The Achievements of Marginalised People Are Earned, Not Gifted

I had not read The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas when I first wrote this post. Still, I was certain it was going to be a good read. Reading the book more than once since then has not changed what I anticipated would be my opinion. When I first wrote the book, my anticipation was based on the buzz around it. Some of the buzz came from people who got a chance to read a book before it was officially released. These are people who are part of the publishing process, given advanced reader copies as part of their roles. Part of my reason for being sure it would be a good book came from trusting the judgment of these readers.

The other source of my confidence came from a more complicated truth. When a marginalized writer (like Angie Thomas) gets a big publishing deal, it is generally safe to assume the book will be remarkable,. After all, the publishing industry, like most industries, are not paving the road to success with gold in the name of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) no matter what Trump’s administration would have us believe. Despite their rhetoric about merit, marginalized people have to have to have outstanding merit just to be seen. Nothing is a gift. It shouldn’t be surprising, based on Trump’s administration going back to the culture war topic of DEI over and over to incite outrage, that there are plenty of people who believe otherwise. These people believe the publishing industry have a quota of marginalized authors to meet, and that there are so few of merit that anyone of middling talent can make the cut if they fit into certain demographics. It makes as little sense as most propaganda people believe from Trump’s regime.

Despite the absurdity, people who buy into the “DEI is ruining the USA” rhetoric continue to believe that lacklustre white men all possess outstanding merit compared to even the most talented and hardworking marginalized person. They continue to think that these commonplace white men are just as equipped to write stories about marginalized people as the marginalized people themselves are.

Marginalized authors cannot be ordinary. They cannot write a premier book that is simply good. That will never be good enough to get a publishing deal, never mind a big release. Every book they get published has to be extraordinary.

The two sets of assumptions are opposites. Both create a trap for marginalized writers. On the one hand, there are people like me who assumed the book would be golden by virtue of how hard it is to get published. It would be difficult for the author to feel they have room for mistakes. They might also feel like they cannot take chances for the sake of growth. If the book fails to dazzle, people might not give you a second chance.

On the flip side, the other group consists of people like the “DEI is evil” (and is apparently anything that applies to anyone who is not a mediocre white man) who will assume the author lacks merit. They will believe the author was given a deal because they were the best option available out a small selection offered. Ultimately, the publisher’s hands were tied because they had a quota of that author’s demographic they were obligated to publish. It is possible they might change their minds if they actually read the book. However, that is the hardest part, as they are unlikely to easily set aside their preconcieved notions.

Please read my petition for changes to the Canadian Disability Pension Plan, sign it, and share. Thank you.