Bigotry Through Exclusion

According to The Cambridge Dictionary, the definition of bigotry is “the fact of having and expressing strong, unreasonable beliefs and disliking other people who have different beliefs or a different way of life.”  We’ve been taught since we were small children that bigotry is morally reprehensible, an outmoded trope from an intolerant past that we’ve long striven to overcome.

That’s why I wonder why some in the writing world are so enamored of it.

Now I’m not talking about racial stereotypes we’ve seen in history that we have moved past.  Anyone trying to pump up a narrative about white supremacy or running down a minority race would, quite rightly, be excoriated.  Sure, they’d have every right to publish, as anyone who holds free speech dear would say, but that wouldn’t mean people had to buy their work or couldn’t trash them for writing such rubbish.  After all, freedom of speech and association runs both ways.

Unfortunately, a trend has emerged in the last few years where folks seem to think it’s okay to run down straight white men.  I get shunning or ignoring those who’ve said or done horrible things.  I do the same thing to people I think are execrable.  However, I make those judgments on an individual basis, and not on a group of people as a whole based solely on their gender, race, or sexual orientation.  That said, folks like Jessie Tu have come straight out and said things like she would “probably never read another novel by a straight white male.”  Let’s take down this bunch of bigoted bullshit a piece at a time, shall we?

First, and most obviously, imagine the outcry if she’d said the same thing regarding literally any other subgroup of people.  She’d be universally condemned for such out and out prejudice and racism.  Handy tip – if you can change the race, sexual orientation, or gender of any of your words, and they’d then produce a frisson of horror in your mind, you might have crossed some line that displays ignorance and bigotry.

Second, I wonder at the wisdom of eschewing a whole sub-section of authors.  I’m sure there are a lot of straight white male authors who suck…just as there are authors of every color and creed who suck.  However, there are also lots of brilliant authors who are outstanding from each and every race, gender, and sexual orientation.  You’re missing out on some great work if you exclude any particular group based on how they look or who they choose to fuck.

Third, if you’re mad at the publishing industry in the past for not being inclusive enough, the answer isn’t to go off on a childish tantrum.  The answer instead is to write your own inclusive stuff.  If you dislike the traditional publishing industry, then go indie and publish your own version of how you’d like the world to be seen.  Include characters you want involved, and set them in stories you think the audience would like.  But don’t trash or so openly exclude any group because you’re a small-minded fool who takes joy out of hatred.

It’s the story that matters.  If you have a compelling story that finds an audience, then you’re a success.  People will buy your work and you can write more in that vein.  However, if you decide to trash entire groups based on immutable characteristics, regardless of the group, then you deserve every but of scorn and exclusion you’re gong to find.  At that point, we know all you’ll do is then bitch about how some other part of the system is holding you down…