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I'd agree much more with you if we were discussing film or TV, where a person's colour is a visual. However, in literature, you have to draw attention to the colour of a person's skin, and if they are just black, or Chinese etc without there being a meaningful purpose, then it does become token. Bringing women into your argument isn't quite relevant, as for the most part, names identify male or female so specifying the gender isn't important. But as you say, as an engineer you were a bunch of engineers, not a bunch of black guys. But in a story, if you say 'the black engineer' then you're no longer just a bunch of engineers. One is being identified by colour as well. Unless there is a reason for the character being black, beyond representing census figures, then it's token. If there is a reason, then it's important to research properly and choose a story/character that accurately reflects being a black person in that situation. I'm not saying writing shouldn't be diverse. Absolutely it should, if it's not to be boring and limited. Yet it doesn't show diversity if the black engineer's blackness is merely a matter of his skin colour. It does, if it shows his personal journey and how being black affects his life. Diversity is a lot more than just labelling people by colour. You asked about my work. 98% female, and 100% white. These figures in no way reflect the larger society which is 69% white 14% Maori and the rest Asian etc. Writing about a male Maori teacher wouldn't be representative of the demographics. Yet one of the best teachers I ever worked with is a Maori male, and both those aspects have a huge impact on who he is. He is the chief of his iwi, he became a teacher because he sees it as his duty to be a positive role model for young Maori, and to break the negative stereotypes and racial slurs against Maori. He had some interesting struggles on his way to becoming a teacher. This is where the diversity lies, in the actual stories. If these aren't explored, then it's tokenism. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** |