felis_ultharus

I agree with you. And you've basically outlined my objections, really. ... it somehow strikes me that saying 'stop writing about us so that we can write our own stories' is flawed on more than one level, too. First of all, because it assumes that the reason the minority isn't being heard is because they're being crowded out by members of the 'majority' (however you want to define THAT one), and I find that premise to be inherently flawed. For example, this would assume that the reason 'queer' books aren't widely read is that they're being pushed out by straight writers writing about the community - which is something I think is inherently false. If we want to talk reasons for readership or lack thereof, that's a whole separate discussion, but this isn't the cause. Furthermore, assuming that a writer that isn't part of the minority s/he is writing about is telling that community's story isn't necessarily the path to take. If I write a story that's set in a native community, I'm telling A story - the story of a few characters, in a given setting. I'm giving a setting with some basic facts, with some details that are open to interpretation when viewed from an outsider's perspective. I'm not telling THEIR story - that is, the community's history and experiences. If they want to tell that, it's up to them (with interpretation biased from the INSIDER'S perspective, I suppose). *shrugs* Honestly, I'd need more time to articulate this properly - I have very defined feelings about the matter, but I'm not entirely sure how to formulate them. I'd be interested in hearing what conclusions you guys come up with, if any. Because the entire situation just gives me a feeling of 'what the...?', so another, more articulate perspective might be interesting. If I'm making any sense at all (if I'm not, just ignore me).