Silver Bullets


Wherein Our Heroine Explains One of Her Pet Peeves.
One of the problems with giving advice on a difficult subject is the tendency for the advice-receiver to focus on the minute and meaningless, while ignoring the large and important. Over on Making Light they are having another conversation about publishing. This time the conversation revolves around the large amount of self-help books that exist to a.) enlighten aspiring authors, or b.) fleece them of their hard-earned cash (apparently, many "how to get published" books are written by would-be authors who can't get published any other way - imagine that). One post noted that all-too-many would-be writers will "...ignore major points and focus obsessively on passing remarks of no significance, trying to figure out how they can turn this Revealed Wisdom inside out."

Whereupon a chord was struck in me that went CLANG!

There is a sort of superstition out there in the world that has to do with a phenomenon I call "silver bullets." Silver bullets are minute, meaningless details that a person invests with some sort of mystical significance, the better to allow them to a.) ignore reality, or b.) not do something difficult. This sort of magical thinking is amusing at best, hair-tearingly frustrating at worst.

For example: in my law school days, I had the misfortune to draw a terrible partner for Trial Practice class. The second half of Trial Practice revolved around preparing for the final, which was a mock trial, complete with judge (professor), witnesses (carefully prepped volunteers), and jury (friends and family of both sides pressed into service - nobody ever "wins" one of these, as the jurors tend to vote for their friend or family member). My partner for this enterprise was not one of those people who is trustworthy and solid, always prepared, but nor was he shiftless and irresponsible. The problem was, he was somewhere in between. At one point, having sloppily prepared for something crucial, he noted that we were sure to win (as I noted before, nobody ever "wins" these things - the point is that the professor gets a chance to see whether or not you have the skills necessary to be let loose in a courtroom). When I asked him why he thought we were going to win if he wasn't prepared, he said he had a wonderful pair of shoes that would impress the jury no end.

Shoes. I am not kidding. Neither was he.

Contrary to the evidence presented by this anecdote, this fellow wasn't stupid. He was just indulging in the fantasy that his silver bullet was going to bail him out. Anyone over the age of three could probably have told him that it wouldn't matter if his shoes were ruby slippers - they weren't going to make a difference. But he decided to fixate on style over substance because style was easier.

I can understand the attraction (temporarily) of fantasizing about a silver bullet that will make everything all better. However, I am not interested in the slightest in feeling the short, sharp shock of reality as the silver bullet fails to reach its target and I am left with the nonmagical consequences of everyday life.
Posted: Friday - January 14, 2005 at 08:10 AM         | |

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