Sometimes the pursuit of fairness is itself unfair:
Because of HB2, authors are canceling events at our store. Sherman Alexie is the first to cancel an event we’d scheduled in May. Although we very much respect the reason he canceled, the result is that we have lost an opportunity to connect this charismatic, inspiring author with young readers. We also lost the opportunity to host him at a large venue, which would have connected him with fans in a city that stands with him and could have used his support. Our event could have served as a platform to address an audience that would be empowered by his outrage. We lost all these opportunities, and we are suffering financially because we anticipated selling 300-500 copies of his newest book, Thunder Boy, Jr.
Oh boy, this is complex. As I mentioned last week, I found it inappropriate to punish Charlotte for HB2, since the City (collectively) had embraced transgender rights. I also understand and sympathize with the bookstore owner above. In a perfect world, these boycotts would be surgical in nature, only punishing those who deserve punishment. But groundswells don't work like that, do they? No. When they occur in the natural world, they flood indiscriminately, scouring the land of both evil and good. When something as heinous as HB2 becomes the law of the land, the opposing reaction will (and should) be equally as powerful. It may be a human reaction, but it's still science.
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