Also, do people even LOOK at what they're writing?

[conuly]

So here's a review of A Great and Terrible Beauty, which I could barely even get through.

The reviewer mentions some elements she considers racist.

Let's look at the comments!

The fact that Gemma is greatly attracted to Kartik--a fact expressed throughout the book--is proof that the author is not supporting racist theories.

Really? REALLY? So it's only racist if you're not lusting after hot, exotic Indian (from India) guys? Because racists have never had a double standard in this respect. Because it's not possible to have some racist attitudes while still thinking of yourself as oh-so-enlightened, it's an all or nothing deal. (Actually, I'll bet that this is EXACTLY what this commenter thinks, and it's not so funny.)

Oh, and a pair of comments, one replying to the other.

1. to everyone who disagrees with the OP:

portraying a "gypsy" as a mystical magical forest dwelling criminal is just feeding into stereotypes and anyway "gypsies" do not speak ROMANIAN (Unless they live in Romania) ROMANI is not ROMANIAN, it's a completely different language. its appalling but not surprising that the editor didn't even care enough to catch or repair this factual error.

its the same as saying all eskimos live in igloos and all chinese smoke opium and run around pulling rikshaws or all americans ride horses, wear cowboy hats and say 'howdy howdy howdy y'all.' it is DEFINITELY racist by default. it is racist because the author didn't even bother to do research. she just went

[Error: Irreparable invalid markup ('<insert [...] here.>') in entry. Owner must fix manually. Raw contents below.]

So here's a review of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/review/RWDK3C4QE29DZ/ref=cm_aya_cmt?ie=UTF8&ASIN=0385730284#wasThisHelpful">A Great and Terrible Beauty</a>, which I could barely even get through.

The reviewer mentions some elements she considers racist.

Let's look at the comments!

<i>The fact that Gemma is greatly attracted to Kartik--a fact expressed throughout the book--is proof that the author is not supporting racist theories. </i>

Really? REALLY? So it's only racist if you're not lusting after hot, exotic Indian (from India) guys? Because racists have never had a double standard in this respect. Because it's not possible to have <i>some</i> racist attitudes while still thinking of yourself as oh-so-enlightened, it's an all or nothing deal. (Actually, I'll bet that this is EXACTLY what this commenter thinks, and it's not so funny.)

Oh, and a pair of comments, one replying to the other.

1. <i>to everyone who disagrees with the OP:

portraying a "gypsy" as a mystical magical forest dwelling criminal is just feeding into stereotypes and anyway "gypsies" do not speak ROMANIAN (Unless they live in Romania) ROMANI is not ROMANIAN, it's a completely different language. its appalling but not surprising that the editor didn't even care enough to catch or repair this factual error.

its the same as saying all eskimos live in igloos and all chinese smoke opium and run around pulling rikshaws or all americans ride horses, wear cowboy hats and say 'howdy howdy howdy y'all.' it is DEFINITELY racist by default. it is racist because the author didn't even bother to do research. she just went <insert stereotypical creepy gypsy archetype here.> </i>

So far so good, except for the total lack of capital letters. But the response?

2. <i>"its appalling but not surprising that the editor didn't even care enough to catch or repair this factual error."

Please remember, A Great and Terrible Beauty is a work of fiction. The gypsies can speak pig-Latin, Swahili, or even Klingon if the author is so led. Any resemblance to actual gypsies, living or dead, is purely coincidental. </i>

I would love, love, LOVE to see the reaction if I set a book in something like our world - not an AU setting, I mean - and included a random French character who spoke Swahili as a native language. In France. Where everybody speaks, uh, Swahili. (Or hell, let's go all the way and make it Pig Latin!) And this wasn't a plot point, or a divergence from our world, or even commented on because <i>duh</i>, isn't this how it works?

That would be <i>hilarious</i>.

And then when people complained, I'd be sitting there at my computer ready to go "But it's <i>fiction</i>, it doesn't <i>count</i>", just to be a pain.

Comments

[rainbow-goddess.livejournal.com]

You need to fix your HTML. :-(

So according to this commenter, a person can't be racist because they're attracted to someone who is another race.

I know this person, a friend of Monster's, who refuses to date white women. (He's white himself.) Why does he refuse? Because all white women are liars and cheats. Now, if he'd said that about a non-white race, he'd be called racist -- right?

He dates non-white women, but at the same time he is a total racist. He just hates non-white MEN.

[conuly]

Also sounds like a misogynistic twit.

[leora.livejournal.com]

I'd be fine with that because France doesn't actually exist. It's just a conspiracy to make us think it exists. I have no proof of its existence. My sister is in on it with her pictures of her trip to France.

[elenbarathi.livejournal.com]

Mystical magical forest dwelling criminals who speak TlInghan Hol are not actually as far-fetched as most people probably think. If France exists at all, there are probably some there too.

Truth is stranger than fiction, because in fiction one is limited to what people are likely to find plausible, whereas reality has no such constraint.

[redbird]

It's just an excuse to make people think that all those interesting sauces and such aren't Italian.

[prezzey.livejournal.com]

Beás Gypsies speak Beás, which is mutually intelligible with Romanian to the point that it is considered by some to be a dialect of Romanian (I'd say let the speakers decide that, though). It is, however, not mutually intelligible with Romani!

The gypsies can speak pig-Latin, Swahili, or even Klingon if the author is so led.

How about the Jews, makes me wonder...

[conuly]

Beás Gypsies speak Beás, which is mutually intelligible with Romanian to the point that it is considered by some to be a dialect of Romanian (I'd say let the speakers decide that, though). It is, however, not mutually intelligible with Romani!

I had no idea!

Not that that makes the responding comment any more sensible, I'm afraid.