america, we need to talk

why is everyone so up in arms about freygate? (thanks to lauradorf for finding this article) do people actually care this much? maybe you just love oprah so much that the fact that she was completely duped and went to the extent of phoning in to larry king life to defend the book shatters your world. my response to you is, that's what you get for living in a glass world.

who cares if james frey's "memoirs" are fake? who even cares about james frey? i'd never even heard of him before this. if you're like me, here is some of his work. ooooh he wrote the screenplay for some david schwimmer movie (how do you write in the constant sound of whining anyway?). i'm not impressed. why would anyone want to read his memoirs as opposed to anyone else's?

i am not prone to lying. i don't like it, and i try not to do it. but one area where i'm not really concerned with lying is literature. by literature i mean written works of art, not just any writings. writings to be appreciated in and of themselves (whether or not you like my definition of literature is irrelevant, you now know of what i'm speaking). things such as novels, or even many blogs. lets face it. often times, reality/nonfiction just isnt sexy. if you dont believe me, just click on the "next blog" button for about 10 minutes, or until you want to shoot yourself in the face, whichever is shorter.

to me, the point of literature is primarily the satisfaction of the author. they are producing a work they are satisfied with (until the publishers deprive it of all meaning). part of that is the freedom to convey anything they want to. would you really want to read james frey's truthful memoirs? chapter 1: i was born. chapter 2: i produced grade B (at best) movies. chapter 3: i was never on oprah. i dont think you would.

does the fact that the events in the book arent true make the book less enjoyable? does it matter that the woman slit her wrists as opposed to hanging herself? if it does, 1) you're a sick fuck, and 2) you need to stop living vicariously thru books. dont get me wrong, books are great, but take books for what they are: entertainment, pleasure. it's not like this was some informational textbook and there was a test on it next week, and if you dont put down what really happened in real life on the test you fail. no. you bought the book cuz oprah recommended it (you lemming). and besides, a hanging is much easier to clean up! how considerate frey made her.

think of it like a fruit of the month club (this fruit, not that fruit). if my peach is delicious, do i care if it's from georgia as advertised, or if its really from florida? hell no, i just like that it tastes good.

i dont even think that deep down in people's hearts the outrage is even about the lying. americans have shown that they dont really care if people lie (e.g. 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.). i think more people are devastated that "invincible oprah" got knocked down a peg or two. to these people, i would suggest that perhaps it's time to find a new hero.