Showing posts with label john scalzi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label john scalzi. Show all posts
Thursday, 21 November 2013
Wednesday, 6 February 2013
Spot The Deference
“One final irony: I first ‘met’ Mr. John Scalzi when we were on opposite sides of an Internet flame-skirmish. I’ve since come to like and admire the man as well as his work, and we even happen to have a few things in common besides our SFWA membership."
-Vox Day, from a Self-Promo-piece John Scalzi allowed him to write on his highly popular blog-site, Whatever, 2008
Must have been difficult for his Alpha Game, playing toad to a 'Gamma Rabbit'...
Sunday, 3 February 2013
The Fight Against Vox Day: A Report From The Front
To the front they come. From the fields of literary spec-fic, from the factory floors of popular genre and the shop fronts of self-publishing. All of them united in their resolve to crush Vox Day and his online Jackboot-Johnnies.
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| Valiant fighters of The SFF Chronicles Forums Volunteers, 14th Division |
"No, Mr Day," they say, these comrades in laptop and pen, "your machinations to become dictator of science fiction and fantasy shall not go unchecked. We draw a line here in the touchscreen sand."
This reporter can tell you that determination and solidarity are the watchwords here in the Twitter trenches. A profound sense of purpose imbues each man and woman as they prepare for the offensive (especially women, for 'Pox Day' would have them voiceless and churning out wereseal novels, such is his lily-livered and putrid 'Alpha Game').
Vox Day mistook us for 'Rabbit People', sending his running dog fifth columnist trolls into our innocent forums and comment rolls, but a brilliant counter-punch--masterminded by Field Marshall Elect Jonathan Scalzi--has left his lie-spewing mouth listing and silent.
Not for 'John' Scalzi to laze in a mansion sipping cognac whilst cajoling fascist troops unto LOL-soaked death! I can vouch that, only yesterday, I saw him come to the front with General James C. Hines.
There, to much cheering, the 'Old Man Warrior' saluted our efforts, handing out cigarettes, churitos and a cat with bacon taped to its flank. Before anyone knew, Scalzi had rolled up his sleeves to help muck out the cyber-latrines. All are equal here; can Mr Day's servile bullies say as much for their 'Great Leader'?
In this atmosphere of unquestioned siblinghood, it is surely inevitable the forces of decency and fair play shall win. But every person is needed, from Hugo award winner to humble SF/F fan. Will YOU stand idly by whilst the dogma of racist sexist dipshittery threatens our very freedoms?
REMEMBER: IF YOU TOLERATE THIS THEN YOUR BLOG ROLL WILL BE NEXT!
Saturday, 21 April 2012
WOTF/SFWA update and thoughts.
HMM...
Thought I'd keep you up to date with my attempts to draw whatever attention I can to the alarming allegations of torture that put the 'firewall' between Writers of The Future and Scientology in doubt. (Note- it's worth looking at those last two links- the first as summary, the latter as the lengthier meat of it- if you want to get a handle on what I'm frothing about).
I got a reply from Science Fiction Writers of America President John Scalzi the day after I sent the email. I can't speak about the content of it, due to the fact it isn't an official SFWA response (Poor guy had just woken up, too. No one should ever have to wake up to me), but it's nice to get a reply.
As for the official response... still waiting.
But I'm not surprised, really. The SFWA must tackle a hundred issues a day, and when deciding precedence the amount of public concern is a vital consideration. Frankly, the SF community hasn't aired its reactions in any way resembling how one would expect allegations of human torture to be received.
Odd, considering how SF's Internet presence is willing to display its opinion on, well, just about any bloody thing ever. Indeed, at about the same time one might have expected a tumultuous uproar over the WOTF scandal, fandom was more aflame with the old man-grumble of Chris Priest over the Clarke awards and its inevitable (and equally inconsequential) counter-batteries.
To my knowledge, only DS Moen and Jim C. Hines blogged anything about the WOTF scandal. A few tweets from Nick Mamatas here and there, an Ansible link. Little else.
Why?
PARTY AND LET OTHER'S PAY
Over at SFF Chronicles I posted about the scandal and got a handful of reply posts. They proved very interesting, especially if they are any indication of the grassroots attitude to the matter. Bear in mind we're still talking about cruelty to fellow humans here.
One poster (Probably best if I don't even reprint their online moniker) argued-
Very few large organisations are blemish free. What some cult does to its leaders that fall from grace really does not concern me too much, none of these people are being killed it would seem.
Some of these people according to the article, still stay in the church after being through their re-education process; which is what it seems to be. So some personal choice is being made here. No-one is forced to join. I accepted leaving has problems but people have and do.
Startling. Let's give this guy the benefit of the doubt and say he thinks Stockholm Syndrome is a Norwegian techno outfit.
Another, however, wrote-
Are we saying the competition is by default "evil", regardless of the positive results new writers gain from it, because it's associated with a group that's done some evil things?
Right. Let's call this one the, er, 'autobahn argument'.
One visitor, thank heavens, wrote in reply to the above-
The punishment sector is involved in the judging of the competition. I do see a problem with that.
There's still sense out there.
EVERY JOURNEY BEGINS WITH A SINGLE STEP ON SOME OTHER'S FACE
People will make all kinds of justifications for doing something they deep-down know to be distasteful. Channel 4's nightly scheduling being a case in point.
I guess it's the ugly side of this aspiring writer gig we're in. To pursue a writing career one needs a formidable ego: the self-assurance of an innate talent (one probably encouraged by teachers from infant school onwards) marching towards a glorious dawn of public recognition. And if a few bodies should lie on the sides of this path? Take a breath and look ahead to that manifest destiny, the one promised by every How-To-Write book.
The reason something like, say, the Racefail controversy can ignite online fandom and the WOTF scandal doesn't is, with Racefail, there is nothing to lose. Everyone, progressive and reactionary, got to wave their principles around and duly went home with no scars on their writing careers.
But confronting WOTF is an entirely different prospect. Unless you're a hypocrite, you can't enter it anymore whilst other aspiring writers can. Voila: they've stolen a march off you, because you've crippled yourself on your own ethics. WOTF winners go on to have a hell of a pedigree- why miss out on that?
IN LOS ANGELES, A PLEASURE DOME DECREED...
And what pampering! As a nominee, they measure you up for a tuxedo, fly you to LA, the works. Heck, they even stage your story as an interpretive dance! (That part actually made me submit a tale a year back- My story! As a dance!!!). And that's just the ceremony. There's that writer's retreat in luxuriant climes too, plus the prospect of your story being in print far longer than it would anywhere else. Which author wouldn't desire that for their mindbabies?
Well, not me. A career in writing is pretty much the apex of all my hopes, but I'd throw it aside in a blink if I knew another human was suffering because of it, no matter how distant the connect. Maybe I just don't want it enough.
Mark my words: the David Miscavige incarnation of Scientology will end in ignominy and very probably arrests. Maybe not soon, but one day. Then, the facts--whatever they are--will be naked and unavoidable. On that day, SF Lit's 'sensawunda' will gain an irrevocable patina of greasy disgrace. You think it's bad outsiders think we dress as Klingons and live in Ma's basement? Just wait, guys, just wait...
(As a side note, it's become clear to me I'm no kind of activist. I emailed the Village Voice articles (plus my blog post) to Dave Langford's wonderful SF site Ansible, only to be told, very politely, that the VV articles were already there (Hijacker: 'Take this plane to Cuba!'. Pilot: 'It's, er, already going to Cuba, sir.'. Hijacker: 'Well... erm... good.'). Note to Spool- Check first!)
Thought I'd keep you up to date with my attempts to draw whatever attention I can to the alarming allegations of torture that put the 'firewall' between Writers of The Future and Scientology in doubt. (Note- it's worth looking at those last two links- the first as summary, the latter as the lengthier meat of it- if you want to get a handle on what I'm frothing about).
I got a reply from Science Fiction Writers of America President John Scalzi the day after I sent the email. I can't speak about the content of it, due to the fact it isn't an official SFWA response (Poor guy had just woken up, too. No one should ever have to wake up to me), but it's nice to get a reply.
As for the official response... still waiting.
But I'm not surprised, really. The SFWA must tackle a hundred issues a day, and when deciding precedence the amount of public concern is a vital consideration. Frankly, the SF community hasn't aired its reactions in any way resembling how one would expect allegations of human torture to be received.
Odd, considering how SF's Internet presence is willing to display its opinion on, well, just about any bloody thing ever. Indeed, at about the same time one might have expected a tumultuous uproar over the WOTF scandal, fandom was more aflame with the old man-grumble of Chris Priest over the Clarke awards and its inevitable (and equally inconsequential) counter-batteries.
To my knowledge, only DS Moen and Jim C. Hines blogged anything about the WOTF scandal. A few tweets from Nick Mamatas here and there, an Ansible link. Little else.
Why?
PARTY AND LET OTHER'S PAY
Over at SFF Chronicles I posted about the scandal and got a handful of reply posts. They proved very interesting, especially if they are any indication of the grassroots attitude to the matter. Bear in mind we're still talking about cruelty to fellow humans here.
One poster (Probably best if I don't even reprint their online moniker) argued-
Very few large organisations are blemish free. What some cult does to its leaders that fall from grace really does not concern me too much, none of these people are being killed it would seem.
Some of these people according to the article, still stay in the church after being through their re-education process; which is what it seems to be. So some personal choice is being made here. No-one is forced to join. I accepted leaving has problems but people have and do.
Startling. Let's give this guy the benefit of the doubt and say he thinks Stockholm Syndrome is a Norwegian techno outfit.
Another, however, wrote-
Are we saying the competition is by default "evil", regardless of the positive results new writers gain from it, because it's associated with a group that's done some evil things?
Right. Let's call this one the, er, 'autobahn argument'.
One visitor, thank heavens, wrote in reply to the above-
The punishment sector is involved in the judging of the competition. I do see a problem with that.
There's still sense out there.
EVERY JOURNEY BEGINS WITH A SINGLE STEP ON SOME OTHER'S FACE
People will make all kinds of justifications for doing something they deep-down know to be distasteful. Channel 4's nightly scheduling being a case in point.
I guess it's the ugly side of this aspiring writer gig we're in. To pursue a writing career one needs a formidable ego: the self-assurance of an innate talent (one probably encouraged by teachers from infant school onwards) marching towards a glorious dawn of public recognition. And if a few bodies should lie on the sides of this path? Take a breath and look ahead to that manifest destiny, the one promised by every How-To-Write book.
The reason something like, say, the Racefail controversy can ignite online fandom and the WOTF scandal doesn't is, with Racefail, there is nothing to lose. Everyone, progressive and reactionary, got to wave their principles around and duly went home with no scars on their writing careers.
But confronting WOTF is an entirely different prospect. Unless you're a hypocrite, you can't enter it anymore whilst other aspiring writers can. Voila: they've stolen a march off you, because you've crippled yourself on your own ethics. WOTF winners go on to have a hell of a pedigree- why miss out on that?
IN LOS ANGELES, A PLEASURE DOME DECREED...
And what pampering! As a nominee, they measure you up for a tuxedo, fly you to LA, the works. Heck, they even stage your story as an interpretive dance! (That part actually made me submit a tale a year back- My story! As a dance!!!). And that's just the ceremony. There's that writer's retreat in luxuriant climes too, plus the prospect of your story being in print far longer than it would anywhere else. Which author wouldn't desire that for their mindbabies?
Well, not me. A career in writing is pretty much the apex of all my hopes, but I'd throw it aside in a blink if I knew another human was suffering because of it, no matter how distant the connect. Maybe I just don't want it enough.
Mark my words: the David Miscavige incarnation of Scientology will end in ignominy and very probably arrests. Maybe not soon, but one day. Then, the facts--whatever they are--will be naked and unavoidable. On that day, SF Lit's 'sensawunda' will gain an irrevocable patina of greasy disgrace. You think it's bad outsiders think we dress as Klingons and live in Ma's basement? Just wait, guys, just wait...
(As a side note, it's become clear to me I'm no kind of activist. I emailed the Village Voice articles (plus my blog post) to Dave Langford's wonderful SF site Ansible, only to be told, very politely, that the VV articles were already there (Hijacker: 'Take this plane to Cuba!'. Pilot: 'It's, er, already going to Cuba, sir.'. Hijacker: 'Well... erm... good.'). Note to Spool- Check first!)
Wednesday, 28 March 2012
An open Email to John Scalzi, SFWA President
Hi John,
First off, let me apologise for taking up your time with this email. I'll try and keep this short.
I write with regards to Writers of the Future, the SF/F fiction competition started by L. Ron Hubbard. Doubtless you've heard more than your share of complaints about the competition, as your Whatever post from 2008 demonstrates.
The many winners and professionals acting as judges for WOTF have defended it by arguing that the competition isn't a recruitment drive for Scientology (and I see no reason to question that. As you say in your blog, no entrant has ever subsequently joined) and that a rigorously kept 'firewall' exists between WOTF and the church itself, one that unambiguously distances the industry/community from Scientology's more questionable policies.
While I could never agree with the logic of the firewall argument I could at least respect it. However, recent revelations cast serious doubt on the sanctity of this division. Alarmingly so. This article in The Village Voice refers to a high ranking member of the Church, Barbara Ruiz, who, in the early-to-mid 2000s, was in charge of Author Services, the agency concerned with both Hubbard's literary estate and WOTF (she appears centre in photos taken at the 2000 award ceremony).
The article goes into much detail and I urge you to read it, but, in short, three witnesses allege to have seen Mz Ruiz conduct affairs at CMO. INT, known to its victims as 'The Hole'. The Hole was a pair of trailers on Scientology HQ's grounds where, according to at least six witnesses (one recently under oath), physical and mental torture was carried out on anything up to a hundred church members in order to extract confessions and punish 'wrongdoers'.
I recap: Half a dozen witnesses to these practices. Three witnesses (one a former inmate) to Mz Ruiz supervising confessions and reporting these to her superiors. Photos of Ruiz centre stage at Writers of the Future's award ceremony and uncontested confirmation she was in overall charge of Authors Services and therefore WOTF. Suddenly, all talk of a 'firewall' between church and competition appears for what it is- a comforting myth we've been feeding ourselves for decades.
As president, I'm sure you'll agree the SFWA cannot condone an institution tied to such inhuman brutality, no matter the reward, professional insight and encouragement it may give to beginning writers. Even if doubt should exist over these accusations, surely the SFWA must ask some probing questions here whilst, in my opinion at least, suspending any connections with WOTF until matters are clear. If, as a community, we fail to act, I believe science fiction and fantasy will be irrevocably tarnished.
It is gratifying to know that a few writers and past winners are beginning to sever their links.
I should add that this is an open email. Least ways, it shall appear on my blog for whatever that's worth.
Yours respectfully,
James Worrad
(An update HERE)
First off, let me apologise for taking up your time with this email. I'll try and keep this short.
I write with regards to Writers of the Future, the SF/F fiction competition started by L. Ron Hubbard. Doubtless you've heard more than your share of complaints about the competition, as your Whatever post from 2008 demonstrates.
The many winners and professionals acting as judges for WOTF have defended it by arguing that the competition isn't a recruitment drive for Scientology (and I see no reason to question that. As you say in your blog, no entrant has ever subsequently joined) and that a rigorously kept 'firewall' exists between WOTF and the church itself, one that unambiguously distances the industry/community from Scientology's more questionable policies.
While I could never agree with the logic of the firewall argument I could at least respect it. However, recent revelations cast serious doubt on the sanctity of this division. Alarmingly so. This article in The Village Voice refers to a high ranking member of the Church, Barbara Ruiz, who, in the early-to-mid 2000s, was in charge of Author Services, the agency concerned with both Hubbard's literary estate and WOTF (she appears centre in photos taken at the 2000 award ceremony).
The article goes into much detail and I urge you to read it, but, in short, three witnesses allege to have seen Mz Ruiz conduct affairs at CMO. INT, known to its victims as 'The Hole'. The Hole was a pair of trailers on Scientology HQ's grounds where, according to at least six witnesses (one recently under oath), physical and mental torture was carried out on anything up to a hundred church members in order to extract confessions and punish 'wrongdoers'.
I recap: Half a dozen witnesses to these practices. Three witnesses (one a former inmate) to Mz Ruiz supervising confessions and reporting these to her superiors. Photos of Ruiz centre stage at Writers of the Future's award ceremony and uncontested confirmation she was in overall charge of Authors Services and therefore WOTF. Suddenly, all talk of a 'firewall' between church and competition appears for what it is- a comforting myth we've been feeding ourselves for decades.
As president, I'm sure you'll agree the SFWA cannot condone an institution tied to such inhuman brutality, no matter the reward, professional insight and encouragement it may give to beginning writers. Even if doubt should exist over these accusations, surely the SFWA must ask some probing questions here whilst, in my opinion at least, suspending any connections with WOTF until matters are clear. If, as a community, we fail to act, I believe science fiction and fantasy will be irrevocably tarnished.
It is gratifying to know that a few writers and past winners are beginning to sever their links.
I should add that this is an open email. Least ways, it shall appear on my blog for whatever that's worth.
Yours respectfully,
James Worrad
(An update HERE)
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