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The uses and abuses of double standards

I've been thinking about this in relationship to one of my short stories, a rather twisted tale about a slaveowner's one-sided attraction for his slave. I'm aware that no matter how I approach this, it's going to be difficult to read, but I want to keep the slaveowner pathetic rather than repulsive, and I want to minimize audience discomfort as much as possible. This is why I gave the slaveowner a wimpy name (Gilbert), why I had him buy the slave in a moment of weakness and despair, and why I had the slaveowner and the slave both be male. It's this last I want to address, in the larger context of double standards.

It's not that I personally think there's any meaningful difference between a man owning a man and a man owning a woman, but rather that I think the idea of a man owning a woman has so much cultural baggage I might be judged sexist for attempting it. The sex of the characters makes no difference to the story, and I say absolutely nothing regarding sex in the story, so I'm not directly reinforcing a double standard. Still, I'm not challenging one, either, and I'm not entirely sure that it's okay to be so casual about this.

What are your thoughts, either about this specific case, or about the use of double standards in general?

P.S. I should note that I was in fact called mysogynistic for an earlier story in which a man owned a female nonhuman. This story is in part a reconsideration of that story's ideas.
 

BWFoster78

Myth Weaver
I run into problems with readers bringing preconceived notions to fantasy all the time.

My opinion is that you can't let one person's opinion shape your story too much. Take the thought under advisement, but consider that the problem may lie with the person making the comment rather than with you.

Another concept: Even if you write a horribly mysogynistic character or even story, this should not imply that you are mysogynistic. I'm currently writing a story from the perspective of a teenage girl. I am not now, nor have I ever been, a teenage girl. Writers should have freedom to put themselves into whatever personage they see fit, no matter how vile that person may be.

My advice: write what you want.
 

Steerpike

Felis amatus
Moderator
My advice: write what you want.

Yep. I don't think there is anything to be gained by worrying about double-standards, accusations of misogyny, or anything along those lines. It does the author no good. You'll always have critics. Write the story you want to write.
 

T.Allen.Smith

Staff
Moderator
My opinion is that you can't let one person's opinion shape your story too much.

I agree with this 100%.

Furthermore, whether we like it or not, things we find deplorable in our real society often make our fiction more interesting. I'm not a racist, not a sexist, not a murderer, but I have characters that certainly are. Guess what? They not only add to the story, they create the conflict that IS the story.

If I stopped to worry about what every person will find offensive or concerning then I'd have no story at all (or at least a very tame and boring tale).
 

Sinitar

Minstrel
I should note that I was in fact called mysogynistic for an earlier story in which a man owned a female nonhuman. This story is in part a reconsideration of that story's ideas.

Ignore such baseless comments. They come from people who have no idea what they're saying.

With that being said, write the story the way you want it to write. Sensible readers will have no problem distinguishing fiction from nonfiction.
 

Mindfire

Istar
I'm going to echo the "write what you want" chorus. However I'll add that you could also try the woman-owns-man angle.
 
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