"Here is a lesson in creative writing. First rule: Do not use semicolons. They are transvestite hermaphrodites representing absolutely nothing. All they do is show you've been to college."

Kurt Vonnegut

[–] GnomeKat@lemmy.blahaj.zone 45 points 10 months ago (2 children)

That's an oddly transphobic/intersexphobic way to express a criticism of semicolons...

[–] sneezycat@sopuli.xyz 11 points 10 months ago (2 children)

"If you want to take my guns away from me, and you're all for murdering fetuses, and love it when homosexuals marry each other ... you're a liberal. If you are against those perversions and for the rich, you're a conservative. What could be simpler?"

-Kurt Vonnegut

Yeah it looks like the dude had some issues to say the least...

[–] timelighter@lemmy.world 17 points 10 months ago (1 children)

That's not his views... that's from an essay where he's parodying the mainstream ultrasimplification of political alignment.

https://inthesetimes.com/article/cold-turkey

You left out some language that I think clears up his ironic tone:

If you want to take my guns away from me, and you’re all for murdering fetuses, and love it when homosexuals marry each other, and want to give them kitchen appliances at their showers, and you’re for the poor, you’re a liberal.

If you are against those perversions and for the rich, you’re a conservative.

What could be simpler?

Totally changes it, doesn't it?

[–] sneezycat@sopuli.xyz 4 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Oh, interesting. To be fair, Wikipedia left it out (not me), I was actually trying to check if the dude was a bigot or just 200iq ironic.

Still not convinced it's the latter though.

[–] timelighter@lemmy.world 4 points 10 months ago

I've read 12 of Vonnegut's books. He is fundamentally a social progressive, but there are also some moments in some 70s novels (particularly Breakfast of Champions) that I find homophobic. He also has a habit of making women either passive pleasers or full nutso.

But he also explicitly and repeatedly pushes kindness, egalitarian social justice, and willingness to change.

I highly highly recommend every human read Mother Night.

[–] Chriswild@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago

To me it felt like they implied going to college is a bad thing. I didn't expect them to have a shred of metacognition after that.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 3 points 10 months ago

He was born in 1922, so that's not really surprising. Almost no one born that long ago wouldn't have those bigotries.

I'm not trying excusing it. I'm just not surprised.

[–] GBU_28@lemm.ee 3 points 10 months ago

Rules only take us so far, even good rules.