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.
