Somewhere in here is a valuable conversation...

[jimhines]

Can someone please tell me what Racefail 2009 is really about?*

I mean, I've read some of the posts, as well as pats_quinade's wonderfully biting write-up. I saw Elizabeth Bear's original response to a critique of her work, which I think was one of the starting points to this whole thing, and I very much respect the way she tried to handle it. I've seen the

Comments

[cat_mcdougall]

I've seen a lot about this, and... still don't know what's going on. I mean, the wank comms have picked up on it, and normally, I can get a gist from following links and reading and all that fun stuff, but... this time, I'm kinda lost. The best round up I've seen is here.

As for writing "the other": The best advice I ever got from someone about writing people of a separate race than I am was this: "Write people. Write human beings. Their skin colour doesn't matter." And I try to live by that.

[jimhines]

You know, in a way, I think that's good advice. Characters have to be people, and defining the character by race or sex or whatever is going to result in a fairly flat character. But I don't think you can say skin color doesn't matter, either. It does matter, at least in our current culture. It's not the only thing that matters, and it's only one piece of who a person is, but it's not irrelevant. Does that make sense? Overall, I think you're right on the mark that characters have to be human beings first.

[cat_mcdougall]

I think (and may she come back and thwap me with a newspaper, should I be wrong) what she was getting at was that stressing, or worrying about the skin colour is usually when you go too far the wrong way into stereotypes. Because you're trying too hard to add that... "flavour" of skin colour to it and it's just not going to work.

(Of course, I write mostly fantasy, so race, and skin colour only counts when I say it does. ;)

[jimhines]

That makes sense. I have a (thankfully unpublished) fantasy novel where I did exactly that. It was a learning experience for me as a writer, and I thank Shadowstar that book never saw print.

And I know what you mean. My first trilogy was mostly blue-skinned and yellow-skinned folks :-)

[jimhines]

"As a writer, I try to understand the other. And I know there's a good chance I'll likely get it wrong. But it's worth the shot and better than avoiding the effort because I'm afraid of getting it wrong."

I have an unpublished book where I got it wrong, and I'm incredibly grateful that one never saw the light of day. I think I've become a much better writer since then, and part of that means becoming more aware of my own ignorance as a person and as a writer. But I know I still make mistakes. I made some with one of the characters in Stepsister Scheme, and people have called me on it. They were right to do so. Some of those issues were a deliberate choice, and some were out of ignorance.

I'm still glad I wrote the character. I think I did a lot of things right with her, too. Either way, that book is done. All I can do now is try to do better with the next.

[rosefox]

Thank you for taking that criticism the way you did, by the way. I really appreciate it.

[jimhines]

Thank *you* for having the courage to tell me. That sort of thing is always a risk, and I really appreciate it right back at you :-)

[tygerversionx]

"Racefail 2009." HA!

...well said on the rest of it. But thank you for opening with a laugh line.

I have no idea where this all started, but the last few days have been interesting. A lot of authors have been stating their PoV, and it's all been educational and well thought out.

[jimhines]

I didn't coin the phrase, alas. I just borrowed it from other folks who have been talking about it.

I do think there are some very good posts and points being raised. I just wish we had a better signal-to-noise ratio, if that makes sense?

[tygerversionx]

Having spent the last few minutes dipping into more of that particular transmission, on all the various wavelengths: Oh-my-god-I-take-it-back. Now I see why everyone's so disgusted.

When I said I thought everyone's responses to it were well thought out I then realized I had only seen a few of the authors I follow. I then started reading others.

Now I want to go hide under my blankets.

Although there has been funny stuff. Thank you for that link to pats_quinade's thing.

[jimhines]

I tried very hard to work in a reference to "six more weeks of Racefail," but alas, I couldn't quite make it flow...

[autopope]

Jim? Delete this LJ entry right now. Or make it screened. Srsly. Or you are in for a world of hurt that you probably didn't anticipate and really don't need.

[merriehaskell]

From whom would this world of hurt be coming, exactly?

[mroctober]

Jim. I second autopope's warning.

[ext_82617]

From me apparently, I'm someone autopope called a Malignant Fuckwit Troll. I wrote the Open Letter to Bear.

Your entry seems most intelligent and I like that you mention in your comments that to ignore skin colour is to ignore history and personal experience and part of what makes a Non White Person, who they are and thus part of what makes a Character of Colour who they are.

But I believe autopope is suffering from the institutionalized racist idea that People of Colour are a Horde and should you speak up about racism - you will be ripped to shreds.

On the other hand, he could be worried about Wll Shttrly coming into your journal to tell you how wrong you are and that class is the only problem dividing human beings and then outing you (if Jim Hines is not your legal name).

[splash_the_cat]

Here are some summaries:

Timeline of many of the earlier events:
http://seeking-avalon.blogspot.com/2009/01/timeline.html

Summaries of more recent events:
http://snacky.livejournal.com/560654.html?thread=5172494#t5172494

http://rydra-wong.livejournal.com/155427.html

rydra_wong has been keeping a very extensive archive of posts at this tag, if you're looking for primary sources: http://rydra-wong.livejournal.com/tag/gcadod+09

[merriehaskell]

My take is that Jim is using a rhetorical device to point out that the actual conversation about race has been derailed, and is not really looking for a summary, having summed up quite a bit of the debate very well in the rest of the entry. But that's two comments in a row that don't seem to have the same reading as me, so maybe some clarification is in order from the man himself.

[splash_the_cat]

You're likely correct. I think I've hit comprehension fatigue after catching up on the last few link roundups.

[jimhines]

Clarified. And I apologize if I wasn't clear. It's been a long week...