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The State of Black Science Fiction Panel @ Dragon Con


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Great discussion! One of my fav quotes: "...hey we forgot to put the black guy in there..." - Milton.

Funny, on point, and insightful. I just love my peeps! The talks regarding whether or not a non-black author can write black sci-fi reminds me of one of the discussions on this board.

I'm still watching, but I think that when I'm done, I may just pick up a sci-fi book. I used to like science fiction as a kid. Wouldn't mind getting back into it. Thanks for sharing.

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Hey Milton I watched most of the video a couple of nights ago. It was good to hear you and the others interact.

I do think non-black people can write Black stories with Black characters -- even stories about slavery, etc. All good authors write outside their personal experience. Sure it is hard and requires research, but if this was not the case all novels would be contemporary, based upon the personal experiences of the writer. Writing from this perspective is limiting and ultimately boring.

If fact, writing outside one's experience is just the thing that makes sci-fi so fascinating -- you can create characters that are not even real and run with it doing that well takes imagination. A sci-fi writer will need to put themselves into the shoes of an alien life-form -- even if they were never an alien. Right?

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It's a difference writing an alien as opposed to writing about a known human experience. I actually think that no person can write a good alien, because that alien will contain some characteristic that is human. We cannot write outside of our experience. An alien, more than likely will be just that, alien. It will do and think things that will be totally incomprehensible to us, but make perfect sense to it. At least that's what I think. That's why I don't do aliens.

All the cultures and situations created in science fiction and fantasy contain some element that we can relate to, because in the end they are about the human experience. There are so many variations on those themes that we'll tell stories forever. A number of people disagreed with me and I respect that. All I know is that when I read fiction about slavery written by black people the same experience by white authors there is a significant difference. White authors tend to stick to the stereotypical portrayal, while black authors 'go in,' being unafraid to deal with the ugly side of slavery. I believe the same pertains to racism as well.

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Milton, these quotes illustrates why I don't follow your argument,

We cannot write outside of our experience

White authors tend to stick to the stereotypical portrayal, while black authors 'go in,' being unafraid to deal with the ugly side of slavery.

There is no Black person alive that was enslaved. There is probably no one alive that knew anyone that was enslaved. While the impact of slavery effects us today in incalculable ways. No one really knows what it was like to have actually been enslaved in the American south -- therefore writers are forced to write outside their experience -- and this is fine. If you agree with this then you'd have to agree that both Black and white people are at the same disadvantage trying to develop a "real" character.

Of course both Black and white writers can read about the experiences of enslaved Black people. If the writers are equally skilled, I submit they would be equally able to write a good character. In fact many Black writers are culturally indistinguishable from your average white American (they grew up in a mostly white communities, went to mostly white schools, etc). In fact, one could argue that since black folks are more likely to be emotionally charged about slavery they would be more biased, less objective and create characters that are less historically accurate.

What a black writer is perhaps better able to do is develop a character that resonates more with Back readers, because of a greater likelihood of that author and the Black reader have similar backgrounds and shared experiences. This does not mean that the enslaved character is more "real".

I'll agree Black folks have an advantage when writing racism in the 21st century -- living something is completely different than reading about it.

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In regard to Troy and MIlton's disagreement, I would suggest that aliens come in many variations. They can look unsual, their speech can be strange, their intellect can be advanced or - all of the above. But if they are life forms that have found their way to our world, then establishing an interaction between them and Earthlings should invoke a writer's imagination. That's what creativity is all about! And one advantage is that there are no restrictions in writing about these entities because the author has a built-in explanation for them perfoming the impossible fantastic things that make for exciting reading: They're aliens!

As for the subject of slavery, black folks have to be quite restrained when writing about this subject, because it's a no-no to even suggest that all slavers were not miserable. This inhibition makes it difficult for a black writer to portray anything but a slanted view because to do otherwise would risk being ostracized. Living in bondage is not unique to black people. and being unshackled is not unique to white people. Some where between these two states is a truthfulness about how life possiblly was in the distant past. But legacies are more about dramatizing and exulting the events which they preserve.

Keying in all caps supposedly denotes loudness and sometimes anger. I assume Hickson is not angry when he comes here, but he certainly wants to call attention to what he is hawking. Does he succeed???

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PEACE & GHETTOHEAT®, NAH'SUN! THE QUESTION SHOULD HAVE BEEN: "HICKSON, WHY CAN'T YOU POST YOUR AVI PIC ANYMORE???" LOL! NAH'SUN, I'VE BEEN POSTING IN ALL CAPS SINCE 2003: IT'S MY THING! EVERYBODY HAS THEIR OWN SIGNATURE. ONE MUST DO WHAT IS NECESSARY TO STAND TALL & OUT OF THE ABYSS.... SORRY FOR YOUR SORE EYES: READJUST & FOCUS WHILE CONTINUING ON WITH THE GHETTOHEAT® MOVEMENT! MUCH SUCCESS TO YOU!

PEACE & GHETTOHEAT®, CYNIQUE! TOTALLY NOT ANGRY WHEN I POST HERE! I'M SO HAPPY RIGHT NOW & IN A GREAT PLACE IN LIFE, IN LIEU OF THE PUBLISHING INDUSTRY'S MADNESS, & WHAT SURROUNDS ME AT TIMES.... FULL OF LIFE, OPTIMISM, IN LOVE WITH A PERSON WHO HAS MY BACK TOTALLY, SEES ME FOR ALL THAT I AM: EVEN WITH EYES CLOSED, & SOON TO BE MARRIED--NOW ENGAGED (#GHETTOHEATGAYMARRIAGE!).... LOL! PROUD TO ALSO BE APPROACHING 10 YEARS IN THE PUBLISHING ARENA, WHICH IS AN ACCOMPLISHMENT IN ITSELF, CONSIDERING ALL I'VE BEEN THROUGH TO REMAIN HERE & STILL BE ABLE TO BE POSITIVE, LOVE WHAT I DO, NOT JADED OR A WHORE TO THE GAME! FUNNY THING IS I'VE JUST BEGUN...NOW, I WILL NO LONGER HOLD BACK & TOY WITH EVERYONE: LIKE THE OJAYS SAY: "GIVE THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT!" :0) SO, NO, I'M NOT SHOUTING: I'M JUST HAPPY & ERECT! I WISH YOU WELL, CYNIQUE!

MR. TROY JOHNSON, PEACE & GHETTOHEAT®, & LOVE TO YOU ALWAYS: EVEN WHEN YOU DON'T RETURN MY EMAILS... :0) YES, I KNOW, I KNOW, YOU'RE A BUSY MAN--SO AM I: I'M DOING THE GIG OF 10 MEN (STILL WITHOUT STAFF OR INTERNS). I SEE YOU HAVE STARTED A CONVERSATION FOR ME ABOUT MY "CAPS"--TOO FUNNY! LETS GO TO THE LINK, WORLDWIDE: The "All Caps" Hickson

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Family

I admire your grind, and I’m not telling you how you post

However, you should take in consideration that it seems like you’re yelling when you type…consistently posting in CAPS is unprofessional

It looks like you’re spamming as well

I know you’ve been posting CAPS since forever because I’ve been lurking the boards for years before I recently registered as a member

With that said, I usually skip over your comments and threads which is a shame because I’m sure you have something meaningful to say, and also write as far as your books

I'm not straining my eyes to follow a post that's typed in all CAPS

Just words to the wise

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NAH'SUN, EVERYONE HAS THEIR OWN OPINION: YOU CERTAINLY ARE ENTITLED TO YOURS. KNOWING AS YOU SAID THAT I MAY HAVE "SOMETHING MEANINGFUL TO SAY" IS MORE THAN ENOUGH REASON TO PERHAPS ACTUALLY READ THE POSTS. YET, AS I SAID IN MY POST THAT MR. TROY JOHNSON TITLED, "WHY HICKSON POSTS IN ALL CAPS' (The "All Caps" Hickson ) , I CAN'T PLEASE EVERYONE, NOR AM I TRYING TO.... NAH'SUN, THERE ARE MORE IMPORTANT THINGS GOING ON IN THIS INDUSTRY & IN THE WORLD AS A WHOLE: I CHOOSE TO FOCUS ON WHAT MATTERS AND IMPORTANT TO ME, & MY FAMILY WHOM I PROTECT AT ALL COSTS....

PEACE AND GHETTOHEAT®!

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Hickson, I'm glad you took the "ALL CAPS" Hickson in stride.

But I think Nah'Sun was busting your chops by saying you were getting hostile. Remember, all cap means SCREAMING. Of course now we know, in your case, it all caps does not mean screaming therein lies the joke. But in the case Nah'Sun was not joking -- the statement struck me as funny.

Interesting how we've managed to completely digress from Milton's subject -- sorry Milton :(

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LOL! TOTALLY IN GOOD SPIRITS & GREAT FUN! TROY, I THINK YOU ALREADY KNOW I'M A COOL DUDE! I'VE NEVER MET NAH'SUN & THE OTHERS HERE, BUT THEY ALL SEEM TO BE POSITIVE FOLKS AS WELL. YET, EVEN WITH ME BEING DOWN TO EARTH, NO ONE HERE HAS ANY IDEA WHAT I'VE BEEN DEALING WITH BEHIND THE SCENES WITH OTHERS IN THIS INDUSTRY, ONES THAT I'M SUING: EVEN THOSE I CLAIMED AS FAMILY, EATING AT THEIR TABLE, SLEEPING IN THEIR PLACE OVERNIGHT & SELLING MANY UNITS FOR, I HAVE TO SUE FOR NON-PAYMENT; ONE HERE PROMOTING A YOUTUBE CLIP ON YOUR WEBSITE.... BESIDES THE EVER-CHANGING DYNAMICS OF THIS INDUSTRY, & THE MESS MANY HAVE MADE THAT I'VE CLEANED, THIS ORDEAL HAS BEEN ANNOYING, YET I WILL PREVAIL, TRUST ME.... EVERYONE, CONTINUE ON WITH YOUR QUEST, TAKE CARE OF YOUR BUSINESS THOROUGHLY: & KNOW THAT "ALL CAPS HICKSON" WILL NOT LET UP ON THE CAP LOCK BUTTON! HAHAHAHAH! :0) ONE LOVE!

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Hickson, you are the only one who has posted here more than a few times that I've actually met too. I used to think you are Biotumelo were the same people. A couple of time Biotumelo posted all caps AND no spaces :o. But he admitted his space keys was not working.

Poets often type all lower case perhaps for the opposite reason you type in all caps.

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