stopstopstop

[swatkat]

...since there won't be any Native Americans to have already done a certain amount of prepping land for human occupation, nor to be exploited later.

For HUMAN OCCUPATION. HUMAN.

God, make the racefail stop. It hurtss.

Comments

[jaybee65]

I've had a crazy-busy time the past few days, so I've really fallen behind reading all the links about this, but this one really really pains me.

I had never heard of this author before now and it's not a genre I would ever even remotely consider reading, but I almost wish I did read in that genre just so I could boycott her and have it be meaningful. *Feels ill*

[swatkat]

I haven't read her, either, but this is just excruciating. 'Human occupation'? They were not human?

And Lois McMuster Bujold being one of the wankers, I just... I love and respect her writing, you know? It's painful.

[nestra]

Yeah, the Vorkosigan series was something I was considering. And now it's like, there's a lot of other stuff I could be reading. By people who aren't sticking their feet in their mouth and defending such insane comments, even if they were made by a friend.

[swatkat]

I adore the Vorkosigan series, and I'd recommend to you... But right now, I don't know what to think.

[jaybee65]

And Lois McMuster Bujold being one of the wankers, I just... I love and respect her writing, you know? It's painful.

Well, I have never read anything of hers, either (I'm not a fan of scifi or fantasy), although I had at least heard of her (unlike Wrede). But I'm beginning to come to the conclusion that there is something really arrogant and clueless about a lot of pro writers, a certain kind of narcissism and overreaction to criticism and manner of relating to people that oozes with being wrapped up in how clever they are. I'm noticing it not just in racefail-type incidents (where's it's the most rage-inducing), but all over the internet in all sorts of contexts, and not just among fiction writers but old media journalists as well.

People are always criticizing actors for being full of themselves, but given a choice between spending an evening talking to an actor and a writer, I think I might opt for the former.

[swatkat]

The Vorkosigan series is excellent, because it's scifi, but it's also this lovely series about lively characters and their complicated interpersonal relationships and the scifi is just kind of there in the background. But yes, you're probably right. Because that's how I saw Elizabeth Bear react in the earlier racefail events. It's incredibly painful.

[jaybee65]

I think we really need to get over the idea that being talented as a writer means that one is wise/admirable/insert positive quality of your choice. We don't have that expectation of other artists. Much less non-creative professions!

[swatkat]

Yes, somehow we just expect good writers to be naturally awesome, and when they aren't, there's heartbreak.

[jaybee65]

I suppose it's because they get directly into our brains in a way that other people don't! But teh internet has been a nice splash of ice-cold water about that.

[autoclave]

I ... used to be such a Wrede fan? This whole situation makes me cringe and headdesk and wish there were not so much epic fail in the world :(

[swatkat]

I've never read anything by her, but I get how you feel. Louis McMuster Bujold has broken my heart.

[thirdblindmouse]

With most racefail I feel I can say "Oh, but you must have been taught better in school, at least a little bit." Whereas with the Americas? When I was a schoolchild (which was not that long ago) we learned a whole lot of "noble savage" and a whole lot of "empty land for the resourceful Europeans", and nothing about the fact that the European conquest was a goddamn "occupation".