Mark Reads Discworld

[=Tamar]

I'll give him one point, though it's sort of backhanded. He's not as bad as some of his followers.
ETA Not naming names because this is not intended to be a dump-fest.
I will continue to watch the videos because occasionally it's still fun to see someone get the joke.
I will say that the average level of comments seems to have improved as more people speak up.

ETA 2: I will now subtract that point. He is as bad as his followers. When his triggers get
pushed, he can't even count, and forgets how the point system works on his own site.
He can't stand any discussion that disagrees with him on certain significant elements
even tangentially.

I begin to wonder whether he will be able to finish the series. I suppose someone out there
already has a betting pool on _which_ book will cause him to stop reading. My metaphorical
money is on Interesting Times. He won't even make it as far as The Last Continent.

 

[=Tamar]

Well, he's started Lords and Ladies. He seems to like it so far, though I'm expecting the usual comments about non-p.c. words and developments that are being set up slowly.

 

[poindexter]

"The original text contains use of the words "stupid", "insane", "crazy", "mad" and "Bursar"."

 

[=Tamar]

I'm puzzled by his listing "stupid" as a word to be warned of. All that means is "behaving as one who is in a stupor, as if incapacitated by drugs or a head injury." It doesn't necessarily imply being developmentally disabled or mentally ill. It's getting to the point where we won't have any descriptive words left. When all is prohibited, the reaction will mean that you may as well use all of them, so in effect, nothing is prohibited.

 

[high eight]

"The original text contains use of the words "stupid", "insane", "crazy", "mad" and "Bursar"."

Mind you, some of Mark's followers are already making noises about "Pratchett's appalling handling of mental illness" using the Bursar as an example

Wait till they get to Jonathan Teatime.......

 

[Penfold]

Personally, I am waiting for the complete meltdown from both Mark and some of his followers when they get to 'Jingo' and totally fail to get the point that Terry was trying to get across. :twisted:

 

[=Tamar]

I'm doubting that he will get past Interesting Times. He will probably take that one personally. Jingo is two books after that.
I did find it possibly significant that in last Friday's review he began by saying, essentially, that since nobody can go back in time and change the manuscript, there's no point in repeating complaints about unfortunate wording, so just swear to avoid such issues yourself and move on with the story.

 

[Penfold]

That's quite possible and I had forgotten the reading order. Maybe we should hold a sweepstake as to which book he gives up on. (Mind you, it's quite possible that I give up on him before that if his self-imposed censorship continues.)

 

[Tonyblack]

Men at Arms next, then Soul Music before Interesting Times. He'll keep reading as long as he's being sponsored. I think that, on the whole he likes the books a lot more than he dislikes them. He was genuinely terrified while reading the section in L&L where the elves have invaded and have Magrat trapped and are torturing Shawn Ogg.

 

[=Tamar]

I'm expecting tears before bedtime in the first segment of Men at Arms. Vimes is showing his prejudices. Also, way back in The Colour of Magic some of the followers had a meltdown over calling something "ethnic", and that's the least of the terms used in the early parts of MAA.

 

[DaveC]

It's going well so far, especially Vimes Boots theory, close to the heart, that one..

 

[high eight]

It's going well so far, especially Vimes Boots theory, close to the heart, that one..

He is still missing points - he doesn't like the word 'ethnic' but doesn't seem to realise who it comes from.

There'll be some head-desking when he realises (Next segment I should think) that it is: "A troll, a dwarf and a w......" erewolf

 

[DaveC]

It's going well so far, especially Vimes Boots theory, close to the heart, that one..

He is still missing points - he doesn't like the word 'ethnic' but doesn't seem to realise who it comes from.

There'll be some head-desking when he realises (Next segment I should think) that it is: "A troll, a dwarf and a w......" erewolf

Strange, I know and yep, seems like such an easy plot point to get.

 

[high eight]

He is going to go right off Colon when he realises just how ,racist/sexist/speciesist the Sargent can be at his worst (i,e. Jingo).

 

[RathDarkblade]

I don't understand why anyone could dislike Sgt Colon. :| Personally, I like his brand of stupidity and unthinking bias because I know that, before too long, he would get his comeuppance - usually at the hands of Vimes, Nobby, or - in Feet of Clay -

Spoiler

a vampire, a golem, and a bunch of barnyard animals.

Yet Colon can sometimes - very rarely - hit the nail right on the head, which is why he is invaluable to the plot. He also keeps his ear to the street, which makes him invaluable to Vimes (and also makes his - Colon's, that is - ear very sticky).

But the best thing about Colon, I find, is that by the end of each book he grows and learns a little - bit by bit - and eventually even Colon's prejudices break down. Remember, in Night Watch he says he wouldn't work with trolls because

Spoiler

they're too fick to take orders

- and Vimes thinks "You'll learn..." And Colon does learn, and it is hilarious.

Personally, I think that Sgt Colon is (one of) the best anti-discrimination characters in the canon, rather than being a pro-discrimination character. He says some small-minded, stupid, and nasty things, but he's not malicious or evil.

What's your view, eh?

 

[high eight]

Oh, I agree with you - Colon is a well-drawn character and certainly has good points to offset his bad ones.

Mark and his fans might not agree, though.

 

[Tonyblack]

I think he's starting to get it. I am chuckling at his initial reaction to Angua.

 

[Penfold]

I'm waiting for it to click that the 'W' word stands equally for 'Werewolf' as it does 'Woman'.

 

[high eight]

I'm waiting for it to click that the 'W' word stands equally for 'Werewolf' as it does 'Woman'.

He should get it in the next section, I think.

 

[poindexter]

Urrghh.. How does he so clearly miss the point of Colon and and Nobby in this section? It's painful >_< I'm torn between wanting him to read more so that he can understand what Pratchett is doing (though how he doesn't already grasp this, I do not know), and quitting because his inability to understand the words before his eyes is causing me actual physical pain.

I can't even imagine looking at Colon and Nobby - two of the most blatantly comical characters there ever were - and thinking "I should take what they say seriously". Pretty much everything they say is a joke/highlighting ignorance. How does he even think otherwise....?