Your Problematic Fave
So holy shit. When I write drafts of fiction, I realize how often I'm misogynistic and racist.
Big surprise. Why? Because I have internalized biases, no matter how I try to be "progressive" and "enlightened." I have 20-something years of cultural feedback telling me about how men are strong, women are weak, and POC are exotic or dangerous. And, of course, how cishet white guys are the default "normal."
I know the mere mention of these words may enrage you, but too bad. It's not oppressing your freedom of speech to identify your biases and say how they suck. I try to do this with myself, and with my writing, and I'm happy to say my story is getting less shitty over time, less reliant on harmful cliches and stereotypes. (It's almost like I'm learning to write actual fleshed-out, 3D characters!)
Will I always have to work to be mindful of these biases? Yeah.
Do I have an obligation as a writer to do that? Also yeah.
If you are a writer, and you don't think you need to constantly uproot your casually brutal prejudicial ideas, then obviously no one can force you to do it. But it does signal to everyone else that you don't prioritize thinking about other people. And you can't get mad if people think you're an asshole because of it.
Big surprise. Why? Because I have internalized biases, no matter how I try to be "progressive" and "enlightened." I have 20-something years of cultural feedback telling me about how men are strong, women are weak, and POC are exotic or dangerous. And, of course, how cishet white guys are the default "normal."
I know the mere mention of these words may enrage you, but too bad. It's not oppressing your freedom of speech to identify your biases and say how they suck. I try to do this with myself, and with my writing, and I'm happy to say my story is getting less shitty over time, less reliant on harmful cliches and stereotypes. (It's almost like I'm learning to write actual fleshed-out, 3D characters!)
Will I always have to work to be mindful of these biases? Yeah.
Do I have an obligation as a writer to do that? Also yeah.
If you are a writer, and you don't think you need to constantly uproot your casually brutal prejudicial ideas, then obviously no one can force you to do it. But it does signal to everyone else that you don't prioritize thinking about other people. And you can't get mad if people think you're an asshole because of it.
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