The Problem With Gabbie Hanna's Poetry

 

Source: amazon.com

  Over the post few days, Youtuber Gabbie Hanna has been on a mission to confront someone who reviewed and critiqued her poetry book. The tweets and Instagram stories that she posted, calling out fellow Youtuber, Rachel Oates, were cruel and unnecessary. Gabbie has created two poetry books over the years, and since they are available for the public to purchase, these customers have the right to review them. Rachel's reviews were no worse than anyone else's. In fact, she gave constructive criticism and insight into how Gabbie could better her poetry in the future, when most did not. She had knowledge of the structure of poems and how to tie in themes without explicitly saying it to the audience. Her advice was useful, however Gabbie calls it "bullying". She also called Oates a "loser" for not getting as many views on her videos as Gabbie does, and sent her fans to attack her. This is a bigger problem regarding large creators taking down small creators, and Rachel is only one in a list of creators that Gabbie has done this to. However, this discussion is about her poetry, so the focus will remain on that. 

    The main problem with Gabbie's poetry is how she treats people that do not like it. Sure, it could be better. There is no real structure and they could use some editing. However, if Gabbie had listened to the feedback people had given to her after the first poetry book, the second book could have been a huge improvement. With some guidance, she would not be a lost cause. However, she tells anyone that tries to help her become a better writer that they are a bully and that they are harassing her. When you release art to the public, not everybody is going to like. It comes with the territory. If something is that personal to you, where you will angrily defend it to anyone who tries to help you, maybe just keep it to yourself. You do not have to sell it. It does not make you any less of a poet or an artist. 

            Source: forbes.com

    What does hurt Gabbie's status as a poet is that she does not leave room for interpretation. She has often stated that if you do not like her poetry, it is because you do not "get it". However, one of the wonderful things about poetry is finding the hidden meanings within poems, with them still being beautiful and interesting even if you just look at them at a surface level. Not everybody is going to analyze a poem like you would in a high school English class, but that does not mean that you can't still enjoy it. Maybe they do understand the poem, but they just don't like it. Maybe they don't understand the poem and they still don't like it. Both opinions are valid and expected when you release your work to the public, especially if they pay almost $20 to read it. 

    Lastly, Gabbie said in her string of tweets and Instagram stories that she will only listen to other artists and people who have proven themselves to be intellectuals when they talk about her poetry. Which is fine, she does not have to listen to criticism if she does not want to. However, most of the people buying and reading her poetry books do not fit this criteria. She's basically telling her own audience that she does not care about how they feel regarding her poetry. Art is something that can be appreciated by everyone, not just smart people. She also calls out everyone who does not like her writing, saying that they are bullying her when she is talking about serious topics like sexual abuse, childhood trauma, and depression. Though it is important to discuss these topics, the themes of your poems do not automatically mean they will be good. A poem with a heavy and important topic can still be an awful poem. Using these topics as a weapon to take down anyone who dares to discuss the actual quality of the writing is not ok. These "haters" are not judging your experiences, they are judging the poetry that you wrote about them. 

                                                       Source: youtube.com

    Rachel Oates did not deserve the hate and slander that she received over the past few days. Smaller creators should be able to express their opinions about works of art that they feel passionate about. Imagine if a director of a movie started attacking a movie reviewer because they gave them a bad review. It would be ridiculous because it comes with the territory. The names Gabbie Hannah was calling Rachel Oates were far more hurtful than anything Rachel said about Gabbie's poetry. If she is going to release her art to the world, she needs to do better when people do not like it. 

    It should also be said that what Rachel is showcasing to her audience is that we should look closely at poetry and be excited about. I was never a big fan of learning about poetry in school. However, Rachel's passion and knowledge of it makes me more interested in reading more. This should be encouraged, but shamed.