Let me start off by 
  saying that I've never tagged any of my posts please read until now. Normally 
  I am not too bothered if something I have to say goes unncticed but I find this 
  point to be incredibly important.


When Mike Burke first 
  posted the now infamous "farewell post" I missed it. I later asked 
  him to send it to me and I read it a few times. While the content of the email 
  was quite shocking, I chose not to pass judgement on Mike because his decision 
  was solely that...his decision. Due to this fact, I also refrained from responding 
  to the "Catalyst - Mike Burke response" and various other posts dealing 
  with the issue. I read them because they were interesting and insightful, but 
  I do not believe that anyone should be condemned by others for their own personal 
  decisions. Especially since, in the scheme of things, musical preference is 
  not something that will necessarily make or destroy your life. I did however 
  email Mike personally and question him about the logic he used in making the 
  decision. I thought it was flawed. We also shared a short debate on the place 
  of white people in hip hop. However, again, the conversation was not personal, 
  rather theoretical. After a few messages back and forth the topic was deaded 
  and I went about my life normally. Sure, I would miss Mike's posts but I didn't 
  figure that he would leave an unfillable void.


Now the farewell post 
  has been revealed to have been an experiment...or in the minds of many rmhher's, 
  a hoax. Some people feel violated, some feel emotionally scarred, some feel 
  as though they have been played for fools, some are impressed at what Mike pulled 
  off etc. etc. I feel as though a lot of what is being said now is not being 
  thought out properly. Some people feel hurt and they are acting on that, saying 
  "Fuck Mike Burke" and what not. The following is my effort to put 
  the "experiment" in fools do not realize the incredible thought, detail 
  and intelligence that this took to pull off. Nor do they realize that in the 
  bigger scheme of things, this "hoax" is very small in magnitude. Before 
  I commence, I must get some necessary "legalities" out of the way.


*******DISCLAIMER********


I am not in any way 
  associated with Mike Burke, nor am I on his jock for what he has done. I have 
  had no communication with him over the past few weeks and these opinions are 
  strictly my own. This is also not intended to hurt, upset, nor bother anyone. 
  It is simply intended to make you think.


************END DISCLAIMER*************


And now....


Schools of thought 
  regarding Mike Burke


1) The "I feel 
  as though I've been played for a fool" group of individuals:


Let me start this off 
  by saying that I can understand why some people would feel this way. I don't 
  feel like a fool for arguing with Mike's logic but I did say a few sentimental, 
  lay it on the line, I hope we continue to communicate, type things in my emails 
  as I'm sure you all did. Seeing as this was an experiment, these sentiments 
  were unnecessary. However, since we probably all wrote them, no one looks like 
  a fool. It wasn't as though one person was targeted. Mike took a group of people 
  to see how they would react to a hypothetical situation but he did it on a large 
  scale to ensure that he would get genuine responses. He did a damn good job 
  of it too. My guess is that the people who feel hurt by this do not know the 
  least thing about experiments. Anyone who does probably appreciates the risks 
  an experimenter must take in order to get valid and reliable results. You must 
  walk a fine ethical line with a lot of things as Mike has done here (somewhat). 
  This was the only true way to hear everyone's genuine feelings. Mike set out 
  to make everyone think and that's what he did. If you are upset that you wrote 
  too much on the subject then why the hell would you frequent a newsgroup where 
  everything appears in print. Please consider that writing down your thoughts 
  is an excellent practice to get into. It allows you to reread them and adjust 
  them, thus adding clarity and focus. Thus, you shouldn't feel like a fool for 
  having written down your thoughts on the matter. And if you are merely upset 
  because you feel personally hurt by Mike then get a life. He's not your tried 
  and true friend that would take a bullet for you, he's solely a guy you occassionally 
  discuss hip hop with. 


2) The "Mike Burke 
  is a pretentious asshole" group of individuals:


I do not find Mike 
  pretentious. He realized his place and his importance to a group of individuals 
  and he used it in an imaginative, constructive way. He wasn't just fucking with 
  people, he was conducting an experiment. Regardless, if he is pretentious he 
  has reason to be. Many an individual on the ng is on his jock and some acted 
  as though their life would be over without Mike Burke injected humour in posts. 
  In that sense, it's easy to get a big head. Still I don't think he's pretentious. 
  No one who felt real important would completely put it all on the line for a 
  mere experiment. Point blank, he doesn't care if you hate him now...he knows 
  the experiment served a purpose.


3) The "Mike Burke 
  is a genius" group of individuals:


I've only seen a few 
  of these but I think this is stretching it. Mike did something very clever but 
  it is nothing that hasn't been done before in different contexts. He did nothing 
  groundbreaking or innovative. He applied an old technique to a bunch of people 
  to get results. He basically taught some old dogs some new tricks. He should 
  get respect for that. 


4) The "Who Cares" 
  group of individuals:


Kudos to you people. 
  It sparked debate and interesting conversation so it served it's purpose. Outside 
  of that, the "experiment" is over and it's on to a new topic. Since 
  you don't really know anyone on this group that personally, you shouldn't feel 
  betrayed. If you took the time to write something and now you wish you hadn't, 
  there's 10-20 minutes of your life you can't have back. I'm sure you've wasted 
  more time doing less constructive things. The best thing to do here is not to 
  care. Unless you are really interested in whatever results Mike feels he's obtained. 
  In that case, email him and bug him until he posts something. Maybe then you'll 
  feel as though everything was justified if you read something more in depth. 
  Mike is obviously not someone who is bothered writing long posts.


5) The "It served 
  a purpose" group of individuals:


I think that those 
  who are here for deep conversation and the like can appreciate the "experiment" 
  irregardless of personal feelings. This is a very detached yet very advanced 
  perspective.


These to me are the 
  5 MAJOR schools of thought on this matter. I say major because I'm sure Joe 
  from Tupelo may have a different perspective but I'm trying to get group consensus 
  here. If you have anything to add, please do. If you wish to comment on why 
  you belong to which school, go ahead. I am personally a mix of 4 and 5. Being 
  a psychology major though, I am really intrigued by what Mike has done and I 
  respect it.


If anyone wants to 
  know more about experiments, email me personally and I'll explain the reasons 
  behind why Mike had to do what he did. Don't feel bad professing your ignorance 
  because up until a few years ago, I wouldn't have known the subtleties of experiments 
  either.


The end result:


Those who have no problem 
  with Mike will be happy to see him back and respect what he did. If you're not 
  happy that he's back, boycott his posts. I'm sure he won't care and if you don't 
  mind missing out on a joke or some deep discussion due to personal pettiness 
  that's your decision. I won't judge you for it.


Welcome Back Mike...


Peace, Mike Dodd I 
  got game like I read the directions - Boots