Scoff if you must, but I take great joy from most of the negative reviews of my book, especially the ones that analyze my psychology. They are often eerily perceptive. Here’s a highlight from the latest one on Amazon:
What this man REALLY NEEDS is a balcony somewhere, where he can HARANGUE a crowd of HIS FOLLOWERS (fellow Libertarians). OR, since mere English is OBVIOUSLY an INADEQUATE medium for the POWER of his IDEAS, perhaps he would do BETTER to devote his MARVELOUS TALENT to writing GRAND operas in the style of RICHARD WAGNER. More people would PAY attention to HIM that way.
True confession: Wagner is my favorite composer, and if I had a small fraction of his talent, I probably would write grand operas, just for fun. Given my endowment, though, I have to make do by writing graphic novels about grand operas.
READER COMMENTS
TGGP
Jan 14 2008 at 1:55am
Aren’t you going to defend your use (or abuse) of italics?
anon
Jan 14 2008 at 4:04am
Bryan, the graphic novel is coming along very well. When do you expect it to be completed?
dearieme
Jan 14 2008 at 7:06am
Perhaps an economist can explain why no-one has ever made a handy sum by writing better stories and lyrics to combine with the wonderful operatic music that is so often accompanied by verbal bilge?
Les
Jan 14 2008 at 8:38am
Bryan:
Your reviewer is indulging in ad hominem comments. Ad hominem comments are the last refuge of scoundrels, who – lacking the wit to argue substance – stoop to hurl personal abuse from the sewers.
This is a free country, and so everyone is entitled to his/her opinion, and – if so inclined – to make fools of themselves.
Brent Buckner
Jan 14 2008 at 9:50am
Brings to mind:
UN-altered REPRODUCTION and DISSEMINATION of this
IMPORTANT Information is ENCOURAGED, ESPECIALLY to COMPUTER
BULLETIN BOARDS.
Bryan Caplan
Jan 14 2008 at 1:36pm
The book is basically done as far as I’m concerned. I’m still waiting for the right artist to come along, though I may be waiting for a long time!
Bryan Caplan
Jan 14 2008 at 1:38pm
This guy is quite right to think I’m a heavy user. Guilty as charged. However, he’s also the first person who complained about them.
P.S. I probably picked up the habit from Murray Rothbard, perhaps via a writing seminar I took in 1989 from Sheldon Richman.
Dezakin
Jan 14 2008 at 4:13pm
Ad hominem comments are the last refuge of scoundrels
No one’s immune from irony I suppose.
Paul Zrimsek
Jan 14 2008 at 6:18pm
I know an excellent operatic director who knows a number of excellent composers. Let me know when the libretto for The Myth of the Rational Wotan is ready.
Comments are closed.