I say again: You wonder why I am angry…
So for the past couple of weeks I’ve been dealing with the discussion around diversity in SF/F whether it be racial or gender or whatnot. And I’ve had a lot of positive feedback online. But, of course, there were the inevitable asshats who trotted over here to scream that I was racist and wrong and then went elsewhere to whine that I was racist and mean and… oh lord.
I just finished a sort of interview/profile thing for ColorLines where I talked about having to deal with these kind of people. I can’t help but think of Nubian and how the same kind of asshats ran her off the internet just for pointing out the truth. After a while it can get to you. Not because you feel they’re right — asshats rarely are — but because seeing the rampant ignorance, hatred, and true ugliness makes one despair for the human race. If one post about how to make an SF market more balanced can send people spiraling into madness, then I don’t know if I even want to deal with these yahoos any more.
Good thing I had some Con Therapy today.
The SFWA folks are in town this weekend to give out the Nebula awards. I crashed the con suite and nomination certificate ceremony and found myself surrounded by wonderful, sweet, intelligent, funny, talented, kick-ass people. I can’t despair for the human race or the SF/F genre when I walk in to a room and am greeted with smiles or hugs and kisses from Delia Sherman or Ellen Kushner or Dora Goss or Stephen Segal or Kelly Link or Ellen Datlow or Nancy Kress or David Levine or Patrick Nielsen Hayden or Jim Minz or Gordon van Gelder or James Patrick Kelly (hi Jim!) or any number of other fabulous writers and editors.
There is nothing more depression-dispelling than being surrounded by the brilliant, awesome people you know. People who can actually have an intelligent conversation with me about these very topics atht don’t devolve into “You’re just whining because no one will buy your work!” I guess it helps that I have these conversations with people who’ve bought my work…
Thank goodness I have this. Otherwise, the headline would be: Angry Black Woman Smacks Next White Person She Meets Just On GP.
“Angry Black Woman Smacks Next White Person She Meets Just On GP.”
ROFL!
I think you’ve earned a few free swings, frankly. (But if you could take a second to explain why you’re smacking me beforehand, I’ll be a bit less likely to make loud indignant noises.)
ABW: David posted a response on my site, too.
The fact that one of the respondents found it necessary to put scare quotes around the terms people of colour and minorities says enough about that group’s perspective to convince me they’re not worth my effort. :|
After a while it can get to you. Not because you feel they’re right — asshats rarely are — but because seeing the rampant ignorance, hatred, and true ugliness makes one despair for the human race.
Amen.
Love you too, KTB!
…hey, what is that, velvet?
There is nothing more depression-dispelling than being surrounded by the brilliant, awesome people you know.
Quoted for truth. ^^ Glad you had a space to recharge.
You crashed the room? How can you crash a place where you belong?