Why Wired Attacked Brandon Sanderson: A Closer Look
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- čas přidán 25. 03. 2023
- Examining the controversy of Wired Magazine's critique of renowned fantasy writer Brandon Sanderson. "Brandon Sanderson Is Your God. He’s the biggest fantasy writer in the world. He’s also very Mormon. These things are profoundly related." I suspect it has more to do with Sanderson crushing life and the insecure rage of BugMen.
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It felt so true when you said Brandon writes in service of his audience, because while im not the biggest fan of most of his books, the ones I love I REALLY love. Im writing my first novel bc of him and his writing lectures. I LOVE his personality and that service mindset that you mentioned
And the fact that you said, "Im writing my first novel bc of him and his writing lectures" nails it. Good luck with your book!
The greatest part about Brandon being a Mormon is that it literally doesn’t matter.
Thank you!! My thoughts exactly.
Exactly. He doesn't get preachy or tries to shove it down People's throats.. Which is arguably the worst about People passionate about organized religion.
Tbh, since I've read his main series (SA & Mistborn) I can see a lot of characters he writes which are discovering the truth in all religions. (v minor Mistborn spoiler)
Like Sazed, who gathers religions and is a literal keeper of them, not denying any, trying to fit them to the right People.
@@Mr0Anonymous0 Yeah, even as someone who was raised Mormon in a majority Mormon area, I never picked up preachy vibes or heavy LDS themes in his writing. My response when I found out he was a BYU lecturer was "Really? Huh...well I guess I can see the influences." Because they are there, but he's definitely not in your face about it.
@@asimhussain8716 probably they will say the author is Islamophobe and the article wouldn't be published without heavy editing
I disagree! Anyone who does not profess faith in The Lord Ruler must be PURGED! Send the Steel Inquisitors, IMMEDIATELY!
It’s amazing how people who’ve created nothing, let alone nothing beautiful or of value are the ones who think they know best and are the most critical of those who do.
Exactly.
And often times these same people do have a platform and enough of a voice to brodcast their opi ions, however atrocious
@@Osyrous Yeah and I think we all know that’s absolutely on purpose.
I will preface with I am a huge Sanderson fan and think he is a stand up guy. I think the wired article was garbage and the author a dirt bag. However I do not agree with your comment. I am not a doctor who specializes in plastic surgery but I can sure tell a botched job when I see one. I do not need to be a professional actor or director to critique a movie do I? I have not studied the law or had any involvement in politics, how come I can still vote? Is anyone in these comments a massively successful writer who has created something beautiful or of value? Speaking of value, does the 14 year old who is working the drive through at McDonalds part time after school create enough value in that job to be able to comment on something he read online?
Your gatekeeping criticism. The article is trash regardless though.
@@Purgatory73 itneresting opinion but it isnt gate keeping. Professionals, professionalism, and licenses exist. A doctor would be able to notice intricacies of a job well done or poorly based on a lot more than a "visual description" or any other superficial variable. The same can be said about any profession. Someone who is a professional mechanic would absolutely know and notice things that an everyday joe would not. Its why, like you mentioned, lawyers and judges exist and have to go to school for 7-10 years. The court of public opinion is just human behavior and should not be used as an authority on anything.
The Wired article was truly hateful. It insults Brandon's family, his fandom and everything about him and from, what I could tell, the author had no reason to say any of it.
"In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little, yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgement. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so." -- Anton Ego, Ratatouille
Oh man the final monologue of that movie is so damn beautiful. And true.
I was about to comment, Jason Kehe comes across with all the narcissism and antagonism of Anton Ego, but without any of the talent, experience, or charisma.
This was right on the money.
This writer was the "cool kid" who hung around with the elite "cool kids", and was appalled to realize that actually, the nerd they bullied was waaaaay cooler than they would ever be, and their psyche couldn't handle it. So instead of seeking to learn and grow and become a better person, they sought to destroy and tear down.
The article says everything about their character.
Sanderson's response says everything about his. Clearly hurt, but not willing to hurt back.
He's just basically a good guy.
this sounds awfully out of touch and full of weird projection and assumptions about what cool kids are and what you think they become.
@@darkiepoo8949 I dont know about becoming as i dont know what became of most of my school mates, but in my secondary school this basic cliche repeated itself without flaw. I wont hide, I am pretty proud i kinda orgniased abit our class nerds and we had a parallel group thing going, that with time became in a way as cool as the "cool kids".
@@darkiepoo8949 No, it's spot-on.
@slow walks in the mist, I agree. The person who wrote this was a nerd, just a different sort of nerd than brandon is
@@darkiepoo8949 You're literally doing all the things you're accusing the other guy of doing.
I highly recommend The Emperor's Soul. It's a novella, so less of a time commitment, while giving you a flavour of why Sanderon is viewed by fans to be an amazing storyteller. The story also won the Hugo Award.
Emperor’s Soul is so small and yet I think it’s one of Sanderson’s BEST works
I've made the same recommendation. If you like this novella you'll probably like much of Sanderson's work.
Nothing beats the Stormlight Archive 😉
@@Swiergotka78 I completely agree. However, that's a scarily huge commitment for someone who's not too sure if he'll like Sanderson's works. 😅
Also Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell. That’s another short story that I just adore.
I'd never heard of Brandon Sanderson before your video, but after watching I just had to go read the Wired article by Jason Kehe; it's 4,000 words inspired by jealousy.
If you're curious , I'd sincerely recommend picking up one of his books. You might be surprised.
@@Osyrous will do....I love surprises 🙂
@@cathalmccarthy770 Start with his first kickstarter book, Tress of the Emerald Sea. There's Cosmere stuff all over the place, but you can ignore it. It's quirky, fun, and a single book you can digest without committing to a whole series.
@@hrbacon I wouldn't start with Tress, it's a bit self indulgent - due to the narrator - and Hoid was in the Cosmere long enough for us to know him and allow the self indulgence.
I'd seconed another's comment and suggest the Emperor's Soul, it's quite remarkable
@@hrbacon Actually, Tress is SO different from his other stuff that I would say to start with Warbreaker - also a standalone book but a bit more like his other works.
I'm guessing Wired's owned by one of the conglomerates which owns one of the major publishing houses... maybe even the one Sanderson works with, no idea. But, regardless, I think you have it right; after his industry-shattering Kickstarter, and his less-than-flattering Audible comments, this hit-piece was probably meant as a shot across his bow, only they couldn't dredge up anything truly damning, and ran with what they had. Point is, to them, he's become too powerful, has shown he doesn't need to go through the traditional channels anymore in order to succeed, and no doubt it has the powers that be scared at his ability to circumvent their system, and worried he could empower others to follow suit.
Really well said. I forgot about the Audible stuff. And yeah - it's a case of coming up empty and saying, "well... we have Nothing... let's criticize him for that."
Wired is owned by Condé Nast, so yes, you are not far off. They are a well established part of the industry (though more in the magazine side of things)
I was enrolled in Sanderson’s class at BYU and I love Sanderson! He is a kind and passionate person who does his best and tries to always help others. He loves his family, his students, and his fans! Idk how anyone could speak so poorly of the guy!
I mean but the guy is super Mormon, and has Mormon friends and family, not to mention he has a high pain threshold and his son uses a lot of salt in his food. Also his prose isn't super super elaborate. How could you sit in a class taught by such a monster.
@@tinamoul 🤣 seriously 🤦♀️
@@tinamoul Also remember that he's not a professor
@@Tharkz Ahh, but that's a quick fix. All he needs is the right tweed Jacket to make him look professorial, and voila instant professor. Actually teaching writing courses at a university is nothing compared to the power of a nice tweed jacket.
@@tinamoul haha this is great!
When it comes to Brandon writing in service of his audience, he even reflects this in his language: I recall that in his stormlight updates he says 'your book is at ....%', he sees his work as ours, in a way, which makes sense, as he writes for a specific audience. On top of that, the fact that he manages to be transparent on his progress and manages to take time out of his day to respond to messages and questions he gets next to writing like a high speed train? Amazing.
I've never read Sanderson's work. I'm not Mormon. I have no dog in this fight. But I know that Sanderson offers free writing instruction on CZcams, and his attitude is excellent. I'm thankful for his work, and I intend to learn all I can from him as a writer.
I'd like to thank Wired for reminding me of Brandon Sanderson in a time when I was looking for a new series to get into. I'm about 6 chapters into the Final Empire and, so far, I love it.
You're welcome, Kira!
if you enjoy the book, you should keep in mind that the Stormlight Archive is even better.
Enjoy Mistborn! Finished it last months and I can't believe how attached I have become to the main characters!
The writing seemed to resent Bandon because he could not get any dirt on him. Its like they came in looking to smear him and when he was not giving anything to use he used Brandon's kindness against him. You know, like a bully
Someone who is only validated by trying to put others down isn't worthy of your attention.
Read his books, man. Read his books. There a lot of reason Sanderson is so loved, but the biggest reason is the stories he tells.
Yep. I'm not much of a fantasy fan but I absolutely *devoured* the Skyward books.
I gotta get back to reading stormlight archives. Kinda stopped at the 2nd book. Love kaladins character...
Well said. Recently ran into one of my middle school bullies and …. they tried bullying me. I’m 22 years old. these people are so empty and lame it’s amazing
If I get 50 pages into something and it's not doing it for me - I drop it. I may pick it up later, or I may not. Not everything is for everyone. Life is short. I certainly don't continue to read another 8,500 pages of something I don't enjoy.
Wow!!! That is unberably sad and cringe. For a grown person to try to pick up their pathetic school bullying from where they left off is so laughable 😂
When you referenced the writer behind this Wired piece as the guy at the cool kid table I scoffed because there is no way in hell this guy is "cool". Then you mentioned how as adults they are losers and I was like "Oh ok this guy falls into that category." Yeah, nerds don't care about whether or not guys like that approve of our hobbies. We've experienced this kind of "othering" our entire lives. Good for Brandon Sanderson for being so successful in spite of this treatment and graceful in the face of it.
Steiniger might be onto something here - the Wired author seemed oddly interested in shallow stereotypical things like clothes, food, religion. I'm surprized he didn't made a comment on Sanderson's watch, shoes, car, front yard and looks.
@@Swiergotka78 At best it just came across as petty.
Brandons books, especially Mistborn and Stormlights for me genuinely changed my life. Down to simple moments when a character says, "He still gets up anyway."
"He still fights."
"So I figure...I figure I can too."
These books are inspiration stories. Stories that show you many different kinds of broken characters who choose to give it there all even when they don't feel like they can or know how. They still do it, and in the most inspiring and emotional ways. The fact that someone would try to make His story telling as any less than the masterpiece of character arcs and worlds he's made through it, just is a joke to me. You can't ignore genuine honest & beautiful passion for stories. And Brandon is made of that. He's what got me into books as well!
The best part about Nerd Culture is you just take people as they are - weirdness and all. Nobody is perfect, but all people are interesting because of their imperfection. As long as their genuine & interesting to talk to.
I'm not a religious person but I was bothered by the, what felt like, mockery and "otherness" of his faith: 90% of the article felt, to me, like "Isn't it weird that he's Mormon? Isn't that so WEIRD that he's so Mormon????" I wish they had not run the article, to be honest.
When it's Brandon Sanderson, I think the best place to start is the Mistborn trilogy. Nice, easy to read. Interesting magic system, and twists I didn't see coming. I didn't expect a heist story going into the first book, but that's what it turns to. For something Branderson related but also very highly beloved, you can read the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan, a book series that not only highly influence him and his own writing, but also a series he was chosen to finish after the author died.
If you want something more academic in nature from him, he has a youtube channel where he posts his college course lessons on writing fantasies, the concepts he uses for structure, as well as the concept he knows about that works for other people, if not him. He's just honestly an all around great guy. And you're his identity of Mormon never comes out as a label. He has an amazing work ethic and view of the world and magic systems, and does good things because they're what he believes in.
Some quick notes: First, I love the Henry David Thoreau reference. Second, Wired is the same place that reviewed the new Harry Potter game and gave it a 1/10 because of the author has views they don’t agree with, so goes to show you how reliable they are. Third, I started following your channel after your Savage Sword of Conan Omnibus video, and man… You deserve to have massive numbers, your content is not only great but inspiring to me. Awesome work 🤘
Thanks for watching! Oh - and by the way - I love the Conan omnibuses - I'm still collecting them. Also - the Harry Potter game is probably the only game in the last couple years that I've been interested in checking out and I'm not even a big Harry Potter fan. The idea that it would get a 1/10 just proves it's 100% about politics with zero thought about the (mostly young) people who will be playing it.
@@Steininger_Art You’re welcome! Your content speaks to me as I don’t know many people that would talk about things like Conan, Thoreau, Homer, Andrei Rublev, and Metabarons. I always thought I was alone in having such wide range of interests lol.
Makes you wonder why People read anything of Wired.
TL;DR - Read Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell. It's awesome.
For those looking to get into Sanderson stuff, everyone recommends Mistborn. Honestly, that didn't do much for me. The first Sanderson book I read was The Way of Kings. I fell madly in love right away. It's big though, so if you prefer shorter stuff, maybe don't start there. But honestly, my favourite Sanderson story of all time is a short story called Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell. Oh my gosh. I loved this story so so much.
Love Shadows for Silence. Love Stormlight.
if I'm making recommendations for people to start though I almost always say The Emperor's Soul or Warbreaker. Smaller, but give a good idea what his stories are like.
@@matthewdennis1739 I haven't read The Emperor's Soul, but Warbreaker was SO good!
@@madiantin Love it. Siri and Vivenna have such a great arc, Vasher is a Cosmere favorite for me, and the magic system is so much fun.
Shadows for Silence is my favorite too. Sooooooo good.
Shadows for Silence is one of my favorite short stories.
From someone who's a Morman I was told that Morman philosophy can easily be found in the books but from someone outside it, it doesn't throw it in your face
Excellent breakdown of a truly noxious hit piece. But-and I say this as a non-Christian and someone who didn’t know Sanderson was Mormon-this was mostly anti-Mormon screed. Anti-Christian bigotry is now hip.
I agree with you, but I also think the article is actually more of an attack at the Mormon church than Sanderson himself. I could go into more details as to why I think this, but I don't want to interject a bunch of religious beliefs into a conversation where it doesn't belong.... kind of like the author of this article did.
Sanderson is such a good guy. He’s always trying to use his success to help others, whether it be through teaching about the craft or standing up to bad practices. I was so impressed by him when he said that he wasn’t going to be putting his kickstarter books on audible to help out indie authors who are mistreated by that company. Whether you like his books or not, the article was just gross. Insulting him, his family, and his AUDIENCE for no profound reason. It read like a wounded incel.
Sanderson does that because his fans are all stuck with the mentality they had in high school. He doesn't need your money, or your support or your defense of him, at all. He's a millionaire with a highly successful career. You get that, right? You don't have to reply to this. I'm not insulting you, or your friends and family, or Sanderson. But you probably will. Because you're still stuck in that high school lunch room that the rest of us never looked back at.
@@ghin780 what?
I was literally shaking from start to end, reading that article. The very first piece of article that got me so close to vomiting and I pride myself for having a strong stomach. Brandon Sanderson inspires me to keep writing (Lord knows I am bad at it) and I'm falling in love with what I do. Never would've felt this way if I hadn't found him on YT (while desperately searching if there is even any point to writing). This "journalist" spent time with Sanderson that a majority of fans could only dream of and for what - a dehumanizing piece of literature. Sanderson's reply is honestly just heart-wrecking.
I dont understand how Wired magazine could hate us so much. Like, I never really read it, but it seems like a zine that a lot of nerds would like, and then they just told us all that we weren't worthy people in a blanket statement. If I were their marketing team I would be shocked
True. I have liked Wired more or less over the years. But this piece surprised me.
It’s so interesting, because I’m listening to Brandon Sanderson’s lectures now, and I find him a hero of the aspiring, casual authors.
He even says in his lectures he says “write, even if it isn’t your whole career. Why can people play basketball on weekends, but people aren’t allowed to just write books as a hobby?” He’s taken the fear and intimidation out of writing.
He’s also pretty humble, although he loves his own work. But he’s like “why am I published but my you aren’t? Mostly luck. Idk why.”
I don't know your fandoms or your views, but damn I am a fan of you thanks to this brilliant video. Thank you for saying the first part about the mainstream coming for the person who is trying to break the wheel. I never thought of this angle and come to think of it, it makes so much sense why such a mean-spirited and frankly intellectually empty article found its way into print. So many of us were questioning the lack of editorial scrutiny, but looking at it from this angle, it appears to be exactly what the editorial intent was. It was very much the "cool kids" going "OMG Ashley, why are you wearing converses with a dress, that's like so lame."
Great commentary. The comment you made about how Brandon Sanderson served his audience made me make a connection to something from this Easter week. Brandon doesn't lead with identity, he just tells good stories from within himself, humbly and in service to the community. But the " not be served but to serve" lines up exactly with one of what should be a key christian and LDS teaching. I really like how he does not lead with identity but shares some of the good things from that identity in his work. I wish more people shared the good things from their identity to a wider world, so we all can share in what is good from everyone's background.
I like that you said all this while not even being a fan. I'm a big fan of his books. Some of them mean a lot to me and inspire me to have hope and to be a better person. Hearing about his creative process has made me braver about attempting my own creative endeavors, too. So the bit you said about how many people he has probably inspired without even knowing it really rang true. There have to be thousands of us who have been touched by his work in one way or another, and that's a very cool thing, something this Wired writer could only dream of.
Read the book Skyward... that is an almost FLAWLESS story! (It's actually YA 😅 but some how I love it anyways!)
I'm 45 and LOVE that book.
@@thomaslange2262 I'm 39 and love that series. :)
I saw his kickstarter as an avenue for his people to do the covers, art and subscription boxes that they have wanted to do but his publisher won’t support. Also the god thing also refers back to Latter-Day Santa beliefs. A belief that some find controversial among religious/Christian groups. And the writer is mocking Sanderson’s beliefs.
One silver lining about this article... I found your channel haha
Ha! Nice! Welcome!
Excellent breakdown and analysis.
One thing I noticed in the article is he said he read 7 of Brandon’s books in prep for the article. But the only ones he references are excerpts from The Reckoners (I’m bad at metaphors) and Mistborn.
So basically this author’s only experience of Sanderson is 4 books in a middle grade series he did, and one of his earliest published works and he is judging Brandon’s entire career and the subsequent 50 or so books/novellas he’s written based on his second book series and something aimed at middle schoolers.
He probably doesn't read fantasy, so the entire thing is foreign. I think he saw someone he could pick on to elevate his own name and piss off people who aren't mainstream enough to cancel him.
Hey - I'm fine with YA. I just watched Paddington 1 & 2 and was blown away. Totally down with stuff for younger audiences.
@@Steininger_Art I get that, but his criticisms of Sanderson are of his terrible prose and childish, simplistic storytelling. But he was reading books written for older children.
If you do pick up one I'd recommend starting with Mistborn. It's unique and not too long (unlike the Stormlight Archive which is for us who can't get enough).
Kehe makes this odd point about Sanderson’s sleeping schedule, as if knowing when you’re the most productive is a bad thing. As if being a night owl makes you less of a person.
Great insights and commentary on the article. This video was the best on the article, and I've watched four now
Hi there - just found this video in my feed, and I agree with a lot of what you're saying. The Wired article is ridiculous and it clearly was looking to trash Brandon but like you mentioned, couldn't even come up with anything that would actually be bad or revealing about him so it just resorted to petty insults about how he's a bad writer or he's boring and of course Mormon so that's got to be a bad thing too. I think the only neutral or non-bashing take on the article that I've seen was Brandon's reddit post asking his fans to leave the author alone and to respect his right to share his clearly lousy opinion (ok, Brandon didn't say that, but I am). Brandon's response to it says more about him than every word in that article.
The only thing I disagree with was your rant on the "cool kids" from high school and how they are all losers now. Everyone in high school is just trying to figure themselves out, learn who they are, and how they are going to fit into the world at large as they approach adulthood. Some are nerds, some are popular, some are assholes, some are bullies, and some never do grow out of their immaturity. But I don't think sweeping generalizations like nerds always grow up to do interesting things and cool kids are always losers as adults is accurate, nor is it helpful to paint people with those kind of broad strokes.
It's so interesting to me that the writer of this hit piece managed to essentially write it about himself instead of Sanderson. He revealed so much more "dirt" on himself than he could find about Sanderson. The way he looks down on smaller cities and "less cool" states of the U.S. The way he hates on any "non hip" food, the way he has disdain for anything even remotely wholesome like spending time with family, hiring family and/or close family friends for your small business - even going so far as to having disdain for someone having the audacity to bake something for a meet and greet. The fact that he "cries" because he was shown a movie that he didn't like (without saying anything), the fact that he felt the need to mock "nerds", religious people etc. The way he describes anything nice that's been done for him in the most negative light possible. I could go on and on, but you get the point.
I think you give him too much credit… the article read to me like a last minute submission lol (speaking from experience as a college grader), I’d be surprised if anyone else read it and gave notes before publishing.
But shouldn't they? Or.. maybe that proves the point about mediocrity and lack of standards...
@@Steininger_Art They absolutely should! and I'm sure they do, I don't know why but this screams to me like something that slipped through their cracks. That said I'm sure they're loving their website traffic lately so I doubt there's anything more than a slap in the hand for this
Dude, my dad says the Lives Of Quiet Desperation bit too! I've never heard anyone else say that until you!
It fits!
Oh man, you hit on some very valid points about society where it's "cool" to find dirt on another person so you can cancel them. And you're right, its based is mediocrity. Really sad and pathetic.
Excellent commentary on Wired's article and the [air quotes] journalist [/air quotes] who wrote it. At fist I thought, "How could that article get past Wired's editors? " Then I thought about it, the problem with this is Wired and everything you covered about the situation is 100% spot on.
The algorithm sent me to you as I'm currently obsessed with this article 😅 I'm glad I saw this because no one's touched on Why the interviewer did this. He definitely had an air of "better-than," San Francisco v Utah, constantly dunking on Utah sushi. I haven't read BranSan yet but admire his career e and LOVE he went self-published because the publishing industry is so gate keepy and needs to be smashd!!
Glad I came across your channel 😊 I like your point regarding the journalists so true. Great video!!
Love your opinion and explanation on this. AND love your review on We Are the Dead (such a great trilogy!)
Hey thanks so much! I just discovered your channel the other day! Small world!
I think your right. the author of the article is reeeealllly envious of the fantasy author's success. How dare the geek be so successful when i am not.
The case of _"those who can't, hate and are jealous of those who can"._
Brandon Sanderson has given so much back, in terms of not just his works but time and interest invested in nurturing other writers and engaging with his fans, I cannot imagine anyone disliking the man. 'Wired' magazine, on the other hand, is gradually devolving into the Fox News of technology publications - so, from that point of view, this article is not that surprising.
It's very sad that a magazine such as Wired would sink to character assassination and it's staggering that they chose Brandon as a target when he seems to be as admirable a man as you could find - speaking as a 58 year old atheist who's a fan of his writing and podcast.
A few years after high school, I had gotten lucky and found a job where I could move up pretty quick. At one point, a promotion got me a bigger office. I came to work ready to move my stuff to the new office but was told that they had hired someone to do it so I could still do my work. It felt pretty good when the guy who bullied me in high school was the one who had been hired to move my office for me. It took all I had not to have a grin bigger than the Cheshire cat until he left...
Wired used to report on the massive NSA snooping center in Utah. Now they are trying to take down fantasy authors? Lame.
That article was more about Jason Kehe than it was about Brandon Sanderson. The dude wrote his own hit piece.
"We're moving into an age of decentralization."
I wish I could believe that, but it's what we said about social media once, and before that the internet in general. Instead it's become massively centralized. I suspect this is likely to happen with the new technologies as well.
This is a great take and positive way to look at the situation. Good commentary.
If you do end up picking up a Sanderson book, may I recommend starting with Mistborn? It’s not my favorite of his, but it does require the least buy in to get good, in my opinion.
Great analysis. This article has been pissing me off for a couple days. It’s been hard to pinpoint exactly why when clearly it’s not a credible attack, but you summed it up perfectly.
Thank you and thank you! I'm definitely obligated now to read some Sanderson.
Great commentary!
Very thoughtful look at the situation
Reading the article showed me that Sanderson is a talented, hardworking, kind, respectful, genuine, faith filled, family oriented writer, and the writer of the article is none of those things.
So true, very well stated. Do your own thing, be who you really are because what other people think simply does not matter.
I am not a fan of Brandon Sanderson’s books but I find him to be a fantastic writing educator.
Wonderful essay on so many important topics. Thank you! 🙏
I wonder if it has anything to do with his spat with Audible as well. Not sure if Wired has any connection there, but Brandon has recently been speaking out against Amazon and Audible's stranglehold on book distribution with their exclusive contracts.
You're right, I forgot to mention that.
Best video on the topic on CZcams! Really deep and proper analysis👏👍
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it. It was a bit of a ramble... but I hope it made sense.
I guess I'm so much of a nerd that I never even heard of this Wired article despite being a Sanderson fan. Absolutely love this video and your take on the issue (that I never knew was an issue until now).
Thanks, Elissa!
Excellent video my friend. I didn't know you weren't a Sanderson fan until the end. Makes your vid even better. ❤
Well - I am reading Mistborn and I am enjoying it. I don't know if I'll continue reading more after this, but so far... it's not bad. I just came off reading We Are The Dead (made a video about that before the Sanderson one) and I loved it - and there's quite a bit of contrast. I kind of lean towards darker material. But thanks for watching!
you hit the nail!!! Subscribed
This was great … thanks for addressing the condescending attitude folks can have towards folks that love Fantasy
Its so weird there are 99 different interesting focuses this article could have taken but it would've taken introspection and less centering self from author of the article.
very refreshing to listen to- thanks for the video
And thanks for watching!
This is a great and interesting perspective on what I would point to as the greater Outrage Culture we're all trapped in right now. I look at some channels I used to really enjoy ... and all those creators do anymore is yell at the camera for at least 8 minutes to get optimal ad coverage per upload. And it's both ends of the political spectrum. The right shouts about wokeness, the left shouts about regressivism. Christ, it's tiring. I truly appreciate this message here, which is ultimately one of hopefulness, in the face of so much effort being put into tearing people and their work down.
You made an excellent point about what that article could have been about, and that would have been a far more pivotal read ... and one that I hope actually happens someday soon.
Cheers.
Thank you. I'm like you - I'm completely sick of people with adopted Borg talking points. At this point, I'm fine with loading up all the divisive talking heads on both sides into a trebuchet and launching them into the sun. I'm bored to death with all of them. They have nothing to offer. I want to make stuff and champion the work I enjoy.
I am stunned that piece got past the editor. Have they fired all the editors? Someone at Wired had to know who Brandon is and recognized this as a hit piece by an ignorant writer.
The way you articulated this was just brilliant. I was never the cool kid and I’m thankful for it 😂
This is the *best take* on this whole debacle sense it happened. This is just some "cool kid" who can't accept that high school is over and so is their relevance. The good news is that this kind of view of "nerdom" is fading fast.
Thanks!
Dude I was onboard with most of this till he said the cool kids won't go anywhere in life and that all of them are stuck. I wouldn't say that. I've run into "cool kids " later in life that are stuck on the past ...however I've also run into others that have matured and have learned to respect others for who they are and have also had their own adventures too.
Yeah, it's more accurate to say SOME of them will be stuck. I do think that as long as you have that kind of mindset of "being cooler" than others you are always stuck your whole life. But there certainly are people that were that way in the past that can change their mindset to a more positive and progressive way. The rest of his commentary here on the issue is really good though.
Dud your video was so brutal and spot on 😂 I hope Wired watched this
Great take. I couldn’t understand why Wired would rip on Brandon like that. I always tell my three sons, who are all nerds like me (I was reading Tolkien in the library while the cool kids were hanging out in the parking lot) that life gets so much better and more interesting after you leave the bizarro world of high school, cool kids, and jocks. Subscribed.
Thanks, Sam!
Great take on this!
Basically the best take on this whole situation yet!
I agree!
Nail on the head about children's books! I buy my kids books from thrift stores, imaginative stories with beautiful illustrations are what I loved as a child.
Also as an artsy, drama club and fantasy nerd, you are so right about the cool kids.
Absolutely. In thrift stores too you get to find all the old fantasy and sci fi in that golden age great cover art.
@@Steininger_Art great point! I am loving your videos. I really needed the inspiration to get back into being creative.
The last time I read something this bad it was from someone who had a hard on for the subject because they were gay.. look at his gay family, look at his gay dog, look at his gay job and gay skills and gay gay gay gay gay... It's like the writer of the wired article couldn't connect because he wanted to expose Sanderson a a "dirty Mormon" and never could rise beyond that. The title actually reflects the questions the writer asked Sanderson about the Mormon afterlife as if Sanderson is striving for godhood on earth by writing easily accessible and digestible stories that everyone can relate to. How dare he. It's a freaking pearl clutching piece about how many times the cool jock can insult the geeks friends, family, wife, state, restaurants.. it's a bully piece. After all that nonsense the writer sounds like he's mad because he's somebody special who can write as well as Tolkien and still has to write these stupid articles on these posers.
You know, I never cared for Sanderson. Never read any of his stories, didn’t listen to his podcasts or anything, even though so much of the fantasy community loves him. But seeing this hit piece, I now want to support him.
I'm reading Mistborn right now and I have to admit... I'm liking it. There's a lot of good ideas going on and I'm impressed with his writing of action. It's a bit on the 'softer' side for me, but he does his niche very well.
@@Steininger_Art I’ve heard many good things, he’s on my long list of things to read. Might move up tho
The article says a lot more about Jason than it does about Sanderson. First, imagine that you wanted to be a writer and a journalist but you ended up working for a magazine that hasn't been relevant for 20 years. Second, imagine that the world you live in is governed by trends and reactions on social media, where the only kinds of articles you can write are the ones that either over hype some new tech or hit pieces, since those are the ones that generate more clicks. Third, knowing that you and your colleagues could be replaced by an AI any day and none of your readers would be able to tell the difference. I'm sure this adds up to quite a lot of stress.
It's also worth noting that it took Jason 5 months to publish his article. I guess that's the time he needed to twist every impression about Sanderson into something negative. During that same time, Sanderson wrote two books.
I mean, to play devil's advocate I know plenty of nerds who "peaked" in high school and instead of evolving just drown in toxicity and "I'm not like other people, I'm special".
I also know cool kids who went on to widen their horizons and pursue what they like.
The key difference is not "nerd vs jock" but "for me vs for others", not in egotistical sense but on a global scale.
Cuz you're absolutely right- people who measure themselves by how "cool/special" they are, especially in high school usually never develop a personality. As well as people who define themselves by what they're not.
I had to argue loudly with a friend's friend on a similar topic. At a nerd party where some of us sat to watch a historical anime and he (even though he was gonna be doing something else with other people) started saying how lame it was and we should watch Jojo or smth instead. One friend started calmly saying that everyone got their own taste and if he wants to join we can choose something else that everyone will like, but if not- we're gonna watch what we like. When the friend's friend continued saying how lame it was I had enough (as it wasn't the first time) and shouted that nobody cares about what he doesn't like, all we hear is how something is cringe and not cool, but almost never about the things he actually enjoys, which is far more important.
There are things I will never be a fan of (and BS might be one of them), but I can always appreciate people talking about something with a passion.
The "my thing is cooler than your thing" is as old as time and I think everyone is guilty of it because you get passionate about things you enjoy. But, what you like doesn't have to determine what you're like. Obviously, like everything, #notall. A lot of super nerdy people also turn out to be real weirdos completely inept at dealing with the reality they've been presented with. But thanks for watching and your thoughts! And yeah - championing the stuff you love is a good way to redirect negativity.
Great video, thank you
Doesn't Conde Naste publish Wired and also runs on Amazon Cloud Computing? I could be wrong though...
Excellent insight ❤
The speculations on the motivations with this Wired article had been sound and potentially valid (hopefully we will know more in the coming days), but then you had to spiral down into drawing heavy lines between "nerds" and "cool people" and their outcomes in adult life, and it's just not realistic nor constructive. People change overtime, some have difficulty making a positive change, but being a nerd or jock in our youth do not commit us to these identities, nor have direct correlation to our successes or failures going to adulthood. People can turn around, and some multiple times in their lives, and I think that's equally important to note. Heck, I've had bullies who turned their lives around beyond recognition, and I'm happy for them. And some of my old friends become callous jerks. So, yeah. There's that, too.
There's also the fact that I feel like these labels don't realistically capture the full breadth of people's interests, viewpoints, and experiences. In high school you could have categorized me as a jock, nerd/geek, punk, redneck, and artist. Most people are more complex than a simple stereotype. I was a captain on the football team, wrote poetry, listened to the Misfits and Social Distortion, worked on a farm and hunted, and loved fantasy, science fiction, comic books, video games and anime. Some days I wore flannel and jeans, other days I wore shorts and graphic tees with Mario or Alkaline Trio on them. Sometimes it was boots, sometimes it was Vans.
I feel like this is true or many of my friends, we didn't just fit nicely in a single stereotype, and different friends embodied one or two stereotypes more than others.
Super! ...the "hit piece" probably helped Brandon a lot more than hurt. And attract new fans, too.
My only complaint on Brando sando is the stormlight 5 got delayed, and ik that isn't his fault but dammit I don't want to wait another year
It reminds me of high school where nerds and cool kids used to hate each other and get into fights.
Interesting point of view, and I agree with the majority of what you said. However I am going to take it one step further, this article mocked Brandon’s faith. The disdain for the fact that Brandon’s faith is part of his life and who he is. Judgements were made against Brandon because, the author of the article is jealous and has the green eyed monster and he wanted to feel better for Brandon’s success and being a Christian.
You are 100% correct.
Great breakdown dude!
Thanks for watching!
Brandon’s books have directly saved the life of a good friend of mine. Thats worthwhile. In perspective with this fact, the Wired article and its author are worthy only of my pity.
The search for a special reason for the article is straying into unlikeliness. The most probable thing that happened is that this journalist didn't like Brandon Sanderson and the newspaper thought it was okay enough to publish. There's seldom an actual plan behind these publications. It's all ad-hoc.
100%. The whole article came across as sooo elitist and envious.