I write literature for clowns. If you or anyone you know identifies as a clown, come on over to my Substack. I promise you won't be disappointed. Gay clowns and straight clowns are welcome.
ok, I grew up in the USSR. Apart from regular books, there were 2 very special ones, hard to get, wanted by all. “Desk Book of Future Generals” and “Desk Book of Future Admirals”. Target audience - 8-14 years old boys, cover history of military conflicts starting with Egyptians, modern military technologies, stories about famous warriors and solders, etc. Couldn’t put it down. Read through both 5 or 6 times.
Quite funny. I'm 42. I was in high school 1999-2002. It was a private Catholic college-prep school. We did read Dickens and Chaucer and I do recall reading Cather in the Rye...until some irate parents complained and we had to stop reading the damn book. Outside of school I read 1984, Brave New World, etc. I don't recall books assigned in class being particularly female-oriented, but my memory isn't that great. But kids nowadays: First off, most kids today barely even read at all. And what they do read is often filled with ideological bullshit.
Dude, when you called me a transphobic incel, I lost my mind laughing. What a glorious little essay you have here. I am raising four boys, and I teach at a tiny, private school. I get to pick the books my classes read, and we are about to start The Quest for the Holy Grail. I'll keep your points in mind for next year.
Excuse me, I literally released a book late last year that is absolutely, positively fiction for straight men. If they don’t dig gratuitous sex & violence from the male point of view that is uncompromising & unapologetic I can’t help them.
Didn't you read Twain? Catcher? Steinbeck? Hemingway? Shakespeare? Gabriel Garcia Marquez? Fitzgerald? We did, so it was good to read Secret Garden, Little Women, and stories of "black baseball players." I didn't like it at the time, but I see the value of broadening my white boy experience. "To Kill a Mockingbird" rocked me. So did the "Outsiders." Seems like there was plenty to read to me.
I think its because “rage femmenisn”. Crusaders always go too far. They complain about the patriarchy, but leverage it in a way that as become opposite of equality for all.
I do agree that a male dominant structure suppresses rights, but they fail two see 2 issues.
1. Plutocracy, autocracy, oligarchy, class structures, racism all keep the structures intact. If you try weaken one, the others will fill that space.
Trying to leverage a system that has stresses dominance, the effect still will be dominance. Which is why maybe the idea was equality, but it went to far.
Rage solves nothing, it just makes enemies. We're all individuals in the end.
To be fair, there's too many war vet autobiographies, too. I get it. You went to war blah blah blah. Your life was tough so you channelled your trauma into special forces selection. Copy paste.
I enjoyed this article. I thought you were funny. Thankfully all my teachers at Trintiy Lutheran School had decent taste in books. I dont remember much that was assigned reading outside of the Bible. But in 3rd Grade my teacher Mrs. Romance read us all the Ralph S Mouse books by Beverly Cleary. I thought damn this mouse has a motorcycle and a sports car. Not as cool as Optimus Prime or Ezekiel raising a zombie army to fight for the Jews but still pretty metal. Later on in like sixth grade the most boring book I had to read was Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell. Granted a story about a girl lving alone on an island and surving for 18 years wasnt as riviting as Ehud the left handed assassin in the book of Judges who kills an obese king. While in the process of murde, Ehud ruptures the ruler's bowels and then tells the servants not to bother the king because he was taking a shit. In comparison its hard to measure up to that sort of storytelling. It wasnt till i got to public high school and had to read The grapes of wrath that I was truly bored out of my mind with an assigned book. I really am glad that I dodnt have to read the books you referrence in your article. My mom did read me Stephen Kings Eyes of Dragon when I was in like 7th or 8th grade so that was kinda cool. At that point I was reading books like Heaven Cent by Piers Anthony and Friday by Robert Heinlein. My mom read to me alot growing up but the Stephen King sticks out the most besides when she read me and my sister Psalm 137:9 for the first time.
I write literature for clowns. If you or anyone you know identifies as a clown, come on over to my Substack. I promise you won't be disappointed. Gay clowns and straight clowns are welcome.
Thank you for acknowledging this underserved class 🫡 will be checking it out!
ok, I grew up in the USSR. Apart from regular books, there were 2 very special ones, hard to get, wanted by all. “Desk Book of Future Generals” and “Desk Book of Future Admirals”. Target audience - 8-14 years old boys, cover history of military conflicts starting with Egyptians, modern military technologies, stories about famous warriors and solders, etc. Couldn’t put it down. Read through both 5 or 6 times.
Should be in every home.
I completely agree with almost all of this, but Secret Garden was kino
Quite funny. I'm 42. I was in high school 1999-2002. It was a private Catholic college-prep school. We did read Dickens and Chaucer and I do recall reading Cather in the Rye...until some irate parents complained and we had to stop reading the damn book. Outside of school I read 1984, Brave New World, etc. I don't recall books assigned in class being particularly female-oriented, but my memory isn't that great. But kids nowadays: First off, most kids today barely even read at all. And what they do read is often filled with ideological bullshit.
Giving back then there was ideological BS worked into the reading curriculum.
"Red badge of courage" is blatantly anti-war.
Dude, when you called me a transphobic incel, I lost my mind laughing. What a glorious little essay you have here. I am raising four boys, and I teach at a tiny, private school. I get to pick the books my classes read, and we are about to start The Quest for the Holy Grail. I'll keep your points in mind for next year.
I wrote a cosmic horror short fictional tale (in the vain of Arthur Machen and H.P Lovecraft etc) on my substack, if anyone's interested : https://joewilliams15.substack.com/p/the-cult-of-kambra-by-jjwilliams
Excuse me, I literally released a book late last year that is absolutely, positively fiction for straight men. If they don’t dig gratuitous sex & violence from the male point of view that is uncompromising & unapologetic I can’t help them.
Shameless Plugging:https://www.thegreatbritishbookshop.co.uk/products/flicking-the-bic-1
Didn't you read Twain? Catcher? Steinbeck? Hemingway? Shakespeare? Gabriel Garcia Marquez? Fitzgerald? We did, so it was good to read Secret Garden, Little Women, and stories of "black baseball players." I didn't like it at the time, but I see the value of broadening my white boy experience. "To Kill a Mockingbird" rocked me. So did the "Outsiders." Seems like there was plenty to read to me.
Where I went to school, it was 90% minority overcoming adversity stories, and 10% holocaust narratives. We did get Siddhartha in HS though.
This is excellent.
I'm not as witty as you, but we are brothers in this. Here's my take on it. https://leovaughn.substack.com/p/make-masculinity-great-again
I will check it out 🫡
Gotta say that I appreciate the snark. I invite you to read my treatise on killing off the GRRM title generators.
https://stephenbanthony.substack.com/p/a-curse-of-tropes-and-thirsty-plots
Thanks will do 🫡
I keep laughing at your feature image and caption. Great choice.
Thank you 🙏
You're very clever. I hope you don't mind, I might take some notes from your writing.
Thanks 🫡
I think its because “rage femmenisn”. Crusaders always go too far. They complain about the patriarchy, but leverage it in a way that as become opposite of equality for all.
I do agree that a male dominant structure suppresses rights, but they fail two see 2 issues.
1. Plutocracy, autocracy, oligarchy, class structures, racism all keep the structures intact. If you try weaken one, the others will fill that space.
Trying to leverage a system that has stresses dominance, the effect still will be dominance. Which is why maybe the idea was equality, but it went to far.
Rage solves nothing, it just makes enemies. We're all individuals in the end.
To be fair, there's too many war vet autobiographies, too. I get it. You went to war blah blah blah. Your life was tough so you channelled your trauma into special forces selection. Copy paste.
I enjoyed this article. I thought you were funny. Thankfully all my teachers at Trintiy Lutheran School had decent taste in books. I dont remember much that was assigned reading outside of the Bible. But in 3rd Grade my teacher Mrs. Romance read us all the Ralph S Mouse books by Beverly Cleary. I thought damn this mouse has a motorcycle and a sports car. Not as cool as Optimus Prime or Ezekiel raising a zombie army to fight for the Jews but still pretty metal. Later on in like sixth grade the most boring book I had to read was Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell. Granted a story about a girl lving alone on an island and surving for 18 years wasnt as riviting as Ehud the left handed assassin in the book of Judges who kills an obese king. While in the process of murde, Ehud ruptures the ruler's bowels and then tells the servants not to bother the king because he was taking a shit. In comparison its hard to measure up to that sort of storytelling. It wasnt till i got to public high school and had to read The grapes of wrath that I was truly bored out of my mind with an assigned book. I really am glad that I dodnt have to read the books you referrence in your article. My mom did read me Stephen Kings Eyes of Dragon when I was in like 7th or 8th grade so that was kinda cool. At that point I was reading books like Heaven Cent by Piers Anthony and Friday by Robert Heinlein. My mom read to me alot growing up but the Stephen King sticks out the most besides when she read me and my sister Psalm 137:9 for the first time.