Stories dealing with the events of 9/11

I haven't gotten any private messages, so I've been assuming that the presence of story threads where people work out feelings about the terrorist attcks is not mortally offensive to anyone. But I'd like to put it up for discussion. I don't want people to come here and feel hurt, but I also don't want to assume hurt is being caused if it's not. I'm a little uncomfortable personally, but I don't think it's disrespectful or anything like that. I'm glad some people are able to write their way through this -- I've barely been able to write on unrelated issues, and on this issue, not at all.

How are people with these threads?

 

(This is what I posted on a diff. thread)
I thought about using Tuesday's events as a model/example for a story I'm writing, but then I got really angry at myself.
Is it disrespectful? Should I do it? I don't know. I am not angered or disappointed in anyone who expressed their grief by writing about it, but I somehow am angry at myself.

I think I'm just confused. Any thoughts?

peace,
EP

 

I think people should use their discretion. Some people would rather keep that out of our fiction for the time being, but for many people, a creative outlet is the best way to deal with the reality. I'd advise everyone to forewarn their readers. The day after the destructions, I posted a scene for All the Wrong Places that came very closely to paralleling the WTC. I wrote a paragraph-long warning concerning the content of the scene and what to do if they did not wish to read that. A few people took that to heart and have thanked me for keeping it in mind.

 

Four years ago, someone I knew took their own life. I was feeling kind of down and depressed thinking about it, so I thought I'd read some fanfiction to cheer me up. I go on to fanfiction.net, and there's a story there with the subject line 'suicide note'. Most probably the author of it was considering it herself, so she thought she'd write a fanfiction about it. It really hurt to see it, it brought back all those feelings of helplessness.

Anyway, my point. Imagine if you had lost people in the tragedy, and you thought you'd read some fan fiction for some escapism, and you find you can't get away from it, even in a space fantasy like Star Wars.

I suppose any fanfiction topic has the potential to hurt people, but some are especially sensitive. Something that has always hurt me quite a bit, is the use of the word 'torture' by some fanfic authors to promote their fic. It reminds me of all the heinous things I read about as a member of Amnesty International . . . the kind of stuff that makes you thank God every day that you were born in a safe country. Torture is real, and it happens every day . . . it just isn't funny. I'm not trying to target anyone, I guess I'm just feeling kind of sensitive.

 

I'm glad that I'm not the only one uncomfortable with stories that have the word "Torture" in their titles. Please don?t take offense at this, but it?s my personal belief that torture is just a substitute for sex, and not really PG. That?s just my personal opinion though.

If it?s done well, it?s perfectly acceptable, just as sex is acceptable if done well. In ANH, the torture scene was excellent. We saw the machine, we saw the look on Leia?s face as she realized what was coming, and then the door closed. We knew something bad was happening, but we didn?t have to see it. It?s the same with sex- better to have it happen off screen.

To be perfectly fair, I have never opened a thread on it that had the word torture in the title, because any faint interest I might have had was killed simply by reading that word in the title. So I don?t really have any idea just what level of torture appears in stories here at the JC. It?s just the idea that there might be graphic torture in what is otherwise a PG13 board that makes me leery.

But I?m getting a bit off topic.

In my opinion, if a person finds that writing about the tragedy is an emotional outlet, go ahead. No one is being forced to read these stories. Some people will doubtlessly be offended, but others, such as myself, will approve. It?s only a small way to fight back against terrorism, but by showing that we aren?t afraid to talk and write about what happened, we have won a small victory against evil in the world.

 

I think that in some cases it will be an integral part of the healing process. An attempt to turn something that is beyond comprehension into something that can be understood and dealt with by adding in characters and scenery that we know.

I do see how it could be offensive to some. The events of the past week have affected everyone to some degree. But to others it is a necessary step in attempting to regain some sense of normality in life.

If something about a particular story offends you, then do what is always recommended - take it up with the author or a moderator. Mostly, though, I think it is something that a lot of people need to do.

Well, in my opinion at least.

 

I don't find them morally offensive, but if they're not done well, they seem offensive to taste. I understand these feelings need to be worked through, but in some instances it's just bad, and seems less of an exercise through the writer's emotions and more a ploy for attention.

My $0.02.

 

Despite my reputation, I, too, do not condone torture. When a title says "________ Torture!" it only means one thing: some person who wants an excuse to have a shirtless babe being whipped to death for no reason. I admit to doing torture in my stories to a considerable extent, hence my horrific rep, but it is always for valid reasons, never for enjoyment or random pleasure.

 

For those who are uncomfortable, would it be better if the threads were marked in some way, so you know to stay clear? Or is it better to just let them be?

 

I think it's a good idea to mark them. Fanfiction.net, if you hit a story with NC-17 on it, it pops up a window that says "are you sure you want to do this"? It's very helpful because I never want to venture into that. Perhaps something a little more low-key.