How do we deal with problematic writers? It’s somewhat of a timeless question. Artists of all kinds throughout have been considered controversial not for their creations but for what they have said or done that the mainstream deems out of bounds. Complicating matters, as large segments of society try to be more compassionate and inclusive, our concepts of what is controversial have changed, too. So, writers who once were seen as solidly mainstream become problematic. Still, knowing that doesn’t change what we can do about them. Here are some thoughts.
Separating the Art from the Artist
People often say they "separate the art from the artist.” That is how they can consume and, one assumes, get pleasure from art created by someone even they themselves find problematic and still rest easy. The reasoning they use is that the art that the artist created is different from the artist personally but hear me out: it is them. Before you get mad at me, let me elaborate into more than a three-word sentence that invokes the internet’s wrath.
Anyone who has ever created any type of art knows that there is a little bit of ourselves that goes into it (which is why having access to different writers and different viewpoints is so important! #ReadBannedBooks), and there are countless interviews with actors who have played some truly awful people explaining that they found just the little bit of something to understand or relate to about their character to help them get through portraying that person.
Does that mean that every writer who has written anything harmful in it has then thrown their whole self into it? No, not at all. I am simply saying that you cannot completely separate the art from the artist, no matter how hard you try.
But What About Writers Who Have Had Their Work Edited?
What I have just said does not apply to Roald Dahl and Dr. Seuss because these are different situations. Dahl and Seuss are no longer alive, which means they aren’t suspiciously doubling down and arguing with people on the internet, cannot take the money they earn and donate it to causes that actively harm people, and are not continuing to perpetuate harmful rhetoric.
(For reference, those are all things that still-living writers J.K. Rowling and Orson Scott Card have done. GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) has compile detailed timelines of both authors' public statements and actions against the LGBTQ+ community: GLAAD J.K. Rowling Timeline | GLAAD Orson Scott Card Timeline
But back to specifically Dahl and Seuss, buying books in unedited form doesn’t currently support their views, and Dr. Seuss, for instance, even apologized for some of his more troubling work (okay, it was a partial apology). The scrubbing of books to represent the current culture isn’t always bad, either. For instance, no one is up in arms about Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None having its title changed from its original version because we all collectively know that it had A Very Bad Title (or we should all know that). Dahl’s estate decided to publish “The Roald Dahl Classic Collection,” which would be unedited, which seems like a good compromise.
Oh, So You’re Saying We Cancel Everyone
Again, an artist’s work does not necessarily represent their whole, true identity. I mean, Rowling is under fire for being exclusionary, but she still wrote a character who fights for equal rights. The point is that creative people can be problematic and still have something of value to analyze and think about.
So, no, I’m not saying cancel everyone (which isn't really a thing, anyway). What I am saying is that simply saying “separate the art from the artist!” is a cop-out that lets us enjoy the things we want to enjoy without critically considering what we’re consuming and, more importantly, what we’re allowing problematic artists to do and say because our consumption of the art is, in fact, supporting the artist. Are celebrities entitled to an opinion? Absolutely. Are they entitled to an opinion even if it is hurtful to others? Yes, they are. But they are not entitled to use their notoriety to amplify their opinions in the media. Don't get me wrong. They can and do do that, but they are not entitled to a larger, louder voice than anyone else. And we are absolutely entitled, if not obligated, to clap back at any hateful nonsense a celebrity may let loose on the world.
This Blog Is Getting Long
Let me try to be succinct: What we allow to continue, will continue, and if, by today’s standards, we recognize that something is hateful or harmful, we probably shouldn’t continue to promote it. Of course, when we don’t promote it, people tend to think that means we’re hiding it, or banning it, or trying to get rid of it. Not sharing memes from a problematic author doesn’t mean you’re erasing their entire body of work. It simply means you’re not promoting that person knowing that their words and actions have been harmful to a whole swath of the community.
I also think it’s fair to point out that, though I am trying to be neutral, you can tell where I stand, so you probably can’t separate me from my work.
Still, keeping books in their original ugly-by-todays-standards state is a good conversation starter and offers teachable moments, but that’s not necessarily in the purview of publishing houses. They are businesses, after all, and they’re going to publish books that people will buy, whether they’re controversial or not. Are they going to publish something under the guise of teaching? Probably not. So, again, it’s up to us as a society to continue to be thoughtful and analytical about the things that we allow to stand without challenge.
So now I will bullet point it for everyone who thinks TLDR:
- Publishers can and should stop publishing works that are racist, homophobic, ableist, etc.
- Libraries should NOT pull them from their shelves.
- Buying items from your (now troubling) fandom secondhand still lets you celebrate the work while not financially supporting someone who’s actively hurting a community.
- Not promoting does not equal canceling or erasing.
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