More People Should Take Up Smoking

Apologies in advance for the long rant but Babe is spitting the dummy.

I recently got slice and diced on another blog for my comment about poor writing in some erotica getting sold because it was covered by bad words and crassness. Now why folks were offended is beyond me. For one thing, as I pointed out at the time, I've read very little erotica so chances are good that I haven't read their work and equally my perception could just be from reading a poor sample of what's available. Even those whose work I might have read a little of would have been in RD contests where we're still honing and perfecting our pieces so it would hardly be a definitive example of their work. Most of my disrespect of erotica comes from pubbed stuff I've won or seen in the library and read enough of to want to puke, then put back/thrown away. Just this week I read about 20p of an "award winning" erotica writer and came across sloppy writing and some stuff that was medically inaccurate. I hate bad writing in all its forms, and yes, I realize that what constitutes "bad writing" may vary and I am not the standards police, but firstly , my opinion is as valid as the next and secondly, some tenets of what makes good writing must surely stand or else what is the point of learning craft at all?

Anyhow, I was shocked to be carved and took my wounds to RD where I did in deed get some support that this woman was just making an ass of herself rather than bringing me down, and some of that support even came from erotica writers I might add so clearly my comment was not offensive to all. But to some it was a red flag. I got a couple of girls who disagreed with me, that's cool, but some others who poured unmitigated venom and defensiveness down the line. Oh boy! Why is it folks who say they "don't blow smoke" think that's an excuse to beat their POV down your neck in an aggressive and disrespectful way? Don't they know that their fire will burn just as bright if they say what they mean politely, and in fact, I for one am much more likely to listen. If I want temper tantrums I'll spend more time with my kids. There is a difference between assertively stating your case and refusing to let anyone else HAVE a case. I find it ironical that those who scream loudest against censorship, even a perceived slight on their right to be offensive, are the very ones who jump on anyone expressing a conservative opinion. Hah! As the saying goes, "Against stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain."

So I decided to bow out, not answer and leave them to rant. They weren't really listening as evidenced by what they thought I was saying as opposed to what I really said. There was agenda being pushed whether it fit or not. Unfortunately another girl who could see the agenda and hypocrisy in action tried to point this out and became collateral damage. I feel terrible about that. Furthermore, to keep the peace since I am a moderator on the board, I needed to ask everyone to calm down which could be construed as this girl being in the wrong when she wasn't IMO. The thing is, there are enough real problems in the world without beating up new ego-driven ones. And for a parting shot I might add that I have read erotica writers who IMO were good writers and yes, initially when I found them it challenged what I believed about the genre. Hey, I never claimed to be perfect.