tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18499463.post116437097325555682..comments2023-10-31T11:37:50.028-04:00Comments on on life & other inconveniences: Would I Be Angrier If I Was A Lesbian?Sandra Ruttanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06109584805469336742noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18499463.post-1164604661176218292006-11-27T00:17:00.000-05:002006-11-27T00:17:00.000-05:00Tanginika, that's an unfortunate reality, isn't it...Tanginika, that's an unfortunate reality, isn't it?Sandra Ruttanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06109584805469336742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18499463.post-1164598406579940362006-11-26T22:33:00.000-05:002006-11-26T22:33:00.000-05:00It is true that taking comments out of context can...It is true that taking comments out of context can stir a lot of turmoil due to the interpretation each individual can give to a set of words. People just use information in the best way it suits them to prove their point and not really to be faithful to the truth sometimes.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12438978088960764957noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18499463.post-1164576196225696532006-11-26T16:23:00.000-05:002006-11-26T16:23:00.000-05:00That's a good example Gabriele. I think that, whe...That's a good example Gabriele. I think that, wherever possible, you should check out an interviewer's work and know what you're in for. That way, you know what to expect and what the repercussions might be.<BR/><BR/>There aren't many children in my books either. Come to think of it, some of the teenagers are the most screwed up of the lot...Sandra Ruttanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06109584805469336742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18499463.post-1164575883612751622006-11-26T16:18:00.000-05:002006-11-26T16:18:00.000-05:00And the lesson an aspiring writer learns from that...And the lesson an aspiring writer learns from that? Don't ever agree to taped interviews, accept only written questions and insist there be no commentary. :)<BR/><BR/>Can you imagine what someone would make of a question/answer like this.<BR/>Q. I notice there are no children in your books, at least none that play any role.<BR/>A. I don't connect well to children and thus I can't write them. I know it's a bit of a shortcoming because a complex society like the Picts I present should have some kids that do more than running across the screen. But I can't seem to make them realistic.<BR/><BR/>Comment: GC hates children.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18499463.post-1164564478532484382006-11-26T13:07:00.000-05:002006-11-26T13:07:00.000-05:00Anne, I think that's part of it. As kids we're ta...Anne, I think that's part of it. As kids we're taught to use newspaper and magazine clippings as reference sources in our schoolwork. Considering them a legitimate information source gives them authority, as accurate, true.<BR/><BR/>Unfortunately, people forget that past the front page (and even on the front page) a lot of what's reported isn't fact-based.<BR/><BR/>I have luxuries others don't on this particular topic. Ian, Mark Billingham, Val McDermid, Denise Mina and Natasha Cooper were on the gender debate panel at Harrogate. There were parts of that panel that went in this direction, discussing violence in books as well. Val openly confessed she nearly lost her breakfast reading part of Stuart MacBride's last book. Funny thing is, Stuart doesn't think he writes particularly violent, dark stuff (he blogged about this recently). Perhaps like many things, violence is in the eye of the beholder.<BR/><BR/>Beyond that, I've actually talked to Ian about discrimination against people based on their sexual orientation. I'm not going to relay that. I'm only going to say there's no doubt in my mind about what he believes. So this was a case, for me, where I automatically read about this and knew something wasn't right.<BR/><BR/>The fact that the interview had been interpreted to mean that Ian is anti-lesbian is appalling to me. I suppose what's even more shocking is that there were a number of people who were more than happy to drag his name through the mud over this.<BR/><BR/>People always told me it was just the romance writers who couldn't wait to sink their claws into another author's back, but I've seen a bit of that over this issue. It's sad.Sandra Ruttanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06109584805469336742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18499463.post-1164563494070816512006-11-26T12:51:00.000-05:002006-11-26T12:51:00.000-05:00i was thinking about this again last night. i kno...i was thinking about this again last night. i know a month or two ago when this first surfaced i believed it. i didn't put any blame ian rankin. i simply thought he probably hadn't read many female writers over the past 10 years. what bothers me is that i did believe it when i've had enough experience with the press and journalists to know how they can manipulate and just plain fuck things up. and even knowing that, i'm always in belief mode when i read something. it's very strange. i wonder if it goes back to how we learned in grade school.anne frasierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13044828332429421657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18499463.post-1164506960382997252006-11-25T21:09:00.000-05:002006-11-25T21:09:00.000-05:00Cornelia, thanks for that name. I should have loo...Cornelia, thanks for that name. I should have looked it up. I think we have the dvd here somewhere.<BR/><BR/>Anne (and C) glad you liked the post. Thanks. Ruth's post was great, I thought. She's a wise woman.Sandra Ruttanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06109584805469336742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18499463.post-1164506641452564642006-11-25T21:04:00.000-05:002006-11-25T21:04:00.000-05:00absolutely fantastic post, sandra.absolutely fantastic post, sandra.anne frasierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13044828332429421657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18499463.post-1164504395102252682006-11-25T20:26:00.000-05:002006-11-25T20:26:00.000-05:00Sandra, outstanding post, and thank you so much fo...Sandra, outstanding post, and thank you so much for the link to Ruth's comments on this, too.<BR/><BR/>Bret Easton Ellis wrote the novel AMERICAN PSYCHO. Don't know who did the screenplay.Cornelia Readhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16690027252725967075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18499463.post-1164473459812771152006-11-25T11:50:00.000-05:002006-11-25T11:50:00.000-05:00"However, I guess that's what it's like being put ..."However, I guess that's what it's like being put on the spot in a live interview."<BR/><BR/>Steve, a really insightful comment (all of it) but that line above really grabbed me. That's the whole point of my posts on this, in a nutshell. You've afforded someone the benefit of the doubt, that given more time to think about it they would have chosen their words with more care. That's all I would ask people do for Ian.<BR/><BR/>Unfortunately, not everyone is charitable, and the discussions continue elsewhere. It's sad.<BR/><BR/>Wasn't it you who talked about American Psycho some time back? Or was it John? Has to be one of the more violent films I've seen that doesn't fall under straight horror (by that I mean Nightmare on Elm Street crap). I don't remember who wrote it, though.Sandra Ruttanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06109584805469336742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18499463.post-1164465236953933192006-11-25T09:33:00.000-05:002006-11-25T09:33:00.000-05:00Good article, Sandra, and thanks for the Womans Ho...Good article, Sandra, and thanks for the Womans Hour link. Personally, I think this is really a non-issue, and I have a hard time believing there's been any kind of whispering campaign going on about lesbians writing violence. I also don't really see that writing violent books is a bad thing, to the extent that saying lesbians write more violent books than straight women or men could be considered homophobic. Surely, if true, it would simply be an observation? <BR/><BR/>But like you said, nobody knows if it's true or not. I have very little idea of who's a lesbian and who isn't (and couldn't care less), and comparison of violence in books is largely subjective anyway. There is a much broader and more interesting angle in the radio interview, though, which is about sex rather than sexuality. I respect Val a great deal, but cringed a little when she suggested that John Connolly wrote violent scenes with "relish", which seems a tad unfair. In the context of a discussion about whether women were more free to write violence against women because of their gender, a counter-example was fine, but the word concerning a male writer's assumed attitude/motivation was badly picked and unfortunately loaded. However, I guess that's what it's like being put on the spot in a live interview. <BR/><BR/>Anyway - yes, Mo Hayder is a straight woman who writes violent crime fiction. Val is a lesbian who writes moderately violent crime fiction. John Connolly is a man who writes moderately violent crime fiction. But all pale in comparison to splatterpunk horror writers. In fact, even the most violent crime fiction out there looks tame next to selected works by Jack Ketchum, Edward Lee, Richard Laymon, and so on. And none of them are lesbians.<BR/><BR/>If we take the genre divisions away, the situation becomes clearer. If we take the divisions of author gender and sexuality out of the equation too ... well, if nothing else, you now have the way I approach a bookshop.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18499463.post-1164396044163757322006-11-24T14:20:00.000-05:002006-11-24T14:20:00.000-05:00Sand Storm, it's also why I don't have a career in...Sand Storm, it's also why I don't have a career in journalism.<BR/><BR/>Interestingly enough, my first book has a female protagonist who's a journalist. And the question of reporter ethics runs throughout the whole book.Sandra Ruttanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06109584805469336742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18499463.post-1164392601437967352006-11-24T13:23:00.000-05:002006-11-24T13:23:00.000-05:00John, yes, you've nailed a good point. It's what ...John, yes, you've nailed a good point. It's what writers do. We think about stuff. Like why aren't more black people writing crime fiction. See - a whole different can of worms to contend with, and it was a question asked at Bouchercon, actually.<BR/><BR/>In the past few months I had the chance to talk to a good friend, and one of the things I said to him was that in general it seemed more men were writing about feelings and serious issues lately, and a lot of women were writing really violent stuff. It's a generalization. Lord knows my first book isn't very violent at all, not even by comparison to other work I've done.<BR/><BR/>But it's an interesting thing to consider. I read Mark Billingham's stuff and he gets so inside the victim that I want to cry. I feel I know what they're going through. The first book of Val McDermid's I read gave me nightmares.<BR/><BR/>That doesn't turn into an absolute, that all women write the most violent stuff, or that all women writing violence are lesbians. But I do think we see higher percentages than we're aware of in other fields, and it may just be because artists talk about this stuff. Teachers don't so much.Sandra Ruttanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06109584805469336742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18499463.post-1164391859563498792006-11-24T13:10:00.000-05:002006-11-24T13:10:00.000-05:00"I find that interesting." How did that become neg..."I find that interesting." How did that become negative? It's what writers do, they wonder about people.<BR/><BR/>This is a lot like the appropriation of voice arguments that made university so boring.<BR/><BR/>These are conversations writers shouldn't bother with.<BR/><BR/>But I have to say, though, I may be offended that apparently I want to be Wojo. I want to be Harris. Maybe Dietricht. As I get older I find myself more and more like Fish. I aspire to being Barney.<BR/><BR/>The problem is, Ruth's right - too many men do want to be Wojo.John McFetridgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09442198820998606682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18499463.post-1164388072731779402006-11-24T12:07:00.000-05:002006-11-24T12:07:00.000-05:00Evil Kev, your conclusion seems a bit harsh to me,...Evil Kev, your conclusion seems a bit harsh to me, but then we've discussed it and I know why you said it. I just wish stuff like this wouldn't have an impact at all.<BR/><BR/>Norby, what a frustrating thing to be accused like that. You're right - it's virtually impossible to prove an untruth. In some people's minds there will always be lingering suspicions.<BR/><BR/>And the public isn't always loyal. I think that those are the two things that bother me most: the way this has been dragged on has the potential to damage someone ambushed in an interview. And so many people are willing to believe random accusations that fly in the face of everything we've known about a person for decades.<BR/><BR/>I suppose it's always true that when the chips are down, that's when you find out who your friends really are. As you know I debated long and hard over whether or not to post this. I don't want to be continuing it. But the fact that people are still google searching the topic and discussing it on radio as recently as yesterday means it's ongoing anyway. And people aren't really talking about whether or not more women or lesbians are writing violent crime fiction: They're talking about Ian.<BR/><BR/>Eileen, Ian has far more self restraint than I do! I can completely appreciate why he wouldn't want to go on radio to discuss this. Talk about being set up for a second ambush.<BR/><BR/>And I'm going to live with the idea of Ian as our Charlie for a long time, thanks to you! But if Ian is our Charlie, who is our Bosley? Eish. The mind boggles.Sandra Ruttanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06109584805469336742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18499463.post-1164387484826521562006-11-24T11:58:00.000-05:002006-11-24T11:58:00.000-05:00The other problem is that if Ian comes back to try...The other problem is that if Ian comes back to try and explain what may have been the larger context- it continues the story and puts him at risk for headlines like "Ian R. says he loves lesbians" which I can imagine he can do without- or may be tempted to cut out for a scrapbook. <BR/><BR/>As you know I see Ian as Charlie to our angel status.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18499463.post-1164386737976080152006-11-24T11:45:00.000-05:002006-11-24T11:45:00.000-05:00Sandra the post is great, which I expected.When I ...Sandra the post is great, which I expected.<BR/><BR/>When I worked on the housing staff in college, I was accused of being racist because I wrote up some minority students for violating policy and they said I let white students get away with something at the same time. You know what, even when you and your friends know it's not true, it's impossible to prove an untruth. No matter what happens in the future, you always know that you were accused, that someone may have believed that about you.<BR/><BR/>From the moment I read that article it seemed suspicious to me. I have the luxury of not being an author and not having to worry one rat's ass what anyone thinks of me, but it seemed obvious that the questionable quote had been stuck in there for the journalist's benefit only.<BR/><BR/>I am frustrated to see people so willing to endlessly debate this topic. In the end I don't think most readers really care about all this, they just want good stories. norbyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18499463.post-1164374986540184532006-11-24T08:29:00.000-05:002006-11-24T08:29:00.000-05:00I am curious to find out if any of these people wh...I am curious to find out if any of these people who are so eager to accuse Ian Rankin would want to be interviewed by this reporter or one like her. When a reporter admits she wanted to get this topic discussed (since it was an unspoken truth in her words) and as such ambushed an author to advance her agenda, that is not only shameful but should be a career ender for her.<BR/><BR/>I think the worst part of this is that so many people never questioned the motives of a reporter who just stopped short of admitting she ambushed Ian Rankin to advance her career and found it so easy to believe that Ian Rankin is homophobic. <BR/><BR/>I don't know Ian Rankin but my wife does. She told me back in the summer that she talked to him about discrimination and that he's not anti-lesbian, far from it. She's told me a lot of his books touch on social issues, like racism, and I find it sad that someone that's always tried to bring awareness to issues in his work has been labeled as a result of being tricked in an interview. <BR/><BR/>I have met Val McDermid and I found her to be a very pleasant person and none of my comments are directed at her.<BR/><BR/>But I do wonder what will happen when one of the bandwagon jumpers gets interviewed in the future by a reporter, who needs that big story to make it to the big time, and finds themselves accused of being homophobic or racist or whatever. Imagine the feeling of having so few defend you and so many eager to slander you. <BR/><BR/>For me, each of these bandwagon jumpers have given me a reason to not read anything they have written. Jumping on a slander bandwagon is the lowest thing someone can do and I refuse to support the careers of anyone eager to do that.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com