on representation

[harborshore]

I was going to write a long and thoughtful entry on representation in fiction and how Gail Simone, for instance, gets it right, and I will still write that entry, but I hit a point where I'm a little too angry to write it.

The thing is, representation is an important issue in more ways than in fiction, and tonight on Swedish television in a segment on Hassa Helal, the Saudi poet, there was a blatant example of Doing It Wrong. Very unfortunate: it was on a talk show I quite like (it's about literature). Even more unfortunate: it's not like this is an isolated uniquely Swedish issue.

Standard disclaimers apply: I'm very capable of being wrong, and please tell me if you think I am.



Tonight I watched the Swedish television show Babel. It's normally a very good show, often thoughtful and funny and they feature authors like Sarah Waters. Smart people talking about good literature on TV! I am fond.

However.

Tonight they had a segment on Hassa Helal, a Saudi Woman who finished third in an enormous (and lucrative) poetry competition in Abu Dhabi and how the poem she wrote and read on live TV criticizing the fatwa has meant she is now living under death threats. I have tried to track down video of her reading her poems, but they're so far not turning up. The linked article has a partial translation.

At any rate, it was a decent program segment, apart from one (fairly important) factor: they never showed an entire reading of the poem from beginning to end, or even more than three stanzas at a time. This is pretty ridiculous: one can assume that watchers of a show about books can read subtitles without becoming bored.

In this case it also had the very unfortunate effect of silencing Helal--the segment was on how her poem had earned her death threats from the clergy, but we never got to hear the whole poem. And to make matters worse, the following discussion consisted of trying to take this issue to some sort of abstract level of talking about poetry in general--it was bizarre and infuriating. Political/protest poetry (as this must be categorized) is a very particular genre, and it comes off as positively stupid to talk about an author living under death threats as if she is working under conditions that resemble those a Swedish author work under. I just--I'm too angry to be coherent. It was awful.

To make matters even more problematic: the authors taking part in the discussion were all white. Which, when they were so naive and weird about what she was doing (missing the point entirely, you might say), was really hard to watch. I left the room halfway through when one of them said something like, "I just don't think poets care that much about political issues." Right. You've never had to.

And all of it just--look, we only allow certain voices authority, so of course all the people participating in the Discussion of Informed Commentary were white. Of course Helal wasn't allowed to read her whole poem, because--I can't even come up with the rationale for that one. I can't--yeah, coherency is escaping me.

I'm going to rewrite this into some sort of coherent non-emotional academic-sounding Swedish and email the program creators, yes I am.

But while I'm discussing representation, can we all agree to think about it more? In the realm of fiction as well as real life. Keep an eye on who is speaking, on who gets to be the avatar of the human experience in a work of literature or film, on who is given authority, who gets to explain, on who is cast as good (and many-layered), who is the funny helper, who is the villain. In your own writing and in the things you see and read.

Ours is not a world where voices are allowed equal weight, and quite frankly I'm beyond tired of having to walk around in a world where white straight dudes get to speak for me but I somehow get to speak for Kitty, because my white trumps her black even when we're both more or less queer women. None of it makes any sense; none of it is fair.

Watch the representation in your own creations (see if you can have a random doctor be a woman and a professor be a POC, and if you find yourself writing a story where the villain is the only POC character, perhaps think on it a bit), watch for it on the news, yell about it when you get the chance. And if someone can find a video of Hassa Helal reading her poem, please let me know, because I want to repost it here and email it around. She deserves to be heard again and again and again.

Comments

[ignipes.livejournal.com]

"I just don't think poets care that much about political issues."

Oh, no no no no no.

What you're saying about voices and representation is something I've been thinking a lot about lately. Thank you for posting about this.

[desfinado.livejournal.com]

This is unfortunate to hear, and I couldn't agree with you more. Thanks for sharing it. You should definitely write that letter!

My job right now is working with aboriginal people and, as a white girl, I am always trying so hard to listen and learn and respect, to be soooo mindful of my privilege. But just yesterday I got all excited about taking a workshop on native plants and asked my supervisor if they could pay my registration fee. All he asked was: "is the native plant workshop taught by native people?" and right, of course, it WASN'T because I didn't think of it -- I don't have to think of it because of my privilege. I was definitely humbled... it's a learning process!

[redbrickrose.livejournal.com]

This is really a great post. Thank you.

[kyasuriin.livejournal.com]

the representation thing in fiction is tricky. I think there's a fine line between representation and tokenism. I read a really good article on it not too long ago and I wish I remembered where I read it - either a literature blog or magazine, but as if I can remember which one - where they talked about both and questions to ask while reading/writing. (it was sort of like this but less point-formy).
I've been sort of playing around with an original fic idea where the protagonists best friend is Indian. She just sort of jumped into my head fully formed that way (possibly because my best guy friend is Indian but who knows) and it wasn't a deliberate 'insert POC here' thing but the article made me think about it more, made me wonder if that was how it would be seen.

IDK. I tend to be sort of naive about the world that way :\ (but at least I recognize I am and am trying to get into different thought patterns)

[delphinapterus.livejournal.com]

Your post makes good points. I'm looking forward to reading the longer one you mentioned. I like your point on representation and it reminds how easy it easy to over look problematic representation in fiction when I'm really getting into the plot.

I found a partial translation of Hassa Helal's poem at the bottom of the page but it doesn't seem to give a link to the full poem. The article did mention that Hassa Helal is also known as Rimeyyah but I wasn't clear if that is the name she write under.

Out of curiosity have you seen the latest issue of Simmon's Bird of Prey?

[x_dark_siren_x]

and it comes off as positively stupid to talk about an author living under death threats as if she is working under conditions that resemble those a Swedish author work under

Okay, I admit I was maybe a tad confused on - not what you were saying, but how to contextualise it in my mind. I think it's a combination of not having seen the show and just waking up. But then you said that, and there was this horrible clunk in my head were everything just sort of fell into place.

"I just don't think poets care that much about political issues." No. No no, no no no. Do they even read poetry outside their own little bubble? I'm not a big, big poetry fan (though that is slowly changing, mostly thanks to you) but even I know how much fail is in that sentence. It practically screams privileged.

Ours is not a world where voices are allowed equal weight, and quite frankly I'm beyond tired of having to walk around in a world where white straight dudes get to speak for me but I somehow get to speak for Kitty, because my white trumps her black even when we're both more or less queer women. None of it makes any sense; none of it is fair. ♥ Quite simply, yes. I'm noticing it more and more - whether because I'm older, paying more attention or just, circumstances and people around me have changed - but yes. Everything you said there.

If you do find a reading of it, let me know?

[mrsquizzical.livejournal.com]

thanks so much for this post. much food for thought here.

[modillian.livejournal.com]

Yes, I get what you're saying. It's very disempowering that the hosts were so inept at relating to her and not getting the meat of her work. It's not just good enough that a diverse group of people can talk, but that they also can have a medium/audience that is responsive to them and welcoming to their communication so they can be understood fully. Bits and pieces incoherent do not make a whole. :\