Friday, May 30, 2014

Politics in sf, or, which side am I on?

(Just posted to Facebook, and reposted here.)

Many friends, colleagues, and acquaintances in the science fiction/fantasy trades, assuming that I will agree with them because I have known them for years, or because I admire their work, or because I seem in sync aesthetically, or (sometimes, I sense) simply because I am a white man with a Southern accent and gray in my beard, have expressed to me lately that sure, diversity and sensitivity are great, but what's gotten into all these youngsters and LGBTQ folks and people of color and -- especially -- women? Why do they keep picking on us? Why are they complaining so loudly? Whatever happened to civility? Why does everything have to be political, since we're all just storytellers, comrades around the fire? Why do they act like we've done something wrong, when in fact we have done nothing wrong? What's their beef, anyway? Aren't these "politically correct" people (the argument continues) the REAL bullies? And who are these people, anyway? We've never heard of them, so what right do they have ... ? 

And so forth. 

I've been hearing all this a lot. 

So, to save time, let me respond to all of these people -- the ones I know well and love, the ones I barely know and dislike, and everyone in between -- all at once. 

Simply put, here is my position on all this. 

First: The increasing diversity of our field is an unalloyed good. There is nothing at all wrong with it. 

Second: This ongoing discussion about the field and how it treats all its members -- a discussion instigated and driven by all these newcomers -- is likewise an unalloyed good. There is nothing at all wrong with it. It is the necessary growing pains of a field moving from awkward adolescence into maturity. 

And if you're still feeling bruised and resentful and don't understand where all this unrest, this agitation, this backlash is coming from, may I suggest that you re-read, as I just did, Martin Luther King Jr.'s letter from the Birmingham, Ala., jail. It was addressed to you, to me, to us.

8 comments:

Ellen Klages said...

I am proud to know you, sir!

Josh Jasper said...

Likewise from what Ellen said (It's Josh, who you meat at Readercon a few times)

Rachel Swirsky said...

Love, for you, for this.

Lucy Kemnitzer said...

Andy, I finally up and made a livejournal syndication for your blog, so I can read you there.

Hope that's okay. I was only allowed to call it duncanandy because andyduncan and beluthahatchie were already in use.

Anonymous said...

I think you just wrote your manifesto.

Paula Helm Murray said...

You ROCK!

Trike said...

There's plenty of room at the table and giving someone else a seat doesn't mean we have less to eat.

I think these guys are simply afraid. I pity them as much as I despise them.

Anonymous said...

This is lovely - thank you.