On Hugo's and Puppies, or I alienate half my audience.

Sidebar:  On Hugo's and Puppies

I've gone digging about on this.  I've discussed it with a number of people.  Below are the timelines that both sides are presenting as what lead up to this whole mess.  Just to be clear, both timelines are suppose to cover the same time frame and events, just think of this as two different viewpoints if you will.

First one.

Larry Correia invited to Hugo's.

Says he's treated like shit, not for writing a bad book, but for being a libertarian and pro-guns.

Afterwards says he experiences a campaign of harassment and rumor mongering, with people accusing him of everything from racism to wife beating.

Talks to other writers with similar politics, says he found experiences in common and was unhappy.

Starts campaign to crash the Hugo's with supporters to generate votes for books he feel overlooked for ideological reasons.

After a couple years it takes off.

People get upset and act like nuts on the internet.

Second one.

Last year women and people of color swept the Hugo awards.

A group of conservatives upset about this got together on the internet to stuff the ballot.

After a couple of years it takes off.

People get upset on the internet and push back trying to prevent the Hugo's from being ruined.

People start acting like nuts on the internet.

With all this, I've come to an opinion on the whole... thing.

First of all, let me be blunt.  I've never read a book because it has a Hugo stamp.  I never will.  Sorry.  Second of all, an award handed out due to the votes of around what?  One or two thousand people whose great distinction was they paid money to attend a con does not make for an award of any great awe or prestige in my eyes.   That doesn't mean the Hugo's are bad or that people shouldn't be excited about them... Just... That in my personal opinion... I am unmoved by them.

Frankly I'm much more concerned about what I'm seeing in the interactions of the two camps.  The so called “SWJ's” and the “Neo-fascist” Sad Puppies.  I am deeply disappointed in both groups and you all need to go take long looks at yourselves and ask just what are you thinking?  Yeah, you were provoked.  I don't care.  Yeah, the other side is bad.  I don't care.  Yeah, they said such and such about so and so.  I.  Don't.  Care.  Have I made myself clear here?  I don't care about your excuses, your causes or whatever.  Let me be blunt.  I heard this all before, only in real life and what happened there was people died and wars happened.  So I am out of patience with your self righteous howling here.  Nothing good comes from a mob on a Crusade.  Gentlemen and Ladies, you have allowed yourselves to become a mob.

Here's my problem.  First thing I see when I do the goggle searches is on both sides I got assholes screaming “They're not real fans!  We're real fans!  We have to drive them out!”  I care about that.  I care about such statements a great deal.  I've heard them before.  They were wrong then and they are wrong now.  That, ladies and gentlemen, I will stand against.  Not against Liberal writers and their fans. Not against conservative writers and their fans.  But against people who would cast out my fellow lovers of science fiction and fantasy, who would turn against my fellow nerds.  That goes too far.

This is not a castle.  The other side is not a barbarian horde. We do not need gatekeepers and even if we did, we wouldn't pick you.  We need ambassadors.  We need people willing to reach out, not strike out.  Look, science fiction and fantasy are genres that at their best are open to people of all political stripes.  At their best they are open to people of all color and genders and whatever else the fuck it is that makes people different this week.  This means there are going to be fans who have different opinions on guns, God, taxes and everything else... And that's okay.  In fact that's better then okay, it's fucking awesome!  It's okay to have leftist writing science fiction and winning awards for it.  It's okay to have right wingers writing science fiction and winning awards for it.  It's okay to be fans of these works.  It's even okay to be fans of works I hate.  Yes, even Touched by Alien so help me God.  If you love that book, that's okay, I just thought it was terrible.  I might think you have rather awful taste but I'm not going to say you're not a “real” fan.   Basically...

 Let me be clear here, after a survey of a few hours spread out over a period of weeks (because there's only so long I can look at this shit without wanting to burn the entire internet to the ground) and to be blunt, both sides have utterly embarrassed themselves in behaving like foul mouthed toddlers.  It was ridiculous.  It was infantile and I have never been so powerfully gripped by an urge to start taking people over my knee while washing their mouths out with soap.  To give you a context on what my boundaries are?  I SERVED 4 YEARS IN THE MARINE CORPS.  I WENT TO FUCKING WAR.   Am I making myself clear here?  Am I getting through to anyone?

We need to stop screaming at each other and start talking to each like actual fucking adults.  We need to stop excluding people just because we got something stuck up our noses.

Look people, we don't have to agree on anything.  We don't have to be friends.  We don't even have to like each other.  I'm not gonna ask for the tide roll back here.  But we do need to learn to share and tolerate each other.  We need to learn to listen to people we disagree with without screaming that they're communists out to oppress us, or that they're racists out to oppress people.  The world is to small for this now.

I get that everyone is bringing in a lot of baggage from the outside.  A good number of us are worried that we're going to lose the one thing or the one place where we felt safe and accepted.  That we will have no safety or surety and be cast out into the outer darkness where there is only weeping and gnashing of teeth.  I get that.  I understand that fear and I see it on both sides.  That said, ladies and gentlemen by letting that fear rule you, you are becoming what you hate.  I don't think any of  you really want that.  I'm sure there are some trolls that revel in that, but the vast majority of us are not trolls and it is time we stop letting them dictate the conversation.  I'm calling on you to not let your rage and fear guide your actions.

What I'm saying here is, being pro whatever we're calling the not puppy list doesn't make someone a man-hating anarchist out to destroy America (for Christ's sake these people gave Avengers a Hugo), it just means they have a different view point and different taste.  Try talking to these people, like adults. Try getting to know a couple as individuals.  Try reading some of the books they like.  Yes, a number of them you will hate and think they suck, but unless you're a dogmatic, close minded individual with a mind of metal and wheels... You'll find there are books you like to.  Stop screaming SJW and acting like you just saw a spider in Mirkwood.  Get a grip and act your age instead of your shoe size.  You people are embarrassing me in front of the mainstream.

I'm also saying that being pro-sad puppy doesn't make someone a racist or misogynist (for Christ's sake these people have women and people of color on their list, it's not just an old white boys club) .  It just means they have a different view point and different taste.  Try talking to these people, like adults.  Try getting to know a couple as individuals.  Try reading some of the books they like.  Yes, a number of them you will hate and think they suck but unless you're a dogmatic, close minded individual who cannot bear anything unapproved by the party...  You'll find there are books you like to.  Stop screaming racist and acting like you just saw a Xenomorph. Get a grip and act your age instead of your shoe size.  You people are embarrassing me in front of the mainstream.

Now I want to note that I am not the only one saying this.  There are people calling for calm and sanity in this and asking folks not to take up arms.  So I am not the first nor greatest voice (God have pity on us on the day that I am).  I am merely echoing those calls.

I will close by paraphrasing a much greater man then I can be.

We are not enemies.  We are all nerds together.  We must learn that disagreement does not make us enemies.  We must look to our commonality and allow the better angels of our nature to help us forge a better community and prevent these disagreements from tearing us apart.  Our fandoms cannot be destroyed from the outside, they can only be torn down from within.

I do not really expect anyone to follow my advice, but I will take my own.  The next review is on a book I'm finishing this weekend.  It's nonfiction.  After that, since I reviewed Monster Hunter Nemesis, I will review the Goblin Emperor.