The latest in Sad Puppy Madness

So about those Puppies (and sorry to anyone who has no clue what I'm blathering about yet again).

To put it in general terms, a bunch of people have now decided they want to boycott a major sci fi publisher. In part this seems to be because they don't like the publisher anyways, but the stated reasoning is given as an objection to something one of the art directors said (more or less referenced in my previous post). Basically, they reckon she insulted them.

There is some debate on the specifics. *cough*understatement*cough*

And so they want an apology. Which they got, but they don't feel it was appropriately worded. So some of them want her fired, or think she should have been fired, and some... the publisher has a few other staff who have been openly critical, if not as incendiary, and so some of the group may want them fired as well.

It's getting ugly. Uglier. Whatever.

I won't get into the wheres and whyfores, let alone the whereasmuches, but there are a few things I wanted to note after spending a few hours as part of a thread on Facebook relating to this palaver.

One, the Puppies have adopted a few new memes. Such as 'she insulted us on company time!', which is... bizarre? How would they know what her break schedule is? I'll concede that the egregious comment occurred in relation to a post relating to one of the publisher's upcoming releases, albeit on an official press release or company communique, but... company time? Really?

The other one is to claim that she personally insulted a particular person who spent years fighting actual neo-Nazis in the struggle against apartheid. Except I'm not sure anyone outside their group, let alone the lady at the centre of the dispute, even knows who the dude is. I didn't. To top it all off, he doesn't even claim to be PART of their group, just supporting from the sidelines... so how was he personally insulted, anyways? Even if you accept that she did call the group 'neo-Nazis', he's not part of the group, right?

One genius claimed apartheid was in South America. I just really hope that was an autocorrect failure.

Also, do not ask for proof that he did the fighting. Just... don't.

The other thing I really want to note is the absurdity of the boycott itself. So.... you're not buying their books. Some of you wouldn't anyways, either because you have a grudge against the publisher to begin with, or against some of their authors, or you reckon they just don't publish anything you like.

To those people, you're trying to punish them by not doing something you were never gonna do anyways. Congratulations on achieving less than nothing.

For everyone else... so you're not buying their books. As opposed to all the other days you were not buying their books. Unless you're someone who buys a book a day, but who the hell has that kinda time and money? So anyways, you're not doing something that... say, anywhere from 50-90% of the time, you weren't gonna do it anyways. Congratulations on achieving nothing. It's more than less than nothing, but it's still nothing.

Seriously, if they can stir up the greater mass of readers out their to join them in their batshittery, I will be impressed. Mostly, I suspect they won't make much difference.

The other bizarre part is that, on at least one blog, they're getting people to take photos of their collection of books from this publisher to, I dunno, demonstrate what good customers they are? Or were. One guy sent in a picture of two books. A whole two books. Man, I can feel the bottom line plummet, losing a customer so dedicated and loyal.

On the flipside, some people have a lot of books. Like, a LOT. Shelves and shelves worth. They have been good customers.... and if it were me, I would be looking at such photos and thinking, "Well, we already have their money anyways".

The whole thing is a farce.

Oh, and another thing I noted from the thread? It's really hard to take seriously people whose argument consists of "You assholes called me names!" and other such potkettles. Basically everything they accuse other people of doing, they do themselves, often in the accusation. Also, on top of that, it seems like they're coopting ideas and language from their opponents. It's weird.

And lastly... I mocked one guy for being a twit, and he told me he did not find me funny.

Somehow, that being the whole point seemed to escape him.

Some days, it's like being in a Monty Python skit.

Standing up

DISCLAIMER: I speak for no one but myself, the pixie folk of the Lost Wilds, the Five And A Half Kings of Ennui, the Dark Riders of the Widdershins Plain, and a wombat. No, not that wombat, the other one. None of them asked me to.

After a small internal debate I thought I'd post this. Mostly the debate was because a good chunk of my Facebook friends, which, as a whole, is most likely a good chunk of my blog readership, will have no idea what I'm talking about unless they've followed where I comment on Facebook. Even then I've not said much on this issue. So.  It is time.

If you don't understand, don't worry about it. Consider yourself fortunate.

Here goes.

I stand by Irene Gallo.

Perhaps I would not have said the same thing as she said it, but it's essentially the same sort of thing I've said. I do not disagree with the essence of it.

There are two right wing groups, Sad Puppies and Rabid Puppies, and they are calling for an end, not to social justice in science fiction, but to what they see as a glut of social justice messages in science fiction.

(Personally, I suspect it's a perspective thing, that they see an overload because there's simply more than previously. It's like rain in a desert... no, wait, let's go SF with this. It's raining on Dune and they're sandworms.)

Are they 'unrepentantly racist, sexist, homophobic'? One or two certainly are. Others have made some statements and comments I see as very dodgy, skirting the lines here and there. Others certainly scoff - and some scoff quite vigorously! - at the concepts and precepts of social justice. And it seems like a number simply don't give a tinker's cuss about social justice and are perfectly happy to let the bad actors keep acting badly. Others are more concerned about not being called racist for being associated with racists, rather than not associating with racists.

Remember, the true evil is not racism, it's calling someone racist. Oh, the horror, the soul-searing, festering wound of being called a, gasp, bigot.

Wherever they fall on that spectrum, they are unrepentant about that.

Some may have expressed misgivings with the darker portion of the overall movement, but it hasn't really led to much self analysis that I've seen. They still cling to what they believe the Puppies stand for.

I envy that self-delusion.

As for the charge of bringing in Gamergate... not going to argue that one. I've certainly seen tweets and post from prominent Puppies that constitute reaching out.

As for the quality of the works on the ballot, that is a matter of opinion. I haven't heard much good, but I haven't read the works myself.

The response from Tor is... not surprising? An attempt at PR and damage control, in the craptastic way that only a corporation can do. Psst, hey, Tor, most of them already hate you for their own bullshit reasons. This doesn't help, but it does undermine Ms Gallo. Well done! Two thumbs up!

And I stand by all of that.

So I stand by Irene Gallo.

Game on.