So, a minor kerfuffle on Twitter last night, in which I was asked to stop talking politics, or at least to have the common decency to create another Twitter account in which I only spoke about politics, thereby saving the feelings of people who disagree with my politics and safeguarding my livelihood.
Ahem.
There are so very many things wrong with this, but it did make me realize that perhaps a list might be in order.
I therefore offer the list of where Sharon Lee hangs out on the internets, with commentary, so that you may choose the size that fits you.
This blog, which is mirrored at Eagles Over the Kennebec — Combo blog, personal and professional. Minimal, if any, political commentary. You will, however, have to put up with cat pictures. Some folks have complained about having to put up with cat pictures, so I feel this should be mentioned.
Twitter — Combo stream; pointers to Liaden Universe® news, this blog, and political commentary. Some days more commentary, some days less.
Facebook — Combo; lots of political, historical, real-life discussion interspersed with professional news and discussion of writing/the writing life. Wide-ranging in a word, and occasionally freewheeling.
If you are a person who only wants writing and publication news from the Liaden Universe®, without any messy personal stuff, or politics, here are your options:
Welcome to Liad: Clan Korval’s home on the web. Publishing news, sneak peeks of covers, announcements of contests, Lee and Miller appearances. That’s it.
You may sign up for the Liaden Universe® InfoDump. This emailed newsletter goes out very infrequently and includes only news, such as where to pre-order signed books, convention appearances, news of eArcs, publications, sales. Here’s your link to sign up.
If you wish to discuss the Liaden Universe® with other enthusiasts, there are several Facebook groups available to you:
There you are. Choose wisely, choose well.
Oh, and hey! Have a cat picture:
Wow. Just wow.
The arrogance of people telling other people what they should write about on their personal spaces, including social media, never ceases to amaze and annoy me. Do I go tromping into their spaces to demand that they write less about X and more about Y? No. If there’s too much about sports I don’t follow, or celebrity gossip…I go elsewhere, quietly and without explanation. If they’re clearly of a different persuasion, and it annoys me enough, I do the same thing.
And yet there’s are people who feel so entitled to seeing only exactly what they want to see that they insist on telling us why we’re doing it all wrong and our careers will implode if we don’t follow orders.
I have a few choice words for such people.
YES
Can never see too many cat pictures 🙂
As for politics, I loathe politicians of any kind, they are all in it for what they can get and are not to be trusted in any way.
I feel sorry for him. I do. Forced to read your Twitter feed. No way to opt out.
How pathetic is that? And so he comes to you with the heartfelt plea to stop posting political comments that fiercely conflict with his views, and you tell him to go pound sand.*
Think of his cognitive dissonance when he is faced with the contradictions to his world view. He must be babbling by now.
It would be the human thing to find him a nice, quiet, padded room somewhere so he no longer has to deal with this horrific feed from which he is unable to unsubscribe.
(*Well, not exactly that, but you’re nicer than I am. In fact, up above, I’m nicer than I am–in the real world, I’d have just told him to FOAD.)
It’s odd how many people think Free Speech means “you’re free to say anything that I personally approve of.”
I’m proud to be with Elizabeth Moon on this. Gent can just skip past whatever offends his limited view of reality.
I invite your critic to consider the quote attributed to Voltaire (and so I suppose I must accept his right to express his opinion….)
I, for one, want every person on the planet, to write, say, and|or think anything they please. I will find in the public stream of such commentary, the things that please me or educate me. But know that when you reach out and insert your thoughts into someone else’s twitter feed or comment on someone else’s website you are opening yourself to ruder responses than our gracious hostess on this blog may choose to give.
It would be a terrible world if I was only permitted to consume art made by people I personally or politically agreed with. I’d have to stop listening to Ted Nugent music, for one thing…
I’m with Elizabeth Moon. I actually appreciate knowing your political views. I like supporting people who care about others. Yes, if you were racist, antisemitic, homophobic, greedy, selfish, intolerant of difference in others, … (need I go on), I couldn’t in good conscious, buy your books.
At the same time, on 9th November 2012, in his ‘Monthly Questions’, L. E. Modessit, Jr. wrote, ‘… none of us like it [and I don’t either] when someone brings up something that calls our deeply held beliefs into question. But isn’t that one of the things writers should do? [YES, YES, YES, I say. Isn’t SF and Speculative Fiction a place to tackle the deeper questions and look to humanitarian solutions?]
Modessit went on to write, ‘What I also find interesting is that people who enjoyed my books all of a sudden say that they can’t now that they “know” my views. The books didn’t change.’
An important point. For me, it is about whether it is a matter of embracing difference within unity or differences in view and action that are unbridgeable. For each of us, the boundary between the two is very personal.