Terry Pratchett has Alzheimer's
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Orang Utan
Maybe I like the misery
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2170877,00.html
"I hate offended people. They come in two flavours - huffy and whiny - and it's hard to know which is worst. The huffy ones are self-important, narcissistic authoritarians in love with the sound of their own booming disapproval, while the whiny, sparrowlike ones are so annoying and sickly and ill-equipped for life on Earth you just want to smack them round the head until they stop crying and grow up. Combined, they're the very worst people on the planet - 20 times worse than child molesters, and I say that not because it's true (it isn't), but because it'll upset them unnecessarily, and these readers deserve to be upset unnecessarily, morning, noon and night, every sodding day, for the rest of their wheedling lives.
Note I used the word "sodding" there, because even though every single one of you knows precisely what word I meant to use, I'm not allowed to use it in print in case the whiny/huffy Axis of Feeble decides to piddle its pants with dismay at the sight of a commonplace assembly of letters. And they must be appeased at all times.
What these nitpicky, sexless complainists fail to realise is that sweary tastelessness is a celebration of life, as soaring and majestic as a gospel choir in full flow, and no amount of tedious squeamishness can alter that. Potentially offended reader - you are the offence. In fact you're a four-letter word beginning with "c" and ending in "t". Yes. That's right. You're an absolute clot."
"I hate offended people. They come in two flavours - huffy and whiny - and it's hard to know which is worst. The huffy ones are self-important, narcissistic authoritarians in love with the sound of their own booming disapproval, while the whiny, sparrowlike ones are so annoying and sickly and ill-equipped for life on Earth you just want to smack them round the head until they stop crying and grow up. Combined, they're the very worst people on the planet - 20 times worse than child molesters, and I say that not because it's true (it isn't), but because it'll upset them unnecessarily, and these readers deserve to be upset unnecessarily, morning, noon and night, every sodding day, for the rest of their wheedling lives.
Note I used the word "sodding" there, because even though every single one of you knows precisely what word I meant to use, I'm not allowed to use it in print in case the whiny/huffy Axis of Feeble decides to piddle its pants with dismay at the sight of a commonplace assembly of letters. And they must be appeased at all times.
What these nitpicky, sexless complainists fail to realise is that sweary tastelessness is a celebration of life, as soaring and majestic as a gospel choir in full flow, and no amount of tedious squeamishness can alter that. Potentially offended reader - you are the offence. In fact you're a four-letter word beginning with "c" and ending in "t". Yes. That's right. You're an absolute clot."
psycherelic
I'm not an old hippy!
Orang Utan said:
Hmm I wonder who that's by... Oh yes just as I thought
I agree with those sentiments 100% and I wasn't offended by what you said. I disagree but I certainly wasn't offended.
Anyway, my thoughts are with Terry and I'll be getting the new book very soon
DotCommunist
So many particulars. So many questions.
T & P said:As ever on these boards, anything/anyone that becomes popular amongst the common populace is frown upon and scorned.
You can bet if it was Will Self or Douglas Copeland there would be wailing and gnashing of teeth
psycherelic
I'm not an old hippy!
DotCommunist said:
In fairness I'm suprised how few haterz this thread has attracted
T & P
|-o-| (-o-) |-o-|
I know taste is a personal thing but I've always seen Pratchett as a genius. I understand it might be not everyone's cup of tea but the bloke is funny and sharp as fuck. Can see why he and Douglas Adams were mates.
As a librarian I can see why Orang Utan doesn't like the guy much... I read somewhere that 1% of all books published in the UK today are Pratchett titles. When you think about it, that's an incredible number of books.
I love reading the reviews of his titles by critics. One of them (can't remember who) rubbished his first Discworld novel and said how the bloke couldn't obviously write and how the novels "didn't even have chapters" and it was all a continuous read. Funny thing is until I read that critique I hadn't realised this was the case.
Having said that I do enjoy the chapter formula he's adopted for the postmaster chap (Going Postal and Making Money).
As a librarian I can see why Orang Utan doesn't like the guy much... I read somewhere that 1% of all books published in the UK today are Pratchett titles. When you think about it, that's an incredible number of books.
I love reading the reviews of his titles by critics. One of them (can't remember who) rubbished his first Discworld novel and said how the bloke couldn't obviously write and how the novels "didn't even have chapters" and it was all a continuous read. Funny thing is until I read that critique I hadn't realised this was the case.
Having said that I do enjoy the chapter formula he's adopted for the postmaster chap (Going Postal and Making Money).
scifisam
deleted
El Jefe said:
Course I have. The only people I've ever wished dead, though, are George Bush and, no, actually, that's it. One of the problems with the piss-taking in this thread is that it hasn't been that funny.
@OU - ah, so now you're getting all offended about someone being offended by you?
Which are you being, huffy or whiny?I have noticed the things you've praised, too. Does that make it OK for you to tell people the things they like are shit then? We've actually had a conversation about this before, where you said that you did go out of your way to have a go at other people's tastes because it was more fun saying things were bad than saying they were good.
It's not like it's a big deal or anything (not like, say, Alzheimer's), but it's an attitude I just don't get. I'm mildly put out by it, I guess, but mostly I'm just bewildered.
I mean, what's the point? To be funny? Almost all the time (on this thread and others) it's not funny or even intended to be funny (I had no idea that 'all the more reason to look forward to his demise' was intended to be a joke), so why do it? To make others feel bad? To put them down, make yourself feel superior? What?
Strange things, people.
scifisam said:
I'm sorry, but I think you're a hypocrite. People getting annoyed on Pratchett's behalf (bearing in mind, as has been said, HE probably wouldn't be offended) may well find gags about Bush, Thatcher or Mick Hucknall completely acceptable.
That's hypocrisy.
treefrog said:
Don't get me wrong - I know we're all very capable of hypocrisy. It just sticks in my craw a bit to see people getting attacked for making jokes that those throwing their arms up in the air about would happily make about somebody else.
It's wank, frankly.
For what it's worth, I don't like Pratchett, but even if I did, I'd probably have made the same gag. Cos it's a gag. See?
treefrog
Saddle up
TBH, a lot of people are very fond of Terry Pratchett. they might have been reading his stuff since they were a kid, and hearing that he's got an awful disease is going to make them a bit upset. So to read someone taking the piss might hack them off a bit. It's not hypocrisy, it's caring about someone, even if they're famous, and not being able to joke about them being really ill, given they've just got the news.
I await a "how can you care about someone you've never met" flaming, by people who then go on about how the deaths of people in other countries doesn't merit enough media coverage or something...
I await a "how can you care about someone you've never met" flaming, by people who then go on about how the deaths of people in other countries doesn't merit enough media coverage or something...
Shippou-Sensei
4:1:2.5
lets all go into knobbing and sobbing and take the piss out of other urbanites with illnesses .
... it's alright because it's a joke!
as much as i like bad taste jokes i don't find it surprising when other are offended...
plus i didn't even find anything said here that funny.... just more of the standard sniping
... it's alright because it's a joke!
as much as i like bad taste jokes i don't find it surprising when other are offended...
plus i didn't even find anything said here that funny.... just more of the standard sniping
Shippou-Sensei
4:1:2.5
yes but pratchett never stole kids milk
unless he forgot to tell us about it
unless he forgot to tell us about it
treefrog
Saddle up
yeah, and they're allowed to care about her (though I'm fucked if I can figure out who these people would be)El Jefe said:
but if oyu don't give a fuck about someone, it's easy to take the piss. If you don't give a fuck about Pratchett having alzheimers, then fair enough.
But don't get annoyed that other people might give a fuck, and not like it.
Just because my gran died of cancer, doesn't mean I can't find cancer jokes funny. However, I'd find jokes about my gran dying of cancer upsetting, even though you might find them hilarious as you never knew her.
See how it works?
EDITED: for clarity
gaijingirl
Well-Known Member
Haven't read this thread the whole way through but.. I met Terry Pratchett for an afternoone once and knew his daughter a bit. I interviewed him about computer gaming and "silver surfers" for a piece I was producing. He was extremely nice to me when he could have been an arse. So, for me, this is very sad news indeed.
scifisam
deleted
El Jefe said:
Did you read my other post? Like I said, it's mainly bemusement at the mentality.
Aside from the bemusement, It's not that I'm offended, I'm mildly annoyed. Basically, this a thread about someone lots of people admire, who's being diagnosed with a terminal illness. It annoys me a little when people use that as an opportunity to have a go at the person and his books. Not offends, annoys. That's why I offered to piss in people's beer (pissing on something that they enjoy, like they do on these threads), rather than crying in my own.
There must have been some actual funny jokes that could have been made on this topic. But they haven't happened in this thread. Funny piss-taking is far, far less annoying than sniping which is supposed to be a joke and just isn't.
People like Thatcher and Bush have done enough awful things that they're fair game for piss-taking, IMO. There's no hypocrisy there.
scifisam said:
I never made any claims for what I said being a shining example of Wildean wit, it was a crap gag. But it was just that - a gag.
scifisam said:
Can you really not see what a fucking stupid statement that is?
That somebody else may not see it like that?
Jesus
scifisam said:
Where are people having a go at his writing because of the diagnosis...? A most people have made a quick quip. Can you show me anyone who actually means it in a negative way...?
My opinion is that I'm disappointed he hasn't branched out more. But thats nothing to do with the disease, rather because I re-read a story of his this morning...
invisibleplanet
porter des cornes
jæd said:
The world is full of people who think that someone else should be doing what they themselves are too cowardly to undertake.
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