In an effort to prove that they’re not dour, humorless, thin-skinned avatars of political correctness with authoritarian tendencies, Wiscon’s Feminist failfandom brigade had my contribution to Locus Online’s April Fools Day festivities taken down. (Note that, under the transparent pseudonym of L. Ron Creepweans, I’ve participated in every Locus online April Fools Day since 2002.)
Locus forced Locus Online editor Mark Kelly to pull the piece only a few hours after it went up.
Thanks to the magic of Internet caches, you can still read it in its entirety:
And the text:
WisCon Makes Burqas Mandatory for All Attendees
Today the SF3 ruling committee for the Madison, Wisconsin-based feminist SF convention WisCon announced that starting this year, all attendees would be required to wear burqas.
“We were trying to think of what we could do to make Wiscon more inclusive,” said con chair Belle Gunness. “Suddenly, we realized that devout Muslims could easily be offended by the amount of sinful and wanton flesh on display at Wiscon. Therefore, starting with this year’s Wiscon, we’ve made burqas mandatory for all attendees. Allah Akbar!”
Both male and female members will be required to don the traditional black, face-covering, head-to-toe Islamic garb for all convention events. Gunness indicated that the convention would have substantial quantities of Burqas for rental to congoers, from Small to 5XL sizes. As an added benefit, she said that the new regulations would help eliminate “rampant lookism.”
Gunness said that guests would be required to wear the garb as well, “in the spirit of egalitarianism.”
Wiscon also announced that next year’s guest lineup would consist of J. K. Rowling, Stephen King, George R. R. Martin, Joss Whedon and Suzanne Collins. “At least as far as you know.”
For those tuning in for the first time, this was a direct jab (in humorous form) at WisCon’s previous decision to yank their Guest-of-Honor invitation to Elizabeth Moon for daring to voice (in the mildest possible form) politically incorrect thoughts about certain aspects of modern Islam.
How radical Islam became so sacred to radical feminists is a topic for another time, and I have hamburgers to cook. But it’s sad to think how a tiny, unimportant, radical fringe of disgruntled feminists (so aptly dubbed “Failfandom” by Steven Francis Murphy) have not only come to believe that their right not to be offended trumps the free speech of others, but that other people in the SF community have come to cave into their petulant demands. (Whatever happened to “The solution to free speech is more free speech?” It seems that fewer and fewer people on the left side of the political aisle believe that any more.)
But if there objective was to get this piece to disappear down the memory hole, I think they shall find that they are sadly mistaken…
Tags: April Fools, Elizabeth Moon, feminism, Locus, Media Watch, science fiction, Social Justice Warriors, WisCon
[…] Edited to add 4: Why I removed the Locus Online links. […]
I don’t know, man, it doesn’t seem like a very funny joke.
Also, April Fool’s Day pranks are bullshit.
I have to wonder… Have you BEEN to the internet before? Have you seen an internet shitstorm? Because there is no better way of summoning one than making a snarky, sexist, “can’t take a joke” defense of something that yes, could easily have offended a lot of people. Brace yourself, honey, because there is a F-3 cyclonic cloud of feces coming right at you.
Someone told me that Scalzi had made reference to people being mean and unfunny, and that something at Locus had been redacted.
I immediately assumed that someone had been very funny and gored a politically correct.
…and then an internet friend pointed this out to me.
I’m amused to see that I’m right.
Sorry that the PC brigade crapped on you…but I’m hardly surprised. The Left has taken over more and more of science fiction. It’s a shame.
Keep up the good work.
I’m a lawyer, and I’m just wondering, based on your cutesy little invocation of free speech, when Locus, Locus Online, or Wiscon for that matter became the government, because i distinctly remember learning that “free speech” only applies when the government is involved. I freely invite you to.point me to the Supreme Court ruling that held there could be no private consequences for public non-protected speech. I thought folks of your political bent were all about the freedom of private enterprise to do as it pleases? You wrote something Locus considered inappropriate, and they pulled it. Just as you are free to publish this comment, or not, here in your space.
[…] …read this. […]
when will people learn free speech refers to government control, and not April Fools jokes on the internet? When will people learn that it goes both ways–if you’re free to say some dumbass offensive unfunny shit other people are ALSO FREE to say that it’s dumbass offensive unfunny shit? Just because you’re free to say it doesn’t mean you’re free from the consequences of saying it! Imagine that.
And it’s 2013, anyone who uses the term “fail” as an adjective or as a noun following the word “epic” is an out of touch tryhard who everyone should shun into becoming a hermit.
[…] SCIENCE FICTION FANS get April Fool’s piece taken down. […]
Looks like the periods of the FemFails have synchronised.
I don’t see anyone calling for legal consequences against Locus. If it’s legit for them to respond to critics by taking the piece down, then it’s legit to call the critics humorless thin-skinned PC libtards. Because they are. Sorry if the truth hurts.
It’s unfunny because it’s rings so true. Sadly.
I hate humorless chicks.
Aw, I thought it was worth a smile.
Wow. What a humorless bunch of feminazis. Glad they’re all in Wisconsin and not screwing up my State…
“I’m a lawyer”
Good for you. Now when will you learn to read? Or are you reading some special magik version of this page only visible to you?
I’m pretty sure Locus killed the piece before anyone from Wiscon said boo about it, to be honest. Maybe the problem isn’t that other people can’t take a joke. Maybe the problem is that you can’t tell one.
The above comments simply prove the point of the author.
Wow, six comments that not only prove your point, but all look to be written by the same person, well done.
” i distinctly remember learning that “free speech” only applies when the government is involved. ”
Ms Mclellan, it’s the First Amendment that only applies to government policy. Free speech is a general concept of human rights that applies to all of us on a moral level. It is morally wrong to trample on another person’s right to speak peacefully. If you see speech you disagree with, you ought to speak against it rather than attempt to have that voice you disagree with silenced… even if the government is not involved at all.
“I thought folks of your political bent were all about the freedom of private enterprise to do as it pleases?”
I didn’t read the author say anything about removing freedom to censor. He instead noted that his joke, which makes a point about radical Islam, was censored in a politically correct fashion that is unfortunate to those who truly value human rights.
Sadly, it appears your understanding of the law and your appreciation of basic freedom are lacking.
Wow… these commenters sure are humorless jerks, aren’t they? It’s not enough they got your joke pulled; now they come to your place and try to shame you into silence?
Personally, I thought it was funny because it could certainly be mistaken for true. Given the behavior of these commenters, I can certainly see them demanding everyone wear burqhas. But to suggest that isn’t funny!
When conservatives complain about “jokes” the left makes, we’re told we need to learn to take a joke. When we make the jokes, we’re told to shut up and go away.
Good to know there are two sets of rules. How tolerant and open-minded of the left.
Ah, I see a LOT of leftists read this page.
One thing – Leftists are not about freedom. They are about ruling. They always have been. They will use whatever -ism is most convenient to getting them power. Their creed has always been and always will be ‘One rule for thee, another for me.’
Now shut up and do as your told, peon. Humor is only funny when it isn’t aimed at your betters.
Orion
Well played, Sir. And just what IS the philosophical rationale that allows radical feminists, homosexuals and other assorted leftists hangers on to so virulently defend a murderous so-called religion such as Islam, especially since the whole lot of them would literally be put to the sword if the Salafists had their way?
It sure makes the original joke about feminism apropos:
Q: How many feminists does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
A: That’s not funny!
Hey, now, let’s not be too hard on poor old Kateasstrophy. After all, her last sentence is correct- there is a bunch of enraged feminist criticism headed this way, and every bit of it is fecal matter.
Betty the lawyer just needs to get out more, and maybe read a legal article on what exactly goes on on April Fool’s Day.
Hmmm… I don’t read the author’s invocation of free speech as having anything at all to do with the typical “Freedom of speech! Quit infringing on my first amendment rights!” misunderstanding that private party and governmental censorship are different. Rather, the author is wondering why have the supposedly offensive speech removed rather than combat the ideas presented with more expression of ideas. It appears very clear to me, though implied, that the author is implying that rational argument among people with differing political ideologies has disappeared in preference to the suppression of ideas in furtherance of one side’s agenda.
It dovetails nicely with the tactic of picking a single phrase or sentence from an article and using a misrepresentation – willfully or not – to attempt to discredit the author rather than disputing the ideas presented.
Seriously, it really does look like the gals can’t take a joke, they’re cute like that.
Heh heh a well written and belivable tweek of some thin skin. Glad you reposted it for people to see.
feminazi snark in full bloom, tweak, tweak!
Yes “free speech refers to government control” but that doesn’t mean that the principles of free speech are not a valuable ideal that even private organizations should aspire to…
I see the usual arguments which were also used to pillory Elizabeth Moon were deployed in full force.
Gotta say, aside from my blog entry on this sad bit, I really do not have anything new to add. I also have better things to do with my time.
That said, I believe the only real sin committed here was the failure to grasp the concept of satire.
On that note, I’m off to go stone Jonathan Swift retroactively.
What would be a perfect april fools joke is if there never was a burqa article to have pulled in the first place. Then all these people would be ranting about a fantasy.
Bait laid out. Bait taken. Baitees scream in pain. El Perfecto! Smoke ’em if yo got ’em!
“I’m a lawyer.”
BFD
Sorry; there’s no reason why your post should have been taken down, EVEN THOUGH it wasn’t very funny. (Most of the April Fool’s Day posts on Slashdot have been similarly sophomoric.) It’s really too bad that we’re raising a society that has neither a sense of humor nor the ability to tolerate dissent. This is a recipe for catastrophe.
As someone who I hope, as a fairly serious free speech activist, has at least some credentials in the area – this isn’t a free speech issue as such at all. While free speech does apply to people who aren’t the government (perhaps it is a US-centrism to confuse the first Amendment that enshrines free speech in the constitution with the broader principle?), Locus has absolutely every right to decide what is or is not said on their web site (and with their implicit editorial approval), and nothing that has been done has prevented Lawrence from repeating his joke in other forums, such as this one.
I think they killed it because they thought it was potentially offensive (not because of sensibilities about Islam, but because it was a direct jibe that implicitly took sides in a current controversy), but I am also among those who thought that is wasn’t that funny.
But hey, I thought your 2010 April fools entry (“Doctorow and Stross to write authorized sequal to Atlas Shrugged”) was one of the better ones over the years, so you can definitely write the funny, just not this time.
Saladin Ahmed writes America is “a culture rich in racist stereotypes and xenophobic fear-mongering. Being Muslim means Americans unconsciously link your name to child killers, even as they rationalize killing children with names like yours.” and he gets Hugo and Nebula nominations.
He wasn’t joking.
Oh my. If you spell it “magik”, you just might be a man-hating bull dyke lesbian with no sense of humor.
Does this mean they are not going to show up in burkhas ? Too bad. Some of them are pretty ugly.
I am actually still not sure what the joke part is? I mean, is the joke that obviously they wouldn’t do that at WisCon, because the same attitude that says, “Stop being a cock to Muslims, Elizabeth Moon” is the attitude that says “don’t make people wear stuff they don’t want to,” so it doesn’t make any sense? But of course for it to be a joke it has to be plausible that they WOULD do it, otherwise no one would believe it, they would think you were just being a jerk, like you were just saying, “If you feminists love Islam so much, why don’t you MARRY it? Nyeh nyeh!”
I am not trying to say that the content of the joke isn’t funny, I’m saying that, as an actual joke, it just doesn’t like a very good one.
What is the feminist rationale for defending Islam on one hand and attacking L. Ron Creepweans on the other?
Creepweans “jokes” and Islam throws acid in your face?
The treatment of Elizabeth Moon was disgraceful. Anyone not in the fantasy bubble of WisCon understood that immediately. Clearly “inclusive” means “exclude all non-conforming people and ideas.”
tl:dr – Dustin gets the distinction between the first Amendment and the principle of free speech right, but misunderstands the principle (Locus has every right to control what is said with their implicit editorial approval, for any reason they like, and that does not offend the principle). Alexandra has the gist of the controversy correct.
I think that I can speak for all women when I say that this very important because we cannot offend science fiction fans of other religions. The right to free speech is irrelevant to women’s rights and freedom of religion. People need to understand that being offended is a really big deal and that we should be able to make you not offend us. And science fiction cannot be sexist or minority-phobic either. This is what it is. Period.
Amusing parody. The commenter remarks remind me of why I’d rather drive spikes through my eyes than attend WisCon.
The left in this country is completely and utterly beyond satire. That is essentially the problem we have here. There is nothing so irrational, contradictory or hypocritical that it would not be seen as a plausible attitude for them to hold.
They REALLY don’t like it when you point this out to them or take their reasoning to its natural conclusion. Which of course makes it all the more fun.
Feminists technically don’t have souls. I’m not sure if they are technically human.
Besides, only the ugly ones should be forced to wear burkas.
Barbara, well done. I had to read your post three times before I was sure it wasn’t serious.
I am amused to see that the author of that piece of crap actually claims he thought it was funny. The witless parroting of all the stereotypes held by those who never attended a WisCon or talked to a woman as if she were a thinking human being are even more amusing, in a grim sort of way. And I wasn’t a bit startled to see that tired old canard “feminazi” used to attack an annual assemblage of all the kinds of people the Nazis hated.
And Greg Q: I’m glad you don’t want to attend WisCon: that gives intelligent guys like me more time to spend talking to intelligent women like Ursula LeGuin, Nalo Hopkinson, Mary Anne Mohanraj, and Lois McMaster Bujold without having to waste time watching them having you hauled away when you grope them and call them “sweet-tits”, then cuss them out for being “bitches unable to take a joke”!
And if somebody like you comes to any con and starts dumping this sexist hate-filled crap on my 17-year-old, daddy might be tempted to forget he’s a Quaker and remember he’s a Good Ol’ Boy (if she doesn’t kick your pasty white butt herself first)!
Remember when Speculative Fiction… was? A genre where an author could write a story using an outrageous theme, one which could not be accepted by mainstream storytelling? A genre where you were EXPECTED to offend somebody… ANYBODY… if you were doing it right?
There’s a wonderful quote in the Introduction to Piers Anthony’s book ‘Tarot’ as follows: “If you succeed in reading Tarot through without being disgusted at some point, you probably don’t understand it.”
I would submit to the Ladies of WisCon… you get it. To the folks of Locus… you’ve forgotten it.
I thought it was quite funny and the responses have been a treasure of good humor on display for all.
How terribly sad to go through life with no sense of or appreciation of humor.
You ask people to laugh at jokes that degrade them and perpetuate hurtful stereotypes about them, and then you call them humorless. Maybe their pain isn’t the problem. Maybe you’re just a shitty comedian.
Those wondering what the connection is between feminists and Muslims when they have such antithetical world views and goals that are completely contrary to each other just need to read the responses here.
Both feminists and Muslims are utterly humorless and they both want to force people to bend to their will. I guess it is not that important what they want people to do as long as they can force people to do it.