I’m slightly disturbed by the present notion going around that, if an author is problematic, you can no longer read and/or enjoy their work
or, more specifically, that you must instantly drop it and never speak of it again, no questions asked
mostly because if you try to only read books by the most ideologically perfect people, you’re going to rapidly run out of things to read. for one, anything written before like…1960 is out. for another, that one shining individual whose work alone you’re willing to read doesn’t exist.
every adult has done problematic things. the only difference is the scale and nature of the mistakes made
sure, voting with your wallet is a thing. I’d definitely be willing to buy a book by a currently-living author who isn’t always kind to their fans, and not by one who committed sexual assault. but there’s nuance to the simple act of reading or liking a book, separate from giving the author money, and it must be approached as such
what did the author do that you don’t like? how much of it comes out in their work? in what ways? what aspects of their work have value to you? is there enough value in it for you to continue liking it, even if you don’t condone the way the author behaves? will you continue recommending it to others? is the negative behavior confirmed to your satisfaction? can you, personally, reconcile disliking the author with liking their work? (because in the end, it’s a matter of personal choice and conscience)
saying “this author did/does bad things, so anyone who reads or likes their work must also be bad” is an appealing way to absolve yourself of the need for critical thinking. and guess what? that’s an important part of life
it’s easy to say “this is cancelled because the author sucks” for works you don’t care about. but someday, it will be something you love under the microscope. count on it. you’ll have to grapple with these questions, and it won’t be easy
people need to develop the skills to deal with complex topics in a thoughtful manner, and I worry that they’re being encouraged not to
