Comes from Lilek's column today. You should read it (every day!). It's good, in a Lileks sort of way--meandering and interesting. But the end of the column critiques the subtext of a movie review in Entertainment Weekly. The film in question contrasts opposing views of the abortion debate and shows that people on both sides of the issue are equally wrong--rendering both opinions equally flawed. Lileks doesn't quite buy it, and says the following:
It’s the sort of argument that marks the Modern Mind in its most facile and aggravating: the presence of hypocrisy on both sides renders both equally suspect; wisdom is best manifested by posing trick questions; people who believe stuff are all alike, in a way, inasmuch as they believe stuff, and what’s most dangerous is not what you believe, but how much you believe it. Conviction is good if the last word in your credo is “but.” Otherwise you’re a fundamentalist.
Something to ponder. Feel free to discuss below.
Pocket Review:
Finished Still Life. Two key observations:
--It was very deftly written, and Collins has a fantastic ability for description and wordplay.
--It's also often gleefully profane.
Due to the graphic nature of certain scenes, I can't give it an official "PBB Gold-plated Recommendation."
Chalk it up in that list with "House of Leaves"--cool for those that don't mind getting their hands dirty, but I can't recommend it to the general audiences in good conscience. I'm not sorry I read it, but I wouldn't pass it along to all my friends.
On the plus side, however, it did inspire me to work harder on my descriptions in my own writing. So that's useful.
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