But to give a citation, here’s what the Wall Street Opinion Journal & James Taranto had to say about poets (including me) who disagreed with their upcoming pet war:

http://www.opinionjournal.com/best/?id=110003063

Admittedly yes, that’s the political right, but I’ve seen the same sort of slurs from folk on the left, though more often in message board posts or sound bytes from someone picketing a movie, rather than a major (and easily linked) publication.

That’s worse than mangled. As anyone who has ears for period knows without even checking it out.

Check out LA REPUBL/QUE METISSEE:
CITIZENSHIP, COLONIALISM, AND
THE BORDERS OF FRENCH
HISTORY:

http://www.humanityinaction.org/docs/colonial_citizenship.pdf

and

[ ... they’ll attack any artist who wants to do anything other than praise them as the day is long. ]

That is really, well an ugly manner of expressing dissent.

While not bringing in any elements that would provide point in a debate, yanno?

Love, C.

The black community is hardly unique in this.

The feminist community, the gay community, the [insert name of] community do the same tricks. Any time you get someone who styles themselves an activist, they’ll attack any artist who wants to do anything other than praise them as the day is long.

I remember when “Poets Against the War” started up, the Wall Street Opinion Journal decided to style itself a poetry critic, savaging all the poets who appeared therein for singing anything other than praisesongs and rosy predictions for their upcoming pet war. (Note: I was one of the poets therein.)

I think it’s the duty of the the artist to take note of activists, but mostly ignore them. If you create characters who are true to life, the activists will attack them for not being paragons of all virtues. Meanwhile, regular members of those communities may be annoyed at spots where the characterization falls flat or steps into stereotype, but mostly will be pleased that they’re actually being represented, rather than simply ignored. Though if the activists cause too much of a ruckus, sometimes ignoring the community in question is the easiest course, if not the best one.

I think the best advice on the matter is from Virginia Woolf: “Write what you wish to write.”

Love, C.

More accurately, some feminists are not happy, based upon nothing more than a character list and a miscomprehension that the show is about prostitutes.

Whedon may not be able to get away with everything … ?

This is on Feminist SF — The Blog: Essays by Black SF/F Authors Exploring History, Culture, Race & thnicity »Dollhouse will fail the Frank Miller test — Damn! The link button STILL doesn’t work on comments.

Also go here, because it provides the links to Entertainment Weekly, etc., that authenticate the list of characters, etc. :

http://www.furiousnads.com/2008/03/official-dollhouse-character-descriptions/

Love, C.

I’m working on a comic book project (nothing on the scale of Buffy, or any of Whedon’s work, certainly), and I’ve been facing a dilemma. There’s a young female character who is unsure of her sexuality. She’s a supporting cast member, not the lead, and her curiousity is only a minor plot point, but it leads heavily into the motivations of another character and a very large plot point in the future. But I’m nobody. I’m nothing, absolutely no comic book street cred. I’m afraid that something like that, unless executed incredibly well (which I am trying to do, but, you know, self confidence and all…), will be an automatic rejection when it’s submitted. So I’m bouncing back and forth on whether I have the confidence to tackle this. If I drop the subplot, then I’ll have to do some serious re-working.

Season 8 of Buffy has been amazing, though, and seeing where it’s going with this development will be fun. And seeing reader reaction might help me determine where my own path should take me.

Love, C.

I went out and bought issue twelve this afternoon, and I have to say that this is the best handling of the subject I’ve ever seen. (The subject being Someone being not exactly at the far ends of the Kinsey scale crossed with Buffy’s “secrets are bad” theme.)

I’ve been 80/20 on the comics so far, but this one feels more right than most of the previous ones. (Though I will forgive a lot of sins for the Faith/Giles Emma Peel/John Steed cover.)