Date: April 25th, 2006 7:43 AM Author: Cerebral lodge generalized bond
This is a really shameful episode for xoxohth. Here's a beautiful, intelligent, talented, fun-loving and sophisticated young woman--the type of woman who broke the glass ceiling that normalized misogyny (i.e., xoxohth) constructed, a young woman showing promise in a male-dominated field, and what do you do? Rather than celebrating her enterprising and pioneering spirit, you want to kick her down. This hiccup in her life, a mistake ANYONE could make, is an occasion for you all to jump on her and spitefully rub salt in her wounds.
Remember that her English literature professors recognized her talent. Remember that a major publishing company offered her a half million dollar advance. Remember that she was admitted to the most prestigious higher education institute on the planet. Remember that before you scuff at her achievements.
She has apologized. Accept her apology and move on. She has so much more to offer, if only we, as a community, stop holding her to ever arbitrary standards of excellence. Nobody's perfect. As it goes, Kaavya is about as close as they get. Far better that we encourage her talent than torment her more than the Promethean impulse which already beckons to her artistic spirit. There is no creature more sensitive than the artist--sensitive to the joys of life, as some have spitefully argued, yes--but sensitive also to its sorrows. Must we drive her to madness, to shame, to degradation, to despair, to ruin, to damnation, to suicide, and to ridicule before we are satisfied? Is it not enough that she is human for us to love her? If you prick her, does she not bleed? If you tickle her, does she not laugh? If you poison her, does she not die? And if you wrong her, shall she not revenge?
In summary, I should like to give utterance to these prophetic and entirely original words:
I see the Crimson, and the Times, the Post, the Independent, the Tribune, and xoxohth, long ranks of renewed oppressors who have risen on the destruction of this tender flower, perishing by this same retributive instrument, before it shall cease out of its current use. I see a beautiful woman and brilliant novelist rising from this woeful wasteland, and in her struggle to be truly successful, in her triumphs and defeats, though long long to come, I see the evil of this time and of the previous time of which this is the inevitable birth, eventually making expiation for itself and wearing out.
I see the literary genius for whom McCafferty lays down her copyright, peaceful, useful, prosperious and happy, in that New Jersey which she shall see no more. I see Kaavya with a second book upon her bosom, which bears her name. I see her father, worn and tired, but otherwise restored, and faithful to all humanity in his healing office, and at repose. I see the good old counselor, so long their friend, in ten months' time enriching them with all she has, and passing tranquilly to an office
I see that 170 specialty shops hold sanctuary in her heart, and in the hearts of her customers, weekends hence. I see her, an old woman, weeping for joy on the anniversary of this day. I see her and her agent, their course done, lying side by side in their last earthly bed, and I know that each was not more honored and held sacred in the other's soul, than that half million dollar advance was in the souls of both.
I see that book which lay upon her bosom and which bore her name, published, winning its way up in that path of life which once was McCafferty's. I see it winning so well, that its name is made illustrious there by light of sales. I see the blots McCafferty threw upon it, faded away. I see it, foremost of chick-lit and bestsellers, bearing itself with a paperback that I know and golden letters, to this place--then lovely to look upon, with a trace of this day's disfigurement--and I hear her reading McCafferty's story, with a tender and a faltering voice.
It is a far, far better thing she does, than anything we might have done; it is far, far better rest this oopsie goes to than any Kaavya has ever known.
Date: April 25th, 2006 7:50 AM Author: Fragrant Tan Cuckoldry
Date: April 25th, 2006 7:43 AM
Author: majorporcupine
This is a really shameful episode for xoxohth. Here's a beautiful, intelligent, talented, fun-loving and sophisticated young woman--the type of woman who broke the glass ceiling that normalized misogyny (i.e., xoxohth) constructed, a young woman showing promise in a male-dominated field, and what do you do? Rather than celebrating her enterprising and pioneering spirit, you want to kick her down. This hiccup in her life, a mistake ANYONE could make, is an occasion for you all to jump on her and spitefully rub salt in her wounds.
Remember that her English literature professors recognized her talent. Remember that a major publishing company offered her a half million dollar advance. Remember that she was admitted to the most prestigious higher education institute on the planet. Remember that before you scuff at her achievements.
She has apologized. Accept her apology and move on. She has so much more to offer, if only we, as a community, stop holding her to ever arbitrary standards of excellence. Nobody's perfect. As it goes, Kaavya is about as close as they get. Far better that we encourage her talent than torment her more than the Promethean impulse which already beckons to her artistic spirit. There is no creature more sensitive than the artist--sensitive to the joys of life, as some have spitefully argued, yes--but sensitive also to its sorrows. Must we drive her to madness, to shame, to degradation, to despair, to ruin, to damnation, to suicide, and to ridicule before we are satisfied? Is it not enough that she is human for us to love her? If you prick her, does she not bleed? If you tickle her, does she not laugh? If you poison her, does she not die? And if you wrong her, shall she not revenge?
In summary, I should like to give utterance to these prophetic and entirely original words:
I see the Crimson, and the Times, the Post, the Independent, the Tribune, and xoxohth, long ranks of renewed oppressors who have risen on the destruction of this tender flower, perishing by this same retributive instrument, before it shall cease out of its current use. I see a beautiful woman and brilliant novelist rising from this woeful wasteland, and in her struggle to be truly successful, in her triumphs and defeats, though long long to come, I see the evil of this time and of the previous time of which this is the inevitable birth, eventually making expiation for itself and wearing out.
I see the literary genius for whom McCafferty lays down her copyright, peaceful, useful, prosperious and happy, in that New Jersey which she shall see no more. I see Kaavya with a second book upon her bosom, which bears her name. I see her father, worn and tired, but otherwise restored, and faithful to all humanity in his healing office, and at repose. I see the good old counselor, so long their friend, in ten months' time enriching them with all she has, and passing tranquilly to an office
I see that 170 specialty shops hold sanctuary in her heart, and in the hearts of her customers, weekends hence. I see her, an old woman, weeping for joy on the anniversary of this day. I see her and her agent, their course done, lying side by side in their last earthly bed, and I know that each was not more honored and held sacred in the other's soul, than that half million dollar advance was in the souls of both.
I see that book which lay upon her bosom and which bore her name, published, winning its way up in that path of life which once was McCafferty's. I see it winning so well, that its name is made illustrious there by light of sales. I see the blots McCafferty threw upon it, faded away. I see it, foremost of chick-lit and bestsellers, bearing itself with a paperback that I know and golden letters, to this place--then lovely to look upon, with a trace of this day's disfigurement--and I hear her reading McCafferty's story, with a tender and a faltering voice.
It is a far, far better thing she does, than anything we might have done; it is far, far better rest this oopsie goes to than any Kaavya has ever known.
Date: April 25th, 2006 8:03 AM Author: erotic galvanic church building party of the first part
Bullshit. She stole someone else's work and attempted to pass it off as her home. That's theft. Pure and simple. She then took money in exchange for the work she knew to be stolen. That's fraud. Pure and simple.
If someone was to steal my car and sell it to a unsuspecting victim, should we forgive her because (a) she happens to be female and (b) she happens to have got into a good school through a copmbination of luck on a standardized test and a lenient AA program?
Date: April 25th, 2006 10:38 AM Author: erotic galvanic church building party of the first part
I've heard of sarcasm and satire. And I saw the heavy handed, half-assed, high-school creative writing class level attempts to pick up the soliloquys from MoV and TTC. You just really, really suck at this.
Date: April 25th, 2006 11:29 AM Author: Cerebral lodge generalized bond
As opposed to heavy handed, half-assed, high-school creative writing class level attempts to pick up random phrases from "Sloppy Firsts"? Damn, if only I were so talented....
Date: April 25th, 2006 10:49 AM Author: curious library filthpig
" Here's a beautiful, intelligent, talented, fun-loving and sophisticated young woman--the type of woman who broke the glass ceiling that normalized misogyny (i.e., xoxohth) constructed"
Date: April 25th, 2006 11:58 AM Author: Cerebral lodge generalized bond
Thank you. I think you are points are important to consider when reading my post. In fact, I think your points were the tacit points of my post. But thanks for wording it explicitly.
I've read her writing, and I doubt it's even above-average by Harvard standards. I bet the professors who lauded her were adjuncts or otherwise just misled. Anyway, your claim that "professors are idiots at times" may hold, though I'd attribute their failure to recognize her lack of talent to the fact that they are either outside of her specialty, or too talented. A truly great writer is going to have trouble differentiating between a merely good writer (say, 95th percentile H undergrad) and a mediocre one (average H undergrad) and might misrecognize the latter as the former.
"Remember that she was admitted to the most prestigious higher education institute on the planet."
Ugh. Compare Yale/Harvard Law, or any top-40 math, physics, or econ department, and Harvard College looks awfully pale in comparison. She got into Harvard College; so what? Most HC grads do not go on to do anything substantial or interesting.
Nice! You shouldn't have admitted that it was flame, sarcasm, or plagiarism. You could've gotten to 100+ with this, then.
For what it's worth, though, I don't see many more 100+ threads in Kaavya's future. I think the subject is tapped out at this point. We'll probably go retro... back to tubgirl. In fact, Kaavya's writing segues well into 'da tubster.
Let's just say Kaavya == tubgirl. (I use two '=' characters because this is not a Java-style assignment statement; Kaavya was tubgirl even before we observed, and stated, the fact. Indeed, she was probably tubgirl before there even was a tubgirl.)
Date: April 26th, 2006 12:46 PM Author: Hilarious Chrome Dilemma
i think that there might be some good quotes from les miserables or the count of monte cristo you could have incorporated. nonetheless, one of the best posts i've seen in a while.