https://www.tumblr.com/blackheartbiohazards/740763676998598656/you-know-one-time-i-read-a-fanfic-and-it?source=shareNot to be a dick but you never disproved the point that fiction is capable of impacting people which was all this was about. Someone being mentally ill doesn’t make them suddenly inhuman or magically mean that the fiction had no role to play in the harm. Now is the fiction in of itself harmful? No. But it like almost all things has the capacity to cause harm. You can talk about how fiction can encompass a lot of things without creating a false narrative that fiction is incapable of bringing about anything ever. Fiction is meant to cause a reaction in the viewers- that in of itself means it is an impact on reality. The impact on reality itself is not what is to be argued against rather that the impact in totality is not harmful enough to be deemed something needing to be gotten rid of or banned.Also afaik what they did was not harassment giving harassment necessitates it happen over a long reoccurring period of time. What they did was be an absolute fucking dick and blame a creator for an unintended consequence that had more causation from the disorder they were suffering with than the work itself in a vacuum. You can’t fully blame the piece but you cannot pretend that this person would have still had the exact same episode in the exact same way devoid of that particular piece. I understand wanting to express that one cannot blame the content nor the creator for the consequence that came from an unstable person consuming such a piece of media- but I don’t understand why you and so many others jumped to wholesale rejecting the notion that there can be any form of conversation around how fiction can affect people especially neurodivergent and mentally ill people.People with issues such as mine; ASPD, DID, PTSD, OCD with psychotic elements, etc. are still people and the impact things can have on us still is important to discuss. That anon was an absolute dick about it clearly but there is still a very real discussion and an important one at that when it comes to how specifically vulnerable people can be impacted by particularly moving fiction. It’s in a way proof that art itself hold a lot of meaning and power- it’s not great that it can cause that much distress unintentionally but it is important to understand that humans are deeply complex and that the art (music, illustration, writting, etc.) that we make does impact reality. That’s why so many stories hold messages and meanings. It’s why so many great works have come with noticeable effects on cultures broadly. I just think saying only the mental illness did the harm discredits how impactful art can be even when it has some negative consequences due to someone being unstable. Unstable people can be swayed by many many things and acknowledging that specific things can sometimes be more likely to cause that isn’t the same as wanting to censor everything. It’s just part of discussing the impact of art and the experiences of being human.
first of all–
Also afaik what they did was not harassment giving harassment necessitates it happen over a long reoccurring period of time.
That’s untrue. A single incident can absolutely constitute harassment. I suppose one could also call it emotional assault.
And second of all–
I never said that fiction wasn’t capable of impacting people. That would be a stupid thing to say.
I said fiction can’t cause physical harm.
Here’s the contents of the post that you’re reacting to was reacting to.
🔹 Someone else’s fiction cannot cause you physical harm.
🔹If someone else’s fiction is causing you emotional or psychological harm, or distress, you can put it down and not read/watch it.
🔹Your emotional well-being is not the responsibility of fiction writers.
🔹Someone else’s fiction is not about your personal trauma.
🔹When reading or watching fiction, you always have the power. You can always stop. You are never reading fiction without your own consent.
🔹Fiction writers are not responsible for other people’s mental health.
🔹The content of a piece of fiction does not reflect on the morality of its author.
🔹Just because someone writes about bad things happening, doesn’t mean they want those things to happen.
🔹Don’t like? Don’t read.
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