I agree with you and Astro. I'm a big believer in the concept of FUBU--For Us By Us. I think no one can tell the stories of women, blacks, Asians, etc., better than those of us in those groups. So in that way, Astro is right: we need to write, produce, finance, and control more of our own stuff.
But by the same token, we also live in a world where others were always be telling our stories, corroborating on telling our stories, or backing us in telling our stories. In a country where men still run most things, a woman can't easily expect to produce novels or movies without having to work with men in meaningful ways. In a country where whites are the majority, a black person can't easily get to certain levels of success without working with those whites at least sometimes. And that is where I think we have to challenge and educate people not like us to understand us, and to better represent us in various forms of media. I have spent years talking to my wife about a host of things, since, as a black woman, she has faced challenges and struggles I've never faced, despite my being black exposing me to some shared prejudices with her. Similarly, I think we have to challenge the people who make stuff like BSG, The Princess and the Frog, Hitch, etc., to listen to and understand our points of view better. The world of scifi/fantasy can often be a very white, male, conservative one. Are panels like the one you sat on common? Is there anything approaching a system in the industry for scifi or fantasy where people actually seek out a way to exchange ideas and viewpoints in a manner similar to what our panel was doing? ----- Original Message ----- From: "Adrianne Brennan" <adrianne.bren...@gmail.com> To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, February 7, 2010 8:06:29 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Caprica/BSG -- Where the Brothers At? I was on a panel at a scifi/fantasy con called "Women in Science Fiction" and as a panelist, this is pretty much what I concluded/begged/declared. Women and minorities both draw the short straw in scifi, and it drives me more than a bit batshit. It's also made me realize that I need to contribute more to the genre as a writer. I have seriously considered getting more writers onto this list in order to shame them into making their own writing more balanced also. I think people need to get over their fear of writing "outside their experience" when it comes to things such as women writing stories about gay men, Caucasians writing about Native Americans, African Americans, and any other race besides their own, et cetera. And believe me, I'm currently aiming to practice what I'm preaching. ~ "Where love and magic meet" ~ http://www.adriannebrennan.com Experience the magic of the Dark Moon series: http://www.adriannebrennan.com/books.html#darkmoon Dare to take The Oath in this erotic fantasy series: http://www.adriannebrennan.com/books.html#the_oath The future of psychic sex - Dawn of the Seraphs (m/m): http://www.adriannebrennan.com/dawnoftheseraphs.html On Sun, Feb 7, 2010 at 1:54 PM, C.W. Badie < astromancer2...@yahoo.com > wrote: Not meaning to be harsh, guys, but like I siad when I first joined this group: If you want to see black folks in sci-fi and horror, write them! I've seen a lot of your work, guys, and from some of the intelligent threads I've been reading in the group, we have a lot of potential great storytellers...Before you ask, I have been published twice...and I suck, so you guys with the chops will make an impressive killing if you put your stuff in front of the right eyes...(Think Bill Duke!) "Such music flows on the Fringe, and no one can resist singing to Scarlet" >From "THE SIDE STREET CHRONICLES" by C.W. Badie --- On Sun, 2/7/10, Keith Johnson < keithbjohn...@comcast.net > wrote: From: Keith Johnson < keithbjohn...@comcast.net > Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Caprica/BSG -- Where the Brothers At? To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Date: Sunday, February 7, 2010, 12:01 PM Ah, but that's my point: none of them had pivotal roles or were memorable. You had to refresh my memory that one of the 12 was black, and I do remember that one that escaped too. But again, no black men have had major roles in either series. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mr. Worf" <HelloMahogany@ gmail.com > To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Sent: Sunday, February 7, 2010 6:29:50 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Caprica/BSG -- Where the Brothers At? One of the 12 was black. He was an important character in the first 2 seasons, and the Plan. There was also a minor character that had been captured and escaped, but that didn't go anywhere. There were also several that were pilots on the transports. Also there were a couple on the other battlestar. On Sun, Feb 7, 2010 at 1:53 AM, Keith Johnson < KeithBJohnson@ comcast.net > wrote: Something odd strikes me about the BSG/Caprica worlds: no black men in significant positions. I missed the last couple years of BSG, but I remember noting the curious lack of black men in anything but background roles. I think there was one reporter on that ship were political events were held, but he wasn't even the main reporter. I see them in the background on the ship, but no high level officers, now that Boomer and Tigh from the original series were replaced by an Asian lady and a white man, respectively. Hell: I don't even remember any of the fighter pilots being black. Where I *did* see black man on BSG? On the ep dealing with the prison ship, the place was lousy with black men: big, black, bald black men. I also note a lot of brothers functioning as scowling muscle. When Admiral Cain (michelle Forbes) came to Galactica, her high level staff was all white men. But the bodyguards? All big, very black, very bald, scowling black men. Left a bad taste in my mouth, and frankly one reason i lost some interest in the show. Did it get better? Now on "Caprica" I'm seeing the same thing. Sure, I see black men in the background: in the street traffic, maybe a reporter in the background shouting questions. Back again, I see no high level scientists, politicians, police, or military men who are black. The one black I can remember in anything approaching a recurring role? The big, black, bald, scowling brother who functions as the bodyguard/drive for the Greystones. What's the deal? This reminds me of the old days when we were in the background but little else. I'd ask if it's because of the shooting locale, but if they can find brothers to walk up and down the street, surely they could put some in important roles. It's cool and all they have a Latino in a role that may or may not be "Latino", but my brothers are all but absent... -- Celebrating 10 years of bringing diversity to perversity! Mahogany at: http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/mahogany_ pleasures_ of_darkness/
