Since the Social Justice Warrior contingent of sci-fi fandom is on a quest for perpetual outrage, here is this week’s stupidity. A convention, Archon, had a guy many of us know and love, Tim Bolgeo, scheduled to be the fan guest of honor, until an anonymous internet pussy alleged that Timmy was racist, so Archon immediately folded and disinvited him.
Fellow warm beige Author of Color, Jason Cordova has more: http://jasoncordova.com/2014/05/20/uncle-timmy-and-the-thought-police/
Most authors know him as Uncle Timmy. He’s helped out so many new and aspiring authors to get their work out in front of the fans that it is ridiculous. Uncle Timmy is the go to guy in southern and midwestern fandom to meet people. You know the guy who knows a guy? That’s Timmy.
First off, anybody who has ever talked with Tim Bolgeo knows this allegation is crap and Archon is being stupid. Uncle Timmy is no racist. His crime was reposting jokes that would have been okay to laugh at if they’d been told by a comedian on TV. One lone ANONYMOUS jackass threw a fit so Archon tossed him.
Fascinating… So fandom is so trained and cowed by the constantly outraged Social Justice Warriors, that we’re to the point that anybody who ever said something even slightly edgy or outside of accepted group think can be booted. Of course, I’m sure if Timmy was a communist, abortion activist, anti-gun, Occupy Wall Street, gender studies major with a pony tail, then A. nobody would whine about him being a guest. B. If somebody did, the con committee wouldn’t have cared.
Second, I’ve met Tim Bolgeo several times, and I’ve met members of his family. He’s a good dude. He’s a decent human being. I’ve had conversations with him about various controversial issues, and he was never anything but polite, funny, smart, and articulate. He helped me out when I was first starting my career, and the first out of state con I ever attended as a pro writer was one that he’d been organizing for 25 years.
I don’t know what kind of raving lunatic this ANONYMOUS internet pussy painted Timmy as, but horseshit. My understanding is that he chose to go to one of the first non-segregated schools in the south, and has set up a charity on behalf of a deceased friend who was black. Oooooh, but that is soooooo outweighed by hurting somebody’s feelings for telling a joke that would be okay to laugh at if John Stewart told it.
Third, listen fandom, it is time to cowboy up. Put your big girl panties on. You have gotten into the bad habit of immediately rolling over anytime some shrieking Social Justice Warrior says they must retire to their fainting couch because they have the vapors. They started with big name writers, then they began freaking out about things award presenters MIGHT say, and now they’ve worked their way down to attacking other fans. They want a purge. Anybody who may potentially hurt their delicate lilac scented feelings is an untouchable and must be shunned. They’d clone Stalin to run for SFWA president if any of that crowd actually knew how this whole science thing worked.
Luckily for us the SJW’s weapons are their salty tears of sadness and Twitter.
So QUIT CAVING IN.
Their outrage doesn’t grant them magical powers of discernment. Do your freaking jobs. Use your brain. If somebody is angry about a guest, maybe you should slow down and find out why before immediately surrendering to the angry mob, or in this case ONE PERSON.
Otherwise they own you. They own you because you let them. Rule number one of dealing with Social Justice Warriors is never apologize for anything that shouldn’t be apologized for. Rule number two is don’t be afraid to tell them to shove it.
Archon, you owe Uncle Timmy an apology.
