[lbo-talk] NASCAR romances

[Kathleen de la Peña McCook]

O give me break, back.
I know what these books are and people do read them regardless of 
your approval. And you belittle the people that read them by 
belitting the books. Just get off the arrogant high-horse.
Yes, I do know a lot about these books and I also know that a
supercilious attitude can be smelled a mile away.
You need to work on the attitude. I lead book discussions that have 
brought readers from these kinds of books to more thoughtful books 
but would never have gotten the groups to come together if my initial 
attitude was so spiteful toward the readers. People are not unaware 
of cultural imperialism writ small. 
==========

On 11 May 2008 at 7:59, B. wrote:

Oh, give me a break.

So, if I make fun of Fabio, am I also disrespecting
the real, true grit of working class folks, many of
whom read novels with his model on the cover? That's
identity politics carried to some new, weird, surrea
level. 

These are not just NASCAR books. They are
Harlequin/NASCAR tie-in romance novels, and if ou read
he descrptions of them they are almost always about
millionaires and billionaires, etc., who might lose
their family fortune est junior win the big race! Not
exactly Upton Sinclair's The Jungle. 

How do you even know "the working class likes these
books, so shaddup"? I'm sure some working class people
like lots of shitty stuff. So do rich people, by the
way (faux vintage stuff/expensive replicas of imagined
vintage clothing). Do I have to brandish my poor
Southern boy, red state, hard scrabble past to be
issued admittance to thinking NASCAR ROMANCE novels
are funny? Because I am in the NASCAR demographic, if
it matters -- and it shouldn't -- but even I have an
eye for cultural atrocities / oddities.

-B.

Kathleen de la Peña McCook