Port of Call

Note: Posting this here on my unlocked journal, since my LJ is locked. I'm not posting this in the particular comm that I'm addressing because I feel that posting it there would generate unnecessary drama (not my intention). However, I plan on posting a link to this open letter in the comments of a post on there before I leave the comm.

* * *

Dear RBR,

I would like to think that I was there at the beginning (or at least soon after it), posting crack art from time to time and contributing to crack discussion. Over the last few months, my interests in politifandom and RPF dwindled as the last half of Battlestar Galactica's final season, my own creative endeavors, and real life drew me away. I would drop in from time to time, but I found myself lagging behind and clueless most of the time. It's the nature of the landscape of fandom to be everchanging, so I bear no bitterness. I was content as an occasional lurker; after all, it's my nature to maintain a level of detachment.

My decision shouldn't have been easy, but in light of recent events, I feel that this is necessary: RBR, I'm leaving you.

Here's the breakdown of what happened (including my role in it):

- everysecondtuesday posted an open letter in her Dreamwidth journal addressing what she and another fan saw as problematic with the fandom response to a 1920s and 30s AU labeled as "Noirverse". She posted several valid points on a public forum.

- I agreed with her (still do) and had additional reservations concerning the classification of anything ranging from the 20s to 30s as "noir", feeling that it was a misunderstanding of the genre/style. I also wrote that I realized that it was simply a convenient label, and even offered links to help writers (present and future) who may not understand what exactly noir is. I offered (in a later comment) to find and post articles about the problematic elements of noir once I understood that the writers wanted to attempt a series of noir stories.

- Comments to the open letter itself were at first receptive of Tuesday's points, but some of them became hostile in their own criticism of Tuesday's choice of forum.

---

Here's the thing, RBR: the hostility generated by these comments, as well as the glibness of other comments by the same people, admitting that they are going to "gloss over some things" (I'm assuming that "some things" refers to some of the problematic elements Tuesday brought up) - these attitudes have created what I feel is an unsafe environment to discuss the historical and cultural interactions of society with race, gender, and homosexuality (and vice versa). While these people have the right to object to Tuesday's public forum approach, I feel that their outrage overshadows the original intent of the open letter.

Fandom is supposed to be a safe place for all fans, no matter their race, gender, and sexuality. RaceFail '09 proved that while writers can hide behind the excuse of "creative liberties" and "alternate and/or imagined future realities" to excuse their inaccuracies and failures, they have to be aware that what they write is going to be interpreted under different lenses and has the effect of creating a hostile environment for fans of color. The same applies to fanfiction and fandom; the writers there may not be professionally published, but their works are widely read within the fan community.

As both an ally to people of color and a critic, I feel that the atmosphere and attitude created by a select few of RBR fandom in the face of the hard facts about harsh realities of the lives of the racial, gendered, and queer minorities in the 20s and 30s is detrimental to any future discussion I would have engaged in if I had chosen to stay and become more active in the community. I also feel that some of these fans demonstrated that in the face of their own bruised prides, a discussion of race, gender, and homosexuality doesn't matter; many of these particular fans were quick to shrug off what Tuesday was saying and to point out that her open letter outside of the community was "wrong." My own attempts to be helpful were likewise shrugged off by one of these fans, and ultimately, in her/his eyes, I was the one who was mistaken when it simply was a mutual misunderstanding. These behaviors deeply disturb and discourage me.

So, I'm leaving, RBR. Don't worry; you can keep the fanart. I made it for you anyway, and depriving community members of it would be childish and shallow of me. I only ask that you please respect my wishes as an artist and ask first if you want to use it for merchandise in the store or if you want to use my art for icons, banners, and other media (I doubt anybody would want to, but you never know).

Goodbye, RBR. I really did have fun while I was an active member. I sincerely hope that the community does well.

- Lizfu

PS: Please note that I have disabled comments as I do not want sympathy, apologies, attempts at explaining one's own behavior, or flames. I simply do not wish to linger on this. These are my reasons for leaving. Out of consideration for certain parties involved, I refrained from posting usernames and links to comments. If you feel uncomfortable with what I've written, then I encourage you to examine your privilege and behavior instead of taking it out on me.