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The tragic rape of Charles Bukowski’s ghost by Black Sparrow Press (2013)

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11–20 of 112 posts

Re: The tragic rape of Charles Bukowski’s ghost by Black Sparrow Press (2013)

#11
post #8

I'm hardly a SJW but it's 2022, can we stop equating rape which is a shockingly violent violation/assult of a real a human being with anything less. I'm sure I'm gonna get slammed for this but whatever.

This is textbook usage of an alternate dictionary definition of the word, not just usage for hyperbolic shock factor. Though obviously, it is a word which carries a lot of weight.

Re: The tragic rape of Charles Bukowski’s ghost by Black Sparrow Press (2013)

#12
post #8

I'm hardly a SJW but it's 2022, can we stop equating rape which is a shockingly violent violation/assult of a real a human being with anything less. I'm sure I'm gonna get slammed for this but whatever.

I got the impression that was the point, to exaggerate.

But I can't help but wonder, would you had felt the same way had the author chosen other shockingly violent acts such as "disembowelment", "lobotomy", "castration", or "amputation"?

Re: The tragic rape of Charles Bukowski’s ghost by Black Sparrow Press (2013)

#13
post #8

I'm hardly a SJW but it's 2022, can we stop equating rape which is a shockingly violent violation/assult of a real a human being with anything less. I'm sure I'm gonna get slammed for this but whatever.

This is 2022, this term is very diluted now.

Re: The tragic rape of Charles Bukowski’s ghost by Black Sparrow Press (2013)

#14
post #5
post #3

That example at the end is just so cringeworthy. The editor deserves to be dragged through the mud for basically re-writing the entire work.

While word replacements and omissions are bad enough, I totally fail to understand why anyone would have thought that these meandering additions were a good thing? How is this even editing? Edit: While substitutions and what you do, when your Mom sees you writing a piece and points at a word, asking, if you maybe could do without it, are a not so much a necessary thing, the writer of this comment doesn't fully unders…

It never ceases to amaze me that people think they can get away with very obvious stuff, like this editor for example. Bukowski is not some unknown author - he has a good following.

Did this editor really think nobody would notice? That nobody would get pissed and complain? I just don’t get it

Re: The tragic rape of Charles Bukowski’s ghost by Black Sparrow Press (2013)

#15
post #8

I'm hardly a SJW but it's 2022, can we stop equating rape which is a shockingly violent violation/assult of a real a human being with anything less. I'm sure I'm gonna get slammed for this but whatever.

Now do "violence."

Re: The tragic rape of Charles Bukowski’s ghost by Black Sparrow Press (2013)

#16
post #8

I'm hardly a SJW but it's 2022, can we stop equating rape which is a shockingly violent violation/assult of a real a human being with anything less. I'm sure I'm gonna get slammed for this but whatever.

I got the impression that was the point, to exaggerate. But I can't help but wonder, would you had felt the same way had the author chosen other shockingly violent acts such as "disembowelment", "lobotomy", "castration", or "amputation"?

Too me all those words are over exaggerated. Nothing close to that has been done to Bukowski. His work is being misconstrued, and that's bad enough. Turns out rights holders are usually scum.

I guess it depends on how much you like Bukowski if it feels overdone or not.

Re: The tragic rape of Charles Bukowski’s ghost by Black Sparrow Press (2013)

#17
post #8

I'm hardly a SJW but it's 2022, can we stop equating rape which is a shockingly violent violation/assult of a real a human being with anything less. I'm sure I'm gonna get slammed for this but whatever.

I happen to agree, but I feel the need to explain why “rape” is used this way.

The original meaning of the word was “to take by force”. Using it to exclusively describe sexual assault is a more modern thing.

https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/rape

This kind of double meaning in English is very common. The word murder can also be used as “to perform badly”.

A way to look at it is English often has two forms of words like this. There is murder (general) and there is Murder (specific).

As someone who is bipolar, the “misuse” of labels around mental health is aggravating. The misuse of “rape” is the same.

The general usage of words dilutes the impact of the specific use. I’d love to bring back capital letters to English nouns. That way we could use Murder and murder to clarify what which meaning is used.

Re: The tragic rape of Charles Bukowski’s ghost by Black Sparrow Press (2013)

#18
post #8

I'm hardly a SJW but it's 2022, can we stop equating rape which is a shockingly violent violation/assult of a real a human being with anything less. I'm sure I'm gonna get slammed for this but whatever.

I happen to agree, but I feel the need to explain why “rape” is used this way. The original meaning of the word was “to take by force”. Using it to exclusively describe sexual assault is a more modern thing. https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/rape This kind of double meaning in English is very common. The word murder can also be used as “to perform badly”. A way to look at it is English often has two forms of words lik…

But the 'take by force' meaning does not make sense, as nothing is being taken from anyone. While its a literary crime, Black Sparrow Press is not doing something they don't have the right to do.

Re: The tragic rape of Charles Bukowski’s ghost by Black Sparrow Press (2013)

#19
post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I happen to agree, but I feel the need to explain why “rape” is used this way. The original meaning of the word was “to take by force”. Using it to exclusively describe sexual assault is a more modern thing. https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/rape This kind of double meaning in English is very common. The word murder can also be used as “to perform badly”. A way to look at it is English often has two forms of words lik…

But the 'take by force' meaning does not make sense, as nothing is being taken from anyone. While its a literary crime, Black Sparrow Press is not doing something they don't have the right to do.

You’re taking a direct translation of the root words literally and only applying it to mean legal rights and excluding moral or ethical rights.

In this case, they are taking the original work, corrupting it, and passing it off as the original. Legal, but definitely not moral or ethical.

I think “rape” is a little strong, but not inaccurate.

Re: The tragic rape of Charles Bukowski’s ghost by Black Sparrow Press (2013)

#20
post #8

I'm hardly a SJW but it's 2022, can we stop equating rape which is a shockingly violent violation/assult of a real a human being with anything less. I'm sure I'm gonna get slammed for this but whatever.

I happen to agree, but I feel the need to explain why “rape” is used this way. The original meaning of the word was “to take by force”. Using it to exclusively describe sexual assault is a more modern thing. https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/rape This kind of double meaning in English is very common. The word murder can also be used as “to perform badly”. A way to look at it is English often has two forms of words lik…

I also came here to complain about this use of the word "rape". If you titled this article "The Tragic Rape of Charles Bukowski's Poetry", then it would be used solely as the original meaning. The current title is specifically designed to invoke the idea of a sexual assault - what if the title used the word "Corpse" instead of "Ghost"?
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