4 ms·

Eh, if the book is not worth the read to you, why the angst about admitting that? Sure, if your job is to read books and write critiques on them, your position

by lolc 4y ago

Eh, if the book is not worth the read to you, why the angst about admitting that? Sure, if your job is to read books and write critiques on them, your position may be different. Thinking of it, it should be admissible to say "I stopped reading for these reasons" even for a critic. But what can they write after that? It's not going to fill the page, is it?

havblue 4y ago
By being able to pretend that you've seen a television show you won't be left out of the conversation when it drifts towards something that people feel passionately about like Breaking Bad. With books there might be even more pressure: demonstrate your knowledge or you might not get invited for brunch next week.
- hindsightbias 4y ago
  Have always considered Atlas Shrugged to be the best example and anti-thesis too. I’ve met a lot of people who say it’s their favorite book but it becomes clear they’ve never really read most of it or finished it under light questioning. But it will get you invited to those parties anyway. On the left, they’ve never read it and mentioning will cause your brunch invite to get lost.
  - lolc 4y ago
    Haha, I loved reading Rand in my teens. Also Tolkien. Somehow people are comfortable with having read the one fantasy land, not the other. I guess it's because Tolkien didn't write to change current politics. Rand did. I did relate more to The Fountainhead and We The Living though. Atlas Shrugged is too damn preachy. It seems to me one needs a good deal of righteousness to think this a good book. Yeah, signaling goes a long way there.
- lolc 4y ago
  I'm so used to be left out of television show discussions that I couldn't imagine pretending. I'm ok not getting invited for brunch if that means I don't have to meet people that have expectations about the books I read. Creepy to think that people feel pressured into that. Edit: Not disagreeing with what you say. It explains the situation of the author rather well. I live in blissful ignorance.

by lolc 4y ago

havblue 4y ago

By being able to pretend that you've seen a television show you won't be left out of the conversation when it drifts towards something that people feel passionately about like Breaking Bad. With books there might be even more pressure: demonstrate your knowledge or you might not get invited for brunch next week.

hindsightbias 4y ago
Have always considered Atlas Shrugged to be the best example and anti-thesis too. I’ve met a lot of people who say it’s their favorite book but it becomes clear they’ve never really read most of it or finished it under light questioning. But it will get you invited to those parties anyway. On the left, they’ve never read it and mentioning will cause your brunch invite to get lost.
- lolc 4y ago
  Haha, I loved reading Rand in my teens. Also Tolkien. Somehow people are comfortable with having read the one fantasy land, not the other. I guess it's because Tolkien didn't write to change current politics. Rand did. I did relate more to The Fountainhead and We The Living though. Atlas Shrugged is too damn preachy. It seems to me one needs a good deal of righteousness to think this a good book. Yeah, signaling goes a long way there.
lolc 4y ago
I'm so used to be left out of television show discussions that I couldn't imagine pretending. I'm ok not getting invited for brunch if that means I don't have to meet people that have expectations about the books I read. Creepy to think that people feel pressured into that. Edit: Not disagreeing with what you say. It explains the situation of the author rather well. I live in blissful ignorance.