I used to belong to a group of comic book creators called the Southwest Society of Comic Book Creators.
It was a cool thing while it lasted, with a large group of creators sharing tips, tricks, and just hanging out.
Sometime in the early 90s, there was a meeting of Southwest comic book creators–mainly Texas comic book creators.
We met in Pflugerville, at Bill Willingham’s studio at the time.
Bill was kind enough to open a warehouse where he and a partner worked to a packed house of comic book creators.
Later, my wife and I sat beside Bill at a small comic book convention in Cleburne, Texas; we bumped into him at other conventions. Every time we chatted with him, he was more than cordial–supportive of those around him without any pretension.
In short, from everything I’ve seen, Bill’s a very cool guy.
Enter Politics
Recently, in reply to the killing of Osama bin Laden, Bill said some things on Twitter that caused a loyal reader to stop following him and buying his stuff.
It got me thinking: how much does a writer’s political leanings matter to you as a reader?
Because Bill leans right, should those on the left refuse to support him? (Even if he’s worked on a comic book with uber-liberal retired Marine, Brian Denham?)
The New England Liberal
After John Cheever, the first serious fiction I read was John Irving.
Anybody who knows anything about me knows I love John Irving’s writing.
Anybody who knows anything about Irving knows he’s very liberal.
Hear this: I’m also an unabashed liberal. By that, I mean I’m an old-school liberal.
I don’t own a gun, but I don’t care if you do. I grew up reading Mike Royko, a through-and-through Chicago liberal who was quite a curmudgeon and didn’t give a shit if he offended anybody with his views.
I don’t care what people do in their bedrooms; I don’t care what you smoke, inject, or swallow. I don’t eat animals, but I don’t care if you do. I’m a life-long atheist, but most of my friends are Christians and I’m cool with that.
I think if multiple divorcees like Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich can have the right to marry again, gay people should have the same rights afforded to me and the only woman I’ve ever been with. (My wife and I are coming up on 19 years together…much better than the marriages of Rush and Newt.)
Don’t buy into the neocon’s branding of liberal.
In general, I’ll leave you the hell alone if you afford me the same courtesy.
Back to Irving
Next to Robert Olmstead’s A Trail of Heart’s Blood Wherever We Go, Irving’s A Prayer for Owen Meany is one of my favorite books.
It might be my favorite book were it not for his blatant injection of politics.
If you’re not familiar with the book, it’s written by a narrator who occasionally leaps from the story to criticisms about Ronald Reagan’s politics.
While I was no fan of Reagan and even agree with Irving’s points, the political commentary served no point in the story.
It detracted from the story, even though I agreed with the sentiment.
Back to Bill Willingham
Do I care that Bill is conservative?
Not really.
A mutual friend, Mark Finn, is close friends with Bill, and if the mighty Mark Finn is friends with Bill, that’s good enough for me.
I grew up playing Dungeons and Dragons–I ran plenty modules supported by Willingham’s art.
Some of my favorite comic books when I really got into comic books? Willingham’s The Elementals.
I don’t read comic books as much as I once did (a matter of finances and–especially–space), but I dig the Fables stuff Bill’s done.
So…does a writer’s politics matter?
Generally, I don’t agree with Willingham’s politics, but I like the stuff he’s done.
I don’t care that he and I don’t see eye to eye on some of our views; I’ll still buy the stuff he creates.
Bill isn’t evil; he’s not channeling all the money he’s received from my back pocket to fund a right-wing agenda.
So really, I couldn’t care less about his political leanings.
I wouldn’t buy something written by a radical homophobe or truly evil person, but Bill Willingham is none of those things.
So over the years, some of the dinners he’s consumed were indirectly on my dime and I’m fine with that.
What About You
Does a writer’s politics sway your view of them and their writing?
Speaking of Liberals…
This has nothing to do with anything, really, but the new Beastie Boys album? It will get a lot of play while I write in coming months…
Speaking of Writing Blogs
Okay, so I said nothing about writing blogs, and it hasn’t been updated for a very long time, but The Clockwork Storybook blog (which Willingham contributed to) is still full of good writing advice, so check it out.
I know my “politics” have gotten me unfollowed, but I’m one of those people who don’t care how many people follow me, as long as I’m being true to myself and my opinions. Sure, getting followers is nice, but sharing what you believe is true and important is nicer.
The instances where I have been aware of a fellow writer’s politics via Twitter have been few and far between. And that’s only been when they retweeted an animal rights or a LGBT rights tweet of mine. A few more times I’ve been aware of a writer’s political leanings via their blog posts (such as this one) or blog comments. There’s only been one instance in which I was offended- by an anti-LGBT comment a writer left on another writer’s blog. I tweeted the link to the post with a morose descriptor. Yes, I am outspoken.
The author of the post (not the comment) direct messaged me, and we ended up having a nice conversation via email in which I explained scientifically why LGBTs are as necessary in this world as straights are.
Whenever I see the avatar of the writer who left the anti-LGBT comment, I am reminded. But given the chance, I would *not* speak to him directly about his homophobia because his homophobia religion-based, and I know from experience that is usually a losing battle. Would I ever buy his books? No. I probably wouldn’t be able to read them without clenching my jaw.
Thanks for letting me vent.
And thanks for sharing a bit about yourself- in this post, your other posts, and on Twitter. I feel like I actually kinda know you now. 🙂
CMS,
I definitely agree that it’s important to stay true to oneself. I have conservative friends who respect me, and I respect them. Those same friends have bumped into liberals they haven’t particularly liked, just as I’ve bumped into conservatives I didn’t like.
Politics would matter if I knew the person on the other end gave large amounts of money to a cause I didn’t agree with. If they were an author fueled by hatred for others–I wouldn’t buy their books. And I tend to avoid political discussions because I’ve come to see that rarely does anything change. If one is inclined to argue, I think their time is better spent giving time to their cause instead of going in circles online.
In Willingham’s case, while he’s conservative, he believes in science and personal freedoms. So even though there are things he believes that I may not agree with, I will buy his stuff when I’m inclined. Were he a homophobic, neoconservative person who ranted all the time, I wouldn’t.
Maybe for me it comes down to one’s volume. I’ve been turned off by some vegetarians and vegans, even though I’ve been right there with them. And I’ve definitely been turned off by the people who got mad at me because they couldn’t convert me to their god.
I guess it comes down to a person’s intent. If they are out to force an agenda, or they hate people for no other reason that they are who they are and believe the government should prevent them from having certain rights…I’m not going to like that person. But if they’re like some of my conservative friends who may have different beliefs than me, but respect others and don’t feel that everything they have to say must be said LOUDLY, we get along.
It’s the same thing with writers. If their beliefs are totally opposite of mine and they inject it in their writing, I’m not a fan. While I generally agree with John Irving’s politics and look up to the guy’s writing, sometimes when he injects his views into his work it pulls me out and takes away from an otherwise perfect story. So it’s not even that I just don’t like people who have different beliefs and throw them into their writing.
My philosophy as an atheist is I get one shot at life because there’s no after life. I would rather spend my time striving to be happy than arguing. I work toward things I love because there’s no bigger thing giving my life purpose; it’s up to me to be kind and happy and give my existence meaning. In the last novel I wrote, some of my favorite characters are Christian. There are atheists and a vegetarian. Not there to push any agenda on either side–it’s just a reflection of what I see in the world: decent people of different backgrounds getting along.
Maybe some people think everything is bad out there because it’s easier to fall into a black and white mindset than to really take the time to get to know people better and focus on the things we agree on. Granted, there are always going to be those on any side of an issue who are so extreme that it’s like talking to a wall, but I get along with some people who have very different beliefs than I have.
So I tend to be okay with writers with different views unless, as you pointed out, they are coming from a hateful position.
And when I mentioned the cyclic nature of arguing online, that’s not to say that discussions shouldn’t happen (I’ve had discussions with quite a few people with differing views than me)…it’s directed more at the people who feel the need to proclaim their position on every little thing and then spend the day having the same arguments with the same people.
If after time things are still the same, I think one’s time is better spent actually being active for their cause (instead of just griping all the time), or focus on something that doesn’t make them so stressed.
I don’t even get Irving’s injection of politics in A Prayer for Owen Meany, other than he wanted to rant. It seemed rather futile to me, even though I agree with many of the points he made. Were somebody with a more conservative view to do a similar thing, even if it was a good story, I’d probably put the book down, or skip the politics. (Once I caught on that Irving was using his narrator as a mouthpiece in places in A Prayer for Owen Meany, I skimmed those parts to find my way back to the story.)
You explained my stance when you explained Irving’s commentary. Blatant political commentary in fiction serves no purpose if it’s not a part of the story. I’m very much “to each his own” until people start being pundits. Some can insert their perspectives in a tactful manner, but unfortunately, most cannot.
Tammy,
In an early draft of the novel I finished last summer, there was a fundamentalist Christian preacher. The main character didn’t like the guy. Eventually, he came to find some common ground with him and felt for the guy (he’d lost his wife).
I didn’t want to portray the preacher as a stereotype. He was definitely true to his beliefs and not somebody I would choose to be around, but he wasn’t a bad guy.
You’re right: once you become a pundit in your fiction, you lose me…even if I agree with your politics.
As you know, I’m a life-long atheist too, but have been heavily influenced by Christian culture (school, friends, church work). So it’s no surprise (at least not to me) that Christianity is a major theme in my novels. I probably have opinions about organized religion that are more extreme than yours are, and am outspoken in “real life.” So I’ve made a great effort to portray my fictional Christian characters with respect. I don’t deify them or any of my characters- I’m a psychological horror writer. I write my Christian characters as how I see them in the “real world”- as people, just like most anybody else, trying to be good and have good lives. People who are flawed and struggling, but who are capable of love and compassion.
Good blog Chris. Does a writer’s politics sway my view of a writer or his/her works? Generally no.
Personally I think of myself as a libertarian, which means that I piss off the left and the right equally. Unfortunately for me none of the people I vote for ever win. But I don’t view my own political persuasion as a major part of who I am. If I was to itemize the attributes that make me “Mike” in order of how much they influence who I am, my political leanings would be in the bottom half. I know for some it’s the opposite, and in fact for some it’s right at the top.
In this age of social media where people who admire what you do can actually “follow” you and see your very thoughts as you lay them out the instant you write them down, I don’t think it should be surprising if someone stops following you if you put out a thought or idea that challenges or runs counter to the things that they may most identify with.
For example, near the top of my list of things that make me “Mike” is “daddy”. There isn’t much in my life more important to me than being the best daddy I can be. Now if you wrote a blog next week that was anti-daddy, I might take offense to it. Since I’ve known you such a long time my reaction might be to initiate a conversation about it to see if there was something that flew over my head. But If I didn’t know you, I might just unsubscribe since the reasons I chose to follow you in the first place didn’t include having the things that have the most influence on who I am insulted.
In summary of all that rambling, some people are shaped by their political leanings way more than others.
Mike,
Thanks for checking out the blog!
I definitely have quite a few libertarian leanings. And while I definitely have my opinions, I’m not very political (at least–as you mention–to the point that I let it define me). I choose to let my actions define me, and I suppose that some of those actions cross into politics, but over everything, I just want to be a decent person: a good husband, son, friend, and person you bump into on the street who’d lend you a hand, regardless of political leanings or anything else.
So unless a writer is making something blatantly political, it doesn’t bother me. Thinking about it, the politics that bother me the most in fiction come from John Irving, one of my favorite writers and someone with whom I agree with on many points.
Unless you’re writing a book where politics are part of the point, I’ve never seen a reason to push an agenda.
Just tell a good story and I’m there…
Thanks Mr Gronlund. I revisited Owen Meany, perhaps for the 3rd or 4th time since it’s publication and for whatever reason, the Reagan bashing really got to me. Enough so, that I cruised around and found this site. Right or wrong, Reagan was for me, the first political figure that actually inspired me to take notice of political matters in a far less myopic manner. My vintage is “57”, so I’ve been around awhile. This time around, while reading Owen, I just couldn’t figure out Irving’s angle (one of my very favorite authors) other than just bitching. It added nothing other than distraction, from a great novel. So again, thanks for this site and allowing me to get that off my recently congested chest!
Thanks for the reply, RB. To this day, Irving’s asides about Reagan in A Prayer for Owen Meany are so jarring that even when I skip over them, just knowing they’re there…it takes something from the story. I’d go as far as saying I’ve never experienced a more jarring thing in a book, and it’s a shame that one of the better books written in the last 25 years as far as I’m concerned has such distracting interludes scattered throughout.
You’re right: it’s just Irving bitching.
I like a peek into a writer’s life. There are writers I like who have different political views than mine, but it’s no biggie for me. Unless I know the money I’m paying for the writer is being donated to a cause I’m very much against, I have no problem giving my money to somebody with different views than mine.
I’ve chatted with other friends and relatives who love A Prayer for Owen Meany. In every case, the friend or relative leans a little (and in some cases, a lot) to the left. And in every case, all agree that Irving’s rants about Reagan detract from the story. So you’re definitely not alone! 🙂