Subject:
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Re: Looking for feedback.
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Thu, 10 Feb 2005 19:29:06 GMT
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Viewed:
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717 times
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In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Dave Schuler wrote:
> Not quite .debate material (yet), but I thought this might be a good place
> to solicit ideas.
>
> I have a coworker whose views on several key matters differ from and are
> irreconcilable with mine. For purposes of discussion, let's say that
> neither one of us is "right," and that the matter is one of preference.
> When he became aware of my views on the subject, he made a casual (by which
> I mean not at all inappropriate to the workplace, and almost entirely during
> lunch or breaktime) effort to convince me of the correctness of his own
> views. Ultimately he presented me with a book that he felt argued his case
> convincingly, and he hoped I would "come around" once I'd read it.
> Well, I've read it. I can say categorically that the book isn't nearly as
> convincing as he'd indicated, and in fact it presents fictionalized
> transcriptions of conversations as if they were well-reasoned arguments.
By the way--the book to which I was referring in that longago post was *not* the
bible.
Anyway, I've found myself in a similar predicament with a different coworker and
a different book. This time, my esteemed peer has heartily recommended a
"thriller" involving international intrigue and threats of nuclear war.
I'm about 450 pages through this 560-page tome, and let me tell you that it's
absolutely the worst thing I've read in my adult life, and that's coming from
someone who's read Michael Crichton's "Timeline." I could go on and on about
the juvenile plot, the ridiculously flat characterizations, or the laughably
lame dialogue. And that's not even getting into the title character's obvious
sociopathy, misogyny, and general unlikeability.
So here's my dilemma once again: having touted the book to me and so eagerly
lending me his only copy, he must really like it and want to share it with me.
I'm not sure why he chose me for this honor; we haven't discussed literature or
even anything I've read (though we *have* talked about movies, so maybe that's
the "in"). I don't want to hurt his feelings or insult his taste in reading
material, but the book truly is terrible. I wouldn't even want to read it while
waiting at an airport or laundromat.
What do you suggest? How do I inform him that I regret ever having opened the
book? He wants to let me borrow the sequel, too; how do I dodge that bullet?
If only he worked in another department. Then I could just say "If I had a time
machine, I'd go back and break the author's typewriter before he ever sat down
to craft this drek." For that matter, I doubt he even used a typewriter...
Thanks for listening and for any feedback.
Dave!
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: Looking for feedback.
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| (...) Be honest, but nice--'I didn't enjoy the book.' If he attempts to lend you another, or try to involve you in a debate about why, just say, "It's not my cup of tea." and leave it at that. 'No thanks' always works for me when fellow employees (...) (19 years ago, 10-Feb-05, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Looking for feedback.
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| Not quite .debate material (yet), but I thought this might be a good place to solicit ideas. I have a coworker whose views on several key matters differ from and are irreconcilable with mine. For purposes of discussion, let's say that neither one of (...) (23 years ago, 28-Mar-01, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
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