The Problem I've Come To Have With Realism
Realism tends to
be used the way a lot of people use religion in their lives, by picking and
choosing when to apply what’s convenient to their purposes while ignoring
everything else.
In realism’s case? That’s usually the glaringly unrealistic.
Worst of all, though, realism has become the propaganda phrase that means: "thoughtless slathered in dark and gritty." That’s then often twisted into some
kind of merit badge that’s supposed to automatically convey worth and also
“excuse” genre work—as if genre work needed to be excused.