Reading books is a hobby in itself for some people. Besides being able to add new insights, reading books can also be entertainment, it can even be a person's escape when they are feeling tired or stressed. In the community of book fans, it is natural to have their own reading preferences, considering that there are many different genres of books on the market.
In general, there are two types of books, each of which consists of several genres, namely fiction and non-fiction. Types of fiction consist of classic genres, comics, fantasy, coming of age, young adults, and so on. while non-fiction books such as biographies, business, economics, and many more.
Having a favorite genre in reading books is certainly a natural thing. However, there is an activity that is known to undermine the 'healthy climate of looking at that difference'. This activity is book-shaming.
According to Urban Dictionary, book-shaming is the activity of shaming someone because of what they read. Also to make him feel guilty for the books they read and enjoy.
A small example, when someone tells a friend that the fiction book he is reading is meaningless and just a waste of time. This behavior is certainly very disturbing, and not good to continue. For victims of book-shaming, this is very detrimental because they become discouraged and cannot enjoy books as before.
So what are the signs someone has done book-shaming? Check out the following explanation, come on.
1. Think Cooler Than Others Because of the Genre You Like
This is common in a forum. When a person reads a certain book and thinks it is great, he has the potential to look down on other books. For example, a person has finished the book Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari and then he feels like an enlightened person.
Then he started to like similar books and felt cooler. As a result, he despises books with other genres because they feel that such books are unscientific, not mind-blowing, and even childish!
2. Criticizing Certain Authors
Not only a matter of genre, book-shaming also occurs when someone criticizes a certain writer who he doesn't like his work. Remember, every writer has a different writing style, and as readers we have the right to like certain writing styles.
However, this can become toxic when someone gets to the level of criticizing certain writers. As with any other book-shaming behavior, criticizing the author is not justified and must be stopped.
3. Mess with Others
That is when someone thinks a certain genre is only suitable for certain circles. For example, comic books are only for elementary school children, adults shouldn't read romance novels, or it's not natural for men to read feminist books. In fact, everyone has the right to read any book he wants.
So there you have it, 3 signs someone has been book-shaming. Don't let us become book-shaming actors. And may we avoid people who do book-shaming.
