the things that have sucked the life out of me in the last week are the J2 racist fic controversy and the h/c debate going on
Yep, trying to keep up with fandom meta will do that to you. *g* I'm frankly amazed at the people whose names keep cropping up in the debates, simply at the thought that any one person has the time and energy to stay involved for more than a week or two here and there.
We are supposed to support one another, not scare each other into being silence for fear of being the next big discussion topic in meta.
Now, this I can't agree with. It would be great if fandom were the one big happy family we'd like it to be, that I used to feel it was... back around, oh, 1993. Believe me, I've pitched more than one hissy fit when confronted with the fact that there are people in fandom, more and more of them every year, who aren't like me and don't share my values. The cut text I used in my other journal to link to this says "fandom was better before all you young whippersnappers contaminated it with your mainstream blinders, so there." I really miss the time when I could assume that if someone was in any sector of fandom that intersected with my own, they had a better than even chance of being intellectually engaged and at the very least familiar with being looked down on as a nerd if not being actively liberal. When I could assume that anyone in fandom was going to be my ally until proven otherwise.
But we're not in that time anymore, if we ever even really were. Fandom is not one big happy family. I am not "supposed to" support someone who's going to carelessly flaunt their privilege at me, not even in just oblivious and indirect ways, much less the actively hurtful ways. And I don't expect anyone else to either. If we can, if the person flaunting their privilege is someone who might be willing to learn and I have the resources to do it, then I will try to engage with them in ways that support as well as teach. But I have no moral obligation to do so. Folks without privilege -- whichever privilege that happens to be -- are not here to make things easier on those who have it.
People should be afraid to post their thoughts in public. It means they'll think twice and maybe three times before saying something stupid, means they're less likely to just spout off at the keyboard without really having the courage of their convictions. I have another post on racism that I've been working on off and on the past few days. I probably won't post it until next month because I know what I want to discuss is full of potential fail and I want to make sure that I've gone over it multiple times and made damn sure that I'm saying (a) what I actually mean to say, (b) nothing so offensive it will distract people from my actual point, and (c) nothing that I won't be able to stand by later and say, "Yes, I really meant that. I won't retract it." People should be doing that sort of work. But once it's reached that point, I will post it, even knowing it could attract wank (probably would if more than a couple dozen people read my journals), because it's important to me and I do have the courage of my convictions.
The only people who would let fear of "being wrong on the Internet" stop them from saying something that's important to them are people who have never known what it's really like to be scared into silence. And I have no interest in bolstering those people's comfort zones. If someone thinks their words and ideas can't stand up to questioning and even heckling by a bunch of anonymous people on the Interwebs, then yeah, they should sit down and shut up.
Yep, trying to keep up with fandom meta will do that to you. *g* I'm frankly amazed at the people whose names keep cropping up in the debates, simply at the thought that any one person has the time and energy to stay involved for more than a week or two here and there.
We are supposed to support one another, not scare each other into being silence for fear of being the next big discussion topic in meta.
Now, this I can't agree with. It would be great if fandom were the one big happy family we'd like it to be, that I used to feel it was... back around, oh, 1993. Believe me, I've pitched more than one hissy fit when confronted with the fact that there are people in fandom, more and more of them every year, who aren't like me and don't share my values. The cut text I used in my other journal to link to this says "fandom was better before all you young whippersnappers contaminated it with your mainstream blinders, so there." I really miss the time when I could assume that if someone was in any sector of fandom that intersected with my own, they had a better than even chance of being intellectually engaged and at the very least familiar with being looked down on as a nerd if not being actively liberal. When I could assume that anyone in fandom was going to be my ally until proven otherwise.
But we're not in that time anymore, if we ever even really were. Fandom is not one big happy family. I am not "supposed to" support someone who's going to carelessly flaunt their privilege at me, not even in just oblivious and indirect ways, much less the actively hurtful ways. And I don't expect anyone else to either. If we can, if the person flaunting their privilege is someone who might be willing to learn and I have the resources to do it, then I will try to engage with them in ways that support as well as teach. But I have no moral obligation to do so. Folks without privilege -- whichever privilege that happens to be -- are not here to make things easier on those who have it.
People should be afraid to post their thoughts in public. It means they'll think twice and maybe three times before saying something stupid, means they're less likely to just spout off at the keyboard without really having the courage of their convictions. I have another post on racism that I've been working on off and on the past few days. I probably won't post it until next month because I know what I want to discuss is full of potential fail and I want to make sure that I've gone over it multiple times and made damn sure that I'm saying (a) what I actually mean to say, (b) nothing so offensive it will distract people from my actual point, and (c) nothing that I won't be able to stand by later and say, "Yes, I really meant that. I won't retract it." People should be doing that sort of work. But once it's reached that point, I will post it, even knowing it could attract wank (probably would if more than a couple dozen people read my journals), because it's important to me and I do have the courage of my convictions.
The only people who would let fear of "being wrong on the Internet" stop them from saying something that's important to them are people who have never known what it's really like to be scared into silence. And I have no interest in bolstering those people's comfort zones. If someone thinks their words and ideas can't stand up to questioning and even heckling by a bunch of anonymous people on the Interwebs, then yeah, they should sit down and shut up.
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