I'm someone who loves old Conan novels and American Psycho. There's still occasionally this belief among people I speak to that if I just understood how problematic these pieces of media were, I would stop liking them. And these days my reaction is why would you want people to stop liking things?? - ThreadSky

kameronhurley.com • 121 days ago

I'm someone who loves old Conan novels and American Psycho. There's still occasionally this belief among people I speak to that if I just understood how problematic these pieces of media were, I would stop liking them. And these days my reaction is why would you want people to stop liking things??

Comments

deliriousdelight.bsky.social•121 days ago

Fully agreed on all of this, and I think it is part of the addage "if you like something, never join the fandom." Can see it in myself and others in a lot of things where at times I'm wondering if I'm consuming a different piece of media with the same name.

kameronhurley.com•121 days ago

Art is complicated. HUMANS are complicated. Yet I found myself putting stakes in sand on issues, art before I had chance to think critically about it MYSELF. Going FIRST to the comments section (which is what social media is - including mine!!) I was denying myself joy of discovery on art or issue

kameronhurley.com•121 days ago

I love robust critical discussions about art and media! But we've increasingly gotten away from that. I've read a few longer takes on pieces of media where at no point did writer ask themselves, "What if this writer/artist did this thing I see as a negative... INTENTIONALLY???"

kameronhurley.com•121 days ago

One thing I loved about Roger Ebert was that he would meet a film where it was. That is, he engaged with a film MEANT to be a light comedy... As a light comedy. He wasn't evaluating it against standards of a serious drama. "What is this film doing? Is this film succeeding at what it's trying to do?"

kameronhurley.com•121 days ago

Pithy one liners are great for likes and RT's, but they don't capture the nuance of most work. If someone is spending literally YEARS making something, it's worth at least asking, "WTF were they trying to do here?" Even if they failed at it, at least I can meet them where they are.

kameronhurley.com•121 days ago

All this is to say, when I watch lectures on YouTube now, the more they allow questions from the comments section, the more likely I am to nope out. And when they open for audience questions, I move on. Not that q&as are inherently bad! But I find most dull my enjoyment or engagement with subject

kameronhurley.com•121 days ago

When I've had time to digest, THEN I can engage and talk to others about it. That's great! But I'm too malleable in the moment to trust myself not to come away influenced by The Immediate Discourse. And if I'M aware enough to notice this happening to me - you can bet it's happening to a LOT of us

Comments

Posting Rules

Reply