Couldn't agree more. But the point of fiction and creative writing is that it shouldn't be controlled by the whims of the audience. When a society starts tailoring its fiction to meet the expectation of an audience, you end up with a subjectivity bun fight - the weighing in that you've suggested.

But the weighing in is beginning to carry a sort of bizarre iconaclastism to works of fiction in the current market. The correct response to anyone who finds a work of fiction, comedy or creativity offensive should always be ' So what?' - because going down the other route leads to all sorts of problems with storytelling. Consider the lack of quality work from Soviet Russia or 1930s Germany as an example of writers being led by audiences. Almost all good Soviet literature was either hidden or publihed abroad An extreme example perhaps, but worth noting nevertheless.

Bridgerton is a good story. So was Cinderella with Brandy, so was The Wiz, so was Gone with the Wind - but that's all they are, snapshots of their world and reflective of their time. I think Shonda Rhimes' role in TV and race relations in fiction will go on to be studied for years to come. We're at an interesting crossroads where the lure of identity politics is in danger of throwing creativity under the bus as it constantly wields the threat of 'being offended' at writers, this weaponised offence is far more dangerous than most people seem to realise - and should be repectfully challenged in healthy debate.