Comments | vaznetti: Warning: I am so furious that I can barely see

vaznetti

Warning: I am so furious that I can barely see

Oct 12, 2007 12:51

One of the reasons I've been disturbed by the response to the post mamadeb made about the timing of the yuletide sign-ups is that it was exactly the kind of passive-aggressive, whiny, why-isn't-this-all-about-me? post I might make myself, if not on that precise topic. The response, frankly, seemed disproportionate to the content ( Read more... )

religion

Comments 110

cidercupcakes October 12 2007, 15:59:12 UTC

This whole thing has shown me how much anti-semitism there really is in fandom, which...I don't know why that surprises me even a little, at this point, as my opinion of fandom has sunk to fairly low after so many years, but it does, and disappoints me. When fox1013's troll looks good because hey, he called her an overpriviliged Jewish stereotype but at least he didn't bust out the slurs, fandom is in bad shape, is all I'm saying.

Which is all to say, basically, you have every goddamn right to be distressed by this (although I'm sure you don't need my affirmation), and "suck it up" is an entirely fair statement.

cidercupcakes October 12 2007, 16:00:05 UTC

...overprivileged. NO RLY I CAN SPELL.

vaznetti October 12 2007, 16:23:33 UTC

It is depressing and infuriating. I mean, I was in tears back on Wednesday, because I had a feeling this was coming. But in a weird way, it's also a relief to have it out there, where everyone can see it. I know a lot of people really are appalled, and that makes a difference. And I might as well break with the people who aren't appalled, really.

minim_calibre October 12 2007, 16:40:44 UTC

People who aren't appalled right now aren't worth the time it takes to read them, because it IS appalling, and it IS wrong, and it IS horrible and offensive and dehumanizing.

It's full stop period end of story wrong.

Hate speech always is.

Thread 6

eretria October 12 2007, 16:14:10 UTC

I guess I just don't see why this blew up so much in the first place. People could have just shrugged, gone: Yeah, okay, your opinion, we don't haev to share it and gone on with their lives. Why does everything have to end up in so much veiled (or not veiled) hatred?

Jew, Moslem, Hindu, Christian, Buddhist ... we all share the same damn world. It shouldn't be so hard to apply some common sense and leave each other be exactly the kinds of people we are, religion or no religion involved.
You shouldn't have to fear being too Jewish just as much as I shouldn't fear being too Christian. The key to everything is a little more patience and a lot more common sense. And, damn it, I am fascinated by other religions, so why put one over the other? My religion isn't better than yours, yours isn't better than mine. They're different. That's all there is to it.

eretria October 12 2007, 16:15:53 UTC

And, yes, by the hatred I am referring to the antisemitic comments. Just to clear that up.

vaznetti October 12 2007, 16:26:06 UTC

I was a little disturbed from the start, because the response did seem so disproportionate. I mean, there was a lot of tactlessness flying around, and I understand people being defensive of yuletide -- I mean, I love yuletide! -- but the form that defensiveness took was distressing.

embroiderama October 12 2007, 16:21:22 UTC

I just found out about this whole thing today, and it's really disturbing. I've seen a lot of wank in fandom, but I'm still capable of being surprised by the ways people can be unkind to each other. I'm not any religion at all, but I grew up in a vaguely Christian household, so Christmas-related things don't bother me unless they're very explicitly religious in nature rather than the more secular cultural stuff. But telling people to suck it up or worse because they have a different background is just wrong.

vaznetti October 12 2007, 16:28:56 UTC

I probably should be clear that I don't have a problem with Christmas -- I mean, I celebrate it every other year, when we go to my mother-in-law's, and there's a tree and presents and big meals and it's generally awesome. But it's not my holiday, and I don't think that's something that should be shocking to people.

And the tone of some of the comments has been pretty distasteful.

_minxy_ October 12 2007, 16:23:01 UTC

I am sticking around, and I would like to invite you to rock the boat just as hard as you want. I can't, you know, fix it if a fucktard comes around and starts throwing racial slurs, but maybe I can beat the shit out of the dude for you. Or mock them cruelly or something. I don't know.

Rock on.

vaznetti October 12 2007, 17:33:04 UTC

Thank you!

I am all for mocking people like that, I have to admit.

jennyo October 12 2007, 16:30:15 UTC

So, two things:

1. No, that dude is a racist fuck who is using this issue to further his anti-semitic agenda, full stop.

2. I am completely unfamiliar with that part of the wank, as the discussion on my friendslist has been about Jewish invisibility, atheism, and the Christianization of culture. So I am in fact quite sorry if I was offensive there, cuz that's not the part of the drama I've been seeing.

So yeah, if I got you, sorry. It's more that my flist is really super...full of hippie types who focus on meta-issues, and not so much with the focus on anti-semitic racist bastards.

vaznetti October 12 2007, 17:36:17 UTC

Thanks. Your post was not the only one to set me off, but it did leave me feeling a little... I don't know. I mean, it feels to me like we went from "hello? two week sign-up window!" to "OMG! You Jews should just shut up!" really really quickly, so I was having a little trouble reading posts through my own anger, this morning.

So yeah, thanks. That really does mean a lot to me.