Gays, Sci-Fi fans, People of Reasonable Intelligence:

[wednes]

Poppy Z Brite just informed me, via her amazing journal, that Orson Scott Card is insane. Honestly, I had no idea that anyone whose books I have purchased and read could be so hateful, bigoted, and in denial of both.

His stance on gay marriage is similar to that of say, Sen Dick Santorum. And anyone who reads Dan Savage should know that Santorum is a total fucktard.

So once again, I am angered, saddened, and yeah...a bit surprised to hear that someone who seemed so cool could be so fucking loony. Although at the same time, these paranoid types who think the push for inclusion is some kind of attack on traditional types, is perversely amusing. Sure...gay people can get married, just not to the person they love. Because a loveless hetero marriage is better for kids than being around gay people, apparently. *shakes head* And absolutely everyone should be having kids, right?!? I honestly can't understand how any rational person could feel this way. And I still don't understand how letting adults who love each other get married hurts anyone else at any time. But bigotry, that hurts every last one of us...




In less offensive news, I invented a new cat toy. Take an ordinary pringles chip can, put a little catnip in it, and set it upright on the floor. Hilarity ensues, I assure you.

And finally, horrible movie mom Shelly Winters dies at age 85. Such an amazing actress, she's in one of my all-time fave movies: A Patch of Blue where she's a terrifying drunken mother of a trod upon blind girl who falls in love with Sidney Poitier. In fact, I may watch that after I get some writing done tonight.

Comments

[calpurnius.livejournal.com]

I think of Shelly Winters as Belle in Poseidon Adventure first and always.

Patch of Blue is a cool movie. You see the one where Sidney is a suicide hotline operator and Anne Bancroft has swallowed a handful of pills? I'm surprised they haven't remade either of them.

[wednes.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen that other one. It sounds riveting.
Shelly was also Roseanne's grandmother (Nana Mary) on some later seasons of Roseanne. Such fun stuff!

Patch of Blue has the first interracial kiss in a "Hollywood" movie. Interesting that there are still precious few interracial kisses in films.

[rivetkitten.livejournal.com]

Patch of Blue has the first interracial kiss in a "Hollywood" movie.

Actually, I believe that was Island in the Sun. I'd pull out my book of banned movies to check, but it's at home. Sadness!

[wednes.livejournal.com]

Interesting. This was a factoid I picked up watching the movie on PBS. Goddamn public TV liars!!!

Who was the kiss between in Island ? I'd presume it was Joan Fontaine and Belafonte. That would be amazing, I do so love Joan Fontaine. She is my favorite Jane Eyre, and that is the only one I own.

Anyway, it's too bad IMDB does not have that in the trivia.

[rivetkitten.livejournal.com]

I presume it was. I haven't seen the movie in question, although my classics-loving ass should pick it up at some point.

[groovesinorbit]

Enders Game is one of my very favorite books, and I love a lot of Card's other books, as well. I knew he was conservative, but this is just awful. Heartbreaking, really. *sigh*

[wednes.livejournal.com]

I've read pretty much all his writing on writing, and on the writers lifestyle. I'm always unnerved when someone so prominent is so vocal about being misguided. Kind of cements my views that famous people are no better than the rest of humanity in general.

But yeah, what a disgusting and unfounded viewpoint.

[roane.livejournal.com]

A Patch of Blue is the first thing I thought of too. It's such a lovely, sad little movie. The book is almost better, but not quite.

[wednes.livejournal.com]

I've never read it. If only my wish list weren't so painfully long, I'd add it. It would certainly spice up my NaNoWriYe procrastination, which is damn near legendary.

[cmdavi-70.livejournal.com]

I've never read Card, though what you've stated makes me much less inclined to ever do so; although I suppose I've admired the work of many writers and auteurs whose lifestyles or worldviews have differed drastically from my own. Still, it's disheartening to hear that someone touted as an intellectual is as narrow-minded as a fundamentalist preacher or a "shock jock."

[wednes.livejournal.com]

I'm sure that's a large part of my annoyance. I expect that kind of talk from uneducated big mouths who...well, you know the type. It's especially sad when someone who really ought to know better goes around talking like some 1950's cop from Alabama.

What people like Card are really doing is demonstrating how insular they are, and how little they know about the world.

[parilous.livejournal.com]

Card's beliefs are likely largely as a result of his Mormonism. It doesn't excuse it, but anyone that remains Mormon after they leave their parents' influence isn't (what I would consider) very "logically-minded".

While I also enjoyed Ender's Game, he's written mostly mediocre books (IMHO), and thus not worthy of your frustration. :-)

[wednes.livejournal.com]

After posting this and hearing Dave's comments about it--that's cmdavi_70 --I realized that it is his status as a prominent writer/intellectual that makes this all the more offensive.

Plus you know, Ken Jennings is also a mormon and hasn't said anything like this publicly. Even though he is mormon, he accepts the fact that it shouldn't be a law to beleive as the mormons beleive. Even if they DO have sort of a "more heaven for me" attitude.

[man-bites-dog.livejournal.com]

Oh Orson Scott Card, you never cease to ammuse. I was really interested in him after reading Ender's Game and after a little research realized he was pretty much everything that annoys me in real-life. Regardless that's funny. So is the
Ultimate Warrior's college speech where he went crazy and ranted at the audience.

[man-bites-dog.livejournal.com]

Okay so the link doesn't work and I never liked the Ultimate Warrior.

Try 2.

[wednes.livejournal.com]

Actually, the first link worked fine.
But the second article was much better. They called him "kick-ass" a whole bunch of times.

[wednes.livejournal.com]

My God!!! That's insane.
"I need a towel"?!? He's lucky he wasn't lynched!

But you know, me being a snob, I would expect that kind of racist, dismissive, poorly grammatized rantings of someone who pretends to wrestle for a living.

I would not expect it from a well known author whom many people I know respect.

[nate101000.livejournal.com]

I got through "Marriage Is Already Open to Everyone" and stopped reading.

It's one thing to say that Gay people shouldn't get married. It's a whole different kind of insanity to say that if gay people want to get married all they have to do is enter a heterosexual marriage.

To get those civil rights, all homosexuals have to do is find someone of the opposite sex willing to join them in marriage.
What would be the fucking point?!?!?!

I love the assertion that Marriage has been the same forever and never changed. Because I'm sure that 100 years ago you and H wouldn't have had any trouble at all getting married.

It's sad really. I would expect a Sci-Fi writer to be more enlightened. I doubt I will be buying any more of his books.

[wednes.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it is pretty disappointing.

Plus, I wanted to read Ender's Game and will damn sure not be buying it. Do you have it, by chance?

I'm thinking I will sell my books of his, and send the meager proceeds to a GBLT cause.

[nate101000.livejournal.com]

I have at least 3 Ender books laying around. I'll let you know when I find them.

[wednes.livejournal.com]

Cool. I probably wouldn't let them sit around for months like the last book you loaned me. I just can't get into it, even though I recognize it's goodness.

[nate101000.livejournal.com]

It'll probably take months for me to find them.

[wednes.livejournal.com]

I'm in no rush. You might have heard, I'm working on a new novel.

I recommend Shelley in WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH HELEN?

[paulcurtis.livejournal.com]

I thnk the first Shelley Winters movie I saw in the theater was the one listed above. It's a curious suspense movie in which she and Debbie Reynolds play the mothers of two young men convicted of murder (along the lines of Leopold and Loeb)...and who are being stalked by a vengeance-twisted loony. It's not a classic, but it's worth the time it takes to watch.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000068TPG/qid=1137450613/sr=1-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-9065384-8060139?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=130

(The other film on the DVD, WHOEVER SLEW ANTIE ROO, is also quite watchable...this is a good double-feature.)

Re: I recommend Shelley in WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH HELEN?

[wednes.livejournal.com]

Interesting. I do know the other movie, Who Slew Auntie Roo. Maybe I'll pick that up when I have some more money. I love the Leopold and Loeb type killings...in fact, my uncle Art used to own Loeb Castle, which is in Charlevoix, Michigan.

Thanks for the info!!