“Well, and why does anyone become a writer in the first place?” he asked, stressing the first syllable of “writer,” as if the word itself could only ever be uttered with implied air quotes. “The same reason they start playing guitar in high school and try forming bands. To draw attention to themselves.”

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This is from Maureen Tkacik’s piece for the Columbia Journalism Review, “Look at Me!” This quote from Nick Denton - absolutely chilling and I disagree with it so much - is the nihilistic heart of the piece, which could be summed up as Why I Can’t Do Service Journalism and Pay Rent in the Age of the Internet. I thought it was pretty fascinating and relatable. It’s interesting how it’s working on a certain number of levels, too - particularly as a mea culpa - but that’s another story. The other big piece from that month’s issue, on music writer Christopher Weingarten, is also pretty chilling.