"There are so many good stories out there. So, so many. Why should we make a conscious effort to search out stories which feature diverse characters or perspectives? Shouldn't we focus on quality and not content?
Here's the thing: within mainstream culture there is an unspoken default setting and that is white, male, heterosexual, cisgendered and abled. Think "hero" and in that immediate flash what comes to mind? An image that reflects that very list. Superman. Batman. Spiderman. Ironman. Sure, the gender gap is closing some, but the canon of children's literature remains dominated by male lead characters. Without being conscious of it, even without explicit racial markers, we read characters as white. We all do, even those among us who aren't white. This point is illustrated beautifully in pieces about racebending like this one about Hermione Granger.
Here's the thing: within mainstream culture there is an unspoken default setting and that is white, male, heterosexual, cisgendered and abled. Think "hero" and in that immediate flash what comes to mind? An image that reflects that very list. Superman. Batman. Spiderman. Ironman. Sure, the gender gap is closing some, but the canon of children's literature remains dominated by male lead characters. Without being conscious of it, even without explicit racial markers, we read characters as white. We all do, even those among us who aren't white. This point is illustrated beautifully in pieces about racebending like this one about Hermione Granger.