Gleb has posted how he finds it difficult to write sleazy scummy content, but overpowers his reluctance and through great personal sacrifice does write it. I would expect that “improvement” for him means more concentrated snake oil or, perhaps, less personal discomfort with producing it.
I don’t think it’s okay to put those words (“sleazy scummy concentrated snake oil”) in someone else’s mouth, unless it is part of an actual quote.
I am not quoting Gleb, I’m rephrasing his comment in my own words and from my own point of view. I think this is his original comment, but he repeated this in other places as well.
Gleb described having had to overpower reluctance to write in the style that publications like Lifehacker want, expressed some reservations about that style in morally-neutral language, and gave reasons for using it anyways. Separately, you and others (but not Gleb) described that style as sleazy and scummy. Mix these two things together and discard the attributions, and you’ve created the impression that Gleb thinks of the style as sleazy and scummy, and writes in it anyways. That would reflect negatively on his character if it were true, but it isn’t. Having to use an actual quote would have made this mistake impossible.
I wasn’t trying for any gotchas, my point was—and remains—that in this case the word “improvement” is likely to be understood differently by different people.
I am not passing any moral judgments or making insinuations about anyone’s character.
By the way, if you’re aiming for accuracy, the verb Gleb used was “cringe”. You chose to render it as “reluctance” which, I think, also changes the flavour albeit in another direction. It’s up to you to decide whether cringing and still writing “would reflect negatively on his character” :-P
I don’t think it’s okay to put those words (“sleazy scummy concentrated snake oil”) in someone else’s mouth, unless it is part of an actual quote.
I am not quoting Gleb, I’m rephrasing his comment in my own words and from my own point of view. I think this is his original comment, but he repeated this in other places as well.
Gleb described having had to overpower reluctance to write in the style that publications like Lifehacker want, expressed some reservations about that style in morally-neutral language, and gave reasons for using it anyways. Separately, you and others (but not Gleb) described that style as sleazy and scummy. Mix these two things together and discard the attributions, and you’ve created the impression that Gleb thinks of the style as sleazy and scummy, and writes in it anyways. That would reflect negatively on his character if it were true, but it isn’t. Having to use an actual quote would have made this mistake impossible.
I wasn’t trying for any gotchas, my point was—and remains—that in this case the word “improvement” is likely to be understood differently by different people.
I am not passing any moral judgments or making insinuations about anyone’s character.
By the way, if you’re aiming for accuracy, the verb Gleb used was “cringe”. You chose to render it as “reluctance” which, I think, also changes the flavour albeit in another direction. It’s up to you to decide whether cringing and still writing “would reflect negatively on his character” :-P