Let’s face it: we are living the times of Mahler Hype!
Practically all classical music forums are filled with Mahler-gatekeepers: you spot members explaining to newbies that they did not get downvoted because their post was bad but because they had a critical question about Mahler. Mahler fans also operate as forum moderators who let the angry Mahler mob create toxic narratives and bully aesthetically independent members to oblivion.
Every orchestra and conductor has to record Mahler in order to get their share of the Mahler Hype. The echo chambers are voting Mahler on top of every internet poll imaginable. The scholars are forced to praise Mahler and try to find unsurpassed technical mastery from the music at every corner in order to secure their income from the industry.
All of that has created an intellectually, aesthetically and artistically ambivalent situation for those who think critically and are not able to swallow everything the Mahler Hype tries to push down our throats.
In my own small way I have decided to contribute to advancing a better situation: I am planning on forming The Forum of Complete Aesthetic Freedom!
Think about a forum where there would be no aesthetic gatekeeping! You could express your love for Pachelbel, reservations for Mahler, adoration for Boulez, doubts about Stockhausen and hate for Mozart without being downvoted or criticized. You could compare Bach and Abba or Ligeti and free jazz and reflect the music as thoroughly as you want without being bullied or ridiculed.
No upvoting or downvoting. No thumbs up or thumbs down. The moderation would be transparent with clearly written rules and an open log explaining the actions, with the possibility to reflect them. The people would be protected by the rules which demand decent behavior — but the music and aesthetics could be discussed in complete freedom without the concept of protecting different fan groups or tiptoeing around fragile musical identities.
How do you like the sound of that?