An Email From New Zealand
Subject: Re: WWW devalues writing!!
Clayton. wrote:
“After many months of using the internet and – I regret to say – using the medium for the ‘promotion’ of literature I have made a ‘discovery’ ( A cry of Eureka and a soapy-wet keyboard the result)
“The internet is a worthless medium for the promotion of anything – especially writing. Rather than promote literature I have finally realised that the Internet in fact causes writing to lose all worth. We are being subsumed by egotistical people, using VALUELESS bytes to promote their VALUELESS writing. Because, for every Miller, Mailer, or even King or Koontz, that finds his or her way on-line there are a million people who think that a computer and a modem makes them publishable.
“What the internet is sorely lacking is an editor. And this is my main problem. WHO WANTS TO EDIT THE ‘NET???? By putting everything at the same level of accessibility we are not only raising the horrendous to higher levels but we are also razing the great writing. Eventually (already??) we will be left with nothing more than mindless dross.
“I DISAVOW THE INTERNET. I DISAVOW THE RIGHT OF ALL PEOPLE TO BE PUBLISHED. I do, of course, believe that the modem has its place in the commercial sphere, and I do believe that the sharing of knowledge, talent, ideas and the woes of the unpublished writer are well worth sharing (ie newsgroups). However, anyone that considers themselves ‘published’ once being placed on-line in one of the hundreds of thousands of ‘zines is sorely missing the point of being published. It takes NO talent to be published in an electronic magazine. It does take talent to be published in a well respected print journal, to have an article published in a well respected newspaper etc etc. So, keep your self respect and DON’T be published on-line. Go for the real players and then you will be a REAL writer. ”
From: “Chris Johnson” <jchris@ihug.co.nz> replied:
Whats all this about spellckrs, g ammer, nothing wrrth reading get with yoiu its fun…
Hi Chris from New Zealand What kinda fun games they play where you live..?
Down here, we have mountains, rivers, skiing, climbing, skindiving, whitewater, getting lost in the bush, sleeping in wet sleeping bag. A lot of Asian tourists are having fun they are finding different ways to kill themselves, geting themseves drowned, wiped out in avalanches, The NZ folk dont mind, but they are starting to kill the locals, The young asian guys have never seen such long roads without traffic, and they come around the corners on the wrong side of the road, and panic.. it appears they are not used to driving that fast or even thinking that fast. While we are brought up to leave the road, go sideways down the gravel, and at the same still manage to avoid stray cows and sheep. I have have hit a few on motorbikes, the cows, sheep, like the grass outside the paddocks that grows down the side of motorways, its alway longer better looking than what they got in the paddock, so the figure out ways of sneeking out.. No thats okay because the glass looks beter nibbled down a bit..But when you come round a corner doing oh 100-140-180- K an hour they kind run iall differnt directions, now thats okay beacuse you know how their mind works, but Asian doont know this . And there is a trick to it.. Now cows are okay to hit with a motorbike, they soft, and your bike dosent get to broken, but if your in front as the run, the runinto you, and if you go behind there back legs come back and kick off you bike,,that hurts… but sheep are bad, you go clean ever the top…Now if you in a car, its bettr to hit the shhep, the cows really mess up your radiator. And we got plent of sheep, maybe onlast count 35-40 million, but I dont know what it is this week..We lose a few in the snow, and we eat some., soo we not going to miss a few, but the famers come out with the shot gun, if you damage his good cow, now thats okay but this is where its tricky, if you cars damaged. Soid stick with the motorbike. Now a bus, you can go clean throw the lot, and you know trains have thoes cowcatcher things, in front, I saw on TV the othernight, one got a 4weel drive stuck on one, and three guys didnt get to go home..Its a shame about the 4weel drive though it looked legal, all the guards,lights and things were still on it., but its not much use to anybody now, probably a couple of townies, like all the city guys are buying them, and they dont know how to back up a river and stuff, or slifde in mud…..Or it like like they slow jumpers.. How anybody can sit and watch a train comming I dont know. Another thing though is that eben trees can get you, I have hit few thoes to.. And ditches.. Now Asians just never know all thi stuff., but I also hit cars, buses, trycks, I guess I just loved speed, and flying through the air..Ther thought never occured to slow down I wanted more speed..Is that thick or what…Maybe youth. and adanaline, or that bcountry life.
Now I know the speed thing is the fault of TV, because when I see thos motorbike racers, my teenage logic figure it out, I want to be one of them, my brain go like that, so I get a powerfull motorbike right, I know power and speed are where its at, I watch them profesional race, right, now we got roads in NZ were we can do it easy. now rthat no tosay im not going to get chased, or they havenet set up road blocks for causethey have and thioes fines made me sell a few bikes, but im not givin up that easy once I put my mind to it. And when I buy a motorbik I only look at how mnay numbrs on that speedo, that set my mind going, to see if it get around them all to the end, I ebven figure out a few tricks, to go evern further, I try eveything.
Now I can get up way over 150 mph right and some on top because the needle thing is comming back around, but its fun, and so i go more, yer more, like I have to have that needle as farback up itslf I can…and my brain work like that as a teenager. Now I watch on tv okay, but they dont have cows, cars, and trucks and things comming back the other way, they can cut the corners, lay it right down, they dont have trees and things, and especially gravel, or rain, ice..Now Ibeat all there records for flying through the air, and my brain stiil didnt figure out not to ride a motore bike like that…And im still the same, but I dont fly as good. But no-one see me, I never get on TV, I never get to be a hero, get any money, the gils never run after me, and I dont get the neat clothes, I only have the traffic fines, I get chassed all the time, but its fun. Now I know how the Asian boy think the same, and he see the NZ roads, and his good brain leave him to, but he cause a lot grief for everybody, because maybe he not mad enogh and not good at flying, and dodging cows and things, he only good on straight roads.
In winter it rains a lot.. NZ is an island in the middle of th sea, so th cold sea air is full of water, and as it climbs over the mountain, on one side it drops all the water on you, so the rivers rise quick, you get wet and you can make a lot of mud. but iots good for white water stuff. And it fun to bath in..the snow melts and the and it can make you teeth do funny things. I live in the bush sometimes, in the winter, it rains all the time, so you in mud, your tent or plastic sheet, if you lucky, you find a hut, but everything muddy, wet, and sometimes you pray for dry day to dry your gear, out specially your sleeping bag, the dog okay. So I go down to the river in winter, the snow melt, and the water like that, its raining, but the forest birds are singing, and the green forest spectaculr, but it rain and rain, and where you walk is mud, and you bath in the river now the river is mad, angry, the bolders are crashing, rolling, its like thunder in there, and its fast, logs are flying down it, but I climb in its cold, and the cold hit you body like a hammer, but its fun, it wake ypou up, forget the city people, their cosy sily life, and see it real, but you cannot stop your teeth chattering, then walk back in th rain and climb in your sleeping bag and fall asleep to the sound of the river, and the dog farting. You sleep well, and laugh. the city folk dont find this.
Some tourists even in die in it, they call it hypothermia. The thing is if you wanta go shoot some deer goats possums or somthing or just get into the mountains you go gota go through a few rivers to get there. so you got know how to stay upright in the water. Now we are losing a few tourists, even thoug we give em life jackets, it seems that carnt keep there head up, get past the rocks, floating logs, and stuff they find em a few days later, and they all cry. I think its bettr they stay in the buss take some photos, and stay in a motel. They dont lok like they could stand in nigt in the bush, or afford to get to wet.
Then we got Rugby, its like grid iron and ice hockey with out the pads, and every saturday the hospital casuty wards are pretty busy, Because its getting on international TV more, they are starting to cut out the fistfights, swearing at the ref, eye gouging and all the stuff that made it interesting, the trouuble with civilisation. I recon it was more fun before. All the best players are getting sent of the field now. Oh then we got the Polineseian boys.. Maories they called, A hundred yerars back they ate each other, warrior guys, loved fighting, big guys, They have this warrior mythology, ancestors, and the boys need to fight, to move up in the tribal ranks. Again we whites tried to civilise them, gave em christianity, and politics, educate them good, but they still only wanta fight. Our way dont make much sence to them, they think there old way was better, I gave it a go ,it was a lot a fun, being white, and doing 3 hours a day in the gym, coming in at 250lbs… I would go call the brown boys rude names, get them angry, i think it was the blond hair that really got em going, good fun on a saterday night, the trouble was they drank to much, so it was never a fair fight even if there 3or 4 of them. I undrstand how they think, its cool, everbody goes home, Its the young ones get a bit ticked off, and take it hard, the older ones fight more dirty. but give up quicker, and more philsophical. But we all sort it out, and everbdy like that way better. and we all love this strange counrty that make us like that, so they like brothers who teach me the fight thing, courage men stuff, like old time, better than the paper political stealling lieing stuff. But yer thats NZ. Country life like that make your own fun. The cities not like that, they use lawyers and courts, and they have no humour, and they are always loking to empty you pockets. A black eye a cut lip, heal really quick, injured pride. but some boys like to throw bottles, and tyre levers, and take it a bit serious, but I got to be good a ducking, I think motorbike taught me that. So what do you guys get up to wher you live. Whats saterday night like..? I wonder if its all that eating beef, the country folk eat. Or it could the the 30-40 million sheep we got.? You guys cililised or not yet..?
Now you wont read this in there travel brocure, thats because, they just live in an office, and the counrty folk are illitrate. But im the educated one in the family, so imputting the recod staight for the internet folk out there. You see thoes travel brocues are all rubbish, its the city mind, they drive in the car take a few photos skick some adjectives together, never get there shoes dirty..and tell all these Asian there city rubbish. So if you come to NZ, take care on thos roads. keep your head out of the water, and dont cross the signs thoes snow folks warn you about the dangerous stuff..and dont cross railway trackes, no matter how slick your 4weel drive is. And dont forget to bring lots of mony and your your friends. Above all have fun. Chris. Good Luck.
