the racism thing in Stargate

[tielan]

liviapenn made a post about perceptions of race and status in Stargate Atlantis to add to all the other meta lying around the fandom on this topic.

She has some good thoughts on the matter, as well as ones that I agree with (the two are not synonymous, I admit), and has a variety of responses, from the measured to the angry.

There is a tendency in the SGA AU world to depict Teyla and Ronon as 'minor' by assigning them positions of lower status or to a low socioeconomic/criminal background. So, as someone pointed out, in a MovieStar!AU, John, Rodney, Elizabeth and Carson are A-list movie stars, Teyla's a maid, and Ronon's a security guard. The status of 'minor character' is frequently defined through the socioeconomic status of the role the character is given.

Why not the possibility, say, of Teyla being an actress who gets regular work in reasonably solid, but not headliner movies, who doesn't move in the same circles as the A-listers? A Geena Davis, rather than a Cate Blanchett. Then the label of 'minor character' is given by the fact that she's not in the story, not by her occupation or socioeconomic status.

my AUs

In my AUs, I have tried to break the mould somewhat. Of course, it's easier for me, since my AU stories are usually Teyla-centric or hinge on her abilities in some way.

The Shermer High AU stories 'Wrong Kind Of Guy' and 'In The Game' imply that Ronon has a gang background, and Teyla's in fosterage, while Elizabeth, John, and Rodney still live with their families.

However, I have to say that one of my favourite scenes of 'In The Game' so far' is where John walks in to pick up Teyla for a date and finds himself facing Teyla's foster-sibs, who band together to gently point out that if John gets up to any hanky panky with Teyla, then he's going to be in big trouble with them. In much the same way, I depicted the protectiveness of Elizabeth's parents in 'Wrong Kind Of Guy'. It's still family, it's just a different kind - and they don't love Teyla any less than Liz's family love her.

By the way, middle-class whiteness ain't all it's made out to be, either - in the Shermer High AU, John's parents are going to be the kind that make a kid cringe - and not just because they're his parents. We meet them later.

I suppose, if there was any bias in the Black Jewels Atlantis universe, it would be that the Atlantis expedition are implied 'aristo', while Teyla is 'common'. However, Teyla's involvement in the action and her trusted status in Elizabeth's court make her a significant major character. I threw in John's offer to see Jinto through court training as a kind of sign that the Atlantis court is a little more egalitarian than has been depicted in the Black Jewels books. Of course, the fact that the Black Jewels society has three degrees by which rank is determined - Jewel colour, Blood caste, and societal status - helps to diffuse the situation considerably.

Truly told, stereotypes don't have to be rock-solid, either. Ronon might have a gang background, but he listened to his mom when she told him what subjects to take. Just because a guy acts tough doesn't mean he wouldn't kiss his momma with that mouth! And in the conversation with Elizabeth about WWII, I tried to show the affection-exasperation he holds for his grandfather's verbosity with old stories.

Maybe that's what makes the difference. An injection of the 'non-stereotypical' into an otherwise stereotypical characterisation. A barista who's casually a millionaire on the side from...well, whatever he's made his money in, but is working this joint as a favour to a short-staffed friend for a couple of weeks? Why not? Life is full of wonderful variety, and we've got some six-billion individuals who will act in six-billion different ways when faced with exactly the same scenario.

That's a lot of permutation.

Perhaps this is also a perception of AUs. Some people feel it's an excuse to just go wild with the characters, slot them in anywhere, doing anything. For me, the fun of an AU is finding a place where the characters fit according to their skillset and abilities. I don't want to just shove the characters in willy-nilly if it means their essential personalities and the way they relate are destroyed. And the pleasure in writing a successful AU is to develop the characters within the possibilities of their personalities and the limits set by the canon into which the characters are being transplanted. I don't just want to write six characters whose names match those on Stargate; I want to write something with resonance.

But that's another post for another day.

In conclusion, there's no reason to limit oneself to stereotypes. Start with them, by all means, but break free of them, rend those chains, spread your wings and fly into the wide blue yonder of possibility!

I struggle with making characters 'whole', with not writing them off as boring just because they don't hit my squee buttons. It's not easy. But I don't think I could be satisfied with my work if I didn't at least make the effort.

Which, I guess, is what this is about at the core of the whole issue of racism: seeing people as individuals and not just as part of a sterotyped sea, as worth something beyond the colour of their skin, as important because they are part of this crazy spectrum of humanity that we're mired amidst and don't get to default on, as people, not merely as tropes or a single characteristic, or 'my favourite and therefore given social worthiness in the context of the story' (by all means, give them 'worthiness' in the context of the story, but don't do it by social status).

(Thanks, purple_cube for the link!)

Comments

[greenconverses.livejournal.com]

I read through the fic that caused the argument in the first place and could really only think, Wow, do we have an angry fandom. I think we're going to implode all over the 'Net before Season Four even begins.

On an on topic note, I think you've done a wonderful job of portraying all the characters equally in your AUs and your regular fics in general. I never once thought you were short changing anyone - you're one of the few authors who treats all the characters equally well and tries not to play the favorites game. Ronon and Teyla don't even exsist half the time in McShep fic.

So, as someone pointed out, in a MovieStar!AU, John, Rodney, Elizabeth and Carson are A-list movie stars, Teyla's a maid, and Ronon's a security guard.

*raises hand*

I've been guilty of that one. Got an SGA Corporation AU sitting on my laptop where Teyla is Elizabeth's assistant and Ronon is head of security, but it's in Teyla's POV, so she and Ronon are hardly 'minor' characters.

Eh...I'll stop talking now!

[tielan]

See, I'm not sure that one could argue that writing from a particular characters' POV necessarily means they're a major character in the story.

I believe it's possible for a story to be observed from the POV of a minor character. The fact that the character's POV is the central POV wouldn't necessarily mean the character has any significant reason for being in the story other than to provide a POV. If you get what I mean. *thinks about it*

Take Teal'c from SG-1. He's usually cast in the role of observer of Jack-Daniel-Sam (or, more recently, Cam-Sam-Daniel-Vala) without much to actually do. In that case, I'd say that Teal'c gets sidelined as a 'minor character'.

Not intending to denigrate your actual story, though. Just challenging the idea that a story cannot be depicted from the POV of a minor character.

[greenconverses.livejournal.com]

No denigrate felt and I do get what you mean. Some of the best revelations about characters come from another 'minor' character's POV, often at the expense of the 'minor' characters own development.

I think I should've been a bit clear regarding the AU. It's (mostly) Teyla's POV and the story revolves around her. It was supposed to be a humor fic about the trouble of finding (and keeping) a sucessful relationship as a working woman until it turned into a drastically melodramatic kidnapping plot on me. *eye roll* Evil plot bunnies.

[tielan]

until it turned into a drastically melodramatic kidnapping plot on me.

This is me not laughing over here.

Really.
*snickers*

Sorry, but it's nice to see someone else with this problem for a change.

[greenconverses.livejournal.com]

Sorry, but it's nice to see someone else with this problem for a change.

We're just cursed, that's all. Cursed to forever walk the Earth and write melodramatic Teyla fic for the masses.

[thelana.livejournal.com]

Teyla would so be the actress who was huge in her home country (Romania! Don't ask me why I have decided that) and has a hard time making it in HW, playing supporting roles.

Or a stuntwoman. Rrrrrrraw!

[oparu.livejournal.com]

Aside from the obvious height different, Teyla being Elizabeth's stunt double is amusing. Judging from the commentaries on the SGA DVDs stunt players get a lot of (well-deserved) respect.

[thelana.livejournal.com]

Exactly, I have gotten that impression quite frequently on tv shows and movies. That there even seems to be quite sub-culture among them. (*would love to read a story that takes place in that milieu*)

[oparu.livejournal.com]

I read what liviapenn said and I have to admit I greatly appreciate what you've added. The expedition members do seem more aristocratic just because they seem to lack the practical skills Teyla has.

I also have to admit some of the more interesting people I know are baristas. It's a tough job, talking to strangers all day and keeping their heads about them, but they do it with a smile.

And perhaps there's something to be said for not being the movie star, or the boss. We don't identify with the boss, because chances are, we're not in that position.

Maybe at the end of the day it doesn't matter what they do but how well they're written doing it, I'm sure there's a fic out there somewhere with Elizabeth, John and Rodney are a gang of street urchins who are rescued and taught how to function in society by Lady Emmagen and Lord Dex. Regardless, I have to agree it's more important to be a character rich in detail than rich in coins.

[tielan]

I'm sure there's a fic out there somewhere with Elizabeth, John and Rodney are a gang of street urchins who are rescued and taught how to function in society by Lady Emmagen and Lord Dex.

When you find it, please - please link me! *g*

[saphanibaal.livejournal.com]

What she said. ^_^