Thread by @GailSimone

Okay, because the thread about Lovecraft below brought up some interesting points, I would love to have a conversation about racist/homophobic/ablest/misogynist content in fictional works of historic repute.

Let's start with this: I don't have any answers. Curious if you do.
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The truth is, a lot of the stuff I love to this day has poison in it. I'm a huge fan of Conan, but rereading one of the most revered Conan stories recently, I came across a bit where Conan essentially is fine with boning all different kinds of women, except black women...

...because they are ugly and savage.

Now, Robert E. Howard was progressive in some other ways. He was a proto-feminist to some degree.

But that's inexcusable, obviously.

Do we throw out all Conan stories? Or do we throw out REH?

Do we wave it away as 'a different time?'

Tolkien's coded racism, and Disney's 'funny' racism, and HPL's more blatantly virulent strain color everything they did.

So what do we do with all of that content?

I hear people say, "you have to separate the art from the artist," and I get that concept, but I think too often that comes out as, "you have to put blinders on during this problematic segment."

I don't know the answer, but I know trying to cover for someone's sins because we like the way they tell stories is intellectually and morally wrong.

At the same time, I feel like some of these works still have value, some of them are deeply meaningful to millions of people.

So what do YOU do with work that you loved, but that has this shit in it?

I'm genuinely curious. I am not judging anyone, I am not coming from some high ethical stance. Because I don't know the answer.

I will say that, almost everyone I know, regardless of their politics, has loved some work of fiction that they later realized was morally egregious, either in design or by virtue of having a terrible human being as its creator.

If you haven't had that, you are a rarity.

I am enjoying the responses to this thread, thanks for having a discussion like this.

I imagine in the end it's going to come down to everyone drawing their own line in the sand.

And I also think it's sad how many of these stories had real meaning for millions of people, and how often their messages were about believing in oneself and doing the right thing...

...unless you were from a marginalized group, then you're invisible or an orc.

I do know that supporting marginalized voices is always going to be a great step.

Oh, and Mists of Avalon was my favorite book for many years, without question. Can't even look at the cover, now.

Sometimes the choice is made for you.