Orson Scott Card's Integrity Has Been Smashed

It seems that every time I discover a new creator of art or literature, I end up finding out about their deep, dark secret and it sort of ruins their art form for me. Now Orson Scott Card, author of Ender's Game, one of the most well-known sci-fi novels ever....has fallen into this particularly fiery part of purgatory.

I really enjoyed every single book in Ender's Saga. Each individual story focused on a different part of the human condition or of humanity in general. Somehow the author of these great works of fiction is also a true bigot. First of all, I learned he was a Mormon. Now I have nothing against Mormons in particular. Every religion has extremists that make it look bad and I'm sure there's some great people in their ranks. Even so, hearing about it in an article on Cracked gave me immediate suspicions of what was to come.

This article by Michael Swaim, "Orson Scott Card Wants YOU (To Rise Up Against The Gay Menace)," has a fairly silly title, but surprisingly it isn't a silly article at all. While the tone of the writing is on par with other Cracked stories, it really bears out Swaim's total repulsion at what Mr. Card has decided to do with his own personal soapbox.

It seems that Card believes the institution of marriage is so important that if its current form is not verified by a definitive law, we should rise up as a people and overthrow the government. Yes, you heard me...gay marriage is a cause of revolution. Check out the quote from an op-ed in the Mormon Times:

"How long before married people answer the dictators thus: Regardless of law, marriage has only one definition, and any government that attempts to change it is my mortal enemy. I will act to destroy that government and bring it down, so it can be replaced with a government that will respect and support marriage, and help me raise my children in a society where they will expect to marry in their turn."

What?!? Well anyway, I could go through and elaborate on how ridiculous and stupid I think his statement is, but Swaim does a much better job than I could and he even mentions hot lesbians (always a plus). Go ahead and read his powerful article.

Do note that I feel as much betrayed by Card's indiscretion as anyone and it will forever mar my opinion and understanding of his books. Remember, these are books that children are often assigned to read in school, not just abstract texts in the juveniles section of the library.

[Image from Wikipedia]