He's baa-aaack! (Doggie Bow-wow, that is)

[mikeholgate]

Good post, Don. I?m glad someone?s keeping an eye on Bower and his latest whereabouts for us.

Be prepared, however, for him to go on the attack. And I do mean personal attack. Earlier this year I reviewed one of his books on Amazon.com, and like all but one of the reviews, mine was negative. I said his book was ?short on information and long on his highly idiosyncratic personal opinions.? You can read all the reviews here. I particularly like the one by Justin F. Gaynor, titled ?Psychotherapy disguised as a guidebook.?

Soon after I posted my review, Bower responded. But whereas I had criticized his book, Bower attacked me personally. Completely ignoring the points I?d made, he called me a "gringolandian" and charged that I and my ?motley crew? had dubbed him ?The Most Hated Gringo in the Whole World.? Gringolandians, according to Bower, are Americans who live in gated communities, don?t learn Spanish, and don?t participate in local culture. As if that weren?t enough, he added that we Gringolandians ?live such isolated and lonely lives that drug and alcohol abuse is all too common.? I meet none of those criteria. I?ve lived in Guanajuato for 13 years, I?m fluent in Spanish, I and my Mexican family live in an ungated authentic Mexican neighborhood, and I?m quite sober. And by the way, I never use the word ?Gringo,? which I find offensive. I certainly never called Bower ?The Most Hated Gringo in the Whole World.? The only person I know of who calls him that is Bower himself.

So, Don, this is what you?re in for. Delusions of grandeur and dishonest, ad hominem attacks. Bower has attacked me, he?s attacked Bill Byrnes, he?s attacked David Rogers, and you may well be next. Welcome to the club.

--Mike