I’ve never been one to go with what’s necessarily popular or even mainstream. I like my entertainments to challenge me a little bit, to be outside my comfort zone.
That’s weird, I think. At least it’s weird to the thinking of the rest of the world.
Well, that and the fact that I want to be a full-time writer sooner or later.
I am behind schedule for this week’s blog post, so instead of wrapping my ideas in a clever structure, I’m just going to address this week’s questions head-on. I know, it’s a bold choice. That’s just how I roll.
Commence the Answering of Questions!
What’s taboo in literature:
Nothing. I denounce censorship in almost every form, and I welcome authors to write about any subject. That doesn’t mean that I won’t personally find certain topics to be uninteresting, or distasteful, or downright abhorrent. However, I learned a long time ago, even without the advantage of Middle Ages Tech Support, that if I don’t like a book, I CAN STOP READING IT. Just like I’m able to turn off the television (or, even better, change the channel) when I don’t like a program.
Is banning books ever appropriate?
I can’t think of a single scenario where a book should be banned. Researching this question, I discovered that the American Library Association notes, “Books are usually banned with the best intentions—to protect others, frequently children, from difficult ideas and information” (see this site for more info).
Should children be guided through (or steered away from) certain materials? Absolutely! That’s the job of parents, teachers, and other mentors. Should books be banned? Absolutely not.
Who are the tastemakers and why do they matter?
Today, some of the tastemakers fall into broad categories. Apparently we can thank thirteen-year-old girls for bad books like Twilight and good books like The Hunger Games. There are plenty of middle-aged housewives (or housedivorcees?) that devour trashy romance novels by the dozen every month. Teenage boys manage to poison the internet and online gaming services with vitriol that makes my hair smoke if I even think about participating.
Sure, those are insulting, pigeonholing stereotypes. And yet, they seem to be steering many big dollar books, movies, games, and musicians. So do they matter? Of course! As an author, do I consider my (potential) audience? Some, sure. But at the end of the day, I know next to nothing about being a prepubescent girl or a middle-aged woman. Writing for those audiences would pose a challenge for me. I have a vague recollection of being a hormone-swamped teenager. I do my best to ignore those recollections, however.
So, I follow the mantra, “Write what you know,” (which means something quite different than what most people think), and I hope that, by staying true to my own vision, I create stories that avoid the taboo, are unbannable, and meet with the approval of the tastemakers.
There will always be taboos in society and culture, even in literature. And because there will always be taboos, people will always try to challenge them. Sometimes I wonder if taboos aren’t created just so there can be radicals to toe that line.
What is considered taboo today, I have no idea, but I’m sure writers do whatever they can to push that. I think it’s healthy. Signifies growth. Keeps us from becoming stagnant in our ideas. We might never have had a Renaissance otherwise.
So perhaps that is why the tastemakers matter. So there will always be someone to thumb their noses at them. Turn standards on their heads and do the complete opposite of what is accepted in order to keep humans evolving mentally.
Although I feel sometimes that we are de-evolving by allowing the tastemakers to censor literature and whatnot in the name of safety. Protection. Censorship is a slippery slope. Once you start saying no, there’s the question of where to draw that line. And who gets to decide that? I think each person should define their own boundaries, or the boundaries of their children. Also, perhaps, public areas where parents relinquish their control over their child temporarily.
That’s not to say I don’t have my own personal boundaries, or things I consider taboo in my own writing. There are certain lines I won’t cross.
Although I won’t say never. I have to continue to challenging myself, as well, so maybe sometimes I need to write what makes me uncomfortable. I wrote a novel where one of the main characters was a serial killer. I never thought I’d write gratuitous sex and violence, but the story took me there, and I am a better writer for it.
So I think my final answer is that of course there are taboos, but that’s a good thing, the tastemakers matter because in their restriction they cause us to flourish, and that books should never be banned, only monitored around those not old enough to set their own boundaries who are away from their parental units.
Is that all just semantics? Am I actually pro censorship? Do the reasons you support an issue matter in the end?
I’ve seen both sides of the argument.
Censorship isn’t a popular topic among writers, but I understand why some people feel justified in trying to protect their children, their families, and their communities from ideas that are not their own.
Ideas are very powerful things. And when ideas conflict with our personal beliefs, our instinct is to fight back.
After all, ideas can change people. Yes, as much as we like to deny personal responsibility, when we allow ideas to be shared we run the risk of changing minds. People introduced to new ideas begin to think in new ways.
And if that happened, it could create all sorts of problems:
So, the next time someone says to you they don’t want you to read a book, remember this. They are probably saving you from ideas that could make you see things in a different way.
Thank them. Put down your book. Go back to work.
It’s probably safer that way.
“I believe in censorship. I made a fortune out of it.” – Mae West
Literature has been a flashpoint for centuries. Every generation of every society had problems with certain literature. Books have pushed thought and idea to their breaking point.
That is what literature is really about. It’s about exposing the dark underbelly of life, showing us the things that we think, but are afraid to admit. Literature shows the truth of human potential, both in triumph and tragedy.
It is a powerful and dangerous medium. People have been killed, jailed, or ran out of town for things they wrote. Writers get protested, boycotted, or outright censored by others who feel what they wrote crossed some sort of line.
What is that line, though? It is an ever-changing, evolving thing that is based entirely on social norms. Quite frankly, the line is worthless, and part of art is finding that edge. Artists have lived on that line since story-culture was born.
You cannot second guess the line. You can’t wonder where it is, and if what you are writing is going to be hated or even latched onto by people with political agendas. Just write. If it is good, maybe it will get published. If some people think it is offensive, that’s their problem.
Books should never be banned just because someone is scared by what they find inside. It isn’t society’s job to protect me. I can make my own decisions about what I think and feel. So can most of you. The banning of art by any government or organization is a red flag in any society.
Now, I’m not suggesting that you should let your children read whatever they want. But what you choose to let your child to read, or what your school district wants to teach them should be between you, your school district, and your child. Chances are, your school district will be much more conservative than the average person anyway.