Lovecraft’s racism is very much a product of fear, not racial superiority. Dude was extraordinarily terrified of everything remotely foreign. It’s why “strange creatures that are vaguely human but completely incomprehensible” is the generic terror in his stories.
In that sense, I find the motivations for his racism far less terrible than the motivations a racial supremacist has.
I mean if they have read some of his stories, it should be pretty obvious he was pretty fucking racist. The cat thing is a fun meme but if anyone has read at least call of Cthulhu the work most people know about its pretty on the nose. Every human antagonist is either black or a foreigner and he is pretty blatant about it. Hell don’t get me started on Facts Concerning the Late Arthur Jermyn and His Family (or The White Ape), that one is just so funny with how bloody racist it is because the conclusion is so absurd, you can’t take it serious.
He might have actually been the greatest coward of all time. Yeah, that cowardice meant he held a lot of shitty opinions about the world, but it was the exact kinda experience with endless fear that could create a new horror genre.
His racism is honestly the most horrifying part of his work.
Like there’s some good stuff there, but it’s the extreme racism that really gives me the heebie jeebies that make me put the books down and take a breather.
No, we can excuse lack of refinement in talent, but not racism.
I love Lovecraft’s work, but fuck is he incredibly racist.
Lovecraft’s racism is very much a product of fear, not racial superiority. Dude was extraordinarily terrified of everything remotely foreign. It’s why “strange creatures that are vaguely human but completely incomprehensible” is the generic terror in his stories.
In that sense, I find the motivations for his racism far less terrible than the motivations a racial supremacist has.
I agree. I just like telling people what he named his cat so they’ll know what a racist he was.
That said, Cool Air is a very good short story.
I mean if they have read some of his stories, it should be pretty obvious he was pretty fucking racist. The cat thing is a fun meme but if anyone has read at least call of Cthulhu the work most people know about its pretty on the nose. Every human antagonist is either black or a foreigner and he is pretty blatant about it. Hell don’t get me started on Facts Concerning the Late Arthur Jermyn and His Family (or The White Ape), that one is just so funny with how bloody racist it is because the conclusion is so absurd, you can’t take it serious.
and xenophobic… and a mamma’s boy
Mama’s boy should not be undersold here. His mother was vile and was directly the reason he was afraid of pretty much everything.
He might have actually been the greatest coward of all time. Yeah, that cowardice meant he held a lot of shitty opinions about the world, but it was the exact kinda experience with endless fear that could create a new horror genre.
His racism is honestly the most horrifying part of his work.
Like there’s some good stuff there, but it’s the extreme racism that really gives me the heebie jeebies that make me put the books down and take a breather.
Oh my goodness, yes! One of the parts in Herbert West - Reanimator made me nauseous.
Yeah it does make it a bit hard to listen to those audiobooks in the car…
Unrelated but you just said “but fuck”.