Diversity...not?

Hello! Today we have something a little more controversial, so you have been warned. I'm not here to debate; I'm just presenting my own opinions. After all, this is my blog, for my ideas. I didn't make a blog to please everyone who might happen to read it.

Also, before I get into the body, let me mention that I'm a minority ethnic group female. It's not like I'm a white guy complaining about diversity and all that.

The diversity I'm talking is the gender and ethnic type. Or any other kind of diversity if it so happens to exist just for the point of being diverse. I've noticed an increase in the call for diversity in stories around the writing community. I know all these writers have the intention of representing a variety of different groups, but it just irritates me sometimes.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not adverse to diversity. It's great. But when it happens just for the story to claim diversity, it may not have been the best choice. Writers should create characters to be the best for the story. Diversity should be second consideration. If it's just thrown in, it can feel contrived and unnatural.

I'm going to honestly say that in all the years I've been reading, I've been more interested in the characters' personalities than their race and gender. It hasn't affected my enjoyment of the book if the main character is a white guy or Asian girl. As long as they are relatable to me, the character works. I've never liked or disliked a character just because of race or gender. I haven't even noticed diversity until just recently. It just wasn't something on my mind at all when I was younger.

Honestly, when reading books, I'll have a faint idea of what the character looks like. And I'm going to admit they're rarely diverse. There have been a number of instances where I haven't realized a character is diverse until the end of the story, even with visual hints. And once my mental image of the character is in place, it's hard to change.

So don't think I'm against diversity. I'm really not. I'd just like to encourage you to not place diversity at the forefront of the story. It just probably shouldn't be a primary thing. It's more important that we're all humans than that we're diverse. Because if we weren't all human first, human diversity wouldn't really be a thing. If that makes any sense...

That's all I've got for now, so feel free to leave comments. I'm always happy to talk with you.