White Like Me; Hispanic Like Them
This may end up being one of those posts I wish I never put up on my blog, but we'll just see how it goes.
See the picture to the right and below this post? I'm white. (I know . . . big shock.) My significant other, though, is Mexican. And my children align themselves, when it comes time to check the little box schools think are so important . . . as Hispanic. Sometimes, I think they should tick off Eskimo, just to see if Big Brother or the school system says anything about that.
My kids, if you ask them, would say to you, "I'm Mexican." Or "I'm a Mexican-American" (which is more accurate--but they're kids, so they usually put it the other way). And my oldest daughter was in FIFTH grade before she realized my father isn't black. I swear! She had been celebrating the life of Martin Luther King, Jr., in school for years each January thinking she was a quarter African-American because of my dad--who is simply a very dark-skinned Russian. But the magic of children is . . . they tend not to see color unless you point it out--or at least mine didn't. I admire their openness.
Of course, my daughter ALSO thought I was half Asian because my father's mother, Russian, looked Chinese because of her ethnic background.
And even as Hispanic children . . . my kids have watched the politics of this country and the immigration wars. They USED to call themselves Latino until a teacher taught them "Hispanic." We label, label, label in this country.
If you have ever read DOUBLE DOWN, there is a SINGLE line in the entire book that tells you T.D. is black. It's more like half a line. And it was maybe 100 pages into the book before anyone in my writers' group asked me, "Hey? Is T.D. an African-American?" He has some affects of speech that MIGHT--maybe--be considered "black" by soem people, but not necessarily, not definitively.
In DIARY OF A BLUES GODDESS, Georgia Ray is biracial. It was important to the book to have that up front because her racial background impacts how she thinks of herself. Her grandmother, Nan, is white with black mixed in her heritage, but she is dating a black man, Red. And Georgia father is black. Dominique (Georgia's best friend) is black--and a trannie. And it may be a stereotype, but my own experience is that trannies are drama queens, but African-American trannies take the cake in that department.
I can't even COUNT how many gay characters I have had in my books. Michael and George in Do They Wear High Heels in Heaven are the most multi-layered ones. Michael doesn't set off anyone's "gaydar" because he was closeted for a long time and learned to play that game.
So here's the thing . . . I was at a cockatil party and a guy approached me with a beef. "Why do white writers by DEFAULT assume you know their characters are white, but make a point to let you know when a character is black?" Well, given T.D. in Double Down, I didn't feel I did that. And I will often describe black characters without necessarily saying they are black. I thought of James Patterson's Alex Cross. How many people likely assumed, before Patterson got uber-famous, that he was a black man?
Can you write about other races without resorting to shorthands of stereotypes? What about gay people? If the only gay person you know is Jack on "Will & Grace," I kind of feel you should perhaps avoid writing about a gay characters. Not that I don't know any "Jacks"--I do. But that can't be your only depiction of gay people.
My life is very layered. I have many friends of other races and many, MANY gay friends. I have friends who are Buddhists and friends who are Catholic. I even know a Wiccan or two. And I tease my best friend that she is a pagan. I think, as a writer, I can write about other backgrounds and races because of my experiences . . . but I can definitely see why it is touchy--like the guy at the cocktail party mentioned.
Thoughts?
See the picture to the right and below this post? I'm white. (I know . . . big shock.) My significant other, though, is Mexican. And my children align themselves, when it comes time to check the little box schools think are so important . . . as Hispanic. Sometimes, I think they should tick off Eskimo, just to see if Big Brother or the school system says anything about that.
My kids, if you ask them, would say to you, "I'm Mexican." Or "I'm a Mexican-American" (which is more accurate--but they're kids, so they usually put it the other way). And my oldest daughter was in FIFTH grade before she realized my father isn't black. I swear! She had been celebrating the life of Martin Luther King, Jr., in school for years each January thinking she was a quarter African-American because of my dad--who is simply a very dark-skinned Russian. But the magic of children is . . . they tend not to see color unless you point it out--or at least mine didn't. I admire their openness.
Of course, my daughter ALSO thought I was half Asian because my father's mother, Russian, looked Chinese because of her ethnic background.
And even as Hispanic children . . . my kids have watched the politics of this country and the immigration wars. They USED to call themselves Latino until a teacher taught them "Hispanic." We label, label, label in this country.
If you have ever read DOUBLE DOWN, there is a SINGLE line in the entire book that tells you T.D. is black. It's more like half a line. And it was maybe 100 pages into the book before anyone in my writers' group asked me, "Hey? Is T.D. an African-American?" He has some affects of speech that MIGHT--maybe--be considered "black" by soem people, but not necessarily, not definitively.
In DIARY OF A BLUES GODDESS, Georgia Ray is biracial. It was important to the book to have that up front because her racial background impacts how she thinks of herself. Her grandmother, Nan, is white with black mixed in her heritage, but she is dating a black man, Red. And Georgia father is black. Dominique (Georgia's best friend) is black--and a trannie. And it may be a stereotype, but my own experience is that trannies are drama queens, but African-American trannies take the cake in that department.
I can't even COUNT how many gay characters I have had in my books. Michael and George in Do They Wear High Heels in Heaven are the most multi-layered ones. Michael doesn't set off anyone's "gaydar" because he was closeted for a long time and learned to play that game.
So here's the thing . . . I was at a cockatil party and a guy approached me with a beef. "Why do white writers by DEFAULT assume you know their characters are white, but make a point to let you know when a character is black?" Well, given T.D. in Double Down, I didn't feel I did that. And I will often describe black characters without necessarily saying they are black. I thought of James Patterson's Alex Cross. How many people likely assumed, before Patterson got uber-famous, that he was a black man?
Can you write about other races without resorting to shorthands of stereotypes? What about gay people? If the only gay person you know is Jack on "Will & Grace," I kind of feel you should perhaps avoid writing about a gay characters. Not that I don't know any "Jacks"--I do. But that can't be your only depiction of gay people.
My life is very layered. I have many friends of other races and many, MANY gay friends. I have friends who are Buddhists and friends who are Catholic. I even know a Wiccan or two. And I tease my best friend that she is a pagan. I think, as a writer, I can write about other backgrounds and races because of my experiences . . . but I can definitely see why it is touchy--like the guy at the cocktail party mentioned.
Thoughts?
posted by Erica Orloff at 7:00 AM
19 Comments:
Thought provoking as always.
I think as much as it is the writers use of details --name-locale-dialogue--it can often be the perceptions and assumptions the reader brings to the table that truly cause a character to appear a stereotype. You're right, people cling to labels.
If I say 'jock' how many people will automatically picture a big dumb ox?
'Stacked blond' how many see empty-headed and shallow?
'Robust belly laugh' 'Jolly natured' How many leap to 'fat' ?
If I state that my character has a 'partner' I bet tons of people will get that visual of 'Jack'
No matter how subtle your inference, chances are readers will 'read' into it, what they want.
On the other note, obviously there has become a huge demand for 'authenticity'. More and more imprints are opening up devoted entirely to gay/lesbian stories/writers and African American stories/writers.
Do you have to be gay to write gay? Black to write black?
Do you have to be/know a serial killer to write one?
Bottom line, these are fictional characters. I think if you avoid the most obvious stereotypes and do your research, you can make it work.
I don't think you need to be Chinese to make your character 'really Chinese.' It's just maybe a little harder than writing someone who's like you, if you're a white lady who's never been to China.
Eileen Wilks did a wonderful job in Tempting Danger. She's not Chinese, but Lily Yu (her character) is Chinese, and not just because Wilks says so.
I think it boils down to a writer who truly understands people and can translate that knowledge to the page. This, IMHO, is why some successful writers do not advocate going to school to learn to write. They advocate learning to write from the School of Life instead.
To lead on from what Lainey said, Diana Peterfreund blogged today about something similar, about the seeming growing importance of platform from having Done it or Being it in fiction.
I worry about not falling into the stereotype trap, and do tend to write characters from backgrounds/cultures I'm either familiar with or have researched sufficiently.
Great post, Erica. Really got me thinking.....
Hi Lainey:
I went to a private southern university in 1981. I cannot TELL you how many times, when a bunch of southern white frat boys in 1980s Richmond, Virginia, got together at a lunch table or whatever, the "n" word got used--as long as no black people were around. As a New Yorker . . . as a human being . . . I was astounded--like, I had HEARD about these crazy people, but never MET any. It was then I became extra cautious about stereotypes. Including that of the southern white male. Unfortunately, though I went to a school that was really a paragon of wealth and so on back then--and remains so (I was there on academic scholarship), I can't say I met too many people who weren't the stereotype, sadly. It really changed my perception of a few things. Anyway, I often have black characters . . . but I really have to say I hadn't thought about my "default" characters until that cocktail party. (I.e., by "default" is my character white?)
E
Hi May:
I agree! On all counts. The school of life taught me infinitely more than college. And I think the best writers can write about something that's not them, not a platform, and so on. But there are definitely some areas in that regard that are more prickly than others.
E
Hi Sara:
I spent a great deal of time teaching ESL as a volunteer to Cambodian and Vietnamese refugees, most TB-positive, most having experienced real horrors. I am a good listener, and I cared for them immensely. After years of doing that, when my doctor said (when I got pregnant) I could no longer work with so many TB-positive people, I took some time off and then when I was looking to volunteer again, I took volunteer work as a mentor with unwed teen moms. Some were as young as 12 or 13. It was amazing how the thread of domestic violence ran through their lives . . . crack cocaine . . . and poverty. I learned a great deal. My main teen was not the same race as I was . . . and I became close to her and her family . . . but, like all observers of humanity, the key is to see nuance in all people's stories. I learned a lot about that doing the work I did. It's too easy to paint with a wide brush.
E
Oh, I wanted to add that you do look Asian. I could believe that you had some southeast Asian blood in you. LOL.
I think it's amazing what you see behind 'closed doors' if you're 'invisible' and what people will say to you if they think you feel the same way.
I'm a Singaporean born in Malaysia. When we go back, it's not unusual for Chinese relatives or friends of the family to complain about the fact that the Malays are treated better than the Chinese there, for instance, which then leads on to comments about how the Malays are lazy etc.
Hi May:
One of the saddest things about my work with refugees was how many mothers and grandmas would tell me stories of their daughters being kidnapped when they were boat people. They would size me up and think I was about their daughters' ages . . . and ask if I was adopted by an American family (i.e., they thought I was half-Vietnamese, half-white/American). I was always so patient when I explained that no, it was my Russian ancestry . . . but their stories were heart-breaking.
And yes, yes, yes! Behind closed doors . . . it's so sick, in a way.
E
May:
P.S. . . . . in the current political climate, you would not BELIEVE in the U.S. the mud-slinging about Mexicans . . . so many people have inserted their feet--both of them--into their mouths about that in front of me.
E
Hmmm... must think before answering :) Being a white middle-class male has been a transforming experience for me. People see me and shape their storys and expectations accordingly. I would say that my default characters are white and male. I don't think I have enough experience and skill as a writer yet to make my characters come out convincing if they were otherwise.
I guess I'm not comfortable enough in my writing to try anything else, yet.
Hi Ewoh:
I think what my cocktail party friend objected to was making the assumption if you do not describe your characters as such that they are white. And making a point to describe characters as black. And there's the other side of it--assuming because the writer is white the character is. I don't know if we think about it . . .
E
Oh, boy, I'm probably gonna catch some flack here, but...
Right now, the ethnic majority in this country is white. So I don't think it's unreasonable for a white writer who has a white main character to describe characters of other ethnicities that way if it's relevant. I mean, don't readers of a book written by a black author assume the main character is black if they're not described otherwise (and, of course, if they know the author is black).
There's also the conundrum that if no ethnicities are described, the author can catch flack for homogeneity and lack of diversity in their characters.
Because...I have to say that I'm probably the opposite of you, Erica. I have known a few gay people, and a few black (I can't say African-American because most of them weren't American) people, and so on. And they were all very much like me. Even my sister-in-law, whose family is from Puerto Rico and who embraces that heritage, was so much like me in high school we had competitive sibling-type issues!
I don't stretch too far in my writing; I write people I know or would like to be, so backgrounds are never so divergent from my own that I would write them "wrong." Could be I'm a coward. :)
I love people for who they are, regardless of skin color, sexual orientation, etc.
The thing is, when I'm writing fiction, I got to dance, dance, dance, like nobody's watchin'. If I offend somebody, I have to figure it's because of their hatred, not mine.
Hi Natalie:
Thanks so much . . . I definitely hear you. I think, in my own experience, no one--not a one--of my African-American friends thinks we're more alike than different. Yes, we all love our kids and so on, and yes, we all want a good life, good values. But overcoming racism is the defining thing in their lives. Maybe it's because my friends are male, maybe not. But I hear you totally on the writing thing.
E
Jude:
That is a brilliant thing to keep in mind always in writing.
E
Erica, I wish they'd take those little boxes off of everything! Who cares? I certainly don't. I see people as people. Great blog too btw. Love these comments!
ladonna:
I know. We're a big melting pot. But it's a lot easier to vilify people when you think they are really different from you.
E
Lots of food for thought! I too hate boxes and tend to check all that apply even though last time I did that my son came home and asked why the school had him classified as black =) (I'm mixed and so are they and like you mentioned they never noticed race until someone pointed it out to them).
Annie:
Good for you! I admire very much Toger Woods who refuses to be in a box and thinks of himself as of mixed heritage--to identify with one or the other is to deny one or the other that you don't name.
E
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