Rants: The Things That Piss Me Off On Wattpad

Diversity

EDIT: 10/30/2020

I should've done this update last year, but never did on this chapter. There is content here that is insensitive due to my own ignorance and not realizing how some things I've said are racist. I have grown from my actions and will be updating my outdated info in here with my more educated thoughts.

Alright, I thought this should be brought up since I was just ranting with a friend on racism and whatnot.

I've noticed many stories on here are mostly filled with Caucasian characters.

"What's a Caucasian?"

If you seriously ask that question... I don't think you're ready for any debates.

Caucasians are the skin tone/demographic of humans classified as "whites" by society. They're people from Europe and some parts of Asia (Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and possibly Azerbaijan, I don't know what people look like from here).

Many books on here take place in very diverse countries, mainly Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

These places are filled with so much diversity, they have more than just caucasians in their borders!

This seriously bugs me.

I live in a pretty "white" area of my town. Enough to where almost my entire school is "white". But guess what? There's still blacks, native Americans, and latinos in my school. Maybe one or two Asians that live in the area, (there's like ten this year, but most are girls on exchange from Mongolia, Indonesia, Taiwan, and Thailand).

There's always diversity in these countries, even in the "white" areas.

So please, don't make all your characters Caucasian. Look up the location you're putting your story in. See the diversity in the area and add a mix to your books.

Now... Even if I'm all for adding a diverse cast in books on here, there are things that piss me off.

Don't follow the damn stereotypes of an ethnicity.

Don't make your German character a drunk obsessed with sausage and going to furry parties.

EDIT: many are surprised at the furry part, so I will add the images that have gained popularity in the past few years that are creating this stereotype.

Don't make your African American some chick from the ghetto or a dude in a gang. Also, not all African Americans speak in AAVE, that dialect of English is a locational thing.

EDIT 10/30/2020: To add on, just don't use the classic depictions of African Americans. They've gone through a lot of shit thanks to white supremacy and still struggle to this day thanks to us whites who are oblivious to the issue/know and don't do anything about it. Be a change and try to enlighten readers on struggles. Do NOT make your African American characters "the one black friend" especially (aka, like Tyra Banks, other African Americans okay with blackface, whites using the n word, etc).

Don't make a white character an uptight snob who acts like an 1800's American slave owner (unless you're actually writing a slave story, but please stray from this stereotype since it is overused. Plus, not all slave owners were asses.)

EDIT 10/30/2020:  Slave owners are pos overall, doesn't matter if they're nice to slaves or not. They participated in owning Africans as slaves and also enacted the police system to bring them back to farms after slavery ended. Write whites however you want. We deserve it tbh. Mock us, make fun of us. Show how we're the most racist and point out our flaws and problems that we cause.

Don't make your Afghan a terrorist bombing malls. And for Muslim characters overall, know not all of them are super religious. They vary in their religion just like Christians, Hindus, and others do.

EDIT 10/30/2020: Again, it varies. Muslims live everywhere too. Muslims also aren't all from the middle east. The city I'm in while at Uni has a HUGE Muslim community that is black. There are even some whites I've met who are Muslim. Islam, in general, is very diverse and you should get educated on it if you have a character(s) part of the religion.

Don't make your Asian character an anime freak or obsessed with fish. They seriously aren't all like that. Some are allergic to seafood too ya know.

EDIT 10/30/2020:  Also know not all Asians are Japanese, Korean, or Chinese. MANY of my friends who live in Asia or are of Asian descent are SOUTHEAST Asian. I also want to put in that K-Pop is not something all Asians are obsessed with, so I want to make a note of that too. Some actually despise it due to its popularity.

Don't make a Native American (or Indian, since they prefer that name) obsessed with spiritual things and dream catchers.

EDIT 10/30/2020: There are different tribes. Plus, Indigenous people in general have been demonized like many other races/cultures. When doing your research, know it's going to get whitewashed and there will be crap said about their deities. Please do your research, whether the person is close to their Indigenous roots or not. I say this from talking to people who are. I have a friend (very much white, but got DNA tested) who takes pride in her roots to the Blackfoot tribe in my area. Another friend who is more prominent in DNA for being Native American doesn't care, she prefers just chilling and living life instead of focusing on the tribe she's from.

Please make characters realistic and not stereotypical. No group acts all the same.

^You can do parodies of course, but know if you're offensive, people WILL call you out and have the right to do so, especially if you're not part of the group you're making fun of. But of course, if whites are offended at how you're parodying whites, they can't say much imo

Diversity doesn't mean just race, it also means character. They all have their personalities, sexualities, strengths, weaknesses, and interests. Make your characters unique.