# Why no strories of black people? Request/challenge



## kuopiofi (Feb 12, 2015)

I've been reading FA-stories for several years and there's something I've noted: there are very few people who write about black people in their stories (Lardibutts is the only one I remember, but even he(?) hasn't done so in long time), while even a quick look into internet/TV or just going outside tells that at least same amount of them are on the heavy side as any other group of epople. Why is this? Political Correctness gone mad?

So, two points I'd like to make.

First, Request: if anyone can think stories or writers who use black people in their stories, I'd like to know about them. Links would be nice.

Second, Challenge: I challenge you to write stories to fill this absence.


----------



## Tad (Feb 12, 2015)

kuopiofi said:


> I've been reading FA-stories for several years and there's something I've noted: there are very few people who write about black people in their stories (Lardibutts is the only one I remember, but even he(?) hasn't done so in long time), while even a quick look into internet/TV or just going outside tells that at least same amount of them are on the heavy side as any other group of epople. Why is this? Political Correctness gone mad?
> 
> So, two points I'd like to make.
> 
> ...



Great points/questions. Certainly your question about political correctness gone mad could be one factor--a couple of times I've veered away from putting in a fat black character because of fear of it seeming like I was following stereotypes.

Another could be feeling comfortable with recreating their experiences (i.e. all I've heard says that black men get bothered by police and guards more than I do. How does that change their view of life and people? Do people react to them differently when fat because they feel less threatened, etc?). 

I tend to write what I know....which is why a lot of my stories of young people building relationships are set some time in the past, before social media began to change things so heavily. Anyway, I'm a white guy living in a part of Canada where there are far more asian immigrants than there are black people--and a lot of those are recent immigrants from the Caribbean. (my very first story did involve a black woman who was the child of Haitian immigrants, but I had a lot of doubts after the fact about whether I was committing some sort of cultural sin in doing that).

So those have all been factors for me, I can't speak for any other writers.


----------



## Xyantha Reborn (Feb 12, 2015)

I suppose on my part - I grew up somewhere were "black" doesn't mean anything other than skin colour. It doesn't represent culture, intelligence, or education...So even if I was to write something, it would be dark skin, not pale, and brown eyes, not blue. Rory in my story of 'The Outliers' was "black" - but he wasn't the main character and wasn't the one gaining weight.

I have Jamaican acquaintances and they have their own culture, way of speaking, and definitions of family. I don't have enough intimacy with the culture(s) people associate with "black" to do anything accurate, and I would absolutely hate it if I accidentally fell into a(n offensive) stereotype. 

If you want a story like that, giving more details as to the story you envision would be helpful.


----------



## Fat Molly (Feb 12, 2015)

kuopiofi you get all the props. all of them. 100%. 

I think a lot of writers on this forum are white, and writing white is easier than going outside of that norm.

that being said, for me, me as a white person writing a black character could potentially go into a morally not -great zone. there is a fraught history with white people writing black and other POCs' experiences and stereotyping and being generally racist shitheads. 

I think me myself, with my own personal collection of experiences, I think if I wrote a non-white person, I'd be able to avoid that kind of shit, but then again, isn't that exactly what a racist shithead writer might think? 

anyway. I admit in my own writing on here, I've done all of the same - written about almost exclusively people coded as white. Snape and Hermione, for example. (Though I've always thought it'd be a great headcanon to write Snape as descended from East Asia or Central Asia, and/or Hermione as European-African, because according to JK Rowling's descriptions of them, either could apply.)

Personally, I find many nonwhite fat people incredibly hot. And I'd love to do more writing of non-white characters. I do a very small (inadequate) effort towards this goal when writing about Snape's other partner, Erika Holmes, in my fic 'Growing,' but she hasn't actually debuted in the story yet outside of a couple phone calls and a photograph, so it's a paltry effort. >.< I guess stay tuned for that?


----------



## Twigzybird (Feb 16, 2015)

I can't speak for everyone, but to me, fat black women have always been more matronly. My family is full of fat black women (mother, aunts, grandmothers, cousins, etc.), so I've never really seen them in a sexual way. It's just too familiar for me. 
Now, of course there are exceptions, but I find it more difficult to fantasize about them. But I will accept your challenge and try to write with more black characters.

Also, Paige's Roommate and the Paige comic by the Studio Presents (Studio FA) are two of my all time favorites. They're focused on a white character, but have some great fat black characters, although they kind of reenforce my personal view in a way. You can find them here: http://www.dimensionsmagazine.com/studio/index.html


----------



## magodamilion (Feb 16, 2015)

I'm glad you asked in this question. I am in the process of writing a story and one of the characters was going to be black but I decided to make her white because I figured more people would prefer it that way. Actually I was just going to leave out descriptions and let people interpret as they will. But now I think I will go back to my original version.

As for some of you white posters saying you are afraid to write stereotypical characters, my only suggestion is that you write a character as you would normally and then make them whatever race you want with physical descriptors. You don't need to make characters behave differently because of race, just make them act normal. Especially for one of these weight gain stories where 'cultural dynamics' don't even often come up.


----------



## tonberryking (Feb 16, 2015)

i'd love to read a story about nicki minaj gaining a lot of weight :smitten:


----------



## Deviant123 (Feb 23, 2015)

Wendy by MollyCoddles is one story I remember that is specifically about a black woman:

Wendy by MollyCoddles

Many stories don't specify race, though some writers on this site refer to characters' "milky" skin in their stories. Most writers that specify race suggest a character has light or white skin, but usually nothing more specific than that. 

For instance, I wrote this story that only suggests "golden-tan" skin. Not the greatest adjective, but you get the point  : 

Paula's Big Summer by me


Here's a story I like that's specifically about a Mexican girl:

Coming Home Again by Dan422

I don't think it's politically incorrect for writers to write stories about one race or another, it's really a personal choice and not a political one. I'm guessing that the racial make-up of the writers is probably very similar to the racial make-up of their characters.


----------



## Twigzybird (Oct 24, 2015)

Just happened to come across this thread again and thought I'd let you know that I accepted your challenge. I wrote a story on Fantasy Feeder about a girl who struggles with her weight gain at a family reunion. It's called Long Time No See and only has black characters. 

If you ever want to check it out, here's the link: http://fantasyfeeder.com/stories/view?id=11569


----------



## Observer (Oct 25, 2015)

The tale cited in Fantasy Feeder is a great Weight Related Fiction read regardless of the race of its protagonists - but also points up the political correctness concerns of the Dimensions site. 

Were this story to have been posted to Dimensions when I was an editor I would have changed the following line:

"F**k you n*gga", I laughed as I playfully shoved him.​
To something like this:

"Screw you, bro," I laughed as I playfully shoved him.​
Why? Because the gratuitous use of the F and N words contributed nothing to the story and could be potentially offensive. 

This is what happens in an era when a successful restaurant chain (Sambos) has to become "Bakers Square" because the old name was similar to a children's fantasy tale that some thought stereotyped blacks. White folk become super gun-shy of language that could offend - and our stories reflect it.


----------



## Twigzybird (Nov 4, 2015)

Sadly political correctness doesn't always coincide with reality. There are reasons you can't just change the color description of a character to make them a different race. There are certain cultural elements that must be included to truly depict the differences between people.

I felt the use of the n word was appropriate because that's how young black people actually talk to each other. As a young black person, I can attest to that. People of different ethnicities, nationalities, and backgrounds talk differently. Understanding this is essential and does add something to the story, even if you may not realize it. 

Using slang or certain references help build a believable world for these characters to inhabit. You can't just change the language to "Screw you bro" because you will never hear a real black person say that (unless it's on the radio version of a rap song). It's the same reason you can't change a Nicki Minaj reference to a Miranda Lambert one. It just doesn't translate.

I can understand a white person's apprehension on writing black characters from fear of offending people, but sometimes you just have to take things as they are. I wouldn't recommend you throwing miscellaneous racial slurs into your writing, but you can't worry about getting offended for other people.


----------



## DaveTheBrave (May 23, 2016)

Twigzybird said:


> Just happened to come across this thread again and thought I'd let you know that I accepted your challenge. I wrote a story on Fantasy Feeder about a girl who struggles with her weight gain at a family reunion. It's called Long Time No See and only has black characters.
> 
> If you ever want to check it out, here's the link: http://fantasyfeeder.com/stories/view?id=11569



This was a fantastic story! Perfectly done to meet the challenge. It reads authentic both as blackness AND the experience of being discovered as fat with family. 

Any chance for a sequel? Maybe she comes back to the reunion after senior year super huge? Like big enough that people don't tease her anymore, but are dropping hints instead? She ends up roasting with one of her model cousins--who has since had a kid while Jazzy was in school? Idk, this is ripe for another round!


----------

