Perhaps. It's annoying, because I tend to agree with you guys - you and Tom and Stephen.
lord-of-shadow Send a noteboard - 11/09/2012 02:32:28 AM
I like having the concept of literature to aspire to read more of. I like the idea that there exists literature that will give you so much more if you put the effort into it. I certainly recognize that there are truly excellent pieces of writing out there that can be appreciated at a higher and more meaningful level. I admire and enjoy reading some of the more indepth discussions that you two, and people like you, have - even when I'm not able to really take part myself.
Basically, I like the sort of stuff that you and Tom read and the way you get so much out of it, and I have no illusions that something like Dragonlance is any good at all - I'll probably never read it again, myself, and I'm not exactly an "elitist snob" by any stretch of the definition.
But despite all that, you guys are so goddamn condescending. You don't just espouse the qualities of great literature, you also constantly insult or put down things that don't meet your high standards. You make people who DO enjoy these sort of things feel bad about themselves or like they're being personally attacked, which is why you often get such defensive reactions. And nobody's going to try to argue that Dragonlance is high literature, which is why nobody ever really successfully argues back - because the problem isn't with what you're saying, it's how you say it, and the backhanded judgment that's implicit in it.
Basically, you're often condescending jerks about something that should be interesting or even inspiring to those of us who haven't invested the massive amounts of time and energy into literature that you both have.
Basically, I like the sort of stuff that you and Tom read and the way you get so much out of it, and I have no illusions that something like Dragonlance is any good at all - I'll probably never read it again, myself, and I'm not exactly an "elitist snob" by any stretch of the definition.
But despite all that, you guys are so goddamn condescending. You don't just espouse the qualities of great literature, you also constantly insult or put down things that don't meet your high standards. You make people who DO enjoy these sort of things feel bad about themselves or like they're being personally attacked, which is why you often get such defensive reactions. And nobody's going to try to argue that Dragonlance is high literature, which is why nobody ever really successfully argues back - because the problem isn't with what you're saying, it's how you say it, and the backhanded judgment that's implicit in it.
Basically, you're often condescending jerks about something that should be interesting or even inspiring to those of us who haven't invested the massive amounts of time and energy into literature that you both have.
This message last edited by lord-of-shadow on 11/09/2012 at 02:43:15 AM
This may be one of the most dire reviews you shall ever read
09/09/2012 09:12:25 PM
- 1971 Views
A review of a D&D bestiary could be more dire.
09/09/2012 11:29:17 PM
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Perhaps
09/09/2012 11:50:20 PM
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They are popular as they are fun, easy reading books
10/09/2012 12:11:24 AM
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"Popular", "Fun," and "Easy" doesn't have to be equated with poorly-written
10/09/2012 12:16:27 AM
- 1316 Views
Poorly written by what standard?
10/09/2012 12:29:17 AM
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By the standards of what I enjoyed as a nine year-old?
10/09/2012 01:04:12 AM
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So like I said, by the standards of Elitist Literary Snobs
11/09/2012 12:03:08 AM
- 1311 Views
Nice attempt at sophistry, but alas, it fails
11/09/2012 12:38:24 AM
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Was that meant to make any sense?
11/09/2012 01:43:13 AM
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Re: Was that meant to make any sense?
11/09/2012 01:54:23 AM
- 1213 Views
I'm with Wibble on this (big surprise)
12/09/2012 03:07:53 PM
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Heh.
12/09/2012 03:43:52 PM
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Pretty much so
12/09/2012 04:19:35 PM
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When did you put up that header?
12/09/2012 04:35:20 PM
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I didn't put it up
12/09/2012 04:51:32 PM
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I shall tread lightly so.
12/09/2012 06:15:51 PM
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12/09/2012 07:25:29 PM
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Re: Pretty much so
12/09/2012 08:50:57 PM
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You apparently do not read my blog/reviews much
12/09/2012 09:07:18 PM
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Actually, I read them almost never
13/09/2012 03:07:48 PM
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I think my IQ dropped a little bit when I parsed what you said
13/09/2012 04:16:21 PM
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Yep, your usual rebuttal... *NM*
17/09/2012 02:14:56 PM
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No, not really
17/09/2012 06:25:15 PM
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Yes, Yes, wrap yourself in arrogance and declare yourself correct until your opposite gets bored...
17/09/2012 11:12:17 PM
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Don't try to argue with them. They've made their judgments. They are better than you.
10/09/2012 09:36:17 PM
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Defensive much? *NM*
10/09/2012 10:31:17 PM
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Perhaps. It's annoying, because I tend to agree with you guys - you and Tom and Stephen.
11/09/2012 02:32:28 AM
- 1199 Views
The odd thing that there wasn't any belittling on my part -see other response. *NM*
11/09/2012 03:17:36 AM
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For the record, I wasn't trying to be condescending in my response.
11/09/2012 05:52:29 PM
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He never said you couldn't enjoy it.
10/09/2012 11:10:11 PM
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He also went on to compare liking the books to having the standards of a nine-year-old.
11/09/2012 02:34:18 AM
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You didn't read what I said very well then
11/09/2012 03:16:21 AM
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You're right. In the context of this thread, I'm basically acting like a raving lunatic.
11/09/2012 02:48:19 PM
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It's not like any of us have ever been innocent 100% of the time
11/09/2012 03:49:22 PM
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I believe that they were not meant for adults.
10/09/2012 12:30:05 AM
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Very few of my friends were reading the books; some played the game, though
10/09/2012 01:06:07 AM
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Basically, both get dubious kudos for trying something new by the dire standards of the day.
10/09/2012 11:38:22 PM
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Interesting point
11/09/2012 12:41:01 AM
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Are you aware of the game's alignment rules? Some of the novels struggle with this.
12/09/2012 10:58:37 PM
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Not aware of it at all until now
12/09/2012 11:18:57 PM
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How is that possible?
12/09/2012 11:28:33 PM
- 1128 Views
My dad was (and is) influenced by Evangelicals
13/09/2012 12:17:36 AM
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Wait, so you didn't read the Chronicles first?
13/09/2012 02:12:13 PM
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No
13/09/2012 02:18:03 PM
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Chronicles is considerably weaker
13/09/2012 11:14:38 PM
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Needless to say, once I finish reading the Icewind Dale trilogy, I'm done with D&D
14/09/2012 12:38:47 AM
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These threads are so much better than the rape threads! *NM*
12/09/2012 04:03:01 AM
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You're just waiting to see if I'll use hexameter in the next one *NM*
12/09/2012 04:32:31 AM
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And having now finished Dragonlance: Legends, its very own sonnet
13/09/2012 12:31:51 PM
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At least you didn't read the Baldur's Gate novelizations
14/09/2012 04:29:17 AM
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Sssssh!
14/09/2012 05:10:19 AM
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Baldurs Gate wooooo!
14/09/2012 04:13:34 PM
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Eh, Star Wars Expanded Universe I could see reading. Some of them are supposed to be good
17/09/2012 04:37:05 PM
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Is the review dire because of the subject or the sonnet form?
14/09/2012 04:24:37 PM
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Both
14/09/2012 04:36:59 PM
- 1135 Views
it would be unusual for someone to just randomly pick books like that up
14/09/2012 05:05:37 PM
- 1399 Views
Interesting scenario
14/09/2012 10:16:11 PM
- 1160 Views