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I've been thinking about this, writers.
Buckle up, let's talk about internal bias, othering, and stereotypes in our writing https://twitter.com/parditti/status/1294166285123817473
Buckle up, let's talk about internal bias, othering, and stereotypes in our writing https://twitter.com/parditti/status/1294166285123817473
So...
Internal bias, othering, and stereotypes are all a big tangle of stuff we've got to examine and unpick in our writing
Internal bias is our own internal sh*t we've often absorbed from our surroundings without even realising.
Internal bias, othering, and stereotypes are all a big tangle of stuff we've got to examine and unpick in our writing
Internal bias is our own internal sh*t we've often absorbed from our surroundings without even realising.
Othering both contributes to our internal bias and comes out the other side as we perpetuate it
Stereotypes are a manifestation of othering. Sassy black woman. Muslim terrorists. Eastern European gangster
These stereotypes are the defining and sole features of these characters
Stereotypes are a manifestation of othering. Sassy black woman. Muslim terrorists. Eastern European gangster
These stereotypes are the defining and sole features of these characters
Think about the films and TV shows you've watched or the books you've read recently and think about who the bad guy was
Action/thrillers suffer particularly from perpetuating these stereotypes manifesting a particular group of people as the enemy and regurgitating it
Action/thrillers suffer particularly from perpetuating these stereotypes manifesting a particular group of people as the enemy and regurgitating it
Look at Bond, this long running franchise often has a 'foreign' villain who's scarred/disfigured and depicted as 'power crazed' with their primary motive being to destroy and dominate for the sake of it
If you want to know more about the depiction of disfigurement and disability in fiction try this thread: https://twitter.com/SisterQuill/status/1196014634815365121?s=19
We absorb these things and they leak into our fiction.
We have to dissect this
Why are we depicting characters this way?
What are their motives?
Are we perpetuating harmful stereotypes?
What would think if someone spoke about us like that?
We have to dissect this
Why are we depicting characters this way?
What are their motives?
Are we perpetuating harmful stereotypes?
What would think if someone spoke about us like that?
If you want to be a writer you've got to get in those shoes and take them for a spin
Characters need properly thought out motives and attitudes that don't fall back on 'all people from X group are Y'
Broad stroke generalisations are stereotyping
Characters need properly thought out motives and attitudes that don't fall back on 'all people from X group are Y'
Broad stroke generalisations are stereotyping
Characters are nuanced individuals, just like people
If we take away nuanced depictions, we take away nuance from real people because we affect how people see real people through the characters we write
If we take away nuanced depictions, we take away nuance from real people because we affect how people see real people through the characters we write
You can argue 'it's just a story' but if you bombard people with a single image of a group your fiction becomes your audience's truth
That's a problem
That's damaging
That has real world consequences
It brings us full circle on the cycle
That's a problem
That's damaging
That has real world consequences
It brings us full circle on the cycle
Analysis what you write. Sure as sh*t someone else will
For more information on stereotypes and villains try this article: https://jessesstudio.wordpress.com/2018/04/30/im-so-evil-because-revisited/
For information on writing women: https://jessesstudio.wordpress.com/2018/10/12/describing-women/
For information on writing characters with mental illness: https://jessesstudio.wordpress.com/2017/11/09/all-about-bran/
