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I recently clicked on a blog link on Twitter, by recently I mean literally 15 minutes ago. And what I found there prompted me to write this blog.
The name of the blog and the author will remain unmentioned, but I imagine I am not the first person to fall into this conumdrum.
Lurking in said blog were powerful moving poems, words that clung to one another and screamed epic bard song. And I was taken with them. And I wish I had stopped there.
Alas I ventured further into the new literary world of words, only to stumble upon another writing that although it was extremely hard to do I read three times. The basic underlying story was wonderful, the plot, the theme, the everything was wonderful, EXCEPT littered about on almost every line sat multitudes of harsh curse words and racial slang. How could someone write such deep, moving things and follow them up with 32 uses of the "N" word.
I understand there is a global arguement over the use of this particular word and many are confused on if or when it is okay to use it. As noted in the Gwyneth Paltrow upset. I say it's never okay, others say there's a place for it. That debate is neither here not there for this post. What I am really trying to grasp at was how torn I was over the literary work. I loved the short story, I hated and was repulsed by every other word of it. I left a comment on the post, in a wild attempt to explain my feelings, I simply stated I loved the authors work, found it inspirational and had enjoyed this particular short story but was saddened by the language choices in it. Am I crazy? Am I wrong? When is it art and when is it just ugly slang words? Can a story be told and be as moving or dramatic without harsh language? Does it reach the right audience with it or the wrong ones without it. Is it worth the ones it turns away for the ones that will stand and applaud it? I have no idea. I was hoping maybe you did! LEt me know how you feel about racial/abusive/or demeaning language in books.
Thanks for coming by! Always glad to have you.




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