A way with worlds: 31 - Losing the Race

Years ago, someone told me Star Trek was racist.

This, of course, stunned me. The original series broke down barriers. It dealt with racism. The Next Generation series dealt with issues too, and . . .

No, said this person, the racism was directed towards aliens, many of whom were stereotypical in some way. Humans were diverse, aliens were very much alike, in this persons opinion, each having a set of stereotypical qualities. In short, stereotyped by the writers the way some people may stereotype ethnic groups.

This got me thinking. It stuck with me for a long time.

Later, I heard complaints that Star Wars: The Phantom Menace had racial stereotypes, using classic stereotypes to define races. I heard arguments about it . . .

I thought some more.

Over time, I came to realize an interesting fact: you could be racist towards your own creations. You can make your races in your worlds stereotypical. Fictional worlds were filled with this.

When this happens it can be boring and glaringly obvious and limit people's ability to enjoy the story as well as your ability to write it. It could clog your mind with your own limitations.

So, of course, I decided to write a column on it.

CREATION BY STEREOTYPE:
The problem is that when creating whole new races is that people tend to make them stereotypical: "race X is violent, race Y is wise, etc."

This, in the end, is often just creating by stereotypes - I need a wise race, I need a forest race, I need a villain race. Too often the stereotypes applied to characters are applied to races - villain, brain, warrior, miser, etc.

First of all, let's be honest - this is just laziness. It avoids fine detail, it avoids good explanations, it avoids really exploring the details that enrich your story. When it happens to characters, it can have negative effects on the depth and believability of your work - when it happens to entire races, it amplifies these negative effects. One character being unbelievable is understandable - an entire part of your universe being unbelievable is quite another.

Also, it can become rather boring for the reader "Oh, look, a Kurakian War Mage. Wow, I wonder if he's going to be the villain . . . wow, another kidnapped princess, what do you know." Stereotyped characters are at least one person, but a stereotyped race can be an endless source of potential stereotypes, giving you a crutch that can end up making your story less credible and boring your readers (and possibly you).

FOCUS - ADAPTABILITY:
Now non-sentient races may be more stereotypical because they're in an ecological nice. However, in dealing with sentient races, races that are intelligent and adaptable, it becomes harder and harder to explain.

Take a look at the one sentient species we know: humans. We exist in every environment on our planet. The difference between a New Yorker and a South American native hunter could practically be the difference between species. Our intellect, our sentience, gives us the ability to adapt.