#pro rr

When people call Rick out on mistakes that he’s made, he apologizes, thanks them, and corrects it. The most recent example of this is the whole thing with Muslims not showering during Ramadan. How rare is it to see a content creator of any kind to listen and try harder when confronted with something they did wrong? I don’t think that any stereotyping or stigmatization was intentional on Ricks part, isn’t that all that matters? The Intention. His intention was to help poc, lgbt, and neurodivergent kids see themselves and accept themselves, and he screwed up a lot on the way. And in my opinion, that’s okay. As long as he continues learning and trying to be better. What he meant is the real testament to his character, but how people interpret it is what leads people who criticize him to believe what they do, and they’re entitled to their own opinion and all that. As Rick said in the quote below, what the people actually read is what’s important to them. I’ll leave you with this quote from his Stonewall Award speech, that I think sums this up.

I’m not saying it was okay for Rick Riordan to appropriate Ancient Greek religion and claim them for America. But if you think Riordan was the first author ever to treat Greek mythology as some “common Western heritage”, then you haven’t been paying attention to any American literature in the past century. (Also it’s worth pointing out that the whole “Western Civilization” constraint was invented all the way in the first book, which was published literal decades ago. Even if Riordan listened to you, it would be hard to change now.)