Commentary

Worldcon and NASFiC hypocrisy 1

This entry was posted in Commentary and tagged China conventions fandom Orlando on by

Recently I got a strong lesson in how hypocritical some people in fandom are. A while back, I said on a certain Discord channel, replying to an ongoing conversation, that everyone should boycott the China Worldcon because of the nation’s horrible human rights record. One person replied that it’s only necessary to keep quiet on sensitive issues while there and you won’t get into trouble. I responded that a Worldcon is about discussing sensitive issues. He wasn’t convinced, but fine, I don’t have to convince everyone.

More recently, I posted to the same channel a link to a File 770 news item reporting that the Orlando, Florida bid for the North American Science Fiction Convention had been withdrawn, leaving only the Winnipeg bid in the running. When a Worldcon is held outside North America, a NASFiC is held the same year for people who don’t want to travel so far.

The same person who said that ignoring China’s monstrous record is fine went on a rant that he would never set foot in a state as evil as Florida.
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Another reason to buy from independent bookstores

This entry was posted in Commentary and tagged Amazon books bookstores on by

Depending on which reports you read, Amazon handles a quarter to a half of all book sales in the US. It’s convenient and allows one-stop shopping. But when we become heavily dependent on one source, it’s bad for an open market. There’s less of a market share for independent dealers, which makes sellers more dependent on one business’s whims.

Amazon has exercised various whims over the years. In 2009, it removed a significant number of LGBT books from its sales ranking on the grounds that they were “adult” books. (Strange terminology; I didn’t think of Amazon as primarily a kids’ book dealer.) It blamed The Algorithm and reversed its decision under public pressure.

The same year, Amazon pulled its most ham-handed book removal, deleting 1984 from customers’ devices after they had bought it and refunding their money. It served as a reminder that what you “buy” on the Kindle remains under Big Brother’s, I mean Amazon’s, control.
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What about sensitivity readers? 2

This entry was posted in Commentary Writing Writing as business and tagged sensitivity writing on by

I’ve never had occasion to deal with a sensitivity reader. As I worked on The Magic Battery, I asked for input from Jewish friends on my treatment of Jewish characters, but my concern was whether I’d gotten it right, not whether I was being “sensitive.” They were helpful, but I couldn’t find a single person who lived in the 16th century to give a Reformation period perspective.

A recent Reason article, “Sensitivity Readers Are the New Gatekeepers” (or “Rise of the Sensitivity Reader”) takes a very skeptical view of sensitivity readers. I don’t know if things in the publishing industry are actually as bad as the article represents, but the concept sounds dubious to me. I don’t write to be “sensitive.” I write to address “What if” questions, to tell a good story, and to give the reader something to think about. That sometimes means hurting people’s feelings. If you want something completely safe and bland, read Winnie the Pooh. (Provided you aren’t acrophobic or melissophobic.)
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Amazon employees demand book banning

This entry was posted in Commentary News and tagged Amazon books censorship on by

Some employees of a huge corporation demanded it should decide which books are acceptable for customers. They engaged in what’s called a “die-in,” which consists of lying on the ground while issuing demands. They demanded that Amazon decide which books it approves of and not make others available to customers.

This is small stuff, but it’s weird that anyone would demand that a mega-corporation which is the world’s largest bookseller should have an Index of Prohibited Books that it won’t sell. The protesters fantasize that they’ll get to call the shots. They imagine that they’ll decide what’s on the Index; probably they all think they’ll be promoted to the new position that compiles the Index.
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A turning point in fannish bullying? 1

This entry was posted in Commentary News and tagged conventions ethics fandom science fiction on by

This past weekend saw an unusual event in science fiction fandom. The con chair of Balticon apologized for the convention’s treatment of a guest, removing her from a panel in progress. This follows the blowback SFWA received for removing Mercedes Lackey from the Nebula conference after naming her a Grand Master. Could the era of bullying of convention volunteers and program participants be coming to an end?
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A writer’s guide to freedom of speech and press in America

This entry was posted in Commentary and tagged copyright law liberty writing on by

People in the United States enjoy some of the strongest legal protections on their speech and writing in the world. Saying some things is illegal, though, and others open you to getting sued. There’s a lot of misinformation around on what is and isn’t considered free speech. Here’s a quick rundown of some common claims. US Constitution

Standard disclaimer: This isn’t legal advice. It’s my best understanding. See a lawyer when in doubt. In some cases, I’ve cited court cases you can look up and study.
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SFWA, Mercedes Lackey, and taboo words 3

This entry was posted in Commentary News and tagged censorship fandom language science fiction on by

Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) named Mercedes Lackey a Grand Master at the Nebula Awards ceremony, then almost immediately turned around and removed her from the Nebula Conference. The stated reason was that she “used a racial slur” while on a panel.

English has long had taboo words. At one time, the strongest ones dealt with religion. Later on, ones relating to bodily functions headed the list. It’s still illegal to tell people on broadcast television what the Supreme Court’s seven dirty words are. How do you avoid breaking the law when you can’t be told what the law forbids?

The Lackey situation is similar. The File 770 article doesn’t tell us what the alleged racial slur was. Readers are likely to imagine the worst words possible (which I won’t mention, since they may lower my search engine visibility). In fact, the word she used was “colored.” If that’s a slur, then the NAACP commits it every time it gives its full name, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
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The misuse of “identity” 1

This entry was posted in Commentary Writing and tagged usage vocabulary writing on by

If you’ve followed this blog regularly, you know that the misappropriation of words is a favorite topic of mine. Today I’d like to discuss the misuse of “identity.” Some people misuse it deliberately, but writers can fall into accepting it as it’s misused. Hopefully this post will help in avoiding that pitfall.

“Identity” is a straightforward word. It means “who someone is.” We can talk about the identity of someone who committed a crime, a case of mistaken identity, a secret identity for a superhero, establishing your identity, and identity theft. Some people, though insist that your identity is your group membership: your skin color, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, etc. Interestingly, people on the “left” as well as white supremacists like to promote this view.
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China holds Australian journalist on unsubsantiated charges

This entry was posted in Commentary News and tagged China science fiction on by

Enter China at your own risk.

The Chinese government is holding Cheng Lei, a Chinese-born Australian journalist, on charges of “illegally supplying state secrets overseas.” According to the BBC report, China is subjecting her to a “closed-door trial” and the specific nature of her offenses is unknown. The Australian ambassador has said, “This is deeply concerning, unsatisfactory and regrettable. We can have no confidence in the validity of the process which is conducted in secret.”

To be sure, China isn’t the only country that ignores basic principles of justice when it raises the “state secrets” excuse. The United States’ treatment of Chelsea Manning and Julian Assange has been abominable. But in China, it’s much more the norm. If its government especially dislikes someone who comes to the Chengdu Worldcon in 2023, it may be a long time before they come back.

The cries that boycotting the Chengdu Worldcon is “racist” are getting thinner. Pretty much everyone who thinks about the matter realizes how dishonest it is to accuse supporters of the Uyghurs, Falun Gong, and Hong Kong residents of racism.

An article by Sarah Mughal Rana on the Chengdu convention raises some good points.
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New York Times: Imagine books without their authors

This entry was posted in Commentary Writing and tagged writing on by

“All you want is production without men who’re able to produce, isn’t it?”

In Atlas Shrugged, Henry Rearden asks this of a gang of politicians and bureaucrats trying to foist an insane scheme on him. Some people say Rand created a caricature. But recently, the New York Times made the erasure of creators explicit with an ad presenting “imagining Harry Potter without its creator” in a positive light. Perhaps the Times people think books are created by a “Fiat Librum” spell requiring no work. (“Fiat Librum” is probably bad Latin. Wizarding Word magic is built on bad Latin.) It’s magical thinking.

The suggestion is reminiscent of Barack Obama’s “You didn’t built that.” Denying credit to creators relieves the beneficiaries of any sense that they owe them anything, even acknowledgement.
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