CANCELLED!

(CANCELLED! by Taylor Swift)

I’ve now read multiple essays by prominent newsletter authors who advise against writers discussing their personal politics or taking a stance on political matters. Given my value system and, perhaps moreover, my personality “quirks”— these sorts of statements drive me up a wall.

We live in a time of authoritarians/fascism— a time that no one I’ve spoken with has said they’ve experienced in their lifetime… likely because few remain who were adults during WWII.

History is pretty into rhyming these days.

I’m not going to lose massive readership by stating that I don’t want certain audiences as readers. Audiences such as: Trump true believers, MAGA types, people who think Stephen Miller and Russell Vought are good-hearted Americans who want what’s best for everyone. Why would these folks want to read my poems anyhow?

I’ve said before that I’d sit down and interview David Duke, but why would he want to do that? The guy wants people with my heritage dead. I don’t really agree with my previous statement anymore. An important lesson to learn is it’s only worth sitting at a table with people who have some level of receptivity to having their mind changed. Use your energy wisely. This is important because those who are Left of Center (and Independents/Centrists/Third Way Dems/Ike Eisenhower-esque Republicans*, etc.) need to set aside purity tests and bring more people who are against Trumpian (and Project 2025) ideas into the fold. I digress.

(*Above, I initially wrote “Republications” instead of “Republicans”… thought-provoking slip. I suppose my thinking was that these are the folks who can be swayed. In conversations about voters, you will often hear about persuadable voters and these are the voting blocks most targeted for obvious reasons. Most folks have already made up their minds and vote along party lines due to the longtime dominance of our duopolistic system.)

Stephen King is the latest person I’ve heard being “cancelled” for his statements (for years now) against Trump. Apparently, King currently has the most books banned. It’s not because of the subject matter of his books. King is a target. King has made it onto Trump’s “Enemies List” and Trump has a long hit list. I commend King and other writers for standing up to Trump. Artists have a long history of standing up to tyrants.

I realize that Stephen King is a dubious example for some because he is wildly successful, famous, and extremely wealthy compared to your average writer.

The counter argument I’ve been hearing is that [specifically] novelists, and maybe even more specifically genre writers, have a lot to lose by alienating audiences. While I feel for artists who feel like they’re in a bind, for me, the answer is simple. There is no choice but to be political. It’s a false, and privileged belief that you can stand on the sidelines and remain apolitical. Art is by its very nature political.

Maybe my answer boils down to something fairly obvious: who wants to be on the wrong side of history?

The legacy of Stephen King may include a footnote that his works were briefly banned because he stood up in the face of fascism. King will remain most known for being a prolific writer of well-loved reads.

Reflect on what we remember about certain figures. There are notable writers and thinkers whose legacy is colored because at one point in their lives they held problematic beliefs or became involved with deeply problematic regimes. Think: Ezra Pound, Martin Heidegger, Leni Riefenstahl, Richard Wagner. I’m not even going to get into the laundry list of artists, writers, philosophers, prominent figures in the arts, who have held rather overt misogynist, racist, antisemitic, xenophobic, or otherwise hateful views… as the list is disturbingly long.

What are your thoughts?