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oxalisinthegarden · 3 years

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I’m only starting this blog because I need a place to just get things off my chest. This first post is gonna be in regards to something that happened to me on Twitter two nights ago that has really fucked with me. I am not easily shaken. I don’t care what people say about me or what names they wanna call me or whatever. But one thing I cannot handle is being called a racist. I say I cannot handle, not meaning that I get angry and offended. I get upset. It devastates me to think that I could be out there hurting people without my knowledge, just because I didn’t think twice. Here’s what happened..It all began because there was an issue with a friend of mine, I was defending my friend to someone and if there's one thing you should know about me its that I am fierce when it comes to the arguments I choose. I don’t pick fights over bullshit. If you wanna be disrespectful, then lets be disrespectful. If you wanna be mean, lets be mean. I dish out what I get, I don’t care who you are. So, this person was arguing with me and I spell checked a word they posted....I obviously made them feel dumb, which upset a friend of theirs, who started with me about how I didn't have to correct their friends grammar. I defended my actions by saying that sometimes you learn shit. Pretty much told them to stop crying and grow up...They then proceeded to tell me that I’m uneducated and I use aave. They were not wrong. I had never heard of aave (African American Vernacular English) also called BVE (Black Vernacular English). When I saw that the things I have been saying my whole life I instantly got upset...I started thinking of all the people I have probably hurt and offended over my whole life. Friends who are gone that I’ll never be able to discuss this with, apologize to. I went into a panic attack and got sick to my stomach. I was sobbing. I couldn’t breathe. How I claim to be an activist, a right fighter, someone who cares. I was disgusted with myself. While I was going through all of this I was still getting bombarded by these two people even though I instantly owned up and said that I didn’t know. But they continued to berate and insult me. I couldn’t handle it. So, I deactivated my Twitter. I stayed up all night. I did my research. I prayed on it. I thought about it a lot. No one understands that there are white people like myself out there who grew up in predominantly black neighborhoods. Who aren't using aave to be ‘trendy’ or ‘cool’. Its genuinely the language I learned growing up. I was the minority in my neighborhood. So, that makes it especially difficult for me to understand HOW I ended up on the wrong side of this issue I’ve always felt strongly about. I’ve been seeing racism since I was a kid. In my school, on the street, in the store. I’ve never experienced racism, but its an entirely different feeling when you're watching it with your own eyes. When you're watching a cop question your friends and leave without giving you a second look. Teachers who treated elementary school children like criminals for doing things kids do. Seeing it from a front seat changes you. From a young age I knew something wasn't right. I’ve always been defensive and got angry if people made jokes about black people. It outraged me. and it only outraged me more as I got older. When I moved to a country community with little people of color I started to get told that where I grew up shows in my behavior. In my temper. That I ‘sound uneducated’ I was told I ‘talk like a black person’ which sounded to me like ‘you're white so you should be more composed and proper’ How can you talk a color? How can you talk a race? I saw it as an insult to my character. My personality. I’m in my 20s now and I never gave the way I spoke a second thought. It’s the way I’ve always talked. Phrases and words I learned growing up in the ghetto. Bottom line is, I came on here just to get this out. To say what I wish I could to them. I was uneducated on aave and I’m grateful that they told me about it. I told them to grow up and stop crying over the typo because sometimes you learn shit. I shut up and learned shit. I just hope they know that even though that was just one argument to them, that they really didn’t care about THAT issue. They were only there because I spell checked their friend. I hope they know how seriously I took it. How much it has effected me. It fucked me up and it is going to sit with me for a long time. Which I guess it should. But its getting harder and harder to live in this world. Its getting harder to see if people want equality or if they just wanna be the new bad guy. The one who says what another group of people can or cannot do. Slurs should be abolished overall. No one should be ‘allowed’ to speak them. The color of your skin or your sexual orientation doesn't change the hateful origins of the word. I just want nothing more than for everyone to love each other and it’s never going to happen because humans are the most disgusting creatures on Gods green earth. That’s all.

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pocrpc-archived · 7 years

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Writing Black Characters:A Guide for Nb POC

This obviously has to be a multiple part series because no one post can be a complete guideline for writing any kind of character. This post will cover just a few topics to make your black character just a bit more believable. Please note that this guide is obviously opinionated and includes parts of life that are never really touched upon, but very important. This is pt. 1 of many to come.

Why A Guide for Nb-POC?

that way this guide in no way has to dedicate an entire section to explain why black people are human beings and should be written like human beings. It’s tiring. If you still have to ask why this post might not be for you then

So let’s get started!!

A Quick PSA: So all our cultures are very diverse and unique in more ways than we don’t realize until there is an exchange or other attempts to research and learn about cultures that are not our own. This model of the Cultural Iceberg is very popular and helps us visualize the difference between Surface culture(what easily be seen and studied) and Deep culture (the parts not easily seen by members outside of the cultural group). It’s very important to realize that it’s not your place as an outsider to address/write about/ critique social issues in deeper parts of cultures that you are not apart of. Use very careful discretion when writing.

This guide is going to dip into both sides in hopes of helping you guys create some great black characters.

Language: Black Americans in particular have multiple dialects/sociolects but the most popular one is African American Vernacular English also known as Ebonics. The style and usage varies from person to person and also by age, location, and socio-economic status. It’s very crucial to keep in mind that the ability to speak AAVE, or use slang, shouldn't be used as a tool to affirm your characters blackness to your audience. Their language/dialect shouldn't be their only defining trait as well! While AAVE is inherently black this doesn't mean that blacks who don’t speak it or use it are less black than others. There’s a bit of talk on whether or not NB writers should write their black muses speaking AAVE and the general consensus is no.

Attempts at using AAVE by non speakers either results in accidentally offensive portrayals of black muses, incorrect usage of slang and grammar, and cringe worthy attempts at code switching. My advice to you is do not write your muses speaking AAVE unless you have a firm grasp of its style,grammar, and usage. If you do not, then stick to Standard English. It won’t make your character less believable. Bad representation is worse than no representation in my opinion.

If you decide to put the work in and want to research and learn AAVE to make your character dialog as “authentic” as possible go for it! There are many ways you can research the vernacular and slang.

Talk to your black friends about it,

Absorb black literature for proper examples of AAVE in writing

Watch Black Youtubers

Listen to the music

Watch black films written by black writers (I say this for a reason)

Lastly, reclaimed words are off limits to you as a writer

Hair and Style: Defining black style and what counts as black style is very difficult to do sometimes because black people wear the same clothes as everyone else. There are definitely cultural fashion trends that come and go within the community and if your character is someone who you see as fashionable and always keeping up with appearances it’s important you come to learn what’s popular.

Black people are trendsetters worldwide!! Fashion trends in the community tend to come from black creators and our styles revolve around the arts, language,and cultures found in the black community. Shoes for example are very important to younger generations. Jordans, Vans, Yeezys, Superstars , and other brand names are a few popular styles I can think of off the top of my head.

Clothing varies across generations, classes, Ethnicities, and genders and styles are constantly changing...Black Fashion is also appropriated and renamed..A lot. Please for the love of god call things by their correct name when writing your character and not by their “trendy” substitutes. Also keep in mind that most items, especially if cultural, aren’t new. (The Dashiki for example)

For more style references check out websites/Hashtags like: Essence, Ebony, Instagram, #Blackboyjoy, #Blackgirlsaremagic, #Blackout

Curly Kinky Nappy Hair: Black hair is so fucking flexible and such an important part of everyday life. I see a lot of writers/creators make black characters and then change their physical appearance to be more white especially their hair. Stop that shit. Don’t do it.

Learn the hair types so that when hair is mentioned in your writing you can describe it accordingly. Learn how styles are created and maintained because you do not go for long periods of time without maintaining your hair and neither should your character.

Hairstyles in the black community are designed to suit black hair types and can feature many intricate designs and accessories. Getting most of these styles done is so time consuming at times too! Hair takes a lot of maintenance and up keeping. Here are a few styles for reference.

Fades Twists

Faux Locs Dreads

Box Braids Cornrows

Lacefronts Weave

Crochet Braids and many many more!

For more on styles please check out popular magazines,blogs and youtubers. You are always a search away from fleshing out your characters to the fullest.

Ethnicity: Not all Black people in the US are African-American. Not all black people have ties to Africa or immediate African heritage. Mix it up! And Study!That’s what makes everyone so unique in this community..You can partake in and belong to multiple cultures. For example my immediate family comes from the Caribbean but my grandparents were Cuban, German, Chinese! I identify most with American and Caribbean cultures. My grand Aunt exclusively identifies as Cuban despite living outside of Cuba for many years.

What other cultures does your muse belong to,how does your muse identify themselves? Do they practice their traditions? Do you know their traditions? Incorporate them. What music do they listen to? What foods do they eat on occasion. Are they religious? Are they culturally active

Tropes and Anti-Blackness: Does the history of your people include European colonization, Cultural imperialism, and forced racial hierarchy? Of course it does.

This aspect of history that a majority of us share has led to a lot of anti-blackness and colorism within our communities. Even if you know yourself to be A OK with your black companions there can still be some internalized anti-black thoughts swimming about. Ask yourself important questions as you go along.

Why do I want to make a black character?

Am I describing lighter skinned characters differently than I do darker skinned characters?

Am I describing physical features (noses, hair, lips, bodies)negatively or in a way that makes this character seem “other”, thuggish, violent, ugly?

Does my character fall victim to harmful stereotypes?

Does my character only exist to serve as a plot device for another character?

Do you only have a black character serve as a token character?

Does your character fit into any of these tropes?

Make sure to constantly evaluate yourself, your black characters, and your writing. Take criticism from black people seriously and with grace. Thankfully I believe that you’re 100 percent capable of not pulling that white shit we’ve come to know and hate.

Any further questions can be sent to @pocrpc

Good Luck and @black people feel free to add on/submit/ comment more helpful tips and advice.

#pt.1 #rb #resource #poc writing help #to be edited

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