Author Sherman Alexie Wants to Punch You in the Face

[sirbruce]

Why are we still talking about this guy?

[khalleron]

And I'll state again that there are solar chargers on the market, that will charge a multitude of devices. So if you want to go off-grid, get one of those and charge all your mobile devices.

[Calculon]

Yup! moron.com

On his blog he mentions that a friend of his refers to him as a "communist bastard". Sounds about right coming from someone who refers to ebook readers as "elitist"

What a joke!

[no.guru]

Undead thread begone!

[Robertb]

Originally Posted by sirbruce

The "elitist" class argument simply doesn't hold up. Okay, maybe the poor can't afford Kindles. But you know what, the even POORER can't afford books at all! How can you expect them to spend money on paper and ink when they can't even afford food? What's the long-term environmental impact of all those paper mills killing Mother Earth to make pulp for your pages? And many of them can't even read!

No, if you were truly empathetic you would realize that every disadvantage society thrives on ORAL TRADITION. Thus, you should reject books as elitist, and only allow your work to be transmitted orally by tribal elders around the fire to the children, so they may communicate it to the next generation, and so on.

Well, the 5 inch devices do break new ground... $199 for a really good and fast device giving up 1 diagonal inch and having even 6 inchers beaten on speed of page turns. The Pocket PRO is a good example.

STILL... $199 is a hell of a lot to someone just trying to put food on the table. When I worked for the City of Morgan Hill my job was to help the poor rehabilitate their homes. I saw trailers with no roofs, houses with no power and candles used for light and warmth, floors that had huge holes in them, and even chained-up teenagers knawing at the woodwork (true story). So, I am not stupid enough to think (no offence to anyone) that a $199 Pocket PRO is viable for the poor.

But, Sherman Alexie is not poor. His comments try to start a war where there really is not one. eBook Readers are coming because prices are dropping and they just make a hell of a lot more sense than storing old paperbacks in the attic. They are also coming because from an environmental standpoint they are a lot "greener" and the bleaching of paper is destroying the environment.

I say we send Sherman Alexie to live near a Pulp Paper Mill for a month. That would take the starch out of him!!

[HansTWN]

well, people who don't have enough money to put food on the table won't be buying any pbooks, either.

[Alisa]

Originally Posted by HansTWN

well, people who don't have enough money to put food on the table won't be buying any pbooks, either.

No but we have public lending libraries to help them. Some libraries have started lending devices, too, but they're rare.

[Dennisvjames]

hummm....there's an ebook version of Indian Killers on ebooks.com too.

[TheOn3LeftBehind]

Just saw this. What a dick! Wait! Is he going to get mad because people can read his books for free from the library?! He probably hates libraries too!

[m-reader]

Originally Posted by Ralph Sir Edward

If he wants to punch me out, I can oblige him. Just check the do-drop-inn. I'll be the fat gent with the pearl-handled cattle prod....Red

My thinking too ! What an arse.

[corona]

This is a guy whose opus is pretty much entirely in little magazines, and he's calling me an elitist? Oy vey.

[kindlekitten]

Originally Posted by corona

This is a guy whose opus is pretty much entirely in little magazines, and he's calling me an elitist? Oy vey.

actually, even though the statement is reprehensible, he is a fairly successful author.

[BenLee]

I think people are taking his statement too literally.

He doesn't really want to punch you in the face. That's just something you say about people you feel are doing something wrong. His problem is that he feels elitism itself is wrong and has mistakenly made the connection between elitism and ebook readers. While there may be a connection in some circles, I think most just want to read and are not trying to feel superior by owning these devices.

[Worldwalker]

I bought a Sony PRS-505 because I am not well-off.

Does that sound like a contradiction? It isn't. My primary reason for buying the ereader, as I've put it many times, was to be able to read Project Gutenberg in bed. My secondary reason was to be able to buy ebooks from publishers who sell them cheaper than their pbooks (Baen, for instance). I got my 505 on sale for $200 (which also gave me some Borders Bucks).

Is owning a TV "elitist"? It costs more than an ebook reader. A lot more. And if you're going to purchase paid content for it (i.e., cable TV), you're looking at, in my area, from $40 to $130 a month. That would pay for at least one ebook a week (assuming a $9.99 price point - and I buy from cheaper stores) which is all many people have time to read.

By owning an ebook reader, I can read public domain books, affordably-priced ebooks, etc., instead of walking into a place which is carefully designed to tempt me into buying books when I'm at my most vulnerable. Yes, I'm one of those people who can't leave a bookstore with just the book I went to buy; I love books too much. When I'm trying to economize, it's safer for me to stay away from bookstores. Plus, given that my nearest Borders is a gallon and a half of gas and $2 in tolls from where I live, what I save on driving to Borders once will buy me an ebook from Baen or BVC. And the nearest used bookstore that has anything other than thousands upon thousands of romance novels is even further away.

I don't have an ebook reader because I'm rich; I have one because I'm not. It's the tool I need to access my primary form of entertainment in the most economical fashion.

[delphidb96]

Originally Posted by BenLee

I think people are taking his statement too literally.

He doesn't really want to punch you in the face. That's just something you say about people you feel are doing something wrong. His problem is that he feels elitism itself is wrong and has mistakenly made the connection between elitism and ebook readers. While there may be a connection in some circles, I think most just want to read and are not trying to feel superior by owning these devices.

Oh. Yeah, right. *My* elitism ticks this elitist S.O.B. off. I read the article when it first came out and my opinion of his narrow-minded, shallow elitism hasn't changed since. And you're wrong. He *does* want to punch all of us common, ordinary, everyday ereader owners in the face - otherwise he wouldn't have made the statement. I'll give you that someone who just pops off verbally to his friends or neighbors about how he'd 'like to punch (you/me/someone) in the face' probably is merely venting. But anyone who knowingly makes such a statement to a member of the press, as part of an interview MEANS it.

Derek