WackyStar

What’s important, especially for non black people, is that we acknowledge that they fucked up, acknowledge that it was wrong and they apologized and haven’t demonstrated any racist behaviors afterwards, and move on.

The way this fandom has reacted to the current situation with Michael/Ashley/Goose has been abysmal. We have people saying it "isn't that deep" while displaying some of the most abhorrent racist behavior I have ever seen and treating the situation like a joke--not just restricted to online spaces, but public as well, with the horrible incident at LVL UP Expo (which Glitch addressed but the expo committee did not handle well for them). We also have people jumping on this as an excuse to try digging up dirt on other cast members not involved in the situation, seemingly not with the genuine intent of bringing it to light so it can be acknowledged and addressed, but simply to frame everyone as bad people and validate their dislike for them and the show--which draws the attention away from the actual reason behind this discussion, to have a rational and informed discussion about how racism is a big issue in fandom spaces and weaves itself so disturbingly seamlessly into said spaces. This situation could have been approached far better than it was.

For the record, I am extremely upset and disappointed with Ashley, Michael, and Goose. Yes, it was seven years ago, but they were still grown adults at the time who very clearly knew better yet let the joke role on anyway. There is no dismissing that. At this point they have all made statements on the subject, with Ashley and Michael talking directly about the situation and acknowledging it was wrong, and I do respect them for actually saying something rather than sweeping it under the rug and waiting for the fandom to "tire itself out" of the situation. And, personally, I do believe people have the capacity to change, even from the shitty things they did as adults. I sincerely hope that they all reflect on their actions and strive to do better going forward, and I think that they have already shown a willingness to. However, that doesn't erase or excuse their past actions and the white people weighing in so heavily on the topic are not the ones who get to grant them forgiveness, the black fans hurt by this are the only ones who can make that judgement as the ones who were directly affected by it. Some are rightfully angry and don't forgive them, and that is valid, while I have seen others expressing that they do forgive them, which is also valid because they are the ones who get to make that decision (and the ones who are opting to forgive them and have said this was not a big deal in the grand scheme should not be harassed for their opinion on this, especially when a white person speaking over a black person by telling them how they should feel about it).