Personal Opinion or: How to become the most hated person in the world by just saying what you think · 8:00pm Apr 15th, 2016
“The only thing predictable about life is its unpredictability.” Remy, Ratatouille
In less than 24 hours my most recent story, "Foreigners with Foreign Language" has failed to receive acclaim from the public, and for a project I bet a lot it's sad. But unlike "The Shining Armor" and "Nightmare Lunch" (which bombed in their first days because of technical and narrative issues) this one has bombed for the wrong reasons and considering the backslash I'm receiving right now I need to adress this right now.
In less than 24 hours I've received comments like:
HOW ABOUT NO.
This is highly offensive.
So he posts some racist ass shit, and I get downvoted.
It's birthed from a racist premise. It is not great, nor good, it's simply racist.
How is a statement that gypsies are evil and only exist to lie, cheat, steal, and curse people... not racist?
it's still using a bigoted stereotype.
The "gypsy mystic" stereotype is racist.
I'm not going to debate this. It's unacceptable.
This guy (whose username I won't type and whose comments were deleted already) has labeled me as a racist jut because my story happens to have a gypsy. The funny thing about this is that I didn't want to create controversy, I didn't write something about racism, I just wanted to have fun writing, sharing my ideas with others and reading the reactions of the public but I never expected something like this. Basically I'm being hated now just because of what I write, in the beginning I was planning to revoke my submission but after thinking about it I refused because that will be basically giving him the pleasure of accepting my defeat and saying that I'm a coward. Coincidentally this reminds me a lot of the case of Zamii070.
I tried everything to tied up this as soon as possible, from minor actions (changing the short description and adding a warning at the beginning) to some major ones (changing the rating, which went from E to T because of this and even dropping the story from The Writer's Group to prevent more backslash) but that's not enough to change people's mind. Everyone is being so sensible to every minor single change someone has to a concept (social justice warriors?) and we're getting to a point where everyone is judging a book by its cover, literally!
For example, my mom doesn't like Harry Potter only because the story it's about a wizard. Yes, this is serious. If you're going to dislike a story ok, but don't hate it just because it has something that will hit your subconscious hard.
Heck, there's times I think the fandom is hypocrite because of this. Sometimes they crucify stereotypes to death and in most cases they're right (Dragon Quest and Party Pooped are some of the worst episodes of the show and both Garble and Rutherford were universally panned from the fans). But what happens when it's the other way? when it's a stereotype or has the characteristics of one and the fandom not only tolerates them but love them to death to the point that if someone says "I don't like it" they'll try to kill him. And worse, they firm and foment this stereotype. Here are the examples I'm talking about (if you're a hardcore fan I supplicate you to pay attention and think about it, if you can't do this stop reading right now and click somewhere else in your screen):
So let me get this straight: If I use a gypsy who knows how to curse people despite the fact that she realizes her mistakes, redempts herself and even the "person" who cursed offers her to be her friend after what happened I'm a racist, but if someone mokes about the clumsiness of a mentally retarded, loves a bully despite the writers used the first cliché in the book to reform her and decides a hippie has to smoke weed in their fanfics it's "I love it, there's nothing racist about it."
...
But I already accept these characters whether I like them or not. I can enjoy Derpy when she's taken seriously, I don't have a problem with Diamond Tiara being reformed, I even want a character tag for Tree Hugger!
To conclude this I have one last example. My story has a gypsy but it's not the main focus of the plot. The story talks about friendship, forming bonds, loneliness, abandonement, forgiveness and oblivion, but they only focused on the gypsy part. You want to know what this reminds me of?
This underrated critically-acclaimed film was considered as one of the best movies of its year (surpassing Argo and Life of Pi in some cases), it's well acted, well directed and well written, it talks about fanatism, submission, loyalty, bromance, madness and finding your place in the world. It was even nominated for 3 Academy Awards. So why I call this film underrated? Because it was heavily ignored by most movie critic's groups. Why? One word:
Scientology.
The film was rejected from many movie festivals just because this theme was in the plot despite it is more like a plot device instead of a main topic (like the ones previously mentioned) and that it's very noticeable toward the film the director really didn't care about the theme at all, he only used it as a setting.
If I don't convinced you after all of this click on the X in the right upper corner of your screen and turn your computer off because in the end the only one who really loses it's you: you waste your time reading stuff you don't like. You're free to read whatever you like and if you think something can improve, say it as a constructive criticism.
"As a film-maker, you have to convince people to follow your madness." Paul Thomas Anderson
Leave your comments below and demand respect.
I Fully agree, i read your first chapter last night actually, and i liked it, i found the premise interesting, and the way you went about it innovative. See what i like about you Smash is that your innovative, you have a very interesting way of doing these things, and the story ideas are not cliche or at the very least used well and too effect.
so i faved it and thumbed it up a few seconds ago since i plan to read the rest.
This is ridiculous and and it is not showing a very mature or educated mind, on behalf of the people who simply down-vote and or hate on this because of a gypsy stereotype...and not even a stereotype, a plot device, and one which as you said the character who does it regrets it and actually learns from their mistakes. So it goes from plot-device to character devleopment as well, which again is a device used well.
The reason you use the gypsies is the same reason why every Satan worshiper in film is some black robed nutcase...it's a plot device, not a statement about satanists, even though some idiots actually think that's the case, forgetting that those aren't satanists their cultists.
I find it funny you're being put through the ringer for this and yet No one bat's an eye when Sam Rami makes an entire film on the subject.
"it's still using a bigoted stereotype.
The "gypsy mystic" stereotype is racist.
I'm not going to debate this. It's unacceptable."
Are you kidding me...first off the gypsy mystic is no more a stereotype then the mystical black man, such as in legend of Bagger Vance, Bruce/Evan Almighty, Lawrence Fishbourn (from matrix)
if anything it is cliche not racist...but no more so then say the "finding a spell book, item of magical power" plot device which the show is notorious for, or the ancient curse cliche, again these are all plot devices to facilitate a plot.
I've read the freaking story and i never once gathered Smash, that you were making any racist or derogatory remarks to gypsies, if anything you were going by a cliche plot device, but you use it well and make it work, so who cares?
I find it very interesting you also have also seen the The Master, I actually quite like that movie and you're right Scientology is a plot device, the film is not one big propaganda piece for it, and it has more to do with the characters and their development.
And yeah it was ignored by critics, Funny how Argo gets Ben Affleck, class A status, despite the fact it glorifies the CIA who actually did the least out of the entire network of international work and of course the Canadian's sacrifice/effort among the British, Australia, New Zealand embassies etc.
But then again that was political, back when Iran was supposed to be the big new bad we all had to face, god it's funny looking back then compared to now.
But i degress, yeah no it seems there has to be special snowflakes that can't ironically look past superficial means and actually see what's behind the mask or the words etc. Everything is taken at face value, which can only work if you actually have experience and history with the thing involved.
For example your mom hating Harry potter becasue it has wizards is not new, lots of people (mainly religious) hate fantasy and or stories of witches and wizards because their religion makes them believe it's promoting black magic.
Because i know this when i see people who dislike such stories {for that reason} i understand, well that's cause of this, i don't immediately assume, oh there's something wrong with the book.
I say leave it on, stick with it, and just ignore the jackasses, and the sjw's, there's real racism, and real prejudice out there that's being enacted in laws, presidential elections, communities etc. but you're gonna complain becasue some person wrote a story with a cliche Gypsy plot-line that they then turn into a legit character and form of character development.
on your F*%$@ing bike!
I think that yes, the people commenting that are Social Justice Warriors, they're literally just looking around the web to insult people for being "satanic" or "Racist" or etc. Even in inappropriate context, the only way you could've been racist, is if all Gypsies were bad, and that happens in Cats Vs. Dogs movies ALL THE TIME, and no one bats an eye. . . Aside from that, it's just ridiculous that people would run around the internet looking for anything and everything even slightly flawed, just so that they could tell you how flawed it is. And yet it still happens, well, anyway, I wish you luck.
3872696 I completely agree too!
And I can relate, Smash. I have been hammered down for what I say and believe. Heck, it wasn't even a story. Just my personal life!
You shouldn't have changed a thing. You didn't do anything wrong.
Wow... Everything in this blog is so true. I remember yesterday or the day before when the victim posted a blog saying how racist your story was, with a link to your story. That was the person who said ,"How about no.". I didn't really care, I was just randomly pressing on the link. That's when I followed you. Now I realize I could have prevented all this hate from coming your way. If I had just stayed, and defended you. I'm sorry
3873689 Don't worry, I hope everyone involved learn from this. Keep smiling!
3874227 I sure did learn a lot.