# Reading goodreads reviews convinces me satire or commentary is lost on people

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-goodreads-reviews-convinces-me-satire-or-commentary-is-lost-on-people/714477>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [March 7, 2015, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-goodreads-reviews-convinces-me-satire-or-commentary-is-lost-on-people/714477 "2015-03-07T21:38:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\
**Post date:** [March 7, 2015, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-goodreads-reviews-convinces-me-satire-or-commentary-is-lost-on-people/714477/1 "2015-03-07T21:38:49Z")

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Now remember the people posting reviews there are enthusiastic readers, you would think a bit sharper than random selection of people.

Yet they still often criticize works for furthering a point of view it is clear the author is criticizing. Imagine if reviews of Huck Finn were just bitching about the racism.

I think the latest time I ran across this was reviews for The Meat House Man, a scifi short story about a future where human bodies have their brains removed and synth brains put in their skulls that allow the body to be controlled by operators. A large part of it takes place in a house of prostitution.

Most of the reviews call it misogynist, when it is pretty clear to me it is a criticism of misogyny.

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**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\
**Post date:** [March 7, 2015, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-goodreads-reviews-convinces-me-satire-or-commentary-is-lost-on-people/714477/2 "2015-03-07T23:27:00Z")

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What if they’re right and you’re wrong?

Just so people know what the hell is going on here, grude is referring to the graphic novel [Meathouse Man](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23201098-meathouse-man?from_search=true), illustrated by Raya Goldin from a George R. R. Martin novelette. The original text story was published in the anthology _Orbit 18_, which has no reviews on goodreads. There is no story anywhere by anyone with the title of “The Meat House Man.”

> [@](#):
>
> Meathouse Man is a darkly poignant tale set on a collection of planets called corpse worlds. On these planets, corpse handlers transmit their wills to an army of brainless bodies—once living people now rendered expendable. Perversion abounds as these corpses are exposed to appalling conditions at the whim of handlers.

71% of the reviews are three stars or better, so even those commenting are not unanimously rejecting it. How the minority of reviews that call it misogynistic can be generalized to say anything about goodreads reviewers overall is beyond my comprehension, but you all might be more perceptive.

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**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\
**Post date:** [March 7, 2015, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-goodreads-reviews-convinces-me-satire-or-commentary-is-lost-on-people/714477/3 "2015-03-07T23:52:45Z")

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Plenty of GR reviews are written by 12 year olds.