thought on diversity in fiction

[marvelguy25]

i like to give out my thoughts on diversity and how people react to them . eversince spidey was getting a reboot alot of people were suggesting either a black peter or miles morales as their only options and i asked why? they tthink that a black peter should attract audiance when clearly that wouldn't be the case as there would be alot of story potential to peter which fanfic writers thought of better than just making a character black. they even suggested miles to replace peter overall like not just movies but in tv shows. with how far people have taken diversity Miles has become my character i have a love/ hate relationship for. another issue we had is the Iceman coming out as gay storyline which just came out of nowhere. no hint nor any signs of buildup that he was one. just him being gay out of nowhere. alot of people i found on forums were upset about this not because of how it was handled but because of our complaints. no matter how hard we tried to explain ourselves they found it offensive with some people saying it's "realistic", it's "meaningful", etc. even though it's not. then there was the whole Iron ist being white instead of asian rants like they really don't know nor remember that the character has always been white. then there are alot of petitions into giving elsa from Frozen a girlfriend and that givesteverogersaboyfriend(with buckey) and with that one whenever me and everyone else tried to rant about this alot of people got offended no matter how hard we explained ourselves . whenever we have a problem with diversity and how it is handled even how it's ridiculous how people complain about it and how they talk about changing it they really think it's because we've racist and prejudice even though we're obviously not. we're just tired of having the characters changed in the most drastic ways as possible like killing off a character for another character and having that character's entire history and background changed. they use racism as an excuse to overpower us no matter how hard we tried to explain. so i ask you people, are you tired of how diversity is handled and how people respond to you like they're "offended" ? what are your thoughts on diversity in fiction and how it's handled and should be handled?

[codystarbuck]

Diversity in entertainment is a good thing. The more people that can identify with characters and their story, the more successful it will be. That doesn't mean they have to be of the same group, just be relatable. Putting characters in to be token characters is insulting. Putting in minority characters that bring something to the story is good. The problem is that conglomerates tend to approach things in a ham-fisted way, obsessive fans (like a large chunk of the comics world) fear change, and people who want change want it now, rather than accept that it takes time and effort. It's always better to create original characters and make them as relatable as possible, even if they don't represent your identity. The key is emphasizing the universal.

[Angilasman]

Diversity is good, not just for social reasons, but for the quality of stories. The more different points of view being contributed means more good ideas. Two of my favorite American comic books are Usagi Yojimbo (by Japanese American Stan Sakai) and Love & Rockets (by Mexican American brothers Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez). The fact that they have their respective heritage is a huge part of what makes those comics so great.

[marvelguy25]

Diversity is good, not just for social reasons, but for the quality of stories. The more different points of view being contributed means more good ideas. Two of my favorite American comic books are Usagi Yojimbo (by Japanese American Stan Sakai) and Love & Rockets (by Mexican American brothers Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez). The fact that they have their respective heritage is a huge part of what makes those comics so great.

the more insulting thig is that people think that just because you're a straight white male means you know nothing on diversity which is bs and unfair because writers even ones who don't work for the industry especially those who are young try to learn about diversities and cultures and told them in a believable way. you try to study them like an FBI Agent. and people think/believe that being a straight white male means you are incompetent of understanding other people's culture and feelings.

[Bor]

the more insulting thig is that people think that just because you're a straight white male means you know nothing on diversity which is bs and unfair because writers even ones who don't work for the industry especially those who are young try to learn about diversities and cultures and told them in a believable way. you try to study them like an FBI Agent. and people think/believe that being a straight white male means you are incompetent of understanding other people's culture and feelings.

Is this all because people tolled you in that other thread that as a straight white male you can never understand completely what it is like to be a different race/ sexuality? Because they are right. Most people never say, including those in the other thread, that you know NOTHING about diversity if you are white straight male but just that you can never fully understand it unless you actually lived it. That is true. Just like they will never completely know what it is like to be a straight white male. Frankly I think that disregarding this view point is a lot more insulting then anything people have said in other posts here. And you really cant "study someone like a FBI Agent" unless you actually have training in that.

[marvelguy25]

Is this all because people tolled you in that other thread that as a straight white male you can never understand completely what it is like to be a different race/ sexuality? Because they are right. Most people never say, including those in the other thread, that you know NOTHING about diversity if you are white straight male but just that you can never fully understand it unless you actually lived it. That is true. Just like they will never completely know what it is like to be a straight white male. Frankly I think that disregarding this view point is a lot more insulting then anything people have said in other posts here. And you really cant "study someone like a FBI Agent" unless you actually have training in that.

they know nothing about common sense tbh. a straight male male can understand and can be able to fully understand if they try hard enough the same way anyone in a different diversity could. saying that just sounds pretty ignorant tbh. infact these are the same people who think Iron Fist being white is an insult to Western Culture despite the character always being white and has more of a story for it, complaining about quicksilver being in DOFP instead of Northstar for some reason, and thinking us complaining about Fury Jr. is racist even though it isn't and never was. everything they are trying to say for the most part is honestly ridiculous trying to twist our thoughts and manipulate us into being the bad guys.

[marvelguy25]

Diversity in entertainment is a good thing. The more people that can identify with characters and their story, the more successful it will be. That doesn't mean they have to be of the same group, just be relatable. Putting characters in to be token characters is insulting. Putting in minority characters that bring something to the story is good. The problem is that conglomerates tend to approach things in a ham-fisted way, obsessive fans (like a large chunk of the comics world) fear change, and people who want change want it now, rather than accept that it takes time and effort. It's always better to create original characters and make them as relatable as possible, even if they don't represent your identity. The key is emphasizing the universal.

i agree. i like stories to be honest about the representation of the characters and their world. but not handling them correctly like changing or replacing them isn't really helping. if you want to change a character for diversity's sake do it in a new universe like say make The Thing african american to deepen the theme of Family in the Fantastic Four. or just make either Kitty Pryde, Anne Marie, and Carol Danvers gay/lesbian/bisexual to fit their characters.