When telling stories, it is important to keep in mind that no matter what you say, or what your personal beliefs are, people are always going to take your words out of context, build their opinion of you based on that one section, and judge you for all eternity. It is already hard enough to balance pleasing your audience while simultaneously telling the story you actually want to tell. But add on top of that the ethical integrity of the story you want to send into the world and your job suddenly becomes ten times harder. When you take all that into consideration, storytelling sounds very stressful and not at all worth the mental hoops you have to jump through in order to produce something of sustenance. But in the end, all storytellers find purpose and joy in their works. But, let us circle back to the question of ‘ethical integrity.’ What are some of the ethical concerns one must take into consideration?
In storytelling, some ethical concerns are playing into harmful stereotypes, problematic characters and the role they play, certain jokes and characterization plates for laughs, the themes and messages of said story— the list goes on and on. Something joked about today could be considered offensive in the next and a beloved character might fall from grace once their characterization is micro analyzed and torn to shreds. Does that mean we should do away with all the problematic stories that came before, that are laden with the values and morals of a society long past? Not necessarily. They are priceless treasures that give us a glimpse into what the past was like, however ugly it may be. They deserved to be read and analyzed with the morals of today and also the understanding of the morals of the time they were told. However, there are some stories that still hold fairly modern views and were probably considered revolutionary or even controversial in their time.
With something as broad and flexible as stories, it is hard for new creators to fight against what is considered the norm and safe options to write about (even if said norms and safe options are particularly stifling and rude to certain groups of people) and still make a living. But nevertheless, they persevere, fighting tooth and nail to get their work out there, and sometimes, that effort is rewarded in the form of a bestseller or a coveted award. And suddenly, the path to more diversity, more ideas, more creativity, is that much easier to follow. Slowly but surely the terrain on what is considered ‘acceptable’ is changing, becoming more open and flexible. Traditions and conventions are changing and marginalized groups are carving out their spots in the hall of stories, making sure that the world can hear their voices loud and clear.
