Independent, Unbribed
Reviews & Opinions
I'm my own koala. Am I unbribeable? Of course not. Like everyone else in the world, it depends on circumstances, quantity, what's on offer, and the mood I'm in at the time.
Sadly (!?), no-one's ever made me an offer that combines all those factors. But that's just an indication of the size of my price, what I would want to be paid with, and the fact I have an unfortunately high moral objection to arseholes who reckon they can buy me.
So, unbribeable? Maybe not, but I doubt anyone would consider a review by me to be worth whatever would be my price.
So what, you're undoubtedly asking. Well, you can trust what I say. Oh, and what I write too. I've scanned a heap of reviewers for various reasons, and I have to say many, and I mean many, are shills for publishers and authors. This doesn't mean they only write positive reviews, oh, no. But when they write negative ones it's very often that they're paid to do.
Yep, it's a shitty old world sometimes. That's why I teach critical thinking. The only way to protect yourself is by questioning what you're told. And sometimes that requires taking time to check someone out.
So, what should you be doing now? That's right, asking why you should believe me. And my answer? Well, no reason at all. I'm not exempt, and neither is what I say or write.
Oh, so, if I'm unbribeable, does that necessarily mean I'm honest? Well, I'm afraid the answer's "No!"
Okay, what do I mean? Well, in my case I'm not purposefully dishonest, and I'm trying to be honest. But, like all humans, I have my faults.
For example, I'm soft. One of my great weaknesses (and, oddly, strengths) as a teacher was I hated giving kids negative comments. I always worked hard to find positive things to say, and to try and see how negatives may be positives. and I tend to do the same for books.
The real problem is that I may not be right. The negative may, in fact, be a fault, and the author should be told. But I know what it's like to write a book. I don't personally know what it's like to give birth, but I've seen a lot, read a lot about them, listened to descriptions of a lot, and been present at two which caused my partner a considerable amount of pain. So I wouldn't make the mistake of comparing writing a book to giving birth.
But, my goodness, it's a tough process and can be intellectually painful and exhausting. And having some aspect of that work criticised by some smarmy know-nothing dickwad is exceptionally upsetting
So, I want to be careful. Very careful. And that may cause me to be a smidgen more positive than possibly I should be. Just as many of my fellow teachers couldn't see what I could see in some students, so also it may sometimes happen that a reader may not see what I've seen in a book. Sorry, but that's life with me, I'm afraid.
And then, I have prejudices. I am not keen on what I regard to be unnecessary violence, especially if it,s placed in a sexual context. I also detest sexism, racism, overt and unnecessary prejudices of all kinds except my own - but even then, at least I have the decency to feel guilty about it. I know my faults, and I'm much more critical of them than anyone else could possibly be.
Sadly (!?), no-one's ever made me an offer that combines all those factors. But that's just an indication of the size of my price, what I would want to be paid with, and the fact I have an unfortunately high moral objection to arseholes who reckon they can buy me.
So, unbribeable? Maybe not, but I doubt anyone would consider a review by me to be worth whatever would be my price.
So what, you're undoubtedly asking. Well, you can trust what I say. Oh, and what I write too. I've scanned a heap of reviewers for various reasons, and I have to say many, and I mean many, are shills for publishers and authors. This doesn't mean they only write positive reviews, oh, no. But when they write negative ones it's very often that they're paid to do.
Yep, it's a shitty old world sometimes. That's why I teach critical thinking. The only way to protect yourself is by questioning what you're told. And sometimes that requires taking time to check someone out.
So, what should you be doing now? That's right, asking why you should believe me. And my answer? Well, no reason at all. I'm not exempt, and neither is what I say or write.
Oh, so, if I'm unbribeable, does that necessarily mean I'm honest? Well, I'm afraid the answer's "No!"
Okay, what do I mean? Well, in my case I'm not purposefully dishonest, and I'm trying to be honest. But, like all humans, I have my faults.
For example, I'm soft. One of my great weaknesses (and, oddly, strengths) as a teacher was I hated giving kids negative comments. I always worked hard to find positive things to say, and to try and see how negatives may be positives. and I tend to do the same for books.
The real problem is that I may not be right. The negative may, in fact, be a fault, and the author should be told. But I know what it's like to write a book. I don't personally know what it's like to give birth, but I've seen a lot, read a lot about them, listened to descriptions of a lot, and been present at two which caused my partner a considerable amount of pain. So I wouldn't make the mistake of comparing writing a book to giving birth.
But, my goodness, it's a tough process and can be intellectually painful and exhausting. And having some aspect of that work criticised by some smarmy know-nothing dickwad is exceptionally upsetting
So, I want to be careful. Very careful. And that may cause me to be a smidgen more positive than possibly I should be. Just as many of my fellow teachers couldn't see what I could see in some students, so also it may sometimes happen that a reader may not see what I've seen in a book. Sorry, but that's life with me, I'm afraid.
And then, I have prejudices. I am not keen on what I regard to be unnecessary violence, especially if it,s placed in a sexual context. I also detest sexism, racism, overt and unnecessary prejudices of all kinds except my own - but even then, at least I have the decency to feel guilty about it. I know my faults, and I'm much more critical of them than anyone else could possibly be.