IBARW: Why blog about racism?

[sqbr]

So, one of the standards I try to hold myself to is to be open to criticism and other points of view. Two criticisms I've had people make of me (directly and indirectly) here and there are that
(a)This whole blogging about racism and feminism etc is pointless or otherwise a bad idea
(b)People who disagree with me (or don't feel as strongly) on these or related issues find this lj unwelcoming/intimidating

(EDIT: I'm paraphrasing, and I think I've accidentally created straw-critics who you are all defending me from when the actual things people said really weren't that bad, mostly. My plan for a "nice simple links post instead of a tricky thinky real post about race" seem to have been less than successful...)

Now I'm still feeling a bit too dumb to write a proper post on either issue, but looking through ibarw I came accross three posts which go into the first question really well:

• rilina: IBARW: Why I'm participating
  
• coffeeandink: Why I participate in IBARW
  
• The Angry Black Woman: Doing Something About Racism
  

And to be flip for a moment: Me getting all excited about a particular topic, ranting about it continuously for a few months/years until I get my head around it/find a new obsession (and then intermittently from then on) is in general part of the whole reason I got a blog(*). I'm not sure I see how racism is any worse than fanfiction meta or wire crochet :P

But I do understand that just because you may not write about this stuff on your blog doesn't mean you don't care, the same way that I still cared about it before I started posting about it so much, and will still care if I decide to tone it down. Heck, it's not like I stopped making wire crochet...(EDIT: Also, you're under no obligation to read all my posts. I'll admit now, I skim over anything you guys post resembling a travelogue, my brain just refuses to process them)

The second criticism is something I'm still pondering how to articulate my response to, since it's a complex issue, and I know how that sort of thing can feel (I spent several years too intimidated to go to Gynaecon since I had ambivalent feelings about feminism(**)) I have this big metaphor about how I want to behave the way I would like my vegetarian/vegan friends to behave towards me, but it's going to take a little more thought.

(*) Also with racism (but not so much sexism etc, for various reasons), I've spent much of my life avoiding speaking up a lot of the time because it was all too difficult and I felt underqualified, so I have a lot of repressed annoyance to work through.
(**)No offense to the people who run Gynaecon, btw, since you were all very welcoming when I did come, and I think the problem was mostly if not all in my head.

Comments

[fallimar.livejournal.com]

blogging on topics like feminism, racism, any ism... doesn't seem the least bit intimidating unless it's rabid opinionated ranting, and from what I've read you're probably as far from that as you can get!

Impartial observer here :P

Though - I have to say... Gynaecon sounds HORRIBLY intimidating o..0
Sure it isn't, but that's a heck of a name. Ew.

[arcadiagt5.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure I see how racism is any worse than fanfiction meta or wire crochet :P


Or recumbent trikes for that matter. Whistles and looks innocent.

I may not read all of the posts you put up on the subject, or click through the links, but it is good for me to be reminded about these subjects occasionally so you won't ever hear complaints from me on this subject.

[i-palimpsest.livejournal.com]

Actually I find wire Crochet very intimidating.

[vegetus.livejournal.com]

The only problem I ever had going to gynaecon was when one person who was at that swancon had an issue with my current relationship and would get up and storm out of any room I and my partner walked into for pretty much the whole convention. I went to a few of the gynaecon things that looked interesting but felt awkward because she would get up and leave.

I have more of an issue going to places that are "women only" or even "women born women only" which I have a moral issue with.

Can you explain the how your vegan friends behave towards you is a metaphor regarding feminism?

(and often I don't read the fanfic type posts of my friends. I think that's the joy of the friend list you can read what you feel like and scan over the rest)

[nico-wolfwood.livejournal.com]

(a)This whole blogging about racism and feminism etc is pointless or otherwise a bad idea
(b)People who disagree with me (or don't feel as strongly) on these or related issues find this lj unwelcoming/intimidating

My opinion on this (if you want it) is that since it's your blog, you can post whatever you want. People are not obliged to read posts they don't like. You're not creating a happy space for people to eat muffins in!

Of course, if you are, count me in for any baked goods with chocolate chips in.

Yes, I'm feeling confrontational - how did you guess...

[penchaft.livejournal.com]

Your LJ, your rules, your interests. I would probably only start complaining if you were to, say, post fanfic without an lj-cut.

I read most of your *ism posts - I like reading the discussions that go on in the comments, too! They're interesting things to read about rather thank think about, for me.