Sunday, September 21, 2008

Rant: Stupidity, Please Mock

Well, we all knew it...the blog is just like the world in revealing the many aspects of human nature. But it happens to be different than the world in that any individual can have their ignorance and stupidity crystallized and revealed for the rest of the world in the way of all fast media.

Therefore, without further ado, I have the displeasure of outing this particularly self-insular and self-centered piece of writing by a young man who had never heard of David Foster Wallace until Wallace's recent sad death.

On the blog, as on in the real world, not knowing something doesn't always imply that the person is not famous; it can just be a pointer at one's own lack of knowledge in certain arenas. Given that all of us are necessarily limited in knowledge due to the limitations of the human brain and time on this earth (I fully admit my ignorance of all things related to pop culture, mathematics and science), there's no problem with that. However, what is a problem is mistaking a serious writer who suffered from a debilitating mental disease as a sensation- and fame-seeker.

Mr. Matthew T. Sussman could only have made such a mistake in ignoring his own ignorance of a very well-known American writer and foolishly deciding to turn his ignorance into a sensation- and fame-seeking piece on David Foster Wallace. He should feel ashamed for his lack of intellectual curiosity as well as a lack of intellectual honesty. In both traits, he is the exact opposite of David Foster Wallace whose writing is much admired for displaying an energetic curiosity towards all things and all beings in the world as well as the ability to work through intellectual questions in a discerning manner.

5 comments:

Professor Marvel said...

Oh, shit yeah! The Workshop is so very posty lately. I love it.

SJ said...

Professor Marvel,

I requested you mock, not enthuse. Please learn to follow instructions.

Postillion

King of Balls said...

Mr. Sussman, I will find you and punish you. Do not mess with my deceased employer. Fear the wrath of King of Balls.

Oh, but you're so ignorant it's hard to be angry. But ... your life is sad if you got to your age without reading DFW. You are sad, sad, sad.

Anonymous said...

True. Anyone who calls himself a writer without having read DFW is much to be pitied. Perhaps we should send him a condolence card for lacking so much in his sad life.

King of Balls said...

Some day maybe he'll read DFW. Then, he'll feel like an idiot. No question.