(no subject)

[violachic]

Well.

I have unwittingly put myself right in the line of fire of Race Fail '09. I suppose I should admit to myself that it is my white privilege that kept me out of it until I purposefully got involved.


The 400-some comments in my email inbox are fascinating to go through. I don't have the first clue where to jump back in with the discussion, but I can't just throw the topic out there and disappear.

I am glad the band-aid got ripped off the wound, but I am truly sorry to the people who actually got hurt- and that would be the PoC (or, a new term I learned, FoC (Fen of Color)) in the community.

I don't see this whole Race Fail thing going away any time soon (yeah, I know, brilliant analysis), and I have no idea how to actually help the situation. But in the meantime, I am going to support projects such as verb_noire, and try not to let the righteous white folks get away with convincing themselves that they're... well, righteous.


The next sound you hear will be my forehead repeatedly hitting my desk.

Edit: If you don't know what I'm talking about, check out the startrek community. Look for a post I made. Then look for the folks who showed their asses.

Comments

[kynn.livejournal.com]

Fully 25% of those comments are me asking "Are you white?" to the same guy, over and over!

[violachic.livejournal.com]

I know, and I have to admit I really enjoyed watching you tussle with this guy, because he is one of the biggest idiots I've seen personally in a long time.

[robling-t.livejournal.com]

Ouch. I've been following along with this from the beginning, thinking Thinky Thoughts about it and all but wearing mittens while I read to keep myself from saying something ruinously ADD about subjects that aren't mine to Pronounce Upon, and man, the whole "mouth closed, ears open" thing is hard. But so, so necessary. One of these days I might even be able to figure out something to say that would be contributing to the actual discussion in a meaningful way, but until then my white butt will be over here trying to stay out of it so I won't make things any worse than they already are 'cos I've been in enough Heated Internet Discussions in my day to know my limits in these situations... {sigh}

[anansi133.livejournal.com]

I've decided that it's impossible to educate oneself about bigotry without also making an ass of oneself in the attempt. Better to learn how to recover, and grow some skin, then never make the attempt in the first place.

You can't please everybody, even when 'everybody' is upper middle class white folk. Why would you be able to please everybody when you also include minorities in the mix?

[violachic.livejournal.com]

Well, in this instance, my major gaffe was making a post in startrek, which then exploded into... well, fail. I feel bad that I naively made this post, knowing I wouldn't be able to be back online for almost 24 hours, and leaving the FoC in the community to battle the asses.

[tanyad.livejournal.com]

Don't worry you're not alone, I plan to jump into the fray myself... soon as I can write something that isn't full of anger and or really? Do you assholes see what you are doing and saying?

[belmikey.livejournal.com]

T...really...don't. There really isn't any point.

See, here's the thing, the thing I learned 15-20 years ago on USENET and that most of the modern Internet is only just learning.

Arguing on the Internet about anything deeper than a puddle is utterly futile. Utterly.

The faceless anonymity of it brings out the worst in nearly everyone involved, often without them even being fully conscious that that they're taking advantage of that anonymity to do and say things that even the most forthright of them would never say or do face-to-face.

Few people are ever persuaded or even affected by the arguments of others on the 'Net. They just want to see if they can provoke reactions. Negative reactions are fine, as long as they were heard.

It's not worth it. Not even a little bit.

This is why I don't really participate in any online communities any more, despite once being an addict and even a de facto leader in such old-time groups as rec.arts.startrek. Because, as Galactica teaches us, "All of this has happened before, and will happen again."

[anansi133.livejournal.com]

I think I understand what you're saying, but I've come away with a somewhat different take: On the internet, no argument can be said to have finished. No one ever gets in the last word.

I have had my own mind changed by the words of others on the net, and I have had my own words make a mark on others... so it can't all be pointless. But because of the nature of the beast, I can't expect the same kind of satisfaction on the net that I would feel in a F2F encounter.



The social aspect of the net reminds me sometimes of that famous showdown between John Henry and the steam hammer. I can't possibly think as much or as fast as the net can bring me information. The dynamic rewards nitwits and punishes honest inquiry.

Yet the countermeasure has been blindingly simple: I have to be parsimonious in how much I choose to care what people think.

[tanyad.livejournal.com]

I disagree with you on this one Mikey. I hope you don't mean to come across this way, but it sounds like you are reducing this issue to an internet flame war gone amok ala John Scalzi here. This is not an issue I can sit quietly by and just read about, nod my head and wonder when it will go away. You might be able to view it as internet fight gone awry but the core issue is not one that can or should be ignored under the guise of it's just an internet argument. I can't ignore the fact that I can't find anyone who looks like me that isn't a token or stereotype in some of the media I consume, I can't ignore the fact that people are making this issue all about them and how they are being oppressed by those uppity colored folks who dare to want to be represented in SF/F tv, books, and film. This isn't something I can just turn my back on because it trickles down to me and to anyone who gives a whit about representation, appropriation and such things. I think if folks just take a stab at it, understand the core issue and look past the wankery on LJ and beyond maybe, just maybe folks can get somewhere on the topic of race.

[belmikey.livejournal.com]

I don't expect you to ignore it. Not in the least. I think I'd be shocked if you did.

I'm just saying that arguing about it on the Internet isn't going to change a damned thing. I don't know what will, but that won't.

[sabotabby]

You did good.

No one responded to me. DRAMATIC SIGH.

[violachic.livejournal.com]

I know, and I thought you were perfectly inflamatory, too! What's with that?

[bammba-m.livejournal.com]

not really on the topic... i LOVE your icon.

Here from THAT thread

[ideealisme.livejournal.com]

Just to say that I wandered in to startrek and saw the thread and it could have been really great - there were many interesting threads going on - but alas I agree that the treatment of witchsistah by those two...em...individuals was ridiculous. I found her post informative and interesting and she in no way deserved to be called names.

I think it was a discussion worth having and I hope the bullshit does not overwhelm it entirely.

[sabacthani.livejournal.com]

I wrote a comment about RaceFail. I couldn't not do it. It would have been easier to avoid adding "Two Bits!" after hearing "Shave and a Haircut", a la Roger Rabbit.

And I have to put my response on the web. I _must_. But there's no need to put it here, to create Yet Another Race Fail Thread.

Here it is, in a secret, hidden 'blog post. (: