We all write like white people...

[sable_twilight]

...and most of us write like white men.

Have you noticed this?

I've noticed that this "I write like..." meme has been sweeping through my friend's page again. While I briefly entertained myself briefly with comparing some of my own differing writing styles, I really was not inspired with commenting about it until this morning.

It seems that all the results people are coming up with are white writers. And most of them are men.

*sigh*

Isn't it time our lists of "great writers" be expanded to include more women and people of color?

I would like to thank sophiaserpentia for bringing this to my attention this morning. In addition, I would like to point out to the posts by Tea Berry-Blue - We All Write Like White Men and Rhetorically Constructed, or: We All Write Like White Men, Part 2 - as my sources for further information on this.

Comments

[dracko.livejournal.com]

I apparently look like a UK Samuel Delany now with my new haircut.

Does that count? :(

[teal-cuttlefish.livejournal.com]

Now that you mention it, I haven't even seen white women in that "meme." Wait, I think I did see Jane Austen.

The thing hadn't interested me much at all -- some of the writers I don't think are any good anyway. (such as Dan Brown.)

[akaiyume.livejournal.com]

Isn't it time our lists of "great writers" be expanded to include more women and people of color?

I would say it is time that we quit excluding women and people of color from our list of great writers.

Even though when it comes down to it I understand that we are saying the same thing.

However, privilege-blinded racist and misogynistic knuckleheads will use the semantic loophole given by the word "expand" to suggest that we are demanding that they need to
"go out of their way" to find and include women and people of color.

When what is already happening is that they are going out of their way to chop women and people of color off the list.

[sable-twilight.livejournal.com]

Your wording makes sense. Thank you.