[Writer Post] Warning: Snarky Rant in Progress
I know it’s Thanksgiving and I should be writing about all the lovely writerly things I’m thankful for – for which there are many this year (as with every year). I should do that. I’m not. In fact, there are many people who find this time of the year to be the “Season of Snarkâ€, and there’s a bit of that I’m going to address. Because dude, I’m tired of it.
Seriously. Why is it only artists are called on to observe the “Don’t be Jerk†rule? This is my “family friendly†version of “Wheaton’s Law†(which is saltier – and I used one term on Facebook last night)? Why does everyone else – corporate, press, etc – seem to have carte blanch on being jerks? Look how much press Denny’s and Papa Johns are getting for announcing their jerkwadedness (yes, that’s a word – or at least it is now). And “reporters†(actually any “reviewerâ€) who “write†for literary columns for newspapers, media, outlets, and blogs are apparently applauded for insulting entire Genres of literature on a continuing bases – both those who read and who write it.
Now, I’m not saying SF/Fantasy is the only genre this happens to (because it’s not, hello romance genre who’s gotten a bad rap for DECADES), but lately it seems really the cool, hip thing to do to bash science fiction. The straw that broke the camel’s back, so to speak, was last night’s linkage to a Guardian piece. Now I know it’s British, but that’s no excuse for…what this was.
I mean seriously. I’ve taken a lot of stuff with a grain of salt – but when someone who seems to think Shades of Gray is actually a good representation of erotic literature then compares me and MINE to COCKROACHES (to quote Penny from Big Bang Theory) “it’s Junior Rodeo ONâ€. To say there’s been nothing “sublime†to come out of SF/Fantasy since HG Wells is to denigrate some amazing authors and some very influential works – like… TOLKIEN???
I probably shouldn’t take it seriously, but dude. Words have power. It’s hard enough to be a writer these days and convince people what you do is worth doing. To have THIS on top of it. No. And it’s HARD! None of the other groups he mentions have people who’d point out (vociferiously) that you got your science wrong. Or X or Y wouldn’t happen in environment Q because of this principle or that law of thermodynamics or something.
I know a lot of people are taking the cockroach comment as a compliment – as in, “we’ll survive Twinkies and the Apocalypse and nuclear holocaustâ€, but I found it insulting and the final straw. And for the record – Robert McCrum, you suck. Now let me scurry back to the dark recesses of my home, never to come out in the light and write my SF/Fanstasy and find a way to extract LITERARY revenge on this piece of drivel.