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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/41579
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/41579
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

## There is more than one way racism can be present in a work.

For example, when _Star Trek_ have on the bridge of the Enterprise an Asian pilot, a Russian navigator and a black Communications Officer, and they all get along swimmingly, all at the time of the Cold War, the Yellow Peril and the Civil Rights Movement, the show deliberately confronts the viewers' perceived racist expectations. **Racism is present in its conspicuous absence**. The show speaks loudly on the topic by showing racism not being there.

In one episode, _Star Trek_ chooses to speak about racism in a more focused way: a fellow officer accuses Spock of being in league with the Romulans, on the basis that he has pointy ears like them. This trope is called **[Fantastic Racism](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FantasticRacism)**. That allows one to talk of racism by way of a metaphor.

Finally, you can **highlight actual real-life racism**. For example, in Naomi Novik's _Spinning Silver_, a story about a Jewish girl in late-medieval Lithuania, anti-Semitism is very much a part of the story.

Now that we've established that,

## What serves your story best?

Does your story even have different "races" - different ethnicities, or different sentient species, or whatever? Is there anyone to be racist towards?

Does racism "belong" in your story?

There is no Jewish character in _All Quiet on the Western Front_, even though Jews fought on both sides in that war. Nor are any other "races" represented, or mentioned, and so, there is no racism or conspicuous lack thereof. Because that particular issue is not part of the story Remarque set out to tell in that particular book.

There is no racism in the _Amber Chronicles_, because the Princes of Amber treat _all_ humans as "subhuman" compared to them. Again, racism doesn't "belong".

To quote [myself](https://writing.stackexchange.com/a/41151/14704), **your story should contain all the elements that it requires, and nothing but the elements it requires**. "Including" racism, or anything else, that isn't useful to the story in any way is called 'shoehorning', and is not a good practice.

Is your story served in any way by some of the characters experiencing or engaging in some form of racism? Does it add tension where tension is required, does it set up some theme you wish to explore, does it do anything? Then go ahead and include it. If it does nothing for the story, then don't.

Original score: 61