Oh fandom. Maybe I will quit you.

[browngirl]

So I was trying not to make this post, but I read too many discussions in short order to keep from doing so.

So I read N. K. Jemisyn's Things People Need to Understand, issue 223.2, which excellently states, "We have to shed this idea that SFF is somehow special. That it is perfect. That it is in any way better than the mainstream society from which it derives. It isn’t. And in fact, SFF’s manifest unwillingness to examine itself is one of the things that makes it worse than the mainstream." [And I just deleted a mini-rant concerning my opinions on the statements she was replying to, which isn't necessary considering this post of mine. So, moving right along...]

So I also read jimhines's Crap People Say About Sexual Harassment, which was further illuminating and depressing. A comment led me to this discussion on "taboo songs' in filk, where a bunch of people proudly proclaimed their Hatred of Censorship and Right to Sing Whatever They Want. It reminded me of the discussions about warnings in fic fandom, where one side doesn't want to be triggered as much and the other said, "you can't warn for every trigger in existence so you shouldn't bother warning for any of them, and asking me to warn is censoring me and I won't stand for that." Same thing here, but with filk. I suppose I benefited from the reminder of why I've left, but it was still disheartening.

Also, I came across the Overheard from the Smof Mailing List tumblr, which may go away soon due to the DCMA take-down notices being issued, and which is further illuminating and depressing as to how many in the backbone of fandom view... I was going to say 'the rest of us', but many of those pushing back against sexism and racism in fandom are just as much part of its backbone as those who view themselves as holding the line against the orc horde. ETA: However, in the comments here there's a discussion of that Tumblr, the accuracy and context of its quotations, and the harm it may have done to its seeming goal.

I was going to say more, but my Littlest Roommate requests my attention. So I'll close with a couple more links that warrant signal-boosting:

Things You Should Know About the Fallout
What Conventions Are and Aren't
Pride and Prejudice and Readercon
American Fandom goes to, err, War

Comments

[mama-hogswatch.livejournal.com]

To say I am not a "joiner" might be possibly understating things, so perhaps my opinion might not be as informed as it could be.

That said, while I do think F/SF/Gamer/Geek/Nerd fandom has and does need to address problems that are extremely serious, I think it is a reflection of society as a whole rather than anything particularly unique to fandom. That we are talking about these issues and hauling them out in the open is AWESOME, sad as the fact of the issues might be.

I think the problem comes in because we are so damn disappointed when people act like... well, people! Many of us in fandom got into with an sense of enormous relief because we stopped being mistreated for our tastes and inclinations. We were so excited to be accepted where we had no been in mainstream society that it came as a shock to find that yes, cliques, bad people, bullying and what have you are here as well.

Thing is, that's not just a fan thing. Think of polymory, political groups or any other group you join with a sense of excitement and relief that you might actually *gasp* belong! The disenchantment of finding out that yeah, those people are people, too, with all those damn annoying peoplelike behavior can be distresssing when you might have thought you were escaping that nonsense.

The cool thing, in my opinion, is that there is now a dialog opening. We're examining our behavior (at least I hope we're examining our own as well as Those Rotten Other People's) and we're talking about who and what we want to be. For all that I'm reluctant to dive in and be an active part of any group, I still applaud this as a paradigm shift.

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm really, really glad we're talking about these issues. I greatly disagree with those who say that discussing these issues is setting "general egalitarianism in fandom back by decades," as one critic put it. It's just, well, the pushback (such as in that quotation) is dismaying me. These discussions are important, difficult work, and I'm not sure I'm up for it.

That said, thank you for reminding me that just because a place is better doesn't make it a utopia; I shall remind my disappointed feelings of that. :)