Con Or Bust: go forth and bid.
Mar. 5th, 2011 10:16 amSignal boosting here as well: if you have got some spare moneys with which you want to help out fans AND get some nifty stuff, please consider going and bidding on some stuff at Con Or Bust (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
con_or_bust), which assists fans of colour, particularly with going WisCon.
They haven't raised nearly as much money as they'd like to have this year, so please chip in if you can.
I will make it big just to be a pain:
(Sadly, as you know, I have no spare money at the moment, so I will be obnoxious at you instead.)
con_or_bust), which assists fans of colour, particularly with going WisCon.They haven't raised nearly as much money as they'd like to have this year, so please chip in if you can.
I will make it big just to be a pain:
con_or_bust
(Sadly, as you know, I have no spare money at the moment, so I will be obnoxious at you instead.)
DW-only for obvs reasons
Feb. 5th, 2011 12:11 pmThinky thoughts--if I were to make a community on Dreamwidth for expatriate people in the UK, would anyone join it?
Thing is, there are a bunch of issues here:
- the obviously vastly different experiences for people of different races
- the class/race divide between being expatriate and being immigrant (I saw this referenced recently by someone, had an a-ha moment, but cannot remember where...citation help?)
- the differences in experience due to the places that one is coming from
And since my position is one of a shitload of privilege, being a white lower-middle-class person shifted between two Western English-speaking countries, one of which being the bloody USA...I gotta chew on this one for a while.
And also the issue of Anglophilia, which sometimes can drive me up.the.wall. (sorry Anglophiles.)
...OTly, I am pee-my-pants excited about my Festivids reveal later today. SO EXCITED. I have got more comments on my vid than on any fannish thing I've ever done and I am just plotzing.
Thing is, there are a bunch of issues here:
- the obviously vastly different experiences for people of different races
- the class/race divide between being expatriate and being immigrant (I saw this referenced recently by someone, had an a-ha moment, but cannot remember where...citation help?)
- the differences in experience due to the places that one is coming from
And since my position is one of a shitload of privilege, being a white lower-middle-class person shifted between two Western English-speaking countries, one of which being the bloody USA...I gotta chew on this one for a while.
And also the issue of Anglophilia, which sometimes can drive me up.the.wall. (sorry Anglophiles.)
...OTly, I am pee-my-pants excited about my Festivids reveal later today. SO EXCITED. I have got more comments on my vid than on any fannish thing I've ever done and I am just plotzing.
(no subject)
Jan. 23rd, 2011 02:10 pmAfter posting a comment or two about it at ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
facetofcathy's post the other day, I'm tempted to write a rebuttal to the ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
_dahne_ bit about how talking about Leverage lighting Aldis Hodge badly is racist is ridiculous.*
Someone at Cathy's post figured out that this refers tothingswithwings' post here, though I don't entirely agree with Megan's logic, and darkrose and deepad make some good addendum and rebuttal points here.
However:
All of us, I think, would agree that the topic is not ridiculous and does reflect on the white-centric nature of Hollywood. Because this is actually a fucking issue in media production, that people are TAUGHT about. Because I was taught about it in theory, for fuck's sake, as an undergraduate.
Anyone who's done study of film/tv in the US knows about standard lighting (e.g. three-point lighting, key-lighting, etc.). These methods of lighting date from the earliest days of Hollywood studio cinema. It shouldn't be rocket science for me to tell you that the basic methodology of lighting for US film and television is only designed to make white people look good...because they weren't LIGHTING people of colour then.
Particularly 'difficult'...in a relative sense of needing to throw out the existing book...is lighting people with darker skin tones, because the play of light and shadow necessary to highlight their features is different due to absorption of light. For people of colour with lighter skin tones (and darker ones), one also must at the very least consider a change of the colour used to light them. Lighting white people often is done with a blue gel...which doesn't flatter a lot of POC.
Fun fact from my undergraduate reading (so of course I now can't find anything that cites it, sigh): Julie Dash had to dress her Daughters of the Dust cast in light pink instead of white, because the lighting she used for her all-black cast made the white not look white...where it would have looked white under a 'standard' blue gel.
Now, the question is--is your white US cinematographer gonna know or care?
Some Western ensemble television shows where one main character is a POC and the rest are white will probably not change their lighting for scenes with the POC or even just the POC hirself due to time constraints and/or budget. Figuring out how to light hir in scenes with white characters would be complex. (I'm not saying that is right. I am just speculating as to why.)
Leverage does have really bad lighting overall, imho. But where Aldis Hodge also looks absolutely TERRIBLE in comparison to non-POCs is in the intentionally-dark lighting/tint of Supernatural; it makes the white mains look edgy, but completely washes out his features. As I said in Cathy's post, I'm surprised it met network colour standards at all. My guess is that it didn't and was fixed to do so. Another example of lighting for a white cast that doesn't do particularly well: this CJ (Allison Janney) and Charlie (Dule Hill) shot/reverse-shot from The West Wing. The caps here look unaltered to me save for size.
Anyway, my point being: this is an actual area of discussion in film and television production. Has been for DECADES. It is not ridiculous or facetious.
And in my mind, poorly lighting people with dark skin tones is cheap or lazy. But it doesn't surprise me.
Disclaimer: I am not a lighting designer, though a good friend of mine is. My knowledge of lighting is for the screen and is fairly limited. If I have fucked anything up here, please let me know.
facetofcathy's post the other day, I'm tempted to write a rebuttal to the _dahne_ bit about how talking about Leverage lighting Aldis Hodge badly is racist is ridiculous.*Someone at Cathy's post figured out that this refers to
thingswithwings' post here, though I don't entirely agree with Megan's logic, and darkrose and deepad make some good addendum and rebuttal points here.However:
All of us, I think, would agree that the topic is not ridiculous and does reflect on the white-centric nature of Hollywood. Because this is actually a fucking issue in media production, that people are TAUGHT about. Because I was taught about it in theory, for fuck's sake, as an undergraduate.
Anyone who's done study of film/tv in the US knows about standard lighting (e.g. three-point lighting, key-lighting, etc.). These methods of lighting date from the earliest days of Hollywood studio cinema. It shouldn't be rocket science for me to tell you that the basic methodology of lighting for US film and television is only designed to make white people look good...because they weren't LIGHTING people of colour then.
Particularly 'difficult'...in a relative sense of needing to throw out the existing book...is lighting people with darker skin tones, because the play of light and shadow necessary to highlight their features is different due to absorption of light. For people of colour with lighter skin tones (and darker ones), one also must at the very least consider a change of the colour used to light them. Lighting white people often is done with a blue gel...which doesn't flatter a lot of POC.
Fun fact from my undergraduate reading (so of course I now can't find anything that cites it, sigh): Julie Dash had to dress her Daughters of the Dust cast in light pink instead of white, because the lighting she used for her all-black cast made the white not look white...where it would have looked white under a 'standard' blue gel.
Now, the question is--is your white US cinematographer gonna know or care?
Some Western ensemble television shows where one main character is a POC and the rest are white will probably not change their lighting for scenes with the POC or even just the POC hirself due to time constraints and/or budget. Figuring out how to light hir in scenes with white characters would be complex. (I'm not saying that is right. I am just speculating as to why.)
Leverage does have really bad lighting overall, imho. But where Aldis Hodge also looks absolutely TERRIBLE in comparison to non-POCs is in the intentionally-dark lighting/tint of Supernatural; it makes the white mains look edgy, but completely washes out his features. As I said in Cathy's post, I'm surprised it met network colour standards at all. My guess is that it didn't and was fixed to do so. Another example of lighting for a white cast that doesn't do particularly well: this CJ (Allison Janney) and Charlie (Dule Hill) shot/reverse-shot from The West Wing. The caps here look unaltered to me save for size.
Anyway, my point being: this is an actual area of discussion in film and television production. Has been for DECADES. It is not ridiculous or facetious.
And in my mind, poorly lighting people with dark skin tones is cheap or lazy. But it doesn't surprise me.
Disclaimer: I am not a lighting designer, though a good friend of mine is. My knowledge of lighting is for the screen and is fairly limited. If I have fucked anything up here, please let me know.
We're really bad eggs. (DW-only)
Jan. 18th, 2011 07:42 pmThe whole piracy of ebooks thing...yeah.
vito_excalibur wrote a good post elucidating her position, a lot of which I agree with, and karenhealey said some stuff in response in the LJ comments that rang really wrong to me, but I couldn't really put my finger on why. I've come back after dinner to find some responses by deepad (The politics of discussing illegal file-sharing) and colorblue (this is not a post about yoga!) that are very good in pointing out just exactly what I hadn't quite processed: just how Western the concept of intellectual property rights is, as it exists now.
Additional posts on this topic can be found attroisroyaumes' roundup.
So, before I start talking about my own POV, please consider that there are other important viewpoints on the topic...but those non-Western views dovetail with my own concept.
-----
I find it really problematic to say that you shouldn't access books illegally at all, full stop.
Firstly, I was fortunate enough to grow up in an area with a really good public library system, then went to college in an area with a fairly good library system as well; both are in the US.* Therefore, I have been privileged enough to expect to read nearly anything I want for free, given time and patience. And frankly, while in the US, I never really had the money to buy as many new books as I read, considering the cost of hardcovers and trade paperbacks even before the advent of ebooks. (I read a LOT.)
This is generally true of me overall: I don't like to buy things I don't want to own and consume again. Period.
In comparison to my past experience, the UK library system has been lacking. Birmingham was quite bad, Glasgow is better but not as good as what I'd like. According to people I've spoken to--anecdotal, but a variety of people nonetheless--the system is not as good as it was decades ago. And now, government cuts are suspected to be ripping the remaining guts out sooner rather than later.
So yeah, go ahead, tell me to make a request at my library, so they can buy a copy of your book so I can read it. They won't laugh in my face, exactly.
Assuming they can even buy a copy of your book at all, which brings me to my second point.
I now live in Britain (still Western, still with a high standard of living), but many books, even on major publishers, do not always come out here, and vice versa. (There are, for example, loads of books by FSF author Gwyneth Jones that are on a major UK imprint but completely inaccessible in the US. There's also a Jones book on Aqueduct Press that doesn't have a UK publisher, but I don't blame Aqueduct for that, it being indie.) And I really can't afford the absolutely ridiculous cost of buying from the US and shipping. Most people I know don't have that kind of expendable income. And I'm not sure why Karen Healey didn't really address this very satisfactorily (imho) in her own post.
This is not the authors' fault, but the fault of the publishing industry. What needs to be done, in my mind, is what needs to be done with television: a revision and opening of international licensing, as well as a revision of ereader accessibility and restriction. (I mean, I'd like something better, like government-funded universal library access and Creative Commons reuse/remix stuff. But that ain't happening in the current socioeconomic model.)
So...I'm kinda descending into incoherency and must sum up: I don't want to whinge about how I can't get a bunch of books...though, frankly, it frustrates me on a regular basis.
Instead, there's a deeper issue here of which my life only skims the surface due to privilege: saying that piracy is universally terrible and what...it's not good, but there is often no other access option. (Now, you don't want to go wave that in an author's face, that's just fucking stupid. And, as I noted, most authors can do fuck-all about the situation anyway.) In a globalised society, seeing reviews and recs for things dangling out of the reach of people with limited funds or not in the US stings like hell. You have to globalise access, and not just to the Western world, either.
Kinda comes down to bread and roses, friends. Bread and roses.
ETA: I believe everyone should have access to information if they want it. Less about entitlement, more about fulfilling the bullshit lip service towards this sort of thing that's been going on for ages.
* I'm not fond of US government/bureaucracy overall; this is actually probably the biggest thing I miss from the US system. Except perhaps the US Postal Service.
vito_excalibur wrote a good post elucidating her position, a lot of which I agree with, and karenhealey said some stuff in response in the LJ comments that rang really wrong to me, but I couldn't really put my finger on why. I've come back after dinner to find some responses by deepad (The politics of discussing illegal file-sharing) and colorblue (this is not a post about yoga!) that are very good in pointing out just exactly what I hadn't quite processed: just how Western the concept of intellectual property rights is, as it exists now.Additional posts on this topic can be found at
troisroyaumes' roundup.So, before I start talking about my own POV, please consider that there are other important viewpoints on the topic...but those non-Western views dovetail with my own concept.
-----
I find it really problematic to say that you shouldn't access books illegally at all, full stop.
Firstly, I was fortunate enough to grow up in an area with a really good public library system, then went to college in an area with a fairly good library system as well; both are in the US.* Therefore, I have been privileged enough to expect to read nearly anything I want for free, given time and patience. And frankly, while in the US, I never really had the money to buy as many new books as I read, considering the cost of hardcovers and trade paperbacks even before the advent of ebooks. (I read a LOT.)
This is generally true of me overall: I don't like to buy things I don't want to own and consume again. Period.
In comparison to my past experience, the UK library system has been lacking. Birmingham was quite bad, Glasgow is better but not as good as what I'd like. According to people I've spoken to--anecdotal, but a variety of people nonetheless--the system is not as good as it was decades ago. And now, government cuts are suspected to be ripping the remaining guts out sooner rather than later.
So yeah, go ahead, tell me to make a request at my library, so they can buy a copy of your book so I can read it. They won't laugh in my face, exactly.
Assuming they can even buy a copy of your book at all, which brings me to my second point.
I now live in Britain (still Western, still with a high standard of living), but many books, even on major publishers, do not always come out here, and vice versa. (There are, for example, loads of books by FSF author Gwyneth Jones that are on a major UK imprint but completely inaccessible in the US. There's also a Jones book on Aqueduct Press that doesn't have a UK publisher, but I don't blame Aqueduct for that, it being indie.) And I really can't afford the absolutely ridiculous cost of buying from the US and shipping. Most people I know don't have that kind of expendable income. And I'm not sure why Karen Healey didn't really address this very satisfactorily (imho) in her own post.
This is not the authors' fault, but the fault of the publishing industry. What needs to be done, in my mind, is what needs to be done with television: a revision and opening of international licensing, as well as a revision of ereader accessibility and restriction. (I mean, I'd like something better, like government-funded universal library access and Creative Commons reuse/remix stuff. But that ain't happening in the current socioeconomic model.)
So...I'm kinda descending into incoherency and must sum up: I don't want to whinge about how I can't get a bunch of books...though, frankly, it frustrates me on a regular basis.
Instead, there's a deeper issue here of which my life only skims the surface due to privilege: saying that piracy is universally terrible and what...it's not good, but there is often no other access option. (Now, you don't want to go wave that in an author's face, that's just fucking stupid. And, as I noted, most authors can do fuck-all about the situation anyway.) In a globalised society, seeing reviews and recs for things dangling out of the reach of people with limited funds or not in the US stings like hell. You have to globalise access, and not just to the Western world, either.
Kinda comes down to bread and roses, friends. Bread and roses.
ETA: I believe everyone should have access to information if they want it. Less about entitlement, more about fulfilling the bullshit lip service towards this sort of thing that's been going on for ages.
* I'm not fond of US government/bureaucracy overall; this is actually probably the biggest thing I miss from the US system. Except perhaps the US Postal Service.
(no subject)
Oct. 22nd, 2010 11:26 pmStepping 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.)
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.)
(no subject)
Oct. 21st, 2010 11:32 pmI remain angry on the WisCon topic and I am not sure how to channel this anger into something productive that will be beneficial instead of just me me me me me. Working on it.
The post on UK psychiatry is still in the works, I promise. This week's just become intensely hairy thanks to the job application and the OAD wrapup. Speaking of, that's going into a finalish edit tomorrow, I think. I've come to the mindset that it will not be perfect ever, and therefore the Smith College axiom applies: Done Is Better Than Good.
I have also learned that I should never be a television presenter because I can't memorize lines for love or money, and thus my closing sequence is a bit pish.
And tomorrow I need to vote, and see about when would be best to get down to Birmingham, and figure out where to start with my defence essay, and learn to spell defense as defence...yeah.
The post on UK psychiatry is still in the works, I promise. This week's just become intensely hairy thanks to the job application and the OAD wrapup. Speaking of, that's going into a finalish edit tomorrow, I think. I've come to the mindset that it will not be perfect ever, and therefore the Smith College axiom applies: Done Is Better Than Good.
I have also learned that I should never be a television presenter because I can't memorize lines for love or money, and thus my closing sequence is a bit pish.
And tomorrow I need to vote, and see about when would be best to get down to Birmingham, and figure out where to start with my defence essay, and learn to spell defense as defence...yeah.
Right, so, on the Elizabeth Moon WisCon issue. I suppose I will speak in bullet points, because I've had a long day and due to high school competitive civics, I now think that way 90% of the time. (e.g. concise and clear points with facts to back them up.)
Thanks, Mrs. Ratway. Thanks.
Carrying on, if you don't know what I'm talking about, consider yedeepad's post and link collection. I could go on for pages on why Moon's thinking is seriously fucked up on multiple levels (anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant, assimilationist dogshit), but I don't think that's really necessary unless you aren't convinced by real people's feelings and need a privileged person to provide historical evidence for the incorrect nature of her screed.
- Firstly: Nisi Shawl is also GoH at WisCon 35. I am not using this as something to push people towards going, it is just that Ms. Shawl's work is very good (yes, I have read some) and she does not deserve erasure when we're talking about another person erasing people. EMoon is not THE GoH, she is A GoH.
- I'm basically sitting here writing a post telling you that I don't think what happened was right, but I don't know if rescinding the invite would have done anything effectual either wrt the big picture of SFF as a whole, and that Cat Valente's slippery slope analogy, while problematic, applies on one level (though not to the extent she thinks, honestly).
- So basically I'm being a fence-sitter as usual. Fabulous.
- Thing is, I'm leaning towards disinvite, though, because having her at WisCon seriously hurts a lot of people and discomfits many others. And I do not want her to be there if that is the case, because that is like a turd in the damn punchbowl. And then next year people sit around and talk about going to parties, and they don't want to go to the party where there was previously turd punch, regardless of any steps to ensure punch clarity. It might take ages to restore party reputation, or some other party having worse punch in the meantime.
- Thatmetaphor simile went on too long, sorry.
- Speculating, though, my guess is that the concom did do this for a single reason: PR. Moon's work does well in mainstream SF. Publicly alienating her could quite possibly lead to mainstream SF writing off WisCon as solely radical fringe instead of far-left. Which is bullshit. The productive things at WisCon need to hit mainstream SF, because it is so often a bigoted minefield. But we all know how well mainstream SF likes to listen to criticism and how slowly, even when there is willingness to change, things actually happen.
- So we're at a quandary. I mean, I would have preferred disinvitation, but even so, I can't help but wonder if there's some sort of middle-ground action that could have been taken at the very least, instead of this vague waving at constructive action. Censure? Is that possible? Not allowing her to do panels save a free-for-all where she'd be put under the microscope? Though that probably wouldn't do much good either.
Fuck, I don't know. The best thing would be if she didn't think like a fucking wankbucket in the first place.
(next up on this DW/LJ: Rhi's long tirade about how US jingoistic nationalism knows no political party and how she is tired of it.)
Thanks, Mrs. Ratway. Thanks.
Carrying on, if you don't know what I'm talking about, consider ye
deepad's post and link collection. I could go on for pages on why Moon's thinking is seriously fucked up on multiple levels (anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant, assimilationist dogshit), but I don't think that's really necessary unless you aren't convinced by real people's feelings and need a privileged person to provide historical evidence for the incorrect nature of her screed.- Firstly: Nisi Shawl is also GoH at WisCon 35. I am not using this as something to push people towards going, it is just that Ms. Shawl's work is very good (yes, I have read some) and she does not deserve erasure when we're talking about another person erasing people. EMoon is not THE GoH, she is A GoH.
- I'm basically sitting here writing a post telling you that I don't think what happened was right, but I don't know if rescinding the invite would have done anything effectual either wrt the big picture of SFF as a whole, and that Cat Valente's slippery slope analogy, while problematic, applies on one level (though not to the extent she thinks, honestly).
- So basically I'm being a fence-sitter as usual. Fabulous.
- Thing is, I'm leaning towards disinvite, though, because having her at WisCon seriously hurts a lot of people and discomfits many others. And I do not want her to be there if that is the case, because that is like a turd in the damn punchbowl. And then next year people sit around and talk about going to parties, and they don't want to go to the party where there was previously turd punch, regardless of any steps to ensure punch clarity. It might take ages to restore party reputation, or some other party having worse punch in the meantime.
- That
- Speculating, though, my guess is that the concom did do this for a single reason: PR. Moon's work does well in mainstream SF. Publicly alienating her could quite possibly lead to mainstream SF writing off WisCon as solely radical fringe instead of far-left. Which is bullshit. The productive things at WisCon need to hit mainstream SF, because it is so often a bigoted minefield. But we all know how well mainstream SF likes to listen to criticism and how slowly, even when there is willingness to change, things actually happen.
- So we're at a quandary. I mean, I would have preferred disinvitation, but even so, I can't help but wonder if there's some sort of middle-ground action that could have been taken at the very least, instead of this vague waving at constructive action. Censure? Is that possible? Not allowing her to do panels save a free-for-all where she'd be put under the microscope? Though that probably wouldn't do much good either.
Fuck, I don't know. The best thing would be if she didn't think like a fucking wankbucket in the first place.
(next up on this DW/LJ: Rhi's long tirade about how US jingoistic nationalism knows no political party and how she is tired of it.)
Protip #1: Writing a novel is not a death march, like how a book tour is not a death march. Sort of like how being politically dogmatic is not 'drinking the Kool-Aid'. (Anyone who disagrees needs to watch this film. Massive disturbing content.) Grueling and emotionally draining, yes. But not in the sense of, I don't know, inhumane action and war crimes and other things I will not detail here because they are triggery.
So Elizabeth Bear needs to quietly step back and PUT HER FUCKING FOOT IN IT. Not that she will, because I've gathered she is pig-headed, but still.
littlebutfierce has collected the links you need to read here (particularly the one by ephemere).
Protip #2: Now is not a good time to piss me off.
Protip #3: Renting a car is fucking expensive.
So Elizabeth Bear needs to quietly step back and PUT HER FUCKING FOOT IN IT. Not that she will, because I've gathered she is pig-headed, but still.
littlebutfierce has collected the links you need to read here (particularly the one by ephemere).Protip #2: Now is not a good time to piss me off.
Protip #3: Renting a car is fucking expensive.
Forthcoming: meta on the Torchwood US casting call that's going around, because there are multiple levels of fail there (race [any non-white person is interchangeable!], gender [she's in love], disability [he's an insane but clever criminal] and...well, what I get into in the subject line).
Not that I was expecting much from RTD, but nothing this bad.
Anyway, I've got to go to the orthodontist and deal with my father today, but this...I've got things to say.
It may tie into my 'the dominant UK paradigm about US people is about as fucked as what the dominant US paradigm about the UK' concept.
Edited because I made a blanket statement that I thought better of.
Not that I was expecting much from RTD, but nothing this bad.
Anyway, I've got to go to the orthodontist and deal with my father today, but this...I've got things to say.
It may tie into my 'the dominant UK paradigm about US people is about as fucked as what the dominant US paradigm about the UK' concept.
Edited because I made a blanket statement that I thought better of.
(no subject)
Jul. 9th, 2010 11:23 amFeeling a bit better today. The humidity has broken here and it's a gorgeous Friday morning. Apparently this is the only place in the Northern Hemisphere where this is true, from what I see on my flist anyway, but hey.
Anyway, a slightly bright point on the Silver Phoenix front--Amazon has restocked the not-whitewashed hardcover at full price, meaning it's no longer remaindered! Buy if you can (or poke your local library) to increase sales and author Cindy Pon's profit, as well as vote with your wallet for appropriate cover art in YA lit. (h/tinkstone)
In other news, still rummaging around the cutlery drawer, spoons forthcoming.
Anyway, a slightly bright point on the Silver Phoenix front--Amazon has restocked the not-whitewashed hardcover at full price, meaning it's no longer remaindered! Buy if you can (or poke your local library) to increase sales and author Cindy Pon's profit, as well as vote with your wallet for appropriate cover art in YA lit. (h/t
inkstone)In other news, still rummaging around the cutlery drawer, spoons forthcoming.
(no subject)
Jun. 30th, 2010 11:47 pmSource material on the fail aspects of The Last Airbender. No arguments in this post, just resources:
- a post on why representation matters bybossymarmalade
- a linkdrop and analysis byreflectedeve
- a collection of review info and links byglockgal
- a post on why representation matters by
bossymarmalade- a linkdrop and analysis by
reflectedeve- a collection of review info and links by
glockgalA link and a few unrelated thoughts.
Jun. 26th, 2010 09:33 pmIn follow up to last week's post on Juneteenth and Helen Keller Blogswarm Day, amadi provides some rather enlightening context.
I still hold that I am concerned, but that concern has shifted a few ways, to be honest.
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In other news, I have done very little 'productive' work today. I did watch some soccerfootball, watch an ep of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency,* write a couple amusing RP tags, follow my fascinating LJ analytics, and rediscover a short fic I wrote over a year ago that someone had linked on Delicious. (I therefore reposted it on AO3, because it is cute and funny.)
Also, maybe it's because I haven't actually sat and watched her eps yet, but I am so fucking sick of hearing about River Song; this is possibly because I got tired of Alex Kingston about ten years ago when she was still whinging her way through marriage and Cook County Hospital, on ER. Of course, my feelings are subject to change.
I did finish The Child Garden, and have not been quite the same since. In fact, between that and other things, I am so low on spoons/energy/anything today, friends. I really am not sure why it is, but still. Possibly because my meds have made me shaky...don't know.
* Problematic in certain ways, but pleasing in others.
amadi provides some rather enlightening context.I still hold that I am concerned, but that concern has shifted a few ways, to be honest.
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In other news, I have done very little 'productive' work today. I did watch some soccerfootball, watch an ep of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency,* write a couple amusing RP tags, follow my fascinating LJ analytics, and rediscover a short fic I wrote over a year ago that someone had linked on Delicious. (I therefore reposted it on AO3, because it is cute and funny.)
Also, maybe it's because I haven't actually sat and watched her eps yet, but I am so fucking sick of hearing about River Song; this is possibly because I got tired of Alex Kingston about ten years ago when she was still whinging her way through marriage and Cook County Hospital, on ER. Of course, my feelings are subject to change.
I did finish The Child Garden, and have not been quite the same since. In fact, between that and other things, I am so low on spoons/energy/anything today, friends. I really am not sure why it is, but still. Possibly because my meds have made me shaky...don't know.
* Problematic in certain ways, but pleasing in others.
This ended up just coming out, because I am so fed up that I cannot stand back any longer and not say something. If it goes under the radar, I will be sad, but so be it. Also, when I start sitting down and writing stuff, it ends up being stuff other people have said well before, so this is chock full of links.
Disclaimer: Some places I come from a place of privilege and some places I don't, fyi (and as I said earlier, we all have some privilege if we're reading this). I also think the points here are applicable without much problem on a worldwide scale, but if anything is particularly US/UK-centric, I apologise.
------
It's hard to decide if there's a point of most importance, but I think this is it:
Privileged people must learn to be uncomfortable, or no one will get anywhere.
Being comfortable usually means you're riding on privilege. The dominant paradigm's made things easy for you, and you're milking that for all that it's worth, at the expense of other people. If you have to ask 'why should I make myself uncomfortable just to ease up on someone's pain', then GTFO.
Carrying on:
- As I touched on earlier today, fandom is not a unique and beautiful snowflake. It is subject to the same discussion and criticism as anything else. In fact, its transformative and commentary aspects make it actually MORE valid for criticism, not less. Just because it is often pretendy funtime does not make it exempt from analytical thought. (Even in academia; that ship sailed long ago and it is called pop culture studies.)
More on this: the BS 'silencing' narrative and fanfic's relevance (thoracopagus)
- I have seen this so many places, but it's worth saying again and again and again, in hopes that maybe it'll get through to people. No one is saying Do Not Write What You Are Not. Instead, as a writer or a participant in community discussion, you must be prepared. Educate yourself first, learn the salient issues, and consider possible problem points, before you speak.
More on this: why the J2 Racefail story was disenfranchising, and how to write about things: think first (reddwarfer)
( this carries on beyond the cut, and it's nothing new to some of my readers, but hey. )
Disclaimer: Some places I come from a place of privilege and some places I don't, fyi (and as I said earlier, we all have some privilege if we're reading this). I also think the points here are applicable without much problem on a worldwide scale, but if anything is particularly US/UK-centric, I apologise.
------
It's hard to decide if there's a point of most importance, but I think this is it:
Privileged people must learn to be uncomfortable, or no one will get anywhere.
Being comfortable usually means you're riding on privilege. The dominant paradigm's made things easy for you, and you're milking that for all that it's worth, at the expense of other people. If you have to ask 'why should I make myself uncomfortable just to ease up on someone's pain', then GTFO.
Carrying on:
- As I touched on earlier today, fandom is not a unique and beautiful snowflake. It is subject to the same discussion and criticism as anything else. In fact, its transformative and commentary aspects make it actually MORE valid for criticism, not less. Just because it is often pretendy funtime does not make it exempt from analytical thought. (Even in academia; that ship sailed long ago and it is called pop culture studies.)
More on this: the BS 'silencing' narrative and fanfic's relevance (
thoracopagus)- I have seen this so many places, but it's worth saying again and again and again, in hopes that maybe it'll get through to people. No one is saying Do Not Write What You Are Not. Instead, as a writer or a participant in community discussion, you must be prepared. Educate yourself first, learn the salient issues, and consider possible problem points, before you speak.
More on this: why the J2 Racefail story was disenfranchising, and how to write about things: think first (
reddwarfer)( this carries on beyond the cut, and it's nothing new to some of my readers, but hey. )
Before I do my other post of the AUGH WHITE PEOPLE varietal, I've got something else to say that shouldn't get in the way of that. It's on the topic of fandom as an ethnic group, because this really pissed me-the-cultural-studies-geek off.
Please note that this is my take on this, and I'm not a sociologist. In fact, a sociologist would be able to tell you far more clearly why this is wrong. I am also working from a place of pure pedantry for a reason, so that I don't have to go deconstruct and deal with stupid questions and lots of BUT THIS. I personally understand the difference between ethnic group and subculture. It's just not easy to put into words.
Which is a shame, because then I could tell people more specifically how this is wrong.
Please also note that I am a very firm believer in the idea of fandom as subculture overall; I'm inclined to think a lot of things are subcultures or subsets of culture. However, some people think it may not even be a subculture...and then it's even MORE not an ethnic group, ffs.
I'm assuming that the 'fandom is an ethnic group in the broadest sense' comes from the OED definition, emphasis mine:
I can sort of see where, in reading that, someone would make the call that fandom has cultural and linguistic characteristics in common and is therefore an ethnic group. However, this would be incorrect for several reasons:
- The definition is vague on purpose, to be inclusive of various groups that do not always stem from race or nation alone but from a very long tradition with very definitive cultural aspects (e.g. Judaism).
- Therefore, ethnic identity comes out of one's birth or adoption into a sociopolitically distinct and long-standing culture.
- We are already existing within cultures. In fact, we are all already existing in one or more ethnic groups, but we were born or adopted into them.
- Even if your parents were fans, I am not sure what sociopolitically distinct culture comes out of liking to read fanfic about two dudes going at it or dress up as Harry Potter.
- I really don't know.
- No, it's not a diaspora, because we're all already settled within cultures anyway, and we are not bloody DISPLACED, particularly due to sociocultural disenfranchisement, at least not as fans. (If you are a member of a diaspora anyway, not to negate your identity--that is what it is, it has nothing to do with fandom.)
- You're not born into fandom. Sorry. It's also not really that old a phenomenon, nor is it distinct. Fandom is not a culture, but a subculture. Why? Fandom comes out of and is in response to several existing aspects of highly varied cultures, which is basically the definition of subculture. Period. It's not even response to culture overall, per se, merely response to popular culture and/or media.
- As essential as it may seem, being a fan is a choice. It is a privileged position for all of us, regardless of our other privilege. We're privileged to be in the right time and place, with the access and technology that we have, and the societal standards that allow this kind of interaction.
- And that doesn't even get into nationality, genetics, and all sorts of other things that play into ethnicity that have nil effect on fandom.
- Now, go take a look and tell me if any subcultures--goth, punk, BDSM, whatever--are on this list.
- Now you should understand the distinction between a subculture and an ethnic group.
- Furthermore, to claim that fandom is an ethnic group denigrates the identity politics that come into the concept of ethnicity, and the problems surrounding ethnic conflict worldwide.
- Don't make me come over there and explain this again.
Please note that this is my take on this, and I'm not a sociologist. In fact, a sociologist would be able to tell you far more clearly why this is wrong. I am also working from a place of pure pedantry for a reason, so that I don't have to go deconstruct and deal with stupid questions and lots of BUT THIS. I personally understand the difference between ethnic group and subculture. It's just not easy to put into words.
Which is a shame, because then I could tell people more specifically how this is wrong.
Please also note that I am a very firm believer in the idea of fandom as subculture overall; I'm inclined to think a lot of things are subcultures or subsets of culture. However, some people think it may not even be a subculture...and then it's even MORE not an ethnic group, ffs.
I'm assuming that the 'fandom is an ethnic group in the broadest sense' comes from the OED definition, emphasis mine:
2.a. Pertaining to race; peculiar to a race or nation; ethnological. Also, pertaining to or having common racial, cultural, religious, or linguistic characteristics, esp. designating a racial or other group within a larger system; hence (U.S. colloq.), foreign, exotic.
I can sort of see where, in reading that, someone would make the call that fandom has cultural and linguistic characteristics in common and is therefore an ethnic group. However, this would be incorrect for several reasons:
- The definition is vague on purpose, to be inclusive of various groups that do not always stem from race or nation alone but from a very long tradition with very definitive cultural aspects (e.g. Judaism).
- Therefore, ethnic identity comes out of one's birth or adoption into a sociopolitically distinct and long-standing culture.
- We are already existing within cultures. In fact, we are all already existing in one or more ethnic groups, but we were born or adopted into them.
- Even if your parents were fans, I am not sure what sociopolitically distinct culture comes out of liking to read fanfic about two dudes going at it or dress up as Harry Potter.
- I really don't know.
- No, it's not a diaspora, because we're all already settled within cultures anyway, and we are not bloody DISPLACED, particularly due to sociocultural disenfranchisement, at least not as fans. (If you are a member of a diaspora anyway, not to negate your identity--that is what it is, it has nothing to do with fandom.)
- You're not born into fandom. Sorry. It's also not really that old a phenomenon, nor is it distinct. Fandom is not a culture, but a subculture. Why? Fandom comes out of and is in response to several existing aspects of highly varied cultures, which is basically the definition of subculture. Period. It's not even response to culture overall, per se, merely response to popular culture and/or media.
- As essential as it may seem, being a fan is a choice. It is a privileged position for all of us, regardless of our other privilege. We're privileged to be in the right time and place, with the access and technology that we have, and the societal standards that allow this kind of interaction.
- And that doesn't even get into nationality, genetics, and all sorts of other things that play into ethnicity that have nil effect on fandom.
- Now, go take a look and tell me if any subcultures--goth, punk, BDSM, whatever--are on this list.
- Now you should understand the distinction between a subculture and an ethnic group.
- Furthermore, to claim that fandom is an ethnic group denigrates the identity politics that come into the concept of ethnicity, and the problems surrounding ethnic conflict worldwide.
- Don't make me come over there and explain this again.
At the risk of getting in trouble or alienating people in the disability and/or feminist community...
I am highly concerned about another white feminist fuckup on the Juneteenth erasure front. Even if it was an unintentional mistake, that's not good enough. We cannot expect recognition when we do not recognise others; consideration for all and prompt action is necessary.
As someone invested (just because you haven't seen me comment with this name doesn't mean I'm not a participant) in the community...yeah. This needs to get sorted.
As I said, highly concerned.
(Also, likemaevele, it might just be a local thing, but there's been a Juneteenth Day festival every year I've lived in Milwaukee. Yes, primarily a US American and Canadian thing, but...it's important to check calendars. And, if one does miss things, which is feasible in this case, to sort things in a prompt manner.)
ETA: If you don't know, the basics on Juneteenth.
I am highly concerned about another white feminist fuckup on the Juneteenth erasure front. Even if it was an unintentional mistake, that's not good enough. We cannot expect recognition when we do not recognise others; consideration for all and prompt action is necessary.
As someone invested (just because you haven't seen me comment with this name doesn't mean I'm not a participant) in the community...yeah. This needs to get sorted.
As I said, highly concerned.
(Also, like
maevele, it might just be a local thing, but there's been a Juneteenth Day festival every year I've lived in Milwaukee. Yes, primarily a US American and Canadian thing, but...it's important to check calendars. And, if one does miss things, which is feasible in this case, to sort things in a prompt manner.)ETA: If you don't know, the basics on Juneteenth.
Holy carp, something fandomy.
Jun. 18th, 2010 09:31 pmOkay, so I'm doing a Star Trek AOS fic for ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
dark_agenda's Racebending. At the moment, my intent is that Winona-whose-name-is-no-longer-that Kirk is of Tamil descent*, and that Sam and Jim are multiracial.
It's probably obvious that I'm grappling with appropriate representation of both a future Tamil diaspora and multiracial people. (...still looking for cultural betas, by the way, if anyone has the energy/spoons.)
But ( basically spoiling the whole concept: on race and the Federation. )
dark_agenda's Racebending. At the moment, my intent is that Winona-whose-name-is-no-longer-that Kirk is of Tamil descent*, and that Sam and Jim are multiracial.It's probably obvious that I'm grappling with appropriate representation of both a future Tamil diaspora and multiracial people. (...still looking for cultural betas, by the way, if anyone has the energy/spoons.)
But ( basically spoiling the whole concept: on race and the Federation. )
Just wanted to draw people's attention briefly to some more RPS fail, sadly, in bandom. This time we've got some negation of Jewish identity! And when it is pointed out, a massive derailing tone argument!
Sigh.
By the way, thoughsohotrightnow doesn't touch on it in her analysis post but did earlier, this gets into race in other ways, as Gabe Saporta is Uruguayan.
So also, of course the Latino guy is a Catholic priest. Latino people aren't Jewish, don't be silly! /sarcasm
The more I think about this, the more fucked up it gets. I got nothing. I'm off to my shrink (no, actually, I really am).
Sigh.
By the way, though
sohotrightnow doesn't touch on it in her analysis post but did earlier, this gets into race in other ways, as Gabe Saporta is Uruguayan.So also, of course the Latino guy is a Catholic priest. Latino people aren't Jewish, don't be silly! /sarcasm
The more I think about this, the more fucked up it gets. I got nothing. I'm off to my shrink (no, actually, I really am).
For those of you following the J2 Haiti Racefail, I find that facetofcathy breaks down the greater problems and issues surrounding this topic very well in this post.
Highly recommended on an educational level and for insight, because fandom really does need to get past the OMG WTFING F and into analysis.
facetofcathy breaks down the greater problems and issues surrounding this topic very well in this post.Highly recommended on an educational level and for insight, because fandom really does need to get past the OMG WTFING F and into analysis.
(no subject)
Jun. 12th, 2010 04:16 pmThinking about signing up for dark_agenda, particularly after seeing the big old Last Airbender display in the cinema the other day. I don't know if I have the energy to write any fic at the moment, though, which is bleh.
Also, I don't have a whole post in me about this, but the 'South African' intertitles and voiceovers and drumming as background music on the World Cup coverage here are starting to make me twitch. As is the whole 'yay rainbow nation' media coverage; I realize that no, most MSM outlets can't really do hard-hitting journalism during a global sporting event, but...seriously. This is not to say I know loads about the politics and situation, and certainly not on a personal level; I'm a white American and my interest in the history and politics of the countries of Southern Africa is only academic, but ffs, the lack of depth makes me cringe.
As you do, of course.
dark_agenda, particularly after seeing the big old Last Airbender display in the cinema the other day. I don't know if I have the energy to write any fic at the moment, though, which is bleh.Also, I don't have a whole post in me about this, but the 'South African' intertitles and voiceovers and drumming as background music on the World Cup coverage here are starting to make me twitch. As is the whole 'yay rainbow nation' media coverage; I realize that no, most MSM outlets can't really do hard-hitting journalism during a global sporting event, but...seriously. This is not to say I know loads about the politics and situation, and certainly not on a personal level; I'm a white American and my interest in the history and politics of the countries of Southern Africa is only academic, but ffs, the lack of depth makes me cringe.
As you do, of course.
