Thanks for sharing this thoughtful piece, Lincoln. I’m wary of an increased focus on the author (akin to a brand or commodity), and how “who” the author is relates to the author’s work. If this focus obstructs or stifles creativity, then it makes sense that some authors (who have steady offline followings) stay away from social media. Going forward, I wonder if writers will be able to succeed as authors and maintain privacy, or if one comes at the expense of the other.
That’s honestly all I can think of to say that won’t risk my own cancellation. As a writer, I wonder if it’s even possible to avoid it. Perhaps we will all be cancelled once or twice, because we make art and art is “dangerous.”
Who gets to decide what’s bigotry and what’s valid nuance? Your wrong about JK Rowling being transphobic, for example, and stating it as a fact is perpetuating exactly what you’re criticising.
Well obviously I disagree about JKR, but that's based on her public statements as a celebrity and her non-fiction essays. This essay is about fiction and art.
Clearly, which is a shame. I'd ask you to re-think and listen to women who support trans people while also seeing the toxic effects of gender ideology on female people, but even if you did, you couldn't state anything other than what you have stated without ruining your career. Interesting, isn't it? How people are free to call a woman standing up for women's rights "transphobic" without suffering any social consequences, but if they stand up for women and girls they get dog piled, fired and arrested. Gawed, I bit my nails while reading your essay, which was brilliant and true until that one totally unnecessary dig at an unrelated female writer. Why are people like you, meaning intelligent, level-headed, left wing male writers who seem to be mostly compassionate people always closet misogynists? I knew it was coming, and yeah, it came.
Well I'm going to also disagree that disagreeing with JKR's statements about trans women is misogynistic--and I don't see how her beliefs automatically ruin careers given that her career is still going strong with books and movies coming out regularly!--but I will state that I'm not making any calls for her work to be censored or anything else I was criticizing in the essay.
Her statements that she empathises with trans women because we are all subject to male violence? Her statement that she’d gladly march alongside trans women? Or her statement about fears that changes in the law will create loopholes allowing males posing as trans to access women’s spaces for abusive purposes? And it’s a fact that women, not celebrities just everyday people, have suffered enormously for agreeing publicly with JKR. Look at Sasha White. Look at the lesbian writer whose book was dropped by her publisher because she thanked JKR for promoting her lesbian YA novel. There are countless examples. It’s great you aren’t calling for the censorship of JKR’s work like so many others, but there’s no argument that demanding the erasure of single sex spaces intended to protect women from male violence isn’t misogynistic.
I agree with you about art, except in this: it is unclear to me why art deserves a special exemption. Why should art and artists be afforded leeway not afforded to other people? Should not this same tolerance extend to other people and other activities?
It is hard to build a culture of condemnation and then set boundaries around the arts. And why should the arts have boundaries around them that are denied to philosophers, scientists, journalists, or politicians? What makes us so special?
How about we dismantle the whole culture of condemnation, rather than trying to build a wall around ourselves, especially as that wall has no chance of holding under current conditions?
'But what unites these people is aesthetic puritanism.'
What unites these people is that they're semi-illiterate, wannabe-totalitarian dullards.
Fall's story may have been the best SF debut I've seen in the last decade or two. Heck, I was reading the stuff when Tiptree/Sheldon first appeared and 'Helicopters' had the energy and attack of that.
Thanks for sharing this thoughtful piece, Lincoln. I’m wary of an increased focus on the author (akin to a brand or commodity), and how “who” the author is relates to the author’s work. If this focus obstructs or stifles creativity, then it makes sense that some authors (who have steady offline followings) stay away from social media. Going forward, I wonder if writers will be able to succeed as authors and maintain privacy, or if one comes at the expense of the other.
Thank you. So much. There are so many talented writers these days who are straight-up scared to write anything because they fear the angry mobs.
Amen.
That’s honestly all I can think of to say that won’t risk my own cancellation. As a writer, I wonder if it’s even possible to avoid it. Perhaps we will all be cancelled once or twice, because we make art and art is “dangerous.”
Who gets to decide what’s bigotry and what’s valid nuance? Your wrong about JK Rowling being transphobic, for example, and stating it as a fact is perpetuating exactly what you’re criticising.
Well obviously I disagree about JKR, but that's based on her public statements as a celebrity and her non-fiction essays. This essay is about fiction and art.
Clearly, which is a shame. I'd ask you to re-think and listen to women who support trans people while also seeing the toxic effects of gender ideology on female people, but even if you did, you couldn't state anything other than what you have stated without ruining your career. Interesting, isn't it? How people are free to call a woman standing up for women's rights "transphobic" without suffering any social consequences, but if they stand up for women and girls they get dog piled, fired and arrested. Gawed, I bit my nails while reading your essay, which was brilliant and true until that one totally unnecessary dig at an unrelated female writer. Why are people like you, meaning intelligent, level-headed, left wing male writers who seem to be mostly compassionate people always closet misogynists? I knew it was coming, and yeah, it came.
Well I'm going to also disagree that disagreeing with JKR's statements about trans women is misogynistic--and I don't see how her beliefs automatically ruin careers given that her career is still going strong with books and movies coming out regularly!--but I will state that I'm not making any calls for her work to be censored or anything else I was criticizing in the essay.
Her statements that she empathises with trans women because we are all subject to male violence? Her statement that she’d gladly march alongside trans women? Or her statement about fears that changes in the law will create loopholes allowing males posing as trans to access women’s spaces for abusive purposes? And it’s a fact that women, not celebrities just everyday people, have suffered enormously for agreeing publicly with JKR. Look at Sasha White. Look at the lesbian writer whose book was dropped by her publisher because she thanked JKR for promoting her lesbian YA novel. There are countless examples. It’s great you aren’t calling for the censorship of JKR’s work like so many others, but there’s no argument that demanding the erasure of single sex spaces intended to protect women from male violence isn’t misogynistic.
I agree with you about art, except in this: it is unclear to me why art deserves a special exemption. Why should art and artists be afforded leeway not afforded to other people? Should not this same tolerance extend to other people and other activities?
It is hard to build a culture of condemnation and then set boundaries around the arts. And why should the arts have boundaries around them that are denied to philosophers, scientists, journalists, or politicians? What makes us so special?
How about we dismantle the whole culture of condemnation, rather than trying to build a wall around ourselves, especially as that wall has no chance of holding under current conditions?
I'm interested in reading Fall's story. Is the text available anywhere? It seems to have been removed from the waybackmachine.
'But what unites these people is aesthetic puritanism.'
What unites these people is that they're semi-illiterate, wannabe-totalitarian dullards.
Fall's story may have been the best SF debut I've seen in the last decade or two. Heck, I was reading the stuff when Tiptree/Sheldon first appeared and 'Helicopters' had the energy and attack of that.