17 Comments

Thanks - I needed to be reminded of this!

I think I read it in "Watching the English" by Kate Fox that the working class and the upper class have a lot more in common than these two with all the middle classes.

This is such an interesting topic that I wish you could elaborate on it more ;)

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Rereading that one really made me think yet again about some of my painful writing processes. Just write where the pen and tips of fingers lead you, it may be unintelligible or a work of genius. You'll only know when it's done anyway... Thanks as always Tom!

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"Either read big, intimidating serious books or read fun trash." - haha this is literally the motto I go by!! (not sure where this post lies on the curve - let's just say the right)

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Though it's called Medium, not median, I feel the impulse to cancel that subscription now an instead hand that money to you.

Such eloquence demands reward and deserves recognition.

Where your verbal capabilities are unquestionable, your logic seems to be on the sweet threshold of the Dunning-Kruger-Graph, still warranting imposter syndrome, providing you with a healthy humility and impulse to improve yet already beyond the midwit's territory, in my humble opinion.

Keep up the good work. I look forward to reading it.

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Thomas! Good stuff! (This comment is to be placed on the left side of the curve).

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founding

First of all, congrats with 2k subs! Glad to be a 0.0005th part of it, and a 0.019th part of 'Literally Just Outside'.

I'll just throw two random facts this time (is this a way to avoid the middle? who knows):

1. Dostoevsky too feared the middle: "Most of all I dread mediocrity : a work should either be very good or very bad, but, for its life, not mediocre. Mediocrity that takes up thirty printed sheets is something quite unpardonable."

2. There is a french word 'Nanar' that describes particularly cinema that is "so bad, it's good". It's used to group something like B-movies, thrash-kind-of-films, that are notoriously bad yet 'watchable' because of their naiveness and almost surreal bad production. Some of these films, like The Room, have become iconic and have some cultural value (paradoxically). (shameless self-promo plug - I'm writing a piece about that 🤞)

Cheers,

John

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Jun 13, 2021Liked by Thomas J Bevan

“Saunter or sprint”

Reminds me of the magnanimous man in Aristotle’s ethics: he talks slowly and does little, saving his energy for the truly grand endeavors while ignoring the midwit hustle. Something to live by.

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Jun 13, 2021Liked by Thomas J Bevan

Loved this! I wonder if you can be both far left of the curve (simpleton) in certain areas outside your circle of competence and far-right while solidly operating within what you know best. In other words, it's domain-dependent. Or is this a blanket, "way of life" attitude?

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deletedJun 17, 2021Liked by Thomas J Bevan
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