Over the years, I've gotten grief for writing about characters that are different from me. The main one has been racial - I have no right to use Cherokee characters because I am not Cherokee. Never mind my deep respect for all native cultures, the things all humans have in common, and mere fact that I love these fictional people.
Using the same logic... Stephen King shouldn't write about all manner of supernatural creatures, rabid dogs, or gunslingers. The Hillerman Navajo Tribal Police books should not exist. JK Rowling should have never written the Harry Potter series. Entire genres of fiction should not be - in fact, fiction itself should not be.
A wise man once said a writer should take "write what you know" with the widest possible interpretation. He also said that every character you create is partly you. I don't remember if it was from the same wise man, but another good rule is "write what you are passionate about".
My Cherokee character started out in a tertiary role. I made him Cherokee simply to add some diversity to the setting. Once he grew on me, I learned as much as I could. And that was when the grief-givers appeared. I'm willing to bet those are the same people who complain about all white folks thinking the Cherokee live in teepees.
I've gotten praise from lesbians for my portrayal of a lesbian relationship - and I all I do is write them like any couple. Olivia is surprised when they get invited to Ann's ex-husbands wedding. Ann thinks Olivia is too frugal. They don't bicker over the teenager's curfew, but only because it never comes up. My characters "of color" have never drawn criticism for being inaccurate. Granted, I'm writing in a modern setting, but still...
I write what I know, what I'm passionate about. Olivia, despite having a Korean mother and a wife, is probably the most like me. A large part of Megan is based on my brother-in-law. I will not apologize for having characters that are not small-town straight white girls. I will ignore you if my attempts to accurately portray a world in which I never lived are met by contempt. I will embrace you (maybe even literally) if you help me do it!
Sunday, May 28, 2017
Sunday, May 14, 2017
Confederate Statues
There's an old saying "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it". This is one of the reasons I oppose removing statues of Confederate heroes. How are people supposed to learn from history if everyone is pretending it never happened? We should emulate Germany - they start teaching kids young about the Nazis. It's virtually impossible for that to happen again.
The men being memorialized in these statues do have redeeming qualities, too. Some of them were military geniuses. Many of them lost everything for The Cause, misguided as that cause may have been, and some of them were even against slavery. The old chestnut about the Civil War being about State's Rights does have a basis in reality. Robert E. Lee was a slaveholder, yes, but he fought on that side because Virginia left the Union.
White Supremacists look up to them for all the wrong reasons, and I understand that this is a problem. How is tearing down these statues and banning a flag going to stop them? It isn't. It's like forbidding your teenager to date someone you disapprove of - it will just make them more determined to do it. A far better course, in both cases, is patience and respectful communication. The days when the scientific community believed one race was better than another are gone. The days when people shrugged off hatred are gone. Today, a business that refuses service to someone (except troublemakers) is vilified. White Supremacy is on the way out.
We can learn from history. We can look up to Lee for reasons that have nothing to do with race relations, or even take into consideration the times in which he lived. But not if we pretend he never existed. Not if we insist upon focusing on his faults.
By today's standards, Lincoln was a racist. Grant owned slaves. Most of our founding fathers owned slaves, as far as that goes. Several past presidents, including some scarily recent ones, allowed cultural and physical genocide of indigenous peoples. Shall we tear down all those monuments? Ban all their flags?
Leave the statues where they are. Erasing the past is incredibly dangerous. Stop ignoring the strengths and contributions of these people. Don't ignore the faults but look at all sides of the proverbial coin. And let them rest in peace. Even the worst of them deserves that.
The men being memorialized in these statues do have redeeming qualities, too. Some of them were military geniuses. Many of them lost everything for The Cause, misguided as that cause may have been, and some of them were even against slavery. The old chestnut about the Civil War being about State's Rights does have a basis in reality. Robert E. Lee was a slaveholder, yes, but he fought on that side because Virginia left the Union.
White Supremacists look up to them for all the wrong reasons, and I understand that this is a problem. How is tearing down these statues and banning a flag going to stop them? It isn't. It's like forbidding your teenager to date someone you disapprove of - it will just make them more determined to do it. A far better course, in both cases, is patience and respectful communication. The days when the scientific community believed one race was better than another are gone. The days when people shrugged off hatred are gone. Today, a business that refuses service to someone (except troublemakers) is vilified. White Supremacy is on the way out.
We can learn from history. We can look up to Lee for reasons that have nothing to do with race relations, or even take into consideration the times in which he lived. But not if we pretend he never existed. Not if we insist upon focusing on his faults.
By today's standards, Lincoln was a racist. Grant owned slaves. Most of our founding fathers owned slaves, as far as that goes. Several past presidents, including some scarily recent ones, allowed cultural and physical genocide of indigenous peoples. Shall we tear down all those monuments? Ban all their flags?
Leave the statues where they are. Erasing the past is incredibly dangerous. Stop ignoring the strengths and contributions of these people. Don't ignore the faults but look at all sides of the proverbial coin. And let them rest in peace. Even the worst of them deserves that.
Wednesday, May 3, 2017
Owning My Weakness
That meme is going around again. The one that says people suffering from Depression are not weak. What's so wrong with being weak, anyway? The thin crust of ice that forms on a puddle is weak, but it is beautiful. Everyone has a weakness. We can all learn to work with our weakness, to compensate for our weakness. It's rather like an architect putting arches in to strengthen a cathedral ceiling. Which is - what's the word - oh, yeah, beautiful.
We don't see memes that say "people with diabetes are not weak". Why is Depression any different? I think it's because of ignorance. The old chestnut about every one gets depressed - OK, next time you catch a cold, just put on more clothes. Everyone gets cold. Mental illness cannot be willed away any more than physical illness can. Who would claim that a chronic physical illness is something we fake for attention?
My specific diagnosis is Dysthymia - a Depressive disorder. One of the problems caused by this weakness is poor memory. I've learned to write things down and to use mnemonics. I'm too weak emotionally to have a healthy romantic relationship, so I don't date. I accept my weakness, I built around it, and focus on my strengths.
Most mental illness is caused by a combination of brain chemistry and past events. I'm not going to get into the details of my own case. It is sufficient to say it runs in my family and it doesn't just manifest as Depression. A lot of mental illnesses share symptoms with, or are diagnosed right alongside, Depression. Sometimes Depression is a symptom.
You cannot understand a person's illness unless you have suffered from it yourself - and even then, there is a limit to how much you can understand. I've known lots of addicts and cancer patients. I've known other Dysthymics. But I can only identify with them for part of the struggle because it's different for everyone.
Speaking as a person with Depression... Yes, I am weak. But I own it.
We don't see memes that say "people with diabetes are not weak". Why is Depression any different? I think it's because of ignorance. The old chestnut about every one gets depressed - OK, next time you catch a cold, just put on more clothes. Everyone gets cold. Mental illness cannot be willed away any more than physical illness can. Who would claim that a chronic physical illness is something we fake for attention?
My specific diagnosis is Dysthymia - a Depressive disorder. One of the problems caused by this weakness is poor memory. I've learned to write things down and to use mnemonics. I'm too weak emotionally to have a healthy romantic relationship, so I don't date. I accept my weakness, I built around it, and focus on my strengths.
Most mental illness is caused by a combination of brain chemistry and past events. I'm not going to get into the details of my own case. It is sufficient to say it runs in my family and it doesn't just manifest as Depression. A lot of mental illnesses share symptoms with, or are diagnosed right alongside, Depression. Sometimes Depression is a symptom.
You cannot understand a person's illness unless you have suffered from it yourself - and even then, there is a limit to how much you can understand. I've known lots of addicts and cancer patients. I've known other Dysthymics. But I can only identify with them for part of the struggle because it's different for everyone.
Speaking as a person with Depression... Yes, I am weak. But I own it.
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