Read on Twitter
the mainstream metoo movement is not at all equipped to encounter or parse those pockets of society (queer scenes, activist scenes) that are like the two spidermen pointing at each other meme when it comes to abuse allegations. like where everyone is accusing everyone
I actually believe those scenes are structurally unhealthy in the same way suburbs are structurally unhealthy, and that it would be best for those individuals if they disassembled and dispersed and integrated with the rest of society more
I'm all for activist communities, queer communities etc, but communities are few and far between. what we have more of are scenes. two signs that it's a scene: it doesn't have multiple generations (children, elders) and the members all have a suspiciously similar aesthetic
I think when a community or scene isn't diverse enough — and by diverse I don't just mean demographics, but also diverse walks of life, diverse ways of seeing the world, diverse levels of personal development — it becomes prone to a lot of problems. it's too clumped up
like a lot of the pathologies you see springing up in queer and activist scenes probably wouldn't spring up if those scenes had more people who
- are older
- are further along in their personal development
- aren't academics
- have strong interpersonal skills
- are older
- are further along in their personal development
- aren't academics
- have strong interpersonal skills
this reminds me of something in this piece — when activists *in* the scene were asked to think about who in their lives could best a) support them or b) hold them accountable, most of the people they identified were from *outside* the scene. https://batjc.wordpress.com/pods-and-pod-mapping-worksheet/
anyway I don't know who needs to hear this but if you've lost faith in the queer/activist scene but you're afraid to walk away because it's where you first found "your people" & and you're worried you won't find them anywhere else — there are more of us out here than you'd think
more signs that your community may be a scene
- it can't or doesn't collectively deal with internal issues/conflicts
- it can't or doesn't collectively care for members in need
- it has high turnover
- it can't or doesn't collectively deal with internal issues/conflicts
- it can't or doesn't collectively care for members in need
- it has high turnover
related, on scenes vs. communities https://twitter.com/pangmeli/status/864298020455755776
I'm annoyed to say this, but enough male activists have RTed this thread that I feel like I have to: if you're a male activist & multiple activist women have made firsthand allegations re: your abuse, you're in a traditional 'metoo' and this thread doesn't really apply to you
