AfroerotiK vs. Zane

AfroerotiK vs. Zane

Or for those who aren’t literarily challenged “Intelligent Discussion of Sexuality vs. A Ghetto Hot Mess” 

First off, let me say that the only reason I selected this specific title for this discussion is that I know it pisses off an extraordinary amount of Zane followers.  I have nothing against Ms. Roberts personally.  I don’t know her and I’m sure she is a very nice person.  I give her nothing but credit for opening doors and starting discussions about sexuality.  That, unfortunately, is where my praise for her has to end.  I find her content stereotypical, degrading, and overall unhealthy.  I’m not “hating” on her, I’m not jealous, I am not trying to start a war or anything of the sort.  I can’t, in good consciousness, ignore the fact that she has done a tremendous disservice to the African American literary community with her brand of erotica that reduces Black women to nothing more than materialistic nymphomaniacs and Black men to nothing more than dick-slinging dogs. 

Black people, love to throw the term “hater” to anyone who critiques anyone with money.  That shows our immaturity as a people.  Money should not be the magic insulator that buffers people from critique.  My critique of Zane is not because of the wealth she has amassed over the last decade, it’s because of the detrimental effects, the cumulative ripple effects it has created in the Black community.  She writes, very poorly as a matter of fact, about sexuality in ways that perpetuate all that is wrong with Black sexuality.  She glorifies, celebrates, champions, and promotes the most dysfunctional behaviors possible and people buy it as entertainment.  It is my very strong belief that her singular influence has created a greater divide between Black men and women than any other outside force.  It is my very opinionated belief that Black women (and unfortunately girls) have become accustomed to the storylines she writes about and they have internalized all the dysfunctional behaviors illustrated in her books.  Women considering themselves pimps and players and dogging men out and using them for money and manipulating them with threats of withholding sex and promises of “high octane pussy” (a term I use to describe a product, not unlike gasoline, that does the exact same thing as the cheaper priced version but it is perceived to have more value, thus, making the user feel more important) is all too common these days due to Zane’s popularity and the fact that her brand “urban” literature has sold millions and millions of copies. 

Conversely, I write about healthy Black relationships.  I write about couples who are partnered, in love, making healthy choices, who are intelligent and multi-dimensional.  I have NEVER written about a woman going after a man just for his money; I have never once written a story that glamorizes cheating; you will never see an AfroerotiK story about a man who has casual sex without regard to the feelings of his partner.  My storylines are complex and different.  My readers are, for the most part, more intellectual.  I don’t say that to disparage anyone but if one were to read the comments on one of my stories, they most often wouldn’t find someone responding with caps lock on, misspelling their words phonetically, and reiterating banal clichés.  There is a difference in our readers and fans.  While I have lots of fans who like and appreciate her work and I’m sure if her readers and fans read my work, they would find it appealing to some degree. 

Here’s where my question arises.  How do I, as someone who wants to be the instigator of more intelligent discussions, speak to a nation of people who only want to show off their body parts and ask silly questions like, “Who got hit off dis weekend?”  I want people to discuss their relationships, their sexual identity, I want people to question what they’ve been taught.  How do I bridge that divide?  How do I get people who get aroused at any mere mention of the words dick, pussy, fuck, and suck to actually engage in discussions that are deeper, that cause them to reflect on their relationships and their sexual partnerships?  Do I dumb down my writing?  Do I do the ole’ bait and switch and write a typical urban story and when I get those readers, do I then hit them with my more nuanced writing?  Will they understand it if I do?  Do I continue to preach to the choir meaning continue to write and engage the people who get what I’m trying to do and not worry about the people who find Zane (and the thousands of writers just like her) appealing?  Is there any reason for me to even waste my time in trying to reach out to people to get them to have more intelligent discussions of sexuality? 

What are your thoughts?