Recently a story of mine was accepted in which a character (non-narrator) used the word "retard" to insult the narrator. After the acceptance and re-reading the story, I felt it DID fit the character's persona, but went back and edited twice (I'm sure the editor hates me by now) to ensure readers got that the narrator didn't endorse the word, only responded to it. I didn't turn it into an after-school special but made sure the point was across that the narrator didn't use the word and thought the other character was "an insensitive kind of guy" for doing so.
My question to you all is, what impact does the use of this word have on: 1.) a story 2.) an author 3.) a publication 4.) the reading public? Should we avoid it altogether, or is it better to have unlikable characters say what they would naturally say?
I thought, if my narrator WAS the kind of guy to use the word, I wouldn't personally find that person worth following or writing about. He'd be irredeemable and readers wouldn't want to get behind him/her.
But what do you think? There's a campaign out there (I forget the specifics) that boycotts all media that uses the word. I'm not so extreme as to censor the use of words when they are necessary or important to story development, but feel it's important to...be extremely, carefully clear with what context you intend to use potentially harmful words like "retard, nigger, kike, faggot" etc. I don't use main characters that use words like that, but occasionally others around the MC do speak that way, and I feel it'd be wrong to censor them.
Where do you draw the line? How do you tackle this issue?
My question to you all is, what impact does the use of this word have on: 1.) a story 2.) an author 3.) a publication 4.) the reading public? Should we avoid it altogether, or is it better to have unlikable characters say what they would naturally say?
I thought, if my narrator WAS the kind of guy to use the word, I wouldn't personally find that person worth following or writing about. He'd be irredeemable and readers wouldn't want to get behind him/her.
But what do you think? There's a campaign out there (I forget the specifics) that boycotts all media that uses the word. I'm not so extreme as to censor the use of words when they are necessary or important to story development, but feel it's important to...be extremely, carefully clear with what context you intend to use potentially harmful words like "retard, nigger, kike, faggot" etc. I don't use main characters that use words like that, but occasionally others around the MC do speak that way, and I feel it'd be wrong to censor them.
Where do you draw the line? How do you tackle this issue?
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