General Discussions => General discussions => Topic started by: Olivia P on June 01, 2014, 08:19:49 AM Return to Full Version

Title: No one is entitled to be ignorant
Post by: Olivia P on June 01, 2014, 08:19:49 AM
Found a great quote and figured id share it..

Quote from: Harlan EllisonYou are not entitled to your opinion. You are entitled to your informed opinion. No one is entitled to be ignorant.
Title: Re: No one is entitled to be ignorant
Post by: Kimberley Beauregard on June 01, 2014, 09:06:19 AM
Gospel truth.
Title: Re: No one is entitled to be ignorant
Post by: kelly_aus on June 01, 2014, 04:10:27 PM
That one doesn't seem to hold any water around here, sadly..

Title: Re: No one is entitled to be ignorant
Post by: PoeticHeart on June 01, 2014, 04:14:48 PM
100% yes.
Title: Re: No one is entitled to be ignorant
Post by: ZoeM on June 01, 2014, 04:22:17 PM
Ignorance is in the eye of the beholder >_>
Title: Re: No one is entitled to be ignorant
Post by: Ms Grace on June 01, 2014, 05:21:43 PM
Was that their informed opinion...?

I prefer "opinions are like @$$ holes, everyone has one and they all stink!" ;)
Title: Re: No one is entitled to be ignorant
Post by: defective snowflake on June 01, 2014, 05:35:13 PM
But what if someone is informed, but still doesn't agree? 

That sort of saying sounds arrogant and self righteous to me.



And everyone, and I mean everyone, is ignorant about something.
Title: Re: No one is entitled to be ignorant
Post by: TerriT on June 01, 2014, 05:46:52 PM
Harlan Elison is a blowhard with a temper and a peculiar flair for his own brand of ignorance, whether it's groping a female author, starting fist fights with a critic or accusing half the science fiction works of the last 40 years as stealing from him in one way or the other. It might be a cute quote, but it smacks of bumper sticker ideology. It is an argument of authority as a means to dismiss critics or debate.

I don't mean to be overly critical, Ellison is profoundly gifted and incredibly proficient. Dude does nothing but write, sometimes in front of live audiences and has been doing this stuff for decades. He is utterly disdainful of technology and sneers at being labeled a "Sci Fi" author. Despite my informed opinion of him, he remains a popular writer and is an icon in the category.

Anyways, what does Ellison think ignorance is?

Quote from: Harlan EllisonIt is my hope that all of you who walk down the street with an iPod plugged into your head are hit by a Seven Santini Brothers moving van. I look down on a lot of you ... not because you're not terrific people, but because you're not stupid, you're ignorant. Big difference. Ignorance is never having seen a film by Akira Kurosawa. It's not knowing who Guy de Maupassant is. ...By the way if I miss, during the evening, saying something offensive to you, insulting your sexual proclivity, your physical disability, your race, your religion, your sex, anything, please, raise your hand. I'll get to you, I promise. I'll say something really nasty.

And that's what he says to his fans.

Totally unrelated, he named a character in one of his stories after an old friend of mine lol.
Title: Re: No one is entitled to be ignorant
Post by: Arch on June 01, 2014, 06:13:49 PM
Quote from: marsh monster on June 01, 2014, 05:35:13 PMThat sort of saying sounds arrogant and self righteous to me.

I certainly hope so. I would expect no less from Harlan Ellison. (Or do I mean "no more"?)
Title: Re: No one is entitled to be ignorant
Post by: helen2010 on June 02, 2014, 02:24:51 AM
Quote from: kelly_aus on June 01, 2014, 04:10:27 PM
That one doesn't seem to hold any water around here, sadly..

ditto that

Aisla