It’s been a rough week for Jeremy Schneider. First, he posted a bad take on Twitter and got ratio’d by a bunch of book nerds. Secondly, he lives in New Jersey. I wouldn’t wish either on my worst enemy.
He posted his opinion on people who bring books to read in bars. His take? People don’t like them.
Here is his original tweet:
A pretty strong opinion. Painting with a broad brush stroke too, assuming everyone agrees with him. Personally, I love to see someone reading in a bar. It means the bar is quiet and no one is going to try to talk to me.
To be fair to Jeremy, however, I have gotten drunk in Hoboken. The bars there are not very reader-friendly. Mostly, it’s a lot of people yelling.
The Park Slope watering holes I frequent look like a library already, complete with a roaring fire (I only drink at one bar. It looks like that). It’s no wonder that I love reading in bars when every bar seems perfect for reading. But, now I’m the one painting in broad brush strokes.
Almost immediately, readers on Twitter roasted this man for his take on bringing books to the bar.
Here are a few reactions:
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Essentially, that was the takeaway from most people. Either a kind “F— off” or a full-throated “I LIVE TO READ IN BARS!!”
It was a testy reaction from a lot of readers. Honestly, I feel like maybe we’ve been stuck inside reading at home too long. Years, in fact.
It’s almost as if people who’ve been mocked their whole lives for being nerdy and soft don’t like it when someone tells them they’re being annoying as adults.
To his credit, though, Jeremy admitted that he was wrong and possibly committed the most egregious sin in this day and age: knocking something before you tried it.
Here’s what he had to say after learning his lesson:
First off, this tweet was mean. Uncharacteristically mean. “Nobody likes you?” I don’t talk like that in real life, why would I tweet that? And saying it to people minding their own business reading a book? Yeah, that’s mean. I’m sorry.
— Jeremy Schneider (@J_Schneider) February 9, 2022
I once had a friend tell me he brought a book to the bar to pick up girls. It was the most insufferable thing I have ever heard. I started seeing men reading at the bar through that lens. I thought they were being was conspicuous and pretentious. I was being presumptuous.
— Jeremy Schneider (@J_Schneider) February 9, 2022
So please know, if you’re someone who brings a book to the bar… people like you fine. In fact, you have numbers. And they’re ready to back you up on the internet.
— Jeremy Schneider (@J_Schneider) February 9, 2022
Isn’t that nice? A person said something, a bunch of people said “no” and the person both apologized and learned something about himself. I think it’s nice.
Of course, I only have one opinion on the matter. It’s this:
Reading a book in a bar is kinda cool and sexy but when I try to get drunk at the library I’m asked to leave?? Rude.
— Dan Wilbur (@DanWilbur) February 21, 2020
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