rant rant rant rant

[lagilman]

I'm sorry, everyone, but an otherwise peaceful Monday has been interrupted by asshattery, and I need to rant (without giving specifics, so if you don't already know what set this off, you probably won't care...).


How fucking difficult is it to comprehend what 'freedom of speech" means, and what the First Amendment protects - and what it doesn't?

Hint: it doesn't restrict a private organization's right to say "we won't publish sexist, racist, or ableist material, as we do not feel that those things reflect well on who we are or the face we wish to show to the public."

(leaving aside the related but separate questions of "why do you think our professional publication should allow insulting-to-other-member comments go unreviewed?"  and "how do otherwise intelligent people not understand the word "censor" and "infringe?"  Because refusing-to-publish in one venue does not mean you can't take your words elsewhere.  It just means your words are not appropriate to that forum, thanks for submitting. Big writer panties time, kids. Pull 'em up.)

Looking at the names of the people who signed that petition, even assuming they never saw the original draft that's now circulating - it makes me sad.

Comments

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

Have you received a copy? I haven't, and suspect a cherry-picked mailing list.

[lagilman]

Nope. The correspondence has been posted in several places, along with commentary. Even going off the "official" petition rather than the less judiciously worded rant, the whole thing makes me roll my eyes into infinity....

[lagilman]

Quite right, text corrected.

The amusing thing is, the guy spearheading it...isn't even a member of SFWA, as per recent rolls.

And yeah - the people who have signed on to this... well, respect levels are lowering.

[longstrider.livejournal.com]

That list of names lowered my opinion of a whole bunch of people. One in particular who choose to continually dig himself deeper and deeper in a comment thread.

Several others where already on my nebulous list of 'I'm not going to read their blogs/personal postings because I'm afraid of what I might find out and I like their books too much'

I'm happy to be more specific, but you left all the names out so I'm following suit in your space.

[mtlawson.livejournal.com]

/sigh

I was going to write more, but I think you covered it.

[deire.livejournal.com]

You have my absolute sympathy.

[blazedglory.livejournal.com]

Feeling a bit left out, I looked at bits of the original. Not feeling left out anymore, just lucky.

Rant understood, and seconded.

[lietya.livejournal.com]

The thing that upset me about this is that my wife was about to join the nameless organization that is NOT censoring people, and this is giving them another black eye despite the fact that they don't actually have any responsibility for petition-jackass.