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You should be able to write about a scene without moralising or having to give an origin story or explanation for behaviour. The need to do this in American mo
by rrwo 4y ago
You should be able to write about a scene without moralising or having to give an origin story or explanation for behaviour.
The need to do this in American movies, TV and books ruins a story.
There is a reason that Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer was published in France.
- ummonk 4y agoNo the point is that Americans will think you're moralizing even when you don't intend to moralize. It's like portraying a character kicking a puppy, when the author comes from a culture where kicking puppies is just normal everyday behavior.
- rrwo 4y agoAmericans can handle complicated stories with ambiguity and no clear good v evil. But there are loud camps of culture warriors who raise a fuss if it's not "safe for kids" and a whole industry of grifters who amplify this, because getting people angry improves their TV ratings and the political campaign funds. There are a lot of managers in the arts and culture industry (editors, producers, museum directors etc) who are rarely rewarded but often punished for resisting the culture warriors.