The taint of popularity, the inner animal

[Tabouli]

You know, when I got back from Adelaide, I had this bright idea that I could get individual posts on the OT-Chatter list, and that way I could save disk space by deleting the ones I didn't want instead of getting digests.  Alas.  You're all being Too Interesting!  Now I'm swimming in billions of single posts longing for the tidiness of Digests again!  Er, Mods, I think I'll have to have an off-stage word...

Mahoney:
> But singling out the Harry Potter books smacks of 
sensationalism ~ of using a popular work to make a point based not on 
the work's merits (or supposed lack thereof, in this case) but on the 
fact that the work is so popular that it's 'shocking' yet vogue-ishly 
witty to put it down.  Not to mention that by drawing the 
stereotypical 'popular=crap' connection means that Levey doesn't 
actually have to put any effort into supporting his statement.<

Yes!  Ooohooo, one of my pet hates!  Yes, folks, it's Highbrow Snidery, coming soon to a quality newspaper near you!  Poor ol' Harry, he's a victim of his own popularity.  I've always stridently disapproved of people who let popularity influence their artistic "tastes".  Ten years ago, my then boyfriend was obsessed with this obscure thrash band called Nirvana.  He wore their T shirts, bought their albums, and stuck their posters on his walls.  Then they became Popular (shock horror!) and he immediately ditched the lot!  He was unrepentant... before his liking for Nirvana was a cool expression of individuality; now the band and all its works were tainted popular culture pursued by the masses.  I shake my head cynically.

> Elia - whose daemon would probably be a mongoose

Not sure about how this daemon thing works, but a few years ago a South African friend of mine was obsessively assigning animals to everyone (said friend takes this process very seriously, to the point of reading up on the habits of the wolf to help her understand her lupine boyfriend better).  When I turned up in South Africa, all defictionalised, I naturally asked her what animal she thought I was, and to my disappointment she couldn't place me!  (bush baby maybe?  Hmm, not sure, etc.)  Later, however, after I got home, someone came up with the idea that I was a mongoose.  I rather liked this idea.  Much more flattering than some other suggestions people gave me, like squirrel (squirrel!  I ask you!  Her argument was that I was small and scurried around gathering information.  Hmmm...), or lorikeet (what?? Don't give me this!  His argument was that I was small, colourful and noisy, and liked eating fruit.  HMMMMM...)

>David, a bat or small monkey<

Then again...!

Tabouli (who according to Chinese astrology is a Water Rat, which though lacking in immediate appeal is actually IMO pretty accurate from all the books I've consulted.  Worryingly, the Year of the Horse, starting soon, is not meant to be a good year for Rats, though when I worry about this I remind myself that 2000 *was* meant to be a good year for Rats, and was in fact ghastly from beginning to end)

P.S. Why a bat or small monkey, David? (asks Tabouli, maintaining a strictly straight face)


P.P.S. Much as I'm dying to comment on all the Viggo and Meat Market Index stuff, I really must sleep.  Maybe tomorrow.


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