Threads, Instagram’s sister app, is basically a clone of Twitter (or X nowadays). I don’t use it, but periodically, Instagram will send me threads they think will be of interest to me. Here’s one I got. I’m not naming the original poster, because I think they’re a fucking idiot, and I don’t want to draw any more attention to them and/or be responsible for any harassment that may occur. If you decide to look this thread up, do not harass this person. They can’t help being a fucking moron. They’ve bought into the bullshit that has permeated our culture, and I’m so fucking done with it. I was very tempted to respond to this thread directly rather than in a blog post, but I’m so fucking annoyed I would have exhausted the word count. Despite the fact that I’m screaming into the void here, as no one who regularly reads this blog is likely to disagree with me and even if they do, it’s unlikely this post will change their mind, I still felt the need to vent about this.
So congratulations to the original poster. They have awoken a part of me I thought long buried, the actual anger in The Angry Piper. Here is their post, verbatim:
Currently unpacking, and I’m wondering: what do I do with my books by Neil Gaiman? I’d packed them up long before the allegations broke or I would have dealt with them earlier.
Keeping on the shelf them (sic) feels wrong, selling them feels wrong, and destroying them feels fundamentally wrong.
Chuck them in a corner of the basement and forget about them? Put them in the trash/recycling?
Jesus Christ. This is such a “Look at Me” post. Let’s dive in.
For those who don’t know who Neil Gaiman is, Google him. I can’t be bothered to list everything the man has written in comics and fiction over the last forty years, but his most famous works include Sandman, for DC comics, Coraline, Good Omens, Neverwhere and American Gods, all of which have been adapted to film and/or television. He’s a British author widely considered to be one of the greatest contemporary fantasists working today. He’s also recently been accused of sexual assault and abuse by two separate women with whom he was in consensual relationships, a former nanny and a former fan.
First: I’m not saying Neil Gaiman is innocent. Neither am I saying he’s guilty, because as of this writing, those allegations are still allegations. Nothing has been proven. If it turns out Neil Gaiman is a fucking creep, he should face the consequences for his actions, like anyone else who is guilty of criminal activity (except, apparently, our last president).
Second: assuming he’s guilty (which I do not assume, nor do I assume he’s innocent), what would you gain by getting rid of your Gaiman books? You already bought them and presumably read them, and presumably LIKED them, because you have more than one book by him. Throwing out books you already paid for isn’t going to hurt Neil Gaiman. He already got your money, you fucking moron. All you’re doing is throwing out books.
Third: how many authors are you holding to this standard? Edgar Allan Poe married his thirteen year-old cousin. Mark Twain named one of his main characters the N word. H.P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard were both unapologetic racists. Harlan Ellison grabbed a woman’s breast at an awards ceremony “as a joke”. Ernest Hemingway was Ernest Hemingway, for fuck’s sake. And that’s just the American authors I can rattle off the top of my head who have done shitty things. So, to the original poster, feel free to weed your shelves of all the books by any author who has done something that might offend someone, and let me know how many books you have left, you insufferable douchebag.
You see, the problem with this, to me, is this person likely votes the same way I do. They’re left wing. They’re liberal. Know why I know this? Because no right-winger here in the US is going to want to cancel Neil Gaiman for “grabbing her by the pussy” when their own fucking demagogue said he proudly does exactly that and gets away with it because he’s a celebrity. I mean, that would be fucking hypocritical, right? But they expect me to share this ridiculous world-view, that anything that doesn’t conform directly with the ideals of the censor-happy left wing should be cancelled, In short, I’m liberal, but I’m not liberal enough. Fuck you.
Whether Neil Gaiman did exactly what he’s accused of or not, the point is people need to fucking start separating the art from the artist, because this is fucking stupid. It’s ok to find someone morally reprehensible, but you can still enjoy or respect their work. I’ve used this example elsewhere, but I’ll recycle it. O.J. Simpson is widely believed to have murdered 2 people and gotten away with it. He’s also one of the greatest running backs in NFL history. If I gave the smallest shit about sports, I would be impressed by that, and that’s ok, because I’m not impressed with the whole double murder thing. I’m appalled by that.
Everyone knows what Roman Polanski did, yet he still made Chinatown and Rosemary’s Baby and is widely considered one of the best living film directors. Are those films suddenly not good? Should we ban them and burn all copies of them? What about everyone else who worked on those films? The actors, the crew, the producers. Is all their work invalidated by the shitty and repugnant thing Polanski did? Polanski can’t set foot in the US because the second he does, he’s going to jail. He’s the one who should be held accountable for his actions, not his movies.
It is my opinion that Mel Gibson is a raging anti-Semite, that much is clear to me. I’m not, but does that mean I can’t watch The Road Warrior ever again? Fuck no. I don’t care about Mel Gibson, but I like Mad Max. Harvey Weinstein is a piece of shit who deserves to rot in prison (because it was PROVEN he was guilty of the crimes he was accused of), but his production company made some fantastic movies over decades. Should no one ever watch those again? And don’t get me started on Michael Jackson. Although, to my knowledge, nothing’s been officially proven, we all have our suspicions that a lot of sketchy shit went down. If that’s the case, Michael Jackson, were he still alive, should face trial, prosecution and punishment for any and all proven crimes he committed, just like anyone else. But that doesn’t suddenly not make him the King of Pop, who revolutionized music and dance and inspired generations of artists. And I’m not even a fan of his music. Listen to the radio lately? It’s not like they’re taking his songs off the air.
A person can be two things. A person can be more than two things. Some of those things can be really shitty, repugnant or even criminal. Others can be praiseworthy. One doesn’t automatically negate the other.
So, back to the OP and their “Look at Me” bullshit. Do they really need to ask the Threads community what to do with their Neil Gaiman books, or are they that fucking indecisive that they can’t make a decision? Aren’t they really just showing everyone how enlightened they are, by declaring they want nothing to do with Neil Gaiman because he allegedly sexually assaulted two women? Well, bravo, OP. You’re one of the good ones. Just getting out in front by being one of the first to destroy everything you own by him as a statement of your convictions? OK, we got the point. You’re no fence-sitter. You take a stand. Everyone will pat you on the back, once they decide for you the best way to dispose of your books. Should you recycle them by removing the covers and dropping them on the compost heap? Should you sell them and donate the funds to a charity that supports victims of sexual assault? Should you donate them to a library? Oh, hell no. That would mean they would be available to anyone who might want to read them, and reading books by a bad person only perpetuates the badness. Maybe you should join a school board and make sure no child ever reads Coraline or The Wolves in the Walls again. Then take it to the next step and join the town council and get rid of any of Gaiman’s books in the public library. As a liberal, that should fucking horrify you. But it doesn’t, right? Because cancel culture is ok as long as you’re the one doing the canceling.
By the way, was he found guilty yet, or are you just assuming he is?
The comments in response to the OPs post are overwhelmingly supportive, offering suggestions on what to do with the dreaded and foul Gaiman books now that they simply must be dealt with, because remember, the OP is incapable of deciding this for themselves. They need and crave the support of the community at large, because they need to feel validated in their opinions. They want everyone to know they’re not in favor of authors who sexually exploit people, even though that is hardly a controversial stance to take, and it hasn’t actually been proven yet in Gaiman’s case. Again, he may very well be guilty, and I’m not saying he’s innocent. But he might be.
Those comments that actually question the OP’s viewpoint are pathetically apologetic for doing so. To paraphrase several comments: “I don’t want to offend you, but he hasn’t been convicted yet. Are you really doing anything by getting rid of his books? You already paid for them, so it’s not going to hurt him financially. Sorry if this was rude.”
WHY THE FUCK are you apologizing for questioning something that’s clearly fucking ridiculous? You have a viewpoint. You don’t need to apologize to someone whose viewpoint you disagree with. That’s called disagreement. It used to happen all the time without the need to apologize.
What the fuck happened to us?
Cannot agree with you more on this, Keith. It seems our current society has given up thinking for themselves and is content to let “influencers” (I.e. media-savvy fucktards) make their decisions for them. Put down the smartphone, emerge blinking into the light (like Mole from The Wind in the Wiilows) and try making some informed decisions of your own, rather than regurgitating the ill-informed opinions of some spotty little oik sitting in front of their computer with a box of tissues.
I enjoy Neil Gaiman’s work, I still re-read Watten Ellis’ comics. Does this mean I condone their behaviour (alleged or otherwise)? Of course not.
As for the OP, if they really need to seek advice from their online “friends”, perhaps I should look them up. I have some prime arable farmland in the Everglades that I need to shift, along with several famous London landmarks that I’d be prepared to offer for a very reasonable price…
I’m just so fucking sick of this shit. If someone does something shitty, they should face the consequences for it. That doesn’t include erasing everything they’ve ever done from history. That doesn’t help society. Would society be better off without the works of Poe? Twain? Ellison? Fuck that shit. Condemn the person, not the work; and condemn them once they’ve ACTUALLY BBEN FOUND GUILTY, for fuck’s sake. This asshole wears their LOOK at ME shit proudly. “Please help me decide what to do.” Go fuck yourself, you pandering asshole.
Not you, Jeremy. The OP. Lest there be any confusion.
That is bizarre timing, as while I was away I watched an episode of Homicide Los Angeles about Phil Spector, who was a record producer, that influenced many artists and songs, that had shaped my life, as a person it turns out he was a right scumbag, and thought he could get what he wanted from people at the end of a gun. did those songs shape my life any less ? NO is he still a scumbag, YES I think society needs a wake up call, but they’re too busy starring into their phone screens !
Agreed. Phil Spector is a great example, too. Our world is full of shitty people who do terrible things who still manage to contribute to something of value to society in spite of themselves. Why take it away?