Writer/game designer Chuck Wendig has written “25 things to know about sexism & misogyny in writing & publishing” over at his blog, terribleminds.
And he has followed up with “Challenging responses to sexism and misogyny” and “Why men should speak out about sexism, misogyny and rape culture.”
All are well worth reading.
I wrote a bit about this sort of thing in regards to pulp reprints and New Pulp publications back in April. But it didn’t start a healthy discussion as his posts have.
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A hat tip to Andrew Porter for posting a link to the first article on FictionMags at Yahoo Groups.
Dear William,
I certainly sympathize with your bringing attention to the negative portrayal of women in medias such as (but not limited to) comics books and video games. This is something that has bothered me as a Christian geek; women, too, are made in the image of God and are not objects for abuse. Yet I’m horrified that you promote Chuck Wendig’s articles as “worth reading.” This writer may have some good points beneath the muck, but his foul language and venomous tone are just as indecent as the very things he writes against. I did not really find a coherent argument, either–just a lot of immature screaming and profanity-laced ranting (often with anatomical references to somehow emphasize whatever it was he was trying to communicate). Before this writer opens his mouth he should take pause and consider the purity (or lack thereof) of his motives and his tactics. How can clean waters come from a filthy well? One cannot be immoral and claim morality.
Sincerely,
~Andy Poole
Ephesians 2:10
Ephesians 2:10
I thought his posts were worth reading because he’s someone in the publishing field (fiction and gaming). I think he debunks some of the arguments that I’ve heard defending/justifying the demeaning portrayal of women in media.
I agree, his language is rather rough (I probably should have warned about that). I prefer to keep ThePulp.Net — at worst — on a PG-13 level.
Thanks for your comments, Andy.
Chuck has a knack for starting conversations. I love the man’s writing, his style may be rough, but he really knows how to convey his point and he does it in an extremely entertaining way (check out his books on writing if you haven’t, they’re hilarious and very helpful).
I followed the link to the post where you talked about sexism and misogyny and you are dead-on. Writers and artists need to realize that even if they’re trying to pay homage to the pulps of old that those depictions should still be updated to the modern day. In my Myth Hunter series, I try to focus on writing strong female protagonists who don’t exist solely as fantasy objects.
It’s really disturbing that it’s 2013 and we still have to point out that this stuff is not okay.