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Thread:
Fandom is inherently a white-space. It is not diverse. The concept of fandom has always been white, where whiteness is normalized and color is immediately politicized.
Fandom is inherently a white-space. It is not diverse. The concept of fandom has always been white, where whiteness is normalized and color is immediately politicized.
Academic James Rendell wrote, "This is not to say that Black fans are not welcome to enter this online space and engage in discussions; however, they may do so only at the expense of negating, neutralizing, and nullifying their intersectional analyses of race and gender.
Therefore, because whiteness is deracialized and is seen instead as the norm, Black fans must display a degree of passivity and identity repression.” https://bit.ly/3qx9OTs
When race is brought up in fandom spaces, there is always the knee-jerk reaction because no one
When race is brought up in fandom spaces, there is always the knee-jerk reaction because no one
wants to be called "the racist". And that's where the problem lies, no one is calling the other the racist, but there is a fundamental issue where POC suppress identity and who they are to blend in, and only when cause arrises, do they actually reveal who they are
Social media has helped in showing that diverse fans exist and spaces are exactly a monolith, but this complexity makes it hard for when fans of color want to engage in certain aspects of fandom but hold themselves back for fear of "politicizing the space"
or, even worse, being "othered" for the sake of the appearance of allyship or worse.
"discursive prioritizations can instigate communal antagonism as well as solidarity", according to Rendell.
"discursive prioritizations can instigate communal antagonism as well as solidarity", according to Rendell.
Or, simply put, the push and pull of racial tension in fandom either leads to bad shit happening or good shit coming together.
Black, Brown, Yellow... our bodies should not be "othered" in order to avoid the responsibility of facing the whiteness of fandom spaces.
Black, Brown, Yellow... our bodies should not be "othered" in order to avoid the responsibility of facing the whiteness of fandom spaces.
We are creating our space in fandom, but being accepted is simply not enough. Understanding culture, understanding nuance, and understanding "trauma" within the context of racial relations (primarily N. American, but everywhere really haha colocalization thx europe)
Is key to making the fandom experience for POC/BIPOC.
Sarah Florini wrote that black fans, I would argue all fans of color, are faced with two challenges: racial hostility in white spaces and the lack of representation in the stories we consume. https://bit.ly/2JByslr
Sarah Florini wrote that black fans, I would argue all fans of color, are faced with two challenges: racial hostility in white spaces and the lack of representation in the stories we consume. https://bit.ly/2JByslr
Othering by erasing identity for the sake of "deracializing" exacerbates the problem. It closes the door on them, tells them that their body, their mind, their life is not worth disrupting the harmony of the space everyone exists in.
POC shouldn't have to "mitigate these impediments" by staying in their lane.
If people want to be a true ally in fandom, instead of barking at the studios, perhaps we need to look at ourselves and ask, "are we also the problem?"
If people want to be a true ally in fandom, instead of barking at the studios, perhaps we need to look at ourselves and ask, "are we also the problem?"