Goddamn, that was racist.

[hackthis_archive]

I want to start this post by saying a) I do not participate in Supernatural fandom b) I am a black person c) I have not read the story that started this week's Race Fail Brouhaha -- and let's be honest, it is only TWF (This Week's Fail, because that's just how this works). But I did read the informative post made by bossymarmalade. And trust me. That was plenty.

I have also read subsequent posts both on my reading list and in the (very) wide fandom universe. Some have made me so blind with rage I've had to go outside. And some, like this one from tevere and the one she linked to by facetofcathy have made me go, "Thank you, ladies, you are better people than I, because mostly I think 'The more things change, the more nothing changes what. so. ever.'"

And I say all this to say:

I am a Person of Color. I am not your Racism Police.

Nor is any other Person of Color your Racism Police.

We were not put here to tell you when you are being a racist asshole. We are not here to be the back drop for your great romance. We are not a fucking background. We are PEOPLE. We are born, we live, we love, we die. We bleed just the same as any. body. else.

Just because you may not encounter a PoC in your daily life does not mean we are tiny people living in your TV that only start dancing around for your entertainment.

People of Color are not here for your entertainment.

We are not here to be your plot points or to be your One Minority Friend That Proves That You Are Totally. Not. A. Racist.

We are not birds. We are not exotic.

Our cultures. Not exotic.

So every time you ask to touch our hair because it looks different, or rub our skin as though the color might come off; and every time you ask what extraction we are, where our parents are from (implying that we obviously are "not from around here") or say we're pretty since we're mixed;

Every time you think, "These people are so *other* from me they must need a good white person to save them," -- and you know who you are (especially you, Hollywood) -- you are being a racist dick.

Point of fact, however, you don't have to be white to be racist. Anybody can be a racist. In fact, every time there's one of these Race Fail Tempests you inevitably get people asking, "Well, how am I supposed to know when I'm being racist?"

If you have to ask if you are being a racist, do I have to finish the rest of this sentence?

We are not small-eyed, thick-accented, Spanglish speaking or dark-skinned just to give you something to talk about. To give you something to compare yourself to and find yourself superior. We are not here for your artistic merit.

I don't care if your feelings are hurt today, I will still be a Person of Color tomorrow.

And yet, this still isn't going to change anything. It never changes anything. And why does it never change anything? Because people are making this into a theoretical discussion when it's not. These are people. Real fucking people. And these things really happened. And they caused a lot of fucking tragedy. The earthquakes? They happened. Colonialism? It happened. Blood diamonds. They happen. The wiping out of entire cultures by a bunch of greedy explorers. War in the name of oil or minerals (heads up, Afghanistan), the new land or spices or genocide. That shit happened. It keeps happening. It was not made up by six white guys in a air-conditioned office on the Warner Brothers back lot in Burbank drinking Diet Coke.

These things are happening now. And they will keep on happening. And just because they haven't happened to you in particular does not make them any less true, any less valid, or there to be exploited just for your amusement.


So I'm going to save the rest of my breath to cool my porridge and let Dave Chappelle say it best, because truly, "you ever have something happen that was so racist, that you didn't even get mad, you were just like, DAMN, that was racist."

Comments

[aubade-saudade.livejournal.com]

i (a PoC) do participate in the Supernatural fandom, a newb really, and i learned of this from a rec. i repeat: A REC. i was reading the rec and it was like getting wacked in the face by a hot poker, and then i just felt numb, and have been laughing about it ever since... which is basically what i do every time this sort of thing happens. it's laughter or homicide, basically.

then the anonys started getting riled up and i felt hope again for the human race. seriously. i've seen this kind of fic go down smooth like butter in other fandoms. the fact that it makes people incensed in this one, is a good sign, no? i don't know.

sing it, sistah. maybe the more people say this is wrong the more it will convince the people still hung up on the fact that people are being "mean about it" that there is no way to make racism pleasant. yeah. =/


sorry for all the edits.

[hollyxu.livejournal.com]

I'm still a little astounded that this fic made it past the artist, the betas, the mods and some adoring fans in spnpermanon before someone stood up and said, 'This shit is wrong, y'all.'

[fivil.livejournal.com]

Nothing to add, just wanted to say I fully agree with and appreciate this post.

[causeways.livejournal.com]

Thanks for making this post, for taking the time to write this even though of course it is nowhere close to your job to educate people.

[random-flores.livejournal.com]

Word.

[oh-mcgee.livejournal.com]

The world makes me cry, man. Way too frequently.

[penguinparity.livejournal.com]

A-fuckin-men.

[sugargroupie.livejournal.com]

Ahaha. Oh Dave, keeping it real.

I don't care if you feelings are hurt today, I will still be a Person of Color tomorrow.

Yeeees, this so much. Thanks for making this post.

[harborshore.livejournal.com]

The thing that got to me the most was the language bit. People who speak languages you don't know are still fucking talking, even when you don't understand them.

[thexpuzzler.livejournal.com]

I just wanted to say thank you, and it does change things. I can only speak of myself, but I learn from every post you make about issues like this one, any issues, but specifically racism, and I appreciate every sentence of it so much. So thank you.

[sharksdontsleep.livejournal.com]

queeniegalore and I've been going back and forth about how this topic can/should be approached in GK fandom, but I think you (and tevere) just said it. Thank you for this.

"Well, how am I supposed to know when I'm being racist?"

If you have to ask if you are being a racist, do I have to finish the rest of this sentence?

EXACTLY. I've been a bit dismayed at the number of posts that are essentially, 'Please tell me if I fail.'" If I see something, I'm probably gonna say something, but I'm direct and blunt. That's not anyone's responsibility but the OP's and their collaborators', though it is a product of pervasive (fannish and nonfannish) privilege culture.

My fear from this whole mess is that people AREN'T going to write about characters of color for fear of offending - and be, well, racist by the nature of exclusion.

So, what I need to really say about this I can't articulate, so I just want to say, again, thank you.

[tevere.livejournal.com]

I've been a bit dismayed at the number of posts that are essentially, 'Please tell me if I fail.'"

the_grynne and I were having a chat about this yesterday. As you (and hackthis) point out, it's clearly not the responsibility of minorities or POC or anyone else who's been Othered to point out Fail -- the ultimate responsibility for recognising fail are people themselves. But what we think might be useful about these little 'please tell me if I fail' disclaimers that we're starting to see at the bottom of pieces of meta (and, to a lesser degree, attached to fiction) is that they're helping to create a culture where criticism of racefail is welcomed. Or at least accepted. Too many times we find something objectionable and just backbutton away, because we know if we try and point it out, it'll just end with the OP being all defensive and angry, and-- well, we have better things to do than be called names on the internet when we try and raise a reasonable objection to something someone's written. But a person who writes that disclaimer is (to my mind), more aware that his or her privilege has the potential to produce something offensive, more willing to hear about it, and (at least on the face of it) more willing to change his or her future behaviour.

I'm not saying this will End Racism in Fandom OMG! But we're already starting to see more discussion of these issues than we ever have previously -- I'd like to see that continue.

I am not white, and I have racefailed more often than I'd like to admit. I'm called out by both my POC and white friends on that failure. White people don't have a monopoly on fail -- racism is institutionalised in the cultures we live in, and so I feel what we had better start doing is admitting it's a problem, talking about it, educating ourselves and increasing our awareness out these issues (thus taking personal responsibility, not trying to push it back onto 'Oh, it's the racist system'), and telling everyone we're happy to be informed when we do (inevitably) fail.

[redheadaholic.livejournal.com]

Oh, for god's sake. I remember when someone threw out the idea of a Haitian adoption story for Brad/Nate in the GK community right after the first earthquake hit and everyone was all "have you lost your mind?!" Anyway, I have no words. Thank you for having so many that are so eloquent.

[the-grynne.livejournal.com]

I remember that plot bunny! I also remember being proud of the fact that people immediately called his/her out on it.

[hollyxu.livejournal.com]

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

She was majorly insensitive and stupid; but...

[shezan.livejournal.com]

You realise the woman has by now been receiving death threats, yes? I think a step back is more in order.

Re: She was majorly insensitive and stupid; but...

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

I do not speak for anybody else and I certainly have not been brandishing death threats. I am not responsible for anyone else's behavior, and I will certainly not step back from talking about something that is important to me and my life or something that I endure every damn day.

[incoherenteye.livejournal.com]

I have lots of words to say about this, like I agree with you, and more, but all I can really think of is :(((.
yeah. :(((.

[moneyfolder.livejournal.com]

Man. The only thing I have to offer is the mp3 for Dave's whole 'Killing Them Softly' set here, if you don't already have it.

[alethialia.livejournal.com]

We are not birds. We are not exotic.

Our cultures. Not exotic.

That's an excellent shorthand for it, right there.

[mysweetbrick.livejournal.com]

I usually lurk here (and everywhere else, really) but I will de-lurk to say thank you. For putting some eloquence to what I was thinking, as a PoC and as a citizen of the world.

[bl-nt.livejournal.com]

this makes me happy somehow...people objecting to the fuck up that is the modern citizen these days

[ellabianca.livejournal.com]

We are not birds. We are not exotic.

Our cultures. Not exotic.

Yes. This. I knew a guy in college who -- among other offensive things -- would act as though my Mexican-American background was a novelty. I could never quite articulate to him why I hated it, other than to try and say, "Yes, my cultural background may be different than yours but its still not something to treat like a new and shiny object."

[amazonziti.livejournal.com]

Hi. I got here via via-ostiense (http://via-ostiense.dreamwidth.org/).

I just want to add a WORD and an EXACTLY and some relief at how well you've said all these, because reading it and offering my support goes a little ways towards feeling like I've expressed this myself. I did my own post a couple of days ago and ranted a little bit in it, but that post has morphed into a sort of link roundup/hub for this whole fandom discussion, and while I've been spending a lot of my angry energy managing links and updates and comments, I wish I'd gotten even madder and said even more, because I still have all these thoughts and feelings boiling in my brain. You just... you said what I wish I'd said, and you said it really well. Thank you.

Um. My post is here (http://amazonziti.livejournal.com/52274.html). As people keep writing, I keep updating. I'm going to add this post to my list of links the next time I update; if you'd rather not be linked to, just let me know and I'll take your link down.

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

Thank me? Well, thank you. I had heard about your epic post for a day or two (you notice how a day or two around here is more like dog years?) and I went there to see what you were doing and ended up reading your responses to quite a few anonymous comments that were... less than savory shall we say? You handled yourself beautifully, told people where to stick it when they needed to stick it somewhere, offered some guidance where it was needed and offered a safe haven where sometimes you don't feel like there is one. So, again, *thank you*.

[liederkreis.livejournal.com]

Thank you for this post. I can't really think of anything to say, except that it shouldn't even be necessary to point out what you did. My brain still hasn't moved past stunned speechless on this.

[ricochet]

I've never been so glad to be out of a fandom in my life.

Beyond the shallow relief of that though, Hell Fucking Yes to the rest of what you said. So much yes. It's not-- I can't even...

It's not that I don't understand how this happens, 'cause I do. But I can never get my voice to work around this issue, I end up too angry and too hurt sometimes to make words. So thank you for your eloquence.

If it's not too huge an imposition, may I use a quote from this in an icon? Full credit to you for where it comes from of course. 'Cause there's another head on this hydra I can't avoid anymore, and I'm going to be partially incoherent, but um, I think it might help me keep talking to have

"We are not birds. We are not exotic.

Our cultures. Not exotic."

in the corner of the screen while I try to form sentences.

Not that any of that means you should let me use your words if you don't want to.

Again, thank you for posting this. (Also, the Dave Chappelle clip is awesome even as it's awful.)

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

a) If an icon will make you feel better, make 50. Help yourself. :)

b) One of the things I've always appreciated about Dave Chappelle's stand-up work is that he tells it like it is. Really and truly and people laugh, but they laugh because you have to, because you know what he's saying is true. And sad. And devastating. I was never a fan of his TV show, but one of the reasons he said he stopped doing the show is because he felt that white people were laughing, but they weren't getting the point. The racism stuff he was talking about was true and they were just glossing it over because to them it was just comedy. Racism is not comedy.

Right on.

[jazzypom.livejournal.com]

Seriously, dude, just seriously. Thank you for this post.

[noelia-g.livejournal.com]

Hi. I have friended you, mostly for fics and thinky thoughts, I hope you don't mind. I'm mostly quiet and well-behaved, with occasional explosions of glee...

Here via metafandom.

[kylenne.livejournal.com]

All I have to say is word. To all of this. And to laugh at the use of Dave because seriously, that's all I could think of when I first heard about this hot mess (I am also black and not in SPN fandom).

I don't care if your feelings are hurt today, I will still be a Person of Color tomorrow.

I want to shout this from the goddamn rooftops. And on the topic of being the One Minority Friend? There's been more than one white friend in fandom I've had to cut loose because of that sort of foolishness. Because--and I know I don't have to tell you this--it's kind of hysterical how people like that will eventually show their ass. Like clockwork. And how everyone else will run to their defense (http://stuffwhitepeopledo.blogspot.com/2010/06/rush-to-aid-of-crying-white-instigators.html).

As an aside, if we're expected to be "Racism Police" the least these douchebags could do is let us wear a bad ass uniform.