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Stepping back from the WisCon thing because I said my piece yesterday and today others have said things much more amazingly. e.g. Karnythia.

So. Racism in Inception fic, which other people (bossymarmalade and the link she has in the post) take on far better than I can. Just...no, okay? No. Also, racism in the UK is a big big problem and not something that ends up cheekily in 'jokes'.

(By the way, why does everyone cream their pants over Eames? Seriously, I'm the only person in the universe who thought Tom Hardy was hotter as Shinzon and even then...bleh.

Oh wait, it's the White Guys Trope All slash meme again, never mind.

Yes, A/E fen on my lists, I'm overgeneralising for the sake of my point, but the point's still valid.)

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I've liked Tom Hardy since I got into Band of Brothers. I am in love with Handsome Bob in RocknRolla. I find Eames SO boring. I wanted so much to think he was awesome even if I didn't like the rest of the film, but no. Snoozefest from me.

No, everyone in that movie is boring as a character, or underdeveloped at the least. I mean, it makes sense WHY, because cramming character development in would have made the film an hour longer.

But of all of them, Eames bores me the most, and I have no idea why. Maybe it's because I'm really sick of the Smartass Dashing Englishman trope. I have yet to meet a real Englishman who fits that.

Oh wait, it's the White Guys Trope All slash meme again, never mind.
Or it's that some people find him to be an interesting character. I like him because I'm fascinated by identity politics, and the idea of dream forgery is therefore compelling. Also, seriously, fandom is allowed to like white guys in addition to other characters. It's okay, I promise. We don't all like them because they're white dudes. Someone being a white dude doesn't invalidate him as an interesting characters. (Also: not everyone likes what you like. Not everyone dislikes what you dislike. I promise this is also okay.) Just. There is enough like to go around, you know? Even some of it for white men.

I don't think any of the characters in Inception are particularly interesting, save maybe Ariadne, but that's just me. I have no problem with white men, or white men getting it on, but it's a story that I hear so often that I'm so tired of it. And my anger really stems from the fact that the sort of racist shit as linked above has been, lately, particularly heinous in M/M slash fic, particularly involving White Dudes.

But that's so subjective. Just because you don't find Eames interesting doesn't mean anything about what other people will find interesting. Also, I think a huge part of fandom is taking sort of shoddy or uncomplicated canon and making complex, interesting stories and characters from it.

*nodnod* Agreement. And if that's what you'd said in the first place, I would have agreed. The thing I'm taking issue with in fandom is late is not "write more POC and women" or "stop being racist, sexist assholes," it's "stop liking white men," an attitude that seems to becoming more and more pervasive. And this post did smack of that, but I guess it's probably just your irritation at the other stuff presenting itself as disdain for all white dude fic--I am blanking completely on the words I mean right now, but basically I think I agree with you.

A good deal of it is the fact that I am really just pissed off at white people in general right now (even to some extent myself). There's been appalling shit going on and I just want to bash...slash fic simply makes a good target without calling the Libertarian SF Asshole Squad down on my head.

The underlying issue has less to do with what people are writing than with what:
- characters are presented in the media, full stop
- the racism (and other marginalizations) of normativity in the cultures dominating fandom, both in fiction and outside it.

Ah. Again, if you had said that, I wouldn't have disagreed. I don't really understand not saying exactly what you mean, but I think that's because I'm a confrontational asshole.

it's a story that I hear so often that I'm so tired of it.

And, you know, how come it's always the white dudes that are the ones that fans overwhelmingly find to be the MOST interesting? (whether that's b/c such characters are written arguably "more interesting" or even if they're not, they are somehow seen as more likeable/more intriguing/BLAH BLAH.

Fucking eyeroll.

I actually kind of liked Eames, but then I got a not-quite-cis vibe from him that would be interesting to play with if I had any inclination to dive into the fandom.

THIS. This is actually another huge part of the reason I'm fascinated by him.

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