Comments on: A Good Neal Stephenson Quip http://www.joeydevilla.com/2005/06/27/a-good-neal-stephenson-quip/ Joey deVilla's Personal Blog Thu, 08 Jan 2009 23:19:13 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1-alpha-10188 hourly 1 By: Anonymous http://www.joeydevilla.com/2005/06/27/a-good-neal-stephenson-quip/comment-page-1/#comment-5989 Anonymous Mon, 27 Jun 2005 17:49:00 +0000 http://www.joeydevilla.com/2005/06/27/a-good-neal-stephenson-quip/#comment-5989 I think it's a matter of degree. What you're describing is <em>constructive critique</em>, while Stephenson is using the word "trash". I agree with you and will go farther by saying that many great leaps forward are the result of such critiquing. I also believe that Stephenson is responding to the "familiarity breeds contempt" <em>automatic</em> dismissal of anything "Western" that is fashionable in certain circles, such as academia. The short and sassy summary: You say <em>to-may-toe</em>, he says <em>gazpacho</em>. I think it’s a matter of degree. What you’re describing is constructive critique, while Stephenson is using the word “trash”. I agree with you and will go farther by saying that many great leaps forward are the result of such critiquing. I also believe that Stephenson is responding to the “familiarity breeds contempt” automatic dismissal of anything “Western” that is fashionable in certain circles, such as academia.

The short and sassy summary: You say to-may-toe, he says gazpacho.

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.joeydevilla.com/2005/06/27/a-good-neal-stephenson-quip/comment-page-1/#comment-5988 Anonymous Mon, 27 Jun 2005 17:33:00 +0000 http://www.joeydevilla.com/2005/06/27/a-good-neal-stephenson-quip/#comment-5988 With no context, I can't be sure exactly what Mr. Stephenson meant by this, but I'm afraid he is off the mark here. To use his own metaphor, for a Westerner to trash Western culture is like finding our nitrogen/oxygen atmosphere increasingly difficult to breathe because of fossil-fuel pollution, and saying that that is bad, and that we must do something about it. With no context, I can’t be sure exactly what Mr. Stephenson meant by this, but I’m afraid he is off the mark here. To use his own metaphor, for a Westerner to trash Western culture is like finding our nitrogen/oxygen atmosphere increasingly difficult to breathe because of fossil-fuel pollution, and saying that that is bad, and that we must do something about it.

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