Soulless Spirit of Haunting Dreams

Author's Note, Or Warning

Dear Reader,

It is a pleasure to have you here, no matter what time of the day or night it is at your place. I am unsure if we already know each other, let alone if there will be even an opportunity to see your face and hear your voice. Still, may we exchange a few words? Being a writer may at first appear to be an ordinary profession with all its advantages and drawbacks: crafting new worlds as you weave words into sentences and pour them into pages while worrying whether your artwork will be well-received or trashed into the dustbin. Moreover, the worry about the content not appealing - thus not reaching - the sweet, sweet Chinese, Russian, and Middle Eastern markets does add to the stress. If that is not the case, then we, the writers, have to face another problem: a problem that has its name, a name that shall not be named... Oh, dear! Let's set the jokes aside and focus on the rampant censorship of literature in the name of "protecting the children" and editing books to meet the standards of modern political correctness.

I am curious to know who has the full power to decide which works of literature fit the criteria of being appropriate for bookshelves. All I can picture is an image of a Karen screaming "I'm offended by this!" and "Think of the kids!", clutching at her pearls. It is both infuriating and absurd to witness adults incapable of merely thinking about, let alone discussing the slightest uncomfortable subjects, for they were excessively sheltered from potential disturbances during childhood, all of which leads to a lot of problems in their lives. Such soft-skinned Puritans are mal-adapted to life; if an apocalypse of epic measures were to occur one day, they would be among the first to fall prey to any supernatural entity of your choice —undead zombies, cannibalistic raiders, aliens from outer space. Blurring words will not cure the discomfort surrounding taboo topics; facing them is more helpful. The same philosophy should apply to discussing touchy subjects with children.

If an interest in protecting children was put at the forefront of duties, the government would invest in healthcare, education, and public infrastructure. Is this the case, though? I am not suggesting to insert mature themes into every children's book. The goal is to end the unhealthy obsession with protecting children. No one can shield children from life itself - they will inevitably learn about sex, violence, prejudice, mental health issues, suicide, death, abuse, illness, and other adult subjects. What should be ideal is to provide them with the resources that will aid in coping with these topics, and learning beforehand can teach them about such sensitive subjects in a safe environment before confronting them face to face. However, I fear that parents would rather not turn off their offspring's technology or teach them how to process complex thoughts and emotions. As an alternative to attentive parenting, books are getting banned, and teachers are being pressured to stick to a ridiculously simple narrative in classes— which sends a message that children are unable to figure out for themselves or everything will affect them negatively — all because certain idiotic parents cannot bother to hold conversations with their children. Those particular kinds of parents expect the rest of the world to become Victorian governesses, for they possess awful parenting skills and want as little responsibility as possible. The classic fairy tales written by Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm were not meant to be adorable, fluffy stories, as the original version portrayed problematic stuff as a lesson for the younglings about the dangers of real life or to terrify them. Nowadays, every story requires a happy ending, with a lack of villains and conflicts. It is not a coincidence that younger generations (including mine, speaking as a fellow Zoomer) are focused on deleting problematic content since they grew up in a sheltered bubble. I can foresee how future generations, pampered by ultra-politically correct stories, will starve for actual conflicts, and facing horrible fictional characters will be something they will miss.

I am not in favour of rewriting books to appeal to modern sensibilities - it would be akin to rewriting history. The rampant censorship of art in the pursuit of checking social boxes in watering down entertainment. Historical facts should not be erased to protect the feelings of a single person or a group of people who cry over words - it is not their place to make decisions about which pieces of literature are appropriate for the rest of us folks. As much as an outdated, problematic book written several centuries ago may offend a certain group of people, editing it to fit a particular worldview butchers the original work, disrespects the author, and can be considered revisionist history. Ambiguous characters exist, so do damning stereotypes and subversive tropes - they should exist. The sole existence of a character in a piece of media does not imply that the author approves of its actions or that readers should like it - the audience is allowed to make up their minds about the character. When essential parts of the plot or the dialogue are removed, the story will no longer make sense, for integral pieces of the whole puzzle are missing. How will such books be able to teach a moral lesson if everything is perfect and everyone is kind? It is possible to produce hard-to-swallow content for educational purposes. If it is necessary to add a disclaimer, let it be.

Unfortunately, upcoming authors have to address the issue regarding the growing trend of censoring and outright banning books disguised as "caring" for the youngest members of society. If we continue to edit or ban books for controversial topics, how will the children learn what the books are about and why they are offensive? This applies to all other sensitive subjects. A writer is not paid to shield other parents' children from the unsanitised realities of everyday life. Milk and honey are not the ingredients of life. They never were and never will be. I said it once and will not repeat it twice. 

Best regards,

Lelya Orlov-Nikshich