This is all very unexpected – this viral thing. Like I said, it never happens to me – even when I give insightful writing advice or review Pornstar Karaoke. I guess I could address the misogyny charges on VOLUNTEERS but a) there weren’t any and b) no one gives a crap about VOLUNTEERS.
Meanwhile, quite a few websites and blogs alerted their readers to Aaron’s Sunday essay. My thanks to all of them. One couldn’t believe that Sorkin would respond on “some little guy’s blog”. Oh be still my heart!
Most sites graciously linked back to me but a few like MSN just cheerfully reprinted the entire post with no link, which is a real breach of cyber etiquette. At first I was quite angry but then I saw that their film critic hated the new Katherine Heigl movie so I’m cool.
This experience has illustrated the power of Twitter. I’ve been re-tweeted numerous times. And some have been very complimentary. Here’s my favorite:
But anyway, my traffic has skyrocketed and I just hope of the many thousands of new readers that six of you will come back maybe once.
Seriously though, I’m thrilled to provide the forum for this provocative discussion on the treatment of women in SOCIAL NETWORK. I must admit that when I saw the film I was not bothered by this issue. Hey, it’s not like the guys come off as saints either. For the most part they’re misogynistic, conniving, insensitive, disloyal, narcissistic assholes. They’re the LORD OF THE FLIES with hoodies or the CAA mailroom. And as for the infamous “Fuck Bus”, I saw that as merely reason 4,573,572 to hate those preppy scumbag bastards.
Also, in none of Aaron Sorkin’s other projects have I felt he had an axe to grind against women. To the contrary, characters on WEST WING like C.J. Cregg, Donna Moss, Amy Gardner, Ainsley Hayes, and Abigail Bartlett were depicted as smart, even gifted, and worthy of enormous respect. Compare Sorkin’s treatment of women to say Judd Apatow’s. It's the difference between N.O.W. and the "He-Man Woman Hater's Club".
That said, I found a lot of the comments in response to Sorkin’s explanation quite illuminating and as compelling to read as the original piece. (of course I also had to weed through all the anonymous asshole idiots.) It’s a thorny issue. And you’ve come at it from all directions.
Are your arguments enough to make me change my mind? No. But they are enough for me to want to go back and see the movie a second time. So if nothing else, Mr. Sorkin, your responding on “a little guy’s blog” will add another $12 to your boxoffice gross (okay… $10. I go to matinees). And maybe after seeing SOCIAL NETWORK again in this new light I will feel differently. I’ll let you all know. But you’ll have to check back here. Nothing I say is ever going to go viral. If Pornstar Karaoke didn’t do it I’ve got zero chance.
