In the Disqus chat on the latest page of Lineage (Issue 2, Page 17), one of our readers made an observation that we were following the "there is no X" in the future trope, in this case, no racism (and possibly sexism). This observation was made because the children represented in the scene were two boys, two girls, two occidental, one oriental, and one negro. His observation was made with that typical critic's cynicism (that is both annoying and enlightening) of how writers create screwed up future worlds that have some modern ideals shoehorned into them (a dystopian society where the genders are equals, for instance).
To say I was a bit annoyed by this cynical observation would not be inaccurate. The truth is, we have consciously tried to put racially diverse characters into the story. We have even had long discussions on not stereotyping the characters' races (so, for example, our metagen with plant powers should not be hispanic -- something that never occurred to me, but to Californian Chris immediately seemed a slap in the face of the Mexican immigrant populace). Being ourselves minorities of one form or another... Chris both in his sexual orientation and race, and myself for my sexual orientation and religious heritage, we have consciously tried to create a world of many races, orientations, etc. To have that effort scoffed at was a bit hurtful, and in my mind unjust. We have in no way indicated that there is no racism, or sexism, or gender orientation bias in our world, we have simply made certain that diversity in race, etc. is "visible".
But the poke in the eye has merit as a disqus-sion point. Does consciously trying to infuse our world with diverse characters make our world artificial, fake, unbelievable? Does it make our world more real, provide more opportunities for readers of different races and orientations to identify with the world and feel included? Neither? Both? Something else? No matter our intention, the choice will be interpreted by our readers based upon their own backgrounds, their own ethos, their own filters, fears and issues. Some authors and artists may even have such understanding of human nature and skill with their creative powers that they can accurately predict the reactions of their readers/viewers and play them like instruments. I'm not sure either Chris or I are that good.
So, regardless of whether our efforts are perceived as natural or contrived, it is important to us and we will continue to have people of different races, faiths, orientations, etc. represented widely in our comic. We hope it will be well received... but regardless, it is our way of giving voice to the mostly silent minorities of our culture.
Never Nuf Sed!
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1 comment:
It seems that when I put my foot in it, I don't anything by halves.
My statement on Disqus(which I realize is the catalyst for this post) was unfortunately misunderstood, so allow me to clarify:
What it was not was a snarl or mocking laugh at the writing, and I was frankly taken aback when it was interpreted that way. I repeat again: IT WAS NOT MEANT AS A GIBE AT THE WRITER'S EXPENSE. I am thoroughly sorry for the unintended insult.
I should have been more clear and explained that I was making fun of the seemingly arbitrary and selectively-applied morality of the organization that Megabow and Co. were working for. I was mocking what I saw as a form of re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic(ie., promoting entirely cosmetic appearances of a higher ethical standard while committing possible atrocities) to allow the people of this organization to sleep better at night. Think of it like KKK-style hate groups giving themselves a name like The Church of White Decency or The Friends of Humanity or some-such. Or calling "genocide" something like "ethnic cleansing".
I saw in my mind(at the time of the post) a clipboard containing Megabow's personal Mengele notes, with a post-it saying something like: "Remember, AFFIRMATIVE ACTION!" stuck to it. Or maybe one of those badges with a sugary-sounding acronym on it like "C.A.R.E." or something else wildly at odds with the current operations of these ominous individuals. Or a smiley face on a gallows, or something. Another image that I saw was one of one of those inspirational posters that so many offices have(that I personally find a tad cloying and pithy) with something on it like "VISION: The quality of leadership" hanging on a wall covered with blood splatters.
In the future, I will try to consider my words with more care and think of all possible interpretations of my statements to prevent these regrettable misunderstandings from now on.
Sincerely,
Jason Moon
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