General reminder: Ender can play his game without me

[annathepiper]

My belovedest of Daras told me this morning that she got into an argument on Tumblr, wherein another party first snarkily demanded whether she could provide any evidence that Orson Scott Card had ever said anything against queer people. And, when she provided them a map to Mt. Why Yes Card Has Shot Off His Mouth Repeatedly On This Very Topic, they promptly shifted the argument over to “well, you should support this movie anyway because it’s racially diverse!”

Dara didn’t buy this argument. Neither do I.

Leave aside the whole question of whether you’re actually accomplishing anything if you refuse to support Card’s work. What it boils down to for me is, if I say, “Look, I’m not going to go watch this movie, because I feel that the writer is a raving homophobe and trying to watch anything with his name on it is tantamount to my being punched in the face”, and you then say, “Well, you should watch it anyway, because if you don’t, these other people over here might also be punched in the face!”, you know what you’re saying to me?

You’re saying that my motives for refusing to engage with the art don’t matter. And you’re also throwing in a side helping of guilt on top of it.

And for what? For my refusal to engage with a piece of art. You are, in short, trying to dictate to me how I should spend my entertainment time and money, which is an asshole maneuver to pull. Especially when the entertainment in question wouldn’t even entertain me, because c.f. previous commentary re: punching in the face.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I don’t care how well done a particular book, movie, television show, musical performance, or whatever might be, I’m not obliged to engage with it. And if I’ve specifically stated I’m avoiding that piece of art, for the love of gods, do not then try to force that piece of art down my throat. It’s not going to make me like it, and it sure as hell is not going to make me think any more favorably of you for dismissing my stance on the matter.

So no, still not going to see Ender’s Game. By the same token, I am still not going to give anybody a hard time for choosing to do so. Because it’s no more my place to critique your choices on how you spend your entertainment time and money than it is yours to do so to mine.

I have much better things to be doing anyway, and what limited time I have for movies in the next couple of months will be much better applied to Thor: The Dark World, Catching Fire, and The Desolation of Smaug.

Mirrored from angelahighland.com.

Comments

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

The tumblr brand of social-justice justification for all sorts of behaviors is distasteful. It's like, there's so much stupidity on there and so much encouragement of it that they start to believe the stupid is truefax. It's like cult mentality.

And yes, yes, yes, for the other things coming up! So much cool stuff. :) I won't be seeing Ender's Game, nor will I be reading it, nor anything else with OSC's name on it. And not because I don't support diversity in movies.

[annathepiper]

I've seen this kind of argument in other places besides tumblr, though--it's cropped up a lot in comment threads on some of the higher-profile author blogs, like Scalzi's, or Chuck Wendig over at Terrible Minds.

But yeah, my entertainment time is limited, especially given forthcoming medical crap, so I'd just as soon put my entertainment efforts towards stuff that I'm actively excited about! Mmmmmmmm THOR.

[stickmaker.livejournal.com]

I read the original, _Analog_ magazine version of the story. I was left confused and dissatisfied. The ending made no sense to me (no spoilers).

Every time I've tried to ready anything of Card's since I've usually quit a short way in. His style makes me uncomfortable.

I was unaware of his homophobia until recently, because I dislike his stories so much I don't pay attention to him.

[annathepiper]

The only thing I'd ever read of his was a novel called Hart's Hope, and I remember being unsettled by it at the time. It was only much later, and initially from Dara but then from other sources all over the net as well, that I began to learn of what the man was like.

I can't say I've ever regretted never reading another word of his.