“Diverse media is treated with a harsher lens than everything else” Probably because we’re assuming if you took the time to include us you’d do the bare minimum which is treat characters like us with respect and how dare we be upset when that doesn’t happen
True, but in a capitalistic-driven world like ours where media’s success is measured in revenue rather than it’s cultural importance, how we engage diverse media is literally a deciding factor of if we’ll get more.
And what type of media is it affects this even further.
TV shows and movies do not have a history of reacting to outcry or criticism by re-engaging and trying to fix it, they have a history of going “oh, right, no one wants [minority] in the focus, got it” and then shelf the project and go back to “white boy wonder #3000″ and his cookie cutter story that’s guaranteed to bring in money.
Videogames have a better reaction to critical commentary about their handling of diversity, hilariously enough. This is why we had things like Gamer Gate. Because the industry is willing to listen, much to the disdain and distaste of some of its fanbase.
I get it, though. White, straight, cis people have this pool of stories and if something is not to their liking, they can complain about it and go find another one they like better, because statistically, someone out there has tackled that specific take in a story. But if you’re in a minority and the movie/game/comic/THING you got is the only one you’ve got you want it to be everything. You feel it has to do everything perfectly, on every aspect. Because you don’t have anything else.
I sincerely believe that our engagement – critical and political – with diverse media needs to radically change, however. Because our own reactions to imperfect representations of ourselves – and let’s be honest, they’re ALL imperfect representations of ourselves, someone might find them suitable and someone might find them offensive, and we’re back with trying to make ONE THING that will satisfy ALL THE THINGS FOR EVERYONE EVER – don’t encourage people to try again and do better next time. This hyper critical culture in our own communities, that also has slowly been bled out of rational or structured long term planning, has resulted on people dogpiling anything that is even remotely “problematic” and decrying it as the Absolute Worst, thus demanding it be boycotted and as far removed from everything as possible. You’re not allowed to discuss the things diverse media did right, on penalty of being told you’re supporting everything they did wrong. You’re not allowed to say “Okay, it’s not FOR EVERYONE or ALL THE THINGS, but you know what, it’s doing THIS ONE THING really well”, because then you’re a traitor and must be destroyed.
I’ve seen people stirring in the Asian and Latino camps that Black Panther is not a big deal, because there aren’t any Asian or Latino people in the front and center of the movie.
I’ve seen people hissing that Wonder Woman should be boycotted because it’s an all-white imperialistic fantasy.
Look, guys. This approach to media betrays a simple misunderstanding of what Diverse Media is. Diverse Media is not the search for The One, you know, The One Good Book/Movie/Series/Game/Comic. Diverse Media is a road towards becoming Media, without qualifiers. It’s not about finding The One and stopping, because nothing will ever represent us that well ever again. It’s the constant road we’re paving, one step at the time, to reach the point where we too will be able to wrinkle our nose at any given piece of media and then shrug and go look for something else, like white, straight, cis people do today, with that same confidence that we WILL find something else, for whatever the reason, because we’re no longer genre pieces.
Be critical of Diverse Media, by all means. But be critical while you support it. Be critical while you scream at the top of your lungs that you want More of it.
And for the love of anything holy, please learn to engage media without that fucking Purity Culture filter bullshit that’s just ruining everything for everyone around you.
Hi, writer here, just to add my two cents. Here’s the thing: YOU LITERALLY, IN NO POSSIBLE WAY OR FORM WHATSOEVER, CANNOT HAVE A SINGLE PIECE OF MEDIA THAT CAN CATER TO EVERYONE. Read it, then read it again. It is LITERALLY, i mean LITERALLY IMPOSSIBLE to have that. All good stories have a singular goal, something it wants to say. A STORY CANNOT BE ABOUT EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE. Okay? Okay. Now stop saying that this one thing is Bad because it wasn’t written for you, or it wasn’t perfect. Support it anyway, because THAT’S how we get more of these things, and getting more of these things means getting MORE CHANCES OF GETTING THIS RIGHT.
WRITERS ARE PEOPLE, AND WE MAKE MISTAKES. We’re gonna make some shitty mistakes, because no matter how #ownvoices or well-researched or sensitivity read our stuff is something is, chances are we’re going to mess up and we’re going to offend someone. And sometimes that person will be right to be offended. The best of us apologize. But we literally cannot continue to keep making things better if you don’t support us, because we can only do better if we can live off of these stories.
So PLEASE, stop sabotaging us and yourselves. We need you to help us. Please trust that we’re doing our best.
lotta people saying “yeah but also 20 year olds also shouldnt hit on 14 year olds!”
yeah, 20 year olds know that, and the 20 year olds who arent shitty people respect that.
but 14 year olds don’t really think to stop themselves from getting crushes and hitting on people way older than them. it makes people like me who are 18+ feel super uncomfortable.
it’s flattering, sure, but it still makes me feel weird.
good lord the ppl fuckin intentionally misinterpreting the point of this post so they can pat themselves on the back for pretendin they’re destroying an act of injustice. lemme break this down for u
here’s what the usual scenario would be
heres what people have been misinterpreting this complaint to be about
there are infinite responses ‘countering’ the post by saying that “it’s the adult’s job to shut the child down,” which is insinuating that 1) we’re talking about adult-child relationships, and 2) that the post is claiming children are at fault for them. except we’re talking about a child engaging in flirting outside their age group, and that they should stop this behavior.
what u seem to be forgetting is that, yknow, context matters. @paper-mario-wiki made this post as someone with tens of thousands of followers, and the event that prompted it was me complaining to him about my own experiences, as someone with also tens of thousands of followers. so its more like this
add onto that that we’re dating, and that a lot of young teen/tween girls really like to latch onto internet personalities AND gay relationships, and u got 2 prime fuckin targets for a lot of unwanted attention. {to be clear: a lot of young teenage girls seeking a relationship.} it gets particularly less tolerable when the kid takes to more drastic measures for attention, like private messaging, sharing photos, and trying to engage in inappropriate behaviors they think will make them be taken more seriously.
a lot of people tried to argue that our concern should be that the kids might do this frequently with other adults and get themselves into serious danger, and that we should be more focused on letting them know it’s wrong. you’re completely right! we should! we should communicate to them that this behavior should stop! here, lemme whip up a quick post about it.
perfect
the point of this was to gently lay the word down on a website that’s particularly popular with that crowd. the fact that so many people are reaching so far as to claim that this is fucking pedophilia apologist is like, gut-wrenchingly awful. shame on you for making such a serious accusation like that out of a post that could not have even mildly insinuated that somehow a child is at fault in an abusive predatory relationship.
im disgusted bc you and i both know damn well that’s not what was being said, and yet you took it as a chance to put those words in his mouth so you could make yourself feel good for berating him.
anyways, i stand by the initial point of the post 100%. if you’re a minor, do not try to appeal to people who are beyond your age group. you are going to instantly make them uncomfortable not only because of the unsolicited attention but also because you are putting them in an incredibly awkward position due to your age and the nature of the conversation.
it’s not their job to have that discussion with a child about what’s inappropriate and why. don’t put that on them. for everyones sake, dont flirt with adults.
So they go around the world bombing and killing people and then expect us to feel sorry for them?? Nah son, you deserve it.
me if i ever find out any of my neighbors are veterans
Hmmm. I mean, just because the army as an institution is flawed and damaging doesn’t mean everyone in it is a terrible person. To paint every single veteran with the same brush is reductive and to make light of the debilitating mental disorders many have just seems wrong. Like yes, fuck the military as an institution completely 100%, but blaming disabled ex-front-line infantry maybe isn’t the best direction for our anger, perhaps.
A lot of veterans are poor people who were intentionally targeted by scouting programs coming to their schools starting at age 13, and most of them are worse off coming back than they were to start with… let’s be courteous to folks with PTSD
Don’t be an ableist fuckface. Intentionally triggering someone is disgusting.
I thought people on this godforsaken website at least understood this one basic principal, but apparently not, so let me make it crystal clear:
IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO BE SELECTIVELY PROGRESSIVE
You can hate Ann Coulter. But if you suggest that she deserves to be raped, you are a misogynist.
You can hate Woody Allen. But if you say he’s part of a Jewish conspiracy or joke about putting him in an oven, you are an antisemite.
You can hate Michael Vick. But you call for him to be lynched or call him the N-word, you are an anti-black racist.
You can hate Caitlyn Jenner. But if you misgender her, or make comments about her genitalia, you are a transphobe.
And you can hate the military. But if you deliberately try to trigger veterans with PTSD, you are an ableist piece of shit.
You do no get to pick and choose which people to treat fairly when it comes to acknowledging and combatting prejudice.
Not liking a person is not a free pass to disregard anti-prejudicial words and actions. Either you respect marginalized peoples as a whole (even if you don’t like an individual), or you don’t respect them at all. There is no middle ground.
If anyone really like, agrees with harassing veterans with PTSD or anything similar, unfollow me right the fuck now. I don’t want you following me.
You don’t have to like the military, it’s massively fucked up but y’all needs understand that most people in the military are victims of propaganda and are usually poor or part of a minority who are taken advantage of in order to join.
Pass Through Fire 