I don't know why I feel so tongue-tied (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} myxamorphosis) wrote,@ 2008-04-06 02:10:00 |
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the importance of language
It never fails to baffle me when people try to belittle instances of bigotry by claiming that they're "just words." This is doubly true when the person in question is involved in fandom, where words arguably make up the whole of a person's identity.
I guess I should know better than to try and involve myself in these situations, especially in a wank-prone community like![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif)
fandomsecrets, but I cannot stand casual shows of homophobia. Generally, I view fandom as a fairly sex-positive environment, where one's own kinks can be both displayed and shared with others. But it seems that there are two major kinds of assholes: the first being the hypocrites whom enjoy slash/yaoi but cannot stand queerness in RL, and the second being the reactionaries that use their hatred of yaoi/slash in their RL dealings.
Fandom is not real life. This does not mean that people can exploit homosexuality for their own personal enjoyment and then actively/passively support homophobia when it comes to real people. Those people are the same as oversexed frat boys who fap to "lesbian" porn and think that "lesbians are hot, but faggots are different." It doesn't mean that homophobia within the context of fandom is okay, either. In this case, someone was upset about the fact that in their fandom, fanfic with slash/yaoi content had to come with warnings, regardless of the sexual content of the piece. But, people argued, that was perfectly fine because not everyone wants to read that, and it makes sense to warn people beforehand! That is bullshit. I really don't want to use the terms "heteronormative" or "heterosexism," but in positioning queer content as "other," we further the ideals of both. And that is dangerous, because that's where discrimination springs from, the idea that someone is different and therefore worse in some way. Het fic doesn't come with warnings because we think of it as safe and normative. Queerness is not dangerous, goddammit, nor will it permanently traumatize unsuspecting heterosexuals.
Words are worth fighting over. Why do we use the term "homophobia" when we have "racism" and "sexism"? The former implies a fear of things, while the latter speaks to something institutional. Isms are more legitimate than phobias. Why isn't "heterosexist" a term in popular use? Why do people in fandom still use the word tranny and forget to use the proper pronouns for transgendered characters?
Maybe I'm getting worked up over nothing, but I resent the fact that people laugh it up and say it isn't "serious business." Fuck you. Homophobia has serious consequences for real people. Sometimes the moral superiority I feel when it comes to social issues like this scares me, a bit- how is it different from that of the far right? In the end, though, all I can do is just trust in the fact that fighting for equality (not tolerance) is a worthwhile endeavor.
And to make it somewhat more fandom related: I hate Lussuria. He's an embodiment of negative gay stereotypes, thank you so much, Amano.
It never fails to baffle me when people try to belittle instances of bigotry by claiming that they're "just words." This is doubly true when the person in question is involved in fandom, where words arguably make up the whole of a person's identity.
I guess I should know better than to try and involve myself in these situations, especially in a wank-prone community like
fandomsecrets, but I cannot stand casual shows of homophobia. Generally, I view fandom as a fairly sex-positive environment, where one's own kinks can be both displayed and shared with others. But it seems that there are two major kinds of assholes: the first being the hypocrites whom enjoy slash/yaoi but cannot stand queerness in RL, and the second being the reactionaries that use their hatred of yaoi/slash in their RL dealings.Fandom is not real life. This does not mean that people can exploit homosexuality for their own personal enjoyment and then actively/passively support homophobia when it comes to real people. Those people are the same as oversexed frat boys who fap to "lesbian" porn and think that "lesbians are hot, but faggots are different." It doesn't mean that homophobia within the context of fandom is okay, either. In this case, someone was upset about the fact that in their fandom, fanfic with slash/yaoi content had to come with warnings, regardless of the sexual content of the piece. But, people argued, that was perfectly fine because not everyone wants to read that, and it makes sense to warn people beforehand! That is bullshit. I really don't want to use the terms "heteronormative" or "heterosexism," but in positioning queer content as "other," we further the ideals of both. And that is dangerous, because that's where discrimination springs from, the idea that someone is different and therefore worse in some way. Het fic doesn't come with warnings because we think of it as safe and normative. Queerness is not dangerous, goddammit, nor will it permanently traumatize unsuspecting heterosexuals.
Words are worth fighting over. Why do we use the term "homophobia" when we have "racism" and "sexism"? The former implies a fear of things, while the latter speaks to something institutional. Isms are more legitimate than phobias. Why isn't "heterosexist" a term in popular use? Why do people in fandom still use the word tranny and forget to use the proper pronouns for transgendered characters?
Maybe I'm getting worked up over nothing, but I resent the fact that people laugh it up and say it isn't "serious business." Fuck you. Homophobia has serious consequences for real people. Sometimes the moral superiority I feel when it comes to social issues like this scares me, a bit- how is it different from that of the far right? In the end, though, all I can do is just trust in the fact that fighting for equality (not tolerance) is a worthwhile endeavor.
And to make it somewhat more fandom related: I hate Lussuria. He's an embodiment of negative gay stereotypes, thank you so much, Amano.
