Should You Stop Reading a Writer’s Works Because of Their Political Beliefs?

Is it right for political opinions to be left alone?

You’re probably just as sick of politics as I am. Yes, it’s important as it affects our lives in countless ways small and big. The problem is that it’s permeated just about every aspect of life. Anything at all can be politicised and even people can become political pawns in one way or another.

Thanks to social media and the internet, public figures, including writers, can share pretty much anything they want, including political opinions. Many well-known people aren’t afraid to spout political rhetoric, voice their thoughts on current issues and align themselves with a particular person, party or movement.

Writers, by their very nature, tend to stay out of the fray. Many of them, I find, eschew discussing politics or getting involved in topical debates; they instead prefer to keep their public content about their books or writing in general.

A lot of the time when you purchase a book, you have no idea what the author’s political beliefs are. They could be in line with your own or they could be completely different. You could be moderately political whereas the author could be extremely political or vice versa.

What about authors who make their political beliefs known? Should you stop reading whatever they’ve published because you disagree with them on certain issues? Should their political standing affect what you read?

The thing is, some people do blacklist public figures who have differing opinions, especially when those public figures politicise all manner of things.

Someone who is firmly on the right might disagree with a writer who’s decidedly on the left and decide not to buy any more of the writer’s books, despite having enjoyed them in the past.

Likewise, someone on the left could find fault with a writer whose public statements contain right-wing sentiments and decide to stop reading the writer’s book that they’re currently halfway through.

It works both ways. Some people are so passionate about politics and social issues that they don’t want to associate themselves in any way with someone who has different beliefs.

The idea behind boycotts is simple. If you’re going to pay for something (a book, a cinema ticket, an album etc.), why should you give money to someone whose political beliefs are different from your own?

Even though your own contribution to a public figure’s wealth is minimal in the grand scheme of things, you may still decide not to purchase anything the person offers because you don’t want to fund the lifestyle of someone who’s politically different from you.

Is this something I would do? No, it’s not. I’m going to consume whatever media I like regardless of the creator’s political alignment or public statements.

If a book appeals to me, I’m going to read it regardless of whether the author is on the left, on the right, somewhere in the middle or has never publicly spoken about politics.

It doesn’t matter and it shouldn’t matter. The world is divisive enough as it is. We shouldn’t be disregarding people’s efforts because they have opinions that don’t match ours. We should give writers (and other public figures) a chance to make a success of themselves.

Another point to make is that even if a writer is vocal online about political matters, their books might be completely apolitical. Their written works could abstain from mentioning any sort of political issue or making a comment on any sort of current debate.

Ultimately, I believe people of all backgrounds and beliefs should be able to come together and discuss politics in a sensible, respectful way. Give each other time to speak and if you end up agreeing to disagree, so be it. At least you’ve listened to each other.

I don’t think you should let a writer’s political opinions influence your decision to read their works. If you start doing this, you’ll find yourself blocking off more and more writers and could miss out on reading books that you might actually enjoy and benefit from.

We should be tolerant of people’s political beliefs even if they’re completely different from our own. People harp on about diversity; surely diversity of opinion is to be respected as much as anything?

Not everything should be politicised. You should be able to enjoy books without having to take the beliefs and opinions of authors into account. Don’t allow politics to seep into every aspect of your life. Make a stand and prevent politics from affecting your decisions regarding authors and books.

When deciding on something to read, don’t think of a writer’s political leanings or public statements; if you’re reading something, don’t suddenly stop because the writer has said or done something you disagree with.