: Re: In modern Sci-Fi/Fantasy, does real world racism need to be addressed? I have read through a lot of questions regarding questions of a similar nature, but all of the questions I looked at involved

@Megan928

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You are writing science fiction, right?
You could make a point of not mentioning human racism in any way, shape, or form, and thereby highlight how your fictional society differs from the real world.
This is a very good option if you are far in the future, or if mankind has contacted other sentient species. Of course a couple of centuries without racism should lead to plenty of mixed couples and children, anyway, so talking about race would be pointless.
If your story is set in the near future, in a world much like the real world except for a few, carefully introduced changes, it would be unrealistic if the world you describe is not racist. Much of the real world is racist, after all.
In this case, everyday racism will severely constrain the agency of your character.
Character 1: "Let's meet in the cafe at three o'clock."
Character 2: "Dumb idea."
Character 1: "Why not? It is out of the rain."
Character 2: "Look at my skin. You can wait there. I can't."
Character 1: "Doh."
Character 3: "Two men trailing us. Not very professional."
Character 4: "Let's call the police, let them try to explain that."
Character 3: "Here? Who do you think will get arrested?"

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