Campaign To Get Orson Scott Card Fired From Superman Begins

[Rich Johnston]

What if Jack Chick wrote Superman? Courtesy of Kat Rocha.

So, yesterday I wrote an article in response to requests I'd had to promote an organised campaign to boycott DC, Superman and to get Orson Scott Card fired off the Superman Adventures book for being an anti-gay marriage activist and holding virulent homphobic views.

Instead I wrote a piece taking issue with that concept. That I found the idea of campaigning to get a writer fired because you disagreed with his beliefs, however abhorrent, problematic.

Some agreed;

Regarding the @richjohnston/boycott thing, while I don't want to get into a row, I think part of the (cont) tl.gd/l047ci

? Steven Sanders (@stevensanders) February 9, 2013

Plenty didn't.

Rich Johnston thinks you shouldn't boycott Orson Scott Card. I respectfully disagree. It's not McCarthyism to exercise your consumer rights. ? Andrew Wheeler (@Wheeler) February 7, 2013

@richjohnston No one is saying Card can't be as offensive as he likes. Refusing to support him or his employers doesn't curtail free speech. ? NurseBrak (@NurseBrak) February 9, 2013

@richjohnston Different beliefs are one thing. Actively advocating a social war against a community is another. ? David Robertson (@101flyboy) February 9, 2013

@richjohnston So if David Duke was hired to write Archie, we'd be allowed to be pissed about it, but we'd be wrong to organize a protest? ? Michael Hartney (@MichaelHartney) February 9, 2013

And some... well...

yo, @richjohnston that is the most horrible opinion that a person can hold in a Free Society. You have no understanding of what freedom is ? darrylayo (@darrylayo) February 9, 2013

.@richjohnston Yes, good job on your abhorrent attempt to stymie free speech bringing attention to this important issue. WELL DONE. ? Karla Pacheco (@THEKarlaPacheco) February 9, 2013

Boycotting a bigot isn't the same as being a bigot. In other news, Rich Johnston is a fucking idiot. ? Dan McDaid (@danmcdaid) February 8, 2013

I've obviously led a sheltered life b/c I didn't realise what a dreadful man Rich Johnston is until yesterday. He really is, though. ? Richard Hunt (@rfhunt) February 9, 2013

DC's never going to touch your weewee the way you want them to, Rich. Grow some principles.

? *nervous laughter* (@Joe_Hunter) February 9, 2013

. @richjohnston You must be a terrible parent.

? Be My Briantine ? (@heythisisbrian) February 9, 2013

One of the senders of the original request thanked me for raising the topic, even though I disagreed with their aim, as it seemed to them that other news sites were choosing just to ignore the issue, and the Bleeding Cool article had got people talking. A number of gay-themed sites had picked up on the story it was likely to get wider play.

It had got me thinking as well. Some of the debaters chose to frame issue of free speech around the US Constitution, that there a difference between private speech and a government law banning speech, and that boycotts themselves are also free speech. And that no boycott, not even say the One Million Moms boycott against the Archie same sex wedding issue, was against free speech. Which was a viewpoint I hadn't even considered.

I don't have the same background regarding free speech and I don't see the lines so divided between public and private. And I do see a boycott against what as I see as free speech reducing rather then increasing free speech. But that, as has been pointed out (repeatedly) may be down to my own ignorance.

The campaign has begun now with this petition on AllOut.org, stating to DC Comics;

By hiring Orson Scott Card despite his anti-gay efforts you are giving him a new platform and supporting his hate.

Make sure your brand stands for equality and drop Orson Scott Card now.

I wonder how the other DC comics creators will be reacting to the issue at the creative conference tomorrow?

[swalsh]

......would these same folks petition to remove writers who were 9/11 Truthers? Somehow, I think not.....

[Marc Lombardi]

......would these same folks petition to remove writers who were 9/11 Truthers? Somehow, I think not.....

I probably wouldn't want to read their stuff either.

[Nova]

......would these same folks petition to remove writers who were 9/11 Truthers? Somehow, I think not.....

It is not a duty of minorities to boycott against everything ever, when they are persecuted. We cannot say that their boycott is invalid because they wouldn't, in a theoretical situation, organising a boycott against something not related to their fight. You cannot say that you won't give money to cancer research because they don't try to find a cure for Alzheimer's.

[uz000]

Some of those twitter posts attacking Rich are insane.

I guess the thing with Orson Scott Card is whether his personal views are apparent in his work? If not then I'd say let him write Superman. If they are then get rid of him. Lots of authors in Victorian Times would have held racist and/or homophobic opinions, but it is not shown on the page, so you can let it go.

It's not like Frank Miller whose personal views most definitely are shown on the page and are quite racist. That is when you have to say no.

[kpatrickglover]

Roman Polanksi is a convicted rapist. Chinatown is one of the greatest movies of all time.

Mel Gibson is an anti-semetic asshole. The Lethal Weapon movies are pretty damn entertaining movies.

Errol Flynn was probably a nazi spy. The Adventures of Robin Hood is a masterpiece.

What's my point? If I was to boycott everyone in entertainment who did or believed in things I find evil or offensive, I'd have to pitch half of everything I own. I've long ago learned to separate the work from the people doing it, the only exception being when those offensive ideas find their way into the work itself.

[RAGGEDT]

[/INDENT]I wonder how the other DC comics creators will be reacting to the issue at the creative conference tomorrow?[/QUOTE]

...in this particular issue is Phil Jimenez. His tweeter feed on the Card topic over the last couple of days has been quite interesting... https://twitter.com/Philjimeneznyc.

[Comedian]

I agree with Rich a million percent here. People have every right to say what they want about Card, but I'm really sick of these pointless boycotts. Card is an amazing writer and the enders books will always hold their place in literary history. His personal beliefs are his and should be separated from viewing his work since he doesn't use his work to preach them.

[jackmurphy1969]

......would these same folks petition to remove writers who were 9/11 Truthers? Somehow, I think not.....

But they're so good at fiction!

[ArnimZagarian]

What's my point? If I was to boycott everyone in entertainment who did or believed in things I find evil or offensive, I'd have to pitch half of everything I own. I've long ago learned to separate the work from the people doing it, the only exception being when those offensive ideas find their way into the work itself.

That's what some people are claiming back in the other "boycott Orson Scott Card" topic.