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http://laurajmixon.com/2014/11/a-report-on-damage-done-by-one-individual-under-several-names/

So, I'm reading this about someone being an utter shitbag of a troll. 

I'm glad they're being outed, and I'm glad people are responding.

I know how attention like that can be painful, or at least aggravating.

I wonder how many of these people realize how common this type of behavior is.

In fact, just recently, I've been called:

a "child abusing fucktard" because I taught my kids to shoot, even though I'm a qualified instructor with decades of military experience.

"Ultraconservative," by someone who's certainly never read a word I've put in print, who then publicly demanded a publisher stop carrying my books based on that.

During the Iraq War, while deployed, and while endorsing some of our strategy, the "support the troops" meme suddenly turned to "Well, fuck you, you Koch-whore.  I hope you get your balls blown off."  The pun is at least amusing, but really, what they meant was they supported the troops who agreed with their political position. They wished me a violent death.

I get actual death threats every month or so. They're usually not credible.

I finally had to block fantasy author Tad Williams from my Facebook wall after two years of driveby comments where he'd call everyone racists and accuse others and myself of privilege because he thinks I'm as straight white male as he is, with no evidence to support his belief.  It even came down to, "I'm not even sure what this post was about, but you're all a bunch of racists" (paraphrased).  I try not to block people, but if they add literally nothing to the discussion, and merely troll, I do.

Racist, racist, racist, white middle class fuck, white male (and my opinion is invalid based on my gender and apparent race).  I get this all the time.

So I'm glad to see this is an issue that these people want to address.

Oh, wait:

~~~

As a lesbian Thai woman, she identifies as a member of a highly marginalized community, and there has been quite a bit of excitement in progressive circles around her rise in popularity as a short story writer. She has been publishing SFF since 2012 and is a John W. Campbell nominee for 2014.

~~~

There's excitement about her being a writer. But there's MORE excitement about her race and orientation.

Perhaps someday "liberals" will judge a writer on the content of the work, not on the color of their skin.

~~~

• She and her supporters argue that she punches up, but the truth is that she punches in all directions. The bulk of her targetsΓÇödespite her progressively-slanted rhetoricΓÇöhave been┬áwomen, people of color, and other marginalized or vulnerable people.

~~~

So, "punching up." That's "liberal" code for "attacks white males."  Well, that's okay.  It's only when she attacks certain minorities or "marginalized or vulnerable people" that it's a problem.

So, either they're claiming that my alleged "privilege" (Assuming I'm as SWM as they think I am based on my appearance) makes me immune or less vulnerable to such attacks.  In other words, they believe in white supremacy. (Or any other writer who's allegedly white, whether they are or not.)

Or, they're perfectly okay with attacks on certain demographic groups. That makes them bigots.

~~~

• She has single-handedly┬ádestroyed several online SFF, fanfic, and videogaming communities┬áwith her negative, hostile comments and attacks.

~~~

 

Again, this happens all the time to conservatives and libertarians.

Most of these people supported the vitriolic attack on Uncle Timmy (Tim Bolgeo), based on something he copied and pasted, to the point where the ignorati wondered "what a racist blog has to do with SF," when he publishes neither a blog nor a racist one. He got uninvited from a convention.

Then the privileged white male who started that twitstorm publicly and repeatedly called me a "racist piece of shit" at a convention (which did step in and stop him).

Remember mega-nerd Jonathan Ross got uninvited from LonCon because someone was sure he would definitely make personal comments about her, with no evidence that he'd ever done so or intended to.

~~~

• ΓÇ£If I see *** being beaten in the street IΓÇÖll stop to cheer on the attackers and pour some gasoline on himΓÇ¥ ΓÇô ΓÇ£*** is an ignorant, appropriative bag of feces.ΓÇ¥
• ΓÇ£Spread the word that *** is a raging racist fuck. Let him be hurt, let him bleed, pound him into the fucking ground. No mercy.ΓÇ¥
• ΓÇ£Stupid fuckΓÇ¥ ΓÇô ΓÇ£homophobeΓÇ¥ ΓÇô ΓÇ£without any talent whatsoeverΓÇ¥. To a reader defending her: ΓÇ£Your liking for this pile of verbal diarrhea proves what morons fantasy fans are.ΓÇ¥
• ΓÇ£rape apologist!ΓÇ¥┬á ΓÇô ΓÇ£her hands should be cut off so she can never write another Asian character.ΓÇ¥
• ΓÇ£ah, if only I could actually do it in person. with scalpels, not words.ΓÇ¥

Stupid fuckΓÇ¥ ΓÇ£homophobeΓÇ¥ ΓÇ£without any talent whatsoeverΓÇ¥. ΓÇ¥MAYDAY, MAYDAY. BIOCHEMICAL WEAPON TO CINDY PONΓÇÖS COORDINATES AND MAKE THAT DOUBLE TIMEΓÇ¥ To reader defending her: insults along the lines of ΓÇ£Your liking for this pile of verbal diarrhea proves what morons fantasy fans are.ΓÇ¥

~~~

"Biochemical weapon"—does that sound like a real threat?  That sounds herpaderp.  But if you think it might be legit, call the FBI. They do investigate threats of terrorism.

And a reader has the right to publicly say your book is "complete racist shit."  It's an opinion. It needs no proof.  It needs no license.  You cannot stop it and have no recourse. Again, downvote it and move on.

So, now that she, from her alleged (since we don't actually know her race, gender or status) position of more victimhood, is attacking people of less victimhood (which actually IS "punching up"), now it's a problem.

Pardon me for having little sympathy for the culture as a whole. They endorsed this, and still do.  But they can't handle it when they get it.

I guess the lesson here is that publishers, hosters, bloggers and authors shouldn't be apologizing to anonymous internet cowards over allegations of anything.  Block them, move on, and ignore them. Giving them bandwidth only encourages them.

And hopefully, the "liberal" SF community will learn from this and try to be less racist and judgmental.

Had they started fighting this when she was "only" "punching up" white males of privilege, they might have contained the matter.  Now it's turned into a virus.

"Then they came for me…"

~~~

ADDENDUM:

In response to a comment of support:

Honestly, I realize most of them are only internet brave, and I'm pretty sure face to face I can take most of them.

Now, I know female authors who've gotten legitimate threats and had to get bodyguards.

Privilege does exist. But that doesn't make it okay to exploit it, or bandy it about as an epithet.