Does it count as a "What These People Need is a Honky" story...

[roseembolism]

...when it's the concept of a modern person catapulted into a fantasy world? How about the classic anime riff of "teenager/s catapulted into a fantasy world to save it?"


This is something of a spin off of this James Nicolle thread, which brought up the "What These People Need is a Honky" question. For those who don't want to click, the title refers to those stories that involve a person from a Western culture, who goes into a non-western culture, and ends up becoming king, high priest, etc. Think of such exercises in cultural superiority as Dances with Samurai, or the Last Wolf. I've been thinking about it, and I tend to think there's some difference, if only because the protagonists of the fantasy stories are generally invited into the other culture. But does it really make a difference when the Honky is there by invitation? Would "Red River" or Kanata Kara count in that category?

Any thoughts?

Comments

[mithriltabby]

How about A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court? Is the trope “What These People Need is a Honky” or “What These People Need is Some Modern Thinking”? Can you tell a story like that with a black kid from a ghetto who paid attention in school?

[palecur.livejournal.com]

For a different angle, see 'What these people need is an Exotic Outsider' -- where the teacher from the Mysterious East arrives to show the townsfolk the folly of their staid ways, or even in modern times, the Magical Negro/Sassy Black Woman what teaches the Honky how to Loosen Up.