2009. The Year The Authors Lost It.
Alice Hoffman pulls a screed and apparently joins the flock of authors in desperate need of a publicist to control author contact with the public. Via her Twitter, now since deleted (that link goes to goggle cache) there's a glimpse enough at her responses to make the linked report not seem completely fabricated out of thin air.
And also some guy named Alain de Botton loses it at a reviewer and actually typed these words:
I will hate you till the day I die and wish you nothing but ill will in every career move you make. I will be watching with interest and schadenfreude.
Heaven's wept people, but apparently authors are going into shock that real people read their words and may not like them. Where did they think their royalty's came from? Royalty fairies?
At least these two don't seem to be going into shock that non white people read their words. But Hoffman did go into Cramer & Sh.tt.r.ly territory by allegedly posting the phone number and other personal contact info of the reviewer. Not exactly an 'outing', but not Ms. Manners behavior either.
Unholy bumbletuck, there's something in the water. There's something in the water. Or we all need tinfoil hats. Ok, maybe not we, but published authors. Tin foil hats and non metallic fillings.
ETA: It's just occurred to me that Twitter might actually have done something about the account (the way they haven't in the pass, re: harassment) and deleted the account.
ETA 2 - A little something extra:
I know I should expect emotional responses to my comics that deal with emotionally charged issues, but I didn't expect the amount of vitriol slung at me by Ms. Sammy. I'm accused of creating "ineffectual holier-than-thou guilt trips", "privileged , clueless pontification" and even racism!
Gotta love that 'An even racism', can you hear it? 'An even baby eating! An even vampirism! And even necrophilia!' - The impossible, absurd, ridiculous!
The review in question by a woman of colour is here at Sequential Tart.
Once again, a PoC sees the history laden baggage and threats and stereotypes of PoC that a white person insists are immaterial and non-existent. Once again a white person gets huffy at having it pointed out it's only their white privilege that allows them to view the world that way.
I find it very telling that someone could care so much about the fate of animals, but not take a moment to see the possibility of stereotypical framing of people. I wonder, if the reviewer had explained things as:
"If someone had done to wolves, what you did to South Asians in your comic, wouldn't you, the professed animal lover be upset? If someone had only portrayed them as vicious killers than man needs to shoot (from planes) and then said the purpose was to raise awareness of the illegal hunting, (from planes) and that they'd done all the research and knew this hunting to be a fact. Wouldn't you still have been upset at the depiction? At the fear of wolves you think people would have walked away with?".
Big Egos and Lack of Empathy, tin foil can't cure that.
