Brill Building

-Judd Apatow, on the reaction to his new show with Lena Dunham GIRLS

I respect creators who want to go terrain that will make people angry or uncomfortable, and who wish for arguments to ensue. If most arguments were kept civil this would be ideal.

What I find so dispiriting is that in this era arguing about someone’s work quickly turns into arguing about the person, and denigrating someone as a human being. What I find particularly distressing is that this happens in dramatic measure to female creators. Arguing about what you liked or didn’t like about an episode of GIRLS is fair. But when the subject of that argument diverts from the efforts people made to the people themselves something harmful is happening. I’m tired of seeing that happen in on-line discussions again and again. This post that Jen Kirkman and Dave Holmes linked to describes and brilliantly rebukes the unfair criticism of GIRLS. The fact that such criticism has a familiar tone by now is what worries me.    

Three makes a trend. With Diablo Cody, Lana Del Rey, and now Lena Dunham we’ve seen discussions where the argument about female creator’s work turns real personal real quick. I fear young women are absorbing a culture that may dampen or even destroy their artistic aspirations, knowing this is what’s in store for them.