Lileks on Internet schadenfreude
And the million-monkey theory.
… this was a perfect moment to demonstrate how the media overhypes what does not need hyping; how it casually and unconsciously reveals its own class biases by sympathizing with the 12-year old daughter who’s off with the ex-husband (OMG I can relate) and treating the Indonesian / Fillppino crew as a footnote, at best; how the internet reveals the astonishing quantity of pinch-souled mediocrities who daily refute the million-monkey theory: there’s not a single CNN comment thread that would generate the poetry of Shakespeare, no matter how long it ran.
The first two I expect, and the last one’s no surprise. But it’s just remarkable to be reminded how many people take pleasure in mocking some folk who paid money for a vacation and had it go south for no fault of their own. Silly bunts.
His Majesty muttered something about the million-monkey theory and the recent election that I dare not repeat.
Filed under: There are monkeyboys in the compound | Tags: Internet, million monkey theory, schadenfreude
Mogollon Monster
February 15, 2013
AAARRRRHHHHRRRARRRR!
Vader
February 15, 2013
Mr. Mogollon Monster bears an uncanny resemblance to the gentleman who will be acting as best man at my daughter’s upcoming marriage.
Jeeves
February 15, 2013
If I may take the liberty, sir. It is somewhat affected to honor the Mogollon Monster with an honorific. Thank you, sir.
Lon
February 15, 2013
One of the points of the ‘million monkey theory’ is that it takes truly random content generation (and an astronomic amount of it) to get the classics. In a situation somewhat similar to the ‘uncanny valley’ of computer graphics, if you are TRYING to sound smart, you must BE smart… and not faking it.