Sometimes You Need To STFU and Listen

This is the fourth time I've tried to post on the Cultural Appropriation Debate of Doom.

You know the part about "not making the discussion about you when it's not about you"? Yeah, I find that really hard. Especially when posting to LJ. So, the short version?

It's important, especially if you are or want to be a writer, to read this discussion (and it's all on rydra_wong's LJ). Read what people are saying about cultural appropriation, about the depiction of persons/people of colour in media, about how it makes someone feel to see their race stereotyped or Othered or misrepresented in and by white culture. Read it, think about it and shut the fuck up - at least that's my advice to myself.

My opinion of someone else's experience doesn't change their experience. Arguing about it is an attempt to subvert the conversation and take control, retroactively shape how they think about something. In this context, I think that amounts to an attempt to silence criticism and personal witness that strikes too close to home for a lot of clueless white folk, like me. It took me too long over the last week or so to learn that - and you see? I'm talking about myself again but there's a part of me that feels like maintaining an anonymous silence is too close to tacit acceptance of the behaviour of people trying to shut down discussion and dismiss the issue and that is just so not fucking right.

I'm disappointed in me for not reconizing any of this, all of this, earlier.

Not that there's much funny about any of this but the inside of my head as I debated leaving comments open (to allow people to express their thoughts) or closed (because this is not about me) would have made Kafka shit himself laughing