Of Death Eaters, Fans and Racism

[witchwillow]

The Daily Deviant

This post is going to be about a Harry Potter community here on livejournal. There will be no spoilers for Book 7, but I will be using analogies from the book's universe. Please use your own discretion.

This post will be about racism.

Comments

[fickle_goddess]

*blinks* ...Wow. That's a term I haven't heard in a while. Would e-mailing the mods with a letter of complaint be helpful on my part?

[witchwillow]

Did you read the link with witchqueen's correspondence with them? I think a letter writing campaign would be wonderful, because it would show it's not just Zvi/Witchqueen who was offended.

But given their prior responses I'm not sure they wouldn't think Zvi is somehow trying to spam them with people or something. They accuse her of being wank-seeking.

[fickle_goddess]

Hm. Well, technically, it would be spamming them with people because of her, but it's not like she's the one organizing them. And I'm not (quite obviously) black, but I have to admit, that does sound incredibly stupid to me, so I'd be willing enough to send off an e-mail and urge my flist to do so as well, since I don't see that you need to be black to be annoyed when people do stupid things.

Also, yay, you're awake! And I'm still at office at the moment, since I'm working late tonight and hanging out on MSN.

[zvi_likes_tv]

Thank you, Billy. I need this, cause I'm just waiting for the lashback.

*blinks*

[zvi_likes_tv]

or backlash, as it's more commonly known.

Re: *blinks*

[witchwillow]

I'm fwding the links of anyone who does a post linking to you to the wychwood for August's PoC Carnival.

There can be backlash and lashback and sideways lash. But if there's one thing the SGA Racism Debates brought about, was FoC Organizing.

I continue to boggle that this happened in HP Fandom where the concept of 'blood treachery' is part of the canon plot. How could they not understand, once it was explained to them using their own fannish terms, how offensive it is.

*hugs*

Re: *blinks*

[elynross]

How could they not understand, once it was explained to them using their own fannish terms, how offensive it is.

Because that would require them to admit ignorance, and to admit that they were wrong, and too often it seems better to take refuge in the rules, however unjustifiable. "We've always done it this way, and if we make an exception for you, the whole thing will fall apart!!"

That's the only thing I can see. They honestly believe that Zvi is all on her own, and it's just a little tempest in a teapot. GAH.

[amothea]

since when is interracial a kink???

[witchwillow]

Type in interracial and porn on google and you'll see.

There are people for whom it's a turn on in a neutral fetish way, the way some people like brunettes or redheads or Asians.

But there are also people for whom the concept of Caucasians and African Descended having sex is about the white woman making it with a beast man (majestic big dicked brute). Or the white man making it with a feral black beast woman (need to be tamed cootchie). Or about some type of humiliation kink involved with having sex with someone black.

[amothea]

okay I don't get fetishes about this at all and considering I've been in interracial relationships before that concept of beast women/men is rather disturbing to me and the fact that people consider interracial as a kink. I'm just going to let this go and move on....everyone has their thing that works for them.

[witchwillow]

I don't know if I have a fetish of Asian women, or if because my first lover was Asian I just associate them with a particular butterfly feeling in my stomach, or what.

I'm not sure if that's the same thing however. And I'm not even debating the kink, nor is witchqueen. I'm upset over the terminology they used and its painful history.

[turtle_avenger]

Being Native American, my context for miscegenation is from the "anti-miscegenation" laws, which still effect my children actually. Today even. They can't make claims to some of their inheritance because one of their Native grandfathers married a White Cajun/Black Creole woman generations ago. But that'd be "anti-miscegenation", being against interracial marriage. I believe miscegenation is in support of it

[witchwillow]

Anti-Miscegenation as in the Anti-Miscegenation Laws were about preventing the marriage between a white person and a black person. Yes.

But the term was not used in a positive sense. It was used as 'But that would be...!'

I've never seen Jungle Fever.

I won't go into whether or not I support black entertainers who use the word nigger. But I don't think a white person can use it, no.

The community I'm talking about has the label beside fics with two human wizards (of different ethnicities, usually white/something else), with a man and a merperson, and someone with a goat.

[turtle_avenger]

Anti-Miscegenation is being against racial mixing. That is the bad term.

If this kink community is FOR racial mixing. In fact, they are writing sexual fantasies of racial mixing. How is this racist?

And, for the record, I don't believe this kink community has EVERY used the word nigger or anything remotely racist like it.

If this is a word out of a printed dictionary that people in an entire subculture understand to be a good thing, then I'd say you're out of context.

[liviapenn]

If this kink community is FOR racial mixing. In fact, they are writing sexual fantasies of racial mixing. How is this racist?

First of all, they are equating interracial relationships, such as Kingsley/Tonks or Luna/Dean, with bestiality kinkfic featuring "couples" such as woman/snake and man/goat. They are labeling them under the *same topic*.

How do you think the gay and lesbian members of fandom would feel if daily_deviant decided to have a challenge about "gay, lesbian and pedophie" relationships, all listed under a single tag, as if they were all basically the same thing and only needed one word

Second of all, they are using an offensive term (miscegenation) when there is a perfectly good neutral word (interracial) that would do. It's like purposely choosing to say "hey, you're a fag, aren't you?" when there are perfectly good neutral words (gay, homosexual) that do not have such an offensive connotation.

And, for the record, I don't believe this kink community has EVERY used the word nigger or anything remotely racist

[spoggly]

I have nothing more intelligent than what has already been said to offer, so just: THANK YOU FOR POSTING THIS.

[witchwillow]

Thank You.

I did ruin all my 'intelligent credit' by completely losing my sh*t with my next post in response to their open letter.

But I guess everyone loses it eventually, right?

[spoggly]

The shit loss was completely justified. Especially since that letter was insanely offensive and filled with...wrong, I think is the word I'm looking for.

Everyone must lose it at least once in their lives. :)