It's like the columnist was trying to dig up dirt on Sanderson and couldn't find anything so then wrote this mean hit piece. Yeah, Sanderson's response shows he really is the better person in all this. But unfortunately, people will read that article and that will decide their opinions on Sanderson and instantly vilify him. From what I've seen online so far of Sanderson, via Booktube, his own YT channel, and just people's personal encounters with him, he seems like a legit good guy. He's not out there attacking people groups on social media, he's not sending mean DMs to people. Yeah he's made millions on his books and has a significant fan base, but isn't that ones of the marks of a successful author?
The audacity of this man, to write an article about how bad an author is, but his article is just him talking in circles about nothing. If you're gonna come for someone over being boring, basic and uninteresting, the least you could do is not serve us the same but worse. If I'm coming for your pen, I will be coming with my best prose. I'll be a hatrr, but a hater with eloquence. That's why people shouldn't approach things with bad faith. It just rinks of envy and meanness through and through
In a world of authors behaving badly just to create some buzz, it is now a crime for an author to write his book and mind his business? The man has a successful career and a solid fanbase but it means nothing because he's just an ordinary guy and not in the limelights? Whoever wrote this article needs to reevaluate their priorities because it's giving judgy, jealous and mean spirited. Not them having me defend a white man I've never heard of on Beyonce's internet 🤦🏾♀️
Someone already asked Brandon if he could expand on/contextualize that quote "As I build books, God builds people." and this was his response: "Maybe? When he came back for the second round, at that Japanese dinner, he was REALLY interested in the Mormon angle. He pushed over and over and just circling back. I think I was just talking about how I like that humans are naturally creative. That making things brings us joy. I have talked about this before in speeches: how I think all jobs are creative in some way. Not just traditionally "creative" jobs. I mentioned this seems to be an echo of diety in us. God created the world, and we as people like to create. My creative outlet is books. It's ironic that this made the story for him, as I don't really remember that point well." Maybe it's because I know a lot of people of faith who are also creatives and hear these kinds of introspections about art and expression all the time but, from the first moment I heard the quote, it was so clear to me what Sanderson meant by it. At its core, the sentiment isn't about some ego trip seeing yourself as a god or something like that, but finding connections to divinity in our own expressions and creations. Genuinely, if you know someone who is deeply artistic and devout, they are very likely to have said something like this before. Anyways, great video! ^_^ Love that you covered this at all since so much of the things that go around this community is authors being stupid on main and somehow this is a case of a journalist finding an author who stays in his lane and just does what he loves aggravating enough to warrant this mess XD
Thanks for the explanation. For all that the article raves about this quote, it doesn't talk a lot about what he meant by it. The context of the conversation is very helpful.
Yeah, I really didn't get all the outrage over such a basic statement of personal piety. Its a sentiment that's been echoed in pretty much every religion since forever. Like, I can't imagine it would have had the same kind of backlash if he said "writing is like tapping into a cosmic energy that connects me all the way back to the primordial root of all creative activity." But it's exactly the same sentiment.
@@camillagilmore1547 Sorry for the late reply! ^_^ and agreed! Most people who are religious/spiritual in some capacity have likely made a statement like this. Yours is a great example! I think it's really the way the article presents it, like the way he frames this singular truth that finally had his full attention (or however he phrased it), that is what makes it seem like a bigger/more insidious(?) statement than it actually is.
@@anacecilia1387 You are most welcome and sorry for the late reply! ^_^ Yeah the article drops that line like it's some kind of smoking gun and treats it with such gravity that the sentiment honestly does not warrant. But clearly the author of the article wants it to carry more unsettling undertones when the context shows the whole thing to have been completely innocuous.
Not only was the article cruel toward Sanderson, but was cruel to his family. He should be ashamed for writing this article and Wired editorial team shows they have no decency allowing it to be published. I'm not religious whatsoever, but if Sanderson followed any other religion, that piece would never have been published.
The author of that article seems to be really angry that there wasn’t some major watergate type scandal he was able to unearth in regards to Sanderson. I have no dog in this fight, I’ve never read any of S’s books. However, I think this “article” was whiny, rude, and without substance. It seems like he is upset that Sanderson could be so revered and famous while being down to earth, or “boring.” “Why am I NOT RICH AND FAMOUS for my writing?! I’M SO MUCH COOLER AND EDGIER than this NERD.” It’s giving high school nonsense mean girl drama. Embarrassing.
That whole article was Twitter in a nutshell. Because when everyone’s enjoying a trend, you’ll always have that one person willing to crap on it because they don’t like it and are experiencing FOMO. At the same time, Jason wrote this article as if he was disappointed in not finding anything negative on Brandon. Because, let’s be honest: journalism today is all about negativity and picking a side. Brandon was his professional and authentic self. Jason didn’t like that.
I read the whole article. My takeaways were: 1) there are no good Asian food restaurants in Utah, 2) the author missed some parts that could have been interesting to explore like how mormanism affects his writing, and working with family, the compulsion of writing, but instead he wrote about randomness 3) I am sad Evermore Park has gone downhill. It sounds like a cool place
This “journalist” has a history of writing like this. I’ve been reading wired on and off for years. His pretentious writing style has always been there. Look at his tweets. I knew it was going to be trash when I saw their name.
Kept thinking the article was gonna become a joke. Couldn't believe the "cool kids" attitude. This helps the conservative argument that too many media outlets are "elitist liberals". Read Mistborn 2 weeks ago. Not a perfect book, but very enjoyable and will read more in the series.
It's one thing to say you're looking for a story and didn't find one, it's an entirely different thing to berate someone and his family/friends/fans for liking him. This shit was B I Z A R R E
I was shocked at the audacity of the article author to go spend time with Sanderson, stay in his house, go to an amusement park with him and then write an article that took a bunch shots at his personality, writing style, and appearance. It’s fine to dislike and author or a book but he was writing from a spite when he had no reason to. It sounds like Sanderson was totally honest with him and kind when he came to visit so I really had a problem with the “his blazer is ill fitting, he’s boring, his books are quickly written trash, his fans are lame, he didn’t include more of me on his podcast!” Rhetoric. It’s giving bitter. It’s giving “who hurt you?”.
I actually think that “as I build books, God builds people” is interesting. It sounds to me that he was referring to people like the guy at the con who had reformed after reading one of his books. Even if you don’t believe in God, there’s no doubt that his books have changed people’s lives. He just put that change on God through his writing instead of on himself through his writing. If that makes sense lol Also, the author of the article sounds like a joy to be around at parties 🙃 Thank you for recapping so I don’t have to give the article clicks!
He spoke about that quote on reddit. He thinks (he doesn't remember the conversation that well because hilariously it wasn't some profound experience for him) he meant something along the lines that God builds people and that people go on and create. Like there's an innate drive within people to create and that perhaps that's a touch of the divine within us. It's a touching sentiment honestly.
@@alexandrac2472 thank you! I love that he doesn’t even remember that part, that’s really relatable lol that is touching, I firmly believe that one of the innate traits of humans is our creativity. Art and storytelling have been around since before recorded history.
Tbh I don't give a fuck about Brandon Sanderson. Never have and never will read one of his books. But this article was just so damn mean-spirited. It seems like he wanted something, anything, to expose Brandon, but he didn't find it, so he decided to be shitty to him over it. How dare an author not live some super lavish lifestyle where he eats fine dining every night and flashes his wealth around??? How dare he enjoy his hobbies and have a lovely marriage to his wife??? This is what we WANT from authors! We're all tired of authors behaving badly. Knowing one is just a nerdy dude who writes books and plays card games is cool!
Not the hubby being the hand model for the sponsor ad. Hahaha And Nigel was into that domino game, wow. Either that or he wanted to be hydrated too and was like, 'why I don't get some?' Honestly, I never heard about 'Brandersen' until I came on TH-cam. I don't know nothing about him, I got zero thoughts so this is all new news to me.
It sounds to me like this person expected him to " perform" for him and was disappointed when he didn't. Think of it in terms of having the opportunity to spend a normal day in the life of a musician. Do you expect that that person will " put on a show for you"? No. I personally don't know mymuch about Sanderson and the one book I have attempted to read I actually didn't like 😅. However this article was just unnecessary in so many ways.
I think Jason’s article says more about who Jason is as a person than it does about Brandon Sanderson. I haven’t read any Sanderson books, but I would have been gracious to Sanderson if he had invited into his home, introduced me to his family and openly engaged in critical conversations about himself and his writing.
I just wanna say...the production of everything you do I love but especially the sponsored content portion on today, chef's kiss. Lol. I loved your voice over! LOL
It’s like when people Dog on Stephen King… is every book he writes great?! No lol but are they compulsively readable?! Yeah and that makes reading fun. They don’t always have to be profound situations.
Sounds like the author of this article isn't a good writer either. 🤷♀️ It's just such a mean-spirited and wordy piece. Yeah, "gibberish" to be sure. How did he even get an invite to hang out with Sanderson? I watched Merphy Napier's response video, who also spent time with Sanderson during a recent reading group for the Surprise Book #1, and her experience was the complete opposite of the author of this article.
The Esquire article was light years better than Wired. Mr. Morgan (Esquire writer) shared important points about what Sanderson is trying to do--show other authors there's another way to publish. The Wired writer really didn't give a shit, and still doesn't. Thank you for finding another article with substance so people can see the difference. What I find hilarious is how the whole hit piece has done the exact opposite of what was 'maybe sort of' intended. I'm not a Sanderson fan. I don't have to be to see who he is as a person: a cool nerd doing what he loves. We need more 'boring' authors.
Omg this person sounds so ridiculous. What happened to the world? People like different things. I love Sanderson. I think his writing and storytelling is fantastic. I want to find something this person likes and write a whole nonsense article about how it's lame and can't believe they like it lol
I’ve never read anything from Sanderson but I hear about his books everywhere and eventually I want to pick up a book. If anyone has recs on a good starting place I’d appreciate it. As for the article, it sounds just petty trying to get a rise out of people. Negative attention is still attention, we know that. I think even getting attacked he’s getting clicks and then likes from people supporting him from the revenge of the nerds. I think ignoring it directly (leaving the guy alone) and having discussions like this are the way to go. Starve the fire he tried to start while having discussions about the overall issues here. Really liked this video. Also your hair is adorbs. I always like it but the twists are super cute ❤
I haven't read much by Sanderson in general, and it's been a long, long time since I read it, but I remember enjoying The Final Empire (the first book of the Mistborn trilogy). From what I've heard from other people, it's a pretty good example of his writing style. If you decide to try it, or another by him, I hope you enjoy!
I recommend something short first - The Emperor's Soul, a novella. Quick-paced, interesting magic system, tight and fun fight sequences, it's how I started reading his stuff and it's a fantastic bite-sized taste of the things he's really good at.
@@RubyDianArts Oh that sounds great, thanks! His books can be intimidating for their length even if you like big books, but a big book by an author you have no idea if you'll vibe with can be scary. Appreciate it!!
I really didn't expect to be called out with your hypothetical T.S. hit-piece scenario. I've never written one of those, BUT... I've been known to hate on her because I don't think she's a very good songwriter. You really gave me some food for thought with "you're missing the point of why people like things." Yeah, she's not my cup of tea, but she didn't get famous for no reason and my taste is no "better" or "superior" to the thousands who love her work. Even if I may have some legitimate criticisms of her work, or even her actions and herself as a person. Thank you, for holding up a mirror to those of us (especially myself) who can be way too bitter and critical toward others. It's a reminder not to use my writing energy for unjustifiably spiteful reasons.
if the writer wasn't interested in fantasy books then he could've used that as his prompt for the article. try to discover BS fans it factor, instead it just sounded like an 80's teen movie of a jock bullying a nerd.
Even the comment about building books as God builds people is such a nothing burger to me. In fact, taken in good faith, its a rather sweet expression of personal piety; the idea that a God would approach creation with the same joy and wonder and curiosity an author approaches their books with is, to me, a healthy thing to believe about a divine creator. Its a statement that could have come from any faith really. Allah is the divine author, Brahma is within the author and the words he writes, Gaia nurtures us like a mother telling her child bedtime stories. I dunno, it feels like the objection here isn't so much to his mormonism in particular but in his general belief in a loving God and that level of anti‐theism raises a whole host of red flags to me.
I'm sure the author was assigned this story but the way tells it, it sounds like no one in his office knew or cared about Sanderson and there absolutely zero reason the author needed to write about him
Bro really wrote an article intimately detailing all of his insecurities, jealousies, and shortcomings 💀 I actually got second-hand embarrassment from how immature and petty the author of the article was. Like damn I love being a hater, but at least bring something of substance, not just your diary entry detailing how mad you are that the "nerdy loser" is a successful author.
Never heard of Sanderson but now I'm interested in reading his books for the story telling. The author is so clearly a nasty hater... like girl, why did you need to PUBLISH this for the world to see? For what reason? Especially after this man and his family welcomed and spent what seems like a considerable amount of time with you. Also, the author's prose is also not gift to the English language so there's that.
As a fellow "Mormon", I really don't see how anything he does connects with the beliefs of the church. Like, in an extremely abstract way, maybe, like how Sanderson said that he creates worlds (which wasn't him saying "I'm a god now" it was him saying, "I am creative, and so is God. In this similarity, I find comfort and self-assurance.") so the connections the article is drawing are so random and honestly a stretch. I also like to write, especially fantasy, but it isn't because I have some power hungry cultish desire to bend minds to my will like is implied here, it's because it's fun and fulfilling for me. Can people not have interests and also be religious, like ???
This article writer didn’t ask any interesting questions! Like you pointed out, he could have asked Sanderson about the division of labor in his home and how that privilege allows him to write so much. Or he could have asked about Sanderson’s views on queerness (since he’s been against gay marriage in the past). Such a missed opportunity and that, plus the unnecessary cruelty, is just plain embarrassing for the writer.
It's like this journalist expected Brandon to be an extraordinary personality because of his wealth and success and was disappointed to find out he was an average person. It speaks volumnes about the journalist, and conveys little about Sanderson
what gets me is… yeah wired is a ‘nerdy’ magazine but do any of those people read fantasy books? are any of them in bookish communities? i’m not really interested in brandon sandersons books because i do love the fancy prose, and i don’t love chunky books, so it’s not for me… and yet i know his name, if someone asked me for a fantasy author he’d be in the top 5 i mention probably. and i’m ‘nerdy’ in books and fandom ways but unless my boyfriend plays a video game, i have no idea what they are. you could say a name of one and i probably wouldn’t even recognise it. also this ‘journalist’ is just fucking awful? who has dinner and spends time with someone, and then writes an article calling them dull??? poor fucking brandon sanderson reading that
I’m not a fan of Sanderson’s work, but I thought that the magazine writer was unjustifiably nasty. He came off as a jealous, broke writer who got overcome by seeing a basic dude, writing basic books making bank.
the more I think about this article the more I am convinced some people were pissed at his kickstarter and the amount of money he made rather than going the traditional publishing route. It's the only thing makes sense to me out of all the gibberish thats written down. valid criticism? I'd be okay with that. a snob crying because he had to watch hugh jackman and see people salting their food? nah. And I am not even a fan of brandon sanderson.
I think the entire article was ragebait to generate more clicks/views; the author knew he was kicking a hornet's nest by being a dickhead to one of the sweetest writers in the space atm. I mean seriously... he wrote that in front of Sanderson's wife, he asked, 'MAYBE YOU JUST SUCK AT WRITING?' I just have to assume the author is a professional troll. At least Sanderson was very wholesome about the entire issue, even defending the interviewer on his subreddit.
The writer of this article comes across as really mean and maybe even bitter. It really comes across as if his mind was made up before he arrived. As a writer for a-in his own words-nerdier magazine, he is treating Sanderson the way people perceive and possibly treat the readers and writers of WIRED to be. I've never read a book by Sanderson and currently don't plan to-which might never change, but not everybody needs to like everything. Sanderson is better than me. I would have been passive-aggressively nice. Kind of like how "Bless Your Heart" are kind words, but not meant to be. It also comes across like he thinks he is really doing something-going against the mainstream. No, he is just being-sorry to say it, but want to be succinct-an ass. Not because he doesn't like Sanderson and his works-that's everybody's and anybody's right, but because of the whole tone and feel of the article. It just comes across as bitter and could honestly have the opposite effect he wanted and bring more attention to people who wouldn't have come across Sanderson otherwise because if you are a sometimes reader you wouldn't necessarily come across him unless someone points him out.
Wtf was that article? I like his books but that's as far as it goes. People like the books. We don't "worship" the guy. Also what about Stephen King or James Patterson? They can't stop pumping out books and I would argue they aren't good writers. Doesn't mean I'm gonna go on a million word diatribe about it.
It feels like such a waste that this article focused on petty nonsense instead of Sanderson's well-documented history of queerphobic views and his outspoken financial and philosophical support of the LDS church, which then uses that money to lobby for hateful legislation.
@@lizr451 I'm limiting the scope of my comment to LDS rather than Christianity as a whole. With that said, financially contributing to any organization that uses that money to oppress groups of people is wrong to me, especially when Sanderson has more financial power than many others. The practice can be important to people of faith, but that doesn't absolve it of criticism.
I actually thought I saw that somewhere. But I didn't read it. I think this is unfair. Writers are people. Writers are here to tell a story or multiple stories, to add to people's lives including their own. Not to be exciting. Obviously, the article is written by someone outside the target audience. It seems surface level.
Dude seems just hateful. Like a cliche, “uhm, actually” type of nerd that takes himself too seriously. Talking about how boring Sanderson is and writing this high school sophomore expose style article like boy bye.
The article was just a hit piece. The writer of said article has probably had more attention than he has ever had before because of his bad intent, if he'd written about why people like Sanderson's work: the stories, the world building, the magic system and the characters, few people if any would be talking about the article.
I think the writer of this article had an ulterior motive in making the decision to write the article this way. The person's dislike of Sanderson is evident and it's not even a very good hit piece. He accused Sanderson of being too successful, too family focused, and too boring. That does not make him a villain. A more motivated writer would have found a better angle. There was absolutely no reason to be so negative. And my biggest disappointment is the editor at WIRED that allowed this piece to be published in the first place. A momentary increase in traffic does not outweigh the negative feelings this article engendered in readers, not only fantasy readers, but all readers. I haven't even read Sanderson and I'm a little outraged over this.
maybe its just me but its so strange to me to be like 'omg he said NOOOTHING quotable' like obviously i get it for article reasons but like. i think if i spoke to someone who was constantly throwing out pithy quotable phrases i would get so unbelievably tired of them. like that's not how a conversation with two engaged and interested parties works... i mean again i understand it in context but it's weird to then complain about it like it sounds more like you as the journalist are just not that good at ur job if u need the other person to do the work of quoting themselves for you.. right ?
We should be more concerned Wired employees don't read enough to have heard of a wildly popular author. Jason Kehe's article reads like a cross between a self-important Google Maps review and a journal entry about his own writer's block over this story. You're so right, this is next level clickbait "content".
So I’m not a Sanderson fan. I have yet to get into his books. It’s just a taste thing. I also haven’t read the article yet. But is the whole point “Sanderson is a boring guy”??? Like…Sanderson’s job isn’t to be interesting. It’s to write and teach. What did the columnist expect from a middle aged white guy?
This article writer is so self-absorbed I find it hard to believe that he's good at writing (or understanding) anything outside of himself. What a joke. Also, no man with my hydration kit? What?? Do I even get a dog?? What a ripoff. 😂
How dare an author get popular from writing easily digestible fantasy. Everybody knows that to write fantasy you have to write as closely to how Tolkien writes or you aren't a real author.
This guy's article was so badly written. It was clunky and his sentences were not put together well. But also, his content was trash and (as you pointed out) did not add anything to the conversation. The article was a waste of space and honestly, the only reason it's not a waste of time for all of us to pay attention to it is (at least for me) I get to see how much nicer his defenders are than Jason was. If I were calling myself a journalist, I'd be ashamed.
@@edgytypebeat781 I keep watching booktubers talk about this article. It’s good for everyone. I think the Book of Mormon rips on Mormons and is very popular. That author comes off as a very nasty person.
Oh, you got the hubby and Nigel doing a commercial. Love the twists. What is flopsy Utah Chinese? This person is a hater and is trying to get attention by trashing and trying to shame Sanderson. Now I could care less about BrandoSando, but dude doing his thing, is successful and playing him video games til 5am. Let him be.
I'm probably never going to read him because I don't like the idea of my money going to the Mormon church. And because my reading a cis, straight white dude is so rare that I'd have to choose him over books and authors that interest me more. But I have no ill will toward him, and no need for authors to be super fascinating people. He seems like a good guy who tithes to a church I can't support. No need for this journalist to be a dick.
What do you do for a living? Do you refuse to do business with church-goers? Because that's pretty discriminatory. Do you even know what the LDS Church does with its money? It doesn't hurt the world.
@Dobbys Boggart You are free to support who and what you want. I don't have endless time or money for books, so I have to make choices. As does everyone else. If you're saying I need to specifically support my money and attention going to causes I don't believe in, books that don't interest me, I'm going to wonder how that makes sense to you. Then (now) I'm moving on.
I think people misunderstood the article. It would be easy to attack Sanderson for tithing millions to the LDS church, which has for decades funded anti-LGBT and anti-abotion legislation in Utah, excluded POC for bearing "the mark of Cain” (having dark skin), the exploitative nature of missions. There’s a lot to criticize about the activities of the church. And I think there are a lot of LDS allegories present in his books, at least the ones I’ve read. Particularly the ascension of characters in Elantris to godhood. Maybe it’s unintentional, I don’t know. Kehe could have written about Sanderson's faith, his contributions to the church, the role of women in the church, how Sanderson reconciles his inclusion of (token) queer characters with the ban of gender affirming care in Utah, etc. It's low-hanging fruit. Some people don’t care about it; people can spend their money how they want, and buying their products isn’t an endorsement of their opinions. Personally, I don’t care for Sanderson’s writing. It’s too YA for me (which isn’t necessarily bad, but I’m over it), and it doesn’t have anything interesting to say outside of trite aphorisms. The LDS stuff is just the nail in the coffin. He hasn’t publicly said the same vile things as Orson Scott Card, or Rowling, but his money’s going to the same place. The title was amusingly prescient (and Kehe definitely knew the response he would get). Just look at what happened: a relatively unknown journalist writes a kind of mean personal essay after meeting Sanderson, and hundreds of thousands of fans rise up against him. This didn’t happen with Kehe’s Becky Chambers piece, which was also unflattering and critical of “cozypunk” SFF, her obsessions with tea, and her distance from social issues SFF has tradtionally explored. I liked the article, not because dude talked about what Sanderson wore, or how they salt the food in Utah, or some guy naming his kid Kaladin. For me, it really captured the the obsessiveness of his fanbase, how horribly boring Utah is, the friendliness of Mormons despite their church hoarding billions of dollars and lobbying against progressivism while ignoring social problems within their state, and also the direction fantasy has taken since Sanderson entered the scene. We have a mega-author who is redefining the industry to his own benefit, something which other authors aren’t going to be able to replicate despite emulating him stylistically. People devoutly follow his BYU lectures (and BYU is another institution with issues), the reduction to “hard vs soft” magic, the tabletop game style of worldbuilding (to be fair, I think that started with Malazan). It's a phenomenon, and the whole thing’s been bizarre to watch. edit: There's a lot of things left unsaid in the article, which I think is a weakness if it was meant to be critical of Sanderson and his corporation.
That's the thing about it though, they brush past a lot of hot button points, don't really come to a conclusion about them, laces is with just enough irony and snarky to play up the plausible deniability of just how much they are joking, and vague and meandering enough for people to read what they like into it. What ever the intent is here, it's trashy and controversial.
@@ProudPlatypus I agree that he could have done anything besides writing an anti-fluff piece. I got the impression he didn't want to write anything about Sanderson at all edit: The writing in the article, and the things he chose to include, shows how shallow it all is. That's how I interpreted it, at least.
I feel like you’re being extremely critical about his way of living, religion, education, and general beliefs because it does not align with what you consider right. Let the man do what he wants as long as he is not purposely going around and harming others.
@@lizr451 So donating money to a group that is purposely going around and harming others actually IS purposely harming others so please sit down and stop talking.
@@jennderqueer give me evidence. You seem so sure of yourself. I want evidence of this happening recently. And what about you don’t tell someone to stop talking and sit down. That’s not how you have a conversation with someone that has opposing views as you.
I don't even know what the writer was thinking with this article. I get there's some authors were hate but this is some shit. I don't even want to defend the white man but I'm gonna have to it seems lmao. Also the sponsorship had me laughing lol.
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It's like the columnist was trying to dig up dirt on Sanderson and couldn't find anything so then wrote this mean hit piece. Yeah, Sanderson's response shows he really is the better person in all this. But unfortunately, people will read that article and that will decide their opinions on Sanderson and instantly vilify him. From what I've seen online so far of Sanderson, via Booktube, his own YT channel, and just people's personal encounters with him, he seems like a legit good guy. He's not out there attacking people groups on social media, he's not sending mean DMs to people. Yeah he's made millions on his books and has a significant fan base, but isn't that ones of the marks of a successful author?
It just didn’t make sense. He’s a nerdy author, what did you think you’d find?
Why is this article something Dan from Gossip Girl would write?
THE WAY I JUST SNORT LAUGHED
The audacity of this man, to write an article about how bad an author is, but his article is just him talking in circles about nothing. If you're gonna come for someone over being boring, basic and uninteresting, the least you could do is not serve us the same but worse. If I'm coming for your pen, I will be coming with my best prose. I'll be a hatrr, but a hater with eloquence. That's why people shouldn't approach things with bad faith. It just rinks of envy and meanness through and through
In a world of authors behaving badly just to create some buzz, it is now a crime for an author to write his book and mind his business? The man has a successful career and a solid fanbase but it means nothing because he's just an ordinary guy and not in the limelights? Whoever wrote this article needs to reevaluate their priorities because it's giving judgy, jealous and mean spirited. Not them having me defend a white man I've never heard of on Beyonce's internet 🤦🏾♀️
I’ve never read his books but he seems like a genuinely nice person who like, enjoys being a dad. But apparently that’s boring? 🫠
Someone already asked Brandon if he could expand on/contextualize that quote "As I build books, God builds people." and this was his response: "Maybe? When he came back for the second round, at that Japanese dinner, he was REALLY interested in the Mormon angle. He pushed over and over and just circling back. I think I was just talking about how I like that humans are naturally creative. That making things brings us joy. I have talked about this before in speeches: how I think all jobs are creative in some way. Not just traditionally "creative" jobs. I mentioned this seems to be an echo of diety in us. God created the world, and we as people like to create. My creative outlet is books. It's ironic that this made the story for him, as I don't really remember that point well."
Maybe it's because I know a lot of people of faith who are also creatives and hear these kinds of introspections about art and expression all the time but, from the first moment I heard the quote, it was so clear to me what Sanderson meant by it. At its core, the sentiment isn't about some ego trip seeing yourself as a god or something like that, but finding connections to divinity in our own expressions and creations. Genuinely, if you know someone who is deeply artistic and devout, they are very likely to have said something like this before.
Anyways, great video! ^_^ Love that you covered this at all since so much of the things that go around this community is authors being stupid on main and somehow this is a case of a journalist finding an author who stays in his lane and just does what he loves aggravating enough to warrant this mess XD
Thanks for the explanation. For all that the article raves about this quote, it doesn't talk a lot about what he meant by it. The context of the conversation is very helpful.
Yeah, I really didn't get all the outrage over such a basic statement of personal piety. Its a sentiment that's been echoed in pretty much every religion since forever.
Like, I can't imagine it would have had the same kind of backlash if he said "writing is like tapping into a cosmic energy that connects me all the way back to the primordial root of all creative activity." But it's exactly the same sentiment.
@@camillagilmore1547 Sorry for the late reply! ^_^ and agreed! Most people who are religious/spiritual in some capacity have likely made a statement like this. Yours is a great example! I think it's really the way the article presents it, like the way he frames this singular truth that finally had his full attention (or however he phrased it), that is what makes it seem like a bigger/more insidious(?) statement than it actually is.
@@anacecilia1387 You are most welcome and sorry for the late reply! ^_^ Yeah the article drops that line like it's some kind of smoking gun and treats it with such gravity that the sentiment honestly does not warrant. But clearly the author of the article wants it to carry more unsettling undertones when the context shows the whole thing to have been completely innocuous.
Not only was the article cruel toward Sanderson, but was cruel to his family. He should be ashamed for writing this article and Wired editorial team shows they have no decency allowing it to be published. I'm not religious whatsoever, but if Sanderson followed any other religion, that piece would never have been published.
I love theses twists on you. They look so good.
The author of that article seems to be really angry that there wasn’t some major watergate type scandal he was able to unearth in regards to Sanderson. I have no dog in this fight, I’ve never read any of S’s books. However, I think this “article” was whiny, rude, and without substance. It seems like he is upset that Sanderson could be so revered and famous while being down to earth, or “boring.” “Why am I NOT RICH AND FAMOUS for my writing?! I’M SO MUCH COOLER AND EDGIER than this NERD.” It’s giving high school nonsense mean girl drama. Embarrassing.
He hung out with this man, met his whole family, and hung out with his kid…only to go home and write this?! Audacity is something 😂
Your hubby the bartender. 😅 Love it!
This article made me want to read his books. I’ve never been intrigued until now.
That whole article was Twitter in a nutshell. Because when everyone’s enjoying a trend, you’ll always have that one person willing to crap on it because they don’t like it and are experiencing FOMO. At the same time, Jason wrote this article as if he was disappointed in not finding anything negative on Brandon. Because, let’s be honest: journalism today is all about negativity and picking a side. Brandon was his professional and authentic self. Jason didn’t like that.
This article feels like an April Fool's joke lol
Not to be dramatic, but reading Mistborn in 2020 changed my life and made me realize i love fantasy, and brought me joy in a shitty year
Mistborn got me into fantasy as well. ❤
I read the whole article. My takeaways were: 1) there are no good Asian food restaurants in Utah, 2) the author missed some parts that could have been interesting to explore like how mormanism affects his writing, and working with family, the compulsion of writing, but instead he wrote about randomness 3) I am sad Evermore Park has gone downhill. It sounds like a cool place
Jenny Nicholson did a great deep dive on the evermore park!
I love the family infomercial at the beginning lol
This “journalist” has a history of writing like this. I’ve been reading wired on and off for years. His pretentious writing style has always been there. Look at his tweets. I knew it was going to be trash when I saw their name.
Kept thinking the article was gonna become a joke. Couldn't believe the "cool kids" attitude. This helps the conservative argument that too many media outlets are "elitist liberals". Read Mistborn 2 weeks ago. Not a perfect book, but very enjoyable and will read more in the series.
It's one thing to say you're looking for a story and didn't find one, it's an entirely different thing to berate someone and his family/friends/fans for liking him. This shit was B I Z A R R E
I was shocked at the audacity of the article author to go spend time with Sanderson, stay in his house, go to an amusement park with him and then write an article that took a bunch shots at his personality, writing style, and appearance. It’s fine to dislike and author or a book but he was writing from a spite when he had no reason to. It sounds like Sanderson was totally honest with him and kind when he came to visit so I really had a problem with the “his blazer is ill fitting, he’s boring, his books are quickly written trash, his fans are lame, he didn’t include more of me on his podcast!” Rhetoric. It’s giving bitter. It’s giving “who hurt you?”.
I actually think that “as I build books, God builds people” is interesting. It sounds to me that he was referring to people like the guy at the con who had reformed after reading one of his books. Even if you don’t believe in God, there’s no doubt that his books have changed people’s lives. He just put that change on God through his writing instead of on himself through his writing. If that makes sense lol
Also, the author of the article sounds like a joy to be around at parties 🙃 Thank you for recapping so I don’t have to give the article clicks!
He spoke about that quote on reddit. He thinks (he doesn't remember the conversation that well because hilariously it wasn't some profound experience for him) he meant something along the lines that God builds people and that people go on and create. Like there's an innate drive within people to create and that perhaps that's a touch of the divine within us. It's a touching sentiment honestly.
@@alexandrac2472 thank you! I love that he doesn’t even remember that part, that’s really relatable lol that is touching, I firmly believe that one of the innate traits of humans is our creativity. Art and storytelling have been around since before recorded history.
Tbh I don't give a fuck about Brandon Sanderson. Never have and never will read one of his books. But this article was just so damn mean-spirited. It seems like he wanted something, anything, to expose Brandon, but he didn't find it, so he decided to be shitty to him over it. How dare an author not live some super lavish lifestyle where he eats fine dining every night and flashes his wealth around??? How dare he enjoy his hobbies and have a lovely marriage to his wife??? This is what we WANT from authors! We're all tired of authors behaving badly. Knowing one is just a nerdy dude who writes books and plays card games is cool!
🏆
Not the hubby being the hand model for the sponsor ad. Hahaha And Nigel was into that domino game, wow. Either that or he wanted to be hydrated too and was like, 'why I don't get some?' Honestly, I never heard about 'Brandersen' until I came on TH-cam. I don't know nothing about him, I got zero thoughts so this is all new news to me.
It sounds to me like this person expected him to " perform" for him and was disappointed when he didn't. Think of it in terms of having the opportunity to spend a normal day in the life of a musician. Do you expect that that person will " put on a show for you"? No.
I personally don't know mymuch about Sanderson and the one book I have attempted to read I actually didn't like 😅. However this article was just unnecessary in so many ways.
I think Jason’s article says more about who Jason is as a person than it does about Brandon Sanderson. I haven’t read any Sanderson books, but I would have been gracious to Sanderson if he had invited into his home, introduced me to his family and openly engaged in critical conversations about himself and his writing.
This article is a damn mess. Cruel is the right word. I don’t even read this mans books and this is too damn much.
I just wanna say...the production of everything you do I love but especially the sponsored content portion on today, chef's kiss. Lol. I loved your voice over! LOL
“I just fuquin vibe with it” EXACTLY! There doesn’t have to be a profound reason to enjoy something! Lol “I’m a god when I play the sims” 😂😂
LOVE the liquid IV ad. You three are such a cute family. ❤️ Appreciate all your videos, every kind!
It’s like when people Dog on Stephen King… is every book he writes great?! No lol but are they compulsively readable?! Yeah and that makes reading fun. They don’t always have to be profound situations.
Sounds like the author of this article isn't a good writer either. 🤷♀️ It's just such a mean-spirited and wordy piece. Yeah, "gibberish" to be sure. How did he even get an invite to hang out with Sanderson? I watched Merphy Napier's response video, who also spent time with Sanderson during a recent reading group for the Surprise Book #1, and her experience was the complete opposite of the author of this article.
Literally just mean and wordy
Ok thumbnaaaaail. She’s a scholar 👓
That ad read was literally perfect 😂
Also, I was waiting for you to do this video so praise, I finally get to see what this article is all about 🙌🏼
The Esquire article was light years better than Wired. Mr. Morgan (Esquire writer) shared important points about what Sanderson is trying to do--show other authors there's another way to publish. The Wired writer really didn't give a shit, and still doesn't. Thank you for finding another article with substance so people can see the difference.
What I find hilarious is how the whole hit piece has done the exact opposite of what was 'maybe sort of' intended. I'm not a Sanderson fan. I don't have to be to see who he is as a person: a cool nerd doing what he loves. We need more 'boring' authors.
Definition of hating from outside the club
Omg this person sounds so ridiculous. What happened to the world? People like different things. I love Sanderson. I think his writing and storytelling is fantastic. I want to find something this person likes and write a whole nonsense article about how it's lame and can't believe they like it lol
If someone wrote about his fave, he’d probably throw a fit
this is my fav sponsor ad I've ever seen in my life 100/10 a cinematic masterpiece
I really liked your coverage of this article. 😊
I’ve never read anything from Sanderson but I hear about his books everywhere and eventually I want to pick up a book. If anyone has recs on a good starting place I’d appreciate it. As for the article, it sounds just petty trying to get a rise out of people. Negative attention is still attention, we know that. I think even getting attacked he’s getting clicks and then likes from people supporting him from the revenge of the nerds. I think ignoring it directly (leaving the guy alone) and having discussions like this are the way to go. Starve the fire he tried to start while having discussions about the overall issues here. Really liked this video. Also your hair is adorbs. I always like it but the twists are super cute ❤
I haven't read much by Sanderson in general, and it's been a long, long time since I read it, but I remember enjoying The Final Empire (the first book of the Mistborn trilogy). From what I've heard from other people, it's a pretty good example of his writing style. If you decide to try it, or another by him, I hope you enjoy!
@@thefinalflower thanks!
I recommend something short first - The Emperor's Soul, a novella. Quick-paced, interesting magic system, tight and fun fight sequences, it's how I started reading his stuff and it's a fantastic bite-sized taste of the things he's really good at.
@@RubyDianArts Oh that sounds great, thanks! His books can be intimidating for their length even if you like big books, but a big book by an author you have no idea if you'll vibe with can be scary. Appreciate it!!
Can I just say the ad read gave the best vibes. Thank you for blessing my hangover with your PSA on hydration.
This article was wild. I have enjoyed the reaction videos in response though. Also, I think your twists look awesome!
I really didn't expect to be called out with your hypothetical T.S. hit-piece scenario. I've never written one of those, BUT... I've been known to hate on her because I don't think she's a very good songwriter. You really gave me some food for thought with "you're missing the point of why people like things." Yeah, she's not my cup of tea, but she didn't get famous for no reason and my taste is no "better" or "superior" to the thousands who love her work. Even if I may have some legitimate criticisms of her work, or even her actions and herself as a person. Thank you, for holding up a mirror to those of us (especially myself) who can be way too bitter and critical toward others. It's a reminder not to use my writing energy for unjustifiably spiteful reasons.
if the writer wasn't interested in fantasy books then he could've used that as his prompt for the article. try to discover BS fans it factor, instead it just sounded like an 80's teen movie of a jock bullying a nerd.
Even the comment about building books as God builds people is such a nothing burger to me. In fact, taken in good faith, its a rather sweet expression of personal piety; the idea that a God would approach creation with the same joy and wonder and curiosity an author approaches their books with is, to me, a healthy thing to believe about a divine creator. Its a statement that could have come from any faith really. Allah is the divine author, Brahma is within the author and the words he writes, Gaia nurtures us like a mother telling her child bedtime stories.
I dunno, it feels like the objection here isn't so much to his mormonism in particular but in his general belief in a loving God and that level of anti‐theism raises a whole host of red flags to me.
I'm sure the author was assigned this story but the way tells it, it sounds like no one in his office knew or cared about Sanderson and there absolutely zero reason the author needed to write about him
Bro really wrote an article intimately detailing all of his insecurities, jealousies, and shortcomings 💀 I actually got second-hand embarrassment from how immature and petty the author of the article was. Like damn I love being a hater, but at least bring something of substance, not just your diary entry detailing how mad you are that the "nerdy loser" is a successful author.
my least favourite part of this article, is that it had reviewers, and still got published
You: I wanna know what his purpose was.
We all do...
Never heard of Sanderson but now I'm interested in reading his books for the story telling. The author is so clearly a nasty hater... like girl, why did you need to PUBLISH this for the world to see? For what reason? Especially after this man and his family welcomed and spent what seems like a considerable amount of time with you. Also, the author's prose is also not gift to the English language so there's that.
Brandon Sanderson seems like a gentleman here.
You calling us dehydrated hoes
Me: How can something be offensive and true at the same time? 😂
Isn't Brandon Sanderson a professor at a university? He has a lot of people taking his writing classes. Um....
As a fellow "Mormon", I really don't see how anything he does connects with the beliefs of the church. Like, in an extremely abstract way, maybe, like how Sanderson said that he creates worlds (which wasn't him saying "I'm a god now" it was him saying, "I am creative, and so is God. In this similarity, I find comfort and self-assurance.") so the connections the article is drawing are so random and honestly a stretch. I also like to write, especially fantasy, but it isn't because I have some power hungry cultish desire to bend minds to my will like is implied here, it's because it's fun and fulfilling for me. Can people not have interests and also be religious, like ???
This article writer didn’t ask any interesting questions! Like you pointed out, he could have asked Sanderson about the division of labor in his home and how that privilege allows him to write so much. Or he could have asked about Sanderson’s views on queerness (since he’s been against gay marriage in the past). Such a missed opportunity and that, plus the unnecessary cruelty, is just plain embarrassing for the writer.
It's like this journalist expected Brandon to be an extraordinary personality because of his wealth and success and was disappointed to find out he was an average person. It speaks volumnes about the journalist, and conveys little about Sanderson
what gets me is… yeah wired is a ‘nerdy’ magazine but do any of those people read fantasy books? are any of them in bookish communities? i’m not really interested in brandon sandersons books because i do love the fancy prose, and i don’t love chunky books, so it’s not for me… and yet i know his name, if someone asked me for a fantasy author he’d be in the top 5 i mention probably.
and i’m ‘nerdy’ in books and fandom ways but unless my boyfriend plays a video game, i have no idea what they are. you could say a name of one and i probably wouldn’t even recognise it.
also this ‘journalist’ is just fucking awful? who has dinner and spends time with someone, and then writes an article calling them dull??? poor fucking brandon sanderson reading that
I’m not a fan of Sanderson’s work, but I thought that the magazine writer was unjustifiably nasty. He came off as a jealous, broke writer who got overcome by seeing a basic dude, writing basic books making bank.
I’ve been waiting for your reaction on this!
I don't know what this dude expected meeting with Sanderson. It just seems like he was bored and petty with the opportunity.
Love the twists!
Edit: how wasnt this article rejected on the pitch alone?! Wired is acting really shady here, imo.
the more I think about this article the more I am convinced some people were pissed at his kickstarter and the amount of money he made rather than going the traditional publishing route. It's the only thing makes sense to me out of all the gibberish thats written down. valid criticism? I'd be okay with that. a snob crying because he had to watch hugh jackman and see people salting their food? nah.
And I am not even a fan of brandon sanderson.
I think the entire article was ragebait to generate more clicks/views; the author knew he was kicking a hornet's nest by being a dickhead to one of the sweetest writers in the space atm. I mean seriously... he wrote that in front of Sanderson's wife, he asked, 'MAYBE YOU JUST SUCK AT WRITING?' I just have to assume the author is a professional troll. At least Sanderson was very wholesome about the entire issue, even defending the interviewer on his subreddit.
The writer of this article comes across as really mean and maybe even bitter. It really comes across as if his mind was made up before he arrived. As a writer for a-in his own words-nerdier magazine, he is treating Sanderson the way people perceive and possibly treat the readers and writers of WIRED to be. I've never read a book by Sanderson and currently don't plan to-which might never change, but not everybody needs to like everything. Sanderson is better than me. I would have been passive-aggressively nice. Kind of like how "Bless Your Heart" are kind words, but not meant to be. It also comes across like he thinks he is really doing something-going against the mainstream. No, he is just being-sorry to say it, but want to be succinct-an ass. Not because he doesn't like Sanderson and his works-that's everybody's and anybody's right, but because of the whole tone and feel of the article. It just comes across as bitter and could honestly have the opposite effect he wanted and bring more attention to people who wouldn't have come across Sanderson otherwise because if you are a sometimes reader you wouldn't necessarily come across him unless someone points him out.
Wtf was that article? I like his books but that's as far as it goes. People like the books. We don't "worship" the guy.
Also what about Stephen King or James Patterson? They can't stop pumping out books and I would argue they aren't good writers. Doesn't mean I'm gonna go on a million word diatribe about it.
It feels like such a waste that this article focused on petty nonsense instead of Sanderson's well-documented history of queerphobic views and his outspoken financial and philosophical support of the LDS church, which then uses that money to lobby for hateful legislation.
My thoughts exactly!
Many Christian churches require tithing. It’s important to us, stop trying to make it more than what it is.
@@lizr451 I'm limiting the scope of my comment to LDS rather than Christianity as a whole. With that said, financially contributing to any organization that uses that money to oppress groups of people is wrong to me, especially when Sanderson has more financial power than many others. The practice can be important to people of faith, but that doesn't absolve it of criticism.
@@pseudoluxury what you consider hateful is not what some other people may consider hateful. We can agree to disagree.
@@lizr451 Lol, no. It is exactly what OP said it is.
That article was mediocre af, so the irony of this entire situation is telling.😂
I actually thought I saw that somewhere. But I didn't read it. I think this is unfair. Writers are people. Writers are here to tell a story or multiple stories, to add to people's lives including their own. Not to be exciting. Obviously, the article is written by someone outside the target audience. It seems surface level.
Dude seems just hateful. Like a cliche, “uhm, actually” type of nerd that takes himself too seriously. Talking about how boring Sanderson is and writing this high school sophomore expose style article like boy bye.
As someone who has never read a Brandon Sanderson book, what should I start with? Thanks!
Commenting because I would like to know as well!
I know it's been 4 months... but mistborn
@@pingpong2978 thank you!!
Lol how dare a million dollar author be boring
I like your hairstyle
The article was just a hit piece. The writer of said article has probably had more attention than he has ever had before because of his bad intent, if he'd written about why people like Sanderson's work: the stories, the world building, the magic system and the characters, few people if any would be talking about the article.
I think the writer of this article had an ulterior motive in making the decision to write the article this way. The person's dislike of Sanderson is evident and it's not even a very good hit piece. He accused Sanderson of being too successful, too family focused, and too boring. That does not make him a villain. A more motivated writer would have found a better angle. There was absolutely no reason to be so negative. And my biggest disappointment is the editor at WIRED that allowed this piece to be published in the first place. A momentary increase in traffic does not outweigh the negative feelings this article engendered in readers, not only fantasy readers, but all readers. I haven't even read Sanderson and I'm a little outraged over this.
The journalist seems bitter that Sanderson is content in his life.
maybe its just me but its so strange to me to be like 'omg he said NOOOTHING quotable' like obviously i get it for article reasons but like. i think if i spoke to someone who was constantly throwing out pithy quotable phrases i would get so unbelievably tired of them. like that's not how a conversation with two engaged and interested parties works... i mean again i understand it in context but it's weird to then complain about it like it sounds more like you as the journalist are just not that good at ur job if u need the other person to do the work of quoting themselves for you.. right ?
We should be more concerned Wired employees don't read enough to have heard of a wildly popular author. Jason Kehe's article reads like a cross between a self-important Google Maps review and a journal entry about his own writer's block over this story. You're so right, this is next level clickbait "content".
So I’m not a Sanderson fan. I have yet to get into his books. It’s just a taste thing. I also haven’t read the article yet. But is the whole point “Sanderson is a boring guy”??? Like…Sanderson’s job isn’t to be interesting. It’s to write and teach. What did the columnist expect from a middle aged white guy?
This article writer is so self-absorbed I find it hard to believe that he's good at writing (or understanding) anything outside of himself. What a joke.
Also, no man with my hydration kit? What?? Do I even get a dog?? What a ripoff. 😂
I don't even like Sanderson and I felt like this article was BS. It felt like a hit piece.
How dare an author get popular from writing easily digestible fantasy. Everybody knows that to write fantasy you have to write as closely to how Tolkien writes or you aren't a real author.
This guy's article was so badly written. It was clunky and his sentences were not put together well. But also, his content was trash and (as you pointed out) did not add anything to the conversation. The article was a waste of space and honestly, the only reason it's not a waste of time for all of us to pay attention to it is (at least for me) I get to see how much nicer his defenders are than Jason was. If I were calling myself a journalist, I'd be ashamed.
This article has got everyone talking about him. It’s all a plan he was in on.
Idk about in on sense the article writer straight up dissed his faith
@@edgytypebeat781 I keep watching booktubers talk about this article. It’s good for everyone. I think the Book of Mormon rips on Mormons and is very popular. That author comes off as a very nasty person.
Oh, you got the hubby and Nigel doing a commercial. Love the twists. What is flopsy Utah Chinese? This person is a hater and is trying to get attention by trashing and trying to shame Sanderson. Now I could care less about BrandoSando, but dude doing his thing, is successful and playing him video games til 5am. Let him be.
I'm probably never going to read him because I don't like the idea of my money going to the Mormon church. And because my reading a cis, straight white dude is so rare that I'd have to choose him over books and authors that interest me more. But I have no ill will toward him, and no need for authors to be super fascinating people. He seems like a good guy who tithes to a church I can't support. No need for this journalist to be a dick.
What do you do for a living? Do you refuse to do business with church-goers? Because that's pretty discriminatory. Do you even know what the LDS Church does with its money? It doesn't hurt the world.
@Dobbys Boggart You are free to support who and what you want. I don't have endless time or money for books, so I have to make choices. As does everyone else. If you're saying I need to specifically support my money and attention going to causes I don't believe in, books that don't interest me, I'm going to wonder how that makes sense to you. Then (now) I'm moving on.
@@michellerever3564 🏆
This article writer reads almost like a parody of one of those movie reporters who try too hard to dig and make a hit piece on someone.
💜💜
I think people misunderstood the article.
It would be easy to attack Sanderson for tithing millions to the LDS church, which has for decades funded anti-LGBT and anti-abotion legislation in Utah, excluded POC for bearing "the mark of Cain” (having dark skin), the exploitative nature of missions. There’s a lot to criticize about the activities of the church. And I think there are a lot of LDS allegories present in his books, at least the ones I’ve read. Particularly the ascension of characters in Elantris to godhood. Maybe it’s unintentional, I don’t know.
Kehe could have written about Sanderson's faith, his contributions to the church, the role of women in the church, how Sanderson reconciles his inclusion of (token) queer characters with the ban of gender affirming care in Utah, etc. It's low-hanging fruit.
Some people don’t care about it; people can spend their money how they want, and buying their products isn’t an endorsement of their opinions.
Personally, I don’t care for Sanderson’s writing. It’s too YA for me (which isn’t necessarily bad, but I’m over it), and it doesn’t have anything interesting to say outside of trite aphorisms. The LDS stuff is just the nail in the coffin. He hasn’t publicly said the same vile things as Orson Scott Card, or Rowling, but his money’s going to the same place.
The title was amusingly prescient (and Kehe definitely knew the response he would get). Just look at what happened: a relatively unknown journalist writes a kind of mean personal essay after meeting Sanderson, and hundreds of thousands of fans rise up against him. This didn’t happen with Kehe’s Becky Chambers piece, which was also unflattering and critical of “cozypunk” SFF, her obsessions with tea, and her distance from social issues SFF has tradtionally explored.
I liked the article, not because dude talked about what Sanderson wore, or how they salt the food in Utah, or some guy naming his kid Kaladin. For me, it really captured the the obsessiveness of his fanbase, how horribly boring Utah is, the friendliness of Mormons despite their church hoarding billions of dollars and lobbying against progressivism while ignoring social problems within their state, and also the direction fantasy has taken since Sanderson entered the scene. We have a mega-author who is redefining the industry to his own benefit, something which other authors aren’t going to be able to replicate despite emulating him stylistically. People devoutly follow his BYU lectures (and BYU is another institution with issues), the reduction to “hard vs soft” magic, the tabletop game style of worldbuilding (to be fair, I think that started with Malazan).
It's a phenomenon, and the whole thing’s been bizarre to watch.
edit: There's a lot of things left unsaid in the article, which I think is a weakness if it was meant to be critical of Sanderson and his corporation.
That's the thing about it though, they brush past a lot of hot button points, don't really come to a conclusion about them, laces is with just enough irony and snarky to play up the plausible deniability of just how much they are joking, and vague and meandering enough for people to read what they like into it. What ever the intent is here, it's trashy and controversial.
@@ProudPlatypus I agree that he could have done anything besides writing an anti-fluff piece. I got the impression he didn't want to write anything about Sanderson at all
edit: The writing in the article, and the things he chose to include, shows how shallow it all is. That's how I interpreted it, at least.
I feel like you’re being extremely critical about his way of living, religion, education, and general beliefs because it does not align with what you consider right. Let the man do what he wants as long as he is not purposely going around and harming others.
@@lizr451 So donating money to a group that is purposely going around and harming others actually IS purposely harming others so please sit down and stop talking.
@@jennderqueer give me evidence. You seem so sure of yourself. I want evidence of this happening recently. And what about you don’t tell someone to stop talking and sit down. That’s not how you have a conversation with someone that has opposing views as you.
kEHE IS A RUDE!
For someone so obsessed with good writing.. oof.
I don't even know what the writer was thinking with this article. I get there's some authors were hate but this is some shit. I don't even want to defend the white man but I'm gonna have to it seems lmao.
Also the sponsorship had me laughing lol.