My thoughts on RaceFail '09: I have a keen eye for the obvious

[varadia]

I've spent most of this conversation/imbroglio/failboat listening to other people talk, paying attention to who is saying what, commenting where I either had something I really wanted to say or felt I had something to contribute, and just trying to take it all in. I'm not the best communicator in online media, and I don't really use this journal as a platform to talk to an audience, because I'm not really a blogger.

But in the past couple weeks I've started to really want to say something, except I didn't know what it was. I still don't. Here's what I've got anyway:

I think I'm getting tired of people being dismissive of conversations that don't make them comfortable, putting their heads in the sand and going 'la la la I can't hear you and furthermore why are you still talking?'. I'm tired of people having the opinion that if they don't approve of a conversation's direction, or its origins, or the 'tone', that it's worthless for everyone and clearly wankery.

I'm really damn tired of people missing the point and letting themselves get distracted from conversations about race and racism, in genre fiction or not, that need to happen.

And I think verb_noire, 50books_poc, and fight_derailing are good things to engage with. I certainly appreciate them.

Comments

[agonistes]

Word.

[furikku.livejournal.com]

I think I'm getting tired of people being dismissive of conversations that don't make them comfortable, putting their heads in the sand and going 'la la la I can't hear you and furthermore why are you still talking?'. I'm tired of people having the opinion that if they don't approve of a conversation's direction, or its origins, or the 'tone', that it's worthless for everyone and clearly wankery.

Amen to this. :(

[aithne414.livejournal.com]

THANK YOU. This is one of fandom's most pervasive problems... the "if it's not squee, I don't wanna hear it" bullshit. It applies to small things (criticism of a character in a show, for example), and it applies to bigger things, like responding to accusations of racism in one's work. People don't have to shut up just because someone doesn't like what they're saying, and those who speak are not making the world a bad place because they critique something.

Honestly, I think if people believed in the value of open debate a little more, fandom would be a much less wanky place. The wank, in my view, comes from those who can't tolerate any opinion other than the one they want to hear.

[schiarire.livejournal.com]

Yes. yes.

[areyoumymemmy.livejournal.com]

YES.

I'm also getting upset at the people who choose to view the conversation as a big hissy fit or just more fandom wankery because it's gotten contentious. To me, that comes across as a way to trivialize and dismiss the actual issues involved and an excuse for not participating in a discussion you find uncomfortable. And of course, you can only do that if it's not hitting you where you live.

I just- it makes me very unhappy to see people taking a discussion of racism, of how people of color can't find representation or welcome in the SF/F community, and basically equating it to- I don't know, Harry Potter shipping wars.

[ashavah]

Just swinging by to say hi, I friended you. If you don't recognise the username, hi, it's JK: Jack/Simon/Martha from O12.

And I totally agree with you. We need to not be dismissive of things just because they make us uncomfortable.