Writercon kerfuffle

[thedeadlyhook]

Um... you know, just out of curiosity. Was there some kind of "hey, post your Writercon report directly to the writercon LJ" update that I just missed? Because I only seem to remember one about posting your links to your con remembrances. Yet now there are TWO reports posted directly in the journal, because apparently, being a straight guy who attended the con and has feelings to air somehow rates as special. Excuse me, but... wtf? [ETA: the second post is actually very sweet, and a helpful antidote to the wankery original.]

I didn't touch the original post when I first saw it. The tone absolutely screamed attention-seeker - OMG, everyone look at meeeee - so I figured, best not to give him that attention. In hindsight, though, I'm glad a lot of other people did, since the posts I've seen since then, irfikos in particular, here and here, and so many others in the original thread, have been so to-the-point and thoughtful and well-considered that hell, yes, sometimes there IS a real reason to get into a kerfuffle, and keep it going.

Crying oppression when things don't go your way is a popular tactic nowdays - in politics, especially - but it's a crybaby's tactic, wahh, I didn't get what I want, it's not all about me. Why isn't it all about me? Why aren't you all looking at me, debating about me, taking my feelings into consideration? The unvoiced part of it is always the same too, why should I have to consider your feelings? What gives you the right to think any of this is about you? You're weird and I'm not.

Yes, that's worth kerfuffling about. Grrrrr.

Comments

[thedeadlyhook.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I agree the second guy's post came off more like an apology for the first guy, but I would never have thought to group the two together if he hadn't posted. I don't think anyone had made that assumption, that all non-slash fan straight guys are dicks, and that he felt the need to pipe up on the subject all kinda comes off like a weird expression of solidarity with other guys, even if his actual post refutes it totally. Even the title of his post kinda bugged me, the way it emphasizes how he and the other men there were rare, special flowers. Grumble, grumble...

Obviously, I'm oversensitive to this sort of thing, though. I did like that he ended his post on a "you guys rock" note that was nicely gender -free.

[nwhepcat.livejournal.com]

Oh, bastardsnow is a sweetheart. I remember meeting him at the last Writercon and thinking he was one of the few men there who weren't utterly terrified by all us wimmin. I think he's on the Not!Dicks Represent! committee.

[thedeadlyhook.livejournal.com]

In hindsight, yeah, he does come across as very sweet. His post is really quite clear about distancing himself from the dickish ideas that started the whole kerfuffle, so I hold him no ill will. I think I just had a knee-jerk reaction on seeing his post because it reminded me of the kind of thing I've seen happen in other fandoms, as per the conversation about DC Comics fandom in that Fanthropology panel - guys who suddenly appear to claim that they're not the ones othering you, although somehow it all ends up adding up to you being othered. There's this whole weird dynamic about majority views in fandom that shifts so seriously depending on where you hang out - I still can't wrap my head around what that original guy was hoping to get out of Writercon. He seems to have wanted to start trouble.