Aang aint white.

[secondlina]

Oh, one of my rare drawing-lacking posts.

I just feel like typing this down, maybe because it somewhat concerns me. As a creator, I wonder about things like ethnicity in my stories. I am currently working on another comic book and wondering 'Gee, maybe I should make the heroin black or latino? Because ethnic represention is good?'

Yes, ethnic representation is good, and if your gay/ethnic/minority representative character(s) fit in the story, you should throw them in. But I strongly believe minority characters should not be inserted in a story for the sake of just being there. There is a big difference between a Token characters and a character. A character moves with the story and his/her ethnicity should move with the story. Not stick out like a tree in a plain. The black buddy should not be identified as the black buddy. He should just be the friend.

Everybody knows I admire Avatar: that last Airbender for it's treatment of cultures and handicaps. Most chracters come from different ethnic groups and two influencial characters are handicaped (one blind - Toph - who became a talented earthbender in part thanks to her blindness and a kid in a wheelchair fascinated by flight who is described to have true airbending spirit). Now these characters are not token characters. They flow with the story. Their ethnicity seems natural and after a while, you don't even notice all the details present (The way Toph moves, very caracteristic of blind people, or the details in all the costumes...) because it works so well. But then you watch things like the Fantastic Four movie where the originally (white) token blind character Alicia Masters as also been turned black. She plays the role of two token positions? She really feels like she's been thrown in there to satisfy the public. It's the same with those lipstick lesbian characters thrown in a story.

A lipstick lesbian is a lesbian who is basically a straight girl who is into girls (and often times bisexual). Because a real lesbian is too scary for cinema? I realise that some lesbians in real life are lipstick lesbians in real life, but man. Most lesbians I see in the media seem really unrealistic. There is no relationship between them and their girlfriends. Just empty space for the viewer to go 'Oh, hot!'

So far, I created about 3 characters of a distinctive sexual orientation / ethnicity (one that most of you might know is Renge) and in the case of those characters, they flowed. Their difference worked with the story. They did not feel like Token characters. They were just characters.

I might be accused in the future of making stories with mostly white characters. But in all honesty, I'm a white suburban middle-class woman and most the people I know are white, suburban, middle-class people. I use what I know (or research the crap out of what I wish to use) because I don't want to risk creating Token characters. Because in all honesty, to me, throwing in a Token character seems like more of a flip-off then not including an ethnic character at all. I am from an ethnic group myself (french-canadian) and rude representation of French canadians in the media does irk me (though I realise stereotypes exist because someone somewhere fits it). I would hate for someone to feel that way when reading one of my works.

So, as a white female, I believe I should take a special care on wheter my character is a token character, or just a character. No matter what we say, we write what we know, and write what we don't know badly-to-good because all the research in the world doesn't beat experience. I find works like Avatar and Strangers in Paradise to be great miniroty representations, but I look at them with white girl eyes. So thay might actually be crazy offensive underneath and I would never know.

I guess that point i'm getting at is that characters have a part of ourselves in them so we have to be careful what part of us is there (hopefully not the really racist or misogynic part of us). We need more black authors, latino directors, Indian cartoon artist, working here in america, creating things that hold that true soul of what being what they are is. Not just a pale token shadow.

-Isa

p.s. I was really impressed by Avatar: the last Airbender, Strangers in Paradise (even if it is written by a guy and is a story about women), the webcomic Yu+Me dream, the webcomic Dreamless, the webcomic Something Positive and the comic Blankets for their treatments of religions and minorities.

Comments

[eveshka.livejournal.com]

I struggle a lot with getting my characterizations right, and I'm terribly concerned that someone is going to read Jedah and not see an Irish man but a Southern US girl.

Then again, it's that whole 'writing outside the comfort zone' issue too.

[yukinoomoni.livejournal.com]

I'm a white suburban middle-class woman and most the people I know are white, suburban, middle-class people. I use what I know (or research the crap out of what I wish to use) because I don't want to risk creating Token characters. [...] I find works like Avatar and Strangers in Paradise to be great miniroty representations, but I look at them with white girl eyes. So thay might actually be crazy offensive underneath and I would never know.

THIS.

I LOVED Strangers in Paradise. I still cry when I think about it.

Ww really do need more minority authors, but not authors that write in order to emphasis their minority; rather, they could just write what they know, without making a point of blazing "MINORITY CHARACTER" vibes.

[secondlina.livejournal.com]

'Jedah.... I...I can't help but feel like you should have brests! I don't know why!'

[eveshka.livejournal.com]

Gah! No no no!

[secondlina.livejournal.com]

Well, this brings in once again the Token character debate. A white guy writting a black guy and going 'LOOK ATMA BLACK DUDE' creates a Token character just as much as a black dude creating a black character for the sake of screaming on the top of his lungs everything the white dude did wrong and how awesome black is. However considering white people have had piles of litterature written on the basis that white is apparently awesome, I really don't mind minorities doing it. At all. It's actually instructive.

[secondlina.livejournal.com]

That's the nightmare of every writter. Except manga artists apparently. Sometimes characters are so freaking interchangable. Especially in Yaoi.

[yukinoomoni.livejournal.com]

I really don't mind minorities doing it. At all. It's actually instructive.

THAT is a really good point.

[eveshka.livejournal.com]

Have you read Tony Hillerman? He was the king of Native American novel writing. The man was brilliant.

[the-flowergirl.livejournal.com]

You know Gourry and I revamped our novel for something like this, we added more diversity and I think that it will help it as the diversity will help your comic.

[eveshka.livejournal.com]

A-flippin'-men. Emphasis on flippin'

Granted, Jedah bats for both teams... especially if it is attractive, but I'd like to think he has his own 'voice' and isn't effeminate. (He actually struggles with his appearance as a character, recognizing that he could pass as a woman without too much work. In his mind, that's his largest character flaw. Well... that, and he's an assassin.)

[ichiban-victory.livejournal.com]

It's one thing to have more ethnicity to add flavor to the story. What I hate is that, regardless of the main cast of people, there seems to be some unwritten law that no one of a different race/ethnicity can ever be shown to live in the world at all. I've watched 'white' comedy that never shows black people. I've watched 'black' comedies that never show white people. I know there are places that exist where everyone is all of one race, but it is sooooooo boring. Even the school I attend in Idaho is very whitewashed, but thank goodness we're getting more ethnicity there as well.

I would think that, if nothing else, even if your main cast are of a certain group, at least show that they live in a world where different races, ethnicities, heck even social groups (preppies, goths, gamer nerds, etc.) exist. Otherwise things are really boring.

(I've never made characters far beyond what I know, but I try to at least make them interesting characters. I go for what works for the character, and it's been fun.)

[earthstar-moon.livejournal.com]

When thinking about stories, I have thought about trying to create more diversity, however, than I run into the same fear you do. I worry about accidentally writing stereotype characters or misrepresenting a minority group. (I recall that being one of the main complaints with the new Transformers movie.) I would want to do a lot of research before I would attempt it.

[dqbunny.livejournal.com]

Renge/Anlise have a very Jack/Ianto type feel to them. Renge and Ianto both have the mindset that they're not homosexual, they just love who them happen to love. As Ianto just told his sister in the new series of Torchwood, "It's not them ... just him." I know for me, I root for characters when they flow naturally like Jack/Ianto, etc.

[secondlina.livejournal.com]

I totally agree on that. If your group is all white, at least don't whitewash the setting. Especially if you're in japan or something.

[neshel.livejournal.com]

I'm struggling with this, actually. So it's interesting that you brought it up.

I'm unable to start work on my original novel because I can't nail a couple of the characters down. Basically, I had an all-white cast at first, because this story has been brewing for a long time and, let's face it, I grew up in a practically all-white community.

Then I started reading meta's about representations of people of different ethnicities and the like and I though "oh, maybe I really shouldn't have everyone be white" and it bubbled and brewed and the more I thought about it, the more likely it seemed that a few of the girls wouldn't be like that. It's a story that takes place in the future in Canada (starts there, anyway), and theoretically in the Ottawa area (though I haven't entirely decided because the location don't matter terribly) but that means cultural diversity. Kind of a "duh" moment for me, really.

But I don't want to write people of other ethnicities without understanding their culture, because I don't want them to be "token" (ok, they wouldn't be) or sterotyped (which I desperately do not want), but I know that I'd probably muss up their cultural backgrounds.

One's not so bad, I've sort of fallen in love with changing her from of vaguely Irish descent to Indian (she's extremely bad-ass and my new mental pictures has me very happy), but she's a foster child so that's easier to deal with. There's a couple ways I can play with it, but she won't have grown up surrounded by that culture, and whether she clings to it or rejects it, she would have a level of knowledge that I could obtain for myself through research, and so I can work with it.

I'm also worried about the character that I'm toying with making Asian (haven't gotten specific yet). It kind of worries me though, because she's the one that struggles with her morality the most and I don't want people to think that has anything to do with race. It's mostly just because my mental picture had her looking Asian, and I figured "well then shouldn't she BE asian?" but, ah, now it's all fret-tastic and I'm so worried about mucking it up.

Ok, this is probably a lot of incoherent rambling, but apparently I felt the need to get some of it out. (Yes, there is much more.)

[gigabahamut666.livejournal.com]

I can imagine it being a difficult situation to work with. I think the important thing is for you to do what's natural to your style. I think if you try to force a character in, then your story ends up suffering. It's much better to bring those minorities in naturally.

I think an alternative which is probably much easy to do in art form as opposed to writing, is if you ever have just random background crowd characters, then don't be afraid to put minorities there.

But yes, definitely stay away from just sticking a minority in just for the sake of being PC. Nothing worse than doing that in my opinion.

[ichiban-victory.livejournal.com]

Just a little note on the 'Asian' thing, I've lived around and worked with many Asians, but they don't like to be lumped together. One example is a girl I worked with who was Korean, but everyone assumed she was Chinese. She really hated that. I know Chinese people feel the same about being likened to Japanese people, and vice-versa. Pretty much, yeah, do a lot of research. Perhaps even look into the different cultures for something that you think fits the character.

And just to keep it all in perspective, I think we all think that way in some regard. I may be a white American female, but I hate being associated with the stereotype. (Not all girls like to shop all day and act like idiots.) So it can be as far-reaching as racial background to as simple as how one person of the same group of people acts compared to someone else of the same group.

Much luck with the story. ^_-

[amelia-seyroon.livejournal.com]

As a girl who is attracted to other girls, I praise you for this. <3~

[neshel.livejournal.com]

Oh, ya, I'm sure, and I didn't mean it that way. I just haven't decided between Chinese or Japanese at the moment, so I just grouped them together in my ranty-ness. I know there are huge differences and even a history of cultural animosity, I was just trying to express my frustration in as few words possible. I mostly wouldn't lump them together that way, especially not culturally, but I was thinking more appearance-wise just from my mental image of the character, so I didn't have anything more specific in mind yet. I will most certainly be anxiously researching both to decide and after my decision is made to be as respectful/real as possible.

I'm just still worried about mucking it up. ^^;

Oh, and I know there are lots of issues with stereotyping beyond racial, it's just that that is my biggest worry at the moment. I'm a white valley girl and a lesbian and I don't fit into the stereotypes for either and they both drive me nuts. Trust me, I know all about the stupidity of sterotyping. I'm not worried about that, because I know how to write without doing it, I think, it's respecting cultural backgrounds that I'm afraid of fucking up because, well, mostly I think because I come from a background in which there was no real sense of cultural identity. No religion, parents from very different backgrounds that they had mostly left behind and an emphasis on choosing my own way in life.

[secondlina.livejournal.com]

This kinda brings up the argument of type casting - people who lump various similar cultures together to express a more general stereotype (like people who choose chinese actors to play any asian culture). I have cousins who are Taiwanese, so I can understand the whole issue with the argument.

It,s strange how typecasting also lumps you in with stereotypes you because you remind everyone of one. Like you say, you're lesbian and valley girl and yet fit neither.

I think it's hilarious because I was often typecasted as gay myself because of my persona and the way I move/talk. Yet, i'm pretty straight.

[secondlina.livejournal.com]

I agree with what you say. If you can't fit a culture in by fear of being offensive, don't, but don't be afraid to show that your character does not evolve in a whitewashed world. That's one of the reasons I loved the fifth element. The backgrounds are full of other races and aliens even if both heroes are white. I was kinda sad to see that Leeloo, the embodiment of all life was...white. They should have made her at least unrealistically white, like the Endless in Sandman.

[secondlina.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[rose.livejournal.com]

While I agree with everything you have said, I have the tendency to somewhat do the opposite of creating what is most familiar to me at times.

I am a culture junkie, and as such I tend to acquire new ideas and characters by craving and insta!inspiration. When I look at a new culture, I want to learn and explore everything - and when I pick up my pen, I find it to be the best route of exploration.

Like, my fall back obsession is Bollywood. As such, all my drawing warm ups and scribbles tend to revolve around this and various other tid bits of hindu culture.

It is common that artists will somewhat live vicarious through their art - expressing everything they wish but cannot often find out easily in real life. I think this is why I very rarely will draw what's familiar with me - because I cannot travel right now and like to over romanticize. XD





When I was working in animation, what you are talking about was a real big... annoyance of mine. Much, much more than it is currently because I was faced with it every day. Although I adore Avatar, I loathe a good bit of the other popular shows produced by Nickelodeon because of the token concept. For example - pretty much anything done by Butch Hartman makes me grind my teeth, haha. He's an extremely pc, formula-stickler sort of individual and his shows are like... propaganda almost to me, haha.



And oh man, *friends* :I I forgot to do this way back when you said such nice things to me in TheSlayers community! OTL Sorry, sorrrrry.

[secondlina.livejournal.com]

I admire you for wanting to explore more. I think I would do it, but I would put research into it...which might make things feel less spontanious...I'm really not sure *laughs* Hence why this is an issue for me. I DO have diversity friendly characters. I just wish I had more...but I don't want to force it out of me either.

I agree with you about Nickledon's track record. Avatar was some kind of miracle born our of...a load of weird things.

Aw, thanks. *friends back*

[rose.livejournal.com]

Well, research doesn't have to be tedious or intimidating. I tend to go about it through - watching documentaries, movies, music, heavy wikipedia reading, folk stories... it's pretty rare for me to behave like a traditional scholar when it comes to this, hahaha.

Like, I'll see something like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTcl6dD4_GI

And I'll draw from it, than, later, go off to explore and go back and make heavy corrections later.

I think this also stems from growing up in a very diverse area. XD;


Avatar... was a bizarre journey for me. I was really disappointed initially with some of the writing (Yue infuriated me because I knew they could have done amazing things with her - had they more time, etc) because it didn't grab me so I ended up walking away at the end of the first season. Way down the line, a co-worker shoved her collection in my face and made me give things another go. Needless to say, I'm very glad I did!

However, I am just... absolutely dreading the movies, hahaha.