4 upvotes, 1 direct replies (showing 1)
View submission: "A Man Who Reads" from starbreaker.org
When he talks about not caring who the author is, that is a privileged position though, right?
Maybe? I don't know the guy, but while he seems to loathe right-wing ideologies he doesn't seem to have much patience for any sort of leftism that isn't about making things better for workers.
Like, the way he's framing it? He has no problem finding representation so there is no hunger or need for seeing his experience or view point on the page and is free to just follow his curiosity?
Or maybe he doesn't believe anybody can write his experience or viewpoint but him? Given how much material this guy's got up, I don't think he's got any trouble expressing his own viewpoint. I can't help but suspect that if he wants Norman Mailer or Chuck Pahlahniuk he knows where to find them.
Actually, I think he holds the very notion of representation in media in contempt. I found this bit where he explicitly talks about representation[1]:
1: http://starbreaker.org/scratch/index.html#january-2025-28
I see people talk about being represented in literature, movies, and TV, and asking me if I feel represented. But I can’t bring myself to care.
I would rather be represented in Congress than in the media. I want to know that there is at least one public official on my side, because in a democratic republic infested with populist demagogues that sort of representation actually matters. I would rather have a trade union behind me, so that I’m not getting fucked over at work.
Whether I can ‘easily’ identify with a fictional protagonist because they resemble me is irrelevant. Besides, I can see myself in any character – regardless of race, sex, gender, religion, nationality, or sexual orientation – if they possess qualities that appeal to me. Being human, nothing human is alien to me. I pity the fool who can only identify with those who closely resemble them.
He also wrote, in a post called "Literature Ain't Burger King"[2]:
2: https://starbreaker.org/grimoire/entries/literature-aint-burger-king/index.html
If you’re not happy with the fiction available, don’t bother complaining. Nobody cares, because this isn’t Burger King. If you want the story written your way, write it yourself, then publish it yourself — or be content with having written it. Nobody else can tell your story but you. Nobody else can represent you. Don’t ask them to try because if they’ve got any integrity they’re doing for themselves what you would have them do for you.
Comment by HeckelSystem at 02/03/2025 at 02:42 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I would probably say his level of spite for. . . Everything? Might not be super helpful or healthy for discussing what is good for men.
He is, by everything you've quoted, a very privileged human being, though.