UPDATE: Due to the backlash, the EW HACK behind the piece has deleted her Twitter account. The Puppies ate her twitter.
ALSO: Larry has posted on his Facebook Page. Brad Torgersen has posted on his blog. Sarah has commented. Tom's got a second one. John C. Wright has a list of links. And The Novel Ninja has been unleash.
If you have never heard of the Sad Puppies Save the Children Campaign, you're about to.
If you've ever wondered why I don't talk politics on the blog, brace for impact.
Sad Puppies has been about bringing balance to the Force, or at least the Hugo awards for Science Fiction and Fantasy. See, a few years ago, the great and powerful Larry Correia dismissed the Hugo Awards as being nothing more than a popularity contest for World Con. Once upon a time, it might have awarded good SF&F, but it has now gone to politically-based "literature" over good reads.
How so? Well, look at the Hugos a little, okay?
If you don't believe that the Hugo awards have become a problem over the years, let's take a look at the progression of the award. The first best novel winners started with Fritz Leiber, Alfred Bester (who wrote the most influential telepath novel ever), Robert Heinlein, Phillip K. Dick (author of the book Blade Runner was based on ), and Walter Miller (Canticle for Leibowitz). Bester and Miller influenced the 1990s tv show Babylon 5. Heinlein's book Starship Troopers was made into ... a really, really bad movie.
Now? Let's put it this way. Baen books is one of the biggest publishers in science fiction today. Their top lists of bestsellers include John Ringo, David Weber, Timothy Zahn, Elizabeth Moon, and even Correia. In the last 25 years, books from Baen have been nominated 8 times for a Hugo, and it's mostly been Lois McMaster Bujold, or Elizabeth Moon, with Correia getting one nomination last year.
ALSO: Larry has posted on his Facebook Page. Brad Torgersen has posted on his blog. Sarah has commented. Tom's got a second one. John C. Wright has a list of links. And The Novel Ninja has been unleash.
If you have never heard of the Sad Puppies Save the Children Campaign, you're about to.If you've ever wondered why I don't talk politics on the blog, brace for impact.
Sad Puppies has been about bringing balance to the Force, or at least the Hugo awards for Science Fiction and Fantasy. See, a few years ago, the great and powerful Larry Correia dismissed the Hugo Awards as being nothing more than a popularity contest for World Con. Once upon a time, it might have awarded good SF&F, but it has now gone to politically-based "literature" over good reads.
How so? Well, look at the Hugos a little, okay?
If you don't believe that the Hugo awards have become a problem over the years, let's take a look at the progression of the award. The first best novel winners started with Fritz Leiber, Alfred Bester (who wrote the most influential telepath novel ever), Robert Heinlein, Phillip K. Dick (author of the book Blade Runner was based on ), and Walter Miller (Canticle for Leibowitz). Bester and Miller influenced the 1990s tv show Babylon 5. Heinlein's book Starship Troopers was made into ... a really, really bad movie.
These are award winners from the first ten years, whose competition included Theodore Sturgeon and Kurt Vonnegut.
Now? Let's put it this way. Baen books is one of the biggest publishers in science fiction today. Their top lists of bestsellers include John Ringo, David Weber, Timothy Zahn, Elizabeth Moon, and even Correia. In the last 25 years, books from Baen have been nominated 8 times for a Hugo, and it's mostly been Lois McMaster Bujold, or Elizabeth Moon, with Correia getting one nomination last year.
Ringo has pumped out nearly 40 books in the 15 years he's been writing, almost every one a bestseller, but he can't get a nomination?
David Weber has been writing for at least 20, if not 25, and his books have been compared to Star Wars meets Horatio Hornblower, but not one lousy nod? Timothy Zahn is responsible for resurrecting the entire Star Wars Franchise in the early 90s with his Heir to the Empire trilogy, but has never been suggested for a Hugo in 25 years! What. The. F&*(!
The nominees lately? People who are friends with the former President of the SFWA, John Scalzi, A race-baiter named Jemisin. Someone named Mira Grant four times in five years (still hasn't won). George RR Martin (never won). Waaayyy back in 2009, they had Gaiman, Cory Doctorow, Neal Stephenson ... and John Scalzi, but that's at least a lineup of I've heard of.
Oh, but the entire Wheel of Time saga was nominated for best book last year. It lost to someone named Ann Leckie, for a debut novel called Ancillary Justice, with a great big blurb on the front cover ... from John Scalzi. See how that works?
The nominees lately? People who are friends with the former President of the SFWA, John Scalzi, A race-baiter named Jemisin. Someone named Mira Grant four times in five years (still hasn't won). George RR Martin (never won). Waaayyy back in 2009, they had Gaiman, Cory Doctorow, Neal Stephenson ... and John Scalzi, but that's at least a lineup of I've heard of.
Oh, but the entire Wheel of Time saga was nominated for best book last year. It lost to someone named Ann Leckie, for a debut novel called Ancillary Justice, with a great big blurb on the front cover ... from John Scalzi. See how that works?
JK Rowling managed a nomination and a single win, and she's made more money than the population of the UK.
Terry Pratchett wrote dozens of books over the span of forever, and he never got a single nomination.
Remember, Science Fiction Writers of America have been undergoing a full-on, Stalin-level purge lately. Heck, even former members of the SFWA have come out against their lock-step, utterly insane behavior -- writers such as Sarah Hoyt. Even current members are protesting some of the more deranged moves -- people like Harlan Ellison, David Gerrold, Mercedes Lackey, Barry N. Malzberg, Jack McDevitt, Larry Niven, Mike Resnick, Harry Turtledove, and Gene Wolfe. And let's face it, when Harlan Ellison is calling you a schmuck because you're too far left, you're probably a schmuck. You know the SFWA has gone too far when even the New Statesman thinks' you're a leftist schmuck.
This is about as bad as the Oscars, where only the prestigious and elite of Hollywood's most pretentious can even be bothered getting a nomination. Only this time the clique is smaller, and even more vicious. High school-level vicious. And it's time someone stood up to these schmucks.
Cry havoc, and let slip the puppies of war! Commence ... the saddening!
When Larry Correia pointed this out, he was told "No!!!!! Hugo represents AALLLLL fandom!!!!"
Larry said: "Here, let me show you."
Since then, the Sad Puppy Crew has, for three years now, put together their own slate -- voted upon by their fans, who then use that slate to pick nominees. They're basically running their own Hugo Awards.
And, since Correia started this to make a point, he has refused his own nomination from the Hugos themselves (he leaves himself on the Puppy Slate, however, since, well, he doesn't get an award from that).
Since this began, the Sad Puppy people have undergone accusations of being evil white men! Blah blah blah. It's what makes "racists" of of Beale / Vox (though he's Native American), or Larry Correia (who's Portuguese). It makes misogynists out of Sarah Hoyt (from Portugal) or Cedar Sandarson ... and no, they are NOT transgender, they were born women, and remain women.
This was "fine," with me. Really. I've put up with name calling my entire life, and so have they.We're all really used to it. Really used to it.
Heck, when John Scalzi went on his page and roared about campaigning to "No Award" the Hugos over Sad Puppies. And he's literally claiming that "we shouldn't allow those who don't like us to campaign so blatantly." Uh huh, "They don't agree with us!!!! WWWWAAAAHHHHH."
Oh, get over yourself, Johnny. I now rename you Bella Swan, because you are just that tedious.
And then, Entertainment Weekly came out with it's article, and a headline "Hugo Award Nominations Fall Victim to Misogynistic and Racist Voting." They have since changed the title.
....
You're expecting me to go nuclear, aren't you? I'm far, far beyond that right now.
Suffice it to say that this lying little douchebag has now kicked up such a s***storm, she's going to think she was born in fecal matter.
Let us ignore that the new Hugo slate includes women and Hispanics. Let us ignore that one of the nominees, Jim Butcher, is as politically neutral as they come, and he's not a member of Sad Puppies. Let us, instead, focus on how many of them are lawyers. Let us focus on how much EW has slandered a whole cross section of fandom.
Right now, I want to hit someone with a brick.
Oh, and get this correction.
[Slow clap.] Nice. Very retarded of you.
However, I can't seem to top the epic, epic tweets of Larry Correia to Biedenharn on Twitter.
Obviously not, Larry. She has no decency at all.
And, yes, it keeps going. But I have to do my own work, now.
You can see other people comment on this. Tom Knighton (twice). Amanda Green -- twice. Cedar Sanderson has a fan reaction at her blog. Otherwhere. Matt isn't up and running yet on EW, but this is close enough with that and this. Sarah and Larry don't have posts up yet on EW, but when I do, expect an update on this blog. The closest I've found is that Sarah has expressed surprised at being a white mormon male "with a great rack." Really.
Are these people my friends? Larry retweeted two of my links ... and then my sales shot up. Sarah and Cedar let me guest post on their blogs. I'm friendly with some of them. In some cases, I barely know them. In some cases, I don't like or dislike them. But, as Tom said, they're family.
You f**k with my family, and I will end you.
So, to EW, John Scalzi, and anyone and everyone who has indulged in this evil, vile campaign of lies and slander, I tell you now, you are done. Forget being dead to me. I'm nobody. But I, and Sad Puppies, and Fandom, will see your careers buried under so much debris that you will swear that you were born in a block of concrete.
You @$$hats have f***ed with the WRONG PEOPLE,
Let's start with EW, because they have yet to sufficiently hurt over this.
For the world of Scalzi? He's working on alienating his own fans. I will merely sit back and watch him suffer and die from his own lack of talent.
I'll be hatching evil plots as the day goes on. But right now, I want to watch their entire house of cards burn down, with them in it. I don't want them to die, because that's too quick. I want them to suffer through every last, agonizing moment as everything they've built, and everything they've accomplished on the backs of others, die. Death is too easy for such evil as this. There's a reason for Hell. And this is it.
Christ said to forgive your enemies. This isn't about that. Forgiveness isn't a factor. Not even revenge. This is about stopping them. And they must be stopped.
So, until next time, UNLEASH THE PUPPIES!!!
This is about as bad as the Oscars, where only the prestigious and elite of Hollywood's most pretentious can even be bothered getting a nomination. Only this time the clique is smaller, and even more vicious. High school-level vicious. And it's time someone stood up to these schmucks.
Cry havoc, and let slip the puppies of war! Commence ... the saddening!
When Larry Correia pointed this out, he was told "No!!!!! Hugo represents AALLLLL fandom!!!!"
Larry said: "Here, let me show you."
Since then, the Sad Puppy Crew has, for three years now, put together their own slate -- voted upon by their fans, who then use that slate to pick nominees. They're basically running their own Hugo Awards.
And, since Correia started this to make a point, he has refused his own nomination from the Hugos themselves (he leaves himself on the Puppy Slate, however, since, well, he doesn't get an award from that).
Since this began, the Sad Puppy people have undergone accusations of being evil white men! Blah blah blah. It's what makes "racists" of of Beale / Vox (though he's Native American), or Larry Correia (who's Portuguese). It makes misogynists out of Sarah Hoyt (from Portugal) or Cedar Sandarson ... and no, they are NOT transgender, they were born women, and remain women.
This was "fine," with me. Really. I've put up with name calling my entire life, and so have they.We're all really used to it. Really used to it.
Heck, when John Scalzi went on his page and roared about campaigning to "No Award" the Hugos over Sad Puppies. And he's literally claiming that "we shouldn't allow those who don't like us to campaign so blatantly." Uh huh, "They don't agree with us!!!! WWWWAAAAHHHHH."
Oh, get over yourself, Johnny. I now rename you Bella Swan, because you are just that tedious.
And then, Entertainment Weekly came out with it's article, and a headline "Hugo Award Nominations Fall Victim to Misogynistic and Racist Voting." They have since changed the title.
....
You're expecting me to go nuclear, aren't you? I'm far, far beyond that right now.
Suffice it to say that this lying little douchebag has now kicked up such a s***storm, she's going to think she was born in fecal matter.
Let us ignore that the new Hugo slate includes women and Hispanics. Let us ignore that one of the nominees, Jim Butcher, is as politically neutral as they come, and he's not a member of Sad Puppies. Let us, instead, focus on how many of them are lawyers. Let us focus on how much EW has slandered a whole cross section of fandom.
Right now, I want to hit someone with a brick.
Oh, and get this correction.
CORRECTION: After misinterpreting reports in other news publications, EW published an unfair and inaccurate depiction of the Sad Puppies voting slate, which does, in fact, include many women and writers of color. As Sad Puppies’ Brad Torgerson explained to EW, the slate includes both women and non-caucasian writers, including Rajnar Vajra, Larry Correia, Annie Bellet, Kary English, Toni Weisskopf, Ann Sowards, Megan Gray, Sheila Gilbert, Jennifer Brozek, Cedar Sanderson, and Amanda Green.What does that mean? That means that the author, one Isabella Biedenharn, didn't talk to anyone on the Puppy side. Seriously. Congratulations, EW, you've just shown crappy journalism at its finest. Talk to people on only one side of an issue, do no research of your own, and ignore everyone else.
[Slow clap.] Nice. Very retarded of you.
However, I can't seem to top the epic, epic tweets of Larry Correia to Biedenharn on Twitter.
You went to press with a bunch of asinine, obvious lies, and you're happy to include my side AFTER YOU LIED? @isabella324
— Larry Correia (@monsterhunter45) April 6, 2015
We put 10 talented, deserving women on our slates, plus homosexuals, minorities, didn't matter, only cared about the quality. @isabella324
— Larry Correia (@monsterhunter45) April 6, 2015
How dare you lie about these people? I'm used to it, but you should be ashamed of yourself. Have you no integrity? @isabella324
— Larry Correia (@monsterhunter45) April 6, 2015
Obviously not, Larry. She has no decency at all.
And, yes, it keeps going. But I have to do my own work, now.
You can see other people comment on this. Tom Knighton (twice). Amanda Green -- twice. Cedar Sanderson has a fan reaction at her blog. Otherwhere. Matt isn't up and running yet on EW, but this is close enough with that and this. Sarah and Larry don't have posts up yet on EW, but when I do, expect an update on this blog. The closest I've found is that Sarah has expressed surprised at being a white mormon male "with a great rack." Really.
You f**k with my family, and I will end you.
So, to EW, John Scalzi, and anyone and everyone who has indulged in this evil, vile campaign of lies and slander, I tell you now, you are done. Forget being dead to me. I'm nobody. But I, and Sad Puppies, and Fandom, will see your careers buried under so much debris that you will swear that you were born in a block of concrete.
You @$$hats have f***ed with the WRONG PEOPLE,
Let's start with EW, because they have yet to sufficiently hurt over this.
For the world of Scalzi? He's working on alienating his own fans. I will merely sit back and watch him suffer and die from his own lack of talent.
I'll be hatching evil plots as the day goes on. But right now, I want to watch their entire house of cards burn down, with them in it. I don't want them to die, because that's too quick. I want them to suffer through every last, agonizing moment as everything they've built, and everything they've accomplished on the backs of others, die. Death is too easy for such evil as this. There's a reason for Hell. And this is it.
Christ said to forgive your enemies. This isn't about that. Forgiveness isn't a factor. Not even revenge. This is about stopping them. And they must be stopped.
So, until next time, UNLEASH THE PUPPIES!!!
Standing ovation.
ReplyDeleteDeclan that was beautiful
ReplyDeletePratchett declined a Hugo nomination for best novel in 2005 for Going Postal, on the grounds that excessive worry about it would ruin his enjoyment of the Con.
ReplyDeleteEarlier, he was also nominated along with his co-writers for Best Related Work, for The Science of Discworld.
DeleteDidn't win that, either.
I have never been here before, just followed a link in. I was on the fence until the EW article and that is what put me over the edge to find the money and buy a membership. Reading this just made me think, "Damn, I am happy to be on this side".
ReplyDeleteWelcome to canine country!
Delete"Sad Puppies has been about bringing balance to the Force, or at least the Hugo awards for Science Fiction and Fantasy."
ReplyDeleteWell, that balance bringer was a little boy who ended up being Darth Vader, so I'm not so sure how I feel about this.
Loved the post though.
You fairly didn't bring gamergate into this, but comparisons can be drawn in how the media outlets responded.
Actually, George R.R. Martin has never won Best Novel. He was nominated and won with "Sandkings" and with "The Game of Cross and Dragon." (Short story and novella, I think.) This was oinks of years ago, though, back in the early 80's or so.
ReplyDeletePlus "A Song for Lya" [75]. "Sandkings" is 1980, sharp, ans so is "Cross and Dragon".
DeleteHe did win a Locus for GoT, plus dramatic presentation Hugos. and Ignotus (Spanish prize; about same rules as Hugos, much lower population, although not as low as population would lead you to believe).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_R._R._Martin#Awards
Take care.
I'm not entirely certain why you think I said he did win best novel I said "George RR Martin (never won)."
DeleteUnless you mean he won a Hugo, period. I started out talking about best novel, and it was supposed to go all the way down (because I wasn't breaking out the spreadsheet to see if he may have won for A category.)
Declan, if you really want to change things for the long term, you are setting your sights too low. Human nature is such that no matter how bad an example is made of her, there will always be more "Isabella Biedenharn"'s waiting to step up to the front lines, brim-full of the juvenile conceit that for them, Things Will Be Different. Thus, it will just keep happening over and over again. They will just find another chump to exploit. They've already got them lining up.
ReplyDeleteIf you want to change things, target the advertisers. Unless and until the advertisers experience the negative consequences from paying for this behavior, the system of human commoditization -- the sale of information "consumers" to advertisers -- will continue to produce results such as the EW article and the others. Because there will still be enough money in it for them.
Find out who the most vulnerable advertisers buying EW's readers and viewers are, and do at least one of two things: mercilessly put them under the microscope, post after post; find out everything you can about them; give them all the bad publicity you can. They paid for it first; pay them right back, in either the same coin.
Or, alternatively, the other thing: better coin. "Better coin" in this case being a superior advertising venue or other alternative to EW.
It's the money. It's always the money. Somebody paid EW, and through them, Biedenharn, to publish their libel. Follow the money. . .and punish those who actually paid for this. Bidenharn's just a useful tool to them, and they can always afford more.
Go after the advertisers, Declan. Bidenharn is a secondary target; it's worth making a horrible example of her, sure, but to get the most effect in the most efficient manner. . .prioritize the advertisers.
Interfering with their money faucet will make them change the most and fastest.
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