Re: John Burns: Bitterness Ebbing
Bryan: Perhaps you'd be correct in your comments if J. Purient (sic?) were writing for National Review, Gentlemen's Quarterly, or National Geographic. Now, I am not a worth a Babboon's Asscrack at writing myself, but I AM a conniseur (I like to read). And one of the basic tenants of good prose is to direct your writing to the intended audience. And for this crowd, in this sport, Irreverence, Smart Assology, and a certain amount of venting one's emotions (be they true or merely an exaggeration to show emphasis, as I think they are here), are perfectly appropriate. To be an effective reporter in a small town newspaper, all one must be is factual and a mediocre speller. But to be this and both Entertaining and Recognizable (many MO readers saw John immediately in the V-Rod piece), and to gather a following (Burns clearly has), one must go beyond the basics and develop a real personality that comes through the written word (and actually be able to use a Theasaurus). Damned if I'm not envious.
As for "not liking being made fun of," the tolerance for that comes with emotional maturity - heck, if done good-naturedly, it is a form of flattery. Being ignored is worse than being hated, someone at least has to care about you to hate you. Keep up the Good Work, Burnsie, and if it don't work out, there's always the Puxatawnie Gazzette. Have you picked out a color for your new "Vette yet? Mine's gold.