Politically Correct History

I realised that I feel very uncomfortable with writing characters who are racist, sexist, or otherwise have a moral compass different to mine, but I don't want to write Politically Correct History. What should I do about this?

Honestly? Writing characters that are different from you is an important skill for writers, so I'd just learn how to write "ist" characters.

Although that said, it's also worth noting that Politically Correct History should only apply to actual historical fiction. If you're writing a fantasy work, it's entirely possible to set up your setting so that historical prejudices don't exist (although this should be carefully done, or you could get into trouble).

I think Huckleberry Finn is a good work to learn from in regards to the character of Huck. He's been raised under a moral code that's utterly appalling to modern readers, and he never quite figures out how to escape that code, but he does figure out how to bend it, and eventually even to work against it. (Finn is a very bad book to learn from in regards to the character of Jim, but that's another topic.)

As a side note, I think it's a little silly to insist that everyone have all the prejudices of their culture. The logical implication would be that everyone today has all the prejudices of modern culture, and I don't think that's true.

edited 8th Apr '12 3:25:51 PM by feotakahari

Well, it helps that we have the internet. I assume most cultures back in the day probably did not have that luxury. You tend to be more open minded when confronted with things that you wouldn't see normally. That, as well as other things that spread information, such as tv, radio and newspapers.

I agree with nrjxll: writing things outside your comfort zone is important to growing as a writer. Also keep in mind that characters can have all sorts of flaws and vices while still being sympathetic. If they grew up in a place that taught -isms, and they learned to abide by those -isms their whole lives, then it's hard to blame them for thinking that way: and they can still be rendered sympathetically if they're not super obnoxious and still have redeeming qualities outside their -isms.

That said, not every character you write has to be likable or relatable. Remember that a character being liked by the audience (or the author) is pretty much irrelevant compared to whatever role they play in the story.

Well, besides everything that everyone before me said, I guess I have a tip for you.

Try not to make it a big deal. I've met racists, mysoginists, homophobes, and other people with now-seen-as-obsolete prejudices, and while said prejudices are there, they're not that big a deal for them. They're just "the way things are", and accepted truths that they haven't, or don't want to, question. They don't go around insulting whoever they're prejudiced against, they don't go around making it known to everyone that they have that prejudice, it's just a part of them that oftentimes is barely worth a mention unless it is tied to the specific topic at hand.

If you really want to try to write a character like that believably, just put yourself in the shoes of someone who lives in a world where that prejudice is true. Where blacks are X and whites are Y, or men are Z and women are W, and that's all they are. Yes, it is an overly simplistic view, but try to see the (erroneous) assumptions the character has of whatever group of people is involved as true, and let that shape their worldview. As I said, to them it's just "the way the world is", there's nothing noteworthy about it.

I hope that helps