In yesterday's Evening Standard I got my weekly injection of bad logic, wooly argumentation and general nonsense from Johann Hari. I came to the conclusion some time ago that it would be bad for my blood pressure to read anything by him more than once a week, so Friday is my day for it.
Yesterday, in addition to offering himself to George Michael as a rent boy, Hari said that the book culture in this country was dying. His argument was simple (and I use the term simple as a means of abuse), the web, by offering booksellers a low cost means of continuing their business, was actually killing book culture. Conseuqentially, booksellers that choose this route are to blame as well, that's you Iain, I hope you're happy with yourself and the damage you've done!
Of course, if booksellers are shutting down their store operations to go online, and importantly continue to remain afloat by err.... selling books, then book culture is anything but dead. Just because you can't see the shop doesn't mean it isn't there, well not unless you're some kind of crazy Descartian rationalist who thinks nothing exists but your mind.
7 comments:
I buy most of my books from Amazon, but I do love going into an independent book store too, I know they are struggling to survive against these online companies. the advantage for me is that I live in a village and Amazon offers prompt delivery (except with my memory card which was passed on to a third party).
I do find Smiths boring, but Borders and Waterstones are more fun to shop in.
What? that's not what he said at all, you idiot. He just said it was a bit sad that lots of second hand bookshops were going online, and you couldn't randomly brose through them any more. I agree.
Didn't read the article you mention - but I personally think 'book culture' and reading books in general is dying.
Young people especially do not tend to read anywhere near the number of books they used to, and a major factor in this is use of the internet.
Personally, I can't remember the last time I read a book either...
Awesome, I got called an idiot by an anonymous poster.
Would you provide your name if you were defending Hari?
I like anon's defence, too. To which I would say "if that's all he was saying, how did he fill a freaking column".
His main piece was about the virtues of cruising on Hampstead Heath
Fantasy headline
The web blames book culture for killing Johann Hari.
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