megwrites | The key is to be thoughtful in all things

I know that a good number of you have already seen this post about writing for the "Other" written by

matociquala. If you haven't, and you're a writer, you need to go forth and read it and consider it very carefully. I did so yesterday, and I can't say there's much I disagree with.

But for your consideration, I put forth another point of view on writing a culture not your own from

fashionista_35, who has some very wise words on the subject. I think it's summed up best when she says, "I have no problems with writers exploring and taking on cultures that aren't their own if there's a clear respect inherent in the work...but with that exploration comes a certain responsibility." (emphasis mine)

I will repeat it again: Exploration comes with a certain responsibility.

I'd like to say, to begin with, that I don't think these two posts are at odds with each other. If anything, they're a very good complements to each other. Because what

matociquala says in general,

fashionista_35 describes in detail. And a lot of what she complains about wouldn't be a problem if people would refer back to post number one and applied themselves to not only writing the Other, but doing it well and as accurately as possible.

If you haven't been turned on to how wise and wonderful

fashionista_35 is, I hope I've just educated you on that, at least. Because that one simple phrase really sums up what I think the heart of the matter is when writers cross the border into someone else's territory and start writing about it. Just as you would take great care if you found yourself the caretaker of someone else's child or someone else's belongings, or even someone else's health, why wouldn't you be just as thoughtful, careful, and open minded when becoming the caretaker of someone else's culture and feelings and personality?

And yes, that is exactly what you are when you are a writer. You're a caretaker, and it is your duty either to be diligent or to stop what you're doing and go home and stay there until you can get it right.

I'm not just talking about race, either, but race is a big part of this. I'm talking about what happens when certain men write about female characters, or certain cisgendered straight people write about GLBT people or certain Christian people write about people of other faiths.

To be clear, there are plenty of men, cisgendered straight folks, and Christians who do a very good job writing those who are not like them. I can scroll out the long list either alphabetically or chronologically, if you'd like. And I'm not saying this because I want to appease anyone in those categories who might get upset. I'm saying it because it is proof positive that it is entirely possible to cross boundaries and do it excellently.

I point you to Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden. It is one of the most humane, touching, compelling accounts of Geishas - who are so often thought of as prostitutes and playthings by an ignorant Western society. It is a novel entirely about another culture, and another subculture in fact. It is about the world of Kyoto Geishas. It was written by a middle aged white guy from Chattanooga, Tennessee. How did he accomplish this feat? Not only with heapings of education, but by talking to the actual geishas themselves*. He listened.

Above all things, this is important. You must become a listener before you can become a storyteller, otherwise you have nothing to work with.

A lot of writers, I believe (or at least want to) are well meaning when they set out to write for the Other. They don't intend to write badly, but either through trepidation or outright bungling mixed with a heaping of cultural and personal arrogance, they get it wrong. I believe that these people who get it wrong start out with the assumption that these folks who are the Other are just lucky to be included in their story to begin with. They're so busy talking about what they think they know, they don't bother to listening to those who actually know what the truth of the matter is.

Even more than that, and at the core of this entire issue, is the fact that I don't believe those people can articulate why it is that including the Other is even important to begin with. For a while now, many societies - but in particular, I believe, the U.S. - have been sending out a message that we need diversity. It's a big buzz word in entertainment, business, and other realms of our life. Diversity, diversity, diversity. Anyone with half a brain now knows that it is, at the very least, en vogue to have as many people who are Other around you as you can.

Except the whole diversity movement forgot what

ladyslvr calls "Metastructure Transparency" which is a really fancy way of saying "explaining why the hell we're doing this". And while the very savvy, sharp, and suave may have worked out diversity's value all on their own, most people won't unless you sit down and articulate it for them.

Let me do some articulating, if I may.

Diversity, first off, is a practical matter. I point you to Mother Nature. In nature, species adapt to their environment. Some species adapt so much that they become specialists able only to survive in certain climates and conditions. Some species adapt, but stay flexible. The species that become very specialized are the ones that go extinct. The species that can survive in a variety of places do much better.

So it is with cultures and societies. And not just in the abstract. Globalization, whatever your opinions on it, is a fact. The world is getting ever smaller. Between the internet and fairly efficient air travel, we are connected with people who are Not Like Us more than we have ever been in the history of humanity. People are not staying put anymore. They're moving around, emigrating, traveling, meeting up, blending, mixing it up, shifting.

Not only accepting, but understanding the people you will come into contact with can only benefit you. The deeper your understanding and more sincere, the bigger the benefit.

Those people who want to remain insular, even in writing, are doomed to the same extinction that so many other species that couldn't adapt to the introduction of predators (like man) and diseases and new conditions.

There are only so many stories that can come out of any one culture, especially if it's the only culture you're writing about. As a middle class white chick from Tennessee, I can safely say there are only so many Middle Class Southern White Chick stories to be told, and I don't know about you but even I can't eat grits all the time. Sometimes I want sushi or curry or injera or ropa veja or, well, I can go on. But you get my point right?

You eat a diet of nothing but the same things all the time, your health will suffer. Ask any dietician. You eat a varied and healthy diet, you stand to reap great benefits. So it is with writing.

If you want to keep telling stories that are vibrant and compelling (or, avoid the dreaded jumping of the shark) you need to draw from as many different sources as you can. And you need to draw from them well. That means diving into the strange vegetables and unusual cheeses and multicolored sauces of other cultures, not just the Americanized fried versions of them. It means taking the time to really taste and really understand, because there will be a quiz, and you will be expected to cook up a big pot of the same when you're done, and it better be tasty.

But let me give you some reassurances, if you find yourself suddenly scared by all this diversity. Let me inject some positivity here, some good news. Because well done diversity is a good thing, a great thing. A thing that has the potential to bring happiness, I think.

Just a side note, you ever notice that people who try to get you to see their point of view or share something by only talking negatively have a lot harder time than those who come to you with a big smile and say, "You have to see this, it's the best thing ever! Squee!"

I believe in the power of joy and of squee, of excitement and exuberance, and in finding what makes something wonderful.

Diversity is really wonderful. The Other is really wonderful. People are wonderful. All of them, all the flavors and colors and varieties of them.

So let me assure you, it doesn't hurt. It's actually quite fun. I've been there, in that homogeneous environment where everyone was the same. I'll fess up to it. I've been at that stage where all this diversity talk scares you, and you sort of worry that if you're so busy telling everyone else's story that you won't be able to tell your own, or that you'll get drowned out, or that there won't be a place for you anymore. I've had that dizzy moment of looking around and seeing things I didn't recognize, people who weren't just like me.

But I took a breath, and I stopped thinking of people in collective terms and started thinking of them as individual people. Trust me, when you think like that, when you learn names and shake hands and have conversation, things get infinitely less scary.

There will always be a place for you at the table, whoever and whatever you are. If you're a white, middle class, cisgendered, straight male out there who is wringing their hands, then just lay down all those defenses and panicking. You're not going to lose anything (well, besides dominance, but you don't really need that and you might find it's easier without it), but you do stand to gain. Not just culturally, but personally.

It makes you a better person to taste other foods, to listen to other languages, to sing other songs. And yes, it is fun. I don't know about you, but I like to learn. I like to gain new experiences. I like to collect first times and fun facts and things I didn't know. I like to illuminate the darkness, I like to find that the world is bigger than I think it is. If anything, I find it reassuring. It means that if I fail, if I am not enough, then there's probably someone out there who is, who can pick up where I leave off.

You don't have lose your identity, you just need to allow everyone else theirs - both individually and collectively.

Two, this works both ways. If you're willing to go out on a limb and write somebody else's culture, maybe someone will be willing to write yours when they wouldn't otherwise. And you'd like for them to do it well, wouldn't you?

Scientists are constantly discovering what it is that makes humans so different from animals, and usually they find that the difference is slimmer than we think. But one thing I believe that sets us apart from all the other creatures on this planet is our ability to reach out, to be cooperative, to take first steps, to care about other creatures, to be selfless. We are the animals who can build, who can figure out, who can make peace.

That's why you need this diversity stuff so badly. Because we've got big tasks in front of us. We've got to save the planet, save ourselves, explore the universe, figure out what the meaning of life is. And to do it, we need to be constantly exchanging ideas and feelings and people and stories. That's how we'll become better, because what one of us lacks, another can contribute.

Which all rounds me back to

fashionista_35's point. Exploration comes with responsibility. But, the good news is, responsible exploration is pretty much its own reward.

So go forth, all of you. Listen and learn and educate yourself, and take the off roads with caution and care and thoughtfulness in each step. Sit at the table of your fellow human beings** and partake of all that is there, because there is plenty to go around.

*Yes, thank you, I am aware of the controversies surrounding the book, but I do not think they were cultural in their origin, but rather a dispute between two individuals.

** Do be sure that your fellow human beings are at the table and not on it. Careful exploration, I think, involves not snacking on the other guy. Just a thought.

The key is to be thoughtful in all things

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