My belovedest of Daras told me this morning that she got into an argument on Tumblr, wherein another party first snarkily demanded whether she could provide any evidence that Orson Scott Card had ever said anything against queer people. And, when she provided them a map to Mt. Why Yes Card Has Shot Off His Mouth Repeatedly On This Very Topic, they promptly shifted the argument over to “well, you should support this movie anyway because it’s racially diverse!”
Dara didn’t buy this argument. Neither do I.
Leave aside the whole question of whether you’re actually accomplishing anything if you refuse to support Card’s work. What it boils down to for me is, if I say, “Look, I’m not going to go watch this movie, because I feel that the writer is a raving homophobe and trying to watch anything with his name on it is tantamount to my being punched in the face”, and you then say, “Well, you should watch it anyway, because if you don’t, these other people over here might also be punched in the face!”, you know what you’re saying to me?
You’re saying that my motives for refusing to engage with the art don’t matter. And you’re also throwing in a side helping of guilt on top of it.
And for what? For my refusal to engage with a piece of art. You are, in short, trying to dictate to me how I should spend my entertainment time and money, which is an asshole maneuver to pull. Especially when the entertainment in question wouldn’t even entertain me, because c.f. previous commentary re: punching in the face.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I don’t care how well done a particular book, movie, television show, musical performance, or whatever might be, I’m not obliged to engage with it. And if I’ve specifically stated I’m avoiding that piece of art, for the love of gods, do not then try to force that piece of art down my throat. It’s not going to make me like it, and it sure as hell is not going to make me think any more favorably of you for dismissing my stance on the matter.
So no, still not going to see Ender’s Game. By the same token, I am still not going to give anybody a hard time for choosing to do so. Because it’s no more my place to critique your choices on how you spend your entertainment time and money than it is yours to do so to mine.
I have much better things to be doing anyway, and what limited time I have for movies in the next couple of months will be much better applied to Thor: The Dark World, Catching Fire, and The Desolation of Smaug.
