(no subject)

[maevele]

still trying to reboot the brainpan enough to blog about the con, but first I totally have a race question.

Where the fuck do these people come from that black people are so unusual or foreign or gawkworthy? or fucking indistinguishable? because I should not leave the con hearing MULTIPLE stories of people not being able to tell the PoC apart, or treating them like they are either on display or there to help them process their race issues. DON'T DO THAT SHIT AT MY CON, FELLOW WHITE PEOPLES. GO MAKE PEOPLE UNCOMFORTABLE SOMEWHERE FUCKING ELSE IF YOU HAVE TO.

Comments

[lisaquestions.livejournal.com]

I should not leave the con hearing MULTIPLE stories of people not being able to tell the PoC apart, or treating them like they are either on display or there to help them process their race issues.

I want to say something hyperbolic here, but it'd betray a surprise I don't feel when I really want it to be about disappointment.

Seriously, that's rageworthy. :(

[maevele.livejournal.com]

at least one person had to add "Not (someone else)" to her badge, and they were not the only ones that other people mixed up.

[lisaquestions.livejournal.com]

o.O

[bifemmefatale.livejournal.com]

Yep, I was in the elevator with Sparkymonster when someone noticed her notTempest badge and said, "But you really do look a lot alike." I cringed and you could see the ice cold wash through Sparky's eyes before she calmly noted that their hairdos were different lengths and so on.

[charlottezweb.livejournal.com]

You are f-ing kidding me. I saw that badge addition and was shocked and disappointed that she had to do that but for someone to comment on that even after noting the badge??

[naomikritzer]

I saw the nametag and was boggled by it because they look NOTHING ALIKE. NOTHING. Different height, different build, different hair, and different facial features.

[emilytheslayer.livejournal.com]

We were joking with her about it at the Verb Noire party, but the only resemblance I can see is the glasses. So maybe they have magic glasses like Clark Kent. /sarcasm

[haddayr.livejournal.com]

They do not remotely look alike. That is absurd.

Interestingly, this used to happen to me when I worked for an Indian organization. But the girl and I did look very alike. I would always mortify people by saying: "Oh, you know; all white people look alike." I thought it was funny, because I am white, but I'd make folks look STRICKEN.

[sparkymonster.livejournal.com]

I would always mortify people by saying: "Oh, you know; all white people look alike." I thought it was funny, because I am white, but I'd make folks look STRICKEN.

HILARIOUS!

[sparkymonster.livejournal.com]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lizhenry/3567586581/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/juliastarkey/3568305991/

I also wanted to add it wasn't exactly that I *had* to add that to my badge. I wasn't overwhelmed with people yelling "TEMPEST!!" as opposed to "SPARKY!!" It was more of a hrm. You know when shit is fucked up and you just have to snark the hell out of it? That is what that was. Kind of a real life macro of "BITCH ARE YOU FOR REAL?"

Also, I can't tell you how many nice white ladies explained to me that the confusion was totally reasonable, especially if you had only seen our 100x100 icons. The first person who got us confused, is someone who has known Tempest for several years and has met her repeatedly in person.

[wiredferret.livejournal.com]

I found that especially... darkly funny, because at Convergence, it is a running joke that (guy who was at wiscon) is not (guy who helps run convergence). They have mutual additions to their nametags. Also they are 20 years and a foot of height apart, and one of them has dreads and the other is shaved. But no joke, people really do get it confused.

[takumashii.livejournal.com]

Did you hear about the YA New Books panel that I was on where someone asserted that Nisi Shawl and Nnedi Okorafor Mbachu were the same person? (Then after the GoH speeches I was thinking, "Well, you better be able to tell them apart now!")

[bifemmefatale.livejournal.com]

OMG please tell me this was their first WisCon.

[emilytheslayer.livejournal.com]

Wait but, I don't, I can't even process that?

[sparkymonster.livejournal.com]

HAHAHAHAAH!!!

Someone also got Jesse the K and Liz Henry confused.

[al-zorra.livejournal.com]

Where in THE WORLD do these people live!!!!!!!!!!!!

Or, perhaps, more kindly, what do they ever pay attention to?

Of course, I've had sfnal friends move here and they couldn't tell the difference between Portuguese and Italian -- in fact, Portuguese as a language or a nation, hadn't ever been on their radar. Ever.

Much less that all Asians aren't Chinese: right where I live I interact closely, daily, with Chinese, Japanese, Koreans and Indians. And they are not all hyphenated Americans. Some of all the above are from South America, particularly Brasil (see Portuguese and Portugal), and from the Caribbean.

I've started to believe that most people aren't really aware there are other people in the world, and certainly don't even LOOK at other people, who aren't themselves or their very own family members, and some can't even manage that!

Love, C.

Love, c.