You almost have to admire the false bravado. You can always rely on Johnny to pretend he doesn’t care, right up to the point that he completely loses it and goes on another Twitter rampage.
John ScalziVerified account @scalzi
Ah, I see some GamerGaters are whining to Tor that I am being mean to them. Well, good luck with that tactic, kids.Charlotte Moore @cavaticat
@scalzi 5 stars out of 5, would recommend Scalzi meanness to friends.Dave Doyle @meraxes
@scalzi That’s adorable.The Horrible Demonis @den_down_unda
@scalzi Really? I thought it was just the RSHD?Nikki Smalls @nikkismalls
@scalzi “Stop telling me I can’t be a horrible asshat!”-GamerGatersChristian @ChryssF
@scalzi Oh please oh please oh please let them get a glorious email from @pnh. Please.Lesley Mitchell @dkscully
@scalzi Aww. The poor things! (By which I mean the undeserving folk at Tor having to deal with that crap coming their way!)Robert Davis @rdaviswrites
@scalzi Tor: “Oh boy, Scalzi’s name recognition is going through the roof! Yay!” *deletes stupid gamergate complaint emails*Brian @btskinn
@scalzi Just be glad modern schools don’t teach dialectic – otherwise they might be able to name and counter your rhetorical tactics.Dracolich Eyrie @ApeAquatic
@scalzi cleary because this is about ethics and not at all about silencing opposing voices.☠ DangerIck ☠ @RangerRick
@meraxes @scalzi I believe you mean… *pushes up glasses* That’s a-Tor-able. #sorry #notsorryObSCARYcaGGC @ObscuricaGGC
@scalzi Do… uh… do they have no idea who runs Tor and what their ideological affiliations- no, of course they don’t. Never mind.Michael Jewell @MichaelJewell78
@scalzi hmmmm sure money maker on one hand, whining brats on the other…. Wonder which one Tor will support….SusPECT EVERYONE @SusLikesTurtles
@scalzi I read one of those tweets like 15 times and it still makes no sense. It seems to say Anti-GG = SFWA. Or. Something. WHAT.John M. Atkinson @Dekarch
@scalzi because they are likely to impact BOOK sales that much…Stephen Dunscombe @cythraul
@scalzi I’d say “Ain’t they adorable?” Except they’re not.SocialJusticeWarlock @dreveillark
@scalzi but it’s all about ethics, not routing anyone who disagrees with them!CALMicScream @CALMicC
@scalzi The same movement that doxxes and threatens rape, death, and dismemberment thinks you’ve been “mean”?Christopher Brown @Cdbrow1
@scalzi Since they obviously are not ‘readers’ I don’t see TOR caring.The Horrible Demonis @den_down_unda
@alexvdl0 That’s why I was surprised. The RSHD isn’t a GamerGater. He’s just a freelance asshole.Christopher Brown @Cdbrow1
@scalzi maybe I should buy more copies of your books to express my outrage.Geek Girl Diva @geekgirldiva
@cavaticat @scalzi Unlike Adobe, Tor knows how to do research. Also, OMG whiny babies.Rekeiji… Boo! @Rekeiji
@scalzi Sounds like them, censor the shit out of any who disagree. Why bother trying to debate?Sir Ghrys of Wald @Ghryswald
@scalzi That’s so cute. Are they writing actual letters? In cursive?Kootiepatra @Kootiepatra
@scalzi I’m sure Tor will not take aforementioned whining seriously, but I still feel like saying for the record: (1/2)Tim Wright @timswar
@scalzi @DreamtimeDrinne I’m just kinda surprised to see them target a guy… They must actually fear you.Kootiepatra @Kootiepatra
@scalzi Your consistent, positive outlook on women is what caused me to “discover” and begin purchasing your books. Gaining readers FTW.Scary Petertron! @peterlikesbaths
@scalzi You can’t be mean on the internet, Scalzi!Alex von der Linden @alexvdl0
@den_down_unda Yeah, but he’s got game cred, and he’s exploiting the fuck out of it.Daniel P Krouse @DanielPKrouse
@scalzi a gamergate is a type of ant. Which is… appropriate. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GamergateErwin van der Koogh @evanderkoogh
@scalzi Very strange indeed. They are very very angry, but even after days of listening/talking I still don’t get why..Gilius Thunderhead @gilius_thunder
@scalzi how many? Two. Nobody in #GamerGate gives a shit about you. Your job is to help facilitate the irrelevance of your publisher. Shoo
Now, it’s certainly true that given their left-wing ideological affiliations (which the pinkshirts no longer deny) Tor Books is unlikely to have the good sense to tell Scalzi to shut up, but what people don’t know is that most of Tor’s bestselling books are… videogame tie-in novels. As it happens, I have personal connections with three of the executives at the two developers responsible for two of Tor’s best-selling book lines, so I’m placing a few calls this weekend. It should be interesting to get their perspective on Tor’s ideology and their probable refusal to condemn John Scalzi’s statements concerning gamers and #GamerGate.
I doubt they’ll care enough to pull the books, but you never know. Anyhow, since we obviously have Mr. Scalzi’s blessing, I also shared his words with SyFy, whom I am sure will be interested to know their new partner’s attitude towards the group that makes up a substantial percentage of their core market.
“If you’re still pro-GamerGate at this point, you’re a shitty human, or a shitty human’s useful idiot.” – John Scalzi @SyfyTV
What would be useful, if anyone is inclined and has the time, is to put together a list of anti-GamerGate SFWA members concerning #GamerGate. As for John Scalzi’s rhetorical tactics, his favored one is ambiguity, as I noted last year:
What I found so amusing about this is that McRapey clearly hasn’t changed his debating technique since at least 2005.
- Make an obviously questionable assertion.
- When the assertion is questioned, appeal to bachelor’s degree.
- When the appeal to the bachelor’s degree is questioned, question the questioner’s intellect and/or good will.
- Avoid further questions.
- Posture as if one has thoroughly proved one’s point.
Riccola isn’t the first to discover John Scalzi’s rhetorical limitations. In addition to my first encounter with them in 2005, Agathis had much the same experience. Not only does McRapey have no observable capacity for dialectic, his rhetoric is almost entirely limited to name-calling, argumentum ad hominem, inept satire, and the sophistic technique known as “ambiguity”. The irony of Scalzi’s position should be readily apparent when one compares his observed lack of rhetorical skill with the Dunning-Kruger effect checklist.