Monday, January 26, 2009

*headdesk*

Those of you I can't identify are not off the hook. I suggest that you never seek to take credit under your real name for anything you've done or written under your LJ pseudonym, because it's unlikely that I will ever forget you or what you've done.


Patrick Nielsen Hayden's Wife, Teresa Nielsen Hayden, threatens the 'mob' that tried to explain context to her husband on why his words came across as extremely racist. So that whole thing about privilege and being gatekeepers to opportunity for PoC writers and why it's so important to have well rounded representations of Characters of Colour?

Woosh - Over her head. Her husband's been hurt and apparently those who disagreed with him never noticed he'd deleted his journal. (As if the strikethrough hasn't been plain as say when anyone mentioned him thereafter.)


Some choice terms used by her include: draggletailed loudmouths; group that's self-selected for agreement with the statement, "I'm stupid, and I don't argue well"; The nithings who've hurt him;

She's also described the whole conversation as inane. As in The nithings who've hurt him will have moved on to some other inane topic by now. And goes on to say that because of the tone taken, it is to our lost to no longer have PNH in the conversation.

75% of the time, people who've been assholes online describe themselves afterward as having been polite


I believe this will be the first time I've mentioned PNH particularly in my journal. I was very moved by one particular entry describing shock and confusion over that name being associated with insensitive and disparaging words. It claimed he'd been on the side of commitment to a better world before.

And now a day later, comes this.

So seriously? PNH and Elizabeth Bear and others, have been the only ones hurt by all this? And their hurt is to be taken more seriously because they have their realprofessional names out there? And thus upon googling/search engine use their names will come up in association with the word racist?

Because being called a racist, once again is more damaging and painful and hurtful and important than actually being a racist? And being called a racist is more important than taking stock of one's actions and moving forward to NOT be a racist?

The hurt of the white man is more important than the hurt his words caused?

I see.

[ Comments so very much turned off. Because just when I think more clueless words cannot be said - they are. I am not at all enjoying seeing the underbelly of SF Publishing. In fact I'm sad and disappointed. SF & F have been my escape hatches since I was little and now? Yeah, I'm just too disappointed to have more thoughts. I am out of thoughts in this whole thing. Wow. The hurt of the white person is more important than the hurt their words cause. Yeah. This does it. Brain broke - the end. ]