The Author Responds to Criticism

My entry of yesterday, A Midsummer Night’s Dream elicited a response from an observant (which is not to say “picky”) reader.

Terry said...

Hang on, isn't midsummer's day in June?
Friday, 21 July, 2006

How to respond? There are so many choices!

One could respond with the contrite admission that one was using a cheap gimmick to get another column in off the heat, and the allergies:

Don Bergquist said...

Darn! You caught me, Terry! Yes, you’re absolutely correct. My bad! I’ll try and be better in the future at accuracy
Friday, 21 July, 2006

One could attempt to cover by overwhelming the reader with facts and figures until the reader forgets that the original point is lost in the torrent of information:

Don Bergquist said...

That’s an interesting point, but that would depend on one’s definition of "midsummer." According to Wikipedia: Midsummer, also referred to as Litha (an ancient Germanic name for summer) by some Wiccans and other Neopagans, refers to the period of time centered upon the summer solstice and the religious celebrations that accompany it. Also called "Midsommar" in Swedish, Midsummer-related holidays, traditions and celebrations, many of which are non-Christian in origin (apart from the designation "St John's Day"), are particularly important in Finland and Sweden, but found also in other parts of Northern Europe, Britain and elsewhere.

This of course does not take into account that the 23.4 degree angle of the Earth’s pole relative to the plane of its orbit means that the southern and northern hemispheres actually experience their seasons one half year off set from each other. So in Brazil, for example, midsummer would be in January. If one...

(and so on)
Friday, 21 July, 2006

One could get indignant and plead that it was simply a literary device:

Don Bergquist said...

You obviously have missed the point! The point is that it was supposed to be humorous. You needn’t point out it was inaccurate. The disclaimer (in the right margin) clearly states that the author is prone to take the literary license now and again! Geez!
Friday, 21 July, 2006

Sarcasm is also a route one could choose:

Don Bergquist said...

Were I to fire my fact checker, degauss the hard drives the pc on which I wrote the article, burn the desk it sat on, and break the fingers that entered it, would you be satisfied that I was sufficiently contrite for my little flight of fancy?
Friday, 21 July, 2006

One could be completely unoriginal and quote Steve Martin:

Don Bergquist said...

Oh? Well EXCUSE ME!
Friday, 21 July, 2006

One could plead shock and ignorance:

Don Bergquist said...

What!? Really? Oh My God! Thanks for telling me!
Friday, 21 July, 2006

Once could try the snide and quick dismissal of the critique:

Don Bergquist said...

Oh, picky. Picky. Picky! Geez!
Friday, 21 July, 2006

I don't think I will take any of those. (I'm above all of them.) Instead, I will just discuss what I could do if I weren't so above all those action openly and here in today's entry. Thanks for the critique and the subject for the day. Have a great weekend!

I hope that wherever you are today, your critics are kind to you.

Don Bergquist - 22 June 2006 - Thames Ditton, Surrey, UK