Are you a vegetarian? Then you must like Hitler, because he was a vegetarian. Do you see merit in Confucius's teachings? Then you must agree with Mao Zedong's actions during the Chinese Revolution who had multitudes killed and also admired Confucius? Do you like the mosaics in Greek Orthodox churches or the chanting? Then you must agree with Josef Stalin who was schooled at an Orthodox school, had multitudes killed, and heavily repressed all religions. Therefore I will not acknowledge you or your opinion and will disparage vegetarians, Confucius, and the Greek Orthodox Church.
Does the above paragraph make sense? If it does then read no further because this post is not for you. If it doesn't then carry on. This is a post about this year's Hugo awards.
Several years ago, a group of people who were upset at the Hugo awards (the Hugos are the Golden Globes of the Science-fiction and Fantasy crowd) got together. They didn't agree with what, as they perceived, the liberal bias of the awards. Two Hugos ago, they created a list of what they felt should win and encouraged others to vote the same way. Other people have done it before and since so this is not new. The result was that over the last two Hugos, more and more nominees on their list were nominated. They called themselves the Sad Puppies. Then the nominees for the Hugos this year were announced and things went super nova. Most of the nominees on the Sad/Rabid Puppies list were nominated.
This would normally not be a concern. In democratic governments around the world, there are many political parties that come and go. They support certain views and candidates, vote for certain bills and delay others. It's a principle of democracy. The problem that many have is the people behind the Sad Puppies and the more "angry at the Hugos" group, the Rabid Puppies.
Theodore Beale, aka Vox Day, is not a nice human. He is the driving force of the Rabid Puppy crowd and an influential member of the Sad Puppy crowd. Amongst other things, he believes women should no longer get to vote and has referred to Africans as half-savages. He is not egalitarian in any measure, despises SJW (social justice warriors) and is a hater of others. Many of the works nominated by the Rabid Puppies are the same as the Sad Puppies. Together, through a focused nomination campaign, they have influenced who will win the Hugos this year. The heads of the Sad Puppies, Brad Torgerson and Larry Correia, do not seem to espouse the same views as Theodore Beale but are associated with him.
Now we start to get back to the opening sentences and an important question. Do you hate vegetarians because Hitler was a vegetarian? After the nominees for the Hugos were announced, many people on both sides released their vitriol and stomach acid at anyone who agreed with the other "side". Several nominees, who were nominated by the Sad or Rabid Puppies, asked to be removed from those nominated so as not to be associated with either group and did not know they were being supported by either group. The Sad/Rabid Puppy haters hate vegetarians because Hitler liked his vegetables.
I concur with those that say that what occurred should not have happened but disagree with those who say in the same breath that rules must be put into place to discourage "those works" from being nominated. Have they gone through those works? Have they properly judged them? Have they given them a chance or pre-judged them, as Theodore Beale pre-judges an entire ethnic continent or sex? Both are wrong. As an example of the insanity, for best dramatic presentation long form, Interstellar, Lego Movie and Guardians of the Galaxy were on the Sad/Rabid Puppy lists and some are calling for not giving them any votes. All of these three works were imaginative and noteworthy, especially Interstellar. Denying them the opportunity to stand on their own is like...not eating vegetables.
Voltaire once said that "although I may despise what you say, I will defend with my life your right to say it". I despise several things that Theodore Beale has said. I disagree with many things said by the Sad/Rabid Puppies crowd. I despise many of the petulant sentences thrown by both sides. But they get to say it. At the end of the day, if a small crowd of people get what they want (Hugos or Politics) because not everyone cared in the democratic voting process by analysing the work as it stands, who is to blame. Think with your mind, restrain yourself from hate and vote. Then publicly enjoyed nominees and winners will dominate the Hugos and none would legitimately be able to dispute it.
Am I a supporter of the Sad/Rabid Puppies? That's the easy question and does not get to know the person who is answering. The life's work that is a person. A better question is: will I try to view each work and vote on whom I see as worthy of the Hugo. That answer is yes, regardless of the source of the nomination.
Besides...who could hate the Lego Movie as much as Hitler?
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