Don't Tug on Superman's Cape, Don't Spit Into the Wind

Do not piss off Joyce Carol Oates.

It appears that the prize winning author and academic offered some very trenchant thoughts regarding the trillion dollar payout that Elon Musk has recently awarded himself:

So curious that such a wealthy man never posts anything that indicates that he enjoys or is even aware of what virtually everyone appreciates— scenes from nature, pet dog or cat, praise for a movie, music, a book (but doubt that he reads); pride in a friend’s or relative’s accomplishment; condolences for someone who has died; pleasure in sports, acclaim for a favorite team;  references to history.  In fact he seems totally uneducated , uncultured. The poorest persons on Twitter may have access to more beauty & meaning in life than the “most wealthy person in the world.”

During the exchanges that followed, another participant wondered why, "Wherever he goes, he wants to leave."  Oates replied with the following:

"Wherever he goes, he wants to leave"-- That's because when he gets there, he has brought his own self along; and whatever club he's invited to join has been devalued by the invitation.

2 things to note:

• I am not profoundly embarrassed that I have never read any Oates. Given her prodigious output, is there anything that my reader(s) would suggest that I read?  Preferably a short story or a novella, I don't think that I am ready to dive into the deep end. (My taste in literature tends toward the pulp)
• Part of me thinks, "Do not offend this woman," it could be as bad as making an enemy of a murder of crows.  Another part of me thinks, "If I were the recipient of such a righteous burn, I would be participating in a work of art of the highest order.

In any case, I'm not going to try to offend her.