History SoYouWantTo / AvoidUnfortunateImplications

* Have multiple, varied examples of any given minority. [[Disney/{{Pocahontas}} If you must make the tribe chief bigoted and aggressive, make his daughter compassionate and open-minded]]. If your female protagonist is a proud warrior who's never picked up a saucepan in her life, place her alongside a peer or authority figure who's typically, confidently feminine- and whose personal agency ''doesn't'' [[RealWomenNeverWearDresses suffer]] for it. Increasing the emotional diversity of whatever group you're focusing on is the easiest way to avoid stereotyping- and create new plot opportunities, as well.

* Treat all characters as people regardless of race, gender, etc. Are characters of a specific group being marginalized or [[PositiveDiscrimination ludicrously idealized]]? Is the character a legitimate part of the story or is said character in it solely for the sake of filling a TokenMinority slot?

* Don't use real people as "freaks," and avoid the FreaksOfTheWeek trope like the plague. Transgender people are real human beings with feelings and real lives. As are little people. As are women with unusual hair growth. As are people in that freakish little scary subculture that just got torn to bits on Series/{{CSI}} or Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit. And so on. If you absolutely ''must'' have someone treated as a "freak" for laughs or in using someone's "freakishness" to amplify their villainy, either pick something not realistic or among real people and refrain from the pitfalls of FantasyCounterpartCulture while doing so, or, in the case of amplifying villainy, pick something real but that ''does'' have an effect of violence or murder (e.g. serious alcohol abuse with the alcohol abuser becoming a violent drunk, uncontrolled intermittent explosive disorder, a severe and uncontrolled impulse control disorder, or [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malignant_narcissism Malignant Narcissism]] ) as opposed to something that doesn't (e.g. being a punk or metalhead or goth, suffering from autism or anxiety or depression, or even having an antisocial personality or LackOfEmpathy but without any drive to violence from it)

** Is it for a {{Wangst}}y backstory or to make the viewers feel sad for/sorry for someone? Reconsider it. Look up TearJerker and think of ways OTHER than rape, because RapeIsTheNewDeadParents. RapeAsBackstory is overdone, and especially for throwaway angst, there's many other worthy ways it can happen than rape.

* Do be aware that the attempt to avoid ''some'' UnfortunateImplications can create ''others,'' and occasionally worse ones. For example, if you aren't careful picking a victim character to avoid BlackDudeDiesFirst or DisposableWoman or BuryYourGays, you can end up with one of the ones you ''didn't'' pick if that applies. Trying too severely to avoid the UnfortunateImplications in GetBackInTheCloset and HideYourLesbians and similar tropes can backfire into AllGaysArePromiscuous, and vice versa. Misogynist or sexist toward women unfortunate implications are a huge minefield for this - carelessly trying to avert them without an idea of why they are problematic can make a work seem misandrist and applying DoubleStandards - with racial implications being similar (e.g. having the white guy do the UncleTomfoolery in a case of PrettyFlyForAWhiteGuy doesn't instantly make it not-racist).

* Don't write-or publish, at the very least- anything at all. By doing so, you will never risk the chance of someone getting hurt or offended by your words.

** There are definitely examples of works set in TheDungAges-based fantasy worlds which use the misoginy racism of their settings to skewer the way these operate in the real world, but there are also definitely examples of these sorts of stories which use oppression as superficial window-dressing [[DarkerAndEdgier to indicate that it's 'gritty']] (or even as titillation). There isn't any reason to automatically assume a world where people can breathe underwater, walk on clouds, shoot fireballs out of their nostrils and use dragon dung as currency would have the exact same racial and sexual politics as 1950s America, and doing this would suggest, at least, a failure of your own imagination.

* Have multiple, varied examples of any given minority. [[Disney/{{Pocahontas}} If you must make the tribe chief bigoted and aggressive, make his daughter compassionate and open-minded]]. ]]. If your female protagonist is a proud warrior who's never picked up a saucepan in her life, place her alongside a peer or authority figure who's typically, confidently feminine- and whose personal agency ''doesn't'' [[RealWomenNeverWearDresses suffer]] for it. Increasing the emotional diversity of whatever group you're focusing on is the easiest way to avoid stereotyping- and create new plot opportunities, as well.

* Consider who you are putting at the center of the story. Is it reasonable for a MightyWhitey outsider to take leadership and save the day rather than native leaders with lots of experience of solving problems on their own turf? Remember that characters do not necessarily have to be white or heterosexual. Every culture has something to share, and having a more variegated cast adds a more diverse outlook on life. And [[LeadYouCanRelateTo main characters]] [[WhiteMaleLead are one of the least likely character types to be members of a minority]], which can send unfortunate implications that the straight white perspective is the most important or the 'default', so at least consider varying the POV character a little.

* Do be aware that the attempt to avoid ''some'' UnfortunateImplications can create ''others,'' and occasionally worse ones. For example, if you aren't careful picking a victim character to avoid BlackDudeDiesFirst or BuryYourGays, you can end up with one of the ones you ''didn't'' pick if that applies. Trying too severely to avoid the UnfortunateImplications in GetBackInTheCloset and HideYourLesbians and similar tropes can backfire into AllGaysArePromiscuous, and vice versa - with racial implications being similar (e.g. having the white guy do the UncleTomfoolery in a case of PrettyFlyForAWhiteGuy doesn't instantly make it not-racist).

* Have multiple, varied examples of any given minority. [[Disney/{{Pocahontas}} If you must make the tribe chief bigoted and aggressive, make his daughter compassionate and open-minded]]. Increasing the emotional diversity of whatever group you're focusing on is the easiest way to avoid stereotyping- and create new plot opportunities, as well.

** There are definitely examples of works set in TheDungAges-based fantasy worlds which use the racism of their settings to skewer the way these operate in the real world, but there are also definitely examples of these sorts of stories which use oppression as superficial window-dressing [[DarkerAndEdgier to indicate that it's 'gritty']] (or even as titillation). There isn't any reason to automatically assume a world where people can breathe underwater, walk on clouds, shoot fireballs out of their nostrils and use dragon dung as currency would have the exact same racial politics as 1950s America, and doing this would suggest, at least, a failure of your own imagination.

* Do not apply AlwaysChaoticEvil to ''any'' group of sapient beings -- race, ethnicity, nationality, age group, religion, gender, sexuality, species (whether you are writing SpeculativeFiction or not), etc. Ever. Even ideological movements populated by large numbers of true believers, or active conformists, inevitably have a handful of inactive conformists or quiet dissenters. Even ''[[UsefulNotes/NazisWithGnarlyWeapons the Wehrmacht]]'' had a handful of senior commanders who couldn't have been hung for War Crimes (admittedly among hundreds), and several actively good people were party members. For example, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Rabe John Rabe]] helped protect Chinese civilians in Nanking/Nanjing during the UsefulNotes/SecondSinoJapaneseWar, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oskar_Schindler Oskar Schindler]] protected Jews from enslavement, rental, and death during UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust, and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gert_Fr%C3%B6be Gert Fröbe]] (who's now known for his postwar acting career in movies like ''Film/{{Goldfinger}}'' and ''Film/ChittyChittyBangBang'') also helped Jews escape.

** Is it for RapeAsRedemption? Unless you do not care about being called out, censored or sued, avoid using the variant where someone is raped and this makes him or her "realize" how much he or she was engaging in risky behaviour, needs to settle down, acting provocatively etc... Any justification you may come up with will most likely fall flat on its face. Please note that victim-blaming is ''extremely'' likely to offend the audience, and even more so in the context of rape; the only possibly workable exceptions may be the UnreliableNarrator or a highly skillful BlackComedy. The rape or realization thereof being the HeelRealization moment for the ''rapist'' ''may'' be workable, ''as long as the victim is not being blamed by the narrative and the act of rape is not idealized or glorified or somehow sympathetic,'' '''''and''''' ''the victim doesn't exist solely for the redemption of the rapist.''

* AcceptableTargets won't be seen as such by everyone. No matter how acceptable you believe the target is, you should not be surprised if some of your audience disagrees. At the *very* least, expect members of that acceptable target group to be offended.

** Suicide and suicidal thoughts may be the ultimate act of violence to oneself, but most suicidal people ''aren't'' a risk to anyone other than themselves, unless somehow interrupted mid-suicide ''and'' armed with a lethal weapon like a gun. This is actually one of the worst depictions with [[TelevisionIsTryingToKillUs some of the worst implications possible]] - portraying suicidal people as evil, dangerous, or only capable of being dealt with by professionals encourages people who believe these depictions to abandon them out of fear rather than be what they need most - friends who can watch out for them and discuss their feelings without judgment or the threat of arrest and incarceration.

* Do not apply AlwaysChaoticEvil to ''any'' group of sapient beings -- race, ethnicity, nationality, age group, religion, gender, sexuality, species (whether you are writing SpeculativeFiction or not), etc. Ever. Even ideological movements populated by large numbers of true believers, or active conformists, inevitably have a handful of inactive conformists or quiet dissenters. Even ''[[UsefulNotes/NazisWithGnarlyWeapons the Wehrmacht]]'' had a handful of senior commanders who couldn't have been hung for War Crimes (admittedly among hundreds), and several actively good people were party members. For example, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Rabe John Rabe]] helped protect Chinese civilians in Nanking/Nanjing during the UsefulNotes/SecondSinoJapaneseWar, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oskar_Schindler Oskar Schindler]] protected Jews from enslavement, rental, and death during UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust, and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gert_Fr%C3%B6be Gert Fröbe]] (who's now known for his postwar acting career in movies like ''Film/{{Goldfinger}}'' and ''Film/ChittyChittyBangBang'') also helped Jews escape.)

* Do not apply AlwaysChaoticEvil to ''any'' group of sapient beings [[note]] race, ethnicity, nationality, age (young or old), religion, gender, sexuality, sexual orientation, species (whether you are writing SpeculativeFiction or not) [[/note]]. Ever. Even ideological movements populated by large numbers of true believers, or active conformists, inevitably have a handful of inactive conformists or quiet dissenters - even ''[[UsefulNotes/NazisWithGnarlyWeapons the Wehrmacht]]'' had a handful of senior commanders who couldn't have been hung for War Crimes (admittedly among hundreds), and several actively good people were party members [[note]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Rabe John Rabe]] helped protect Chinese civilians in Nanking/Nanjing during the UsefulNotes/SecondSinoJapaneseWar, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oskar_Schindler Oskar Schindler]] protected Jews from enslavement, rental, and death during UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust, and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gert_Fr%C3%B6be Gert Fröbe]] (who's now known for his postwar acting career in movies like ''Film/{{Goldfinger}}'' and ''Film/ChittyChittyBangBang'' also helped Jews escape [[/note]].

* Be ''very'' careful in regard to children or young teenagers (or childlike looking characters) and how you choose to depict them. The TokenMiniMoe, the Really700YearsOld childlike, and the underage-looking {{Uke}} may be nigh-omnipresent characters especially in {{anime}}, {{manga}}, and VisualNovels, but often these characters are created solely to pander to a [[{{lolicon}} specific]] [[{{shotacon}} demographic]], one you may not want your work associated with (or one you may not want associating with your work or yourself). If there is no valid plot or setting reason[[note]]e.g. DeliberateValuesDissonance as applied to mediaeval fantasy[[/note]] for their existence beyond a HandWave created just so they can be there, at least consider the idea of making the character an older teenager or an adult instead, ''especially'' if the character is portrayed as sexually available.

* Consider who you are putting at the center of the story. Is it reasonable for a MightyWhitey outsider to take leadership and save the day rather than native leaders with lots of experience of solving problems on their own turf? Remember that characters do not necessarily have to be white, male, or heterosexual. Every culture has something to share, and having a more variegated cast adds a more diverse outlook on life. And [[LeadYouCanRelateTo main characters]] [[WhiteMaleLead are one of the least likely character types to be members of a minority]], which can send unfortunate implications that the straight white male perspective is the most important or the 'default', so at least consider varying the POV character a little.

* Do be aware that the attempt to avoid ''some'' UnfortunateImplications can create ''others,'' and occasionally worse ones. For example, if you aren't careful picking a victim character to avoid BlackDudeDiesFirst or DisposableWoman or BuryYourGays, you can end up with one of the ones you ''didn't'' pick if that applies. Trying too severely to avoid the UnfortunateImplications in GetBackInTheCloset and HideYourLesbians and similar tropes can backfire into AllGaysArePromiscuous, and vice versa. Misogynist or sexist toward women unfortunate implications are a huge minefield for this - carelessly trying to avert them without an idea of why they are problematic can make a work seem misandrist and applying DoubleStandards - with racial implications being similar (e.g. having the white guy do the UncleTomfoolery in a case of PrettyFlyForAWhiteGuy doesn't instantly make it not-racist).

* Have multiple, varied examples of any given minority. [[Disney/{{Pocahontas}} If you must make the tribe chief bigoted and aggressive, make his daughter compassionate and open-minded]]. If your female protagonist is a proud warrior who's never picked up a saucepan in her life, place her alongside a peer or authority figure who's typically, confidently feminine- and whose personal agency ''doesn't'' [[RealWomenNeverWearDresses suffer]] for it. Increasing the emotional diversity of whatever group you're focusing on is the easiest way to avoid stereotyping- and create new plot opportunities, as well.

** There are definitely examples of works set in TheDungAges-based fantasy worlds which use the misogyny and racism of their settings to skewer the way these operate in the real world, but there are also definitely examples of these sorts of stories which use oppression as superficial window-dressing [[DarkerAndEdgier to indicate that it's 'gritty']] (or even as titillation). There isn't any reason to automatically assume a world where people can breathe underwater, walk on clouds, shoot fireballs out of their nostrils and use dragon dung as currency would have the exact same sexual and racial politics as 1950s America, and doing this would suggest, at least, a failure of your own imagination.

* Do not apply AlwaysChaoticEvil to a race, ethnicity, nationality, age (young or old), religion, gender, sexuality, sexual orientation, species (whether you are writing SpeculativeFiction or not), or groups of sentient beings in general. It can be less problematically applied to an institution or corporation or movement or whatever, but even with that, be careful to specify that every being in, say, a nation, does not belong to that group. Most Germans in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII weren't Nazis, for example. It's also good characterization not to make every single member of an organization [[CardCarryingVillain flat-out evil]] or monstrous, as that rarely is the case in real life. Hell, even the Nazi Party had its good eggs, including [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Rabe John Rabe]] (who helped protect Chinese civilians in Nanking/Nanjing during the UsefulNotes/SecondSinoJapaneseWar), [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oskar_Schindler Oskar Schindler]] (who worked tirelessly to help Jews escape UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust, as depicted in ''Film/SchindlersList''), and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gert_Fr%C3%B6be Gert Fröbe]] (who's now known for his postwar acting career in movies like ''Film/{{Goldfinger}}'' and ''Film/ChittyChittyBangBang'', but before that, he used his position in the Nazi Party to help Jews escape much like Schindler did).

* Do not apply AlwaysChaoticEvil to a race, ethnicity, nationality, age (young or old), religion, gender, sexuality, sexual orientation, species (whether you are writing SpeculativeFiction or not), or groups of sentient beings in general. It can be less problematically applied to an institution or corporation or movement or whatever, but even with that, be careful to specify that every being in, say, a nation, does not belong to that group. Most Germans in UsefulNotes/WorldWawrII weren't Nazis, for example. It's also good characterization not to make every single member of an organization [[CardCarryingVillain flat-out evil]] or monstrous, as that rarely is the case in real life. Hell, even the Nazi Party had its good eggs, including [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Rabe John Rabe]] (who helped protect Chinese civilians in Nanking/Nanjing during the UsefulNotes/SecondSinoJapaneseWar), [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oskar_Schindler Oskar Schindler]] (who worked tirelessly to help Jews escape UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust, as depicted in ''Film/SchindlersList''), and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gert_Fr%C3%B6be Gert Fröbe]] (who's now known for his postwar acting career in movies like ''Film/{{Goldfinger}}'' and ''Film/ChittyChittyBangBang'', but before that, he used his position in the Nazi Party to help Jews escape much like Schindler did).

* Do not apply AlwaysChaoticEvil to a race, ethnicity, nationality, age (young or old), religion, gender, sexuality, sexual orientation, species (whether you are writing SpeculativeFiction or not), or groups of sentient beings in general. It can be less problematically applied to an institution or corporation or movement or whatever, but even with that, be careful to specify that every being in, say, a nation, does not belong to that group. Most Germans in World War II weren't Nazis, for example. It's also good characterization not to make every single member of an organization [[CardCarryingVillain flat-out evil]] or monstrous, as that rarely is the case in real life. Hell, even the Nazi Party had some good eggs, including [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Rabe John Rabe]] (who helped protect Chinese civilians in Nanking/Nanjing during the UsefulNotes/SecondSinoJapaneseWar), [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oskar_Schindler Oskar Schindler]] (who worked tirelessly to help Jews escape UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust, as depicted in ''Film/SchindlersList''), and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gert_Fr%C3%B6be Gert Fröbe]] (who also helped Jewish families escape, and is now better known for acting in movies like ''Film/{{Goldfinger}}'' and ''Film/ChittyChittyBangBang'').

* Do not apply AlwaysChaoticEvil to a race, ethnicity, nationality, age (young or old), religion, gender, sexuality, sexual orientation, species (whether you are writing SpeculativeFiction or not), or groups of sentient beings in general. It can be less problematically applied to an institution or corporation or movement or whatever, but even with that, be careful to specify that every being in, say, a nation, does not belong to that group. Most Germans in World War II weren't Nazis, for example. It's also good characterization not to make every single member of an organization [[CardCarryingVillain flat-out evil]] or monstrous, as that rarely is the case in real life. Hell, even the Nazi Party had some good eggs, including [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Rabe John Rabe]] (who helped protect Chinese civilians in Nanking/Nanjing during UsefulNotes/TheSecondSinoJapaneseWar), [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oskar_Schindler Oskar Schindler]] (who worked tirelessly to help Jews escape UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust, as depicted in ''Film/SchindlersList''), and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gert_Fr%C3%B6be Gert Fröbe]] (who also helped Jewish families escape, and is now better known for acting in movies like ''Film/{{Goldfinger}}'' and ''Film/ChittyChittyBangBang'').

* Do not apply AlwaysChaoticEvil to a race, ethnicity, nationality, age (young or old), religion, gender, sexuality, sexual orientation, species (whether you are writing SpeculativeFiction or not), or groups of sentient beings in general. It can be less problematically applied to an institution or corporation or movement or whatever, but even with that, be careful to specify that every being in, say, a nation, does not belong to that group. Most Germans in World War II weren't Nazis, for example. It's also good characterization not to make every single member of an organization [[CardCarryingVillain flat-out evil]] or monstrous, as that rarely is the case in real life.

** There are definitely examples of works set in TheDungAges-based fantasy worlds which use the misogyny and racism of their settings to skewer the way these operate in the real world, but there are also definitely examples of these sorts of stories which use oppression as superficial window-dressing [[DarkerAndEdgier to indicate that it's 'gritty']] (or even as FetishFuel). There isn't any reason to automatically assume a world where people can breathe underwater, walk on clouds, shoot fireballs out of their nostrils and use dragon dung as currency would have the exact same sexual and racial politics as 1950s America, and doing this would suggest, at least, a failure of your own imagination.

** Be conscious of geopolitical and social context for political views as well: if you're writing a historical setting and your characters have certain political or philosophical views, make sure to research into how those views were well, viewed at the time: same for specific issues like women's emancipation, racism, homophobia etc. Keep in mind the implications of certain views as well: politics definitely doesn't exist in a vacuum, so some ideals or concepts may meet a completely different reception due to social attitudes or recent events. For example, anarchism in the early 20th century had a bad reputation amongst the wider public, especially due to high-profile assassinations by anarchist groups or individuals. While it's not particularly well-favored today, it's less maligned, and also less active on the ground.

* There will always be racist people out there [[MisaimedFandom that try to use your work to confirm their (often unfairly biased) beliefs]]. As a writer you can try to make clear that they are clearly part of the MisaimedFandom. If you for instance write about a black character (and aren't black yourself), it is a good thing to look at sites like [[http://www.springhole.net/writing/offensivemistakes.html this one]] or [[http://midnightbreakfast.com/writing-people-of-color this]] to see how NOT to write a black character.

** On the other hand, beware of RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil. Do not treat rape as the epitome of heinousness in a story where other villains commit crimes just as bad or worse, such as genocide, harming or killing children, or ColdBloodedTorture. Rape is disgusting, but presenting it as worse than murdering and torturing thousands of people is just as offensive than trying to justify it. It's all about good measure in the end.

** Be careful how you handle religion in your story. Generally avoid using a real-life religion, beyond having characters who ascribe to a religion, if you don't know much about it, especially if it's a religion you disapprove of or if you disapprove of religion altogether. It's best to go to the source and research the religious texts yourselves since, in some cases, some religious teachings or even texts can be interpreted differently. Similar care should be taken if you make [[CrystalDragonJesus a fictional counterpart to a real religion]]. As with sociopolitical issues, do not assume that two ideologies that seem to be at odds in some issues will be polar opposites in all things. If you are trying to promote a particular religion in your story, keep in mind that not everyone in your audience may have the same views as you and handle other faiths in a respectful manner.

** Be conscious of geopolitical and social context for political views as well: if you're writing a historical setting and your characters have certain political or philosophical views, make sure to research into how those views were well, viewed at the time: same for specific issues like women's emancipation, racism, homophobia etc. Keep in mind the implications of certain views as well: politics definitely doesn't exist in a vacuum, so some ideals or concepts may meet a completely different reception due to social attitudes or recent events. For example, anarchism in the early 20th century had a bad reputation amongst the wider public, especially due to high-profile assassinations by anarchist groups or individuals. While it's not particularly well-favoured today, it's less maligned, and also less active on the ground.
* Be aware of what your characters have in common, not just traits, but their roles in the story, their reactions, and the events that involve them. Be careful not to give the same sort of plots to the same type of characters; if you do it often enough, it creates the impression that those events and reactions are inherent to that ''type'' of character, not to the character as a developed individual. For a short example, if a large number of your female characters have episodes of [[HystericalWoman irrational, inconsolable panic]], but your male characters don't, it leads to the impression that in your work, women are just naturally irrational. If your LGBT characters all [[BuryYourGays die]], and especially of AIDS or kinky sex accidents or in a particularly spiteful way for the work, it leads to the impression that you're expressing hatred toward real LGBT people. Consistent, repeated depictions can look like endorsements.

** Don't confuse 'strong female character' with 'a female character who is physically strong' - a 'strong female character' is a female character with a strong ''personality'', who has some inner depth and has an existence outside of being a plot device. If that's satisfied, she can be anything on the spectrum between an extreme {{Badass}} and a UselessProtagonist with all sorts of {{Phobia}}s, and still be a great and powerful character. There is a fallacy that a one-dimensional ImpossibleGenius ActionGirl is automatically less sexist than a one-dimensional DamselInDistress ScreamingWoman. The truth is that both characters still come off as sexist because they are both the result of writing women as props or ideas rather than people, and both present worrying implications about the expectations the writer has of women. A common example is the character who is written as brilliant to make her a more appealing TokenRomance for the AuthorAvatar male character, so he can look cooler himself by proving himself 'worthy' of her love - usually characters like this will [[FauxActionGirl end up being useless in the final act, so the hero can take care of it, with their abilities and achievements included only for aesthetic colour]].