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Message: <blockquote data-quote="JEB" data-source="post: 8240387" data-attributes="member: 10148">The problem is, Lovecraft wasn't just racist, he was exceptionally bigoted even by the standards of his time. He supposedly even made other folks whose racism really was of-the-time, like his friend Robert. E. Howard, balk on occasion. (He might have started to mellow towards the very end of his life, but it isn't clear, and might be too little, too late anyway.) And knowing that seriously changes the context of his work, and not just the obvious stuff like Reanimator. (It was certainly enough to push me away from his stuff years ago - a far cry from the lore nerd who devoured Mythos books and produced online timelines of the Mythos in my college days.)But Call of Cthulhu is a different matter. Sure, it's based on his works, inseparably. But it's not his work, it's a derivative, about 40 years removed in its original incarnation and twice as far now. (And CoC arguably owes much more to Lovecraft's successors, like August Derleth and Brian Lumley, than to Lovecraft himself. Heck, CoC itself is arguably the trope codifier of modern Lovecraftian fiction.) So that raises a tough question. One can certainly make the argument that since Lovecraft was a bigot, his works are Bad Things that belong in the dustbin of history. But what of all the things he inspired? Like Derleth's fiction? Like Call of Cthulhu? Even remote stuff like The Evil Dead or the Great Old One warlock from D&D 5E? Or any fiction that has incomprehensible, alien gods and truths that drive men mad? Are those all fruit of the poisonous tree? Is it wrong to enjoy things that can't exist without a Bad Thing? If it's a matter of how far removed they are, how far is far enough?And of course, Lovecraft's works are just one example, as we learn more and more about how terrible a lot of famous folks were (or worse, are). It's probably become one of the defining questions of our ever more aware age, if you're into anything creative. And even stuff that wasn't bad at the time can become a Bad Thing as times change, as any internet D&D fan is likely well aware.Personally, it's a question I still struggle with. I still have some Cthulhu Mythos and Call of Cthulhu books on my shelf (none where Lovecraft is front and center, though). But I can't decide if I've struck the right balance, or if I'm just making excuses. Maybe, like many cases of badwrongfun, you kind of have to judge it yourself.</blockquote>

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