what is your opinion on political discussions or even just political references in the works of fiction (especially genre fiction)? Is it worth the trouble?
Is it worth it? I guess it depends on what the author wants to achieve by having political references in their work, and whether it's integral to the story. A political view in a book could spark a fire, and the author then ends up selling tons of copies because everyone wants to see what it's all about and share their own opinion about it. (Author laughs all the way to the bank.) On the other hand it could backfire, and get the author into deep doo doo.
A political view might risk sales. But excluding that very view might make the story, twee, unrealistic, or two dimensional, the book weaker and hence risk sales.
Like Robert says, if the political views in fiction are preachy .... YIKES.
Personally, I'm not offended by political views in fiction; in anything. It's just an opinion. Yes, political discussions are flammable and best left alone in places where there're interactions, like here, or like Jonny says in his golf club. I don't talk politics at work.
Should we include political discussions or views in our works of fiction?
I think it depends on how it's handled, and whether or not it's integral to the characters' journeys. (I'm thinking books about apartheid, etc. There will one day be books about someone in the midst of Brexit.) Difficult subjects will always have readers who will be offended. If the view comes across as the author's opinion it's probably more likely to offend. But if it's the opinion of a fictional character, it's just the opinion of a fictitious person and it'll be the reader's own bad / intolerance for taking offence.
I try to take responsibility and care of what I put out via my stories, and how I do it. I want my work to be for the greater good, not for the greater damage. I don't want to feed into fear, or into hatred. But I'm willing to tackle sensitive subjects, political or otherwise. I believe we need to address those things, if there's to be change in the world. If the story calls for an extreme political view, I'll cover it but in such a way it doesn't feed into the bad.
Can we not show what should be the right view by showing what's considered a wrong view? And who judges good or bad anyway?
I think it's ok to cover politics in fiction. Art can be a mirror. The moment we curb what we say in books for fear of offending someone, we're censoring free speech, and we won't be able to write a word. What are we left with? Sweet stories about pruning roses? Politics is part of how the world ticks. Some humans need to learn to be less sensitive, and stop seeing someone else's words as an attack on their entire existence. As authors, we can't mollycoddle the world. Readers need to take responsibility for their reading and accept that when they're reading something, they may not like it.
We're living in a world where it's easy to share opinions and get on a soap box/high horse (and yes, yes, I'm doing it right now too). Algorithms ensure we get re-enforcement of those opinion in the form of similar content, which in turn strengthens our standpoint into a belief that we are right. It has created that '
extreme point the world is polarized today' you mention
@Chris Yugay. A strong belief is easier to offend. Also, some people get carried away sharing how offended they are with everyone whether or not anyone listens, and some find themselves deep in the rabbit hole of offence they never even intended on going into.
I'm a strong believer in writing the stories we're called to tell as long as it's done with sensitivity, knowledge and respect, and if that's covers political subjects, great. There will always be someone who will take offence. I could write a book about bread baking and there's bound to be someone who will have an issue with how I treated the dough.
By writing we put our necks out. So be it.
We need to encourage different views. The world shouldn't have just one vista. It would be rather bland.
