Random Thought

[the_gneech]

In defense of heteronormativism (heteronormativitude?), it is the norm. People are just writing what they know!

-TG

Comments

[lookingaround17.livejournal.com]

From one view, sure. I think people get more upset when others say to themselves, "I'm not black/asian/gay/jewish/italian-speaking/non-majority something else, but I know exactly what THEY are like", and make some non-insightful effort to flesh that out--I think that most people's problem is LACK OF INSIGHT, period.

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

I certainly agree. :)

-TG

[rowyn]

This is one of the things that bugs me about "write what you know" and anger at "cultural appropriation". If you really want more diversity in fiction, telling authors to stick to only their culture and their personal experiences doesn't help much. :(

[jordan179.livejournal.com]

Indeed. Depending how one defines "heterosexual," 90-95 percent of a typical human population is heterosexual. Hence, 9 out of 10 to 19 out of 20 characters in a fictional universe might be expected to be heterosexual, unless they are being selected for unusual sexuality; furthermore, if one does not know a character's sexuality, "heterosexual" is the logical default assumption.

[jordan179.livejournal.com]

IMO, this is an intentional double bind, imposed to gain emotional leverage over the victim. Thing is, if you recognize it as such, it loses its power over you.