1. The bad news is that Theo, the newest addition to the Black Gate group-blog, is also the odious Vox Day. I object to the politicization of everything, and I think there should be a way for people who disagree strenuously about politics to talk about things that are non-political. But I’m reluctant to share a forum with someone who argues that public education in America is comparable to the forced clitoridectomy practiced in some cultures or that “Any rational human being would harbor more respect for a Nazi than for a feminist”. This kind of malicious filth is making useful public discourse almost impossible in this country.
2. The good news is that the Help Vera community seems to have triumphed. Kudos to the organizers and the contributors: this was a good thing.
####!
Um. This Vox Day guy… um…. Uh…
Re: ####!
Yes, he’s about as bad as the political freakshow gets.
I’m delighted the Vera thing worked. Never met her, but have been seeing her about online for years.
I don’t know her personally, either (or even professionally) but it was nice to see her get the help she needed–and even nicer to see how people hurried to give it.
There is some hope for us all.
I hope so. If that makes any sense.
He doesn’t seem to have politicized the Black Gate blog yet. Perhaps he can compartmentalize. I suggest giving him some time. Perhaps he’s someone you can discuss adventure fiction with, even if not politics.
Read your previous post and comments for inspiration. 😉
–Jeff Stehman
There may be something to this, but I’m sort of worried he’s using Black Gate as a stalking horse. He told his crew over on his blog about his Black Gate post but he never told John about his pseudonymous life as “Vox Day”.
Yeah, I quietly removed the Black Gate blog from my list.
It’s too bad, but it’s totally understandable.
I can’t read on a site that publishes such bs in this day and age. I’m deeply, deeply offended and disappointed that BG would have this sort of thing on their site. This means there is no reason to go there, while providing much reason not to.
I truly admire you for making this stand. Most would not.
Love, C.
Well, to be clear, his Black Gate post is just about adventure fantasy, and (in an apparently longstanding correspondence with John O’Neill) he never saw fit to mention his rabble-rousing “Vox Day” persona.
But I can’t take credit for busting this open: did that. I was vaguely aware that there was someone calling himself Vox Day, but I had no idea he was Theodore Beale until it was pointed out to me.
Doesn’t this clown get that clitorectomy is practiced most extensively in cultures that also prevent public education of any kind, but particularly education for girls?
This is beyond offensive and ugly to every female on the planet.
Love, C.
He seems to have no compunctions about saying anything that suits him in pursuit of his partisan agenda. But he is particularly prone to misogyny.
Given what he said in the second paragraph of is BG post, I immediately wondered whether his Vox Day opinions are legit, or if they’re an attempt to build readership. Conservatives making caricatures of their own opinions is a demonstrated road to success.
–Jeff Stehman
It’s possible: that does seem to be one way to big sales in the loosely-named nonfiction market.
I “knew” Vera from sff.net and chipped in. I’m glad she made her bill, and I’m glad she still has money coming in, considering her sewer lines problems.
If we had national health care… No. Let’s not go there.
John O’Neill dropped by the comments section last night and he says pretty much exactly the right thing. I still won’t be reading the blog, though. I’m unsure if you will be continuing with the blog yourself, but if you do, please link to your entries so I know about them. If that’s convenient.
Yeah, I thought John handled it very well given the terrible ugliness of some of the quotations from Vox that you provided.
I don’t know what I’d do if I were him. There’s a writer whose work I really admire, but whose public propagandising makes me sick. It took me a while, but eventually, I had to just stop reading his work.
I’m sort of wrestling with the angel about continuing to post at the BG blog. But whatever I post there, I’ll cross-post here.
John is in a tough place and I think his position is right for him. I still have to figure out what’s right for me.
I don’t think you’re compromised by this in any way, really. Unless politics is brought into it, at which point you could always retire. But obviously, it’s up to you.
I imagine controversy is the last thing John wants, so I hope this works out for him.