Current mood:

Bitch Slapped

my own unmitigated stupidity -- or how to cause wank without trying
Dear ~~internets~~ ~~HP fen~~ WORLD

One of these days you are going to jump to a conclusion and go right off a cliff.

It is a sin to criticise anyone or anything popular, especially in a forum supposedly specifically designed for discussion of said anything or anyone.

In the Harry Potter fandom, anyone who doesn't think the books are the best things ever must be a disappointed shipper. A disappointed H/Hr shipper.

Opinions are fact. Black is white. The sky is green.

Why, yes, I am rather bitter. How kind of you to notice. Just get over yourselves already. Here's a quarter, get a clue, realise that just because I happen to think Rowling is a shoddy writer doesn't automatically mean I dislike the books. I happen to think LK Hamilton is a shoddy writer, too, and I read her books with every evidence of enjoyment.

And by the way -- I'm well aware that putting my opinion on a public forum like that /invites/ disagreement. That's totally not what I am on about here. I'm on about the fucking erroneous conclusions people jumped to based on god knows what because I dared to claim that Joanne Rowling doesn't have a clue as an actual good writer. With at least a modicum of support.

I will not be a bit surprised if the whole post makes f_w tomorrow.

disgustedly yours,
Naienko

(Read comments) - (Post a new comment)

	lulinda 2005-12-14 10:23 pm UTC (link)
	or how to cause wank without trying I hope you're kidding with this. And if not, what sort of reaction would you expect? (Reply to this)(Thread)

	naienko 2005-12-14 10:24 pm UTC (link)
	confused (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	lulinda 2005-12-14 10:26 pm UTC (link)
	You wrote an essay saying, basically, the HP series ain't all that. You then post that essay to a community full of wow, wait for it, Harry Potter fans. What sort of reaction did you expect from them? (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	eilan 2005-12-14 10:27 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you. I'm obviously not the only person thinking that. (Reply to this)(Parent)

naienko
2005-12-14 10:30 pm UTC (link)

Something other than

"Poor dear.

She sunk whatever ship you wanted but didn't happen.

Now go format your hard-drive."

which to be fair I did get from some people.

However, I'm completely unaware of the need to /pander/ to the mythological perfection of Ms. Rowling every time I discuss her, her writing, or anything related to her, especially since the best place to do so would be, surprise, in a community of people who've read the work in enough depth to be able to produce some of the brilliant theories I've seen there.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	eilan 2005-12-14 10:31 pm UTC (link)
	which to be fair I did get from some people. No, you got that from one person. Be assured that the mod-team is monitoring that thread. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	squib 2005-12-14 11:10 pm UTC (link)
	Looks to me like she got it from two people. There's another thread on the second page which seems to be saying the same thing. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	eilan 2005-12-14 11:12 pm UTC (link)
	There are a few borderline comments, yes. If she wants to complain, the mods all have @livejournal.com e-mail addresses. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	smo 2005-12-14 11:14 pm UTC (link)
	Icon love! (Reply to this)(Parent)

lulinda
2005-12-14 10:38 pm UTC (link)

However, I'm completely unaware of the need to /pander/ to the mythological perfection of Ms. Rowling

You don't have to pander to her but you can't not expect negative reactions when you post an essay that says things like this:

The truth is that the entire endeavour, from start to whatever finish it reaches, was badly thought out. She had a reasonably clever idea for a fun little story, but she never bothered to /really/ sit down and think the whole thing out. Notes notwithstanding.

or this: All that being said, I would like to point out, sadly, that I believe most of the fandom has fallen victim to a level of overthinking you usually don't see outside of the classroom. I'm referring to the huge proliferation of essays, websites, debates, whathaveyou, regarding the plothooks, storyline, and underpinnings of the Potterverse.

to, let me repeat it again, a community of Harry Potter fans, and expect them to line up to agree with you.

(Reply to this)(Parent)

	theladyfeylene 2005-12-14 11:32 pm UTC (link)
	Er, from what I can tell, only one person said that. And I believe it was tongue-in-cheek. Most everyone else either agreed with you or offered their own opinions in a polite and rational manner. All of which you pretty much ignored in favor of posting over here. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	iczer6 2005-12-15 02:44 am UTC (link)
	Translation: 'I acted like an asshat and got pwned, now I'm coming here to lick my wounds and look for validation.' Though please tell me if you hate Rowling's writing so much why on earth are you writing an essay about it, and posting it to a place filled with her fans? Wouldn't it be better to spend that time on something you actually like? (Reply to this)(Parent)

	ingrid 2005-12-14 10:32 pm UTC (link)
	Spontaneous enlightenment of those poor, blind fools? I mean, isn't that always what we should expect when we take our sweet, bright light out from under that bushel? (Reply to this)(Parent)

	charmian 2005-12-14 10:43 pm UTC (link)
	Yeah, I mean, come on. I was recently reading an essay on internet groups and when it compared going on an LoTR newsgroup to entering a church and denouncing whatever deity, I thought that was spot on. Fans are the last people you go to for an objective, rational look at something. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	pyratejenni 2005-12-14 10:46 pm UTC (link)
	Where is this essay? (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	waltraute 2005-12-14 10:49 pm UTC (link)
	Here. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	phosfate 2005-12-14 11:24 pm UTC (link)
	tl;dc (Reply to this)(Parent)

	pyratejenni 2005-12-14 11:26 pm UTC (link)
	Thankee! (Reply to this)(Parent)

spleen
2005-12-14 10:48 pm UTC (link)

Yeah, what you said.

For me, it was also the "let me educate you, you sad plebes who have no comprehension of what TRUE LITERATURE is" tone that was rather off-putting. And the tl;dr-ness coupled with serious disorganisation and lack of coherent conclusions. And the misspelling of "ad nauseam", but that last one is just a pet peeve of mine.

... then again, what do I know? I'm a mathematician, not a lit critic.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	waltraute 2005-12-14 10:50 pm UTC (link)
	Icon loves! (Reply to this)(Parent)

	plazmah 2005-12-15 12:01 am UTC (link)
	More icon loveness :) (Reply to this)(Parent)

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