For good or bad?

Lauren Broussard
Contemporary Black Fiction
The Second Law of Thermodynamics

The Second Law of Thermodynamics chapter allowed the reader to view a detailed transcription of members serving on the 1997 Black Speculative Fiction Writers Conference panel. This conference was held at Clark University allowing famous writers such as Octavia E. Butler and William Hudson to speak to audiences and receive feed back to previous projects. These transcriptions allowed the reader to be resourced with in depth notes and reflections of some of the most significant names in the field of speculative fiction.

These transcriptions allowed the reader to have a full understanding of the drastic gender, sex, and race roles of the entertainment field through the centuries. As discussed on page 1 of the essay, Jewell Gomez was told her main character of her upcoming publication was unsellable due to the fact of the characters color, lesbian interests, and vampire position in the story. She describes the personal wound of a dismissal to her novel because two of the three characterizations were applied to her own life. This creates the realization of such characters positions appearing in our society today. The reader questions if through time this has began to change.

We all like to think through time certain groups such as homosexuals and ethnic role positions have “improved” in the character they are portraying. But has it really? We look at upcoming leading black male actors such as Will Smith and Jamie Fox. They have always been known to be the respectful “black” character of the story. They have all held the positions of the “good guy” and never took the chance of being the bad guy. As discussed in other classes, if these men were to do so, it could ruin there career. Many writers and entertainment industries have seen this outlet as a true “money maker” for books and films. But it makes you think, do they really want to help the world of peace through unity? Or do they just want to make a dollar? Would you go see the upcoming movie knowing that an “ethnic” man was portraying a “white” role? Or an ethnic woman has a relationship with a white man? Sure you would! And they get the dollar.