One reason we see so much thinning in the current media(books, films, music etc.) is that old western/European media is considered tainted by history, so you need to reinvent or change it sufficiently to be different.
I like 'em thick: an apology to my English teachers
321–330 of 360 posts
Re: I like 'em thick: an apology to my English teachers
#322Earlier quoted context omitted.
I agree with your sentiment about ranking -- the gamification of art is pointless -- but I'd go even further: often you won't agree with yourself from the past about a book or movie! Sometimes you just need to be in the mood for a work you previously considered average to really hit you. Other times you revisit music that felt really powerful in your youth, but hearing it again only evokes a mild nostalgia and a feel…
THANK YOU! This is why I hate security questions that ask for my “favorite” whatever. That’s going to change! My favorite movie, or supervillain or whatever is going to change - hopefully - within a couple years if good artists are out there making good art. So why the hell would I answer that question the same 5 years from now as I would today?!
The best answer to security question is unrelated to question. My favorite book would be name of my dog for example
Re: I like 'em thick: an apology to my English teachers
#323> Leaving the egg out of the cake mix
This is the best expression of why i love Stone Roses but hate Coldplay.
Coldplay is sublime, perfect pop music. The Roses were kids with a four-track trying to create sublime, perfect pop music and falling short, but you can complete the journey on foot.
Case in point, for your delectation or derision, the middle 8 of She Bangs The Drum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWBZpGMWOik&t=115s
Having said that, the Roses weren't "thick" - i haven't discovered new things from repeated listening.
Re: I like 'em thick: an apology to my English teachers
#324Experimental History is such a consistently pleasant read. I often refer to the "skull full of poison" one.
Less Penguiny has a short blog with similar writing style. Not as good but very good nonetheless
Re: I like 'em thick: an apology to my English teachers
#325Earlier quoted context omitted.
Gatsby is one of those books I hated in high school. A few years ago I read it again and confirmed it’s a terrible book filled with shallow characters living boring lives doing nothing of interest to me. My opinion of 1984 also dropped when I reread it. Catcher in the Rye, Brave New World, Canticle for Leibowitz, The Chrysalids, and Lost Horizon are all books I liked more when I reread them as an adult.
I’m certain the vapidity of the characters in Gatsby is entirely the point.
Vapid characters aren’t a problem if they are doing something interesting or if there is non-trivial conflict or mystery or confusion or tension or drama of any sort or anything that leads to some kind of meaningful change in a character. Gatsby's death might have counted if Fitzgerald hadn't telegraphed it from so far away that it became a non-event.
You know how kids’ books for beginning readers are mostly about stringing together words that are easy to read and make a sensible sentence? See Jane run. Run, Jane, run! why is Jane running? Because she wants to. That’s how Gatsby read to me with more complex words and sentences.
I don’t even mind books where nothing much happens (Iyashikei) if the setting is novel. But Gatsby was predictable and dull for me with cardboard characters living passive lives.
The other book that lots of people seem to love that I've never been able to finish is Moby Dick. I don't dislike it but he pace is a bit slow for me.
Re: I like 'em thick: an apology to my English teachers
#326What a good article, I really love the punchline at the end. If you skim the article, you can't even tell it's there.
That certainly increased the thickness of the article, for me.
Re: I like 'em thick: an apology to my English teachers
#327Although I appreciate the article, what's the deal with calling depth thickness? Is it because it looks like the meme word 'thicc'? > If you allow for the existence of secret treasures that can only be accessed with effort and analysis, then you empower the elitists and the snobs. “Buddy, don’t even talk to me until you’ve been in the cave!” I don't agree with this statement. Being a snob and/or elitist means looking…
Although it can be annoying to step into someone else's situational language/definitions/grammar, it can be a good rhetorical trick to shed the preexisting cultural context of a preexisting term such as depth.
Re: I like 'em thick: an apology to my English teachers
#328> Why this word, this scene, this character, and not some other one? The "why this not that , even when it looks like that would do just fine" style of differential analysis is an exquisitely powerful analytical tool. Asking this question is probably the single most powerful method I know of to generate deep thought, in absolutely any aspect of life. If you haven't tried it... go for it! (Sample question: why'd I cho…
Robin Hobb (a very successful fantasy author) rates books on Goodreads. To her, anything over one star is a good rating. Even two stars means she liked it. https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/25307.Robin_Hobb
Oh, that's great! I'm going to have to remember that!
Re: I like 'em thick: an apology to my English teachers
#329> Why this word, this scene, this character, and not some other one? The "why this not that , even when it looks like that would do just fine" style of differential analysis is an exquisitely powerful analytical tool. Asking this question is probably the single most powerful method I know of to generate deep thought, in absolutely any aspect of life. If you haven't tried it... go for it! (Sample question: why'd I cho…
> Why this word Because an AI company made their LLM "roll a dice" that was loaded in a specific way to choose that word, so they could claim ownership of your document later. :sigh:
I'm not sure if you're just choosing not to engage fully with what I wrote or if you're trying to make some other point, but for what it's worth I do not and did not write any of my comments here with AI.
So that wasn't really a consideration for me.
Re: I like 'em thick: an apology to my English teachers
#330Earlier quoted context omitted.
the punched in the face expression is strange here. I get it but I also presume that you have never been punched in the face much like you never connected (that's the word you are looking for, also a boxing term) with art.
You should also go apologize to your English teacher.
Perhaps more teachers should punch students in the face.