On the impossibility of a perfect Eastercon

[andrewducker]

There's something that bothers me about some of the reports about Eastercon and the handling of gender and race there.

Not that I don't think people have a right to their emotional reaction (and I am glad that the BSFA has now apologised for the awards ceremony). Anger doesn't bother me at all. What bothers me is how _surprised_ some people seem to be. Shocked that the world of science-fiction isn't an inclusive safe space full of people as enlightened as they are.

It's always been reasonably easy to spend your time in a social circle that's got relatively similar views to your own, but it's now possible to spend your socialising time online with people who are even closer to your own views, reinforcing them and making you feel that they are the ones held by all right-thinking folk.

And when that happens it's easy to lose track that even in modern Britain there are millions of people who feel very differently to you. I live in a country which is more liberal and inclusive than at any point in the past[1], but if you look at what people actually think only 43% believe in marriage equality. Where nearly 40% of people would vote Conservative tomorrow. Where two thirds of people voted against the first chance of voting reform this country has had in decades. Where, frankly, a hell of a lot of people hold opinions I don't like.

It makes sense to me to be annoyed about representations of people of different ethnicities and cultures where those things are done badly. But when I saw people being apparently surprised because of a panel of four people there was no non-white members, I found myself popping to Wikipedia and confirming that 90% of the population is White. Should we be questioning the way that cultures are portrayed? Absolutely. Should we be surprised that the British National Science Fiction convention is largely white? No. Should we want to improve it to the point where the proportions are as high as the general population? Absolutely. Inclusivity has increased the percentage of women attendees to the point of parity, which is fantastic, and I've heard good intentions regarding race being next on the list.

When we expect perfection anywhere in our lives then we are setting ourselves up for disappointment and estrangement. We should strive for our ideals, but if we don't remain rooted in reality then we end up disillusioned, which is no good to anyone.



[1]Seriously. It's only 20 years since it became possible to rape your wife, and 45 years since homosexuality was made legal - 15 years since the ages were equalised with heterosexuals. I think a lot of people don't realise how awful things were a few decades ago - let alone throughout most of history. I'm pretty resigned to the face that 80% of the planet believes things that revolt me on a deep level, and am grateful that this is down from the 99.5% that held until very recently.

Comments

[philmophlegm.livejournal.com]

I can see the apology for something terrible happening at the awards ceremony, but is there a link anywhere to what was actually said that was so appalling? I'd like to make my own mind up. Oh, and links to sources not infected by political correctness please.

[andrewducker]

Oh, the awards ceremony wasn't _appalling_, so far as I can tell. It was merely "not very good" with some elements that were meant as in-jokes and would have gone down just fine as conversation in the pub between mates, but were less good when done as the representative of the hosting organisation in front of hundreds of people not in on the "joke".

http://storify.com/nwbrux/the-bsfa-presentation has some of the live reaction.

But basically it sounds like he was making the odd objectifying remark and a couple of "Ha ha, this person is Irish" jokes. Nothing you'd worry about if a stand-up comedian was saying them, but not what was wanted at an awards ceremony when the con-runners were making a point of being more inclusive.

[octopoid-horror.livejournal.com]

Nothing you'd worry about if a stand-up comedian was saying them,

That because people for some reason tolerate/expect racist jokes from comedians, which is pretty sickening.

[danmilburn.livejournal.com]

There's a reason I avoid anything featuring Jimmy Carr, but yeah, it was just bad standup and if I saw similar material from someone 3rd on the bill at a comedy club that would be, well, not fine, but expected.

In the context of the event and the weekend as a whole, it was horrifically misjudged - for me the line was crossed when he used the term New Man, which I can't recall encountering non-ironically since the 1980s..

[major-clanger.livejournal.com]

It had a number of jokes that were very inappropriate. For instance, Meaney made much of Lauren Beukes (whose name he also mispronounced - it rhymes with 'Lucas', not 'pukes') being oh so really, really hot, as if this is the reason she is successful, rather than because Zoo City is exceptionally good. It was also full of in-jokes that probably sailed over the heads of most of the audience. Indeed, at one point (his dig at David Lally) he combined the two and made an ethnically-stereotyped in-joke.

(Now, John Meaney was born in the UK of Irish parents, grew up in an Irish community and culturally identifies as Irish. So in some circumstances he can perhaps perfectly well tease his old friend Dave Lally about being Irish. But not in front of hundreds of people who know neither of them and don't have the context.)

It was also looooooong. Far, far too long. Even if it had been stripped of the offensiveness and in-jokes it would have been very overstretched.

I was sitting in the front row because I was up for an award. (I had no chance of winning, but it was fun to hear my name and those of my co-editors read out.) I couldn't escape, and had to sit there wondering what the hell had got into Meaney and watching Donna Scott try not to visibly die of embarrassment.