Discussion Is it trendy to falsely accuse works of xenophobia/racism?

Discussion in 'Novel General' started by Chayle, Oct 27, 2021.

  1. Chayle

    Chayle Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 21, 2020
    Messages:
    44
    Likes Received:
    42
    Reading List:
    Link
    Today I found myself questioning people who leave 1-star-reviews on novels which have tags or genres they already preconceived as not suitable for them, dive in, and brutally trash the novel with a 1-star-review.


    Well what about when you genuinely have nothing to complain about, but want to leave 1 star?


    With this, I would *carefully* like to bring out the possible misuse of words ”xenophobia” and ”racism” in novel reviews where they don’t apply. Ironically, most of these false reviews are directed towards Chinese authors, making it.. *drum roll* (take a guess)


    They are not all false accusations. And when it actually happens, trash on the author as much as you want. But sometimes people are grasping at straws.
     
  2. Cutter Masterson

    Cutter Masterson Well-Known Super-Soldier

    Joined:
    Oct 24, 2015
    Messages:
    5,676
    Likes Received:
    8,710
    Reading List:
    Link
    Wow! Some people have way to much time on their hands. Lol. I totally agree. Why so much effort on a comment like that
     
  3. aegis062

    aegis062 Chaotic Demon Emperor

    Joined:
    Jun 4, 2016
    Messages:
    1,981
    Likes Received:
    1,875
    Reading List:
    Link
    I think ppl have way too much time in their hand to write reviews and complaints. if a book sucks just don't read it.
     
  4. TDDM

    TDDM Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 7, 2017
    Messages:
    303
    Likes Received:
    320
    Reading List:
    Link
    Yea I see it a lot too there is the black bad guy and it's racist there is Japanese, Korean or Chinese bad guy and he is not in it's native country and its xenophobic. It's not l like every foreigner in your country will be a good guy. And when it happens once or twice in novel with over 1000ch and all the other evil guys are natives I call bulshit.
     
  5. phreakinsane

    phreakinsane Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2019
    Messages:
    62
    Likes Received:
    98
    Reading List:
    Link
    I disagree with that. I think negative reviews are more important for a bad book than good reviews are for a good book.

    It saves people the waste of time reading something if their perspectives or tastes are similar to the reviewers.

    Of course, this is assuming that it's an actual review not a false/troll review or simply "the book sucked" review.

    I welcome critical reviews so long as the reviewer takes the time to explain why they didn't like something.
     
  6. M4rcosR3is

    M4rcosR3is Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2017
    Messages:
    358
    Likes Received:
    463
    Reading List:
    Link
    you are right, there's a lot of people with a lot of free time in their hands.
    worse than them, (at least in my opinion), is the users who review a novel after reading 5-10 chapters as well and they fucking admit it like he is proud to do so in his "review" when the novel have hundreds and some even thousands chapters and yet they feel they are entitled to review a work when they have not even gave it the proper chance..
    where this is not exactly the same as what you are saying, in fact both situations are pretty in sync because again: like you said>they dive in>hate and complain.
    don't get me wrong anyone is free to dislike it and you have your own reasons for that as well and is you right as person and as reader but no way in hell is you right to "REVIEW" a work when you have not even "read" them.... i find that the entire concept of review have became discredited lately, in the last few years and this is not only about novels but the entire pop culture fathom as whole.. it is happening with everything.. people have lost or maybe never understand what a review is that is :
    a critical appraisal of a book, play, movie, exhibition, etc., published.....

    not a opinion or worse a biased opinion about something...
     
  7. Lissi

    Lissi 『Queen of Lissidom』『Holy Chibi』『Western Birdy』『⚓』

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2021
    Messages:
    3,427
    Likes Received:
    21,686
    Reading List:
    Link
    No surprise there lol, there's lots of hate against China authors depending on where you look here and complaints about nationalism and racism in waves are one way to go about it, regardless of the novel. I mean, I've literally seen people say all CN novels are racist and nationalistic. Like lol *eyeroll*
     
  8. aegis062

    aegis062 Chaotic Demon Emperor

    Joined:
    Jun 4, 2016
    Messages:
    1,981
    Likes Received:
    1,875
    Reading List:
    Link
    You could do the same thing without writing ten paragraphs of ranting and complaining by just adding upvote or downvote button.
     
  9. Rumby

    Rumby Rumbly Tumbly

    Joined:
    Feb 23, 2017
    Messages:
    1,091
    Likes Received:
    1,010
    Reading List:
    Link
    If it’s a false review, then can’t you report the review?
    Like if it’s trolls best to report and have them removed
     
    Fluffums likes this.
  10. phreakinsane

    phreakinsane Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2019
    Messages:
    62
    Likes Received:
    98
    Reading List:
    Link
    No, you can't.

    Like I was trying to say earlier, reviews of "it's good" or " it's bad" are useless. Upvote/ downvote are exactly the same as that.

    What makes it good or bad? Without taking the time to actually explain what led you to your personal decision to either support or stop reading the book?

    Especially since we're all so different and what may be the best book of all time to one person may be the most debase and repulsive detritus ever written to another.

    I find people complaining about negative reviews just don't seem to understand the point of a review in the first place.

    I have read some of those reviews you're mentioning where I can understand your point of view. I have also read a few novels that were so terrible that I couldn't make it too deeply into them before dropping.

    In my opinion, if someone were to base a novel review on content that is contained within those limited chapters, it's relevant. We each have a "bottom line" with various things. A certain tolerance for junk or things we disagree with. If a novel crosses those lines and there isn't an appropriate tag or way of warning you before you dive in, warning others in a review is a courtesy

    For example, if some novel has a "harem" in it and it's something you can't stand reading, by all means, so long as its not appropriately tagged, write a review explaining why you didn't like the book.

    I agree it would be asinine to write that review on a novel that is appropriately tagged though.

    We are all entitled to our own opinions and I fail to see how writing a review with well articulated criticism would be bad unless, as I've already mentioned the criticism is on a book that has already disclosed what you didn't like about it.
     
  11. bkwusa

    bkwusa Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 1, 2016
    Messages:
    196
    Likes Received:
    138
    Reading List:
    Link
    As can be seen in the USA right now with the Anti CRT movement and the BLM movement people can't agree on what Racism is! People who have never experienced racism or discrimination against themselves tend to have a hard time distinguishing subtle racism.

    It might not be racism to have a Black guy show up as a bad guy, but it *IS* racisms when the only time a black guy appears in the novel is to be a bad guy.

    Thus you might not see the racism in a novel, it doesn't mean it is not there, it also doesn't mean other people can't see it. The author obviously didn't see it well as nobody tends to call themselves racists.
     
    Dragontrainer201 and Resplendor like this.
  12. phreakinsane

    phreakinsane Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2019
    Messages:
    62
    Likes Received:
    98
    Reading List:
    Link
    I have read some of those reviews you're mentioning where I can understand your point of view. I have also read a few novels that were so terrible that I couldn't make it too deeply into them before dropping.

    In my opinion, if someone were to base a novel review on content that is contained within those limited chapters, it's relevant. We each have a "bottom line" with various things. A certain tolerance for junk or things we disagree with. If a novel crosses those lines and there isn't an appropriate tag or way of warning you before you dive in, warning others in a review is a courtesy

    For example, if some novel has a "harem" in it and it's something you can't stand reading, by all means, so long as its not appropriately tagged, write a review explaining why you didn't like the book.

    I agree it would be asinine to write that review on a novel that is appropriately tagged though.

    We are all entitled to our own opinions and I fail to see how writing a review with well articulated criticism would be bad unless, as I've already mentioned the criticism is on a book that has already
    Hmm interesting perspective but I do see racism differently.

    I think that there's far too much hype, sensitivity and ridiculousness regarding a cry for accusations of racist .

    A lot of groups crying for 'equal rights' by granting special privileges to certain "minority" groups to me is a definition of racist. Certain people being able to use a certain word, but others not being able to use the same word, to me, is racist.

    But having the only black man being a bad guy in a story is racist?

    Having specifically tv programs blatantly declaring they're for a specific race, if it was "white TV" I guarantee many would cry out racisim.

    But let's use black TV as an example to tie into the example of the only guy in a story that's black happening to be a black man.

    If the story takes place in China, it is very common to expect the majority of the characters to be Chinese. Its very common in any story to talk about "the bad guy from far away"

    I think stories that use that in a general way aren't racist. I take no offense to a white American bad guy in a Chinese story. It makes sense.

    I also take no offense to tv programming that is tailored to a targeted audience. It just makes sense.

    In my view the real racists are the ones who constantly are comparing people's actions to the color of their skin.

    Another example here in the states would be the outcry against police officers for shooting a violent criminal. Many people are trying to pin the name racist on an officer enforcing the law because the color of his skin is different than the criminals. That is racist.

    There are situations when police brutality is a thing, but if the person is a violent criminal it's different. Race has nothing to do with it and to try to force race into it is in fact racist.

    Just my 2 cents.
     
  13. ToastedRossi

    ToastedRossi Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 30, 2017
    Messages:
    3,635
    Likes Received:
    3,513
    Reading List:
    Link
    People have never agreed on what racism is, and the vast majority of us misunderstand it to this very day. I would say that most people are at least a little racist, but this is also not the condemnation that it may appear to be. A long work with a bit of racism isn't a very strong criticism, and even more overtly racist works like "the Merchant of Venice" has a certain amount of value. A review that is strongly negative where the only complaint is that the work in question is racist is a bad review and one that is rightfully mocked.
     
  14. Kaylee

    Kaylee Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 13, 2019
    Messages:
    2,383
    Likes Received:
    1,896
    Reading List:
    Link
    Racism exists in novel too and in movies. Like it or not.

    I think we should put more effort to the media that being sold for global audiences, not only one specific country.

    The Cn/Jpn/Kor novels are being written by the author who born and live in their country and write those novels for their fellow countrymen as their target readers.
    Unless you give them money and ask them to write for wider audiences, in which I'm pretty sure the content of their xenophobia/racism/nationality will be different.
     
    phreakinsane and hoenimochi like this.