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Culture War Roundup for the week of January 1, 2024

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to beatify the sin itself as part and parcel of greatness.

This is the one my original post attempted to zero in on.

my heroes don't sleep enough so I don't sleep enough, my heroes ignore their personal lives so I ignore my family. And we see it with artists, especially art-student poseurs: all the great artists were drug addicts so I'll take drugs irresponsibly, all the great artists had messy personal lives so I will mistreat my romantic partners, all the great artists were vague and inscrutable so I will be unfriendly and weird

Bingo.

I don't think I can add anything more, so I'll leave you with this excellent additional example - "Until you can win 20 in the show, it means your a slob". "Until you've written Ulysses you're just a drunk, masturbating Irishman."

That is truly one of the greatest films of all time, yet it is so unrelentingly weird. I remember that every time I watch it.