Anonymous asked: To further the discussion... How to you feel about censoring racist or anti-religous work? Spreading racist ideals through art does lead to real-world consequences


glassshard: Overtly racist and religious work most often has an agenda, and seeks to persuade. That’s really a different ballpark than artistic expression or sexual fantasy, and requires a more nuanced approach.

But I still broadly think it’s up to society to respond to artwork. Then we can discuss it, get it out in the open air. “Piss Christ” caused quite a stir but it also made us think about the simultaneously humble and sacrosanct nature of religious icons, and it was cathartic for irreligious people who are stifled by their religious communities.

Which is probably something to take into consideration when debating the relevance of particularly inflammatory work. Is it generating discussion? Is it expressing an idea in good faith? Or is it just someone being a troll?

It’s a challenge, man, no lie. Maybe we have to try and take our ego out of these discussions, or at least more closely examine why we feel personally attacked and what that means. Too often we instinctively jerk away from offensive artwork and want to tear it off the proverbial wall, shove it into a dark closet, make it go away away away. But maybe we’re not the target audience for that artwork! Maybe it’s not trying to speak to us, in particular, at all. But the people it IS speaking to, we can ask ourselves why they feel the way they do, and how we can change the world so that they stop feeling that way.

Or, we can at least know that they’re out there.

It seems to me that the best way to improve the world is to expose everyone to as much of that world as possible. Educate them to think critically about damn near everything and everyone. Question, question, question! Censorship doesn’t align with that, to me.