He is, of course, quoting the always-quotable Oscar Wilde. But I’m sure you knew that. 
Indeed.
What I loved about that set of panels ( along with roughly 12, 775 other Doonesbury panels ) was the (seeming) absolute belief on Trudeau’s part that his readers had the same level of sophistication and exposure to literature and art and history that he had/has.
Not only was he using Oscar Wilde, he had set up a one-timer caricature of the thousands of pompous ass professors that litter the landscape of higher education. They prance about, “blowing the minds” of Underclassmen who are not well-read enough to realize they’re being fed someone else’s genius as orignal statements by their local guru.
Trudeau went to Yale. No doubt he got a belly-ful of 'em while attending.
( I was sorely tempted to simply post, " Oscar who? " 
)
You did, Cartooniverse, you did.
The thing is, I don’t think he’s better than the rest of us. At all. He doesn’t have skills or special insights . . . not about the stuff he goes off on, anyway. Watching movies is a hobby. Working in video stores is a job. Neither of them are skills.
Eve and Qadgop have skills, and they put forth facts. When Eve posts tibits about Valentino and Qadgop tells me not to eat asbestos, they are relating either actual facts or opinions easily backed up by facts which they have researched over the years, and were I to research the material for myself, I would probably come to the same conclusion. This is what makes them better than the rest of us.
lissener does not spout facts. He spouts opinions. When lissener tries to tell me that Shogun aged badly because it looks dated or that Showgirls is a work of subtle genius, he is putting forth an opinion. It doesn’t matter how many movies he’s seen, because there’s no right or wrong answer. That’s why we call them opinions.
My beef with lissener is basically that he doesn’t recognize that. He’s just so . . . prissy. He’s a prissy little film geek, and it seems that when he’s not prissing around all over the message board about what a genius he is, he’s offline thinking up new and original ways to priss around all over the message board about what a genius he is. Or watching movies. Or hanging out at the video store checking out prissy little movies to his prissy little movie fan friends, none of whom is half as prissy as he is. Maybe when lissener makes his own little indie movie and gets it shown at a few coffeeshops and art houses, I’ll let him dictate to me what’s good and what’s crap. Until then, lissener, how about I watch the movies and you just charge them out to me, being careful not to drip priss all over the cases. And don’t worry, I won’t forget to rewind.
Oh, and in my opinion, Showgirls was shit. I don’t think there are ten people in the world who would have sat through that movie to the end if it weren’t for Elizabeth Berkeley’s ass.
Hey, don’t knock this tactic–this is how I met my SO! He and a friend were arguing in the cafeteria about whether Jimmy Page or Eric Clapton was the better guitarist–I heard them in passing and stopped to inform them both that Jeff Beck kicks both those guy’s asses and the SO says he looked up to deliver a blistering retort to the brassy trollop who dared interrupt…and fell in love, awww…
[/hijack]
But yeah, it’s not so much the opinionated thing as it is the opinionated, pigheaded AND insulting thing that makes lissener tend toward the annoying, and I know this from personal experience since that’s what all my friends and loved ones tell me about myself. Which I take to heart no matter how fiercely it stings and I try not to be so totally dismissive of the tastes and insights of others. I find it makes me a broader person to force myself to see things as others do and consequently makes me a better debater as well. Paying attention to the broader picture means one wins more arguments, and more gracefully at that. If you look at it as a tactic it doesn’t sting nearly as much too.
Just some words of advice, take or leave…
I can toally see where **lissener ** is coming from, having been such a jerk myself. There is a German word - *Besserwisser * - which I guess roughly translates as “know-it-all”, which I think describes **lissener ** well. The thing is, it describes me in my 20’s to mid 30’s and I think **lissener ** is close to my own age (45).
I don’t feel the need to fight those battles anymore. 20 years ago, I did, but not anymore. I know I’m a snob, but that’s somethign private and I will not feel better for telling others that don’t confirm to my standards that they are subhuman.
If anyone is interested enough, which I doubt, do dig up old cites by me to show that I have been acting glib in my snobism (is that a word?), well then, do so. I’m not perfect. I’ve only just reached the decision that laissez-faire is a better approach for everyone involved.
- ::: d & r :::*
Chaucer was a plagarizing piece of garbage.
“Béowulf maþelode, 'Ecgþéowes Nelyf s,élre bið aéghwaém úre aéghwylc sceal ende gebídan”
or, as translated:
"After the death of Grendel, Beowulf looked up and spied Grendel’s mother, after which he turned to Edgetheow and said “It’s just one damned dragon-thing after another.”
As **Linty Fresh ** says, he’s not better than the rest of us.
Many posters, you for instance, know more than I do about almost everything. You don’t come off* as thinking you are better than me. Just more knowledgeable than I in certain areas.
*All the time.
“Life isn’t one damn thing after another, its the same damn thing over and over”
- attributed to Dorothy Parker
A friend of mine is fond of saying: Adult life is just like high school. The only difference is that it isn’t over in 4 years.
Also, no one’s going to snap you with wet towels in the shower, unless you shell out an extra $20.
You seem to have very specific information.
Not in so many words. In fact, I was supporting Trudeau’s thesis. Is all.
( this shit ain’t flyin’, is it? )
Either the flying shit goes, or I do.
Look, I’ll come back when I’ve got a better straight line, OK?
prissener?
giggle
:rolleyes: The Prisoner was nothing but a blatant plagiarism of Patrick McGoohan’s Danger Man, which was more politically savvy, better-directed, and itself more deeply rooted in the dramatic tradition. Good Lord, I can’t believe people are still talking about The Prisoner.
Daniel
Oscar Wilde: I wish I had said that.
James McNeill Whistler: You will, Oscar, you will . . .
But lissner only is an expert in the subjective. His knowledge isn’t from any sort of formal training. He’s just listened to more records, seen more movies and now read more cartoons than anybody else and if you haven’t delved like he has, then you should shut up and let him inform you as to what is the best.
Why hasn’t this jerk been banned is beyond me.