Why should a would-be author even bother to concern themselves with Political Correctness?
Let’s use ivory as an example. Would it be okay for an author to write about the brutal killing of Elephants and the Black Market in ivory? Would there even be an audience for such a book?
Similarly, would it be politically incorrect for an author to create a magical object partly made of ivory in a fantasy or magic-realism novel.
Authors have the same problems if they choose to write about race, ethnicity, class, religion, or crimes committed by a particular group - and of course politics.
What should a book contain to be Politically Correct?
Must it have Black, White and Asian characters? Must they all have to be from the same social class and background? Must it have left-wing and right-wing characters? Should there be an equal mix of Heterosexual, Lesbian and Gay characters?
Of course not, that would be incongruous.
A writer should write what he or she knows about and stick two fingers up to those who object. Why some of you may ask? It’s because we live in a democracy in which freedom of speech plays an active part in our daily lives – and long may it do so.
Under good old Joe Stalin, it was the death knell for creative artistic expression. Artists, Writers and Classical composers, were killed for not toeing the communist line. Russian art suffered severely as a consequence.
How dumbed-down and dull books would be if authors concerned themselves with every aspect of Political Correctness.
As much as aspects of Political Correctness have helped to civilise society, it is darkly oppressive at its core. At its worst, Political Correctness represents a virtual gagging filter placed between the thoughts of an individual and the vocal expression of them.
It is a social conditioning designed to seriously limit free expression and exchange of ideas.
Dear Vic,
I'm glad to read that children's books are so important to you. I, too, read them for my own pleasure.
I started off wanting to be a teacher. I applied to a teacher-training college for a place studying to be a teacher of 9-13s PRECISELY because I felt that 4s and 5s were too important for me to risk mucking it up, doing a botched job. After one term of observing how many student teachers had NO vocation - it was just a job (and it's a lot easier to get a place at a ttc than at a university, a lot easier - for middle-aged women with grown children - to get a job as a teacher than as a secretary) - I switched to 3-6es.
I now feel that children's books are every bit as important as novels for adults. There's a lot of crap in the field: a lot of useless filler, bland nicey-niceties, EMPTY books that dumb down children. All the best - as you so rightly point out - are challenging, encouraging children to stretch their limits and question those ideas that they've taken for granted.
In short, politically correct books.
I have faith that - with you as their mother - G&G are going to grow up to be fine human beings.
It alarms me that Adrian Sroka - who sparked off such a lively and popular topic on the responsibility of authors: 'Just stick to the facts, Ma'am' (as they used to say on 'Dragnet') vs. 'Quixotic literary jousting against windmills' - should not be defending his opening motion.
What ever happened to the art of debate???
This thread is getting a wee bit too one-sided...
Ah yes, Penny, but the QUESTION is: "Why should a would-be author even bother to be a decent human being?"