Emily ✞ || [fallon's vrs] (writing hiatus) > Status Update

REAL

I just saw a youtube short about this and i 100% agree

yesss!!!! like write whatever you want to. but please include content warnings

YES!!!

I support this

Yes! I love when there are content warnings!

Yessss preachhhhh

Yes!!! But there needs to be a standard for the content warnings, because I’ve read books that have content warnings but they only include certain things and don’t have all the stuff I actually want to know.

yes!

This would make book buying sm easier and more fun!

PREACH

YESSSSSS

Wouldn't that make books like fake skating R?

Agnes wrote: "Wouldn't that make books like fake skating R?"

Yup

Oh.

I saw this thing where Fake Skating has like 300 smth f bombs?... do y'all think that's true?

cassie wrote: "I saw this thing where Fake Skating has like 300 smth f bombs?... do y'all think that's true?"

I didn't count when I was reading but there was a LOT. I swear Us girls need to get together and ask Lynn to write a clean book for us

Yes!! Although, I feel like these days people have such different opinions of what is “clean”

Jojo wrote: "Yes!! Although, I feel like these days people have such different opinions of what is “clean”"

PG-13 rated book at best...like no major cusses. I don't mind "smaller" or "not as bad" cusses but Lynn PLEASE stop with the worse words or terms

yessss

Agreed! I’m so sick of YA books having content that wouldn’t be in a PG-13 movie, just because it’s a book. Especially when it comes to cussing and spice!

SO TRUEEEEE
Cuz like, why is a book rated YA (which, correct me if I'm wrong, means it's geared for people around 12-18) full of tons of F-bombs and spice scenes??

Nick wrote: "SO TRUEEEEE
Cuz like, why is a book rated YA (which, correct me if I'm wrong, means it's geared for people around 12-18) full of tons of F-bombs and spice scenes??"

sexualizing the young ones 😔 there’s always an agenda behind it. Sexual perversion because purity and chastity are frowned upon in culture these days. Get ‘em while they’re young, Captain Beatty said in Fahrenheit 451, because they’re impressionable and that’s how you push an ideology or false doctrine on a society: with the next generation (as you can tell I read a lot of dystopian novels)

Emily ✞ || [fallon's vrs] (writing hiatus) wrote: "Nick wrote: "SO TRUEEEEE
Cuz like, why is a book rated YA (which, correct me if I'm wrong, means it's geared for people around 12-18) full of tons of F-bombs and spice scenes??"

sexualizing the young ones there's always an agenda behind it..."

Yep. 100%

Agreed

Emily ✞ || [fallon's vrs] (writing hiatus) wrote: "Nick wrote: "SO TRUEEEEE
Cuz like, why is a book rated YA (which, correct me if I'm wrong, means it's geared for people around 12-18) full of tons of F-bombs and spice scenes??"

sexualizing the yo..."

ngl I laughed aloud at the fahrenheit 451 quote lol

Agnes wrote: "cassie wrote: "I saw this thing where Fake Skating has like 300 smth f bombs?... do y'all think that's true?"

I didn't count when I was reading but there was a LOT. I swear Us girls need to get to..."

Yes! I want to read her books but I refuse to read that many cuss words!

Even in movies I saw a movie that was rated TV 14 and that’s only a step up from PG 13. Normally it just has deeper topics, but not this one.

Agnes wrote: "cassie wrote: "I saw this thing where Fake Skating has like 300 smth f bombs?... do y'all think that's true?"

I didn't count when I was reading but there was a LOT. I swear Us girls need to get to..."

well her ask me anything is open rn so should we all spam her??

@callie Rae I say we do because I’ve wanted to read her books for so long but I’ve heard the language amount is INSANE and so I haven’t

Hence why I write clean YA romances for y'all to enjoy

Callie Rae wrote: "Agnes wrote: "cassie wrote: "I saw this thing where Fake Skating has like 300 smth f bombs?... do y'all think that's true?"

I didn't count when I was reading but there was a LOT. I swear Us girls ... well her ask me anything is open rn so shoulde we all spam her??"

Good idea

i keep seeing ppl take abt this and i COMPLETELY. AGREE. i spend a lot of time researching and reviewing books before i read them and it would be really helpful if that were just in the book before i get it bc it would save me sm time 😂 and we can’t be the only ones thinking this needs to be a thing bc i’ve seen sm ppl on gr talking abt it so PLS SOMEBODY MAKE THIS HAPPEN

This could and would very quickly turn into censorship. No matter how hard the committee assigning content warnings tried to be impartial, people would be upset about them. If there was one for LGBTQ+ content, there would also likely be one for mentions of religion—fundamentalist Christianity and evangelicalism has hurt people unimaginably in the past. Would you be okay with that?

The thing is, literature is so vast and broad and takes so many forms that this is just impossible to do. Even though literature and film are “both forms of entertainment”, there are so many more constraints for film than literature. This sort of thing is feasible for film because of the constraints imposed upon it.

I get that for people who don’t like swearing or sexual content, this sort of thing would be helpful. But it would quickly turn into book banning, bigotry, and censorship. I truly think that assigning a committee like this for every book ever published would make the publishing world less accessible and more strict than it already is. Think of the number of indie books you’ve read and loved, or books from small presses. This sort of thing would ensure that those would be efficiently wiped out. Many authors go indie because traditional publishing is inaccessible. Now those authors have no way to publish their books, if every book is forced to pass this review.

That quote from *Fahrenheit 451* is an interesting choice because I can quickly see this turning into a world much like *Fahrenheit 451.* I grew up in an emotionally abusive household. Imagine if my parent took the books I read, the books that made me feel safe, my escape, and read the content warnings within them and took them away from me based on that. I would never have known that I wasn’t alone. I would never be where I am now. Schools could ban kids who are struggling from reading books that would help them. Parents could abuse their kids. Just based on a vague list at the beginning of the book with no context of what the book is saying about the content warning, or how it’s handling it, or how it might help the kid. And you may very well write off a fantastic book because it has a content warning that’s not labeled very well.

Literature being widely accessible to everyone is so so important. Even books with sensitive topics. There are resources for this—try commonsensemedia.org. Let literature be free and accessible. You don't have to read any content you don't want to read, but try to read widely. Read what you disagree with. Read everything and open your mind.

Hello Liesl, I’m responding to each of your points. All is said in kindness and love. ❤️


This could and would very quickly turn into censorship. No matter how hard the committee assigning content warnings tried to be impartial, people would be upset about them.

Please explain your reasoning and the domino effect of how it “could and would very quickly turn into censorship” The ratings on movies is to ensure the audience watching said movies is mature enough to handle the content (language, sexual content, thematic elements, disturbing images, etc.) presented in the film. How and why is this not seen as current or future censorship? It is rather guarding the purity and innocence of the youth. Movie ratings are not impartial either, as some have not be “fair” to me, because I have seen movies that are rated PG-13 for sensuality only to have a rather sexual scene that goes far beyond simply “sensuality” and should be under the umbrella of “sexual content” and I became upset. Should my or other’s personal experiences with the ratings and how I feel about them determine whether the Motion Picture Association should stop putting ratings?


If there was one for LGBTQ+ content, there would also likely be one for mentions of religion—fundamentalist Christianity and evangelicalism has hurt people unimaginably in the past. Would you be okay with that?

I would in fact be okay with this. I do not mind if a book would have a content warning about religious topics. I understand people have been treated horribly by people using Christianity as a means for hate. Having this warning would in fact let both believers and unbelievers know there is Christian/religious content in a book, letting it be a determining factor to buy/read the book or not. Though I am a professing Christian who believes Jesus is the only Way, I will not be angry that a book has an unbiased mention that Christianity is brought up in a book.


The thing is, literature is so vast and broad and takes so many forms that this is just impossible to do. Even though literature and film are “both forms of entertainment”, there are so many more constraints for film than literature. This sort of thing is feasible for film because of the constraints imposed upon it.

Difficult, but not impossible. And please explains said constraints you talk about when bringing forth the differences between film and literature. As I see it, they are still very similar. It is both a form of entertainment, you take in information that your brain processes. Both are able to be stopped at any given time (closing the book, pausing the movie) You both purchase/rent movies (buying a dvd, subscribing to a streaming service) as well as purchase/buy books (libraries/bookstores/little libraries) The only difference would be the extreme price differences for producing both forms of media, as it takes millions of dollars to produce a movie where it takes significantly less to write, edit, publish, and market a book depending on the publishing house, agent, etc. Unless you are implying a different means of constraints, then please, tell me, as I see them as practically the same thing.



I get that for people who don’t like swearing or sexual content, this sort of thing would be helpful. But it would quickly turn into book banning, bigotry, and censorship.

Again, please explain the domino affect of how it would turn into these things, if the warnings are kept as unbiased, impartial, and small as possible.


I truly think that assigning a committee like this for every book ever published would make the publishing world less accessible and more strict than it already is.

This is a personal speculation rather than a given fact. I also understand it wouldn’t be possible for every book ever published, but it should be rather easy for big publishing houses, who spend millions upon millions of dollars producing books, who have teams reading the books over and over for editing and formatting, to think back upon the content of the book, and include one page with a short list of warnings, as does the MPA with movies.


Think of the number of indie books you’ve read and loved, or books from small presses. This sort of thing would ensure that those would be efficiently wiped out. Many authors go indie because traditional publishing is inaccessible. Now those authors have no way to publish their books, if every book is forced to pass this review.

How so? Adding a list of content warnings would be just a simple next step for publishing traditionally. In the grand scheme of things, it’s a simple task, with barely any effort. As for indie and small presses, the same logic could be applied for smaller movies. They don’t have ratings, but that does not mean they have been wiped out.


That quote from *Fahrenheit 451* is an interesting choice because I can quickly see this turning into a world much like *Fahrenheit 451.*

I do too, with the government coming after generation after generation, practically “stealing them out of their cradles” to push false doctrines on the youth because they have young, underdeveloped, impressionable minds. Though I don’t see what you see as you’ve failed to explain to me how it would go from adding content warnings (like movie ratings) to a Fahrenheit 451 situation.


I grew up in an emotionally abusive household. Imagine if my parent took the books I read, the books that made me feel safe, my escape, and read the content warnings within them and took them away from me based on that. I would never have known that I wasn’t alone. I would never be where I am now. Schools could ban kids who are struggling from reading books that would help them. Parents could abuse their kids. Just based on a vague list at the beginning of the book with no context of what the book is saying about the content warning, or how it’s handling it, or how it might help the kid. And you may very well write off a fantastic book because it has a content warning that’s not labeled very well.

I’m sorry you grew up in an emotionally abusive household. I truly am as no child should have to endure that.

The rest of this paragraph, however, is an appeal to emotion fallacy and does not credibly help your statement. Adding content warnings, yes, would limit a child’s access to books because of protective parents, but in most cases, it is a parent wanting to keep their child’s innocence when they take away a book. (I am not saying that it would have been with your situation, but in the majority of households) I grew up with my mother heavily researching books before I read them, as she wanted to keep my childhood carefree, innocent, and pure. She has taken books away from me when I was younger, as she knew I was not mature enough to be reading certain material. Adding content warnings would also encourage authors to write stories with said relatable characters with less of the gruesome content such as sexual content, strong language, etc. So younger kids can feel like they are not alone without their innocence being destroyed by unseemly content. Society has turned protective parents into household tyrants, when they aren’t, and taking a book away is not a tyrannical act.


Literature being widely accessible to everyone is so so important. Even books with sensitive topics.

With content warnings, it could be more accessible from my point of view, as I would not have to ignorantly write off a book because I do not know if it has crude content within it’s pages. I’ve left behind many, MANY books that I’m sure are fantastic, but only because I did not know the content I didn’t buy it/read it. This would make reading a much more safer, stress free, and comfortable hobby for lots of clean/Christian readers. But I do agree literature being widely accessible is very important and I am not against that.



There are resources for this—try commonsensemedia.org.

I do know that resource and do utilize it. However, it is not a widely known resource, and not many parents/readers/children know about it, and cannot be used as an equal substitute to writing a short list in the beginning of a book, which would be the easiest access to discovering content. Also, there are some families who do not have devices or internet and cannot use this.


Let literature be free and accessible. You don't have to read any content you don't want to read, but try to read widely. Read what you disagree with. Read everything and open your mind.

I don’t read content I don’t want to, as I want to keep my mind and spirit pure, but it’s very easy to be jump scared by that because I am not told what is in the book, so I never know and it’s always a risk for me. Your last statement has also shifted from the topic at hand (content warnings in book) to a demand on how I should read books and my personal reading life, which is teetering on an ad hominem fallacy. How I read my books has nothing to do with the topic at hand, but a broader issue. Reading is also subjective and a reader should not be told to read what they disagree with (especially if it is in direct contradiction to their morals) and to read everything and open their mind. Not deciding to read two people having descriptive sex should not be seen as opening one’s mind in the way you most likely entail. I’d rather keep my mind very closed to that, thank you very much.



Your backlash to my also casual update has proved that this is a very controversial and unpopular opinion that can easily get people fired up. In the grand scheme of things, this simple Goodreads update will do nothing for the book world, and is inconsequential. I do recommend also letting people have their own personal opinions and hope to dream of an easier and safer reading journey, because, if we boil this down, my opinion does not effect your life, and your opinion does not effect mine. Dreams, wishes, and hopes are something anyone can have, even if it’s unpopular and very unlikely to happen. Writing an essay to disprove a silly update doesn’t accomplish much except strife, disagreement, and an underlying message that everyone has to have the same opinion and diverse mindsets is not allowed.

Again, all is said in kindness and I hope you have an absolutely blessed day. 🫶🏻

Very well said Emily! I've started books and had to dnf because of the content that I didn't know was in there!

Perfectly put, Emily! I read juvenile books even into my teens because I had some awful surprises in YA books and didn't know what to trust. I would have loved a content rating system so I could find the books that were right for me.

Keira wrote: "Perfectly put, Emily! I read juvenile books even into my teens because I had some awful surprises in YA books and didn't know what to trust. I would have loved a content rating system so I could fi..."

Same!

I actually agree that would make my life lowkey so much easier

YESSSS! FOR SURE!