Last week, SF author Kurt Vonnegut made some statements in an Aussie interview praising Islamofascist suicide bombers. James Lileks comments:
If these comments are reported accurately â if they didnât remove the part where he says ânevertheless, they are horrid madmen who willingly slaughter children in the service of a depraved concept of God and human societyâ â then this ought to be a deal-breaker. This ought to be the point where the man is shunned, not feted, and held to account in every subsequent mention of his name and works. As in âVonnegut, whose early works exposed the madness and nihilism of war, would later support the âsweet and honourableâ nature of men who set off nailbombs in public squares in the name of the organization that killed 3,000 Americans on 9/11.â But this will be regarded as nothing more than a beloved old uncle letting off a fart at a wedding and grinning widely when people turn around. Which is more likely: a book review that says Vonnegutâs criticisms of the Bush Regime must be considered in light of the authorâs support of suicide bombers, or a review that says Vonnegut has made statements lauding bombers, BUT he brings up troubling issues / confronts the hypocrisy inherent in Washington / speaks truth to power / speaks Hindu to houseplants / etc.
Iâm guessing youâll see the latter more than the former. Not because the book reviewer necessarily agreest. But there is nothing to be gained from pointing out that Vonnegut is an addled old fool whose brain has rusted in the antiestablishment default position for so long he cannot distinguish between suicide bombers and people who stage a sit-in at a Woolworthâs counter. There is nothing to be gained from attacking the messenger when his other message is so delicious. Of course, all it would take is a few book editors in a few magazines to say âto hell with the old coot; I have a cousin serving in Iraq, and Iâll be goddamned if I give this hairy old fool a pass because he wrote a book my brother loved in college. Whatâs the matter with us? Do we excuse everything because it kicks Bush in the nuts? If Madonna puts on a suicide belt in her next video and sashays into St. Peters to protest, oh, I donât know, popery, do we give her a f*$*#ing golf clap for pushing the envelope again?â
Vonnegut is described in the article as a âpeace activist.â
As a wise giant said in âThe Princess Brideâ â âYou keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.â |