On Neil Gaiman, Again

Weird mood this week, I’ve flipped and flopped. By the end of the workday on Friday, I landed on, “Wow, I’m a massive screwup and a waste of space.” Don’t worry, I should be out of it by Sunday. Probably.

I finished reading Jingo, and am currently working on The Hunger of the Gods by John Gwynne. Also watching Black Doves on Netflix, which is a bit different for me, but it’s not bad.

Randomly (well, not really, it was playing on the TV in a place I went to), I was reasonably annoyed about how Curious George, the Curious Little Monkey, isn’t actually a monkey. Anyhow.

On Neil Gaiman, Again

This past Monday, Neil Gaiman hit the news again, as Vulture published a very detailed article on the allegations against him by nine women (because yes, he is up to that many accusations at this point). The article is very descriptive, along with being downright horrific, so if you haven’t read it already, I want to warn you about that. If you are in a headspace that cannot handle that, do not read it. Given the amount of information provided, I suspect that the chance that the accusations are fake are tiny–although admittedly, I considered that a slim possibility to begin with. But with nine accusers… well, why would nine women make up such a painful thing?

Thankfully, this time, rather than back in July, I have seen just about no actual denials; back in the summer I saw quite a few, “No! He couldn’t have done it! It’s a smear job by the Conservative Media!” (Which is quite an odd reversal to hear, let me tell you.)

It’s heartbreaking, but publishing this story is necessary. One of the purposes of journalism should be to hold powerful people accountable. Which it doesn’t always do–you’ll notice how this story went under the radar in a lot of publications back in July, which I mentioned last time. This time, it’s pretty much across-the-board reactions. A lot of Nerd Culture is running around throwing up their hands; it’s hard to overstate exactly how huge Gaiman is in fantasy and science-fiction. Once again, there are think-pieces and tweets (or whatever the Twitter-alternative people are on these days) about how to ‘separate the art from the artist’ which is sadly becoming frighteningly common as time goes on. 

Personally, I don’t know what to do. I’ve been avoiding looking at the Gaiman books on my shelves since July 2024. I admit that in the past I’ve flipped back and forth on the ‘consuming art by people who have done bad things’, but I just… the article’s anecdotes are monstrous. I wouldn’t be paying money to the man just by reading what I’ve already bought, at the same time it’d feel like I was a part of something horrendous. Again, I don’t condone the burning of books, though in this case I do understand it.

It’s not just that he was a beloved author. It’s that Gaiman so ingrained himself with his fanbase as a soft-spoken, wise and friendly uncle sort who you could talk to about anything. People did talk to him about anything on Tumblr, actually, asking for encouragement or advice. So to find out that he was–

I’m sorry, I seriously almost threw up a bit.

Celebrities aren’t your friends. They’re not your therapists. They’re not your cool uncles. It’s alarming that I’m seeing some people look at this situation and say, “Well, this seemingly friendly author who we thought was good to his fans turned out to be a monster; don’t worry, here’s another author who is very friendly and he’s lovely to his fans! Be a massive fan of him instead!” No! You will not be able to fix the problems that come out of celebrity worship by changing the celebrity that you worship!

I am also frustrated with some reactions. The comparisons, for instance–I’ve seen people comparing this to other famous people being outed as trash. Joss Whedon is an example that came up a lot. I think it’s particularly bizarre and misplaced, because by all accounts Joss Whedon was a grade-A douchebag, an arrogant abuser that actively worked to make people’s lives more painful, but that’s a different ballpark than being an actual rapist.

Which is why many people are wishing suffering on him and his ex-wife. Understandable, certainly, but not actually productive in the grand scheme of things. I’ve never liked how, when this sort of thing happens, people are proud to say how much they want the hated celebrity to suffer, as if that proves anything other than that you want to impotently lash out. Again, though, I understand–it’s the wish to be able to do something, anything, to stand with the people who have been hurt and strike back.

I don’t know how likely it is for Gaiman to face consequences other than canceled adaptations and other deals. One thing that the article this week made abundantly clear was how stupid rich Gaiman is. I was surprised by that–which sounds dumb, but not all bestselling authors are actually independently wealthy. He’s also a Hollywood producer and showrunner, which comes with money and connections (Lord knows the entertainment industry is a mess). Which makes it all the more egregious that even among all of this, he didn’t even pay his effing nanny.

Rapist, abuser, and cheapskate.

I do hope there are actual consequences, that the victims see justice, and that we don’t have any other rapists to out from the fantasy community. If there are, may they be outed and see justice quickly.

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