The Bizarro Purity Test [My Plea To The Bizarro Community]

There’s a lesson to be learned from #Bizarrogate, and it’s not what many of you reading this right now think it is. See, bizarro fiction is in the middle of a quagmire. An existential crisis, if you will.

They have a very important choice to make and they’re dragging their feet making it. Either they believe all female victims of sexual misconduct allegations or they let the court of law decide innocence or guilt. They can’t have both.

One of the close friends of the bizarro powers-that-be has a sexual criminal past, but no convictions. He wants amnesty. He wants to continue to be a part of the community and to attend BizarroCon.

But the organizers of the event want to be able to publicly shame, humiliate and ban men from their show and their community who they themselves deem a danger to women. No court ruling needed. They can’t have both.

I left social media shortly after BizarroCon 2016 after I attempted to make this point clear (and before the history of their friend came to light) after the absolute highest ranking members of bizarro fiction came to my facebook page to argue with me about the subject. I stayed away for two full months.

But after #BizarroGate broke, my team had to monitor social media closely in order to discern the reaction from the community. And what we found was troubling.

Bizarro is often criticized as being a cult. A small group of authors who speak and act exactly like the powers-that-be tell them to, no more, no less. They move as a unit. Like a flock of birds. And when they say you’re done and you have to leave, the entire community turns on you, publicly shames you, humiliates you and antagonizes you until you leave.

Only now, with #BizarroGate, some of the flock is being “red pilled.” They’re realizing that their leadership might be fallible after all. That maybe it IS time to scrutinize, question, and hold accountable the powers-that-be to their own impossibly high moral standards.

And so, after exposing #BizarroGate, I began to receive many emails from bizarro writers chronicling the wrong-doings of the upper echelon of bizarro fiction. But, and this is important, I need to make this very clear. I don’t give a fuck what they do wrong.

You heard that right. I don’t give a single fuck what these people do in their personal lives, how they treat each other or members of their community. We’re people. We’re flawed. We make mistakes. We fuck up. A lot. All of us. Even the bizarro powers-that-be.

My goal in exposing #BizarroGate isn’t to ruin bizarro. On the contrary, I’ve said all along that I love bizarro fiction. I exposed #BizarroGate to show this community that it needs to DROP ITS IMPOSSIBLE STANDARDS.

See, I live by a mantra. That mantra is: “Bullshit ain’t nothing.” Bullshit don’t mean a fucking thing to me. We all fuck up. To err is human, right? I believe in second chances. I believe in redemption. In starting over. In FORGIVENESS.

I don’t want the close friend of the bizarro powers-that-be banned from the con. I want the alleged stalker for whom the bizarro community had no proof against, no reason to belittle and shame, no reason to excommunicate, I want HIM to have a SECOND CHANCE.

I want EVERYONE bizarro has tarred, feathered and left for dead to be allowed a second chance. A chance at redemption.

Bizarro fiction is stuck in an ever narrowing ideological loop called “The Purity Test.” The theory of the purity test is that once a cult or ideology starts to come apart under its own impossible standards, members of the community will be virtue-tested before their opinion is allowed to hold any weight.

In other words, as the moral bar is set higher and higher, fewer and fewer members of the community are able to pass it and are thus expelled. When something huge like #BizarroGate exposes the highest ranking members of the community as fallible, the entire concept of virtue is thrown into question.

Some of the people emailing me are telling me they once questioned my virtue, but after #BizarroGate believe that I’m the more virtuous among us and that the powers-that-be can no longer be trusted. To that I say NO!

I am NOT more virtuous that ANYONE in this community. I am just as flawed, just as capable of mistakes and transgressions and just as in need of second chances as everyone else.

As the Purity Test loop closes around our necks, we will ALL choke on it!

So this is my plea to the powers-that-be and to Brian Keene. Just drop the virtue signalling from this community. Drop the sanctimonious purity testing. It. Will. Destroy. Us.

Ask your community for forgiveness and tell them that the days of witch hunting and public shaming over virtue are OVER. Tell them bullshit ain’t nothing to you. Tell them we’re all adults. The men and women. And that we can take care of each other in this community without resorting to public shaming tactics. We can punish and forgive privately with restraint and humility.

Bizarro can survive #BizarroGate. There is an end to this where we all survive.

RTS: #BizarroGate Podcast Update 01


Gang, as the #BizarroGate story continues to unfold, some questions are answered and more are raised. Jeremy and Kevin remain ever vigilant in their effort to expose hypocrisy, nepotism and special treatment while holding the bizarro fiction community to their own impossible standards.

This is a hard job, gang, but someone’s got to do it. The READING TO STRANGERS podcast is dedicated to answering every single question that’s been raised in this bizarre and troublesome situation.

With that said, today’s special report brings us up to date on all things #BizarroGate. If you have information that could lead to any of the pertinent questions in this situation being answered, do not hesitate to contact us at Facebook.com/ReadingToStrangers. We will always keep your identity secret. We protect our sources.

Thanks gang and remember, keep reading!

#BizarroGate: 4 Important Questions *UPDATEDX5*


Gang, we first broke the bombshell sex scandal story rocking the bizarro fiction community on the READING TO STRANGERS podcast on 2/2/17, but we wanted to make a quick guide to share with people who are confused or skeptical about the events that are unfolding before our eyes.

See someone on social media who doesn’t understand what #BizarroGate is? Share a link to this page with them. Here are the 4 most important questions about #BizarroGate:

1. Did an admin of the BizarroCon Facebook page delete the alleged victim’s father’s website link? If so, why? If so, will said admin be reprimanded for their actions? UPDATE: It has come to our attention that the father of the alleged victim attempted to post his website link to the BIZARRO FANS Facebook group one week ago. The link was deleted and the father was blocked from the group. Who admins for this group? Why are they suppressing this father’s story? Will they be reprimanded for their actions?

UPDATE 2/5/17: The admin of the bizarro fans FB group deleted a post made by the alleged perpetrator. The admin stated that he did not want personal issues discussed in the group and took responsibility for deleting the alleged victim’s father’s post as well. The admin stated that he banned the father because the father has no interest in bizarro fiction. More as this situation continues to develop.

 

2. Do the owners of the bizarro small press which employs him disavow the alleged perpetrator or stand in solidarity with him as their head editor? If so, why? Do they believe in #YesAllWomen or not? UPDATE: The alleged perpetrator is no longer editing for this bizarro press as of 2/3/17. 

3. Were the promoters of BizarroCon aware of the alleged perpetrator’s criminal sexual history before BizarroCon 2016? If so, why was he allowed to attend the convention? Will he be banned from future BizarroCons? If not, why not?

4. Why didn’t Brian Keene break the story on his podcast? (He’s had the information since 1/23/17.) Will he cover the story now? If not, why not? UPDATE: Brian has blocked both Jeremy and I on Twitter and, as of 2/4/17 has yet to, to our knowledge, make a public statement concerning #BizarroGate. 

UPDATE 2/9/17: Brian Keene covered extensively the allegations against the #BizarroGate author/editor at the center of the controversy on his show THE HORROR SHOW WITH BRIAN KEENE’S 2/9/17 broadcast. He has also unblocked us from Twitter.