I just finished reading the debate on xanphibian's journal. Wow. I'm honestly not sure whether I'm offended or amused. Basically it left me with two responses:
1. The fact that some people seem literally incapable of distinguishing between fantasy and reality is just staggering to me.
2. How can the existence of a story be morally repugnant? For example, I dislike stories in which one or more of the main characters dies. They make me sad, and tie my stomach up in knots, and (depending on how well they're written) generally leave me feeling depressed and traumatized. But guess what? There are a large number of death fics out there that I will never read because I know how I'll react to them, but the knowledge that they're out there lurking on the internet unread does not keep me up at night. They have every right to exist, and to be read by whomever wishes to read them. Their authors have the right to write as many death fics as their hearts desire. The fact that I'm personally uncomfortable reading them has nothing to do with the author's right to write them. IMO, thinking otherwise would be silly.
Then again, I'm not of the opinion that such stories need to be warned for, either. Every time I click on a story link, I'm perfectly aware that I'm taking my mental well-being into my own hands. ^_^
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2007-06-09 06:48 pm (UTC)1. The fact that some people seem literally incapable of distinguishing between fantasy and reality is just staggering to me.
2. How can the existence of a story be morally repugnant? For example, I dislike stories in which one or more of the main characters dies. They make me sad, and tie my stomach up in knots, and (depending on how well they're written) generally leave me feeling depressed and traumatized. But guess what? There are a large number of death fics out there that I will never read because I know how I'll react to them, but the knowledge that they're out there lurking on the internet unread does not keep me up at night. They have every right to exist, and to be read by whomever wishes to read them. Their authors have the right to write as many death fics as their hearts desire. The fact that I'm personally uncomfortable reading them has nothing to do with the author's right to write them. IMO, thinking otherwise would be silly.
Then again, I'm not of the opinion that such stories need to be warned for, either. Every time I click on a story link, I'm perfectly aware that I'm taking my mental well-being into my own hands. ^_^