Comments | sophie_448: Some Thoughts on Privilege and Fandom

sophie_448

Some Thoughts on Privilege and Fandom

Jun 25, 2010 00:24

So, if you're not aware that there has been a distressingly large amount of racefail going on in fandom at large lately, I'm going to have to ask what rock you've been living under. I'm not going to address the specific instances (many, many people have done so brilliantly), but I did want to talk a little bit about how recent events have gotten ( Read more... )

race, privilege, fandom

Comments 12

interesting thecappyboy July 30 2010, 01:59:00 UTC

This comment is not directed at you specifically, but it is a response to this message and I hope to share one perspective. I've posted it under my own log-in and if anyone feels they'd like to respond I hope they will ( ... )

Re: interesting sophie_448 July 30 2010, 04:28:47 UTC

Wow, hi! Okay, there's a lot to address here. I want to pull out one of your points first because it's definitely a separate issue.

I won't go to the issue of at least nominally straight, hetero sexual men being portrayed as gay and depending on their point of view it could be pretty offensive.

Fanfic is not written for, nor is it intended to be seen by, the people it is written about. This is quite a different issue from your personal experiences as a gay man participating in fandom. To claim that we shouldn't write anything that might be offensive to the subjects, or to the creators in the case of fictional subjects, can only lead to the conclusion that we shouldn't write fanfic at all. Ever. Since you've said that you enjoy reading fic, I'll assume you share with me a basic feeling that it's a form of storytelling and creative output that has a right to exist.

Now, to address the rest of your comment.

I don't think the slash community has ever even been aware of, or cared that gay men might be a group that deserves ( ... )

Re: interesting sophie_448 July 30 2010, 04:29:24 UTC

I also want to give a nod to an issue that seems to be embedded in your reasoning, even though you never explicitly bring it up. There's an-outdated, IMO-perception that fandom is mostly heterosexual women. This is a large part of the basis for the claim that slash is appropriation. In my experience, this is really not the case. So let me put forward to you that there are more identity issues at work than you've really addressed. Gay identity, male identity, and gay male identity are three different things ( ... )

Thank You thecappyboy August 1 2010, 06:49:40 UTC

Just wanted to say thanks for your thoughtful and considered response. I wanted to explore the links you shared and except for the last one which led to many others, and I'm glad to have been there. There were a few too many on the last one for me to get to them all and I wanted to respond in a relatively timely manner ( ... )

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