Stephen King

Nice... Last I knew you had to be able to read to join the military. Crackpots all of 'em.....
 
I would reply to the abject stupidity that is so evident in King's comment, but I wouldn't want to be accused of holding the political opinions of others in the utter contempt they so richly deserve to be held in... :rolleyes:
 
:thumbdown: He ought to go tell some people how dumb they were. He could start with Colon Powell, John Glenn, or McCain.

Apparently, he's never seen the education rates for the military.
 
I believe this article is taking this out of context
I don't want to sound like an ad, a public service ad on TV, but the fact is if you can read, you can walk into a job later on. If you don't (get a job later on), then you've got, the Army, Iraq, I don't know, something like that. It's, it's not as bright. So, that's my little commercial for that.

This online pub has a right wing bias so we have to read this article very critically. What I take this quote to mean is that as long as you can read, you can pretty do anything. IMO, what's saying is that for some kids, the Army just fits them not that if you can't read you can always join the Army. IMO, he;s even advocating the Armed Services. It's a grad speech, so it's gotta be motivational. BTW, I added the part in parenthesis to clarify what I thought he referring to in that second sentence. This could be way off but it makes sense in my mind. Just my opinion, take it for what's worth. I personally try not to make a habit of taking too many Hollywood type's speeches too seriously.
 
if you can read, you can walk into a job later on. If you don't (get a job later on), then you've got, the Army, Iraq, I don't know, something like that. It's, it's not as bright.

You have no idea just how mistaken you are.

This online pub has a right wing bias so we have to read this article very critically.

Yeah, well...... King is known for a left-wing bias. Also, it's kinda hard to take his comment as being "out of context". What context could it otherwise be in, except if he was quoting that other idiot, John Kerry, who made a similar statement back in 2006 and became the laughingstock of the Troops everywhere (not that he wasn't already).

IMO, what's saying is that for some kids, the Army just fits them not that if you can't read you can always join the Army.

That may be your opinion, but it's wrong. He said precisely that: if you can't read, you'll end up in the Army.

I personally try not to make a habit of taking too many Hollywood type's speeches too seriously.

On that we can definitely agree. :thumb:
 
Stephen King responds:

Link to article

Stephen King fires back after blogger attacks remarks
By The Associated Press
Wednesday, May 07, 2008 - Bangor Daily News

BANGOR, Maine — Stephen King has fired back at conservative critics who attacked him over a remark he made a month ago at a writers symposium for high school students.

A blogger jumped on King’s statement at the Library of Congress about the importance of reading in which he suggested poor readers have limited prospects, including service in the Army.

"I don’t want to sound like an ad, a public service ad on TV, but the fact is if you can read, you can walk into a job later on. If you don’t, then you’ve got the Army, Iraq, I don’t know, something like that. It’s not as bright," King said at the April 4 event in which he was accompanied by his wife Tabitha and son Owen.

Blogger Noel Sheppard likened the comment to former Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry’s remarks that if you don’t get a good education, "you get stuck in Iraq."

"Nice sentiment when the nation is at war, Stephen," Sheppard wrote.

King fired back Monday.

"That a right-wing-blog would impugn my patriotism because I said children should learn to read, and could get better jobs by doing so, is beneath contempt," he said in a statement posted on his Web site.

King said he supports the troops but believes the war in Iraq is a "waste of national resources ... and that includes the youth and blood of the 4,000 American troops who have lost their lives there and for the tens of thousands who have been wounded."

"I live in a National Guard town, and I support our troops, but I don’t support either the war or educational policies that limit the options of young men and women to any one career — military or otherwise," King said.


"That a right-wing-blog would impugn my patriotism because I said children should learn to read, and could get better jobs by doing so, is beneath contempt," he said in a statement posted on his Web site.

Except, Stephen, that ISN'T WHAT YOU SAID. You specifically gave joining the Army and going to Iraq as examples of what happens when you DON'T learn to read.

If you misspoke, just say so, but don't try to cover it up under the usual "You're attacking my patriotism!" BS.

Speaking of which....

King said he supports the troops but believes the war in Iraq is a "waste of national resources ... and that includes the youth and blood of the 4,000 American troops who have lost their lives there and for the tens of thousands who have been wounded."

Oh. I see...

So you "support the troops" by stating that what they have sacrificed to do has been worthless. Right.

In other words, "I and those of my political ilk learned after Vietnam that slamming the soldiers as baby killers, etc., was a really bad idea, so now we'll say that we support them but that the mission they are sacrificing to accomplish is worthless and that they are only there because they don't have any education. BTW, we'd much prefer to waste our troop's lives in places like Somalia and Darfur."

Yeah. That's "support" all right. :rolleyes:
 
Rather than an intentional attack on our Armed forces, I think Mr. King's comments are a perfect example of the cultural elitism found by a few on the hard left side of the political spectrum. You know the type: typically very well educated, upper middle class, and absolutley convinced that their world-view is correct, and anyone who doesn't share it is ignorant or evil, or both.

The impression most of these types of individuals have about the military and the individuals who serve in it are unfortunate. They truly believe that the only ones who join are the ones who have no other option. To them, our enlisted force is uneducated, easily gullible, and usually joined only for the reason that thier life circumstances left them with no other option than to serve as cannon fodder for the military-industrial war machine. Their thoughts on the officer corps aren't much better, as we are usually the morally corrupt villians willing to lie and kill for our warped sense of patriotism. Stephen King's numerous portrayals of military members in his novels and stories are full of examples of this. (The military is ALWAYS the bad guy, or the blame for apocolyptic events in his fiction).

My home growing up was Central NJ, and I've gotten quite used to the reaction of folks whom I grew up with, people just like this, when they find out I've been in for over 20 years. First, they're usually shocked that I can hold an intelligent conversation with them using multi-syllabic words. Second, they are convinced that if they say the wrong thing, I may "snap" and try to bite the heads off of their kids. Usually, I just politely point out that in the course of my career, I've probably been through more academic environments at the Graduate level than anyone else in the room outside of the medical profession. Then, I just nibble their kids ears a little! :biggrin:

No, this is a prime case of ignorance due to a sense of feeling "superior" to the ones you inadvertantly criticize with a condecending attitude. Rather than shun Mr. King, I recommend that any and all military installations near his home in Maine cordially invite him to come to their base or post so he can actually meet with the fine men ad women currently serving all Americans, including him. When he actually has the opportunity to sit and talk with the men and women proudly serving, only then will he finally see the truth: that most of the 18 - 19 year olds he looks down on are doing tremendous things to ensure his freedom to write trashy horror novels, and usually hold more responsibility in the performance of their duties than most recent college grads. Maybe, after he has his eyes opened to the real story, he can realize how disengenious his off the cuff comments were to the people proudly serving, and he can offer a GENUINE apology.

BTW, I've enjoyed many an hour reading some of his early works, but I find his new work to be rather dull and poorly written. Maybe he needs to get back into school to improve his writing skills. Or he can always voluntarily join the Public Affairs division in Multi-National Corps - Iraq, as I've heard they need some people with writing skills to draft their propoganda pamhlets. :biggrin:
 
Stephen King has fired back at conservative critics who attacked him over a remark he made a month ago at a writers symposium for high school students.

"When you're explaining, you're losing."
 
Again, just my feeling on the situation, but we are dangerously close to making Stephen King a rallying point for two opposing sides of the political spectrum. His rebuttal today is proof. One side will (rightfully) display their offense at his thoughtless words (and they are just that, thoughtless!), the other will rally to his defense saying he was just trying to bring light to a tragic situation (Allow me to paraphrase what I think their arguement will boil down to: "America's poor and uneducated youth dying for no reason in a pointless war").

I prefer to take the high road. I still stand by my suggestion: extend a hand in friendship and let him meet the troops he offended with his condescending words. Only by fighting the ignorance he so less-than-eloquently displayed can we hope to get him to realize the severity of his thoughless words. He doesn't have to agree with me on everything (and I fight and sacrifice so that he has that right!), I just think its a better way than burning his books on Fox News.

I either try to educate the village idiot or I just ignore him. I don't prove to everyone else in the village that I'm also an idiot by sinking to his level. (Not that I'm suggesting that anyone here is doing so! Just my philosophy in situations like this)
 
Again, just my feeling on the situation, but we are dangerously close to making Stephen King a rallying point for two opposing sides of the political spectrum. His rebuttal today is proof. One side will (rightfully) display their offense at his thoughtless words (and they are just that, thoughtless!), the other will rally to his defense saying he was just trying to bring light to a tragic situation (Allow me to paraphrase what I think their arguement will boil down to: "America's poor and uneducated youth dying for no reason in a pointless war").

I prefer to take the high road. I still stand by my suggestion: extend a hand in friendship and let him meet the troops he offended with his condescending words. Only by fighting the ignorance he so less-than-eloquently displayed can we hope to get him to realize the severity of his thoughless words. He doesn't have to agree with me on everything (and I fight and sacrifice so that he has that right!), I just think its a better way than burning his books on Fox News.

Bullet- I think that you hit this one right on the head. It would seem apparent that the guy was mostly just hamhanded in what he was trying to advocate to his audience- which is literacy and education. He moves in a world that is really out of touch with the military- in fact for most of New England the military is virtually an unknown world- (just another benefit of the BRAC process- there is virtually no significant military representation in New England other than a few small specialized bases which don't employ many folks or have large military populations living on them). Blowing King's comments out of proportion seems like it just adds fuel to the fire rather than helping to convince the guy and his like minded peers that he badly mischaracterized the quality and motivation of the men and women in uniform. And- really his thoughtless comment about the quality of soldiers should not be conflated with a lack of patriotism. It's not a requirement of a patriot to support the current policy in Iraq (and don't misconstrue what I'm saying here- as I do support it. However thoughtful and patriotic americans can certainly argue both that the initial cause for going to war is suspect at best and that the situation in which the country currently finds itself is untenable).
 
nicely said Bruno. That we should even be discussing this thoughtlessness on Stephen King's part show's that his stunt worked. These kind of thoughtless statements by celebrities should really be looked at with a grain of salt, it's only one man's opinion.
 
If it were one comment in isolation, maybe. Unfortunately, comments like this are far too common to be taken with a grain of salt anymore, especially after the almost identical comments caused such a furious public uproar less than two years ago.

If he did simply mangle his words (it happens to all of us), then all he had to do was come out and say so. Of course, I am a big believer that when someone truly mangles their words that badly, they IMMEDIATELY correct themselves rather than waiting for a blog somewhere to stir the pot.

In other words, I don't think he mangled a damned thing. I think he meant exactly what he said. :mad:
 
"I don’t support either the war or educational policies that limit the options of young men and women to any one career — military or otherwise," King said

Well, now, that's shooting yourself in the foot to prove you haven't shot yourself in the face.:rolleyes:

So, he hates policies that limit people to one option...like the military. Well, I'm so glad he doesn't consider the military to be the bastion of idiots!:mad:

When you "mangle your words" twice, trying to say the same thing, it would seem your true views are starting to come out.
 
Truth be told...I don't really put much stock into what an author says. My girlfriend likes his books, they really aren't my style, and which the exception of The Shining, I don't think they translate well on the big screen.


Stephen King's comments won't affect my decision to buy his books...because I wouldn't buy them anyway. Now if he wrote books like Ted Bell, I might reconsider.
 
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