if you're white, you can not write about colour

The Something Awful Forums > Archives > General Bullshit > if you're white, you can not write about colour

Bulgogi Hoagie: Jun 1, 2012; We

quote:

�Mama, I can�t sit here,� I said, the corners of my mouth dragging downwards. �I cannot legitimise this ��

...

So what did happen? What did Shriver say in her keynote that could drive a woman who has heard every slur under the sun to discard social convention and make such an obviously political exit?

Her question was � or could have been � an interesting question: What are fiction writers �allowed� to write, given they will never truly know another person�s experience?

On and on it went. Rather than focus on the ultimate question around how we can know an experience we have not had, the argument became a tirade. It became about the fact that a white man should be able to write the experience of a young Nigerian woman and if he sells millions and does a �decent� job � in the eyes of a white woman � he should not be questioned or pilloried in any way. It became about mocking those who ask people to seek permission to use their stories. It became a celebration of the unfettered exploitation of the experiences of others, under the guise of fiction.

The fact Shriver was given such a prominent platform from which to spew such vitriol shows that we as a society still value this type of rhetoric enough to deem it worthy of a keynote address. The opening of a city�s writers festival could have been graced by any of the brilliant writers and thinkers who challenge us to be more. To be uncomfortable. To progress.

Asking to be respected � is that asking for too much? Apparently, in the world of fiction, it is.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/sep/10/as-lionel-shriver-made-light-of-identity-i-had-no-choice-but-to-walk-out-on-her

tldr: female mechanical engineer gets really upset that an author has used their imagination to write about the experience of another race. author then goes on to say that she didn't make her uncomfortable enough as a speaker, after walking out on the speech.

personally I think this is a terrible argument. sure it's not a good thing that the English literary world is not even more diverse than it already is - but really, a vast amount of English speakers are of a white background, so you could argue that native English literature already does a pretty good job of proportional representation. it's utterly insane to think that an author should limit what they can write about because of their race, assuming they have done their research thoroughly

# ? Sep 10, 2016 12:20

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? Apr 19, 2024 23:36

Falun Bong Refugee: Dec 14, 2015; by FactsAreUseless

Sucks to be you, whitey.

# ? Sep 10, 2016 12:22

Arkanomen: May 6, 2007; All he wants is a hug

People should write about whatever the gently caress they want because nothing on this dirtball loving matters and if you get pissy about what other people do that doesn't affect you maybe you should thing about your own meaningless short life and how to spend it better.

# ? Sep 10, 2016 12:38

Falun Bong Refugee: Dec 14, 2015; by FactsAreUseless

Arkanomen posted:

People should write about whatever the gently caress they want because nothing on this dirtball loving matters and if you get pissy about what other people do that doesn't affect you maybe you should thing about your own meaningless short life and how to spend it better.

Check your privilege, please.

# ? Sep 10, 2016 12:39

Arkanomen: May 6, 2007; All he wants is a hug

Falun Bong Refugee posted:

Check your privilege, please.

Check deez nuts you slag.

# ? Sep 10, 2016 12:39

Falun Bong Refugee: Dec 14, 2015; by FactsAreUseless

Arkanomen posted:

Check deez nuts you slag.

gently caress. Owned.

# ? Sep 10, 2016 12:40

yogizh: Oct 12, 2015; Dumb Helicopter Joke Enthusiast

Only cool whites are Slavs. :dealwithit:

# ? Sep 10, 2016 12:44

lollontee: Nov 4, 2014; Can't post for 10 years!

The majority of English speakers are not white and that makes me happy. It aint your tongue no more whitey!

# ? Sep 10, 2016 12:48

Cocksmith: Dec 28, 2012; by FactsAreUseless

Friendly Humour posted:

The majority of English speakers are not white and that makes me happy. It aint your tongue no more whitey!

stop appropriating our culture

# ? Sep 10, 2016 12:49

lollontee: Nov 4, 2014; Can't post for 10 years!

Cocksmith posted:

stop appropriating our culture

what culture?

# ? Sep 10, 2016 12:50

lollontee: Nov 4, 2014; Can't post for 10 years!

whites stole their "culture" from the levant anyway

# ? Sep 10, 2016 12:51

lollontee: Nov 4, 2014; Can't post for 10 years!

Unoriginal thieves couldn't even come up with an epic on their own. Major fail!

# ? Sep 10, 2016 12:51

Secular Humanist: Mar 1, 2016; by Smythe

cultural appropriation rules

# ? Sep 10, 2016 12:59

LT56: Sep 9, 2016; by Smythe

Secular Humanist posted:

cultural appropriation rules

go hivemind or go home?

# ? Sep 10, 2016 13:01

Archer666: Dec 27, 2008

"The color purple is very pretty"

What now, feminism?

# ? Sep 10, 2016 13:04

LT56: Sep 9, 2016; by Smythe

Archer666 posted:

"The color purple is very pretty"

What now, feminism?

ahahahahaha checkmate feminism

# ? Sep 10, 2016 13:06

gimme the GOD DAMN candy: Jul 1, 2007

whites should be allowed to advocate for the systematic extermination of the white race.

kill whitey.

# ? Sep 10, 2016 13:08

Secular Humanist: Mar 1, 2016; by Smythe

If you aren't being marginalized, please do not speak because you are irrelevant and your experiences and opinions don't count in our discussion about diversity.

:downs:

# ? Sep 10, 2016 13:15

Worldshatter: May 7, 2015; PEPSI for TV-GAME

yogizh posted:

Only cool whites are Slavs.

if slavs count as white does that mean it's okay to write about them or is it still evil cis white male scum behavior?

asking for a friend who needs to finish his novella

# ? Sep 10, 2016 13:27

opus111: Jul 6, 2014

Lichy posted:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/sep/10/as-lionel-shriver-made-light-of-identity-i-had-no-choice-but-to-walk-out-on-her

tldr: female mechanical engineer gets really upset that an author has used their imagination to write about the experience of another race. author then goes on to say that she didn't make her uncomfortable enough as a speaker, after walking out on the speech.

personally I think this is a terrible argument. sure it's not a good thing that the English literary world is not even more diverse than it already is - but really, a vast amount of English speakers are of a white background, so you could argue that native English literature already does a pretty good job of proportional representation. it's utterly insane to think that an author should limit what they can write about because of their race, assuming they have done their research thoroughly

i can't wait for the guardian to lose another $170m over the next year.

# ? Sep 10, 2016 13:27

Bulgogi Hoagie: Jun 1, 2012; We

opus111 posted:

i can't wait for the guardian to lose another $170m over the next year.

to be fair to them, the rest of the British press is complete poo poo

only the BBC even tries to be impartial though

# ? Sep 10, 2016 13:29

opus111: Jul 6, 2014

Lichy posted:

to be fair to them, the rest of the British press is complete poo poo

only the BBC even tries to be impartial though

The Times is okay. The Guardian was good but it's on the same level as the Daily Mail now. Shame the Independent went.

# ? Sep 10, 2016 13:31

Applewhite: Aug 16, 2014; by vyelkin; Nap Ghost

Let them try and stop me.

# ? Sep 10, 2016 13:35

8-Bit Scholar: Jan 23, 2016; by FactsAreUseless

The lady literally uses the term "pilloried" so...so what, she thinks people who write about race should be placed in a medieval stock!? The gently caress? This isn't a joke, is it?

loving thin-skinned authoritarians.

# ? Sep 10, 2016 13:42

Moon Atari: Dec 26, 2010

but minorities suck at talking about their experience and every time they try they make people hate them more.

# ? Sep 10, 2016 13:42

Bulgogi Hoagie: Jun 1, 2012; We

Pillary Clinton

# ? Sep 10, 2016 13:42

green chicken feet: Nov 5, 2015; spray-paint the vegetables
dog food stalls
with the beefcake pantyhose; Grimey Drawer

If people of different races/nationalities can't write a fictional story from another's perspective, then men and women shouldn't be able to write characters of the other gender, either. Now every book should be populated only by characters who are identical to the author.

This reminds me of the "Malkovich" scene from Being John Malkovich.

# ? Sep 10, 2016 13:44

Artum: Feb 13, 2012; DUN da dun dun da DUUUN; Soiled Meat

"I went to a talk expecting it to pander to me eventually but it didn't. What the gently caress!?"

# ? Sep 10, 2016 13:50

Professor Shark: May 22, 2012

Nobody should be allowed to do anything, that's progress and what social revolutionaries fought for

# ? Sep 10, 2016 14:00

Cigstomper58: Aug 17, 2016; by FactsAreUseless

So white people arent allowed to include deep non white characters in their books? I thought we wanted the opposite.

# ? Sep 10, 2016 14:02

Cigstomper58: Aug 17, 2016; by FactsAreUseless

Moon Atari posted:

but minorities suck at talking about their experience and every time they try they make people hate them more.

This. Its not helping guys

# ? Sep 10, 2016 14:02

500excf type r: Mar 7, 2013; I'm as annoying as the high-pitched whine of my motorcycle, desperately compensating for the lack of substance in my life.

But can we write about color

# ? Sep 10, 2016 14:04

Applewhite: Aug 16, 2014; by vyelkin; Nap Ghost

Cigstomper58 posted:

So white people arent allowed to include deep non white characters in their books? I thought we wanted the opposite.

Yeah this is like one of the things that bugs me the most. It's like, God help you if your protagonist isn't a Proud Woman of Color but you're also racist if you make your protagonist a Proud Woman of Color. This is one of those things that discredits modern liberalism as a perpetual outrage manufacturing machine and makes it hard for real social issues to gain traction.

# ? Sep 10, 2016 14:10

DoctorG0nzo: May 28, 2014

Applewhite posted:

Yeah this is like one of the things that bugs me the most. It's like, God help you if your protagonist isn't a Proud Woman of Color but you're also racist if you make your protagonist a Proud Woman of Color. This is one of those things that discredits modern liberalism as a perpetual outrage manufacturing machine and makes it hard for real social issues to gain traction.

White males obviously just shouldn't be writers

As an aspiring white male author I'm gonna start looking into this "gender reassignment" biz that's been sweeping the nation

# ? Sep 10, 2016 14:12

Bert Roberge: Nov 28, 2003

If you spell it colour you probably don't have a leg to stand on in this debate.

# ? Sep 10, 2016 14:14

lollontee: Nov 4, 2014; Can't post for 10 years!

Bert Roberge posted:

If you spell it colour you probably don't have a leg to stand on in this debate.

Ableist fuckhead.

# ? Sep 10, 2016 14:15

Bulgogi Hoagie: Jun 1, 2012; We

Bert Roberge posted:

If you spell it colour you probably don't have a leg to stand on in this debate.

we are taught British English in the civilised European world

# ? Sep 10, 2016 14:15

Twinty Zuleps: May 10, 2008; by R. Guyovich; Lipstick Apathy

I sort of trail off paying attention to anything when I see "diversity" pop up. When I don't do this, I am made unhappy.

# ? Sep 10, 2016 14:19

Professor Shark: May 22, 2012

Cigstomper58 posted:

So white people arent allowed to include deep non white characters in their books? I thought we wanted the opposite.

Who could have predicted that the future would just be people taking breaks from naval gazing to bicker with each other over what you aren't allowed to do, all while politicians suck the blood from their people

# ? Sep 10, 2016 14:23

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? Apr 19, 2024 23:36

The Kingfish: Oct 21, 2015

Professor Shark posted:

Who could have predicted that the future would just be people taking breaks from naval gazing to bicker with each other over what you aren't allowed to do, all while ~~politicians~~capitalists suck the blood from their people

# ? Sep 10, 2016 14:28

The Something Awful Forums > Archives > General Bullshit > if you're white, you can not write about colour

«‹›9 »