4 ms·

"It is difficult in the West to talk about the connections between creating and citizenship because of the general ideas placed around art, that it is a thing a

"It is difficult in the West to talk about the connections between creating and citizenship because of the general ideas placed around art, that it is a thing apart, that an artist by creating suddenly becomes a citizen of an imaginary and apolitical land of other artists. There are people in the West who use the term “political” almost as a pejorative in reference to a work of literature. (I emphasise the West because in parts of the world called developing, art is often not seen as automatically separate from politics.)" This is quite poignant and on the nose in my experience. I'm a dark science fiction author and this has been my understanding of the situation in my field also. With the Sad/Rabid puppies, Gamergate, Racefail, etc. its always been a large discussion that politics should stay out of art, or that art should be apolitical, or that politics in art is pandering/bad. I feel that the selection of politics in art is actually quite specific- 1984, Farenheit 451, Ayn Rand's works are political with esteem. But works in a distinctly diverse voice are often chagrined for it- the new star wars stuff, the new star trek stuff (even when the old star trek stuff, which is also quite diverse, is well regarded). I've seen criticism that these are 'too political', but I've yet to see someone complaining that 1984 is too political of a scifi piece, or that Brave New World is shoving too much politics in its scifi. But I may just not be adequately read on criticisms of those works- I only have so much attention and I've found the loudest voices are of the most recent works of our time. So I agree that in the West, describing fiction as political is sometimes used in a pejorative manner, even though several well-regarded works are very political. It's just certain politics are broadly considered 'too far' and hyperfocused on identity in a negative sense. I don't understand this phenomenon myself, actually, but her observance is also my observance here as a Western writer. But her later writing, about not only writing politically, but also being viewed in a political light are also true to me. Even as one does not write with a political agenda, the writing will be interpreted in a political lens and then you the author will be held responsible. This contrast between that which is viewed politically and that which is written politically is a core of significant amounts of chagrin within the field of science fiction writing. The final paragraph, before the quote, encompasses so much that I relate to. (I still respect that, as an American author, I could never fully relate to her experiences as a Nigerian author. I respect that her experiences are her own. Merely that I relate to aspects of it.) "That question “Are you an African Writer?” is one I have been asked many times, and there are times when I have answered “Yes”, a yes that reflected my ambivalence but also my anxiety not to be misunderstood. I belong, was what my “Yes” said, I belong. But that “Yes” often came with a whisper: “But you must let me belong on my own terms, on multiple terms, for that is the essence of art.”"

zwkrt 8y ago
She wrote a short story in which a number of authors are invited to a rich white South African estate to talk about their experiences, and all are given the chance to write a piece for some Western magazine. Well as it turns out one of the writers grew up in a city, one was a lesbian, one had his doctorate, etc. These writers' stories were seen as inauthentic by the people holding the retreat, who end up choosing to publish a pandering story about mud huts and wild animals. I assume this is what worries her when being asked if she is an "African" author; people think they already know what that means.
jerf 8y ago
I think that the issue isn't that people don't want politics out of their art entirely. It's that people seek a balance, and right now, the balance is atrociously tilted in favor of politics. It is a very common mistake across a wide range of fields to mistake an imbalance and a desire to move back towards balance as a desire to move right past that balance and keep going, made by both people desiring the move and those fighting it. But I think this is a balance problem, not a "get it all out" problem. Of course, it's also scrambled by the way the Internet amplifies every outlier voice, and you can get yelled at simultaneously for having too much politics and not enough. And we've got a good group of folk running around and projecting politics everywhere, and screaming at you if you resist them. You'd get tired of even your favorite food if everyone you knew was literally sticking it in your mouth at what felt like every available opportunity. And even if it's a very healthy food and desirable in every other way, you're not going to enjoy it. While I'm not sure I call myself "an anime fan", I've found myself going there a lot more lately, because either A: the Japanese culture right now is a lot more willing to just tell a story and not provide me with the "correct" interpretation, complete with social pressure and serious threats of ostrichization if I don't agree with it or B: I'm oblivious to the politics because I lack the context or C: I can see them but I haven't been rubbed raw by constant exposure to the issue, or I have no particular reason to care (e.g., a series clearly tackling the political issue of Japanese government censorship, but it's pretty easy for me to be fairly detached from the politics).
- SolaceQuantum 8y ago
  Regarding anime, I think anime has its fair share of constant politicking. In fact, I recall several important anime being discussed in political discourse in japan- especially among the depiction of homosexual relationships/homosexuality as an identity and how sexualised depictions of young girls can be. I myself am not japanese, but I am aware of this discourse occuring among people I know who are far more expertise on the subject than I am. I encourage looking into this matter if you are curious. I think that the balance is quite confused- as I stated before, the most well-lauded works are almost all highly political, especially in science fiction. My confusion is that there is a claim there is too much politics in a field whose foundational works are all political works. This makes me believe that it is not that it is political, but that political views around certain narratives are less acceptable than other political views, and are considered "too far". The actual lines are quite fuzzy and filled with nuance, similar to the essayist's experiences with being an "African writer".

zwkrt 8y ago

She wrote a short story in which a number of authors are invited to a rich white South African estate to talk about their experiences, and all are given the chance to write a piece for some Western magazine. Well as it turns out one of the writers grew up in a city, one was a lesbian, one had his doctorate, etc. These writers' stories were seen as inauthentic by the people holding the retreat, who end up choosing to publish a pandering story about mud huts and wild animals. I assume this is what worries her when being asked if she is an "African" author; people think they already know what that means.

jerf 8y ago

I think that the issue isn't that people don't want politics out of their art entirely. It's that people seek a balance, and right now, the balance is atrociously tilted in favor of politics. It is a very common mistake across a wide range of fields to mistake an imbalance and a desire to move back towards balance as a desire to move right past that balance and keep going, made by both people desiring the move and those fighting it. But I think this is a balance problem, not a "get it all out" problem. Of course, it's also scrambled by the way the Internet amplifies every outlier voice, and you can get yelled at simultaneously for having too much politics and not enough. And we've got a good group of folk running around and projecting politics everywhere, and screaming at you if you resist them. You'd get tired of even your favorite food if everyone you knew was literally sticking it in your mouth at what felt like every available opportunity. And even if it's a very healthy food and desirable in every other way, you're not going to enjoy it. While I'm not sure I call myself "an anime fan", I've found myself going there a lot more lately, because either A: the Japanese culture right now is a lot more willing to just tell a story and not provide me with the "correct" interpretation, complete with social pressure and serious threats of ostrichization if I don't agree with it or B: I'm oblivious to the politics because I lack the context or C: I can see them but I haven't been rubbed raw by constant exposure to the issue, or I have no particular reason to care (e.g., a series clearly tackling the political issue of Japanese government censorship, but it's pretty easy for me to be fairly detached from the politics).

SolaceQuantum 8y ago
Regarding anime, I think anime has its fair share of constant politicking. In fact, I recall several important anime being discussed in political discourse in japan- especially among the depiction of homosexual relationships/homosexuality as an identity and how sexualised depictions of young girls can be. I myself am not japanese, but I am aware of this discourse occuring among people I know who are far more expertise on the subject than I am. I encourage looking into this matter if you are curious. I think that the balance is quite confused- as I stated before, the most well-lauded works are almost all highly political, especially in science fiction. My confusion is that there is a claim there is too much politics in a field whose foundational works are all political works. This makes me believe that it is not that it is political, but that political views around certain narratives are less acceptable than other political views, and are considered "too far". The actual lines are quite fuzzy and filled with nuance, similar to the essayist's experiences with being an "African writer".