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What books are you reading?


Texsox
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I know why I personally read auto-bios (anything from Stanislavsky's My Life in Art to Jesse Livermore's semi-fictional account): 

 

TO LEARN ABOUT THESE INIVIDUALS FROM THE SOURCE ITSELF, ABOUT THEIR WORLDVIEW AND SELF-VIEW AND EXPERIENCE.....TO EDUCATE MYSELF ABOUT A PARTICULAR IDEOLOGY.....ABOUT A CERTAIN TIME AND PLACE IN HISTORY......ABOUT LIFE AS A WHOLE EVEN.......ANYTHING I CAN DRAW UPON LATER PRETTY MUCH..... ANYTHING THAT FASCINATES  AND INSPIRES ME.....SOMETIMES I DON'T KNOW WHAT I AM EVEN "LOOKING FOR" IN PARTICULAR---  THERE'S ALWAYS WORTHLESS FILLER YOU HAVE TO WADE THROUGH OF COURSE, DATES AND NAMES AND EVENTS GET INTERCHANGEABLE AT SOME POINT........SO IT BASICALLY IS ABOUT LESSONS AND EXISTENCE AND INTRASPECTION AND ALL THAT SOPHISTICATED AND PRETENTIOUS  STUFF YOU DETEST......FOR ME AT LEAST, can't speak for everyone else. 

 

Some auto's are fantastic and resonate long after I put them them down, not looking at life the same ever again.....while  others are pretty worthless and boring..

 

Whether such things are boring to you or if you consider me a mindless parrot I could care less. I am not about to stunt my growth because some jaded grown-up thinks everything could be boiled down to a few common sense aphorisms and wants to ridicule some student's earnest effort to expand his/her horizons......Sorry, a formally uneducated person such as myself could ill-afford to get bogged down in the anti-intellectualism and complacency. I aim just a little higher. 

 

If all you're interested in is an abridged history of Clinton's cum shots, then by all means.  If it gives you further insight into who he is and into his reality, then all the better. I guess.

 

(Oh and I also love independent films and think Britney Spears  is a joke.  Did I just make Tex's Most Wanted List? :bang )

Ah Brando, you love to bait.

 

Why did you read Clinton's bio? Hillary? Jennifer Lopez? or any of the pop celebrity bios? To find meaning in your life? To be "fascinated and inspired" "educated about a particular ideology" of J-LO! Maybe you, but not me, I aim a little higher. Maybe you can learn something "TO LEARN ABOUT THESE INIVIDUALS FROM THE SOURCE ITSELF, ABOUT THEIR WORLDVIEW AND SELF-VIEW AND EXPERIENCE.....TO EDUCATE MYSELF ABOUT A PARTICULAR IDEOLOGY.....ABOUT A CERTAIN TIME AND PLACE IN HISTORY......ABOUT LIFE AS A WHOLE EVEN.......ANYTHING I CAN DRAW UPON LATER PRETTY MUCH" from Christina Aquilera or Britney Spears, I can not. These bios are being sold in huge numbers because B&N places huge displays in the middle of the store. These sell because every talk show covers them. Hell, half of autobiographies really aren't. They are authored by a team of ghost writers so the books can be on the shelves while the persons popularity is still high. Or do you believe that

 

I detest students that parrot things they heard in other classes and can not defend their thoughts. They repeat stuff they think the professor wants to hear. That is what I detest. People need to think for themselves.

 

You, of course are free to believe everything you read in a autobiography, I choose not to. Every biography contains a secret. The secret is truth. If you and I each wrote about this exchange we would have different stories. Mine would of course be the truth. Of course you will believe yours will be closer and you just proved my point. You can not trust what you learn in the bio.

 

BTW, I am ROTFLMAO You remind of a little chattering kid wanting attention. Here is a pat on your head, now go away.

 

:D

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I tried to read those in high school...kept falling asleep so I gave up.

I never got past the birthday party when I was in High School. ZZZZzzzzz A few years ago my son begged me to read the first book and I was hooked. I guess everything in it's time.

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I never got past the birthday party when I was in High School. ZZZZzzzzz A few years ago my son begged me to read the first book and I was hooked. I guess everything in it's time.

That could very well be. Brian's been talking about getting them to read again (he read them in high school). Maybe I will give them a second try if he does.

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1) Ah Brando, you love to bait.

 

2) Why did you read Clinton's bio? Hillary? Jennifer Lopez? or any of the pop celebrity bios? To find meaning in your life? To be "fascinated and inspired" "educated about a particular ideology" of J-LO! Maybe you, but not me, I aim a little higher. Maybe you can learn something "TO LEARN ABOUT THESE INIVIDUALS FROM THE SOURCE ITSELF, ABOUT THEIR WORLDVIEW AND SELF-VIEW AND EXPERIENCE.....TO EDUCATE MYSELF ABOUT A PARTICULAR IDEOLOGY.....ABOUT A CERTAIN TIME AND PLACE IN HISTORY......ABOUT LIFE AS A WHOLE EVEN.......ANYTHING I CAN DRAW UPON LATER PRETTY MUCH"  from Christina Aquilera or Britney Spears, I can not.  These bios are being sold in huge numbers because B&N places huge displays in the middle of the store. These sell because every talk show covers them. Hell, half of autobiographies really aren't. They are authored by a team of ghost writers so the books can be on the shelves while the persons popularity is still high. Or do you believe that

 

3) I detest students that parrot things they heard in other classes and can not defend their thoughts. They repeat stuff they think the professor wants to hear. That is what I detest. People need to think for themselves.

 

4) You, of course are free to believe everything you read in a autobiography, I choose not to. Every biography contains a secret. The secret is truth. If you and I each wrote about this exchange we would have different stories. Mine would of course be the truth. Of course you will believe yours will be closer and you just proved my point. You can not trust what you learn in the bio.

 

5) BTW, I am ROTFLMAO You remind of a little chattering kid wanting attention.  Here is a pat on your head, now go away.

 

 

1) Or do I? Don't get mad because I called you out on that tired hick BS. I tried to hold my tongue on so many occasions, reading your profundities about PA and his ilk hating stuff only because it's popular, etc, etc, etc......Enough was enough. It wasn't malicious. I wasn't mocking. I simply said what was on my mind.....as I do in EVERY topic, responding to EVERY poster. One of the few times I actually disagreed with you. Don't like it, don't read it. Simple.

 

2) I am sorry.....Where did I say I read/wanted to read J-Lo's auto-bio again? Clinton, Livermore, Stanislavky, Bergman, Eltzin, J-Lo. Hmm, something is not like the other.......I also mentioned that not all auto/bios are automatically ground-breaking, eye-opening, lesson-imbedding, didn't I? Many are useless, false and jaw-droppingly boring...... Finally, I stated in TWO different places that it was MY OPINION and that I wouldn't speak for everyone since I am not God and I don't know what their motives are....which is more than the courtesy YOU extended those "mindless and pretentious 19-year-olds".......Oh and for the record, pop group ABBA unsensored auto-bio I read as a teen was pretty damn informative, surprisingly so. Who knows, some day Christina Augilera may write or help write something relatively compelling as well. Life is funny like that.

 

3) How the hell do you KNOW? Because that's what YOU did? And the "people need to think for themselves" part? Where have I heard THAT before? :rolleyes: Maybe they ARE thinking for themselves and, like me, read those autobios for the very "pretentious" reasons they gave.....Or maybe they are simply not bright enough to contruct and articulate an impenetrable defense to justify their personal reasons for reading? Maybe their professor is a brilliant teacher and they relate to him? Who the hell knows.....I don't. You apparently do......The contempt with which you speak of people as lemmings is sickening.

 

4) Don't switch subjects on me, my problem was with YOU and your smug generalizations, not with the art of AB narrative......But just to humor you: I know the pros as well as CONS inherent in auto-bios, don't flatter yourself as though you just solved some secret here, I am not that naive. As for the "truth".....did you just say your version would be the truth? Yeah sure :lol:

 

5) And you, in turn, remind me of a patronizing red-neck, jaded and washed-up, criminally anti-intellectual and vaguely anti-youth. Stay here. ROTFLMAO back at ya, partna.

 

(Nothing personal, Tex. If I had anything against you, you'd known that by now.)

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1)  Or do I?  Don't get mad because I called you out on that tired hick BS. I tried to hold my tongue on so many occasions, reading your profundities about PA and his ilk hating stuff only because it's popular, etc, etc, etc......Enough was enough.  It wasn't malicious.  I wasn't mocking.  I simply said what was on my mind.....as I do in EVERY topic, responding to EVERY poster.  One of the few times I disgareed with you. Don't like it, don't read it. Simple.

 

2)  I am sorry.....Where did I say I read/wanted to read J-Lo's auto-bio again? Clinton, Livermore, Stanislavky, Bergman, Eltzin, J-Lo.    Hmm, something is not like the other.......I also mentioned that not all auto/bios are automatically ground-breaking, eye-opening, lesson-imbedding,  didn't I?  Many are useless, false and jaw-droppingly boring...... Finally, I stated in TWO different places that it was MY OPINION and that I wouldn't speak for everyone since I am not God and I don't know what their motives are....which is more than the courtesy YOU extended those "mindless and pretentious 19-year-olds".......Oh and for the record, pop group ABBA unsensored auto-bio I read as a teen was pretty damn informative, surprisingly so. Who knows, some day Christina Augilera may write or help write something relatively compelling as well.  Life is funny like that.

 

3) How the hell do you KNOW?  Because that's what YOU did? And the "people need to think for themselves" part?  Where have I heard THAT before?  :rolleyes: Maybe they ARE thinking for themselves and, like me, read those autobios for the very "pretentious" reasons they gave.....Or maybe they are simply not bright enough to contruct and articulate an impenetrable defense for their personal reasons? Maybe their professor is a brilliant teacher and they relate to him? Who the hell knows...I don't. 

 

4) Don't switch subjects on me, my problem was with YOU and your smug generalizations, not with the art of AB narrative......But just to humor you:  I know the pros as well as CONS inherent in auto-bios, don't flatter yourself as though you just solved some secret here, I am not that naive. As for the "truth".....did you just say your version would be the truth? Yeah sure  :lol:

 

5) And you, in turn, remind me of a patronizing red-neck, jaded and washed-up, criminally anti-intellectual and vaguely anti-youth. Stay here.  ROTFLMAO back at ya, partna.

 

(Nothing personal, Tex.  If I had anything against you, you'd known that by now.)

Wow Brando. You win. I was there and you weren't, but I have to admit your opinion of them must be more accurate. Not many people would try and argue about an event they have no information on. :notworthy How about the traffic at Nolana and 10th. I think it needs a longer left turn lane since B&N and Buffalo Wild Wings opened, what do you think? I think they should have rebuilt the Civic Center on 10th Street instead of moving over to Ware Road, what's your opinion on that?

 

By the way Aquilera's biography is "a road map for immigrants to follow". I found the comment to be rather silly, but I guess you'll defend the person who said that. This student thinks "every immigrant should read an follow the Aquilera story since she is successful." Oh yeah, the first generation Mexican immigrant who is working two jobs to make ends meet should emulate Aquilera.

 

Anti-intellectual because I want to hear people's opinions not what they just heard from a talking head on the tv? Anti-intellectual because I do not think there are many great truths in the pulp bio of a sit com actor or rap star? These books sell because of advertising.

 

I am certain you, like one gentleman in my class, may find "great ideas and how to solve life's problems" by reading about the cast of Friends.

 

5) :lolhitting

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By the way Aquilera's biography is "a road map for immigrants to follow". I found the comment to be rather silly, but I guess you'll defend the person who said that. .

 

No, I wouldn't. But don't let it stop you from pulling out another bouquet of mocking generalizations about young people/students/readers/me.

 

Then again, I know remarkably little about Augilera. She may indeed be Anne Frank/Ilia Kazan reincarnated as far as I am concerned. Or she may not be.

 

BTW....since your class is called american colonnial lit or some such.....I am pretty sure the dicussion was not confined to Christina Augilera. I have a feeling you used the single stupidest remark (and Aguie-Mex immigrants fits that bill) to justify your thinly veiled contempt for Academia and to speculate about and ridicule the students' motives and thought processes..........which I in turn commented on, using MYSELF as an example that doesn't fit into the stereotype you described. I gave an honest answer, which you don't seem to accept.

 

Anti-intellectual because I want to hear people's opinions not what they just heard from a talking head on the tv? Anti-intellectual because I do not think there are many great truths in the pulp bio of a sit com actor or rap star? These books sell because of advertising.

 

All I can say is.....read my two f***in' posts more carefully, and you'll see what I have a problem with and what I don't have a problem with....and why.

 

I've made enough qualifiers and disclaimers to my opinion to last you a life time.

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I am certain you, like one gentleman in my class, may find "great ideas and how to solve life's problems" by reading about the cast of Friends.

 

I just might.

 

Drug addictions, mother disown-ment, infertility, casting couching, religious idenity, closet homosexuality, legal battles, delusions of grandeur, betrayal with Rome as backdrop..... and of course, the priceless ruminations on Life and Universe.

 

It's all there.

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