The SFPA: What the Association is, and is Not

[mtentchoff]

I try not to respond to reviews.  Heck, I try not to respond to posts, even when... no, especially when, something said in them infuriates me.  The internet is a breeding place for Hell Storms and flame wars, and I really can't handle such things

Comments

[jjschwabach]

Censorship is a very slippery slope. I despise the fact that pornography exists. Once, when I was 18, I said as much to a family friend (someone my mother's age) and she said that while she agreed with me that things like Hustler are despicable and the tip of an even worse iceberg, once you start, there's no stopping. Remember, it was not to very long ago that there were book burning parties to destroy Harry Potter and "his ilk." Mostly, of course, participated in by people who had not *read* any of the offending works.

I suspect most people on your f-list, Marcie, whether or not they like the Harry Potter books, would agree that they have a right to exist. Yet some people were offended by the very suggestion of magic.

Some people are offended by the Bible. I know I'm offended by some *interpretations* of it.

Everyone has a right to like or dislike whatever they want.
In the case of specific publications, everyone has the right to write the editor. I've seen letters in the editorial columns of National Geographic and Time that began, "I really hated..." or "This was so wrong-headed..."

That's not the same as personally attack the editor or the writer.

I have to agree with Marcie: it comes down to, "I disagree with what you say, but I will defend to my death your right to say it."

That does *not* mean that I support racism or sexism, or suggest that anyone else do so. It does *not* mean ignoring these problems. It simply means live and let live. And just so there is no confusion, I'm female, (mostly) white, and have a severe and very visible disability. And I do notice racism and sexism and lots of other isms when they happen. There is a right and a wrong way to go about correcting those things, and verbal attacks is the wrong way. I taught anger management classes for ten years, and gentle, reasoned correction works much, much better.

I am no longer a member of SFPA, and had to be updated on this situation by friends who are. As to why I am no longer a member? I couldn't take the infighting.