Re: A bit of a problem.

Sarah (cinnimon@vvm.com)
Fri, 17 Jul 1998 09:54:52 -0700 (PDT)

Christian-
  I'm sorry if I came off as 'patronizing' to you, but I had no intention
of sounding arrogant.  I was simply trying to help Erin by stating how I
saw her situation.  Yes, maybe I was wrong, but I did not mean to sound
like I'm better than her by any means.
  Also, the reason why I may have 'jumped' to the conclusion that I did,
was because I see this exact same situation with my brother.  He tends to
'replace' his friends in a way with those of fictional characters.  I know
I'm not above my peers in my thinking, for I'm just an average human being,
in my opinion,(like Salinger was, since he had an average IQ, but don't
take this like I actually think that I'm in the same category as him) and
was simply trying to help.  It is not my place to tell someone what they
should do and who they are; that is why I thought I said that it is her
decision to take what I said as the right conclusion concerning her life,
but then again, maybe I didn't.

*******************************************************************
Sarah                    cinnimon@vvm.com
                            http://members.tripod.com/~cinnimon4

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In a message dated 17/7/98 3:06:22 pm, you wrote:

<<They are fiction as far as you.  You cannot completely
replace your peers or friends with those characters of Salinger, however you
can
identify with them.>>

I really don't think this was what Erin was getting at. I am the same age,
14,
and I feel that I can really relate to Erin. I feel that I am above my peers
(intellectualy) and I think Erin does too. I thought the message Sarah wrote
was pretty patronising (I don't want to sound ignorant by saying that). I
sometimes feel like my friends are idiots because they are immature and I
can't discuss my love of film or liturature (properly) with any of them.
But I
am not going to replace them with fictitious characters. Hell, I prefer
Holden
to some of the guys I know. People like us are afraid that people will look
at
our age and stamp us with this image that we don't know what we are talking
about or doing. I did find the message patronizing because it assumed that
Erin was going to replace friends with characters. Nobody needs to be told
that characters are characters.

Erin- I really feel I can relate to you. I have a great passion for film and
writing. Salinger is the only author who has really effected me. At the
beginning of the year I felt like you. It was almost a search for happiness,
finding someone I had things in common with, someone who I could relax with,
someone who I could care about. And I found that in my girlfriend. I think
it
is love that makes the world worth living. Find Love.

	Christian