An excellent video on an important topic! "Should your work ever be targeted by censorship, know that it's not a war you can win." That, in itself, is a kind of tragedy (although not on the same level as those whose homes and lives are being destroyed by hurricanes). I loathe censorship on principle, even though I understand that the intention behind it is often (but not always) honorable. There is nothing wrong with wanting to protect the most vulnerable among us, but I find the idea that some people believe they hold the morally superior ground abhorrent, especially when such people are given unlimited power over those whose works they butcher. Why not simply warn people that the book (or film) contains topics that may be offensive or sensitive to some like they often do for TV shows, or offer both a "clean edition" and an uncensored edition of the books, the way they have been doing for music for decades? It's just another form of power abuse, in my opinion. That being said, Palahniuk is one of my favorite authors and I agree with both him and you that censorship can sometimes be a catalyst for greater creativity, and since we can't beat the censors, we might as well make the best of their destructive force.
You are absolutely right that censorship can be used as abuse of power. We see it all over the world. I'm a big believe in freedom of speech, but the reality is that power and money rules. This is a definitely a topic worth deeper exploration, but as someone investing time and effort into creating something this is something to consider. Thank you again for this super thoughtful comment!
@@theelliotchan I guess it's all about balance, in the end: our freedom of speech vs being considerate of other people's experiences and how they may react to our stories. I think my biggest gripe regarding censorship in literature is how they don't even give readers a choice and just decide what is appropriate for an adult to read or not. However you are absolutely correct about money and power ruling. Part of our job is then to figure out ways to deal with this reality without compromising our artistic integrity.
Interesting idea, thanks for the video. I try to confront certain issues head-on in my own work, which I would consider to fall within the "transgressive" space, although it could be categorised as horror as well.
I can’t help but think about JK Rowling. She got in trouble for public statements, I don’t think it has to do with her books. Could I hear your analysis based on her and her questionable LGBTQ comments?
Thank you for the question! I won't get too deep into this (sorry for the politician answer) as I'm neither a woman nor a person who identifies as LGBTQ, while I don't fully agree with her statements, I do understand where she's coming from. There is a lot to unpack on both sides with that stuff. What I don't love is cancel culture, and I often try to separate the art from the artist. I think we are living in a world where it's getting harder and harder to do that. A lot of of what's happening to Rowling is on social media, which isn't a proper place for public discourse.
An excellent video on an important topic!
"Should your work ever be targeted by censorship, know that it's not a war you can win." That, in itself, is a kind of tragedy (although not on the same level as those whose homes and lives are being destroyed by hurricanes). I loathe censorship on principle, even though I understand that the intention behind it is often (but not always) honorable. There is nothing wrong with wanting to protect the most vulnerable among us, but I find the idea that some people believe they hold the morally superior ground abhorrent, especially when such people are given unlimited power over those whose works they butcher. Why not simply warn people that the book (or film) contains topics that may be offensive or sensitive to some like they often do for TV shows, or offer both a "clean edition" and an uncensored edition of the books, the way they have been doing for music for decades? It's just another form of power abuse, in my opinion.
That being said, Palahniuk is one of my favorite authors and I agree with both him and you that censorship can sometimes be a catalyst for greater creativity, and since we can't beat the censors, we might as well make the best of their destructive force.
You are absolutely right that censorship can be used as abuse of power. We see it all over the world. I'm a big believe in freedom of speech, but the reality is that power and money rules. This is a definitely a topic worth deeper exploration, but as someone investing time and effort into creating something this is something to consider. Thank you again for this super thoughtful comment!
@@theelliotchan I guess it's all about balance, in the end: our freedom of speech vs being considerate of other people's experiences and how they may react to our stories. I think my biggest gripe regarding censorship in literature is how they don't even give readers a choice and just decide what is appropriate for an adult to read or not. However you are absolutely correct about money and power ruling. Part of our job is then to figure out ways to deal with this reality without compromising our artistic integrity.
Yes! Finding that balance will be one of the biggest battles of our generation, so it seems.
Interesting idea, thanks for the video. I try to confront certain issues head-on in my own work, which I would consider to fall within the "transgressive" space, although it could be categorised as horror as well.
I can’t help but think about JK Rowling. She got in trouble for public statements, I don’t think it has to do with her books. Could I hear your analysis based on her and her questionable LGBTQ comments?
Thank you for the question! I won't get too deep into this (sorry for the politician answer) as I'm neither a woman nor a person who identifies as LGBTQ, while I don't fully agree with her statements, I do understand where she's coming from. There is a lot to unpack on both sides with that stuff. What I don't love is cancel culture, and I often try to separate the art from the artist. I think we are living in a world where it's getting harder and harder to do that. A lot of of what's happening to Rowling is on social media, which isn't a proper place for public discourse.