Arnon

You're begging the question. Changing from a celebrity writer to a servant on a train already reflects a desire to be that outcast (even when VVD party leader Rutte calls those people, his projected electorate, HWN'ers, short for "hard werkende Nederlanders").

Do you know and like the work of Jan Arends? He preferred working as a servant as well, mostly for what he called rich bitches ("rijke wijven"). It seems to me that you might share a certain contempt for people with him. Does it also make you feel sexually aroused when fulfilling their needs?

As far as this blog of yours is concerned, making sense is not high on your list of priorities. And the mediocre level of ESL you're displaying I can only interpret as an insult to the reader. Is a reader of your blog worth less to you than a reader of one of your novels? If so, you either envision this as en exercise in inhumanity, or you should consider to stop blogging.

You make bold statements but omit any justification. What it is you exactly mean is left to the imagination. The sorry part of it is that the prose you're producing is anything but worth stressing the faculty of imagination about. It's all sans engagement and in the end, lacking any sense whatsoever.

Why is it men are never asked to stop name-dropping? Please Rutger, tell me something I can't look up on wikipedia. Consider me a rich bitch whose very needs you're willing to satisfy, tell me something about you.

@Tjitze, I'm not sure making sense or performing 'High Acts of Literature' is the purpose of this blog. I often read the commentators' reactions (I love it when they react to eachother which is not often because usually everyone's only after reactions from Arnon) before I read Arnon's entry. I'm not sure exactly what this is all about, but it's definitely about a whole lot of things. If you knew to describe what it's about, my guess is you would be the one writing a bestseller.

Arnon

Has your big toe fully recovered?

Tjitze

Some typo's have been corrected. Thanks for letting me know. As far as making sense is concerned, sometimes I cannot go into details (see the entry "Rules) and therefor I'm forced to be more cryptic than I would have been in let's say a diary. Having said this I do think that this entry is perfectly clear. We can discuss the definition of an outcast and where kindness exactly ends and corruption starts. But these are other questions leading to another discussion.

Oscar

I believe so. Thanks for asking.

@Noa, isn't it with good reason that readers are only after Arnon's reactions? It's his blog. For reactions from let's say Jan or Rutger it would be more logical to exchange views on their blogs. Now what's your reaction to that?

Corruption

This made me remember a day at the gymnasium. After another minor incident between a teacher and me, a fellow student took me by the arm and spoke: ”Jan, I know you are smart, and I am smart too, I could even state that you are smarter, but in the end I will become rich and respected and you will become nobody. And you know why? Because you tell people what you know and I tell them only what they want to hear”.
He is now a rich and celebrated surgeon. I like to remember things that people like to forget.

Jan T

To tell people what they want to hear is not always proof of being corrupted.
To tell them what you know (and think) is definitely not always appreciated.
I guess some people are happily corrupt, sometimes I think of myself as a happy corruptor of other people but I’m sure this is a sign of hubris.

@Arnon
I do not believe you tell people only what they want to hear, on the contrary, I think. (On the other hand some people already consider you a corruptor of souls, only when you pose difficult questions).
Ah, who is free of some hubris.

Isn't this blog more of a church than anything else? Aren't we all here to talk to God, but know he won't answer back, so we're basically telling each other stories about (our) lives. The fact that Mr. Arnon often talks back is just a nice gesture. A very nice gesture.

shame

Lacking the morally excepted amount of shame for once actions is what makes the outcast.

Arnon

"The SBB train crew welcomes you on the intercity to (...) for a refreshing drink, or apetizing snack, or to have your copy of The Jewish Messiah signed, come and visit our restaurant in the middle of this train"

Aren't you afraid that "fans" will come bothering you when you give away your routes on your blog like this?

Noa

Tell me please, what harm is there in name dropping? Do you feel I am trying to distinguish myself by mentioning the name of Mark Rutte? Does name dropping also apply to city names, like Amsterdam or New York? Or company names, like Shell or Philips? Or perhaps those of tornado's like Alice or Henry?

We are not among friends here. This is a public forum. It is, I admit, of a different nature than those dealing with a topic of interest, like breast cancer, or post colonial feminism, or Windows Vista, or Lacanian psycholanalysis, or growing orchids. Here, we ask our topic of interest if his toe is recovering well, too which he then answers. And if he answers yes, we all feel we own another piece of him, however small in this case. I am, therefore, a little saddened that he has not yet answered my question of whether or not serving other people gives him sexual pleasure. I would then have a scope.

Before I forget, are you actually a rich bitch? How much would you be willing to pay if I told you things about myself?

Sandy

My routes change.
Yesterday was my last day on the route Lucerne-Interlaken.
The answer is no, I'm not afraid.

Pim

I'm not sure.
Is a child rapist an outcast in prison (and much of the rest of society) because he refuses to show remorse?
And there are places where even the child rapist is not an outcast.
To be an outcast for me is to be everywhere an outcast.
To avoid misunderstanding: I don't consider myself an outcast.

@Ron - true, albeit that in a strange way I've come to know you and Jan and Dens and it's pleasant to waeke up in the morning and see how everyone's doing at a glance. It's a bit like the School Bus every morning. Now and then the driver turns around and tells everyone to shut up or turns up the music.
@Rutger - I knew it would be hard to communicate with you as you seem to be incapable of reading properly. Still, I keep hoping people change, which may be one of my main character flaws..
1. I didn't say I hated name-dropping. I was referring to the fact that on this forum women have been asked to stop name-dropping the moment they used quotes. But when a man quotes Sartre, no other man would ever think of asking him to stop showing off.
2. I said "consider me" - as you're a writer yourself, I would think you know what the phrase "conider me" entails. To further feed your fantasies: whether or not I am a rich bitch if 'for me to know and you to find out' (this too by the way being a common expression, a friendly way of saying - none of your business).

Rutger

While writing about my life as a chamber maid last summer I referred to Jan Arends and Sophie Calle and Joseph Roth.
A quotation from Sam Garrett’s translation:
“Completely unnoticed, I will bury my face in used towels and sniff it up: the smell of life.
I will fish their hair out of shower drains, I will examine it carefully, I will see existence at its most naked. “

Arnon,

That makes me wonder if there has ever been a real outcast according to your definition?

Noa

While typing your name in the header, I realize that name dropping is virtually unavoidable. Some people here even adopted the name of a writer to facilitate the art. By contrast, I shortened mine.

I am sorry you find it difficult to communicate with me. Since you are unclear about whether you are rich or not, I will then allow you to call me Sartre, and you can then be my bitch from now on, how's that?

Arnon

You have not answered my question, but I will settle for the quote; it's brilliant.

@Sartre

I'll be anything you want me to be my dear, including your own private nurse to tighten your restraining jacket.

Rutger

You're so pretty when you're faithful to me.

Did anyone see "Comedian" a documentary about Jerry Seinfeld after his hitshow Seinfeld? There was this one comedian who had a little focus: Orny Adams. This guy was received so badly after this aired, one could speak of a careerdump instead of a careerboost.

Orny is portrayed as a egocentric and arrogant melomaniac, and when I reread all these comments, Rd hdg reminded me of Orny and vice versa.

@noa

Will you be available for lunch or a beer in Amsterdam in september 2008?

Hi Jeanette, you and I being the two women here who were asked to stop name-dropping (I was asked to stop doing so way back when) yes - a beer could be really fun.
I'll be back in Amsterdam as of August. You can email me - noa.fenenga@gmail.com

Dens

Even after rererereading your post you still don't make much sense. But it's nice to know what shows you watch. Please keep us updated.

Noa

As long as you give me oral pleasure, you and are fine. And you do!

Margot

You think so? Noa just told me the same.

Pim

Yes, definitely. Also time can change things. The outcasts of yesterday might be the heroes of tomorrow. Unfortunately often the outcast is not there anymore to witness the event.

Rutger

It's a song by Frank Black. I'm not surprised you don't know it.
Anyway, I'm taking a break.

Margot

You are song dropping.

@Rutger, I must admit - that was hilarious. I KNEW you were funny, you see, didn't I say so before?

Noa

If you said that to Joe Pecsi, he might take offense: http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=twW_riHWz_4