Oh people, my people....

[lagilman]

ETA: and now people have decided that attacking and shaming me is the acceptable response to this post. People, "they're allowed to have strong feelings but you aren't" isn't helping the situation. I have not "gone after" anyone (in fact, the only person I've gone after was the author of the original article). I vented my own feelings on the topic, and my disappointment and crankiness that people have left over this, and at the same time ignored the good that's being done, too.  Trying to shame me for that does not win you debate points.




So this weekend a bit of a nasty kerfuffle started in SFWA because of an unfortunate article published in the SFWA Bulletin.

I won't go into details, but suffice it to say that an older member of SFWA who has repeatedly revealed a rather wide streak of misogyny and arrogance took offense at other members calling him on it, and reacted badly (i.e. threw a temper tantrum). Apparently this older member has not realized that freedom of speech also means other people have the right to call you on your asshattedness. In public.

The SFWA board acted swiftly, not to punish anyone for their right to speech (we still believe in that) but to make sure that more editorial oversight is exercised over what is printed in an official SFWA communication. They also took responsibility for not previously exercising that oversight, and plans are underway to make sure that this doesn't happen again.

As a SFWA member, personally, I'm satisfied that the Board is doing what it should to protect SFWA going forward (sadly, we can't boot members for being asshats unless they cross a certain legal line). However, as I'm sure everyone can imagine, this has not stopped people on both sides from deciding to turn this into a mudfight and/or leaving SFWA in a huff.

IMGO, leaving SFWA because we (alas) have asshats in the organization makes me wonder if those people are also going to leave the human race. I think that's a fair question?

This is particularly grating on a week when some of us have spent our time volunteering to make sure that the SFWA booth at Book Expo America (BEA) runs smoothly, and our members are well-represented to the publishing industry (including librarians, bloggers, and audiobook people, etc). This kerfuffle has totally overshadowed any mention of what we're doing, and I may be a bit cranky about that.

Comments

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

I have, many times, considered resigning from the human race, but never could find out where to send the letter.

(Another writer has noted that "resigning from the SFWA" deserves its own category under "drama script" in the Nebulas.)

[nick-kaufmann.livejournal.com]

Was there no editorial oversight for the Bulletin before this? Was it one of those "we'll publish anything a member writes" situations?

[madrobins]

Thank you, as one SFWA member to another, for your good, hard work at BEA this week. Really.
One of SFWA's ongoing issues is that the drama frequently overshadows the really fine work done by volunteers. This makes it hard to get good, high quality (like Suricattus-quality) volunteers. The organization has done better in the past decade or so, but...thank you.

I love sordid drama as much as the next woman--but not when it seeps out of its hermetically sealed containment vessel and threatens to undo the good work of the organization. SFWA has made great strides toward being perceived as a professional organization by professionals outside our shtetl; this stomping-off-because-I'm-offended rhetoric doesn't help.

[deborahjross.livejournal.com]

I'm with you on this. I don't see the Bulletin as being the official Voice of SFWA, but a publication in which each article represents only the opinions of the author. Asshats embarrass only themselves.

Considering how many diverse voices there are in SFWA, and considering the service it has given to the field, I'm a bit puzzled by people resigning in a huff. Why not write an article expressing your own opinion on the subject and send it to the Bulletin?

otoh, as long as I can remember, people have been resigning from SFWA in a huff for one reason or another.

[kateelliott.livejournal.com]

Thank you for your hard work -- and that of the other volunteers - at the BEA.

[difrancis.livejournal.com]

I have not had the time or physical closeness to truly do much for SFWA. I've seen a lot of the aftermath of the kerfuffle, but have not known much about it. I'm really pleased that the board has moved in a sensible way. My personal first reaction was not to run away, but to think that now that I will hopefully have more time and be able to participate in activities, that maybe I can affect positive change from within. The members I've met are overwhelmingly not misogynistic, so I can't help but think there's an overly vocal minority getting more air time than they deserve.

[graygirl.livejournal.com]

SFWA members paid those writers 8 cents a word for six pages of "dialogue" that called those of us who disagreed with them "fascists," among other things. Said we were anonymous (when our complaints were accompanied by name and photo in the forum), and that we wished to censor them, when we asked for respect. I won't pay $90 a year to be told on a quarterly basis that I am less worthy than others in the organization.

SFWA does a lot of amazing things and I am pleased to know a lot of the people doing those amazing things, but sadly those do not make up for the elephant in the room. An elephant I hope is finally going to be handled.

If staying is the right choice for you, I hope good comes of it. Leaving was the right choice for me and me alone.

[elialshadowpine]

I understand where you are coming from but I personally take exception to the idea that, just because the human race has assholes to an extreme degree, that people should remain in SFWA. The point is, we don't have control over the human race. We don't have control over whether someone is a misogynistic jerk to us in the grocery store, or whether or boss is a total douchecanoe (yes, there are rules, but often it is a matter of he said/she said and that rarely goes well).

Being a member of SFWA is a choice. If people decide that the long-standing issue of misogyny and sexism by SFWA members is something they don't want to deal with, that should be respected. They should not be told that they have to change things from the inside. Each individual person has their own life and circumstances, and fighting this may be more than they can do. They shouldn't be put down for that, and whether you meant it that way or not, it came across to me like putting them down.

I understand that SFWA administration is trying to address the issue, but I think what is being missed is that this is not a single issue. It is an ongoing issue of culture. I have literally lost count of the number of authors I know who have left SFWA because they were harassed, derided, and mocked by other SFWA members, and they believed that SFWA's administration would not support them if they brought it to their attention.

And, truthfully, I would get the same impression, just from this post alone. You describe people who are addressing a serious situation as "turn[ing] this into a mudfight" or "leaving SFWA in a huff" (which, as far as the people who are leaving because of the sexism, it is NOT because of this one incident, but because of a long history of incidents). While I absolutely believe there are individuals on both sides who are not acting with dignity, this comment is incredibly dismissive.

I honestly believe that SFWA administration wants to do the right thing. But responses like this don't engender feelings of confidence, and people need that confidence to step forward and bring up issues that have occurred. SFWA, in fact, has a history of insinuating or outright stating that people are overreacting.

I know many people hoped that things would change under Scalzi's presidentship. Unfortunately, Scalzi is only one man, and there is only so much that he can do. What this incident, and the response, sends to people is that things have not changed; SFWA is still an Old Boy's Club.

It leaves me saddened, because something I longed for many years ago was to get the credits to join SFWA. But with everything I have heard from friends who are members of SFWA... I have enough to deal with enough sexist crap in my life. I don't want to have to -- shouldn't have to -- deal with it in a professional organization that is meant for networking and support.

I understand your frustration at this overshadowing the good things that you have done at BEA and elsewhere, but I feel that you are expressing your frustration at the wrong people by including people who are upset, hurt, and offended. And I get that plans are underway to make sure this doesn't happen again -- but it should never have happened in the first place. Moreover, it brings light to the fact that there are people like this in active roles in SFWA, and frankly, I cannot blame people for not wanting to be in an organization that has this much issues with sexism and apologism for sexism. And nobody should be blaming them. The blame rests solely on the shoulders of the sexists.

[neoguardian.livejournal.com]

I agree with oldcharliebrown. It's the height of disrespect, arrogance and insensitivity to shame people who don't feel comfortable remaining with an organization that promotes misogyny. The whole Ike Turner "I'm sorry baby I'm sorry" responses, coupled with "not everyone does it" may not be enough of a reason for some of the offended to stay on. If anything, this mob-like attitude will drive even more people away. Sure, you have as much a right to your opinion as anyone else, but the definition of free speech DOES NOT mean you can say what you want without other people slamming you for it.

[alfreda89.livejournal.com]

I'd like to publicly say thanks for all the time and effort that you and the other volunteers put into representing SFWA at the BEA booth this weekend. Being a volunteer can take countless hours for very little reward.

You have a full plate at home and with your work -- this cost you time and money. As someone who could not begin to do it right now, I deeply appreciate your efforts.

[paulliver.livejournal.com]

Protecting another person's asshattery protects my right to tell them they're being an asshat.