Thread by @LarryDixonTGK

About my wife of 32 years:

In this @sfwa #Nebulas issue, Obviously, to anyone paying the slightest attention, the word was not meant sincerely or offensively. The issue is with the word, not the woman, but the woman is who is available to shred, & the teeth are shiny. 1/

People who mean well are being whipped up over the word, & they are trying to educate or punish her. This was someone taking a hit at her, & using others to do it more. 2/

She is horrified by this. She is shivering, crying uncontrollably. Since she was a teen she fought for civil right, gay rights, trans rights. Her work is about inclusivity & consideration for others. She was just done wrong in a devastating way. 3/

Obviously the wording was a mistake but the reasons don't matter. The person doesn't matter. What matters to the mob is that there's someone to savage.
In righteously doing so, you're doing evil. Back off on the teaching & fingershaking. 4/

She has only ever tried to be good & helpful. That's what makes her an enemy to plenty of people who prefer to oppress & hate. The most masterful form of manipulation is getting an enemy's allies to destroy them.
Misty is old, broken, so very tired. You just don't know. 5/

All people see is a target for absolutist rage right now. The mob shows up, the mob savages, the mob leaves certain they've done the right thing... after killing someone who only ever helped them.
Someone, using @SFWA, managed a devastating attack on her. 6/

She has dared to be female, dared to be hopeful. To be inclusive. Nurturing. Through her own trauma she helped others with theirs. I've stopped her from suicide before. To put forth ideas of equality, of genuine caring. That is Kryptonite to those who advance by hate. 7/

There are no lack of people who hate her with a fuming rage for even daring to BE. She offends by existing. Her work spreads ideas that challenge those in power. She's a terrible spokesman but she's there to be hit, so they hit. She tries. What's happening now is 8/

not new to me. Not close. I've been supporting her for decades, and more times wanting to quit than I can count. Someone's always got to take a shot at her, b/c she didn't bring them along for fame, get them published, or they fell for a rumor & picked hate instead of 9/

researching. This is not about a racial slur at all. It's about power against challenge. Misty is dyslexic, depressive, has panic attacks, chronic pain, poor eyesight, & crippling anxiety. Still, she's tried to do good for people. She's not rich. She doesn't have crazy clout. 10/

She's got no coalition of secret controllers who suppress new voices. She's a slob. She's a wreck. She's someone who has a handful of people left in her life at all. They've died. She's the last one of her circle of friends. She's lonely, & afraid, & still she tries. 11/

Even at her poorest she did charity work. She mentors those in need. Today, as dozens of times before, I try to help her hold on while cowardly jerks try to stop her by any means, by any usage of others, available. They love to get crowds stirred up & they watch for chances. 12/

For those of you who've never experienced this, it sounds paranoid & self-important. For those who have, you're nodding. It sounds incomprehensible that there could be so much cruelty readily at hand. Easy, effortless cruelty; just takes typing. That's our lives. 13/

As our years add up, we become weaker, more tasty targets. Misty's entire catalog is about tolerance, empathy, questioning & inclusivity. Obviously, the most effective weapon against her would be allegations of hatefulness. Persuading people to be enraged, again, is easy. 14/

Y'all are gonna pick your sides & make your accusations & screw whoever you think you need to screw. No one chooses that but you.
Like "follow the money," ask "who benefits from this?" next time there's an outrage.
Ask why, always ask why. It's seldom obvious, but it's there.