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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/42864
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/42864
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

People will draw parallels between racism in your world and actual racism, because both you and your readers live here and now. It's not just that it can't be helped, it's part of why we write. We interact with the real world because we _are_ the real world.

Any style of racism you describe will already exist. Only the details differ. Who, why, and how.

If you want to avoid readers finding parallels with specific instances of racism (oh this is like China or this is like blacks in America) you'll need to be cognizant of the details of racism in our world. Then change it up.

If a particular group in our world is stereotyped as being a particular type of criminal or bad person or unskilled at something, etc, make sure you don't match the stereotype with beings that look at all like the group in question. Don't combine the myth of controlling the media with large noses. Don't make the lies about people with dark skin be they can't control their sexual urges. And don't create extremely sexist societies only among people who cover their hair in public.

Then ask your beta readers. If one person draws a parallel, let it go. If 4 out of 5 do, it's a problem.

Original score: 2