Dear Editor,
Bob Darcy’s column “Stillwater: Ambiguous College Town” interested me because, even though I have read a great deal of SF/fantasy and action/adventure fiction, I was unfamiliar with Steven Gould’s 1992 novel “Jumper.”
I must disagree, however, with Darcy’s tut-tutting about inaccuracies in the novel’s depiction of our town. Some of the details Darcy deplores can simply be chalked up to artistic license.
Other things that Darcy calls inaccuracies are actually no such thing.
Darcy ridicules the idea of walking from a Stillwater movie theater to the OSU campus. But in 1992 when “Jumper” was written, there was a movie theater at Cowboy Mall (the Satellite) which I fondly remember. I even remember the last movie I ever saw there before the theater closed down: John Carpenter’s “Vampires,” starring James Woods and Tom Sizemore.
Darcy also asserts that “Stillwater does not have a ‘finest restaurant,’” but opinions differ on that. I myself have very definite views on what I think is Stillwater’s finest restaurant today, and I’m sure I was equally decisive in 1992.
Darcy’s criticisms are trivial and otiose; I fail to see their point, but am glad I now know about Gould and the Stillwater setting of his novel.
Sincerely,
Randi Eldevik
Associate Professor of English
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I believe the purpose of the “Ambiguous College Town” column, like the purpose of many of Darcy’s previous columns, was to present Darcy as a kind of left-wing, folksy man-of-the-people, who knows all the little details about his surroundings. Unfortunately, the result of his attempt, like the result of many of his previous attempts at folksiness, was otiosity.
I think Justin is jealous because all of his columns ended what they began with: IDIOCY. At least Bob Darcy hasn’t been fired as a columnist, which is more than you can say, Justin. Was that before or after you started stalking former O’Colly columnist Jordan Ross?
I wasn’t fired (that’s the third time someone has claimed that on this website, falsely–I’m beginning to feel famous), and I didn’t stalk Jordan Ross. But I’ll tell you what, Sy, I’ve been around long enough that you could come up with some real, accurate dirt on me, if you just asked around. So why don’t you grab a pen and a notepad and start digging up all the dirt on me like a little paparazzi rat. I’d be flattered.
Anything else you wanna throw at me, gossip girl?
How do these comments get confirmed?
I mean, why even have a moderator if you are not going to screen for potentially libelous and 100% gossip-y posts?
Also, what is wrong with the word “useless”? Does using one of the GRE’s 3,000 most commonly tested words make it any less mean spirited?
Is otiose on the GRE? I wouldn’t pass the GRE then, I didn’t know what it meant until a couple days ago. I also should have used paparazzo, instead of the plural paparazzi.
Would it matter if it was on the GRE? You wouldn’t know the definition.
Jordan mentioned your incessant and obsessive stalking several times. You had been seen by O’Colly staff and fellow students. And yes, you were fired. Stop lying.
Kurt, I think the O’Colly has gotten its fill of censorship from the university administration…it would be highly hypocritical (in addition to being unethical) for them to restrict free speech that is neither obscene or threatening. Considering that Justin Akers, and the morons who pretend to be Justin on this site, have hurled insults far worse than mine in the past, I think it’s fair that he be subjected to the same treatment.
It’s highly doubtful that Jordan mentioned any stalking, since it never happened. Likewise, I couldn’t have been “seen by O’Colly staff and fellow students,” since no such stalking ever occurred. Not sure who’s feeding you this information, but it’s just false, that’s all there is to it–I hate to be the one to break it to you, I know you must have thought you were privy to some secret incriminating gossip about me. Sorry, maybe next time, keep digging.
Anyhow, as I stated earlier, I do not claim to have a blemish-free personal life, and there are many things I’ve done in my past that I’m not proud of. But, I just don’t see how my personal life is relevant here, or what business it is of yours.
Also, I wasn’t fired. I repeat that again not because I find it particularly important–actually that would be pretty awesome if I had been fired for being too provocative and controversial. The only reason I keep repeating I wasn’t fired is because I wasn’t. Just stating a fact. You’re not insulting me when you make false accusations. And I find it interesting that you won’t use your real, full name when you make false accusations.
It’s not that your posts are obscene or threatening, they are not. They are just off-topic, irrelevant, and false. But carry on, by all means. You have free reign to say whatever you want about me. I’ll live.
Provocative and controversial? How about incoherent and moronic?
Keep up the delusions, Akers.
Sy, what a joke. How petty can you be? To make such comments on a public forum is borderline defamation of character, not because of the insults but for listing specific events. Fabrication or fact is not the issue, laws are in place to prevent such ‘free speech’. I, like Kurt, am completely amazed that the moderator allowed such comments.
Frazier as annoying as all this is it would be hypocritical for them to not allow a lot of what goes on here. As much as I dislike reading a negative post from Justin to almost every article and having to hear if he was or wasnt fired they still allow it to be posted because of free speech.
I guess my surprise isn’t really that they allow the comments but that someone would be so malicious as to write such things. Justin’s comments (from what I have seen) often deal with arguing with people’s points of view, not attacking their character by bringing up specific personal events.
The literary theorist and philosopher Stanley Fish once wrote, “the first amendment has become the first refuge of crooks, thugs and scoundrels.”
It is sad the public conversation has to be devalued into this type of nonsense. Randi thanks for your writing.
PEACE