To some people complaining of feeling too unsafe to attend WISCON

[lavendertook]

KTempest aptly summed up and anonymized linked to a post by Kathryn Cramer, who wrote:

The matter at hand with Wiscon and several other conventions is programming that encourages the continuation and escalation of abuse and hostility towards members of the sf community.

"Hostility"?  Why yes, I am sensing some hostility, but it's not coming from the programming--it's coming from reading your inflammatory blog posts and comments--good job!

"Abuse"?  Really?  So what did you do when members of the sf community attending WISCON were accosted with racial slurs on the streets of Madison? Did you do anything at all to address the safety needs of these members of the sf community who were dealing with actual race-based abuse?

*crickets chirping* 

Or is this the portion of the sf community that you're doing your damnedest to make feel unwelcome?-- an unwelcome which can lead to real, actual safety concerns when you're a person of color in very white Madison, Wisconsin.  Or just unable to take part in the community at all, because of choosing not to put up with this crap?

"Oh no, we welcome SF Fans of Color well, the black ones, honest we do!, just ones who recognize our specialness and primacy, not like those nasty ones online who we know are all just White People with Grudges and KTempest, and who have their own ideas about discourse and who gets to set it--THE NERVE!!!, and who are about to ASSAULT US any minute now--like, here they come--like, look at those frightening, pumped up bruisers!!!  They're, they're coming to OUR sf conventions--you know them, THEM!!!!  THEY are not like US!!!!"

Well, OK, then.  But if you want to keep treating your fantasies of being beat up and harassed, be it by those mean people of color OR there is no c, d, or e cultist white anti-racists WHO COULD BE ANYBODY what have you done to my beautiful white default!! YOU JUST CAN'T TELL BY LOOKING AT THEM!!! [we only accept visa or mastercard] as though they were a reality, fine.

Just remember, keep your damned fantasies to yourself--they're poorly plotted, a lot more prosaic than you think they are, and not what a lot of us have in mind when we plan to attend WISCON. I hope this is a "sensitive" and "reasonable" enough request for you.

Comments

[crantz]

I never hear anything good about Wiscon when I see it mentioned.

[lavendertook]

You've missed some of the excited prep when people propose panels, chatter over what panels they'll select and get selected for, and the bubbly con reports then--truly they do exist. But so does epic fail . . .

[tacnukesoul.livejournal.com]

Wow - that's a hogshead of worms and no mistake, Mister Frodo!

Good Luck!

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

Yes, yes it is. And it's sitting in the middle of the dining room table, and it's got to go.

Thank you!

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

*three snaps up*

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

*squishes*

[ithiliana.livejournal.com]

Excellent! Have linked and signal boosted.

I've said before, and you're there too, the stuff that comes from some of these white people is SO unoriginal, and SO lacking in awareness of language issues, all the more surprising (maybe not sigh) given how many of them are editors and writers.

I told Entwife about it on the way to PetSmart (Clipping Pippin day), and she couldn't believe it--it was like, "there is porn on the internet, I am harassed" or "it would be harassment if you scheduled the programming in their rooms" -- the argument is completely and totally illogical.

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

Thank you for boosting!

Denial makes for poor writing, I guess because it obscures the ability to empathize and leads to creating improbable plot devices. KC's Guide to Making A Welcome Environment for Me and My White Friends (They Just Happen to Be White!!!) and Nobody Else.

Pippin's adorable. Every Pip-pup I know is adorable, even to this total cat person. Your Pip-pup icon needs to meet shirebound's and lbilover's.

[lanning.livejournal.com]

HELL YEAH! :D Fantastic post.

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

Thank you! My anger has been festering over this. I've been wondering where everyone is--and who is being made to feel unwelcome while people tip toe around these unjust complaints and plays for territory for some white people to feel comfortable at everyone else's expense.