corvids
hi why tf is every fiction recommendation list Like That
like, if nothing else, you could At Least recommend authors based on how well they match the specific genre you're listing instead of just whether they're cis white men
i mean for fucks sake ursula k le guin gets left out of a lot of these lists and shes cis, white, and one of the best d__n authors in most of these genera. but you know how many poc authors get fucking Mentioned in fantasy or s.f. recommendation lists? ABSOLUTELY NONE OF THEM. with the sole exception of if somebody is specifically recommending afrofuturism, because that's....literally not written by white people ever
queer authors who aren't Writing About Being Queer sometimes get on these lists, but they pretty much have to be cis. definitely no enbies
so like....who taf are these recommendation lists even For??? they exclude all the authors of any decent quality
anyway im mad about this partly bc it just makes life difficult (i want to read actually good books) but largely because it's a mechanism by which marginalised groups are prevented from being able to voice their experiences and especially share common experiences with one another? and of course the fact that it plays into minorities not being recognised for their incredible contributions to literature throughout history
hello yes the number of axes by which various types of power are leveraged to perpetuate the disenfranchisement of marginalised peoples is absolutely staggering and the existence of a Single One of those axes is Absolutely Fucking Inexcusable. if these were systems that just happened to be perpetuating oppression it would be immoral to keep them in place. but these were Deliberately Designed to do this. the fact that they exist At All is unforgivable
it'd be nice if there were a way for me to just. talk to people like me, y'know? or at least get to hear what somebody from a similar culture has to say. but the mechanisms of oppression have been designed to isolate us, and the only way for me to come into contact with people of my culture(s) is if i happen to meet them in person. there is no convenient selection of authors who resemble me, or social networks for refugees, or anything like that. i know no one outside my family who's like me