Lev Raphael's Blog, page 46
February 24, 2015
Warning: The Satire-Impaired Walk Among Us!
When you publish a blog post in The Huffington Post's Comedy section, you assume people will get the obvious: It's meant to be funny, just like a fire truck hurtling down the street is a sign that, well, there's a fire somewhere, right?
But apparently not everyone is able to read obvious cues like that.
Last week I posted a satirical blog post in this section where I pretended to confess that everyone who reviews books does it for personal reasons only. Bad review? The author's pissed us off in...
But apparently not everyone is able to read obvious cues like that.
Last week I posted a satirical blog post in this section where I pretended to confess that everyone who reviews books does it for personal reasons only. Bad review? The author's pissed us off in...
Is Satire a Foreign Language?
When you publish a blog post on The Huffington Post's Comedy section, you assume people will get the obvious: It's meant to be funny, just like a fire truck hurtling down the street is a sign that, well, there's a fire somewhere, right?
But apparently not everyone is able to read obvious cues like that.
Last week I posted a satirical blog post in this section where I pretended to confess that all of us who review books do it for personal reasons only. Bad review? The author's pissed us off in s...
But apparently not everyone is able to read obvious cues like that.
Last week I posted a satirical blog post in this section where I pretended to confess that all of us who review books do it for personal reasons only. Bad review? The author's pissed us off in s...
Lady Gaga, The Oscars, and "Haters"
See what happens online if you criticize any popular performer in any way. Watch the comments section if it's a blog, or see what people tweet or how they reply on Facebook. Almost immediately, somebody will accuse you of "sour grapes" or of being jealous.
Why is that? Why has it become impossible to express an opinion about a performer without being personally (and illogically) attacked? Why do fans take that opinion so personally themselves and feel they have to slam the writer?
The writer...
Why is that? Why has it become impossible to express an opinion about a performer without being personally (and illogically) attacked? Why do fans take that opinion so personally themselves and feel they have to slam the writer?
The writer...
Lady Gaga Wasn't Ready for The Oscars
See what happens online if you criticize any popular performer in any way. Watch the comments section if it's a blog, or see what people tweet or how they reply on Facebook. Almost immediately, somebody will accuse you of "sour grapes" or of being jealous.
Why is that? Why has it become impossible to express an opinion about a performer without being personally (and illogically) attacked? Why do fans take that opinion so personally themselves and feel they have to slam the writer?
The writer...
Why is that? Why has it become impossible to express an opinion about a performer without being personally (and illogically) attacked? Why do fans take that opinion so personally themselves and feel they have to slam the writer?
The writer...
February 22, 2015
Book Reviewing is a Giant Scam!
I've positively reviewed Patricia Cornwell in the past, in
The Detroit Free Press
and elsewhere, but when I had negative things to say about one of her books, some of her fans accused me of being jealous.
OK, I have a confession. It's, like, 100 percent true, since she sells more books than I ever will.
You know what else? It's true of all book reviewers. There's no other reason to write a bad review unless it's personal.
If we say anything bad about a book, it's because we're jealous, or becau...
OK, I have a confession. It's, like, 100 percent true, since she sells more books than I ever will.
You know what else? It's true of all book reviewers. There's no other reason to write a bad review unless it's personal.
If we say anything bad about a book, it's because we're jealous, or becau...
Revealed at Last: Book Reviewing is a Giant Scam!
I've positively reviewed Patricia Cornwell in the past, in
The Detroit Free Press
and elsewhere, but when I had negative things to say about one of her books, some of her fans accused me of being jealous.
OK, I have a confession. It's, like, 100 percent true, since she sells more books than I ever will.
You know what else? It's true of all book reviewers. There's no other reason to write a bad review unless it's personal.
If we say anything bad about a book, it's because we're jealous, or becau...
OK, I have a confession. It's, like, 100 percent true, since she sells more books than I ever will.
You know what else? It's true of all book reviewers. There's no other reason to write a bad review unless it's personal.
If we say anything bad about a book, it's because we're jealous, or becau...
The Great Book Reviewing Hoax
I've positively reviewed Patricia Cornwell in the past, but when I had negative things to say about one of her books, some of her fans accused me of being jealous.
Okay, I have a confession. It's, like, 100% true, since she sells more books than I ever will.
You know what else? It's true of all book reviewers. There's no other reason to write a bad review unless it's personal.
If we say anything bad about a book, it's because we're jealous, or because the author pissed us off somehow. Maybe the...
Okay, I have a confession. It's, like, 100% true, since she sells more books than I ever will.
You know what else? It's true of all book reviewers. There's no other reason to write a bad review unless it's personal.
If we say anything bad about a book, it's because we're jealous, or because the author pissed us off somehow. Maybe the...
February 19, 2015
Jeb Bush's Secret Is Out
Jeb Bush has been making candidate noises for awhile now and if you wondered what he might be like as a candidate or wanted insight into his character, he gave plenty this week.
He's lazy. And maybe not all that bright.
As The Washington Post reports, he just spoke at a Chicago Council on Global Affairs luncheon. So you'd think someone who wanted to be president, or was at least considering it, might have studied up on some foreign policy issues. Think again.
He made a bunch of verbal gaffes th...
He's lazy. And maybe not all that bright.
As The Washington Post reports, he just spoke at a Chicago Council on Global Affairs luncheon. So you'd think someone who wanted to be president, or was at least considering it, might have studied up on some foreign policy issues. Think again.
He made a bunch of verbal gaffes th...
February 17, 2015
Warning: Killer Cops Are Armed and Dangerous
When I started my 25th book Assault With a Deadly Lie 4-5 years ago it was because of stories I read online that weren't getting national attention but were very alarming just the same. They were stories of SWAT teams raiding the wrong houses and doing massive property damage, terrifying people, sometimes injuring or even killing them. They were stories of unarmed, frequently mentally disturbed people being shot by police.
As a mystery author and the son of Holocaust survivors, this horrified...
As a mystery author and the son of Holocaust survivors, this horrified...
February 14, 2015
Does Valentine's Day Ever Break Your Heart?
The day is all about sweetness, isn't it? Romantic dinners, champagne, balloons, flowers, candy, adorable Hallmark or emailed cards, teddy bears, mushy songs that make you grin.
But the day doesn't make everyone happy. It reminds some people they're alone. For others it calls up lost loves, disappointing affairs, marriages that collapsed, people they should have asked out but were afraid to, and just a whole range of mistakes and bad choices.
Recently someone told me that she was being stalked....
But the day doesn't make everyone happy. It reminds some people they're alone. For others it calls up lost loves, disappointing affairs, marriages that collapsed, people they should have asked out but were afraid to, and just a whole range of mistakes and bad choices.
Recently someone told me that she was being stalked....
