Gar Lipow wrote:
>
>
> Again, I repeat that that Mark Twain really should never have been
> lumped in with Bierce and Mencken. Bierce and Mencken were primarily
> concerned with stupidity and self-delusion. At Twain's core was a
> hatred of cruelty and unnecessary suffering.
You are too kind to Bierce & Mencken. They didn't oppose "stupidity and self-delusion" -- they opposed the stupidity and self-delusion of _other_ people, while clinging desperately to their own little peevish version of "intelligennce." Good writing is the bigot's excuse for admiring other bigots. But there is an over-supply of good writing: not a single person on this list, not even Andy or shag, who seem to be the best read, has read even half of all the wonderful writing out there. So why pull a shithead out of the manure pile of history and say, Oh, he's a good writer.
Carrol