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[Jun. 28th, 2009|01:18 pm] |
I just don't get some reactions to this warnings wank. I mean, I can understand being annoyed at the way the argument gets framed into such extremes. I can understand Oulangi's comment about "rape cred" (even if I don't like the phrasing and I don't think that's happening, at least I haven't seen it anywhere). What I can't understand is a) saying that it demeans RaceFail (which I've seen twice) to use words like oppression, privilege, etc. and b) acting as though both sides are being equally wanky, when there's nobody like cyatinite or aukestral on the pro-warnings side.
I don't particularly care whether or not that ban list is grudgy or an evil, evil blacklist - personally? I've already banned everyone I've seen say things I found offensive and/or cruel from my journal, even though there's a 0.001% chance of any of them ever trying to comment on my LJ. I don't even know whether people get notified when they're banned and they're all totally confused over who this nonentity is. If I want to ban you forever and think of you as "that jerkass who thinks etc.", I will.
I don't think the people who make posts like this a assholes (people who make comments like this are, though). I just feel like they're trying to be callous, which I don't understand. |
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I kind of hate the way that oppression/privilege etc. are becoming so tied to race arguments that it is seen as demeaning to race issues it use it for any thing else ever. Can the GLTB community still use it, women with regards to sexism, the disabled/mentally ill? And who gets to decide?
Half the time when some one tries to use the argument that they are poor/have a shitty life and so on so they can't have privilege in a race discussion, it is pointed out that people can have many different types of privilege, or lack them for that matter.
Some one who has not been raped is privileged over some one who has. Some one who does not suffer triggers is privileged over some one who does. It's got nothing to do with race in this case, as any one of any race can suffer these issues and have them impact on their life in a major way or how people treat them. My jaw dropped when some one suggested that the victims were the ones who were privileged.
Another argument that bothers me is when people who have been victims imply that because they aren't triggered or because they get by, every victim who doesn't is a big cry baby. It's fine if they don't want warnings for various things, but other people feel like they need them to make their fandom life more fun and less frightening.
I've never had triggers, but I do have issues regarding crime. I can read fic fine, I can separate the fictional from the real (though the film Irreversible whooshed over that line so hard it obliterated it, and I'm sure there are other things out there that could). Others aren't so lucky. I missed a lot of school because I couldn't deal with the journey to and from it, I still cut down a fair bit on going out because of my fears. I can't, even to this day, watch Crimewatch UK, and I used to love it. For a while I was not able to watch the news for fear it would bring back that sick anxious feeling in my stomach or give me nightmares. I'm careful about what I click on UFB. All that and more from something pretty minor which many people wouldn't even consider a blip on the radar. If that is even a tiny fraction of what people with triggers have to deal with, I don't even want to imagine it. I don't think I could cope.
I just don't get what the big deal is with the anti-warnings people. Why can't people either warn openly, use the white out thing, state they give warnings on request, or even just state that they don't warn in the fic header? I think many people just don't get what a trigger is, some one even called bad grammar a trigger. So I think many people are equating it to a squick or a turn off.
But what do I know, I want people to label for ships and major characters for reasons completely frivolous!
I'm wondering if some people see it as resembling "oppression olympics" or something like that. Still, you can't claim vocabulary like that, especially when the discussion is so similar. ("If I have to warn for every single trigger/write without offending everyone, I'm not going to warn/write PoC at all!!")
I am actually one of the people everyone complains about - I'd like everything to be warned for because I don't like starting a fic and then finding out there's golden showers or torture or other things I object to, but I haven't brought it up because it's entirely irrelevant to this discussion. As far as I'm aware, nobody has brought that up, so I don't get why so many people seem to think it's the general opinion.
It seems like it's some weird philosophical thing that makes people not want to warn - there are all these arguments about reader responsibility and whatnot. I don't even know.
The comments you've linked to read like a whole lot of words used to justify "I'm-a do what I want to do, so there."
Everyone's reaction to being on the wrong end of a crime is different. I know mine is. None of these reactions (with the possible exception of getting a weapon and going hunting, though the desire to do so is a different thing) are wrong.
This is where they've fallen apart. "I'm okay, you should be okay too" is utter crap, the kind of thing that motivated Gen. Patton during WWII to slap a soldier suffering from what used to be called shell-shock and telling him to get over it.
We're not all wired identically. Expecting everyone to behave and feel exactly like 'you' is the height of self-absorbtion and the depth, the nadir of empathy.
I don't see what the big deal is about writing "may trigger some individuals" before posting a fic and if they want to keep the suspense thing going they could indeed put a warning on all of their fics whether warranted or not.
Or maybe...some people get an evil charge out of triggering others. It could happen.
What's odd to me is ... how often do the fics that people want warnings on come up in a particular author's oeuvre? It can't take that much effort. (Well, now that I think about it, one particular author I can think of might have to do a large-scale relabeling, but afaik she *does* warn for non-con and dub-con and death.) In the case of someone who does write mainly darkfic, I don't think anyone would mind if they put a standard "I write creepy darkfic but I don't warn for specifics" disclaimer on each one.
In the case of someone who does write mainly darkfic, I don't think anyone would mind if they put a standard "I write creepy darkfic but I don't warn for specifics" disclaimer on each one.
I have to admit if someone is easily triggered and is reading darkfic...well, that's a whole different kettle of fish.
I have a fair idea of what will set me off and I have a number of issues. I do get blind-sided. I decided to watch the most recent X Files film on HBO recently despite my worry that child endangerment would be part of it. That'll trigger me. What I didn't realize is that there was another plot thread which involved mention of animal experimentation and that's what made me change the channel instantly. I'll never get those images out of my head.
I don't read much fic online. That's my choice. I get really angry and crazy when a fic features stalking or rape leading to true love even though it's a very common plot point in professional fiction and fan fic.
I just think there's a point where common courtesy comes in. "I write edgy stuff" as a disclaimer will keep me away. I still think some of those yelling about being OMGrepressed get a tiny thrill out of the idea of really traumatizing someone with their writing.
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