Tank, I have to say I agree with (most <G>) of what you say here.
Like you, I'm still less than sure that this is such a huge problem that it requires a solution. Of any kind. Rather than the status quo that's been working just fine up till now, far as I can tell.
I am a little sad to hear that authors feel constrained to provide warnings to avoid censure or 'complaints' from readers who want them. I know most of us want to make life easy for ourselves, but it just seems wrong somehow to be forced into it. And
is it by a majority? I wonder about that too. I get the impression actually that the majority of readers don't care about warnings either way.
That said, thanks, Wendy, for the clarification that this wouldn't be mandatory. Bottom line, if we're talking here about a WHAM warning thread where authors who desire to warn readers can put a warning without feeling it's spoiling their story, then that's just fine and dandy with me. I probably wouldn't use it myself, but if it fills a need for other authors and readers, all to the good.
Any misgivings I'd have would be with making it a firm rule that it must be used. Since that doesn't seem to be what's being proposed here, I don't really have a problem with it.
I do wonder though...just as an philosophical aside...where do we draw the line here? I personally don't enjoy reading fanfic about Lois being pregnant or 'kid fic' - they just don't suit my tastes. Should we have a Pregnancy/Children warning thread to warn me that a story might contain these elements so that I can avoid them?
I'm sure there must be other examples.
I'm just tossing this out for debate, but really when you consider it, such a warning thread would be just as valid as one for WHAMs. So, where do you stop? Do we fill the mbs completely with warnings for everything under the sun?
Or do others believe that there is a fundamental difference that makes WHAMs somehow separate and distinct from all other genres? Perhaps there is and I'm just missing it here. I know that I would put a warning on a story if it had significantly violent content - I did that with my gothic fairy tale. Perhaps WHAMs fall under the same umbrella.
Just thinking aloud here. <g> And, as usual, playing Devil's Advocate and ending up answering my own questions. Maybe.
LabRat
