Poem: "A New Uniform"
This poem came out of the January 7, 2014 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from 
perfectworry. It has been sponsored by
janetmiles.
"A New Uniform"
One day I put out a call
for fantasy characters
and looked happily over the throng
of shieldmaidens and centaurs,
clerics of improbably named deities,
wizards, shamans, witches, sorceresses,
archers, barbarians, a half-troll bookworm,
red brave-women, golden monks, brown spearmen,
and a couple of elven spaewives necking in the shade.
Then someone shoved his way to the front of the line.
I glanced down at his application, which read:
straight white Christian middle-class male
occupation: hero.
"I'm here about the job,"
he said, jutting out his lantern jaw.
"You're going to hire me."
"Sure," I said.
"Here's your new uniform."
Then I handed him a red shirt.
* * *
Notes:
Privileged groups typically get more and better representation in entertainment than disadvantaged groups. Some creative people like to reverse that.
Redshirt is slang for an expendable character. This was established by Star Trek, most notably in "Where No Man Has Gone Before" which featured the first redshirt and the most crew deaths.
perfectworry. It has been sponsored by
janetmiles.
"A New Uniform"
One day I put out a call
for fantasy characters
and looked happily over the throng
of shieldmaidens and centaurs,
clerics of improbably named deities,
wizards, shamans, witches, sorceresses,
archers, barbarians, a half-troll bookworm,
red brave-women, golden monks, brown spearmen,
and a couple of elven spaewives necking in the shade.
Then someone shoved his way to the front of the line.
I glanced down at his application, which read:
straight white Christian middle-class male
occupation: hero.
"I'm here about the job,"
he said, jutting out his lantern jaw.
"You're going to hire me."
"Sure," I said.
"Here's your new uniform."
Then I handed him a red shirt.
* * *
Notes:
Privileged groups typically get more and better representation in entertainment than disadvantaged groups. Some creative people like to reverse that.
Redshirt is slang for an expendable character. This was established by Star Trek, most notably in "Where No Man Has Gone Before" which featured the first redshirt and the most crew deaths.