July 9, 2014
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Ignorance is only bliss if you know how to use it
Disclaimer: This rant may lead you to accuse me of snobbery. But I care nothing for your accusations. It's a legit rant. And if you feel the need to defend A Game of Thrones, go write your own blog post. I am not inclined to have this brain-numbing conversation more than once.
I read a LOT of classics. So many, that I put a library in my house. My favourite book is Pride and Prejudice. I have multiple editions of my favourite classics. Yeah...I'm one of those people. So while I might not be an authority on literature, I'm enough of an aficionado to know what is good literature.
So when you condescendingly say this to me (in defense of the countless, ridiculous, over-the-top, mass-rape scenes in A Game of Thrones), you can bet every cent you have that I am judging you.
It's an unforgiving world. It's not meant to be our world of progressive thinking. Surely that wasn't lost on you?"
Because what? You thought I was reading A Game of Thrones as a literal reflection of modern day society? Because the green light at the end of Daisy's dock is literally about a green light at the end of an upstate New York pier? Or because the saying, "Have your cake and eat it too" is a literal statement about cake? If you read A Game of Thrones for more than the shiny, gory, bloody, glitz that it is...you'll realize that Martin's portrayal of women -- even "strong" women -- is quite insulting. But this rant isn't about the particulars of the story. It's about the staunch, determination of the ignorant.
Sure, I get that it's your knee-jerk reaction to my opinion that GoT is nothing compared to Lord of the Rings. And yeah, I responded that A Game of Thrones is swill for the low brow when you claimed it was more interesting than LoTR. Believe me, I can see why you were offended. But saying:
The only thing really separating the two is age. LOTR would not be as popular or beloved in this day and age.
clearly shows that you don't know the difference between popular and classic. This is like saying Nickelback will out last Mozart...or Lindsay Lohan is more elegant than Audrey Hepburn...or Teletubbies is better than Sesame Street. UHM HELLO!!! NEVER!!! A Game of Thrones may make for excellent television (or so I'm told, since I have never watched), but the books are not classic literature.
This is the third conversation in as many days where someone has tried to assert some level of expertise in areas where they have no knowledge.
You want to be indignant? You want to be offended? Go. Be indignant. Be offended. Passive-aggressively write mean things about me on your FB wall. I don't care. I don't try to talk you out of your ignorance. I'm more than willing to let you publicly flaunt your lack of knowledge. But don't waste my time. We don't need to "discuss" it. Really.
