Comments | shweta_narayan: Ugh.

shweta_narayan

Ugh.

Sep 15, 2010 16:05

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 ( Read more... )

elizabeth moon, fail, racism

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polenth September 15 2010, 23:43:42 UTC

I drifted after the first few paragraphs when I first saw it, so didn't realise how it ended. Now I have read it... oh dear. It's not just the immigration and anti-Islam thing (which are the most obvious). I was struck by the white settlers arriving in America being portrayed as equivalent to modern immigration. To believe it's in any way equivalent, you'd have to pretend the genocide didn't happen, that white settlers had to assimilate into a dominate Native American culture and that Native Americans had the power to send the settlers home (but didn't, after deciding they were okay after all).

To say it's revisionist history is an understatement.

opheliastorn September 15 2010, 23:49:47 UTC

And the only reference to Native Americans in her entire screed was a joke! W. T. F.

You understood it? I have questions! shweta_narayan September 15 2010, 23:55:32 UTC

I couldn't even parse that part. Is that what she's saying? Maybe my problem was I expected it to mean something approximating reality.

Also... does she think all Muslims here are immigrants? Umm.

Similarly is she saying "Older generations of immigrants are bigoted, and that's bad, and I'm bigoted in similar ways, and that's good"? It just.. WUT.

Overall it's inducing almost as much bewilderment in me as it is rage, in fact.

Re: You understood it? I have questions! naomikritzer September 16 2010, 00:03:54 UTC

I would have read the comments but my head was busy exploding.

I am represented in CONGRESS by a Muslim WHO IS NOT AN IMMIGRANT. FTR. Not that there is anything wrong with the immigrant Somalis who are my neighbors, my kids' classmates, etc.

Re: You understood it? I have questions! shweta_narayan September 16 2010, 00:05:51 UTC

I guess, according to her, your congressperson does not exist?

...I go afk and let my head explode over the carpet now.

Re: You understood it? I have questions! naomikritzer September 16 2010, 00:18:30 UTC

http://ellison.house.gov/

He took his oath of office on a Koran that once belonged to Thomas Jefferson. (He borrowed it from the National Archives.) There was a bit of a manufactured controversy over THAT at the time, too. (Even though, in point of fact, they don't actually take their oath on anything -- they all just raise their right hand. Many hold a family Bible or other holy book while they do so, but it's certainly not REQUIRED. Mainly the "swearing on a Bible" part is pure photo op.)

Re: You understood it? I have questions! shweta_narayan September 16 2010, 20:55:31 UTC

Go him :)

Re: You understood it? I have questions! rose_lemberg September 16 2010, 00:05:10 UTC

Also... does she think all Muslims here are immigrants? Umm.
It seems the underlying logic here is that people of all colors other than white will forever remain immigrants, yes? Because apparently only the colonists were perfect immigrants. o.O

Re: You understood it? I have questions! shweta_narayan September 16 2010, 00:06:26 UTC

I don't even... *flails*

Re: You understood it? I have questions! tithenai September 16 2010, 00:07:41 UTC

Certainly when assimilating with the native culture (as a good immigrant should) it's helpful to almost completely eradicate that culture in the first place, so that there's, you know, less to adjust to.

Re: You understood it? I have questions! erzebet September 16 2010, 09:12:22 UTC

I love you so much.

Re: You understood it? I have questions! tithenai September 16 2010, 14:29:48 UTC

*HUGS*
*RAGEHUGS*
*ofrage*

Re: You understood it? I have questions! beccastareyes September 16 2010, 00:08:58 UTC

Considering how many people of color have lived on this side of the ocean longer than my family, even my mother's side which came here during the Potato Famine (Dad was the first one on his side to move to North America), that's rather ignorant at best. Especially considering those native peoples who have been living here for over a hundred times longer than Mom's family.

Re: You understood it? I have questions! rose_lemberg September 16 2010, 00:12:20 UTC

that's rather ignorant at best

That's a rather kind take on this :)

Re: You understood it? I have questions! beccastareyes September 16 2010, 00:21:09 UTC

When the kindest thing I can say to someone is 'you are showing you are ignorant, please educate yourself', there's something wrong.

Re: You understood it? I have questions! polenth September 16 2010, 00:19:30 UTC

I did consider going to poke the wasp's nest by mentioning there are Native American Muslims, but I didn't.

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