There's nothing wrong with reading genre books, or eating McDonald's, or wasting your life away playing Xbox. The point is that all the reasons that kids are encouraged to read - learning, expanding their horizons, improving their vocabulary - are missing in this literature, just like McDonald's has virtually none of the nutrients that people need to be healthy and Xbox has no redeeming value in peoples' maturing and development.
Sure, you can make comments about Larry - and ME, of course, since I hold the readers of only genre fiction in higher contempt than he does - but the point is that our contempt is well placed.
Sure, you can make comments about Larry - and ME, of course, since I hold the readers of only genre fiction in higher contempt than he does - but the point is that our contempt is well placed.
Political correctness is the pettiest form of casuistry.
ἡ δὲ κἀκ τριῶν τρυπημάτων ἐργαζομένη ἐνεκάλει τῇ φύσει, δυσφορουμένη, ὅτι δὴ μὴ καὶ τοὺς τιτθοὺς αὐτῇ εὐρύτερον ἢ νῦν εἰσι τρυπώη, ὅπως καὶ ἄλλην ἐνταῦθα μίξιν ἐπιτεχνᾶσθαι δυνατὴ εἴη. – Procopius
Ummaka qinnassa nīk!
*MySmiley*
ἡ δὲ κἀκ τριῶν τρυπημάτων ἐργαζομένη ἐνεκάλει τῇ φύσει, δυσφορουμένη, ὅτι δὴ μὴ καὶ τοὺς τιτθοὺς αὐτῇ εὐρύτερον ἢ νῦν εἰσι τρυπώη, ὅπως καὶ ἄλλην ἐνταῦθα μίξιν ἐπιτεχνᾶσθαι δυνατὴ εἴη. – Procopius
Ummaka qinnassa nīk!
*MySmiley*
Aren't the Tolkien comparisons getting a little...old?
- 09/12/2011 09:51:39 PM
2848 Views
The comparison bothers me, but not because Tolkien isn't relevant.
- 09/12/2011 10:05:22 PM
1715 Views
Only when shit works are being compared to him
- 09/12/2011 10:22:26 PM
1607 Views
Larry,
- 10/12/2011 01:13:18 AM
1624 Views
Snide dismissal that will be passed off as for his own entertainment.
- 10/12/2011 04:55:43 AM
1536 Views
Well-deserved condescension.
- 11/12/2011 03:54:27 AM
1655 Views
You're sure about that?
- 11/12/2011 04:20:26 AM
1882 Views
Re: You're sure about that?
- 11/12/2011 05:25:08 AM
1608 Views
Re: You're sure about that?
- 11/12/2011 06:03:02 AM
1472 Views
i think you shouldn't judge a whole world's school programs on your school 
- 11/12/2011 06:42:30 AM
1525 Views
- 11/12/2011 06:42:30 AM
1525 Views
If you're arguing that children should be able to read genre fiction, fine.
- 11/12/2011 08:52:27 PM
1404 Views
Well, I suppose it depends on the type of genre being read
- 11/12/2011 09:36:16 PM
1640 Views
How often do you hear the challenging writers mentioned at this site?
- 12/12/2011 02:03:05 PM
1376 Views
Only when you, me, and a couple others write reviews
- 12/12/2011 04:21:14 PM
1780 Views
Oh, it was the same as it always is
- 12/12/2011 05:23:56 PM
1490 Views
Much of the actual "Classics", that is, Greek and Latin originals, kids would eat up.
- 12/12/2011 03:13:03 AM
1390 Views
You're upfront and honest about it; he isn't. The difference matters to me. *NM*
- 11/12/2011 05:18:42 AM
808 Views
this is a bit off topic, but out of curiousity...
- 11/12/2011 06:28:35 AM
1598 Views
I've discussed this dozens of times at this site. Perhaps you've missed all of the posts.
- 11/12/2011 08:57:44 PM
1538 Views
mk I'll go look. I probably did miss it (or at least don't remember it!)
- 11/12/2011 09:08:02 PM
1504 Views
I have a successful career that was inspired by the video games I played as a child. *NM*
- 11/12/2011 05:52:21 PM
838 Views
Now let's get all the people who just pissed their lives away with video games and see the %.
- 11/12/2011 08:58:42 PM
1640 Views
The majority of players neither waste their lives nor make a career out of it.
- 11/12/2011 11:29:29 PM
1538 Views
Yeah, sorry, I don't think you could say that with a straight face in real life. *NM*
- 12/12/2011 04:13:52 AM
774 Views
Then you have a closed mind on the subject. Ironic, considering your stance on edification. *NM*
- 12/12/2011 05:47:50 AM
715 Views
No, just with respect to you. *NM*
- 12/12/2011 02:00:15 PM
758 Views
Tom, you pulled the "Say that to my face!" line. You lost the right to talk about respect. *NM*
- 12/12/2011 03:20:15 PM
807 Views
Once again, I really don't care what you think. *NM*
- 12/12/2011 03:37:40 PM
763 Views
Did I imply that you did? My apologies. I'd hate to insinuate that you'd stoop that low. *NM*
- 12/12/2011 04:13:25 PM
734 Views
As well read as you seem to be, you think you'd be smart enough...
- 11/12/2011 06:20:06 PM
1481 Views
I thought I have made it clear that I don't care if people don't like me here.
- 11/12/2011 08:44:58 PM
1403 Views
Re: I thought I have made it clear that I don't care if people don't like me here.
- 12/12/2011 04:04:37 PM
1457 Views
That statement has just confused me.
- 12/12/2011 04:06:53 PM
1415 Views
Re: That statement has just confused me.
- 12/12/2011 04:14:27 PM
1422 Views
I never learned Hittite. I had a book on pre-order for a long time but never ended up getting it.
- 12/12/2011 05:41:03 PM
1372 Views
What you have made clear, I think, is the fact that you deal in generalizations and stereotypes.
- 12/12/2011 10:12:12 PM
1525 Views
There's an unintentional irony in what you say, alas
- 13/12/2011 12:44:26 AM
1442 Views
Tom, Dick, or Larry...you may use your true first name, but you're still an anonymous entity to most
- 13/12/2011 04:49:35 AM
1645 Views
With such comeback skills, you must have ruled the playgrounds as a kid, no?
- 13/12/2011 05:21:42 AM
1655 Views
There are no special snowflakes, are there?
- 11/12/2011 09:39:21 PM
1403 Views
- 11/12/2011 09:39:21 PM
1403 Views
There are many way of widening one's horizons and broadening one's mind.
- 11/12/2011 10:08:24 PM
1164 Views
What I don't like-
- 12/12/2011 04:28:55 AM
1519 Views
Why don't you name something, then?
- 12/12/2011 04:40:29 AM
1468 Views
Sure.
- 13/12/2011 07:30:56 AM
1297 Views
Mentioning Ender's Game pretty much shot your argument in the foot.
- 13/12/2011 02:02:59 PM
1409 Views
You dismiss the entire video game medium because many games lack value.
- 13/12/2011 03:59:11 PM
1557 Views
You're like the McDonald's paid advocate trying to say Big Macs are actually healthy.
- 13/12/2011 05:46:37 PM
1362 Views
I'll leave it up to others to define as they wish against their self-conceptions of me 
- 10/12/2011 10:52:54 AM
1517 Views
- 10/12/2011 10:52:54 AM
1517 Views
that's alright. I really have no desire to stroke your twit-ego. *NM*
- 10/12/2011 04:36:56 PM
616 Views
Considering the firestorm I appear to have touched off, that may be best.
- 12/12/2011 12:57:49 PM
1500 Views
I know, John
- 12/12/2011 04:27:04 PM
1393 Views
Re: I know, John
- 12/12/2011 05:06:26 PM
1452 Views
As I've said in the past, I'd be scared if anyone agreed with me anywhere approaching 100%
- 12/12/2011 06:33:52 PM
1390 Views
- 12/12/2011 06:33:52 PM
1390 Views
Re: As I've said in the past, I'd be scared if anyone agreed with me anywhere approaching 100%
- 12/12/2011 07:13:37 PM
1464 Views
- 12/12/2011 07:13:37 PM
1464 Views
Blurbs are not generally very original in their comparisons - would kind of defeat their purpose.
- 09/12/2011 10:42:17 PM
1490 Views
Maybe if so much of the genre weren't crap derivative works it wouldn't be so common. *NM*
- 11/12/2011 03:44:24 AM
739 Views
To be fair, a lot of it isn't.
- 11/12/2011 04:06:07 AM
1439 Views
I suspect that if it really isn't derivative it's not being compared to Tolkien in the first place.
- 11/12/2011 04:18:57 AM
1374 Views
That's true.
- 11/12/2011 11:08:01 AM
1363 Views
But see, that's where things start to get referred back to Tolkien.
- 12/12/2011 04:30:12 AM
1520 Views
The Tolkien fanaticism gets old. And yes, for me it is unreadable.
- 11/12/2011 11:37:53 PM
1436 Views
No, because the movies are very contemporary and relevant, thus he will remain so for quite a while.
- 12/12/2011 03:14:53 AM
1492 Views
Disagree all you want, but LotR is still the touchstone when it comes to works of fantasy.
- 12/12/2011 03:48:20 AM
1401 Views