sigelphoenix (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sigelphoenix) wrote2006-08-01 01:21 pm
sigelphoenix) wrote2006-08-01 01:21 pm
Entry tags:
I wish I still had my "bitch, please" icon
Still don't believe in male privilege in fandom?
I give you Exhibit A. Here we have a report on WriterCon from an articulate, intelligent-sounding man. An articulate, intelligent-sounding man who says this about slashfic:
"Taken in its rawest form, that situation would go as follows: the people who formed and maintained a fandom for years, purely from love of the world and its characters, find themselves invaded by a new crowd enthusiastically producing (and celebrating) a mass of stories built around a premise revolting to the original fandom group and glaringly OOC for the fandom characters involved [...] The fandom is being flat-out ruined for its builders by something utterly alien and utterly incompatible with everything they originally loved in it."
This casual dismissal of slash writers and readers exudes privilege.
-We were here first:
This man assumes that fandom was built by non-slashers - also implying, I would guess, that these non-slash fans are men. The problem is, slash has been around since the early days of Star Trek, and may have been the first form of mass-distributed fanfic (it's hard to tell, fanthropology being as slippery as it is). Women and/or slashers may not have been heard or given much credit, but they were there from the get-go. I would posit that this is true of nearly every fandom - at the very least, it's true of Jossverse fandom, which is the subject of the man's statement.
-My view is "normal":
"Glaringly OOC"? How do you figure that? Sure, slashfic can have unbelievable angst or shmoopiness, but such OOC-ness can be found just as often in hetfic. But he goes on to explain what he means by "out of character":
"Just as a matter of form, wouldn't attention to characterization include NOT habitually homosexualizing a major character who had been canonically presented as exclusively heterosexual?"
Just because a character isn't explicitly stated as being homosexual doesn't mean s/he can't be homosexual. Just because a character is in a heterosexual relationship doesn't mean that s/he can't be bisexual, or even end up being homosexual. Ignoring these possibilities, and assuming that everyone is consistently/immutably straight like you - and furthermore, assuming that different portrayals are incorrect - shoves your heterosexual experience to the forefront. In other words, it's privileged.
-You have to tolerate me, but I don't have to tolerate you:
The assertion that fandom is being "ruined" for the (supposedly) original group of fans ignores one very important thing: everyone else has had to tolerate being "invaded" by these so-called original fans all along. (Female) slashers have had to put up with being marginalized and often criticized for their fandom practices; by insisting that they are the norm and ostracizing others, non-slashers have been much more invasive in their attitudes than slashers. (I say this as a person who has been a member of both the slash and the non-slash camp, according to the specific fandom.) This writer is saying that the mere presence of slashers - regardless of whether or not they actually force slash on any other fans - is "ruining" his fandom.
This is a very common reaction among privileged groups who see their monopoly in danger: men interpret a 50% (or less) presence of women as women dominating a group. (I believe similar studies have been done on white people with POCs, but I'm not sure.) And that's privilege - when a loss in advantage by the dominant group is seen as unfair treatment, rather than movement toward equality.
So how about this?
"There's no denying that slash is a major current in fanfiction ... but, damn it, heterosexuality really is the human norm (not just a presumed standard, but the actual stance of the majority of the human race), and I'm getting almighty weary of having slash automatically assigned the default position in fanfic discussions."
I think this reply says it best: "Congratulations, you now know what it feels like to be queer."
Exclusive heterosexuality is not the norm. Again, this is treating a loss in advantage - a reduction in the assumption that everyone, everywhere is straight - as something that's wrong and ought to be fixed.
Homophobia intertwines so beautifully - or should I say, hideously - with sexism. Fear of being like a woman = fear of being gay. Both represent a 'loss' in masculinity, such that the presence of homosexuality is treated like an offense, whether or not it actively 'threatens' the straight men. And the fact that the prevalence of slash correlates with the prevalence of women - well, that's twice the blow to straight male dominance.
Or how about this?
"And, even if the slashers in Buffyfic maintain that they're not motivated by the smug satisfaction that comes from rubbing someone's face in something that appalls him, it still feels, to those subjected to it, exactly like gleeful oppression."
If you think women talking about buttsex is the extent of oppression, I invite you to switch places with me for a day. Seriously.
Now here comes the gem of the post, and the real expression of privilege:
"Imagine Buffy fandom being swamped by hordes of fifteen-year-old males who thought rapefic was the swellest thing ever, especially when the women — Buffy, Willow, Dawn, and let's not forget Tara — discover they had actually wanted it all along."
SLASH IS NOT RAPEFIC. Reading about gay characters - or, in this man's case, hearing other people say that they like reading about gay characters - is not the same as seeing a group of people indulge in fantasies about controlling, abusing, and violating you. A group of people who are part of a dominant population that often does control, abuse, and violate people like you. Jesus H. Christ.
But, you know, I almost can't get mad - because that statement wasn't malicious so much as ignorant. It's not that he was aggressively trying to make women disturbed and fearful by bringing up the idea of rape - it's that he didn't think it was a big deal. I don't think he understood how egregious the comparison was.
And that's just it. I see, all the time, men dismissing the impact of rape - its prevalence, the fear that women have of it, the effect it has on a survivor. I've seen men say that it isn't a big deal that women are afraid to go out at night/alone/with strangers/wearing attractive clothing/to a bar/to a party/on a date. I've seen men talk about how much worse it is for men who have to fear false accusations of rape, because that's so much harder than 'just' being raped. They think they're being fair and logical, but they just have no idea what any of this actually feels like.
There, right there, is the heart of privilege. This man said something horribly offensive - and a lot of other things that were just offensive - without really meaning to. He wasn't trying to be rude or malicious. He just ... didn't notice.
That's how privilege works in fandom. This man isn't actively oppressing women by attacking them or pushing them out of his chosen hobby. Most men aren't. They just exploit the advantages they already get every day in the rest of the world, without being aware of it. This straight man is used to having his fear of the Other - male homosexuality, especially as depicted by women - accomodated. He expected the same in his fandom.
Too bad for him. Fandom is a place where the Other gets to try to reclaim some of its space - privilege can take a back seat.
I give you Exhibit A. Here we have a report on WriterCon from an articulate, intelligent-sounding man. An articulate, intelligent-sounding man who says this about slashfic:
"Taken in its rawest form, that situation would go as follows: the people who formed and maintained a fandom for years, purely from love of the world and its characters, find themselves invaded by a new crowd enthusiastically producing (and celebrating) a mass of stories built around a premise revolting to the original fandom group and glaringly OOC for the fandom characters involved [...] The fandom is being flat-out ruined for its builders by something utterly alien and utterly incompatible with everything they originally loved in it."
This casual dismissal of slash writers and readers exudes privilege.
-We were here first:
This man assumes that fandom was built by non-slashers - also implying, I would guess, that these non-slash fans are men. The problem is, slash has been around since the early days of Star Trek, and may have been the first form of mass-distributed fanfic (it's hard to tell, fanthropology being as slippery as it is). Women and/or slashers may not have been heard or given much credit, but they were there from the get-go. I would posit that this is true of nearly every fandom - at the very least, it's true of Jossverse fandom, which is the subject of the man's statement.
-My view is "normal":
"Glaringly OOC"? How do you figure that? Sure, slashfic can have unbelievable angst or shmoopiness, but such OOC-ness can be found just as often in hetfic. But he goes on to explain what he means by "out of character":
"Just as a matter of form, wouldn't attention to characterization include NOT habitually homosexualizing a major character who had been canonically presented as exclusively heterosexual?"
Just because a character isn't explicitly stated as being homosexual doesn't mean s/he can't be homosexual. Just because a character is in a heterosexual relationship doesn't mean that s/he can't be bisexual, or even end up being homosexual. Ignoring these possibilities, and assuming that everyone is consistently/immutably straight like you - and furthermore, assuming that different portrayals are incorrect - shoves your heterosexual experience to the forefront. In other words, it's privileged.
-You have to tolerate me, but I don't have to tolerate you:
The assertion that fandom is being "ruined" for the (supposedly) original group of fans ignores one very important thing: everyone else has had to tolerate being "invaded" by these so-called original fans all along. (Female) slashers have had to put up with being marginalized and often criticized for their fandom practices; by insisting that they are the norm and ostracizing others, non-slashers have been much more invasive in their attitudes than slashers. (I say this as a person who has been a member of both the slash and the non-slash camp, according to the specific fandom.) This writer is saying that the mere presence of slashers - regardless of whether or not they actually force slash on any other fans - is "ruining" his fandom.
This is a very common reaction among privileged groups who see their monopoly in danger: men interpret a 50% (or less) presence of women as women dominating a group. (I believe similar studies have been done on white people with POCs, but I'm not sure.) And that's privilege - when a loss in advantage by the dominant group is seen as unfair treatment, rather than movement toward equality.
So how about this?
"There's no denying that slash is a major current in fanfiction ... but, damn it, heterosexuality really is the human norm (not just a presumed standard, but the actual stance of the majority of the human race), and I'm getting almighty weary of having slash automatically assigned the default position in fanfic discussions."
I think this reply says it best: "Congratulations, you now know what it feels like to be queer."
Exclusive heterosexuality is not the norm. Again, this is treating a loss in advantage - a reduction in the assumption that everyone, everywhere is straight - as something that's wrong and ought to be fixed.
Homophobia intertwines so beautifully - or should I say, hideously - with sexism. Fear of being like a woman = fear of being gay. Both represent a 'loss' in masculinity, such that the presence of homosexuality is treated like an offense, whether or not it actively 'threatens' the straight men. And the fact that the prevalence of slash correlates with the prevalence of women - well, that's twice the blow to straight male dominance.
Or how about this?
"And, even if the slashers in Buffyfic maintain that they're not motivated by the smug satisfaction that comes from rubbing someone's face in something that appalls him, it still feels, to those subjected to it, exactly like gleeful oppression."
If you think women talking about buttsex is the extent of oppression, I invite you to switch places with me for a day. Seriously.
Now here comes the gem of the post, and the real expression of privilege:
"Imagine Buffy fandom being swamped by hordes of fifteen-year-old males who thought rapefic was the swellest thing ever, especially when the women — Buffy, Willow, Dawn, and let's not forget Tara — discover they had actually wanted it all along."
SLASH IS NOT RAPEFIC. Reading about gay characters - or, in this man's case, hearing other people say that they like reading about gay characters - is not the same as seeing a group of people indulge in fantasies about controlling, abusing, and violating you. A group of people who are part of a dominant population that often does control, abuse, and violate people like you. Jesus H. Christ.
But, you know, I almost can't get mad - because that statement wasn't malicious so much as ignorant. It's not that he was aggressively trying to make women disturbed and fearful by bringing up the idea of rape - it's that he didn't think it was a big deal. I don't think he understood how egregious the comparison was.
And that's just it. I see, all the time, men dismissing the impact of rape - its prevalence, the fear that women have of it, the effect it has on a survivor. I've seen men say that it isn't a big deal that women are afraid to go out at night/alone/with strangers/wearing attractive clothing/to a bar/to a party/on a date. I've seen men talk about how much worse it is for men who have to fear false accusations of rape, because that's so much harder than 'just' being raped. They think they're being fair and logical, but they just have no idea what any of this actually feels like.
There, right there, is the heart of privilege. This man said something horribly offensive - and a lot of other things that were just offensive - without really meaning to. He wasn't trying to be rude or malicious. He just ... didn't notice.
That's how privilege works in fandom. This man isn't actively oppressing women by attacking them or pushing them out of his chosen hobby. Most men aren't. They just exploit the advantages they already get every day in the rest of the world, without being aware of it. This straight man is used to having his fear of the Other - male homosexuality, especially as depicted by women - accomodated. He expected the same in his fandom.
Too bad for him. Fandom is a place where the Other gets to try to reclaim some of its space - privilege can take a back seat.