tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160636034192691079.post9062372295013080830..comments2024-01-13T21:31:23.388-05:00Comments on Reading While White: Awards Discussion Fodder: Thoughts on StereotypesReading While Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807138877345669931noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160636034192691079.post-21751795047380620212016-10-19T21:43:13.890-04:002016-10-19T21:43:13.890-04:00Yes, this is what I see often too are the overembe...Yes, this is what I see often too are the overembellishments in side characters or even main characters by those "writing the other." Some may tamper down the violence of slavery or aim to show the Black teen who says "Girl..." all the time. Good and bad stereotypes abound and the dissection of it is part of a necessary discussion.Jennhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12823739886038280225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160636034192691079.post-70314968865637857402016-10-19T15:35:44.579-04:002016-10-19T15:35:44.579-04:00Often the problem comes when a writer has a minor ...Often the problem comes when a writer has a minor character that they want to use to show diversity, but don't intend to explore that diversity in any depth. So they resort to a stereotype as a shortcut. This is also a point of view problem, the writer's point of view coming though in the story because it's not in fact the way the protagonist would see a friend, a neighbor, or a teacher.Lyn Miller-Lachmannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13916173361876323346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160636034192691079.post-82903601213333582962016-10-19T09:53:44.293-04:002016-10-19T09:53:44.293-04:00Hi Rachel, yes, I agree that this gets thorniest w...Hi Rachel, yes, I agree that this gets thorniest when people disagree about whether something is a stereotype. I'll emphasize again the last few sentences of my post and how important it is to listen when someone says "this is a stereotype"--especially if that person is from the marginalized group in question. When someone is saying "this is a stereotype that I am familiar with because it is about ME", that's the time to listen and learn.Allie Jane Brucehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10322238221808680397noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160636034192691079.post-19555779516773835382016-10-19T08:57:44.494-04:002016-10-19T08:57:44.494-04:00Thank you, Tsujimonster, for pointing out my mista...Thank you, Tsujimonster, for pointing out my mistake with "s/he". That is 100% my error, and I'm sorry. I should have used "they" so as to not exclude people who identify as nonbinary. I'm going to leave it as-is in the piece, for maximum transparency and to avoid confusion, but I'll say here: In the 2nd-to-last paragraph, where I say "...does s/he work to counter that stereotype...", I should have said "...do they work to counter that stereotype...." (I also included this comment as an editors' note.) -AllieAllie Jane Brucehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10322238221808680397noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160636034192691079.post-45089253011386979282016-10-19T08:19:30.160-04:002016-10-19T08:19:30.160-04:00Thanks for defining this so clearly Allie. If we a...Thanks for defining this so clearly Allie. If we are thinking about this in the context of awards, I think stereotypes that are not questioned or explored are poor choices in character development, whether in the text or the art. Truly blatant and better known stereotypes are likely never going to be considered "distinguished." When award committee or mock discussions get interesting is when colleagues have different views about whether or not a depiction is a stereotype (thinking a lot about "...Tribe of Kids") or if another depiction explores and even explodes the idea of stereotype fully and let's the character be more than 2-D (like Yang does). I really appreciate your call to listen, which is really vital in any award discussion. While I am enjoying lurking and occasionally commenting in online discussions, there is no substitute for in-person and in depth conversations you get serving on an award committee. Finding myself sorely missing that this year. Rachel Paynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11073736536609765857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160636034192691079.post-85491378208799557672016-10-19T08:03:50.558-04:002016-10-19T08:03:50.558-04:00Lots of great points to consider. Can you edit &qu...Lots of great points to consider. Can you edit "s/he" to include nonbinary authors? Thanks!Tsujimonsterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00318243490715657502noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160636034192691079.post-79445799630300256432016-10-18T15:13:37.320-04:002016-10-18T15:13:37.320-04:00Yes, very true. And to reflect on White privilege...Yes, very true. And to reflect on White privilege as it relates here--if I am particularly stoic or noble in some situation (haha), I can be pretty sure that people will not attribute that to the culture or biological gifts of my race.Allie Jane Brucehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10322238221808680397noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160636034192691079.post-42676784893369386112016-10-18T08:18:01.718-04:002016-10-18T08:18:01.718-04:00A lot of people seem to think that it is only nega...A lot of people seem to think that it is only negative stereotypes that are a problem. <br /><br />Some think, for example, that a blood-thirsty Indian is bad but that a noble one is a good thing that ought not be criticized. <br /><br />I hear a lot of that sort of thing in the context of mascots. People contrast the "honor" of something like "Chief Illiniwek" to the caricature of something like "Chief Wahoo." We can find parallels to both in children's literature. Both are stereotypes. Both ought to be criticized. Debbie Reesehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14972409006633565859noreply@blogger.com