People have read that passage and have thought that on some level Norman Mailer was perhaps joking, in the same way that they might believe Allen Ginsberg joined NAMBLA because he felt every organization needed a voice. It seems more likely, however, that when someone sincerely tells you they believe in something, they actually mean it. We just excuse some people or think they’re making some sort of a grander point because we don’t want to believe them. We want to like them so we don’t have to stop enjoying the works they produce. Which is, incidentally, unnecessary. Someone can be a terrible
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I have struggled with this, personally.
