And here I wasn't going to post anything more on the LJ election, BUT

[sholio]

... I really have no words for this. I was going to try to back away from this whole LJ advisory election debacle for a while, but then I ran across this in a last bout of injudicious surfing, and the utter hypocrisy of it leaves me boggled.

In a very recent post at his journal, Jameth equates writing HP fanfic with pedophilia, basically in so many words. And then he hides behind:

Also, please note that I am blockquoting by surrounding the text with a fine black line and indenting it to indicate that I am quoting from elsewhere and that I am not indicating that any of this is fact or fiction. I'm just pointing out what I'm seeing so that users/voters can be informed of their choices.

No, of course not, YOU UNETHICAL ASSHOLE. Someone else said it (notice the complete lack of attribution, though, so we have only his word that he didn't write it), and he's just quoting it in a big block of text in his journal so that his voters can be "informed". No implications here, no subliminal smear advertising, nope, nothing like that.

I think what burns me up about this is the sheer hypocrisy of it. This man has been running his entire campaign on what basically amounts to a free-speech-ad-absurdum platform. His supporters are attacking people? They're just exercising their freedom of speech. You want to stop them, you're infringing their rights! So he should be all for legomymalfoy's right to say or do anything she pleases in her journal, right? Sure, unless he can throw her and her fellow fanficcers (i.e. you and me) to the wolves and get some votes.

In the comments, someone asks him if he actually thinks fanfic=pedophilia, and he says:

I don't think my personal viewpoints on the subject are relevant since I wish to represent all users regardless of whether we share similar interests. What's relevant here is whether the content is allowed by LiveJournal ToS, and if it is, I would welcome it with open arms.

There is no way that he can possibly NOT know about last year's whole thing with HP-related journals getting TOS'd. Also, I notice that he's not willing to commit to a viewpoint he might later have to back up if he actually did get elected. This is about the closest thing to a giant "screw you!" to fandom, and anyone who might have anything potentially TOS-able in their journals, that he can say without having to actually commit himself to something he can't weasel out of. Taking him at his word, too, it also means that his much-ballyhooed commitment to "free speech" doesn't extend to actually rocking the boat or standing up for the LJ users who supposedly represent his constituency. (So why is he running again? Oh wait. For fun and for trolling opportunities, apparently.)

It's probably not fair to call jameth specifically anti-fandom, since it looks more like he's simply willing to pander shamelessly to the anti-fandom crowd to get votes. But he sure as heck isn't willing to stand up for us. As a fannish user of the site, and as a user of it in general, I do not believe that he is qualified to represent our interests to LJ in any sort of advisory capacity. At this point, I feel that having him on the advisory board would do us much more harm than good.

He'll invoke "free speech" right and left to defend his friends' trolling and name-calling, but he'll turn right around and "out" someone else for their own socially-unacceptable hobby, as long as it gets him some votes, notoriety or attention. And he'll do it while hiding behind a curtain of weasel-words and spin -- it's not HIM saying these things, just some anonymous person he's quoting! It's not HIS fault, it's just some other person saying these mean things that he's repeating. If he's acting like this during the campaign, why would he behave any differently once he's elected? Please, please vote.

Comments

[dovil.livejournal.com]

I was apathetic about the whole thing and probably wouldn't have even voted, but because of jameth and his supporters behaviour I ended up voting tactically just to try and keep him off the advisory board. Meh.

[friendshipper.livejournal.com]

I really didn't care in the beginning, either! I normally don't care about this sort of thing. I think it's gotten to the point where I just don't want to see someone win strictly on the basis of being a dick to other people (even though I suppose that's what politics is really all about...)

[dovil.livejournal.com]

He really is acting like the consummate politician with his non-answers and passive aggressive insinuations. Plus a good helping of frat boy behaviour on the side means that's someone who I really don't want to see get any where near the inner workings of LJ.

[friendshipper.livejournal.com]

I know! It's like everything I hate about "real-world" politicians is on display here. Even though I suspect the advisory position would carry little power at all, I do NOT trust him to have a voice in running LJ.

[astridv.livejournal.com]

Damn, hadn't seen that part yet. That's a new low. So now we're getting a re-hash of fanfic=pedophilia? I think it was the pedophilia 'debate' on Lee Goldberg's blog that ate the last bits of my sense of humor regarding the anti-fic debate.

[trystings.livejournal.com]

It's probably not fair to call jameth specifically anti-fandom

Oh, I think it's totally fair to call Jameth anti-fandom. Anyone who calls his main opponent a "lame ass Harry Potter Fandom dork" and runs an entire campaign on anti-fandom drivel is not going to represent us in any fair way once he gets elected.

On an positive note, it looks like fandom is waking up. Legomymalfoy is in the lead and 3000 votes ahead of Jameth. But she doesn't have 50% of the votes yet, so fandom, GO VOTE. Only two days left.

[abyssinia4077.livejournal.com]

Oh, friendshipper, why are you so MEAN to poor, abused, Jameth? He never did anything to hurt anyone and all he wants is to ensure free speech for everyone! He has no control over what his horde says or does! We can't blame him for their actions and it's so mean of us to do so! Did you know he even saved someone's cat once? If that doesn't prove he's the perfect candidate I don't know what does! And now all these mean fan people are each using their 200 sockpuppet LJs with 200 separate emails to vote against him in a giant conspiracy!

*cough*

Yeah, can't do it.

Just. Pure. Slime.
(man, when I voted, I didn't know about *any* of this. I chose not to vote for him just based on his platform (which did contain things I would support more than some other platforms) and looking around his LJ - I didn't know anything about him, hadn't yet seen any of this. I just had other candidates I liked better. It's only in watching what they've run around doing and saying these last few days that has convinced me to 1) care and 2) actively campaign against him. Which is totally not something I like to do in elections)

Right now legomymalfoy has 34.9% of the votes. Good, but still not comfortable.

[lavvyan.livejournal.com]

But he sure as heck isn't willing to stand up for us.

Then again, neither is legomymalfoy, is she? I think she said so repeatedly.

I mean, yes, I did vote against jameth. But I'm a bit baffled why fandom would collectively vote for someone who said they weren't willing to speak for fandom, other than that she's been endorsed by several BNFs.

[amireal.livejournal.com]

Honestly, I don't think she said she wouldn't stand up for us, she simply said she's not there solely for fannish purposes to or to support fannish causes. And sometimes that might mean putting fandom second and I'm okay with that as long as it doesn't screw us over for the sake of looking better.

[lavvyan.livejournal.com]

Well, maybe I'm misinterpreting then.

It's not like I care, anyhow. I'm not voting for anyone as much as against that asshole. *g*

[friendshipper.livejournal.com]

I'm not voting for anyone as much as against that asshole.

Oh, totally. Me too. I don't know any of the candidates in the race, and I've been generally turned off by legomymalfoy's dead silence in her LJ. Even if she's busy with RL, popping up to answer questions or just let people know she's still around would be appreciated, especially since her opponents have been so loud.

But on the one hand I've got a candidate I'm uncertain about, and on the other hand a candidate whose posts disgust me, whose friends are actively harassing people I know and like while he doesn't lift a finger to stop them. I'm pretty openly "anyone but jameth" at this point.

[friendshipper.livejournal.com]

There's definitely crazy in the water, or something.

I suspect he's doing his cause more harm than good, though, by poking HP fans with that particular stick. Because there are a LOT of them.

[friendshipper.livejournal.com]

Well ... I don't think it's that he specifically dislikes us so much as he's just willing to say or do anything to win the election. On the other hand, someone who's willing to pander to bullying and hate to win an election is someone who's going to keep doing the exact same thing once they're elected.

I honestly think he's helping us with this crap, though, because nothing gets people mobilized to vote against you like a steady barrage of insults!

[friendshipper.livejournal.com]

I know! I still can't believe I'm actively campaigning against the guy, because normally I'm politically inert, especially on something like this. But these people are way, way over the line with their behavior. They brought this fight to us, attacking poor Rydra and invading the journals of anyone else who speaks up against them. There wasn't a "fannish conspiracy" until we had to band together to defend ourselves against troll attacks. Well, if it's a fight they want, I can totally give them one!

[friendshipper.livejournal.com]

Precisely. I don't really want a candidate who'd be up there peddling fannish interests over that of others, either. I want someone who would try to be fair.

I'm honestly not that enthusiastic about legomymalfoy as a candidate, especially since her journal hasn't been updated since the 19th (publicly at least; I have no idea if she's campaigning privately or what). But let's face it - she's the candidate who is best placed to defeat jameth, and the only negative thing she seems to have going for her is guilt-by-association with LJ Abuse. Her friends aren't out there harassing people, and she seems to be generally well-liked in fandom (though she moves in different circles than me, and I have no specific experience with her), as opposed to being the drama-queen kind of fan who stirs up trouble. Jameth's legions of supporters are undoubtedly scouring for dirt on her, and the worst they've been able to come up with are unsupported allegations of sockpuppetry and the fact that she's been volunteering with LJ (in addition to the ever-present complaint that she's tainted by association with fandom, which obviously holds no water with us). Right now she's looking squeaky clean, because if there was anything else I have no doubt we'd have heard about it by now.

[abyssinia4077.livejournal.com]

hey brought this fight to us, attacking poor Rydra and invading the journals of anyone else who speaks up against them. There wasn't a "fannish conspiracy" until we had to band together to defend ourselves against troll attacks. Well, if it's a fight they want, I can totally give them one!

Exactly they claim otherwise, but that's not what I saw (um, I saw what you said, not what they claim)

I mean, fandom is totally not monolithic and I see fandom debating about which candidate to support and, really, we don't agree on anything as a group and organizing us can be harder than hurting cats.

But you hurt one of our own? Especially a well-respected, well-written, intelligent, thoughtful one of our own? And you will feel our wrath.

There are behaviors I refuse to sit by and let go rewarded, and attacks like that are high up on my list.

[lavvyan.livejournal.com]

Personally, I liked how vichan handled some of the comments to the LJ election post. Plus she founded the fandom_counts community, so I'd rather see her elected. That's obviously not going to happen, though, so yeah. Anyone but jameth. I'd even vote for the porn photographer - at least he's an artist. ;)

[astridv.livejournal.com]

I suspect he's doing his cause more harm than good, though, by poking HP fans with that particular stick.

They shot themselves in the foot alright. And it's not just HP fandom that got riled up. It never fails: threaten or insult us from outside and all the splintered fandom factions will (very) briefly unite in an inspirational moment of beautiful harmony. And only when the dragon du jour lies slain, or at least gagged and bound in a corner, will we go back to our happy infighting.

Boy, would I like to see Jameth and his supporters gagged right now (I've been reading comments on some of the recent post on the mess, and am this close to banging my head against the keyboard.)

[droolfangrrl.livejournal.com]

yeah he is just the most special card in the deck.

I saw the campaign site. Thought, ick, no. Hear about his crew's stunt. Thought, oh hell no.

I voted, can't do much else. :D

[flingslass.livejournal.com]

Bloody hell! This is off the planet. I'm glad you've vented because I was able to change my vote. Don't be afraid of your opinions but if you think this is mad we've got the whole porno vs art drama going on naked photos of 12yo girls and whether it's art or offensive. www.heraldsun.com.au Cate Blanchett is horrified that we don't like this guys 'Art'

That's pretty much me to.

[rogue-pudding.livejournal.com]

I didn't even realize there was an election until I saw links to some of the stuff that was being said cropping up. I did a quick search of a few strategic candidates interests and then voted. As you say, "Anyone but Jameth".

I've voted

[mongognom.livejournal.com]

But if it hadn't been for jameth pissing of the fanfictioners then I wouldn't even have heard about the election before it was over, and maybe not even then.

So thank you jameth, for being such a douchebag.

[friendshipper.livejournal.com]

But it worked! *g*

They totally cost *themselves* the election. They'd probably have walked away with it if it hadn't turned into trollapalooza.

[friendshipper.livejournal.com]

Hmm, went and looked (at the link, not the art *g*). You know, my initial thought was, if they're tasteful nudes, why the hell not? The more of the article I read, though, the creepier this guy sounds.

Re: I've voted

[friendshipper.livejournal.com]

*laughs* See, that's pretty much the case with me, too! I knew about it because a couple people on my friends list had been talking about it, but I didn't really care and probably wouldn't have even bothered voting, let alone throwing my efforts into trying to convince people to vote *against* jameth, until his troll friends started attacking people I know. And subsequently me.

He totally blew it for himself, the fool.

Re: That's pretty much me to.

[friendshipper.livejournal.com]

*laughs* Yeah! Talk about shooting yourself in the foot. I think his chances of winning were pretty good -- he was certainly ahead -- until he and his troll buddies attacked enough people to establish their reputation as "the ones we do not want in charge".

[flingslass.livejournal.com]

Yeah I don't know about you but I'm not highbrow. I don't belong in the artistic community. Whatever that is. It's interesting because my niece and her friends are 17 and I asked one of her friends what she thought and she said that at 12-13 she would be mature enough to decide but now at 17 and with a 12yo sister she doesn't think 12 is mature enough.
I blame the parents though because aren't they the influence in these kids lives.