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f4f3Well OK, that’s not strictly speaking true. When they came for Jonathon Ross, accusing him of being the poster-boy for racism and sexism, and he retaliated by calling one of the posters stupid, I said I was on his side in this one. If someone called me racist and sexist, I’d be pretty upset and I’d reply. (If they said I was an outsider and knew nothing of the Genre, I’d definitely think they were stupid, even if I didn’t have a pedigree of writing comics and SF and promoting the genre in mainstream cultural outlets).
For this, someone I’ve known in comics circles for 20 years said that I was “Not a deliberate collaborator but your approach had that effect.”
Round about then I flung my toys out of the pram. I may have used the words “pitchfork” and “lynch mob”. I was also castigated for not taking it on trust that because Ross had been accused of racism and sexism he was, ipso facto, a racist sexist. I hadn’t done my research (the primary sources I had neglected to investigate, apparently, were the dozens of tweets showing his racism and sexism, many of which my accuser had personally retweeted).
By that time, the point was moot, since Ross had already offered to withdraw and the Convention had grabbed at his offer gratefully.
Ross, apparently, is a comedian. I’m not a huge fan of his, because I don’t watch talk shows, and I don’t go to too many awards dinners. I liked him on the BBC’s film show, and I thought his Vampire Mobsters comic was a bit meh, but showed a lot of promise for a first timer.
Apparently his crimes, which have made him an unfit person to present the Hugo Awards (and don’t get me started on the Hugo awards) was that he’d told jokes which had been construed as sexist, racist, or both, and that he hadn’t been sufficiently contrite.
Well you know who else that rules out from hosting our little awards ceremony? Bill Hicks. Billy Connolly. Billy Crystal (you’re not telling me that Miracle Max isn’t a Jewish caraciture? That his "When Harry Met Sally" character isn't a women hater?) Dave Allan. Chick Murray. Miranda Hart (her portrayal of large women as clumsy and inarticulate is degrading to large women everywhere). Sandi Toksvig (she was nasty about the Scots on News Quiz the other week). Briefly, anyone. Everyone. Anyone who can be accused (because the accusation is all it takes) of being sexist, racist, sizeist.
I know and admit that I’m not safe. For a start, I wouldn’t be able to present the awards (I’m white, male, middle aged). And if I look at my Twitter timeline, I’ve made comments that the Westminster government is greedy, heartless and obsessed with passing power to their friends. And though I haven’t checked lately, I’m sure some of them are women. Some of them might even be black. Maybe I should just turn myself in now? Plus, I read Flashman books. I'm a fan of Cerebus. And I laugh at them. Take me away, please, it's for my own good...
Starting with fair intentions of making fandom more inclusive, we’ve ended up with a Macarthy-ite community of witch hunts and lynch mobs, of guilt by association and by presumption.
Fandom is not a safe place for me, and I won’t be any part of it. For those of you who think this bullying and shaming is acceptable behaviour, ask yourself who’ll speak up when they come for you?
For this, someone I’ve known in comics circles for 20 years said that I was “Not a deliberate collaborator but your approach had that effect.”
Round about then I flung my toys out of the pram. I may have used the words “pitchfork” and “lynch mob”. I was also castigated for not taking it on trust that because Ross had been accused of racism and sexism he was, ipso facto, a racist sexist. I hadn’t done my research (the primary sources I had neglected to investigate, apparently, were the dozens of tweets showing his racism and sexism, many of which my accuser had personally retweeted).
By that time, the point was moot, since Ross had already offered to withdraw and the Convention had grabbed at his offer gratefully.
Ross, apparently, is a comedian. I’m not a huge fan of his, because I don’t watch talk shows, and I don’t go to too many awards dinners. I liked him on the BBC’s film show, and I thought his Vampire Mobsters comic was a bit meh, but showed a lot of promise for a first timer.
Apparently his crimes, which have made him an unfit person to present the Hugo Awards (and don’t get me started on the Hugo awards) was that he’d told jokes which had been construed as sexist, racist, or both, and that he hadn’t been sufficiently contrite.
Well you know who else that rules out from hosting our little awards ceremony? Bill Hicks. Billy Connolly. Billy Crystal (you’re not telling me that Miracle Max isn’t a Jewish caraciture? That his "When Harry Met Sally" character isn't a women hater?) Dave Allan. Chick Murray. Miranda Hart (her portrayal of large women as clumsy and inarticulate is degrading to large women everywhere). Sandi Toksvig (she was nasty about the Scots on News Quiz the other week). Briefly, anyone. Everyone. Anyone who can be accused (because the accusation is all it takes) of being sexist, racist, sizeist.
I know and admit that I’m not safe. For a start, I wouldn’t be able to present the awards (I’m white, male, middle aged). And if I look at my Twitter timeline, I’ve made comments that the Westminster government is greedy, heartless and obsessed with passing power to their friends. And though I haven’t checked lately, I’m sure some of them are women. Some of them might even be black. Maybe I should just turn myself in now? Plus, I read Flashman books. I'm a fan of Cerebus. And I laugh at them. Take me away, please, it's for my own good...
Starting with fair intentions of making fandom more inclusive, we’ve ended up with a Macarthy-ite community of witch hunts and lynch mobs, of guilt by association and by presumption.
Fandom is not a safe place for me, and I won’t be any part of it. For those of you who think this bullying and shaming is acceptable behaviour, ask yourself who’ll speak up when they come for you?
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no subject
Date: 2014-03-03 09:51 am (UTC)I do see why a number of people at LonCon would have felt uncomfortable with him hosting the awards. They are entitled to their view I think. They are entitled to say, “if he’s going then I’m not.”
I also see that his invitation / volunteering to host the awards comes at a time when folk in these types of organisation are trying to change their culture. So, perhaps not the best choice or even a good choice. Perhaps, indeed, a poor choice.
But having caught up on some of the tweeting I’m a bit uncomfortable about some of the labels that have been stuck on Ross.
I was astounded to see Alistair Reynolds describe Ross as the most divisive figure in the UK at the moment. Stronger candidates to my mind include Clarkson and Farage, or Salmond or Trump or Gove or Chris Smith or even Still Thatcher. (Astounded to the point where I moved his most recent book from near the top of my purchase pile to closer to the bottom. Knobbery like Reynolds’ will have to wait a little longer for my cash.)
He seems to be being labelled as The Worst Person Ever, or even the Worst Thing Ever. To my mind these are still Hitler and being buried alive. I don’t see evidence of him being particular racist or sexist or other –ists. A knob, yes, but not a particularly racist or sexist knob.
And, I think, it ought to be sufficient for a group of people so say, “Hey, this guy is a total knob. We don’t want to be in the same room as a total knob right now. So don’t invite him.” That’s reason enough not invite him to a private event. As is, “This guy looks an awfully lot like the last 20 guys who hosted this event. How about we invite someone different this time and maybe next time too.”
But the need to translate his knobbery into evidence of extreme misogyny in order to justify not wanting him to present the awards seems unnecessary and counter-productive and evidence of a mind-set conducive to the sort of re-education circles that have worked so well in the past. Certainly a mind-set that feels comfortable with throwing the word collaborator against people who take a different view.
And so misogynist becomes, like fascist before it, a synonym for someone I don’t like and who I can make you feel slightly guilty for having some empathy with.
no subject
Date: 2014-03-03 11:03 am (UTC)So what bothers me is that Ross was bullied and shamed, and that a large portion of fandom seems to think that this was OK. It isn't, no matter who it's aimed at.
I do feel a bit like Rumpole this morning, and let's face it, that's a badge of honour :)
no subject
Date: 2014-03-04 11:29 pm (UTC)...
Which got me thinking that maybe I just pick up on things differently, because I've always read Graham Norton's act as coming from a place of mild revulsion for people who are fans, whereas Wossy...well, he's there, bursting out of his Star Wars costume.
It's bothered me for reasons that I can't articulate very well. On the one hand, if this event has a dodgy history and everyone is trying to behave politely, maybe a laddish overgrown (fanboy) puppy of a presenter is not a great fit. You'd hope the powers that be would have thought through that one before announcing it.
On the other...Twitterstorms seem to be a new form of righteous moral panic that appears to come from a place of great delicacy and liberalism, but ends up as a different, right-on kind of mobbing. And fans seem to be saying of themselves, we are delicate, different creatures who shun attempts to make us mainstream. We need to stay in closed rooms and have another argument over whether Moffat or Davies has been worst for Doctor Who (insert more up to the moment literary sci-fi argument here).
no subject
Date: 2014-03-05 01:17 pm (UTC)Yes, this is what gets to me - and that anyone who speaks up against it is denounced. It's not as if this is a new pattern, you can point to dozens through history. I suppose the only thing those different groups had in common was the iron-tight certainty that the behaviour was ok BECAUSE THEY WERE DOING IT.
no subject
Date: 2014-03-03 11:37 am (UTC)