idle thought #565

I guess some differences between published fiction and fanfic:
The big one. Monoculture. This might be improving now, but all the Hollywood and Hallmark especially romance movies involved romanticizing things like stalking, and guys I know definitely internalized that stuff. Fanfic does occasionally have this, but there’s such a wide range that if you read for any length of time you’ll find vastly different interpretations and approaches and it should become clear that some things might be entertaining but probably are best not to emulate, actually. (This wouldn’t be such a problem if society, parents, etc would do a better job at educating us about rape culture, but honestly I think some people want that to stay because they only see women as dolls and not people.)
Influence. Fanfic authors basically have none.
(Side note. Brainwashed by the Algorithm: This didn’t occur to me, but it’s entirely possible especially younger fans have absolutely no concept of how to deal with an older designed site like Ao3. They don’t understand curating your experience and think that if they find something the site must be promoting it. So they might be okay if things exist that they can’t find, but if they can find it, terrible forces must be pushing it, oh no!)
Endorsement. So many more eyes look at published stuff, so if there’s something in there, many more people have said it’s okay. (To make it clear, I’m not in favor of censorship in TV or books, either. I’d be happy with much less open bigotry in TV studio editing rooms and less of that monoculture.)
Influence. People like a certain JKR get money from stuff, and then they use that money to harass, bully, and try to legislate groups of minorities they don’t like out of existence. I don’t think she should be censored. I do think since it’s a business her publisher has a right to go “well, she’s bringing in a lot of money and also killing our PR”.
Best practice: if you see something you think is problematic, actually do lit analysis of it. Yes, I know it’s difficult. Articulate why. Read about lit analysis and how to do it. Important note: this need not be shared; this is for your own use. Interrogating your own thoughts and figuring out why you feel a certain way about a work is an extremely useful skill. (Having this skill in general is an extremely useful skill.) Dig further, don’t just go off assumptions like “age gaps are always terrible”, and try to find nuance. “Only Sith deal in absolutes”, after all. Look at the impact of laws, etc. (And, legit. If you find that your state doesn’t have a minimum age of consent, or if you think that’s too low, get your friends together and write in to your local lawmakers. Because they sure make me uncomfortable especially with a lot of the attacks on abortion and rhetoric about how women need to be married off.)
I think boycotts are completely fair. Peaceful protest is fair. Death or rape threats aren’t okay. Interpreting peaceful protest as death or rape threats is basically swatting and also not okay.