ARE YOU CALLING ME A LIAR? YOU STUPID—
"Ok, ok, I just wanted to make sure. It's pretty good—fantastic and all that, and a far cry from our Poe or Shakespeare, but—"
YOU ARE TRYING TO COMPARE YOUR PUNY WRITERS WITH OURS? THAT'S THE LAST INSULT! I'M SORRY I DECIDED TO PSI IN ON YOUR PLANET FOR MY VACATION GOODBY—
"Wait!" I shouted the word.
WHY?
"I—I'm sorry, I apologize. It's just that you caught me unprepared. Afterall, you must admit this is something of a shock—hearing from you God knows how many light years away...."
WELL, NOW. THAT'S BETTER. YOU RECOGNIZE YOUR SUPERIORS AFTERALL!
This was no time for wounded pride. So I nodded. "You're right. We're incredibly backward—but we don't have to remain that way forever. Take your Rigel IV libraries, for example. I'll bet your stories could teach us a lot."
NATURALLY.
"And," I continued, gaining confidence now, "you said you were on vacation, absorbing some of our literature—puny as it is.... Have you had a taste of anything besides Poe and Shakespeare?"