And Starring Gilbert Gottfried as Orson Scott Card’s Homophobia

There seem to be several full-scale meltdowns happening in the TR comments today. I’m not exactly sure how this happened, but I know I’m going to regret adding another one before I try to put the others out. Normally, this excellent fan-assembled trailer for an Ender’s Game movie would be innocuous, but as I just had a fight in the comments last week with a commenter about this subject, I’m sure it will come up.

The gist was this: I had mentioned that I can no longer enjoy any of Card’s works because of his batshit insanity regarding homosexuality, which includes advocating overthrowing the government rather than let gay people marry. Now, if you don’t think homosexuals should be able to legally marry, that’s one thing, but the most right-wing conservatives in the government would never suggest overthrowing the government, because that’s insanity. And yet that’s Card’s position.

The commenter in question was saying that he could enjoy Card’s books without subscribing to Card’s viewpoint, which is absolutely valid. If you can, that’s fine with me. But I can’t. I can enjoy Woody Allen films, even though he’s done some incredibly sketchy things (my mom, who loves Woody Allen movies, had to stop after the Soon-Yi nonsense). I love the movie Chinatown, it’s a masterpiece, but I can’t watch it anymore without thinking of director Roman Polanski raping an underage girl in the ass. That’s me. If you still love Ender’s Game despite Card’s nonsense, I don’t judge you. I don’t believe just because you still enjoy his books doesn’t mean you tacitly approve of his viewpoint or anything. But at the same time I don’t think I should be blamed for being unable to divorce the author from his work, if I feel the author is heinous enough.

Argue either side if you want, but be civil. The moment things get out of hand I’m shutting down the comments. And thanks to Steven Davis for making the trailer; hopefully he won’t regret sending it to me…