Art and Propaganda

"All art is propaganda; on the other hand, not all propaganda is art."  - George Orwell

According to Orwell, I write propaganda. According to a review on Amazon, I write feminist propaganda. According to me, I write stories that entertain me. So, who's right?

We all are.

GK and I discuss the topic quite a bit. It goes back to when we home schooled. I tried very hard to provide a neutral voice in his lessons, which frankly, I found it difficult to find in various sources.

Take Christopher Columbus for example. He underestimated the circumference of Earth and believed he'd found India when he landed in the Bahamas. He wasn't the first person from Europe to explore the North American continent. He wasn't the last.

During GK's lessons, I pointed out the successive rises and falls of Columbus's reputation. His stubborn insistence that he was in India. How Amerigo Vespucci had a better PR system, which was why the two continents were name America.The reintroduction of Columbus by the original Thirteen American Colonies as a major explorer. The more recent analysis of his role in the slave trade.

The problem is even contemporary account of Columbus are rarely in agreement about him. There were those who resented his relationship with the rulers of Spain. There were those who were jealous of his wealth. There were those who thought he did the Christian god's work by converting the native populations of the Caribbean.

What it comes down to is there's no such thing as an objective human viewpoint. Each person's observation is colored by their own experiences. That means out of 8 billion people currently on the planet, you're going to have 8 billion opinions on the story of Columbus.

So, am I writing feminist propaganda? Well, or course, I am! I'm not a man. I can study them, but I will never, ever totally understand them. I'm a cis-het woman, so my viewpoint comes from that angle.

But part of being a writer is learning how to express viewpoints other than my own. That means showing other types of masculinity. Rey, the shy bookworm. Arthur, the neglected genius. Tim, the billionaire who lost everything. Miguel, the widowed handyman. None of these are what my reviewer considered real men, but I love them because they are based on men I've known through the years.

So, who's really the propagandist here?

I'm sticking with my version of propaganda because I want to promote a viewpoint of kindness to our fellow human beings.

Social Conciousness or How to Step into a Minefield Because I Have No Choice

I wasn't going to write this particular post, but I ran across this article about Norman Rockwell yesterday. His bravery and conviction over painting social justice issues during the '60s and '70s made me realize things haven't changed in the fifty-some years since he produced The Problem We All Live With.

One of the big cautions experienced writers tell newbies is not talk about politics or religion. Normally, I would agree when it comes to social occasions. Who needs an upset stomach after a wonderful dinner by arguing with your dinner companions?

Things are a little different when it comes to art. The artists' inner feelings are going to come out regardless of their intent. Sometimes, they don't even realize it. On the other hand, a consumer comes in with their own biases, and those biases color their perception of what the artist has done.

I don't think of my writing as particularly political. My primary goal is to write realistic people in fantastic situations and doing fantastic things, but never losing their basic humanity. Some of the best compliments I received involve the characters of Harri Winters and Aisha Franklin from the 888-555-HERO series. Readers have commented they are the type of girlfriends the readers would love to have in real life. Honest, loyal, and always ready to dish over coffee or wine.

However, there are other readers. While they grudgingly admit my books are well-written, they don't like my themes, or most especially the racial/gender construction of my casts.

I've been accused by readers of being a social justice warrior, a feminist propagandist, and anti-white. I freely admit to being a SJW and a feminist. Few people go into the legal profession without a little bit of those qualities. Civil rights were the basis of the colonies exiting the British Empire, and they should extend to EVERY human in this country.

The anti-white shit comes from white nationalists. The "if you're not with us, you're against us" absolutists.

Uh, no. Definitely not anti-anything except bullies. One great-great-grandfather and his two brothers got the fuck out of Bavaria around the time of the Franco-Prussian War, back when Prussia was pushing for a unified Germany whether anyone wanted it or not. That mentality carried over for the next century, resulting in the devastation of WWII.

Another great-great-great-grandfather fled Ireland in the midst of the Potato Famine.

What do these have in common? It's white on white suppression. It's bully mentality.

As I've said many times before on this blog, I don't like bullies. I don't give a fuck what color they are or what's between their legs. Treating someone else like shit just because you can pisses me off.

I grew up with that crap, mainly from my own family. The only time my mother was proud of me was when I bullied someone else. I'm totally ashamed of my behavior, and once I was old enough to understand what was really happening, I swore never to do it again.

Ever.

And I do my best to do right by other people. I don't always succeed, and I apologize when I know I've fucked up. And if it looks like I don't know I did something wrong, please correct me.

In the meantime, if you think white nationalism is the way to go, then my books are definitely not for you. This isn't a political stance. It's a human one.