Social Justice
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Social Justice (SJ) means different things to different people. Racial issues, issues surrounding disability and access, triggers and warnings, feminism, and transgenderism are frequent topics of "social justice" discussions.
To some "SJW," or "Social Justice Warrior" is not seen as a flattering term; however some fans use it to describe themselves and do not object to its use.[1] Context of use seems to be key, as well as whether this is a self-applied label or one applied by others. (E.g., the acronym "SJW" is sometimes explained as "Social Justice Wanker," probably rarely by those who would consider themselves Social Justice Warriors.)
Fannish social justice really picked up around RaceFail '09.[2] It now appears in discussions surrounding a wide variety of fannish community events such Wiscon, Vividcon, and the OTW elections of 2011. Also appears in numerous small groups and communities discussions as well as in one-on-one discussions.
Permeates all aspects of fannish life, from blogging, to writing fan fiction, to archiving, vidding, running conventions, and simply hanging out on twitter and tumblr. It is not unusual for fans to find themselves in the midst of a social justice discussion when they thought they were talking about the story they just read or the plot of their favorite TV show.
Social Justice Controversies
- Some people say SJ has made fandom a safer place for them. They are able to speak up about painful issues, and people will listen to them. [citation needed]
- Fandom is a microcosm of the real world and while many of us use fandom for escapism, many more of us use fandom as our main social interaction. Part of that social interaction is the need to engage each other and discuss ways to reduce prejudice.[3]
- Some people say that SJ debate has had a negative impact on fandom. "Calling out" -> "signal boosting" -> dogpiling. SJW as bullies. Pick and choose who gets dogpiled. Refuse to accept apologies unless they met strict criteria. [citation needed]
- Others point to instances where SJ results in "POC feeling harassed, marginalized, and mocked by the very actions and "activists" that purport to be on their side" (their POV being labeled white/racist and when their minority status is revealed social justice activists continue to label them as privileged and racist).[4]
- Criticism of American-centric bent to SJ discourse: too much focus on what is offensive to Americans and not enough attention to what is not offensive everywhere else. ESL fans are often attacked for not getting the cultural context right. For example, this FFA thread about the reality TV series X-Factor: "I don't know if they're British or not, but they sound like they've internalized American SJ issues. This British nonny did the same way back in her baby SJer days, before she actually read the work of British anti-racists and realized you can't just shove one country's workings on another, and British anti-racist activists have been griping about people trying that exact thing for a long time." [5]
- SJ discussions often result in "flattening of experiences". As one anonymous poster said: "But it is not a black and white thing where there is a Right Opinion and everyone who doesn't agree is a vile monster. And I think it's pretty shitty for allies to be more concerned about raging than actually listening to the people they're supposedly defending." [6] In connection with the role that allies can and should play, one fan pointed out the following in reaction the the "Derpy Hooves" controversy in the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic fandom:
- "Conflicts about complex issues should happen within a marginalized group. Allies stay the fuck out of an argument like that when you see it happening because your contributions/opinions in those instances are neither worthwhile nor welcome.
- If you can't accept that marginalized people are going to disagree amongst themselves about things and that when you see that happening you need to back the fuck off and engage somewhere else, then you have no business calling yourself an ally." [7]
- Example of the impact of SJW on fandom: Hurt/Comfort Bingo wank - all participants = ableist. However, nuances are lost - some fans actually disabled, like h/c anyway and appreciate more representation in fan fiction/fan art. [citation needed] The Fail Fandom Anon Wiki has a roundup of links about H/C Bingo.
- Some members of the groups that SJW are attempting to help believe that their struggles are in fact being appropriated and used to further the SJW's agendas and/or to "win points" in Internet arguments.[8]
- Some people generally do not appreciate efforts at White Knighting.[citation needed]
- Some SJW feel that fannish etiquette (ex. publicly reposting private emails or locked posts) can be bypassed to further social justice.[9]
- Other fans look back at their social justice days as a developmental phase they traveled through: "Getting too deep into SJ is something that happened to me a few years ago. The worst, most uncomfortable part of that phase was how I saw other people...everything became about categories and I could barely relate to individuals any more....Being a self-declared 'ally' against someone's oppression is all well and good but it isn't what friendship is made of."[10]
- Some fans make an effort to distinguish between the awareness of social justice issues and the means used by those who try to implement that awareness: "There is an oceans-wide difference between "needing to be more aware of social justice issues" and "needing SJWs" [social justice warriors]. Wishing the latter is like wishing an A-bomb strike on a fandom - it'll work, but only because there'll be nothing left."[11]
- Discussion examples:
External Resources
- Urban Dictionary Definition
- Rhetorics of Social Justice Debates in Anonymous Fan Memes Online - a 2011 study proposal by Robin Anne Reid.
- ‘It’s Not My Job To Educate You!’: FailFen and Social Justice as Fandom” - report on by Barbara Lucas' International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts 2011 panel that argues that social justice is like a fandom in terms of community and consumption
- Community, Trust, Responsibility, Consequences - discussing how the misuse of social justice activism by individuals can undermine communities that seek to "discuss, deconstruct, and fight against bigotry and prejudice."
- My Problems with the Tumblr Social Justice Culture, dated December 6, 2011 ("You see, in this culture we have created there is a wide-spread need for people to be victims. And they don’t only need to be victims—they need to be the most victimized. A sort of literal Oppression Olympics....What I have witnessed is a circle of people that are waiting to feel self-righteous and attack other people, because getting mad feels good.....We have misappropriated the word oppression.) [12]
An Attempt To Lighten The Mood?
An anonymous limerick circulated in 2012 using the Harry Potter metaphor of of sorting social justice fans into groups or "Houses". The writer titled it: The SJW Sorting Hat.[13]
- For easy reference we've compiled
- a short yet catchy song
- to assess your life experience
- and tell you where you belong.
- First, there's sparkly GLITTERBAG
- where dwell the varied queers
- be they gay or trans or merely more
- questioning than their peers.
- Then there's Chromaticity
- for those who aren't white
- often asked to look over
- things clueless people write.
- In Spoondom[14]
- if you're disabled or have triggers,
- be prepared to discuss traumas
- and be judged by whose is bigger.
- If you belong to none of these,
- join Privilege in a hurry,
- just make sure to never mention if
- you're poor or Welsh or furry.
References
- ↑ Social Justice Activism in Fandom post by sharpestscalpel, 25 Jan 2011 (Accessed 7 Dec 2011)
- ↑ See for example the 300+ "racefail09" bookmarks and their associated tags at the delicious account of Metafandom. (Accessed 7 Dec 2011)
- ↑ "Yes, fandom may seem small and insignificant, but when taken apart and looked at individually, every single thing that perpetuates oppression can be small and insignificant. “Fandom isn’t srs business” may be a valid argument but… you can apply that argument to just about everything. Where do we start? How do we destroy the cage if we’re going to label every thin wire as insignificant? We have to start somewhere, right? I’m not saying it’s a good idea to randomly throw the word “privilege” around or start attacking people for being in fandoms, but sitting here and pretending that privilege doesn’t exist in fandom, fandom doesn’t mold our way of thinking, and it’s stupid to care about social justice is… well, just a little ignorant." ‘Social Justice’ is bullshit and it’s killing fandom dated June 15, 2011; WebCite.
- ↑ List compiled on fail-fandomanon on April 12, 2012 :"...this OP and secret here are proof that white people do sound white. they are ignorant, racist, and disrespectful to every other culture and ethnicity but their own stinking white-privileged asses. [...] OP isn't white, as we find out in the first few comments of the secret thread." on fail-fandomanon; and ""As a black woman I don't feel that many of the loudest participants in these discussions give a damn about equality. They want the accolades, they want the popularity, they want the capital to be as self-righteous as they wish." on ontd-feminism; and ""I'm posting because I'm not racist nor do I perpetuate racism just because I understand irony." on godofwine; and ""I spoke with an girl at a con this weekend who was more or less chased out of the community when on her very first comment she was accused of being privileged over something relatively innocuous, responded that she was not white and did not have white privilege, and then was snarked for that because she was confused over what privilege she was being accused of, and now she's been lurking and not leaving any comments at all for some time because she wants to learn but is too afraid to say anything." on ontd-political; and ""I'm a Black, Puerto Rican and Native American woman who is in the middle of questioning her sexuality. I'm really new to academic race/sexuality/feminism discussions and sometimes don't understand one view point and when I ask to have it explained, it's always "Pick up a book" and questions of "Well, what book would you recommend" are often met with laughter." on ontd-political.
- ↑ thread at Fail-Fandomanon (Accessed Dec. 13, 2011)
- ↑ [http://fail-fandomanon.livejournal.com/27151.html?thread=120279823#t120279823 (Accessed Jan. 25, 2012)
- ↑ This comment is going to be kind of blunt. (Accessed Jan. 25, 2012); WebCite.
- ↑ "For the record, I am a Canadian indigenous person who has family and friends who live on Canadian reserves, and while I agree with you that the way the government has handled funding for First Nations housing has been disgraceful, I am deeply offended and angered that you would use a tragedy like the one in Attawapiskat as part of a bizarre and disingenuous argument about something unrelated and comparatively unimportant....I'll tell you something honestly: I think this argument is such absurdly obviously grudgewank that it's really beneath notice. But it doesn't stand alone, and it's so outrageously offensive to me in a personal way that I am commenting despite my best judgement. I am just so fucking sick of seeing this happen, of seeing people like you make fandom an uncomfortable and unfun place for people like me, all in the name of defending my rights. Look around you. Who agrees with you? Whose voices are missing? Are you achieving what you claim to be trying to achieve? Or are you, in fact, silencing or driving out everybody who isn't college-educated and middle class? If you are a member of a privileged group, social justice is about listening more than it is about talking. Find out what the people you claim to want to champion actually need from you. I doubt it is going to look anything like this." sprat commenting in recessional's post dated January 12, 2012.
- ↑ WebCite - comment by brimtoast in paraka's post Fandom's Unwritten Rules.
- ↑ "When good friends go SJW" thread at Fail-Fandomanon (Accessed Jan. 11, 2012)
- ↑ anonymous comment in Fandoms that could benefit from SJWs thread dated March 25, 2012.
- ↑ WebCite for My Problems with the Tumblr Social Justice Culture.
- ↑ Source:The SJW Sorting Hat posted on fail-fandomanon on April 16, 2012.
- ↑ "Spoondom" refers to a theory advanced in the early 2000 by advocates seeking to educate the public about the difficulties of living with chronic invisible disabilities. The concept applies a metaphor of comparing spoons to the energy required to do daily tasks. For those with disabilities, even the simplest daily tasks (eating, bathing) often use all the available 'spoons' leaving them in pain and weak. During the Ableism debates of 2010, the Spoon Theory was appropriated by SJW and used in contexts that had nothing to do with disabilities - an act that some find offensive, and others find ironic. See fail-fandomanon's Is Spoon Theory actually part of social justice thought? dated April 16, 2012.
