So who are these people? And why do we cater to them so much in our lives? When did we start kowtowing to the least rather than the average? What ever happened to turning it off it you don’t like it? Is it possible for me to continue this entire post in the form of a question?
No.
I listen to a number of podcasts. Some of them are short fiction stories. If you like short form fiction I heartily recommend the Escape Artist series. PsuedoPod for horror, EscapePod for Sci-Fi and PodCastle for Fantasy. They put out some great stories and are the best podcasts for fiction I have come across.
I’m getting caught up on some of the stories and the most recent EscapePod story I have on my iPod begins with a disclaimer. Steve Eley is the guy who runs the podcasts and he really seems like a nice guy. Very friendly and personable. He comes on and makes a disclaimer whenever the story involves something that may be disturbing or has rough language and may be inappropriate for the kids. Very conscientious of keeping things on the up and up. This disclaimer was different. It warned that people may be offended by the content and that if you are uncomfortable in the first few minutes, follow your instincts and turn it off. That piqued my interest right away. It must be some horrible gory story that maybe should be moved to PseudoPod?
I listen to the story and it was a pretty good “read”. I saw no reason to be offended. It was a fictional story on a sci-fi story site. Really, what could you write that would be offensive under those circumstances? It was an alternate history piece in which subtle changes in the childhood of Adolf Hitler, Ernest Hemingway, Charlie Chaplin and Charles DeGaulle cause them to meet up in a Paris bar and become friends. None of them are historical figures until they take part in the revolution that frees Europe from Napoleon IV and frees the Jews from oppression. Hitler rescues a Jewish woman (who later becomes his wife) and steps into the role of a writer that gets America to see the plight of the Jews and to get involved in the European war.
I don’t see the horror in a fictional tale that questions how seemingly insignificant events in our lives might make us great men or terrible monsters. Maybe because I’m not Jewish I can’t feel the dread at the simple mention of this man’s name. Maybe the author stepped over the line? Hitler’s name is enough to shut down any conversation, do you think he should have gone with anyone else? I don’t think so because it would have taken the bite out of the story. The only part that might have caused an “ouch” moment was when they mention the Adolf Hitler memorial in Israel. But listen to the entire story, it makes perfect sense in context.
For all the god’s sake, it was nothing more than “It’s a Wonderful Life” or “A Sound of Thunder” on steroids. If this didn’t happen in the past, this happens in the future. If you did this, you caused that… It’s a basic element of fiction and has been done countless times. I’ve written several alternate history stories, two of them revolve around Hitler. He’s such a prominent and pivotal figure in world history, how can you NOT write about him?
So after listening to the podcast I found myself thinking about the disclaimer more than the actual story. It was a good story but I couldn’t understand why anyone would be so unnerved that they would take offense at such a piece. Offense is relative. What offends you may not offend me. Any Neo-Nazis listening to the story might be offended that Hitler turned out to be a savior for the Jews… (You know what, I’m going to let that statement stand. I know savior/Jews implies something I don’t intend but my thesaurus doesn’t have any other word for savior.) And any reasonable thinking adult, Jewish or not, can decide for themselves what is offensive. I don’t like pop music. I don’t listen to it and when I do hear some, I simply turn it off.
To me, the only offensive part of the podcast was the fact that we have devolved to a point where speculative fiction required a disclaimer to keep the peace. It’s not Steve’s fault for putting it there, it’s our fault for letting the whiners and easily offended types dictate what is acceptable. Good stories, especially good fiction, should make you think. It should present new ideas and twist the old ideas. What is acceptable should be decided by the listeners, not the constant detractors. We should decide for ourselves what is offensive without consulting everyone in the room. I mean, it’s not like they were publishing “The Confessional Unmasked” or anything…
Leave a Reply