fandom reaches a new low

[erilyn]

...what the fucking fuck?

A HP kink community. daily_deviant, used miscegenation as a fic prompt? Which is bad enough by itself, but have also equated interracial relationships with BESTIALITY? And are refusing to change this despite having it politely and clearly explained to them just how appallingly offensive both a) the word is, in and of itself, and b) their interpretation of it (by enlarging it to include goatfucking).

People make me sick.

Comments

[jewelianna.livejournal.com]

Interesting. I'm not a HP person at all, so this is all news to me, but it really drove home that there's no place that absolutism is okay, and that rules always need to have exceptions.

[erilyn.livejournal.com]

I like the books, but I've never really been involved in the fandom much. And yes, I can understand wanting to have strict rules for your community, but c'mon, a little bit of common fucking sense is needed too. You can't use that as a "get out of gaol free" card to excuse yourself from such offensive behaviour.

[hegemony.livejournal.com]

...*not surprised*...

I'm not a harry potter person, but this really isn't surprising to me at all. This is one of the first fandoms to not just ignore characters of color to begin with, but turn aforementioned characters that just so happened to be of color when revealed in the book, white again. *shakes head*

[erilyn.livejournal.com]

I am surprised. Sadly not by them using interracial (or homosexuality) as a deviant kink, but the use of such a vile term and equating it with bestiality is even worse than I've come to expect from fandom-in-general's issues.

[hegemony.livejournal.com]

Now I can agree with that. I've never read HP, but I'm lead to believe that 'Muggles' and 'purebloods' aren't considered different races or species in the same way 'human' and 'goat' are and 'black' and 'white' could be.

And their given 'don't like, don't read' attitude to the complaint is certainly not helping their case. Telling someone that their being offended is par for course for such a 'rebellious' community is a bit much, y'know?

[erilyn.livejournal.com]

Muggle/pureblood relationships are seen by some in the wizarding world as the equivalent of miscegenation, so the word could have been accurately used as a fic prompt in a challenge exploring prejudices etc. Children of such relationships are looked down upon (by those people), but not as much as muggles and wizarding kids of muggles are.

There's multiple problems with this challenge, because to me they're equating three very different things. Interracial relationships =/= interspecies relationships, say humans and house elves or centaurs or something, and this =/= someone fucking a non-sentient animal.

Oh fandom :(

[woolly-socks.livejournal.com]

Wow. Stupid. I only skimmed it the correspondence, so forgive me (please) is I say something really dumb, but... I am actually kind of surprised. I mean there are asshats all over the internets, of course, but considering that one the main themes of the HP books is race relations, and that there are canonical interracial relationships all over the place...

I'm unfamiliar with the word, so I looked it up on dictionary.com. The definition there is pretty morally neutral, and doesn't even mention derogatory overtones. Otoh they are falling over themselves to tell us how offensive nigger is. From this point of view, miscegenation could in itself be an interesting choice as a fic prompt, if a little controversial. But the bestiality reference? Makes me wonder if they've actually read the HP books at all, or are just pretending they have.

[erilyn.livejournal.com]

The history of the word is very loaded and offensive, so while there are neutral definitions, the usage hasn't been so. It's an old-fashioned word that I haven't seen used in a modern context much, which is why I could understand them using it and not realising the implications. Conflating interracial with bestiality and refusing to change the word when the implications are explained to them - there's no excuse there.

There are a number of posts about the issue here, and some info about the meaning of miscegenation is here and here (as well as in other posts).

[woolly-socks.livejournal.com]

OK, I retract my comment about it being "a little controversial". They are fucktards.

My impression of LJ lately is that there are a lot of people who adhere to the letter of the laws rather than the spirit when it comes to freedom of speech, and are so attached to their 'rights' that they no longer see the big picture. And when I say see the big picture, I mean use their frakkin noggins.

[erilyn.livejournal.com]

Yes, they prize their ability to say or do something over other people's rights to be treated as human beings.

I haven't got around to posting a link to this, but I will once I'm in the mood to spread some cheer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIl6j2i0qyU - the actor who plays Ianto singing a Jim Morrison song. And singing it well.

[vaudevilles.livejournal.com]

The thing that gets me about this is their unwillingness to take a good look at themselves and change. The defensiveness in their posts is unbelievable.

And (not to take away from the seriousness of their asshattedness) enlarging ANYTHING to include goatfucking is NEVER of the good.

[erilyn.livejournal.com]

I know none of us want to look stupid and owning up to a mistake can be hard, but damn I wish they'd try. Now they look stupid *and* offensive, rather than just stupid.

[lucy-u2.livejournal.com]

"You have picked an offensive word for use as this month's daily deviant theme. Miscegenation has the connotation of polluting or corrupting a white person by having sex with or marriage to a person of color."

I didn't have any idea that the word miscegenation is offensive in some countries. In Brazil it's a really positive one (miscigenação).

[erilyn.livejournal.com]

Yes, the word in English has definitely negative connotations and usage, though it's far out of common usage, so I'm not surprised that people were unfamiliar with it. I don't think I've ever heard it said, only seen it referenced in print.

[turlough]

*boggles* Even I know that miscegenation is a word with a lot of history and associations and definitely not to be used lightly and I'm not even English speaking!

[erilyn.livejournal.com]

Dude, and people would have accepted an honest mistake. But these people have compounded stupidity with offensiveness and cluelessness.

[charliequinn.livejournal.com]

Until this wank, I had never even HEARD of this word!

Now I know, my main reaction was "How the hell is that a kink?!??!"

[erilyn.livejournal.com]

Yes, that community has left me boggled in many ways. And you aren't the only person who was unfamiliar with the term.