Writer Cat Fight

That was hilarious. I almost swallowed some dessert whole.

 

Martin, you realize your tagline doesn't help your cause, right? And I'm saying that as someone who thought that Jones should have passed (tho he was fully entitled not to)

 

I thought that was a pretty spectacular smack down. Doesn't flag-waving usually follow?

 

I'll be happy to sum up the thread right now.

A successful writer admitted in his blog that he was really hoping his piece would be nominated for a major award. He was disappointed when it wasn't.

A band of braying dipshits jumped up and down and screamed that he was a horrible, small person, and insulted him until he ripped them back.

Now the dipshits will pretend they didn't act like dipshits, and that Jones' response is evidence of his horribly thin skin. I dunno, maybe it is, maybe it isn't. But I'll say it again, it was spectacularly done, and I'll bet hit closer to home than the targets will ever admit.

The funny thing to me is that people are going apoplectic over Jones saying a journalist who doesn't care if he or she ever earns an audience will be a failure. I don't see how that's even an arguable point. And I don't think anyone would have argued it, but a few people on this thread now get to think they're the shit for sticking it to Chris Jones. Congrats. Gabba gabba hey.

 

Except, you know, I haven't been proven wrong about the trolling happening on this thread. Whatever legitimate discussion that was happening was scuttled pretty quickly as a newbie logged on to take potshots and some of the board's more obvious shit stirrers got involved.

 

Legitimate comes and goes on almost every thread. It'll be back. Threads like these are winding roads. An occasional dip into the ditch and back just adds a little excitement.

 

This thread now reminds me of Proverb 17:1: <i>Better is a dry morsel with quiet than a house full of feasting with strife.</i>

For all the excellent writing and insight within it, the feast has been negated by the strife.

 

For the record, I believe 100 percent in everything I have said on this thread. It wasn't until this thing was well underway that I even realized Jones was posting here. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be much interest in debating the actual subject matter -- not from his critics, who clearly do not understand the gravity of the Jayson Blair label, not from his defenders, who took any hint of disagreement as a declaration of war, and not from Jones, who has somehow transformed his message from "Winning is my greatest motivation and goddamnit it should be yours" to "All writers should care about reaching an audience."

Write me off as a troll if it helps you sleep better at night. But I can assure you that getting a rise out of senior writer at a magazine is not what passes for trophy-hunting in my circle.

 

This thread reminds me of my father: Better to keep quiet and let people think you're a fool, then to open your mouth and prove it.


Sorry, dad.

 

You want to debate subject matter? Explain to me how a journalist who doesn't care if he earns an audience is going to be a success, and why it's so outrageous to suggest he won't.

 

Honestly, I wasn't even referring to you in that post.

That said paragraphs like ...

... have the stink of troll to them.

You want to debate the actual subject matter? Great, let's do it. I'll start.

I appreciate Jones' candor and honestly about his feelings. Even when I disagree with him. But, then again, I'm an editor and rarely get to write. And thanks to budget cuts, we can't afford to enter contests so I don't even get a chance to know if we could be winning (or losing) awards.

 

You could do a kick-ass takeout on Bonaroo, or an acid trip.