Should I remove elements from fact to be policiatlly correct?

AndreF · Jul 26, 2014

There is a sci fi short story that I want to write. Its based off my own personal experience. The crime is real and the aggressor belongs to a particular group. I'd like to write that scene as is but I'm wondering if people would view the nature of aggressor and the aggressor's actions that actually happened as me making some kind of attack or perpetuating some kind of scare tactic.

So I'm wondering should I change certain things about the actual aggressor that I want to use in order to make things politically correct?

mirandashell · Jul 26, 2014

Does his race have anything to do with the crime?

AndreF · Jul 26, 2014

Nope. Doesn't matter the aggressor and I are the same race.

BenPanced · Jul 26, 2014

Don't worry about being "politically correct". That is an artificial construct that was created under the guise of not wanting to offend anybody (don't say "black", say "African American". Don't say "disabled", say "differently abled". Don't say "blind", say "visually impaired". Don't say "deaf", say "hearing impaired". It quickly became a joke: don't say "old", say "age enhanced". Don't say "dead" say "living impaired". Don't say "white", say "melanin deficient"). Lately, though, it's become a buzz word from people and politicians who claim they aren't, say, racist but when called on their blatant racism, they call foul and claim they're being attacked for not being politically correct. Also, there have been several threads here on AW where somebody worries about being politically correct in their portrayal of a particular group or person. Don't worry about it. Unless you're using blatant stereotype that isn't true to the characters, just worry about writing the best damned story you can.

</rant>

mirandashell · Jul 26, 2014

AndreF said:
Nope. Doesn't matter the aggressor and I are the same race.

Then I'm not sure that you should make a big deal of it, TBH. I wouldn't mention it specifically.

Marlys · Jul 26, 2014

Does the potentially offensive bit make your story better? If so, you should probably include it. But if you're just sticking it in because that's how it happened in real life, forget it. This is fiction, not memoir--you can pick and choose what to use from the inspiring incident, and what to change completely.

(Actually, come to think of it, you can even do that in memoir. You're just more likely to have somebody call you on it.)

mirandashell · Jul 26, 2014

Instead of thinking 'political correctness', maybe think of it this way - will me mentioning the race of the criminal upset people and stop them from buying my book?

jeffo20 · Jul 26, 2014

I'm really not sure I understand the crux of your question. Trying to be 'politically correct' is very different from what I think you're driving at. Are you worried about people being offended, or are you worried that people will recognize the perpetrators of this action against you?

Jamesaritchie · Jul 26, 2014

Just tell the damned truth. Fiction is never an excuse to lie. Next we'll be asking news channels to change this of that about a crime because we're afraid of upsetting someone. Oh, wait, we already do.

Changing the race because you;re afraid of upsetting someone is not only wrong, it's a very, very bad habit.

What, only white people commit crimes? Blacks, Asian, and Hispanics do not? Muslims do not? Jews do not?

And whites, of course, are never supposed to be upset when they're used to commit a heinous crime, but everyone else in the world can?

mirandashell · Jul 26, 2014

No-one is saying he should say the criminal is white. We're saying don't mention the race unless it's important to the story.

rainsmom · Jul 26, 2014

Actually, he didn't say the issue was race. It could be religion or other group. My advice, though, is to make the characters, both protagonist and antagonist, *human*. If they are fully fleshed out with well-defined motivations and logical choices, then people will accept them.

Rufus Coppertop · Jul 26, 2014

Jamesaritchie said:
Just tell the damned truth. Fiction is never an excuse to lie. Next we'll be asking news channels to change this of that about a crime because we're afraid of upsetting someone. Oh, wait, we already do.

Changing the race because you;re afraid of upsetting someone is not only wrong, it's a very, very bad habit.

What, only white people commit crimes? Blacks, Asian, and Hispanics do not? Muslims do not? Jews do not?

And whites, of course, are never supposed to be upset when they're used to commit a heinous crime, but everyone else in the world can?

This.

Jack McManus · Jul 26, 2014

This quote from Goodreads seems appropriate:

“The great Japanese film director Akira Kurosawa said that to be an artist means never to avert your eyes. And that's the hardest thing, because we want to flinch. The artist must go into the white hot center of himself, and our impulse when we get there is to look away and avert our eyes.”
― Robert Olen Butler

AndreF · Jul 26, 2014

rainsmom said:
Actually, he didn't say the issue was race. It could be religion or other group. My advice, though, is to make the characters, both protagonist and antagonist, *human*. If they are fully fleshed out with well-defined motivations and logical choices, then people will accept them.

I'm not sure what the motive of the perpetrator was. The aftermath of the actions still cause some anger on my end from time to time. What really angered me was a report that came out recently stating that the perpetrator (and those like the perpetrator) are suffering from a mental disorder and its perfectly natural for them to crave and do what they do and these people shouldn't be chastised.

To hell with the mental scars they give their victims oh no I should understand that the perpetrator had no choice but to pin me down and put a knife to my throat and do what was "natural" in the eyes of the perpetrator and members of the community.

To make it perfectly clear the perpetrator is a homosexual male pedophile. He loves men and loves little boys even more.

I spent nine months in a psych clinic "recovering" i.e getting medicated until I didn't feel a thing emotionally so I could cope with the psychological damage caused by a pedophile that took advantage of a single mother's trust and the trust of a child that then later on learned how to cope with PTSD.

Because he just happens to be homosexual should I leave that fact out of the story? And just make him a pedophile? Because if I did mention that he was a homosexual with a red headed boyfriend (fat guy too) [yes this is all factual and not made up] would that be some kind of scare tactic or something that I'm not even vaguely aware of? Because if it is some kind of tactic for something I'll just nix a lot of the details out and water down a bunch of stuff.

Some of you are saying do it as is and others are saying not to.

Would people defended the perpetrator and came to his aid and chew my ass out because how dare I have character based on a real life person who is a pedophile that's a homosexual?

I don't know how to proceed here. I'm not sure if people would understand the story as is or if they will get pissed because of the pedophile.

mirandashell · Jul 26, 2014

Ah. Hmm... I'm really sorry but I don't feel that I'm equipped to answer that without possibly making it worse. Which I really don't want to do. And I'm really sorry about my initial assumption.

I hope someone can help though.

AndreF · Jul 26, 2014

mirandashell said:
Ah. Hmm... I'm really sorry but I don't feel that I'm equipped to answer that without possibly making it worse. Which I really don't want to do. And I'm really sorry about my initial assumption.

I hope someone can help though.

See my problem exactly. The events are true, the facts behind the initial event are true.

But how can I write about them without making things horrible or without pissing people off?

I really want to go with the facts and then have the fictional twist come in later but will people understand the pain behind the story or will they get angry because of who the antagonist is? Would they view the nature of the antagonist as some kind of statement or something? If so I can just change a bunch of things around so everyone will be happy.

amergina · Jul 26, 2014

You said it was a science fiction story you wanted to write. Based on personal experience.

Bottom line: it's fiction. Does the man have to be gay and a pedophile? Is it that important to the your science fiction short story? Would it change the heart of the story to have that character be something else?

Or is the story entirely about a gay pedophile?

That's the question you have to answer for yourself. Then write the thing however you wish.

mccardey · Jul 26, 2014

Jamesaritchie said:
Just tell the damned truth. Fiction is never an excuse to lie. Next we'll be asking news channels to change this of that about a crime because we're afraid of upsetting someone. Oh, wait, we already do.

Changing the race because you;re afraid of upsetting someone is not only wrong, it's a very, very bad habit.

What, only white people commit crimes? Blacks, Asian, and Hispanics do not? Muslims do not? Jews do not?

And whites, of course, are never supposed to be upset when they're used to commit a heinous crime, but everyone else in the world can?.

I'm sorry - what? I don't think the OP mentioned lying. And truth in writing - particularly in fiction - is nothing if not mediated.

That's a really simplistic rant, James.

ETA: And the OP's questions, as it turns out, had nothing to do with race.

Dana_Queen · Jul 26, 2014

AndreF said:
There is a sci fi short story that I want to write. Its based off my own personal experience. The crime is real and the aggressor belongs to a particular group. I'd like to write that scene as is but I'm wondering if people would view the nature of aggressor and the aggressor's actions that actually happened as me making some kind of attack or perpetuating some kind of scare tactic.

So I'm wondering should I change certain things about the actual aggressor that I want to use in order to make things politically correct?

It depends on the genre you are approaching. If non-fiction about crime in general, include all facts.

If true crime fiction - change it up to make the story work.

If your title is a stark, in your face, pushing the envelope type of writ, ignore political correctness.

Are you wanting it to be an adult title - then great. If not, then use politically correct terminology.

It isn't so much about the facts in fiction as what the story is to evoke from your reader; conversely if it is nonfiction the facts are most important. If so, use the terminology your police report uses for best methodology.

~Q.

Jack McManus · Jul 26, 2014

As with a lot questions about content, the answer has to come from you.

AndreF said:
I'm not sure what the motive of the perpetrator was. The aftermath of the actions still cause some anger on my end from time to time. What really angered me was a report that came out recently stating that the perpetrator (and those like the perpetrator) are suffering from a mental disorder and its perfectly natural for them to crave and do what they do and these people shouldn't be chastised.

To hell with the mental scars they give their victims oh no I should understand that the perpetrator had no choice but to pin me down and put a knife to my throat and do what was "natural" in the eyes of the perpetrator and members of the community.

To make it perfectly clear the perpetrator is a homosexual male pedophile. He loves men and loves little boys even more.
So are you worried that your story will be taken as an attack on homosexuality?

I spent nine months in a psych clinic "recovering" i.e getting medicated until I didn't feel a thing emotionally so I could cope with the psychological damage caused by a pedophile that took advantage of a single mother's trust and the trust of a child that then later on learned how to cope with PTSD.

I think this is precisely why you should write about this. Tim O'Brien has stated that he wrote about his experiences in Vietnam as a way of dealing with his personal demons (or something to that effect).

Because he just happens to be homosexual should I leave that fact out of the story? And just make him a pedophile? Because if I did mention that he was a homosexual with a red headed boyfriend (fat guy too) [yes this is all factual and not made up] would that be some kind of scare tactic or something that I'm not even vaguely aware of? Because if it is some kind of tactic for something I'll just nix a lot of the details out and water down a bunch of stuff.

It depends on whether it's relevant to the story. As with all details, if it ain't relevant, or if it doesn't move the story along, or add tension, or any of the other things we as readers look for in our reading, then it doesn't belong.

Some of you are saying do it as is and others are saying not to.

Would people defended the perpetrator and came to his aid and chew my ass out because how dare I have character based on a real life person who is a pedophile that's a homosexual?

I don't know how to proceed here. I'm not sure if people would understand the story as is or if they will get pissed because of the pedophile.

One of the problems I have with our PC-obsessed society is that political correctness often becomes a means for people to ignore uncomfortable issues.

Just write it the best you can and if you get an agent to look at it I'm sure they can guide you from there.

SWest · Jul 26, 2014

Writing from a personal experience of violence is risky. If not undertaken very intentionally, many scenes of this kind read like emotional word vomit on paper.

Do you need this scene to serve the story? Does the story require that it play out more or less exactly as what you experienced?

Can you separate the experience of your story's protagonist from what happened to you?

Can you separate your story's perpetrator from the person who assaulted you?

Can you personally endure rewriting and crafting this scene as many times as it takes to make it part of the overall story you are trying to tell?

Just some basic items to think over.

mccardey · Jul 26, 2014

smoothopr8r said:
One of the problems I have with our PC-obsessed society is that political correctness often becomes a means for people to ignore uncomfortable issues.

You should be glad we're not in P&CE. You'd have to define political correctness and then you'd have to cite evidence to back up your claim that it often becomes a means for people to ignore uncomfortable issues. I think it tends to make people a bit more aware of uncomfortable issues. Although, we may be talking about different people and different uncomfortable issues.

Jack McManus · Jul 26, 2014

The very nature of the OP's dilemma seems to prove the point I was making, which is that the potentially political-uncorrectness of his story might overshadow the need for the story to be told, at least in the view of some people.

mccardey · Jul 26, 2014

smoothopr8r said:
The very nature of the OP's dilemma seems to prove the point I was making, which is that the potentially political-uncorrectness of his story might overshadow the need for the story to be told, at least in the view of some people.

Well no - he wasn't assuming it was, he was asking if it might. So - OP asked the question. Questions are fine - and if society has been operating from unexamined questions for decades, then questions are necessary. Asking questions about things =/= ignoring uncomfortable issues. Quite the opposite. It tends to expand examination and reflection, not shut it down. In this instance, OP was (perhaps due to the positive educational aspects of "political correctness") asking whether or not it was valid to mention the "group" that a violent pedophile belonged to. In pre-PC days, he might (excuse me for extrapolating, OP) have assumed that that "group" was indivisible from the violent pedophile urges and behaviours.

Fortunately, those questions have been ripe for examination in post-PC times.

Williebee · Jul 26, 2014

IMO

Just write it. As it happened, maybe, but as it is real to you. If there are elements that need to come out because they detract from the story, well, that's what editing is for. But it will be better for you, and better for the emotion and flow of the story, to get it out on the page first. Good luck.

Should I remove elements from fact to be policiatlly correct?

AndreF

practical experience, FTW

mirandashell

AndreF

practical experience, FTW

BenPanced

THE BLUEBERRY QUEEN OF HADES (he/him)

mirandashell

Marlys

Resist. Love. Go outside.

mirandashell

jeffo20

Tyrant King

Jamesaritchie

mirandashell

rainsmom

Feeling like an old timer

Rufus Coppertop

Jack McManus

smoothopr8r

AndreF

practical experience, FTW

mirandashell

AndreF

practical experience, FTW

amergina

Pittsburgh Strong

mccardey

Dana_Queen

Jack McManus

smoothopr8r

SWest

In the garden...

mccardey

Jack McManus

smoothopr8r

mccardey

Williebee

Capeless, wingless, & yet I fly.