I feel like I should say

[bironic]

U.S. politics has (have?) washed over my head again, as it does periodically, rising from the baseline fear and disappointment that mounted during election season and spiked in November.

I don't talk about it much here. This blog, and bironicwastaken, are my dedicated fannish spaces online. It looks like we all understand that media consumption, fannishness and other creative pursuits are permissible hobbies, community building in an environment of divisiveness, necessary breaks and even artistic acts of resistance as we struggle with current events. Still, I sometimes (1) worry that fannish-oriented posts strike the wrong tone in wider context, such as yesterday's, and (2) feel a defensive urge to point out that I'm doing things "in real life" to fight what's happening, even if they may not be enough and even though no one has said anything.

When I get down on myself about not doing enough, I focus on things like these, in addition to thinking through how I can have a greater impact:
- Since November, every feature article I’ve written at work has made an explicit or strong implicit political statement
- This auction vid not only raised money for a good cause but is also about celebrating many characters of color in current genre sources, and that's not for nothing these days
- Every month, I donate to activist, investigative journalism and/or minority-support organizations
- I talk to people, including family and friends who voted in ways I am trying to understand
- etc.

That is all. It's a[nother] tough day. ETA: Not least: Someone shattered a pane of glass in the Holocaust memorial downtown for the second time this summer, and last night I dreamed about photo-documenting four young white women neo-Nazis in front of the science museum.

Comments

[ride_4ever]

*hugs*

[bironic]

Thanks. <3

[hermionesviolin]

> Since November, every feature article I’ve written at work has made a strong implicit or explicit political statement

Good on you! [thumbs up & bicep curl emojis]

> I talk to people, including family and friends who voted in ways I am trying to understand

I feel like I should do this, but because those people in my life are mostly the people who go to my mom's church who I'm not really in touch with anymore, I'm not sure how to restart those relationships in ways that would enable me to have those conversations (because just contacting people out of the blue to be like "remember how much you like me? let's talk about the current political climate" is probably not Effective).

I sometimes try to engage with people who are mostly "on my side" who are saying problematic stuff, or who aren't as far left as me on a particular issue, or whatever, and UGH that is so often frustrating. So kudos to you for doing this hard work.

[cantarina]

The activist collective I work with puts emphasis on trying to bring over "near allies", so it sounds like a great place to be doing the work to me.

[hermionesviolin]

Yeah, it definitely feels like that's where I can be most Effective -- even though oy is it frustrating at times. (Not that trying to debate with people who are on such a different page from me isn't frustrating, it's just a different kind of frustrating.)

[goss]

I talk to people, including family and friends who voted in ways I am trying to understand

I sincerely applaud you for this one.

I feel like this is one of the most basic ways people can make a difference. It's sometimes the hardest thing to do, but I strongly believe it's the one thing that will have the most impact in the long run.

I am not a U.S. citizen, but I have found that speaking up when you are around relatives and loved ones who make racist, sexist etc. comments, challenging them, creating a dialogue about the issue, reasoning with them, correcting inaccurate facts, etc. that's the key.

Do not sit silently by and let their way of thinking go unchecked. Sure, it's the easier thing to excuse it, or to not want to make a scene at a family gathering. It's safer and more comfortable to reblog your opinions in a virtual environment of strangers, but it will never make as much impact as confronting your own near and dear ones, and trying to effect change from the home, you know?

[bironic]

Yeah, it's tricky. I'm fortunate in that so far it's not close family; most of the conversations haven't needed to be super confrontational, because I think that just makes people entrench further; and I haven't had to cut contact for personal wellbeing. I don't think I'm going to change anyone's mind in these cases, so it's more asking sincere questions about where they're coming from and why they're okay with certain consequences, and explaining my perspective in return. Sometimes bluntly and sometimes less so.

For instance:

A couple I'm friends with who are gay and Jewish: Why did you choose to vote for someone who targets both minority groups you belong to in exchange for personally favorable tax policies and less corporate regulation? Especially when one of you passionately studies, and whose family was damaged by, the Holocaust?

Stepfamily who are Jewish and well-off healthcare professionals: What made you decide that trying to eliminate the Affordable Care Act was worth all these blows to civil rights, including encouragement of attacks on our own religion?

Mom: Have you talked with your boyfriend about his conservative voting practices and the impact they have on you, a woman who has health care needs and would like bodily autonomy?

Mom's boyfriend: is racist, xenophobic, anti-poor, and difficult to reason with; attempts to counter propaganda usually end in him sliding into the next talking point, and then we start shouting, so when I do ask questions like what appealed to him most about Trump and whether the administration is meeting his expectations, I try not to lose it. Though I did have it out with him over Inauguration weekend...

[goss]

*nods* As you say, it's no easy task. People will definitely put up barriers if you make them get all defensive. It's more about keeping the conversation calm and cool, trying to understand the other person's headspace, and then slowly trying to bring them round to your own perspective.

[laurashapiro]

I struggle with the role of fannishness and fannish expression in my life right now, too. There aren't easy answers here, but I think every moment of joy we can squeeze out of our day is a big "fuck you" to nazis.

[bironic]

<3 <3

[yhlee]

*support support*

I hear you on trying to find the right balance. It's something I struggle with myself.

[bironic]

I'm sorry to hear it. Good luck to us all. Creating art (or "art") has always been my outlet and my way of processing difficult things, but like laurashapiro says downthread, the public expression of it feels complicated these days as politics infiltrate online spaces in my life that until recently were almost entirely fannish.

[kass]

Sending love. These are hard times. Take care of yourself however you can.

[bironic]

<3 <3

[minoanmiss]

I think you're awesome and doing a hell of a lot more outreach than I am. I feel like I spent my whole life doing outreach with a big smile on my little brown face and it availed nothing an I am tired of it. Thank you LOTS for doing it.

ANd joy and delight and fandom and feeding one's soul are ver very important.

I should prob have written this before my nightcap.

[toft]

I've been struggling with this too. Thank you for posting this.

[ldthomps]

I think so many of us are struggling, and I hope we can support each other. I get the people who are saying "we must do more", where "we" means very specific groups of people (like white Cantabridgians, or whomever). I also get that sometimes people gotta curl up and cry, or be quiet to stay sane. For instance, I find the people who say "if you haven't denounced racism on FB today you are perpetuating racism" a little too rigid. We can all fight the good fight in our own ways, support our friends, be allies... and not necessarily do so in very specific places and times (such as fannish places). It's great when people do! It's just also not required in every time and place.

Anyway - I totally get your desire to talk about this stuff here, and good on you for having done some of the hard work, too. I hope these difficult times and many fighters hard work help shine some light on this world <3.

[roga]

It is so totally okay to have a fannish/non-fannish separation! God knows we need a brain break from the news every once in a while, and I wish there was some "mute politics" button on twitter which I could turn on every once in a while and get just the fandom stuff without everything else, because it can be sorely needed; the constant barrage of new and recycled info on every platform, including those that used to be more escapist or fun, can be really draining.

Gah dreams :( But it sounds like you are doing great things offline, go you <3