Porthole

A couple thoughts on stereotyping (not deep)

StephBee finally blogged! She's a romance write so she blogged about the RWA (Romance Writers of America) and a recent controversy over depiction of Chinese characters.

So... knowing me... I strode right up to the fringe of the mess (don't have my hip-boots on so I didn't go further).

Well... hello! It's been awhile. I don't write as much when I travel but I've been home 2 months now... so... .

Really been writing flash fiction... which comes with its own set of rules. I need more support than I'm getting. Let's face it. I'm just plain needy.

As for drama ... ... ... I try to avoid it as I don't handle it well.

China? I'm watching Chinese video series (Fairy Fox, Beloved Enemy) and read a couple detective novels. It's important to understand the Confucian take on life because it forms a basis for why people act like they do. I'm wrapping my head around it. The culture in general is very hierarchical and competitive. That said... there are other influences (like Buddhism and Christianity) that have molded individuals. One can be Chinese (Han or not) without being a stereotype.

I've seen some of this in my travels. Twice to Taiwan, going back January 14th. But the Taiwanese have had more influence from Japan and Europe than the mainland so, once again, it's important to get to know individuals beyond the stereotypes, yet acknowledge the cultural constraints.

Which gets to stereotyping people and the characters we use or abuse in our writings. In flash-fiction one is limited by word count. Can you develop a character in less than 1,000? 500? 300? 100? The fewer words means fewer characters, fewer interactions, less and less description, fewer adjectives and adverbs. It's X does Y to Z in its simplest form.

In flash the main character or two is only partly developed. Only one aspect of their persona may be revealed in this one moment when something needs to be resolved... or not.

It can be tempting to rely on stereotypes that the reader might already have. What set of presumptions is evoked by: wearing a MAGA hat, rosary clasped between wrinkled hands, shouting "oy oy oy", dressed in a drab Mao era uniform, a red dress slit up to her (or his) ...

White may evoke purity and goodness in Westerners. It's the color of Death in the Far East.

Yellow may invoke sunniness or jealousy, but in the Turkish language of flowers it means "drop dead".

It would be very easy to overly use clichés and stereotypes about people one knows; even easier if you don't know them!

When I go back to Taiwan, I resolve to take better notes.

And because this was on my mind I wrote a flash fiction placed in Taiwan:

STATIC

Diary of Taipei (299 words)  (18+) Under 300 flash fiction prompt: fish, desk, phone #2208849 by Kåre Enga in Montana

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