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Without more context, this feels like vaguebooking: it seems like it's aimed at a particular person or type of person, but it leaves me guessing at the target.

Without more context, this feels like vaguebooking: it seems like it's aimed at a particular person or type of person, but it leaves me guessing at the target. Maybe that means it's me. I wish there were some examples so I knew what kind of clever the author had in mind.

bena 8y ago
That's kind of what I got as well. It's almost like a halfpology. He's basically saying "Sorry you thought I was an asshole, I was just trying to be clever" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtXkD1BC564 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtXkD1BC564
actuallyalys 8y ago
Examples would help, but there's a clue in what he suggests as an alternative: "be polite and to the point". I think any type of cleverness that's indirect or could be perceived as impolite is the kind of cleverness he's talking about.
- JasonFruit 8y ago
  That's a very helpful perspective.
smallnamespace 8y ago
Well, I know it's definitely aimed at me. Sometimes I make jokes that go over the recipient's head (almost never directed at them); it makes them feel a bit dumb and either makes me look like a jerk or poor at communicating. I've tried to pay a lot more to context (what do I know about the person whom I'm talking to? what are their interests? what do they probably know about, and what not?), but it's still a work in progress. In the meantime, most of my jokes, puns, or wit will get cut.
bunderbunder 8y ago
It probably has something to do with the on-going saga of his relationship with the "Sad Puppies" crowd, though I think the Sad Puppies didn't actually form until years later. And yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if it were an oblique response to something someone tweeted at him. Getting more specific than that would probably require doing some Twitter archaeology, and I doubt that would be a particularly edifying enterprise. As entertainment options go, watching Scalzi get into minor spats with people who don't like leftist SF/F figures is right up there with reading YouTube comments.
- Zanni 8y ago
  I don't know specifically what prompted him to write this, but I know he's called himself out for this exact behavior before on his blog ...
projektir 8y ago
Yeah, I'm having a similar problem, I don't really understand what this is referring to. I can make guesses, but no way to know if I've hit the right thing.

bena 8y ago

That's kind of what I got as well. It's almost like a halfpology. He's basically saying "Sorry you thought I was an asshole, I was just trying to be clever" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtXkD1BC564 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtXkD1BC564

actuallyalys 8y ago

Examples would help, but there's a clue in what he suggests as an alternative: "be polite and to the point". I think any type of cleverness that's indirect or could be perceived as impolite is the kind of cleverness he's talking about.

JasonFruit 8y ago
That's a very helpful perspective.

smallnamespace 8y ago

Well, I know it's definitely aimed at me. Sometimes I make jokes that go over the recipient's head (almost never directed at them); it makes them feel a bit dumb and either makes me look like a jerk or poor at communicating. I've tried to pay a lot more to context (what do I know about the person whom I'm talking to? what are their interests? what do they probably know about, and what not?), but it's still a work in progress. In the meantime, most of my jokes, puns, or wit will get cut.

bunderbunder 8y ago

It probably has something to do with the on-going saga of his relationship with the "Sad Puppies" crowd, though I think the Sad Puppies didn't actually form until years later. And yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if it were an oblique response to something someone tweeted at him. Getting more specific than that would probably require doing some Twitter archaeology, and I doubt that would be a particularly edifying enterprise. As entertainment options go, watching Scalzi get into minor spats with people who don't like leftist SF/F figures is right up there with reading YouTube comments.

Zanni 8y ago
I don't know specifically what prompted him to write this, but I know he's called himself out for this exact behavior before on his blog ...

projektir 8y ago

Yeah, I'm having a similar problem, I don't really understand what this is referring to. I can make guesses, but no way to know if I've hit the right thing.