The golden age of Slog.

I miss QuestionLand.

Watch "Jim Norton vs Lindy West" on YouTube. If she had any credibility left before that she didn't have any after.

@4: I was looking for your book at SeaTac this morning. Long flight ahead, my cell was dead so I figured an actual book might be a nice way to pass the time. Saw Shrill front and center in more than one store, but couldn't didn't see yours anywhere...

I still have this on my fridge, a now yellowing clipping from Lindy's 2011 piece "Concessions 90210":

The motel I stayed at is next to a fancy new outdoor mall in Glendale called the Americana. The Americana is an America-themed theme park located in America so that Americans can finally experience a taste of American culture! I couldn't wait! The Americana has a Cheesecake Factory, a Barnes & Noble, a pointless novelty trolley for idiots, a gigantic golden statue of a naked dude (because America), and a cupcake store that sells "cake-batter-flavored" cupcakes (SO INFURIATING I CANNOT EVEN GET INTO IT). I went to the movies.

@1

Lindy West is someone who intimidates you.

@4 I didn't watch the video you recommended to see Lindy West lose all of her credibility, but is that the debate where Jim Norton was impressed with Lindy because "she presented her points and defended them intelligently" as she "gave a well thought out opinion"?

www.xojane.com/issues/jim-norton-lindy-w…

I cannot agree with any Lindy West listicle (ugh) that does not include this: http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/disco…

@4, I watched that back when it was current and watched it again now, and I... I can't see how she lost ANY credibility at all. And, BTW, I like Jim Norton. Perhaps you can flesh out what I'm missing here. I know Norton talked a lot more. And perhaps Lindy is slightly more articulate in writing. But, they were kinda saying the same thing from different viewpoints. That's what I see.
Did you read "How to make a rape joke"? That's the context for that video.

This link seems to work better for me @7. Well, we'll see.

http://www.xojane.com/issues/jim-norton-…

The only question is, does it take a huge ego to pen a memoir in your early thirties, or merely a large one?

@2: Amen. Remember all the Fnarf vs. Will in Seattle? Good times.

@11

How clever of you to apply the words "huge" and "large" to her without explicitly mentioning her body. But Lindy is an above average writer, and I'm sure her book sales will not be completely overshadowed by yours and her reading audiences will be at least half the size of the crowds you draw.

@13: Wow, completely on your own on that leap. Stop projecting your feelings onto me, you are the only one of us thinking about her body.

But I am sure she will get more readers than me, memoirs from young internet stars certainly attract more eyes than boring old literary criticism. Hell, I don't even get any money from it, and have no way of knowing if anyone actually reads it. Which they likely don't.

@14

Anyone who knows her work knows that she's written about her body. Her first "serious" (and brilliantly written) piece that I can recall was entitled "Hello, I Am Fat." I have no idea if you will claim ignorance, but everyone who's been around Slog knows about that.

The internet may be a vehicle for her fame. But if she gets good sales, it will be because she's a damn good writer. And if you don't, it's probably because you don't have the talent or depth of intelligence that well-known public intellectuals do.

@16- I have no dog in this fight, but equating sales to quality of work is suspect. I love much of what I've read from Lindy West, but it is specifically not 'Intellectual'. The entire joy of it is that it is semi-reasoned, enjoyable writing on topics of interest. In the most positive way, she is equivalent to Chuck Klosterman- always entertaining, often sharp, usually witty.

I'm disappointed her review of the Phantom Menace didn't make the cut.

@16: Ok, so she has written about her body. Not sure what that has to do with you projecting your weird overprotective feelings about her body onto me, but whatever.

Also, you are the one who brought up my work and for some reason decided to make some weird claim about popularity and sales. Why do I care about how many books she sells? What effect could that possibly have on me? Why are we talking about book sales all of a sudden?

You seem to be trying to force me into a pissing contest with this woman for some reason. But you are the only one who cares, so enjoy. Maybe you can imagine some kind of boxing match, or maybe some 1-on-1 basketball between us next, let me know how that one goes in your head!

@20:

It would appear that "pissing-match mode" has been engaged...

I might have to pick up a copy of this one. I loved the stuff she produced for the Stranger. Her story about confronting her cruellest troll was also pretty great (though that was long after she left of course), but mostly because people seem to always give me a weird look when I reference one of her works. I feel like this would give me a little bit of cover that I'm not some online stalker. (Or would this only make it worse?)

On an unrelated note, great photo of Lindy. Perfect mix of "classic Hollywood starlet" and "brooding intellectual" both.

@11 etc: So tell us Theodore, would you say those grapes are like a green apple kind of sour or more of a Sour Patch Kids kind of sour?

I am having such fun reading these! The Game of Thrones piece gets quoted in our house every Sunday. I'll be getting Lindy's book this weekend. Very excited!

Oh and one may not care for her writing, that's totes legit, but to disparage her because of her age is ridiculous. Young people do manage to accomplish things. One wonders if after reading The Diary of Anne Frank, Theodore hurumphed something about why anyone would care about what a little girl in an attic thought about anything.

Just finished listening to it on Audible (hold the jeers) as narrated by the author. It's a really great read or listen.

@Lissa: Sour grapes is when you pretend not to want something that you actually do want, because you can't have it:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fox_an…

I can't tell how you are trying to use it here. I can't say I have ever attempted to sell a memoir, or any books for that matter.

I admittedly know little about Ms. West, although Seatackled really wanted me to know that she is fat. What has she done or been through that is historically comparable to hiding in an attic from Nazis?

@28: Why don't you read the book and find out? ;)

@28- don't you realize that the oppression and troubles a middle-class white woman from Seattle experiences are comparable to a Jewish person during the nazi regime?

Awww look at you missing the point. Here, let me give you another example:
Henry David Thoreau, well off, and 28 when he wrote his little long form Live Journal entry.
The point, and stay with me you two, is that youth is not a disqualification.
Theodore seems to think (as evidenced by his comment @11) that it is, that to write about one's experiences at an early age is to over estimate the value of those experiences.
He should have just cut to the chase and yelled at those kids to get off his lawn.

Awwww, look at you being condescending AND missing the point. I never said her age mattered. YOU tried to make the bizzare parallel between the experiences of Anne Frank and lindy as somehow being equal, I pointed out how absurd you are.

@32: Please re read my comment. No wait I'll just repost the pertinent bits for you:
youth is not a disqualification.
Theodore seems to think (as evidenced by his comment @11) that it is, that to write about one's experiences at an early age is to over estimate the value of those experiences. I used Anne Frank as an example to point out the absurdity of that position.
To wit: Anne Frank was very young and yet her age ( bolded for your benefit Francis) does not disqualify her experience from being worth reading.
Get it?
A person's age does not prohibit them from having experienced events worth writing about.
I was not comparing the experiences of Anne Frank to Lindy West's.
And may I suggest that if you are going double down and try to posit that the bar for memoirs should be set at the Hiding From Nazis level, don't bother embarrassing yourself.

@33 "What has she done or been through that is historically comparable to hiding in an attic from Nazis?"- theodore

"Why don't you read the book and find out? ;)- lissa

You certainly implied that, you witless twit.

And nowhere did I say her age was a factor.

GO FUCK YOURSELF- (in all caps for your benefit Lissa)

"And may I suggest that if you are going double down and try to posit that the bar for memoirs should be set at the Hiding From Nazis level, don't bother embarrassing yourself."

Never said that either, lissa. Again, GFY.

@ 34: Nope. You misunderstood. And no you didn't, Theodore did. You misunderstood my response to him.
Thanks for the all caps. Do you not know how to bold?
And no, @ 35: you didn't double down.
But we both know you wanted to.
XOXO