Should Authors Be Politically Correct?

I was chatting with someone tonight, and it brought to mind a post I’d written at some point…but never posted. It was a surprise to find that it’s been sitting in my drafts folder since March 31st, but here it is…

Should authors be politically correct?

Except to say that most politicians…on both sides of the fence (and even those tap dancing on the fence)…are corrupt, I do my best to stay away from political subjects. And I’m okay with that…because I hate politics. It was created to be one thing, and has turned into something entirely different. Mainly a war between the donkeys and the elephants, all the way down the line.

I also tend to stay away from religion, too, along with most everything else that I consider important. Heaven forbid I offend someone by letting it be known I have an opinion. Any opinion.

Why? Because that’s what the ‘experts’ have shoved down our throats. We are writers. We’re allowed to have opinions in our private lives, but should never, ever share them publicly. And I agree it’s a good rule to live by. At the very least, it saves on arguments and hard feelings.

It’s sad, though, that I have to keep such a huge part of myself so very secret. There was a time when it was okay to agree to disagree. Now it’s not. If you don’t jump on the politically correct side of the fence, you’re a piranha. It’s okay for ‘those’ people to believe strongly in a cause, but they’re not okay with  others believing differently.

I don’t have to agree with the choices and beliefs of anyone else in order to like them. I believe it’s our differences that make life – and friendships – interesting. Unless, of course, they’re child or animal abusers (or something equally vile), and then I don’t care if I offend them, or anyone who might defend them. You don’t hurt kids, and you don’t hurt animals. It’s just wrong.

To be fair, I also don’t expect everyone to agree with me. What I do expect is to not be judged when I choose not to make a declaration one way or another.

Having a public opinion about controversial subjects is not my job. Writing here, and writing fiction, is my job. And I will always do my best to set a good example. But with few exceptions, I refuse to use my blog, Facebook, Twitter, or email to shove my beliefs down your throats. And if that offends anyone, I’m sorry.

A word of caution, while this song wonderfully illustrates how out of hand political correctness has become, it’s…um…rather naughty. Okay, it’s more than a little naughty, so if you’re easily offended, I strongly urge you to stop here.

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Psst! Did you hear about my new secret group on Facebook? It’s so secret you won’t be able to find it no matter how hard you look. In fact, the only people who will find it are those who have subscribed to my newsletter (http://kristykjames.net/newsletter/), and who send me an email or Facebook message letting me know they’d like to join. That way I can send an email invitation.

Why a secret group? I thought it would be a fun place to just chat and get to know one another. Yes, I’m a teenager at heart. I’ve always liked the secret clubhouse kind of thing. They always seemed so mysterious and exclusive.

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Psst again. Did you know that you can get The Daddy Pact, Someday…Maybe, and The Romance Manifesto free at these fine online bookstores? Amazon.com, iTunes Bookstore, and Barnes & Noble.

Kristy K. James-free books

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10 Responses to Should Authors Be Politically Correct?

  1. Hmmm, at first blush I wanted to say, ‘nope, I’m going to say/write/think whatever I want’, but then I thought of all the times I didn’t comment on a post because I disagreed with what the writer was saying. Or the times I refrained from posting something on FB because it *might’ve* been considered controversial. So yeah, I play the PC game. I don’t like it. Not one bit. I have opinions. Very strong ones, but they are best kept at home where it’s safe. No one will judge me at home or make me a social outcast. Or not buy my books because they don’t agree with what I’ve said. Which kind of sucks, but then maybe not. Like you said, my job isn’t to write political stuff, it’s to write fiction. I want to entertain, not preach. I just wish I could do it without someone wagging their finger in my face.

    • Kristy K. James says:

      I know. I hate that I can’t voice my opinion without risking offending someone. I won’t even ‘like’ most posts I agree with…for that same reason. I do, however, sit back and enjoy the discussions. It does sucks that it has to be this way. Sometimes I just want to ‘let my voice be heard,’ but it’s not worth the fallout. However, I can let my elected representatives hear my voice, via a telephone, so I do.

  2. Debra Kristi says:

    I am one of those that is always afraid to say anything for fear of offending someone somewhere. It’s ridiculous. Then there’s this little advice I received a while back telling me to refrain from commenting because those comments can always come back to haunt you at any point later in life. Who wants to live their life like they’re walking on eggshells? And yet, that’s the direction society has been heading for some time. Sigh.

  3. Lynn Kelley says:

    I agree that PC is out of control, and so are the politicians. It all makes me gag!

    • Kristy K. James says:

      Well…again WordPress neglected to mention that there were comments I hadn’t seen. 🙁

      Totally agree with politicians and political correctness being out of control. I join you in a collective gag-fest over it all. 🙂

  4. “If you don’t jump on the politically correct side of the fence, you’re a piranha. It’s okay for ‘those’ people to believe strongly in a cause, but they’re not okay with others believing differently.”

    This^^^^^ It is remarkable how intolerant those who claim to be tolerant are. I detest political correctness.

    • Kristy K. James says:

      Glad to hear I’m not the only one who thinks that way, Steve (and I apologize for the delay…WordPress has ceased notifying me of comments). My thoughts are the same…if I’m supposed to tolerate the beliefs of others, then they can tolerate my beliefs, too…but that’s never how it goes. I will probably be blocking a lot of people on my Facebook page during the next election…and waiting for a month after the vote to add them back. Politics seems to bring out the worst in a lot of people.

  5. Emma says:

    PC goes way too far these days. Makes most of us feel like we can’t open our mouth without having someone wagging their fingers and telling us we’re being offensive.

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