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Somebody get some smelling salts & move the lady to that fainting couch. Poor dear just got out of finishing school only to discover that the world isn't entir

by pohl 16y ago

Somebody get some smelling salts & move the lady to that fainting couch. Poor dear just got out of finishing school only to discover that the world isn't entirely made of taffeta dresses and lace doilies. That bad man was brusque, profane, and made reference to Cthulu! I'll give you this, though: "stumbling upon hate speech" is an innovative way to Godwin a thread.

pavlov 16y ago
All I'm saying is that I don't understand why he would make his point in this manner. English is not my native language and I only use the language in work contexts, so my exposure to profanity is pretty much limited to Hollywood output. I'm probably missing something important here. (Btw -- the title has now been edited to include the author's name, but it wasn't there when I wrote my original comment. If I'd noticed that this rant is by Zed Shaw, I wouldn't have bothered trying to read it in the first place.)
- pohl 16y ago
  Zed's character in this piece (and others) is culturally-specific, so I can see how it would perplex someone from elsewhere. It's easy to imagine veins popping out of his forehead and his face beet-red, but it's actually just a voice for expression, in a "ha-ha, only serious" way. One could think of it like heavy metal music. From the musical output of some bands, one might think they have serious issues, but if you look deeper you might see bright, engaged, and literate folk - perhaps fans of H.P. Lovecraft & Tolkein - adopting exaggerated characters for their own amusement, a little catharsis, and maybe a groupie or two. While it's not my favorite genre, I don't think anybody in Metallica really feels like a mute, paralyzed paraplegic - I just think somebody liked Johnny Got His Gun. I personally think that the world would be a boring place if the only way to make a point was with your hands folded politely in your lap. Sure, it's valuable and effective to do so, but to disallow other modes of expression would be like saying that the only legitimate colors to paint with are pastels. I think Zed is hilarious, but I can see how you might not "get" him. He's a writer. He may not be merely trying to persuade. He might also write to entertain, vent, or just to express.

by pohl 16y ago

pavlov 16y ago

All I'm saying is that I don't understand why he would make his point in this manner. English is not my native language and I only use the language in work contexts, so my exposure to profanity is pretty much limited to Hollywood output. I'm probably missing something important here. (Btw -- the title has now been edited to include the author's name, but it wasn't there when I wrote my original comment. If I'd noticed that this rant is by Zed Shaw, I wouldn't have bothered trying to read it in the first place.)

pohl 16y ago
Zed's character in this piece (and others) is culturally-specific, so I can see how it would perplex someone from elsewhere. It's easy to imagine veins popping out of his forehead and his face beet-red, but it's actually just a voice for expression, in a "ha-ha, only serious" way. One could think of it like heavy metal music. From the musical output of some bands, one might think they have serious issues, but if you look deeper you might see bright, engaged, and literate folk - perhaps fans of H.P. Lovecraft & Tolkein - adopting exaggerated characters for their own amusement, a little catharsis, and maybe a groupie or two. While it's not my favorite genre, I don't think anybody in Metallica really feels like a mute, paralyzed paraplegic - I just think somebody liked Johnny Got His Gun. I personally think that the world would be a boring place if the only way to make a point was with your hands folded politely in your lap. Sure, it's valuable and effective to do so, but to disallow other modes of expression would be like saying that the only legitimate colors to paint with are pastels. I think Zed is hilarious, but I can see how you might not "get" him. He's a writer. He may not be merely trying to persuade. He might also write to entertain, vent, or just to express.