FOC_U Day of Protest: My Post, In Haste.
"On Monday May 18, 2009, we are asking anyone who identifies as a POC/non-white to post this banner, their speculative short stories, artwork, poetry or simply write a post on their favorite fandom on their blogs as an act of protest to show we will not be silent or invisible. The day of protest is entitled Fen Of Color United or more aptly, FOC_U.
White allies can also show solidarity for this event by posting this banner and expressing the need for diversity and speaking out against the bigotry in the genre, through posts and/or their creative work as well."
Click. Read. It's amazing.
RL kept me away, for the most part, through most of racefail09 and until very recently. It has kept and will continue to keep me away for most of today and all of tonight until tomorrow.
But as I get back into wellness and internet access and general time to spare...
And check up bit by bit and link by link on "what I missed," and what I heard about from involved friends and STILL, STILL can't believe I'm reading with my own eyeballs...
I know that I will have much, much more to say. I won't be able to say much of it tonight... But I still know I have ONE THING I HAVE TO SAY besides a word of support and a link to foc_u and so many people posting so many things so much better than anything I could ever say.
And this one thing I have to say is directed solely at my fellow white people.
Fellow Fen of Pallor:
I am writing this in a state of haste and in a tone of extreme irritation, a tone that tends to be much more acceptable for us white folks, in general. And I am keeping it as simple as I can:
Fen of Color have been here as long as we have. If you didn't know that, that's your ignorance. If you're just learning and reading about them and hearing about them now, that is still on YOU. So listen, READ, and learn, but if you're tempted to ask questions about how to be a better white person, tempted to ask for further education, tempted to ask"how to do it right," tempted to type before checking your privelege, please keep this in mind:
NOBODY exists for you. Nobody was put on this earth to teach you anything. Did you know that?
Especially not how to "be a better person."
For the purposes of this discussion, especially not how to be a better WHITE person to POC:
... That's right. People do not exist for your edification. EVER.
I mentioned that I missed most of racefail, though I did get the opportunity to help a brilliant anonymous friend in creating http://www.derailingfordummies.com/, which was inspired by it and several other discussions of marginalization going on at the same time.
GO. READ IT.
My contribution, as it were, was small. Very, very small, and I am honored I got any credit or thanks for it at all....
But there IS a line in there I wrote, and I share it with you now, because I'm rather proud of it, HAVING DRUMMED IT THROUGH MY OWN SKULL:
"After all, anyone who expects you to be able to research a topic by yourself also clearly expects you to be far more of a functioning adult than you're acting! "
And that's what you're saying, isn't it, when you expect a PoC to Racism 101 you on demand, to tell you how to "do it right?" to educate you about their experience on your terms? That's what you're saying when you ask for instant edification?
That you're not a functioning adult at all. Or don't really WANT to be treated as one. That you want to be petted, and coddled, and catered to, and told exactly what you should or should not be doing. What you need to know, how to do it right, everything spelled out for you. That you are entitled to their time, their patience, their life, their explanations, an ENTIRE EDUCATION... EVERYTHING explained very very nicely to you, in terms you can understand...
And you aren't. You just aren't. Especially not when you're on the internet. Especially not when you can look things up yourself. SO EASILY.
You are not entitled to them.
And when they TELL you you aren't, when it is pointed OUT to you that you are NOT ENTITLED ... And you get Angry? Defensive? Upset?
It would be funny if it wasn't so goddamn sad.
And so goddamn common.
And so goddamn wrong.
I gotta go, fellow white people. And while reading the fantastic words laid out for you as you click the banner on this and other posts, AND while encountering the FOC_U community? AT LEAST PLEASE REMEMBER that ONE THING I JUST SAID.
'Cause the thing is, I'm told a lot of people who aren't us white people are very, very tired of saying it.