I’ve been mulling over a pattern I’ve noticed in many books set in places like modern America, where there’s a reasonable expectation of a diverse population. It’s about how race and ethnicity are described, or sometimes, conspicuously not described.
Currently, I’m reading a cyberpunk novel set in Night City – a genuinely engaging book, but there’s this one aspect that’s hard to overlook. The author seems to have a specific way of describing characters based on their race.
When a character isn’t white, the author leaves no stone unturned to highlight it. “The Black man did this,” or “Her dark skin,” or “His Asian features,” – it’s all very explicit. Even accents are used to mark someone as non-white, like pointing out a Mexican accent.
But here’s where it gets interesting: when it comes to white characters, the author switches gears. They’re not described as ‘the white man’ or ‘the white woman.’ Instead, it’s “the blonde man” or “the tall woman.” The racial identifier is missing, yet other characteristics are given. It subtly implies that whiteness is the default. If a character is white, it’s almost taken for granted unless specified otherwise. This leads to an unconscious assumption: vague descriptions point to a white character, and specific racial mentions are reserved for non-white characters. They are training the reader to assume characters whos race isn’t described are white. Because they won’t ever have a black character where the author doesn’t tell you they are black.
This is so frustrating to me as I try to immerse myself in a book. It takes me right out of the story. And is the mark of a amateur writer to me.
EDIT: The book takes place in night city, it’s a very diverse multicultural city in California. And the universe(ttrpg, video game, books) it was created by a black man.
Alot of you are you don’t care and it’s not a big deal but it’s extremly othering. To consider white people the default people I’m a diverse city is so fucked idc if the author is polish. If I as a black man set my story in edo Japan if I made black the default folks would lose their mind. If your story is set in a diverse multi ethnic city, white people shouldn’t be the default.
The book is multi pov but so far it doesn’t matter which pov it is. White is defaulted.
The race of the author doesn’t matter. The setting of the book does.
They are writing a story set in a ultra diverse cyberpunk dystopia. This world of night city was created by a black man. When you’re writing a story in a place with a set racial make up, you can’t just default to whatever your race is.
A black man can’t make a story set in edo japan default to black.
A polish man can’t make a story set in a diverse west coast city where white isn’t the majority default to white.
Just doesn’t make sense
Also please stop assuming because I care about diversity im a woman.
I’m also not a white man.
I’m black lol please stop assuming what I am or what I believe in because of a venting post. Folks tryna tone police me when deadass this is just a simple observation. I got some folks acting like this phenomenon doesn’t exist, and I got some who are acting like because they been knew, so does everyone. Defaulting whiteness is a trope in literature like head hopping. I don’t like either. But people acting like I shouldn’t bring attention to it because to them it’s a non factor is crazy.
by 10vases