I caught some flak after writing a book in 2022 when I sent it off for critical review during the editing process.
My pro Beta reader came back with a long list of character and plot choices and observations, but also, one very big negative accusation, and one highly relevant to what’s going on in the world today.
It was something my own personal Beta reader later heard about and found humorous and hypocritical, though even he may not have agreed with all my own style, character, or plot decisions as an author.
That One Time My Beta Reader in NY Accused Me of America’s Worst Label
I endeavored to write the story as objectively as possible, creating fictional conditions based on reality. The good guys and bad guys shared similar characteristics for the sake of making the least common denominator negligible.
I did quite a bit of research on topics like the weather, federal budgeting, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Agency, the economy, espionage, as well as history. I wanted it to reflect actual historical precedent, where possible.
It's kind of weird seeing things you researched and wrote about 2.5 years ago playing out in real-time today.
— Starbage (@TGP144) May 20, 2024
A pro Beta reader I sent it off to in NY came back and said that it seemed "anti-semitic," though both the heroes and villains were Jewish 😎📞https://t.co/oyBKO381pt
Just about everything I wrote in that book has played out in real time, from the character choices to the dialogue of government officials, to the projections on future events, and yet, while I was writing it, I felt more like a historical reporter than a fiction writer.
Am I perfect or without bias? Of course not.
Am I smart enough to report the news and cast both sides in a similar light so that the reader can make their own decision? I believe I am, but I leave that to the reader out there. One of the main, undeniable points of the book is that there’s a universal morality in all of us.
And now, the exact same rhetoric is being used to attack US Constitutionally-guaranteed freedoms like speech and religion, by expanding the broad definition of an oft-used term that stifles free discussion and conversation, all by design.
Foreign Influnce Weaponizing Language: Untouchable by Design
If you’re paying attention, you’re seeing the sparks fly on US college campuses right now. It is indeed a canary in the societal coal mine. In retrospect, it makes me understand why they unconsciously employ such a knee-jerk reaction and feedback mechanism, to stifle honest dissent, even when the protest is warranted.
I cannot speak to the lawfulness of every protest or the actors of counter protestors committing unlawful acts. Not everyone has been an issue of trespass or unlawful assemply, and some counter protestors have done immoral acts to legitimate protestors.
I can, however, report the truth regarding billionaires ready to use extreme and undue political leverage to silence the American first amendment right. Just look how these exact folks that are trying to outlaw your right to criticize them attempted to buy the NY City Mayor’s influence for $2100 recently.
Eliminating External Influence that Harms America
But one thing’s clear: there exists a theme of favoritism and a habit of silencing criticism of a certain group of people with their own stated unique and separate nation, religion, and ethnicity.
It’s being used to prevent people from having very normal conversations, conveying the news, and presenting the product of historical research in a format of fiction storytelling.
And it has a very dark side and we must put an end to it.
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