Let's Talk about Your Racism

Let's talk about your racism.

As I submit to various magazines, I have noticed a disturbing trend in the submission guidelines. It's that hate-filled word "diversity." Such a lovely word, I think that it rolls off the tongue. But it hides hatred and bigotry. Why do you say that, Mr. Hyde?

I'm glad that you asked because the trend for getting more diverse writers is by excluding others. I actually ran across submission guidelines today that said that they wouldn't take stories about white men unless it's in a satirical manner. I often see magazines that do not accept stories from white men. Excuse me, they don't take stories from STRAIGHT, white men.

Let us pretend that I started a magazine, "Hyde's Hardcore Hardcover" or something else stupid like that, and in my submission guidelines, I said that I do not accept stories written by or about lesbian, Asian women.

Would that be wrong of me? Yes, on many levels. That would be sexist, racist, and homophobic. And even worse… I would be missing out on the opportunity to read an awesome story. I don't know who she is but I am sure that somewhere out there an Asian lesbian is writing a mind-blowing story — maybe about grapes. I don't know why it's about grapes in my imagination. I may be snackish.

Now we get to talk about how it is still racism to exclude someone because of their color, even if that color is white. It is wrong to exclude someone because of their sex, even if their sex is male. It is wrong to exclude someone because of their sexual orientation, even if they are straight. Don't try the words "reverse racism" on me. I am a writer. I have read the dictionary and racism is not defined by the colors of the persons who hold it, or who it is against.

Please, for the love of Malcolm, don't tell me that it's about empowerment. You don't gain equality by looking down. White people don't become empowered by excluding blacks. We become racists. Hey, guess what? If you exclude men… then you too are a sexist.

Yes, magazines should have stories about and involving LGBT and people of color. (By the way, calling a black person "colored" is an insult, morons.) And yes, you should try to get more writers all across the rainbow of humanity to submit to your magazines, but you cannot do that by alienating a large segment of readers. And you shouldn't be doing it because it's suddenly realized that people besides cis men have money. You should include the whole rainbow because they can write a good story.

This, if you are an editor, should be your main priority: giving a reader something really good to read, because a typewriter doesn't care what type of person uses it. And readers, if they are mature adults, really don't care what the writer does when they are not writing. People want to read a good story. They want to be entertained.

Would you like to know how to get the whole rainbow reading your magazine and or book? Is it by pandering and showing that you can be diverse? No, you do it by putting in mind-blowing stories. Stories that have characters with character, and stories with intriguing plots, because no matter how many different colors that you make your people, no matter who the characters prefer in bed, if the stories don't hold up then no one will read it.

Bigotry is not only from people who look like me. Sometimes, it's in your mirror.