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Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values,
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Jenny
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Patrick Stirling
Interesting that several of the comments mention his condesension - I didn't notice that at all! I felt that the book was not intended to be autobiographical, or even factual. I thought he just used the motorcycle trip as a framework to illustrate his philosophical ideas. In that vein, his friend wasn't really a real person in this context, but a way to bring out the classical/romantic schism in a sometimes humorous way. The insult of suggesting that you fix my shiny new BMW with a piece of old beer can! How dare you suggest such a thing! :-) More seriously, I found the book got harder as it progressed and he gets deeper into the philosophy. But I loved it both times through.
Gary Jaron
The narrator was not condescending he just was possessed by a vision of the world that literally drove him insane. He tried his best to make himself understood at the time before his insights overwhelmed him. The author was the man who came back from the other side of insanity, he created the narrator in the who is the voice that exists in the present describing the person of the past who was slowly going insane do to the overwhelming mystical and intellectual insights that were possessing him and taking him over.
Saskia
I found the narrator the opposite of condescending to his friend; he's curious if anything.
The narrator notices the difference in their styles on motorcycles maintenance and he's very curious about this, as well as a bit perplexed about his friend's approach (as we often are about different approaches and styles than our own.) The narrator does offer advice to his friend, which may be conceived as condescending?, but he does this at a moment in their friendship when he doesn't realise their difference yet, so it came across as honest to me.
The biggest argument against condescension to me, is that he then reflects on this advice and realises it may not be what his friend wanted to hear. The narrator still prefers his own method but he doesn't go and try to persuade his friend of his own righteousness, instead he tries to understand his friend's point of view and puts a lot of effort in this.
The narrator notices the difference in their styles on motorcycles maintenance and he's very curious about this, as well as a bit perplexed about his friend's approach (as we often are about different approaches and styles than our own.) The narrator does offer advice to his friend, which may be conceived as condescending?, but he does this at a moment in their friendship when he doesn't realise their difference yet, so it came across as honest to me.
The biggest argument against condescension to me, is that he then reflects on this advice and realises it may not be what his friend wanted to hear. The narrator still prefers his own method but he doesn't go and try to persuade his friend of his own righteousness, instead he tries to understand his friend's point of view and puts a lot of effort in this.
kyle e whitney
if you go read his friends book, his friend comes off as so condensing and judgmental towards other riders, specifically, riders on anything other than a BMW motorcycle, its literally disgusting. I do not find the author to be condescending at all. I believe what is coming through is the other mans attitude.
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