seen less of him on the boards than in years past. (The two aren't always connected.) But regardless of the reality, nobody can take the thread of a conversation all the way from the hermetic corpus through the Zohar and into sacred geometry quite like Kerry. I miss the enthusiasm and love of learning that was always present in his participation on the boards.

[_Doctor Scratch]

"Steadily over the years"? He has tended to pop in and out, no? I'm unaware of any reason to think that his posting, or his interest in Mormon topics has been "waning over the years."

I don't suspect that his interest in Mormon topics has waned over the years. I just know that I've seen less of him on the boards than in years past.

Oh. Well, I would agree with that. In your last post, you made it sound as if his posting had "steadily declined," but that wasn't my impression at all. If anything, I think his departure from the boards has been rather abrupt.

(The two aren't always connected.) But regardless of the reality, nobody can take the thread of a conversation all the way from the hermetic corpus through the Zohar and into sacred geometry quite like Kerry. I miss the enthusiasm and love of learning that was always present in his participation on the boards.

Yes. It's almost as if this ebullience of his was "stamped out," or that he was "offended" about something in such a way that it led him to stop posting, doing his videos, etc.