#boy... i had a lot to say. but I'm sick of my criticisms being misunderstood.

[nerdynikki94]

SUNNYBLR: So, I know that if I have a reputation for anything as of late, it would probably be for my Rob-Hating-Rants about how (imo), he's done a great disservice to Mac's identity as a gay man.

This has been misconstrued before, and recently was again with a reblog of one of said posts:

Despite acknowledging 1000 times over that I do understand the humor/satire of the show, often I'm accused of not 'getting the point'.

I get the point, trust me. I've been watching this show consistently for well over a decade (& I'm nearly 30; so, I've always been aware/analytical enough to realize that these characters are objectively awful - it's intentionally written that way). That is not where my issue with the writing lies.

Mac may be my baby, but he's an immensely flawed individual. There really is no shortage of terrible qualities that he possesses: he's arrogant, crass, delusional, ignorant, obnoxious, prejudiced, rude, stubborn, tactless, etc. (We all know there's many more fucked up characteristics to his personality) Still, once he came out, the majority of the focus for his flaws surround his sexuality. (Since S12...)

-Mac making his sexuality his entire personality.

-Mac never sincerely showing honest romantic/sexual attraction unless he is exhibiting the 'predatory gay' stereotypes.

-Mac becoming a spineless doormat who happily takes heaps of verbal (& sometimes physical) abuse regarding his sexuality.

-Mac constantly trying to reduce his sexuality by subscribing to constricting stereotypes.

-Mac's sexuality being a characteristic of his personality that he has to receive gang acceptance/approval for (i.e. Frank in MFHP & FVR).

-Mac struggling with reconciling his religion and his sexuality (even 5+ years later) and continuing to be made fun of for grappling w/ongoing internalized religious homophobia.

-Mac's sexuality being used as a constant punchline to countless jokes. (I.E. S16E1 - Running blowjob joke. Funny in context; still using as reference because no one has ever made fun of Dee for sucking dick - because she's a 'straight' woman.)

As I've said too many times before, I know these characters are fucked up and I love them for it. I've never expected them to become benevolent individuals or upstanding role models. They wouldn't be the gang if they were. However, I do and will continue to have a problem with Mac's sexuality being the focal point of his shortcomings or being the cause for any suffering he continues to withstand.

These characters are meant to be punished for their greed, abysmal self-centered behavior, and detestable qualities; so, why is Mac's character still being punished for being gay? The gang is ashamed of him for it, & as the show only centers on them - their dynamics, opinions, schemes - it consistently carries the tone that it is something Mac should also be ashamed of; as if he hadn’t already spent the first 40 years of his life in self-loathing because of it.

Mac is NOT a gay role model, obviously; but that doesn't mean his character should be settled into being a gay joke.

[robbyrobinson]

Episode 4 of Komi Can't Communicate (Review)

This just goes to show how toxic simping can get. So, I love Komi Can't Communicate and would even go so far as to call it a "masterpiece" from its beautiful animation; likable characters with some depths; its wholesomeness, etc. But episode 4 is something else. Somehow we went from wholesome humor to DDLC in terms of disturb factor.

The first segment of the episode was good just being about Yadano's daily attempts to beat her "archrival" Komi with the latter having no idea that she was even in a challenge. Yadano's probably my favorite side character due to her over-the-top competitive drive.

The second half...oh boy. So, we have Tadano basically talking about how he was friends with the most beautiful girl in the school...and then, oh shit, he gets jumped. I legitimately thought that he probably died at that moment.

Yamai Ren...sigh...this character. While I still love the show and admire it for its take on social anxiety and offers some ways on how to deal with it, Yamai is the one thing that almost keeps the show from being a "masterpiece" in my eyes. How my thought process was when watching the episode.

During episode: Oh, she has a crush on Komi? Oh, puppy love, that's cute.

Few minutes into the episode: She...she's really obsessive. Alright, well...Wait, is she licking Komi's strand of hair? I feel like I'm going to be sick...The show has such good animation! Why'd they have to visualize that...?

Middle of the episode: She kidnapped Tadano. Are those pictures of herself and Komi all over the room? Oh...oh no.

I am serious; I was legitimately concerned for Komi in this episode. That if it was within her power, Yamai would pull some Silence of the Lambs shit on Komi and have her in a hole for a few days before making a skin suit from her and dancing in it. Someone get Keanu Reeves and Dominic Toretto to keep her under watch.

So, yes, Yamai freakin' kidnapped Tadano if there was ever any more reason to believe that Yamai is insane.

Just...Yamai. I am legitimately terrified of her. Never since Shion Sonozaki from Higurashi had I had these feelings of unease. If you were to tell me that she was an escaped mental patient who jabbed a plastic fork into one of her handlers' arms, I would believe you.

So, she gets to spend a lot of time with her beloved Komi, having "conversations" with her...completely ignorant that Komi never spoke once, and asked her if she wanted to come over for hamburgers. After a cute moment of Komi imagining Tadano was there to give her support, she appears to agree...which leads to Yamai overreacting. Najimi suggests that they go to Yamai's house, and the yandere has a "perverted image of Komi lying in her bed." But before she can make that happen, she had to get rid of Tadano.

And then the episode becomes even darker with Yamai asking Tadano whether he liked the sea or the mountains. Okay, so she doesn't gut him and wears his skin to get closer to Komi, but this girl is so beyond messed up, that if you rewrote the scenes, you can make a genuine creepypasta based on it. She not only kidnapped the Chadano, but she was going to dispose of him too.

Najimi and Komi arrive and Yamai goes to make some tea telling them to not open the closet door. To which Najimi, being the MVP they are, opening it anyway, but misunderstood it as being some kind of foreplay. Yamai arrives with two sharpened chopsticks (a knife in the manga) and brutally vivisects him by calling him an average piece of shit among other sharp criticisms.

She intimidates Komi with the chopsticks, but the Queen simply shakes her head and unties Tadano. Yamai tries to keep her from leaving by claiming that she did all of this for Komi's sake, but she could fuck off with that claim because she does not know Komi as much as she thought she did. Without even having to verbally chew her out, Komi writes on some paper and says she would decide her own friends for herself.

The worst part about this abominable character is the fact that she is not punished for her actions because she did commit two legitimate crimes: kidnapping and attempted murder. So she gets depressed over Komi rejecting her. Is that it? Not being friends with Komi is a greater punishment than being tossed into jail or whatsoever the law found appropriate? Not being friends is enough to make Yamai realize she had been a terrible character? Okay.

But it does lead to some more great scenes with Komi and Tadano: Komi, having remembered everything from yesterday down to the letter, asks Tadano if he truly wanted to remain friends with her due to the events fearing that more could happen to Tadano that she may be unable to stop. Tadano rejects the notion and reaffirms their friendship by quoting what she said yesterday.

Komi, while I understand you want friends, please maybe consider putting a restraining order on this girl because what makes you think she doesn't do anything that drastic again? But, of course, she does forgive Yamai and makes her a part of her entourage.

Looking into the manga, Yamai only gets worse the more she appeared with one instance happening sometime after the school became aware of Tadano and Komi dating. She overreacts to the fact that she was not holding hands with her Goddess and skips a week of school. She vents her frustrations to her clique of friends, only to throw them the hell out when she got a message from Komi that she was coming over to talk. Worse, she spots some Sleepy Sleepy Time pills and contemplates putting them into Komi's cup of tea. God only knows what she intended to do with Komi once she was unconscious.

I understand that she is supposed to be an intentionally hateable character with few redeeming traits, but there is a certain craft when it comes to making unlikeable characters that I feel Yamai fails at. Like the drug thing was the tipping point with how far they were willing to make her as hated as she is now. It was not funny in the least and only cements that Yamai exists to be that annoying perv of a character even when she does have some decent moments where she can be charitable when it has nothing to do with the center of her obsession.

Really, it is because of her presence in the episode that I didn't see virtually anything in it that was funny aside from Najimi freaking out about being alone with Komi since they could not translate whatever Komi was trying to say. Yamai's face turning into a kabuki mask for a moment was also slightly humorous.

While the episode is not my favorite, at the least, there are some good moments. It progresses Komi's development as a character by her putting her foot down to basically give a "fuck you" to Yamai for her attempts at trying to control who she was friends with. And really, if anything, this furthers her bond with Tadano because Tadano insists on remaining her friends regardless of what that would entail. So...in a way, Yamai helped strengthen their relationship. Which is something that she would not want to accept.

On a lesser note, I do recommend reading the dark fic "The Sea or the Mountains" by andreabandrea: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15217121. It takes a more serious look where Tadano is diagnosed with PTSD from his encounter with Yamai to the point of practically becoming sick whenever he was around her, and Yamai receives a more prompt punishment than in the episode along with additionally expanding on her character.

Rating

[writingwithcolor]

I'm a POC who writes mainly white characters but after seeing all the "diversity" posts on this site I'm wondering if I may be subconsciously prejudiced and now I don't know what to do. I feel like I've been doing everything wrong and yet I don't want to change my stories/characters to suit everyone else while not liking them myself.

To Write (or not write) with Diversity

No one can force you to write inclusive stories. Inclusive meaning media that consists of marginalized people, because that is what diversity really is - including people who have always been right there, but have been purposefully left out and erased from the pages of books and scripts. Those who are, when finally represented, are overwhelmingly assigned small, unflattering, and / or stereotypical roles.

Pages like Writing With Color are an offering. Our presence here is for those who choose to write with diversity. We aim to make being inclusive easier because we all believe in the importance of it. But as much as we know how enriching diversity can be, we cannot convince you to do something you don’t necessarily believe in.

Don’t do it because you feel forced

As you mentioned, you’ve read the posts. You know the facts. The decision cannot be forced upon you.  If anything, including diversity out of obligation alone could lead to bad representation. Forcing people to do things without motivation usually means it’ll lack effort, or be done with spite. Trust me when I say marginalized people don’t usually want to see themselves represented by someone who does not want them there. That unwelcome feeling shows. In short: Lack of representation hurts. Bad representation hurts worse.

I only ask that you have accountability.  

Now that you’re aware that your works default to white, you have a choice to make. I think a lot of us grew up reading and writing very white stories - both as PoC and white people - but once you possess the knowledge that things can be different, your next step is a conscious one. You’re not on auto-pilot anymore when you make everyone white (and/or straight, able-bodied, etc). You know better now. Own up to your choices.

So ask yourself: why have I chosen to write without diversity?

I’m afraid to write People of Color. 

Being uncomfortable writing People of Color is a big reason why people stick to writing white people, and only garnish their stories with PoC, if that. White people have long been the default, the everyman. White perspectives are “neutral” to approach. It’s daunting to go from feeling you can portray characters in whatever way you wish to suddenly having the weight of good versus harmful representation on your shoulders.

You don’t want backlash from getting it wrong. You also don’t want to be insensitive to groups. It’s easy to avoid writing them altogether, right? Sure. 

Be aware, though:

You’re making a choice to exclude people out of fear.

Of course, new things are scary. But that’s okay! Courage is the ability to do things that frighten you. Face your fears. Will you shrink away from the challenge, or use it to your advantage?

Let the fear fuel you to do better and to know better. Your concerns about writing PoC can drive you to get the research right in order to best represent people. If your fear is leading to more effort into thoughtful creation, you’re putting it to good use.

Let me tell you right now - you will mess up.

Maybe in small ways, perhaps in a big way. But mistakes will not kick start the apocalypse. Ideally:

Do your research to avoid the most obvious and devastating mistakes from the jump.

Equip yourself with the right beta-reader and sensitivity readers to catch those things. 

Even with errors, your story can be quite enjoyable for people who hardly see themselves represented. Yes, mistakes and all.

As a Black woman bookworm, if you write an exciting story about a Black girl on adventures and falling in love but mention a few questionable things about how she takes care of her hair…I will wince, but it won’t ruin the book for me. I’m willing to overlook some things, for the sake of my enjoyment, and let the author know how I felt about those parts in hopes they can improve.

Say you get something real important wrong. People call you out for it. I suggest you apologize, listen to their critiques, and do better. If possible, pull back the story and re-release when you’ve improved the piece. If that’s not an option, fix it in future works. Getting a finger wagged at you doesn’t mean lock up in fear and never write with diversity again. It means you improve.

Research PoC like you would on any topic:

For comparison’s sake, consider writing People of Color (or any group different from you) like writing other topics you’re unfamiliar with in-depth. 

For example: You may know the basics on Medieval England. The knights, royalty, and so on. But i’m sure there’s a lot of misconceptions mixed in there from television or unreliable sources. 

To write people from this perspective, you would do lots of additional research… right?  

If someone mentioned how you messed up on some of the facts, you would take note and dig into it more for the future…right? 

You might even have more experienced persons check your facts for accuracy beforehand to do the best job possible.

Approach researching PoC in the same way as other topics. There may not be hard facts on how to write an X character, but there are portrayals to avoid with explanations why, and roles people want to see themselves in.

I don’t like to be told what to write.

There’s this misconception that writing with diversity restricts creativity. I get it - there are things you’re being told not to do when writing certain groups. The lists of No’s can get dense. This reflects how poor representation has been for People of Color as there are a number of stereotypical portrayals folks are tired of seeing and has been detrimental to them.

Fiction simply reflects real life: People of Color being viewed through the lens of preconceived notions means being written on with those stereotypes in mind. It is a vicious cycle. Stereotypes are more than an annoyance - they can and do lead to real life consequences.

Being treated like a stereotype lowers our quality of life. Experiencing racism and daily microaggressions has a psychological effect - from insecurity, depression and PTSD - it is serious. (X)

Viewing People of Color by their stereotypes is what makes, say, a Black person who speaks with passion no matter what it’s about (and even if they’ve been wronged) too hostile and “Angry” to take seriously. If anything, they’re now a serious threat. And that’s dangerous for them.

Put yourself in the shoes of the overly typecast.

Think of a time someone misunderstood you. You had a bad day and acted grumpy. Well, being a grump defines who you are now. When asked, people describe you as crabby and humorless. Every new person you meet sees your every action through that lens.

Strangers tiptoe around you, as they can just tell you’re ill-tempered. Peers choose their words carefully, afraid of what might spark your wrath. Your children even inherit the title; teachers discipline them more and take other students’ word over theirs- your kids are snappy, difficult, and known to not play well with others, after all.

Wouldn’t that get old? Wouldn’t you feel it was unfair to be reduced to a label, and that you’re sick of being defined by it? Wouldn’t you have the desire to be seen for who you truly are, and can be? Perhaps you do get grumpy sometimes, which is just being human. You’re so much more than a grouch.

Stereotypes are not creative.

Writing outside of stereotypes open up so many more possibilities. How many times have we seen the Black Best Friend play out in media? You’re not being silenced when readers criticize your sassy sidekick. Your message has been heard, loud and clear - again and again and again. People are upset because it’s not anything new - in fact, it is quite old.  We want multiple portrayals. Why not create something new before you decide to write so closely to how we are always written?

OP said: I don’t want to change my stories/characters to suit everyone else while not liking them myself.

This should not be the case. Avoiding stereotypes has nothing to do with making unlikeable or even perfect characters. Simply make Characters of Color who go beyond stereotypes! Characters who are best friends without being arc-less doormats. Characters who are fierce and emotional and stand for something without being simplified to irrational, hostile, and angry. 

Knowing the difference between stereotype and culture is important, too. Don’t let anyone tell you you’re doing something wrong when their bias means they perceive your character as being stereotypical, or problematic, when they’re not. (See: Stereotyped vs Nuanced Characters and Audience Perception.)  

If anything, writing beyond hard labels leads to complex characters. Writing about new cultures is interesting and can be exciting. 

If you only like your East Asian characters when they’re geniuses or your Black girls when they’re angry without a cause…do some self-reflection. Why do your Characters of Color only seem “right” to you when they are flat, or confined to stereotypes? Why not allow them to be complex humans?

I’m not convinced that representation matters.

Well, representation does matter. A lot. While it has been written on so much, and there being countless studies, statistics, and personal accounts to support this, I would like to mention…

Representation (or lack thereof) lowers self-worth.

Studies show TV boosts the self-esteem of white boys. The confidence of People of Color and girls of all races, on the other hand, decreases when watching TV (X X). 

“If you want to make a human being into a monster, deny them, at the cultural level, any reflection of themselves.” -Junot Diaz

The Racial Empathy Gap.

I want to be brief (too late, right?) so let me just mention another point of research for you: the racial empathy gap. Stereotyped depictions and the limited roles for People of Color are internalized by society, leading to lack of empathy towards People of Color and the enforcement of stereotypes in real time. Lack of empathy actively affects how PoC are treated, such as the belief that Black people experience less pain than others and therefore are misdiagnosed (their illnesses and pain are downplayed) and under treated (X X X). 

Fiction Increases Empathy.

In addition to the racial empathy gap, look into the studies on how fiction improves empathy. For example: reading about vampires increases empathy towards vampires. Imagine what non-stereotyped, marginalized depictions in fiction can do for empathy.  (X, X)

The strength in which people are against representation speaks volumes. 

If representation does not matter, then why are some people so angry when it’s there? Let’s take book to movie depictions: 

A Character of Color depicted as white simply means they were the best actor for the job, according to a vocal presence in social media. 

However, even a verified Character of Color being depicted as such leads to boycotting, accusations of being “Politically-correct”, and wide complaints that they can’t relate to the characters and they are poor actors. Never mind that so many Actors of Color attend prestigious schools only to get so far.

The hypocrisy speaks to a need for more representation, and a prevalent lack of empathy. 

The People Want Diversity!

On a positive note: shows that reflect the real world, aka include diversity, continue to get high ratings despite many obstacles: those who don’t want them there, lack of advertising or inconvenient airtime for shows with diverse leads, the ole bait-and-switch method, and hasty cancellations. Not to mention media simply refusing to be inclusive even when they know “diversity sells” (X X). Gee, I wonder why….

Audiences are more drawn to projects that feature a diverse cast, a new study finds, though mirroring the population in the United States remains a problem.

“Less-diverse product underperforms in the marketplace, and yet it still dominates,” said Ana-Christina Ramón, the report’s co-author and assistant director of the Bunche Center. “This makes no financial sense.” 

-Diversity in Hollywood Pays Off in Ratings and Box Office, New Study Finds

Diversity simply reflects the real world accurately. 

There is nothing forced about diversity. People of Color exist in the real world, go out and about, and have lives. Creators including marginalized people only seems strange because media actively scratches them out as much as possible, pulling the marginalized out of focus to zoom in on white characters. That is what’s unrealistic. 

Ultimately, you, the writer, will write what you want. Just ask yourself why you have decided this is what you want to write. Are you okay with that reason? Despite all the progress that is being made, you’ll blend in just fine with all of the other mostly white books and movies out there. And as people become more conscious and bored with the same stories, we can and will choose to ignore whitewashed media.

The good thing is that there’s so much awareness and activism going on with representation; the path has been paved for you and it is not lonely! 

There are resources out there, and WWC continues to be one of them.

More Reading - Diversity:

Braving Diversity: How to Write Yourself (and others) out of your Story  (An early WWC post quite relevant to you, OP)

Diversity exists in the real world 

The Key to Moving Beyond checklisting is not LESS diversity 

Bad Representation vs Tokenism vs Diversity: just existing without justification like in the real world

How to research your racially/ethnically diverse characters 

–Colette