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Ender's Game controversy
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Oaks Lab
Posted 2013-10-21 6:54 AM (#5681)
Subject: Ender's Game controversy



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Location: UK		If we go and see Ender's Game are we in effect feeding money to an outspoken homophobe? I loved Ender's Game and was looking forward to the new movie, not realising the author's personal narrow-minded views. Especially as the series has themes of tolerance, peace and equality
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DrNefario
Posted 2013-10-21 7:36 AM (#5682 - in reply to #5681)
Subject: Re: Ender's Game controversy



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Location: UK		Yes, it's a tricky one. I can't say I'm very keen to reward OSC any more. He doesn't seem to have been quite so frothy at the time those two Hugo winners were written, but that doesn't help now. I'll be giving it a miss, I think.
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Badseedgirl
Posted 2013-10-25 11:12 PM (#5710 - in reply to #5682)
Subject: Re: Ender's Game controversy



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Location: Middle TN, USA		Originally, I was planning to go see the movie in spite of the Author's beliefs because I felt I should be able to look beyond his personal beliefs to the message he espoused in his novel, but the more articles I have read, the less i like what I am hearing. He has gotten down right "douchey" in his interviews and the last straw was when he said he hoped "The Gays" would be tolerant. I think I will be skipping the movie after all.
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Scott Laz
Posted 2013-10-31 3:58 PM (#5723 - in reply to #5710)
Subject: Re: Ender's Game controversy



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Location: Gunnison, Colorado		Will Card benefit from you or I buying a ticket? Good question, but it depends on whether he will be receiving royalties, or a one-time payment for the rights (if the latter, one more ticket won't affect his income). These decisions are always tough, and its great when controversies lead to useful discussions, but I tend to shy away from boycotting artistic works due to the politics of the creators--it reminds me of blacklisting, and you never know when you could be on the receiving end. That said, like so many others, I enjoyed the book when it came out, and was actually a huge OSC fan during his early career, always looking forward to his stories in Analog or Omni, as well as his early novels. I fell off that bandwagon when he got into the Alvin Maker series. Having grown up in Utah, I had to take Utah (i.e., Mormon) History in school, and didn't need to see that story rewritten as a fantasy series. Rereading Ender's Game last year, I can see things I didn't notice the first time, and understand the problems some have seen with it. But the message of compassion and tolerance is still there as well. As for the film, unless it gets really bad reviews, I'll probably grab it from Netflix at some point... I'd be glad to know the reaction of WWEnders who see it...
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ed.rybicki
Posted 2013-11-24 2:58 AM (#5784 - in reply to #5681)
Subject: Re: Ender's Game controversy



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I think that punishing the film - and everyone who contributed to it - because OC Card is a looney Mormon, is as sensible as boycotting Robert A Heinlein because HE was a nasty old man.
Who happened to write some very, very good books. For that matter Larry Niven turns out to be an increasingly embittered and right-wing libertarian; Poul Anderson showed similar traits as he got old; Doris Lessing was downright objectionable often, as is Salman Rushdie - but their message(s) do NOT need to be irretrievably tainted by their personal beliefs.
Which I was completely unaware of, in teh case of Card, until very recently - and I think the Ender series is a VERY good introduction to young people of the virtues of seeing both sides of a war.
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Badseedgirl
Posted 2013-11-24 8:56 AM (#5785 - in reply to #5723)
Subject: Re: Ender's Game controversy



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Scott Laz - 2013-10-31 3:58 PM

Will Card benefit from you or I buying a ticket? Good question, but it depends on whether he will be receiving royalties, or a one-time payment for the rights (if the latter, one more ticket won't affect his income). These decisions are always tough, and its great when controversies lead to useful discussions, but I tend to shy away from boycotting artistic works due to the politics of the creators--it reminds me of blacklisting, and you never know when you could be on the receiving end. That said, like so many others, I enjoyed the book when it came out, and was actually a huge OSC fan during his early career, always looking forward to his stories in Analog or Omni, as well as his early novels. I fell off that bandwagon when he got into the Alvin Maker series. Having grown up in Utah, I had to take Utah (i.e., Mormon) History in school, and didn't need to see that story rewritten as a fantasy series. Rereading Ender's Game last year, I can see things I didn't notice the first time, and understand the problems some have seen with it. But the message of compassion and tolerance is still there as well. As for the film, unless it gets really bad reviews, I'll probably grab it from Netflix at some point... I'd be glad to know the reaction of WWEnders who see it...


I read somewhere that he sold the rights to the movie back in the 70's or 80's and so will not receive any royalties for this movie. As it has rolled up into a pretty big hit, and I suspect they will make others movies based on the series, I'm not sure about the other novels in the series.
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JohnEasom
Posted 2018-01-15 7:12 AM (#16732 - in reply to #5681)
Subject: Re: Ender's Game controversy



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I read authors regardless of their personal or political views. Their works speak for themselves and I judge them accordingly. If I censor my reading because a person's beliefs are not according with my own, I would have precious few authors to choose from. In fact, on this basis, I should probably only read what I have written myself as I am the only person whose attitudes and beliefs I TRULY know and can agree with. Many (maybe, most) of the world's finest authors have had the most despicable views - or views that have subsequently become unacceptable. If I inform myself about the work I read, and if I inform myself about its author, I can take both into account when reading. I have read Ender's Game . When I read it I did not know about or detect any of the author's homophobic views. I thought it was an excellent and stimulating work. Do I share the author's homophobic views? Absolutely not. Just because I read something, does not mean I agree with it or endorse it. I read President Trump's Tweets - even though I rarely if ever agree with them or approve of them. Should I not read them because I disagree with him and despise his views? No - I should read them to know what he is saying. We should read works by whoever interests or appeals us - and use our critical judgement to assess them and their content. On the other hand - surely, there are some works which are so pernicious that they should be banned or censored or disseminated only under strict controls? Unfortunately, everybody's list of banned or censored works will differ widely, depending on their own personal values and attitudes. If there a reliable list of acceptable or unacceptable attitudes and views to which all can agree - and if so, which institution makes and maintains the list? Let's discuss 1984, Fahrenheit 451 etc. As for this particular thread, my answer is "Read it or not as your choose, with your eyes open. If you feel reading it somehow endorses or disseminates or supports homophobic views, don't read it. But the decision is yours and nobody else's." I read it. I am neither diminished nor degraded by having read it. I do not agree with the author's viewpoints - along with maybe 1,000 other authors whose viewpoints I don't agree with either.
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