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I met you in the rain on the last day of 1972

boston.craigslist.org

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Re: I met you in the rain on the last day of 1972

#21

Post by phamilton »

Cidan wrote: post #4

I think a lot of people miss the point of this posting -- it doesn't matter if it's real or if it's fake, but rather it's an evolution of artistic expression. Someone is using Craigslist as an entirely new medium for writing a bit of poetry or short story. The potential for this type of work to reach people is huge, and that to me is the most exciting part of it all.

It ties in with the classic "For sale: baby shoes, never worn"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_sale:_baby_shoes,_never_wo...

Re: I met you in the rain on the last day of 1972

#22

Post by waterlesscloud »

rkho wrote: post #8

Fascinating. Using Missed Connections as a platform to set a context. It could be fictitious, but it's more than achieved its goal for everyone but the intended recipient.

You're right about Missed Connections as context. This wouldn't have half the impact if it was in a literary journal. Just placing it in MC makes the reader more susceptible to experiencing it as real.

Re: I met you in the rain on the last day of 1972

#23

Post by InclinedPlane »

People often denigrate new media because they have a habit of comparing the average of the new with the cream of the traditional. "Look what I ate for lunch today" on instagram vs "Hamlet by Wm Shakespeare".

Here we have an excellent example of something that needs to be slid into the folder marked "In defense of the internet".

Re: I met you in the rain on the last day of 1972

#24

Post by learning_still »

I don't believe this post, and I think the author should have done a better job of making it realistic since that was clearly the goal of using craigslist. There are countless authentic (and believable though false) anecdotes available today because of the internet. I would have liked to see the author do more research, to have read some of the aforementioned writings, ditch the traditional rulebook, and create something I could believe. They clearly have a knack for writing, but their adherence to so many traditional rules destroys what they were trying to accomplish. Every day people with much less talent make up stories that are readily believed. (Reposted links with claims of being the original poster are the easiest to find examples of this.) It's a shame. This was a marvelous idea. And I hope the next time I read this author's work, I'll have no choice but to believe.

Re: I met you in the rain on the last day of 1972

#25

Post by learning_still »

Cidan wrote: post #4

I think a lot of people miss the point of this posting -- it doesn't matter if it's real or if it's fake, but rather it's an evolution of artistic expression. Someone is using Craigslist as an entirely new medium for writing a bit of poetry or short story. The potential for this type of work to reach people is huge, and that to me is the most exciting part of it all.

Presenting made up stories as authentic is by no means a new idea. To say it's an "evolution of artistic expression" is to give this piece and its author far too much credit. You're right, it does not matter if it is real or fake, but it absolutely matters if it is believable. You and I have read and believed many made up stories in our lifetime. Our instinct is to believe what we read. There could not have been a greater failure on the writer's part than to present us a piece that forces us to question its authenticity. The writer should give us no choice but to believe. Regardless of if the piece is true or not.

Re: I met you in the rain on the last day of 1972

#26

Post by runamok »

This reminds me of an anecdote where someone who jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge wrote that if a single person smiled at them while they walked to the bridge they would not jump off. That sadly didn't happen... I think caring for one another in even minor ways can have a huge impact. http://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/news/ci_25438684/just-s...

Re: I met you in the rain on the last day of 1972

#28

Post by Camillo »

I'm not sure what people find "beautiful" or "touching" in this story. A man is wracked by guilt over what he has done to the point of deciding to end his life, but then he forgets all about it as soon as a pretty girl gives him attention. Inasmuch as it is believable, this is a story about how all our lofty notions of justice, honor, purpose etc. are just bullshit, and it's really all about fucking, consuming and keeping those genes alive. Matter over mind, humanity revealed as a mere dusting on thought over the throbbing mass of limbic functions.

It is depressing. Its only redeeming quality is the fact that it's obviously fake.

Re: I met you in the rain on the last day of 1972

#29

Post by nappy-doo »

Camillo wrote: post #28

I'm not sure what people find "beautiful" or "touching" in this story. A man is wracked by guilt over what he has done to the point of deciding to end his life, but then he forgets all about it as soon as a pretty girl gives him attention. Inasmuch as it is believable, this is a story about how all our lofty notions of justice, honor, purpose etc. are just bullshit, and it's really all about fucking, consuming and ke…

I bet you're fun at parties.
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