#being a basic idiot with interesting person hobbies and fandoms is an odd intersection which results in this shit showing up All The Time

[shizunitis]

i’m probably extremely late to the party, but what is it with content creators (youtubers specifically) feeling the need to jump on the “oh no, people are reading Problematic Books and these people are Women Primarily, and this is Terrible” bandwagon?

a day doesn’t go by where a video doesn’t pop up in my feed titled something like “reading the worst book in the world and telling you why it’s the worst so you don’t have to read it” by Young Person in College with a Psych Major, featuring the ever-present “reading comprehension is dead” panic and an unironic use of the “society is experiencing a moral decline” argument. if it has a comedic tone it’s immediately rising three ranks in the insufferable olimpics.

what do they even want? a paragraph somewhere in the book where the main character is possessed by the spirit of the author and recognises the harm such a situation might cause in real life? an in depth apology or for the author to disclaim their own moral stances in an introductory chapter? should they (usually she, which is a whole Thing) also crawl on their belly and beg for your understanding? for them to chastise their own readers in case they’re enjoying it wrong?

the way some youtuber atop their horse-shaped soapboax can both say, “censorship is bad, people should have access to books unimpeded by political influence” and also “this book should have been banned!!! i even saw it SOLD at a BOOK STORE!!!” without flinching is astounding.

finding ideas of actual merit to dissect in your 1 hour video essay is difficult, i’m sure. but fuck man just start making 10 minute r/AITA reading videos, it could fit the same amount of condescension with none of the effort, which is what i’m assuming is the goal at this point. you used to be awesome to watch.