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mamuzzyWhen I started reading the RepComm books in 2023, these were the rules I followed when I saw the first anti-skirata posts:
1. I DON'T GO TO TUMBLR UNTIL I'VE READ THE BOOKS
2. I DON'T READ ANYTHING ABOUT THE AUTHOR UNTIL I'VE READ THE BOOKS
3. I DON'T READ CRITICS UNTIL I'VE READ THE BOOKS
Why? Simply because I hate it when someone yapps over my head and tells me how to think about something. This mostly stems from a trauma of mine where shitty people made me believe that they wanted to protect me from the injustice and all the evil of the world, and I could only trust their and only their judgment.You know, if someone wants to protect me without my permission in a way that harms my humanity, it makes me want to punch them in the face with a tractor. And it's not about if you see me unconscious on the ground, you can't touch me and resuscitate me, otherwise I'll sue, I don't mean situations like this. I'm thinking of situations where someone decides for me that this thing is dangerous, so I can never experience it, never read about it, collect information about it, say its name, because otherwise the protector will do very bad things to me. In fact, they are trying to override the danger by promising an even greater danger.
So when I come across opinions about Republic Commando books that it's harmful, especially to women, because if women read this book, they suffer emotional damage and scarred for life, it pisses me off so much, because from here it's just a step to say that there is a form of literature existing that a woman is forbidden to read, Because it harms her fragile little psyche, because we all know that women are fragile, pure, innocent, they never do anything wrong, and their farts smell like roses anyway. //for legal reasons, this is sarcasm.
That there is this condescending, disgustingly overprotective mindset existing that makes you believe women are so stupid that they are not able to make responsible decisions and live with the consequences. But in the same way, I read similiar bullshit these days, that if you read this book, it makes you a racist, if you read this book, it plants the idea in your head that killing IRL minorities is okay. Guys, I'm so sorry, I love you, I cherish you, but how the hell do you interact with FICTION??? Jaysus...
Back to the topic...
My problem is that there is this moral panic around these books, and you can see it even among those who actually like them, and I'm fed up. But I was already fed up about this in 2023-2024, but back then I tried to be empathetic, I tried to listen to everyone's opinion, while looking for my own answers in the background and I didn't take a stand on either side of the available "Karen Traviss should die" or "The author didn't do anything wrong in her life", and I still don't take a stand on either side, because the world is not supposed to be black and white like this, right?
You know what stand I'm standing on? That whatever she said, it wasn't a crime as big so she deserved death and rape threats for it. But I guess misogyny against a real person is not a crime than the so called misogyny against a fictional character who is a Jedi. If you have been so successful in driving the writer out of the fandom, then KEEP HER OUT. She's not here anymore. You made it possible. Good job. You protected your precious Jedi Order.
What I do with this analysis is to satisfy my own interests, maybe even entertain the followers of my blog, but at the same time I confirm or refute the informations that are spread about the books, simply by going through the books.
|| EDIT: Additional thoughts: I'm not a moral-hussar. Just as much I am on the side that people have the right for any kind of artistic freedom (YES EVEN THOSE YOU ARE THINKING OF RIGHT NOW), I am on the side, that people also have the right to access to knownledge and having a chance to analyse them on their own without peer pressure to choose already existing sides, unless they want.
1. I DON'T GO TO TUMBLR UNTIL I'VE READ THE BOOKS
2. I DON'T READ ANYTHING ABOUT THE AUTHOR UNTIL I'VE READ THE BOOKS
3. I DON'T READ CRITICS UNTIL I'VE READ THE BOOKS
Why? Simply because I hate it when someone yapps over my head and tells me how to think about something. This mostly stems from a trauma of mine where shitty people made me believe that they wanted to protect me from the injustice and all the evil of the world, and I could only trust their and only their judgment.You know, if someone wants to protect me without my permission in a way that harms my humanity, it makes me want to punch them in the face with a tractor. And it's not about if you see me unconscious on the ground, you can't touch me and resuscitate me, otherwise I'll sue, I don't mean situations like this. I'm thinking of situations where someone decides for me that this thing is dangerous, so I can never experience it, never read about it, collect information about it, say its name, because otherwise the protector will do very bad things to me. In fact, they are trying to override the danger by promising an even greater danger.
So when I come across opinions about Republic Commando books that it's harmful, especially to women, because if women read this book, they suffer emotional damage and scarred for life, it pisses me off so much, because from here it's just a step to say that there is a form of literature existing that a woman is forbidden to read, Because it harms her fragile little psyche, because we all know that women are fragile, pure, innocent, they never do anything wrong, and their farts smell like roses anyway. //for legal reasons, this is sarcasm.
That there is this condescending, disgustingly overprotective mindset existing that makes you believe women are so stupid that they are not able to make responsible decisions and live with the consequences. But in the same way, I read similiar bullshit these days, that if you read this book, it makes you a racist, if you read this book, it plants the idea in your head that killing IRL minorities is okay. Guys, I'm so sorry, I love you, I cherish you, but how the hell do you interact with FICTION??? Jaysus...
Back to the topic...
My problem is that there is this moral panic around these books, and you can see it even among those who actually like them, and I'm fed up. But I was already fed up about this in 2023-2024, but back then I tried to be empathetic, I tried to listen to everyone's opinion, while looking for my own answers in the background and I didn't take a stand on either side of the available "Karen Traviss should die" or "The author didn't do anything wrong in her life", and I still don't take a stand on either side, because the world is not supposed to be black and white like this, right?
You know what stand I'm standing on? That whatever she said, it wasn't a crime as big so she deserved death and rape threats for it. But I guess misogyny against a real person is not a crime than the so called misogyny against a fictional character who is a Jedi. If you have been so successful in driving the writer out of the fandom, then KEEP HER OUT. She's not here anymore. You made it possible. Good job. You protected your precious Jedi Order.
What I do with this analysis is to satisfy my own interests, maybe even entertain the followers of my blog, but at the same time I confirm or refute the informations that are spread about the books, simply by going through the books.
|| EDIT: Additional thoughts: I'm not a moral-hussar. Just as much I am on the side that people have the right for any kind of artistic freedom (YES EVEN THOSE YOU ARE THINKING OF RIGHT NOW), I am on the side, that people also have the right to access to knownledge and having a chance to analyse them on their own without peer pressure to choose already existing sides, unless they want.
When you read my analysis posts, I don't want to convince you that my views are the best and ultimate. I don't want to convince you about anything. I want to have a conversation without about this fictional universe without hurting flesh-and-real people, and also I want to have conversation without being accused of the same crimes you all accuse the author. I want to love these books without shouldering whatever the fucking crimes you are accusing the author. You want to protect women, you want to protect disabled, you want to protect people of color, you want to protect queers, but if they don't comply to your way of protection then you will put people into the "bad guy box" too.
And yes. This was in my chest for years now. Thank you for listening.||
