Chris Jones on "Animals," his Zanesville Zoo massacre story

Honestly, this was a story with no villains for me. Cause sometimes life is like that.

 

It would not be suggesting anything like that at all. There is a clear difference between suggesting it's an unfair advantage for a player to take a thousand jump shots a day--which anyone could do regardless of what anyone else does--and the unfair advantage here--in which one journalist's actions foreclosed the ability of another journalist to interview someone.

And your distinction between this being a business versus a competition is precisely why this behavior should trouble us as readers. What is good for business is not good for competition. And competition, not business, is what's good for readers.

 

No. Because I didn't suggest that. I said this is anti-competitive.

 

Context, obviously, matters. Not all exclusive contracts are antitrust violations. But that does not necessarily mean they're not anti-competitive. In the case here, not one person has offered an argument as to how readers are better off as a result of Jones's conduct. Competition for its own sake is not beneficial. It's good when it helps consumers.

 

Yeah. I didn't say that. I said it would be an exhilarating challenge to try to out-work and out-write him on the same story. Not to get screwed by him. But it's okay. Thinking is hard sometimes.

And obviously, I can't speak for everyone, but I don't really see the problem with people telling Chris how much they like his work. For some, sure, it gets a little fervor-like, I guess. He's really good at what he does, and so the guy just has his fans. It's weird to me that many around here paint it like a bad thing—it's not. It's really good to get to talk to someone whose work you admire, even if all you have to say is, "Dude, I like your stuff."

Lots of people admire Kobe Bryant. Lots of people don't admire Kobe Bryant. (Some even hate him.) But what doesn't make sense to me is when the people who don't admire someone rip on the ones who do admire someone just for expressing said admiration.

Chris himself could tell you: I'm not really into the fawning. He's not perfect. He knows that. I know that. And he knows that I know that. It's okay. I say nice things when I feel them and mean them, and there's a lot of nice things to say to and about Chris.

But then, that's just the way my parents raised me. To be nice. So blame them, I guess.

 

OK.

 

No doubt, but it's like a sport around here sometimes.

And I really was sort of expecting the Hollywood ending, with the last tiger being able to survive. And then again, I wasn't. Still was jarring to me that it happened that way. Sad story all around.

 

Sigh. I think I'm done with this thread. Sorry, all, if I got a little frustrated. I'm very tired. Been a long few days. Going to bed. Hope you all have a nice night and a great Friday.

 

Everybody just needs to chill. And I never say that.

"Salting the earth" was apparently a bad choice of words. I wrote 4,500 words for Brandon in an hour. I didn't wrestle with every phrase. I don't know how else you would quickly describe what I did. I've explained it more fully since. And I'm pretty much done explaining it. If you don't like what I did, that's fine. I'll still be doing it, every time out.

I don't post here very much because there haven't been that many discussions about writing, and because I'm busy. It used to bother me when people would talk shit, but hey, people are going to talk shit. I used to think I could actually change people's minds about whatever we were arguing about. Now I don't do nearly as many drugs.

Sure, it's nice when people say nice things about me or my work. Is it weird that it's nice? Maybe I should stop saying thank you on Twitter. I have no idea anymore. So many people tell me how I'm supposed to think or respond to things, I can't keep it straight.

On that note, I'm leaving for a vacation in the morning. If I don't post, it's not because I've spit the bit and run off. It's because I've paid six people to carry me like a sultan through various malls and gas station parking lots across America.

And Mister C.: I appreciate the sentiment, but I do have to prove myself, again and again. Most magazine writers work on one- or two-year contracts. I've read that every member of the New Yorker's staff is on a one-year contract, no matter how big his or her name. Combine that with money and audience and all those things, it's a business that's almost designed to make you insecure. That's why we do all the terrible desperate things we do.

Thanks again for the kind words, those of you who gave them. It's been quite a week. I appreciate them very much.

 

Have an awesome vacation. And when you get back to TO, the beers are on me.

 

Thanks, HC. So long as my wipers keep my toilet paper warm, it'll be great.

 

Well, you've certainly got one personality aspect of the Great Writer down already.

And at such a young age, too.