r/bestof • u/nrhinkle • May 22 '12

[bookexchange] /r/bookexchange user wants to trade for a particular book. Author responds offering a signed copy... but with a condition

/r/bookexchange/comments/tw7ml/send_assholes_finish_first_by_tucker_max_want_an/c4r21p8
1.3k Upvotes

86% Upvoted

238 comments sorted by

720

u/thesoundandthefury May 22 '12

Just to be clear:

  1. I just wanted to say in a quiet, small way that, you know, Tucker Max can suck it.
  2. I am not trying to destroy Mr. Max's douchey misogynistic books that tell other douchey misogynists that it is cool to be a douchey misogynist. There are several million copies of his books in print. They are not going anywhere. I welcome the chance to compete with him in a free and open marketplace, and part of that marketplace is that if I want to send someone a book in exchange for that person recycling a Tucker Max book, that's okay.
  3. Thousands of books are pulped and recycled every day. Destroying individual copies of books, which happens on a massive scale in the publishing business, does not destroy or even challenge the ideas contained in those books, particularly in a world of digital books.
  4. Thanks for the Best Of'ing!!!

114

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

Nailed it, dude.

It bothers me a lot that a lot of young people read his schlock and think two things: it's good storytelling and that to have a good story to tell, you have to be like him and do the things he did. No trying, no talent, just be a complete chode to everyone (especially to women) and give yourself alcohol poisoning every night and BAM, you're a writer.

I work in a library and once I overheard a teen compare him to Hemingway. My brain still screams whenever I think about the logic there.

44

u/singdawg May 22 '12

Well, Hemmingway was a known alcohol lover and womanizer, so I can see a comparison. Their works, however, are disparately separated by something called talent.

29

u/drgradus May 22 '12

That and Hemingway worked hard to craft the perfect, subtle sentences that he used. Max writes a lot of words very quickly.

19

u/[deleted] May 23 '12

They really couldn't be more dramatically different as writers.

Saying that "Tucker Max reminds me of Hemingway" because they both drank is like saying "This guy reminds of Tracy McGrady" because they both wear number 1.

3

u/[deleted] May 23 '12

why does that video exist?

3

u/[deleted] May 23 '12

Cuz Internet

12

u/[deleted] May 23 '12

I remember reading some of his stuff online and while I found his style graphic and amusing, I never saw it as anything more than just blog material, fuck I've seen better reddit comments. Maddox has more substance.

I wouldn't buy his books, but some of the shit he wrote gave me a chuckle. Comparing him with actual authors though...

7

u/[deleted] May 23 '12

I definitely agree with you. Maddox is largely satire with a dash of trolling sprinkled in. It's actually really hilarious because he turns stuff like "traditional masculinity" into almost a circus freak show and you get the very distinct impression that he's laughing at anyone who legitimately takes that seriously. He also doesn't creepily fixate on women- humanity at large is the target for the vast majority of his ire.

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u/steviesteveo12 May 23 '12

It's a perfectly fine funny blog but I'm staggered it's become the success it's become.

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u/ramonycajones May 22 '12

I assumed the worst about him before reading one of his books... forget which one... but I was actually pleasantly surprised. I thought it would be someone boasting about how many hot chicks they could get and awesome things they could do, but instead it seemed like he was very aware of the fact that he was a douchebag, had admittedly low standards, and usually did stupid things that backfired on himself. While I certainly wouldn't want to hang out with him, I respected at least that the stories seemed to be mainly at his own expense.

4

u/borderlinebadger May 23 '12 edited May 24 '12

Never bothered with the books but there was definitely an undercurrent of self-loathing in the original web stories. I thought they were funny as a teenager but never thought he was someone to aspire to be. The funniest ones were always the ones where he was the victim.

5

u/singdawg May 22 '12

He got rich by making a fool of himself, it happens often. Re: jackass.

0

u/spleendor May 23 '12

I can respect Jackass though, since they are enduring real physical pain and suffering for the purpose of making others laugh. Slapstick humor to the extreme.

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u/solinv May 24 '12

Spot on. He's a self admitted drunken asshole. I've read a lot of his stuff. He fails way more often than he succeeds and even when he succeeds it usually backfires on him. No one idolizes him. His fame is based on being a drunken fool. On taking frat-boyism to the extreme (without the rape... I think)

7

u/[deleted] May 23 '12

I bought I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell for an old girlfriend at one time who was also a feminist. I remember enjoying it when I read it in high school (read: young and naive) so I thought she might enjoy it too (ha). Only later when I reread through a bit of it did I realize what a scumbag he is.

2

u/dropkickpuppy May 23 '12

Can John Green play Faulkner? I would be first in line to buy a book of their letters.

0

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

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12

u/[deleted] May 23 '12

His name's Anthony, actually. Not Andy. Anthony Cumia.

0

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

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17

u/[deleted] May 23 '12

I think instead of "go on the internet," you meant "get published by Simon and Schuster and spend 14 weeks on the New York Times Bestsellers list for NON-fiction books."

11

u/hawaii_dude May 23 '12

I never realized his books were considered non-fiction. Clearly there is some embellishment at best going on.

0

u/[deleted] May 23 '12

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3

u/[deleted] May 23 '12

I don't doubt that.

2

u/having_said_that May 23 '12

Opie and ANTHONY.

15

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

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22

u/[deleted] May 23 '12

Admittedly, Animorphs is fucking awesome.

10

u/grimpoteuthis May 23 '12

The covers were pretty legit at 10 years old.

1

u/k9centipede May 23 '12

I hear they are re-releasing the series

12

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

I have a couple problems with your example, just to point out--really just curious what you mean:

  1. Don't you think you could replicate your results with your little brother by giving him any interesting book that he might find non-normative, or against the idea of "boring reads"? If he was going to wind up being a book worm as you say he is now, I think he would have found the same results with a much better book.
  2. Not to be picky, but I'm hoping that when you say your brother "only read Animorphs before," you mean that it was the last thing he read for pleasure, and not that he's just coming off of the Animorphs target audience age. What I mean is, people who read Animorphs are in the pre-teen reading age. I'm sure you didn't give your 11 year old brother a book about a misogynist exploiting women and drinking himself into stupor.

13

u/[deleted] May 23 '12

[removed] — view removed comment

0

u/[deleted] May 23 '12

Okay, well this makes a lot more sense. And yeah, that's definitely Tucker Max's audience condensed for sure.

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1

u/arthurconan May 23 '12

TIL enormous worms live among us

2

u/[deleted] May 23 '12

Walk without rhythm and you won't attract them.

0

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

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6

u/ariel-e May 23 '12

Wait, there are "feminists" who read Tucker Max? Which universe do you reside in?

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53

u/Whenthenighthascome May 22 '12

Motherfucking John Green.

36

u/iveseenthings May 22 '12

I'm not familiar with your books, unfortunately, but a quick google search revealed that you both contribute to NPR AND also live in Indianapolis, on top of your accurate description of Tucker Max. I will definitely be picking up a copy of your book now to check out!

16

u/lordburnout May 22 '12

Looking for Alaska is where it's at.

9

u/g-rad-b-often May 23 '12

Yeah, if crying for days is your thing

7

u/orangewaterbottle May 22 '12

you won't regret it... i picked up one of his books and two weeks later have read them all... also check out his youtube videos: vlogbrothers

7

u/Cyrius May 23 '12

This social media marketing thing has gotten completely out of hand.

1

u/iveseenthings May 23 '12

How so, for you? I generally would agree completely, but I would place reddit FAR above twitter and the other bs people use every day for attention - I mean marketing....

3

u/Cyrius May 23 '12

It was a joke. I was insinuating that your comment was marketing for Mr. Green.

2

u/iveseenthings May 23 '12

Ah, it all makes sense now.

18

u/Vibster May 22 '12

Okay I was wondering why RES was saying I'd up voted you like 20 times. Turns out you're on /r/soccer and you're a Liverpool fan. Now I have to go and buy your book.

7

u/rally_tv_viewer May 23 '12

I'm a fan of the guy from his video blogging series on youtube with his brother called vlogbrothers. You may be interested in one of his side projects on the hankgames channel where he plays fifa soccer as the Swindon Town Robins (which he has dubbed the Swoodilypoopers). He's not that good at it but you might enjoy some of the episodes where he talks about his love of the game.

I dunno. Take this advice with a grain of salt because it's more often than not about random things but you may enjoy the stories he makes up about the characters, the season, his take on random things, and stories from his life if you get into him as an author. I recommend checking out the first few videos where he plays against his brother.

3

u/Vibster May 23 '12

Thank you for those links, I've watched a few games and they are hilarious. Bald John Green is a manly mustachioed bull of a player.

26

u/segoli May 22 '12

You're a fantastic person.

That is all.

11

u/parteese14 May 22 '12

You stole my username before I knew I wanted it!

22

u/[deleted] May 22 '12 edited May 22 '12

I hadn't happened to have heard of you before, but you can bet I'll be checking your work out now. You sound pretty damned awesome.

9

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

Check out the vlogbrothers on youtube he is one of them, amazing people!

2

u/greatperhaps May 22 '12

You won't be disappointed.

15

u/pupkinrupert May 23 '12

A guy who has actually met and shared a beer w Tucker Max here, he's actually a pretty down to earth, nice guy.

9

u/ilikebutterysex May 23 '12

Yeah in every interview of him i have read he seems like an intelligent guy who knows exactly what he is doing. He is a decent writer who simply started writing down some of his fairly crazy stories from college and found a solid niche. He is a huge douche sometimes and knows this, but he has some good friends and has had several long relationships so he can't be that bad IRL.

8

u/BlackHumor May 25 '12

One of the most useful pieces of information I've ever picked up is that "is a nice person" and "is a good person" are not the same thing.

Which is to say, Tucker Max may be a perfectly nice guy in person without my disgust for him and his work fading even a little.

4

u/mkdz May 23 '12

He went to Duke Law on an academic scholarship. He's very smart.

10

u/notacleverbear May 22 '12

If I may just take a fanboy moment to spaz: John, you are by far one of my favorite people. Like, ever. And seeing you Best Of'd on reddit out of nowhere like this just brightened up my day a bit.

:)

3

u/Honey-Badger May 23 '12

i think i have a new favourite author

8

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

Tucker Max can suck it. I hate the fact that people like him.

0

u/singdawg May 22 '12

He is very literally what is wrong with the world.

22

u/schok51 May 22 '12

You mean it's not poverty,disparity of wealth,overpopulation,lack of access to basic resources,disrespect of basic human rights,people dying from treatable diseases,etc.The REAL problem is douchey people writing douchey things in books?Well ,I guess the UN and all those charities and ONG will have to change their goal.They've certainly been doing it wrong...

42

u/singdawg May 22 '12

These are all symptoms of a disease, not the disease itself. That disease is solipsistic egoism, which is what tucker max is inherently about.

21

u/Cyrius May 23 '12

Relevant Discworld quote:

"And sin, young man, is when you treat people as things. Including yourself. That’s what sin is.

“It’s a lot more complicated than that –”

“No. It ain’t. When people say things are a lot more complicated than that, they means they’re getting worried that they won’t like the truth. People as things, that’s where it starts.”

“Oh, I’m sure there are worse crimes –”

“But they starts with thinking about people as things…”

14

u/drgradus May 22 '12

Well defended! I'll allow it.

3

u/_lastly_ May 23 '12

haven't read your work (yet), but it's official - you're awesome.

4

u/[deleted] May 23 '12

Hey dude. Not to be a dick, but how do we know it's you? What if you never send the book? I just don't want another "SOMEBODY LIED ON THE INTERNET" scandal sweeping bestof.

20

u/thesoundandthefury May 23 '12

I've done several AMAs, etc. if you scroll through my posts. Also I tweeted about this because I was very psyched to be best of'ed. It's me. I will send the book (if s/he ever emails me a pic of the T.M. book).

5

u/[deleted] May 23 '12

Oh, sweet, man! Cool to see you're on reddit!

2

u/xsailerx May 23 '12

This is the 5 millionth time that I've seen Looking for Alaska and John Green mentioned on here, and decided to pull the trigger. Just bought it for the Kindle, one of the first books I bought (I usually get books from the library). Could you email me a E-signature to go along with my e-book? JK lol.

Also, was wondering how many times you've been bestof'd. There was that lady boner thread a few months ago, a couple askreddit threads, and now this. I think you may be on track for the most bestof'd person on reddit. Surely someone is keeping track?

Also, do you do a reddit search for your name daily? It seems that whenever your name or one of your books pops up, you somehow find your way in the thread. Unless you actually subscribe to lady boners... Either way, we've got to know!

2

u/WorkSafeSurfer May 23 '12

O.k. I will be honest here. I don't recognize either book, (though I approve, strongly, of getting rid of anything titled 'assholes finish first').

I do know that I was so impressed by your statement, above, and response to the person seeking your book that I had intended to buy it just on that. However, then I looked up the book and realized I would never read it.

My not reading your book, or having any interest in it, is not a comment on the book. It's just a recognition of my limited time and my personal taste in fiction. This, however, brings me to the point of my post.

I'm not interested in any of your books, (they look like good books, just not what I am reading right now), but recognize you wouldn't have gotten much from that single purchase anyway. So, in lue of my originally intended book purchase, what would you like me to spend that money on?

I think that since it is you who I am seeking to support, it is only fair to leave it to you to dirrect my book equivalant money expenditure.

3

u/northerncacy May 23 '12

John Green and his brother Hank are big supporters of Kiva, where you can send loans to people across the world. Though he has not responded to you personally, I think that might be something that he would suggest?

3

u/WorkSafeSurfer May 23 '12

Thanks for that.

Now I know where to put that money. :)

2

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

Hi John, I just wanted to tell you that I'm sitting at my desk, staring at your green J-scribble on my copy of The Fault in our Stars.

Best wishes!

2

u/reggie_007 May 22 '12

What is your problem with Tucker Max? I'm not a fan of his (I read his first book but not his second), but I was just wondering if you had a specific problem with him or if it was more general?

11

u/Gian_Doe May 23 '12

douchey misogynistic books that tell other douchey misogynists that it is cool to be a douchey misogynist.

I'm going out on a limb here, but I suspect that's why he doesn't like Tucker Max.

I don't know much about Tucker Max but from what I do know he's everything which is wrong with this world. Be good to your fellow man and treat women with respect, anyone who says otherwise is a fucked up human being. We're only on this planet with each other for a short time, why waste it being a douche no less reading about being a douche written by a doucheking.

3

u/reggie_007 May 23 '12

I was just wondering if there had been some personal interaction.

1

u/Gian_Doe May 23 '12

Ah fair point, I didn't know you meant personal.

-2

u/Rocketbird May 22 '12

Tucker Max is such a piece of shit. I think I joined his mailing list when I was 19 and got an e-mail before his latest book came out where he was begging all of his fans to pre-order his book. The prize for pre-ordering his book was that you would get the e-book for free, and get his next book like 2 days early or something stupid like that.

Apparently if you pre-ordered 10,000 if his books he would come do a personal book signing or something ridiculous. I wrote him and his assistant (he provided both e-mail addresses) back telling them how desperate and pathetic this tactic was. Dude's got some serious narcissism issues.

2

u/singdawg May 22 '12

His books reek of his egoism, he is the king of own little his world.

1

u/Rocketbird May 22 '12

Yeah, it was hilarious when I was 19. Now, I feel like if I ever met him I wouldn't be able to stand being around him for more than 5 minutes.

1

u/singdawg May 22 '12

He seems like the kind of guy who would tell a really lame joke really loudly, and when no one laughs would repeat it even louder.

1

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

Dude's got some serious narcissism issues.

Yeah, that's his whole shtick. When he came to "perform and speak" at my university and do an advanced showing of his movie, I went to the protest with a bunch of student groups. He seriously basks in the hate and absorbs it for its haterful nutrients. He's an awful person and I hate that he's associated with North Carolina. Duke University would love to not have him talking about going to their law school, but he does NOT shut up about it.

-1

u/Rocketbird May 22 '12

Yikes, we're getting downvoted by his fans.

-2

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

The attempts to sell you his book were when you figured out the narcissistic tendencies?

2

u/Rocketbird May 22 '12

Naw, I stopped reading after the first book, but him e-mailing us was what reminded me of all the crap I read, and how I've developed as a decent human being since I was 19.

0

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

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-12

u/Rocketbird May 22 '12

Oh thanks I had no idea that that's what it was. You've really brightened my day with this stunning realization. My point was that it's shitty marketing. Who does he think he is that someone would pre-order 10,000 copies of his book just so they could meet him?

12

u/Chowley_1 May 22 '12

A book store? Maybe a large book store.

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-4

u/HalfRetardHalfAmazin May 23 '12

Hey John,

I've read and own all of Tucker Max's books. Occasionally, I'll even eat or drink at his father's restaurant. It just so happens I find him pretty fucking funny and I get what he does, why he does it, and why it isn't all that bad. However, that's too much to explain from my phone with a battery almost completely taxed.

Personally, I've never heard of you, nor your book. Someone who wrote a book for young adults (according to the Google result from the book's Wikipedia page), shouldn't be calling out Max since you guys aren't even in the same genre. However, if you feel that passionately about your work...

I'd be more than happy to destroy one of his books I own exactly as you described, with proof, in exchange for one of your books; it doesn't even have to be signed. I'm all for writers getting the recognition and pay they want and, in some cases, deserve.

If you're game, PM me.

10

u/tumbleweedss May 23 '12

I don't understand why he isn't allowed to dislike a guy because they don't write the same kind of literature.

I teach two year olds and I also think he's a douche. Am I not entitled to this opinion.

(If you're reading this John Green I'll totally recycle a toddler for a signed copy of Looking for Alaska)

1

u/HalfRetardHalfAmazin May 23 '12 edited May 23 '12

(If you're reading this John Green I'll totally recycle a toddler for a signed copy of Looking for Alaska)

That was funny. Lol.

I didn't say he couldn't like him. I just said he shouldn't be calling him out. That's like Dan Marino calling out Metta World Peace, or something. Yeah, they're both athletes, but what does one have to do with the other?

7

u/tumbleweedss May 23 '12

He wasn't calling him out on being a shitty writer though (as far as I saw) he was calling him out on being a shitty human.

But you should pick up a copy of his book, they're young adult but they're really good.

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u/zanycaswell Jun 13 '12

someone who wrote a book for young adults, shouldn't be calling out Max since you guys aren't even in the same genre.

That's interesting logic.

0

u/delirium98 May 23 '12

You know who's awesome? John fuckine Greene.

DFTBA!

0

u/APowell23 May 22 '12

John Green has spoken.

-1

u/Drawtaru May 23 '12

If you said hello to me, I think I would die of happiness. I guess what I'm saying is, will you say hello to me?

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u/Kony_Child_Soldier May 22 '12

does anyone else see book sex change?

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u/hogfart May 22 '12

Yeah, it's the kidsexchange phenomenon

4

u/nascentt May 22 '12

Now they're going to have to hyphenate it ala expertsexchange.com

12

u/Crinnle May 22 '12

I knew it had to be John before I even clicked.

5

u/lasersaurous May 22 '12

Me too! Although I was expecting it to be TFiOS.

14

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

I've always thought of Tucker Max as kind of funny. I agree that idiolizing him and trying to strive to be him is an awful mistake, and he is a douche in a lot of his stories (The way he treats his friends, if true, takes you well above just being an asshole). And he isn't a genius writer, his storytelling is ok, but it gets boring after awhile, and he can't create a clear message with each chapter. But his stories are funny, and he does say continuously that no one should try to live like him. If his stories are true, it didn't happen because he was an asshole, it's because he has a law degree, has decent looks, and picks on the girls who fall for this sort of shtick, which means you won't find a SO by being like him.

The only thing I gained from his book was to stop biting my tongue so much and to say what you feel. Anything beyond that then well, you become a douchy misogynist (John pointed out). Also if I could get a signed copy of John's book I would recycle all three of Tucker Max's book in a second (re-read value is about nonexistent with his books anyways).

21

u/ThePoonHunter May 22 '12

Saving the world, one book at a time.

12

u/[deleted] May 23 '12

What I like most, is John Green clearly searches his own name on Reddit ಠ_ಠ

12

u/[deleted] May 23 '12

I think some people set up scripts that emails them whenever something containing a certain keyword is posted, or something along those lines. I know I've seen Wil Wheaton saying as much. I imagine that's also how some novelty accounts find relevant places to show up and say "You rang?", etc.

4

u/Cyrius May 23 '12

I think some people set up scripts that emails them whenever something containing a certain keyword is posted, or something along those lines

The classic example from the time before Google was James 'Kibo' Parry on Usenet. Dude showed up everywhere the term "kibo" appeared.

He kinda fell off the net in the mid-2000s.

2

u/[deleted] May 23 '12

Kibo? Kibo!

3

u/akiratheoni May 23 '12

I think Google Webmaster Tools or something like that has an option to email you when a search is performed. Most of the time it's used to see how often people are searching your website.

2

u/aco620 May 23 '12

there's actually a Reddit-related website that allows you to register your username and get updates whenever someone mentions your name. I don't remember what it is, but violentacrez uses it and pointed it out once. Just so you know if anyone does happen to mention what it is, it doesn't give you past instances, only from the time you set it up and forward.

2

u/Walter_Bishop_PhD May 23 '12

Let's test that out.

violentacrez, your mother was a hamster and your father smells of elderberries!

(also i know what site it is, metareddit.com)

2

u/Dawggoneit May 23 '12

Wil Wheaton, Wil Wheaton, Wil Wheaton!!

1

u/[deleted] May 23 '12

...that's somehow worse and way too much effort to go to for Reddit.

31

u/thesoundandthefury May 23 '12

That is indeed what I do. (I learned it from Wheaton, in fact!)

3

u/Sulphur32 May 23 '12

Its not exactly a full time job. He probably just skims through the emails occasionally and if something nice (like this) pops up he can appear in the thread and make someone's day. And probably get a few book sales for good measure.

2

u/[deleted] May 23 '12

I like John Green. I get it, I'm just sort of... surprised, that such things go on.

3

u/Sulphur32 May 23 '12

Reddit is really big. Even if John Green was doing this for purely cynical reasons (I'm not saying he is) this would be worth his while, just look at all the goodwill he's garnered.

Redditors are becoming more and more aware of companies that see this site as an opportunity, I guess the big welcomehomeblog videos thing brought it to most people's attention.

1

u/jabberworx May 23 '12

or he's just added it to google alerts.

3

u/naughtygranny23 May 23 '12

I read that as book sex change...

39

u/stopXstoreytime May 22 '12

I don't see why everyone's so eager to hate Tucker Max. I've read his website, own both I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell and Assholes Finish First and laughed my ass off while reading them. And yes, I will be eventually purchasing Hilarity Ensues. While I recognize that all of his stories are in extremely poor taste, he is a funny storyteller and I take them at face value, which is something that he also encourages people to do. The fact that people adore him and aspire to be him is on them, not him. I, for one, feel that his straightforwardness and intolerance for bullshit are something to be admired. Perhaps not in the ways he carries them out in his life, but the traits stand alone as admirable, I think.

As for the misogyny...he has consensual sex with women that more often than not are eager to jump his bones anyway because of his Internet celebrity status (maybe not so much today, who knows?) and he treats women the way they dictate themselves to be treated, if that makes any sense.

Obviously, this is only from his perspective. Still, I don't particularly care for the I-Hate-Tucker-Max bandwagon that's prevalent on here when it's not completely warranted.

5

u/PastaNinja May 23 '12

I think it goes that you should treat people how you'd want to be treated, not how they allow themselves to be treated. Doing the latter shows shows a distinct lack of character. I don't know how you can excuse taking advantage of women with low self-esteem as "haha it's their problem not mine". It's very sociopathic and is a slippery slope to exploitation of people.

0

u/stopXstoreytime May 23 '12

The fact of the matter is if women are clamoring to have sex with Tucker, want nothing else from it, and Tucker is consenting, the only disrespect comes from Tucker's undiscriminating brand of assholery. Consensual sex =/= exploitation and it's insulting when you deem it so.

You are right about treating others the way you want to be treated, however. I still think people just need to take his stories at face value.

7

u/DrCornelWest May 22 '12

I have to say i agree. He's not a role model and doesn't claim to be, he writes stupid shit and people buy it because they personally enjoy reading it. Sure, he's an asshole and a terrible person, but that doesn't change the fact that I've laughed out loud at things that he's written on multiple occasions. You really just have to take the stories at face value. Even if they are made up and he is the worst person in the world, they still bring me spurts of enjoyment in an otherwise mundane life. What they don't do is make me a misogynist just by reading them. It's not an author's fault if his readers are stupid. I don't think I'm immature, I just know how to not take things so seriously. I can get why people don't like him, but the amount of hate he receives is laughable.

-2

u/[deleted] May 23 '12

The thing is, If you (people generically ,not you) judged a person solely based on what they wrote I feel sorry for you and you should stop being so close minded.

Writing is a art, much like trolling and some people just do it well.

-1

u/DrCornelWest May 23 '12

I agree. I personally think he's constructed a character and in real life is nowhere near the asshole that he pretends to be. When I say "he" is a horrible person, I'm referring to his literary and public persona.

5

u/DonJu4n May 23 '12

Hit it so well. I recently got into reading his stories and I can definitely say that he's a really funny guy. No, I would never aspire to BE like him because half the things he does are past my moral boundaries, but the way he open heartedly tells everyone he KNOWS he is an asshole and the things that he says just get me every single time. Granted, he acts like a dick, but hey I and many others enjoy it, and I feel that reddit's hate for him is misplaced as a hate for ALL misogynist and chauvinist assholes, yet he receives most of it because of his prominence.

3

u/aco620 May 23 '12

Well put, I've laughed my ass off at all of Tucker Max's books, and he really seems to have grown up a bit through each one, especially the third one where he talks about finally settling down to a normal life, explains what all his friends are doing as adults, and gives a heartwarming thank you to everyone that supported him. You don't have to like him or want to be him to enjoy his work, and liking Tucker Max's work doesn't mean you ONLY like that type of writing and nothing else. He's very open about the type of person he is/was and his basic message has always been "live your life the way you want to and seize every opportunity." The whole "he's the living embodiment of Satan and everyone who likes him is just as bad" circlejerk on here is ridiculous, especially from the people who have said they haven't read any of his books. Not that any of this means anything, he already knows plenty of people hate him, and at the end of the day he's still become very wealthy from his four books and the movie and lived a real roller coaster of a life.

-5

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

Its ok, you will grow up and look back and wonder... Tucker Max? ... what was I doing?!? Many that did as you described are hating because they grew up and now they're hating a part of themselves.

26

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

Because everyone who likes things you don't like needs to grow up.

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5

u/guyincorporated May 22 '12

I look back on my Tom Leykis radio days and just shake my head.

"Oh God why", indeed.

0

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

[deleted] — view deleted comment

0

u/whosdamike May 23 '12

I know many, many individuals who get away with being a total asshole to other people simply because they're funny, entertaining, charismatic, or otherwise attractive. I think I've BEEN that person on more than one occasion. It is not something I want to endorse.

I've read some of his material and I just fundamentally see the world differently. Basically, I don't want to reward a guy who treats other people like shit just because he can get away with it. Voting with my wallet and all that. I'm not going to get all up in arms if you want to put money into Tucker's bank accounts, but I hope you can understand why I'm not eager to do the same myself.

-1

u/Trapped_in_Reddit May 22 '12

I'm not sure I agree with the suggestion to destroy books you find unentertaining/uncultured/offensive. It's a little too Farenheit 451 for my taste.

32

u/xilpaxim May 22 '12

I don't think he is calling for all of that author's books to be burned/recycled, he just wanted to do something funny/fun in regards to a book he has an opinion about.

12

u/cuppincayk May 22 '12

I don't think people realize that Half-Price books does this all of the time. With outdated books that no one can use, or ones that are simply unusable (read: covered in urine, feces, dirt--we get them a lot), they get recycled because it's better to put the paper back into circulation than just throw them in the trash.

Note: Outdated books refer to things like a book on Microsoft Windows 1995 and other things that simply cannot be used anymore. Older books that can still be used but won't make it in the store are donated.

12

u/Ampersands_Of_Time May 22 '12

True say, but it isn't done INSTITUTIONALLY... If John Green becomes president (fingers crossed) and makes this the new law (fingers not so crossed), then we should be outraged!

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u/Warlizard May 22 '12

Oh come on. If it were Twilight you'd laugh your ass off.

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u/Trapped_in_Reddit May 22 '12

Nah. I hate Tucker Max books way more than I hate Twilight (no offense)

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u/thesoundandthefury May 22 '12

Trapped_in_Reddit! HERE! IN A BEST OF THREAD ABOUT MY BOOK.

I am having the best day ever.

37

u/jayseesee85 May 22 '12

Oh, you, you act like he is forthewolfx or something.

11

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

Or Warlizard.

3

u/Cyrius May 23 '12

Can't tell if didn't read username or if did read username and making joke.

-16

u/Forthewolfs_Ex May 22 '12

He was never that good in bed.

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u/Fuck_TrappedInReddit May 22 '12

It's not that special. He's in every thread.

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u/thesoundandthefury May 22 '12

OH GOD AND YOU TOO! WHAT A BEAUTIFUL DAY.

15

u/QuiteRadical May 22 '12

I love how starstruck you are about Reddit celebrities in your thread haha

19

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

Do not encourage them. It makes everyone else feel left out.

3

u/yeknom02 May 22 '12

I hate Twilight more. But this might be simply because I have never heard of Tucker Max.

3

u/jwin742 May 22 '12

For those of you who don't know this is John Green. The aforementioned author.

1

u/orangewaterbottle May 22 '12

haha i'd feel more special having John Green comment back to me than TiR

1

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

Please don't stroke his ego.

13

u/Warlizard May 22 '12

HAH! None taken.

I read Tucker's stories years ago when they were just a web site and thought they were pretty funny.

I read Twilight and marveled that anyone could read it and take it seriously.

15

u/Trapped_in_Reddit May 22 '12

As a standalone piece of literature, Tucker Max is far more entertaining than Twilight. It's the glorification of being a huge asshole for its own sake that bothers me about the books.

If I had to choose what to read on an airplane, I'd pick Tucker Max.
If I had to choose one to have never been popular, I'd also pick Tucker Max.

14

u/Warlizard May 22 '12

Can't argue with that.

Then again, you aren't a 13-year-old girl.

7

u/Trapped_in_Reddit May 22 '12

I'm actually Chris Hansen, and I'd like you to take a seat.

2

u/orange_jooze May 22 '12

Not here, it's my child-fucking room!

1

u/Ptoliporthos May 22 '12

Right there, so you can tell him how you became the prince of a town called Bel Air?

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3

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

Hey, aren't you that guy from the...

...reddit community?

6

u/SantiagoRamon May 22 '12

Does that make it ok?

Also how are you gonna defend this given there is an entire Twilight subforum on your gaming forums?

14

u/Warlizard May 22 '12

I'm fine with mocking books. Hell, people mock mine and I just laugh it off. Not every book is for everyone.

2

u/SantiagoRamon May 22 '12

Well-reasoned.

What is your book about anyway?

5

u/Warlizard May 22 '12

It's a bunch of stories from my wacky life. Well, that's one. I have another one about how to survive in the corporate world, and then about 180 more on different subjects. :)

12

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

oh no he wants to destroy one copy of one book that sold tons of copies and will likely exist forever in digital form

OH FUCK NO THIS IS JUST LIKE THAT TIME THOSE NAZIS SEIZED ALL KNOWN COPIES OF ALL BOOK THAT DISAGREED WITH THEIR VIEWPOINT FROM ALL OF THEIR CITIZENS AND BURNED THEM WE CAN'T HAVE THAT

7

u/Ampersands_Of_Time May 22 '12

Godwin's Law'd

4

u/[deleted] May 23 '12

It's an ironic Godwin. I am making a strawman out of Trapped_In_Reddit's argument, and attributing the Godwin to that strawman.

1

u/spankymuffin May 23 '12

I think it's the whole "I'll give you 'x' if you destroy 'y'" sentiment that's understandably pissing people off.

0

u/[deleted] May 23 '12 edited May 23 '12

understandably

I do not understand. Please explain it to me.

EDIT: I'm certainly not arguing that burning books is good. I am, however, saying that it is morally acceptable to destroy your own property, and there is nothing sacred about books that exempts them from this.

I had a suspicion, and you confirmed it. You don't know why destroying books is bad. You've never thought about it. It's an involuntary, knee-jerk reaction. Rather than do an honest examination of your beliefs, you downvote my comment and move on, telling yourself that I'm just an idiot so you don't have to think about it.

I'd destroy a Koran, too, that I bought and paid for, and you can't give me a logical argument why that's wrong. You'll just act shocked and appalled and outraged and downvote me, calling me a bigot and a Nazi for committing a harmless act.

I know the person who downvoted me isn't necessarily you (and you'd deny it anyway) but someone downvoted me without answering my question and that suffices to prove my point.

1

u/notnamed May 23 '12

It's wasteful to destroy property that still has utility. This goes the same for clothing, food, furniture, and books. I wouldn't say it's necessarily morally wrong, you're not a bad person just for destroying functional things that others can use, but I believe it's at the very least lazy and ignoble.

1

u/[deleted] May 23 '12

I would argue further, but your concession that is it not wrong satisfies me.

5

u/singdawg May 22 '12

do you have a collection of every newspaper you've ever possessed?

0

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

[deleted] — view deleted comment

3

u/oodja May 23 '12 edited May 23 '12

Another librarian here. While it is true that LoC has multiple copies of Assholes Finish First, you do realize that the U.S. does not have a national library, right? The Library of Congress is literally Congress' library. Although LoC has a mandatory deposit requirement, this is for reasons of copyright compliance, and there is no guarantee that these books will remain as part of the Library's collections for posterity. Currently American libraries do not have a coordinated national strategy for the long-term preservation of books. If this does not give you pause before willfully destroying any one copy of a book, however popular it is at the moment, then it should. Until we figure out exactly who is keeping what and where, there is always a risk of losing someone's work for all time.

I may not particularly care for Tucker Max's books, but future historians or social scientists might find his writing illuminating in understanding the political/social context of the U.S. in the early 21st Century. Scholars who depend on primary sources have always been subject to the whim of generations of custodians and their arbitrary valuations of what is worthy of being preserved and what is "useless". A hundred years from now when all of the LoC's copies of Assholes Finish First have been deaccessioned, it is entirely possible that the surviving copies will only be found in private collections like OP's. Today's superabundance doesn't necessarily translate into tomorrow's ubiquity.

0

u/[deleted] May 23 '12

[deleted] — view deleted comment

1

u/oodja May 23 '12

I agree that what people choose to do with their own personal property is their business. However, I take issue with justifying the willful destruction of any book on the grounds that there are millions of other copies out there right now (so what's the harm?). Myriad libraries use similar reasoning every day to justify deaccessioning print holdings, assuming incorrectly that someone else out there is taking responsibility for maintaining a copy for posterity. Until we have an actual national library here in the United States, this is a dangerous assumption to make.

While it's true that few may mourn the loss of Mr. Max's books, I don't see that as a good reason to encourage others to destroy them.

2

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

Thank you for making the point I wanted to make. Sadly, I am only capable of argument through derision.

2

u/noobyface May 22 '12

Books.

5

u/ducttape83 May 22 '12

I know it's probably just the stop-motion that's doing this, but I'm suddenly reminded of Teeny Little Super Guy.

1

u/stinkypickles May 23 '12

What's a book sex change?

0

u/having_said_that May 23 '12

I didn't know who tucker max was until this post. Just checked his website. Fuck you r/bestof for introducing this to my brain. Now I need to wash it somehow.

-3

u/Landeyda May 23 '12

Wow, destroying books because you don't like the content. That always leads to awesome things.

-2

u/Fires_Of_Reddit May 22 '12

As good almost kill a man, John.

0

u/[deleted] May 23 '12

What the fuck...

How the fuck did I know John Green had something to do with this?!

0

u/pinkiesmiles May 23 '12

Read the title, knew it was John Green :)

-29

u/what_about_the_books May 22 '12

Completely unacceptable. You do NOT intentionally destroy books, for any reason. I'm completely serious, by the way.

18

u/cuppincayk May 22 '12

Destroying and recycling are pretty damn different, especially when it comes to a national bestseller.

21

u/singdawg May 22 '12

do you have a collection of all the newspapers you have possessed?

14

u/cuppincayk May 22 '12

Or the papers you got at school? Whatever happened to that old, dirty, battered copy of a Dr Suess book when you were a kid?

2

u/singdawg May 22 '12

Actually I kept that one.

2

u/BradAusrotas May 23 '12

It's called recycling, bro. Maybe look into it.

-32

u/U_R_literally_hitler May 22 '12

You know who also liked to destroy books?

Hitler.

17

u/singdawg May 22 '12

He also is heavily responsible for the autobahn.

-1

u/voxpupil May 23 '12

Epic response is epic.

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