Author Topic: #WeNeedDiverseBooks  (Read 9900 times)

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Offline Ultimate Paragon

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#WeNeedDiverseBooks
« on: May 03, 2014, 07:28:54 pm »
Here's the new flavor-of-the-month issue on the internet.  I'm of two minds on this.

On the one hand, I completely sympathize with this cause.  I think there are certain groups that could use more representation in literature.

On the other, I don't want this to be simple tokenism.  And if you're so concerned about a lack of diversity, why don't you write your own books?

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Re: #WeNeedDiverseBooks
« Reply #1 on: May 03, 2014, 07:33:37 pm »
Hashtag campaigns are the most pathetic kind of slactivism in existence. If you obviously don't care enough to put in an actual effort, how can you expect other people to give a shit?

Offline chitoryu12

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Re: #WeNeedDiverseBooks
« Reply #2 on: May 03, 2014, 08:07:14 pm »
And if you're so concerned about a lack of diversity, why don't you write your own books?

No matter which side of the debate you're on, "Why don't you do it yourself?" is a pretty crappy cop-out.
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Offline Søren

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Re: #WeNeedDiverseBooks
« Reply #3 on: May 03, 2014, 08:21:58 pm »
And if you're so concerned about a lack of diversity, why don't you write your own books?

No matter which side of the debate you're on, "Why don't you do it yourself?" is a pretty crappy cop-out.

Well forgive me if im wrong, but writing a book is so much easier and cheaper than making a movie. Plus having a non white character doesnt really have the same effect, you could just write black in the second sentence and be done with the entire thing
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Offline Cataclysm

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Re: #WeNeedDiverseBooks
« Reply #4 on: May 03, 2014, 08:37:36 pm »
Hashtag campaigns are the most pathetic kind of slactivism in existence. If you obviously don't care enough to put in an actual effort, how can you expect other people to give a shit?

It raises awareness.
I'd be more sympathetic if people here didn't act like they knew what they were saying when they were saying something very much wrong.

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Offline chitoryu12

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Re: #WeNeedDiverseBooks
« Reply #5 on: May 03, 2014, 08:42:09 pm »
And if you're so concerned about a lack of diversity, why don't you write your own books?

No matter which side of the debate you're on, "Why don't you do it yourself?" is a pretty crappy cop-out.

Well forgive me if im wrong, but writing a book is so much easier and cheaper than making a movie. Plus having a non white character doesnt really have the same effect, you could just write black in the second sentence and be done with the entire thing

It's theoretically easy to "write a book." Actually making worthwhile fiction instead of just letting your brain diarrhea over everything? Not so much. Trying to spread diversity through really crappy amatuer books doesn't exactly help encourage the better writers to do so.
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Offline Lt. Fred

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Re: #WeNeedDiverseBooks
« Reply #6 on: May 03, 2014, 09:09:29 pm »
And if you're so concerned about a lack of diversity, why don't you write your own books?

No matter which side of the debate you're on, "Why don't you do it yourself?" is a pretty crappy cop-out.

Well forgive me if im wrong, but writing a book is so much easier and cheaper than making a movie. Plus having a non white character doesnt really have the same effect, you could just write black in the second sentence and be done with the entire thing

Have fun publishing it.

I think the problem is more fundamental than a lack of diversity. It's a lack of quality that is the problem. If our fiction industry wasn't utterly terrible at its job - witness the most popular publisher, Mills and Boon! - then it would also be more diverse.
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Art Vandelay

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Re: #WeNeedDiverseBooks
« Reply #7 on: May 03, 2014, 09:11:13 pm »
Hashtag campaigns are the most pathetic kind of slactivism in existence. If you obviously don't care enough to put in an actual effort, how can you expect other people to give a shit?

It raises awareness.

Awareness that even supposed "activists" don't give enough of a shit to make an actual effort.

Offline Cataclysm

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Re: #WeNeedDiverseBooks
« Reply #8 on: May 03, 2014, 09:32:27 pm »
Hashtag campaigns are the most pathetic kind of slactivism in existence. If you obviously don't care enough to put in an actual effort, how can you expect other people to give a shit?

It raises awareness.

Awareness that even supposed "activists" don't give enough of a shit to make an actual effort.

Please tell me what activism you are doing. If you aren't donating money to every cause you believe in, then I guess you don't give a shit about those causes.
I'd be more sympathetic if people here didn't act like they knew what they were saying when they were saying something very much wrong.

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Offline RavynousHunter

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Re: #WeNeedDiverseBooks
« Reply #9 on: May 03, 2014, 09:46:32 pm »
Hashtag campaigns are the most pathetic kind of slactivism in existence. If you obviously don't care enough to put in an actual effort, how can you expect other people to give a shit?

It raises awareness.

Awareness that even supposed "activists" don't give enough of a shit to make an actual effort.

Please tell me what activism you are doing. If you aren't donating money to every cause you believe in, then I guess you don't give a shit about those causes.

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Re: #WeNeedDiverseBooks
« Reply #10 on: May 03, 2014, 10:09:23 pm »
Please tell me what activism you are doing. If you aren't donating money to every cause you believe in, then I guess you don't give a shit about those causes.
That's a retarded argument due to the fact that I never claimed to be an activist in the first place. I know full well that I'm not going to change the world, and I make to pretenses to the contrary. Though even if I did, it would still be irrelevant unless you believe that my own pretensions determine whether or not hashtag spamming is actually effective.

Offline Cataclysm

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Re: #WeNeedDiverseBooks
« Reply #11 on: May 03, 2014, 10:15:00 pm »
Please tell me what activism you are doing. If you aren't donating money to every cause you believe in, then I guess you don't give a shit about those causes.
That's a retarded argument due to the fact that I never claimed to be an activist in the first place. I know full well that I'm not going to change the world, and I make to pretenses to the contrary. Though even if I did, it would still be irrelevant unless you believe that my own pretensions determine whether or not hashtag spamming is actually effective.

Well, then it's pretty hypocritical for you to call activists "pathetic" when you're doing absolutely nothing for causes.
I'd be more sympathetic if people here didn't act like they knew what they were saying when they were saying something very much wrong.

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Commenter Brendan Rizzo is an American (still living there) who really, really hates America. He used to make posts defending his country from anti-American attacks but got fed up with it all.

Art Vandelay

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Re: #WeNeedDiverseBooks
« Reply #12 on: May 03, 2014, 10:39:08 pm »
Please tell me what activism you are doing. If you aren't donating money to every cause you believe in, then I guess you don't give a shit about those causes.
That's a retarded argument due to the fact that I never claimed to be an activist in the first place. I know full well that I'm not going to change the world, and I make to pretenses to the contrary. Though even if I did, it would still be irrelevant unless you believe that my own pretensions determine whether or not hashtag spamming is actually effective.

Well, then it's pretty hypocritical for you to call activists "pathetic" when you're doing absolutely nothing for causes.

So by your own logic, these hashtag spamming slactivists are also hypocrites. Since, you know, they're criticising writers when the vast majority of them have probably never even written a short story, much less a novel.

In any case, I'll say it again. All this is irrelevant, since it doesn't in any case contradict my point that hashtag spamming does absolutely fuck all.

Offline Witchyjoshy

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Re: #WeNeedDiverseBooks
« Reply #13 on: May 04, 2014, 04:57:23 am »
There's already diversity in books, but invariably it gets thrown out the window whenever anyone feels like adapting them to something.

Can we say "Wizard of Earthsea" getting TWO adaptations, both of which cast the black main character as a white european male?
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Offline Lt. Fred

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Re: #WeNeedDiverseBooks
« Reply #14 on: May 04, 2014, 09:04:38 am »
The No More Racist Bullshit and Don't Be a Prick Act (2014).

From this day forth.

Hollywood may not adapt any book and change the ethnic identity or gender of any character. Any executive producer demanding such shall be punished by a lifetime ban from any form of entertainment work.

All films shall include at least one lead female role. Film companies are obliged to make reasonable steps to include non-white major characters, and will face a fine should their films not uphold a certain quota.

Any executive meddling in a project shall be punished by execution. All employees on the corporate side of the industry are legally obliged to record themselves every day repeating "the artists know their craft better than I know mine" three times. Failure to do so will be punished by execution.
Ultimate Paragon admits to fabricating a hit piece on Politico.

http://fqa.digibase.ca/index.php?topic=6936.0

The party's name is the Democratic Party. It has been since 1830. Please spell correctly.

"The party must go wholly one way or wholly the other. It cannot face in both directions at the same time."
-FDR