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So, first of all, it’s important to note that AO3 doesn’t run these collections, or any others to my knowledge. AO3 hosts them. That’s an important distinction, because, if you have a problem with AO3’s posting guidelines, you need to be very clear what it is you are criticizing. It’s neither fair nor useful to call out AO3 for running a collection of works you object to, because they absolutely don’t.
So let’s rephrase your question: How do I feel about AO3 hosting collections of pedophilic works and defending their hosting of such works?
How do I, personally, feel about it? Well, friend, I think that’s kind of a silly question. AO3 was founded with the express purpose of hosting any fannish work that anyone wanted to post to it, provided the work was legal and belonged to the poster, and to then defend the legal rights of the creator to create and publish the work. That is literally what AO3 is for. That’s what the people who made it designed it to do, that’s how the people who run it direct its resources, and that’s what the people who post their work to it expect of it.
So asking what I think of AO3 hosting any particular kind of fannish work and defending their hosting of it is sort of like asking what I think of a pickle jar containing pickles. I don’t know, man. It’s a pickle jar. It’s got pickles in it. If it didn’t have pickles in it, it wouldn’t be a pickle jar, you know?
That’s not to say people aren’t entitled to have problems with AO3’s goals and policies. But those goals and policies aren’t going to change, because those goals and policies are what AO3 is. So whether or not I like that pedophilic works exist, they will continue to be hosted on AO3 as long as AO3 exists to host them. And if you or anyone else has a problem with that, the solution isn’t to tell AO3 to stop being AO3. If you want a jar that isn’t full of pickles, get a different jar. And if you want a fanwork hosting platform that doesn’t host works you don’t like, make a new hosting platform.
I’m not being facetious or condescending when I say “make a new hosting platform.” I’m totally serious. AO3 was created by fans because the existing platforms didn’t meet their needs. If the existing platforms, AO3 included, don’t meet the needs of a group of fans now, then that group should seek out a platform that does, or they should create one. Hell, AO3’s code is all open source! Anyone who wants to create an AO3 clone and limit what can be posted to it can do exactly that. But railing against AO3 itself for being exactly what it is and was always meant to be accomplishes nothing for anyone.
So, first of all, it’s important to note that AO3 doesn’t run these collections, or any others to my knowledge. AO3 hosts them. That’s an important distinction, because, if you have a problem with AO3’s posting guidelines, you need to be very clear what it is you are criticizing. It’s neither fair nor useful to call out AO3 for running a collection of works you object to, because they absolutely don’t.
So let’s rephrase your question: How do I feel about AO3 hosting collections of pedophilic works and defending their hosting of such works?
How do I, personally, feel about it? Well, friend, I think that’s kind of a silly question. AO3 was founded with the express purpose of hosting any fannish work that anyone wanted to post to it, provided the work was legal and belonged to the poster, and to then defend the legal rights of the creator to create and publish the work. That is literally what AO3 is for. That’s what the people who made it designed it to do, that’s how the people who run it direct its resources, and that’s what the people who post their work to it expect of it.
So asking what I think of AO3 hosting any particular kind of fannish work and defending their hosting of it is sort of like asking what I think of a pickle jar containing pickles. I don’t know, man. It’s a pickle jar. It’s got pickles in it. If it didn’t have pickles in it, it wouldn’t be a pickle jar, you know?
That’s not to say people aren’t entitled to have problems with AO3’s goals and policies. But those goals and policies aren’t going to change, because those goals and policies are what AO3 is. So whether or not I like that pedophilic works exist, they will continue to be hosted on AO3 as long as AO3 exists to host them. And if you or anyone else has a problem with that, the solution isn’t to tell AO3 to stop being AO3. If you want a jar that isn’t full of pickles, get a different jar. And if you want a fanwork hosting platform that doesn’t host works you don’t like, make a new hosting platform.
I’m not being facetious or condescending when I say “make a new hosting platform.” I’m totally serious. AO3 was created by fans because the existing platforms didn’t meet their needs. If the existing platforms, AO3 included, don’t meet the needs of a group of fans now, then that group should seek out a platform that does, or they should create one. Hell, AO3’s code is all open source! Anyone who wants to create an AO3 clone and limit what can be posted to it can do exactly that. But railing against AO3 itself for being exactly what it is and was always meant to be accomplishes nothing for anyone.
