Thanks! 😊 The discussion specifically started between the shipping of Deadpool and Tom Holland’s Spiderman. So I guess the Problematic Thing initially started as age differences in relationships. It’s kind of expanded from there. I’m just trying to say that fiction shouldn’t be policed, and the idea that it “affects reality” isn’t a good reason to control content. Thanks for the blog rec, I’ll check it out!

I’m sorry it’s taken me so long, anon. I’ve been super busy this week and I haven’t really had the time to actually sit down and find things for you. I hope that this helps, though. 

Cool! Gotcha! (I’m sorry I’m going to be presumptuous and assume you’re American for this one b/c I know American legal stuff and I’m gonna be throwing some supreme court stuff at you.) 

So it’s kind of tough to actually give you sources on this topic. A lot of what I’ve found revolves around “media” in general and not fiction specifically. On top of that, things that do study specific media tend to zero in on specific topics (violent video games, romance novels with abusive or borderline abusive male leads, ect) so it’s difficult to actually approach this holistically. Fanfiction on it’s own isn’t really studied as much as I feel it should be, either, so we don’t actually have much in terms of how Problematic topics in fanfic affect those who read them. We don’t actually know how and what about fanfic might influence readers, or in what way, and all we really have at this point in anecdotal evidence which doesn’t really help if you want real sources. 

I will say, as just a bit of advice, if you’re arguing with folks on tumblr there’s probably nothing you can say to them that will change their minds if they already have a strong opinion. It doesn’t matter what ship it is, how you write it, or why you write it, if someone is really determined that some kinds of fiction just shouldn’t exist and they’re willing to throw around the “affects reality” argument in order to convince you you’re wrong, they don’t care. A lot of the arguments on tumblr aren’t actually about principles, they’re about ship wars and there’s not a damn thing you can do when it comes to someone’s OTP. It’s worth keeping in mind, too, that anti-censorship is more of a principle than anything else. 

First, normalization. If you don’t have a definition of normalization already, here’s a link to the wikipedia article that gives a brief definition of what the term means in a sociological context. It’s important to note, too, that normalization isn’t something that’s done through just one channel, nor is it completely the same in every group that has it’s own culture. (For certain groups of fans it’s considered “normal” to talk about sex and sexuality as honestly and openly as one wants to. This isn’t necessarily “normal” for other groups in other contexts, however.) Normalization is a process. 

Second, fiction in general can contribute to normalization of any given thing but it’s not the sole factor. It’s difficult to find sources on this that aren’t either behind a pay wall or very small sample-size wise for just plan fiction. This link might be helpful in illustrating that, while there could be a link between violent media and aggressive behavior, the extent to which violent media actually causes violent behavior is unknown and possibly more complex than we’re equipped to study currently. It also has references to other things that might be helpful to read. Here’s an article on psychology today about the lack of a link between violent video games and violence IRL. Here’s a HuffPo article specifically about whether or not pornography leads to sexual violence (the answer is no according to the article and the study they cite). Because let’s be honest, the folks you’re going to run into are often more concerned about the sexual content of the fanfic and fiction they’re railing against. This article talks about the potential reason we’re drawn to violent media; we like the thrill without the danger. 

That psych today article on violent video games includes reference to a Supreme Court decision where the court struck down a California law that barred the sale and rental of violent video games to anyone under 18. I suggest you read the majority opinion on that case because it specifically deals with whether or not limitations should be put on whether or not children should be allowed access to violent media. I would also take a look at the US obscenity laws here .  Obscenity laws are more helpful for arguing principles than they are for the normalization arguments because that third clause in the test for whether a piece violates US law specifically takes into account literary, artistic, and political merit. This means that we can often find things absolutely repugnant, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t exist. These laws make the standard in favor of expression and not disgust. 

So now here’s the tricky thing – fiction can and does impact the real world. We can be inspired by art to make changes in our world. Seeing someone who looks like you or struggles with the same issues as you do in a fictional world can mean a lot for a lot of people. It can be inspiring or completely disheartening. Fiction can make us more empathetic, too. So yes, fiction does have an impact on us. I mean, we’ve only been telling ourselves stories for as long as we’ve been human so I don’t think it can be stated enough that it’s really a part of who we are as a species. It shapes us and we shape it. The question in my mind, though, is whether art reflects life or life reflects art. I’m of the opinion that it’s both, but we don’t tend to write or depict “problematic” things in our art out of nowhere. A lot of the things folks get bent out of shape about in fanfic happens in real life and they’re worried that somehow fic is going to make it seem “okay” if it’s a) not properly demonized or b) written about at all. (No one really complains that depicting dragons razing villages is going to cause more arson, you know?) However, the evidence doesn’t really seem to support the idea that depicting abnormal or immoral things will encourage abnormal or immoral behavior. 

I hope this helped, anon. And I hope you get many hours of enjoyment out of spideypool! Sorry for taking so long, lol.