Personally, I feel that my main problem is that the social panorama in which we currently find ourselves has transformed the social networks, quite frankly, into a political shithole where more than art, it is important to feel that your political colors are validated, even if you have to project them in literary works, for example.
Sure, there will be interpretations that can be grounded more or less well, but it seems that most written reviews, youtube essays, posts and so on are based on stretching narrative and/or informational elements to absurdity, to give validity to your narrative of “see how the (insert political group you hate) has hidden these subliminal messages in this book about a monkey and a man dressed in yellow?”
And let's be honest, most people don't have the time or interest to properly research either literary concepts, symbolic structures or authorial context to make a fair judgment of a work of arte. And I mention this not because I want to elevate myself on a virtue throne where I am an outstanding intellectual and the rest are vulgar beings, but to highlight a situation that worries me that could end the consumption of art for art's sake and not to generate controversy.
by g0ruru
4 Comments
You’re not, but those people tend not to post on social media about it 😉
It depends what you mean.
If it’s someone inserting politicized ragebait into discussion of a work of literature that has nothing to do with the political topic in question, then yeah, that’s exhausting.
If it’s someone explaining the politics of a work of art and you just want to reject it because art ‘shouldn’t be political’, then you’re the one with the problem. Art is human and art is political, not a sacred ground where we refuse to discuss human problems.
Is there plenty of misplaced political extremism online? Sure. But saying *most* book discourse is grounded in political extremism and narrative pushing is a wild take.
I think all discussions are harder online because it’s just less personal. Without tone and body language you can sometimes misinterpret people. The break in between replies makes flow harder to happen. And honestly it can feel a lot easier to insult or criticise people and their views when it’s online because you don’t have to acknowledge the impact.
It’s especially true with strangers, but even people you know sometimes you can misinterpret or respond differently to how you would in person.