The Problematic Things Would Be a Good Name for a Rock Band

[the_gneech]

I am a fan of some problematic things. In fact, I'd go as far as to say many problematic things. When I stop to examine it, it's actually kind of daunting. Just for starters...

Robert E. Howard: Huge racism problems. Huge misogyny problems. Usually not hatred so much as ignorance and constant "othering," but occasionally quite nasty.

H.P.

Comments

[captain_slinky]

It's always best to look beyond "The Warts" because, at the time that these things were written, they were Beauty Marks. Nobody writes something thinking "HA! Thirty years from now, people are gonna think THIS was RACIST!"

Thirty years from now people will be able to look back on OUR writing and judgmentally say "How SEXIST! Look how much he used the pronouns of 'He' and 'She'! How did they not KNOW it was so separatist?"

No matter what you write, SOMEBODY will be upset by the way you wrote it. You can either write for *them*, or you can write for *you* :)

[the_gneech]

I certainly agree, although in the case of some of these things, they got called on it at the time of writing, too. ;)

I think at the end of the day all you can really do is try to keep your eyes open and think about what you're doing.

-TG

[rowyn]

To a certain degree, I think it's fair to appreciate things as a product of their time and the beliefs of their day. And, honestly, as much as the Prime Directive was more honored in the breach than the observance, it's an improvement over The White Man's Burden. :/ Insofar as it acknowledges that "our advanced ways" may not actually be so much "better" than the ways of "these child-like natives".

Lovecraft was pretty messed-up even for a man of his time period, though. D: I remember reading somewhere that in letters written toward the end of his life he acknowledges and regrets the racism in his earlier work, but I can't find anything on it now so I don't know if that's right or not. It's nice to think it is.

[the_gneech]

Lovecraft is a complex case. He was something of a basket case, although probably not quite as much of one as pop culture sometimes likes to depict. (Ditto REH.) His views certainly did shift over time, and it is nice to think he would have "come around" in time. :) Alas, he died relatively young, so it's hard to say for sure.

-TG

[the_gneech]

Darn those imperfect humans, making stuff we love!

-TG

[chef_troy]

C.S. Lewis's Calormen, from the Chronicles of Narnia? Middle Eastern style nation = (of COURSE!) villains, except for a very few (young and attractive) exceptions...

[stilghar]

Lewis admitted openly that he wrote what he wrote how he wrote it with the specific goal of converting children to Christianity.

[sirfox]

he just helped me be a furry, instead. ah well.

[stilghar]

Alan Dean Foster did more of that for me than Lewis. ;)

[stilghar]

I think the Star Trek TOS episode that annoyed me most was "Bread and Circuses" (S2E25), mainly for the final resolution, though "Space Seed" was at least an honorable mention, due primarily to Lt. McGivers' actions.

[stilghar]

You're welcome! <^,^>