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- Written by Michael Z Williamson
I have just voted NO AWARD across the board for the Hugo awards, including the category in which I am a finalist.
At one time, the Hugo WAS arguably the most significant award in SF, with the Nebula being the pro award with a different cachet.
The Nebula lost any credibility when it was awarded to If You Were An Alpha Male My Love, which was not only eyerollingly bad Mary Sue, but wasn't SF nor even an actual story. If that's what the pros consider to be worthy of note, it indicates a dysfunction at their level.
As for the Hugos, in the last twenty years or so, they've been less and less awarded for either literature or entertaining storytelling, and more and more awarded for trite fanfic.  When not, it's been the same incestuous group awarding it within a circle of in-people, to the point where there are winners with literally 50 nominations and 30 wins.
This is just ridiculous.
There was some push back this year, and one could argue about the merits of doing so, or the merits of the works in question.
Instead, what has happened has been egregious ad hominem to the point of Godwin failure (Referring to us as "neo-Nazis") followed by false apologies ("I'm sorry it upset you to be called a neo-Nazi"), defense of the false apologies by alleged professionals in the use of language, with simultaneous denial that apologies were necessary or even actually took place (we agree. No apologies were actually made).
One former winner, whom I feel did in fact deserve his award, piled on to the point of equating us in exact words to domestic abusers, which is not only egregiously ridiculous, it is morally corrupt and a gross insult to actual victims and survivors of domestic abuse. Including me.
Another suggested we should create our own award, separate but equal, and then betrayed his position by failing to know anything about other SF awards.  Perhaps we can have a Civil Award, that will be like a Hugo, but not like it, preserving the sanctity of the Hugo for the trufen.
The sheer, frothing, irrational vitriol aimed at us makes it clear that content will not be considered.  We are Unclean, and many have stated they will not even look at our works.
Sadly, there are quite a few nominees this year who genuinely deserve awards for their work and creativity, including other members of my own category.
And perhaps someday, an award will come along that reaches the standards of credibility and accolade their works deserve.
But at present, no such award exists.
This was my choice.  I am not telling my fans not to vote for me. If you feel my work is worthy, by all means vote for it. Just understand that if I win, it will be subject to the same scathing derision I give to any and all social and political issues.  It deserves no less.
 
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- Written by Michael Z Williamson
So, even though some murderous little punk wore the flags of two defunct nations on his jacket, it inevitably became about the Confederate battle banner. Which doesn't fly over the SC capital, but what do facts matter?
Several major retailers stopped selling merchandise with that image, and, under pressure, eBay and Amazon folded, too. They'll still sell Swastikas, SS death's heads, The Turner Diaries, etc, but those are okay, I guess.
So it started with me telling Amazon, CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!:
 
And I figured this one would have a nice cognitive dissonance, too, though someone pointed out Tennessee might actually do it:
 
 
And there's this variation, which definitely belongs on a wife beater:
 
 
To which someone responded with this:
 
And someone actually questioned the orientation of the Swastika, as if it isn't free to live the orientation it feels itself to be.
 
Well, we're up to THIS:
 
 
And at some point, one of these is going on a shirt.
But what if you "Enjoy Tasty Bacon"?
 
And it's going viral, and seems to have started a meme.
Someone just sent me these:
 
 
 
- Details
- Written by Michael Z Williamson
I've become aware lately of a (renewed) trend of verbal attacks against transracial couples.  Commonly, a white man will be attacked for having a minority girlfriend or wife, as a "shield," or some other morally corrupt crap.
When transracial relationships were less common, this was the venue of a few clearly backward social conservatives.  Now, it's not only in vogue with alleged liberals, it is extolled.
The perpetrator is almost always either single, or in a cisracial relationship, usually white, yet claims some kind of moral authority to place themselves above the transracial couple.
It should be obvious why this is wrong, but I'll explain anyway.
First, if someone is involved transracially and you're not, you hardly have any room to criticize them at all.
Also, this isn't 1950, and those relationships are normal, as they should be. See above. WTF is wrong with you?
Second, your implication is that the only reason a white person is involved transracially is for some sort of dominance game over "lesser" races.  And if that's what you think, then that puts you right there with the people who claim being gay is a "choice," thus admitting they've thought about it.  You're flat out admitting that's what YOU think about romantic involvements with other races.  IOW:  You're a huge fucking racist piece of shit.
Third, your attack impugns the mental and emotional competence of the minority partner. You're stating that they lack the ability to identify racism, or escape from it, and are some sort of helpless prisoner. Now, there's no reason to believe this is any more common among transracial couples than cisracial. You're demeaning the minority member.  IOW:  You're a huge fucking racist piece of shit.  And, since such attacks are overwhelmingly addressed at couples with a white male and minority female, you're a huge fucking sexist piece of shit, who doesn't believe women can make rational decisions for themselves. You have the conceit to believe you know their partner better than they do.  Wrong.
Fourth, in many cases, there are children from these relationships.  Your implication is that these children are somehow less worthy than cisracial children. Hearken back to the medieval practice of referring to out of wedlock children as "bastards" and blaming them for their parents' actions. That's exactly what you're doing.  You're heaping your racism onto innocent children, and maligning their parents in front of them.
If you see a transracial couple and find flaw with it, you need to remember these very simple facts:  They're probably not racist. You almost certainly are. And you need to shut your racist fucking mouth.
- Details
- Written by Michael Z Williamson
So, today I made a tacky joke.
Try to contain your surprise.
It was like many of the thousands I've made before, and was received across the spectrum with, "Woah, good one."  "Clever but too soon."  "Ouch. I'm going to hell, but I'm laughing."  "My god, that's dreadful," and "No, not funny.
Which is how my jokes are usually received.
Then it went semi-viral.
All of a sudden, a professional acquaintance I'm on decent terms with quotes it and asks into the ether if I'm the kind of person who (supports something bad).  Said acquaintance should know better, and should have tagged me, if he wanted a debate, rather than to just have online troglodytes hurl invective.
I enjoy the discussions with said acquaintance. I find them informative, and I appreciate the differing viewpoint. I understand he was offended to the point of bypassing that.
He then basically wanted me to sign a manifesto he wrote by means of expiation.  I have stated my position, vs my humor.  Being forced to sign someone else's statement would be disingenuous and prove nothing. Request respectfully declined.
The thread itself was most enlightening. Comments included things like (paraphrase):
"So, you just like to make things all about you."
Well, since the thread cites me by name, it sort of is about me.
"I know from that comment that you're the worst kind of monster possible."
No, the worst kind of monsters shoot up churches and schools, or feed people into gas chambers. They don't make jokes on Facebook.
"You'r e a racist.  I might tell a joke like that, but only in private."
Ah. Hypocrite.
"I do laugh at Blazing Saddles, but uncomfortably, because I know the humor is racist." 
So, finding that humor funny doesn't make you racist, just "uncomfortable."  Not finding my humor funny means you're not a racist, but I am, but Mel Brooks is not.  Fascinating.
"You can't actually have any friends."
No?  I may need to consult a therapist. I was sure I did and do. They say they're my friends, and support me.
"That comment tells me you're an ____, _____ and ___ with _____."
Fascinating. You can determine a stranger's entire personality from a single online comment? Have you consulted with scientists on this ability and had it tested? It could prove very beneficial and profitable.
"Comedians never joke about things like that."
Well, I'm not really a comedian, but a fictioneer.  However, Monty Python did.
"They never joked about things like that, or the Holocaust, or..."
Excuse me, ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?  Monty Python took the piss out of EVERYONE and EVERYTHING just because they could.
"You're not Monty Python."
So, do they have Fame Privilege or Wealth Privilege that makes this double standard?
"Get ready to lose readers."
Unlikely. I expect most of my tens or hundreds of thousands of readers will never see my jokes.  In fact, most of the 5000 on Facebook won't.  Nor would most of them do more than just sigh or move on to the next post.
"You can't exploit something so soon."
Why not? The politicians and news whores are.
"Everything you say just proves you're MOAR RACIST."
Well, if you go looking for it, you'll probably find it.
"You're denying racism exists. THAT's RACIST!"
A: I am not.  2) See above.
There was much more.  but that's the more amusing ones.
I hope this answers all your questions.  If you've taken offense, then by all means find other entertainers.  I would never suggest you shouldn't. For myself, it takes more than an off-color joke for me to dismiss an entire body of work.
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