censorship destroys ideas take for example a creed writing workshop where a small group deems a topic
offensive and out of bounds when that happens a line is drawn and the room for exploration is
limited ideas that could have been will never be in this new world where we're redefining how we
should speak and what subjects are appropriate we writers need to walk that fine line without
stepping on others this type of sensitivity within a trusting group doesn't only harm
writing workshops but also workplaces friendships and even families when one side is considered
correct and the other wrong even in the realm of creativity and art the fun of creation is gone
but is it in an interview with jay thorne on the writer's inc podcast author chuck pollinik
described how this type of censorship caused the demise of a writing group he had been a part
of that lasted almost 30 years it's a tragedy said paul nick but nothing lasts forever values
words or perspective that you consider appropriate today can be offensive in the future all it takes
is a culture shift palanek recalls that after 9 11 transgressive fiction fell out of favor
transgressive fictions are stories that focus on characters that feel oppressed by conformity
and the expectations of society stories like trainspotting by irvine welsh american psycho
by brett easton ellis and of course fight club by chuck palahniuk are all examples of transgressive
fiction in early 2000s the culture no longer wanted to be associated with a whole genre
not just a word but an entire creative style these novels suddenly looked touristy and anyone reading
them would appear to be promoting real world violence authors were worried about being labeled
terrorists because of themes in their books much like how someone today can come across as racist
sexist homophobic or body shaming because they used a certain word or phrase
transgressive fiction faded from the shells but as palm nick illuminated in its place
came horror fiction transgressive fiction also fell out of style at the end of the 60s
while serial killers such as charles manson and the zodiac killer were terrorizing society the
public tried to come to terms with those events the climate led to a slew of paranormal horror
slasher and thriller movies when there is a void creativity will fill that space people will always
be curious about the darkness within a person's soul and while some genres make it raw and blatant
horror focuses less on the subject and more on the emotions during those frightening times
those who wrote transgressive fiction to share their message can now communicate through horror
horror fiction acts as a cloak for those darker themes without directly reflecting
the realism of current events we can approach all censorship the same way a certain amount of
censorship is creative said palnick because it does allow writers to veil their message
so their message needs to be a little more indirect should your work ever be targeted
by censorship know that it's not a war you could win instead learn to cloak your message so it's
palatable for a greater audience your ideas get shared but it's not a confronting act
give it a shot if you're exploring a topic that is frowned upon something you wouldn't talk about at
a party something political religious or your readership would be sensitive to try to hide
the message below the surface make your point without screaming it at the top of your lungs
refrain cloak and see if you can write great work that makes a point without doing more harm there
is a lot of evil in the world today although censorship might not be the cure for all of it
censorship can be a bandage that helps people heal you don't need to be the one to pull it off but
you can tell your story without causing scars you can do that by masking your message within another
genre and allowing your creativity to conceal the reality of our troubled times that way you
can convey your ideas and explore the topic you're interested in and nobody gets hurt in the process
good art comforts the disturbed and disturbs the comfortable
good art does not do unnecessary damage learn to dance with censorship and see it not as the
enemy of creativity but as a road less traveled thank you for watching if you enjoyed this video
please give it a like my name is elliot i make videos about writing and the creative process
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