On Culture, Customs, Class lines, and Outsiders

A writer I occasionally follow wrote about an observation he made at a Thai restaurant. It seems like he did an exercise that all of us writers do when we people-watch, make the observation and create a story to go with it.  When the hostess/woman and waiter at the counter bowed to a non-assuming asian college student, the assumption that it was a sign of respect to someone of higher stature.  He wrote that this bowing and the girl's hand-wave was a clear and overt display of class distinction where the lower class revered the higher class. There was also the supposition that the US doesn't have hard lines of class distinction. It's a "quirk" of "our" culture.  By "our" did he mean "American?" Was there a presumption that the "young Asian-American college student" didn't share in the "American" culture since she was clearly part of the "other" culture?

I had a slightly visceral reaction to his post mainly because of all the second generation baggage I grew up with (some would define me as 1st gen since I was born in the US, but my parents are immigrants). Additionally, I have all of the cultural the baggage that comes from growing up in a cultural enclave. Also, if a person has not experienced/observed class lines & distinctions, have not had to navigate those lines, then (s)he is in a position of privilege (but not so privileged that (s)he identified as part of the elite class).

That being said, I think a presumption of culture, rituals, and protocol is a slippery slope towards misrepresentation, stereotyping, and covert racism. As authors and writers, I think it's important to do our best to truly understand a culture before we build a world that incorporates aspects of it.

So... I'm just going to present 2 videos that represent...

1)




And 2) ... as food for thought.





What about you? What's your take on cultural gestures, customs, and the like? Do you know of any writer who did a great job at creating and/or representing different cultures? Any authors/writers that you've read (or work you've seen) who created a unique/distinct culture that is not easily (or disrespectfully) identifiable as "ethnic"?

On Gender

I love a strong female character, specifically, a strong female protagonist. Even better when that female protagonist breaks gender roles. One of the best examples of strong females in a gender-role bending fantasy world is the Dark Jewels series by Anne Bishop. Queens rule and women automatically wield more power then men. Yet, Bishop manages to balance societal the role-reversals without compromising the masculinity and femininity of the male and female characters respectively.

My favorite Greek classic? Antigone, of course. A woman who stands up against the authority of the house patriarch and the head of state.  I've also been fascinated by the accounts of female pharaohs and the Queens that were the heads of state. 

Female rulers were not unheard of, but were rare. And most of the time, that rulership came with a caveat - acting Regent until the Crown Prince comes of age, or only succeeded to the throne if there were no sons in the family. Even Queen Elizabeth I kept her reign for as long as she did due to her refusal to marry and was lauded as "The Virgin Queen." 

A writer in one of the communities I belong to posed a question to the group. He was changing the gender of one of his characters from male to female. And due to this, came across a stumbling block in a line of dialog where the character references male genitalia in a nearly crude way. This got me to thinking about gender and its place in a fantasy world. I passed along the questions I'd asked myself when I was world building. 

How is gender treated in your world? Does a female warrior have something to prove? If it is rare enough that she is the only female in the group... does she constantly have to prove herself? Is she the only female in a unit? Squad? Platoon? In the entire army? Does she sleep in the barracks with the men or does she get her own quarters? Are there traditional gender roles and this character breaks that mold? If there are female warriors, fighters, mercenaries and knights, are their also male servants? Male servants to female gentiles (in lieu of handmaids) or without the need to make those males into eunuchs? Are you in a patriarchal society? Matriarchal? Is it taboo for a woman to lead her house? Are masculine women part of the norm? Are there feminine heterosexual men that are part of the norm? Can a woman legally have property or does her property become her husband's when she marries? Is female virginity sacred? 

The gender of a character is really touchy. Keep in mind that gender equality is not the same as gender neutral. If a female character acts exactly as a male character would, she might come off as "butch."  If we make the assumption that gender in the fictional world is similar to modern gender roles... A male character has male privilege. There are some things that are assumed that a man can do and a woman needs to work doubly hard to prove herself "in a man's world." You'd rarely see a man work doubly hard to prove himself in a "woman's world." Hell, sometimes, a male has to defend his masculinity if he wants to delve into an area that is considered to be a "woman's" domain. 

What are your thoughts on gender roles, masculinity, and femininity in fantasy and sci-fi? What is the norm in your world?