So I've never read a John Green book, probably never will as they're not my cup of tea in terms of plot, and I would like to see him as a generally decent guy who is unfortunately shit at PR. What is your view on him - and his works objectively speaking (or as objectively as you can).
*I tried to be really objective but by the end I think Iām just mad. I hope this helps nonetheless*
The first John Green book that I read was Looking for Alaska, in what must have beenā¦2007?2008? I definitely know that I got it as a Christmas present from one of my good friends. I wouldāve been 14/15 years old depending on when I got it, although I honestly canāt remember. But you knowāI liked it.Ā
As with most (if not all) of his books, I was a part of the target audience: young white girls. I think that YA fiction is awesome, and has a lot of potential, but what I find with John Greenās stuff is that it justā¦doesnāt cut it. I think that accessing the minds of our youth is really important, and I think fiction and literature specifically are really important for that. And I think that, across the board, heās not concerned about the impact his books have on that front. (My less objectively point of view is that he should you his MASSIVE audience for better causes, but thatās mostly me getting red in the face and ranting about him after a bottle of wine so~).
The worst part about him being, imo, a total knob is that, you know, heās not a terrible guy. Heās passionate, and not overtly harmful. He seems to donate a fair share, and he spreads knowledge for good causes, etc. I havenāt done any googling on that front, but Iām sure he must. Iāve seen tweets and gifs of him talking about Make A Wish Foundation or something?? Like: heās not the worst.
I just really, really, really donāt like him or how he handles, like, anything. Heās quick to defend and late to apologize. Not that yfip is a good example for anything, but Iām almost certain he wouldnāt have batted an eye at his comments about ānerd girls" if their post hadnāt caught like fire. He reminds me of people I know who are like Schrƶdingerās misogynists (will make a vilifying, sexist comment when in a group, and claim is as a joke depending on how people react). I donāt think heās intentionally a bad person, just that maybe he (or specifically, his writing) suffers from a bit of Nice Guy Syndrome.Ā
Heās a rich, American, white guy so, I mean, none of it surprises me. I know heās defintely used [slur warning] ātr***yā before, and one of his books, I think itās Paper Towns but it could be An Abundance of KatherinesĀ descirbes a girl as āskinny ambercrombie kind of hotā and says something like āitās the worst kind of hot to beāĀ ??????? Just like. I donāt knowā¦his stuff is so obviously written by a striaght white dude that it can becomeā¦difficult to get through. But, and hereās my biggest problem: I get why young people like it. I do. I so get it. Itās mainstream and itās emotional and itās loveĀ !11!!!1!Ā !!!! Teenagers, generally, are angsty and lonely and usually confused and stressed, so I see the appeal. This is the issue: that people are drawn to it DESPITE its flaws. I wish that writing with better representation/messages/relevancy drew in the kind of readership that his books seem to do. Like, at one point in time, it was cool, and not likeā¦ some weird version of pretension to want to read stuff like To Kill A Mockingbird, or A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, or Jane Eyre, or Brave New World, or 1984. I wish people wanted to read aboutĀ anythingĀ other than straight white teenagers getting together. Itās BORING. Heās written..what? 6 novels? or co-written?? Iām not sure. But theyāre pretty predictable and basic. They are the YA fiction version of Tom Cruise movies. They are making too much money considering they feel like they were pulled out of white Americaās garbage can.Ā
The kicker, for me, to throw my opinion from distaste/casual disappointment into deep dislike and blatant mockery definitely came along with the āwhen was the last timeā comment that he made, or whatever, but this tweet really finalized it all for me. Like. I wish this dude was just retched at PR. I wish.
Look: I get that generally young people on the internet are socially aware, and that, yeah, most of the public wouldnāt read into the misogyny present in most of his stories. But thatās THE THING. People are not taught about it enough: definitely not when their minds are impressionable, not when itās easy and free, and not when the only thing their peers are doing is reading shit like Paper Towns. If kids were educated about sexism/misogyny, then they would pick up on; but how it stands, books like his are whatās main stream because CAPITALISM is a part of the KYRIARCHY, and John Greenās books selling is a key example of how the Kyriarchy works. His books being misogynistic wonāt matter (definitely not to him, which uh, sucks?) so long as they make money. Being mad doesnāt make you better, and pointing out that heās an ass just makes you cranky, and as such you just be like millions of othersābe complacent in your own degradation because, you know, itās fiction.
