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  1. ribbonfarmVenkatesh Rao5/3/2117 min
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    ribbonfarm
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    • bill
      Top reader of all time
      2 years ago

      The Great American Story is always something of a tale told by a con artist in service of a con.

      Damn. Yes. I never thought about the “artist” part of “con artist,” but that’s a strangely fascinating thing to noodle on.

      All writers have complex motivations. And all writers, to some extent, have to struggle with the fluidity of those motivations, come up with new ones, trick themselves, and, of course, lie to everyone, including their readers, about why they do what they do. The con is thus almost intrinsic to the act of writing, and maybe even life itself.

      Great piece.

    • jeff2 years ago

      Really enjoyed this analysis even though I don't have the literary background that's probably required to fully appreciate it. Mark Twain to Seinfeld to Socialism in America. This reminded me of a Contrapoints video in the way that it makes dense, academic ideas seem interesting, approachable and applicable.