Feeling low one late night, I e-mailed him close to 20 years ago. He responded very nicely, with a lengthy paragraph. I have changed e-mail clients many times since then, and have long since lost the e-mail. I really regret losing that e-mail.
shareYou should have printed it out. That's amazing. Do you mind telling me what you talked about?
shareYou asked me this question 3 years ago and I did not answer. I apologize for that. Everything on the internet is public, and you are virtually guaranteed to receive mockery from someone, and my e-mail to Chomsky was such an intimate and personal expression of my thoughts, I could not bring myself to post it. However, after all this time, I came back here to give you what I can remember of it:
I asked him if there was any hope for humanity. We seem to hate each other, and do everything possible to dehumanize the "other side." I mentioned the eradication of native Americans and enslavement of Africans as slaves for two examples.
I wish I could remember his complete answer. Essentially, he came back and wrote a paragraph from which I took: "There is always hope."
Thanks
shareThe man was a linguist and a gentleman. I’m not surprised that he replied. That’s quite a memory for you.
shareNot surprising. Most academics will respond if you present a lucid and well thought out inquiry pertaining to their area of study. If fact, it is quite rare, and scholars typically love it when that happens. The greatest fear of any researcher is that no-one reads or cares about their work.
I once tweeted something to do Star Wars spoilers and Mark Hamill...
He only went and DM'd me to talk about what I'd said. Couldn't believe it!
Roger Ebert replied to an email I sent him once. It was a short response, but it was still pretty cool. I also regret losign that one. I should have printed a paper copy at least. I enjoyed the shows he did with Gene Siskel and it would have been a nice momento.
shareFunny how when Sneak Previews came out I mostly sided with Roger, but over time I couldn't stand the guy - he was just shill for any garbage Hollywood put out. I wish they had just stuck with PBS.
shareAs a child, I didn't think much of any critics. As an adult, I find that Ebert's reviews, and apparently the staff that run his web site now, are pretty accurate for my movie tastes.
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