PUSH THE BUTTON

Minorities. By definition, it'll always be a hot-topic issue.

The role of minorities as characters is something that fiction writers, in any medium, can't help but be aware of. We live in an increasingly globally-aware world, within which the internet is an important factor - and if you're reading this, I'm going to assume you have at least some kind of access to the net.

It's easy to become blasé about the net, but stop and think for a moment about the people you've had contact with, in other countries and from different cultures, whom you may never have encountered otherwise. It's a pretty awe-inspiring thought.

This interaction, along with the increasing ease with which people can travel the world, means we have more exposure to cultures, ethnicities and sexualities that are foreign to us than ever before. For me, this means learning about people who aren't male, white and British. For you, it might mean people who aren't Asian and Chinese. Or people who aren't heterosexual. Or people who aren't American.

You get the idea.

'Western society has never been more cosmopolitan than right now.' Western society has never been more cosmopolitan than right now. And for people who tell stories, who generally want to give their stories as much verisimilitude as possible, that means incorporating this cosmopolitan society into fiction.

And there's another factor besides realism - ask anyone who isn't a white, heterosexual man and the chances are they'll ask for more representation in mainstream fiction. And while good authors won't pander to their audience, it's a call that's very difficult to ignore.

(As you can tell, I'm defining 'minority' as any group which isn't made up of white, heterosexual males, from hereon "WHMs". I'm well aware that there are actually more Asians in the world than Caucasians, more Muslims than Christians, just as many women as men, and so on. But I'm talking here in the context of Western fiction writing, which is still dominated by WHMs, regardless of what progress may have been made to change that dominance.)

So what does this have to do with comics? Well, as much as any other medium. For a start, the majority of comic creators are WHMs - just like other media - and therefore, following the old adage of "Write what you know," these creators' comics are mostly populated with characters who are also WHMs.

Mostly? Sometimes exclusively. And here's where the dilemma cuts in.

Speaking personally, I always endeavour to 'represent' minorities, one way or another, in my work. I grew up in an area with a very high African and mid-Asian population, I know more homosexuals than I have digits, I've worked with people from every major continent at one time or another... I find it almost impossible to imagine a fictional world where there are no minorities present.

But then I find myself faced with The Dilemma, and it's one I know many other creators also face. Do I:

[1] Use minority characters, but make no reference to their minority status and have them act essentially no different than if they were a WHM?

[2] Use minority characters, and make their differences with WHMs an essential part of the plot?

[3] Use minority characters, and make their differences with WHMs non-essential to the plot, but play them up as aspects of character conflict?

[4] Use minority characters, and play up their differences to the point that they're essential to both the plot *and* the depiction of the characters?

[5] Use minority characters, but only have them do good things so as not to offend any members of that minority who may be reading?

[6] Use minority characters, and make them villainous because I refuse to compromise realism for the concerns of any members of that minority who may be reading?

[7] Not use minority characters at all, because the above dilemma has given me a headache and I need a lie down.

And that's just for starters. Then there's phonetic dialogue, visual depiction, moral stances, political attitudes...

'If a white male character does something odious, nobody blinks.' See, one of the good things about WHMs in fiction is that they're essentially blank slates; because of their dominance in the act of creation, if a WHM character does something odious, or illogical, or stupid, or racist, or criminal (etc...) then nobody blinks. It would be foolish to think WHM writers have a problem with WHMs, or are prejudiced against them in some way.

On the other hand, if the majority of your African characters are street gang members; if your Chinese diplomat is a double-agent; if your arch-villain is female, your homosexual superhero camps it up all the time, or your openly lesbian characters never actually kiss... If a WHM writer includes these things in a work, he lays himself open to accusations of laziness, offensive writing, tokenism and more.

It's a lose-lose situation, frankly.

So what's the solution? Well, there isn't one. Until an audience can be sure that no writer, of any denomination, is working to an agenda - or has any kind prejudicial bias - this problem will never go away.

But human beings are still, at heart, human beings. We all want the same things, we all have the same fears and concerns. How can I be happy? Does Person X love me? Is my life in danger? Can I afford to provide for myself, and/or my family? Should I do something that will give me pleasure instead of something that is expected of me?

Like I say, it's lose-lose. No matter what you do, someone somewhere will be offended.

But if that's true, then maybe it's the key - maybe creators should simply stop second-guessing the audience, and write what the hell they want to...

TO EJECT

No fancy titles this month - the above essay was originally meant to be a short part of a longer piece, but during the writing it became clear this particular CASSANDRA COMPLEX would be a one-note column.

For those of you who do actually follow recommendations, however, I can't praise David Holmes Presents The Free Association enough. Who'd have thought old Holmesy would go all lo-fi on us and produce a jazz/soul/hip-hop/prog/freeform album that just begs to be played repeatedly? Certainly not I...

Antony Johnston is the author of JULIUS, SPOOKED and THE LONG HAUL. His new ongoing series WASTELAND begins in July 2006.

This article is Ideological Freeware. The author grants permission for its reproduction and redistribution by private individuals on condition that the author and source of the article are clearly shown, no charge is made, and the whole article is reproduced intact, including this notice.