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This week: (Unfortunately) Common Misconceptions Edited by: NaNoKit  
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Misconceptions can lead to stereotypes. And stereotypes can be damaging.
This week's Drama Newsletter, then, is about why you should challenge them in your writing.
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A couple of days ago I read something on social media that, unfortunately, seems to be a common misconception about people with Autism: we do not feel empathy. That can lead to the conclusion that people on the Autistic spectrum are dangerous. I have seen the term "dangerously disordered". The reasoning is that if we don’t experience empathy, we’re not going to care if we hurt people, right? We could be capable of all sorts of horrible things...
It is a misconception because people with Autism are very capable of empathy. In fact, sometimes we can experience too much empathy – so much that it can be overwhelming. The belief that we do not feel it stems from the fact that some of us have trouble reading facial expressions and body language. Because of this, we can’t always pick up on people’s moods. There are subtle signs that most people can read, but that completely pass us by. That can make us seem insensitive.
If we know what someone feels like, however, we can fully empathise. We can imagine what it feels like to be them, or at least, we can as much as anyone else can – people will always have experiences that are difficult to imagine what they’re like. We feel care, we feel love, we experience grief. We’re just as likely to want to help and comfort someone as people who do not have Autism.
This misconception made me think of other common perceptions that frequently lead to stereotypical characters that, in turn, keep those misconceptions alive and kicking. Maybe the authors of these characters genuinely understand others in this way. Maybe they simply write their characters in this manner because that’s how they’re generally understood and it’s what their readers will feel comfortable with. It can be risky to challenge certain stereotypes.
For example, there aren’t many lead characters (either male or female) who are overweight. Why? Being overweight is often seen as unattractive. There are misconceptions about overweight people – that they’re lazy, that they have no self-control, sometimes even that they’re less intelligent than others. If these traits were true, it would indeed be challenging to turn overweight characters into appealing leads. The truth is that there are many reasons why someone may be overweight. And it’s got nothing to do with, for example, how intelligent they are. As it stands, however, the overweight characters tend to be either the villain or, at best, the caring family member or the bubbly best friend.
Another example is the gay best friend. He is an expert in fashion and home decoration, adores the theatre, and overuses the word “darling”. You’ll want to take him shopping, or run to him when you are in desperate need of a general make-over. Some gay men may be like that. Plenty of others, however, are not. One’s romantic interests do not dictate one’s character, hobbies, or dress sense.
This also goes for lesbian characters. I haven’t found many of them, but the ones I have spotted tend to have short hair and a dislike of men that goes beyond their lack of a romantic interest in them. They’re the ones who’ll tell the female lead that they don’t need that guy they’ve been fancying. The ones who will be direct with her when she needs it. Again, there is a misconception here – being a lesbian doesn’t automatically mean that you don’t get along with men as friends, or as people. It also doesn’t automatically mean a certain dress sense or hairstyle.
The female lead often has long hair, or at least wears it to shoulder-length. She may wear jeans and a jumper around the house, but when it comes to it she can pull designer items out of her wardrobe and glide around in heels. She does this to impress the man who never appears to be Bob, the plumber from across the road, or Jim, the mailman. Our romantic hero will have a high-flying career or, when the novel is of the historic variety, a knight, or a member of the nobility, or at the very least a rancher with vast amounts of land. If you were to believe the movies, you’d think that Bob and Jim will never be able to find a romantic partner, because they’re not who women aspire to be with.
Then there are ethnic minority characters... it’s quite noticeable how the main characters tend to be white. I remember the outrage from some corners when the role of Hermione Granger in the theatre play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was played by a black actress. The racist comments were rather shocking. It’s also quite noticeable how often ethnic minority characters are the villains of the piece. How they’re painted as scary, violent, dangerous, troubled, undereducated...
There are even misconceptions which may appear flattering, but are still unhelpful. For example, not all Chinese people are good at maths. Not all people with Autism have a genius IQ. Not all grannies always have candy in their pockets.
Write your characters as they are, not as who you think they are supposed to be. If you go for comfortable stereotypes, you run the risk of perpetuating misconceptions. Comfortable may go down well with your readers. You may feel nervous taking a different route. You are likely to find, though, that you’ll attract an audience that is tired of the same old story with the same old characters. Those who want to read about people rather than stereotypes. The beauty of writing is that words have power. You can challenge ideas and may end up contributing to a positive change in society.
NaNoKit
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Drama: May 09, 2018 Issue [#8892]
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