Finished Stephen King's latest book Holly today. I love the character, I think this is his fourth book she's in, though this is the first novel where she's the main character.
The book is set in 2021-2022 and he wrote it in 2021. So Covid features as almost another character.
It's weird. Books and TV shows that are in that timeline, and are supposed to be in "our" world that have to deal with Covid are jarring in a way. But in another way it's weird when it doesn't. Like the last story that featured Holly was a short story set in December 2020 but he wrote it in 2019 so he had no idea what was coming. Reading that and following dates it was odd as well. It was like, nope, she wouldn't be doing any of that because you couldn't.
And this time it was weird reading it because some of the things we thought back then we don't really think anymore and some of the worst of the pandemic things we'd all like to not think about. Like how every conversation seemed to be about Covid in one way or another. And how just wearing a mask in public was seen as some sort of political statement.
After I finished and marked it as read on Goodreads I checked out the reviews.
And people were pissed.
How dare he push the idea that people should get vaccinated and wear masks! Holly is a hypochondriac and the story starts with her mother dying from Covid. Of course she was going to be really careful about masking and space and vaccines. But King dared to talk about it. A lot. Because that's the way it was in 2021 and 2022.
He also isn't a Trump fan. His account on what was Twitter was clear on that. And he has some characters that are not Trump fans. To be fair he has some that are as well. But his personal opinion is fairly clear and some of his characters share that opinion. And there are so many people who are NEVER going to read him again because of it.
Well, I'm sure he's very upset about that. I mean struggling writers need all the readers that they can get...
But there was a lot of bluster about how artists need to keep their politics out of their work. That they read to escape the real world, the don't want it in their escapism.
I so disagree with that.
I mean, I get it. Even agreeing with King's politics it was a bit much. I'd like to get back to a place where we don't think about the virus constantly (even though right now you should be paying attention because there is another surge happening with the new strain) and I'd love to get back to a place where Trump is irrelevant. But I don't get to dictate what other people want to talk about, write about, sing about.
A few years ago I had a disagreement with two friends on Facebook about this. (to be fair I disagree with people about this all the time, it's just this one stuck out) That if you go to a concert the artist shouldn't talk politics. It's about the songs, not about their beliefs. I so fully disagree with that. If you just want to hear their music without the banter listen to it at home, not live. Your ticket does not pay for them silencing their opinion. The reason why it stuck out to me is that they are very much opposite politically but both think the "shut up and sing" model should be followed. And they both sort of decided since they agreed with each other I should admit I was wrong.
Well...
No.
Entertainment can be politics free or politically filled. You don't have to see artists that don't match your views. There are quite a few singers I'd never pay to go see. That's the only place I get to decide. I don't get to tell them to not talk, I just don't have to pay to listen.
I don't get to tell King to shush about Covid and Trump already. I just don't have to buy his books. And apparently a lot of people won't anymore. Though his politics have almost always had an underlying vibe in his books so it's weird that you wouldn't expect it. But that is the Trumpinization of things. They probably would have been fine if the only Trump mention was the owner of the bowling alley talking about the Democrats stealing the election, but one bad word about him and well, they aren't going to sit with you anymore.
I feel that way about people who talk positively about him, so I get it.
And even though I think it's weird that you wouldn't expect it from King, I also don't think it's a wrong stance to take that you aren't going to read his stuff anymore.
That's the choice you get to make.
The choice you don't get to make is his choice to do it or not. He gets to decide what and how he speaks about things. Even Covid and Trump.
But I am looking forward to a time where we don't speak about either one anymore, because they aren't causing major damage anymore.
Fingers crossed it comes soon.
No comments:
Post a Comment