On the hate against John Green
I haven’t read any of his books. Let me get that out of the way first. I also haven’t seen the movies. So, when I talk about John Green, I’m talking about the person who, with his brother, runs a host of Internet shows, services, etc, and who raised over 1.5 million dollars for vital charities last year, while bringing attention to them that very few other people with such a large platform are choosing to do.
So, I watch his internet videos. Including the most recent one about Syrian refugees.
Frankly, if you can watch that video and ones like it, and get pissed off that this white guy is saying these things, or assume that he is doing it for ally props rather than a genuine desire to make the world better, I want to know what your actual fucking problem is. Because the lives and safety and happiness of those refugees is improved by the money and awareness he has raised and that is literally infinitely more important than how you feel about the person doing that work.
If you are angry that his prominence in YA fiction has made him something of a gate keeper, I want to know what exactly you would have him do that he isn’t doing?
Should he not write YA? Should he not recommend books by female authors?
What has he done or not done that has drawn your ire, exactly? He wrote books people love and take great comfort and inspiration from. That his success has negative side effects is not his fault, nor is there anything he could do to make it not the case. What he can do to mitigate it, he is currently doing.
And seriously, if you look at John Green and see “creep” because his books are about youth and he hangs out with young people and engages with them, rather than seeing that and seeing “teacher”, unfollow me.
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