Friday, August 05, 2005

With Apologies to Shakespeare

To blog, or not to blog: that is the question;
Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of cyber fortune,
Or to post against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them.

Ha…as if my little blog could make matters worse.

First, I was at the ceremony so I know whereof I speak with regard to its content. Second, I’ve read all the posts—the accusations, the apologies, the excuses, the rants, and the raves. People reading this blog who have a stake in the matter know what I’m talking about; people who aren’t involved in the romance industry—well, you’ll have to read between the lines, because I don’t want to be accused of making the issue any more public than it is.

Yes, the video montage and accompanying music was inappropriate. Did I think that at the time? No, I thought it merely boring and poorly executed.

Did I think it was politicized? Yes, but not in the way the opposite sides have characterized. “Blue state” people thought it favored the red. “Red state” people thought it favored the blue.

What the ….?

Red states and blue???

How did the RWA get divided into red and blue?

I’ll tell you how, and this is the crux of the matter. It’s not about the ceremony; it’s not about the board’s decision making or lack thereof; it all comes down to the graphic standards issue. The reaction to the awards ceremony is like the tumor finally breaking through the skin to form an ugly melanoma.

It’s erotica vs. family values
It’s the older generation vs. younger
And, yes…in a way, it’s the red states vs. the blue.

Which really sucks since I’m conservative on some things and liberal on others, and hate being lumped into a stereotype.

All I know is, that although I don’t read or write erotica, I’ll defend anyone who does it well and gets the romance part right. Can’t there be an in-between position…say, magenta? (I looked it up--that’s what red and blue make and it’s a lovely color.)

All in favor, say “Aye” and wear a magenta ribbon in Atlanta.



4 comments:

John said...

Interesting post. I'm almost clueless to what you are talking about, but so what? One might think it be a chic-lit or RWWA (the first W being women) or just a twitch in your gittyup.

But, what the issue is, is important. Erotica is taking off and speaks to the future. Unfortunately, so it has spoken in the past, multiple times, and generally signals the beginning of the demise.

Those who forget history, recreate it. And some, like Dubya, are quite good at it.

Ms. Mika said...

I too was puzzled...but, I couldn't stop reading! Then it was clear...interesting...very interesting...you're a good writer--although I hadn't clue what the subject matter was, I was hooked and couldn't stop reading...I was hooked...

Carol Burnside aka Annie Rayburn said...

Magenta ribbons, eh?

Yes, a lovely color. And really, why must it be one vs. the other? Why can't we all just write what we write and wish the other well?

::sigh::

Randy said...

Hear, hear. To me, it's all about the writing. Unfortunately, I think erotica is still in its nascent stages--and a lot of what's being published isn't very good (ducking!). But, like anything else, I guess the cream will eventually rise to the top (no pun intended).