Stephen King, Criticized
May 7, 2008
The current issue that Mr. Stephen King is facing reminded me of the one with John Lennon’s “Popular than Jesus Christ” statement.
Common? Well, after the statement, people didn’t took notice until some days (weeks) later. Now, a particular blogger criticized Mr. Stephen King that apparently Americans can’t read.
Mr. Stephen King commented back saying:
“That a right-wing-blog would impugn my patriotism because I said children should learn to read, and could get better jobs by doing so, is beneath contempt,”
“I live in a National Guard town, and I support our troops, but I don’t support either the war or educational policies that limit the options of young men and women to any one career — military or otherwise,”
I’m sure Mr. King didn’t meant to say that America can’t read… then again, he’s the wordsmith..
[...] Stephen King release a statement last Monday to defend his side of the story, saying: “That a right-wing-blog would impugn my patriotism because I said children should learn to read, and could get better jobs by doing so, is beneath contempt,” [...]
It sounds like Stephen King is trying to put a favorable spin on his comments. Can’t say as I blame him. As a writer, he should know the results of choosing his words poorly. He did say that if you didn’t learn to read, your future would not be that bright and all you would have to look forward to was the Army or Iraq. While I’m sure he feels like he’s a patriot, because he “supports the troops, but not the war,” I believe he is your archetypical limousine liberal who looks down on anyone who chooses the military, believing that only someone who is illiterate would even contemplate joining up to fight for his country. King may be a world class author, but when it comes to his obvious personal beliefs, this guy is a tool.