Politically Incorrect Sex

[kendo1]

.....

 

[CharleyH]

Okay, I have your attention now.

Do you impose your political views, or lack of them for that matter, on your characters?

For instance, are Ami's characters more likely to be, shall we say, slightly right of centre?
Maevo's slightly wacky?
Fem's, maybe, Liberal?
Charley's politically correct with an American accent? (I'm joking!)

The list could go on.

LOL.

I think a character has his or her own path. I am not certain it (character) can be completely divided from the author, though.

 

[Grushenka]

This may actually be interesting, I'll come back later to see other comments. As for me, the last thing I think about when reading, writing or watching porn is anything political.

 

[kendo1]

.....

 

[Grushenka]

So are Republicans better than Democrats in bed?

I've no idea, I only fuck communists.

 

[Frank Noir]

Okay, I have your attention now.

Do you impose your political views, or lack of them for that matter, on your characters?

For instance, are Ami's characters more likely to be, shall we say, slightly right of centre?
Maevo's slightly wacky?
Fem's, maybe, Liberal?
Charley's politically correct with an American accent? (I'm joking!)

The list could go on.

Hm - is "libertine" a political stance?

If it is, I certainly impose it upon some of my characters. And then in turn have them impose it upon the rest...

 

[SimonBrooke]

Broadly, yes.

Okay, I have your attention now.

Do you impose your political views, or lack of them for that matter, on your characters?

For instance, are Ami's characters more likely to be, shall we say, slightly right of centre?
Maevo's slightly wacky?
Fem's, maybe, Liberal?
Charley's politically correct with an American accent? (I'm joking!)

The list could go on.

Characters I want to present as positive characters will have values I see as positive values. Which for me means they are likely to be left wing, very liberal, fairly pacifist, fairly pragmatic, very independent minded. By and large (not always) I want to present my protagonists as positive characters.

Not all my 'good' characters are the same, of course, or have the same views. But they definitely cluster in the left/liberal corner of the graph.

 

[3113]

My political views will certainly influence what ends up in a story: I'm an enviornmentalist, for example, and I'm certainly not going to have a fairytale with a hero who successfully clear-cuts all the rainforests, pollutes the oceans with toxic waste and poisons the air with factory smoke.

In other words, there's no keeping "me" entirely out of a story in its philosophy, ideology, theme, style, whatever. That said, I do my best to let my characters follow their own paths because the one thing I HATE in a story is when I can see the author puppetting the character.

For example, I remember a novel where the protagonist went on-and-on about the evils of guns. Now I'm not pro-gun myself, but it was very clear that the author had one character say, "What's wrong with guns," not because her character *would* say that, but to give the protagonist a chance to preach. And it was clear that this preaching was not the protagonist, it was the author.

I don't want characters to offer me a public service announcement, nor do I want them to preach to me. I especially don't want to see the writer's hand up the character's ass, whether it be a political diatribe, a religious belief or a description of how addictive Starbuck's chocolate lattes are (I can often tell when a character's loves and likes are the loves and likes of the author, not the character's).

As I don't like reading that, I try not to write that. Usually, my characters help by walking away from me. As they should. I wrote one story with a romance between a Socialist and a Liberatarian, and I did my best to let the characters present their view points, their best arguments, with no interference from me. If I did my job well, the reader shouldn't know whether I'm more in favor of socialism or libertarianism.

If I succeeded, the reader should, in fact, have forgotten entirely that an author is standing behind the curtain putting words into the mouths of these characters. That's the grand and important illusion of a good story. That you forget the author exists.

That, at least, is my philosophy.

 

[Goldie Munro]

I think characters are just that characters - but some will be imbued with the intrinsic beliefs and ideas of the writers - its unavoidable!

 

[SeaCat]

As Goldie put it so well, I don't think there is any way to divorce our views from our writing. Any of our characters will have our views in some way. It is only rarely that we can avoid this, and then it is even more rare for us to do it succesfully.

As for what my poitical views are, that would be a hard one to answer. I cut accross the spectrum depending on the situation.

Cat

 

[Munachi]

some. others might be opposite. most don't say.

 

[TheeGoatPig]

I try to give my characters different traits, otherwise all of my female characters will be bent over sinks and screwed up the ass before being caught by another guy and double penetrated, while being spanked between every other thrust, as their hair is pulled. That would get old fast. So I have to mix it up.

 

[drksideofthemoon]

I have no interest in politics, so I never even consider politics while writing...

 

[CharleyH]

So are Republicans better than Democrats in bed?

Sorry ROFLOL. Good -no- great one! LOL

 

[jeanne_d_artois]

Some are; some aren't

Some of my characters are liberal with a small 'l' and not liberal in the US pejorative sense - they believe in social justice for those unable to help themselves.

Some of my characters are a-political - they have NO views on politics.

Some have views that are nothing like mine.

One thing I have always found difficulty with is quotations from authors. If a quotation is taken from a character in an author's work, the views of that character might be totally opposed to everything the author believes in, yet is quoted as 'the author's view'. Characters are characters. The author should be quoted only from factual work, not from fiction.

Jeanne (for Og)

 

[Roxanne Appleby]

So are Republicans better than Democrats in bed?

The saying among the boys in American political circles is, "Date Dem, marry Republican."


My main character in my main line of stories does express my Aristotlean virtue ethics on ocassion. I don't rub anyone's nose in it, but when it fits with the plot it gives me pleasure to insert it, and it caters to the ever-popular "the good receive their just rewards" storyline tradition, so the readers certainly don't mind.

I can't imagine ever inserting partisan politics, or even political philosophy into a porn story. If the setting was a political campaign or something I would, but then it wouldn't be gratuituous.

 

[3113]

I have no interest in politics.

I don't think Kendo means an "interest in politics" like you care whether a republican or democrat is in the White House. I think "politics" in this case refer to your belief in what your personal rights, freedoms and responsiblities should be. Like whether there should or should not be a law allowing you to build on your land. Like whether you should pay certain taxes. Like whether you should e allowed to grow certain medical herbs in your backyard or not, or how hard/easy it should be for you to own a gun or write/read certain types of pornography.

If you care about any of these things, then they are your "politics."

So the question is, do these beliefs you hold as to what a person's (your) rights and freedoms and responsiblities should be, turn up in your characters.

 

[drksideofthemoon]

I don't think Kendo means an "interest in politics" like you care whether a republican or democrat is in the White House. I think "politics" in this case refer to your belief in what your personal rights, freedoms and responsiblities should be. Like whether there should or should not be a law allowing you to build on your land. Like whether you should pay certain taxes. Like whether you should e allowed to grow certain medical herbs in your backyard or not, or how hard/easy it should be for you to own a gun or write/read certain types of pornography.

If you care about any of these things, then they are your "politics."

So the question is, do these beliefs you hold as to what a person's (your) rights and freedoms and responsiblities should be, turn up in your characters.

I think for the most part my characters are non-political, as I don't think I've ever tried to make any statement about my beliefs, or non-beliefs in my writing.

 

[Selena_Kitt]

I think for the most part my charaters are non-political, as I don't think I've ever tried to make any statement about my beliefs, or non-beliefs in my writing.

you don't have to state something for it to be political.

I'd say the MS series is pretty left-leaning....

 

[drksideofthemoon]

you don't have to state something for it to be political.

I'd say the MS series is pretty left-leaning....

Hmmm...maybe in some aspects. I would also say that they lean a bit to the right when it comes to land issues...

 

[Selena_Kitt]

Hmmm...maybe in some aspects. I would also say that they lean a bit to the right when it comes to land issues...

true. But the environmental aspect is left... so it kind of balances there...

 

[drksideofthemoon]

true. But the environmental aspect is left... so it kind of balances there...

I totally agree with you on that point....

 

[TE999]

I have three stories in edit at the present time whose plots might be considered 'political'.

They deal with: gun ownership and self defense, governmental corruption and conservative/liberal talk radio.

Oh yes, there's some sex in there too(LOL).

I don't think a persons opinions on a given subject are necessarily 'political' unless someone else wants to make an issue of it. The subject matter I chose interests me and are relevant to today's society, so there's a story to be told IMHO.

If it offends you, then read something else. Although how anyone can be offended on this site is beyond me (grin).

 

[Wildcard Ky]

I don't do political views in my characters. I do find that alot of my morals and my habit of self analyzation makes its way into my characters.

 

[Darkniciad]

My characters are in control of their own motivations. I'm sure that in most cases, the "good guys" are going to reflect what my worldview considers positive, while the "bad guys" will go the other way - but none of them have my exact worldview.

The closest I've ever come is probably the panda rant one of the side characters in my Vday cupid story goes off on *laugh* There's a sideline of politics to that whole story, but it's mostly atmosphere related, and aimed at not being preachy.