fandom

China’s intimidation of academic institutions

This entry was posted in Commentary and tagged China fandom science fiction on by

For some time I’ve known it’s dangerous to criticize the Chinese government on some American campuses. Emerson College investigated a student group that dared to criticize the Chinese rulers and then suspended it, and as far as I can tell it has never backed away from its contemptible decree. Mark Wrighton, president of George Washington University, declared he was “personally offended” by posters criticizing China and would “undertake an effort to determine who is responsible.” He backed off when he found himself facing more publicity than he bargained for.

Fandom gets a large proportion of its new people from college students and recent graduates. If they learn there that they should shut up about China while on campus, they may carry that habit over into their fannish activities. This, I’m sure, is one reason for the lack of widespread calls to boycott the Chengdu Worldcon. But how widespread is this effect? Are Emerson and GWU outliers? Lately I’ve looked into the ways China intimidates Western educational institutions and found that varying levels of intimidation are common.
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Gay rights and the China Worldcon

This entry was posted in Commentary and tagged censorship China fandom science fiction on by

Till recently, I hadn’t paid much attention to the gay rights issue in China. It’s not as bad as in some countries, but it’s poor and may be getting worse with this year’s changes in the government. That’s a major issue for many fans, yet I haven’t seen any discussion of it in connection with the 2023 Worldcon in Chengdu.

The good news is that homosexuality isn’t illegal in China. However, same-sex marriage isn’t recognized, and same-sex couples aren’t allowed to adopt. This shouldn’t directly affect visitors, but it’s one more reason to question the choice of China as a host country for the Worldcon.
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Doha and Chengdu: Comparing the cases for boycotting

This entry was posted in Commentary and tagged China conventions fandom world cup on by

As I’m writing this, the FIFA World Cup is about to start up in Doha, Qatar. Many people have called for a boycott on human rights grounds. I agree, though my focus has been on a different boycott: the 2023 World Science Fiction Convention in Chengdu, China. It’s interesting to look at the arguments for and against the Qatar boycott and see how they apply to China.

The case against Qatar is strong. Migrant workers building the infrastructure have been ill-treated, and the number of deaths has been put in the thousands. Homosexual sex is illegal in Qatar, with a penalty of up to seven years in prison. The law is actively enforced. Human Rights Watch has reported multiple cases of “severe and repeated beatings and … sexual harassment in police custody.” Detainees have been subject to “physical abuse, ranging from slapping to kicking and punching until they bled.”
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Beatings in Manchester, LARP control in Chengdu 1

This entry was posted in Commentary News and tagged China fandom science fiction on by

How did this become the leading blog on boycotting the Chengdu Worldcon? I don’t know, but here are two new items for the list of reasons to stay away.

In Manchester, UK, employees of the Chinese Consulate assaulted protesters on the street. They dragged a man into the consulate and beat him, as well as grabbing posters from the protesters. The UK government has done nothing. The Chinese version is that the consulate staff was defending itself against a barrage of hurt feelings, and that they were trying to hold the man back as he crawled into the consulate, dragging their hands with his hair.
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Lukianenko and free speech issues 3

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If you’ve followed this blog for a while, you should know I support a climate of free speech in science fiction fandom, and I also support the requests that the China Worldcon drop Sergei Lukianenko from its list of Guests of Honor. No one I know of has accused me of inconsistency in these positions, but I’ve had to think carefully about whether there’s any clash. I’d like to explain, even though no one has asked.

I wouldn’t support banning Lukianenko as a program participant or kicking him off panels. Subjecting advocates of bad ideas to criticism helps to expose why they’re wrong. It also gives people an opportunity to answer their critics rather than being dismissed without a hearing. The WSFS resolution which urged a boycott of anyone who “platforms” the Ukraine invasion might be interpreted as a call to disinvite him from all opportunities to speak. I don’t support that.
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WSFS condemns Lukianenko; Chengdu doesn’t care

This entry was posted in Commentary News and tagged China fandom Russia science fiction on by

The business meeting of WSFS, held at Chicon, passed a resolution saying “[Sergey] Lukianenko should neither be platformed nor celebrated, and we ask the Chengdu 2023 committee, fans and members to refuse Sergei Lukianenko as your guest. it is shameful that he is honored by Worldcon.”

Leaving aside the sloppy language about “platforming,” I agree with the resolution, but it’s unlikely to have any effect on the guest list next year. As I’ve said before, the committee has to watch its step to avoid the Chinese government’s displeasure.
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Followup on Balticon

This entry was posted in Commentary News and tagged conventions ethics fandom science fiction on by

In June I wrote about Balticon’s treatment of Stephanie Burke, which appeared to be outrageous. This week Balticon issued a statement on the matter. It shows they took the matter seriously, which is good, but I’m not convinced they got to the heart of the problem.

Just to be clear, I wasn’t present and I don’t know any of the people directly involved. However, I’ve encountered enough similar cases at fan-run conventions to know that there is a problem with speech codes and arbitrary accusations at several of them. This includes one person, who prefers not to be named, who has been the target of false accusations by the Balticon organization. The situation with Burke gave the impression from the beginning that Balticon was in the wrong, and their statement acknowledges it. It dumps all the blame on one staffer, though.
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Two miscellaneous Nigeria-related items

This entry was posted in News and tagged fandom Nigeria on by

By chance, I came across two items related to Nigerian science fiction yesterday. They’re interesting enough to add up to one blog post.

The novel Our Lady of the Artilects caught my attention because of an article mentioning that it touches on the Chinese treatment of the Uyghurs and suggesting it might be a Hugo nominee at the Chengu Worldcon. The prospect sounds mischievously wonderful. I’ve ordered the book, and I won’t have an informed opinion on whether it merits a Hugo till I’ve read it. It’s based largely in a future version of Nigeria, which I think puts it in the sub-genre known as “Afro-futurism” even though the author, Andrew Gillsmith, is American.

The other item is that Nigerian SF author Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki was denied a visa, which means he can’t go to Chicon 8. He had raised over $7,000 through crowdfunding to get to the US, but his interview with the US Embassy reportedly lasted about a minute before he was turned down for unclear reasons. He has been nominated for two Hugo Awards this year and has received a Nebula. Update: An edit to the File 770 article includes a letter from the US Embassy, addressed to “Dear Applicant,” saying he was turned down because of fears that he might not go home after the Worldcon. The prospect of creative, successful people staying in the US is too much for our government to bear.

Update: Ekpeki got his visa and will get to Chicon after all.

A look at another WSFS resolution

This entry was posted in Commentary and tagged fandom Russia Ukraine on by

My previous post mentioned my support for the WSFS resolution urging the China Worldcon to drop Sergei Lukianenko as a guest, because of his support for the Ukraine invasion. The proposed resolution before that also deals with the invasion:

Resolved, that it is the spirit of the Business Meeting to offer solidarity with Ukrainian Fans, recognizing that Ukraine has been invaded by fascists. We encourage all to boycott those who would platform or champion the illegal invasion. The Business Meeting looks forward to a return of freedom and fandom to Ukraine.

This one, unfortunately, is a poorly written piece of work that shouldn’t pass.
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