Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
Authors can take the diversity thing too far, though. Mercedes Lackey in particular seems intent on having gay characters in every book she writes and rams their sexual orientation down the reader's throat even when it's totally irrelevant to the plot, which becomes somewhat tedious after a while.
|
If it becomes sufficiently noticeable as to mess up an otherwise-would-have-been-good plot, then of course that becomes a bad story, which many authors are capable of even without excessive use of the diversity hammer.
Bad stories need no reason for my disapproval other than "it was a bad story full of irrelevancies that ultimately ended up obscuring the actual plot".
Sometimes that is extraordinarily-hyped-up gay characters.
Usually it has nothing to do with anyone's preferences.
(Funnily enough, I cannot think of anyone who has ever ruined a story by excessively pushing heterosexuality down the reader's throat...)
Quote:
Originally Posted by DiapDealer
But there's lots of tedious character traits, habits, descriptions, and flowery infodumps which are totally irrelevant to the plot that get rammed down readers' throats in most stories/novels--always has been. So why on earth should "diversity" be held to such a high "must be plot relevant or leave it out" standard when little else is?
Not wanting to read books with irrelevantly gay characters is fine and dandy (in the sense that everyone is free to dislike what they dislike). Just don't try to fool yourself into believing that it's for reasons other than your own personal hangups/dogma/preferences (which we all have). The whole "not plot relevant" thing simply doesn't wash. As readers of novels, we gobble up things that aren't plot-relevant in bulk. Often times without decrying it to the world.
I also think people make the mistake of believing there has to be some sort of agenda behind "diversity." As if it couldn't possibly be that diverse authors are just writing what's near and dear to them and it's resonating with diverse readers.
|
No, no, no, you have it all backward.
There is a
non-diversity plot, amongst straight, white, non-disabled, male cis authors. Apparently.
Between the Sad Puppies who are positive there is an evil quote-unquote "diversity" plot, and the people who react by claiming there is an evil "non-diversity" plot, I am surprised we have any books at all that aren't just shallow, thinly disguised propaganda in the diversity wars. Oh, what will we ever read?!?!?!
