--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And against whom is this censorship…" description: "\"“And against whom is this censorship directed? By way of answer, think back to the big subcultural debates of 2011 – debates about how gritty fantasy i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/289/foz-meadows-35520_books_and-against-whom-is-this-censorship-dire_2456945.jpg" --- # And against whom is this censorship directed? By way of… ![“And against whom is this censorship directed? By way of answer, think back to the big subcultural debates of 2011 – debates about how gritty fantasy isn’t really fantasy; how epic fantasy written from the female gaze isn’t really fantasy; how women should stop complaining about sexism in comics…” quote by Foz Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/289/foz-meadows-35520_books_and-against-whom-is-this-censorship-dire_2456945.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/289/foz-meadows-35520_books_and-against-whom-is-this-censorship-dire_2456945.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/289/foz-meadows-35520_books_and-against-whom-is-this-censorship-dire_2456945.jpg) > ““And against whom is this censorship directed? By way of answer, think back to the big subcultural debates of 2011 – debates about how gritty fantasy isn’t really fantasy; how epic fantasy written from the female gaze isn’t really fantasy; how women should stop complaining about sexism in comics because clearly, they just hate comics; how trying to incorporate non-Eurocentric settings into fantasy is just political correctness gone wrong and a betrayal of the genre’s origins; how anyone who finds the portrayal of women and relationships in YA novels problematic really just wants to hate on the choices of female authors and readers; how aspiring authors and bloggers shouldn’t post negative reviews online, because it could hurt their careers; how there’s no homophobia in publishing houses, so the lack of gay YA protagonists can only be because the manuscripts that feature them are bad; how there’s nothing problematic about lots of pretty dead girls on YA covers; how there’s nothing wrong with SF getting called ‘dystopia’ when it’s marketed to teenage girls, because girls don’t read SF. Most these issues relate to fear of change in the genre, and to deeper social problems like sexism and racism; but they are also about criticism, and the freedom of readers, bloggers and authors alike to critique SFF and YA novels without a backlash that declares them heretical for doing so. It’s not enough any more to tiptoe around the issues that matter, refusing to name the works we think are problematic for fear of being ostracized. We need to get over this crushing obsession with niceness – that all fans must act nicely, that all authors must be nice to each other, that everyone must be nice about everything even when it goes against our principles – because it’s not helping us grow, or be taken seriously, or do anything other than throw a series of floral bedspreads over each new room-hogging elephant. We, all of us, need to get critical. Blog post: Criticism in SFF and YA”” [Foz Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foz-meadows/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage argues that debates over genre purity mask deeper sexism and racism, urging honest criticism over forced niceness. **In simple terms:** Calls for open critique of fantasy and YA, exposing hidden biases. Key Takeaway Speak truth, reject superficial niceness. Themes genre criticism social bias freedom of speech literary standards Mood reflective critical assertive Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - book clubs - online forums - publishing houses - author workshops - reader discussions Key Concepts cultural gatekeeping identity politics authorial responsibility Questions to Reflect On - How can we foster honest critique without hostility? - What role should readers play in shaping genre norms? A Different Perspective Criticism can alienate communities if not framed constructively. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Censorship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/censorship/) [Criticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criticism/) [Epic Fantasy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/epic-fantasy-2/) [Fear of change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear-of-change/) [Male Gaze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/male-gaze/) [Political correctness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-correctness/) [Social problems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-problems/) [Teenage girls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teenage-girls/) ## Related quotes > [“In the past few years, more and more passionate debates about the nature of SFF and YA have bubbled to the surface. Conversations about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foz-meadows/in-the-past-few-years-more-and-more-passionate-debates-about-the/) [Foz Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foz-meadows/) > [“How can so many (white, male) writers narratively justify restricting the agency of their female characters on the grounds of sexism = authenticity while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foz-meadows/how-can-so-many-white-male-writers-narratively-justify-restricting/) [Foz Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foz-meadows/) > [“We have so long been subject to external criticism that we don’t know how to react to internal criticism, because whereas the most enduring,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foz-meadows/we-have-so-long-been-subject-to-external-criticism-that-we-don-t-know/) [Foz Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foz-meadows/) > [“Politics is shit; it corrupts everything it touches...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/politics-is-shit-it-corrupts-everything-it-touches/) [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) > [“We live in the most epic of fantasy worlds.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-l-rese/we-live-in-the-most-epic-of-fantasy-worlds/) [T.L. Rese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-l-rese/) > [whether they'll write the story of my life as a tragedy or an epic fantasy... I was wondering if it was going to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/whether-they-ll-write-the-story-of-my-life-as-a-tragedy-or-an-epic/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [“What are you thinking about?" "Whether they'll write my life story as a tragedy or an epic fantasy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/what-are-you-thinking-about-whether-they-ll-write-my-life-story-as-a/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [“While I have the floor, here's a question that's been bothering me for some time. Why do so few writers of heroic or epic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/while-i-have-the-floor-here-s-a-question-that-s-been-bothering-me-for/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [“...while epic fantasy is based on the fairy tale of the just war, that’s not one you’ll find in Grimm or Disney, and most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/while-epic-fantasy-is-based-on-the-fairy-tale-of-the-just-war-that-s/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [I was not trying to write some sort of serious meditation on war and peace. 'The Grace of Kings' is meant to be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/i-was-not-trying-to-write-some-sort-of-serious-meditation-on-war-and/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [In the 'Dreamblood' books, I'm focusing more on what I like about epic fantasy: the layering and depth of tension; the chance to really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin-2/in-the-dreamblood-books-i-m-focusing-more-on-what-i-like-about-epic/) [N. K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin-2/) > [If Robert Benchley and Dorothy Parker had teamed up to write epic fantasy, something like Split Heirs might have resulted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dechancie/if-robert-benchley-and-dorothy-parker-had-teamed-up-to-write-epic/) John DeChancie > [When I was thirteen years old, I didn't exactly discover epic fantasy on my own. I acquired it as a social defence mechanism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tansy-rayner-roberts/when-i-was-thirteen-years-old-i-didn-t-exactly-discover-epic-fantasy/) [Tansy Rayner Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tansy-rayner-roberts/) > [“As I stated earlier, I do not believe there is anything inherently wrong with even the most overused elements of epic fantasy. Magic swords,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-austin/as-i-stated-earlier-i-do-not-believe-there-is-anything-inherently/) Alec Austin > [My first three manuscripts were epic fantasy - like high fantasy - and then the fourth one was a historical fantasy about Mozart as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-lu/my-first-three-manuscripts-were-epic-fantasy-like-high-fantasy-and/) [Marie Lu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-lu/) ## More by Foz Meadows > [“everything in our culture tells men and boys to avoid any interest, activity or community dominated by women - and when article after article…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foz-meadows/everything-in-our-culture-tells-men-and-boys-to-avoid-any-interest/) [Foz Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foz-meadows/) > [“Context is everything in both narrative and real life, and while the accusation is never that these creators deliberately set out to discriminate against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foz-meadows/context-is-everything-in-both-narrative-and-real-life-and-while-the/) [Foz Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foz-meadows/) > [“We have so long been subject to external criticism that we don’t know how to react to internal criticism, because whereas the most enduring,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foz-meadows/we-have-so-long-been-subject-to-external-criticism-that-we-don-t-know/) [Foz Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foz-meadows/) > [“How can so many (white, male) writers narratively justify restricting the agency of their female characters on the grounds of sexism = authenticity while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foz-meadows/how-can-so-many-white-male-writers-narratively-justify-restricting/) [Foz Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foz-meadows/) > [“It's a hat," said Jess. Manx stretched. "Yes." "A hat with - just to be clear - a lizard on it. A real, dead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foz-meadows/it-s-a-hat-said-jess-manx-stretched-yes-a-hat-with-just-to-be-clear-a/) [Foz Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foz-meadows/) > [“For centuries, no one was concerned that books weren’t girl-friendly, because no one really cared if girls read; but even so, we persisted for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foz-meadows/for-centuries-no-one-was-concerned-that-books-weren-t-girl-friendly/) [Foz Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foz-meadows/) > [“Never having experienced inequality, therefore, the majority of straight white men will be absolutely oblivious to their own advantages – not because they must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foz-meadows/never-having-experienced-inequality-therefore-the-majority-of/) [Foz Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foz-meadows/) > [“it strikes me that the writers most deeply concerned with the state of literary fiction and its biases against women could do a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foz-meadows/it-strikes-me-that-the-writers-most-deeply-concerned-with-the-state/) [Foz Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foz-meadows/) > [“As a fantasist, I well understand the power of escapism, particularly as relates to romance. But when so many stories aimed at the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foz-meadows/as-a-fantasist-i-well-understand-the-power-of-escapism-particularly/) [Foz Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foz-meadows/) > [“Something that’s bothered me for a while now is the current profligacy in YA culture of Team Boy 1 vs Team Boy 2 fangirling.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foz-meadows/something-that-s-bothered-me-for-a-while-now-is-the-current/) [Foz Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foz-meadows/) > [“In the past few years, more and more passionate debates about the nature of SFF and YA have bubbled to the surface. Conversations about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foz-meadows/in-the-past-few-years-more-and-more-passionate-debates-about-the/) [Foz Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foz-meadows/) > [“True, life is complex. But so are a great many accidents.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foz-meadows/true-life-is-complex-but-so-are-a-great-many-accidents/) [Foz Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foz-meadows/) [Explore all 13 Foz Meadows quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foz-meadows/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“And against whom is this censorship directed? By way of answer, think back to the big subcultural debates of 2011 – debates about how gritty fantasy isn’t really fantasy; how epic fantasy written from the female gaze isn’t really fantasy; how women should stop complaining about sexism in comics because clearly, they just hate comics; how trying to incorporate non-Eurocentric settings into fantasy is just political correctness gone wrong and a betrayal of the genre’s origins; how anyone who finds the portrayal of women and relationships in YA novels problematic really just wants to hate on the choices of female authors and readers; how aspiring authors and bloggers shouldn’t post negative reviews online, because it could hurt their careers; how there’s no homophobia in publishing houses, so the lack of gay YA protagonists can only be because the manuscripts that feature them are bad; how there’s nothing problematic about lots of pretty dead girls on YA covers; how there’s nothing wrong with SF getting called ‘dystopia’ when it’s marketed to teenage girls, because girls don’t read SF. Most these issues relate to fear of change in the genre, and to deeper social problems like sexism and racism; but they are also about criticism, and the freedom of readers, bloggers and authors alike to critique SFF and YA novels without a backlash that declares them heretical for doing so. It’s not enough any more to tiptoe around the issues that matter, refusing to name the works we think are problematic for fear of being ostracized. We need to get over this crushing obsession with niceness – that all fans must act nicely, that all authors must be nice to each other, that everyone must be nice about everything even when it goes against our principles – because it’s not helping us grow, or be taken seriously, or do anything other than throw a series of floral bedspreads over each new room-hogging elephant. We, all of us, need to get critical. Blog post: Criticism in SFF and YA”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Foz Meadows" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foz-meadows/and-against-whom-is-this-censorship-directed-by-way-of-answer-think/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foz-meadows/and-against-whom-is-this-censorship-directed-by-way-of-answer-think/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/289/foz-meadows-35520_books_and-against-whom-is-this-censorship-dire_2456945.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/289/foz-meadows-35520_books_and-against-whom-is-this-censorship-dire_2456945.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/289/foz-meadows-35520_books_and-against-whom-is-this-censorship-dire_2456945.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“And against whom is this censorship directed? By way of answer, think back to the big subcultural debates of…” — Foz Meadows", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Foz Meadows", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foz-meadows/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“And against whom is this censorship...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foz-meadows/and-against-whom-is-this-censorship-directed-by-way-of-answer-think/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foz-meadows/and-against-whom-is-this-censorship-directed-by-way-of-answer-think/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```