why are you hitting yourself stop hitting yourself

[whynot]

One of the many things that makes me :-/ about the J2 BB Haitifail is the following reaction to other people's frustration:

"If this has taught me anything, you shouldn't even try to write POC."
"Yup. This is definitely what I've taken away from the whole clusterfuck."

It is pretty saddening (if unsurprising) that concern over misrepresentation only gets you promises of non-representation. What this attitude is implying is that minorities are to be blamed for their own erasure. If only we had presented our case differently! If only we hadn't got too angry! These race/culture discussions aren't meant to be roadblocks. If anything, they're speed bumps: they make you slow down for the good of everyone and actually make you watch where you're going. Voila relevant links:

Three Forms of Rhetoric Which Are Obnoxious
"Damned if you do, damned if you don't." Please please please please retire this phrase! ... A better way to phrase the feeling of frustration at being unable to get an advance guarantee of never being criticized by POC is this: "No writer is immune from criticism."

I really like this one: Being An Imaginary Conversation Which I Have Been Silently Holding in my Head With Many, Many People I Have Seen Around the Internets Lately
IMAGINARY DAVID RAVINE: So you're saying that this is how to be smooth and avoid a flamewar?
ME: No! I am saying that this is how to be a dipshit and still avoid a flamewar!

This one is more a general how-to than specific to the topic at hand, but still awesome: Derailing for Dummies.
The best part is, you don't even have to be a white, heterosexual, cisgendered, cissexual, upper-class male to enjoy the full benefits of derailing conversation! Nope, you can utilise the lesser-recognised tactic of Horizontal Hostility to make sure that, despite being a member of a Marginalised Group™ yourself, you can exercise a privilege another Marginalised Group™ doesn't have in order not to heed their experience!

Comments

[dhobikikutti]

Agreed. :/

[whynot]

It makes me feel small when people choose to flounce away instead of engaging. When people choose to be pantsless, so to speak XD. Will they at least not try some on?

[mumblemutter]

Oh yes, it's *such* a challenge to write people of color as *people* and not just color, one has to wonder how anyone could even attempt such a thing. GOD.

That Imaginary Conversation post is fascinating, thanks for the link!

(Oh, oh, were you tired of all those (cross-)posts recently? We can ttly stop. *clings to you a little*)

[whynot]

I love that anon comment that's all like, "Well, stereotypes are all I know, sry2say!" This is, uh... also a problem, anon.

I unsubscribed from a number of people who I already follow on LJ. I wanna start being more active on DW, so the lack of repetition on my flist/subscriptions is just practical for me. XD You're still on my access list.

[mumblemutter]

There's also something about those "NO *YOU'RE* RACIST FOR IMPLYING I COULD JUST GOOGLE AN ENTIRE CULTURE" comments that's completely hypocritical and infuriating in that it is not exactly *wrong*, but nobody even suggested you should write about an entire culture (that is foreign to you) in your porn? Just maybe consider including some people in there that aren't white and try not to piss on their heritage? Surely that's not too much to ask? I mean, Christ, the fact that "Abraham" should not just represent some Haitian something or other is kind of the point.

...anyway.

(Ahem yes, that makes sense. We're ttly working on enforcing our move to DW too, let's see how that works out.)

[allothi]

*nod* The "oh well, better not write POC at all" thing gets nastier and nastier the more I think about it. And it's so insidious, and there's a horrible practicality to it: it's true, you'll avoid the kind of total awfulness that gets attention if you don't write POC, and you're unlikely to be called out on erasure. Certainly not in a big way. Because you're about the same as far too many other people for it to register as important. D:

Er. And the generic form of 'you' has rarely seemed more inappropriate...

[whynot]

There are some sketchy maneuverings getting from A to B, for sure! Sometimes doing the right thing != not getting yelled at. A causes B, but B is not A. 'Not getting yelled at' is not the ultimate goal, but a bonus to the ultimate goal, which I think is not being an ass!

[amazonziti]

Thank you for linking to me! I have added this post to my link round-up. If you'd prefer not to be linked, just let me know.

[whynot]

You've done a great job keeping track of this discussion. This post is not specific to the BB fic in question, though it is in part inspired by it, so if you think this is relevant to your links list, then I am glad to be a part of it. Thanks. :)

[momentarygrace]

Word.

Darn it. *headdesks*

[whynot]

Headdesk indeed!