The Official Soul Patrol Headquarters

We're all Taylor Hicks fans...... in our own way

I've debated for several days now about whether to write this blog entry or not and, if I did write it, how I would word it. Although, obviously, I've decided to write it, I haven't yet figured out the wording. So please forgive me in advance if something doesn't come out right.

All Soul Patrollers, no matter which site or sites we belong to, have one thing in common: We are all fans of Taylor Hicks. If we weren't fans of Taylor, there would be no reason to be a Soul Patroller. We might still visit a Soul Patrol Website out of curiousity or even participate on one because of friends who belong, but you generally won't find someone calling themselves a Soul Patroller unless they are really a fan.

But despite the fact that we all have our Taylor fandom in common, we are all different. Like snowflakes, no two Soul Patrollers are alike. We all have our own opinions, ideas, and thoughts that, at any given point in time, may be different from a majority of the Soul Patrol.

Take a look at any of the friends you have offline. I can say with confidence that in every friendship you have, you and your friend have at least one thing in common. It is these commonalities that helped to get the friendship started in the first place and, often times, helps to sustain the friendship. I can also say, with just as much confidence, that in every friendship you have, you and your friend will have at least one thing you don't see eye-to-eye on. And it is these differences that can, at times, cause a disruption in the friendship.

So where am I going with this? Well, everyone who calls themself a Soul Patroller have Taylor Hicks in common. We are all fans of his. However, not every Soul Patroller sees things regarding Taylor the same way. While one Soul Patroller may love Taylor's book, another Soul Patroller may not have liked it. While one Soul Patroller may think the two songs released as singles so far were the best choices, another Soul Patroller may think that the choice of songs are partially responsible for the lack of radio airplay. While one Soul Patroller may enjoy watching Taylor from a distance, another Soul Patroller may feel that the best way to express her love for Taylor is to throw her panties on stage. Though, and I'm sure all Soul Patrollers can agree on this one, I hope those panties were new or, at least, clean.

Lately, though, it seems that some Soul Patrollers are having a lot of difficulty getting past the fact that not every other Taylor fan out there sees things they same way they do. Instead of discussing their differences, though, they put that person down for having those opinions. Worse, sometimes they follow up with their own opinions in such a way that they act like theirs is the only opinion that matters. Even worse still, I've seen cases where one member has accussed another member of not being a true fan because they didn't like everything that Taylor has done.

Even though we all have Taylor in common, we have to work at not allowing our differing thoughts, ideas, and opinions to break us apart. We have to remember that each person is different and that their opinions may not always match our own when it comes to Taylor. We also have to remember to respect each other's opinions even when we disagree with them. We have to work at not putting each other down while, simultaneously, fostering healthy discussion on those differences.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Soul Patrollers are some of the best fans out there. And I know we can all work together to get past our differences in order to ensure that that statement is always true.

Tags: Taylor Hicks, American Idol, Birmingham, Alabama