tumblr’s fictionkin community is far to focused whether or not you can think you are a character with a different race than you that we are ignoring the heart of the issue: should you identify as a character who faces oppression than you?
the answer, in my opinion, is no. this is because these characters face oppression you dont. oppression affects marginalised people a lot, and by claiming you are a character who faces oppression you dont you are saying that you have also faced that oppression. there is no getting around this. also, by saying you are a character who has less privilege than you, you are stealing representation.
since it is about oppression that you dont understand and not race, you can identify as characters who have privilege over you in canon. this is why everyone can identify as a white character. because there is no experience of oppression to appropriate. this also applies when a group faces more oppression, such as how certain asian people can identify with japanese characters because of japanese imperialism.
now, for the questions and comments i can already hear you all asking:
“you cant choose kins”
yes you literally can. if you simply feel connected to a character thats all you need to say, that you ust relate to them. the only reason you couldnt choose kins is because you are delusional. i will cover delusions in the next point.“what about mentally ill people?”
the bottom line is being mentally ill doesnt give you a free pass to be racist. if you have a very bad grip on your personality, just try to find a white character to attach yourself to. if you are delusional, you have to try to disassociate yourself from this delusion. publicly putting it on a kin page is not a way you can distance yourself from a delusion. before you ask, i do have delusions.“but im oppressed in a different way and i dont have any good representation to be kin with”
im very sorry for this, but this does not give you a free pass to take representation from other marginalised people, or to appropriate representation.“some oppressed people arent offended by it!”
that is honestly great for them. that they havent been affected by oppression in such a way that it causes them to feel like it is something that has shaped who they are, and that they are ok with representation being taken from them. im not going to force anyone to be offended, but i do think we all need to understand why identifying as characters who face oppression does upset a lot of people and helps further the racist opinion that oppression doesnt impact people that much.“but i dont identify as the characters [race/sexuality/disability/whatever] just their personality!”
a character personality and their arent things you can pick apart like that. besides, like 99% of you say you are “literally” a character who is less privileged than you, and to literally be someone implies you are them and everything about them.if you have any other complaints with what is listed here feel free to respond to this post with it.
yes you literally can. if you simply feel connected to a character thats all you need to say, that you ust relate to them. the only reason you couldnt choose kins is because you are delusional. i will cover delusions in the next point.
Look, you’re wrong. You’re just wrong. Historically and factually. You can not chose your kintypes, and being kin is NOT being delusional.
Fictionkin is spiritual. Most people are kin via reincarnation. I am kin via reincarnation. STOP ERASING SPIRITUAL KIN. STOP ERASING REINCARNATED KIN. WE WERE HERE FIRST.
Fictionkin is not ABOUT ‘feeling connected to a character’. Its about BEING that character. Having that characters SOUL.
I am not going to address any of your other points until you face the fact that you don’t understand, and don’t believe in fictionkin.
