Quilts and Queers

Daughter Of The Stars: To the people complaining about the “whiteness” in Tamora Pierce’s...

maidoflight:

To the people complaining about the “whiteness” in Tamora Pierce’s Tortall books… Please just stop.

No matter what you’re opinion on the matter (and on a few accounts I agree with you), you have to give the woman a break!

No one is perfect, and Tamora Pierce has covered so many more issues with such care and good taste. Like her portrayal of non-stereotypical LGBT members of society even if they are few in number. And of course her HUGE feminist ideals throughout the book.

As for your issues with her portrayal of Thayet…. You have to remember that she was introduced in the first series of books Mrs. Pierce had written. It was the 80’s, it was a miracle that she had some of the ideals she portrayed in those books.

As her writing has progressed, so have her ideals and the portrayal of such in her books. I know it may not be quite what you want…

But there are many major and minor characters who are POC and who are NOT portrayed as a villain. Off the top of my head I can think of Nawat, Buri, Numair, Sarge, Quasim, not to mention all of the good characters from the Copper Isles and the Bazhir tribes.

And finally, as for the Shang Warriors, while at it’s founding it was probably mostly of one place of origin or another… But at this point in history (in the books), the Shang Warriors will take any child who shows promise. No matter their sex or heritage.

So try not to be so mad about it. She can only do so much.

Critiques are still valid. 

Something to keep in mind is that usually people who take time to critique something love it and want to be better. And that they want to see themselves reflected more in whatever the work IS. 

Not to mention the critiques of Whiteness in Tamora Pierce aren’t just a critique of Whiteness in Tamora Pierce, it’s a critique of Whiteness in general. People aren’t unhappy solely with her books, they’re unhappy with racism and underrepresentation EVERYWHERE. 

Musings of a Pornographic Connoisseur: quiltingqueer: starwaveimpulse: I’m really sick of Tumblr’s so called...

quiltingqueer:

starwaveimpulse:

I’m really sick of Tumblr’s so called social justice. Telling someone to “check their privilege” because they’re either male, white, middle-class, straight or whatever the hell else is so fucking ignorant. You never know what other people may be going…

Telling someone to check their privilege isn’t based soley on them being white, cis, straight, or male. Telling someone to check their privilege is something that is done when people have done something that abuses that privilege. 

And I don’t know if this is something you have experienced, but  able bodied, straight, white, cis men are the least likely to understand what people of minorities go through. It isn’t necessarily their fault per say, but because they have never had to face what people of minorities face, they don’t understand it. They don’t know what it means to live with a disability, they don’t know what it’s like to get misgendered every day, they don’t know what it’s like to hold hands with their significant other in public and get jeered at, they don’t know what it’s like to be terrified that they will be raped everywhere they go. They don’t face living as a person of color and feeling an irrational terror every time they see a police officer, feeling stupid every time they go to school, having strange people ask to touch their hair, and on and on and on. 

White, straight, able bodied, cis men can find people like them on television. They can go out and find dolls and action figures and other merchandise with whie, able bodied, cis men plastered all over it. 

There is SO MUCH that goes along with NOT being a minority, and one of the greatest privileges is to get indignant every time someone tells you that you have privilege.