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Benioff and Weiss To Write Ender's Game Script
nighthawk127127 writes "According to the Fresco Pictures website, David Benioff (writer of the screenplay for Troy) has been signed on by Warner Brothers to write the script for the movie adaptation of Ender's Game. Rumors of the Ender's Game movie have been circulating for a long time now, but this is the first time in a while we've gotten some definite information. The movie will be a combination of Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card." Well, gosh, with Troy under his belt, all my concerns about the movie sucking are straight out! *cough*
In what way did Troy suck any less than your favourite movie of all time? What makes your favourite movie your favourite movie? What have you done to encourage a discussion here by posting such a flamebait comment?
David Benioff?
My heart soars like a brick.
Cloned foods give the statement "We had that last week!" a whole new meaning.
gee... i can't remember the last time a good book was looking like it was going to be made into a not so good movie.
Troy was not bad but it also was not good. I cannot imagine a movie will do those stories the justice they deserve. I've read through the entire series 3 times and Enders Game itself probably 8-10. Id prefer no movie, but if they do I beg DO NOT FUCK IT UP PLEASE!!!!
Home of the midwest loser - www.say-10.net
According to the web site, apparently this movie will have significant "special effects". That was definitely noteworthy, because most viewers of this film probably would never have known that going in.
Sometimes, it's better NOT to read the friggin' article. The summary sufficed.
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What the fuck is wrong with people? Honestly, did they even read Ender's Game? It's not just some action movie with kids, you know. Well, at least I can get disappointed early.
Discworld.
Well hopefully Uncle Orson will come on here and give his perspective on it.
I heard OSC talking about this years ago... at the time, I believe he had written a script, was circulating it, wanted Jake Lloyd (Anakin) to play Ender, (he assured us that Jake was actually a very bright kid and a good actor despite what we might think from having seen Episode I) but at that point nothing was really definite. He just sounded optimistic about finally getting it done.
My how times haven't changed.
pb Reply or e-mail; don't vaguely moderate.
the rather shocked expression on the face by the posting.
I had the idea of the movie filed away with Duke Nukem Forever and the like.
The World Wide Web is dying. Soon, we shall have only the Internet.
I don't understand the fascination with this book. I found it very dry and poorly written. Most of the text seemed to revolve around "zero G" training tactics. I could not truly fathom why this would be an interesting primary subject. Does the interest come from the fact that the main character was a juvenile, and that is the target readership? I read the book when I was in my twenties, on the sole basis of the rave reviews I have heard and the fact that it won so many SF awards. Maybe that is why I disliked the book so much, although I can see how other books targeted at this audience could be compelling (Harry Potter, et all). I am interested in hearing comments from anyone who has read the book.
Was anyone else disappointed by Ender's Shadow? Mostly I'm trying to forget about it. I truly enjoyed Ender's game, and thought the sequels were... medicore (except for Children of the mind, which was simply appalling). Then I went and read Ender's Shadow and it was Card quietly destroying Ender's Game for me. It was the whole "Well actually there's this other kid, and he's even smarter and better than Ender! He could have done the whole thing singlehanded without getting tired like Ender!". There seemed to be a need to "go one better" and hence make Bean "much better than Ender" which, at the same time, required a lot of Ender's speeches and actions (from the original book) to be recast as stupid and poor. Ender had enough flaws and issues in Ender's Game without making him semi-incompetent as well.
Jedidiah.
Craft Beer Programming T-shirts
I get this feeling it will turn out like Dune; in other words, there will be a big Hollywood production, and it will suck. Then fifteen years later, the SciFi channel will do it right.
See the article in Wikipedia for more details.
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Now all of you OSC geeks will suffer for endlessly bugging us to read your sacred texts! *cackle*
All kings is mostly rapscallions. -Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
I've got to admit, I'm a little torn about this myself. It tears me up a bit to think that my patronage of this man's works (I've bought a lot of his books) has enriched someone who uses his money and fame to soapbox out his (IMO) detestable position.
You can argue that the movie itself is not directly associated with his position, but that seems like a bit of a cop-out. It'd be like buying cookies when the proceeds go to benefit the Klan -- even if what you're doing is innocent, the cause it supports isn't any less vile.
Anyhow, I figure that this won't be a big deal since it sounds like the movie's going to suck.
Every year during my review, I just pray the words "slashdot.org" aren't mentioned.
He can do for Ender what he did for the Illiad. It was nice to see someone get the whole Achilles-switching-sides-and-joining-the-Trojans thing right for a change.
Read The Hypocrites of Homosexuality. Post back if you have any questions.
Excerpts for the lazy:
Continues:I have the following concerns/predictions:
1. The ages of the characters will be upped by 5 or so years because the film execs won't think that people would find 5 year olds killing each other kosher. Ender will be 10+ years old in the beginning, almost guaranteed.
2. The actor. There are few actors that could pull off the role of Ender. Haley Joel Osmont is the closest I can think of, but he's been getting older ("I see dead kittens") and would probably have a beard by the time this films.
3. Peter.
4. Conglomeration of enemies. Will Achille be combined with other baddies? This might not be bad, but if Bean and Ender both come from the same elementary school, that might be a little too pat. I understand that the story must be pruned to fit in 16:9, but I worry...
The final worry: The ending. So many people have read the book, will they use the same ending? I've seen other movies from books where, to get a new emotional response or 'gotcha', the ending was changed from what you expect. The original ending is powerful and chilling (namely, the disposition of the final simulations), who knows what screenwriters the caliber of those who wrote Troy will produce?
Here's my nightmare:
MAZER: Ender, the bugger fighters are almost on me!
ENDER: No! They've taken away the woman I love, they won't take away my teacher too!
MAZER: Ender, (blasting noises in the background, static) there's something I haven't told you. I am.... your father.
ENDER: Noooooooooooo!
MAZER: Tell Valentine and Peter I loved them!
(scene of Mazer's snub fighter being destroyed while doing the trench run on the Formic mothership that is approaching Earth)
ENDER: NOOOOOOOOOO!
(A Formic fighter pulls up behind Ender, whos ship has been damaged. Just as he is about to die, the fighter explodes and the shuttle that brought him to the Battle school descends into the picture)
(radio): Hey Ender, thought you could use some help.
ENDER: Valentine? Is that you?
VALENTINE: It's me, and I brought some help.
PETER: Hey Andrew, you were right. Let's blow this thing and go home.
ENDER: Ayeeeeee! (fires D.R. Device)
Ender's War (the short story) was a much better story than the novel Card expanded it into. Plus, it'd be easier to fit into 2 hours on the screen. Pity they didn't pick it instead.
The ambuiguity at the end over just who the Enemy was is wonderful - see, there's no aliens in there, and the one reference in the short story to the planet Ender's living on implies that it's noth Earth, so it COULD be a rebellious colony... which would make the Enemy planet Earth.
Whoops.
honestly, i couldn't care less about his politics. his books are good and that's all i care about concerning whether or not i read his books.
...changed after it leaves the writer's hands.
"Well, gosh, with Troy under his belt, all my concerns about the movie sucking are straight out! *cough*"
- Rather a stupid thing to say when you realize that the director has far more influence on a movie than the script itself.
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David Benioff also wrote 25th Hour, which was an interesting movie. I guess all the geniuses here on Slashdot are too smart to bother spending 30 seconds on IMDB for more comprehensive information.
- Rather a stupid thing to say when you realize that the director has far more influence on a movie than the script itself.
You have a point, but the script is also important. Terrible directing can turn a great script into a crappy movie, but without a good script, even the best director's hands are tied.
I'm not good in groups. It's difficult to work in a group when you're omnipotent. - Q
I can't wait.
Read the fucking Iliad.
Achilles sits around for 9 books, while Diomedes (not even IN the movie) and Ajax (killed in the FIRST battle) and Menelaos (same) beat the crap out of people.
Most of the action is dominated by the Gods, not the mortals.
Achilles DIES before he gets to Troy, but that *isn't* in the Iliad.
The Trojan horse bit is really written down in Vergil, but he was *never credited*.
When Achilles and Hector fight, Hector *runs* first. The reason they fight is because Hector is trapped outside the city walls, not because he comes down to fight Achilles. Gods interfere with the fight.
Aeneas isn't some random guy in the end, but he is a rather minor trojan prince who's the best fighter outside of Hector on the Trojan side. Read the Aeneid for more info.
The movie Troy was a huge cinematic blunder ruining one of the greatest stories of all time.
Besides, with millions of Hollywood dollars already funding cults like the Church of Scientology, how can any major film these days be considered "clean"?
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Well.... that one took me by surprise.
I've read both Enders Game and Ender's Shadow in the past, and I for one don't think merging the stories will exactly do them any good.
They're both good books, but it's the different perspectives that differentiate them and make them two separate books, even though they share the same story, and still keep it interesting. Taking both accounts of the story and putting it into one script might ruin some of what makes the story so appealing.
~You laugh because I'm different, I laugh because I'm insane~
The original Ender's Game book has more than enough material in it to support a movie. (as someone else commented, the original Ender's War short story alone could make for a movie) I don't know why they're roping Ender's Shadow into this UNLESS someone in the studio doesn't trust them to be able to adapt the book and make it work. Perhaps they realize a writer accustomed to writing spectacles is probably not going to be that good with detailed character work. Or perhaps they fear that they won't find an actor who'll be able to capture Ender and make his story, alone, compelling enough. Either way, I see the inclusion of Shadow as a way for them to be lazy. Instead of focusing on the character of Ender, they can have a half-dozen running subplots and keep the audience "entertained" that way. My hopes for this project have definitely sunk a couple notches.
Bush: He's Liberal in all the wrong ways.
The siege of Troy lasted for ten years. The film made it seem like it lasted not more than ten days.
Now, how many of the people who paid to see that movie do you think really have any appreciation of that revision? It might seem subtle to you but it changes the whole context of the story: celebrating keeping your enemy at bay and your city free from invasion after ten years of conflict is a world apart from doing it for a week or two. The timescale better explains the "gift" of the Trojan horse, why the Trojans accepted it and partied the night away, why they were so taken in by the deception, etc.
As for Troy's other qualities: well, let's just say that it seemed badly paced and too long. I saw the film with four others, and we all agreed that we just wanted them to get it over and done with well before the conclusion came around. When you're all looking at your watch thinking "I hope this ends soon", then you know something is very wrong.
"Accept that some days you are the pigeon, and some days you are the statue." - David Brent, Wernham Hogg
It Can't run out on a living author if the author still owns it.
It's Life +95 years, or 120 years for a work for hire/psuedonomous/anonymous work.
It's only been this way for a short time, but the U.S. had to bring their copyright terms in line with that of Europe after oining the Berne Convention, otherwise U.S. works would receive less protection in the other countries.
Mazer: "Get up!"
Ender: "I just got to sleep."
Mazer: "Get up NOW! You're on!"
Cut to battle room. Other kids are there. All are tired. Lots of lights (two colours) are on the display.
Ender rattles off some coordinates. Other kids rattle off coordinates. Lights blink out. All kids rattle off more coordinates. Finally, only one colour lights are left.
Mazer: "Congratulations. You've won again."
Other kids look at Ender with a mix of sympathy and admiration.
Cut to Ender's sleeping quarters.
Mazer: "Get up!"
Ender: "Those weren't games. I was killing the Buggers! Nooooooooooooo!"
Ender slaps both hands to his face
I'm predicting maximum suckage.
Orson Scott Card sez:
"The Jake Lloyd story is old news. He's already too old to play the part. He would have been a great Ender, though, if we could have put it together in time. You never got a chance to see what Jake could do in a well-written part with a director who knows how to direct actors. Let's just say that Fantum Mennis had neither ingredient. Likewise, Haley Joel Osment would have been brilliant, and will be in anything he does. Like Roddy McDowell and Elijah Wood and Henry Thomas, he can act, but he's also too old." (B&N Chat, Jan 2) "
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... that this will be a good movie. I heard OSC give a talk where he refered to the movie, about two years back. It sounded as though he was going to great lengths to ensure Holywood doesn't ruin it.
:-)
:-). As long as he keeps his word, getting a professional *cough* script writer involved is actually a good thing; books and movies are very different mediums, so being a book good writer doesn't automatically make one a good script writer.
It seems he once (almost) sold the movie rights, and as soon as the ink was on paper the studio started making changes like raising the age of the actors to teenagers, adding romantic interest, changing the plot to add a final confrontation between Peter and Ender, and so on. When he protested, they pointed out that the contract gives them the final say on the script. If you want an idea of how bad it would have been, think "Starship Troopers".
That deal fell through for various reasons, and he swore that next time he'll make sure he has the final say. That's one of the reasons it took so long for the movie to get started - he absolutely insisted that the children be played by, well, children, that the script will not be butchered, etc.
Another reason is that he wanted to wait until special effects caught up with people's expectations - specifically, getting the battle room scenes right. If you give it a moment's thought, you'll see that this is very, very hard. A *lot* of people at arbitrary orientations very energetically trying to shoot each other out of the sky, creating formations, hiding and launching from the "stars", all in believable zero-G... I can't wait for "the making of" DVD
At any rate, OSC made it clear he'll have the final word on the movie, otherwise there would be no movie (it isn't as though he needs the money
I think people go overboard with this. While I certainly don't agree with his position, it's not as if he's all that vile about it. He simply has some strong religious beliefs. He doesn't advocate violence or mistreatment in any way.
Rather than wanting to hurt homosexuals, which is what a homophobe does, he wants to "help" them. I think both points of view are wrong, in their own way, but there's a hell of a big difference between them.
Many times I've been shocked about how little some people know or understand about the Internet, especially considering that it surrounds so many aspects of their everyday lives. And yet, since this is the same with film, a much older medium, I suppose it shouldn't be a surprise at all.
I'll constantly read commentaries blaming the suck-factor (in their opinion) of a film on this particular actor or that particular director, or on the quality of the writing. Let me offer only that it isn't that simple.
Many, many, many people touch a film and can have the power to change it significantly before any public audience views it. By the time a studio movie is publicly released, the script has gone through, oh, ten, twelve, twenty major revisions, producers have had their say, the director his, and the editor his (all masculine pronouns used for the sake of convenience, now lost completely due to this note). During that time each major player in the production of the film has been presented with choices -- choices, mind you, not creations from their own brains, but choices based on the quality of the people who've been hired, and who may have been hired for any number of experience, quality, or political reasons -- about costuming, production design, sound design and mixing, and even photography which, although affected by directorial input is almost always actually executed by a director of photography who, like the others, makes *strong* suggestions and provides choices.
Given how collaborative and varied film is, it's almost a miracle that any good movies get made at all. And yet, there are still many times I'll hear comments like the one above, as if the writer had any real input at all on the quality, good or bad, of Troy. Believe me, they were fucking given 10,000 notes, and expected to make changes quickly. And they did so, with a smile, even when they were faced with the problem of taking a fucking stupid note and trying to figure out how to incorporate it into the script without having to rewrite the entire story to justify it. And it was a *they*. I don't care if only one (living) writer is listed, there were more who didn't get credited. That is the way it works.
Keep in mind that this is the industry that employs Harvey Weinstein, the man who, when he owned the Lord of the Rings rights, wrote to Peter Jackson asking, "Why does there have to be so many hobbits?"
I realize that the above quote doesn't exclude the possibility that the film sucked, in that opinion, due to the efforts of others. But it would be nice if, sometimes, people could keep an open mind and realize that when a film sucks, there may be no direct reason. Sometimes they just suck. Same for the reverse, sometimes they're just great and all of the elements came together. But it's not useful to assign blanket blame or congratulations to anyone in film, unless they've got an established track record and what you're doing is evaluating a body of work.
I rescind my comments in the case of Joel Schumacher, whom I still blame for Batman's nipples. I hate you with the white-hot intensity of a thousand suns, you bastard.
Chr0m0Dr0m!C
Why wouldn't you want to see it? If troy's anything to go by I personally I can't wait to see it.
What exactly is Ender's Game anyway? A game of some sort I presume?
I would think that the condition should be easily detectable. --A medical professional should be hired to follow the process of making a screen play proposal along its natural path. Each time somebody says, "No, No! The public doesn't want a screen play written in close parallel to an amazingly popular book which was practically written in movie format to begin with! No! Listen to my small ego! Listen to MEEEE! We have to completely change things around!"
Then simply have the brain-damaged individual put all of his desk things into a cardboard box and walk him kindly to the exit.
Repeat the process until all the brain damage has been detected and burned away, (fired).
The practice of medicine and film making ought to naturally go hand in hand, I think.
-FL
Anyone else think that his "wiping out all the buggers" plotline is just a little too obvious?
I'll turn into a supernova and burn up everything. Well I'll turn into a black little hole and you'll turn into string.
At least we have Battlestar Galactica. It just feels like a Wing Commander series done right. Even without Kilrathi =)
Don't think of it as a flame---it's more like an argument that does 3d6 fire damage
"I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar."
-Hoban Washburn
You misspelled "Mormon".
:)
I don't really care what nonsense he believes, so long as he doesn't push it on ME. Just as I don't care what nonsense *you* believe, so long as it doesn't impact ME.
Cripes, one of the best places to check out hot new SF/F authors is the "L.Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future Contest" series. The fact that L.Ron was a flaming nutcase, and that the Co$ is the biggest baddest scam around, doesn't detract from the quality of these young writers.
~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
Actually, you can be homosexual and be a member of the Mormon church, no problems. It's if you practice sex outside of marriage that gets you excommunicated. I suppose you could argue that this means that you can't be homosexual without being excommunicated, but I know a fair number of homosexual people who are happy with the Church and active members.
Consider that the figureheads in the Open Source and FSF world are also intelligent, fundmentalists in their own right, and often voice their beliefs without worrying about what other people think, why do people single out OSC?
When it comes to the potential impact on other people of actually carrying out those beliefs, what is the difference between Mormon fundamentalism, purist Libertarian philosophy, and the idea that there should be no commercial software at all?
There is way too much of a double-standard at Slashdot. The people iconized at Slashdot are "eccentric" or "admirably consistent", but in other disciplines it is okay to cast people in a spectrum of black and white judgements?
-- Microsoft is the most expensive commodity operating system and office suite vendor in the marketplace.
By your statements, I'm guessing you think being gay is somehow subhuman, disgusting, or at the very least, not something you want going on in your town. All I can say is that we know very little about human nature, but one thing is clear: you can't legislate it away. All you can do is drive it underground, and strip dignity from your fellow human beings.
Sometimes seventeen/Syllables aren't enough to/Express a complete
Welcome to my world, but on a tiny scale for you. I'm a conservative and almost every cool geeky work, whether it be music, movies, art, or anything else, is of the opposite beliefs as mine. Its hard to reconcile.
For instance, every band I go to see usually gives some sort of political speech and I have to wait through it before I hear the music. A lot of movie stars that I enjoy seeing hate my beliefs too. As a matter of fact, its almost always more likely the opposite.
So quit whining, one good sci-fi writer doesn't agree with you in the ballot box. So freakin' what? does that make his art any less good?
Reason, free market capitalism, and individualism
You do realize what you are advocating here, right? You're advocating a boycott of an Author's work, not based on the work itself, but based on the Author's religious views.
Since you support this action, I can only assume that you think it is entirely appropriate for religious individuals to boycott the work of homosexual authors, not based on the authors work, but based on their homosexual views.
You sure you're cool with this?
Uncle Orson talked about this movie at a signing a week ago. Here is the gist of his comments:
In case you haven't seen Troy (or even if you have), go here and read Troy in 15 minutes
There is also a Van Helsing in 15 minutes as well, if you like this sort of thing.
I should warn you though, don't drink anything that will burn your nose while you read these...
--
my monitor is still dirty
i wouldnt care if he hated asparagus or republicans or gays (which he doesnt hate anyway), i just want to see a good movie. religions are crazy, everything they believe is crazy. so what. i read ender's game and liked it, so i will see the movie, accused homophobe or not.
I saw OSC at a book signing last Tuesday (Mar 15, 2005), and he had a few things to say in regards to the movie:
1. He was pleased with the selection of Benioff and Weiss due to their past performance on pictures such as Troy and 25th Hour.
2. The actors to play both Ender and Bean have, in his words "probably been born", but as of this moment are not old enough to really be on the radar.
3. Currently Wolfgang Peterson is slated to direct, and is happy and supportive of the project.
4. There is a specific clause in the contract to not change the ages of the characters, as this would shift the dynamic of the story in a direction that it should not go.
5. The main reason for combining Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow is so that a good deal of Ender's emotions (which, for those who have read Ender's Game, is a good deal of the book) will be able to be externalized, or become available to the the viewer.
Yea right on!
Since the hollywood industry isn't the least bit liberal, it's a shame to see some obviously right-winged movie such as Ender's Game getting made.
I may buy this one instead of going to see it in the theatre, I'll file it in my alphabetical collection right between Dead Man Walking and Farenheight 911.
The gay marriage issue is about the seperation of Church and State, pure and simple. You have one group of people who want to use the power of government impose THEIR ideology on everyone else, and you have another group who are sick and fucking tired of having someone else's religion forced down their throat every time they turn around.
If Bob and Neil want to marry each other, how the FUCK does that "dilute" my marriage? It doesn't make me love my wife any less, or her love me any less, or interfere in any way with us raising our children.
Part of the problem that you narrow-minded nitwits can't get through your thick skulls is that the word "marriage" has two completely distinct meanings. There is the religious sacrement of marriage, which is whatever your religion of choice says it is; and there is the secular and legal institution of marriage which recognizes that a permenent bond exists between two people.
No one is saying that your CHURCH has to marry gay couples -- that would be an unconstitutional limit on your free practice of religion. If your church only wants to perform marriages between people of the same race and opposite genders, so be it. What happens behind the doors of your church is your business; what happens behind the doors of other peoples' bedrooms is theirs.
What they are saying is that ALL couples in binding relationships are entitled to equal protection under the law, as guaranteed by the Constitution, regardless of whether the gender of the participants. Get it?
Why is it that the proponents of "one nation under God" are so eager to get rid of "liberty and justice for all"?
How would you like a constitutional ammendment that prohibits ice cream stores from carrying that flavor?
__
Do ya feel happy-go-lucky, punk?
As to this "Romans" bit. What the hell does that mean? By the time the Empire finally crumbled, it was a Christian state, and had been since the Edict of Milan in 313 AD (the Western Empire fell in 476AD, so that's 163 years of Christianity). I'm assuming you're referring to the absurd revisionism about the collapse of the family unit leading to the collapse of the Empire, which is a oft-repeated bit of B.S. If you're not, then I'd love to hear why you refer to Rome as being relevant to the discussion.
The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
Yeah, and along with the TOTAL PERVERSION OF HEINLEIN'S POINT, what else was different?
They got the philosophy totally wrong. They lampooned Heinlein's idea as being neo-Nazi fascism, and I found it pretty annoying.
Heinlein's argument was that people should serve in order to rule. I don't think that's fascism.
Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
I believe R.K. Milholland, who writes Something Positive, has been addressing that issue in some recent comic strips. I'd mod him insightful, but mod points don't seem to work off slashdot for some reason....
As far as Card's stated views, he makes a better case than most religious zealots as for why gay marriage is a bad idea from a sociological standpoint. He's at least willing to argue from a sociology standpoint, which while not as rock solid a science as physics, are at least an improvement over "Thuh Bible saiyz so."
Not that his argument is convincing. I think several of his assertions in the (typical) article I noted are made with insuficient justification (EG: "Monogamous marriage is by far the most effective foundation for a civilization") or just plain wrong ("Calling a homosexual contract 'marriage' [...] will not make it contribute in any meaningful way to the propagation of civilization"). I think he is right to be concerned about the continued impact of some earlier social changes from the early to mid-20th century. The changes that have weakened "the family" over the last 50 years, that have led to the symptomatic high divorce rates and working single parents, have in turn caused major problem on a lot of levels, and that the present situation has Major Problems. Unfortunately, he sees allowing gays to marry as yet another step towards doom, instead of potentially increasing the number and variety of stable model family units for children to imprint off of, in the event that they are in a disfuntional family.
He also doesn't get that by prohibiting gays from marrying, it artificially and unjustly creates a legal discrimination of heterosexual non-reporoductive partnerships versus homosexual non-reproductive partnerships. Of course, his reference to Plessy versus Fergesson when condemning judicial activism in his followup shows he's closer to a legal idiot than a legal scholar-- that case upheld the law as legislated all the way.
His worry for society is well placed, but his fears have the wrong target. Frankly, most of this attention deficit generation seems to lack the long-term focus and the ability to compromise that seems necessary for maintaining a stable partnership. The problem is further compounded by the last several decades' economic strains on the family; now, two working parents seems all but required. The present situation is dangerous, but trying to force the clock back will trigger disaster; though it has risks, further change offers hope.
As for his wrtiting, Card isn't worth buying in hardcover (except perhaps Ender's Game itself), but I've still picked up some of his more recent books in paperback after checking them out from the local library. As for the movie... I'll wait for the reviews.
//Information does not want to be free; it wants to breed.
Who wrote Spike Lee's masterful The 25th Hour.
Dude, speaking against gay marriage is not the same thing as funding persecution of gays. If speech was the same as action, slashdot would have been shut down a long time ago when 90% of its members were jailed for treason in various countries.
All you're funding by buying Cards works is free speech (oh, and his food and stuff, but i won't begrudge him that). If nothing else, every movement needs opposing voices to find any holes in a system before it's passed into law.
I probably won't see the movie, but that's because i share your premonition that it's going to suck, not because of any politics.
...it's really a sad day for America when we require a goddamn ACT OF CONGRESS to make our DVD players work properly. ~
I think that the reason we're seeing logical dissonance here, is that the words "Conservative" and "Liberal" have been so bent out of shape by the framing in public debate over the past 20 years, that they no longer share any relevant meaning.
A social conservative might be of the "god hates fags" ilk. But a fiscal conservative should not give a damn. In fact, a pure, pragmatic, fiscal conservative would promote the state getting out of the marriage business entirely, and make it a "civil union", and not discriminate based on gender, and of course, the "perks" and tax breaks would go away. (Ironically, this would also be the best course for social conservatives to pursue, because the reason why most of them HATE the idea of gay marriage, is because they feel threatened by gay's "mocking" their straight lifestyle. If the state did away with marriages, and made them purely a religious institution, then Gays would have all the rights the state could possibly have the ability to grant (within the limits set by the first amendment) - but the Churches would prevent them from getting "Married" - so both sides "win".
But Social Conservatives aren't about pragmatism.
These are my friends, See how they glisten. See this one shine, how he smiles in the light.
Uh, no.
Mistreating gays physically is inhumane.
Not knowing what homosexuality is is ignorant.
Fearing gays is homophobic.
And uniting on any issue, especially an irrelevant hotbutton one like gay marriage, is Unamerican.
Hating gays fills none of these. If he wants to hate gays, jews, martians, white people, nazis, words starting with the letter "I" he's perfectly free to, and in fact, more power to him. I'm all for promoting free speech. He just can't act on his hatred unless his target is white people or nazis (sorry, couldn't resist).
On a side note, i'm not sure your equating of hate and disapproval is entirely correct, either. My parents disapprove of me, but I'm pretty sure they don't hate me.
...it's really a sad day for America when we require a goddamn ACT OF CONGRESS to make our DVD players work properly. ~
--- SER
is if it's animated. That many child actors? Anyone know any good 6 year old stunt children?