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The problem with Evil races is not what you think
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<blockquote data-quote="Dannyalcatraz" data-source="post: 8329478" data-attributes="member: 19675"><p>A character can represent an idea without using words laden with negative stereotypes or slurs. A passage from a book I studied in Bates Hoffer’s ”Biblical Themes in Literature” back in 1986-87 was about a little boy whom the writer artfully compared to Satan as conceived by innumerable prior writers covering hundreds of years of literature and dozens of cultures…<em>without using a single slur or any profanity.</em></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Of course “the other” is a fact of nature and art. I would be lying if I said otherwise. But so are dehumanization and demonization.</p><p></p><p>A saying that has been attributed to many cultures goes something like this: “The power to kill lies within a single word.” A powerful and succinct admonition agains both of those evils. Once you have convinced people that “the other” is not human (or demonic), it’s easy to start them killing in that belief.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>I <em>didn’t</em> ask. I don’t know where you got that…”quote”…but it wasn’t from me.</p><p></p><p>But since I’m in the neighborhood…</p><p></p><p>There is nothing wrong with telling stories involving themes of racial supremacy. Like a battery and its charge, there can be no drama without differences, and the greater the difference, the greater the charge (drama).</p><p></p><p>HOWEVER, unless you’re doing a period piece, you don’t need the language of real world racial supremacy to tell stories of fictional racial supremacy. It’s simply unnecessary. It is bad, lazy writing. If you are trying to write in a professional capacity and find yourself relying on such a crutch, then you’re probably not well suited to the profession and should find employment elsewhere,</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>“Because it works” is a TERRIBLE excuse for anything that hurts people.</p><p></p><p>It works because it’s a crutch. At this point in time, it’s the literary equivalent of using the same prerecorded cowbell, 808 drums, DJ scratch and horn samples as 20,000 other, previous EDM tunes when you record a song, or using AutoTune on all your recorded lyrics. It’s like using the Wilhelm scream every time someone gets hurt in a TV or movie.</p><p></p><p>If you can’t do better than that, you’re simply…<em>not a very good writer.</em></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>With this analogy, you’ve played yourself.</p><p></p><p>The “bricks “ we’re <strong>actually</strong> discussing here are individual words, held together with “mortar” of punctuation and grammar, which can be used to build anything.</p><p></p><p>You’re defending the use of complete, prefabricated modular structures to be dropped into any old building. Because it’s <em>easier. </em>Not better. Not even necessarily all that good.</p><p></p><p>We’re not asking for you to stop using bricks- your analogy- because Hitler used them. We’re asking you to stop putting Nazi-style gas chambers in your condos. We’re asking you- and others like you- to draw up your own plans, because the plans you’re using are fundamentally flawed, and will crumble with time. You’re asking permission to continue using prefabricated houses in the middle of tornado alley.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>If you insist on using the language of oppression, you become an oppressor.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>That is some truly purple prose, there.</p><p></p><p>I’ll just note that most of the world’s nuclear powers are reducing their stockpiles, and- AFAIK- even the Soviets decided not to mass produce and deploy Tsar Bomba.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>If you eat of the fruit of the poisonous tree, you become poisoned.</p><p></p><p>Why plant oleander in your apple orchard if you don’t have to?</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Dannyalcatraz, post: 8329478, member: 19675"] A character can represent an idea without using words laden with negative stereotypes or slurs. A passage from a book I studied in Bates Hoffer’s ”Biblical Themes in Literature” back in 1986-87 was about a little boy whom the writer artfully compared to Satan as conceived by innumerable prior writers covering hundreds of years of literature and dozens of cultures…[I]without using a single slur or any profanity.[/I] Of course “the other” is a fact of nature and art. I would be lying if I said otherwise. But so are dehumanization and demonization. A saying that has been attributed to many cultures goes something like this: “The power to kill lies within a single word.” A powerful and succinct admonition agains both of those evils. Once you have convinced people that “the other” is not human (or demonic), it’s easy to start them killing in that belief. I [I]didn’t[/I] ask. I don’t know where you got that…”quote”…but it wasn’t from me. But since I’m in the neighborhood… There is nothing wrong with telling stories involving themes of racial supremacy. Like a battery and its charge, there can be no drama without differences, and the greater the difference, the greater the charge (drama). HOWEVER, unless you’re doing a period piece, you don’t need the language of real world racial supremacy to tell stories of fictional racial supremacy. It’s simply unnecessary. It is bad, lazy writing. If you are trying to write in a professional capacity and find yourself relying on such a crutch, then you’re probably not well suited to the profession and should find employment elsewhere, “Because it works” is a TERRIBLE excuse for anything that hurts people. It works because it’s a crutch. At this point in time, it’s the literary equivalent of using the same prerecorded cowbell, 808 drums, DJ scratch and horn samples as 20,000 other, previous EDM tunes when you record a song, or using AutoTune on all your recorded lyrics. It’s like using the Wilhelm scream every time someone gets hurt in a TV or movie. If you can’t do better than that, you’re simply…[I]not a very good writer.[/I] With this analogy, you’ve played yourself. The “bricks “ we’re [B]actually[/B] discussing here are individual words, held together with “mortar” of punctuation and grammar, which can be used to build anything. You’re defending the use of complete, prefabricated modular structures to be dropped into any old building. Because it’s [I]easier. [/I]Not better. Not even necessarily all that good. We’re not asking for you to stop using bricks- your analogy- because Hitler used them. We’re asking you to stop putting Nazi-style gas chambers in your condos. We’re asking you- and others like you- to draw up your own plans, because the plans you’re using are fundamentally flawed, and will crumble with time. You’re asking permission to continue using prefabricated houses in the middle of tornado alley. If you insist on using the language of oppression, you become an oppressor. That is some truly purple prose, there. I’ll just note that most of the world’s nuclear powers are reducing their stockpiles, and- AFAIK- even the Soviets decided not to mass produce and deploy Tsar Bomba. If you eat of the fruit of the poisonous tree, you become poisoned. Why plant oleander in your apple orchard if you don’t have to? [/QUOTE]
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