#chockuhblock

It happened to me too!! For the first time ever!

The first thing that attracted me to 1D was stumbling onto their “All You Need is Love” cover on the X-Factor.  Harry had a big solo on that song and I was really taken by his performance – he seemed to pour his entire soul into it (the other guys sounded good and I was impressed by them too.)  While I would argue that Zayn and Liam are better vocalists, Harry’s singing really affects and touches me, more than any other pop/rock singer I’ve heard.  After some brief investigation into this 1D phenomenon, that magic spell Harry uses to make middle aged, straight men befriend him and adopt him into their families began to work on me.  For a while it was just Harry and those other boys (but I have come to love them all as if I was their uncle.) 

Very soon, confusion began to set in as to who this Harry person really was.  I saw a sweet, charming, cheeky boy who seemed to have a huge crush on his bandmate.  I read about a womanizing lothario (who I did not like) who was going through women like tissues during a bad cold.  I had a large puzzle with many pieces missing and many that did not fit.  Realizing that celebrity press is suspect at best, I began to look at “Larry videos” on YouTube to try and get a handle on things.  These “Larry videos” made me very suspicious of the whole Larry shipping community.  They seemed to be comprised of very short clips – out of context and often with dubbed in audio – all wrapped up in emotional, dramatic music.  While I don’t think the creators intended it – the videos seemed like shady sales ploys, or just the work of overly invested and emotional people, to me.

When I first saw a “You Just Have to Pay Attention” video by Chockuhblock (Kerry) my whole outlook changed.  Her videos are logical; they present long video clips with a lot of context, they lay out very plausible and logical reasons for all of her conclusions.  Then I felt like I could trust my eyes (those Larry shippers were not just overly romantic and emotional, they had real evidence.)  I knew which puzzle pieces to throw out and got more that actually filled in many of the blank places - I felt comfortable with being a fan of Harry and the lovely person he is.  My being a fan of the boys and of 1D is not contingent on whether some of them are in love with each other or not.  My focus is mostly on the business and management side, the boys as individuals and their amazing group dynamic.  The thing is, the “Larry” question always ends up fully entangled and inexorably linked with their group dynamic, management and the business of 1D (not to mention the general happiness and well-being of the boys.)

Back in March of this year (2014), Kerry admitted that she no longer thought Harry and Louis wanted to come out of the closet.  I respect her VERY much, so I examined the evidence closely.  I came to the opposite conclusion, but I could see where she came from and why she concluded they wanted to stay hidden.  On July 3, 2014 she posted that she no longer believes Harry and Louis are together (she still very much believes they were, but not for a while now.)  I re-examined my own position and took a good long look at evidence over the last few months.  I concluded that they are still very much together (tattoos, strong evidence that Louis was in LA with Harry etc., etc., etc…) Kerry did tell me (in response to an ask) that she believes Harry and Louis still love each other, I’m glad she still sees it that way, that they don’t hate each other.  After letting it all sink in over the long, July Fourth weekend I can’t help but feel a little bit sad that she has come to her conclusion.  Over a year and a half ago she convinced me that a beautiful love I saw in some YouTube videos was indeed real – that Harry and the boys really are lovely people.  If you have seen the Polar Express movie or read the book – I feel a bit like the boy who received the silver bell from Santa’s sleigh.  He could hear the beautiful sound of the bell as could his sister, but his parents and anyone else who did not believe couldn’t hear a peep out of that bell.  When the boy grew up he could still hear the bell, but his sister could no longer – he still believed.  I don’t really want to compare believing Harry and Louis are together is the same thing as believing in Santa Clause – the real point of the Polar Express is more about the Spirit of Christmas.   I can still see the beautiful loving relationship Harry and Louis have, but alas, my “sister” Kerry cannot.  :(

I respect and admire Kerry as always.  I know she’s had a difficult road in reaching her conclusion, so while I may disagree with her conclusion, I know that she is a kind and earnest person who truly cares about our 1D boys.

This is seriously happening? Are you serious?

You’re not a worrier, you’re being reasonable and mature.