Becoming the Shiverfish: Adventures in Pretension - Page 2

On March 09 2009 05:48 SpiritoftheTunA wrote:
While one may respond to my post in any way that one likes, I implore all of you not to quote such a long post in order to give a two line response.

Thank you.

On March 09 2009 05:41 SpiritoftheTunA wrote:


4. End all of your disclosures with a section of illusory vulnerability.
The lesser individual always has hope that he or she is not a lesser individual, and stemming from this, comes the inner wish that intellectual superiority is an illusion. If you create a illumination that does not support these individuals' flawed ideals, then they will ignore it as a whole, because they will be unable to accept that such a work could simultaneously improve their understanding of the world and destroy their fragile, beloved vision of an intellectually egalitarian reality. While the suggestion was made not to bother with the people too unintelligent to benefit from your illuminations, these such people do not fall into that category; they are in a middle ground, between the enlighteners, such as yourself, and the unenlightenable, such as the aforementioned. Therefore, you must construct statements revealing a false vulnerability, such as admitting that your prose makes you sound childish or admitting that you are unqualified to discuss all the material that you have just discussed. While you know that you are not actually childish and that you are perfectly qualified, these statements will serve to appease the masses' everlasting hunger for proof that they are not simply the uneducated masses. Additional techniques to provide the image of vulnerability include showing attributes of you that could be perceived as weaker or less intellectually superior, such as by admitting that you watch anime. However, you must maintain the independence of your own thoughts and remind the audience that you discovered your own ideas with your intellect.

On March 10 2009 12:04 Shiverfish wrote:
Thank you so much for writing this. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and it had me laughing throughout.

One of the most striking points you made was number 1. That's actually exactly my attitude when it comes to a lot of things. Spending time around stubborn, over-dramatic people may have caused this. If I realize that no matter what I say the other person will not take heed of any of it, why bother with creating additional conflict? I avoid the work and trouble of this stress.

Your post was extremely rewarding for me to read. Ideas such as the number 1 above are so closely attuned to my own beliefs. The fact that a reader was able to extract this feeling and thought from my writing style (as far as I know it was not explicitly stated) means that I am actually getting some of my ideas out successfully. As you know, of course, writing is a limited exercise, an art which I am trying to practice.

In addition, another one of my hopes was to leave some worthwhile impressions on the reader. That you made a kind of tribute post specifically for me makes me feel honoured. I truly do want to participate more in the discussions and responding to replies, but I regret I do not have enough time lately.

On March 10 2009 14:34 SpiritoftheTunA wrote:
typoes, whatever dude

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