Warning: Political Post Ahead or The OSR has Political Parties?

 

So, color me ignorant, but I was cruising through posts on an OSR group, when I ran across one blasting three names I wasn't familiar with. It was a short, sweet blast to the effect of F this guy, that guy and this guy too. Reading through the comments failed to bring forth any real explanation, though some were asking for one. I did notice in the comments that others decried other individuals names, and it became clear as I read that some of the names they were vilifying were people I know and respect in what I would call the OSR community. There were some comments shared from conversations on other platforms as proof, reason, or evidence of these later mentioned names and their alleged crimes. The evidence was largely of the nature of political disagreements, pro Trump support, anti-socialist statements, etc. 

Now, I am an avowed political moderate, at least I consider myself moderate. I am not affiliated with either party and vote as an independent. I have voted on both sides of the aisle. I am also not super politically active. I try to stay relatively well informed (hard to do in today's age) listen to NPR, BBC, read the Times, the Wall Street Journal (mostly online) and the Salt Lake Tribune (I'm from Utah). I am religious, but what those in my faith might call liberal in my theology--which is why I stay quiet most Sundays :-). I am pro gun rights, but support more restrictions to gun ownership. I support actions to preserve, balance and restore the environment, but am supportive of well managed land use involving hunting, recreation and farming. I believe in climate change and feel we need to take strong action to reverse human induced warming trends. I tend to be fairly libertarian in regards to social issues, and believe most personal choices should be left with the person making the choice. I'll admit I struggle with how to handle termination of pregnancies, but do not claim to know the right/best decision on if/how the government should be involved on that count. For that reason I leave that choice in the hands of the woman making the decision. 

But ... and this is a big but, it is mine after all. I think the system is really, really big. We individually have very little pull anymore. I believe in voting, and think it is critical. I wish I had more time and motivation to get out there and be politically active. I have friends who have, some ardently so. And in almost all cases it leads to heart break and disappointment. I know one who ended up in therapy and medicated because of it. Politics, or the dynamics of power, is an ugly, messy business. Some call it a necessary evil. Most of the time it just seems evil. And admittedly, with the quote ringing in my ears “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing,” I tend to busy myself with other matters. I certainly don't risk friendships over such things.

But the sad fact is that in this huge megalithic system we live in, we feel so powerless to change things that we often resort to yelling louder than everybody else. The whole squeaky wheel phenomenon I suppose. If we can get enough people mad about something then change will occur. And this isn't  always wrong. Just sure can be toxic. But then I suppose some people feel that war is justified when the currently existing circumstances are too toxic to put up with.

However, I'm not going to choose or not choose something based on the politics of someone who made it. From Mists of Avalon to Judges Guild, I buy products because I like them, not necessarily the people who create them. Most of the time I barely know them, let alone their politics or personal proclivities. 

Now, some argue that their creations are unavoidably contaminated by their creator's sins or contrary views. I suppose this could be true. But isn't this just human. Whatever you say about Lovecraft, his works weren't a political tract on pro-racism stances. Marion Zimmer Bradley wasn't writing a how-to book on pedophilia or BDSM in Mists. And Gygax was writing a mysoginistic treatise. And I personally never read them as such. Now, was Lovecraft racist, seems likely. Was Gygax mysoginistic--I don't really think so, but he certainly was a product of his time; as was Lovecraft. And was Bradley complicit in some heinous activities on the part of her husband--the evidence isn't greatly in her favor. But let's go back some more ... was Lincoln a racist? Given the views of his day I am sure he was very progressive, but he was still a product of his time. What about Ghandi? Who happens to sleep with young girls to test his chastity? Or was Jesus perhaps a little too Jewish in who refusing to teach those outside of his religion? How many stones do we want to throw? 

I personally believe we can grow personally and as a people. And yes, there are certainly bigots out there who defend racism, mysogyny and other forms of prejudice and deserve to be rightly called out for it. But I personally refuse to throw the baby out with the bathwater. We are all human, and we are not any one view we express at a certain time. We are more than that. And where judgment is leveled, judgment is sure to come.