tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9153239170529797909.post8727232118716455801..comments2024-03-24T10:54:20.657-06:00Comments on Jennifer Ruth Jackson, Poet: Anti-Diversity, a Response (EXREMELY LONG POST)Jennifer Ruth Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04699005759754946494noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9153239170529797909.post-35017148394947304732016-10-17T18:22:17.709-06:002016-10-17T18:22:17.709-06:00No one should be forced into writing what they don...No one should be forced into writing what they don't want to. A lot of people who are against diversity in books say one reason they ARE against it is because some writers feel bullied into writing stories that don't resonate with them. <br />I'm very pro-diversity in books but, while I may wonder (and perhaps ask the author why) there were no types characters in a story that might call for them, I wouldn't demand it. That's not what creativity is. <br /><br />People who are anti-diversity think we don't need books about people of different races, religions, etc. at all. They are wrong about that. Everyone needs to see themselves represented... counted. Especially when young. It's important. Those who have plenty of representation in books think it isn't a big deal... because they have it.<br /><br />Her points (the ones she claims she was making) are completely valid. The stuff she brings up along the way is... ignorant.Jennifer Ruth Jacksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04699005759754946494noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9153239170529797909.post-39333276227603196562016-10-17T15:11:23.233-06:002016-10-17T15:11:23.233-06:00We always hear the "write what you know"...We always hear the "write what you know" argument and it makes sense. I'd also add, "Write what you are compelled to write." If adding diverse characters doesn't make sense for the story you're telling then adding them will create a stilted artificial story. For example, I grew up going to schools where there were no blacks and few students from other racial groups--that was the nature of the neighborhoods in which I lived. If I were to write a story based on those school days, throwing in characters for the sake of creating diversity would make the story unauthentic. <br /><br />I guess in the end it depends on what you are writing about, the message you wish to convey, and what interests you. Demanding diversity in writing sounds like a bit of a totalitarian approach to writing. <br /><br />Or maybe I'm missing the point here.<br /><br />Arlee Bird<br /><a href="http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">Tossing It Out</a>Arlee Birdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11663942782929929334noreply@blogger.com