POLL TIME!

[ficwize]

There are a lot of interesting discussions going around the Internets right now about narrative and character choices and what, if anything, it reveals about the author. Many of them have made me think (always a good, if dangerous, thing) and now I have questions for you, oh Internets.

Is it possible to write a narrative that contains characters who are *ist (racist, sexist, misogynist, homophic, transphobic, fat-phobic), and wherein the fic structure isn't designed to provide either cosmic retribution of an after-school special teaching moment, and not have the fic be inherently *ist itself?

If the fic is *ist, to what extent is the author perpetuating the *ism on the world?

To use an example from my own work (which is the only way I can think to explain what I mean, without putting anyone else on the carpet), I wrote a Merchant of Venice fic (yes, Shakespearean even!), wherein Antonio and Bassanio basically have sex in front of a mirror. The fic contains this conversation:

"Dear Bassanio, do you have no trust for me? My heart, my home, my life… all yours for the taking."

Bassanio's voice hitched. "What we do is a violation of God's law."

"Aye."

"We damn our souls."

"Aye," Antonio breathed.

At no point afterward did I have the characters address the homophobic nature of that conversation. At no point did I ever bring religion into the story again. At no point did I include any hint that I - as the author - have a knee-jerk reaction when Christians (which is the faith embraced by these two characters) start preaching about how homosexual acts are sins.

So, tell me Internets, was that homophobic? Does the fic perpetuate homophobia? Does it therefore exist as proof of perhaps my own unexamined homophobia?

Or does the fact that I told this story, about two white men fucking each other, to the exclusion of exploration of the themes of the play involving anti-semitism, classism, sexism, and racism - of which the source material is rank - mean that I somehow embraced those *isms in my own story, and therefore perpetuated them by virtue of ignoring them?

To what degree am I, as the author, guilty of the sins of the characters?

(I am aware that this question may seem extremely combative and I honestly do not mean it that way. I am simply asking for opinions. I do not promise to agree with any of you, however! But, the thought-process is provoking introspection and I would like to engage in a dialogue. I will do my best to keep my ego out of it, I promise.)

Comments

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Based upon your example (because I think I know where you're coming from), here's another question - if you are writing a period piece in a time when there are certain cultural norms that would impact the subject matter of your story, are you doing more of a disservice by applying an anachronistic mentality to the story, rather than giving it period piece setting? by mentioning social patterns of the past, are you (or I or any writer) actively advocating for those same social patterns today?

I do not believe that writing is necessarily a soul-baring exercise; I believe that a writer can tell a story that has characters who are whatever *ist and still tell a story that doesn't advocate the *ism. It takes good writing and a solid grasp of your characters,

I know i'm over-thinking this one. Maybe it's a fine line, maybe when we write about life and people, the dirty parts of life and people can seep into the story. It doesn't mean that what fictional characters talk about is being advocated. That was one of those things we went over (at length) in English Lit in high school

[harmonyangel.livejournal.com]

It's a tough question, and one that I've been thinking about a lot lately. There aren't any easy answers. I've been writing a fic for awhile that involves a gay character who is, canonically, self-hating and given to using gay slurs. So those slurs have become a part of the fic. It's hard for me to type those words, and I'm going to warn for them when I post the fic. But at the same time, the fic -- even without any teaching moment -- is very clearly ABOUT this man's self-hatred, and those slurs are an expression of it. Since I'm writing sympathetically about a gay character, I don't think anyone will confuse my attitudes with the character's.

I think your personal example is a fine one -- you may not have a teaching moment, but you have characters living in a time period where those ideas would have been the most prominent, and the characters' histories would make them believe such things. Since you're writing sympathetically about a gay couple, it's clear that your characters' discomfort is not your own.

I think the problem comes up much more when you're writing from the point of view of a character who HAS a lot of privilege and who does something -ist. At that point, you have to ask -- why is that scene there? What is it telling us? What is it advancing? If it has something to do with the story, then it's likely you'll have the opportunity to condemn/complicate those words or actions later. If it has nothing to do with the story, then it probably doesn't belong there in the first place, even if it is "in character". Does that make sense?

[hungrytiger11.livejournal.com]

1) Yes, I think you can write a story where the 'ism" a character has is shown and not addressed (such as you do), provided it is consistant with the characterzation.

This got me thinking about, because at first I was trying to come up with professional stories where some sort of ism was on screen and bothered me. I'm not a minority, beyond being female I suppose..., but when thinking about it, where such things became problematic was what the message was suppose to be. Like, it bothers me, when movies seem to portray thematically the "ism"/attitude/whatever it is as a good thing, often without considering whether or not if it is a good thing. For example, a lot of less well-done chick flicks.Chick flicks by definition seem to be romances, so of course there will be love interests etc. But if the movie's resolution comes from the man saving the heroine and making her life run smoother than ever before, well, there's a message that could be picked up. I don't think this is a message that these writers always mean to put out there, but the plot and/or themes are pushing this. The other time it bothers me, is when there is A Message, or A Theme...but it runs contrary to the actual plot and/or the characters' views or actions. Um, glee's kinda a perfect example for this. We are suppose to believe that music is something that brings people together and gives them a place. The club is suppose to be seen as this friendship/family archtype. Yet, most of the characters are really awful to each other. Its a mixed message.

So...maybe its not characterzation that can be problematic but what the plot says and/or the themes and symbolism that can make a difference in whether a story feels to be "ist" in anyway or not?