Posts like this rub me wrong. Just. I realize that the person in question is probably at a loss as to how to better describe her character to someone that doesn't really watch the show, but the whole thing made me really uncomfortable. Like, hey, you speak only a little Spanish and it would seem you don't know a lot about the culture, but you're playing a Hispanic character? One who is deeply entrenched enough in the culture that she speaks Spanish as well as English? Um.

I dunno. I really don't. Part of me is going, "This isn't right, that's my heritage she's trying to appropriate, that's my culture, and I'm not comfortable with her foray into it." Another, larger part of me knows I'm being ridiculous, but it's still difficult. There's this uncomfortable feeling of, "Well, this doesn't sit well with me, but there's fuck-all I can do about it, because if I bring in the race thing, chances are I'm going to get called an oversensitive douchebag and have to verify my own heritage."

I hate that anything on the 'net that deals with race inevitably turns into, "Well, I didn't mean to appropriate your culture!"/"It wasn't my intent to alienate the other." Makes it hard to talk about anything, or get anything out, because instantly, as soon as I bring up, "I am Other and I feel alienated by this", someone hops in to tell me that I shouldn't, because it wasn't their intent or whatever. But by then it's too late. You've already alienated me, and I feel unsafe continuing the discussion with you, especially as you're trying to justify your actions by ignoring my arguments and tossing out that it wasn't your "intent."

Fuck intent. Actions are what counts, and if I feel uncomfortable with what you're doing . . . yeah.

(For the record, since I don't know if I've talked about it before: I'm Hispanic. Chicana, to be more accurate, and non-white (Mestizo if you wanna get technical, I guess—my father's family are all from Mexico, Mexican-Indians, and while my mother is white I couldn't pass the paper bag test). I get really pissed at stupid people making comments about my culture, my heritage. I'm all for sharing, but I want people to do so respectfully—and nine times out of ten, that's not what happens.

I mean, Christfuck, don't even get me started on the WisCon thing. :/ )