meganbmoore | Specialer Than You (Reply)

There have been a lot of interesting "uhm...what?" things going around lately, most of which I've hid from. But this one, which I saw a few days ago, is extra special. The context is that the writer feared she was misunderstood in a conversation regarding race.

… I just hate leaving things where I feel I misstated my position.

I absolutely do not rule out the possibility that African Americans are, on average, genetically predisposed to be less intelligent. I could also obviously be convinced that by controlling for the right variables, we would see that they are, in fact, as intelligent as white people under the same circumstances.

The only response I can summon is "WOW." I mean, how many people say they're worried that someone didn't understand just how racist they are?

Also, everyone is talking about Diana Gabaldon's rant about fanfic? And you know, I figured out a while back that most fanfic isn't for me, but I think that, while some of her points have root in sound logic, the presentation and conclusions are way, way off, and I have to wonder how much of it she really thought through.

Like this:

The question is—are you getting positive feedback because you’re a really good writer…or are you getting positive feedback because some fans are so hooked on the characters that they’ll read anything involving those names (whether the writing accurately reflects those characters or not)?

One real easy way to find out. Write anything you want, using Jamie Fraser, Edward Cullen, Harry Potter _and_ Dr. Who….and then change the characters’ names before you post it. Simple. Find All: “Jamie Fraser”. Replace with: “Joe Kerastopolous”. No problemo, all your own work, and any praise you get is duly earned.

So the best way to find out if people like your work is to...change it into something that blatantly rips off something else and claim it's all your own? Wouldn't that be a greater evil than the one she's opposing?

Then there's this:

Likewise, if you want to write stories for the Silver Surfer or Superman, go talk to Marvel or DC, and see if they’re taking new submissions or would let you write a sample script.

which makes me wonder if she knows anything about the comic book industry, or bulk of fanfic writers? Because Marvel and DC? Expect pats on the back for putting forward one female writer, and to be declared the most progressive thing ever for employing two. (And for that matter, I'm only aware of 1 female writer working for either company who isn't white, and that's Marjorie Liu, who primarily writes novels.)

And this:

But…imagine opening your daily mail and finding a letter detailing an explicit sexual encounter between, say, your twenty-one-year-old daughter and your forty-eight-year-old male neighbor---written by the neighbor. At the bottom it says, “Fiction! Just my imagination. All cool, right?” This would perhaps prevent your calling the police, but I repeat…ick.

Err...no? Because that would be a real 48-year-old-man writing/fantasizing about sex with a real 21-year-old woman displaying what could be stalker-ish behavior towards a young woman who would theoretically consider him "safe," and who would find it very easy to become intimately acquainted with her habits and schedule. As opposed to a fictional character who cannot, in their "real" lives (which is to say, the canon) be affected by fanfic. I mean, my stomach may churn everytime I see, say, Ulquiorra/Orihime stuff, and I may have wanted to hide under my bed when I saw Frodo/Esmeralda in the latest Ship Manifesto poll, and I may have all sorts of opinions regarding fiction and the way it influences people, but fictional characters are, in fact, fictional, and can't be compared to a real life situation that could be a precursor to a real person becoming the victim of assault.

Also, I had to laugh when she started in on the sex scenes? Because her books (or at least, the one I read) definitely had sex scenes, and I know a lot of people who basically vowed to never read her again after Outlander because of an explicit torture scene with very heavy sexual content that was framed through forced voyeurism.

I wonder is this will last longer than Rob Thurman lecturing a fan for being excited about getting her book at an unapproved time.

Also, 13 episodes in, and season 2 of Gossip Girl looks like it will finally have interesting plot that lasts longer than two episodes? Because I still love the characters (or at least, the ones I did last season ~~I like Jenny and you can't make me stop~~), but most of the plots this season have been deadly dull. I mean, the most interesting plot was Nate being a gigolo so his mother wouldn't have to suffer the horrors of shopping at Wal-Mart, and that was mostly fun because he was selling himself to Shelley from Twin Peaks.