The Attack On My Book
Grown adults, like a 52-year-old unsuccessful actor in New York City named Carl Salonen, are part of an attack at Amazon by the Tiny Little Thugs (aka SadlyNo.com) in hopes of hurting the sales of my book. Their blog item is here.
Salonen, most vilely, posted a "review," now removed, calling me "Arnold Alkon," harkening back to their old attacks at their site calling me a tranny and asking whether I have a penis, etc. There's another "reviewer," Loretta Serrano, who has a number of blogs actually dedicated directly to her alleged behavior and comment on the various names she goes under. She also has a book on Amazon, under the name Loretta Dillon, and yet, she thinks nothing of hurting the sales of mine.
These are leftists, all these losers, and while I'm neither left nor right (I'm fiscally conservative and socially libertarian), it's my experience that people on the right will tell me they think I'm an idiot right to my face or openly, on a blog (because I was against the Iraq war, for example), while the left has resorted to denigrating me by trying to hurt my livelihood. And they do it anonymously.
And then, there's the manner in which they do it, by using transsexuality in hopes of derogating me. Who has a harder time in this world than somebody who's born one sex and feels very strongly they're another? They're using this to put me down? Ugly. And they're the left?
Now, I have no problem with people taking issue with me or my writing and posting critically about me on some website, nor do I have a problem with people who've actually read my book and have gripes about what I wrote posting them in a review. That's just the territory, being a public writer and speaker, and publishing a book.
But, who goes around trying to hurt somebody's employment (which is what they're effectively doing with these "reviews" at Amazon, and with their call to their followers to vote up the negative reviews so they'll be at the top)?
More about this at the wonderful, tireless, fearless Patterico's site: "Help Amy Alkon Beat the Scum at Sadly, No." Also, these sick fuck adult losers did this to John J. Miller's book as well.
Amazon needs to take steps to stop the abuse of their review system. It's supposed to be a way of reviewing books people have actually read, not of exacting revenge, reviewing the author as a person, or getting even for a blog post the author has written. And it's become all of those things.
UPDATE: Amazon has removed some of the reviews, like Carl Salonen's intimating that I'm transsexual. And I forgot to mention this before -- vis a vis the irony that this is coming from the left. Isn't calling me that...lookist? And sexist? And about five other things?
Wow, how very fifth grade playground of them.
Do they really expect anyone to take them seriously acting like that? Morons.
Ann at February 18, 2010 9:58 AM
The problem is, it can actually hurt my book's sales, and/or future book sales and/or current business relationships with my publisher or agent. My publisher said my book is doing well and asked me to write another for them. Will this change their mind?
That's where this is really vile dirty pool, akin to going to somebody's job and telling the boss what a crappy employee so and so is. I believe that's illegal. Of course, I would guess that a 52-year-old guy who calls himself an actor yet does not appear in imdb.com is what they call "judgment proof."
Amy Alkon at February 18, 2010 10:03 AM
Some years ago, I realized the end of civilization came when dueling was outlawed, and I am not joking. People used to limit their vicious attacks on others when it might mean either a one-way trip to the cemetery at sunrise, or having to leave town as a coward.
irlandes at February 18, 2010 10:14 AM
Good point. Oh, and I did go over there and report a couple that were still up. I like Amazon reviews when I'm looking to buy stuff, so it pisses me off when people don't take it seriously.
Oh, and I bought your book, but haven't read it yet. As soon as I do I'll post up an honest review. :D
Ann at February 18, 2010 10:14 AM
Amy, I'm truly sorry to hear that these jerks are targeting you and (mis)using the Amazon.com voting system to screw over both you and your book. Clearly the idiots at Sadly, No have a twisted, mean-spirited idea of free speech, as well as having way the hell too much free time on their hands. You know I gave the wonderful I SEE RUDE PEOPLE a well-deserved glowing review, and whatever negative reviews I've seen of your book got a good sharp "click" of the "No" button. Wish there was more I could do to help! You can beat these creeps. On the bright side, maybe the kind of controversy the Sadly, No crumbums are trying to stir up will either backfire on them or actually cause more sales of your book. As The Doors once sang, "People are strange."
DorianTB at February 18, 2010 10:25 AM
Typical. They do this all the time with authors they don't like.
This has happened to Orson Scott Card (an "old school" democrat- meaning a pretty conservative one) and Terry Goodkind who is also too conservative for their liking.
If you read a lot of the "most helpful" reviews you'll see how they work. One person writes a nasty review- 50 other people thumb it up with a "most helpful" rating. Voila- it's the first a buyer sees at the top of the page, thus driving sales down. It is very, very common and the libs are the only ones that I've seen do this in a large coordinated effort.
It doesn't even matter if the rest of the people out there write excellent reviews about the books, the libs will vote "not helpful" on those reviews thereby burying the opinions of people who actually have read the books.
Jewels at February 18, 2010 10:45 AM
"But, who goes around trying to hurt somebody's employment (which is what they're effectively doing with these "reviews" at Amazon, and with their call to their followers to vote up the negative reviews so they'll be at the top)?"
F is for fascist...
Feebie at February 18, 2010 10:57 AM
I just don't understand how grown adults can do what they do on Sadly No's website -- actually spend their time, hours and hours of it, to the tune of hundreds and hundreds of comments -- making fun of people in the most junior high school way. I'm not hurt by that -- I really don't care, except when people there libel me, which they do whenever they post about me.
But, to be a 52-year-old man who makes the effort to go write a "review" to hurt the sales of a book merely because the website you hang out at decided the girl who wrote it is one of the uncool people, the unpopular people, the people who don't think right...I just don't see how you get to be 52 and behave like that. Same goes for all the people going there to vote up those negative fake reviews.
Andrew Breitbart, who I sometimes see at a dinner, will tell me right to my face why I'm a naive and worse about something, and then be perfectly sweet to me as soon as the subject changes. Moxie.nu, who I've called "just to the right of Genghis Khan," disagrees with me on a number of issues, but we just argue a little bit and see we're going nowhere, and move on.
Why is it the left, which is supposed to be all about all these kumbayah beliefs, the side that attacks me in the most ugly and horrible and destructive way?
Amy Alkon at February 18, 2010 11:01 AM
@Ms. Alkon: "My publisher said my book is doing well and asked me to write another for them. Will this change their mind?"
As for me, I like to see all the reviews to get a sense of how people like a book. I went to the Amazon site to look over the review statistics for your book. Of the 37 reviews at the time I checked, only something like 6 or 7 had fewer than 4 stars. I would expect a certain number of negative reviews; there will always be some trolls out there. I can't imagine their small numbers would scare your publisher too much, particularly if it's selling well.
I also clicked the link to the Sadly No site. Clever, striking through "Amy" and writing in "Arnold" over and over and over. You know what? Those folks are boring!
old rpm daddy at February 18, 2010 11:07 AM
I've been over there reporting all the reviews by nonreaders that attack you. And thumbs-upping the others. I love to read and buy tons of books, and this immature crap pisses me off but good. Can Amazon do something to block this handful of people's IP's?
momof4 at February 18, 2010 11:08 AM
I really don't get why this is somehow framed as a "left" vs. "right" issue. I haven't read the book--I'm going to now! No press is bad press!!--but rude people seem to come from all corners of the political spectrum to me. Politeness isn't a political issue, is it? If so, *both* sides are losers in my book!
Just because the dorks at Sadly, Whatever self-id as "leftists" hardly means all liberals support their views or methods.
Dave! at February 18, 2010 11:22 AM
They have yet to realise that name-calling is a poor substitute for any real argument. It's still middle school over there.
Success is the best revenge.
P.S. Enjoyed the book!
lsomber at February 18, 2010 11:29 AM
Amy,
I am not a book reviewer, nor do I play one on Amazon. In fact, I am unlikely to be in your target audience, except for the chance mention by Patterico of the ridiculous and vicious treatment you've received at the hands of cretins like the previously mentioned "Loretta Serrano," whose previous reviews at Amazon are of pajama buttons and eyelash fertilizer!
Regardless of whether I end up purchasing your book, or whether we can agree (or more likely, agree to disagree) on politics, I will happily support your efforts to sell it in a forthright manner. In fact, I think that several of my sisters would enjoy it thoroughly and I plan to bring it to their attention immediately.
Eyelash fertilizer. And the Left thinks that they should be taken seriously?
Please.
EW1(SG) at February 18, 2010 11:33 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2010/02/18/the_attack_on_m.html#comment-1696249">comment from Dave!Just because the dorks at Sadly, Whatever self-id as "leftists" hardly means all liberals support their views or methods.
I realize this. I have friends on the left and right, although many of my friends are like me, people who see both sides' flaws, and try to take a common-sense, realistic approach to politics, government, and social issues.
Amy Alkon at February 18, 2010 11:34 AM
Wow. Just went over and scrolled through, since the baby's down and I don't feel like doing the dishes yet. That there are people who spend their lives on that school-yard foolishness is so very, very sad. I'd not give those losers another thought past getting Amazon to ban them.
I did notice one of them claims to have a book coming out this fall. Most of us have lives and brains and therefor don't bother with this nonsense, but I find it amusing that someone who's writing will (again, theoretically) be open to this crap would stoop to doing it to another and leaving themselves open for a counterattack. Obviously, even in his rantings he realizes Amy would never do what they're doing to her.
I posted, in my own name (they may drop dead of shock) a little observance on their loser-ness at sadlyno.
momof4 at February 18, 2010 11:42 AM
Heh, the reviews are all fives or ones! You must be doing something right.
NicoleK at February 18, 2010 12:01 PM
The jealous people in the world lack the ability or ethic to better themselves; so they resort to trying to pull down those who have succeeded. Keep up the good work Amy and in the words of Julius Caesar, "Illigitimi non carborundum." (Don't let the bastards get you down).
Jay at February 18, 2010 12:10 PM
Hi. I think it may have been in the comments here at the blog that I was told about these boys
www.hillbuzz.org
But even if so i am going to repost the link and say Amy they have gotten pounded and smeared and employment and their dating life affected by the lefts childish rage and need to smash the ones who do not think. just. like. them.
Be well and enjoy the last laugh.
rsj at February 18, 2010 12:20 PM
It appears they also "unhelpfuled" those of us who wrote positive reviews.
How old are these guys at "Sadly, No Life"? Twelve?
Patrick at February 18, 2010 12:53 PM
Just remember, Amy, little things amuse little minds. All these people are doing is proving how small-minded they really are.
Flynne at February 18, 2010 12:59 PM
Arent they the clowns who called you a tranny for saying the crack whore with six kids by five dealers living in a drug den should be suprised to get shot?
lujlp at February 18, 2010 1:19 PM
Just be glad anyone even noticed your book. A little rhubarb, even if manufactured, may help sales a small amount.
As for left-wingers being ruder or wimpier than right-wingers, have you listened to the nutcase talk on right-wing radio lately? I think there is a general lack of civility and honesty in all political discourse today.
Ask the right-wing about Red State Socialism and Red Ink Republicans, and they will quickly go for your throat.
I do criticize Alkon for her coarse language, which serves no purpose, and tends to undercut her own arguments. The English language is best used with rapier wit. The high-school tough-guy talk loses much of its charm, and acceptability, once a girl is past 21.
Coarse language means that truly clever and pointed invective is left on the shelf, and the language is thus dulled. As in, used by dullards.
Avoid that fate.
BOTU at February 18, 2010 1:20 PM
> I do criticize Alkon for her coarse
> language, which serves no purpose
It's FUN... Purpose enough. Delicate little spirits wounded by such things were soon to break anyway.
Besides, don't be a little weenie-girl.
> The English language is best
> used with rapier wit
Go to Google or to Amy's own "search blog" (upper left), and locate a cite of your own "rapier wit".
Seriously, do this for us. Let us know what you mean. The most powerful tool in the formation of human character is example, right?
Crid at February 18, 2010 1:57 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2010/02/18/the_attack_on_m.html#comment-1696288">comment from lujlpArent they the clowns who called you a tranny for saying the crack whore with six kids by five dealers living in a drug den should be suprised to get shot?
From my research, I don't think it's accurate to describe the woman that way, but she did have six daddyless children with five different drug dealers by the age of 24, and was living with the fifth drug dealer when the police burst in on a SWAT raid. I think it's terrible she was killed and that it's wrong to bring a SWAT raid on a house with children in it, but my point was that she had no right to live as she did with children; nor to bring children into poverty again and again and again; nor to have a drug dealer living with her and her children.
And yes, that's why they called me a "tranny," and send a mob over here to try to destroy speech on my site (hundreds of nonsense comments and comments denigrating me), and used the Tor server (for Chinese dissidents) to post 30-page spam posts every minute.
Is this what it means to be "progressive"?
Amy Alkon at February 18, 2010 2:05 PM
Wow, the People of Walmart wrote a blog.
I never looked at that site before--is this a personal hate, Amy, or are they like that with everybody?
Guess I'll go check our Rotten.com and cleanse my palate.
Pricklypear at February 18, 2010 2:11 PM
Amy,
Send them to me.
One at a time.
Ken at February 18, 2010 2:11 PM
dammit, I mean check 'out'. I hate when I do that.
Pricklypear at February 18, 2010 2:12 PM
Ok...as I've said behind closed doors.....this whole attempt at assassinating Amy's character is just crap. I'm a childhood friend, and I know Amy. What's been said in the Amazon.com reviews is just outright bullsh*t! She's 100% woman...and I should know!! I'm posting this on Amazon's site as well.... Shame on those who've tried to smear her! What goes around, comes around!!!!
Tony at February 18, 2010 2:19 PM
I won't out the "playwright and author's whole name, but Loretta did indeed write a (universally panned) book on Scott Peterson that you can go see on Amazon if interested. Bitter, bitter, bitter....
momof4 at February 18, 2010 2:32 PM
I've always admired Amy's rapier wit
smurfy at February 18, 2010 2:35 PM
Amy,
Send them here.
One at a time.
Us New York/Boston guys settle things on a visceral level.
http://www.rockymarciano.net/about/photogallery/photo6.htm
Ken at February 18, 2010 3:56 PM
They're extremely childish, both their comments and the 'we showed her' attitude. They don't bother to read the book, they just trash it and then gloat. They were probably all schoolyard bullies as kids, the type that has to attack in a group. No guts, but no brains either.
crella at February 18, 2010 4:11 PM
They're extremely childish, both their comments and the 'we showed her' attitude. They don't bother to read the book, they just trash it and then gloat. They were probably all schoolyard bullies as kids, the type that has to attack in a group. No guts, but no brains either.
crella at February 18, 2010 4:12 PM
Amy,
I read your book and loved it. I did buy it through Amazon (or, rather, my wife did; she gave it to me as a Christmas present.) I've reviewed a few things on Amazon and I pay attention to the reviews, sometimes (you should see what they do to Ann Coutler; either 5 stars or 1 star... what does that tell you?) I'll make sure to go back to Amazon and review your book!
Drew at February 18, 2010 4:38 PM
Amy,
Whoops! My mistake! I DID review your book, on Dec. 30th! Well, my review (5 stars) still stands!
Drew at February 18, 2010 4:47 PM
52 years old. Remarkable.
Hopefully it doesn't affect sales and future book deals, but one would think that this episode could be subject fodder for another book.
A similar thing happened last week to a really cute young lady who produces a column for an environmentalist magazine/website. The idea was that you can use these cool carbonation units to make your own soda and save resources, calories and money. Whaddya know, the first commenter told her that she was wasting space in the magazine and was therefore a tranny. I almost feel pity for these losers.
Jason S. at February 18, 2010 5:09 PM
Wow, I reviewed your book just the other day. I bought two copies. One for myself, one for a friend of mine who would like his children to stop with the cell phone rudeness already.
Anyone who has an ounce of reason will see these reviews and attacks for what they are.
In the meantime, I'll recommend your book to everyone I know.
GrumbleBot at February 18, 2010 5:35 PM
Omega dogs-only brave in packs. I've facebooked a reco for the book, and sent it to my mom's group of almost 500 members now, because just the other day we were lamenting the appalling lack of manners in the elementary-school-mom set.
We actually got invited to a b-day that the mom had wanted to have at 2pm but the place was booked. So she invited everyone for 10 am (when the place weas available) then she and the b-day kid showed up at 2 on the nose. The rest of us were place-holders, apparently. Except me because we left at noon after the kids had some fun on their own. Rude parenting behavior is a whole book, Amy.
momof4 at February 18, 2010 5:48 PM
{ahem} Ahhh, BOTU...
> The English language is best
> used with rapier wit
We're waiting...
Crid [CridComment at gmail] at February 18, 2010 6:06 PM
"And they do it anonymously."
That's because lefties are cowards. They don't have the guts to take you on, toe-to-toe. So they resort to this sort of cowardice.
Doh-San at February 18, 2010 6:09 PM
> that's why they called me a "tranny," and send
> a mob over here
Two things.
First, that was no mob, that one was exceedingly twisted individual, working to present imaginary friends as real. Consider: Why would someone socialized well enough to lead a 'mob' fail to use a genuine –or at least consistent & responsive– identity? Wouldn't he assume that someone had his back (or at least shared his beliefs), and allow comments on his own blog? It wasn't a team, it was one guy. If there's more than one, they're the saddest crew since Kleybold & Harris. (And if there's more than one, they're more cohesive than the Beatles or Simon & Garfunkel, which seems unlikely for such a bitter enterprise: For as much effort as it takes to spoof the internet as 'they' do, they could have written "Here, There and Everywhere" or "Scarborough Fair", and forgone all the pissiness.)
Second, see Brian's condensation of the earlier point: When you squabble with folks like that, passersby won't bother to distinguish which of you is which. If a publisher in 2010 can't see the shades of meaning in anonymous online critiques like those of a book like yours, maybe they're never going to give you the support you deserve anyway.
Crid [CridComment at gmail] at February 18, 2010 6:35 PM
Isn't there some recourse for what they are doing? They could definitely interfere with your sales. I'm not sure if Amazon has a system for reporting abuse of their rating system, but they should. To disagree with you is one thing, but to set out to destroy your livelihood is way over the line and there should be a consequence.
Kristen at February 18, 2010 6:47 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2010/02/18/the_attack_on_m.html#comment-1696331">comment from KristenThanks, Kristen -- I'm find with people disagreeing with me and even writing up vile website posts about me; comes with the territory of publicly giving your opinion, but trying to hurt somebody's ability to earn a living is unacceptable, and actually, I believe, illegal.
The book business is very tenuous now. It's very, very hard to get deals, and I've had friends who've had book contracts cancelled (one company killed an entire division of their company and ditched all the books being written for it). You don't need any help making things hard for yourself, if you're an author.
I think Amazon needs to set up a system to deal with abusers. It used to be that you could only review a book you'd bought from them.
And Crid, it's not just one person. There were HUNDREDS of IP addresses when they were posting here, and if you go on that site, you'll see hundreds of comments. They aren't all from the same person.
Amy Alkon at February 18, 2010 7:17 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2010/02/18/the_attack_on_m.html#comment-1696332">comment from Amy AlkonOh, and momof4, really appreciate your review and comment on Amazon. And everybody who's posted there -- especially since it seems you've all actually read the book...revolutionary concept in reviewing! I know, because many have written with their impressions of it -- and before this thing ever went down.
Amy Alkon at February 18, 2010 7:20 PM
> there were HUNDREDS of IP addresses
"Spoofing", they call that.
> you'll see hundreds of comments. They aren't all
> from the same person.
And yet they all move as one? None of them decided to stay, either to continue the harassment or to switch teams, after their Dear Leader selected the next target? If this clique was that large and that tight, they'd have done a full Applewhite by now.
Crid [CridComment at gmail] at February 18, 2010 7:26 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2010/02/18/the_attack_on_m.html#comment-1696335">comment from Crid [CridComment at gmail]Crid, you can see it at Amazon, where you need an individual IP address to vote up all those reviews.
And those weren't spoofed addresses -- I could tell, and a few of us who've been attacked by these losers know who some of them are.
Amy Alkon at February 18, 2010 7:52 PM
How about actually making sure people read the book before they review it. I mean how about a little 3 question test about the book before you can submit a review.
1) What is the color of the car Amy had stolen?
Pink
2) What is her partners/ boyfriends name?
Greg
3) What are the first five words on page 37?
Whoops still have the read the book but you get the idea?
Welcome to the new age of the blacklist? Do not like someone view point get them blackballed? People on the right can be vicious but they will usually pick their battles (go for the big ones) or will at least do it with civility.
John Paulson at February 18, 2010 8:01 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2010/02/18/the_attack_on_m.html#comment-1696338">comment from Amy AlkonFor example, we just had a Sadly Juvenile commenter who calls him/herself Ms. Dixie Beauregard posting on another entry -- and coming from a Stanford University IP: 171.67.166.75
P address [?]: 171.67.166.75 [Whois] [Reverse IP]
IP country code: US
IP address country: ip address flag United States
IP address state: California
IP address city: Stanford
IP postcode: 94305
IP address latitude: 37.4178
IP address longitude: -122.1720
ISP of this IP [?]: Stanford University
Organization: Stanford University
Local time in United States: 2010-02-18 20:05
Amy Alkon at February 18, 2010 8:07 PM
That's it!!! I've been slammed with life and haven't finished your book yet.
I am resolving here and now to finish your book soon and write a review.
What a bunch of soul-less, spineless cowards. I'll bet these people have never worked a real honest job one day of their stinky-ass-miserable lives!
This is the kinda crap that really gets me going. I loathe bullies.
Feebie at February 18, 2010 8:17 PM
No. The world is full of fuckups, but they're not yet a dense, cancerous mass like that.
C'mon, Amy, you're being FLATTERED by the spoofing, no less than if were real. Adversaries from Stanford! What a delight! And how could any spoofer be so clever as to use such an address?
Crid [CridComment at gmail] at February 18, 2010 8:50 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2010/02/18/the_attack_on_m.html#comment-1696360">comment from FeebieThanks so much, Feebie.
Another creepy thing: the so-called "progressives" are now making fun of me for having ADHD. Not really a big deal to me -- I'm "out" about it because I like to destigmatize having it and taking medication for it if it helps. I talk openly about it when I give talks at the high school, in fact, and talk about how I'm disorganized by nature and have to work very hard to be organized. I show them this before and after as an example, and tell them the other moderators probably just typed out a single sheet of questions, where I had 10 pages I had to cut and paste all over my floor:
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2007/04/30/la_times_festiv_1.html
The point I'm making to the kids? "I'm not so great -- I just work harder than people who are smarter than I am and have things come easier." It seems they find it motivating and a bit of a relief. Hope they do.
Anyway, isn't this -- making fun of somebody's psychiatric issues -- supposed to be the antithesis of progressive-think? That and using being transsexual to denigrate people? Just amazing.
A friend who is transsexual who I spoke to this afternoon mentioned that people always do this to strong women -- try to bring you down a notch by saying you're really a man, or using that to denigrate you, since men care about women's appearance and women, in turn, care about looking pretty and feminine. It's just so ugly, what they're doing.
Amy Alkon at February 18, 2010 8:51 PM
never heard of you before tonight, but I loath the bully pack mentality of the self important morally rudderless left,
it is one of the little evils of life for them to take joy in being destructive and vicious.
I signed in to my amazon account and voted those reviews as unhelpful and reported them.
my effort was a drop in the bucket but I hope it added to others efforts to stop this ugly attack on your livelyhood.
rumcrook at February 18, 2010 8:52 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2010/02/18/the_attack_on_m.html#comment-1696364">comment from rumcrookThank you so much...truly appreciate that. And I feel the same about them.
Amy Alkon at February 18, 2010 9:11 PM
"How about actually making sure people read the book before they review it. "
Good point John, though it is actually pretty hard to do with every single book Amazon sells. They do work hard to remove bogus reviews, but that can be very hard to do. It wouldn't take long for someone to post the answers to the qualifier questions you suggested, then we're still stuck dealing with a hoard of cyber bullies.
If you want more honest reviews, you can keep an eye out for people who are reviewing for the Amazon Vine program- they're verified by Amazon to have actually read or owned whatever it is they are reviewing. As a backup, you could also check out Audible.com (they're partnered with Amazon, but are a separate site) for book reviews. The only way you are able to review an audio book on their website is if you have purchased it through them.
Other than that, the best thing to do is to keep an eye out for this kind of behavior and mark it as "unhelpful" whenever you come across it. If you are positive the review is bogus, as it is here, you can report it as well.
Jewels at February 18, 2010 9:55 PM
I wrote a review that I didn't care for the writing style. I think that's fair criticism. Amy, if it makes you feel any better, when I checked it out, they told me I was 1st in a line of 56 holds, so a) I couldn't renew it (but it was a pretty quick read for the SO and I), and b) you've got a lot of interest out there!
shass at February 18, 2010 9:56 PM
Hey, shass, I'm sure as long as it's an honest opinion, Amy is fine with it.
What I can't wrap my mind around is the sheer number of people who have WAY too much free time on their hands. Can I have 10% of that?
Ann at February 18, 2010 10:09 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2010/02/18/the_attack_on_m.html#comment-1696370">comment from shassShass, you gave it one star and wrote this:
If that's truly what you think, and you weren't prompted to post it by some mob or to get revenge for some reason, well, so be it. I don't like negative reviews, but honest ones by people who've read and disliked a book are part of the deal of being an author. Let's just hope this was an honest review on your part.
I see you've been coming to my blog at least since August. It can't be a secret to you that I sometimes use profanity (most in the book was actually in dialogue from others, like the man in the drugstore Jill Stewart told off -- not "gratuitous") or that I have a "juvenile tone." Yet you kept coming to my blog, commenting here under a number of different names, and apparently checked my book out of the library in Portland. Odd. I'm fascinated to know why.
Amy Alkon at February 18, 2010 10:46 PM
True, I've long been a lurker here, and even an occasional poster, under a variety of names. No secret you use profanity, though it seems to me more gratuitously in your book than your blog. I keep coming to your blog because the science is good, if the wrapping isn't always. In my book, "buttwad" (et al) rings juvenile, and devalues the content. YMMV. I checked the book out of the library because I wasn't ready to commit to buying it. I won't pass it on (beyond my SO, who agreed with my review), but I'm sure that subsequent borrowers will. Good luck!
shass at February 18, 2010 11:35 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2010/02/18/the_attack_on_m.html#comment-1696376">comment from shassThanks - heartened to know you just disliked it, and weren't part of some mob or revenge move.
Amy Alkon at February 18, 2010 11:40 PM
> under a variety of names
Why?
Like... Why?
What is the impact on other people's thinking that you hope to have through charades? Could anything be more "juvenile"?
I'd love to stay and mock you, but it's a school night.
(Dear next guy: Turn his lights out. Thankee)
Crid [CridComment at gmail] at February 18, 2010 11:40 PM
There was no intent at "charades", or juvenility. Changing my posting name to reflect the content of the (rare) comment was just to reinforce the content of the comment.
shass at February 18, 2010 11:55 PM
Our lady of advice should feel supremely complimented. For their caricature at Sadlyno, they've chosen to make her appear to be Queen Elizabeth I.
Who better to represent her as, than one of the great viragos of the era?
I couldn't help but leave a little comment there expressing my amusement at the whole thing.
Robert at February 19, 2010 1:10 AM
Eh, Elizabeth I was overrated. Her successes were mostly luck, including her ascent the throne in the first place, considering she had to endure the six year reign of her half-brother, and the five-year reign of her half-sister before she got there. Had either one of them not died without issue, Elizabeth would never have succeeded at all.
Patrick at February 19, 2010 2:02 AM
I wouldn't call her overrated. Yes, she had luck getting to the thrown, most rulers did and still do. It's what you do with it once you get there. She ruled 40 years (rarely heard of back then) over what became under her a very prosperous England. It wasn't called the Golden Age for nothing.
I saw the sadlypathetics were slamming me before I even made my way to their sight, just off my amazon comments. Apparently, the men over htere are full of self-hatred because they keep calling women men, like it's an insult. I'd hate to be them. Must be a sad life.
momof4 at February 19, 2010 5:20 AM
Whoops, throne.
momof4 at February 19, 2010 6:14 AM
I think I would rather be a Countess than a Queen. If you're a Queen everyone is trying to kill you all the time. If you're a Countess, your powerful enough to have a good life, but less likely to be the victim of murderous plots.
NicoleK at February 19, 2010 6:31 AM
OK Amy, I love your work and wrote a good review, but... posting all the IP stuff is a bit over the line!
NicoleK at February 19, 2010 6:32 AM
She's not Queen Elisabeth. she's an anonymous Florentine lady of the 16th Century. Years ago, as a student in Frankfurt, I used visit her regularly in the Staedel Museum. She's magnificent and a fitting metaphor for Amy. The original has an aura of absolute poise and self-confidence, a woman who knows who she is and what she's worth.
http://www.staedelmuseum.de/sm/index.php?StoryID=337
The book is so cool. All of this surreal garbage proves its point!
Good luck, Amy.
lin at February 19, 2010 6:46 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2010/02/18/the_attack_on_m.html#comment-1696417">comment from NicoleKActually, that was the IP address on an attack comment from somebody sent over by the mob site.
I'm fine with individuals who disagree with me posting here, no matter what they say -- you'll see I have no disagreement with Shass, nor any interest in who he is, even though he gave my book a one-star review. He read the book, and if he didn't like it, well, that sucks, but it was an honest review.
It's only the vandals I'm interested in exposing. You can disagree with me on this, but as long as you're not sent here by a mob intent on quashing my speech, and posting as part of a campaign to intimidate me into not speaking in ways they disagree with politically, I don't care a whit as to who you are, and am certainly not going to waste time looking it up.
Amy Alkon at February 19, 2010 6:47 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2010/02/18/the_attack_on_m.html#comment-1696418">comment from Amy AlkonJust got notification from Amazon of another comment by Carl Salonen, Actor212, who uses the "Arnold" thing to intimate that I'm transsexual. Can't remember if I posted this last night -- have to go on the radio in a couple minutes -- but a friend of mine who is transsexual wrote me to say they always say this about powerful women to try to cut them down to size. Guess I've arrived.
These people attack me anonymously because they can't risk having their awful behavior exposed. I see to it that I don't say anything on the Internet that I wouldn't say publicly, and I post in my own full name to ensure that.
Here's the guy's post on Amazon. Again, is it "progressive" to use being transsexual to denigrate somebody? And once again, this is a 52-year-old man, Carl Salonen, spending DAYS of his time trying to hurt my book's sales because...my political views apparently vary from his? Wow.
Arnold, Amazon begs to differ with you, as you're about to find out.
But please DO keep trying! I'm imagining you sitting there one day soon, trying hard to claw your way back into the good graces of the PTB here, so you can participate in your own self-puffery, as opposed to pressing your nose up against the glass, praying your "friends" have the stamina to defend you long enough...
Amy Alkon at February 19, 2010 6:54 AM
Amy, I've read your advice column for years. You are awesome and unafraid, and I am ashamed to admit I didn't even realize you had a book out (so now I gotta buy it!) You've found a wonderful (and very large) group of supporters in Patterico et al, and if I were you I'd send a promo copy to Glenn Beck with a note referencing Patterico's review. You never know. . .
Congratulations for being the fly in a bunch of idiots' ointments. I've always said that nothing pisses people off more than the truth. Clearly you've found a whole mess of truth.
Jamie W. at February 19, 2010 6:55 AM
The most sickening part of this is that they are attacking Amy not in an open forum but anonymously in a way that can hurt her livelihood. Anyone who reads the blog knows that there are many different opinions and Amy doesn't only choose to publish her side of an argument or attack those who don't agree with her. I'm often on the opposite side of many posters and have sparred with Momof4, Crid, Julie, and many others. I don't take it personally that they have a different opinion than I do no matter how hard we may debate a topic. I don't think awful things about them or wish to hurt their livelihood just as I don't wish to hurt Amy's for allowing them to post their views. If anything it is a nice forum to discuss points of view and maybe get an idea why the other side of your argument feels the way he or she does. Its all freedom of speech in an open and safe forum. The best part is that if you really are offended you don't ever have to log on again. To go on some crusade to destroy someone's career due to a difference of opinion is disgusting.
Kristen at February 19, 2010 7:13 AM
> Changing my posting name to reflect the
> content of the (rare) comment was just to
> reinforce the content of the comment.
So, like, it's more about being strong than about integrity? Your opinions get more "reinforcement" from gamesmanship than you'd get for being recognized as a consistent good, if anonymous, thinker?
Crid [CridComment at gmail] at February 19, 2010 7:14 AM
Came here (like so many) to defend Amy from yet another mob attack from the same old shits - nobbling Amazon reviews - how pathetic can you get.
But then I saw momof4's lovely swipe re Patrick's idiocy about Liz the first ascending to the throne by "luck":
"I wouldn't call her overrated. Yes, she had luck getting to the throne, most rulers did and still do."
Way to go, momof4!!
(Seriously, that's monarchy in a nutshell!)
Jody Tresidder at February 19, 2010 7:28 AM
That "Loretta" woman's pretty creepy.
Know why I don't start a blog? Because most of my life is pretty mundane. Amy graciously allows strangers to drop all their mundane stuff onto to her Google-able hard drive, asking only that it be interesting enough to read once.
All these Sadly folks seem to think that if they just document all their stuff, no matter how quotidian, they'll somehow achieve some sort of extra righteousness like famous people do. They'll be in the game, bay-bee, like a hillbilly Christian preacher who uses three pompous names, buys a mail-order honorific and takes on the accoutrement of a droll academic... 'Cause that's how it's done, bay-bee. Having a consistent, defensible, or novel worldview is not the point.
They all kinda smell like Amy Bishop types. It's not just about expressing their magnificent/unremarkable feelings; they want so badly to be loved for them, or at least feared.
By the way, did anyone notice how yesterday's suicide pilot in Austin started a paragraph with the word "sadly" in precisely the same usage? Is the emotional manipulation of this wording now completely obvious to everyone?
There are some grotesquely bitter people out there, and they're transposing the work of their spirits and their brains in ways that are not helpful.
Crid [CridComment at gmail] at February 19, 2010 7:42 AM
If its any consolation to you, Amy, as a short-time lurker and rare commenter therefore mostly impartial observer, your enemies wrote a pretty asinine review. That Arnold/Amy thing might throw them into fits of juvenile glee, but it makes other people think "wait, thats not her name... if he got that wrong, how insightful is this review? ...oh, he's calling her a man. Wow. Really? How old is this guy?"
I would worry more about the tags and people devaluing the positive reviews as his review will not dissuade anyone. With all the difficulties facing writers, you shouldn't have to deal with this as well. Best of luck to you!
JNM at February 19, 2010 8:26 AM
Ahhh! The radical left. The people who promote tolerance and diversity... Until they disagree with you and then they feel they can be as vile to anyone as they want. Nice People!!!
David M. at February 19, 2010 8:26 AM
The Internet and the new "communications" era. I would have too much to say.
-Alan
Alan at February 19, 2010 8:52 AM
I can't help but think it ironic that these men...if you want to dignify them as such, as a fair number of them are at least part of that gender...want to call her a man as an INSULT.
Ok...lets think about this...you're using your own gender...as a term of denigration?
Oh I realize they're trying to suggest looks. Which is ridiculous, since anyone can appreciate the sylvan feminine form of our resident lady of advice.
But lets put that aside for a moment, what draws that comment immediately to mind for them? Looks are an easy way to attack a woman, because even the most beautiful girl is likely to be insecure about some aspect of her body, but when do these attacks come out?
I'll tell you, they come out whenever there is a woman who doesn't knuckle under to the progressive agenda and groupthink.
To borrow a phrase from Elizabeth I's speech at Tilbury:
"I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king"
What gets these people, is that they can't stand that she's not like the progressive women that nearly vomited, fainted, or fled the room, when Summers suggested in his Harvard speech that there may be biological difference that predisposed men to succeed farther than women in certain fields.
To their minds, she thinks like a man, therefore she must be a man, which in the progressive agenda is the secong greatest sin of all, after having being born of european stock.
Any woman here, who posted as Amy does, with disdain for weakness of character, rudeness, excuses, or with disregard for poorly thought or failed ideas, and did not simply meekly roll over for the progressive agenda, would suffer the very same slings and arrows that the sadlyno type crowd hurls now.
And as I see it, so much the better. One measure of our character, our worth as individuals, is whom we find in opposition to us, a look at certain of our political opponents, tells me I am on the right side of these issues.
Done with my little rant. Pleasant days.
Oh and by the way, I'll be sure to order a few copies of the book when I return to the states.
Robert at February 19, 2010 11:07 AM
Amy, did you PAY those idiots to attack you? Because your book is rockin' the sales right now!
We've very sad here in Austin today. I have several friends who live in the suicide pilot's neighborhood, one on his street. His wife is very nice, teaches piano lessons to kids. Or did, till that whack job burnt down her piano, and attempted to burn her with it.
momof4 at February 19, 2010 11:47 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2010/02/18/the_attack_on_m.html#comment-1696482">comment from momof4Actually, momof4, I did an hour on Wisconsin Public Radio this morning, talking to THE nicest people, and I think they're buying the book off Amazon. This woman had a great suggestion for dealing with rude people that I have to blog, but I wrote it down on a notepad at home, then ran out to the dentist (boohoo). Just back to all sorts of nasty comments from these Sadly Bullying thugs on Amazon. Amazing. Rather than doing something productive, they're spending vast swaths of time trying to hurt me.
What's disturbing is the way they are using being transsexual as a way to denigrate me. As I wrote in the book, who has a harder time in this world than somebody who's born one sex and feels strongly they're another?
I mean, attack my looks if you want -- juvenile as that would be -- but can't we leave the transsexuals out of it? Ugly.
Amy Alkon at February 19, 2010 11:58 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2010/02/18/the_attack_on_m.html#comment-1696484">comment from RobertThank you so much, Robert.
And as for this: "I can't help but think it ironic that these men...if you want to dignify them as such, as a fair number of them are at least part of that gender...want to call her a man as an INSULT."
I cannot imagine my boyfriend, who's in his 50s, or my dad, who's in his 70s, both of whom are chivalrous, man's man kind of guys, EVER doing what these "men" are doing -- the name calling, all of it. They'd sooner grow wings and fly.
Note that they aren't criticizing my ideas in the book (because they haven't read it -- Amazon's "search this book" doesn't count), but they have to attack my looks and make fun of me for having ADHD and taking Ritalin. I know they can't have a whole lot going on for themselves -- otherwise, who'd spend their time laser-focused on making fun of me, for days?
Amy Alkon at February 19, 2010 12:05 PM
Funny thing, I thought transsexuals were top of the victim totem pole for the left. But where are the transsexuals to cry foul when the left uses it a a slur against a non-leftie? Is that some kind of "inside baseball" that trannies agreed upon with straight left-wingers?
Crusader at February 19, 2010 12:18 PM
This attack on Amy isn't really about her ideas or her looks. It's tribalism. The people who attack like this (not all people on the left do) are not debating ideas but defending territory. It helps if you think of them as pooh-flinging monkeys frightened of something they don't understand.
Somewhere along the line, they picked left-wing political thought as their tribe--probably all the cool kids in high school were doing it and they lacked enough self-regard to think for themselves, so this is now their tribe. It could have been right-wing politics or dungeons and dragons or some weird guy in a track suit who wanted them to cut off their multi-purpose tools.
They see confident, happy people outside of their tribe, it calls into question the value of committing themselves blindly to whatever cause they've selected.
That's why they never engage Amy's, or anyone's, ideas. It's not about ideas.
I've noticed this with Hollywood people, especially the young one just trying to get a foothold. When they go on a talk show, they often include an out-of-place political bash. "Gee, how dumb is George Bush!" Gee, how dumb is Sarah Palin!" Gee, how dumb is that right-winger who did that thing that time!" Amy can correct me, but I think it's what psychologists call signaling. "Hey, I'm one of you."
LauraB at February 19, 2010 1:16 PM
Amy,
Some of those clowns actually came by my place, and I wore my fists out on them.
Time for a little more Californiaesqe type of "friendly greeting" ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M59I8eShAr8
Ken at February 19, 2010 1:31 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2010/02/18/the_attack_on_m.html#comment-1696494">comment from LauraBThanks, Laura - agree with you on all of this. I just happen to be this week's convenient target. It is amazing to me, I'm getting dozens and dozens of e-mail from this Actor212 guy, Carl Salonen, who's now removed his name from his Amazon profile (anonyweenie!), but you can find it on the Internet if you Google Actor212. Naturally, he has some sort of Buddhist signoff on a lot of these. These people, if you meet them in person, will talk about the Dalai Lama and being against racism and sexism and all the other isms, so they have to make their attacks anonymous, lest people find out what schoolyard bullies they actually are.
Of course, they can't unite for the common good. That wouldn't be any fun.
Amy Alkon at February 19, 2010 1:50 PM
This kind of mob mentality is a problem on Yelp too, for the same reasons. It hurts people's livelihoods and there's no accountability. However, I do wonder if negative attention is really all that bad for book sales in this case.
You can't shut them up, so why waste your time with such trolls? I think too much defensiveness looks bad, too.
There are a lot of people out there who've been mocked on Amy's blog, and in her column too. They may very well bear a grudge. So what? I don't believe that these particular individuals really have the power to dissuade book sales, despite all the flamage.
vi at February 19, 2010 2:25 PM
"Funny thing, I thought transsexuals were top of the victim totem pole for the left. But where are the transsexuals to cry foul when the left uses it a a slur against a non-leftie? Is that some kind of "inside baseball" that trannies agreed upon with straight left-wingers?"
Yep. I brought this up to them over at the sad sight, and they said "yes, all those hours out spent marching for them means we get to make jokes about gays etc, because we do support them".
" It helps if you think of them as pooh-flinging monkeys frightened of something they don't understand."
That is so freackin' hilarious and spot-on, I am stealing it for my own use.
momof4 at February 19, 2010 2:31 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2010/02/18/the_attack_on_m.html#comment-1696504">comment from momof4I actually feel sorry for this guy, Carl Salonen, aka “Actor212,” whose name I know because he forgot to anonymize his Amazon profile before he started the poo-flinging. (He’s the one who refers to me as “Arnold” in hopes of shaming me by intimating, per SadlyNo, that I’m transsexual.)
Carl Salonen apparently hasn’t worked as an actor much - I found one 1993 play he was in, and there’s no listing for him on IMDB. He has, however, spend DAYS devoted to flinging poo at me. In fact, I don’t think I’ve encountered another human being more excited by and interested in my book.
It’s actually sad, and I mean that sincerely. This afternoon, post-dentist, I’ve been writing my column, and every now and then, there I check my e-mail and there are a bunch more comments on the Amazon page for my book by this guy.
From time to time, I correct libelous stuff and wild lies or misrepresentations, but I mostly just let him flail about and feel sorry for the guy that going after me is that important to him that he’ll spend much of his day, day after day, since Wednesday, on it. Feeling compassion for him makes me not feel so angry about this, which is nice.
Amy Alkon at February 19, 2010 2:53 PM
The tribalism comment I think, has more than a grain of truth to it, that is a record breaking pumpkin of truth.
My pleasure Miss Alkon. There are certain things in life I simply cannot abide, and unchivalrous boorish behavior towards a woman happens to be one of them. My parents raised me differently. A man need not treat a woman as if she might break from a mere glance, but he definitely should not attempt verbal assault and intimidation. Childish men are a disgusting life form.
I can't help but wonder how many will go from knocking you for taking ritalin for an actual condition (I took it myself for years) away from their keyboards to light up a joint or something just because they have nothing better to do. On the one hand you use a chemical to help you work...they use one to make doing nothing more relaxing. Perhaps not all of them, but a few of the head nodders on the ritalin comments I'd wager, at least.
In all fairness, I couldn't guess what their normal lives are like...since they have at least access to an internet connection, most of them probably have actual jobs. (Maybe government ones! ha!) But they primarily only socialize and discuss things with people who already agree with them. In short, they never learned how to genuinely debate a topic. They have the knee jerk reaction of liberal groups who show up to a protest asking what their marching for that day...ready to protest...just not sure for which cause, if it is progressive, it must be good. Groupthink, tribalism, call it what you will.
The end result is a total absense of thought and ability to react rationally to disagreement. Reason after all, must be TAUGHT, emotion, only embraced.
Robert at February 19, 2010 2:56 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2010/02/18/the_attack_on_m.html#comment-1696506">comment from RobertThanks, Robert - it's appreciated.
I think it's great that I can take a pill that helps me focus better. These people, of course, aren't in the logic, reason, or fair-mindedness business.
Amy Alkon at February 19, 2010 2:58 PM
Amy, I ventured over to SadlyNo out of morbid curiosity. In one of their grade-school level insults, one of them said you were a little retarded, or "Triggy." As in Trig Palin. These people are the absolute scum of the earth.
KarenW at February 19, 2010 3:01 PM
"Feeling compassion for him makes me not feel so angry about this, which is nice."
This is a big one. Because, one it does work and two, because it ain't easy (well at least for me it isn't)!!!
Feebie at February 19, 2010 3:07 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2010/02/18/the_attack_on_m.html#comment-1696511">comment from KarenWAmy, I ventured over to SadlyNo out of morbid curiosity. In one of their grade-school level insults, one of them said you were a little retarded, or "Triggy." As in Trig Palin.
Wow. No wonder they post anonymously!
And Feebie, it was the level of his effort in this that started to make me feel sorry for him. The rest of them, too. I'm a known-here-and-there middle-class newspaper columnist who wrote a book that's doing moderately well, and these people are putting all this effort into going after me? What is it, Kim Jun Il hasn't started blogging yet? Those Muslims hanging and stoning gays in the Middle East haven't got books on Amazon?
Amy Alkon at February 19, 2010 3:17 PM
Oh, and then there's this: “The typical Alkon fan has a strong Judeo-Christian religious belief system.” DUH!!!! Yeah, there's a bunch of real Bible thumbers over here. You know, this just makes me so grateful for this blog. The majority of the people who comment actually have brains, and are able to form an interting argument. I feel like I've lost brain cells after a few minutes at SadlyNo.
KarenW at February 19, 2010 3:24 PM
Oops, make that interesting argument. See, I HAVE lost brain cells!
KarenW at February 19, 2010 3:29 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2010/02/18/the_attack_on_m.html#comment-1696515">comment from KarenW“The typical Alkon fan has a strong Judeo-Christian religious belief system.”
Hilarious. Yes, because, as a person who rails against the evidence-free believe in god, and those who'd blow up the rest of us because we don't believe in Allah, I make it so nice and comfy here for the believers.
PS My business card says "Amy Alkon, godless harlot" (my job description. Really!).
Amy Alkon at February 19, 2010 3:45 PM
Where's Hrissikopoulous? Remember is line about religion being 'the crazy hippy mother' of modernity? It's true.
We are the beneficiaries of our Judeo-Christian heritage. The people without it got nowhere.
Crid at February 19, 2010 4:49 PM
And liberals refer of themselves as "free-thinkers'! No wonder they need an entire mainstream media to falsely portray them as such!
Drew at February 19, 2010 6:18 PM
What's the difference between a dead skunk in the road and a dead liberal in the road?
Skidmarks in front of the skunk.
PinkoPerforator at February 19, 2010 6:55 PM
It's pathetic that those mindless, intellectually challenged, progressive thugs have once again exited their sandbox (in unison of course, after all small minds do think alike)to spew their lying, hate-filled and illogical venom towards you Amy.
This, to proudly demonstrate (yet again, and in their cowardly, faceless, internet playpen) how they're wholly incapable of using facts, truth, logic and reason to successfully debate a highly intelligent, extremely successful, and very beautiful woman.
One, who people like me and many others, are more than willing to spend some of our hard earned money to purchase and read a book that she has authored.
Amy, they attack you only because you speak the truth (to which there's no defense, hence their childish playground antics) in a book about people just like them, and because they're extremely jealous of you.
They’re jealous of your beauty, logic, intelligence, success, and wisdom. Stay the course Amy, as the truth is what those of us who support you know and have posted here time and again.
Moreover, they're even more incensed because people are willing to pay for what you put in print. Yet, most wouldn't accept (even for free) a never-ending supply of toilet paper filled with their naturally flowing nonsense; endless words of self-incriminating nothing that they utter in their unending babbling folly.
I was going to buy your book, but I've been forced to rethink that decision in light of what's happened. Now I'm buying three; one for wife, one for myself, and the third? Just because...
After I read it, I'll post my review on Amazon (as I'm sure my wife will). And if the garbage I’ve read about here still litters Amazon’s site, I’ll protest as well, by kindly requesting that they take out their progressive trash.
Tony Fantetti at February 19, 2010 7:33 PM
Your "actor" friend now says he'll be on the lookout to 'embarrass' you in public, he's hoping you do a book signing in New York so he can go. He won't be a happy camper when you hand him his arse on a platter.
The one who made the Triggy comment (not the capital T) is protesting that that isn't what it means...nothing like standing behind what you've done. And these are adults, who can vote and drive.
crella at February 19, 2010 7:36 PM
That was "note" the capital T. Sorry.
crella at February 19, 2010 7:37 PM
That actor fellow, thoroughly confronted...tried to pass the place off as a comedy site.
Now if that isn't disingenuous I don't know what is.
Robert at February 19, 2010 7:47 PM
Well...that and accused Miss Alkon of stating that she has no prescription for ritalin & takes it recreationally.
Seems like I might have noticed that, since this is I do believe, the only blog I check daily.
Robert at February 19, 2010 7:54 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2010/02/18/the_attack_on_m.html#comment-1696544">comment from crellaYour "actor" friend now says he'll be on the lookout to 'embarrass' you in public, he's hoping you do a book signing in New York so he can go.
Already did one, and I think it's hilarious he thinks he's going to intimidate me somehow. First, I don't intimidate easily -- as should be clear to anyone who's actually read my book or blog.
So...what's he going to do, stand up and ask to see my penis? And, what's supposed to happen, I'll cry or something? Right.
The truth is, I had hecklers at Powell's and Vroman's, and I loved it. Thought it was hilarious. I'm not afraid of criticism, nor of responding to it. Of course, this isn't criticism. It's egg-tossers. What's amazing is how the guy has apparently spent eons over on my blog reading and studying me. I believe there were comments on Amazon about our house getting egged when I was a child, etc. Amazing. Am I really that interesting.
It's very clear this guy is a small man who has to act like a bully to feel big. And a big talker only. These people are anonymous because they are small in person, and aren't proud of their behavior, and don't want anybody to know how they behave on the Internet -- probably as antidote to feeling small in day-to-day life.
Amy Alkon at February 19, 2010 8:28 PM
That's right Crella. As soon as the person was confronted about the Triggy remark, the backpedaling began. Like it's just a made-up word that means the same thing as retarded, that just so HAPPENS to sound the same as Sarah Palin's mentally retarded son. And Trig is such a common name, right? And don't forget - now that they are getting called out on the tranny remarks, they claim that they REALLY are calling Amy a transvestite, because of how she dresses. Sure, that explains all of the references to her having a penis. In short, these people are not just mean and catty but total spineless wimps.
KarenW at February 19, 2010 8:36 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2010/02/18/the_attack_on_m.html#comment-1696551">comment from KarenWAnd don't forget - now that they are getting called out on the tranny remarks, they claim that they REALLY are calling Amy a transvestite, because of how she dresses. Sure, that explains all of the references to her having a penis. In short, these people are not just mean and catty but total spineless wimps.
Thanks, Karen. Exactly right. And it does show what gutless wimps they are. They posted here before about my "linebacker shoulders" (which I actually don't have) and all the penis stuff and changed my wikipedia page to say I'm a "male-to-female post-op transsexual." I don't think it gets any clearer than that.
What's their excuse for making fun of ADHD and my being open about taking Ritalin for it? Here are the crowd who hate me because I'm not PC like they are, yet they apparently only talk the PC talk when they aren't anonymous.
Typical cowards -- do some underhanded thing, then lie and say they didn't. What idiots. I put many of their previous comments in my book in the chapter on Internet rudeness -- all of which reflect their intention to denigrate me by intimating that I'm really have a man, have a penis, have an Adam's apple, etc. Nothing about fashion choices. Had they read it, they'd know they couldn't get away with this "it's about fashion choices" thing as a way to pretend they weren't being really horrible to transsexuals in saying what they did.
Amy Alkon at February 19, 2010 9:53 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2010/02/18/the_attack_on_m.html#comment-1696555">comment from Amy AlkonOh yeah, and there's that photo they posted of me -- originally taken by my boyfriend with an Adam's apple and the words "Adam's Apple?" and some white stuff at my armpit (sleeveless summer dress) with the words "TP-Stuffed Boobs?" I put it in the book. They had numerous blog entries like "The 'Lady' Doth Protest Too Much, Methinks," with hundreds and hundreds of comments about my "penis." One of their blog commenters started posting on their site and mine as "Amy Alkon's Penis."
A few of their blog comments that I put in the chapter:
Yeah, backpedal now because you want to seem PC again. It's not about fashion choices, never was.
Amy Alkon at February 19, 2010 10:21 PM
"I had hecklers at Powell's and Vroman's"
What!? Why?
crella at February 20, 2010 4:03 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2010/02/18/the_attack_on_m.html#comment-1696599">comment from crellaAt Powell's, it was the weirdest thing. A woman sat dead center in front of the podium and glared at me with this look of hate throughout my entire talk and Q&A there, and then shouted out "You're rude!"
I answered with something along the lines of, "Yes, I am. I didn't write this book because I have perfect manners. But I try to recognize the ways I tend to be rude and do better, and that's what I think we all should do."
I noted that I have a tendency to be short with customer service people when they're incompetent (which isn't rudeness on their part - not ideal, but they can't help it, and they're just trying to feed their children). So, when I've been on hold forever or otherwise encounter some frustrating customer service situation, when the person comes on the phone line, I say something like, "Been hung up on and then been on hold again for 20 minutes, and I'm very upset, but I know you didn't cause this, so I'm going to try to remain calm." This isn't for their benefit but for mine -- it's like a lecture by me, for me.
At Vromans, it was hilarious. A journalist sent by a friend who sometimes comments here, who has not read the book, but was getting a free review copy in the mail, suddenly shouted out, "I think you inflict yourself on people with children!" (She'd heard me talk about my op-ed on screaming children on planes and the people who "parent" them, and how I believe that if your children are in the "feral stage," as I call it (young screamers, etc.), you don't get to inflict them on other people on planes except in cases of emergency. Emergencies include 1. Granny is dying, not just dying to see the little tyke. 2. The kid needs a liver transplant on the other side of the country. Bring granny to see the kids until they can travel without screaming for hours, or travel by station wagon.
The woman burst out, "Some people have to travel! What if your inlaws live in Boston?!"
I said something pretty close to, "Nobody HAS to travel. And if your inlaws live in Boston, why should other people have to suffer with hours of screaming?"'
Actually, I think that's when she said, "I think you inflict yourself on people with children!" I wanted to explain my point of view further -- that I just ask that people parent them, or appear to be trying and appear to care about the rest of us, but this wonderful guy; big guy who looked like he worked at a gas station, sitting in front of her, said, "If you don't like it, lady, DON'T BUY THE BOOK!"
At that, she jumped up out of her seat and ran out. I thought it was hilarious. And then, the next day, she pretended nothing happened when I asked my friend if she was going to reassign somebody to the story. I didn't "tell on her" to my friend. Figured if she could work up objectivity or try, well, okay. Meanwhile, the organization, an online news org, lost funding and the story was killed. (I want those TWO review copies she asked for back, as times are tight these days in publishing!)
Amy Alkon at February 20, 2010 5:29 AM
They just prove your point!
crella at February 20, 2010 6:35 AM
The ethics of this kind of commenting must be examined. And I should know. I made a mistake here and I'm going to apologize for it.
I'm a regular reader and infrrequent commenter who only piped in to make the occassional joke about the ongoing arelationship a class of fleas enjoyed with your poochie.
I believe you're made of some damn tough stuff so I don't think you really paid it any nevermind, just some internet ridiculousness.
But then I thought, what if there's a five percent or even one percent chance that I might have hurt your feelings? And here I am coming to your home to do it. And I'm coming to YOUR internet home to do it.
Wha's in it for me? The joke was lame. Do I really feel better about myself for twitting your pet love on your page?
No, in fact, I feel bad about it. Guilty, in fact.
You see? Judaism's good for something. There's a concept there called lashon hora which translates as evil tongue. According to this set of principles, embarassing somene is akin to trying to kill them.
And now we get to do it anonymously without owning up to it. It's just wrong and I apolgize for it. Seriously. My bad. And I'm sorry.
Maybe I'm overthinking it, but from my guilty conscience over this trivial slight to you, I resoved never to post anyting on the web that I wouldn't put my own name to. Not that I would use my name, mind you, just that I will confine myeslr not only to remarks I would sign but also would say to a person's face.
When you follow those precepts, you'd be surprised how much more civil you become. Your net persona likely comes more into line with your real life behaviour.
But if I thought my little doggie cracks were out of line, I'm amazed and appalled by the wantoness, irrespnsibility, thoughtlessness, cruelty, offensiveness and meanness of the attacks on that other blog. And then carpetbombing your Amazon rating. It really is beyond the pale.
Look I disagree with you on just about everything. But you are a talented lady and an attractive woman And I do think ridicule does have its place as a rhetorical device. But can't we disagree withoug resorting to such ludicrous name calling, slams on physical appearance, health conditions that do nothing to advnce the argument? Has the style of a Glenn Beck and a Rush Limbugh infected the left as well as the right?
I do think they may have one legitimate beef. Did you in fact post previously unpublished personal information about your attackers? Is that an appropriate response to this sort of attack? Doesn't it just give your adversaries more to work with?
One of the reasons I come to your blog is it's a place to find compactly the sort of items, particularly of a right-wing nature, that I mght not uncover more casually. Political blogs seem to be an echo chambe with people reading to confirm their own views rather than to expose themselves to and reflect on the views of those they disagree with.
We really need to stop the Sadly Nos and the Tea Bagger and the Becks and Limbaugh on both the left and the right who are ruining thoughtful discourse.
Thinking, reasoning. These are good things. So is civiity. I say let's bring it back, Am I ootinistic about it's return? Sadly, no.
Mao See Tounge at February 20, 2010 12:29 PM
One more apology for my terrible typing and syntax. Hard to edit in these boxes.
Mao See Tounge at February 20, 2010 12:31 PM
I just posted this on Patterico's site, and I figured I'd cross-post it here, since it goes for many of you here:
I just want to thank you all again for supporting me in this and for posting comments that let unsuspecting Amazon shoppers know the real motivation behind the tiny little thugs’ comments.
I’m hoping Amazon will do something about the way their review system is being abused — that is, against people who are perceived to be conservatives (for the record, I’m fiscally very conservative, but socially libertarian, and a “personal responsibilitarian,” which sure doesn’t go over with the “progressives”).
The amazing thing is, I don’t think most of these tiny anonymous thugs have a firm grip why they hate me, just that the head thugs there have decided they do. Their hatred is mostly due to their continuing need for a new kickball, and loosely connected to the fact that I blogged my opinion that black activists like Jesse Jackson should work to stigmatize single motherhood in the black community. I blogged that after reading a news story about an Ohio woman named Tarika Wilson, who had six different children by five different drug dealers by the age of 24, and was living, along with her children, with one of those drug dealers. Mmm, wholesome!
Yes, I’m of the mind that children need daddies, and that you don’t bring more children into the world than you can afford to feed and care for. Crazy, I know.
Wilson, tragically (but not surprisingly) was killed in a SWAT raid on her home when police came for her drug dealer boyfriend. Live with a drug dealer, die in a SWAT raid…it’s not a surprising outcome. Wilson herself spent a year in prison. I wonder who took care of her children during that time.
And yes, I also believe white children need daddies, and I’m appalled that there’s a trend for rich white women to be “single mothers by choice,” but, apparently, in the minds of these “progressives,” if you criticize a black person, it automatically means you’re racist.
The Wilson story and Sadly Juvenile’s attacks on me are actually detailed in Chapter 9: Modems Without Manners, in the book the tiny little thugs are “reviewing” but haven’t read. Just so ugly, what they’re doing.
Thank you all so much for seeing that I’m not going this alone.
Amy Alkon at February 20, 2010 9:24 PM
You know, it occurred to me that the site is frequented by an actor who knows nothing about basic human nature, nor does he abide by any of the basic rules of discourse or manners, and writers who can neither write, nor read for content. What a bunch of winners.
crella at February 21, 2010 2:13 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2010/02/18/the_attack_on_m.html#comment-1696797">comment from crellaI looked him up -- he's an unsuccessful actor. No credits if you search, nothing on IMDB, but here's an old headshot and an article he wrote for Purr magazine!
http://www.purrmag.com/Purr10/carl.htm
Excerpt from the sick bully's piece:
Here's the bio printed at the bottom of the page:
Here's another piece he wrote:
http://www.purrmag.com/Purr15/final.htm
It seems the guy has it in for anybody who creates something -- perhaps because he hasn't found success as an actor.
Here's more from the end of that piece:
SED, by the way, earns money by "turking," doing small task on a computer for a few cents per task per Amazon. This below describes turking.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1102/p13s02-wmgn.html
"Amazon.com's 'Mechanical Turk' Web service pays people to perform simple tasks computers cannot do."
I sure don't begrudge anyone the ability to earn a living -- times are tough now, and many people are out of work. I do begrudge them hurting my ability to earn a living by posting fake reviews of my book -- "reviews" they're bent on posting not because they read it and were inspired to say something about it, positively or negatively, but because they are inspired to try to hurt me.
I sense that these people are anonymous, except for Loretta Serrano (who has self-published a book under another name) because they haven't done much and don't do much. Nothing drives them like trying to bring down someone who has -- somebody who spent two years using her computer to write a book a professional publisher published. Loretta brags, at one point, that her father or somebody worked for my publisher. Perhaps if she could get closer to a publisher than that, she'd be getting books professionally published instead of spending days of her time attacking mine and being a part of the mob going after me on Sadly No.
Amy Alkon at February 21, 2010 7:13 AM
Have these poor cretins ever seen a woman naked in the flesh?
Sadly, No!
Jim Treacher at February 21, 2010 7:27 AM
Summary: Rude people hate Ms. Alkon and her book.
Mario at February 21, 2010 7:40 AM
They really aren't very aware of the world around them are they?
"I have a friend, Lauren, who has this great name for the masses: "Sheeple""
The woman over there who is calling people 'Triggy' (capital T, although they'll stupidly keep denying that's what it means) claims that she invented the word 'Triggy' with friends.She uncapitalized it in her answer trying to cover her tracks.
Both words have been in use for quite a long time,sheeple especially is used widely on many forums but he writes that as if it's only his friend who has ever used the word. The one blathering on about pigs all the time writes without knowledge that phrases like 'triggy like a ciggy' are already in use. They claim to invent words and phrases, they aren't very widely read.
They call others sheeple? Gathering on a message board to ridicule others with their 'activism', trying to outdo each other in cleverness and snark. It still reads like notes passed in 5th grade. You'd think that after days and days the jokes would change, but they are still parroting 'Arnold' this and 'Arnold' that, like the imagination-deficient dullards that they are. 'Arnold' from 'Amy' X 100? "5th grade" may be too charitable.
crella at February 21, 2010 2:51 PM
Amy,
The my little friend stuff didn't quite do the trick.
So, I am taking things to the next level.
The guys filmed me while I tried out the new hardware. :)
http://youtube.5aa5.com/viewz-yijab9ZrY&feature=youtube_gdata.html
Ken at February 21, 2010 3:58 PM
Just went to Amazon and reported a review and voted down the troll reviews.
Tim at February 22, 2010 4:52 PM
You know Amy, I have been going back and forth about buying your book. I LOVE your blog and your columns, but I've had terrible luck with Amazon and vowed never to give them a credit card number again a few years ago. After this, screw it. I'm going to go order it right now. I've been dying to read it anyway and I've been too damn lazy to get to the book store. I'll wait until I've actually read it before I write a review about how brilliant it is! :)
I've been a victim of internet tough-guys quite a bit. Admittedly, I'm more bold behind a screen than I am in person, so I guess I deserved some of it, but more often than not it was because I was a female on a mostly male board that didn't want to sleep with any of the members. You seem to have the right attitude about this. These people deserve pity, not hatred. Obviously, their self-worth hinges on how bad they can make others feel. That's a sad way to live. Look at it this way, you're doing your good deed for the year by being their verbal punching bag. At the end of the day, you have many fans, a great guy and an adorable little dog to come home to. What do they have? E-high-fives with their WOW buddies? In any case, you're handling this whole mess with class. You're calling them out on their bullshit without lowering yourself to their level. Bravo. I know how hard it can be to keep your cool and not sling mud back at people like this.
How can someone call you a post-op male to female tranny then claim you have a penis? Admittedly, I haven't done much reasearch on the procedure, but I'm pretty sure "post-op" means you no longer have one of those. Unless, of course, they mean you've had you Adam's apple removed, but not your love stick....but I still don't think that's considered "post-op". Furthermore, pre or post-op, hormones aren't going to make boobies that big. So, they'd have to be fake...in which case, you probably woudn't need those fancy, expensive bras...right? Duh. You know, if you're going to attack someone, you should at least be clever about it. At the very least, keep your insults straight.
Gotta love internet tough guys....especially the ones that have one baseless insult that they just KEEP repeating. Seriously. I like you and I could come up with much better insults. I mean, how a bout giving the tranny talk a break and asking if the curtains match the drapes? I know it's not much better, but at least it something different! And then you may get some good fire crotch jokes out of the deal...if there are any "good" fire crotch jokes. I have to say, my favorite game to play with internet tough guys is to insult myself better than they ever could. I have actually posted something like this on forums before:
"Look, the whole 'you're ugly' thing is getting old. Here, let me help. I have a lazy eye that only comes out when I'm tired or drunk. My ex used to call it my game face. I lived in a trailer for a while. My mom is batshit crazy. I, as a grown woman, enjoy both Harry Potter AND Twilight franchises. I have a nervous habit of twirling my hair...constantly. I met my boyfriend online and moved in with him mless than 6 months later. I'm not going to say I'm a slut, but I was from the ages of 22 to 24. I could go on and on. Hope this helps you come up with some new material!"
That usually works for me. :)
Okay, I'm off to order the book...and get back to work. Sorry this is all over the place. I've been writing a few lines at a time between running reports.
Kim at February 24, 2010 12:15 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2010/02/18/the_attack_on_m.html#comment-1697640">comment from KimKim, thank you so, so much. I worked really hard to make it entertaining and worthwhile read. I hope you like it. And so appreciate that you're buying it, despite your luck with Amazon.
Amy Alkon at February 24, 2010 12:52 PM
Kim, with you on how tiresome those insults at Amazon are. I was there the other day (writing a review and voting down the ones with a whiff of troll) and they (S.E.D. and Actor whatever) were calling Amy Arnold. In every single post. Boring. Even in insults, cleverness is appreciated. Plus one of them misquoted Shakespeare (I'm using "misquoted" here even though he did not attribute it to Shakespeare, so it's iffy whether he knew that's where it was from, but it's a common mistake with that quote). What's funny is that one of the trolls in the original onslaught detailed in the book used it correctly.
I've done the same thing as you on the insults. One time, in college in Indiana, someone was mocking my (very slight) southern accent. She was going way over the top with it, making me sound stupid. I finally said to her, "Look, it wasn't that funny to begin with, and now it's just annoying. And there are so many other things to make fun of me for that are more accurate.. I'm short, clumsy, and have a tendency to run into furniture when walking. Start there."
NumberSix at February 24, 2010 7:17 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2010/02/18/the_attack_on_m.html#comment-1697696">comment from NumberSixOne time, in college in Indiana, someone was mocking my (very slight) southern accent. She was going way over the top with it, making me sound stupid. I finally said to her, "Look, it wasn't that funny to begin with, and now it's just annoying. And there are so many other things to make fun of me for that are more accurate.. I'm short, clumsy, and have a tendency to run into furniture when walking. Start there."
Hilarious. And thank you so much, Kim, NumberSix, everybody.
Amy Alkon at February 24, 2010 8:12 PM
Haha! I like NumberSix! Stupid people just don't know what to do with themselves when you beat them at their own game.
The accent thing is funny. I'm from Rhode Island, so i ave a pretty thick New England accent. Whenever travel, people think I'm from Boston or New York (anyone from around here can tell I'm from southern RI). Once I went to visit a friend in Florida. All of her friends had been poking fun of me all weekend. I was a little offended, especially since I actually think my accent is endearing. Then one of them asked me if Rhode Island is in New York and I figured they weren't worth arguing with. I'd rather sound like a yankee bitch than not know simple American geography. I also had to explain to them what "wicked" means...which I thought was pretty obvious. No one had to tell me what "y'all" means. :)
Kim at February 25, 2010 7:17 AM
Amy, no thanks needed. Thank YOU for giving me somthing to look forward to at work every Wednesday! :)
Kim at February 25, 2010 7:21 AM
The accent thing is funny.
Totally, Kim. I was born and raised in the South and both my parents (actually, all my family) have unmistakable southern accents. Mine is very slight and was mostly canceled out by my picking up a Michigan accent when I was four. I had a friend from there and hung out with her so much that I was pronouncing "pool" like "pull" and things like that. I once had a lady from Michigan think I had grown up there before moving to the South. But I went 150 miles north and everyone was like, "Oh, you must be from the South!" Of course, people also thought a friend in my dorm had the cutest southern accent, and she was from northern Kentucky (Elizabethtown, KY is my unofficial line of demarcation for North/South).
NumberSix at February 25, 2010 12:36 PM
And, Kim, tell those Florida people most of their state is Yankee anyway. You hear more New England accents down there than Southern ones.
NumberSix at February 25, 2010 7:34 PM
Yeah, I saw a lot of Boston hats down there. How can you be wearing a Red Sox hat and make fun of my accent?! You should think I'm wicked awesome!!
I think the mid-west does that to everyone. My dad's whole family is from Minnesota and even if I only spend a weekend there, I come back with an accent....and calling carbonated beverages "pop". :)
Kim at February 26, 2010 9:38 AM
and calling carbonated beverages "pop"
Well, that's just going a little too far for me. I couldn't bring myself to do it. It's Coke, dammit, whether it's Coke or Dr. Pepper or RC Cola or whatever. Or, at the very least, a soft drink.
NumberSix at February 26, 2010 2:15 PM
I'm the author of "thetruthtree.blogspot.com", and have been the target of Loretta "Dillon" Serrano's ire for the last 13 years. All I can say is, she's a lunatic who's friends are as warped as she. God bless on your quest to shake them.
Cathy at May 18, 2010 10:35 AM
Nothing new comming from him, but he also "write" under Carl Ericson name. And dear, dont waste to much time in people who can not achive what you already done.
M.S at July 15, 2010 12:19 PM
It is a continuous battle, the idiots want to rule, they feel attacking a person is fine rather than challenging a intellectual viewpoint through intelligent exchange. It is sad but this will never change, idiots will always exist
Madison Styles at December 11, 2010 11:57 AM
Everything they've said above in your defense, plus you're gorgeous.
Hucklebuck at April 26, 2011 7:38 AM
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