#that way you avoid the racist stereotype you add MORE diversity and you bring up an issue that is prevelant in black families

[ileftherbackhome]

So here is the thing.

There is a Matilda musical apparently and I'm all for racebending characters but doing just the teacher and keeping the kid white just feels like....

Playing into the prominent stereotype of like the black woman helping the white main character, I forget the name of it but you get my drift?

Idk I feel like a for effort but Matilda could have been black as well.

[cafffine]

Hey guys, I’ve decided to stop publishing Saltcoats for a number of reasons. I'm aware that many of you are going to initially be let down or confused, but hopefully once you’ve read through this post you’ll understand why this had to stop. I’ll try to hit all my points, but of course if you have any questions pls feel free to dm me or reply to this post.

DISCLAIMER: Ending this fic was a decision I came to by myself! No one asked me to do this, though many did help, and if you have something to add please do not bring other tumblr or ao3 users into the conversation unless they’ve explicitly said they’re ok with that. It’s a draining and heavy topic (not to me, but for those affected) and I don’t want to cause anymore unneeded distress.

Also, I’m the only author, all the problems with this story were created by me, and were biases I should have recognized and acted on much sooner. I’m very thankful to all the people that have reached out to me about the negative impacts on this fic, but it really does come down to: I wrote and published a story that was fundamentally ignorant of its setting and racist. So now I have to do my part to apologize and educate myself/take accountability.

First off, this was a flawed concept to begin with because I was trying to do a low fantasy setting with aliens in period clothes and a work of historical fiction at the same time, and those are not things you can go halfway on.

Historical fiction that centers around people of color has a long history of simply going race-blind and faking diversity by giving poc the roles of white people in Eurocentric stories and erasing their identities. (This article about Bridgerton explains the problem better than I could.) And it was something I tried to avoid by still having the Fetts written as immigrants from Aotearoa (NZ), but completely missed the execution on because I didn’t commit to full historical accuracy in all characters and aspects of the story. Meaning, I might as well have gone race-blind because you can’t pick and choose what to include, it’s just as racist.

This creates situations like the Fetts being immigrants facing real life oppression while the Organas, also people of color, are unaffected by the social climate and living as members of the British upper class. That’s not accurate to any version of history and ends up wiping clean any point I was trying to make about race and oppression. That also extends beyond the Fetts, I was not addressing how the american characters come from a country that still allows for the ownership of slaves, the British oppression of Scottish people and their culture, or even an in-depth look at real Queer communities of that era. (and more)

Given the real life historical climate in the 1850s, a multi-racial story like this one is not successful, and is racist in its ignorance of the struggles of poc, immigrants, and the intersectionality that had with class and crime.

In addition, the Fetts being written as criminals, even if it is framed as a morally correct choice*, is still playing into negative racial stereotypes that shouldn’t have been ignored.

* I should add, I don’t mean to make it sound like i’m creating excuses for myself when I give explanations for some of these choices such as “but it was framed as morally correct”, that doesn’t lessen the damage being done, it’s still racist, I guess I'm just trying to show why so many of these things went overlooked for as long as they did, and how easy it is for white/privileged people to find mental loopholes around racism when you’re not being sufficiently critical of yourself.

On another note, the Fetts being indigenous immigrants to Britain in the 1800s is not something I should have tried to tackle in fanfiction - a medium that often lacks nuance and can easily end up romanticizing or glossing over most heavy topics. This goes for period typical homophobia, addiction, and class struggles as well.

That being said! I’m not implying that any of those things should be completely ignored in fanfiction. Addiction, for example, is something very close to me that I do still want to explore in fanfic for the purposes of education and normalization, I’m not telling anyone what not to write, just checking myself. Because in a story like this where literally everything is so heavily dramatized and also applied to characters of color by me, a white person? It’s only going to end up being out of place, lacking in historical accuracy, and wholly disrespectful.

Another major problem I wanted to address is the relationship between a rich white person and a poverty stricken poc. That's a bad stereotype to begin with, but then I tried and failed to frame Obi-Wan as ignorant and biased to a point where his social status plays into the theme of class critique. But, if he’s still being written as Cody’s love interest, all his negative characteristics are ultimately going to be ignored and excused by the narrative (by me).

I’m not trying to end this conversation, I’ll always be willing to talk about this to anyone who’d want to say/hear more, but I don’t want run the point into the ground with over-explanation.

So, in conclusion, this fic had to stop and be broken down into the problem that it was. All white authors who write for the clones need to be hyper-vigilant about the fact that we are creating narratives for poc, and that our inherent racism is always in threat of being baked into in the stories we publish and spread to an audience. I was in the wrong when I wrote this story, and it should never have gone on for this long. I apologize for both my actions, and to anyone I may have hurt along the way.

This is getting posted on ao3 in the fic, and then, for now anyway, the fic is going to be deleted after a week. I’ll leave this post up and answer everyone unless it's someone trying to change my mind. Also, if I ignore an ask please send it again, tumblr might just have deleted it. I don’t want to try and bury this or run from my mistakes, I just don’t think that leaving the fic up where it can still find an audience will do anyone any good. Thank you for reading

If you're interested here's some resources I've been using to educate myself further:

What caused the New Zealand Wars? - An excerpt of the book by Vincent O'Malley of the same title. It gives a good summary of the violent colonization and oppression of Māori people and their culture by the British empire.

NZ Wars: Stories of Waitara (video) - Very educational documentary about the NZ wars and British colonialism. There are some historical recreations that get violent so pls watch with caution.

Historical American Fiction without the Racism - Tumblr post by @/writingwithcolor that talks specifically about Black people in the 1920's, but makes a good point about race and historical fiction in general. I'd recommend any post from this blog, especially their navigation page just a lot of great resources

Who Gave You the Right to Tell That Story? - An article about writing outside of your race that includes a diverse series of testimonials

History of Scottish Independence - Details the colonization of Scotland by the British empire, sort of long, can cntrl + f to "The Acts of Union" for a more direct explanation.

The best books on Racism and How to Write History - A list of well written and diverse works of historical fiction and why they are good examples of representation

I have a lot more that I can share if you're interested (x x x x) but this post is getting a bit too long.

[an-avid-reader]

The Hate U Give - Angie Thomas

my rating: 5/5 stars

On the night of a party gone wrong in Garden Heights, or “the hood”, Starr and her childhood best friend, Khalil, drive away only to be stopped by a white police officer. Khalil, unarmed, gets shot right in front of Starr’s eyes. Alas, Starr’s worlds—Garden Heights and Williamson, a predominantly white prep school—collide as word of Khalil’s death spreads and she is the only witness. Will Starr be able to bring justice to Khalil via riot and protests, or will he be remembered as a drug dealer and a thug?

"Funny how it works with white kids though. It's dope to be black until it's hard to be black"

Link to Goodreads || Spoiler-free review

A few things to check out:

Dear White People (Netflix)

When They See Us (Netflix)

Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race (Book)

A list of places to donate to / one YT video if you’re unable to donate 

Here’s a post that is much more comprehensive

let me know if any of the links don’t work, I will update them :)

There’s a reason why this book has quite a few awards on the front—this book covers what some may consider a “taboo�� topic aka racism, but it’s an issue. I’m writing this review slightly earlier than before I’m posting it, but right now the current news is about George Floyd’s death, which is arguably more brutal than what happened in this book, but the fact that some police officers still think race has something to do with one’s intentions is outrageous and disgusting. Even in Canada, there have been instances of racism across history (spoiler: Canada isn’t a ‘saint nation’, even though the population is very diverse). 

For these reasons, I think this book, while it is triggering, I think it should be fit into the curriculum for students to read so that they may be educated on racism, and how it can literally kill others, as well as to try and dismantle the systematic racism that is imposed on us from a young age. I can never sit here and tell you that I can experience what Starr went through (or what any POC—black or otherwise—has ever been through), I can only educate myself and emphasize with what’s been said/done to you—please call me out if I’ve said something that may be offensive and feel free to correct me if I’ve said anything wrong.

Alright now on with the book review! This book is so raw and powerful, Thomas does a great job of describing the scenes and the emotions Starr goes through during each scene. We get to see how she feels about dating a white boy while being black herself, how her neighbourhood is beautiful despite it being described as the hood, we also get to see how Starr’s demeanor completely changes while she’s at school vs when she’s visiting her family. While Thomas’ writing may be simple, she does a great job of capturing those moments and the emotions tied within the scene.

As we get to see Starr becoming a witness and taking legal action, I wasn’t sure where the story was headed. Would Khalil get justice and would the cop go to jail? How would Starr’s mental health be affected? Will her family be okay? (Don’t you just love it when there’s so much more conflict in the story that needs to be resolved and yet there are only 2 chapters left) Etc. etc. The thing about The Hate U Give is that there are multiple story lines, which help to drive the story forwards. Those plotlines didn’t feel out of place or forced—everything seemed to progress at a reasonable pace. 

I feel like one of the key parts of this story are the characters and their dynamics to the story. The most obvious being between Starr and her family. Although Starr has her own secrets that she keeps from her dad (*cough cough* Chris *cough cough*), I feel like they still have a strong bond, especially as the story went on and her dad, Maverick, stood behind Starr, even when things went south. (I could also 100% relate to Starr bickering with her brothers—even her half-brother). Then there’s Chris, which I kinda feel weird about him...which I feel like it’s a spoiler so I’ll talk about it under the cut. Overall, I’m glad that while he doesn’t understand what Starr has been through, he doesn’t judge her—he listens to her story and he also stays by Starr’s side at all times. I appreciate that Thomas didn’t put too much focus on the romance, otherwise I think it would’ve detracted from the main message. Finally, there are Starr friends. Even though we only got to know Khalil for a bit at the beginning, I like that Starr’s friendship with him was sprinkled throughout the story, even if it was in subtle ways. You could tell that, while their friendship may have fallen apart, Starr really cared for him and he was at the forefront of her mind. We also get to see Maya and Haliey’s friendship with Starr...and I can’t talk much about that without spoilers :/ let’s just say...it was interesting…

While I can’t exactly relate to Starr on an emotional/traumatic/life experience level, I love that we are both Harry Potter fans and she runs a Tumblr (which idk why but I’m always taken aback when books have Tumblrs?? Yet here we are). I appreciate that she tries to see the best in people, until they prove her wrong (or give her a reason to not like them). I think Starr is a strong role model in the sense that she stands up for herself and is determined to get justice, although she’s not cocky about it. It’s quite the opposite, she doubts herself—I just remember that there were so many parts where she blamed herself for not recalling every single detail of the incident or not putting emphasis on the type of person Khalil was to avoid him getting stereotyped. Starr also questioned her relationship with Chris, albeit she seemed a bit naive at some points. Because of Starr’s strong personality and her core values, the message of The Hate U Give is so much stronger, hence why I feel like everyone should read this novel.

Finally, I learned a lot from this novel. Regardless of the fact that this is a fictional book, it is very much based on the realities of Black people and the hardships they must endure on a daily basis. To be honest, I feel so dumb for not even realizing that the title spells out THUG and runs parallel with Tupac’s meaning of THUG LIFE. Mind you, now when I look at the cover, it’s all I see. I also didn’t realize that Black kids and teens are taught how to act around the police—all to be avoided to get arrested, shot, or killed—which is frankly, messed up. Thomas also takes the time to address the names she used, intentionally to give another layer of the book, which I feel that it is based on reality. I can definitely see why this book has received so many awards—and if this book were implemented in schools, it would allow the discussion on racism to be opened and it would also allow kids to see that not all authors are white, old men (looking at you, Shakespeare, which tbh the only good play I read was Macbeth).

I wanted to thank you for reading my review; if you’ve read this book, I’d love to know your thoughts. Below the cut, I have a spoiler section that I wanted to include (which I might add in future reviews, idk though). 

Please stay safe and healthy,

~ Cassandra / an-avid-reader

THE REMAINDER OF THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS

Okay, I’m not going to lie, but I thought that no one knew about Chris; didn’t Starr mention within the first few chapters that she can’t introduce him to her family because she’s afraid of what they’ll say/judge her for dating a white boy? But then, it turns out it’s just her dad that doesn’t know about him??? Idk if my memory is really that bad or if it’s such a slim detail (maybe it actually is an inconsistency o.O). But anyways, I love how Maverick was just playing with him (and making it clear that Chris would be in big trouble if he hurt Starr). I’m also not sure if he has a fetish for Black women (which Starr also pointed that out)—which I don’t know how to feel about that. I know some people have a thing for people of colour (Asians are commonly a fetish too, for example) but then some guys also have a thing for super short girls? Um yeah. I’ll probably leave it at that.

I’m not sure if it was just me, but I deadass thought Seven was going to be a gangbanger. He was sooooo suspicious anytime King was mentioned (which I get King is with Seven’s biological mom, but still I can’t be the only one who was suspicious, right?). I have to give him props though for putting his sisters’ needs before his own and for also listening to Iesha’s point of view. This man doesn’t give on people easily, and that’s a nice change. 

The last thing I wanted to include in this spoiler section is Haliey. I just— wtf man. She perfectly embodies the issue and idk she gave me such Karen vibes. It’s so frustrating that she just accepted the newspaper’s article story at face value—I don’t even think she even took the time to listen to the other point of view. I’m so glad that Starr punched her in the face, even though that resulted in her getting in trouble. And it’s not even towards just Starr that she was racist! When Maya opened up about Haliey’s comments, I was pretty infuriated. I think Haliey’s comments came from a place of ignorance or a lack of education, but it just bothered me that she just brushed it off. Smh “it was just a joke” or “get over it” *rolls eyes* Just apologize, Haliey, and educate yourself, please. Actually, maybe she could take lessons from Mr. Warren, their english teacher because he was lowkey a G. I was pleased to see he was a teacher (who are often seen as role models) that actually gave a crap about Starr and what she was going through. I guess we just need to be more attentive to what people have to say and be more empathetic when they’re hurt.

[battlestar-royco]

(1/?) I was thinking about this earlier. About how some people when they headcanon characters as POC they might mean well but sometimes those headcanons depending on the characterization, description of the characters can really turn yikes really quick. Especially if the fandom latches on to a problematic description of a character. And then forget to think about racial stereotypes when headcanons characters as POC. The reason I bring this up is that I was in a fandom that did this and did this

(2/?) and did this a lot. And I understand that while they may have meant well with their headcanons when you look at the characters and their descriptions and just how many stereotypes were (unintentionally) used it goes fucking yikes to hell and back. And now to bring it to the present day and the fandom is now dead. And there's a character in the new book I imagine to be a black girl even though she's described with milky white skin. Now, normally this wouldn't be a problem. But well(3/3) the character buys other magic people to add to her magic gang and she's a big criminal (but then again even the heroes are criminals at this point). So what I'm wondering is my imagining of this character as a black girl is wrong (said character is also a young teenager in the book about 11 to 14 at the oldest) and problematic. I mean I've accidentally done problematic shit with headcanoning characters as poc in the past and I really don't wanna do it again.

Okay so this automatically makes me think of Ronan from TRC---a debacle I don’t know too much about as an outsider to the fandom, but still. There was some discussion around how R is coincidentally (?) the more criminal character in the ensemble and the character who is most often headcanoned as black. I think it’s definitely fair to consider which characters are being headcanoned as POC and why, and the way characters of color get ~fanonized~, for lack of a better term. With the R thing, I could totally see why that would be an issue, and yet I can also see why some people interpreted Steve Otter’s statement about it as her trying to dictate who they could ID with in her mostly white series. And the SOC fandom has had its issues with characterizing Jesper as the unintelligent comic relief, lack of respect for Kuwei, and sexualizing Inej.

Not knowing the context of the book you’re reading, I can’t really say one way or the other. I generally try to avoid telling other people what they can and can’t hc in terms of diversity because it just doesn’t feel right to me (unless it’s very obviously stereotypical/discriminatory), but if I were you, and if I were really worried about this hc, I would maybe ask someone in the fandom who knows more? Also in general, I just go by the fandom’s greater headcanons, so maybe I’m not the best person to ask? You could also just say fuck it and hc everyone in the book as POC (unless the character is written as a racist) 💀💀💀. Tried and true method. The most important thing for me, I’ve always found, is just seeing the other takes that are in the fandom from a wide range of bloggers.

[maria-naranjoochoa]

What Black Panther Brought to the Marvel Cinematic Universe

As of now, there are twenty films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and even more planned for continuations of previous ones, spin-offs, and new additions. These films show us beloved comic book heroes, but most have had similar characters up until recently. It’s true all heroes go through difficult challenges and have their own of how they became heroes, most have been known to have similar appearances and backgrounds. So far, all the main heroes have been male and predominantly white. White male superheroes aren’t the problem though, it’s the lack in diversity overall in the MCU. Not until recently, the MCU has had one superhero of color in Black Panther, and plans for a future film, Captain Marvel, where they will have their first female superhero. As shown by more recent films, the MCU has tried to add more diversity to it’s films through the cast, directors, and writers by adding more people of color and females, but it still lacks it in certain areas and has a long way to go until it reaches true diversity. Also, the article “10 Years in, the Marvel Cinematic Universe Still Lacks Diversity — and These 4 Graphs Prove It” it shows how Marvel still lacks diversity not only in the cast, but in directors and writers as well. Along with the current attempts to add diversity, more diversity should be added to the MCU, and in more ways than just race and gender.

Diversity means to have a variety of anything, so there are so many different things that can be shown in MCU films to have truly diverse films, and MCU films don’t seem to have an end anytime soon. Diversity should include representing a variety of races, genders, sexualities, and disabilities. Also, while attempting to add racial diversity, the factor of nationality should be taken into account, not just the color of skin. Diversity can be integrated in a positive way when changing the race or gender of a character, which usually adds to a character and avoids the problem of stereotypes, or just adding completely new characters. The MCU has added diversity by showing us new types of heroes like Black Panther and soon Captain Marvel. It’s true that the MCU has shown great attempts in adding diversity, but they should continue adding diversity in more ways to its films to continue to positively impact all who watch them.

With the integration of diversity in the MCU happening recently, not every agrees that diversity is an important factor to consider to make superhero, action-filled movies. In the article “15 Controversial Superhero Race Changes Outrage Fans” it said, 

“ … what seems to get to comic book fans all up in arms is when the characters don’t look exactly like their comic book counterparts.” 

The main argument for people against diversifying films is saying that films aren’t the place to be adding diversity, instead that films are meant to be exact adaptations of their book or comic book counterpart. The majority of those who say this or arguments similar to this are people from majority groups, whether it’s being white and/or male. The ones who are part of the majority are the ones who aren’t directly affected by the lack of diversity happening in different types of media. Those who are use to being surrounded by people like them don’t see a reason to try and add diversity to simple things such as movies and television shows. Though adding diversity to the media might seem like a simple thing, it is a big way of sending a message to mass populations and telling stories.

Not only do people argue that characters from comic books shouldn’t be changed for diversity, but they are also arguing that adding diversity will ruin the story of the film. For the most part, the physical appearance of a character doesn’t dictate whether or not a film will be good or bad. By adding diversity, film makers could broaden the possibility of finding good actors to fill in roles and they could use diversity to add substance to a film. If you focus solely on physical traits when casting for a film, you might miss out on someone who could have acted the character out better. In Daredevil (2003), the character of Kingpin was played by a black actor, Michael Clarke Duncan, even though the comic book character was originally white. According to the article by Dean Charles, 

“Of all the major actors in Hollywood, [Duncan] was probably the only guy out there that could pull of the physicality needed for the role of Kingpin.” 

The reason this worked was because of the large size of the actor, which was a big part of Kingpin’s character, as well as his personality. Same thing happened with Valkyrie from Thor: Ragnarok, who would have been a white blond woman, but was played by an actor of color, Tessa Thompson. Adding diversity doesn’t mean a movie will instantly be worse, it’s cutting of diversity can instantly take away its potential.

It’s true that race is an important part of diversity, and in MCU films it has shown it is trying to represent different minorities, like people of color, but at the same time nationality is often overlooked. It is great to represent race minorities, but to take it further, nationalities of the characters should be represented as well. For most characters, their race, or even their nationality, doesn’t usually play a key role, but there other times it is something that cannot be overlooked. For example, the character of Black Panther had to at least be played by an African American, but why not take it a step further and have an African actor play the role. To have truly diverse films, true diversity should be in the cast. A time nationality was overlooked, mainly by the audience, was when it was revealed a white woman, Tilda Swinton, was going to play the character of Ancient One in Doctor Strange. Most fans were outraged as soon as they saw the character was not only a woman, but she was also white. But, after hearing the reasoning behind the casting, most people accepted it and saw the directors good intentions. According to the article “‘Doctor Strange’ Writer Addresses Ethnicity Controversy” by Johnny Brayson, 

“Since the character is a stereotypical Asian mystic, casting an Asian actor in the role [of the Ancient one] would have been seen as playing into that stereotype and being culturally insensitive and racist.”

 Also, looking at Swinton’s nationality, which is Scottish, it was also used in the film to add a Celtic feel to the world of magic. A woman was cast to add diversity in a different way and she was cast to get away from stereotypes that could have offended others. People judged as soon as they saw her skin color, and didn’t bother to look past that to find other reasons. It is important to take into account the factor of nationality when working with diversity.

One of the MCU movies that has showed great diversity on the MCU is Black Panther, but there are some who are argue that this film isn’t truly diverse because it shows people from the same race. Diversity in films is usually easy to see, but looks aren’t everything when it comes to true diversity. Looking at the cast of Black Panther, it is easy to see that the cast is nearly all black, but looking at the nationalities shows how diverse this film really is. Some of the main nationalities from the main cast are South African, Kenyan, British, Mexican, Zimbabwean, Trinidadian, Guyanese, and German. In the case of this film, the diversity was in the nationalities. This shows that films can be diverse in more ways than skin color.

While for some characters their race is an important part of them, for other characters it doesn’t really matter, which opens up a chance to add in diversity without changing the story line too much. Gender- and race-swapping is nothing new in the MCU, it has already been done before, but there has mostly been negative feedback when people first find out about the casting. After seeing more trailers or the actual movie, many people end up liking the somewhat different characters and forgetting why they thought they might dislike them. Some examples of gender- and race-swapped characters are Heimdall from the Thor movies, Valkyrie from Thor: Ragnarok, MJ from Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Ghost from Ant-Man and the Wasp, all of which have become most fans favorite characters (Dean). Things like this should continue to be done to add diversity, and more things should be added in addition to race- and gender-swapping.

One of the most recent methods of adding diversity that have made recent movies extremely successful and expanded the MCU is having new types of heroes where who they are matters, like their gender or race. One of the most significant movies that showed this was Black Panther, which had its first black actor as lead, first predominantly black cast, and first black director for an MCU film. Adding diversity can bring new type so of heroes, which have mostly been white males up until recently, and bring new, more interesting story-lines to the MCU. With Black Panther, we were able to see a superhero in their origin country while seeing a mix of cultures, which were all inspired by real African cultures. Even though Black Panther took place in a made up African country, the different cultures from Africa were shown throughout in different characters and were even important parts of the story-line. Having new kinds heroes will keep fans interested while adding new things to the MCU. Another movie coming up that has a new type of hero is Captain Marvel, which will be the first MCU film to have a female lead. New stories open up the possibility for expansion, and you can’t have much expansion without diversity.

While diversity can have such a positive impact for the MCU films, it can also positively impact the people who watch the movies. It has become clearer recently that representing minorities helps those part of the minorities feel represented and having something they could relate to more closely. Evidently, there are so many different minorities and groups that are underrepresented that it’s impossible to show them all in one film, but that doesn’t mean they should be forgotten entirely. You don’t need one film to show all different types of people, and it looks like the MCU has many films and shows planned in the near and far future. While diversity mainly impacts people of minorities, it also impacts people from the majority in a positive way. If people from majorities see these minorities represented in popular films, it is hoped that they can be more accepting towards those minorities. Being part of the majority, you are surrounded by people who like like you and come from very similar backgrounds as you. Popular movies like from the MCU are one way to expose those from the majority to different kinds of people they will most likely encounter in the world.

Diversity is something that has been embraced more recently in the MCU and is also something that should be continued. Though there are always people who find some way to argue against adding diversity in some way, it is clear that diversity can help the people watching the movies and also help expand that MCU so it can continue to be enjoyed by the creators and fans. In the 10 years the MC has been around, we have been shown by its recent films, such as Black Panther, what an impact diversity can make, so it is something that should be continued and explored in more ways.

References:

“Black Panther.” IMDb, IMDb.com, www.imdb.com/title/tt1825683/fullcredits

Brayson, Johnny. “‘Doctor Strange’ Writer Addresses Ethnicity Controversy.” Outer Places, 25

Apr. 2016, www.outerplaces.com/science-fiction/item/11949-doctor-strange-writer-

Addresses-ethnicity-controversy

Coogler, Ryan, director. Black Panther, Marvel Studios, 16 February 2018

Dean, Charles. “15 Controversial Superhero Race Changes That OUTRAGED Fans.” CBR,

2000AD, 21 Aug. 2017, www.cbr.com/superhero-race-changes-in-film/

Mulkerin , Tim. “10 Years in, the Marvel Cinematic Universe Still Lacks Diversity — and These 4

Graphs Prove It.” Mic, Mic Network Inc., 21 Apr. 2018,

mic.com/articles/188957/10-years-in-the-marvel-cinematic-universe-still-lacks-diversity-

and-these-4-graphs-prove-it#.LvMEExvZv

Spata, Christopher. “‘Doctor Strange’ Director: ‘Whitewashing’ Was Actually to Avoid

Stereotypes and Promote Diversity.” Complex, Complex, 1 June 2018, www.complex.com/pop-culture/2016/10/doctor-strange-director-scott-derickson-whitewashing

Turner, Lucy. “Why Is Diversity So Important In Film.” Medium, 24AD, 2018,

medium.com/@lucylit/why-is-diversity-so-important-in-film-58c0cbff71b8

u/detroitnigga. “r/Marvelstudios — What’s Your Opinion on Shoehorning ‘Diversity’ in the

MCU?” Reddit, 5 Feb. 2015, https://www.reddit.com/r/marvelstudios/comments/2uw4ru/whats_your_opinion_on_shoehorning_diversity_in/

[ancwritingresources]

My fantasy book is going to be third person omniscient and i wanted one character (who's white) to initially be racist and undergo and learning arc, do you have any tips on how to do that without catering to "white feelings" and avoiding stereotypes?

Sensitivity Readers may be worth your time and the money and are a good resource to at least check out. 

I’m sure you are going to find many different opinions on this, and if any one wants to add to this, to correct me, to open up that dialogue, please do, but here is my opinion: don’t write a book from the point of view of a racist character. Yes, you may have good intentions–showing, perhaps how racism happens and how people can change their point of view and become better people. But racism happens every day in the real world and people of color are already forced to deal with its consequences without having to pick up a book and have to dive into that mindset and have to see more of it in fiction. The risk you run into here is that in order for your white character to “learn better” they’re likely going to have to meet one of many trope characters: the helpful or magical or selfless or healing person of color or model minority who educates and aids the white character and works as their sidekick or ally and therefore changes their mind. And if your main character is white, they stay the hero and focal point, taking the credit and praise and focus away from the people of color who end up used as plot devices to teach the white character. 

The great part about fantasy is its chance at escapism and the opportunity to rewrite and reshape our realities. White does not need to be the dominant or privileged race (and this isn’t me recommending that you try to write “reverse racism” but recommending that you do not pull a Lord of the Rings where the fantasy race–the elves in this example–are all white for some unexplainable reason). 

Here’s a quote from an article on Sensitivity Readers that I think worded it well:

The book was a young adult fantasy with black and brown people and a secondary plotline about slavery, which Clayton advised the author to remove. “I said that if it doesn’t have any bearing on the world, why must the institution of slavery follow black and brown bodies even into fiction? And so she changed it.”

There was a time when discussing racism and homophobia and other prejudices in fiction was one of the only ways to point out their problems and to begin to change them. But people also deserve to see themselves in fiction highlighted positively and especially in fantasy, without the terrible injustices that real life already presents. 

Moving on: you said the story was omniscient third person, and I know I jumped on the possibility of POV or a problematic main character, but if this racist character is only one of many characters, I would hope that you have a diverse main cast. I highly recommend that you do research and that if writers or readers of color tell you something is offensive, you listen; if they tell you not to write something, you listen to why, you remain open and not defensive. Educate yourself on books and stories that have had racist characters in them and how they have been received. Absorb all the information you can. Ask yourself if this plot is necessary, what you hope to accomplish from it, what purpose it serves in the story and why you want to write it. What is the end goal. Figuring out your own intentions is always a good place to start. 

Some advice I can offer you: (1) Do not make it the job of the people of color in your story to educate the white character or make that their plot or role in the story–make sure they have their own story, their own wants, their own desires outside of the life of the white character. (2) Do not use the n-word if you are not Black. Period. And if this is fantasy, it never should have come up anyway. Don’t bring these harmful hateful parts of our real world into the new world you are creating. (3) Do not use this plot or arc to justify using any racial slurs just because “the racist character would say it.” It’s still likely not necessary. (4) Understand that you are going to write something offensive or stereotypical and throughout the process of writing and editing and editing again, you’ll have to make many changes and continue to learn and improve. Keep doing this. Do not become so attached to any plot or writing that you cannot make it better or do better. Stay open to criticism and stay aware and keep doing better. 

[technotestechnotes]

What can I do today to create a more inclusive community in CS? Start of Term: At the beginning of the term, ask each student to email you to introduce themselves by naming one of their core values, and one way that CS relates to or could be used in service of that core value (or write it down in class, and/or share with a neighbor in class). Mid-Term: Email top performers on a recent homework or exam to congratulate them; be sure to include a diverse group. Provide students with clear and timely feedback, including class-wide distribution data. Women and minority students often fear the worst about their position relative to the class and can be reassured by data. After a midterm exam, step through the math showing the class that students can still pass the course even if they did poorly. It’s just some multiplication, but take the time to talk about it. Be factual—no need to “sugar coat”—but provide facts that will help reassure students who think things are worse than they really are. Reach out to students who have filed a disability accommodation form with you and ask them if their needs are being met in your class. Reaffirm your commitment to complying with their approved accommodations and your willingness to receive complaints if there is a problem. End of Term: Personally invite a woman or a minority student who did  well in your class to major in CS, apply to an internship, or go to grad school. If your TAs work with small groups of students in a discussion section, have them do this as well. Any Lecture Day: Review today’s lecture slides to make sure that stock photos and illustrations with people in them include diverse races and genders in non-stereotyped roles. Review today’s lecture slides for the use of arbitrary names in examples. Choose a broader selection (Juan, Neha, Maria, Minseo, Mohammed, instead of just Jane Doe and John Smith). Review today’s lecture slides to make sure that your slides are free from gendered pronouns, especially those used in ways that conform to stereotype (e.g., “A programmer should always write comments in his code, so he can remember how it works”). Use of “they” (and their/them) as a singular pronoun is now widely accepted as a neutral alternative, and better than the awkward “he or she” construction because it also includes genderqueer and non-binary. Take a moment in class today to encourage students to focus on their “slope,” not their “y-intercept.” That is, in the long run, it matters how fast you’re growing and learning, not advantages or deficiencies in where you started. Start class today by telling the students you’re proud of them and how hard they are working. Tell them you are enjoying working with them this term. Start class today by renewing your invitation to students to come to office hours. Understand that not all students have had the mentoring necessary to know how you expect them to interact with you, so explicitly instruct your class in how to do it. For example: “You don’t need to have a particular question—you’re welcome to just stop by for 5 minutes to introduce yourself,” or “I’m not just here for homework questions—if you are considering changing your major to CS and want to talk about it, if you want to know what it’s like to work as a software engineer, if you are thinking about applying to grad school but don’t know where to begin, I’m happy to discuss that kind of thing as well.” Look around your office and/or lab space. Consider if there are things you could add or remove that would make the space more welcoming generally, and also signal welcome to a diverse student body (e.g., remove very masculine or heavily CS-stereotyped movie posters). Actually write a tally of how many times you call on students of different genders in class today. People of all genders are prone to calling on men more often. You may do this unconsciously unless you consciously do otherwise. Go through today’s lecture slides, and add “alt text” written descriptions of all images and diagrams. If you’ll use a video clip today, transcribe it. You will need to do this for all your class materials when you have a student who requires these accommodations, so even if that doesn’t apply this term, doing it now is a good head start. And if your materials are publicly available, you are also helping other faculty and students in your broader audience. Thinking about today’s lecture, do you plan on using any examples or anecdotes about your childhood or daily life that may cause students to feel excluded for economic reasons? (e.g., talking about pricey gadgets or vacation travel as normal) Even if you know that you did not experience these things and are simply using them as an example, students don’t know that and can assume you are referring to them in a normative way. General Do and Don’t Advice: Never say, “This UI is so easy your mom could use it” or “How would you explain this to your mom?” or other phrases that equate women with lack of tech savvy. Avoid heteronormative examples (e.g., bijective function between sets “boys” and “girls”). Believe that hard work and effective practice matters more than DNA. Your beliefs influence students’ beliefs and impact their performance. Have very clear written expectations for student work (coding style, project components, etc.). Where possible, show sample solutions exactly as you would want a student to write them (don’t just give a “sketch” of the solution). Allow and encourage pair programming on assignments. If your class includes a significant group project, instruct students about your expectation that each member of the team contribute in both technical and non-technical components. Research has shown that in group projects in engineering classes, female students often find themselves pushed into stereotyped roles by their peers in the group. When a student is speaking, wait for the student to finish then count “one one-thousand, two one-thousand” in your mind before responding. People of all genders are prone to prematurely cutting off women when they speak. You may do this unconsciously unless you consciously add that pause. Actively mitigate when students may be intimidating each other. When a student uses jargon in a question (often one of those questions that is more of a boast than a real question), explicitly identify when you expect that most students will not be familiar with that jargon, and/or it is not something other students are expected to know for the class, e.g., “Thanks for your comment. For the rest of the class, I’m sure most of you aren’t familiar with some of those terms. Don’t worry, those terms are outside the scope of this class and not necessary to know.” Ensure that you and your TAs call each student by their preferred name and their correct gender pronoun—including allowing students to write their preferred name on homework and exams—even if these do not match their current legal or registrar records of name and sex. Don’t single out students to inquire about correct pronoun; instead ask the whole class to specify, and be aware that the responses may include she, he, they, zie, xe, and others, as singular subjects (with accompanying object, possessive, and reflexive forms). This issue deeply affects transgender, genderqueer, and nonbinary students, and also many students who prefer to have an alternate anglicized name. You could also put a statement in your syllabus that you are committed to honoring students’ preferred name and their correct gender pronoun. 1 in 5 women (but by no means only women) will be sexually assaulted in college. If a student requests course accommodation (in the US, this may be done through the Title IX office), do everything necessary to accommodate that student. If you are wondering what is appropriate to say in response to a student, simply “I believe you” and “I know you know this, but I want to tell you that it wasn’t your fault,” are the two things most assault survivors most need to hear.   Using This List: This list is designed so you can put it on the wall where you can glance at it from time to time and see one thing you could work on. You don’t need to do everything at once. Nobody is perfect. We have all seen news stories and opinion pieces about Millennials and campus climates where allegations of bad faculty behavior flare up. As a faculty member, perhaps you’ve feared that something like that could happen to you, or maybe it already has. If someone, especially a student, brings to your attention a misstep such as an inappropriate comment, oversight, or microaggression, Step 1 is to listen (attentively, and for the entire duration, without interrupting to explain or question). Do not deny, minimize, or otherwise respond defensively, even if you think that the person is misinterpreting or overreacting. Acknowledge to a student that it took courage for them to approach you, and you appreciate feedback (even when it is hard to hear) because that is what will help you improve. More effective than saying, “I am not [racist/sexist/etc] and didn’t mean it that way and would never want to hurt anyone,” is showing that by saying, “I am so sorry that my actions caused pain to anyone, especially to a group that already deals with more than their share, and I’m going to do everything I can to do better.” If appropriate (e.g., you made an insensitively worded comment in lecture), publicly acknowledge it to the class, framed as a learning opportunity for students to see healthy humility and lifelong learning modeled for them. Encourage your colleagues to do the items on this list. Advertise your good example by bringing up your performance of these items in conversations with other faculty.

What can I do today to create a more inclusive community in CS?

Compiled by Cynthia Lee cbl@stanford.edu for the annual New CS Faculty Teaching Workshop, July 2015. Dr. Lee is a Lecturer in the Computer Science Department at Stanford. (Version 9/8/2016)

[leislart]

Stop asking personal questions to strangers when networking

We’ve all heard the maxim that people love to talk about themselves. However, far from being universal, this rule was almost certainly written by extroverts, for extroverts. As an introvert, I’m a much better listener, and am happy to let others talk about themselves while I learn about them. On the other hand, I'm usually not very comfortable talking about myself, especially with someone I’ve never met.

A more accurate maxim is that meeting new people and building relationships is key to business success. Introverted entrepreneurs can’t simply avoid networking, and I’ve previously discussed tips for making the experience easier. However, we can use our gift for listening to our advantage by making our conversation partner feel heard if they are an extrovert, or comfortable if they are a fellow introvert. The potential for trouble arises when an extrovert — who is more likely to be in a sales role — tries to break the ice with an introvert, and uses the wrong approach.

I implore those of you on the extroverted side of the spectrum: though it feels natural to you, it is a bad idea to ask personal questions to people at networking events that you’ve never met. If you do this to an introvert, they will immediately feel uncomfortable, and your efforts to build rapport will backfire.

Of course, there will still be plenty that you’ll be able to learn about the other person; when I say “personal questions” I’m referring to a select few loaded and touchy subjects. You already know to avoid politics, race, religion, and sex, so do us a favor and add these to your “off-limits topics” list.

Don’t ask about their family.

There are few issues more personal, and more likely to be fraught with complication, than one’s family. You may think you'll hit the jackpot if you get a parent who loves talking about their children. However, even though this question might work fine if their family life is going great, it’s not worth the risk if their family life happens to be unhappy. If they are dealing with sick parents, a divorce or breakup, fertility issues, or even discrimination due to their sexual orientation or childfree status, you’re opening up a painful can of worms.

Questions about children, parents, partners or spouses should all be prohibited. You can make an exception, however, if they other person brings these subjects up first, letting you know that they are in fact comfortable discussing them with you. Even then, continue to exercise caution and discretion in your follow up questions.

Don’t ask about their childhood.

There is arguably no subject matter more sensitive and less appropriate for a professional networking event than asking an adult about their childhood. You might be expecting to hear happy tales of schoolyard memories, birthday parties, and sports teams.

However, for many people, childhood was the most painful period of their entire life. You do not want to ask this to the person whose childhood involved abuse and neglect, broken homes, or bullying. Some of us spend years in therapy trying to make peace with these memories; the last person we want to discuss them with is a total stranger.

If you want to talk about their history, stick to their adult and professional life; college, university, internships, and past jobs or business ventures. These are the parts of their past that are more relevant and appropriate to a business setting.

Don’t ask about their name.

If your conversation partner introduces themselves with a name you haven’t heard of before — like Leisl — your first instinct may be to note how “lovely” or “unique” it is. However, drawing attention to ways in which they are different from everyone else won’t always feel like a compliment. We are more often mocked for our differences than complimented on them. I may no longer experience bullying and teasing from classmates because of my name (see why you shouldn’t ask about childhood?), but to this day it remains a sensitive subject, in no small part because new people still mispronounce it 95% of the time. For those that have immigrated to the US and bring their name from another culture, your emphasis on how they are different probably feels more like shaming than a compliment.

If the person you’ve just met has an uncommon name, stick to asking about the proper pronunciation, on which we will gladly instruct you. We do sympathize that it’s not an easy name to say, and will greatly appreciate the effort you put into getting it right. Do not, unless instructed to do so, assign the person a short name or a nickname. Use the name they give, as they give it, or they will feel that you’re trying to change who they are to fit your own convenience.

In addition, be aware of the way that you may be gendering your compliments. For women, hearing that anything about them is “lovely” in a business setting is deeply patronizing. Notice that men hardly ever hear compliments like this — they are complimented for their skills and accomplishments, not their appearance or inborn traits. This should be the norm for people of all genders. I’d rather be commended on something I earned by my own merits, rather than something I was assigned at birth and had no say in choosing.

Don’t ask about their nationality.

Having both a "unique” name and a racially ambiguous appearance, I am frequently asked where my name comes from, or where I was born. However, not everyone with a name that’s not popular in the US is foreign-born. I find it deeply unsettling that in such a diverse nation, it is so easy to be labelled as an outsider. Ethnicity and nationality aren’t the same thing; having a heritage other than white European doesn’t make me any less American. The same goes for naturalized immigrants, who may struggle all their lives to be fully accepted by American society, no matter how long they’ve lived here.

Posing this question in a business setting is at best inappropriate, and at worst, racist. National and ethnic labels have no place when evaluating someone’s professional acumen. If you feel uncomfortable not being able to pin a label on them, consider whether you are actually attempting to make a racial or ethnic stereotype. Resist the temptation to prejudice, and stick to the subjects that are actually related to their line of work.

Don’t push the subject.

Above all, if you happen to broach a subject that unintentionally makes your conversation partner uncomfortable, deal with it gracefully. Simply apologize, drop it, and move on. You may be able to visibly observe their discomfort in their body language. They may make attempts to avoid the subject and shift to something else. They may also tell you outright that they aren’t comfortable discussing the matter. Take no for an answer — don’t attempt to convince them to talk about it. Don’t get defensive, or accuse them of rudeness. You may have made a mistake, but don’t exacerbate the mistake just because you’re embarrassed.

As in any situation, an accidental faux pas is best handled with poise and humility. A quick “Sorry I asked” will do for an apology, followed by a quick change of subject that allows them to regain their composure. If the incident causes them to close up, the awkwardness lingers, or the flow of conversation can’t be restored, it’s alright to politely end the chat and let them know it was nice to meet. Not every conversation at a networking event needs to lead to an ongoing relationship. If your personalities clash, your time is better spent meeting folks with whom you are more compatible.

In Conclusion

If you have asked these sorts of personal questions in the past, you may feel as though you may have flubbed up many a conversation. That’s alright — you simply were not aware of how problematic they could be. We tend to treat people in the way we would want to be treated — according to the Golden Rule — and extroverts may naturally assume everyone else shares their temperament and communication style.

However, the world needs all kinds — listeners as well as talkers. If you use networking as part of your sales strategy, mastering different conversation styles is essential — introverts’ money is just as good as extroverts’ money. Introverts do warm up to people they feel that they can trust, but that trust isn’t given out freely.

Building relationships and maximizing success means learning to establish rapport with all types of people, and treating them all as individuals by tailoring your approach to their specific needs. Above even the Golden Rule is the Platinum Rule: Treat others the not the way you wish to be treated, but the way they wish to be treated.