I mostly read (hard) sci-fi written by straight white dudes, so the tweet on the screenshot made me feel a bit defensive. In the replies and qrts people are patting themselves on the back for reading marginalized fantasy writers exclusively and this "consumption as activism" seems rad-libby to me, but maybe I'm wrong.
Not wrong, but my honkey ass is wondering how this meshes with the idea of "no ethical consumption under capitalism"
I guess "consumption" isn't the same thing as just hearing what POC have to say
Kinda thinking out loud here
If it helps, frame it not as a consumption choice, per se, but rather a decision to expose yourself to different perspectives.
Reading doesn't have to be consumption, I pirate most of the books I read.
okay, so you're consuming for free. you've divested yourself from the marketplace, but every other aspect of the consumer relationship, (in particular how you relate to the work, how it relates to you, how you experience the written word generally) remains intact for you
i mean trying to communicate with the abstract "POC" through choices in what books you read is exactly an act of consumption. writing has aspects of selfishness and selflessness, but reading can only be a self-centered act.