Would the old-school alternative would have been any better? "This scene was a hot mess; I had one of our in-house ghost writers rework it. -Ed."
mcv · 1d ago
That second rate novels use AI is probably unavoidable, but is at least one pass of proofreading by a human really too much to ask?
smeeger · 1d ago
i find it really strange that these romance novels, which contain graphic descriptions of sex and very often brutal acts of rape, not only have their own section in barnes and noble but can be found right of the register end caps at at least one target store near me. this is straight up pornography. and its being sold in tons of stores right in the open where kids can read it. its just very strange because 20 years ago im pretty sure target was not carrying graphic rape pornography. so now gambling is legal, sports betting, 10% of women are making porn and rape fantasies are being sold front and center in target. this feels like the biff future in back to the future.
47282847 · 1d ago
There is an argument to be made that this is part of a collective trauma recovery process, where all the violence finally comes out from the “collective shadow“ (CG Jung), and finds a less violent and safer channel to be expressed and integrated in more healthy ways than if it was kept buried under repression and taboo.
It is well documented how repression leads to avoidance, in the sense that rarely people stay present and act in adult fashion when they witness violence, but typically chose actions that protect the perpetrators and not the victims. If this trend helps individuals to become “used to it“ on an emotional level, having processed their own shame around it, there’s a chance they may be able to act instead of shying away.
kelseyfrog · 1d ago
40% of kids can't read at a basic level[1]. Kids reading these novels is much less of an issue than we think it is. They likely wouldn't even make it into a bookstore in the first place.
What is and isn't culturally acceptable is always in flux. The norms of the 1950s United States are not some kind of absolute. In another 70 years they'll be different from today, as well.
It is well documented how repression leads to avoidance, in the sense that rarely people stay present and act in adult fashion when they witness violence, but typically chose actions that protect the perpetrators and not the victims. If this trend helps individuals to become “used to it“ on an emotional level, having processed their own shame around it, there’s a chance they may be able to act instead of shying away.
1. https://www.thenationalliteracyinstitute.com/post/literacy-s...