Dear Reader,
I am mad. No, I mean like pissed off mad. Before I tell my story, I invite you to find out why I am so infuriatingly angry here: http://jezebel.com/5896408/racist-hunger-games-fans-dont-care-how-much-money-the-movie-made. Understand now? Good.
I have not read Suzanne Collins' epic, bestselling trilogy, but everyone I know who has read the books has said how amazing they are. On top of that, she helped adapt the novel into the screenplay, which means she had at least some say as to what the characters looked like. In fact, it would have been a bigger issue to me if Rue and Thresh were white when the book so clearly describes them as having dark skin. I don' know how Collins is reacting to this outcry, but I would love to see what her response is.
I have decided to maximize on this "controversy." I had never given the look of my characters much thought, but now I think I am going to consciously pay more attention, especially in my Regulators book. I haven't talked much about it, but I will say that it is going to be a series that deals a lot with the dream world. The first three books will introduce each of the three main protagonists, collectively known as The Regulators. I have decided that one of these characters will, in fact, be black. Why? Because he is a powerful character who plays a very important part in the story. Upon first glance, this might seem like a "pity-casting." However, this issue made me realize that I wasn't paying attention to the physical appearance of my characters, and once I did I discovered that this character is black.
I'm thinking that this decision will probably cause even more controversy, but that's my goal. We all need to open our eyes and see that there are issues that are alive in our society today that we deemed resolved. The Emancipation Proclamation did not end slavery and the Civil Rights Movement did not end racism. We need to be aware of these horrible things and stomp them out. We need to care for each other the same way Katniss cares for Rue, even after she's dead. I plan on doing my part, however small. What do you plan to do about it, Reader? When you figure that out, let me know. Until then,
Speak freely. Write candidly. Read endlessly.
As Always,
James
Okay, I'm testing this comment thing out ... I've been trying to comment on here for about a week and have been unable to.
ReplyDeleteI'm amazed that young readers are so racist about this kind of thing. They've read the book, seen the description and when it comes to the movie, are they expecting it to be any different? I mean, writers aren't racist (unless it's the issue they're writing about; but that's a different post for a different time) and I can see how young people today are influenced to see things this way. White people are good, dark-skinned people are not; it's drilled into our society and has been since the Cold War.
Things change people... a lot has change. However, like you, I'm a writer who has people of differing races in their books. And I'm not letting that get in the way of a good story. If young people today can't understand that anyone - of any colour, creed, religion or any origin - can be a hero, well, they really haven't learned a thing, have they?