tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20433842.post8108454921849548345..comments2024-03-07T12:57:35.296-05:00Comments on Varieties of Unreligious Experience: Michael Crow: anatomy of vanityConrad H. Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01916542057749474124noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20433842.post-91074462197960937692006-10-24T09:19:00.000-04:002006-10-24T09:19:00.000-04:00Wow, a lot of comments!
Yusef: "why this particul...Wow, a lot of comments!<br /><br />Yusef: "why this particular one caught your attention."<br /><br />Good question. Maybe it seemed excessive even for its genre; maybe, on the other hand, it was chosen for its representativeness.<br /><br />Uke: Thanks. No, I haven't seen it.<br /><br />Hermit: I do take it as a compliment, gratefully received. I hope you will continue to enjoy what I write. In actual fact, I do share your reluctance to a whole heart: I think this blog is a testament to my unwillingness to write about any subject wholeheartedly, or at least wholebrainedly.Conrad H. Rothhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01916542057749474124noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20433842.post-46148424958682012932006-10-23T23:42:00.000-04:002006-10-23T23:42:00.000-04:00"I think there is genuine value in deflating... th..."I think there is genuine value in deflating... the egos of the powerful."<br /><br />I certainly agree, but it just didn't seem to me (from an outsider's perspective) that Crow and his unfortunate hagiographer were the kind of towering figures who deserved to have your considerable talents employed so incisively against them. But, on reflection, it was more than a little presumptuous of me to say that it was "unworthy" of you - please take it as a compliment to the overall excellence of your blog, which I have been enjoying for some time now.<br /><br />"Is there anything which one should do unwholeheartedly?"<br /><br />I am by nature skeptical and reserved, and thus generally reluctant to engage in <i>anything</i> wholeheartedly. I am, however, willing to entertain the possibility that this is a character flaw.<br /><br /><i>a little thought</i>, I am occasionally a paid hack myself (though in the field of politics, not PR), and I certainly do not think the 'communications' profession itself is necessarily contemptible. But I do think that to engage in it knowing it is a bit shameful is somehow worse than simply to be mediocre and unaware of it. I can only hope that I will one day attain a height from which I can say this condescendingly - and I hope that by then I will have the good grace not to do so. Sorry if I gave any offense.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20433842.post-84245799700086047672006-10-23T23:39:00.000-04:002006-10-23T23:39:00.000-04:00"Pas bien dans la peau" describes his look in that...<i>"Pas bien dans la peau"</i> describes his look in that photo perfectly.<br /><br />Did you ever see the movie <i>On the Town?</i> It contains a profile of a character called "Miss Turnstile" that seems very similar to this one.Uke Xensenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14925310033193507314noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20433842.post-14856793644762551152006-10-23T23:31:00.000-04:002006-10-23T23:31:00.000-04:00These magazines are sales brochures... they are se...These magazines are sales brochures... they are selling an image of a life... and the life of this man is the kind of life which the market favors... the image which finds buyers...this magazine article is typical, it's normal... which made me wonder why this particular one caught your attention.Yusef Asabiyahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09952818400295047607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20433842.post-63171875799839568592006-10-23T20:58:00.000-04:002006-10-23T20:58:00.000-04:00"But it is unworthy of you, and a bit mean-spirite..."But it is unworthy of you, and a bit mean-spirited. It should perhaps remain a guilty pleasure, indulged in only occasionally, and never wholeheartedly."<br /><br />Well, I do indulge only occasionally. Is there anything which one should do unwholeheartedly? Mean-spirited, I confess; but it is not all jest, and I think there is genuine value in deflating (even if here, where hardly anyone will read it) the egos of the powerful.Conrad H. Rothhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01916542057749474124noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20433842.post-57148069701277186662006-10-23T19:06:00.000-04:002006-10-23T19:06:00.000-04:00Hermit, as one of those hacks, I doubt we're deser...Hermit, as one of those hacks, I doubt we're deserving of one's pity, unless it's a pity borne our of condescension.Andrew W.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00071098030747838202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20433842.post-2028974451080065822006-10-23T17:30:00.000-04:002006-10-23T17:30:00.000-04:00When I first read the article in question, I wonde...When I first read the article in question, I wondered why ASU couldn't have afforded better writing. A more subtle biography could help calm the agitators and inspire alumni donations. <br /><br />As currently written, the article deserves the skepticism it inspires in Conrad (and many others!). It dwells on personal details that add bathos rather than depth, replacing what could have been a narrative about Crow's ideas with a bald Horatio Alger "rags to riches" parable. <br /> <br />A lighter touch, next time perhaps?Pretzel Benderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07499362737998089533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20433842.post-86260618714183155202006-10-23T16:36:00.000-04:002006-10-23T16:36:00.000-04:00It's always pleasurable to look for the cracks in ...<i>It's always pleasurable to look for the cracks in a PR job.</i><br /><br />But it is unworthy of you, and a bit mean-spirited. It should perhaps remain a guilty pleasure, indulged in only occasionally, and never wholeheartedly.<br /><br />And I wonder, <i>a little thought</i>, whether the profile is indeed shameless. Perhaps some prostitutes of the pen know deep down that they are hacks, and perhaps some modern titans know the chests they thump are hollow. Are they not all-the-more pitiable for this?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20433842.post-77963457164915384782006-10-23T11:26:00.000-04:002006-10-23T11:26:00.000-04:00Yes, that's exactly the right word, 'vulgar'. My w...Yes, that's exactly the right word, 'vulgar'. My wife said that even if every word were true, she still wouldn't want that article written about her.<br /><br />It's always pleasurable to look for the cracks in a PR job.Conrad H. Rothhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01916542057749474124noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20433842.post-60806451349433265402006-10-23T11:09:00.000-04:002006-10-23T11:09:00.000-04:00It's quite vulgar, isn't it?
The shamelessness ...It's quite vulgar, isn't it? <br /><br />The shamelessness of it. Sometimes this is where you'd like some honesty: "Alumni, despite what you've heard, Crow's the man, so keep sending those cheques! Your donations are in good hands."<br /><br />But the lack of honesty is the hallmark of advertising, isn't it?Andrew W.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00071098030747838202noreply@blogger.com