#gender

The Crisis of Masculinity Is Actually a Crisis of Capitalism

In September, a former Cornell student sued the university and seven fraternity members, who she says drugged and raped her. Nobody was arrested; only two were expelled. According to her lawyer, some of the others were allowed to make up for it by writing an essay. All of which is to say: I understand why […] The post The Crisis of Masculinity Is Actually a Crisis of Capitalism appeared first on Electric Literature .

Electric Literature · EN

Best Practices for Religious Representation, Part I: Check for Traps

Religion suffuses role-playing’s most basic structure: the adventuring party with a fighter, thief, wizard, and cleric. Fantasy mainstays like demons, dragons, heavens and hells, pantheons, diverse monsters, and magic originate in religious lore. The decisions people make without thinking about their cosmology carry ideological weight that validates some demographics and denies others—and not even just in terms of religious identity. This article is a toolkit to help creators and players of games and fiction build religious characters and organizations, portray them with fairness and respect,

James Mendez Hodes · EN

Asian Representation and the Martial Arts

This article discusses how Asian martial arts stereotypes fit into orientalist dynamics, in which the Western gaze rewrites and reduces Asian experience to a cool violent thing for white consumption. I also point out how imperialist, exploitative attitudes complicate real-world martial arts practice. Finally, we’ll go over practical guidelines for representing Asian martial culture in your creative work. You’ll leave this article prepared not only to avoid racism, but also to craft stronger martial arts stories in general.

James Mendez Hodes · EN

Representation Tier List

Would you care for a slightly more organized and precise way to discuss representation in media? Do you promise not to reduce discussions of representation in media to just this method of organization? Yes and yes? Cool. Here’s a tier list. Casual media enjoyers may find it fun to mess around with. Critics might get a little more use out of it, though many experienced critics already have favorite rubrics of their own. But if you’re in the business of creating fiction, or especially of helping others deepen diverse and marginalized themes and content in their work—cultural consulting, for inst

James Mendez Hodes · EN