Friday, August 31, 2007
SFWA's Latest Foolishness
I see I've had a few hits today, people coming from John Scalzi's platform for SFWA President, when he and I unsuccessfully ran on write-in campaigns, me for VP. The reason, I suspect, can be best found in Cory Doctorow's post at BoingBoing.
By the time I stumbled across the fuss in one of the SFWA private areas on SFF Net, 200+ messages had accrued, a lot of them remarkably obtuse, at least one individual yelling loudly over the tops of everyones' heads, doing his usual best to ignore whatever was said. Even if I didn't feel I was coming late to the party, it was frustrating enough that I just didn't bother to post my own thoughts.
However, as I'm currently the President of SF Canada (obviously a much smaller organization), I figure it probably makes sense to have an opinion on this. In a letter to members of SFC, I told them that I personally agree with Cory when he says "When SFWA begins to muddy the waters by asserting that the organization is its members' representative for copyright, they make it harder for actual copyright enforcement agents to do their job..." Beyond that, I've asked the members for input on their own personal beliefs on how and where their own work should appear electronically.
I'd like for all of us to be on the same page, but I understand that this is impossible. What is possible is that SFC not descend into the lunacy that consistently strikes SFWA, especially when certain people get it in their heads that they know what's best for the rest of us.
I see I've had a few hits today, people coming from John Scalzi's platform for SFWA President, when he and I unsuccessfully ran on write-in campaigns, me for VP. The reason, I suspect, can be best found in Cory Doctorow's post at BoingBoing.
By the time I stumbled across the fuss in one of the SFWA private areas on SFF Net, 200+ messages had accrued, a lot of them remarkably obtuse, at least one individual yelling loudly over the tops of everyones' heads, doing his usual best to ignore whatever was said. Even if I didn't feel I was coming late to the party, it was frustrating enough that I just didn't bother to post my own thoughts.
However, as I'm currently the President of SF Canada (obviously a much smaller organization), I figure it probably makes sense to have an opinion on this. In a letter to members of SFC, I told them that I personally agree with Cory when he says "When SFWA begins to muddy the waters by asserting that the organization is its members' representative for copyright, they make it harder for actual copyright enforcement agents to do their job..." Beyond that, I've asked the members for input on their own personal beliefs on how and where their own work should appear electronically.
I'd like for all of us to be on the same page, but I understand that this is impossible. What is possible is that SFC not descend into the lunacy that consistently strikes SFWA, especially when certain people get it in their heads that they know what's best for the rest of us.
Labels: SF Canada, SFWA, writing
// posted by Derryl Murphy @ 6:31 PM 
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