Ugh.

[shweta_narayan]

Anti-immigrant, assimilationist if-they-don't-pass-as-white-it's-their-fault rage-inducing xenophobic BULLSHIT warning.

Thanks, Ms. Moon. I loved The Speed of Dark, but now you're joining Harlan Ellison in the Box of Shame.

Anyone I recommended that book to? Unrecommended.

Via maevele.

ETA: Just emailed the Wiscon concom about her being a GoH next

Comments

So, my fish died...

[polenth]

She may or may not have empathy for the "other" (anyone different from her), but I think all she was doing was asking the "other" to have some empathy for her.

You're still acting on privilege by assuming that people open a dialogue. When someone reacts badly to me, it's usually insults, threats, throwing things or following me stalker-style. I had someone try to grab me once.

I can empathise that someone thinking you're a rude America is bad, but you weren't frightened that someone was going to rape or kill you because of it. I'm sure you wouldn't have visited the country if you were going to face that risk.

It'd be extreme to want empathy from me without giving any back. It'd be extreme to say your feelings matter and mine don't. It's like going up to someone who lost their baby and saying, "I know you lost your baby, but my goldfish died today, so I'd like a hug". Then complaining that they cried and walked away.

Yet that's exactly the sort of thing you're doing with Moon and Shweta. You're portraying Moon's feelings as being more important. Moon's need for empathy is more important. Shweta doesn't get a hug for facing danger every day for her skin colour, until she gives Moon a hug for finding those immigrant folk a bit rude and scary. Those two things are not equally painful and dangerous. Not even close.

Re: So, my fish died...

[shweta_narayan]

Thank you.

Though I'll note that, if I were one of the Others in the worst danger, I would not even be able to speak up.

So really it's considering Moon's feelings more important than the real and present danger that some people here face, which is far worse than anything I will ever face, and is silencing them -- when what Moon wants is for them to be further silenced and erased for her comfort.

Re: So, my fish died...

[polenth]

I agree. The people in the worst danger aren't likely to be on the internet, with time to read and respond to posts. But sometimes I think bringing it down to real people who can't be ignored helps, even if they're not the people who have it the worst.

In this discussion, it feels like it's being abstracted away to a generic 'those people' so it's easier to ignore.

Re: So, my fish died...

[shweta_narayan]

Gotcha.

I'm not Muslim, but I and my family have had cope with this so-called "forbearance", because the ones committing hate crimes were targeting anyone who "looked Muslim" by their... ignorant standards.