And there you go

[yeloson]

delux_vivens linked a great interview with Chrystos:

You know, the world is not an all-white place. And anyone who doesn't want to acknowledge that has an investment in white supremacy.

It's good to be reminded how stunted our dialogue is.

White supremacy shifted to racism (because, you know, "anyone can be racist") shifted to aversive racism, shifted to prejudice, shifted to unconcious bias, shifted to cultural upbringing. It's like collateral damage being the new term for mass murder.

We are often presented with a false choice: either talk at this stunted level or don't talk about it at all. Another friend of mine brought up the issue of "good faith discussions". When you're talking about stuff like this, and someone steps in at this stunted level, how can you assume good faith? ("You cannot call this abuse. Please PROVE to me that the high velocity cranial treatment via digital application was undesired and undeserved, and then we can have a reasonable discussion.")

Are those people worth talking to? Can there be a "dialogue"?

And are these the discussions we want to have?

Comments

[yeloson.livejournal.com]

they wanted to get me in a place where I'd have to agree with them, at least a little, and then they could keep their image of themselves as not being racist.

A few years back I had my own racefail when I started talking about how problematic race things were in small circle of roleplaying games- everything from imagery to the fact you had folks attending conventions in blackface.

I watched as several folks on my flist who previously shown rational thought proceed to NOT use it and take up a lot of space AND abuse my friends of color on my blog and try to silence them.

Guess how long -that- lasted?

When I realized rational thought was no longer at play, just pained flailing at "I thought you were a good little POC, not like the others", I started banning folks.

[rosefox]

to the fact you had folks attending conventions in blackface

Please oh please tell me they weren't white people claiming to be "black otherkin".

I watched as several folks on my flist who previously shown rational thought proceed to NOT use it

That sort of betrayal is the worst. My sympathies.

[yeloson.livejournal.com]

They were cosplaying "Drow". I hope they don't imagine they're "really" drow. Cause that's even more problematic.

[rosefox]

And drow are certainly problematic enough!

[yeloson.livejournal.com]

Well, you know, when your setting's only example of dark skinned characters are an evil matriarchy, hypersexualized in the imagery, and referred to even in modules as recent as 2004 as "dusky skinned", and apparently also spreading evil through miscegenation...

And then you have people really painting themselves up in blackface and walking around in public.

Ayup.