I guess I would rather have cheaper books/things, don't really care whether a book seller has respect for a book as a "work of spirit" whatever that means.
The poster with «work of spirit» probably meant "outcome of higher mental work and more, including intellectual". And expressed that it should be respected as a highly dignified product (as opposed to a piece of product conceived for consumerism).
Nonetheless, i cannot really interpret that mention of Europe "as opposed to some rest". Edit: having seen further comments, I can. There are areas in Europe in which extremely light judgement and behaviour is socially unpunished and considered normal, or "normal as an exception". (In other areas, nobody with that trait could have reached, say, 18 years of age without getting "straightened".) It must be noted that those areas have a mixed population: some will behave """antisocially""" while many will remain absolutely lovely - it is just tolerance of juvenile thought and behaviour misunderstood by some """beneficiaries""" as acceptance or approval, instead of patience.
>There are areas in Europe in which extremely light judgement and behaviour is socially unpunished and considered normal, or "normal as an exception"
I'm not even sure what that means.
Is it about juvenile deliquency ("areas in Europe in which extremely light judgement and behaviour is socially unpunished and considered normal")
or some critique about how "elitists" are unbearable, making comments about things being worth more than their monetary value is beyond the pale, and the proper form of social being (that people - and peoples - should be "straigtened" to) is being a mass consumer?
If it's the latter, it manages to be way more patronizing that the "elitism" it's supposedly against, and unlike it, with no redeeming qualities either.
Or maybe it's about how in some cultures you're "straigtened" to behave like a public advertisement, marketing yourself, with faux politiness, well smoothed talk, and fake smiles -- and how some came to consider this the proper behavior, as opposed as a regression?
No coldtea, it is about the betrayal against us elitists when one first takes the podium to declare the highest importance of the highest values, and flares around the Warning to those who have not yet chosen the path of Elevation, and has us all floating in hope, then starts pissing around the room and belches that "what else could you expect from population X anyway" before leaving - us all now unsure how to proceed. :) Can we be consistent? Please also see my edit to the other comment (the "wife"), to which you kindly replied and it was delightful to read it, so please do it more often without encouragement to have the Jekill check the Hyde.
>and belches that "what else could you expect from population X anyway" before leaving - us all now unsure how to proceed. :) Can we be consistent?
Well, it has a certain historical consistency. Not sure I'd call it belching - Adorno, for example, quite known for such summary judgments, had impecable high class manners in every other way :) Exceptions, of course, know who they are. But this insistence of never generalizing is the enemy of thinking - which should be about trying to see above the particularities of individuals to be of any use.
