Why I stopped reading TAE

[Viscount St. Albans]

See Jane. Jane has a car. A car has four wheels and an engine. When Jane presses the horn, it goes honk.

And the evil banksters stole all the money.

Now then, can I write you another 4 paragraphs before you fall asleep?

In the summer of 2008, it was new and fresh to read about evil banksters. Now, almost 4 years later, even my 8 year old nephew knows the rough chronology, and the narrative.

When the articles sound like they’re writing themselves, I start skimming. When I sense that the writer isn’t surprised or intrigued by their creation, I skip paragraphs, then posts, and then the site.

Writing should entertain as well as inform. That’s partly why I miss El G.

As the longtime UPI editor and Beat Generation fouder, Lucien Carr, often told his reporters — when writing a lead:
“Make me cry or make me horny.”

Or, as Moliere noted:
“The duty of comedy is to correct men by amusing them.”

[Author]

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