Here's a little drama that is a perfect example of what disinformation and smears the foot soldiers will participate in.
I was checking the reviews of my book on Amazon and saw that there was a one star review. All of the rest were five stars. I was interested to see such a negative post, but not surprised. I had wondered how long it would take before I was attacked.
It was so like them--the personal trashing, lies, making sure to say we're gay, saying we're alone and unsupported...it wasn't really a book review at all. It was just a personal attack. Anyway, no big deal but the guy supposedly used his real name to write the review: Gordon L. Fuglie. Unusual name, right? Seemed like a fake.
So I googled him, of course, and found that he is the curator for the Central California Museum of Art, in San Luis Obispo. Odder and odder. I thought to myself that maybe someone is using his name and writing bad reviews (I forgot to mention that I looked at a bunch of his reviews and someone had posted on him saying that he is a Socialist and trolls Amazon attacking books and authors)
Well, I found his number and called him. I figured if it was someone using his name he'd be glad to know it, and if it was the right guy, I'd ask him what the problem was...not in a combative way but genuinely ask him why he felt the need to be so rude. It was clear from his post that he hadn't read the book--he was just quoting from an attack article published about me in my local newspaper. I decided to offer to mail him a book so that he could actually read it.
I called the number and a woman answered. I asked for him and she said "He's not here but I can reach him." She asked for my name. Then she put down the phone, and I heard her go into an adjacent room and say "Gordon there's a call for you, it's Rosa Koire." Then I heard mumbling and after a minute she came back to the phone. 'He can't speak to you right now.' she said, and then she hung up.
It was funny, but unsettling.
Later on I looked back at his review and it had changed! Here's his current post (still one star). It's titled:
a commercially-self serving agenda? Or something larger?
"An Amazon first for me! In response to my comments earlier today, the author phoned my home! In deference to her, I pulled my skeptical remarks (but not my skepticism) and will return here with a more deeply researched commentary. Suffice it to say that UN Agenda 21[st century] -- sorta evokes District 9 doesn't it? -- has worked up a lot of right wing hysteria on the internet. Those of us who remember right wing conspiracy theories from the 60s and 70s have seen them return bigtime in the age of Obama.
I'm going to see if Ms. Koire and her associates are cut from a different bolt of cloth. Stay tuned.
The cover art is still bad, however."
I think I will send him a book. It's obvious that he hasn't read it, isn't it? I guess he realized that there might be something wrong with writing a book review when you've only seen the cover.
P.S. I checked Amazon today, about a week after this posted, and I see that he has removed his review entirely. I didn't send him a book, but maybe he bought one and read it.
I was checking the reviews of my book on Amazon and saw that there was a one star review. All of the rest were five stars. I was interested to see such a negative post, but not surprised. I had wondered how long it would take before I was attacked.
It was so like them--the personal trashing, lies, making sure to say we're gay, saying we're alone and unsupported...it wasn't really a book review at all. It was just a personal attack. Anyway, no big deal but the guy supposedly used his real name to write the review: Gordon L. Fuglie. Unusual name, right? Seemed like a fake.
So I googled him, of course, and found that he is the curator for the Central California Museum of Art, in San Luis Obispo. Odder and odder. I thought to myself that maybe someone is using his name and writing bad reviews (I forgot to mention that I looked at a bunch of his reviews and someone had posted on him saying that he is a Socialist and trolls Amazon attacking books and authors)
Well, I found his number and called him. I figured if it was someone using his name he'd be glad to know it, and if it was the right guy, I'd ask him what the problem was...not in a combative way but genuinely ask him why he felt the need to be so rude. It was clear from his post that he hadn't read the book--he was just quoting from an attack article published about me in my local newspaper. I decided to offer to mail him a book so that he could actually read it.
I called the number and a woman answered. I asked for him and she said "He's not here but I can reach him." She asked for my name. Then she put down the phone, and I heard her go into an adjacent room and say "Gordon there's a call for you, it's Rosa Koire." Then I heard mumbling and after a minute she came back to the phone. 'He can't speak to you right now.' she said, and then she hung up.
It was funny, but unsettling.
Later on I looked back at his review and it had changed! Here's his current post (still one star). It's titled:
a commercially-self serving agenda? Or something larger?
"An Amazon first for me! In response to my comments earlier today, the author phoned my home! In deference to her, I pulled my skeptical remarks (but not my skepticism) and will return here with a more deeply researched commentary. Suffice it to say that UN Agenda 21[st century] -- sorta evokes District 9 doesn't it? -- has worked up a lot of right wing hysteria on the internet. Those of us who remember right wing conspiracy theories from the 60s and 70s have seen them return bigtime in the age of Obama.
I'm going to see if Ms. Koire and her associates are cut from a different bolt of cloth. Stay tuned.
The cover art is still bad, however."
I think I will send him a book. It's obvious that he hasn't read it, isn't it? I guess he realized that there might be something wrong with writing a book review when you've only seen the cover.
P.S. I checked Amazon today, about a week after this posted, and I see that he has removed his review entirely. I didn't send him a book, but maybe he bought one and read it.
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