roseembolism | *sigh* When authors should know better.

Entry tags:

sigh When authors should know better.

I won't really go into the latest racefail controversy, AKA "Mammothfail". I just want to point out that it's really a distressing feeling to read the comments of an author you respect, and find yourself muttering "No, No, no! Just, stop. You're NOT helping. I know you're trying to support your friend, but you're making things worse. No see, you're still typing. That's bad. Aw, no, not with the metaphors, just back. Away. Slowly."

A part of my mind is trying to adapt the Tom Leher song "Who's Next" to Racefail, as I wonder who the next author I respect is going to make the mistake of explaining their way deeper into a mess.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Dare I ask which author?

And, you see, this is why I stay well away from the whole RaceFail thing. Because I'm Caucasian and that's something I can't change and if I let myself get involved, I would never write another goddamn word of fiction ever again.

Book in question: The Thirteenth Child, which posits a Little House on the Prairie with no pesky Native Americans to do away with all the megafauna. Because Ma Ingalls needs to cook an entire freaking mammoth like Wilma Flintstone to feed her growing pioneer family.

...I'm trying to picture Ma Ingalls cooking a mammoth (which Pa Ingalls hunted and killed and hauled back, of course), and it's a very amusing mental exercise.

Edited 2009-05-14 19:37 (UTC)

Paleontologists believe that mammoths averaged about Indian elephant size, on the main. That's RIDICULOUS amounts of meat for one family. Remember the pig slaughtering scene in Little House? Food all winter for four people? Well, if a pig is about 100 pounds, less waste (which they didn't), try 2 tons on for size! Might as well scoop out a hole in the side of the damn thing and live in Chez Dead Tauntaun for the whole of the North Dakotan winter.
And that's just the plains mammoths. The Californian mammoths could get to 16 feet at the shoulder. Ol' Pa Ingalls would need a grenade launcher just to singe the hair off its butt.
(I love mammoths. I especially love our Channel Islands mammoths, which were only 3-4 feet at the shoulder. Mimmoths!)

I once wrote Little Gundam on the Prairie (because someone said there were some things you COULDN'T do a crossover with, such as Mobile Suit Gundam Wing and Little House on the Prairie), and a Mobile Suit and a Mammoth are about the same size...

never mind, nothing to see here.

In my WiP, I'm going to have mammoths, certainly. Maybe even hyperintelligent psychic mammoths. Or ground sloths. Maybe even saber tooth tigers. Psychic ninja saber toothed tigers. Given a past culture that created entire species for aesthetic reasons, the possibilities are wide open.

But I'm not going to erase a race in order to have them. That would be all kinds of idiotic.

Well, as a writer, I reserve the right to erase any race, continent, civilization, individual person, planet, or whatever from my work if I don't think it plays a part in my work, and to add, modify, or otherwise change anything else in any way, shape, or form that amuses me. It's MY universe, written for ME, and I am writing exactly and only the story I want, the way I want. As I've often said to people in discussions of books and reading: "I'm not writing for 'the reader'; I'm writing for ME. If the reader wants to come along and enjoy my story, that's fine, but what I'm doing is writing the stuff no one else will write for me."

Also, if you have hyperintelligent psychic mammoths and ninja sabretoothed tigers, you have just erased the race in question anyway, unless they're a chattel species to the HPMs or NSTs.

Bear in mind that it's not so much the premise, but the way it was handled that angered people. Also, Ms. Wrede's own comments back on rec.arts.sf.composition when she was planning the book indicate that she Just. Doesn't. Get. It.

I'll send you an e-mail, since right now I don't want to mention anyone by name.

As for me, I think it's been a valuable experience for me, since the basic lesson is "It's OK to write about people from other cultures, but do your research so as to not perpetuate a stereotype or otherwise enact one of the race tropes from TV tropes."

In my case, it's helping my fantasy WiP, because I definitely don't want to fall into the trap of "here's the Native American analog race/culture, here's the 'Oriental' race/culture, etc.."

*ahem*
~~"Oriental"~~ Asian

*insert chorus of "Everyone's A Little Bit Racist" here* :)

It's Christmas Eve's objection that was exactly what was going through my mind when I wrote the above.

That was deliberate, actually. It was a snarky reference to the creators who used the term well past its expiration date in populating their fantasy worlds. Like say, TSR.

Dude, use smilies, that's what they're for. Not everyone can tell if you're being witty in text.

Wasn't that what the quotes were for?

I should have put bigger quotes in. AND a smiley.

Blink tag *g*

As for me, I think it's been a valuable experience for me, since the basic lesson is "It's OK to write about people from other cultures, but do your research so as to not perpetuate a stereotype or otherwise enact one of the race tropes from TV tropes."

Playing devil's advocate (or perhaps not?), I say: Why bother? If it's a good story and people enjoy it what does it matter if it's even remotely accurate to some real-world analog? I thought part of the point of creating a fantasy world was to not be constrained by the restrictions of the real world? You'll lose some audience since they don't want to deal with the stereotypes. But most people won't have a problem.

For example, I don't have to take off my other mitten to count the number of books set in Japan-analog worlds that I've read and enjoyed, and I will generally de-select based on "world thinks it's in Japan Y/N?" But I'm just one reader, and there are many others out there who have no problem with it, and even enjoy the setting. (I would wager some even read this LJ, so they are by no means an unrefined audience.)

And just because I hear that Racefail had some very valuable posts, I ask: linkie?

I stay out of it for basically the same reason. I think BOTH sides are massively filled with fail, and a lot of the comments on BOTH sides have driven me to write huge comments... that I then delete before posting.

Me, if I let myself WORRY about that aspect of my writing, I'd stop writing. Fortunately, I don't write for anyone but me.

And I think you have the most sensible position. As for me, I've decided there's certain tropes I want to be sure to avoid, but that's really for my benefit.

One good thing, that came out of a lot of fail and drama, was the message put forth by writers and readers of color:
"We don't want writers (of any race) to say 'if everyone's going to be mean to me if I write about race, I'm taking my keyboard and going home.' We DO want writers to stop, look, listen, and ask questions, and, if unavoidable, learn from mistakes they might make in writing about a culture or color different from their own." You have to expect to make mistakes in a craft, and it's a learning experience.

A part of my mind is trying to adapt the Tom Leher song "Who's Next" to Racefail, as I wonder who the next author I respect is going to make the mistake of explaining their way deeper into a mess.

Oh, dear. That would be terribly, terribly appropriate.

I think a Racefail version of National Brotherhood Week would be easier to do, but Who's Next might be good.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

sigh When authors should know better.

no subject

no subject

no subject

you can't eat just ONE bison...

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Work in Korean deli, but I am Japanese!

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject