I'm already a college student, lmao, and I'm totally aware of the messed-up stuff happening with racism everywhere.
If I sound nice, playful, or even "naive," that's me deliberately choosing not to fuel the fire of online outrage, not because I'm young (I do wish I was young). As for the "formal debate" thing yeah, maybe I was seeking it, maybe I wasn't. My brain is a bit fried from this back-and-forth, but seriously, I just jumped in and enjoyed the discussion but I was also MAINLY trying to be clear and respectful when discussing sensitive topics, which is something I thought we could all appreciate.
I fully admit I used a bad, even disgusting analogy when I equated the character's crimes to "flaws." That was sloppy, and I'm owning it. My intent was simply to argue against the idea that the single minority character has to be perfect or morally flawless. I wasn't trying to trivialize sexual assault. I was focusing on the broader burden of representation.
I was also using the "as a POC" phrase as an attempt at equal footing, not superiority. I was partly afraid people might make assumptions about my skin color, so when I said it, I was basically trying to say: "Hey, me and that character might share a skin tone, but I don't find this racist at all, though I totally get why others do." I wouldn't have kept engaging with the last commenter if I was being dismissive.
While I agree the character is likely an example of colourism/xenophobia and the pattern is harmful, I still maintain that focusing immediately and solely on the author's malicious intent is the problem. My entire pushback was against the hostile call-out culture that seeks condemnation over constructive critique.
I wasn't trying to downplay the severity of the character's depiction. I was trying to downplay the severity of the consequences for the author if we all immediately assume bad faith.
Now, to be clear: I agree with your points regarding the colourism and xenophobia in the author's work. I'm not going to argue against the substance of that harm. I'm only clarifying my stance because I don't want my interpretation to be misconstrued as being insensitive, dishonest, or even dismissive.
It’s a micro aggression and it makes us feel some type of way. If there was a story and your race was only portrayed as bad wouldn’t you feel uncomfortable. It’s the fact that it was primarily Asian until it came to this rape scene where they decide to switch up and a no other than a black person to rape him. I guess being empathetic is a hard thing to do cause all poc would understand why this scene was uncomfortable
I truly apologize if my previous comments made you feel like I lacked empathy. The situation is highly problematic, which is why we're even having this argument. It just makes me wonder why people jump so quickly to assume something is racist just because of skin color. I might sound ignorant saying this, but I honestly think some people who call out racism are actually the racist ones. Like, 'why would you even think of it that way?' It feels like a kind of projection. Like...it’s wrapped up in righteousness but still racist underneath. I'm sure the commenter isn't actually racist, though. She definitely has her perspective, just like all of us.
The ONLY BLACK PERSON BEING A RAPER omg