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On obnoxious subject matter
17 years ago
Just a note on anything obnoxious that crosses my submissions and your new submission list from me:
About 20% of my work is by conventional standards extremely obnoxious, in one way or another.
For the record, I don't write for shock value (occasionally I may select subject matter for shock value, but not usually, and if I do, I'm still tryingto be authentic), nor out of a sense of the nobility of the subject. Nor randomly. Nor for any single purpose.
Moreover, I've never believed in the ethics of disgust. There's nothing in the world that's "just wrong," except stuff done without compassion and/or reason. And distasteful is very different from unethical, and the line is very, very clear.
I certainly welcome criticism of whether some subject matter is aesthetically unsuitable, assuming you have something intelligent to say.
About 20% of my work is by conventional standards extremely obnoxious, in one way or another.
For the record, I don't write for shock value (occasionally I may select subject matter for shock value, but not usually, and if I do, I'm still tryingto be authentic), nor out of a sense of the nobility of the subject. Nor randomly. Nor for any single purpose.
Moreover, I've never believed in the ethics of disgust. There's nothing in the world that's "just wrong," except stuff done without compassion and/or reason. And distasteful is very different from unethical, and the line is very, very clear.
I certainly welcome criticism of whether some subject matter is aesthetically unsuitable, assuming you have something intelligent to say.
V.