bastion
just a little guy
EDIT: I intended for this thread to be a discussion about fandoms with bigotted creators, and to engage with others in critical thinking. I realized too late that the way I worded the title made it seem like I was looking for reassurances.
This has been on my mind lately given everything going on with the wizard school author. She actively advocates against transgender people and been a part of the anti-trans legislation in the UK thanks to her financial and social influence. Obviously liking a thing doesn't mean you agree with the views of the creator, and there are ways to participate in a fandom without financially supporting it. I just wonder if participating in the fandom, even if you don't financially support it, still causes harm.
Every time you post about a fandom, even if you don't mention it's creator's name, it keeps that creator relevant. It tells social media platforms to boost that creator's posts and search engines to put articles about that creator at the top of any possibly connected searches. Even when posting about a fandom on a site like RPN, due to the way the internet is set up and most browsers are constantly monitoring what you do, anything you say here can add to that fandom creator's relevancy. It ensures the dangerous views of these fandom creators are being kept in the public eye and that the creator always has a platform to promote their views.
There's also the fact that a creator's views are always present in their works. I can't speak on any anti-trans aspects in the wizard school series, since it's been so long since I engaged with any of it, but I do clearly remember the antisemitism built into the world with the goblins. From what I've heard of the recent game, it's even worse, with the main character mounting goblin heads on the walls. There's also the disgusting aspect of having a race that is inherently slaves, and want to be slaves. There's more, I'm sure, but I feel those two things are enough to make it clear how the creator's views are tied into their work.
It's okay to hold fondness for a series even when the creator is such a terrible person, even when it is filled with such flaws. I just feel like it's a problem to hold onto it and continue boosting that work when it helps keep someone dangerous in the spotlight.
This has been on my mind lately given everything going on with the wizard school author. She actively advocates against transgender people and been a part of the anti-trans legislation in the UK thanks to her financial and social influence. Obviously liking a thing doesn't mean you agree with the views of the creator, and there are ways to participate in a fandom without financially supporting it. I just wonder if participating in the fandom, even if you don't financially support it, still causes harm.
Every time you post about a fandom, even if you don't mention it's creator's name, it keeps that creator relevant. It tells social media platforms to boost that creator's posts and search engines to put articles about that creator at the top of any possibly connected searches. Even when posting about a fandom on a site like RPN, due to the way the internet is set up and most browsers are constantly monitoring what you do, anything you say here can add to that fandom creator's relevancy. It ensures the dangerous views of these fandom creators are being kept in the public eye and that the creator always has a platform to promote their views.
There's also the fact that a creator's views are always present in their works. I can't speak on any anti-trans aspects in the wizard school series, since it's been so long since I engaged with any of it, but I do clearly remember the antisemitism built into the world with the goblins. From what I've heard of the recent game, it's even worse, with the main character mounting goblin heads on the walls. There's also the disgusting aspect of having a race that is inherently slaves, and want to be slaves. There's more, I'm sure, but I feel those two things are enough to make it clear how the creator's views are tied into their work.
It's okay to hold fondness for a series even when the creator is such a terrible person, even when it is filled with such flaws. I just feel like it's a problem to hold onto it and continue boosting that work when it helps keep someone dangerous in the spotlight.
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