Jinx in Hell

A Short Repast
Jim Vassilakos (jim.vassilakos@gmail.com)

Let us now turn back to a time preceding Jinx’s Vacation, to a point where she
has not, as yet, completed her first mission. Just prior to this scene, Baalzephon
refers Jinx to Furcas, a Grand Duke of Hell, in order that Jinx may study and
learn such spells as are forbidden to all save the servants of the greater powers.
The backdrop is actually a bit more convoluted, but all that the reader need
know at this point is that Jinx means to petition Furcas for access to his
necromantic library, officially known as The Necrology.

The Necrology turns out to be a vast
structure built upon a foundation of
charred bone. A rancid stench issues
from the eight towers which take up
positions at its feet, and upon its eight
outer walls are cast the lords of death
of the various pantheons, their coal
black visages regal and supreme as
though to either welcome them hither
or pay homage to them en masse. A
skeletal guard well over a thousand
strong lay before the structure’s inky
entrance, lining the road two or three
deep on both sides as it twists and
turns up the steep embankment, the
moans and muted whispers of
unprocessed soul bricks echoing along
the length of the concourse. Finally,
some hundred feet from the entrance,
a pit fiend emerges followed by six
kere, their eyes dark and emotionless
while his glint with a transfixed
curiosity.
“State your business.”
Jinx stops where she’s at, looks at
the pit fiend from her location, and
states, “A bit of distance between us to
blurt out my business, but I am here
with the approval of Baalzephon to
converse with Furcas.”
“You are a messenger?”
“Not exactly.”
“You come bearing a tithe from
Baalzephon?”
“A what?”
“A tithe. Furcas does not appreciate
those who fail to bring presents.”
“I am not interested in his
appreciation, nor yours. If you value
your hide, you will take me to him at
once.”
The pit fiend glares for a moment, as
though deciding whether or not to take
that sort of abuse from a mere female,
particularly in front of his
subordinates, and with an army of
skeletal warriors at his back. Then
again, he did sort of ask for it, and
supposing that Jinx were a direct
servant of Baalzephon’s, he’d be
taking a near-suicidal risk by striking
her down.
“Follow me,” he finally states,
turning around and letting the kere
encircle her before proceeding.
Even as they approach the dark
entrance, it is impossible to see
beyond the portal’s rim, and as he
disappears within, only scant footsteps
ahead, it is as though he has walked
through an impenetrable shroud. Once
inside, however, Jinx finds herself
within a chamber of magical portals,
many dozens of them scattered about
as a fine grey mist swirls about,
conveying the impression of
etherealness, although from her
studies she suspects that to be quite
impossible.1 Through some of these
portals she can see vast chambers full
of books & scrolls. Others give
passage to studies, many of which
provide a view of the outside from
several stories high. Still others are
clouded by an opaque haze, as though
the occupants of these rooms wish to
have a little privacy. The Pit Fiend
leads her through one of these latter
portals, guiding her into a bare room
with a large obsidian table and a
distorted view of one of the flaming
towers outside through a thick,
marbled window. Jinx notices,
however, that the kere did not follow.
The pit fiend turns around, seeming
to appraise her with mischievous eyes
now that he’s got her alone.
1
At this point in her studies, Jinx knows of
Ethereal-1, the plane of ghosts and spirits
that borders the mortal realms but which is
blended into the fabric of the outer planes
such that it cannot exist apart from them.
However, she has not yet learned of the
deep ethereal planes where some gods and
their servants prefer to tread unbeknownst
even to more common ethereal travelers.
“Furcas will soon be here,” he says.
“Do you have any last words you’d
like me to pass on to your master in
case he doesn’t take kindly to your
intrusion?”
“You have a sense of humor,” Jinx
says while polymorphing back into her
true appearance2, “it shows you have
confidence…that you’ve worked for
Furcas for quite some time,” she
continues as his visage alters slightly
at the bewitching figure that now
stands before him.
“I have,” he says in a careful
manner, not sure if his eyes should be
displaying such interest toward
something that may be a gift to his
master.
“Good. You may as well see me for
what I normally am, since I might,
with Furcas’ permission, be staying
here for a…spell. Your name, what is
it?”
“Ladies first.”
Just then, one of the kere walk in.
“Gordo, the master says he wishes to
see this one immediately.”3
The pit fiend glares at her for her
impeccable timing, not that it really
matters much. Then he motions for
Jinx to follow, and two portals later
she finds herself in a dining room, its
walls exquisitely decorated with
2
“True” being a relative term…With a
comeliness of 22 at this point in the story,
Jinx stands out in a crowd. Hence, being
that she doesn’t want to be seen on Dis, for
fear of such sightings somehow working
their way back to her mother, she is going
most everywhere incognito via her ability
to polymorph. Only now does she reveal
her “true” self, and, needless to say, it is a
sight that the pit fiend was not expecting.
3
I had mixed feelings about using such a
powerful class of devil for comic relief.
The truth is, if I’d been playing him more
convincingly, I’d have had to play him
more intelligently.
paintings and tapestries depicting
scenes of necromantic ritual. Strangely
enough, they all seem to be of various
stages of the same necromantic ritual,
the preparation of a live hobbit for
some ghastly ordeal. The first shows
the hobbit entering the room. The
second shows him being gagged and
tied on to a table (the table directly in
front of her as chance would have it).
The third shows the casting of some
spell upon him by a diabolically
handsome, long-horned devil, and the
fourth shows the hobbit’s belly being
slit open, much to his personal
discomfort. Finally, there is the scene
before her, in the actual flesh as it
were, the long-horned devil dining
upon his furry-footed guest who is still
writhing in horrible pain, trying to
scream but unable, and strangely,
unable to die as well.
“Leave us,” Furcas says to Gordo,
smiling at Jinx as soon as the three
(she, he, and their meal) are alone.
“Baalzephon mentioned that you
might be arriving sooner or later.
Personally, I don’t understand what
took you. One would think the
acquisition of knowledge to be at the
top of one’s list of priorities, but then I
suppose that the necessities of
existence often interfere in that
pursuit. Speaking of which, let me not
be a rude host.”
With a flick of his finger, a plate,
fork, and knife appear on the table
near where Jinx is presently standing,
and the chair that rests there actually
crawls out a good two or three feet to
accommodate her should she decide to
sit down.
“Thank you,” Jinx says as she sits,
“…the acquisition of knowledge is at
the top of my list of priorities,” Jinx
says respectfully. “However, the
number of priorities on my list is quite
daunting, but why complain to
someone I’ve never met? …I
shouldn’t fuss on our first meeting—”
“Fuss away, my child, fuss away,”
he says delicately between bites,
swallowing a succulent piece of breast
meat before continuing “There is
much to be learned from the gripes of
others.”
Jinx pauses a moment, takes the
knife and fork, and proceeds to cut a
nice piece from the hobbit’s left bicep.
“I see you’ve paused for reflection,”
Furcas begins. “Unfortunate…the fuss
will be more cautious now—less to be
learned.”
“…Loyalty to Mephisto,” Jinx
begins while looking at the ring she
wears, “commanded by Adramelech,”
she continues while taking out her
medallion4, “assigned to Baalzephon
—who desires me to be a general,”
Jinx says with a chuckle, “yet pulled
to the path which you have chosen,”
Jinx says while lowering her
polymorph still further to expose her
veined skin.5
“…And what path is that?”
“Necromancy.”
“Yet you have blades at your sides.”
“You have heard of necro-knights?”
“Of course…quite limited on the
magical side.”
Jinx places the medallion beneath
her armor again and then moves her
ringed finger back below the table.
“True, but I’m not so limited. I have
survived the quasi-negative planes,
and in a few days my soul will enter
the Plane of Death itself to withstand
its assault or be devoured. If I survive,
I shall be immune to it, but during this
ordeal, I’ll need somewhere safe to
stay while I regain my health. I need
someone who I can trust, who has an
understanding of what may be
required, and I need access to spells
above the ninth circle; they hold no
challenge for me any longer.”
At this Furcas stops eating. “In all
my time I have only known three
necro-knights who could wield spells
of the ninth circle. And now a
specimen such as yourself comes
before me.” He begins cutting another
morsel of meat from the tortured
entree. “No challenge from the ninth
circle? I thought the ninth was the
extent of a necro-knight’s abilities.”
4
The ring and medallion allow some
degree of oversight (scrying) on the part of
Adramalech and his minions. Whether or
not they can penetrate into the Necrology
is unknown to Jinx, but as a matter of
courtesy, she shows these items to Furcas
to make him aware of the situation.
5
Jinx’s final true appearance includes a
cobweb of black veins that run just
beneath her skin. She wasn’t always this
way, but as her powers have been growing,
these veins, which distribute negative
energy throughout her body, have been
growing as well. Their effect of her
beauty, however, is a choice of the
beholder, and for a devil such as Furcas,
these veins would in no way detract.
“I’m not a necro-knight, although I
can train them. However, that is the
closest comparison I can make. …I
need training—training from a true
master. Nethrys used to be my master,
but I believe I am surpassing him and
need a stronger master to guide me
henceforth. Your knowledge, your
assistance, your library; I need
guidance from one such as yourself.”
“Such things come with a price.”
Jinx sits for a moment, pondering
the numerous definitions of “price”
that may be at work in Furcas’ mind.
“It would appear that everyone I
encounter has a toll to extract from
me. From everyone else I have
expected it, for their goals are
removed from mine. …I was hoping
that you would consider me an
investment—a set price a burden to
our ligament. You will be encumbered
for a while, as well as those who will
assist, but you will gain knowledge
through this union. Students who
desire mastery certainly obey their
master. Is that not payment enough?”
“Was that your arrangement with
Nethrys?”
“Nethrys came to me when I was
ignorant. I never solicited him. I was
in his plans since before my birth. His
master instructed him to train me, so
he did, never informing me of his
impetus for doing so…making it
appear as if he owed it to me for
imprisoning my father. I was naive
then, but do not think I haven’t paid
him. He is alive now because he was
my master…flesh and bone…free
from torture on my command. I pay
my debts, Furcas.”
“Don’t we all.”
Furcas looks down at the hobbit, the
poor creature still delirious from
having his flesh carved from his bone
as a repast for two plain-speaking
devils.
“Well, my friend,” he murmurs,
“when I invited you to what I
promised would be a delicious meal, I
was not lying, was I. But now, I think
you have heard far too much.”
A small ice pick suddenly appears in
his hand, Furcas using it to crack open
the hobbit’s skull.
“Halfling brains are quite tasty when
fresh,” he smiles, continuing to chop
away as the hobbit’s eyes roll to the
back of its head. He finally scoops out
the entire organ, slicing it in half
before looking again toward Jinx.
“Left or right hemisphere?”
“I’d prefer the side you prefer least;
anything more might escalate the price
beyond my reach.”
“Oh, was that really necessary?
Well, since I’ve always prided myself
on being a bit of a connoisseur of
cranial cuisine, I will admit to you that
when it comes to hobbit brains, I’m
personally fonder of the right half.
That’s the half that contains most of
their imagination, you know. Here, try
a bite, and see what you think.”
Jinx accepts the offered fork,
sniffing at it momentarily before
accepting a small nibble of the
hobbit’s medula oblongata.
“Well?” Furcas grins.
“Tastes like chicken.”
“Actually, there may be an
explanation for that. You see, halflings
basically do two things in life. Either
they’re eating or they’re thinking
about eating. Hence, their cranial
matter contains all the nuances of their
limitless appetites: most extraordinary
creatures. Proof, I think, that it really
is the little things in life, or rather the
little people,” he smiles, chomping
down on some cerebral cortex.
“Speaking of which,” he wipes his lip,
“I’m to understand that you like short
men.”6
“Size isn’t everything,” Jinx
responds while abandoning eating
utensils for her fingers. Slowly she
inserts her nails into her dinner,
cutting and lifting with them for a
moment, playing with the candy-sized,
bloody hunk, lifting it above her nose
slightly as her mouth escalates to
hungrily follow it, a drop of blood
falling early and landing on her chin;
then her tongue, a mind of its own,
playfully guiding the candy to her
mouth, sucking the blood from the
pours before biting down, and of
course, licking her fingers clean for
the finale, her mouth still elevated
while doing so, the drop of cerebral
blood still balanced on her chin’s now
6
This is a reference to a minor sidetrack
Jinx had prior to this scene where she
found some old comrades, Duergar to be
specific, being tortured in the bowels of
Hell: proof positive that it really is a small
multiverse. She rescued them, somewhat
to the consternation of their captor, and
now she has the reputation among those
few who know of her as being a bit of a
softy.
horizontal position. She does nothing
with the drop on her chin, allowing it
to run from her chin down her neck as
she returns her gaze to his.7
“Duergars burrow deep into the
mountains of many planes. They
encounter much that I never would,
making them an excellent source of
information. They are loyal, unlike the
drow. I have spilled much of my own
blood with them. Is it wrong that I
should be amicable toward them?”
Furcas blinks for a moment, still
somewhat transfixed by the spectacle
of his dinner companion’s eating
habits.
“Actually, I was simply wondering
what about them so enticed your
favor.”8
Jinx pauses in mid-reach for her next
bite, unable to fathom his wonder.
“Is there no loyalty in hell? You
implied that I had a strange way of
showing my appreciation to my
former master, and I demonstrated that
I did appreciate him—before this
conversation I may add. I am the
Duergars’ ally. They are mine. I’ve
retrieved a soul in Tartarus because of
loyalty9; one awaits me on another
plane, which I will attempt to retrieve
as soon as feasible.” Jinx looks at
Furcas askance. “If you wish to
appraise my ability to pay my debts,
perhaps you should interview those I
have fought with, pre-knowledge of
my affiliation with Lolth and those
affiliated with her. My head spins with
this crap. My mother, Nethrys, my
grandmother…they never leveled with
me. I’ve been torn apart…not
physically…my loyalty, my desire.
My own family would have sold me
for their benefit; Nethrys admitted as
much. My confusion derives from
your talk of price, from your inability
to understand my emotional ties and
obligations. It is easy to hurt me: lie to
me or withhold the truth; hurt those I
7
This description is well beyond that of
my own meager abilities. It was supplied
solely by Jinx’s player, just to give you an
idea of the sort of writing of which he is
capable.
8
“Sheesh,” Furcas thinks to himself, “I
mention short men, and she goes off the
deep end. I wonder if I have a diminution
potion around here somewhere.”
9
Lyngar, a character I referenced in the 2nd
paragraph of my submission to A&E #299.
This was also the character that “Matt”
was given to play in A&E #305.
care for; assume that I am so shallow
that I only see you as a tool to enhance
my power. It isn’t “favor” as you put
it; it’s paying my debts. Setting a price
confounds me, for I interpret it as a
relationship that is solely based on
payment—a relationship where ties
are cut upon completion. Some debts
are so great that the need to quantify
them…” Jinx stops, trying to regain
her composure while leaning back in
the chair, perhaps no longer able to
stomach what lies before her.
“My dear girl,” Furcas reaches for
her hand, “I’m afraid that I’ve gone
and upset you. If it’s simply loyalty
that you seek, then it’s loyalty you
shall have, for I deal fairly with all
those who deal fairly with me. Aside
from hobbits, of course. They annoy
me.”10
Jinx chuckles a bit at his comic
relief, understanding the need to be
more constrained on a first visit, yet
unable to deny that Furcas may
appreciate her goals more than anyone
she’s met in hell. “Loyalty isn’t
simple,” she says between chuckles.
“My first meeting with a devil
demanded me to show my ability with
a blade, my second my ability to
withstand the continuous abuse and
humiliation of a once powerful she-
devil11, my third with items to follow
and observe me, my fourth to be a
gatherer of information at the risk of
my very existence, my fifth with one
who wanted to seduce me, my sixth,”
she says with a smile, “with
opportunity…my seventh with an
open hand,” she says with an
optimistic yet not too overconfident
tone. “I’m not sure what this means,”
she says while leaning forward and
taking his hand, “but it feels right.”
Furcas makes a thin smile, “You
must be wary of your feelings, my
dear, for they can betray you more
despicably than even your worst
enemy.”
“I assume you’ve been betrayed by
someone near and dear and that a bit
of you died as a result of the betrayal;
if not, you’re throwing empty words at
me, which I don’t see as your nature.”
His thin smile manages to prevail,
but his eyes, for a moment, recall
memories better forgotten. “It would
10
Why does Furcas give in so easily? Or
perhaps the question we should ask is:
Was this his design all along?
11
See Jinx in Hell, Part 2, in A&E #318.
appear that one cannot say anything in
your presence without the
repercussions of depth,” he says as he
lifts his hand, in it appearing a small
dinner bell, which he rings before
making it disappear. Within moments,
Gordo, the pit fiend, is back.
“My lord.”
“Bring us a bottle of the Chateau
Avernus Tabula Rasa.”
“Age, my lord?”
“Hmm... I would say this is a special
occasion. Open one from my vampric
collection. Also, bring my pipe, a
pouch of sageling, and a vial of the
powered magelrot.”
“At once, my lord.”
“Tabula Rasa?” Jinx queries after
Gordo has left. “Is there an event
being planned for this evening that
you desire I forget?”
“So suspicious….You do know how
to smoke, don’t you?” Furcas says
while smiling again now that Gordo
has left.
“I suppose, but it’s been awhile, and
it was isolated to the mana I once
needed to cast spells. Whatever it is
that you have in mind…undoubtedly
I’m a virgin to it.”
“You really shouldn’t tease me,” he
chides. “I might just consider testing
the validity of such claims.”
“That would distract too much from
the focus of this visit, which had
something to do with the acquisition
of knowledge. I had requested to be
your student in the field of
necromancy and any dark arts
associated with it. Do you grant or
deny my request?” Jinx asks in a
friendly tone.
“My Dear,” Furcas replies, “do you
really think I have nothing better to do
but waste my time, my wine, not to
mention my stash, on rejects?”
“I suppose that depends on how
much stash, wine and time you have,
for I have an idea that I will be under
your tutelage for months. One night
isn’t much to spare, but months, if not
nearly a year, requires commitment.
Obviously, I will be committed. Will
you?”
“So suspicious!” Furcas laughs. “Of
course, you are right to be. I count that
entirely in your favor. If you weren’t
bristling with doubt I should think you
a fool. Nonetheless, trust will be
earned…both ways, I think. Just as
you sense it, so do I. Perhaps fate has
led you here. Don’t laugh…stranger
things have been known to happen…
from time to time. Ah…just in time
with the wine. What took you,
Gordo?”
The pit fiend looks a bit out of
breath, as though he just expedited his
master’s request with the utmost haste.
Suddenly, the bottle uncorks as though
of its own volition, and Gordo is
pouring them both glasses.
“Sniff, but do not taste, my sweet,”
Furcas advises. “First a bit of the
magelrot to lower your defenses.”
With that a bit of his stash floats up
out of the pouch Gordo has brought,
landing in the bowl of his pipe and
self-igniting. Furcas brings it to his
lips and takes a long draw, then passes
it to Jinx, chasing the smoke with a sip
of the wine.
“That will be all, Gordo. Post guard.
We are not to the disturbed.”
“At once, my lord.”
Jinx takes the pipe, realizing there
are some things in life that can’t be
under her control, yet hoping it won’t
lead to her being under Furcas.12
“My first opportunity to trust you,”
Jinx says just before she inhales about
half of what Furcas did, then follows it
with a sip of wine.
Political commentary in A&E:
Joshua writes, “The question is, is the
conversation here benefited by the
amount of political diatribe currently
going on, or not. My bets are on
‘not’.” Patrick writes, “I disapprove
of divisive political rhetoric in a
gaming forum.” Myles writes, “I
really don’t think the political
discussion is adding anything of value
to the APA.” And Brian Rogers
writes, “This is a gaming APA, not a
political one.” By my count, that’s
four who currently purport to be
against political discussion in A&E
(although in Joshua’s case, it is only a
question of the amount).
As for those who are ambivalent or
positive toward it, I counted only one
voice from last issue. Jerry wrote, “A
strong, honest voice that I disagree
with is interesting.” However, from
the amount of political commentary in
their zines, I think I can also safely
include Louis, Ty, and Spike in this
list. By my count, that’s at least four
12
In the physical sense…
who are in favor, although I’d guess
that there might be a few more on both
sides of this fence.
Speaking of fences, I like to sit on
them and hence will abstain from
voting, as I see both sides’ points of
view. I would miss Louis’, Ty’s, and
Spike’s political commentary if it
were to suddenly disappear. However,
I’d also be happy knowing that A&E
has presumably fewer flame wars and
presumably more gaming content.
Perhaps the ideal situation would be
for members to just take their politics
to a blog and to post a web link at the
end of their zines where we can read
their non-gaming thoughts. Joshua
suggested this idea back in A&E #357,
and although I tried to cajole Spike
into joining me in political discussions
outside of A&E, he respectfully
declined.13
At the risk of perseverating in my
previous comments on this topic, I
will just reiterate, for what I doubt will
be the last time, that the problem of
political discussions in A&E are not
the discussions themselves but rather
the anger that they bring out in certain
participants. It may be due to the fact
that I am a fence-sitter that I don’t
often get angry but am instead rather
interested to hear different points of
view. If I held entrenched beliefs on
most political topics, perhaps I too
would be more likely to get angry
upon reading the views of those who
challenge the validity of my own
political perspective. But because my
mind seems to essentially be open to
the views of other people14, I don’t
feel this compunction. Like Patrick, I
do find some political rants boring, but
rarely do I find them idiotic, and
almost never do I find them
infuriating.15
The one thing I do find infuriating,
however, is the arrogance that is
displayed by those who hold such
contempt for the views of others that
they feel justified in hurling insults
and venom. In my humble opinion,
people who are given to verbal abuse
are essentially bullies. In ages past,
these personalities were not limited to
verbal abuse. For many centuries,
heretics were fashioned into human
13
See the final paragraph of Spike’s
comment to me in A&E #365.
14
This seemingly positive trait is not
without its downside.
15
See Pat’s comment to me in A&E #392.
torches, and the majority of society
suffered so that a powerful few could
feel secure in their positions of
authority over the rest of us. They held
us (our society) back for centuries on
end. They prevented us from
developing into whatever it is that we
are meant to become. And so when I
see such personalities behaving as
they are wont to do, I cannot help but
think ill of their self-indulgent forays
into livid invective.
Having said all of this, I also cannot
help but agree that A&E is ostensibly
a gaming APA. However, for
whatever reasons, political discourse
has long made its home here. Partly
due to my own transgressions, Lee has
cut it back with the two-page rule. If
enough members wish for her to cut it
back further, say to a one-page rule or
perhaps to a rule that all off-topic
politics be segmented to the end of
one’s zine, then they should make this
request.
However, what I cannot abide is the
singling out of individuals for their
unique political perspectives and
thereby insinuating that all the politics
that’s in A&E is their fault. This just
isn’t a valid argument. Politics persists
in A&E from both sides of the
political divide. It is plainly false to
suggest otherwise, and therefore
singling out one or two individuals
based of their political perspectives is
an exercise in hypocrisy. Indeed, it is
doubly-hypocritical, for not only do
those who have raged against political
discourse sometimes cherry-pick those
whom they rage against, but also have
these individuals themselves been
known to include politics in their zines
whenever it suits them. This, it seems
to me, is rather like the pot calling the
kettle black.
Granted, while nearly everyone
includes politics in their zines to some
degree, not everyone includes politics
to the same degree. This, as far as I
can tell, is the core of Joshua’s
argument: that a little bit is okay, but
that too much is simply too much. The
follow-up question, of course, is how
much is too much? Lee has spoken to
this in neutral, unambiguous terms:
two pages is the limit. Hence, if
Joshua or anyone else wants that rule
somehow modified, I believe that they
should address their comments in this
regard to Lee herself and not to any
other fellow member who is observing
the two-page limit as it is currently
written.
Regardless of the outcome, however,
regardless of whether Lee changes the
two-page rule to a zero-page rule or
whether she loosens it to a five-page
rule, I won’t be discussing politics in
A&E. The reason for this should be
plain. It is because to discuss politics
in A&E only poisons the atmosphere.
There are too many among us with
personalities ill-suited to exploring our
philosophical differences. Pointless
animosities are generated and the
stated purpose for this APA, to discuss
RPGs, is ultimately undermined.
However, it is not politics that
victimizes us; no, it is the immaturity16
of some of our members that
victimizes us, because if we could
discuss politics freely and openly,
without the omnipresent threat of
angry comments from those who seek
to silence us, just imagine how we
could develop into better versions of
ourselves.
I think back to some of the political
comments that I wrote in A&E back
when I was writing politics in A&E,
and there are certainly statements that
I would take back. There are things
that I said that were ill-considered, to
say the least. Some of these things I
was called on, and others were largely
ignored, but the very fact that I had the
opportunity to write them for an
audience, putting them on paper, made
me think about things in a more
serious and detailed way that I would
otherwise have had cause to do. And
that helped. It helped me to think
through my point of view. It helped
me to reshape my perspective. In
short, it helped me to grow, not merely
in that moment but even much later, as
I had cause to recall what I had written
and to rethink it, review it, and
reconsider it in the light of new
experiences and new knowledge.
But I can’t do that in A&E, not
anymore, because I know what the
result will be. Somebody will get
offended, and then the anger will roll
out, and quite honestly, it’s just not
worth it to me. It’s not worth dealing
with the verbal abuse.
16
I wracked my so-called brain trying to
think of a softer noun, but instead I could
only come up with harsher ones: spite,
malevolence, viciousness, volatility. If I
am seeing this wrongly, then please correct
me.
I admire people like Louis and Ty
who speak from largely unpopular
perspectives and, as a result, get asked
to be quiet in various ways. I envy
them their serenity in the face of a
determinedly close-minded audience
that can easily ignore their statements
but which nevertheless cannot help but
read and reply. This must be the
reason that Spike favors putting his
politics in A&E rather than moving it
to the web…because at least here he
knows that people will read what he
thinks, and whether they agree or
disagree, they will reply.
Spike’s unstated advantage, of
course, is that he writes from a largely
liberal perspective, and while there are
both liberals and conservatives
present, I have never witnessed
anyone directly asking him to be quiet
in the manner that I’ve witnessed
some members asking Ty or Louis to
be quiet in just the past few issues.
What exactly this means I’ll leave as
an exercise for the reader.
As for myself, however, I wouldn’t
mind Lee dropping it to a zero-page
rule if that is her whim, not because
I’m in favor of censorship but rather
because A&E has proven itself, at
least to me, to be inherently unsuited
to the task of hosting free and
unfettered discussions on matters of
politics. It’s a shame…it truly is, but
it’s a conclusion that I find tragically
inescapable.
Having said that, perhaps it is for the
best that political discourse should be
completely abandoned. Certainly, I
would miss it. I’ve stated more than
once that Ty’s political commentary is
the part of A&E that I read first, and I
also very much enjoy reading Louis’
and Spike’s opinions as well as those
of others. Exchanging political views
with Spike, even though we disagreed
more often than not, was a joy. He’s
always polite, and he always has
something intelligent to say. Every
time he writes, he makes me think.
But it’s not what A&E is ostensibly
all about. It’s not our focus, and by it
being here, it does detract from our
focus for reasons that are not the fault
of Spike or Louis or Ty.
I wish I could think of something
more positive to say, but that’s my
opinion for what little it’s worth.