I’m sure a lot of you have already decided you’re going to wait for Ender’s Game to show up on cable, but in case you hadn’t…
It’s no secret that well-known sci-fi author Orson Scott Card is an enormous anti-gay bigot with some severe power issues. His “gays are taking over the world and they’re all going to make us be gay with them” mentality has been well documented. His threat to overthrow the federal government should marriage equality become the law of the land is one of the other clues we have as far as his emotional stability goes.
“How long before married people answer the dictators thus: Regardless of law, marriage has only one definition, and any government that attempts to change it is my mortal enemy. I will act to destroy that government and bring it down, so it can be replaced with a government that will respect and support marriage, and help me raise my children in a society where they will expect to marry in their turn.”
Geeks Out, a new organization for LGBT gamers and sci-fi nerds has launched an extraordinarily successful campaign to get people to make a different choice than Ender’s Game with their movie-going dollar. As we know, some of that dollar will be going straight into Card’s pocket and used to spread more anti-gay bigotry.
As if that weren’t enough though, Card has decided the deep end wasn’t quite deep enough for him when it came to being crazy.
Slate’s Dave Weigel has apparently discovered Card’s most recent trip into political writing and it’s a doozy.
Among Card’s more paranoid statements are assumptions that Obama is a dictator:
“Obama is, by character and preference, a dictator. He hates the very idea of compromise; he demonizes his critics and despises even his own toadies in the liberal press. He circumvented Congress as soon as he got into office by appointing “czars” who didn’t need Senate approval. His own party hasn’t passed a budget ever in the Senate.
In other words, Obama already acts as if the Constitution were just for show…How far might he take his dictatorial disposition? Is there any plausible way for him to remain as president for life, like the dictators he so admires and envies in Russia, China and the Muslim world?”
Then comes the fun – the idea that Michelle Obama will be Obama’s appointed successor:
“This is because Michelle Obama is going to be Barack’s Lurleen Wallace. Remember how George Wallace got around Alabama’s ban on governors serving two terms in a row? He ran his wife for the office. Everyone knew Wallace would actually be pulling the strings, even though they denied it.
Michelle Obama will be Obama’s designated “successor,” and any Democrat who seriously opposes her will be destroyed in the media the way everyone who contested Obama’s run for the Democratic nomination in 2008 was destroyed.
But the plan goes deeper than this. Barack Obama, like Hitler and the Iranian dictators, announced his plan, though the media (as with Hitler) has “forgotten” it.”
Then, unshockingly, Card goes all-out racist and makes the prediction that Obama is going to make a national police force out of “urban (read: “black”) youth.” Gangs will become our national police force:
“Obama will claim we need a national police force in order to fight terrorism and crime. The Boston bombing is a useful start, especially when combined with random shootings by crazy people.
Where will he get his “national police”? The NaPo will be recruited from “young out-of-work urban men” and it will be hailed as a cure for the economic malaise of the inner cities.
In other words, Obama will put a thin veneer of training and military structure on urban gangs, and send them out to channel their violence against Obama’s enemies.”
He goes on and you can feel free to check out the full amount of crazy in his piece here. So, if Card’s blatant homophobia wasn’t enough to keep you from seeing Ender’s Game in the movie theatre – will his blatant racism?
Talk About Equality 
He sounds rational to me. You are sounding more like a Nazi every day.
Um, you do realize that the Nazis put gay people in concentration camps and murdered them, right? Therefore if you see persecuting gay people as rational it means it is YOUR thought process which is Nazi like. Silly bigot not understanding the meaning of “rational.”
I too remember the horrors of the anti-Racist, gay affirming Holocaust.
Upon checking out Leslie’s facebook page, it should come as no surprise that he (yes, Leslie’s apparently a boy) has zero education which is why he doesn’t understand the difference between a nazi and not-a-nazi.
But his sister seems faaaaabulous! Every family has a Leslie, I’m afraid.
You really are a Nazi. Did you think contacting my sister was going to expose me? Did you think using your fascists tactics would work? Seriously, you are a coward. If you do not like what I have to say why not contact me directly? 760 596 9239
Dear sir, you are a crazy bigot. I have no desire to talk to you on the phone, but thank you kindly for the offer. I checked out your facebook page and discovered your sister and I have multiple friends in common. It was just surprising that she’s clearly a really cool awesome person and you’re a lunatic.
Crazies like Leslie aren’t really worth engaging with. They’re not participating in a conversation in good faith, just snapping like untrained dogs.
The Nazi Party was best known for trying to intimidate people to get them into line with the fuhrer, much as fascists like yourself are doing. I realize it is easier for you to try to attack my intelligence than too actually face reality. I would not expect any less from a hate mongering coward like you.
*to
I love that this idiot whines about the government and Obama constantly but is totally fine with being a workman’s comp living leech.
Hey Leslie, maybe you should stop being such a moron and ask one of your corporate masters to buy you a clue.
What I find interesting about his quote about ‘married people’ is that it, of course, excludes gay married people. I also can assure you that, as a child, I never expected to be married – it looked to me, and still does, like a stupid waste of time. As I would tell teachers of mine who would INSIST you had to get married to have children: ‘Well, that’s clearly untrue.’ (Even if a computer programme they had us fill out as a Valentine’s Day ‘treat’ refused to accept ‘no’ to marriage if you said ‘yes’ to children) And I guess we were raised in pods, those of us who did grow up queer and expect to be married, because Card’s scenario excludes that.
I don’t know what to think ?????? it seems that the upcoming movie Enders game might be the worst movie ever , check the new trailer here
http://endersgameroom.com/?p=452
BORING
The book is the most boring book I’ve ever finished reading. If not for all the acclaim, I would have stopped reading it but I thought it had to turn good at some point. I was wrong. And that was all before I found out the author was a pathetic and pitiful small-minded bigot. If his ego is so large over having written this dreck then one can fairly conclude that this massive tool is not even moderately well-read.
or simply put ur the small minded person and can’t cop with others point of view and opinions.
I think you, like many here including the author of this otherwise informative article, are letting your personal feelings affect your judgement. Yes, Card holds some terrible views but that doesn’t take away from how much of an excellent book Ender’s Game is. Nor does it take away from Card’s ability as a writer; four Hugo awards and two Nebula awards do not lie. And this is coming from a black man.
It may not take away Card’s ability as a writer, but my beliefs in equality trump my need for a nice fictional plot. When it comes to art, it’s become pretty impossible for me personally to remove the art from the person who created it. I can’t just ignore that Wagner was an anti-semite or that Kirk Cameron is a huge bigot when experiencing things they create.
The most sad thing is “Ender’s Game” was one of the most important books of my youth and if anybody would have said its author would say things like that i wouldnt believe. For me Ender’s Game big message was alwys about tolerance and understanding between different persons, cultures (Alai ) and even with the aliens.By the end Ender’s genius enable him to tottaly understand and predict the aliens, but at doing so also begins to cheersih and love them…
Im hetero but I cant beleieve all the stuff he has said and done, so sad. In theory i can understand if he believes 100% his God, one true God sees it that way that he must enforce this, but really why believe in a god that got a problem with human nature that he created , with stuff that doesnt do harm to anyone….
Card stated explicitly at the beginning: “No, no, it’s just a silly thought experiment! I’m not serious about this! ” That’s an important part to leave out.
Sure it is, just like starting a rant with a disclaimer noting how you’re not homophobic or racist, before saying something homophobic or racist completely cancels it out.
I’m sorry, that’s a poor analogy because it’s what actually happened.
So… how is this racist? A racist is somebody who doesn’t like somebody because of their COLOR. He’s talking about what his actions and intentions are.
I agree. One really needs to be paranoid to treat these comments as racist. Don’t forget that Obama ran on a platform of undoing Bush’s Patriot Act, wars and imperialistic policies. Instead he has made them more onerous. Card may be a little over the top as a small government supporter … but racist?
Sure, because raising the spectre of a black president arming urban gangs in order to enforce his agenda doesn’t come off as being racist at all, right?
Agree.
Lol at all this stupid bigot shit. Honestly Leslie he is homophobic but I do understand where he is coming from, despite his craziness. Marriage was a religious right first and a government law second, the desire to preserve it between a man and a woman is understandable. I’ve always suggested when this topic is brought up between my friends that they should just change the title of marriage in the states to a “Partnership” and have ANYONE who gets married listed as Partnered. Christians can still call it marriage but on the government books it will say partnered. It’s not separate and it’s most definitely equal. I highly doubt he hates gay people because of who they are or their preferences, his main issue lies in what the law says marriage is.
As for his racist remarks, yes they are racially toned but not entirely inaccurate. If Obama were to create a NaPo and pull in unemployed urban youths they would mostly all be ethnic in some fashion, it’s just plain demographics based on the region(cities) and who is out of work based on race(Black and hispanic citizens). As unreal as a NaPo is he is just afraid for the country and drawing from Obama’s history with inner city work with Urban youths to make an outlandish scenario seem prevalent.
Jmann, what if my religion allows marriage for all? Why should only Christians be allowed the word “marriage?”
He didn’t mean just christians he was giving an example of how marriage is used in the proper context of Orson Scott Cards beliefs.
Going to disagree w/ your history a bit here…marriage was always a state issue first and a religious issue second. The Church didn’t care too much about marriage for ordinary folks until well into the Renaissance. Marriage has, historically, been more akin to a business partnership/exchange of property (in this case, substituting “wife” for “property” here) than a religious bond.
It’s not only Blacks and Hispanics who are out of work. You’d be amazed how many Caucasians are also struggling to find work.
But caucasians aren’t ruled out of jobs because they’re caucasian. That’s a pretty big difference.
Gonna disagree with Jamie on that one! Caucasians are definitely ruled out of jobs due to the pressure to hire people of other ethnic backgrounds, regardless of their qualifications! I have no problem with anyone using the word “marriage”, it does simply mean partnership but they are speaking from their belief of “married in the eyes of God” and to those people, using the word “marriage” for the gay and lesbian community is simply not an option. I honestly don’t even know why it’s a concern of the government in the first place. Once upon a time, an African American and Caucasian were only able to be married in certain areas, in certain states, by certain people! This was even in hertero marriages! Our world is full of struggles for all people! Not just the NON Caucasian-hetero world! I gave a cigarette to a man on the side of the road yesterday that was a white male who asked if I knew anyplace that may need leaves raked, as he had been laid off for 5 months and his new job didn’t start for 2 more weeks. Ohhhh and don’t get me started on the discrimination of us godless smokers!!!! That’s a whole different minority…we’re shunned even when we follow the laws…how dare we in front of children!!!!! lol That makes about as much sense as “how dare a gay couple be allowed to marry or raise children!” I also certainly don’t see his comments as racist…just legitimate concerns of one person. We have to learn that we each have our own version of truth and that is his “truth” it’s not meant to be anyone else’s opinion but his own. I will most certainly go see this movie that I had no intention of seeing before reading all of this crap!
CORRECTION. Marriage was/IS a GOVERNMENT right first, Religious SECOND.
Some cultures were tolerant of homosexual relations (Ancient Greece comes to mind), some still are (Some countries and regions of other countries that have legalized same-sex marriage), some are tolerant in certain circumstances (Cheyenne tribe, namely that both parties must be native members of the tribe), and others even are historically heterophobic (Etoro tribe of Papua New Guinea). Marriage means different things to different people.
Well I guess any desire to see the movie went out the window…Haven’t read the books nor do I intend to. After his homophobic rants and pursuits, his racism and biggotry are like a putrid cherry on top of a shitcake!
So…fuck Orson Scott Card and “Ender’s Game”!
dear sir or vagina:
regarding pro-gay bigotry:
as a gay “man” or masculivoid, please keep in mind that i lust for my own gender, i am getting sick and tired of society putting homosexuality into a good light by not stopping to ask themselves anything that can be regarded as “homophobic”.
why isn’t there a counterpart to the word “homophobia,” and why isn’t it considered a problem (or a “condition”) for anyone to judge gay people in a favorable light based solely on who they sleep with? how many times have we heard “not that there’s anything wrong with that,” with regards to homosexuality? how much is it hammered into our thoughts that “it’s okay to be gay,” and why is “matthew shepard” a household name when names like “jesse dirkhising” are not? it’s because matthew shepard’s situation wcould elicit sadness and pity and would spawn gay-affirmations from the public, and little jesse’s situation would not (jesse was bound, drugged, tortured and raped by gay people…come to think of it, matthew’s murder was more about meth than men. it seems that gay people love their drugs and anything that gets them away from their semi-charmed kinds of lives).
homophobia. why is it a problem for people to automatically think bad things about “men” who lust for masculinity, why isn’t it a problem for people to automatically think good things about these masculivoids?
homophobia. it’s like gay people got so tired of automatically being put in a bad light, so they all got together and organized a grand ol’ “pee-wee herman” defense of “i know you are, but what am i” to put their detractors in bad lights and to label whoever is anti-gay as the ones who have problems (or “phobias”), just to keep from facing their own problems. dare i bring up an old madonna-lyric sung by a self-righteous finger-pointer, “YOU’RE the one with the problem,” but gays are ones to point out other peoples’ problems in an effort to keep from acknowledging their own. “you hate me because you’re scared of yourself” and “you hate me because you really envy me,” how blind are gay people to say such things to their opposers without knowing anything about their opposers? don’t they like to say “you can’t judge me if you don’t even know me” and stuff like that? they are blinded by their own spite which they commonly regard as “gay pride,” but maybe we seem like we hate gay people because we don’t want to be around self-righteous people. i know that, as a proud (i was vengeful and spiteful) 18 year-old who was walking down the school’s hallway while smoking a cigarette, i realized that “gay pride” (or the ignorance and belittlement of any opinions, rules or customs counter to one’s own) is a problem that is born of a low self-image. i did what i did because i felt that i was as much of a “little bitty pissant” as was the “country place” that dolly parton sung about. my “pride parade” and all “pride parades” are better defined as “spite parades” – pride is not loud and it is not haughty and it is not ignorant of other human beings’ feelings.
the roots of “gay pride” are so closely linked to the roots of “a woman can do anything a man can do,” i just feel the need to associate them. as gays hated their “bad light,” vaginas from coast to coast got so tired of automatically being put in a weak and lesser light, so the vaginas all got together and organized the whole “Strongwoman” campaign. nowadays, we don’t hear the word “woman” without hearing “strong” before it…unless, of course, it’s preceded by “violence against,” i guess. you know, because it’s kind of a slap in the face to suggest that the Strongwoman isn’t strong enough to prevent violence from happening to her.
badum-bum.
it is flat-out ridiculous that we use overcompensating placebo-words to placate the egos of members of the gender having the lesser physical statures. from athletic teams to eating competitions to the entry-level requirements of the military – there is a reason that these are all male/female and gender-based. the reason is that women are not strong, the reason is that women can only legitimately compete alongside of men (not with men). still,though, how they want people to know them as strong. this is the reason you rarely hear “woman” not having a prefix of “strong”. it’s like they all got together and organized that “i know you are, but what am i” defense…and called it “feminism: the strongwoman experiment”.
just as ridiculous as the Strongwoman-placebo, is the overcompensating placebo to placate the gay “men” and their gender-identities. in reality, gay “men” are little boys who haven’t internalized any masculine gender-identity and who therefore feel blessed to be in the presence of naked men. as gay “men,” we rely on men as a crutch or as a seeing-eye dog to bring us to a state of masculine fulfillment, simply because we don’t have enough masculine self-respect to rely on ourselves to fill our void for masculinity. now, despite the gay male’s lackluster sense of masculine self-respect (just ask him who the man of his dreams is), he wants people to know him as a man who is all grown-up emotionally, so it is commonplace to hear gay “men” being referred to AS men – just as much as a vagina refers to her little son as a man – but an asexual “guys” is how we refer to the men who’ve developed both a physical superiority over vaginas and an emotional superiority over gays. the men who are justified both in body and mind AS men are not men in today’s society – they are referred to with as asexual a word as “guys”.
why is it constantly impressed upon the public that there’s nothing wrong with finding security and fulfillment and something excitably taboo in other members of one’s own gender, why can’t anyone even fathom the self-compromising errs of homosexuality? speaking of which – why is it fine to regard as “men,” every clueless masculivoid who lacks masculine gender-identity enough to want to inspect the masculine gender? why are men who are straight with themselves AS men (and with masculinity in general) more commonly referred to as “straight guys”?
manphobes. from vaginas to gay “men,” they both disrespect real men because they all want masculine identity for themselves (vaginas want to be regarded as “strong” and they want society to give them a facade of the PHYSICAL masculine-identity, while gay “men” want to be regarded as “real men” and they want society to give them a facade of having an acceptable level of PSYCHOLOGICAL masculine-identity). this is why i refer to feminists and gay “men” as “masculine wannabees”.
mr. dylan terreri, i
dr. sheldon cooper, ii
miss abingdon blazavich
http://www.abbyblazavich.com
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“When I’m hungry, I eat. When I’m thirsty, I drink. When I feel like saying something, I say it.” – Madonna
http://www.jaggedlittledyl.com/essays
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Dylan,
Thank you so much for once again visiting my website. It’s rare that we get your particular brand of crazy over here. Your letter gave me an opportunity to visit your stunning website, which I’m sure makes Geocities proud. It’s just unfortunate that your opinions, not unlike your website, are rather stuck in the 90s.
Best of luck to you in your recovery from your brain trauma — hopefully they can find a way to fix the damaged part that causes you to be an utter douchebag.
Love, Jamie
Hold on. Wait just a second…like, for real. I just spent a little time on your website where you’ve posted videos of yourself putting screwdrivers up your own ass, drinking douchewater you shot OUT of your own ass and you’re trying to tell other people that there is something wrong with their sexuality? Again, best of luck with your traumatic brain injury – but in the meantime do us all a favor and stay away from the internet.
OMG. ROTFL. Thanks, Jamie! I figured since I don’t vocalize with my vaginal canal I couldn’t respond to Dylan since he doesn’t recognize me as a person but only as a portion of my anatomy….
That’s a whole lot of typing for a post that entirely discredits its own writer four words in.
Try and push a baby out of your penis… Then talk to women about how vaginas aren’t strong. K thanks.
Also Dylan, I’d suggest learning how to speak and type English properly before trying to use big words and sounding smart. That way you’d just seem crazy, not stupid and crazy.
Hey “guy” I’m using this word not to call you for what you really deserve to be called, do you want to experience what the “barilla guy” did with the GAY COMMUNITY”?, and I just decided not to use capital letters with him.
There’s a movie I will actually pirate for free. Hell, I will give away DVDs with this movie away to people at cinemaplexes making sure they don’t go and pay for it.
You can’t find a single racist thing in the whole article, it’s just your lunatic interpretation, keep your facts straight. Yes, Card is against gay marriage.
Seriously? The gangs comment? Did you miss that?
He’s just writing some political fiction, he could have taken any group of people. Yes, people form some groups, that are based on religion/ethnicity/whatever. Is it suddenly racist if it’s “urban youth” that is predominantly black? No, why should it be? Blatant racism? Seriously?
If you don’t see the racism there, you’re fairly ignorant to what racism looks like in 2013 America. It’s ok. A lot of people are, but don’t for a second think “urban youth” isn’t code for black kids.
Yes, I got it. But, as stated in my previous comment, it’s still ridiculous and far-going interpretation to call it even a slight racism.
I think you’re wrong and based on assertions by many others – you know, people of color who found the statement extraordinarily racist, I’m gonna go with them on this one.
I’m pretty sure that there are people “not of color” in gangs somewhere but if you see it as racist then you are saying that only black people are part of “urban youth” and only black people belong to gangs…how is that not racist in itself? Racism is disliking and/or feeling superior to someone simply because of their ethnicity, pretty sure that Caucasians are disliked based on their offensive color as well. I’ve seen it! I’ve experienced it! When I hear the term “black power” I cringe! How is that any better than someone screaming “white power” BOTH are wrong on so many levels and terribly offensive to me! I treat people as they treat me, I don’t care if you’re purple…if you’re good, you’re good!
When white people are actually oppressed in this country because of the color of their skin, you will have a point. Until then, you’re simply wrong. “Urban” has long been code among racists for “black.” Don’t believe me? Do a little research. Card’s comments are indeed racist whether you think they are or not. That’s not my opinion, it’s fact. You are entitled to your own opinion, but not your own facts.
Wow…people really do get hung up on all the little games they create for themselves huh? Did you know it was a “fact” that the Earth was once flat? You can look that up too. It doesn’t make it truth, of course – just fact. 😉
According to your logic, if I write something like “Chinese gangs are going to be more violent in the near future” I am being racist, because:
a) I am writing something negative about certain group of people which belong to some race.
b) These people can be offended by this.
I don’t know who this guy is, but as a healthcare worker I feel compelled to let him anyone who’s on his bandwagon know that psychotropic meds and hallucinogens are covered under ObamaCare. . .
I actually read that he will receive $0 from the proceeds of this movie, because his salary was set 10 years ago. The boycotters don’t seem too bright in this case.
I just saw it… it was great.
At first I thought you were an uneducated, paranoid bigot who must be holed up in a cabin in Idaho. Then I thought, “Are you drunk?” Then I thought it must be a joke. I particularly love your lack of punctuation and sentence structure while trying really hard to sound smart. I bet you live in West Virginia and are married to your sister. I also bet you don’t have any teeth. I would love to have friends over, and over cocktails read this pretend “manifesto” out loud. They would laugh so hard they wouldn’t be able to talk or drink. Maybe we could turn it into some sort of board game. I am actually looking forward to your next rant. Come on……try even harder!
Hi,
New here. I’d like to say that I was not offended by the term “urban youths”, I’m sorry, but, it is not synonymous with black or being black. It means just that, youths living in highly populated urban centers, youths that come in many many colors.
I love how nobody cares when American movies make racist comments ”ALL THE TİME” and no one gives a shit, but when the author of the said book is anti-gay all hell breaks loose. Since Cold War Russians are serial killer villians, since 9/11 every Muslim on Earth and some none muslim but Arab looking people are terorists and there is always the poor White guy who does everything he can to help the black slave, but always falls short because of the evil/serial killer guy. I know that this comment will be turned on me because I’m not gay or my poorly written English but, there are a lot of worse places to be on Earth then the US and just because you don’t watch a single movie made by a bastard, doesn’t mean you are not giving Money to every anti-gay starbucks, burgerking and any other brand/ cinema/ clothes administrator out there. The problem with this World isn’t one narrow minded author stuck in the Middle Ages, its our prejudices, our way of life.
I think you’re wrong about people not saying anything about racist films. I don’t in this blog because it’s a blog that focuses on LGBT issues.
Additionally, of course there are other, sometimes bigger fish to fry when it comes to bigotry, but how is it ever bad to shed light on another one? I appreciate your comment and agree that there are far worse, more difficult places to live but does that mean we shouldn’t bother trying to make this place better?
If this blog focuses on LGBT issues, then why even bring racism into the picture in the first place? I understand you want your readers to be aware of it, but it has nothing to do with the LGBT community.
If you don’t think racism is an LGBT issue, you need to pen your eyes.
If you think racism has nothing to do with the LGBT community, you’re living under a rock.
The definition of bigotry is an intolerance of those whose opinion differs from ones own.
The definition of hypocracy is to act in a way that you condemn in others.
Perhaps this has been overlooked by the organizers of this particular witch burning.
What we’re condemning in Orson Scott Card is not his sexuality, which is what he condemns in me. So no, it is not hypocritical to educate the public on the fact that the money spent on tickets to Ender’s Game support not only Card, but indirectly his financial support of anti-gay groups. Perhaps before you start throwing around definitions, you should actually read the article and educate yourself a bit.
Boycotting a movie because you don’t agree with the authors opinions is bigotry by pure definition.
He is one out of hundreds of people involved, and it will affect many whose opinions and lifestyle match your own.
This boycott is intended to make card suffer for his opinions, because they offend you. And, understantably, you want him to feel for the pain he has caused.
But the act is hypocritical, no matter how well intentioned.
My previous statement stands.
You actually could not be more wrong. Boycotting is an act of free speech and the reason I am boycotting, along with apparently thousands of others according to their dismal box office is because I do not want to put money in the hands of organizations that fight for my oppression. I’m not sure how it could be more simple. If you were a black person and there was a film made by a prominent member of the Ku Klux Klan, would you support that film by spending your money on a ticket? And would that mean that you are a bigot for not wanting to give money to a guy who believes you should not have rights? No, I venture to guess you wouldn’t.
This boycott is intended to 1. Educate people on where their money winds up and 2. Raise awareness about the hateful organizations Card has contributed his money and time to.
If Card happens to “suffer,” forgive me, but I’m not that worried about a rich white bigot earning a few thousand less than he would have.