Something I have wanted to make a post about for a while is the discussion between Creator vs Content. I've always found it interesting to distinguish the creator from the content. This topic has been cropping up more and more in the bookish community and I thought I'd share some of my opinions on it.
What Do I Mean "Creator vs Content"?
In a nutshell I mean the link between the creator (author etc) and the content (book etc). Is it possible to separate the two? Can you enjoy someone's work while having different opinions on them?
Can You Like Someone's Work But Not Them?
It's a difficult question to answer, but I would say yes, you don't have to "like" someone to enjoy what they've made. It can be difficult to separate them from their work, but it shouldn't stop you from liking what they've done. Some examples of this include JK Rowling and the Harry Potter series. In the last year or so, JK Rowling has been accused of supporting a transphobic individual on Twitter and faced heavy backlash for doing so. Many people in the book and harry potter communities were very upset by this. Whether she intended to do this or not, it severally damaged her reputation. She has since continued to Tweet in support of transphobic content. Personally, I will not support anyone who says anything harmful towards others in any capacity. However, the Harry Potter books are still some of my most beloved and treasured. I will adore them forever. I no longer "like" JK Rowling as an individual, but I still enjoy her content as it is absorbed into my life.
Another example of creator vs content is Mackenzi Lee and her recent controversy. Since the publication of The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue in 2018, a book I loved, she has been accused of several things. Something I didn't spot at the time of reading GGTVAV, was the racist undertones in the book. There was some outcry over this at the time and Lee apologised for her writing. Then with the release of her upcoming book, The Madness Blooms, she was once again accused. This time of being transphobic and misgendering one of her characters for the sake of the plot and shock value. Again, she apologised and the blurb has been rewritten. However, in her most recent controversy, she made no formal apology and joked about the issue. Through the bookstore she works at, she signed and personalised books by authors of colour without their permission. It was a poor choice on her half and has lead to many in the book community refusing to buy her books. I was planning on reading her upcoming books, but have decided that I cannot do that after what she has done. I still enjoyed the books I'v read from her, but what she did was wrong and hurtful.
I still enjoyed the books I've read from both these authors, but I am now more reluctant to admit so and to continue supporting them. I will not be getting rid of their books, but I am hesitant to buy new ones from them. Liking their work does not make you a bad person. It can be difficult to separate them from what they've written, but art and artist are two very different things.
What are your thoughts on creator vs content? Are their more examples of creators and their content that I haven't mentioned?
Carenza :) x
