Comments on: why i will never read “ender’s game”

By: MJ

MJ — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 03:03:33 +0000

It is ironic that Orson Scott Card is against homosexuality, and is using his celebrity status as a launching pad for power in telling the world how to conduct their lives. The irony lies in how his stance is opposite to what occurs in “Ender’s Game”. Firstly, by his gaining power to influence the minds of people, he takes on the negative attributes of Peter, a villain character, who is hurtful in how he manipulates and takes pleasure in hurting others, and expands to reaching out his voice through the media and internet. Peter is Ender’s brother, and has a history of being two-faced, like Card, by being seemingly kind and winsome to people, yet stabbing them in the back. Secondly, while Card himself opposes homosexuality, there is a considerable amount of homosexual-like close relations between the boys in the military school, from Ajai kissing Ender and saying “Salaam” while blushing, and later holding hands with him in the hallways (with comment on how they have roots built under their metaphorical wall between them, roots that will never be severed in their connection to each other) to many scenes of boys walking around in the nude, to, lastly a fight between Ender and another villian in a shower scene, with boys naked, Ender lathered in soap, and gymnastics. I am only halfway through the book at this point…. Mr. Card, are you hiding something about yourself, which you are violently ashamed of? Don’t be ashamed. Come out of the closet!

By: Chris Haueter

Chris Haueter — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 16:01:07 +0000

Clint, thanks for sharing your life with us. I’ve totally ripped off your WordPress theme (and lowercase titles) on my own blog at chrishaueter.com. “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” Recently I publicly announced my SGA on Facebook. I’ve gotten a flurry of supportive responses, as well as some suggestions/questions from people, both those who experience SGA and those who don’t. Anyhoo, I’ve read several of your blog posts and appreciate your openness.

By: Trevor

Trevor — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 05:15:18 +0000

Yeah, don’t punish yourself for Card’s wrongs. His books are really good; just get them at a library like Anon suggested. I actually reread *Speaker for the Dead* recently (first read it in junior high n-teen years ago) and really enjoyed it. I didn’t know about his anti-gay-ness the first time I read it, but reading it this time I couldn’t help but read with something of a critical eye this time around whenever issues of love and marriage are mentioned (and they are fairly often as leitmotifs in this book).

You know what I found? It was still really inspiring. I thought it was kind of funny: he has some really moving things to say on marriage in particular which just drive home why same-sex marriage should be welcomed–at least they did to me as I read. He’s a really good writer and has lots of good things to say. I don’t blame you for not wanting to directly support him, but it’s silly to punish oneself for another’s wrongs.

By: Anon

Anon — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 01:58:12 +0000

Just check out Ender’s Game from a library. No money will go to Mr. Card in that situation. (Or you could find a bootlegged copy online.) It’s a good read, despite it’s ethical/moral complications (see: http://www4.ncsu.edu/~tenshi/Killer_000.htm for a good article on the subject.)

Also, ditto to Jacob’s comment regarding the ‘Homecoming Earth’ series. Card’s treatment of the ‘Zoram’ character seemed pretty sympathetic. Maybe he’s becoming something of a zealot in his dotage. Also, yeah, ‘Hamlet’s Father’ is utter shit on every imaginable level — maddening, as it’s my favorite play of all time.

By: JJ

JJ — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 21:18:19 +0000

I’d bet Card’s kind to gay individuals despite preaching what he believes is the truth about homosexuality, but I have little regard for his incendiary rantings. They have an air of intelligence, but I think they’re dogmatic and dismissive. I agree that existing twin studies leave questions, but he seems to make huge assumptions far too casually, and his speculation will carry weight with impressionable readers and “the choir”. I lost interest in reading his fictional works years ago because of this.

By: Jacob

Jacob — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 15:35:06 +0000

Interesting. I was unaware of his stance on homosexuality. In fact, I would have guessed that he would have a more liberal viewpoint on the topic. In his “Homecoming Saga” series, which is a retelling of the Book of Mormon as sci-fi, he has Zoram as a gay man and I don’t recall any commentary on that (although he does have him marry a woman, but more out of necessity since they are in the wilderness and there’s one to one ratio of women to men).

I think it can be argued that statements like “they?ll just be playing dress-up in their parents? clothes” is on the borderline of “harsh personal treatment of individuals”.