We Must Educate, Not Censure
Choices are important.
Learning how to made them is even more so.
Like many Americans, I was shocked and dismayed at the outcome of our recent election. I’ve been further saddened by the events which have followed in the days since: expressions of hate and intolerance, protests which turned violent, the President-Elect’s selection of outspoken white supremacists to his senior staff— and now, news that many of the hate and fake news group sites and social media accounts are being banned or deleted.
Wait. I should be happy about that last entry, right? No. And neither should you.
This is Helicopter Parenting 101. I see something I believe will be a bad influence, or dangerous, to my children so I try to erase it from their lives. Eliminate it from existence. Yet, all this does is serve to ease my own mind, like eating comfort foods when I’m upset. The problem doesn’t go away. It only hides in the shadows, growing larger and more powerful the longer I pretend it doesn’t exist.
Censuring these people and their caustic, hateful ideology, won’t eradicate them. In fact, it may serve to garner sympathy and cause them to become more resolute in their mission. This doesn’t help to solve the problem, it only exacerbates it.
Education— showing people why these viewpoints are divisive, destructive, and unhealthy for humanity as a whole is what is needed.
Let’s look at some numbers from this past election to illustrate my point.
These percentages come from Pew Research and, from the article…
This is by far the widest gap in support among college graduates and non-college graduates in exit polls dating back to 1980.
The sites and social media accounts which are being targeted are notorious for posing as news organizations while posting erroneous or completely false information. That practice is unquestionably bad and needs to be exposed for the damage it causes. I do not believe, however, that censure is the way to go about tackling this problem.
People can’t make good decisions if they aren’t presented with facts, but even further, they can’t make good decisions if they don’t have the ability to discern fact from fiction. If we don’t nurture and encourage active, informed decision-making in our children by not hiding what we perceive as bad in the world, how can we expect them to make good decisions when we’re not there to guide them anymore?
This problem is not just about hate speech, lies, and bigotry. It is about getting people to think for themselves and not being satisfied with having information spoon-fed to them. If we don’t educate why these ideologies are harmful or teach and encourage critical thinking, the hole we’re currently in will only get deeper.
MonsterCon and The Devil You Know
In honor of the Magic City MonsterCon (which I’m attending all weekend!) I’m doing the cover reveal for my newest writing project: The Devil You Know.
You can read the first four chapters of the book (what will comprise “Episode 1” in the final product) right now at Wattpad! Here’s a link: https://www.wattpad.com/user/TuckerAuthor
Two alien races vie for control of Earth amidst a human population decimated by a merciless plague, famine, and war.
Meanwhile, the denizens of Hell grow restless. The apocalypse they were supposed to instigate and revel in is happening without them…
Doing their best to create new lives in the aftermath of the chaos triggered by the aliens’ arrival, Abraham Black and Neri White come from backgrounds about as different as their last names would indicate. Yet, together, they may hold the key which allows humanity to remain the primary tenants of Earth. The question is: how much are they willing to give up to save the world? Their memories? Their lives? Their souls?
I’m describing this story as a Post-Apocalyptic, Epic, Suburban Fantasy… with Aliens. Yes, I think it’s going to be something unlike anything you’ve read before and I’m very excited about it. The story is more adult in nature than my previous works and it’s in the final stages of editing and rewrites and my goal is to have it available this winter, hopefully in time for the holidays.
So, without further ado, here is the cover:
What do you think? Let me know in the comments below and I hope to see some of you this weekend!
Dealing With the F-word
It’s that time again and I’m over on the Emblazoners blog talking about the F-word.
Failure!
Is there another F-word? 🙂
Pop over and have a read: http://emblazoners.com/dealing-with-the-f-word-failure/
In other news, The Devil You Know, my latest project that has taken far more time to complete than I’d hoped, has passed 115,000 words and I’m sincerely hoping the light at the end of the tunnel I see isn’t an oncoming train! The next few weeks are dedicated to getting this beast finished and out in the world.
To that end, I’m looking for a few beta readers. This is an adult read (language and violence) and, if you’re interested, please contact me for details. Thanks!
Guesting at the Emblazoners
I’ve got a short post over at the Emblazoner’s blog today about the question authors dread the most: What’s your book about?
Check it out here: http://emblazoners.com/whats-your-book-about/
And take a moment to peruse the site as well. TONS of awesome Middle Grade and lower Young Adult books there for the tween readers in your life!
All right, back to the grindstone. Books don’t write themselves you know! Though sometimes I wish they did 😉
A SciFi/Fantasy Extravaganza!
Hello, Readers! Welcome to the Fantasy and Science Fiction Super Sale! All books below are priced at $0.99 or FREE. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I haven’t read most of the books on this list. Authors assigned their own movie ratings.
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From $4.99 to $0.99 Movie Rating: R Genre: Sci-fi and Fantasy A young shapeshifter must prove himself by passing a test in the wastelands. But before he can return home, he’ll uncover the secrets behind what really happened 300 years ago to bring about the apocalypse. |
From $3.99 to $0.99 Kindle * Nook * Kobo * iTunes Movie Rating: PG13 Genre: Paranormal Evil is stalking a beautiful woman in Hawaii. He is powerful, charming, and deadly. She fled him once after a brutal attack. Can she escape his powerful spells once more? |
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From $5.99 to $0.99 Kindle * Nook * Kobo * iTunes Genre: Fantasy Romance When Lillian finds herself facing off against vampires and other mythological impossibilities, help comes from an unlikely sourceóthe stone gargoyle who has been sleeping in her garden for the last twelve years. |
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From $2.99 to $0.99 Kindle * Nook * Kobo * iTunes Movie Rating: PG13 Genre: Paranormal Romance Sheís neurotic, insecure and doesnít believe in spirits. At least not until moving into a Hollywood bungalow thatís ëinhabitedí by one. Can she survive his dangerous charms long enough to give up the ghost? |
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From $3.99 to FREE Movie Rating: PG13 Genre: Epic Fantasy Sucked into a portal to another world, Allison awakens with powers she canít control and learns sheís fated to fulfill an ancient prophecy where one decision will determine which of two warring kingdoms will fall. |
From $2.99 to $0.99 Kindle * Nook * Kobo * iTunes Genre: FantasyHe’s a powerful Genie, trapped in a magic lamp. She’s an ugly old witch. They’ll fight the dark forces… together. |
From $2.99 to $0.99 Movie Rating: R Genre: Science Fiction/Time Travel and Space Opera What happens when Evaran, a space and time traveling being visting Earth, decides to interfere in the alien abduction of four humans? |