Politics and the Artist

The Problem We All Live With, (c)1964, Norman Rockwell

A lot of folks are of the mind no artist can be political.

But we all have our own beliefs and ideas. And those beliefs and ideas are all politicized somehow, someway, in an effort to police thought and behavior.

I've had folks complain about my lead character being women. Or Black. Or how dare a paralegal go through a pregnancy by herself after her boyfriend broke up with her.

I don't think too many readers have realized Chief Justice Anthea is three-quarters Navajo. Or that a majority of the people of Issura are a mix of Celtic, Etruscan, and Chumash. Or that Luc is half Native American and half African.

There's a bunch of people who aren't going to like Queer Eye for the Super Guy because LGBT+ characters are going to take over the 888-555-HERO storyline.

Hell, I had people complain about Bloodlines even though all the major characters would be considered white by today's standards. In that series though, religion was the main driving point.

*ALL HAIL SAM, THE GODDESS OF DEATH*

The point I'm trying to make is we use art to express ourselves. In all ways. Whether other people like it or not. If you don't, the smart thing to do is walk away. Because none of you are going to dictate who and what I write about.

If you don't like my stories, write your own. There are people out there who think like you do. Share your stories with them. There's no reason to police the rest of the world's thought processes. And guess what? You won't succeed either.