Munday - Race Relations
Today's topic can be a racy one.... race.
What's race like in your characters' world? Is your character white (or the equivalent privileged race in their society/culture), or a character of color? How has race shaped them? Are they conscious of racial and ethnic issues?
Do you as the writer make an attempt to address racial and ethnic issues in your portrayal? Why or why not?
Well, Secundus is set in the Victorian era in England, so it's not exactly a time of equality for all. The British Empire is still bothering India and other countries, and black people are still looked down upon a bit. Secundus itself is somewhat more progressive simply because a lot of people there value talent more than skin color, but there's still racism. I admit, though, I don't really focus on that side of things in the "Secundus" stories, simply because I don't feel all that comfortable tackling those sorts of issues. I don't want to do anything stupid because I got some research wrong, or potentially offend anyone. I prefer to tackle the whole "prejudice" thing from the angle of prejudice against Touched, Igors, Fabricated, Reanimated, and Automatons. It's easier when you're the one in charge of all the various distinctions.
All the major players of "Secundus" are white (well, Richard's green and Emily's blue, but they started out white). To be fair, I'm borrowing them from other properties, and they were white there as well. They're aware of racial issues in a general sense, and they themselves are pretty open-minded people. Most of them will try not to automatically judge anyone by skin color -- particularly Marty, Emily, and Richard. Emily and Richard because they've faced similar prejudices for being Reanimated and a mix of Fabricated and Automaton; Marty because he grew up in a town that was partially shaped by Chinese and black settlers and workers. (Though admittedly, Marty probably also would casually refer to them by names we'd consider offensive today. And I don't think I could pull off making it maybe kind of funny like Mel Brooks in Blazing Saddles -- another reason to avoid it!) Basically, everybody tries to interact with everybody else like they're people. Perhaps not the most historically accurate portrayal, but it's an AU multiverse. Historical accuracy is on the other end of the scale.
What's race like in your characters' world? Is your character white (or the equivalent privileged race in their society/culture), or a character of color? How has race shaped them? Are they conscious of racial and ethnic issues?
Do you as the writer make an attempt to address racial and ethnic issues in your portrayal? Why or why not?
Well, Secundus is set in the Victorian era in England, so it's not exactly a time of equality for all. The British Empire is still bothering India and other countries, and black people are still looked down upon a bit. Secundus itself is somewhat more progressive simply because a lot of people there value talent more than skin color, but there's still racism. I admit, though, I don't really focus on that side of things in the "Secundus" stories, simply because I don't feel all that comfortable tackling those sorts of issues. I don't want to do anything stupid because I got some research wrong, or potentially offend anyone. I prefer to tackle the whole "prejudice" thing from the angle of prejudice against Touched, Igors, Fabricated, Reanimated, and Automatons. It's easier when you're the one in charge of all the various distinctions.
All the major players of "Secundus" are white (well, Richard's green and Emily's blue, but they started out white). To be fair, I'm borrowing them from other properties, and they were white there as well. They're aware of racial issues in a general sense, and they themselves are pretty open-minded people. Most of them will try not to automatically judge anyone by skin color -- particularly Marty, Emily, and Richard. Emily and Richard because they've faced similar prejudices for being Reanimated and a mix of Fabricated and Automaton; Marty because he grew up in a town that was partially shaped by Chinese and black settlers and workers. (Though admittedly, Marty probably also would casually refer to them by names we'd consider offensive today. And I don't think I could pull off making it maybe kind of funny like Mel Brooks in Blazing Saddles -- another reason to avoid it!) Basically, everybody tries to interact with everybody else like they're people. Perhaps not the most historically accurate portrayal, but it's an AU multiverse. Historical accuracy is on the other end of the scale.