open letter to jake...

[nianfong]

FWIW:
Jake, you are indeed entitled to your opinion. you are also entitled to exercise discretion in sharing it. If your intentions were good, you could easily have shared that opinion with ashe in a PM, and he would not have been offended--he probably would have thanked you and asked why, etc. Instead you aired it in public, and you indeed did damage mr. chin's rice bowl by saying his personal instruction was not worth the price, even when you have not experienced it personally. I'm glad you didn't say anything BEFORE the seminar actually occurred, as that actually WOULD be breaking his rice bowl. But, whether you intended to or not, you damaged mr. chin's bowl for future seminars in the area, or even other people looking into instruction from him. THIS IS FACT. If you indeed do not bear ill will towards ashe and his master, or his art, I believe you should apologize to ashe.

since you aired your opinion in public, my response here is also in public.

Ashe, for all of jake's ill manners, I believe he indeed was relatively well meaning in expressing his opinion of the economy and the portland area. however, I agree with you that there were undertones in his statement, that he may or may not have intended.

-Fong