The highly anticipated film adaptation of Orson Scott Card’s “Ender’s Game” hits movie screens across the country Friday. I haven’t read the much-heralded novel — or its subsequent sequels — but by all accounts, it’s a great novel. If the film is successful, it will likely launch yet another franchise based on a wildly popular series of young adult novels, following in the footsteps of “Harry Potter,” “Twilight” and the “Hunger Games,” to name a few.
While that’s all well and good, the man behind “Ender’s Game” doesn’t seem to live up to the heroics of his book’s main character.
It makes sense that a science-fiction author might be a little kooky, but Card — who serves as a producer on the film and stands to profit greatly if “Ender’s Game” scores a box office win — is a bigot, a homophobe and pretty much suggested President Barack Obama is the next Hitler.
The evidence against Card is overwhelming: He recently called on Congress to outlaw gay marriage and then suggested that Obama was going to create a citizen police force by arming street gangs and letting them dispatch Obama’s enemies, while the president secretly organizes a plot to have Michelle Obama elected president in 2016 — and then plans to run the country through her.
It sounds like a pretty swell idea for a pulpy political thriller, best saved for long days at the beach next summer, but not reality. Sadly, Card believes all of this to be true.
Card’s views are dangerous, delusional and shameful. And he’s not alone. He joins a chorus of the American public, who generally take to the Internet to share its outrageous views, without any shame for how bigoted they may appear.
All too often, we turn a blind eye or a deaf ear to the shenanigans emanating from the mouths of deranged people like Card. Yes, the First Amendment provides very strong protections to our right to free speech — as it should — but that doesn’t mean the American people should have to listen to this crap.
Since the president took office, celebrities like Donald Trump regularly question Obama’s place of birth. A member of Congress called him a tar baby, and all too often — and much like Card — Obama’s policies have been equated to those of Hitler.
The media does a fine job reporting on the nonsensical and downright offensive beliefs of pseudo-celebrities and celebrities alike, but far too often, we fail to tell these people they’re wrong.
Folks like Trump, Card, Ted Nugent, Tea Party politicians, Pat Robertson and countless others get their asinine quotes in any number of articles, TV news segments and blogs, but it’s due time the press and the American people tell them that it’s enough.
Free speech is powerful, but what’s more powerful is a nation, where all of us — regardless of race, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, gender, ethnicity, or anything else that makes us different — are created equal.
Fortunately, the haters are thinning in numbers, even as they attempt to shout from the mountaintops.
Sorry, guys, you’re losing.
Nasty views like Card’s existed in this country long before he opened his mouth, but in a nation that claims to be a tolerant place and a shelter for the huddled masses, some do their damnedest to keep the U.S. a club for wealthy, straight white males.
Obama’s election, along with an expansion of rights for our gay and lesbian friends shocked some of our fellow Americans and, unfortunately, their reaction wasn’t one of understanding or respect.
Civil rights has come a long way since our nation’s founding. It’s just too bad a few ignorant people didn’t come along for the ride. However, the great thing about this country is there’s always room to get on board.
So, Mr. Card, won’t you join us?
Joel Mendelson is a UF graduate student in political campaigning. His column runs on Mondays. A version of this column ran on page 7 on 10/28/2013 under the headline "‘Ender’s Game’ author’s bigoted views in the minority"
