This event seems fun, but some of your prompts are chosen in poor taste, others actively harmful. For example, there is a huge difference between a text that includes the word penis, and one that was written to justify genocide. E.g. "pro-nazi" as a prompt will only encourage hate and harm people in nazi-targeted communities. Please reconsider the inclusion of prompts which reinforce real world bigotry - the majority of your other prompts rebel against it, in the true spirit of anti-censorship.
just checking, are you sure you want to be using some of these prompts wholesale? like âwhite slaveryâ or âpro-naziâ.
To start, allow us to apologize for the delay in answering these asks. They deserve a serious and complete answer. These are incredibly important questions to ask and they get to the heart of what this bingo is about. We were hoping someone would ask. So: Thank you both!
Settle in - this might get long. Thereâs enough here to unpack that you could teach a class on it.
Let's start at the beginning: values. A society may value many things: justice, safety of members, religious freedom, freedom of movement and association, freedom of expression, intellectual exploration. It's a long list!
But it is impossible to value all of those things equally at all times.
Many of these values exist in tension with each other and context requires that one value take priority over another. Freedom of expression may fall before safety when it comes to yelling âFIRE!â in a crowded theater. Intellectual exploration may take priority in an educational setting.
For this bingo, our focus is on combating censorship. Which means we are prioritizing values of intellectual exploration and freedom of expression.
Balance in Banned Together Bingo
Funnily enough, censors often see contradictory reasons to ban a work. Historically works have been censored as both "Pro-Communist" and "Anti-Communist" (1984 by George Orwell) and would qualify for multiple prompts in our bingo. Works have also been banned for âpromotingâ content they are, textually, very much against (Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov). Because of this inherent contradiction, we believe that tagging is the better solution to this problem.
Thatâs why we will be reviewing the tags for submitted entries to make sure they are tagged properly. This means all the tags. If someone has written a fill for their Witchcraft square that also includes sexual assault, that will need to be tagged for as well. Weâre also considering creator comfort, which is why weâve got rules in place to help creators avoid prompts they donât feel like they want or can tackle.
So, back to the main question: how could someone answer the âPro-Naziâ prompt while they themselves are loudly anti-fascist and anti-racist? As one of our previous asks answered: We do accept subversion as a prompt fill, and a prompt does not necessarily dictate the approach the creator must take.
For example: A work in which Steve Rogers sits down to read Mein Kampf and systematically dismantles it quote by quote - or one in which Richard Spencer gets through most of a speech before getting soundly pummeled on camera - would count for the prompt.
After all, Pro-Nazi content would, undeniably, be contained in the work and need to be tagged, so as to not catch a reader by surprise. And this work could also be a valid fill for the Anti-Nazi prompt.
It is important to remember: the content of a work does not necessarily reflect the intention of the work.
The Failures of Censorship As a Tactic
Censorship is a hammer and everything is a nail.
Problems become obvious when you consider who wields that hammer and why. Historically censorship is wielded by those in power against those not in power, and has served to reinforce existing power structures. That has certainly been the case in fandom's experiences with it.
Denazification and Reconstruction were both efforts that have only been partially effective. The majority of that work is not driven by censorship, but by removing supporters from positions of power and enforcing laws and education to address root causes.
Part of that education is knowing your enemy. Why and how they think the way they think is critical to knowing how to fight them and how to identify them. Without being allowed to study them in their own words and beliefs, we will not be able to recognize them when we see them in an updated form. There is simply no room for that kind of nuance in a censored environment.
Modern Nazis don't wear Hugo Boss and throw salutes every five seconds like they do in Hollywood movies. They wear khakis and get called âdapperâ by the US media. Modern Klansmen don't dress up like the ghosts of Confederate soldiers to terrorize their neighbors on horseback. They flash OK signs on national television and harp on Southern âcultureâ and white âheritageâ to avoid being taken as a serious threat by those in power. The first tool of recruitment is being able to hide behind âIt was just a joke.â
Instead of censorship, we would suggest taking a de-platforming approach when dealing with Neo-Nazis. Almost every mod in this event is in favor of de-platforming as an anti-racist tactic. Those that aren't support de-programming as a preferred approach.
De-platforming is not the same thing as censorship. Censorship removes a topic entirely from discussion and analysis. De-platforming removes the opportunity to use public speech as a recruitment tool.
The prompts we selected do include those we would consider âin poor tasteâ at the very least. Topics we might personally never approach outside of this event.
This doesn't mean we don't get it. We know that freedom of speech cuts both ways. But we would be the very worst of hypocrites, self-righteous hypocrites, to practice censorship while championing a fight against censorship.
These are questions we face as a society, not just in fandom, and determining the best and most effective way to balance conflicting needs is at the very heart of this event.
To ban or not to ban? Why we shouldnât be hasty about book censorship - Marion Wynne-Davis, January 5, 2016, Times Higher Education
Hitler and Censorship: Is there Value in âMein Kampfâ? - Lisa Hoover, April 24, 2018, Intellectual Freedom Blog
Ku Klux Klan: A History of Racism and Violence (6th ed) - The Staff of the Klanwatch Project of the Southern Poverty Law Center, 2011, The Southern Poverty Law Center
Strikethrough and Boldthrough - Fanlore
Fanfiction.Netâs NC-17 Purges: 2002 and 2012 - Fanlore
Tumblr NSFW Content Purge - Fanlore