> It's a side note, but I also dislike the notion of sensitivity readers and such for new publications too. All it can lead to in my view is a dulling of writing.
As an author, I have used sensitive readers, especially when I wrote a story where one of the main characters was transgendered. I got most of it right, but one detail was wrong and that affected the entire story in a terrible way. I am forever grateful for the person who graciously explained this to me.
The purpose of sensitivity readers is to let you know what you're missing in the details of the story. You can write a total bastard serial killer who goes after gay people, but you should care about getting the gay bar scene correct instead of reinforcing harmful stereotypes.
It should be like fact checking on historical fiction. Most of the time humans don't have a good grasp on how other humans see the world. Plus, getting that perspective right is usually far more interesting. You're capturing culture that your audience may not be aware of.
When it comes to old books, I'd say slap a preface on it rather than rewriting it. A good example is the original Star Trek. The show was really progressive for its time, but a lot of it has not aged well. TV Tropes calls this "Fair for Its Day", a sub trope of "Society Marches On". :)
As an author, I have used sensitive readers, especially when I wrote a story where one of the main characters was transgendered. I got most of it right, but one detail was wrong and that affected the entire story in a terrible way. I am forever grateful for the person who graciously explained this to me.
The purpose of sensitivity readers is to let you know what you're missing in the details of the story. You can write a total bastard serial killer who goes after gay people, but you should care about getting the gay bar scene correct instead of reinforcing harmful stereotypes.
It should be like fact checking on historical fiction. Most of the time humans don't have a good grasp on how other humans see the world. Plus, getting that perspective right is usually far more interesting. You're capturing culture that your audience may not be aware of.
When it comes to old books, I'd say slap a preface on it rather than rewriting it. A good example is the original Star Trek. The show was really progressive for its time, but a lot of it has not aged well. TV Tropes calls this "Fair for Its Day", a sub trope of "Society Marches On". :)