An online critic is trying to weasel out of the time he implied that I (a Jew) was adding an antiSemitic element to my book.

His first attempt today:
Why was I still talking about it? It was "months ago."

Seriously, why am I so upset that he took one word balloon out of context and built up an entire FALSE blog entry about it? In his mind It shouldn't matter to me that he ran that REPREHENSIBLE piece and then punctuated his point with a picture of Jewish remains being removed from a concentration camp oven.

C'mon. I should drop it. Even though the article is STILL up at his site and he has NEVER apologized for it.

His latest attempt today:
The title of his blog raised a QUESTION. It ended in a question mark. It didn't say I was promoting antiSemitism in a comic book. It only ASKED if I was. Therefore... It's okay. I mean, don't we live in a society where anyone is free to broach ANY question?

I don't think he understands what the word "implying" means.

That blog entry, with the one word balloon taken out of context, the bizarre semantic gymnastics he makes to posit his "question," and the graphic photo of the remnants of people I share ancestry with being shoveled out of an oven in Dachau-- was put together by this unscrupulous person for NO other reason than TO imply I had antiSemitic leanings.

He used Godwin's Law, the laziest and most offensive "debate" tactic, to compare someone you don't like to Hitler & the Nazis. Why? Because he's upset over Spider-Man comic books. IT'S SHAMEFUL. And to try to semantically weasel out of it is DOUBLY SHAMEFUL.

If you follow my feed and wish to show support, please block @douglasernst
And please do not give his blog ANY hits.

If you follow @douglasernst and are offended by this entry, please let me know so I can block you. I don't want anything to do with anyone who feels fine supporting a person who would do this, leave it up on his site for months-- and worse-- try to walk it off as nothing wrong.

The internet can be a wonderful tool for meeting people around the world and sharing thoughts and experiences with them.
It can also be a way to spread hate and distortions.

One of my most prized possessions are antique clay pipes from Masada that my uncle, a rabbi, gave me for my Bar Mitzvah. I may not be a diligent or observant Jew as an adult, but I look at those pipes and it reminds me that for the grace of my ancestors overcoming great hardships and prejudices, neither I nor my family would be here today.

The thought of someone trying to tarnish my reputation by DISTORTING one line of dialogue I'd written-- and using it to portray me as someone who would promote antiSemitism SICKENS me. The fact that same person won't own up to it-- and worse-- would try to rationalize it away-- just fills me with sorrow that someone who could do that even exists. And when it's all done to score internet-points over a comic book? That just makes it even more pathetic.

I'm taking an internet break for a while and talking to real people-- people I can look in the eye. Sorry for the long vent. Had to get that off my chest.

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