Sergei Lukyanenko quits Livejournal
Sergey Lukyanenko is one of the most famous science fiction writers in Russia (and much of former Eastern Block). Most non-ex-Eastern-Block readers know him as the author of the Watch book series and a co-script writer of it's film adaptations (in other words, he's one of the masterminds behind Night Watch and Day Watch movies). He is also an avowed Russian nationalist and an authoritarian, with all the over-the-top, obnoxious bluster that implies. Granted, he is a smart man who is perfectly capable of having a reasonable discussion - except when he refuses to.
He's kept a livejournal for quite some time. While it's usually devoted to his writing and his everyday life, politics occasionally creep in. So, naturally, his livejournal has seen a few heated arguments. Like that time he called Slobodan Milosevic an "honorable man." Or that time he complained about how Ukrainians had the audacity to *gasp!* decide not to defer to what was good for Russia greater Slav brotherhood. In both cases, other LJ members took issue with his statements, he argued back, his opponents fought back with arguments supported by evidence and, angry that they wouldn't see things his way, banned them. In fairness, most of the people who tried to argue with him were even more obnoxious then he was, but still...
Which brings us to the latest blow-up.
On July 11th, Lukyanenko finds that a two-year-old Russian child who was adopted by an American died of what was essentially his step-father's gross negligence. That, in on itself, is certainly worth getting worked up about. However, Lukyanenko took it a step further, using the occasion to rant about the evils of foreign adaptation of Russian children, arguing that any child who is taking outside Motherland's borders was in mortal peril because those evil foreign step-parents simply see them as toys. When people tried to point out that maybe, just maybe, he was taking the incident out of proportion, he decided to leave Livejournal forever.
To give credit where credit is due, he was at least man enough to acknowledge that some of the arguments that were brought up in the preceding entry's comments were actually valid. And, to be fair, the fact that his son is around that age probably explains why he reacted the way he did. And I am somewhat gratified that at least he didn't purge his LJ - for Russian-speaking fans of his work, the place is a treasure trove of bonus materials.
*sigh*
In the end... I will miss his livejournal. Most of the time, it was useful, intriguing and informative. On the other hand, I can't help but feel a sense of relief. Now, I'll be able to enjoy his work without wondering what sort of weird, over-the-top political thing he would post next.
He's kept a livejournal for quite some time. While it's usually devoted to his writing and his everyday life, politics occasionally creep in. So, naturally, his livejournal has seen a few heated arguments. Like that time he called Slobodan Milosevic an "honorable man." Or that time he complained about how Ukrainians had the audacity to *gasp!* decide not to defer to what was good for Russia greater Slav brotherhood. In both cases, other LJ members took issue with his statements, he argued back, his opponents fought back with arguments supported by evidence and, angry that they wouldn't see things his way, banned them. In fairness, most of the people who tried to argue with him were even more obnoxious then he was, but still...
Which brings us to the latest blow-up.
On July 11th, Lukyanenko finds that a two-year-old Russian child who was adopted by an American died of what was essentially his step-father's gross negligence. That, in on itself, is certainly worth getting worked up about. However, Lukyanenko took it a step further, using the occasion to rant about the evils of foreign adaptation of Russian children, arguing that any child who is taking outside Motherland's borders was in mortal peril because those evil foreign step-parents simply see them as toys. When people tried to point out that maybe, just maybe, he was taking the incident out of proportion, he decided to leave Livejournal forever.
To give credit where credit is due, he was at least man enough to acknowledge that some of the arguments that were brought up in the preceding entry's comments were actually valid. And, to be fair, the fact that his son is around that age probably explains why he reacted the way he did. And I am somewhat gratified that at least he didn't purge his LJ - for Russian-speaking fans of his work, the place is a treasure trove of bonus materials.
*sigh*
In the end... I will miss his livejournal. Most of the time, it was useful, intriguing and informative. On the other hand, I can't help but feel a sense of relief. Now, I'll be able to enjoy his work without wondering what sort of weird, over-the-top political thing he would post next.