I’ve been watching this drama from afar, here on tumblr, but you guys got me so fired up I can’t stay put.
Yes, the people who have been sending Sarah hate on twitter are disgusting, telling her to choke or die is not okay and I would never promote this kind of behavior. But to bundle us, the people with legit criticisms with them, is stupid as fuck as you know it.
There’s been a lot of arguments over the #togisoverparty hashtag, and no offense, but there’s bigger shit to lose it over. There is no one I know who is ONLY mad because our ship didn’t sail. We’ve spent the last day complaining about the immense lack of representation and diversity in the throne of glass series, and for you to summarize it as being bitter over ships is lowkey gross.
I know you’re all so far deep Sarah J. Maas ass that you’re unwilling to see it, but her series, a NYT bestselling one, is extremely white and heterosexual. And yes, it matters. She created such a vast world, with princes and princesses and warriors and demons, and yet — only three people of color were introduced in her entire series. THREE.
Representation is SO important, and to brush it over is NOT okay. Think of her younger readers, POC who see Nehemia, a strong black princess, willingly letting herself being murdered so that Aelin, the whitest girl ever, could proceed with her story. And of the ones who had hope when Sorscha was introduced, a woman of color, who didn’t last a book before she was used as a plot device to send Dorian, a white male, over the edge. Think of Nesryn, an immigrant woman of color, who will not be present in EOS. And that is only when it comes to race.
Manon Blackbeak, a cannibal witch, who spent two books telling us, over and over again, that she hated men, suddenly is put in romantic relationship with one. She grew up surrounded by women, she formed a connection with Elide — but Dorian is somehow her perfect fit? Give me a break. And to mention the two guys in HOF as lgbtq+ representation is NOT enough! I don’t even remember their names, meaning they’re not relevant characters.
LGBTQ+ people, and POC are NOT background! We’re human beings who are more than props for the white heterosexual people! Sarah has said before that she did not want to force diversity, which is honestly offensive. Our existence is not forced — especially when she keeps forcing people who have absolutely nothing in common into straight relationships. Instead of yelling that we’re just bitter or ruining her career (lol, she’s a white YA author, she won’t suffer from this), you should be more worried about her coming off as homophobic and racist. If we keep quiet about this, then she will continue to write the same bland characters, and overshadow actually deserving authors of color.
And to anyone who says we should be more worried about real-life issues than fictional characters, I got news for you: I am able to do both. I am able to worry about BLM, and I am able to worry about the whiteness in YA fiction. Amazing, isn’t it?
I’m not trying to tell anyone what they should or shouldn’t like, but don’t try so silence us. Don’t try to make us look like stupid little shippers claiming a “sjw agenda” like I saw someone saying. I am angry and hurt over what she has decided to do, again, and I have every right to. So, if you don’t care about what she’s doing wrong, kindly shut up.
turnnoffyourmind
yousharknotpass
dededos
areudirty
romaincrisis
origamiaround
titsay
