3 ms·
Seems clear the author: 1) knows next to nothing about Middle-Earth or Tolkien's larger work and honestly admits it, though continues to make sweeping generaliz
by Maursault 4y ago
Seems clear the author: 1) knows next to nothing about Middle-Earth or Tolkien's larger work and honestly admits it, though continues to make sweeping generalizations about a subject they admittedly know little about; 2) knows nothing about classics, ancient history nor history of technology except perhaps bullet points gleaned from a pop documentary, iow, author displays extremely pedestrian and shallow knowledge or understanding of these vast subjects; 3) has taken at least one high school level course that included discussion of the Industrial Revolution; 4) likes guns, maybe owns a gun, has no great reason to own or use a gun other than childish affectation or perhaps even obsession.
It should also be said that the bloggers writing style is profusely insulting, almost like they're intentionally sabotaging anyone's ability to take them seriously, even if the question could have been interesting, instead the author indulged their immaturity.
- endominus 4y agoAgree completely on the writing style. Even were the subject interesting - world-building in fiction generally is to me - the intensely hostile tone puts me off almost immediately. To be honest, I couldn't read past the first quarter without just rolling my eyes and closing the tab. It's an affectation that I feel has become more popular of late; this eye-rolling, obnoxious, "ha ha don't you hate reading this? Isn't this whole article just infuriating? Why don't you share it with your friends so they can get equally outraged?" kind of article. Perhaps it does work as a way to game engagement metrics, but it makes a lot of commentary stupider and more unpleasant than it needs to be.
- sixQuarks 4y agoInteresting, I found the tone to be tongue in cheek and sarcastic. I liked it.
- endominus 4y agoOh, I understand that it's not seriously hateful. I just don't find sarcastic or ironic hostility any more palatable than genuine hostility. Referring to the reader as a loser pedant for raising reasonable objections to obviously ridiculous claims is either insulting or time-wasting, to my eyes. If you like this style of writing, then so be it.
- tablespoon 4y agoIMHO, this is clickbait to troll up an audience for the author's new substack.
- jcranberry 4y agoI was interested in the topic but the snide tone was very difficult to get through. If I had read it when I was much younger I might have enjoyed it, but I've read so much writing with a similar tone that at this point I consider comes off as cliched. Especially in combination with the verbal sparring with strawmen device. I was able to get through it mostly, but my motivation decreased as I increasingly got the feeling that the author was researching in service of a pre-determined point rather than doing an "investigation" as claimed in the beginning.
- colinmhayes 4y ago> anyone's ability to take them seriously It's a joke. You're not supposed to take it seriously.
- rdtsc 4y agoThat’s my exact take on it, too. The style would have been palatable if they had actually done their research.