![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wayfaringwordhackI've been facing a moral dilemma of sorts on an off and on again basis since I started writing. On one hand, I feel obliged by my own set of ethics to write about things that I hold to be important and that are "right" according to my own moral code. OTOH, I sometimes want to write something because the idea or character situation appeals to me, though the actions in the story are not nice and the "message" might be taken along the lines of "If it feels good, do it"--something I am very against in the normal course of things. I'm not speaking of writing about a disturbed individual, exploring the gutters of the mind without fear of censorship or finger pointing, and so on. I'm talking about making bad behavior come across as good and acceptable and thereby, perhaps, influencing someone toward an unhealthy or irresponsible action.
I think that writers should realize their works have an enormous potential to influence. But a part of me also thinks that they should be able to explore things and not necessarily be held accountable for what they present. Even typing each of those sentences gave me a squirmy "Yes, but" moment. A dilemma, as I said.
What about you? Do you believe what the basketballer Charles Barkley said, years ago, "I'm not a role model"? Or do you think it is an author's job to write stories that encourage what is accepted to be "proper" behavior? I'm not necessarily speaking of Books With a Message; no lessons or morals or propaganda. And, I use "responsible individual" in the sense of someone who, through their fiction, promotes good values.
Good values, now there's a bottomless pit of debate. Who decides what is "good," what is "right"?
Nonetheless, I don't want to get into the importance, or lack thereof, that diverse societies put on certain mores and how core values can differ across cultures. I believe that most cultures hold murder, lying, and theft in contempt, but most also allow a certain understanding for reprehensible conduct under extreme circumstances. Then there is the whole gamut of white-to-black shades in which people paint instances of in/fidelity to a sexual partner, dis/loyalty to friends and family, not to mention the oft unnamed "qualities" that are byproducts of our cultures such as Individualism or Community. I want to know what you do with the mores *you* have.
Assuming that you are part of culture which believes in honesty, fidelity, loyalty, sense of community, do you think it is acceptable to glorify actions that counter these values? To make characters cool who break the rules because it feels good and serves their purposes as a free individual? Think "heroin chic" fad and all the people who thought (and still think) it was cool and sexy to look used-up and strung-out because of a bunch of fashion ads.
To take it from another angle, what if your personal views will taint you as an intolerant bigot or a wimp or (insert proper insult here) and you know this? Will you still write what you believe, or will you bow to pressure to include characters and ideals that you personally do not hold because you think your story will sell better?
To date, I don't think I've ever written something that went against my moral grain or something whose heart spoke against my values. But I often think about what I'm truly saying. And if I don't like it, I try to find a way to bend it to something I do believe. I take the time to question myself on the first unacceptable idea and why it occurred to me in such a way in the first place.
I guess I am my first censor. Are you?
I think that writers should realize their works have an enormous potential to influence. But a part of me also thinks that they should be able to explore things and not necessarily be held accountable for what they present. Even typing each of those sentences gave me a squirmy "Yes, but" moment. A dilemma, as I said.
What about you? Do you believe what the basketballer Charles Barkley said, years ago, "I'm not a role model"? Or do you think it is an author's job to write stories that encourage what is accepted to be "proper" behavior? I'm not necessarily speaking of Books With a Message; no lessons or morals or propaganda. And, I use "responsible individual" in the sense of someone who, through their fiction, promotes good values.
Good values, now there's a bottomless pit of debate. Who decides what is "good," what is "right"?
Nonetheless, I don't want to get into the importance, or lack thereof, that diverse societies put on certain mores and how core values can differ across cultures. I believe that most cultures hold murder, lying, and theft in contempt, but most also allow a certain understanding for reprehensible conduct under extreme circumstances. Then there is the whole gamut of white-to-black shades in which people paint instances of in/fidelity to a sexual partner, dis/loyalty to friends and family, not to mention the oft unnamed "qualities" that are byproducts of our cultures such as Individualism or Community. I want to know what you do with the mores *you* have.
Assuming that you are part of culture which believes in honesty, fidelity, loyalty, sense of community, do you think it is acceptable to glorify actions that counter these values? To make characters cool who break the rules because it feels good and serves their purposes as a free individual? Think "heroin chic" fad and all the people who thought (and still think) it was cool and sexy to look used-up and strung-out because of a bunch of fashion ads.
To take it from another angle, what if your personal views will taint you as an intolerant bigot or a wimp or (insert proper insult here) and you know this? Will you still write what you believe, or will you bow to pressure to include characters and ideals that you personally do not hold because you think your story will sell better?
To date, I don't think I've ever written something that went against my moral grain or something whose heart spoke against my values. But I often think about what I'm truly saying. And if I don't like it, I try to find a way to bend it to something I do believe. I take the time to question myself on the first unacceptable idea and why it occurred to me in such a way in the first place.
I guess I am my first censor. Are you?
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 23 Jan 2007 03:59 am (UTC)See, I have no problem writing a villain who, in his PoV, thinks genocide is right and necessary. My goal in that situation is to get the reader to think that the bad guy could be someone they'd want to hang out with, if the bad guy had only been born someplace with nicer beliefs. There's a risk in sounding promotional toward true evil in that sense when in the bad guy PoV, but at the same time, it'd be cheap and lazy to make the bad guy know what he was doing was evil. That's almost a cop out for me.
On the other hand, there's a situation I have with a certain character of mine where, though I'm not sure it's going to even come into play, I plan on having her stay an innocent maiden until a reasonable equivalent of marriage occurs. This isn't because I think premaritial sex is wrong (other characters will make up for her lack of it), but because if just one young person out there uses this character as an role model or whatever so he/she's not pressured into doing something he/she doesn't want to, then I think it's worth it.
In other words, I do think we should be mindful of the possible influence we have over the readers, but I don't think we should be afraid of it. Trust your readers to know better, and trust yourself to do the same.
no subject
Date: 23 Jan 2007 05:59 am (UTC)That sums it up nicely.
I think that, as you pointed out, a lot of time the dilemma of where to draw the line comes into question in those situations like you cited with your villain. In being true to the character and treating your readers like intelligent people, you need to present bad people and bad situations in a layered light. Not very many things in this world are black and white.
That was one of my most painful lessons of growing up.