As someone who watches a lot of pro sports and sports commentary, I can tell you with certainty that most of the content is men (both fans and commentators) saying "holy crap, I could never do that."
Although there is a lot of entitlement among white men, most of it is of the "I was promised compensation for anything I did, even if it's not impressive; I deserve to have a big house/money/great sex/rewarding friendships without having to get off my couch" variety. "I ought to be famous/am the best" is more limited to aspiring artistic circles, and within that to those who grew up with a reasonable amount of money and physical comfort.
I do wish "everybody has a novel in them" would die. At the same time, I'd rather everybody aspire to write a great novel than not care about novels. I'd rather somebody spend a year of their life writing something I don't like than spend that same year doing nothing.
I have to say I think you're dead wrong about Lena Dunham. She's a brilliant comedian. I think "Girls" was weighed down by expectations that it was supposed to be "the voice of a generation" instead of a specific story about some very weird characters (who I love), but it's one of the best first seasons I've ever seen. (It was sometimes uneven, but less uneven than most comedies as they're starting out.) I'd trade a thousand Franzens to get more Lena. Maybe give her another look once the hooplah dies down. She's a Miranda July being marketed as an Apatow.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2012-08-07 08:16 pm (UTC)Although there is a lot of entitlement among white men, most of it is of the "I was promised compensation for anything I did, even if it's not impressive; I deserve to have a big house/money/great sex/rewarding friendships without having to get off my couch" variety. "I ought to be famous/am the best" is more limited to aspiring artistic circles, and within that to those who grew up with a reasonable amount of money and physical comfort.
I do wish "everybody has a novel in them" would die. At the same time, I'd rather everybody aspire to write a great novel than not care about novels. I'd rather somebody spend a year of their life writing something I don't like than spend that same year doing nothing.
I have to say I think you're dead wrong about Lena Dunham. She's a brilliant comedian. I think "Girls" was weighed down by expectations that it was supposed to be "the voice of a generation" instead of a specific story about some very weird characters (who I love), but it's one of the best first seasons I've ever seen. (It was sometimes uneven, but less uneven than most comedies as they're starting out.) I'd trade a thousand Franzens to get more Lena. Maybe give her another look once the hooplah dies down. She's a Miranda July being marketed as an Apatow.