Anonymous #2 1w

I think she’s saying that everything is inherently political, which to a certain extent I think is true.

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Anonymous #1 1w

I disagree. Perception is reality. If you go looking for political influence in everything then you'll find it because that's what you're telling yourself. It doesn't mean that everything is actually political. If I go plant a hibiscus plant in my yard it because I love how pretty they are, NOT because it's a commentary on Malaysia/South Korea where they're the national flower. Literally not everything is that deep.

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Anonymous #2 1w

i agree with this in a sense. perception is reality. but i’m not saying political in that way. more like the action of reading and interpretation is shaped by identity, culture, power structures, etc, that is more what i meant. our perceptions are shaped by social and political contexts so reading (and any art form) can’t really be separated from that

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Anonymous #2 1w

i also read for enjoyment (who doesn’t lol?) i also think sci fi and fantasy are the usually the most political books…even though they are fiction they are obviously a reflection of society. i think with the genre of romantasy coming into play ppl often forget the main plot is usually about overthrowing some kind of government or rebuilding a dystopian system (idk i don’t read fantasy or sci fi)

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Anonymous OP 1w

I think that's more of a personal thing tbh. I don’t overthink stuff anymore because I realize many authors r writing from their perspective & not mine. When I read Pride & Prejudice it didn't make me reflect on politics because it was written so long ago & set in a different country & within a different culture. I took it for face value as a romance novel. However I just read “A Long Way Gone” & that is highly political & it did make me think about politics (immigration). Holocaust memoirs too.

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Anonymous OP 1w

I don’t view ACOTAR as political though. It’s a made up fairy world. You can draw parallels between any book and reality, so I’m not going to overthink or over analyze everything I read. However I just reread “A long way gone” and THAT I do view politically for obvious reasons. Same with Holocaust memoirs. I’m not viewing Hogwarts as an example of the average high school because I don’t use a fictitious wizarding school as the basis of what my community needs. I would look at my local schools.

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Anonymous OP 1w

I think if you cannot enjoy something at face value, you should take a step back. I notice micro aggressions in real life but I don’t expect every author to be perfectly woke & if I did I would probably never be satisfied. Maybe it’s just me but I don’t think everything has to be that deep. Maybe because ik how deep shit can really get, I just hit pause when I want to enjoy something. Like I don’t have to be woke 24/7. I can do 23/7 and still be happy & aware of what needs to change & how.

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Anonymous OP 1w

Trying to be shady and insult my intelligence because I disagree with you is indicative of your own potential lack of intelligence & critical thinking skills. I already shared my thoughts on over analyzing a fictional children’s book meant for escapism & enjoyment, so I’ll leave it there. If you interpret everything you read as political then that’s you. I see Harry Potter as a story about friendship, courage, and magic. You see it as political commentary apparently. Tomatoes tomahtos lol.

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Anonymous OP 1w

& I’m black so no I don’t take a white woman’s surface level interpretation of racism as meaningful and I interpret it with a grain of salt. Like pls be serious 😂. She has her heart in the right place ig but I already lived that bs in real life (1 of 2 black girls at school) so no a paragraph here and there DOESN’T strike me as meaningful or realistic.

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Anonymous #2 1w

okay now you’ve totally lost me 🤣🤣 but thank u for sharing ur opinion and im open to any book recs bc i love reading and that at least is what we have in common 🫶🏾

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