A loud outcry from the land of the setting Cinematic sun had drawn the stranger back once more to see what was wrong. There, he found a hardcore gamer, once again ranting and raving. Glancing curiously at the subject of his ire, the stranger noticed that the hardcore had been reading the latest post to Malstrom's blog.
"Pah! Pathetic! Look at that article's content! It's too wordy, and it's not professional at all! Who writes like that?!" the hardcore shouted angrily.
"Many people do. And what," the stranger asked bemusedly, "does professionalism count for? Is there some hidden value in it that will make people appreciate it more than they would an amusing anecdote?"
"What are you, stupid?!" the hardcore yelled, "Everybody knows professionalism is a must! You can't write an article without it! Without professionalism, it's...! It's...! It's a non-article!"
The stranger nodded, smiling. "Yes, I suppose it is. And maybe that's why it's so good."
"Never!" screeched the hardcore frantically.
"Why not?" asked the stranger, "Maybe most people want to read something funny and interesting, and not read yet another predictable article that reads like every other article out there. Perhaps some want variety, amusement, even insight into the fact that entertainment is not tied to a formula."
"Well *I* don't want that!" declared the hardcore huffily, "And anyway, it hardly matters! Malstrom writes like a viral marketer! He doesn't know anything, he doesn't cite any sources, he just says stuff without research!"
The stranger smiled again. "I suppose you haven't read most of his articles, then. Most of them are quite heavy with source citations, more than most 'professional' articles have in fact. Or is it that you don't believe in Blue Ocean Strategy and Innovator's Dilemma?"
"Get-rich-quick scheme books!" the hardcore spat, "I don't need to read such trash! Give me numbers and statistics to crunch!"
The stranger sighed. "Judging the book by its cover, I see. The classic excuse, I don't have to do the research because I know I'm right... Well, I cannot stop that, sadly, but I can at least tell you that you should not pass judgment on something you have no first-hand experience with. And incidentally, this current dalliance by Malstrom isn't meant to be informative so much as elucidating of the situation at large, don't you suppose?"
"Hah! As if!" the hardcore said angrily, "Why would anybody write something like that?!"
The stranger shrugged. "Why does anybody write anything? To please the audience. If the audience is not pleased, what have you accomplished?"
The hardcore stopped. "Well I'm not pleased!" he countered.
"No, I can see that. But perhaps you aren't the author's target market."
"Why wouldn't I be?!" the hardcore asked, angrier than ever. "If he can't write for me, he can't write for anybody!"
"So you are the only authority on writing quality now, then? Be realistic. There are many things you don't enjoy to read, I'm sure, but does that make them bad?"
"Yes!" yelled the hardcore, irate at such blatant ignorance.
The stranger shook his head. "I suppose I cannot help you. Come back to me when you have accepted that people have different tastes, and when you've done your homework." And with that, he departed into the sunrise once more, leaving the raving hardcore to his futile rantings.
Sky Render - Sanity is for the weak.
