Little Loomer, Big City

I Have A Right To Be Offended By This

Ken Penders, former writer for Knuckles the Echidna comics, is guilty of plagiarism. In 1999 (years before I had Internet access) he published a Holocaust protest poem, made minimal and tasteless edits (ie changed Communist to fox in a ham-fisted attempt to make it fit Sonic the Hedgehog characters), and did not credit the original author.

The poem’s real author was Mr. Neimoller, former German naval officer who came to oppose Nazism and sympathize with the Jews. Mr. Neimoller was thrown in concentration camps for 7 years because he dared to protest the horrific slaughter of millions. The least anyone can do to honor him is to properly credit his work when it appears.

For comparison, here is a link to Mr. Neimoller’s poem

“They Came For The Communists”

That IS plagiarism, not para-phrasing. When called out on his behavior, Mr. Penders attempted to shift blame, saying that he gave credit for the poem on his message board (the post is no longer there) and seemed to feel it was good enough.

I pointed out that Archie comics credited Robert Frost when they used “The Road Not Taken” poem to kickstart their Archie Marries… series. I added that Mr. Neimoller deserved to have his name credited in print. Finally, Mr. Penders admitted that he should have acknowledged Mr. Neimoller in writing.

Silly me, I figured we had an understanding. What Mr. Penders doesn’t get is that not only is plagiarism wrong, but so is exploiting the tragedy of the Holocaust. Sonic the Hedgehog is NOT a mature title meant to tackle touchy subjects.

As a Jewish woman (and someone whose immediate family fled Germany to avoid persecution and death, while millions more were not as fortunate) I felt offended to see my people equated with video game characters in what should be an all-ages comic.

Note: I am okay with Holocaust references WHEN they are handled appropriately (ie. Maus, Magneto’s origin story) but some franchises just aren’t meant to cover such sensitive material.

Mr. Penders response was to tell me that I shouldn’t be offended. He even brought up his Jewish friend, saying that essentially he wasn’t upset, so you shouldn’t be either.

No. I can express my emotions in the manner I choice. I am offended, and I have a right to that. Just because one person thinks something is appropriate is no guarantee that everyone else agrees.

If somebody thinks their religious beliefs are being trivialized by what you write, you are not honoring them. It doesn’t matter what your intentions were, you hurt people when you use their cultural history to inject drama into a work of fiction.

Knuckles the Echidna isn’t real. The Holocaust WAS real. My feelings are real, my religion is real, my voice is real. I’m not going to be silent about his callous remarks or cultural appropriation. I don’t think the Internet should be silent about the manner, either.