This Wheel Shall Explode

[tablesaw]

What has been called RaceFail09 has been stoked into a new fire.

I'm mentioning it because I don't want to be publically silent. On the other hand, I'm not doing much more than trying to keep up with reading about it, because of issues that I am typically publically silent about, and post about only under locks.

(Speaking of which, this is the post to join my sex filter.)

I'm falling further behind on things, but two posts that I think are instructive and are understandable on their own are "RaceFail '09: This Hurts Us All" by oyceter and "The R-Word" by asim. There are others, but I'm having trouble keeping them all straight; as always, rydra_wong has comprehensive links.

Comments

[joshroby.livejournal.com]

Tony, I can't keep up with all the stupid. Can you tell me how much this is a legitimate and developing argument and how much this is people rising to troll-bait?

[tablesaw]

I think the past few days have had a lot more posts that were reactive rather than independently instructive, but I think there's a reason for that.

The problem with calling it "rising to troll-bait" is that in this case, the trolls are running the asylum, and the bait is being thrown down from people with positions of relative power within SFF fandom. This is stuff coming from respected (or partially respected or formerly respected depending on who you talk to now) authors and editors, people who can make decisions about who gets paid and read. So though their tactics are often similar to those of trolls, their positions dictate a different response.

Consider the trollish anti-gay statements and actions of Jerry Falwell and Fred Phelps. Phelps has a small direct following, and so angry responses in many ways provide him with validation for picketing soldiers' funerals, give him attention, and helps to spread his message. Responding to him benefits him. Falwell founded a major church, a notable university, and a powerful political group and generally commanded a large following. Trollish statements from him like blaming gays for 9/11 represented and influenced a large, powerful group. Responding to statements like those is a mixed bag, as even people in power can thrive on the attention, but remaining silent and allowing them to stand unchecked solidifies their power further.

If you don't understand or are otherwise not invested in the power structure of SF/F (book-specific) fandom and the norm-establishing actions of people in power in SF/F fandom, then it's pretty much going to look like trolling and flamewars. Earlier there were a bit more primers on who's who and why it matters, but there hasn't been one recently. All of which makes it hard to frame it for people outside of this sphere.

[joshroby.livejournal.com]

Ah! I didn't know these comments were coming from people with executive authority. That makes a little more sense, then. Thanks.

[tablesaw]

Not strictly "executive" authority in most cases (though there have been some major publishers), but still people of relative power (magazine and anthology editors) and influence (award winners, established and respected writers).

[lemurtanis.livejournal.com]

Those 3ish paragraphs made me understand more than 15 minutes of trying to parse linkspam lists. Thank you. :)

[radiotelescope.livejournal.com]

It is also the case that the majority of *other* people in pro-SF writing/publishing/etc are staying conspicuously silent -- most, I'm sure, in the very rational belief that sticking a hand into the meat-grinder will result in a bloody stump.

I do not myself know how to bring up with subject -- in public -- in a way that does not immediately collapse it into More Of The Same. Have been thinking about how to approach people by email.

[skitty.livejournal.com]

Well, that just ate my afternoon.

I have no idea what to say about it, or even if I should say anything, but there's a lot of food for thought there.

[mswyrr]

It's like Zombie!Racefail 09 now. Fail died and came back and now it flails around and moans and lurches over to gnaw on innocent people. Bless you for coming up with something reasonable to say about it; once I heard about the newest developments, I was completely dumbfounded and I have to admire people like oyceter who are making thoughtful, excellent contributions to the discussion, because I'm completely dumbsquizzle-horrified.

[tablesaw]

From RaceFail to RaceFlail.