Being a bad friend to David Foster Wallace
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Being a bad friend to David Foster Wallace
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Re: Being a bad friend to David Foster Wallace
#2The people I know to whom DFW appeals tend to be those who think they’re smarter than they are. There is no judgement inherent in this observation.
Re: Being a bad friend to David Foster Wallace
#3The people I know to whom DFW appeals tend to be those who think they’re smarter than they are. There is no judgement inherent in this observation.
The only outlets I see DFW discussed regularly online are a few subreddits + 4chan's lit board. I think it may be these location rather than the author. I met a few people in college who shared my love for DFW who I thought were perfectly well adjusted people (then there's me...).
Re: Being a bad friend to David Foster Wallace
#4Subversion by sincerity
I strive to be sincere, although as my life has taught me, people can rarely be trusted. In my experience, when I do finally find someone that can be trusted, it is then that the fruits of my sincerity show.
I'm often sincere simply because it makes me smile when someone did not expect it, and watching them attempt to process/respond is something that brings me joy. Simply by exposure to sincerity, many have returned in kind; this has allowed me to help others, and even get advice for situations that one would only usually ever save for an advice columnist. (which rarely actually give you the advice you need, easier to give you want you want to hear, and it will keep you reading)
After reading this, I could not help but reflect on my own decisions when striving for sincerity. It's not exactly free of pain or the subsequent shame that can often follow, but why do I feel the need to stick with it? I think it comes down to my personality, I have rough edges and can take a royal beating, which is the kind of constitution you must have if you ever want to be sincere.
With sincerity, there is vulnerability, and while many consider that to be weakness, I count it a strength. Just don't be surprised if someone hurts you after you were sincere, it does not protect you, and to some, me included, we don't care, and neither should you. Pain is part of life; much better to be real and to be present then to be without pain and truly alone.
Re: Being a bad friend to David Foster Wallace
#5The people I know to whom DFW appeals tend to be those who think they’re smarter than they are. There is no judgement inherent in this observation.
One of my favorite DFW observations was about how on his press tour following the release of Infinite Jest, he was doing readings two or so weeks after it had released. People were coming up to him and praising him, wanting a piece of him.
He commented to.... Maybe David Lipsky I think? that it would have been nearly impossible for these fans to have read the book in its entirety, and that it made him super self-conscious that people liked the concept/marketing/fame of the book more than the writing itself.
A friend of mine once joked that he wanted to seem like someone who has read Steinbeck's East of Eden, but didn't actually want to read it.
Re: Being a bad friend to David Foster Wallace
#6The people I know to whom DFW appeals tend to be those who think they’re smarter than they are. There is no judgement inherent in this observation.
I like DFW. I just think he's a witty entertaining writer. I'm far from what I'd consider an intellectual. Love pop culture, video games and other "dumb" stuff. Thanks for the generalized insult though.
Re: Being a bad friend to David Foster Wallace
#7The people I know to whom DFW appeals tend to be those who think they’re smarter than they are. There is no judgement inherent in this observation.
Perhaps you mean “moral judgement”, or something like that, or I've missed something, because this is exactly a judgement.
Re: Being a bad friend to David Foster Wallace
#8The people I know to whom DFW appeals tend to be those who think they’re smarter than they are. There is no judgement inherent in this observation.
I like DFW. I just think he's a witty entertaining writer. I'm far from what I'd consider an intellectual. Love pop culture, video games and other "dumb" stuff. Thanks for the generalized insult though.
That's kind of how I feel about Rick and Morty. I watched a few eps and liked it, but there's an unpleasant contingent of R&M fandom that use the fact that they like tge show as proof of their intellectual superiority.
Re: Being a bad friend to David Foster Wallace
#9The people I know to whom DFW appeals tend to be those who think they’re smarter than they are. There is no judgement inherent in this observation.
One of my favorite DFW observations was about how on his press tour following the release of Infinite Jest, he was doing readings two or so weeks after it had released. People were coming up to him and praising him, wanting a piece of him. He commented to.... Maybe David Lipsky I think? that it would have been nearly impossible for these fans to have read the book in its entirety, and that it made him super self-cons…
"A classic is something everybody wants to have read, but no one wants to read." --Mark Twain
Re: Being a bad friend to David Foster Wallace
#10The people I know to whom DFW appeals tend to be those who think they’re smarter than they are. There is no judgement inherent in this observation.
A lot of people who consider others as "thinking to be smarter than they are" are simply anti-intellectual in general, and tend to see any effort towards the arts, reading, philosophy, etc that's not marketable or job-related as pretension.
There is some judgement inherent in this observation.