Comments on: Orson Scott Card Joins the National Organization for Marriage http://rationaldreaming.com/2009/04/22/orson-scott-card-joins-national-organization-for-marriage/ A touch of rationalism and a smattering of dreams Fri, 03 Sep 2010 01:46:18 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Rational Dreamer http://rationaldreaming.com/2009/04/22/orson-scott-card-joins-national-organization-for-marriage/comment-page-1/#comment-40 Rational Dreamer Tue, 19 May 2009 21:49:36 +0000 http://rationaldreaming.com/?p=22#comment-40 Robert, I agree that I was probably looking at the novel from a more subjective viewpoint the second time around. As I said in the post, it's certainly possible that none of Card's political prejudices influenced the story, but, on that second reading, I just found unlikely. Perhaps that's why I hate spoilers with a passion. I love nothing more than to watch a good movie or TV show, or read a good book knowing nothing about it beforehand. I guess this is a case where even knowing about the author's personal beliefs can be considered a spoiler, in that perhaps they did color my impression of the book a second time around. If true, then that's my loss. Robert, I agree that I was probably looking at the novel from a more subjective viewpoint the second time around. As I said in the post, it’s certainly possible that none of Card’s political prejudices influenced the story, but, on that second reading, I just found unlikely.

Perhaps that’s why I hate spoilers with a passion. I love nothing more than to watch a good movie or TV show, or read a good book knowing nothing about it beforehand.

I guess this is a case where even knowing about the author’s personal beliefs can be considered a spoiler, in that perhaps they did color my impression of the book a second time around. If true, then that’s my loss.

]]> By: Robert http://rationaldreaming.com/2009/04/22/orson-scott-card-joins-national-organization-for-marriage/comment-page-1/#comment-27 Robert Tue, 12 May 2009 13:19:22 +0000 http://rationaldreaming.com/?p=22#comment-27 I shared your enjoyment of Ender's Game, and your incredulity and disgust as Card'slatterly bigoted views. But I can't help wondering whether its not a case of Card injecting those views into Ender's Game, but of <em>you</em> doing it for him! For me, Ender's Game is about paradoxes and moral dilemmas. The art is precisely in the way he teases out those impossible choices: between the group and the individual; between war and peace. The choices made by the characters are not always the right ones. The tradgey of Orson Scott Card, if there is one, is that he has abandoned the subtlety, and empathy of Ender's Game, for a rigid, revealed worldview. I shared your enjoyment of Ender’s Game, and your incredulity and disgust as Card’slatterly bigoted views. But I can’t help wondering whether its not a case of Card injecting those views into Ender’s Game, but of you doing it for him!

For me, Ender’s Game is about paradoxes and moral dilemmas. The art is precisely in the way he teases out those impossible choices: between the group and the individual; between war and peace. The choices made by the characters are not always the right ones.

The tradgey of Orson Scott Card, if there is one, is that he has abandoned the subtlety, and empathy of Ender’s Game, for a rigid, revealed worldview.

]]> By: Anoneist http://rationaldreaming.com/2009/04/22/orson-scott-card-joins-national-organization-for-marriage/comment-page-1/#comment-26 Anoneist Tue, 12 May 2009 10:05:04 +0000 http://rationaldreaming.com/?p=22#comment-26 As much as I would like to go back and re-read Card's books as well to see what irrational drivel he slid in there, I can't do it without vomiting all over the place so my doctor recommended I give him up. No problem there, of course. The sad part is that when I have kids, I'd love to share with them all the authors that got me started on sci-fi. In his case however, I don't know if I can do it in good conscience. Here's something he wrote that blew my mind, having previously considered him a thoughtful, intelligent, rational human being: http://mormontimes.com/mormon_voices/orson_scott_card/?id=3237 As much as I would like to go back and re-read Card’s books as well to see what irrational drivel he slid in there, I can’t do it without vomiting all over the place so my doctor recommended I give him up. No problem there, of course.

The sad part is that when I have kids, I’d love to share with them all the authors that got me started on sci-fi. In his case however, I don’t know if I can do it in good conscience.

Here’s something he wrote that blew my mind, having previously considered him a thoughtful, intelligent, rational human being: http://mormontimes.com/mormon_voices/orson_scott_card/?id=3237

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