Meet your new thread, same as the old thread.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally posted by sebastian_dangerfield
Oddly, if you want to talk simple prose, Ayn Rand's is among the least complicated. Which might be why I couldn;t stand any of her shit. It's all "see spot run" with a tirade here and there.

It's simple and didactic -- she bludgeons you with her points, always telling and never showing.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally posted by Atticus Grinch


I read Animal Farm in eighth grade.

I think Hank meant that Sebby had not read Orwell's "Politics and the English Language" and that you were wasting your time responding to him.

Sometimes it's like I'm the only one who understands you, Hank.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Are there any actual women who find Fred Thompson sexy?

[sebastian_dangerfield]

Originally posted by Tyrone Slothrop
It's simple and didactic -- she bludgeons you with her points, always telling and never showing.

Exactly. Balancing the showing and telling is tough. She's an essayist masquerading as a novelist.

It also speaks a lot about her intelligence that she couldn't make her point without swinging a fifty pound hammer onto people's heads. The ability to let a reader fill in the blanks is, IMO, a mark of smart writer.

But then, she wasn't stupid. Her concepts are dense and well considered. Maybe she was emotionally retarded.

Maybe? Jesus. Did I say that? Of course she was.

[sgtclub]

Originally posted by sebastian_dangerfield
Exactly. Balancing the showing and telling is tough. She's an essayist masquerading as a novelist.

It also speaks a lot about her intelligence that she couldn't make her point without swinging a fifty pound hammer onto people's heads. The ability to let a reader fill in the blanks is, IMO, a mark of smart writer.

But then, she wasn't stupid. Her concepts are dense and well considered. Maybe she was emotionally retarded.

Maybe? Jesus. Did I say that? Of course she was.

I agree with most of this, although I find the worlds she creates entertaining and her philosophy interesting. Her writing style is nothing special.

But don't you think it would be difficult for her to "show" the points she is trying to make? As I see it, those point pretty much require the "tell." I view her as a philoshoper masquerading as a novelist.

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Originally posted by sgtclub
I agree with most of this, although I find the worlds she creates entertaining and her philosophy interesting. Her writing style is nothing special.

But don't you think it would be difficult for her to "show" the points she is trying to make? As I see it, those point pretty much require the "tell." I view her as a philoshoper masquerading as a novelist.

Has this board really descended to the level of talking about Ayn Rand?

Can we get Penske to come back and raise the level of discourse?

(Damn. That's like saying Beetlejuice-- no one repeat what I just said.)

[Fugee]

Originally posted by Tyrone Slothrop
Are there any actual women who find Fred Thompson sexy?

Maybe in the over-70 group. I think he looks like someone's grandpa.

In disappointing news, the US Representative from my district announced yesterday he is not going to run for another term. He was a more of a centrist and thus a Republican I didn't have to hold my nose to vote for. Now I suppose all the arch conservatives will come crawling out to vie for that seat (which will almost surely go GOP).

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally posted by Fugee
Maybe in the over-70 group. I think he looks like someone's grandpa.

In disappointing news, the US Representative from my district announced yesterday he is not going to run for another term. He was a more of a centrist and thus a Republican I didn't have to hold my nose to vote for. Now I suppose all the arch conservatives will come crawling out to vie for that seat (which will almost surely go GOP).

IIRC, that district went for Bush by only 51%, so it doesn't seem a lock to go to the GOP next year.

[Fugee]

Originally posted by Tyrone Slothrop
IIRC, that district went for Bush by only 51%, so it doesn't seem a lock to go to the GOP next year.

We'll have to see. The Dems have never run a strong candidate and I never knew if it was because Ramstad was so popular or because the district was a lock for the GOP.

The really unfortunate thing is that there will be heavy campaigning for that seat in the next election. Ramstad ran almost no TV commercials and that was a nice break.

[LessinSF]

Originally posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy
Has this board really descended to the level of talking about Ayn Rand?

Well, we can make fun of Duke for this - http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070920/...justice_center in light of these http://volokh.com/posts/chain_1190036571.shtml

Thanks to Ty for the link earlier.

[LessinSF]

Originally posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy
Has this board really descended to the level of talking about Ayn Rand?

Well, we can make fun of Duke for this - http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070920/...justice_center in light of these http://volokh.com/posts/chain_1190036571.shtml

Thanks to Ty for the link earlier.

[Atticus Grinch]

Originally posted by sgtclub
I agree with most of this, although I find the worlds she creates entertaining and her philosophy interesting. Her writing style is nothing special.

But don't you think it would be difficult for her to "show" the points she is trying to make? As I see it, those point pretty much require the "tell." I view her as a philoshoper masquerading as a novelist.

Honest, self-actualized, conciliatory and mostly correct -- this may very well be your best post ever.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally posted by Atticus Grinch
Honest, self-actualized, conciliatory and mostly correct -- this may very well be your best post ever.

This, OTOH, is not as condescending as some of your best efforts.

[sebastian_dangerfield]

Originally posted by Tyrone Slothrop
Are there any actual women who find Fred Thompson sexy?

I'm not a woman, but...

[sgtclub]

Originally posted by Atticus Grinch
Honest, self-actualized, conciliatory and mostly correct -- this may very well be your best post ever.

Didn't I chase you out of here years ago?