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People I respect have suggested I publicly demand that Vox Day remove File770 from the Rabid Puppies slate. Then having done so, if Day fails to comply and I ultimately receive a Hugo nomination, they feel I can accept it with a clear conscience.



If I understand Steve Davidson correctly, he wants everyone to make a public statement repudiating slates. I don’t think people are unclear on how I feel about slates, thus it really becomes a question whether — by modeling that behavior — I want to encourage Steve to go around hammering people who don’t post the equivalent of an oath. I don’t.



Consider this point. I have been planning to nominate Black Gate because I’ve been reading it since last year’s Hugo contretemps brought it to my attention, and think they do a terrific job. What if they don’t make a public declaration? Should I leave them off my ballot? And thereby fail to do what I tell every other Hugo voter to do, nominate the stuff they think is the best?



I’m not voting for Black Gate because of a slate, and I don’t intend to be prevented from voting for it by a factor that has nothing to do with what I think about the quality of its work. That’s also why I’m choosing not to follow the advice I received about handling File 770’s appearance on the slate, though the advice is well intended.

The preliminary recommendations for Best Semiprozine category:On a related note, Mike Glyer of File 770 replie s to demands that he repudiate my recommendation of his site for Best Fanzine.As I have repeatedly stated, what I recommend is no one else's concern or responsibility, regardless of why I chose to recommend it. Mike is doing the right thing by simply playing it straight, letting the cards fall where they may, and not worrying about how many people happen to share my preferences.

Labels: Hugo Award, Puppies