Why do we like to luxuriate in tales of childhood misery...

Re: Why do we like to luxuriate in tales of childhood misery...

feeds@yuku.com (Evelyn) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 18:23:11 GMT

Geeezuz, woman, what sort of response is there to "incidentally, you and Harlan Ellison disagree on that." I know enough about him to see the humor in it despite being no science fiction fan. But then, I can't imagine why what either one of us thinks would matter to the other. But he does...

Re: Why do we like to luxuriate in tales of childhood misery...

feeds@yuku.com (Gypsy) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 17:42:00 GMT

Now there's an intelligent and well thought out response if I ever read one!

Re: Why do we like to luxuriate in tales of childhood misery...

feeds@yuku.com (Evelyn) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 17:04:15 GMT

Well, duh......and?

Re: Why do we like to luxuriate in tales of childhood misery...

feeds@yuku.com (Gypsy) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 15:02:05 GMT

Being a writer is a career choice to me, not a holy calling of some sort.

Incidentally, you and Harlan Ellison disagree on that.

Re: Why do we like to luxuriate in tales of childhood misery...

feeds@yuku.com (Gypsy) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 14:53:50 GMT

Well, for one thing, I will not spend one dime on a genre of books (memoirs) that have been shown time and again to be false.

You keep harping about the money ---it's about the TRUTH. Whether it is an author foisting a multi-million dollar book scam (like James Frey and Misha Defonseca and JT LeRoy) on the public or a lying politician or a corporate raider, it is still all about getting away with lies and having the public say "oh, well, what can you do?"

On...

Re: Why do we like to luxuriate in tales of childhood misery...

feeds@yuku.com (Evelyn) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 14:42:45 GMT

Of course it bothers me....but far less in someone writing a book for money than the liars in high places who kill people, run us into economic ruin, deny people their basic human rights, and stand in the way of humane treatment of many of our citizens. It's a matter of priorities, I guess.

So what do you offer in the way of a solution?

Re: Why do we like to luxuriate in tales of childhood misery...

feeds@yuku.com (Gypsy) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 14:36:13 GMT

Or maybe a lot of folks just don't expect much more based on experience? Does anybody think that somehow writers of non-fiction are any more morally and ethically upstanding than anyone else in the world?

That sounds like an excuse for untruthful, immoral, and unethical business practices. Doesn't that bother you??? If we, the general public, have such low expectations of what we find acceptable why should anyone even make an attempt to be honest?...

Re: Why do we like to luxuriate in tales of childhood misery...

feeds@yuku.com (Evelyn) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 14:24:14 GMT

Or maybe a lot of folks just don't expect much more based on experience? Does anybody think that somehow writers of non-fiction are any more morally and ethically upstanding than anyone else in the world? It's almost as though there's an expectation that they be "above it all" which I find strange. If anything, when your livelihood depends on commerical success, wouldn't there be a tendency to have a little more incentive to elaborate in the service of marketing?...

Re: Why do we like to luxuriate in tales of childhood misery...

feeds@yuku.com (Gypsy) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 13:40:58 GMT

...but I suspect you get my gist...

Actually, I don't but you certainly don't have to answer if you don't want to.

Spokespeople from Lonely Planet are scrambling all over the news to "explain"..... Sad to say but I'm starting to think the only thing worth believing is fiction. Every day we are seeing more non-fiction being exposed as fraudulent and, unfortunately, an awful lot of folks seem to think that isn't anything...

Re: Why do we like to luxuriate in tales of childhood misery...

feeds@yuku.com (o Realist o) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 12:02:13 GMT

Whatever, Gyps. Perhaps the word wasn't "accurate" but I suspect you get my gist! Not important - a miniscule piece of the puzzle.

Re: Why do we like to luxuriate in tales of childhood misery...

feeds@yuku.com (Evelyn) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 11:26:38 GMT

Somebody mentioned not long ago that many restuarant review companies simply get copies of a menu and wing it from there (along with scouring media and "adapting" those reviews. Lordy.

Re: Why do we like to luxuriate in tales of childhood misery...

feeds@yuku.com (Gypsy) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 11:25:44 GMT

Different genre than the soap operas.

Soap operas? What are you referring to?

From my perspective it is about the truthfulness of "non-fiction".

Re: Why do we like to luxuriate in tales of childhood misery...

feeds@yuku.com (o Realist o) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 11:22:40 GMT

So? Have used Lonely Planet guides for years for such offbeat (??) places as Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong and have always found the information to be accurate, up-to-date, and bursting with vivid descriptions. Different genre than the soap operas.

Re: Why do we like to luxuriate in tales of childhood misery...

feeds@yuku.com (Gypsy) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 10:29:48 GMT

Thanks!

I heard on the news this morning that Thomas Kohnstamm, a writer for Lonely Planet Travel Guides, now says he never even visited some of the countries he wrote guides for. WHERE WILL IT END????

Re: Why do we like to luxuriate in tales of childhood misery...

feeds@yuku.com (leftwingnut) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 10:03:55 GMT

I posted it just for you!

Re: Why do we like to luxuriate in tales of childhood misery...

feeds@yuku.com (Gypsy) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 09:58:38 GMT

That's a great cartoon, leftwingnut. I love it.

Re: Why do we like to luxuriate in tales of childhood misery...

feeds@yuku.com (star squiggle) — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 16:09:33 GMT

Trauma may be a reason for things that go on in your adult life, but it shouldn't be an excuse. There comes a point where there's a choice to either work through it as best you can and move on or give in to it but own that decision. The saddest people I know are those who tenaciously hang on to their anguish, wear it like a badge of honor, or use it as an excuse and in the process, fail to choose to have a life.

perfectly put....

Re: Why do we like to luxuriate in tales of childhood misery...

feeds@yuku.com (leftwingnut) — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 13:30:16 GMT

Re: Why do we like to luxuriate in tales of childhood misery...

feeds@yuku.com (Evelyn) — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 11:40:35 GMT

Mothership wrote:
Evelyn,

I just don't think that everyone can triumph over their life's traumas whether it be, an illness, physical or psychological damage. I think an analogy might be Vietnam Veterans or anyone who has gone to war and suffered. Some come back "fine", others not so even when they were side by side during an event ; they were affected differently....

Re: Why do we like to luxuriate in tales of childhood misery...

feeds@yuku.com (Gypsy) — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 11:24:56 GMT

Now, with that said, could it be possible that the writers, like me, remember incidents one way, while reality is another??

I agree with that. And, yes, two people can experience the very same incident and see it completely differently. That happens a lot in my family --- with 8 children born over a span of 17 years we all grew up in the same family only it was different for each of us. In Walls case that is probably what is going on but nobody can tell me...

Why do we like to luxuriate in tales of childhood misery...

feeds@yuku.com (Gypsy) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:58:35 GMT

Obviously, I am more interested in this subject than most folks (those who read my blog have probably read more than they want to about this) but now that so many of these childhood misery books have been discredited (family members of both the "It Boy" books and the "Scisssors" books have now said they were ridiculously exaggerated) why are they still popular? or is their popularity on the wane?

Michael Kirke |...