#sorry for any typos or weird formatting im on my phone with my 5th headache in 4 days

[littlemisshaleybug]

Not sure how much I want to or even can add to the conversation about consuming "problematic" media, but the topic is on my mind and I just wanna get a few thoughts out.

Its important to read and understand challenging media, and even media made by people you condemn actions of. Getting rid of things because they're made by racists or sexists or sexual predators does not help in the long run and is just another form of censorship, and opening the door to censorship opens the door to dictatorship, and we all know where the global political climate is right now.

Should you give living problematic creators your money? Probably not, so bootlegging and pirating is probably your best bet, but there are a few factors I want to specify on why I dont condemn people who still enjoy those things.

First, we need to get comfortable with the fact that bad people can make good art. Horrible people can be wonderful musicians, amazing artists, moving writers. Of course sometimes their views or beliefs can bleed into their work, and in some cases it is very clearly written within the text, but sometimes they just make good stuff and it doesn't make you evil if you aren't able to pick up on their badness right away, or even at all, on your own, and it doesn't make you a bad person for still finding joy in the art that they created, because chances are you love it for reasons completely outside who made it. Maybe you read a book growing up that brought you joy in dark times, or played a game that introduced you to lifelong friendships. That still matters! It still means something! The key thing to remember is that the happiness doesnt come from the creator, but from what you made their art into for you personally.

This is leads to my next point, that because what made it special to you is your own, there shouldnt be any need to justify your actions, but more importantly you shouldnt justify the actions of the creator. As an example, getting into arguments over why you deserve to keep buying HP merch and feeding into the media monster that it has become despite not supporting JKR's radical feminist dogma completely eradicates the self awareness of understanding the enormous harm she has done to the queer and transgender community, or attempting to stand up for Vizzypop and minimize the slurry of doxxing and death threats she encouraged back in the day, as well as the hossibke working conditions of present animators, because you love the Hellaverse and absolutely need to stream it and visit her booth at conventions. Having an emotional attachment to something they made does not negate the damage people like this have done in the world, and you are only harming yourself and your own emotional maturity journey if you do deny or ignore their actions.

On that note it should not come as a surprise to you when people you love criticize or question your motives when you praise these works or attempt to encorage others to engage with them. In this day and age, especially online, you can and will lose relationships with people for supporting certain medias, and you need to be prepared for those consiquences. Personally I struggle to understand the disconnect a few of my loved ones seem to show about not one but two pieces of media made by "alleged" child predators. It makes interacting with them difficult because they adore the works so very much, and often insist I should give them a chance and that I will love them if I do. I am no moral standard by any means, I have plenty of problematic favs that would make your average keyboard warrior explode, but we all have lines we dont cross and thats mine. If I know about the crimes prior most of the time I dont want to give it any of my time or attention, and I should not have to feel like the odd one out for standing my ground and politely declining.

Im human, Im not trying to be superior or kick down someone's passions, but if someone has a very direct and valid reason to not engage with a piece of art then that should be both respected and validated. If you feel shamed or embarrassed, use that shame to take a deeper look and understand why you feel that way. Obviously dont just take insults or abuse if someone is trying to tear you down, but if you believe their points are valid and its coming from a place of honesty and willingness to communicate, I think the mature thing to do is to do some introspection on why this media means so much to you and come up with your own conclusions. Is your love for a children's show really worth losing trust in your relationship? Is it worth the relationship altogether?

Anyways, I dont know where I was exactly going with this, but I guess to summarize it I understand that to be a person in this media age you have to understand for your own sanity that the world is a multitude of gray areas and that nothing is truly black and white. Taking anything too seriously, or too casually, does have consiquences, and there is nothing that will grant you immunity from criticism, so take the extra time to think things through and decide if the thing you passively give your time and attention to is really worth it, and kill the cop in your head that condemns every rough or uncomfortable or completely unproblematic part of you. Expand your horizons, not just for your intelect, but for your soul as well, because you may surprise yourself with how complex you really are.