Bryan Appleyard, who writes a whimsical blog, likens the wondrous Barcelona FC forward Lionel Messi to the doomsterish intellectual, John Gray. I mean, what the f**k?
Considering how thoroughly Mr Gray has had the tar kicked out of him by this blog and a few others for his less-than-convincing opinions, I fail to see the connection. A certain trickiness, perhaps, a slipperyness? But in a footballer, trickiness in defeating a defender and goalkeeper is a skill to be admired. In Mr Gray, an ability to say six contradictory things before breakfast betokens a certain deficiency, a lack of rigour. But as Brian Micklethwait has pointed out, Gray is actually consistent – consistently pessimistic. He’s an Eyeore come rain or shine.
Dr Gray’s thought is confused.
About a man who whose task is thought (thinking about political philosophy and communicating his thoughts), what worse thing could be said?
I bought one of John Gray’s books (Black Mass) because Nassim Nicholas Taleb said on his website that Gray was the “greatest living thinker”. Now I’m wondering about both of them.
But all this is explained by the fact that Appleyard is, and always has been, at every moment of the day, a total dickwad.