Apropos to Recent Events

Posted on February 5, 2013    Posted by      109 Comments

A display at the absolutely terrific Bakka-Phoenix Books in Toronto, created in the wake of recent events (and yes, they did credit Kirby Crow for the illustration). This is very sweet, and the entire Bakka-Phoenix staff (and particularly Kristen Chew, who designed the display and took the picture) have my thanks.

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109 Comments on “Apropos to Recent Events”

  5. Fear the Warren? It cannot be- For the Win, the debate hasn’t taken place yet.

  7. I am totally sending my Toronto friends over there.

    Kirby Crow Gamma Rabbit looks stunning there. That’s a graphic that works anywhere. He’d make a great tie tack or cufflinks or earrings, for when you can’t wear purple cartoon Gamma Rabbit.

  8. Why? If it has escalated to this level, why not? Nothing would be better for the cause than to publicly shame and humiliate a RSHD.

  9. Interested Onlooker:

    You can run back and tell the party pals they don’t rate getting on my schedule.

    And that’s the end of that discussion.

  13. I’ve been shopping at Bakka since the mid 70s and it is, indeed, absolutely terrific. Also – I want a Gamma Grrrl t-shirt.

  16. I love that some think “gamma” is an insult. I love that some think we’re actually playing that game. It’s like nerd. Yeah, I’m a nerd but nerd is no longer an insult. Alpha male hasn’t been an insult since like the 60s? Keep up the good work Scalzi and Bakka! :)

  17. *Edit: meant to say – Saying someone’s NOT an Alpha male hasn’t been an insult…

  18. Even though I’ve lived in Buffalo (and therefore, less than two hours away from Toronto) for years, I only just last year got to Bakka-Phoenix for the first time. I will be going back later this spring. Oh yes! Wonderful bookstore. When I was there, a clerk spent the better part of an hour helping some guy who wants to read SF but is AWFULLY new to the genre to find something to read. (And she recommended a certain mallet-wielding author from Ohio….)

  19. Also – I want a Gamma Grrrl t-shirt.

    Wow. Normally, I would never cross the troll streams, because Egon said it was bad, but the world needs a “Fake Gamma Geek Girl” shirt.

  20. [Deleted because he clearly doesn’t understand the rules of discussion here – JS]

  24. John,

    Sometimes it seems like you’ve got a pretty cool life. Sometimes it seems like you’re babysitting at 8:30 at night after doing it all day. Not at all sure I’d trade, actually.

    Please keep it up. We love the environment here.

  25. (note: my above posted before Scalzi malleted Interested Onlooker, please feel free to zap and apologies if the don’t interact request applied to him as well)

  27. barzhac:

    Well, Malleting comments is actually fairly quick; it doesn’t take long to detect stupid and remove it. And I’m taking care of other stuff in another open window. So it’s not so bad. It does remind one that some people are complete jackasses, however, with nothing to contribute but poo. Those poor little people.

  29. As this thread has become a repository for the trolls and the obtuse, and deletions are now the majority of comments on it, I’m going to go ahead the trim out the majority of the deletions, because things are just getting stupid, and send the deletable comments to the trash from this point forward. If you see this post after I’ve done that, trust me, it got dumb in here.

    Leaving the kittened posts, however. They are ADORABLE.

  30. I got a glimpse before the mallet descended and, wow. I would call these guys assholes, but that would be an insult to fundaments everywhere. Good on you, John, for wielding the mallet with such aplomb. I don’t think I would be able to put up with that kind of abuse on a daily basis.

  32. I’m thinking, perhaps, that the kitten mallet might temporarily be replaced with the bunny mallet of adorableness. Cuddly, fluffy, poofs of rabbity love.

    Or, perhaps I’m just too hung up on thematic movements…

    In any case, wish I lived closer to Toronto. Perhaps I’ll mail order from them to show some gamma lovin’.

  33. John- Any chance a full color Gamma Rabbit Tat is in your future? I know interested parties who would foot the bill

  35. That display might be one of the niftiest things I’ve seen in decades, and it reminds me that there really are more good people in this world than there are assholes.

  36. Augh, Bakka has a contest but it is a riddle! Can’t riddle…I never quite got the hang of juggling, either. But whoo hoo to the display!

  38. Monkeys get a bad press, I think poo-flinging is mainly something captive ones do ‘cos they’re bored. Yer free-range specimen is probably too busy trying to avoid getting turned into bushmeat.

  39. Our Gracious Host said at 8.41pm: As this thread has become a repository for the trolls and the obtuse, and deletions are now the majority of comments on it, I’m going to go ahead the trim out the majority of the deletions, because things are just getting stupid, and send the deletable comments to the trash from this point forward.

    So I’ve decided if things get to such a point, not only on this thread, but on any further threads along the way, it’s time to put $5 into my troll fund jar (normally I just put in 5c per troll). The money goes to a Western Australian women’s health charity, a Western Australian homosexual persons support charity, an Australian charity for women’s justice and legal issues, and an Australian charity providing aid to women and girls in need in disadvantaged countries.

    Mr Scalzi, can you let me know whether I’m over- or under-estimating the number of trolls involved here?

    (For the curious: current contents of the troll fund are $7.60 Australian, of which $1.25 was trolls up to the beginning of 03 February).

  40. Well, maybe RHSD will calm down after some nice bookstore does a similar display for =his= books…

    Oh, wait. His audience is so niche that his publisher says it doesn’t distribute to bookstores.

    Never mind.

  41. “You can run back and tell the party pals they don’t rate getting on my schedule.”

    Again I can’t help but wonder if they’re not worth your time why post after post on the subject.

  44. Fantastic display. Also watching these bunny loving monkeys slather about before a kitten chases them off is hilarious. I keep refreshing hoping for a glimpse of complete dumbass before the mallet comes down. It is amazing that one guy and probably three fans total can cause such a ruckus and irritate so many people.

  45. The Bechtloff:

    They’re not worth my time. But the good news is, I found a way to monetize them, for the benefit of others. And that was worth my time. Annoying the shit out of them as I’m doing it is just a bonus.

    Now, The Bechtloff, give it a rest, please. Your low-grade concern trolling on the subject has been annoying for a while now.

  46. I think you should give them their very own topic to slather all over. Then we can sit back like at the zoo and watch them fling poo at the glass.

  47. Nice display.

    As for the trolls, they’re cleary infuriated that they are not being taken seriously, that Scalzi isn’t caving to their poo-flinging tactics, and that more and more people are seeing the trolls for the first time and laughing at them.

  49. @The Bechtloff: In my opinion the recent postings on the dipshit problem stem from a long time of shit postings. Giving them a public debate would be exactly what they were after all along, that being publicity. Which would then just make the whole thing worse, not better. More poo slinging for a wider public, for one.

    Giving publicity to the charity fund raising is giving positive turn to events..

    Just here to say I really love this kind of problem solving. Well done.

    /crawls back into the rabbit hole

  53. The Bechtloff:

    Nice try to generalize a specific instruction to you, The Bechtloff. If you’re not sure why it is I’ve given you the instruction, think about it a little harder, please. However, not here.

  58. I think bonus kittens for making a sockpuppet reveal themselves. Granted they stand out, but they think they are oh so clever, so if you can make them be directly assholish you get extra kittens.

  59. @Norseman: I have a friend who is allergic to kittens. It has spawned more than a couple great pouty elephant tears. You have no idea how awful kitten allergies are.

  67. Odin:

    No. There’s nothing to “win,” and there’s no contest. There’s just making a racist sexist homophobic dipshit’s adorable mancrush worth something to people he’d despise.

    (off to bed, for serious)

  68. Ignoring the misspelling and the ambiguity, who gives 3/5ths of a metric damn what the trolls think, as long as they don’t come here and spew their bile? If they would just stay away – maybe hold themselves a big victory feast, or whatever, we wouldn’t even mock them. If they come here …

    … oooooh, kittens! Look – that one has an adorable little eye patch! Whooza pirate kitty? Whooza fierce pirate?

  71. @vian

    That’s 6 decidamns in the metric system.

    It is indeed. But I can never remember whether Americans have converted to metric damns or whether they still use the charming Imperial damns.

    I believe it’s 5/22nds of an Imperial damn, for those who are keeping score. Assuming I have the right number of chains-to-a-damn

  72. I don’t understand the clamor for ‘debate’. What’s there to debate? The various merits and detriments of being an internet-bully? This is a non-issue to everyone who is not a bully on the internet.

    And thanks for the Gamma Rabbit images–this hospital chaplain would proudly wear that t-shirt under my black mock-turtleneck.

  73. I’ll have to check out the Gamma Bunny a little closer tomorrow. I think it would make a very nice tie tack in sterling silver. :-)

  74. Gamma Rabbit? Is that a bunny that turns green and mean when he hopping mad? Bruce Banner’s bunny? And kittens are fantastic.

  75. vian: I’ll have you know that we here in America use U.S. Customary damns, thank you very much! Your Imperial damns might be slightly larger or smaller, and we just can’t be having that!

  76. “One does not simply troll into Whatever.” – Purromir of Kittendor

    Can we please acknowledge the awesomeness of edmundschweppe at 10:54?!

    (I wanted to quote him with those big quotation marks but I can’t figure out how to do it…)

  77. @thomasmhewlett i would hope for that to become the Whatever tagline for a week or OS.

    Edmundschweppe’s line is pure gold:

    “One does not simply troll into Whatever.” – Purromir of Kittendor

  78. Rev.: I don’t understand the clamor for ‘debate’. What’s there to debate?

    There probably isn’t much distance between them and Creationists. And “debate” was/is a Creationist tactic. Arrange a debate, and then stack the audience in your favor, and then declare “victory”.

    edmundschweppe: “One does not simply troll into Whatever.” – Purromir of Kittendor

    thomasmhewlett : Can we please acknowledge the awesomeness of edmundschweppe at 10:54?!

    Ninja Wizards and bears that shoot laser beams out their eyes. That would be awesome.

  79. The other problem with a debate is the presupposition that the points under consideration have merit and can be resolved. To quote a friend of mine, I couldn’t debate theology with the Archbishop of Canterbury but that doesn’t alter on jot his chances of converting me.

  80. Asking for a debate is an attempt to the goalposts again, so that VD can try to claw his way back into the position (he thought ) he was in before the donation game put him on the back foot. If JS won’t debate, he’s a wuss who’s running scared of his intellectual superiors, and if he does, he’s implicitly accepting VD’s claim that he (VD, that is) is rationally presenting rational arguments instead of just trolling. Both notions are of course crap…

  81. Asking for “debate” confuses me simply because it presupposes that it would accomplish something different from the current situation, in which any parties concerned have an unlimited personal platform to put forward their ideas and reasoning. It supposes that the parties are unfamiliar with each other’s positions and reasoning. This isn’t true, so there’s not much new to say. Nothing significant would change.

    Ah. Except, of course, RSHD would get happy pantsfeelings from being paid attention to.

    The call for debate is the same as standing outside Scalzi’s house with a boombox over one’s head. It’s not going to work! Turn off the Peter Gabriel. Go home.

  84. >Oh, wait. His audience is so niche that his publisher says it doesn’t distribute to bookstores.

    Dela, have you read any of it?

    I have.

    The question of distribution is swiftly answered.

  86. I think we can give the topic of a debate a rest.

    Can we at least debate over whether we should debate about having a debate?

  88. Can this be over now? Ready to be done with the troll stories as they’ve been fed enough.

  89. After seeing this comment thread pre-cleanup and watching Lion King last night, I can’t stop picturing Vox Popoli as Scar’s lair. Especially given a certain upcoming election.

  90. @Greg… I wonder what it says about me that this morning I groggily read “panties wet” as “priorities met.” The punchline makes a lot more sense as a punchline now.

  92. Nothing to do with trolls or Creation debates, so I feel OT, but…

    …Bakka Phoenix is pure awesome. Since leaving Toronto, there has been a know-about-all-the-great-fantasy-books-before-others-do and chill-at-bookstores-with-awesome-people shaped hole in my life.

    I just have to console myself with the fact that I no longer have to risk freezing to death, and that I can always see the sun on my way too/from work, even when working 11-hour days.

  95. Argh. And of course I just had to fail to link to the Troll Hunter trailer (which actually is a troll affair worth watching)…

  96. JohnD: Can we at least debate over whether we should debate about having a debate?

    The debate meeting is scheduled for Wednesday.

    The pre-debate meeting is scheduled for Thursday. It was the only time everyone was available.

    nicoleandmaggie: I groggily read “panties wet” as “priorities met.”

    Tell your boss that I prescribed you a week’s vacation to be taken immediately. And tell your boss I’m a doctor.

    I’m NOT a doctor, but most boss’s seem to ignore prescriptions from John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt, WM (waste management).

  98. The pre-debate meeting is scheduled for Thursday. It was the only time everyone was available.

    Will there be punch and pie? “More people will come if they think we have punch and pie.”

  99. ynysprydain:
    “Dela, have you read any of it?
    I have.
    The question of distribution is swiftly answered.”

    Sounds like your experience confirms what I suspected. Given the combination of raging ignorance, drooling viciousness, tail-chasing lack of logic, and clumsy, bad writing that characterizes all of RSHD’s online writings which I have lately sampled, I’m not interested in sampling his fiction.

  101. Just out of curiosity, who’s keeping track of how much is getting donated? You’ve got him on the ropes, but VD will be emboldened if you don’t follow through.

  108. also:

    not a doctor.

    probably part wookie though.

    (seriously, I have to shave my body in the summer time or I get overheated)

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