By B. MURACA
Hey everyone, it’s a me, B! I hope all my fellow book addicts are doing well. Horror author C. Derick Miller may be a writer, but his dream job of driving the train at Six Flags in Texas was ripped away from him because of one scene in the horror novel he wrote, Starving Zoe.
The scene in the book involved an adult character having an inappropriate fantasy about a young girl. Everyone should cringe when hearing something like that, and no one should be ok with anyone thinking like that in real life. That is the key here: REAL LIFE. This was a FICTIONAL story taking place years ago in a time period where the person who filed the complaint against Miller was not even born. The world was a darker place at that time, and certain behaviors were not as known among the public. The book is also splatter punk fiction, which means it is meant to push the boundaries of graphic situations in horror. Again, key word, FICTION. None of this is real. Just like in DC Comics there is a psychopath you may have heard of called the Joker (Mark Hamil is rolling his eyes somewhere).
The Joker is a FICTIONAL homicidal clown who has committed the most horrifying crimes, including sexual assault if you read some of his darker stories where it was implied. It is the same character that you saw in the cartoons growing up after watching Tiny Toons, but the tv writers never explored those darker themes since their audience were children. Probably why they do not advertise that side of the Joker in Six Flags, since their whole brand is family friendly. Family friendly is exactly what Miller was when he drove the train in the park, and still is a real human being now. He was not swearing, or making insensitive jokes over the intercom, and never hurt anyone for fun. He said things you would have heard in those kids cartoons, and those are things that are miles away from Miller’s other dimension of work in writing.
So Six Flags, why are you ok with advertising a psychopath like the Joker around your park, knowing very well in today’s world after a little kid sees Joker themed things in the park, could go home and google the character? They would then see all of the horrible things THAT NEVER HAPPENED he did in his FICTIONAL stories. There is a much higher chance of that happening than someone finding their train conductor’s other job as a horror writer, and even if the odds were the same, who the hell cares? FICTION is NOT REAL. Fiction is there to explore the parts of the world normal people would not go near. That is why we read fiction, and watch fiction. No one wants a giant, purple alien to wipe out half the universe, yet billions of dollars worth of people went to watch Endgame from the MCU. I never met Miller in real life, but if the man was given the Infinity Gauntlet, I imagine he might use it to grow more food and rebuild homes, and not just snap away the population. Though, lots of you were clapping for Thanos in the theaters, so don’t judge Miller. Thanos and Joker are fictional, yet are allowed to be discussed around kids. Miller is a real human being who is a father and husband (and the IRS loves him!) He did not deserve that complaint made by a customer at Six Flags, and did not deserve the termination of his employment at the park all because he wrote FICTION! Yes, I’m going to keep saying it. You made a REAL human unhappy, because of a scene that NEVER happened, between characters who are NOT REAL.
C. Derick Miller has achieved great success as a writer, having authored extreme horror novels and freelancing in other areas like video game writing. However, his dream job since he was a kid was to drive the train at the Six Flags amusement park in Texas. Being the conductor, making witty announcements to make the riders laugh and cheer, it was a job he said he would do for free. A job he did that made those who jumped on his train for a ride smile and enjoy the sun as steam flew over their heads reminding them of the simple things in life that makes one happy. His video where he pleads for his job back is a tear-jerker. Share his story, and tell Six Flags and other organizations to stop giving in to cancel culture. Cancel culture is there to get rid of real monsters like Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby, not a good Texas man whom never committed a felony.
Also check out my YouTube channel humans, for more discussion on horror and crime content https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn_I-tySuEDCsUo3sg1jVFQ
The Book Rant 