Is This The Best Put-Down Ever? (Guardian Article)

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mirandashell

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Ian Rankin - that is class!

Freddie - sometimes it's a good idea to keep your mouth shut.....
 

sarahdalton

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He's entitled to his opinion, but yes, it wasn't particularly insightful (Freddie Flintoff I mean).

I think Ian Rankin probably should have kept his mouth shut as well to be honest. Neither of them come off particularly well.
 
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Torgo

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No, the best put-down ever was when Australian fast-bowler Glenn McGrath had just sent an 85MPH bouncer whistling past the nose of portly Zimbabwean batsman Eddo Brandes, and decided to follow it up with a bit of verbal intimidation.

"Why are you so f***ing fat?" inquired McGrath.

"Because every time I f*** your wife she gives me a biscuit," retorted Brandes.
 

onesecondglance

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He's entitled to his opinion, but yes, it wasn't particularly insightful (Freddie Flintoff I mean).

I think Ian Rankin probably should have kept his mouth shut as well to be honest. Neither of them come off particularly well.

I dunno, I felt Rankin's reply was quite wry (as are most of his tweets). I guess you could read an aggressive sarcasm into it, but then that's the risk with all tweets.
 

mirandashell

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Totally agree, One. I think Rankin's was some gentle sarcasm that more than likely went straight over Freddie's head.
 

mirandashell

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No, the best put-down ever was when Australian fast-bowler Glenn McGrath had just sent an 85MPH bouncer whistling past the nose of portly Zimbabwean batsman Eddo Brandes, and decided to follow it up with a bit of verbal intimidation.

"Why are you so f***ing fat?" inquired McGrath.

"Because every time I f*** your wife she gives me a biscuit," retorted Brandes.

Mind the windows, Tino!
 

sarahdalton

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But why the response in the first place? It's pretty unprofessional to respond to a review, no matter how insipid it is. Freddie bought the book, he doesn't owe Ian anything, and he's entitled to his opinion. He doesn't deserve to be patronised by the author. IMHO.

Maybe I'm just being grumpy. It's cold today. :Shrug:
 

mirandashell

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And Ian doesn't owe Freddie anything. It was a joke, that's all. IR didn't go off on one. He just made a clever joke. It's no big deal and I doubt Freddie even knows he's been insulted.
 

Amadan

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But why the response in the first place? It's pretty unprofessional to respond to a review, no matter how insipid it is. Freddie bought the book, he doesn't owe Ian anything, and he's entitled to his opinion. He doesn't deserve to be patronised by the author. IMHO.


No, it wasn't unprofessional. It was funny.

You are elevating the "don't respond to criticism" mantra to Holy Cant. It's not some violation of the Author's Code of Ethics. It's just (usually) an ill-advised thing to do, because the risk of backlash and/or looking petulant and thin-skinned is high.

Rankin's response was fine. He didn't direct it at Flintoff, and he didn't post it as a direct response to a review. It was just a wry comment on Twitter in response to a flippant comment on Twitter.

"Entitled to your opinion" does not mean "Entitled to express your opinion without anyone making fun."
 

MarkEsq

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No, it wasn't unprofessional. It was funny.

You are elevating the "don't respond to criticism" mantra to Holy Cant. It's not some violation of the Author's Code of Ethics. It's just (usually) an ill-advised thing to do, because the risk of backlash and/or looking petulant and thin-skinned is high.

Rankin's response was fine. He didn't direct it at Flintoff, and he didn't post it as a direct response to a review. It was just a wry comment on Twitter in response to a flippant comment on Twitter.

"Entitled to your opinion" does not mean "Entitled to express your opinion without anyone making fun."

This sums up my view of the exchange perfectly.
 

Jamesaritchie

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If you're going to respond, that's the way to do it. Not many have the class, or the wit, to pull it off, but he sure does.
 

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The guy went so far as to insult the writer's looks. I think Rankin's response was pretty great, he got some free press too. I didn't find the sarcasm dark or venomous, but rather a stab at being funny.
 

ladybritches

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I thought it was a clever, tasteful comeback. It's not like that tweet was just a book review. He insulted Rankin's looks too.
 
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