Racism and the sff scene

[alias_sqbr]

So, it's International blog about racism week.

I've never gotten around to joining in before (though I have posted about
racism at odd intervals) but as it happens have been heading towards
posting about this sort of stuff for a while.

So, two small and hopefully uncontroversial questions to start with:

Question 1: There's a lot of interesting science fictiony ideas involving
race, as well as questions about the racial subtexts to fandom itself. I
personally find these interesting, and have recently noticed there isn¡¦t
a lot of that sort of thing discussed at Swancon.

Am I just missing it and it is actually there? Are other people interested
or is it just me? I'd think of running some myself but I'm an ignorant
white science major who hasn't run many panels so I'd probably mess it
up horribly :)

Question 2: Something I've noticed recently and Do Not Like are racist
undertones in fandom, especially amongst the younger unisfans. What are
other people's experiences? Is it getting worse or am I just being an "In
my day.." old guard, or possibly only now losing some of the blindness of
white privilege? What's it like being a not-white fan in such a
blindingly pasty demographic? Any different to the regular grind of
Australian society?

I'm mostly interested in local west Australian fandom (since I've mostly
heard about online fandom) but stuff about the internet or international
fandom is cool too. And those less pasty than myself are under no
obligation to talk about such a loaded topic if they'd rather not!

May post about my own experiences when I'm not ill (wrote this yesterday, naively thinking I'd be able to proofread before posting tonight) Will suck at responding for a while but didn't want to miss the week since I was so close!

Since it seems unfortunately necessary to say: if someone says they have a
different experience to you that doesn't mean they assume you're stupid
or a liar, and nor should you assume that about them. Also:

IMPORTANT NOTE: off topic, ranty or flamey replies go here.

Comments

[nico-wolfwood.livejournal.com]

If I'm at Swancon next year and you volunteer to be on the panel with me, sure.

[alias_sqbr]

And now let's introduce our panelists. First, nico_wolfwood, who has a degre in sociology, was a representative at a conference on reconciliation, is from a country with very different racial politics to australia and has first hand experience with being both in the racial majority and the racial minority.
Second we have alias_sqbr. She... dislikes racism. A lot.

But sure, why not :)

[nico-wolfwood.livejournal.com]

LOL. I think you're underestimating your own contributions. I'm attempting to get my husband to be on the panel too (D&D as a fantasy example within which race is institutionalised in order to more easily typify characters) but he's shy... :)

[alias_sqbr]

Well..I did threaten an annoying younger unisfan with physical violence if he didn't stop making anti semetic remarks, and afaict that actually shut him up, at least when I'm around :)

I am pretty scary after all. Maybe I should be moderator, keep everyone in line with strict discipline and my natural imposingness.

lol :)

[nico-wolfwood.livejournal.com]

Ooohh! Scary Sophie!

Also - is imposingness even a word?

[alias_sqbr]

YES!!!

I say with much imposingness

[nico-wolfwood.livejournal.com]

re-reading this comment thread, I find it vaguely ironic that I wasn't on your racism panel this year...

[alias_sqbr]

I suggested you! It all went a bit pear shaped really.