So I made a post a few weeks ago about whether the “arranged/forced marriage trope” used in a lot of romance books was problematic and ooooooh boy did people have plenty to say about my choice of words.
Honestly, the only reason I used that term was because that whole post was inspired by a comment made by a friend and that’s the term he used. He’s not only one I’ve seen using the word “problematic” when talking about books either. I see it plenty on youtube and even on some of the posts/comments here.
So I figured I’d ask what you guys thoughts are. What does “problematic” mean to you? How to you feel about that term being used?
by the_literary_loser
4 Comments
Problematic is fine, but vague. If you’re going to say something is problematic, it’s probably good to be able to describe what the issue with it is, without using that word. To some extent basically everything can be described as problematic, the word is overused, so I think it’s becoming less and less meaningful.
I’m confused, what is wrong with the word problematic? What did people have against it?
I think it’s a word that requires you to explain the context of what you’re talking about because there are varying levels of problematic.
I think some people get upset because they automatically assume you are condemning the book/author and suggesting people shouldn’t read or enjoy their work.
Which really isn’t the case. It can simply point out things you should look at with a critical eye and understand the nuances of the situation.
Doesn’t “problematic” simply means the reader has a problem with it? Not sure it means anything about the author’s intentions.