I will never understand why people create whole ass fantasy worlds and still oppress women in those worlds.
Like, you can have dragons, but not basic respect for women? Boring. Tired. Basic and sexist.
Because as a woman stories about women surviving oppressive shit, and even thriving in spite of it, are valuable to me (and other women I know).
And also because as a woman stories about women dealing with and maybe even sometimes being totally fucked over by oppressive shit is cathartic and validating for me. And thus valuable to me.
And generally this is where people say something like “oh but I didn’t mean YOU I meant [insert male author they hate here]”, but here’s the thing, kids:
Shit like this inhibited my writing and exacerbated my anxiety-depression related to it for fucking years, and I’ve watched it destroy other writers.
Now maybe that’s viewed as a positive, and, you know, fair enough. Your goals are clearly very different than mine, but that’s fair enough.
But that guy author you hate doesn’t give a shit you think this. On the other hand, some girl starting to write out there who happens to be starting with a fantasy story, a secondary world story, that resonates with her because in fundamental ways the society it’s existing in does mirror the same oppressive shit she has to deal with?
What she hears is “you’re bad; your art is harmful; you should shut up.”
It took me a very long time to hit “fuck you I can write about bad shit happening to my own identity categories to explore what goes horribly wrong and how it changes us and what it does to us if I FUCKING. WANT. it’s MY FUCKING IDENTITY”, and I know a lot of people who literally can’t get there and who to this day cannot create what they want to create - and what would have value for them, and others who need the same thing - because it’s “not allowed.”
Because imagining a secondary world that has dragons but also sexism is “boring” and “lazy”.
Now if that’s not the kinda story you want to read, fair enough! Don’t read it! There’s lots of stuff I don’t want to read.
But I still understand why people write it, why it has value, to them.
I’m a queer writer who would prefer, for the most part, to write stories where queer people just exist and it’s not this big thing. Because honestly I’ve dealt with that enough irl that I just don’t want to deal with that
That doesn’t invalidate the queer people who want to write stories where queer characters survive and overcome shit that they’ve gone through.
I’m a disabled writer who prefers, on the whole, to write stories where people are disabled and have accessibility but still struggle with the world sometimes, because there are no magic cures and not everyone is great at dealing with disabled people. Because it’s empowering to me to see people still struggling but ultimately being supported for the most part.
That doesn’t discount disabled people who would rather write stories with more realistic attitudes and struggles, OR disabled people who want to just have tech or magic or whatever that essentially compensates perfectly for their disability.
There are things that it might not be good for people not part of that minority to write, but people have different needs and desires for the stories they want to read and tell.
