from my own experiences and observations:
fans being overly defensive of the source material/performers when fans of color point out racist behaviors/depictions such as miscasting, cultural appropriation, or colorist writing
being accused of outright bullying/harassment when, even gently, pointing out racist behaviors by fellow fans or creators
being treated as more hostile than peers when expressing the same points. similarly, fans outside of the impacted minority being taken more seriously for their âobjectivityâ
white knighting for a culture you arenât apart of when a non-western media is called out for racism. mostly applies to east asian media that includes racist depictions of black people, arab, or generally darker skinned people. most often done by white fans who themselves hold orientalist views of east asians as âsoft uwu babiesâ.
being considered âtoo negativeâ or âungratefulâ for being critical of the source material. all critique expressed by a fan of color is somehow 100x more ânegativeâ than anything a white fan says
being excluded from marginalized headcanons. the white characters get to be disabled and/or queer while characters of color (particularly dark skinned characters) are only âalliesâ at best and bigots at worst. also includes downplaying canonically intersectional minorities for fan headcanons on white characters
complete refuse to engage in own voices stories that center BIPOC. minority made media is ignored in favor of white people talking about us (most of mcu, most of Star Wars, ATLA, the hunger games, etc.). everyone loves revolution and progressive values until theyâre in the hands of the actual groups
treating our issues like costumes to insert characters into. for example: the famous MHA BLM fic and people writing about their faves protesting for gaza. (as a personal note, from a palestinian: these depictions often feel extremely voyeuristic and alienating. itâs as if you donât take our lives seriously. an in-group member depicting their own culture and struggle for comfort is very different from you doing it as an isolated out-group member. doubly so if youâre from an oppressive position such as a white/imp core citizen.)
similarly, treating white fiction as having the same revolutionary weight as real theory or real events. the handmaidâs tale and the hunger games are not political theory. at best, those are watered down fictionalizations of brutality BIPOC already experienced. at best, these should be treated as primers for getting interested in non-fiction revolution and human rights abuses. women having rights taken away and being forced to carry children isnât âhandmaidâs esqâ. it is something that actually happened to the global indigenous community and/including enslaved black people and is rooted in that material reality.
gummygunk
stormborns
pixelskylines
turnnoffyourmind
