this post was submitted on 18 Jun 2025
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He stopped using it for that very reason, and took accountability. People are allowed to self correct, if he understands the problem with what he did and course corrected without being called out for it what would throwing more stones accomplish?
Edit: Also, not a big enough deal to say you shouldn't read his books. Especially considering the narrative reason as to why he was using it.
I'm not throwing any stones, yo. I'm just pointing out you can't exactly say he's not problematic. I have a tolerance for problematicity so it's of no bother to me.
The word problematic is kind of weasely used this way. The pen name had an in-universe rationale that made sense and was funny because of the incongruity. Merely alluding to the existence of ethnicity isn't "problematic" in itself.
I'm not the on who brought the word problematic into this conversation. But I bet you if I put a poll on, say, tumblr, asking about different potentially problematic things, "pretending to be asian" would score highly on the problematic scale.
He wasn't pretending to be asian, though, the book John Dies at The End makes that very clear and gives a silly in universe reason for the now dead pseudonym. It really was not problematic, even at the time of it being used.
Just a few comments up you said
Now that you were pushed on it a bit you're saying
Something about this interaction feels really dishonest.
Was there a problem he needed to take accountability for or not?
Two things can be true.
Also.
Read into the guy if you’re so fucking concerned and I’m so fucking dishonest. Cunts like you are why I'm two seconds away from being done with this stupid site.
If you're just here to throw a tantrum and call people mean names I don't think you will be missed.
Cunt.
Leaving this site aside, its good for everyone, both you and I, to take breaks and focus on our mental when we can.
Whatever you're doing here, I don't think the replies you'd tend to get behaving like this are worth the mental energy it seems to be costing you.
Considering you started this conversation blatantly calling me dishonest for recommending a writer who doesn't rape people or pursue political and social erasure of a demographic, maybe take your own advice.
What did your other response say before you deleted it?
You totally misread that. Please don't blame me for assumptions that only exist in your head. I will tell you what I mean if you ask.
I called you dishonest for saying he did something "problematic" but took accountability for it to immediately saying he didn't do anything "problematic".
Either one is true or the other and since it's your recommendation I was asking you to clarify.
You're obviously a big fan of this author I've never heard of and are taking this very personally.
Lmfao, seriously you are letting this bother you so much! Just step away. I accidentally hit some random buttons when I was trying to read your reply and it somehow posted a blank string, if that helps your anxiety.
Have a nice day, enjoy the weather!
So, which one is it? feels pretty dishonest to me.
Then I will rephrase -- asking tumblr "is it problematic for a white person to go by an obviously Asian name as a pseudonym," I feel that even phrased that way they would still say "yes."
I don't really use the word 'problematic' in the social justice sense myself because it's incredibly vague, but if you're going to specifically use the word problematic and claim that Jason Pargin isn't, then I feel that it's a pretty cut-and-dry "yes that was 'problematic'" scenario.
If he was still using the pseudonym and making excuses to keep using it, sure, but I’m of the opinion that once someone understands what they have done wrong and took the opportunity to learn from it and do better there is no more wrong doing. There are, of course, exceptions to this, but a pseudonym that someone came up with in their 20’s and had the wherewithal later to say, “That’s not ok, I need to stop doing that” and stopped doing that for the right reasons is pretty far from a reason to call them problematic, especially when it wasn’t a decision made under any form of duress and he has made no attempt at defending his choice to have used that pseudonym and stated it was not ok for him to have used that pseudonym.
Edit: Also, it was used in a narrative context of the main character trying to throw off his identity, if They’re looking for David Wong then they wouldn't assume it’s the burnt out white dude.
I've heard him on a bunch of podcasts and keep meaning to try his books. I've got a copy of this book is full of spiders, I'll have to give it a go.
Where's a good place to start with his stuff?
John Dies At The End was his first book and where I started. It’s also neat to watch his writing style evolve. I’d say John Dies or Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits, those are the first books for his two ongoing series, if you’re feeling more into horror or sci-fi.
What podcasts? Are you a Dog Zone 9000 fan by chance?
Great, cheers I'll try John dies at the end.
I've heard him as a frequent guest on gamefully unemployed and small beans podcasts. They're focused on movies, he's full of interesting takes.
Also a big fan of all of those guys, and pretty much all of the old Cracked crew and their podcasts, he pops in on all of them. He also regularly does a podcast with the Dog Zone guys called Bigfeets where they talk about every episode of Mountain Monsters and it is one of my favorite things that has ever happened.