Stephen King being bashed re: Army comment

[ATG]

King spoke his mind, and that's his right.

indubitably.

Just like it's, indubitably, my right to be confirmed, once again, in my opinion that authors of fiction are much more intelligent when they write fiction than when they speak their mind.

[Matt]

I suppose I can agree on that but I still think that SK shouldn't have to worry about speaking his opinion. So folks don't agree...who cares?

I tried to post an analogy on that persons blog but he wouldn't put it up.

Being insulted about what King said is like the following:

Suppose I say something like..."I don't let my dog sleep in my bed, I find it disgusting"

Lets say you hear that and do let your dog sleep in the bed.

You respond to me with..."you think I'm disgusting!!"

To that I say..."no, that was my personal opinion for me"

Its an example but it illustrates why I could never be offended by someones personal opinion. That's about them, not about me.

[mae]

I'm just amazed that such an offhand comment really was so blown out of proportion and had its meaning distorted by these rightwing bloggers.

I think it's clear to anyone that what King meant by his comment was that those that struggle with school and reading will have much less opportunities in life.

[Matt]

I think it's clear to anyone that what King meant by his comment was that those that struggle with school and reading will have much less opportunities in life.

I think that is exactly what he meant to say. Very well put Pablo and I really wish he would have just used that.

[ATG]

I know what he said, here is what I believe he meant;
Soldiers are generally stupid. You would have to be stupid to march into machine gun fire or napalm a village. You'd have to be both stupid and evil to dream up a bio-weapon, and surely such thinking can only come from the military, which is made up of stupid people.

I absolutely support his right to be demeaning and insulting to millions of family members who ( maybe having been suckered or not, different topic ) joined the military after 9-11 to defend what we were told was a imminent threat to our way of life.

I do not agree with this at all ATG. I believe military service is a very noble calling and the people who decide to do it understand that their are sometimes things that are bigger than themselves.

I don't consider my self stupid for joining, it was one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I'm also very proud of my son-in-law who is active duty now. It takes a hero, not an idiot, to do the things you mentioned above.

With that being said, I totally support your right to an opinion on the subject so I am glad you put it in here.

Note I wasn't saying what I think of soldiers, but what I think King thinks of soldiers.

I think it's clear to anyone that what King meant by his comment was that those that struggle with school and reading will have much less opportunities in life.

I think that is exactly what he meant to say. Very well put Pablo and I really wish he would have just used that.

I bet he wishes he had too.
Calling for a email attack was not wise.

[bodacious ta-tas]

Hi, all. Haven't been here in awhile (hangs head, shuffles feet), sorry. I see Mrs. Smeej is here, HI!! (Rose Key from SKMB).
Now, then, I tried to register to Shepard's Blog to advise him that Steve did not close down his website because of Shepard and his fans. Also that the Moderator had planned to go on vacation a while ago, and had informed the members there of this fact at least 6 days ago. I have not been allowed to complete my registration, and it galls me that the people on his blog are saying that Steve's fans are not standing up for him. Well, we can't get through!!!
You can disagree with what he said, but why is everything he says so dissected? It's a shame the man can't say anything without causing such an uproar. We are all human, and sometimes don't think through every word we utter before we utter it. I'm sure whatever job he picked to illustrate his point about literacy would have elicited some angry responses.

[Matt]

That last line is a good point bodacious (great to see you by the way). Could be that in our current cultural comment there is no way he could have said in a way that didn't piss someone off.

Unless he said what Pablo posted above.

[Brice]

That's why celebrities should stick to what they do best and leave the politics to workaday joes who are not worth a billion dollars or so.

?????


What does what he's worth have to do with any of this?

So...just because a person becomes famous they shouldn't say what they think and feel? That's ludicrous and irrational! His right to speak his mind is the same as yours or mine...no more...no less. I really don't think King intended any offense to the soldiers who are in the military. I think maybe King worded what he was trying to say a little poorly. This whole situation to me is blown completely out of proportion.

[Brice]

Hi, all. Haven't been here in awhile (hangs head, shuffles feet), sorry. I see Mrs. Smeej is here, HI!! (Rose Key from SKMB).
Now, then, I tried to register to Shepard's Blog to advise him that Steve did not close down his website because of Shepard and his fans. Also that the Moderator had planned to go on vacation a while ago, and had informed the members there of this fact at least 6 days ago. I have not been allowed to complete my registration, and it galls me that the people on his blog are saying that Steve's fans are not standing up for him. Well, we can't get through!!!
You can disagree with what he said, but why is everything he says so dissected? It's a shame the man can't say anything without causing such an uproar. We are all human, and sometimes don't think through every word we utter before we utter it. I'm sure whatever job he picked to illustrate his point about literacy would have elicited some angry responses.

I registered also and then I got an email with a password. When I went and logged in though it said access denied.

[jhanic]

I've not even tried to register. My daddy always told me not to argue with fools.

John

[Matt]

He won't let me on either even though I mentioned he already quoted me in his blog.

And I agree Brice. The right to voice your opinion should not be based on how famous you are. The cycle is simple.

He says what he thinks. People get pissed--some stop buying his books

Some don't and don't care. That is the risk he takes and I am sure he is well aware of that.

[ladysai]

He won't let me on either even though I mentioned he already quoted me in his blog.

That's ABSURD!
How can he single you out for criticism and then refuse to let you respond to his comment?!


Ladies and Gentlemen of the good ol' USA...
if you hold dear the privilege of voicing your opinion, be happy,
since the founders and defenders of this country have granted you that privilege.
But also understand, that with that privilege comes the responsibility to allow your fellow Americans to express their opinions, whether their opinion agrees with yours or not.

Sometimes I wonder if we spend too much time worrying about our rights that we lose sight of our responsibilities to each other.

[Brice]

He won't let me on either even though I mentioned he already quoted me in his blog.

And I agree Brice. The right to voice your opinion should not be based on how famous you are. The cycle is simple.

He says what he thinks. People get pissed--some stop buying his books

Some don't and don't care. That is the risk he takes and I am sure he is well aware of that.

I'm gonna' email him and see why he says I'm not approved. I'm just curious what he'll say.

I just love the people on that site talking about how they used to be big fans of him and how NOW they're gonna' get rid of all their first editions.

[jayson]

I just love the people on that site talking about how they used to be big fans of him and how NOW they're gonna' get rid of all their first editions.

Just like the people in the 60's who claimed to be such big Beatles' fans and then lined up to burn their records bc they were upset about Lennon's "bigger than Jesus" remark. Even if I were offended by King's comments [which I am not], it might make me not want to read anything he put out in the future, but I don't see how it could retroactively change my opinion about books I already read and enjoyed. If you do get on their Brice, tell them to send any first editions our way. I'd be happy to take them off of their hands for them.

[Brice]

Sorry, my friend you gotta' get in line behind me.

Anyhow...I clicked the contact link and apparently it takes up to a week for accounts to be activated.

And yes, that's exactly what it's like. Personally I don't care what Steve's politics are. I just enjoy his stories. If he were a total asshole I still would. *shrug*


And sorry, but at the time The Beatles popularity was giving Jesus a run for his money.

[mae]

I don't know if this is related but I have a feeling it is. Take a look at the edit history of Stephen King's Wikipedia article, for instance here: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?...ldid=210803072 It's being constantly defaced by vandals for the last couple of days non-stop.

[Matt]

That is horrible

I can't believe people.

[Daghain]

Jesus, don't people have better things to do with their time? Honestly.

[MrsSmeej]

I knew this was going to be trouble as soon as I saw the link to Ann Coulter at that website... She's rabid. I hope this doesn't turn into another Jane Fonda thing.

Hi Bodacious/Rose Key. I thought I recognized your avatar.
(I miss mine.)

[Daghain]

Nice to know the nutbar contingent is alive and well, anyway.

[MrsSmeej]

Sadly, they seem to be growing healthier every day.

[Matt]

Yeah they do, I searched the internet for information on it, there are several blogs with the same bullcrap info. I'm doing my best to represent.

[Daghain]

Matt, you can't argue with stupid.

[Matt]

I know but this person seems pretty civil about it. I told her it was wrong as fuck that people would personally attack him the way they have when his comment could have been considered an insult but not personal.

[MrsSmeej]

With Ms. Mod on vacation, I hope someone is letting Stephen know that things are getting ugly out there. I'd hate for this to be a full blown feud by the time she gets back. I do wish Mr. King hadn't called for an e-mail campaign. It just seemed to add more fuel to the fire.