disc.font,8
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«c1»Cultivication«»
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«c2»And there is something I need to write
about...  Lately  I  launched  another
website  from  the  amigawebring which
was  listed  as  a  totaly new one and
after  the  Internet  Explorer  on  my
PeeCee  at work had built up the page,
there was the title that made me doubt
about it beneath a  big  and  colorful
domain logo, that said:«»
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«c4»        "The Amiga Cult Site!"«»
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«c2»`What?` was my first thought.  And  my
only  reaction  was  to  stare  at the
screen  by  asking  me  what I have to
read there.
What does it mean when a site that has
been launched the  first  time  a  few
days ago is already a cult site? Is my
brain  doing its job not as good as it
should?  Or  was there something wrong
with reality?«»
«»
And I had to recognise that  this  one
was  not  the  only  site online which
claimed to be cult although it  wasn`t
yet.  There  are also some others with
doubtful  advertisment  about its cult
state. And it is not only connected to
websites. There are also some programs
around which are known of  course  but
still do not deserve to be called cult
programs.  But  why became this way to
behave  so  popular?  Is it not longer
possible to be not on the  top?  Do we
always have to be the best? Do we have
to  fake what we make and what we are?
Is this the last instance before self-
denial of all amigians???
Of  course  this  assumed  cult is not
only  concentrated  on amiga - it even
has  not  started on it - but likewise
and that was what made me sad.I though
"we" were no fakers at all.Not in this
way. But I had to realize that a wrong
and bad way to  get  a  product  known
swapped from the world industry to the
computer  system  I  love  and  always
respected  for  its  independence  and
honesty.Sad to notice that we are like
the others. Nothing special anymore...«»
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«c4» And Now?«»
«»
«c2»When  I  am  writing  about  something
that is not cult,I have to write about
what  cult  actually  is. Also I don`t
want to loose myself and take  you  in
another  depressive  article about the
bad things connected to  our  computer
platform.   I  want  to  analyse   the
problem, reveal the reasons for it and
hopefully solve it at the end.«»
«»
When starts something to be cult?  Can
everything be cult? And aren`t there a
lot of things those were cult from the
first  second  on?    How  to  decided
between "real" cult  and  things  only
praised  as  cult? These are questions
that directly pop up in my mind. And I
am   not  only  willing  to  find  the
answers  for  them  but  also  want to
investigate why  the  things  I  wrote
above are as they are?«»
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«c4» What Is Cult?«»
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«c2»Cult is always something special and I
guess you will agree with me that cult
is always something new. Or  at  least
something  that wasn`t there before in
this  special  way.  In a lot of cases
was today`s cult a yesterday`s shock.
When people where for  example  afraid
about splatter movies because of their
brutality  and  unhampared way to show
the  sexual  act,  they became cult in
the underground scene  very  fast.  Or
even trash movies which were only sh*t
(and mostly still are)  developed to a
special kind of art. These movies were
so  totaly  out of order that they had
to be recognised out of order. But how
to judge something which wasn`t  there
before?  Something  you don`t know? Is
it still pure crap or even art?«»
«»
Cult  sets  always  new standards. Not
higher  but  always  never-seen-before
standards.  A cult object could be the
only one of its kind,  but it could be
the first one too.  "Baby" for example
was  the first of its kind and even if
computers are standard and much faster
these days,  this big and slow machine
remains cult.  The c64 is already cult
too  and  even   the   amiga   itself,
although still doubtful nowadays.«»
Anyhow  cult  comes "normally" (if you
can  use  this  word  by writing about
cult)  from  the  underground  scenes.
Mostly  made  by unknown  persons.  At
least unknown for the puplic.  Cult is
also no mainstream. Never!
Cult  has  to be so impressive that it
has to become cult anyway!  An example
therefor  is  "Odyssey"  by  Alcatraz.
Before the Alcatraz guys released this
movie of a demo, no one  used  a  demo
this way.
Cult  inspires!  Not  to  copy, but to
develope own and maybe  better  ideas.
Even  if  this  never  happened in the
case of Odyssey - we  saw  a  lot  try
but  fail - it  often  does.   And  it
should, thereby gets cult a function.«»
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«c4» What Is Cult Not?«»
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«c2»Cult  doesn`t mean that it is good but
good stuff doesn`t have  to  be  cult.
Cult  has  to  survive. Anyway. A long
time. Nothing is cult that is in today
but already out tomorrow.  And that is
the problem of a lot of  things  which
are declared to be cult today.  As the
best  example  for such assumed cult I
chose boygroups. Started with the "New
Kids  On  The Block" - who are cult by
the way,  because  they  found  a  new
direction  of  music and performance -
there  are  so  many  of  them  on the
stages today, that  they  can  not  be
cult   anymore.   Cult  is,  when  the
natural   demand   on   something   is
effective  higher  than  the  possible
supply AND advertising that is  needed
to cause this demand.  Cult can not be
repeated,  but boygroups are repeating
on and on.   Always to be continued by
others. They are only pushed. Simply?!
Faked  cult  objects  used  by  people
dependent to media and advertising.«»
Cult could also be something you never
see or at least you are  waiting for a
long time.
So  for  example  Mr. Wilson  from the
american tv-series  "Home Improvement"
who has never shown his face until the
last episode.
And  DISC  also  got a higher state of
cult just due its two delays  than  it
had before.  It maybe never could beat
RAW in the past but if you are able to
read  this article and if you know how
many people have waited how  long  for
the  eleventh  issue  to come true you
will  know  why  it  will surely get a
higher  state of cult as RAW got or at
least  why it has the chance to get it
now, won`t you?«»
«»
But  who  makes  cult? Today the "new"
cult is mostly pushed or even faked by
media and advertising agencies. People
are watching tv and get told what they
have to buy, to say and to believe.
And  it  seems  nothing is easier than
this.   It  started  with  the  Barbie
puppets and had  to  be  seen  on  the
Tamagotchi and Pokemon hype.  It seems
people  need someone to tell them what
they need, but this is already another
topic, I know.«»
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«c4» Cult Or Not Cult«»
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«c2»It is not always that easy to decided.
There is a grey  zone  everywhere,  as
always.  For  example  you  will agree
when I say that cult can not be a copy
of  something.  But let us have a look
at the "Rocky  Horror  Picture  Show",
which is without a question cult,  but
which is without a question  a mixture
of copies too! BUT IT IS cult.
More  doubtful is  therefore the movie
"From  dusk  `till  dawn"  by  Quentin
Tarantino.   This   piece   of   funny
entertainment is of  course  something
special  and  it is a great mixture of
the  best  movies  of  its genre - the
modern  Rocky  Horror Show so to say -
but it also got pushed a lot as  every
new  movie  gets  these  days.  I must
confess  I  liked  to  watch  it and I
think  it  had  the  possibilities  to
become cult if it where not as  pushed
as it was at the end.«»
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«c4» The Resume«»
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«c2»One  point  I  still  haven`t  thought
about is the  difference  between  and
the similarity of cult and culture? Is
it  only  a  word  family or something
more?  But  the deadline is near and I
am going to  get  out  of  breath  and
words  at  this  point.   Write   some
feedback  and  maybe  I will publish a
sequel article and both of  them  will
become cult some time...«»
«»
At  last  I  know  this  topic  is too
complicate and wide as  that  I  could
neither  explain all my thoughts about
it   in  one  article  nor  find   the
ultimate  solution.   Maybe   I should
write  a  book  about  it some time if
there  is  still  none written yet. At
least I hope to make you  think  about
it and to ask yourself a question: Did
we already start to deny ourselves?«»
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«c4»Written by Zito & Incognito«»
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