That is too specific an example. In this case, you are right. But we are provided with a lot more information before we can say those things about that white person. The setting alone changes everything. You're refering multiple factors: a white person in a certain place with a certain political situation, whereas I am only talking about one of those factors. When I say "get over it" I mean, get over the fact that we don't all look the same. We're all human. Dark brown skin means nothing. I have a slightly different perspective on this that many simply because of how I grew up, and where I grew up. I grew up in a city where over 100 languages are spoken, and went to one of the more diverse high schools in the city, where people didn't stick to hanging around their own cultural group. A girl from Albanian even danced in the Latin Week performace. I've known so many people who Obviously have an East Asian background because of how they look, but nothing about them fits what you might imagine when you think of a Chinese girl. In a book, unless I describe their appearances in great detail, and provide a last name, nothing would give you the slightest hint that they were Asian. That goes for most of the people I grew up with, even if their parents were immigrants. Yes, how a person looks does provide a lot of information about them, but you have to be given a lot more that basic physical characteristics that imply their ancestry.
-as far as race goes,people of different races react differently to one another. on the fact your characters are white/asian,i wouldn't suggest writing about another race unless you know people of other races ,you don't want to offend anyone,so no assumptions(i do). my story is ,however,set on another planet,in another galaxy,in some other universe...but race still matters! My cast is diverse but not just for no reason: The main character is the equivalent of a black female,her lover would be the equivalent of a japanese american male ,(there is a difference between asian and asian american,just go ask an asian,they'll tell you),his best friend is a black male(but not from the states,again,there is a difference),her ex boy friend would be biracial (white+black),his boyfriend would be the equivalent of a white person, ect. Yes,they are aware of their race.And so are people around them.however,the race of the characters has nothing to do with the main plot;it is simply the setting.The setting is as important as the story.its what the audience has as a source of belief/suspension of belief. see,my friends are diverse.four of them are biracial (one of them biracial and bisexual),i'm like the only non-mixed person of the group!i've had friends through out the years of different races,and from different places(one guy i knew was 1/4 black,the rest white ,british and had ADHD...).i draw some experiences from being human,and being a teenagers,and others from people around me. if the characters are of different races,they will have differences culturaly,and simularities in being human (or any other race). I myself am sick of all the bad stereotyping of characters (particularly black),in novels.besides,i don't think i've read a novel about a black space witch and trying to save her asian boyfriend's life and stop zombies from attacking by opening a dimensional portal and reviving the god of death. Have you? Its something I'd like to read and i'm writing it.that and many black authors think that they are only limited to urban novels (mine is urban fantasy ,but still...)about pimps,hoes drug dealers,drug addicts,materialism,gold diggers ect.its not my original purpous,but inevitably it will open gates for black writers who want to write other genres (all my friends do) .
Unless race is an integral part of the story (e.g. Remember the Titans) an attempt to racially identify/classify every character will come off as ham-handedly politically motivated to me. Did it matter that Murtaugh was black and Riggs was white in Lethal Weapon? If they were reversed, would the story of changed? No, it was the force of their personalities that made the characters, not their color. Steven King forced through his PC messages via thin characters in The Cell, adding minor conflicts that had nothing to do with the story but that gave him a platform to scold and then tear down the strawmen he created out of thin air. It almost made me put it down a couple times. I haven't read any of his newer stuff since. Just tell your story, don't tell it and oh by the way show everyone how magnanimously color-blind your are by pointing out what color everyone is.
African-American isn't a race, it's a silly politically correct invention. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J11LWLOqesQ
I'm a white guy, so naturally most of my protagonists (at least the ones telling the stories, not neccesarily his companions) are going to be white guys. Of course, color really shouldn't matter if your story isn't about color. My sci-fi protagonist is a black woman simply because that's how she appeared in my head. The story isn't about her being a black woman, but a captain of a ship. Therefore, it really doesn't matter if she were black or white (or a man). As long as you don't rely on stereotypes to tell your story, then it doesn't matter what race, color, sex, nationality, or creed your protagonist has.
I think I understand what ojduffelworth means. I've heard of people who've been reluctant to identify someone by their race. E.g, instead of referring to someone as "the Asian woman" when it's the easiest way to point someone out, they try to refer to her by the colour of her shirt or something similar. As if it's rude to point out someone's race. A friend of mine witnessed that a few weeks ago. Actually, I can't help feeling a little uncomfortable myself when I refer to someone's race. Like, "Did I say something insensitive now?". But I live in Northern Europe, so I'm not as used to meeting people of other races in daily life as I presume an American is. North and East Asians are also referred to as "Mongoloids" by anthropologists. The term was coined before it became attached to Down's Syndrome.
I did have someone come back and say I had no black characters in my story which surprised me I thought one of my races was, and I knew Bessie was because she was inspired after watching Whoopi Goldberg, and one of my races was kind of chinese with red hair and green eyes, and there is another that is kind of Indian with blue eyes which is my MC. Another is Scots with blue skin and amber eyes. That is how I see them - clearly not all my readers do
That's the difficulty I have. I want to show what my sci-fi protagonist (Helen Chert) looks like, but how do I show it without sounding racist? In my mind, having her stand in front of a mirror with a description of "a tired African-American woman looked back at her" might sound offensive. But I suppose it isn't. I mean, you're trying to describe someone so might as well say what you mean to say. If your MC is Asian, call him/her Asian. If your MC is black, call him/her black.
Stop twisting yourself in knots trying to be politically correct. Whatever you write, you're going to piss off or offend someone. Get over it, otherwise your writing will suffer and resemble something written by a NY Times op-ed columnist.
You're right. I think that's the trouble all new writers (like me) face. We don't want to offend people...but we will. We don't want to look bad or imply that we're bad. But the truth is, someone will get upset. Someone will get upset at my sci-fi story about a black woman being the captain of a starship. Sorry, get over it. Don't like my sci-fi story because I'm a white guy writing from the perspective of a black woman? Then don't read it. I knew a friend (who was a Christian) who wanted to write a story about two Jewish friends who goes on an epic fantasy adventure (that's loosely based off of the Old Testament). This friend stopped writing it because, as he quoted, "My mom thought it was offensive to Jewish people".
A book that deals with racial issues doesn't have to be racist. The fact is, there are different races and different views of those races. Racial differences are a fact of life and the very basis for many great stories; John Grisham's 'A Time to Kill', for example. Even SyFy/fantacy books deal with different racial issues on alien planets. I think today, most people can identify with a character/protag regardless of their race. If a character is well developed and has likeable qualities, it doesn't matter to me if he's black, white, brown or blue.
question: if you are asked to identify someone for some reason [doesn't have to be crime-related] and the person is black-haired, brown-eyed, and wearing a green shirt, would you avoid specifying those colors to avoid being seen as a 'color bigot'? you wouldn't, would you? so if there are three black-haired, brown-eyed people wearing green shirts and all about the same age and build, but one is caucasian/'white' and one is 'asian' and one is 'black' why is it 'bad' to mention the skin color/race as well, to make sure the correct person is being identified?... how the bleep else is the id going to work?... all the current hullaballoo about 'racial'/color distinctions makes no sense whatsoever to me!
When it comes to looks and description I don't think ethnicity and color is no more tinted by any values then let say, short or tall. Even if you very specific. "Amira? She middle eastern, I think. Kurdish perhaps, from the look of her nose."
I always wished I was more ethnically interesting. It's possible to find magic in the white suburbs, but it's not easy.
Forkfoot: Well to other part of the world you are interesting. American is a strong cultural symbol and dream in many part of the world.
