False Idols and Integrity
This was co-written by me and seluecus, a queer MoC.
The cross-section between geeks and those interested in social justice is large on Livejournal, and certain voices are considered particularly important re: their opinions on the relationship between geek culture and anti-oppression ideologies.
But some people are well-regarded, or stay well-regarded, as a result of momentum-at a certain point it's not their opinions that count, just the fact that they've become so recognizable as names that are often “right.” One example that comes to mind for me, who doesn't have a direct relationship with livejournal or geeky activities, is Genderbitch. After receiving a huge following, particularly on Tumblr, she invented things like “non-incest privilege,” championed necrophilia, and tried to portray herself as a genuinely poor homeless person despite “squatting” at a friend's apartment for free and having health insurance through her parents. A lot of her fans were not critical of what she said; it was assumed she was right by virtue of her name and following.
This sort of problem is not limited to Tumblr, unfortunately, and more recently it's become clear that the social justice-minded sections of LJ geek culture harbor their own problematic idols. One who's been singled out recently is neo_prodigy. Though he has a history of misogyny, he also has many unquestioning followers who have accepted his gender essentialism, his use of the slur “bitch,” his claim that “misandrony” is a real thing, his very sexist ideas about women*, threats of violence against women**, and more under the guise of social justice. Many of his recent posts on Livejournal have dealt with m/m fanfic (something we don't personally care about, in the interest of full disclosure), and while critiquing a subject/genre so rife with homophobia and heterosexist attitudes is valid, he did so in a completely sexist way-and even though this has been pointed out to him personally and through other communities, he's remained sure that he's not a misogynist. So have his fans. Even worse, he's done anything he can to isolate himself and his readers from criticism, by deleting well-reasoned comments from outraged queer women, WoC, or women who belong to both categories, and by locking down previously public entries that were proof of his sexism. (If you'd like to see excellent summaries of what I'm referring to, go here and here.)
One of the most toxic aspects of online social justice, whether taking place in the geeky circles of LJ or on Tumblr, is that there is a lack of integrity. Too many otherwise intelligent and thoughtful people will follow someone with terrible opinions, simply because that person has a history of being received favorably-and they turn off their brains. Likewise, you have “leaders” like neo_prodigy who will not open themselves to honest debate and defend their position in any meaningful and public way, despite having a notably large and loud presence in certain circles.
We think that one of the more interesting-and valuable-elements that are often common to geeky pursuits and those who are interested in issues of social justice is the willingness to look beyond what is presented to us by the mainstream, whether it be in the hobbies and games we engage in or in what we consider good and valuable and just. Such a willingness both arises from and is supported by the ability to think critically and, often, in original ways, looking beyond what our surrounding society, families, and friends tell us is the 'way things are'. We don't do geeky things or engage in social justice issues (we hope) because it's popular or the norm or accepted or simply easy. We do it because it fulfills us on some level and because it is important. And if what we do in these circles is to remain important and valuable, difficult as it might be, it must involve constant critical awareness and honesty - about who we are, what we do, who/what we support, and why we do so. Always. Integrity in our claims and in our discourse will always be important.
*he would force his wife to take birth control every time he had sex with her, which would be at least three times a day because she'd be super sexy
**even if it was a joke, he mentioned how men might like to run an IP address of “female” m/m writers, and visit them with piano wire
The cross-section between geeks and those interested in social justice is large on Livejournal, and certain voices are considered particularly important re: their opinions on the relationship between geek culture and anti-oppression ideologies.
But some people are well-regarded, or stay well-regarded, as a result of momentum-at a certain point it's not their opinions that count, just the fact that they've become so recognizable as names that are often “right.” One example that comes to mind for me, who doesn't have a direct relationship with livejournal or geeky activities, is Genderbitch. After receiving a huge following, particularly on Tumblr, she invented things like “non-incest privilege,” championed necrophilia, and tried to portray herself as a genuinely poor homeless person despite “squatting” at a friend's apartment for free and having health insurance through her parents. A lot of her fans were not critical of what she said; it was assumed she was right by virtue of her name and following.
This sort of problem is not limited to Tumblr, unfortunately, and more recently it's become clear that the social justice-minded sections of LJ geek culture harbor their own problematic idols. One who's been singled out recently is neo_prodigy. Though he has a history of misogyny, he also has many unquestioning followers who have accepted his gender essentialism, his use of the slur “bitch,” his claim that “misandrony” is a real thing, his very sexist ideas about women*, threats of violence against women**, and more under the guise of social justice. Many of his recent posts on Livejournal have dealt with m/m fanfic (something we don't personally care about, in the interest of full disclosure), and while critiquing a subject/genre so rife with homophobia and heterosexist attitudes is valid, he did so in a completely sexist way-and even though this has been pointed out to him personally and through other communities, he's remained sure that he's not a misogynist. So have his fans. Even worse, he's done anything he can to isolate himself and his readers from criticism, by deleting well-reasoned comments from outraged queer women, WoC, or women who belong to both categories, and by locking down previously public entries that were proof of his sexism. (If you'd like to see excellent summaries of what I'm referring to, go here and here.)
One of the most toxic aspects of online social justice, whether taking place in the geeky circles of LJ or on Tumblr, is that there is a lack of integrity. Too many otherwise intelligent and thoughtful people will follow someone with terrible opinions, simply because that person has a history of being received favorably-and they turn off their brains. Likewise, you have “leaders” like neo_prodigy who will not open themselves to honest debate and defend their position in any meaningful and public way, despite having a notably large and loud presence in certain circles.
We think that one of the more interesting-and valuable-elements that are often common to geeky pursuits and those who are interested in issues of social justice is the willingness to look beyond what is presented to us by the mainstream, whether it be in the hobbies and games we engage in or in what we consider good and valuable and just. Such a willingness both arises from and is supported by the ability to think critically and, often, in original ways, looking beyond what our surrounding society, families, and friends tell us is the 'way things are'. We don't do geeky things or engage in social justice issues (we hope) because it's popular or the norm or accepted or simply easy. We do it because it fulfills us on some level and because it is important. And if what we do in these circles is to remain important and valuable, difficult as it might be, it must involve constant critical awareness and honesty - about who we are, what we do, who/what we support, and why we do so. Always. Integrity in our claims and in our discourse will always be important.
*he would force his wife to take birth control every time he had sex with her, which would be at least three times a day because she'd be super sexy
**even if it was a joke, he mentioned how men might like to run an IP address of “female” m/m writers, and visit them with piano wire