Writing the Politically-Wrong Other
Dan Goodman
President (George W. Bush, at that time.) I disagreed.
A Canadian then explained that I was a typical American who took his
opinions from television.
Three of my grandparents were Marxists; the fourth was an anarchist.
This is not a typical American heritage. And I don't watch
television.
And to the best of my knowledge, I don't know any American who take
their opinions from television. Most Americans can easily find TV
pundits they already agree with.
Would this Canadian have been more knowledgeable about Canadian
politics? I suspect not for provinces other than his own. Not for
other parts of his own province. And not about people in his own
area who have the annoying habit of voting wrong.
What follows will be US-concentric for two reasons. First, the US is
the country whose politics and inhabitants I understand best.
Second, I expect most of those who read this are Americans; and most
of the remainder would like to sell to American markets.
Some conservatives wonder why American Jews don't vote Republican.
After all, Jews have done so well thanks to capitalism.
Some liberals wonder why non-wealthy rural Americans do vote
Democratic. They've gotten so many benefits from liberal lawmakers.
Here's how to find out why Those People vote the wrong way: ask
them. Don't ask conservative experts on liberalism, or liberal
experts on conservatism.
Of course, maybe you don't really need to get inside their heads.
You only want to write dialog for characters built from cheap and
nasty cardboard. If you're a liberal, you can get everything you
need by reading The Nation. If you're a conservative, you can get
everything you need by reading National Review.
And after that nice fellow in Nigeria gives you all the money he's
promised, you'll have more than enough for self-publication.
Ever read fiction set in your area, by someone who's never been
there? Fiction with a character in your profession, by someone who
you can easily tell is an outsider? A story about people your age,
by someone who's obviously much older or much younger?
You need to talk with Those People -- and you need to listen to them
during the conversation. You need to read books, blogs, and
magazines written by Those People. And ideally, at least one of Those
People will read your manuscript before you submit it.
--
Dan Goodman
"I have always depended on the kindness of stranglers."
Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar Named Expire
Journal dsgood.dreamwidth.org (livejournal.com, insanejournal.com)
Bill Penrose
> And to the best of my knowledge, I don't know any American who take
> their opinions from television. Most Americans can easily find TV
> pundits they already agree with.
Yes indeed.
People learn their politics at home and watch and read things that
reinforce their ingrown bias. Every liberal should read Lakoff's
'Don't Think of an Elephant'. It's a real education in how
conservatives have analyzed the roots of political affiliation and
used it to engineer victory after victory in elections.
DB