Meanwhile on Judge Discord...

A lot has been made of racism in Magic, and so often it's a very othering discussion. Not the othering of the marginalized people, but of the perpetrators. It's the whole "that isn't my America" type discussion where you somehow hold yourself above and separate from racists.

And that just isn't it at all. We're all a part of the Magic community. This is us. But the idea that we are separate from the racists allows for this curated space where you don't have to hold yourself accountable. A judge posted this pic. 11 others clicked the "rofl" emoji.

Several others commented in a positive manner. Zero people spoke out to condemn it until I said that I didn't find it funny, to which I got the immediate reply "That's OK, humour is subjective." I have been heartened by the condemnations of these alters from strong voices here.

But so am I equally disheartened by the tunnel vision and lack of awareness in the judge sphere, a space that is so carefully curated to not see its own blinding privilege, and couldn't possibly be racist because "that's not who we are." (Not an actual quote.)

Discussions about racism with judges often go "Well, it's kind of racially insensitive, but is it racist?" or "But how racist is it?" and turn the discussion into the same kind of conversations about Looking at Extra Cards and how much advantage is gained by a player.

I haven't been an active judge for a while now, but I've still kept community adjacent. But with the pandemic putting a hold on events, I just don't think I need to be even that much anymore, as this just opened up old wounds for me.