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Why should I believe that such statements don't represent his actual views? Why would I want to consume anything he writes then? It's amazing the mental gymnas

by ss108 4y ago

Why should I believe that such statements don't represent his actual views? Why would I want to consume anything he writes then? It's amazing the mental gymnastics people can go through to tolerate evil. Most people nowadays to think that if they were in a really fucked up situation like Nazi Germany or something they'd be one of the good guys, like they'd be helping Jews escape the country. But I don't think that's the case...

jltsiren 4y ago
Why would you not want to read fiction written by someone with political opinions far from your own? Isn't the entire point of speculative fiction about getting exposed to ideas you would not have yourself?
- ss108 4y ago
  Right, the question of whether genocide, concentration camps, and rape are ok is just a matter of "political opinion"
throwaway17_17 4y ago
I don’t understand where this line of thought can act as a standard. If you are advocating that reading a book by a Chinese author, even one who supports his governments policy, is the tolerance of evil, if not actual evil based on the reference to the Holocaust, then where do you draw the line? I can almost be assured that whatever operating system you are using is funded, in some part, by actors who are perpetuating ‘evil’. Those companies doing business with China, the US military-industrial complex, or even just providing services to violent terrorist group are, by your standard, tolerant or in some cases actually supporting ‘evil’. Do you give up anything that is produced by those companies, including your OS?
- ss108 4y ago
  There are a good number of plausible standards whereby calling out an individual for publicly defending a genocide is ok, even though, e.g., I feel like I have to buy things that are made in China despite my efforts to avoid doing so, and despite the fact that my efforts could be stronger. To be clear, I don't think what you're saying is without merit, but I think you're drawing an inapposite comparison between more complex cases and a very clear one.

by ss108 4y ago

jltsiren 4y ago

Why would you not want to read fiction written by someone with political opinions far from your own? Isn't the entire point of speculative fiction about getting exposed to ideas you would not have yourself?

ss108 4y ago
Right, the question of whether genocide, concentration camps, and rape are ok is just a matter of "political opinion"

throwaway17_17 4y ago

I don’t understand where this line of thought can act as a standard. If you are advocating that reading a book by a Chinese author, even one who supports his governments policy, is the tolerance of evil, if not actual evil based on the reference to the Holocaust, then where do you draw the line? I can almost be assured that whatever operating system you are using is funded, in some part, by actors who are perpetuating ‘evil’. Those companies doing business with China, the US military-industrial complex, or even just providing services to violent terrorist group are, by your standard, tolerant or in some cases actually supporting ‘evil’. Do you give up anything that is produced by those companies, including your OS?

ss108 4y ago
There are a good number of plausible standards whereby calling out an individual for publicly defending a genocide is ok, even though, e.g., I feel like I have to buy things that are made in China despite my efforts to avoid doing so, and despite the fact that my efforts could be stronger. To be clear, I don't think what you're saying is without merit, but I think you're drawing an inapposite comparison between more complex cases and a very clear one.