Or not, as the case may be. Can you manage to defer the pleasure? Jim Holt has a typically funny and smart piece in the current Lingua Franca on the perils of procrastination. For those of you who are compulsive procrastinators (which means almost all of you reading this at work, which means almost all of you), this is worth a look. Jim argues that not being sophisticated about procrastination – in other words, being unaware that you do it all the time – is actually an advantage in maximizing your pleasure and productivity. Just what you need to read before you answer that email. Rationalization. Works for me all the time.
HOROWITZ RESPONDS: “Andrew! This is a business deal that for the moment has gone sour. These poor babies at the Prince couldn’t come up with and answer to my ten points, and didn’t have the spine to reject an ad they didn’t like and take their hits. They solved their problem by blaming me for the fact that they printed the ad and paid me back by calling me a racist — knowing that they could deny me the opportunity to answer them. I didn’t make a deal to be slandered. The decent thing for them to do was 1) reject the ad if that’s the way they felt about it and 2) explain to their readers why what I actually said justified such — what else to call it but hate speech. (If you think this doesn’t have real world consequences my friend, you are profoundly mistaken.) I decided not to take their abuse lying down. This is to be a prima donna? Is this the way business is normally conducted? Sure I’ll take your money and give you what you think you bought, but since I really don’t like you, I’m going screw you in the process. Yeah, gimme your cash and you can have the new car, but I’ll put sand in the gasoline tank as you drive away. Well, ok, but I’m not going to pay for it. There’s a bigger principle here Andrew, which I’m surprised you’ve missed. There are thousands of Princeton students and not a few faculty members who know now that they better not speak up if they think reparations are a bad idea. Doing so – whatever their reasons or good intentions – will get them called racists. I am not going to let them down, if I can help it. And neither should you.” – David.
My response: “David, I take your points. I still think you’d be better paying. No-one will mistake you for a coward or a wuss. I’m not a fan of this kind of weasely response to you. I’m one of your many admirers and fans. But if i were you, I’d let this one go. Cheers, Andrew”
The Dish 