  #1  
Old 06-21-2003, 10:45 AM
So, so pathetic

This is soooo pathetic, last night I had to run to Wal-Mart at like 11:30 to get some bread, well I saw this huge line of people lined up the length of the store, so when I go to the cashier I asked her what was going on and she told me that they were waiting in line because the new Harry Potter book was being released at midnight....the first thing I could find to say to the cashier was, "That's fucking stupid!" and she agreed fully. The line was filled with whole families waiting for the goddamn book, parents had three year olds up at midnight just because the Harry Potter book was being released. I think the human being has now reached another low.

Anybody else have something to add?

Oh, and by the way, this is my 300th post!
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  #2  
Old 06-21-2003, 10:49 AM
Re: So, so pathetic

Quote:
Originally posted by the p&j experiance
I think the human being has now reached another low.
Think of it this way...people pay an arm and a leg to go to a movie premiere. They go to midnight showings of movies that they love (which, in all likelihood do not end until 2am), and this is acceptable. There are going to be 10 movie showtimes of any movie with a midnight showing so it's not necessary they go. But they want to. Going to see a movie as soon as one can is considered a bit geeky but not part of the downfall of civilization, yet, waiting for a book at midnight is a low?

Hell, I say if people want to read a book that badly, all the power to em. I myself am picking up my copy this mornin'
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  #3  
Old 06-21-2003, 12:23 PM
I ordered mine from Amazon. I don't wait in line for anything!

Who cares if you get it at a minute past midnight or on the folowing Monday? For that matter - it's published so it'll be around forever - there's no need to get it the second it's put on sale.

Unless, of course, the store is running a 'Harry Potter theme day' or something like that,
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  #4  
Old 06-21-2003, 01:15 PM
P and J experience watch out

I think the P and J experience should watch out because there are like a billion Potter fans who are not afraid to lay the smacketh down on people talking sack about Potter
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  #5  
Old 06-21-2003, 03:42 PM
Should have started this thread in the Potter forums. Would have gotten a lot more enthusiastic replies.
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  #6  
Old 06-21-2003, 03:48 PM
As the ever-reliable Annie Hall commented, why is it a new low for society when people wait till midnight to get a Harry Potter book, when there's even patheticer things happening with movie fans? A couple of blokes waited for 5 months outside a theater so they could catch Attack of the Clones after all
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  #7  
Old 06-22-2003, 03:47 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by Scarface98.9
As the ever-reliable Annie Hall commented, why is it a new low for society when people wait till midnight to get a Harry Potter book, when there's even patheticer things happening with movie fans? A couple of blokes waited for 5 months outside a theater so they could catch Attack of the Clones after all
I don't agree with waiting outside a theatre either - because the movie will always be around once it's released. But, at least, with a movie, you can watch the whole thing in under two hours. So, seeing a movie is more of an 'event'.

Queuing up for a book is pointless because you can't start reading the book as soon as you get it. You have to bring it home, sit down, start reading...and it'll take a few days to read it anyway. So a book isn't something you can experience with your friends in one evening.

And, like I pointed out before - I ordered my copy of HP5 from Amazon. So I can have a normal weekend, with no pointless queuing, and I'll get it in the post on Monday.

Besides, talking about 'degrees of patheticness' doesn't justify relatively minor silliness. Queuing up for 5 months to see STAR WARS is extremely stupid (and probably unhealthy) but that doesn't mean that queuing up to buy a book that you could order off the internet is ok. They are both stupid things to do - just that one is less stupid than the other.

Last edited by EoghainFOKeeffe; 06-22-2003 at 03:49 AM..
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  #8  
Old 06-22-2003, 03:28 PM
At least those getting up reading at midnight are more active than me; I own all of the first four and still haven't started the first one
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  #9  
Old 06-22-2003, 04:05 PM
So I guess according to this thread my friends and I are both stupid and pathetic? On friday night two of my friends went to a Barnes and Noble to get a copy of the book at midnight and two other of my friends and I had nothing better to do so went there and hung out with them at the bookstore.

Secondly, I'm sure that a bunch of the people that were there were younger children as was at Barnes and Noble, though there were a surprising amount of teenagers. Are you saying that it's stupid and pathetic for kids to be that excited about reading a book? I think that is absolutely wonderful.

Thirdly, why does it matter to you anyways?
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  #10  
Old 06-22-2003, 05:21 PM
I understand going to midnight showings of movies, because, as someone stated previously, it's something that can be done in one night and therefore is more of an event. Heck, I'll be doing just that when Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines is released on July 2nd. Books are great things but it makes more sense to just wait until the following day because, most likely, you won't be able to read it all in one night anyway and comprehend everything because you'll be so damn tired.
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  #11  
Old 06-22-2003, 09:28 PM
It's nice that kids are getting involved in reading again, but this is slightly frightening. Never in my life have I seen so much trouble for a book. I've never read any of the Harry Potter books, but I've seen the movies. Even still, I never thought I'd ever see such a thing. It's a strange new world...
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  #12  
Old 06-23-2003, 03:46 AM
Um, for the most part it wasn't kids. There were a few teenagers, a few toddlers, but for the most part it was adults and nothing you say will change my mind, I still think it's pathetic. The only thing I'd ever stand in line at midnight for, is a concert, because concerts (even if they are the same band and same show) are always a little different. Movies will always be the same, it doesn't matter when you watch them. Books will always be the same, it doesn't matter when you read them. Plus, the very next day I went into Dillions and saw numerous copies of the same book and they were 40% off. So these people could have easily went to Dillions in the morning and gotten a copy, shit they could go to Dillions two days later and get one because they had a shitload of copies for a cheaper price then Wal-Mart and it's not like any of these people went directly home and began reading it, they got the book (maybe more then one) went home, got a sandwich, fucked their wife, and went to sleep. It's pathetic.
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  #13  
Old 06-23-2003, 04:31 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by SubMethod
Are you saying that it's stupid and pathetic for kids to be that excited about reading a book? I think that is absolutely wonderful.
Yes, it is wonderful. I get just as excited about reading a book as those kids who wait in line. I don't wait in line, though - because if I want a book I'll order it from Amazon. The only thing that I think is stupid is inconveniencing yourself just because all of the hype says that you MUST have the book at a minute past midnight.

You wouldn't believe how excited I get about going to the library each week - because I find books incredibly exciting. I felt the same way about books when I was a child. And when I get a box from Amazon - well, I could just explode through the roof.

At the same time - I think it's stupid to wait in line for hours when it's unnecessary. Unless, of course, the story is having a Harry Potter theme night with people in costume and free candy.

Quote:
Originally posted by SubMethod
Thirdly, why does it matter to you anyways?
Because I hate waiting in line! And I hate when hype tells people what they should do with their time.
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  #14  
Old 06-23-2003, 01:56 PM
I'm an avid reader, I love to read, so don't get the impression that I made this thread because I hate reading, but I wouldn't wait in line for any book, this isn't just because I hate Harry Potter (even though I do), I wouldn't wait in line for my favorite authors new books (Palahniuk )
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  #15  
Old 06-23-2003, 01:57 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by Scarface98.9
As the ever-reliable Annie Hall commented, why is it a new low for society when people wait till midnight to get a Harry Potter book, when there's even patheticer things happening with movie fans? A couple of blokes waited for 5 months outside a theater so they could catch Attack of the Clones after all
Did you say "patheticer?"
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  #16  
Old 06-23-2003, 02:00 PM
well i guess i pre-ordered from amazon, sometime in january. this probably means i am pathetic as well.

somethings in life are worth standing out for. i admit, id have been in a queue at midnight. however, apathy is my middle name, so i pre-ordered and got it on my doorstep on the day of release...

theres nothing like taking it easy
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  #17  
Old 06-23-2003, 04:24 PM
I agree with you on that, Raven. Without Amazon, I would certainly have waited in line because I would be afraid that the book would be sold out. But I ordered mine back in January also - and that's much easier! Why take the difficult option when there's an easy way? There's nothing to gain from waiting in line.
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  #18  
Old 06-23-2003, 05:05 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by EoghainFOKeeffe
There's nothing to gain from waiting in line.
except possibly pneumonia
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  #19  
Old 06-23-2003, 10:41 PM
People are excited about reading... when the hell was the last time that happened??? I think it's great. I'm not so sure about bringing three year old children to wait in line at midnight, but hey, if they're enthusiastic about reading (or being read to), that's a good thing. Not a bad thing. Shit, I've had The Lord of the Rings book (the three in one) since Christmas, and I haven't even made it to the beginning of the first chapter yet!!! I'm still in the foreword or prologue or whatever...
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  #20  
Old 06-24-2003, 01:38 AM
why is this even being discussed?

When my kids are old enough to read and they get that excited about a book, I don't care what time it is....I'll take them to get it if they want it. midnight, 3 am, 6 pm....who gives a fuck?
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  #21  
Old 06-24-2003, 02:35 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by Tommy Doyle
People are excited about reading... when the hell was the last time that happened???
It happens all the time - for people who like reading!

Harry Potter 5 isn't the first book people ever got excited about, you know. It gets more hype on the TV - but that's all paid for by the publishers. People who like to read will get excited about any book they are looking forward to reading - not just Harry Potter 5.

Last edited by EoghainFOKeeffe; 06-24-2003 at 08:16 AM..
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  #22  
Old 06-24-2003, 02:43 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by vtadave
When my kids are old enough to read and they get that excited about a book, I don't care what time it is....I'll take them to get it if they want it. midnight, 3 am, 6 pm....who gives a fuck?
I'm just speaking from my point of view - if I bought a book at midnight, by the time I got home I'd be too tired to read anyway. So it would be just the same if I waited until the following morning to buy it.

Besides, I'd probably have a couple of other books to finish before I could start the new book I bought. I rarely start a new book the second I buy it - because I always get new books before I finish the last books I started.

I wasn't saying that people shouldn't get excited about books - of course they should. Books are very exciting. I get more excited about a new book from my favourite writers than I do about almost anything else.

No - my point was that the hype machine has become absurd. Every time a popular new game, book, album, whatever is released - stores open at midnight so the fans can get it at midnight.

Why?

Why midnight?

Why not just release it in the morning? Fans are fans - they'll be happy to buy the book whenever it's released. Why is it necessary to open the shop at an unusual time just because a new book has been released?

The exciting thing is the content of the book - not the circumstances in which you buy it.

But people are sheep and if you tell them they have to have it at midnight, they're going to queue up at midnight.
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  #23  
Old 06-24-2003, 11:01 AM
Quote:
Why midnight?
I think you're missing the point. For kids there's something fun, magical, and exciting about being up way past their bedtime and getting something they've literally waited YEARS for. It's a big event. For me, if Stephen King came out with a new novel or U2 with a new CD, I'm there on day one (not at midnight though), so I can sort of understand.

It's almost a once in a lifetime thing for them...at least until Harry Potter book 6. I doubt they went home and read the book after midnight, but I bet a lot of kids couldn't wait to wake up the next day and read.
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  #24  
Old 06-24-2003, 03:30 PM
we're all very passionate about movies, and we go to midnight showings, i figure, if these people feel that same way about books, it's cool to wait in line at midnight for a book.
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  #25  
Old 06-24-2003, 04:52 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by El Bracamonti
we're all very passionate about movies, and we go to midnight showings, i figure, if these people feel that same way about books, it's cool to wait in line at midnight for a book.


actually i dont go to midnight showings. and i didnt queue either. i figure that getting it delivered to my door was the best option...
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  #26  
Old 06-24-2003, 08:13 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by EoghainFOKeeffe
It happens all the time - for people who like reading!

Harry Potter 5 isn't the first book people ever got excited about, you know. It gets more hype on the TV - but that's all paid for by the publishers. People who like to read will get excited about any book they are looking forward to reading - not just Harry Potter 5.
Thanks for the tad bit of info... I wasn't aware... (yes, that was complete sarcasm, yet friendly sarcasm, don't take it the wrong way).

My point being: When was the last time that THIS many people, including children, world wide, were THIS excited about reading a new book... Harry Potter 4?? Probably... There just isn't that much excitment running through the world of books for people these days... Yes, as you've pointed out, "it happens all the time - for people who like reading", but this book isn't just for people who like reading. I have friends that haven't touched a book since.... Harry Potter 4 three years ago.

People who like to read will get excited about a book they're looking forward to, yes, but on this magnitude and this scope? No, and not when it involves so many children.

What I was saying was a good thing... relax a little and let it slip by. I wasn't saying Harry Potter was the be all to end all, I was saying children are excited about reading a decent book... and no matter what spin you put on that, it isn't a bad thing, even if you have major issues with the Harry Potter series. Go break down the posts of people who saying it's horrible that people want to read...
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  #27  
Old 06-25-2003, 12:50 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by Tommy Doyle
Thanks for the tad bit of info... I wasn't aware... (yes, that was complete sarcasm, yet friendly sarcasm, don't take it the wrong way).

and no matter what spin you put on that, it isn't a bad thing, even if you have major issues with the Harry Potter series. Go break down the posts of people who saying it's horrible that people want to read...
No problem. My sarcasm was meant in a friendly way too.

And I don't have issues with Harry Potter, as such. I wasn't crazy about the first one but I am, in fact, reading CHAMBER OF SECRETS on the train today (on my way to an Eminem concert) so I'll find out if I like it then.

Still, I've been hearing about Harry Potter so much for the past 6 years that I can't help arguing a little bit when people start telling me how wonderful it is that children like reading it. Especially because I just finished college and everything thought it was really trendy to be seen reading Harry Potter there - and that annoyed me a lot.

It is wonderful that children like it, of course. But there's always something 'trendy' in childrens literature. Such as Winnie the Pooh, Alice in Wonderland, etc. It always rubs me the wrong way when the trendiness of reading a particular book takes precedence over the actual content of the book.

It's a book. Read it. Enjoy it. Then shut up about it after you've told everybody you enjoyed it! (That's what I say to them..not to you
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  #28  
Old 06-25-2003, 01:04 PM
I agree with the majority that it's fantastic that J.K. Rowling has made a book that literally EVERYBODY loves. For all the cracks I make about the HP series, there certainly not the worst books ever made, and I'd certainly prefer to read something easy like that (I read Goblet of Fire in a day) than some classic that bores the hell out of you (coughdickenscough), no matter how much more sophisticated the latter is.

That being said, I think the only thing stupid about the situation is the mindset of American culture that you have to be the first to have or see anything. The only thing I've ever waited in line for were Radiohead tickets, because concerts don't keep playing forever.

Humorous Post Script if you hate me: I didn't even get the damn tickets, so I'm never waiting in line for anything again.
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  #29  
Old 06-25-2003, 01:07 PM
but thats ok, bob, cause radiohead are one of the worst bands of all time.

consider your soul saved.



QTR
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  #30  
Old 06-25-2003, 09:07 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by quoth_the_raven
but thats ok, bob, cause radiohead are one of the worst bands of all time.

consider your soul saved.



QTR
I can't post one thing about Radiohead on this board without someone telling me how much they suck. Of course, I can always run back to the Radiohead thread (tee-hee, that rhymes) for solace.
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  #31  
Old 06-25-2003, 09:58 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by EoghainFOKeeffe
It's a book. Read it. Enjoy it. Then shut up about it after you've told everybody you enjoyed it! (That's what I say to them..not to you
Now that I will agree on! I have at least six friends from work who purchased it the first day (two are done reading it) and it's been the only topic of conversation since it came out on Saturday!! Uhm... shuddup now please!
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  #32  
Old 06-26-2003, 10:13 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by bob
I can't post one thing about Radiohead on this board without someone telling me how much they suck. Of course, I can always run back to the Radiohead thread (tee-hee, that rhymes) for solace.


heh. we cant all like the same things. although, i did like The Bends, but other than that, i can not say i am a fan.

anyway, this is a bookish place, so i will shut up
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  #33  
Old 06-26-2003, 12:34 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by Grebdron
Did you say "patheticer?"
To be grammatically correct, wouldn't he have to have a k next to that c? Single c's can't make hard K sounds if they're in the middle of the sentence, can they?
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  #34  
Old 06-26-2003, 08:22 PM
Just to get this out of my head, since this thread has bothered me a bit:

Loving a book is not about the hype. If people want to wait in line at 12 midnight for a book it is not necessarily because they are "sheep" wanting to be the first to finish it. It is, mainly because of excitement.

When the 4th book came out, I waited in line at midnight and read until 3am that night. I didn't get tired. I was just pleased to be able to read the book.

I don't even understand WHAT is pathetic about wanting read a book as soon as possible? Maybe some people *want* to wait in line, I know when I was 11, I sure did. Not because my friends did, because my friends all loathed Harry Potter. Not because the newspapers or TV or computer told me to be excited, because I was on vacation in a very small town in Switzerland for 2 months before it was released. It was merely because of my love for the books and my desire to find out what happened.

Simple as that.
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  #35  
Old 06-28-2003, 02:55 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by Annie Hall
I don't even understand WHAT is pathetic about wanting read a book as soon as possible? Maybe some people *want* to wait in line, I know when I was 11, I sure did.
While I agreed with the initial post, to an extent, I don't want to give the impression that I think it's 'pathetic' to wait in line.

I just don't like to wait in line myself, and I don't understand why anybody else would want to wait in line. It's not necessary to wait in line to get a book because, with a book this popular, every bookstore in the world has hundreds of copies. I'd just go to one of them the following morning.

But, as I said before, I'd wait in line if the store was offering something extra - such as a Harry Potter evening or a meeting with the author or something like that.

But I would not wait in line to buy something that I could buy in a couple of minutes if I went to the store 8 hours later. Waiting in line would just make me frustrated and lessen my enjoyment of the book when I finally got it.

I went to an Eminem concert two nights ago and it was great. The only thing that semi-spoiled it for me was that the show was a few hours late. They had a problem with the lighting and the set and I had to wait for ages and ages. And by the time Cypress Hill (the supporting act) came on stage, I was so frustrated that I just wanted them to finish so I could see the main act (Eminem). And by the time Eminem came on, I was tired, annoyed and sick of the pushing cramped crowd. He was great, of course, but my excitement had worn off by then, so I enjoyed it a little less than I should have.

Now, if the waiting had been taken out of the equation and everything had gone ahead on schedule - I would have enjoyed Cypress Hill and XZibit and would have been thrilled when Eminem came on.

I feel the same way about waiting in line to buy a book or a CD.
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  #36  
Old 06-28-2003, 10:52 AM
I know this doesn't have much to do with this thread but...I just finished CHAMBER OF SECRETS and it's superb. It's a hundred times better than THE PHILOSOPHERS STONE. It's very funny, dark and exciting. And, best of all, there's really nothing much to distinguish it as a children's book - it doesn't feel restrained or toned down in any way - it's just a great fantasy thriller.

I hurried to the library but they didn't have any copies of PRISONER OF AZKABAN left. I was shattered! I'll have to wait two weeks to see what happens next.

Well, unless I buy a copy or find somebody who already has one.
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