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A new moralism is gripping the literary world

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Re: A new moralism is gripping the literary world

#31

Post by whydoibother »

Koliakis wrote: post #21
ramraj07 wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As long as you are able to do that, is it truly censoring? No ones burning books here. To say the publishing industry is especially censoring today than before is outrageous. The point is that it self censored in the ethnicity and gender of its authors instead of the material. There’s only one nytimes best seller that can exist about a Mexican immigrant, now do you want that to be written by a white author or a Mexic…

> As long as you are able to do that, is it truly censoring? No ones burning books here. To say the publishing industry is especially censoring today than before is outrageous. The point is that it self censored in the ethnicity and gender of its authors instead of the material. I've been trying to get the older Seuss books. They're impossible to get. And if one of them does happen to be available, the prices are ast…

People are buying them to resell to all the chuds. It’s not some grand plot.

Re: A new moralism is gripping the literary world

#32

Post by vcavallo »

karaterobot wrote: post #8

This article is ridiculous. The current wave of book burning, censorship and denunciation is completely different from previous ones, because I support the positions of the mob. I know that this wave of book burnings, censorship and denunciation will lead to a brighter tomorrow. I should point out that I don't support 100% of the positions of the mob, but I won't say which ones I disagree with because I don't want to…

Friendly reminder: It’s typically a good time to do some self-reflection when you find yourself saying “I support the positions of the mob”

Re: A new moralism is gripping the literary world

#33

Post by mcshicks »

Koliakis wrote: post #21
ramraj07 wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As long as you are able to do that, is it truly censoring? No ones burning books here. To say the publishing industry is especially censoring today than before is outrageous. The point is that it self censored in the ethnicity and gender of its authors instead of the material. There’s only one nytimes best seller that can exist about a Mexican immigrant, now do you want that to be written by a white author or a Mexic…

> As long as you are able to do that, is it truly censoring? No ones burning books here. To say the publishing industry is especially censoring today than before is outrageous. The point is that it self censored in the ethnicity and gender of its authors instead of the material. I've been trying to get the older Seuss books. They're impossible to get. And if one of them does happen to be available, the prices are ast…

Did you try archive.org? I was curious what the concern was with some titles and was able to find a couple there.

Re: A new moralism is gripping the literary world

#34

Post by optimiz3 »

KittenInABox wrote: post #17
tharne wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I disagree. Living in a free and open society means defending everyone's right to have a voice, and that means defending the free speech rights of those we despise.

No one is saying Woody Allen shouldn't produce his own memoir. I am saying its weird to conflate not desiring to purchase the nonfiction rights of a credibly accused child molester and then profit off of selling that same nonfiction to otherwise significantly more niche issues such as whether or not a white author should be writing black protagonists. The end of the essay even focuses on the race aspect! I just compl…

> whether or not a white author should be writing black protagonists

Shouldn't be a question. Anyone should be able to write whatever they want without involving identity politics/purity tests.

Re: A new moralism is gripping the literary world

#35

Post by JulianMorrison »

What's actually happening: society is justifiably deciding that some things that used to pass without notice, because people were very racist or sexist or homophobic or whatever, are now recognisably and irreparably awful. And we should probably stop doing them because they are hurting people. Both directly, by being the constant micro-aggression wallpaper of marginalised lives, and indirectly, by sustaining a cultural environment that comforts bigots in their bigotry.

I don't expect HN to understand this. But it is fundamentally different from the various tirades of the Moral Majority and friends. This is not an attempt to impose a religious set of restraints. This is an attempt to make the world kinder and less awful. And it is a good thing.

Re: A new moralism is gripping the literary world

#36

Post by whydoibother »

nickthemagicman wrote: post #12
ramraj07 wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As long as you are able to do that, is it truly censoring? No ones burning books here. To say the publishing industry is especially censoring today than before is outrageous. The point is that it self censored in the ethnicity and gender of its authors instead of the material. There’s only one nytimes best seller that can exist about a Mexican immigrant, now do you want that to be written by a white author or a Mexic…

If we're censoring ideas based on culture then computers, and cars, and planes, should only be allowed to be used by white men.

White isn’t a culture. Also BIPOC have made contributions to all those things. Way to erase them.

Re: A new moralism is gripping the literary world

#37

Post by KittenInABox »

optimiz3 wrote: post #34
KittenInABox wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No one is saying Woody Allen shouldn't produce his own memoir. I am saying its weird to conflate not desiring to purchase the nonfiction rights of a credibly accused child molester and then profit off of selling that same nonfiction to otherwise significantly more niche issues such as whether or not a white author should be writing black protagonists. The end of the essay even focuses on the race aspect! I just compl…

> whether or not a white author should be writing black protagonists Shouldn't be a question. Anyone should be able to write whatever they want without involving identity politics/purity tests.

I know it shouldn't be a question. That's why I'm baffled that they're being conflated here.

Re: A new moralism is gripping the literary world

#38

Post by troutwine »

vcavallo wrote: post #27
meanjeans wrote: post #24

I think the author here misrepresented the JK Rowling thing quite a bit. The idea is not to "scour" her texts for hidden anti-trans sentiment. The idea is that Rowling makes money off of selling her books and has built an empire, and the resultant power is now used by her as a platform to propagate anti-trans speech. Quite a different issue and also quite novel (pun unintended). Death of the Author is a concurrently…

i’m not familiar with JKR’s anti-trans speech. got a quote?

Might be this is the kind of thing you’re looking for: https://www.glamour.com/story/a-complete-breakdown-of-the-jk...

Re: A new moralism is gripping the literary world

#39

Post by wincy »

Koliakis wrote: post #21
ramraj07 wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As long as you are able to do that, is it truly censoring? No ones burning books here. To say the publishing industry is especially censoring today than before is outrageous. The point is that it self censored in the ethnicity and gender of its authors instead of the material. There’s only one nytimes best seller that can exist about a Mexican immigrant, now do you want that to be written by a white author or a Mexic…

> As long as you are able to do that, is it truly censoring? No ones burning books here. To say the publishing industry is especially censoring today than before is outrageous. The point is that it self censored in the ethnicity and gender of its authors instead of the material. I've been trying to get the older Seuss books. They're impossible to get. And if one of them does happen to be available, the prices are ast…

A few days ago they were one of the top torrents on a high seas themed site. I archived them if for no other reason than because I’ve been told that I shouldn’t.

Re: A new moralism is gripping the literary world

#40

Post by heterodoxxed »

Koliakis wrote: post #21
ramraj07 wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As long as you are able to do that, is it truly censoring? No ones burning books here. To say the publishing industry is especially censoring today than before is outrageous. The point is that it self censored in the ethnicity and gender of its authors instead of the material. There’s only one nytimes best seller that can exist about a Mexican immigrant, now do you want that to be written by a white author or a Mexic…

> As long as you are able to do that, is it truly censoring? No ones burning books here. To say the publishing industry is especially censoring today than before is outrageous. The point is that it self censored in the ethnicity and gender of its authors instead of the material. I've been trying to get the older Seuss books. They're impossible to get. And if one of them does happen to be available, the prices are ast…

| if one of them does happen to be available, the prices are astronomical

Yes, they're out of print and the only people who want them are collectors, so the prices for collectibles are high. That's not unusual.

What are you proposing be done? Force the Seuss Foundation to publish books it doesn't want to publish?

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