Poetry People - Conversation on Poets

Where's that Monkey medal for Jayne, please?  I think you've nailed one of the dreadful symptoms of easy access to internet poetry.  Now, most of us are here because we love poetry, we love to write and we desperately want to get better at what we do.  However, a lot of other sites really just offer a place for people to throw up their stuff and be patted on the back for it, told "oh, I know just how you feel" or "you are so talented and brave to write such beautiful poetry, now please come and leave the same comment on mine".  Since these people thrive on attention, they become a plague.  Some of them may even turn out to be good writers if they are put into different environments, but why leave that ready supply of sweet narcotic?  They have a readymade audience of people who are easily impressed and just as desperate for validation as themselves.

It's like flooding the market with cheap diamonds -- people might know there's something better but it's too hard to come by and it's easy enough to fool the masses with something vaguely shiny.  Even worse, though, over time people's tastes become accustomed to this rubbish and they just don't know what to make of the real thing.

Reclaim poetry.  Use the internet -- it is a tool that can be used for good as well as evil   Make good poetry impossible to ignore.  It will call to people, if only they know it's there.  Beatings may be necessary.  I'm ok with violent means.  People may be stupid by choice -- give them another choice.  Let them know that for a little bit more effort than a Big Mac they can have a filet mignon.