coming back to the gigantic and crucial theoretical debate that held pen-l
by the throat recently (until comrade Sawicki pointed out the correct path
to us all), I bought a copy of THE DILBERT FUTURE: THRIVING ON STUPIDITY IN
THE 21ST CENTURY (50 per cent off at BookStar). Scott Adams writes:
"In a departure from the past, [in this book] I will also say as many
controversial and inflammatory things as I can (i.e., pretending to have
actual opinions). If lots of gullible Induhviduals [i.e., people] get mad at
me, it might generate enough publicity to get me invited as a guest on LARRY
KING LIVE. That's really the goal here. So if you see something that makes
you mad, don't just sit there, organize a protest. I'll chip in for the
poster boards and Magic Markers."
He _wants_ protest, because there's no such thing as bad publicity. This an
example of the classic US problem: cynicism trumps absolutely everything,
until the whole place blows up.
BTW, the book isn't as funny as the other one I read, THE DILBERT PRINCIPLE.
It's not funny at all. I think Adams has been mass-producing humor in order
to exploit his 15 minutes of fame. This is his third book in about a year
and a half. And one can't mass-produce humor. I think his daily strip has
also gone down hill.
In a closing note, I recently saw a sign for a daycare center nearby here in
L.A.: it's the "Shining Path" daycare center! Run by Peruvians?
have happy holidays, nog, and nosh,
Jim Devine
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://clawww.lmu.edu/1997F/ECON/jdevine.html
Academic version of a Bette Midler song: "you are the hot air beneath my wings."
