Today he announced the End of the Road. I will not focus on what we have lost, rather I will remain forever thankful for how much he has given us. Like all of us, I pray he will reconsider, but he has been so generous with his time that we must accept his decision with grace and understanding. We may not see his kind again. His blog (and earlier forum work) was a magnificent sampler of boots that would have gone unappreciated if not for his efforts. We all hope that a Spring/Summer away from the grind will refresh his spirit. But if this is truly the end of the road, our lives will be a little less bright.
In one of my very first posts I acknowledged how wonderful his blog was and the debt I owed him. All of that and more is true today.
Godspeed John Smith.
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In the paragraphs below I will be using coarse language. I usually try to avoid this, but some circumstances warrant it.
In his final posts, JohnSmith alludes to the actions of a tiny number of his readers who have been leaving comments on the fashion blogs themselves. If you can read between the lines and have been on the internet for a while you know EXACTLY the kind of behavior he's talking about. He is too polite to write this letter, I'm not-
Dear Creeps,
Knock it the fuck off! I don't know if you're so stupid that you think leaving lurid sexual comments will actually make women desire you. Or if you're simply so gross and evil that you enjoy making women uncomfortable. Either way, SHUT THE FUCK UP! No one thinks you're clever, everybody thinks you're gross. NOBODY wants to hear about your dick. EVERYONE wishes you were dead. What psycho-sexual pathology makes you think it's ok to tell a woman you want to "rub it with my sex penis."(an actual comment on one of my youtube videos). The fact that you're fucking it up for us pales in comparison to your psychic assault on women who are just posting fashion pictures. What kind of shit do you have for brains that makes you do this? The anonymity of the internet does not make this ok. If you wouldn't say something to a person's face, don't type it! If saying something to a woman would likely land you in jail, definitely DON'T TYPE IT. WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU!!??????
I know this letter won't help. If a lifetime of being on earth has crafted a troll of such wickedness that it thinks it's ok to leave disgusting messages, a letter from me won't penetrate the thickness of his skull. But at least I got it off my chest.
Thanks very much for the first part. Very nice of you and much appreciated. As noted in my blog, I make no promises one way or the other as to the future.
ReplyDeleteMore importantly: "hear, hear" for the second part!
I can't believe it...some people are so insane, John was doing an increbible job of providing beautiful pics of ladies (YES, L-A-D-I-E-S always show some respect, it's called be civilized) and some dumbass simply go and start making such comments...when I read the text in John's blog I didn't understand it, but this is devastating and why many of us are ashamed to say in public that we are boot lovers, because of the action of some losers that make all of us look like pervs...
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot John Smith, if you read this, and Bruce for all your efforts, I really was a great fan of that blog, It was a bastion of good taste and now sadly only a few sites like this one, exists....farewell.
Roberto from Spain aka balrog2005
I'd like to also thank John Smith for his outstanding blog! John and Bruce have done a great job over the years and I for one applaud you both for it. Thank you!!
ReplyDeleteIncredible that there are perverts out there who won't even let the ladies have their fun showing off their fashion to their friends and readers and giving fashion tips to other (almost all female) readers. News flash, perverts, these blogs were never made for you and most of them are pretty saccharine. Sadly, I was scared this would happen and while this might not make John Smith feel better, a lot of those bloggers do deal with vicious bullies that I can guarantee didn't come from his blog.
ReplyDeleteHear, hear.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't able to post a comment on John's blog, so please allow me to borrow this space to add my voice of thanks for his effort and dedication, and a truly impressive body of work.
Kyuzo
Well said Bruce. What I say to those people who need to share perverted comments, please start your own Blog. Don't drag ours in to your gutter. Thank you
ReplyDeleteJohnSmith 14. Everything you did, you did with the utmost class. I'm forever Thankful for you helping to show women across the world that wearing Over the Knee Boots can be STYLISH and CHIC. Thanks for all of the work you put in and for doing it the right way. Thank you
ReplyDeleteJohn was selfless in what he did - and did so without judgement or commentary. A class act. And the ladies, well, they were and are doing nothing more than sharing images of their style and boots.
ReplyDeleteAnd, someone (or some ones) manage to take something that is nothing more than a collection of pixels portraying style and manage to screw it up...
Is their life empty? Are they in a delusion of grandeur such that they think that "lewd and crude" will make women want them? Or, are women to them objects? Psychologists and Psychiatrists make a living out of trying to understand how people like that work inside their head, and come up with long words to explain it.
Let's just go with "idiot". That's easy to understand.
I was going to ask "what is wrong with people these days?", but there really isn't an answer anymore when basic elements of life such as a simple stop sign seem to hold no meaning.
Mr. Smith, thank you is not enough. Bruce, the same goes for you.
Be kind to one another. Respect women. If we could all just do that, the world would be a better place.
There isn't anythung I can add that hasn't already been said. I too have been a long time supporter of John's work - from his days over at B&H, before being driven off by their nonsensical censorship ideas about flay heeled footwear!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I was annoyed but not surprised to learn that some idiot keyboard warrior decided to hassle these fashion bloggers.
It would be a sad loss if John decides to call it quits, but the level of commitment needed to post such quality daily must take its toll.
I would like to thank him (and Bruce) for their hard work keeping these sites updated for us to enjoy.
James Addiction
Thanks Bruce for expressing the way it is. John is a gentleman and I have enjoyed his work and admired just how much work it is to bring us the best of the fashion blog world. I would never have had time to find even 5% of what he shared. Thanks, also, to you Bruce. I've been a fan since the USENET days. I check daily on yours, John's, and the Booted Newswoman blogs in great part due to the zero tolerance of lewd and inappropriate comments.
ReplyDeleteWell said. Too bad they don't get it... The shutdown of the blog really is a loss.
ReplyDeleteStiefelgirlsfan
JohnSmith14 your work was incredible. I have been a fan and frequent visitor to the blog. The pictures you took the time to find and post were always a pleasure. Rest assured that there are more of us who appreciate your work then sadly you will probably ever know. Thank You
ReplyDelete