Retrospring is shutting down on 1st March, 2025 Read more

average soup enjoyer · 5mo

I've recently came across your account via your oc and I wanted to ask your perspective when it comes to making/consuming "problematic" art, because while we can all agree it's fiction I don't think it's a 100% watertight argument to just say "it's fiction" because not only does intention matter but that same reasoning can be used against you. You've been outspoken about whitewashing before, a racist acting in bad faith could easily say "it's just fiction, what's the problem? For all you know I'm not racist irl". So we can't pretend a line between what is and isn't acceptable doesn't exist. I wanted to know how you go about defining those lines or if you had a different perspective entirely.

i don't usually get into this discourse but i'll entertain this question because you didn't insult me like most people do. i want to preface with the statement that i am an individual with my own perspectives and opinions and so is everyone else, regardless of what shipping label they use for themselves, so i am not speaking for anyone except myself here.

if the art is truly fiction, as in NO real people are involved and it is not used to hurt someone, then i think it has the right to exist even if i hate it. i also think that there is no good measure to determine if the person creating the art is "secretly bad" and using art as a cover. unfortunately there will ALWAYS be bad people in the world, in every space, in every fandom, in every hobby. i am sure there are rapists that consume rape art, just as there are rapists who consume wholesome art, and innocent people who consume rape art, and innocent people who consume wholesome art. my stance is that the fiction is not an indicator of the person's morals.

on the topic of whitewashing art specifically, i still think the art has a right to exist and i don't think the artist should be harassed for it (we are assuming here that the art is a fictional character being whitewashed, not a real person being depicted), especially because it can be done unintentionally and sometimes the artist really is just inexperienced and didn't do it out of malice. but if it seems to be a trend or is obviously intentional (like dudebros making a black character white blonde blue-eyed out of spite, for example) then it's completely reasonable to believe the artist has racist intentions. i think whitewashing is slightly different in that it is a tool still used by mass media to oppress people, just like racist caricatures and propaganda are no longer in the realm of "just fiction." it is art made with the express intention of hurting someone real.

digressing for a moment to discuss harassment because when ppl talk about good/bad art it is almost always tied to whether or not they believe the artist should be harassed. i differ from many of my friends and i think probably the majority of people when i say i don't think harassment is good, ever. because even if the person you're harassing is TRULY a horrible person, it is insanely unlikely that your harassment will turn them into a good person, and the act of harassment is hurting you as well. i think putting energy into that kind of negativity will only hurt you more and it's not causing any good change to society. but i am a silly hippie and i understand that this is not a popular opinion and i won't try to change anyone's mind on it. i have simply learned for myself that my energy is better spent on love rather than hate.

back to art, if you're wanting me to draw a strict line i simply can't do that for you. i think there are too many factors that can affect the situation and it's up to you to form your own opinions. something as huge and complex as art cannot be split with a single line, and i'm sure you've heard the saying that censorship is not a scalpel. we all know that censorship will not reach the racists before bulldozing over lgbt expression first.

i hope this explanation answers your questions somewhat, and if my art/profile upsets you, i am very sorry it crossed your feed and i promise i do not draw anything with the intention of hurting someone. please feel free to block me if my page is upsetting, i take no offense to that. have a good day, i wish u love and abundance 🙏

Retrospring uses Markdown for formatting

*italic text* for italic text

**bold text** for bold text

[link](https://example.com) for link