Monday 29 February 2016

Peace in Diversity aka The White Disease aka Coloured People Exist Too Contrary To Popular Belief

I have to be up in 5 hours but I can't sleep because I was an IDIOT who bought coffee at 3:30 in the AFTERNOON. Anyways, in this period of neck cramps, itchy tatt and can't sleep for shit, I started thinking about Game of Thrones and how unbelievably white it was. And so I continued to google 'Where are all the people of colour in Game of Thrones' and I found an article about George R.R. Martin's various responses to race in his novels. Basically, he was like yeah they exist in my fantasy world but the region I focused on was based on the British Isles. And okay, cool, Martin but ya wrote a fkn fantasy novel. I enjoy watching GoT because it presents three-dimensional characters in thought-provoking and intriguing other-wordly scenarios whilst remaining plausible and realistic but your reasoning with "Westeros around 300AC is nowhere near as diverse as 21st century America" is shit. It's lazy and it's a shit excuse for omitting people of colour. The fact remains that you wrote these books in the 21st century and that these books are fictional fantasy novels that would've honestly probably felt the same had you included more races in your novel. I can see that you might have wanted to focus on class differences and social hierarchies based on power, not race but it's lazy and irresponsible. In this day and age it's irresponsible to avoid writing good parts for people of colour, to ignore that they exist, that they could exist.

As a writer, I understand that what you write and create is your own intellectual and creative property that you should have full control of and of course I believe that that should remain alive and true. However, that is the exact reason that I shame you for writing yet another unnecessarily white-centric story.

But it's not all your fault. It's not all your fault that the general public appreciates white stories more. It's not all your fault that such a majority of western movie audiences love the whites. And I guess I'm being unrealistic when I ask for more parts written for people of colour so that casting directors just can't ignore the fact that coloured people can play great roles too. Because it's a virtual truth that white faces on big screens make more money and that money makes the world go 'round.

But dear White People,

All I want is to be seen. All I want is for kids like me when I was younger to watch a film with a Vietnamese character who wasn't just there to yell di di mao! I'm so sick of The White Disease that demands itself be seen. I'm so sick of the racial injustices that is in itself Hollywood. And I'm sick of you white writers thinking that White's the default race. Guess what, us coloured people are capable of the emotions your characters feel but you didn't want to "make it all about race" aye. Well fuck you.

Please comment and correct me if you feel it's necessary.

Monday 1 February 2016