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I& #39;m going to talk about some things that have been on my mind for a long time re: fandom and racism. I& #39;ve been in this fandom for >4 years and I& #39;ve seen a lot in that time, but one thing that rings true to me is that the incidents with racism follow a distinct pattern. [thread]
It& #39;s great and all that the fandom routinely rejects whoever the outright village racist is at any point in time, but here& #39;s the thing - almost every time, BIPOC folx have warned of this person and were ignored. It& #39;s only until their actions are egregious that the fandom rallies.
Blocking them and making a supportive tweet, honestly, doesn& #39;t do much. That& #39;s not being anti-racist in a way that creates a safe environment for Black folx in the fandom. That& #39;s just protecting your own interests so that you are not seen in a similar light as that person.
If you are offended by the above tweets, examine why that might be so. Do you visibly speak up when you see bigoted opinions *or* content? Do you surrounded yourself with diverse people in the fandom? What are you doing in your real life to ensure you& #39;re fostering allyship?
The fandom thinks it has created an inclusive environment. From my perspective, it has not. What it& #39;s done is create an environment where bigots feel emboldened to publicly espouse their views in the name of "inclusivity." We& #39;ve seen this repeatedly.
Every time I talk about racism, I lose followers. I gain a few too, but what kind of environment do you think that creates, especially for other BIPOC folx who may not feel as emboldened as me? I have far bigger racist fish to fry than fandom racists, but here I am, still
trying to create change so that the next Black person in fandom has a slightly better experience than I have. Maybe you& #39;d say, "Well Jessica, talking about this stuff is part of your brand now, so it makes sense for you to talk about it!"
Why isn& #39;t it a part of your brand?
Why isn& #39;t it a part of your brand?
It shouldn& #39;t be on Black or BIPOC folx in the fandom to do this work anyway. Even still, we are often the Cassandras, "creating drama" when we& #39;re trying to do the work we shouldn& #39;t have to do to create a place where we feel safe and welcome. Help us with that fight.
This is a huge fandom so we will never be homogeneous, but for whatever part of the fandom this thread reaches - what are you going to do as part of your anti-racism efforts to create an environment where Black folx feel included and safe? If you do nothing, that& #39;s your answer.
"Ally" is a verb, not an identity. You don& #39;t have to do anything to be a marginalized person other than exist, but you are only an ally when you are taking action to fight oppression.
