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Brandosandofan23 t1_j1rsfn9 wrote

Yes. But Reddit subs like this contribute to it heavily. Look at the posts in r/books every week.

Same generic books come up over and over.

Project Hail Mary, Harry Potter, Brandon Sanderson

You don’t have to think critically at all to understand these books. There’s no shame in reading them, but if all the media you consume is like this no wonder there is no room for any discussion or nuanced opinions besides “I LOVED THIS BOOK.”

And yes everyone says “who cares what you read blah blah blah” but If people really can’t see the downside of only consuming clickbait, page turning type media, than that’s just wrong.

Reading is not all equal just as consuming any media isn’t.

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pretenditscherrylube t1_j1s3udo wrote

Sometimes I think I’m taking crazy pills when I read this sub. Either everyone read Dostoyevsky or Steven King or YA. That is it. It’s wild.

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Brandosandofan23 t1_j1s4e6d wrote

Yea I think it’s definitely a concern the relative lack of diversity of authors. Especially considering the YA, fantasy space, and Russian Aristocat space is definitely not diverse in terms of mainstream works.

But it’s also just a huge sub and like all big subs lots of repetition takes place

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Organic_Rock_6974 OP t1_j1rw4wz wrote

maybe i've been very little time in this sub reddit lol

i know not everyone wants to read or think in a critical way or something but i feel that in every form of art there's always some parameters that are important to have in mind, it wouldn't have sense to study or discuss any of this if everything is completely subjective this doesn't mean that people isn't allow to enjoy books but idk, I feel that what we consume is important and to say that all books are the same and that everything is subjective to me is minimize the importance of the authors' work

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Brandosandofan23 t1_j1rxkv6 wrote

I agree with what you’re saying.

I think this is an important discussion to have. I’m sure people in history have always argued about this subject, but I think your point of things like TikTok coming into play makes this topic very significant moving forward.

My main issue as I said is just the “reading is all equal” like you pointed out. It diminishes the significance of someone’s work and the importance literature has in society. Are we really going to say that the Harry Potter erotica fan fic is equal to something like Lolita? Like come on guys

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Organic_Rock_6974 OP t1_j1ryc30 wrote

i think you got the point and explained better than me that my first language isn't english and get confused with words easily haha

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Brandosandofan23 t1_j1ryfg7 wrote

Nah you’re good m8. I basically said exactly what you were saying anyway

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[deleted] t1_j1s0jnn wrote

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Brandosandofan23 t1_j1s17mi wrote

You made my point though. What I’m saying in terms of the critical thinking there’s an issue with only reading Harry Potter erotica. You’re talking about personal Hobby’s that’s not really relevant because it’s still media we consume.

People can read what they want but you’re not going to develop any critical thinking skills reading It Ends With Us or Fantasy page turners. That’s the point. Just like only consuming Fox News, the media we consume is still important.

And to the point of the erotica leaving a bigger impact… that’s just a critical thinking problem right there lol

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[deleted] t1_j1s50ho wrote

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Brandosandofan23 t1_j1s5whc wrote

To the first point that’s just a terrible comparison. Jogging is completely irrelevant. The point is that it’s media we consume. If you never look at media that makes you think then what do you think happens? You think this has no effect on our thoughts? It’s like any media lol.

Second point sure it’s possible but that’s again a bad point because it’s extremely unlikely Harry Potter erotica is talking about any complex or serious topics. You could could say with ANYTHING that the “one person might find more meaning from it.” It’s a lazy argument

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[deleted] t1_j1s7z06 wrote

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Brandosandofan23 t1_j1s8fm4 wrote

It is though. And you know it. You’re literally defending Harry Potter erotica by saying “it might mean more to one person” when in the grand scheme of humans it’s going to be a nothing piece of work.

It’s just so weird people want to die on this hill.

There’s a reason there are numerous academic articles on Toni Mo and not fan fic. Touch grass. Hope you have a good one as well though.

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ElegantVamp t1_j1ssitd wrote

>It’s just so weird people want to die on this hill.

A world desperate for external validation + an increase in an inability to feel even the slightest discomfort at something or everything having to come with an "X is okay and You're Valid™️" disclaimer.

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Brandosandofan23 t1_j1t5uk9 wrote

Yea I really don’t get it. The validity stamps on this site sometimes get out of hand

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[deleted] t1_j1u22l3 wrote

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Brandosandofan23 t1_j1uj2gb wrote

You completely missed the point though just like the other poster. The “who cares what you read” is important because it matters what media you consume.

Do you think the media you look at has an effect on your thoughts? Do you think a trend of only looking at mindless media has an effect on the critical thinking ability of people? Because it does, and that’s why you should care what you read/view/etc

Again this is what people on this site keep saying but it doesn’t hold up because they want to be validated so badly

It’s just anti intellectualism disguised as being “welcoming”

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[deleted] t1_j1xakps wrote

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Brandosandofan23 t1_j1xaza2 wrote

Hey, very well thought out response and I appreciate your thoughts.

I think you make a lot of great points and especially in regards to take a step back because even the media I might be consuming that I think “is better” or whatever could be leading me down the right path. Definitely room for nuance in there. Appreciate the in depth response

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