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warren c. e. austin
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Likes it here |
Location: Toronto, Ontario, CANADA
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 247
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Background note: A certain little "frog" - errrr, maybe a not so little one at that - many of us have come to know, and love or hate, having created a furore with a recent thread here at A Place of Safety (and elsewhere evidently) suggested this topic to me during an e-Mail dialogue he and I have been pursuing. Unfortunately is now ducking for cover because he feels he should not be the one to broach this subject. I, however, do feel that it has merit; and therefore, suggest we all give this some consideration.
It would appear that especially of late, and this is by no means a recent phenomenon, authors - gay and straight alike - are being vigorously harassed and driven away from endeavours by a motley crew of disparate, yet conjoined and concerted, groups wishing to silence their thoughts.
My friend the "frog" asked of me, "Isn't there a better way to protect these authors?", prefacing his enquiry with the statement "In the last two days all kinds of horror stories have surfaced concerning gay and even straight authors being harassed. Several were harassed by religious groups."
I wonder at this too, having had some personal experience with this situation, although not directly, but more through that of my great-grandfather. I ask all of you to ponder what we collectively could do to protect "our" present-day authors from harassment, and ask you to consider my family's own experience in this arena.
Picture if you will the 1880's, North America in the midst of sweeping change from being a "new" frontier, and well on its' to becoming much as we know it's society today.
To this scenario, add a man of considerable means, one of great substance - having both real property and considerable political clout - who, because of circumstance could only live the life he would have wanted for himself through the media of his dreams, and the writings those dreams subsequently fostered; writings I might add that during his lifetime were known only to a precious, and favoured few; each of whom had received signed, leather-bound and gilt-embossed folios of his work as he produced them; each of whom having been, at one turn or another, the very catalyst for the content of one these especial, and remarkable stories; stories that chronicle the temper and mores of the times; none of which could ever be said to have seen the light of day during their currency.
Were in not for the concerted efforts of then radical, and in their time much defamed and derided, "Pulp" Press of the late 1920's and early 1930's, these stories would not be at all known to anyone, outside of perhaps those recipient's own families.
My family to their credit, when the first of my great-grandfather's work appeared under the imprimatur of "Athenaeum" in 1927, and later others either at "Grove Press" or "Millwood" in 1933, 1934, and 1935, chose not to pursue any Copyright infringement, choosing rather that they be published "anonymously", and for the duration of the firestorm that their public release brought forth, remained stoic, yet resolute in their resolve for having not done so.
This issue again surfaced during my lifetime. In 1973, my father, donated the only known complete set of my great-grandfather's writings to the Metro-Toronto Reference Library, where they continue to reside, hidden from view by all but scholars, and other notables, amongst perhaps one of the finest collections of erotica known to mankind. I like to think my father having come to the realization that my great grandfather's work were now to be hidden, and never widely available, after my family had been relentlessly pursued for two-decades to make the gift, that this was largely behind his decision in 1974 not to halt the filming, near our home in British Columbia, of the best known titles of those that had been printed during the Depression.
To this day, all 18 novels remain on the Vatican's notorious codex "Index librorum prohibitorum".
Arising out of consensus amongst my remaining family, a circumstance I am bound by, as are all others, these books will probably will still never be widely available. For you see the subject matter detailed through these novels still has the power to shame their individual sense of moral turpitude, and none, other than I, will willingly bear that, even during these much heralded enlightened times.
What is so remarkable about my family's present attitude is that all of us grew up in a climate where "pornography" was never a taboo. My brother and I, and our children in turn, as my father and his sister before us, found content of a widely disparate and erotic nature, routinely shelved with more mainstream fare. These works were never hidden from view, could be discussed and debated at the dinner-table if we so chose, and secreted away in our rooms to do with what we would, with nary a comment being made by another amongst the family. The intent behind this attitude, and the availability of such material, being to remove any stigmata associated with their content, and in having done so the desire for covert adulation of the art-form. It worked. It worked very well, that is until my brother married into a family that embraced the religious fervour currently sweeping the World. Now what had been commonplace and not very remarkable, and as a consequence of little interest to either my brother or I, has become something dirty, vile, abhorrent and heretical.
I cannot but help wonder at the wisdom of my family's present course, nor that that our World seems to be hell bent on taking.
Warren C. E. Austin
Toronto, Canada
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timmy
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Has no life at all |
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13796
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And the "frog" would have been as welcome as are you to post it here. It benefits from being a separate thread, too. That other one has become at best clouded.
Can you (or he) help us out by simplifying the question you and he would like us to discuss? I fear that it may become hidden in the history?
Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
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warren c. e. austin
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Likes it here |
Location: Toronto, Ontario, CANADA
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 247
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"What can we collectively do to protect today's authors, and those of our past too, from harassment, and worse at the hands of others; this being without regard to the authors themselves being either gay or straight, their particular genre, or further the natuvure of the content portrayed within their work?"
The "frog" and I wish for discussion that is germaine to the topic at hand, whilst at one and the same time may prove to be both purposeful and insightful. Empassioned rhetoric may be made elsewhere, and not here, if that is all you have to contribute.
You will have all read, in the opening statement, of my position , and lately that of family, regarding this subject.
I question anyone having the "right", moral or otherwise, to impose by decree, or otherwise censure, another's thoughts; with this having an especial significance whenever the subject of "erotica" (sic., pornography at best, however polite its' nomenclature) is the cause de jour.
I further question, once having attempted such censure, whether those imposing their views on another have the right to threaten or inflict harm upon those they are attempting to silence.
Warren C. E. Austin
Toronto, Canada
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Guest
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On fire! |
Registered: March 2012
Messages: 2344
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unfortunatly in order to protect these authors,some sort of e-mail monitoring would have to be installed and would place undo financial burdons upon some very good websites.but I do think there is a solution.Its gonna take lots of thought and hard effort.It would be a shame if all the free sites became "pay per read".......frog
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timmy
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Has no life at all |
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13796
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Thank you for restating it so clearly by the way.
Authors have been harrassed for all time. Those who follow the authros of religious matters will note that such people were harrassed for their views. Enid Blyton (A peculiarly English author for children) had her works harrassed by the public libraries because they were, in many ways, too sweet. They also portrayed characters which became non poitically correct as time passed (a gollywog, for example, whch was a traditional doll and was deemed offensive to whatever the current fashionable term is for African people).
Harrassment is why so many online author use pen names. These are no unbreakable once one takes a domain name, and one may always be traced anyway. We "fear" harrassment, or fear exposure into our daily lives (one and the same, really).
I have a view that there are several different types of harrassment. These include- empty email threats and abuse
- guestbook and messageboard threats and abuse
- public exposure of real name in the "pen name environment"
- public exposure of details of real life inthe "Pen name environment"
- real, physical threats in person or to loved ones
- abuse by theft of work
- abuse by misrepresentation of work
- electroinic attacks on computer equipment
The only ones that concern ones that concern me are those that carry a real threat.
Items 1, 2, 6, 7 and 8 are pretty irrelevant. I can handle those easily enough by formal complaints. The others concern me.
BUT I expose myself to them either by choice or by carelessness. I do not yet see how they may thinsg I can be protected agains or protect myself against.
It turns out that my attempt at an answer raises questions instead.
Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
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marc
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Needs to get a life! |
Registered: March 2003
Messages: 4729
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I even had a nut case knocking on my door at home....
The police had to intervene.
What we are doing on the GWG is utilize a moderated portion of our Message Board which will contain comments to authors but still alloing the authors an extra degree on annonymity.
It may not be the best but it is the best we can do at present.
Life is great for me... Most of the time... But then I meet people online... Very few are real friends... Many say they are but know nothing of what it means... Some say they are, but are so shallow...
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Guest
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On fire! |
Registered: March 2012
Messages: 2344
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Wouldnt it be interesting if some of the talent out in cyberland wrote a romance saga between pat robertson and loveable jerry falwell.I mean 5 star.Ol dubya could be maid of honor with asscroft being the ring bearer.Bill clinton and monica could be sitting in one corner keeping the kids entertained.come on folks this could be fun.Beats the heck out of hugging trees..the evil frog--let the good times roll!!!!!
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warren c. e. austin
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Likes it here |
Location: Toronto, Ontario, CANADA
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 247
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... and you know it. You originally set the parametres for this thread.
On the other hand, I simply can't resist replying, but I certainly do not want others to.
Timmy, will aver, that some days ago I had suggested to him, during one of our extremely rare IM Service sessions, perhaps the best solution to a good many of our current shared issues would be for the World "Gay" Community as at whole hold a massed "Prayer Vigil" of our own, whereby be ask that God remove Pat Roberstaon, and his cromies - and their ilk for wnat of a better word - just as Pat Robrtaon has now called for in requesting his viewers to join him in asking God to remove the U. S. Supreme Court Justices. I so think in might be a tad bit interesting to see just who he listens to first, if either group at all.
Warren C. E. Austin
Toronto, Canada
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Guest
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On fire! |
Registered: March 2012
Messages: 2344
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wheres your sense of humor,all I asked was for a little creativity.If we can have stupid beauty contests and such why not have a little xtra fun.You will have to excuse me,I have a story to write.....the evil frog
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marc
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Needs to get a life! |
Registered: March 2003
Messages: 4729
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Is it censureship if a story is rejected for failure to adhere to a preset format of standards?
Life is great for me... Most of the time... But then I meet people online... Very few are real friends... Many say they are but know nothing of what it means... Some say they are, but are so shallow...
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warren c. e. austin
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Likes it here |
Location: Toronto, Ontario, CANADA
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 247
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I would think not; if and only if, those standards were defined and disseminated widely through the network of the author's own "ascribed to" media.
By this I mean, taking your Organization as an example, if the GWG identifies a market they wish to provide for, and request that Authors (either through an open-call, or selective list of potential candidates) submit their work for consideration, and "possible" inclusion by the GWG in their catalogue of offerings suited to that market, and upon review GWG determines that a given author's work does not meet with your defining criteria for that market, then GWG's decision to decline the author's work would not be censorship, nor censure. He does have the option of submitting his work elsewhere, or modifying the work to meet your criteria for further consideration and future inclusion.
On the other hand, taking a wider view, it is abhorrent to me to have "legal", and otherwise, definition of what should, and will be acceptable, as societal norms, where those norms are determined by a very select few, with the sole intent to exclude, whether by censorship or censure.
In my opinion, even the most heinous of hate-mongers are entitled to their individual thoughts, and the right to air their views. After all, it is we the reader, or listener, or viewer who should be the ultimate arbitrator of what represents truth, or good taste, and whether the content the author, or artist, or musician, or whatever, has created, and it should always remain within our purview to decide whether these offering suit our own individual needs.
Warren C. E. Austin
Toronto, Canada
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Authors and their being "harassed" for their writings. 
totally valid and relevant topic. I have a question "before we start" 
In reply, I restate the question. 
Re: In reply, I restate the question. 
Rob this is grossly off topic ... 
