Diversity in Storytelling: We’re Getting There

[comedychick]

Whilst I’m not as big of a consumer of various media these days as I have been in the past, I have noticed there being a trend in the sorts of stories I enjoy. I’m not sure exactly when it started or why, but diversity is a part of the equation. Is it because when there’s a diverse cast, I feel like the writer(s) have paid more attention to

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[vaguelyclear]

Whilst I do appreciate the use of gay characters in television, I don’t really like the erasure of their “straight” history, acting like their previous relationships didn’t mean anything.

I can't speak for The Secret Life of Us, but in relation to Buffy and Willow, I would argue that to some extent, the writers did acknowledge her relationship with Oz. When he comes back towards the end of S4 and finds out that there may be something more between Willow and Tara, he and Willow actually talk about it and talk about what they meant to each other, which I felt was an appropriate way to leave things with them. Could they have done more? Yeah, sure. But at the same time, it's hard to bring up a character that has left the show, into later storylines, especially if they never actually appear in those episodes. So maybe it wasn't that they wanted to erase her straight history, but rather that they felt they could only work with what they had and what characters still remained.

In terms of sexuality diversity in popular media, there's been progress, but I can understand why there hasn’t been a lot of it. Social issues like that take time (racial issues being an appropriate example) and I don't actually see it as ever being completely accepted because some people’s beliefs are so deep-rooted and society as a whole - “western” society, anyway - still somewhat adheres to this “traditional” belief of what relationships are and what “the right way to be/act” is.

Sometimes, I wonder how effective being diverse like that in media is, especially with books. With movies and TV, it's much easier to show things like racial diversity, for example, but in books, people imagine what they want to imagine. The most recent example I can think of is the fan backlash concerning some of the characters in The Hunger Games. I don't know if you've seen it or read the books, but one of the characters in the first book is described as being black (or at least, “dark skinned”; I can't remember the exact wording of the description), so naturally, they cast a black person in that role. Fans, though, went crazy saying a whole bunch of racist things and that “that's not how I pictured her” (meaning they didnt picture her as being black) etc. even though the description, I felt, was pretty clear. My point being, if a white person is reading a book that features an Asian character, it’s possible that as they read, their image of that character will evolve and become one that more resembles what they identify with, especially if they are not constantly reminded of what the character is supposed to look like, and in books, you're not (and sometimes, you forget details as you read because of that). I think in some respect, the same can be said for writers; that they write what they most identify with, which is understandable.

I question the effectiveness of it because for me personally, I don't think about or see characters in terms of their race or sexuality because I don't view real life people like that (when I run into a friend, I don't think “here's my gay friend”), you know? I definitely understand wanting there to be a more diverse range of people represented in popular media, but at the same time, I wouldn't want their “differences” to stand out because then they're likely to still be seen as “different” instead of just being a person. If that makes sense.

Anyway, I really don't know if any of that made sense - especially that last paragraph - but that's my two+ cents :)

[comedychick]

It's been a long time since I've watched Buffy so I don't really remember that moment from season 4. But even so, I guess I was referring to the things that came after. I might be wrong but I feel like Willow had been later referred to as a lesbian, which to me is like erasing her "straight" history, the fact that she is actually probably more likely bisexual. Just because you end up falling in love with a woman and have a monogamous relationship with them doesn't make you a lesbian. But maybe she was not actually referred to as a lesbian and that was an assumption on my part.

I read about the uproar over Rue's casting, and frankly I thought it was disgusting that people reacted that way. I've not read the book but I did watch the film. I do understand that it can be easy to read over those details (I doubt people reading about my African American's limited scenes will remember he is one since I think I only refer to it once). But does that mean we should exclude it entirely? I don't think so.

I think in some respect, the same can be said for writers; that they write what they most identify with, which is understandable.

*nodding* Which means we need more diverse writers, too ;) But I also know when I started out writing, I stuck to straight white monogamous relationship type stories, because that's what was common, not because that's what I identified with most. Now, showing bisexual or non-monogamous characters is something more important to me because those are the stories that are harder for other people to tell. These days I also know a lot more mixed race relationships and so showing that as normal is also important to me, even though I myself am not in one.

This part I wrote, And what about teaching people that no matter what our background, we are all, essentially, the same? We all have fears, and goals. Strengths and weaknesses. We might look different or believe different things, but our similarities should overpower that. Focus first on what makes us the same, then learn about what makes us different, and the important third point, don’t let the differences alter your opinion of their worth as a person. is I think what you're sort of talking about with your last paragraph? I generally don't think about my friends in the context of "oh this person is gay" "that person is African" -- when I write diversity, I try to write it like these are attributes of their person, but they're not what make their character. Sure, sometimes that means readers can gloss over the fact they're not white, or whatever, but I'd rather write them as a person they can identify with so they don't notice the differences so much, and understand we're all human. Maybe that's not as important for people like us who already understand that, but there's a huge chunk of the world population that don't seem to.

[vaguelyclear]

This is as much a reply to you as it is to Jeremiah’s comment below about Willow - maybe she was gay. I tend to think that, as an audience, we can't really make conclusions or assumptions about everything we see or don't see. Maybe the production team and Joss Whedon and Alyson Hannigan discussed Willow’s sexuality and decided that that was what she now identified as? We don't know, and the fact that there wasn't a conversation about it on the show doesn't automatically mean that they just disregarded it and “turned” her gay because it was simpler that way. I mean, in the grand scheme of Buffy, Willow’s sexuality was not a huge deal after she got involved with Tara, you know? IMO, anyway.

Fun tidbit: I only found this out recently, but in the comic book Season Eight of Buffy, Buffy herself as a fling/semi-relationship with another slayer, but doesn't identify as being a lesbian as a result.

But does that mean we should exclude it entirely?

No, of course not and I wasn't suggesting that. But I do think with books, the author needs to be aware of the different ways people read and the possibility - even likelihood - that people will forget details, so if a character’s race or sexuality *is* a big deal to the author and they feel it’s pertinent to the story or the development of the character, then they need to emphasise that in their writing. In Rue’s case, I don’t know if her being black was intended to be important, but it wouldn't have bothered me if fans had said that they forgot she was black or that that wasn't how they pictured her, but saying racist things is never okay and some comments crossed the line in a major way.

This topic got me thinking about diversity in media and I think that it exists more that you probably think it does. Like you said, you don't watch a lot of TV and I know you've mentioned not being one to read “popular” fiction or anything, so maybe you just haven't come across a lot of it? I also think that in more mainstream “western”/American media, sexuality diversity is probably hinted at/implied rather than explicitly stated/explored, which probably comes back to the idea that beliefs/opinions about sexuality are deep-rooted and hard to change. I think you'd find more diversity in European media, though. One good example I can think of is The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - both the book and the films. In the book, the female protagonist, Lisbeth, is what we would consider bisexual (though knowing her, she wouldn't label herself as such) because she has sexual relationships with both a man and a woman. In the Swedish version of the film, there is a sex scene involving her and another woman, as well as a sex scene with her and a man. In the American version, only the sex scene with the man is shown; the sex with the woman is simply implied by the two of them lying in bed together. I thought that was interesting. Also, you've seen Firefly, right? Because Inara takes both male and female clients - we see this happen once on screen, but it’s stated that it is happened before.

(I just assumed that you haven't read/seen The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - sorry if that isn't the case!)

[comedychick]

I guess; I have just never heard of or know anyone personally who has identified as a lesbian who has been in a heterosexual relationship (and sexually attracted to men) as long as Willow had. Does that mean it can't happen? I guess not. But I would probably still personally consider them bisexual even if they don't... though I would judge on a case by case basis.

I haven't read season eight so I can't pass any judgement on that. However, times have changed a bit, and different writers could have different opinions about these things. Also, it doesn't sound like exactly the same scenario that Willow went through. I'd be more curious if Buffy's experience had her still identifying as straight, or bisexual.

so if a character’s race or sexuality *is* a big deal to the author and they feel it’s pertinent to the story or the development of the character, then they need to emphasise that in their writing.

I'm relatively sure I've done that with the characters it is important for.

so maybe you just haven't come across a lot of it?

Yeah, it's possible. But I also have a few friends who pay more attention to it than I do, who might be inclined to tell me about it because they think I'd be interested.

Also note that I didn't talk about movies at all. Though part of that is because I don't think I've really noticed much of the same sort of diversity in the movies I watch. That doesn't mean it doesn't exist, just that it might be more invisible. Although I have seen plenty of movies with multi-racial leads (like Shanghai Noon, Rush Hour, Men in Black, etc etc). I can't think of any sexuality examples off the top of my head.

I just looked up The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo to see what I could find out about the author. Since the author was Swedish, and I wasn't really referring to non-English origins, I feel like it's in a separate area. I agree with you that there is a lot more diversity in European media. So... I guess I'm agreeing with you on the points you're making there. For me, it's more about wanting English-language media to be more forward about these things. Brushing them under the carpet, or hiding them away under implications, I feel, more cements the feeling of "that's wrong, they shouldn't do that."

Yeah, I remembered that stuff with Inara in Firefly, and I did like that.