Don’t Like, Don’t Read
2010-06-16 10:48 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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hc_bingo, but it isn’t about that; my position on it is that I prefer hurt without the comfort (otherwise known as whump) for a reason. The problem isn’t really new either.
This post is about Don’t Like, Don’t Read. You’ve all heard it, I’ve already talked about it in passing and this time it looked like this:
See, there’s just this teeny tiny problem with Don’t Like, Don’t Read: most of the time, it doesn’t actually apply. Sure, if you label a fic as slash and someone gets upset over it containing slash, Don’t Like, Don’t Read is a valid argument.
Most of the time, however, people don’t disapprove of a subject on principle. For example, it’s not that I don’t actually dislike the “comfort” part of h/c on principle. In fact, if it’s done well, I really like it. One example of a hurt/comfort story that I liked was the recent Doctor Who episode Vincent and the Doctor.
But since people tend to Not Get It when others talk about ableism, I’ll stick with the slash example for now. So you labelled your story as slash and someone complains to you that the story is problematic because of its depiction of homosexuality. Maybe your characters are so heteronormative it hurts. Maybe the couple can’t have a happily ever after without biological kids. Maybe you portrayed homosexuality as deviant, unhealthy and whatnot. Are you going to tell people it’s their fault they read the story, after all you did mention that it’s slash?
See, most people think it’s awesome that you want to write about disabled characters. I think it’s awesome, even though I don’t want to read about some things because they can trigger me. For the triggery stuff, labels are awesome. You say your story contains graphic depictions of depression? I’ll stay the hell away from it, because I can’t deal with it at the moment. But “Contains: depression” doesn’t tell me anything about the portrayal of depression in your h/c fic. It could be done in a way that I like – see Vincent and the Doctor - or maybe your character is promptly healed by a healing cock within 500 words and the couple lives happily ever after without any problems.
If you put “Contains: unrealistic portrayal of depression that treats it as nothing but a way to get two characters together” as a label on your fic, it would be accurate, and I would not read it. Would I still rant about it? Hell yeah, because even when your story is appropriately labelled it’s still problematic. Don’t Like, Don’t Read doesn’t make your problems go away. In 99% of the cases, people can’t know that they don’t like your fic until after they’ve read it. It doesn't erase the problematic content of your story either.
hc_bingo, but it isn’t about that; my position on it is that I prefer hurt without the comfort (otherwise known as whump) for a reason. The problem isn’t really new either.This post is about Don’t Like, Don’t Read. You’ve all heard it, I’ve already talked about it in passing and this time it looked like this:
“You are ALWAYS free to NOT READ MY FICS. For that matter, if the subject matter bothers you then PLEASE DO NOT READ THEM. You will be happier, I will be happier, everything will be much better. Really. Just don't read them.”
See, there’s just this teeny tiny problem with Don’t Like, Don’t Read: most of the time, it doesn’t actually apply. Sure, if you label a fic as slash and someone gets upset over it containing slash, Don’t Like, Don’t Read is a valid argument.
Most of the time, however, people don’t disapprove of a subject on principle. For example, it’s not that I don’t actually dislike the “comfort” part of h/c on principle. In fact, if it’s done well, I really like it. One example of a hurt/comfort story that I liked was the recent Doctor Who episode Vincent and the Doctor.
But since people tend to Not Get It when others talk about ableism, I’ll stick with the slash example for now. So you labelled your story as slash and someone complains to you that the story is problematic because of its depiction of homosexuality. Maybe your characters are so heteronormative it hurts. Maybe the couple can’t have a happily ever after without biological kids. Maybe you portrayed homosexuality as deviant, unhealthy and whatnot. Are you going to tell people it’s their fault they read the story, after all you did mention that it’s slash?
See, most people think it’s awesome that you want to write about disabled characters. I think it’s awesome, even though I don’t want to read about some things because they can trigger me. For the triggery stuff, labels are awesome. You say your story contains graphic depictions of depression? I’ll stay the hell away from it, because I can’t deal with it at the moment. But “Contains: depression” doesn’t tell me anything about the portrayal of depression in your h/c fic. It could be done in a way that I like – see Vincent and the Doctor - or maybe your character is promptly healed by a healing cock within 500 words and the couple lives happily ever after without any problems.
If you put “Contains: unrealistic portrayal of depression that treats it as nothing but a way to get two characters together” as a label on your fic, it would be accurate, and I would not read it. Would I still rant about it? Hell yeah, because even when your story is appropriately labelled it’s still problematic. Don’t Like, Don’t Read doesn’t make your problems go away. In 99% of the cases, people can’t know that they don’t like your fic until after they’ve read it. It doesn't erase the problematic content of your story either.
no subject
Date: 2010-06-17 04:19 am (UTC)Surely there's a difference between "what privileged people should selfpolice" and "what disprivileged people should be allowed to create and consume without public censure."
no subject
Date: 2010-06-17 10:01 pm (UTC)There are disprivileges that I have which I can only deal with by pretending I don't have them-- for some part of each day, andyway.
Unless I want to go screaming crazy.
(Love your icon, BTW)
no subject
Date: 2010-06-25 01:55 am (UTC)Oh, I agree, but the problem is that escapist fantasies aren't always marked as such and that other people might still be hurt by the escapist fantasies (because no oppressed group is homogenous). So I think dealing with criticism via "Don't Like, Don't Read" really isn't an option in those cases.
PS: Sorry for the late reply, being triggered sucks.
no subject
Date: 2010-06-17 01:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-25 01:59 am (UTC)Warning: minor mention of some triggery stuff
Date: 2010-06-17 03:34 pm (UTC)Kind of using your post to just dump my own thoughts around this here but I do agree with you.
The problem for me is that both sides of the argument are invariably coming close to requesting censorship of the other whether they mean to or not.
I completely get why those who do have disability/rape/assault/abuse issues raised a warning flag and requested those taking part in the bingo consider that these are real things and should be treated sensitively (research preferred before tackling, realism in portrayal). As a disabled person and as a rape victim myself I think raising a warning flag is a good thing. What I disagree with is the idea that is a step on from that which is: if this is not the approach ultimately taken by the author, if someone does want to just use h/c as "magic healing sex cures all," that they shouldn't write the fic.
Equally, while I agree warnings are required and should be used by readers to make informed choices about what they read, like you, the whole "don't like, don't read" idea if a generic warning is given, I think is an equally disingenous reply in the debate.
I think it should more accurately be "if the warning suggests this fic may affect you negatively because of certain triggers, please don't read but if you can deal with the topic I accept that feedback may be concrit in nature."
Writing is a subjective creative medium and there is the small matter of free speech. If someone wants to use an experience of disability for the purposes of their OTP having sex: it's their fic. They can determine what they want the fic to say or not say about disability.
However, in having this freedom the author then needs to respect that I as a reader have an equal right to read them (especially if they've posted in a public forum) and critique them and say that the fic seems to lack research into the topic, lacks sensitivity, or that I disagree/dislike with the way they handled disability within their fic.
Frankly the same thing should apply to issues on race that have also appeared in the SPN fandom of late. A writer is entitled to write the most bigoted, tasteless piece of fanfic they wish. They should just note that their readers are equally entitled to critique it as the most bigoted tasteless piece of fanfic ever written.
Fandom encouraging thought in writers around how they tackle topics of race and hurt/comfort is great, and hopefully does make people sit up and think. But fandom making demands about what people should write - or read - is infringing on civil liberties - and isn't fandom for those?
no subject
Date: 2010-06-17 05:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-17 05:18 pm (UTC)just wanted to add my agreement to the above anon in terms of whether it is ok for authors to write stories that are as you say 'healing cock'. It is, or it should be. This could be someone's way of coping. Obviously, not everyone copes with trauma/disabilty in the same way. Why should I be told that my way of coping (by writing fics in which it IS that simple, and that easy, and the cock that magically healing) is less valid than others?
It feels like that's what you're saying here, when you say that warnings are not enough: I interpret that as I should not be writing such stories in the first place.
no subject
Date: 2010-06-25 02:09 am (UTC)Well, no, you can write whatever story you like. I have no problem with the "healing cock" trope either, but most of the time it a) isn't labelled as such and b) it is still problematic. My post was less about writing the stuff and more about how you deal with potential criticism of your story or a story trope.
no subject
Date: 2010-06-25 02:02 am (UTC)