First of all, thank you so much to all of you for making this blog and giving your time &energy to all of this. I'm writing a story set in the 70s, but that world has divulged from ours from the 40s on. the main setting is in a newly created city that is created on a "common ground" between countries and is now populated mostly by immigrants of various races/ethnicities from the americas, the carribbean, the pacific islands, and east and south asia. I intend to present this city as an equal space between all of these groups, but realistically there would still be some leftover attitudes of racism from the 20th century. the book also focuses on how poverty can drive people to crime. characters of all races are presented as both good and bad, and there are also strong themes relating to unity/mutual support and belonging. as a white author, I certainly dont want to create a narrative about racism. but as capitalism and racism are tied, combined with the time/setting of the book, as well as themes relating to belonging+unity in this society, I'm not sure how far I should write about racism, if at all. how can I make this work realistically and respectfully? (and once again, thank you for all the work you do)
Poverty driving people in crime in story (including BIPOC)
I think for this kind of story, it helps to have something to say.
There’s no way to come up with a universally inoffensive perspective on how capitalism, private property, colonialism and exploitation all affect racism, crime, and the politics of cohesion. I don’t think you should shy away from the fact that you are making a judgment on how our world works. The success of your story will depend on how you execute that message.
There’s no guarantee that it will be a message with universal appeal, but if you don’t put these themes on poverty, scarcity, inequality, inequity, systematic bias and political unity to some practical purpose, you’ll have a story that says nothing, which sounds boring both to write and to read.
- Marika
