[ SECRET POST #3681 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #3681 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

01.



__________________________________________________



02.
['Allo 'Allo!]


__________________________________________________



03.


__________________________________________________



04.


__________________________________________________



05.


__________________________________________________



06.


__________________________________________________



07.


__________________________________________________



08.









Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 01 pages, 24 secrets from Secret Submission Post #526.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Imo Representation isn't the same thing as relating to a character.

I feel like it's best summed up by Whoopi Goldberg's story about what Uhura was to her. It wasn't just relating to the character, it was knowing certain things were possible for her because that character simply existed.

Not everyone needs that, but it certainly helps out a lot of people.

[(Anonymous)]

This is a really good example!

[sparrow_lately]

+10000

[(Anonymous)]

This this this this this

[(Anonymous)]

This is a great example of why representation is important. But tbe bones of this secret is about relating to characters and I've definitely heard people go on and on and ON about how they just can't relate and don't care about two white straight people in love. As if the love they feel is different from nonwhite LGBT love.

And that's a ridiculous argument. And calling it out as ridiculous is in no way saying "why do we need love stories with diverse people when Whitney Straightersons will do?!" before anyone tries to make that claim about this comment.

[(Anonymous)]

I'll be honest. I can't relate anymore. I used to, but it became the norm and so shove down my throat as You Should Be This (I did not have a happy life after coming out) that I stopped relating to that aspect, and no, I don't care anymore. Because I had that ideal shoved on me with people trying to forcibly hook me up with guys or even one guy who ignored that I was ENGAGED and tried to force me to date him by calling my mother up and telling her she should encourage me to date him.

Don't fucking assume.

[(Anonymous)]

there are many facets of being in a gay relationship that differ from a straight relationship, and I assume the same is true of non-white relationships in countries with white majority populations. saying "all love is the same!" makes for a great bumper sticker or protest sign, but when we're talking about enjoying media, there are plenty of reasons individuals might not relate to straight or otherwise "mainstream" relationships solely because of those elements.

[cbrachyrhynchos]

You can never take my Disney animated features away from me, but there is something special about reading a novel with expertly portrayed LGBTQ people.

[soldatsasha]

Yeah, I think this is really the key. Anybody can relate to a character that's not like them. But, there's a big gulf between feeling empathy with a character or relating with some part of a character, and the feeling of representation.

I mean, even looking past media we see the effects of this irl with things like how the lack of prominent women in STEM fields discourages girls from pursuing those careers. Or how many black social equality writers have called out rap culture and black athletes for drawing kids into bad or dead-end lifestyles.

It's bad enough that a lack of representation makes people feel bad about themselves because they don't live up to someone else's "normal". Self-esteem is pretty fucking important, after all. It's not a bad thing to be sensitive.

It also discourages people from their goals and feeds into prejudice. When every fat person on the screen is a joke, or every black person on the screen is a thug, or every Muslim is a terrorist, it reinforces those prejudices in the minds of the viewers, and tells the people who ARE those things that that's all they can be.