fandom

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

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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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Proposed Chicon resolution condemns Lukianenko 2

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A proposed resolution for this year’s Worldcon, Chicon 8, condemns the inclusion of Russian author Sergey Lukianenko as a Guest of Honor at the 2023 Worldcon in Chengdu. Scroll down in the linked page to item D.6, “Short title: Sergey Lukianenko.” The text of the resolution is:

Resolved, that it is the spirit of the Business Meeting to show solidarity with Ukrainian fans and to condemn Worldcon 2023’s Guest of Honour, Sergey Lukianenko’s appalling utterances, calling Ukrainians Nazis and encouraging an illegal invasion of Ukraine. This is utterly unacceptable. 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 honoured by Worldcon.

What happens next, I think, is that the WSFS business meeting, held at Chicon, votes on this resolution. While I support it, one point gives me concern. The call for him not to be “platformed” could be interpreted as saying he should never be given an opportunity to speak. I would not support that, but the point is vague enough that I won’t let it stand in the way. He certainly should not have the status of a guest of honor, and I hope that the resolution will pass.

Worldcon and NASFiC hypocrisy 1

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

Recently I got a strong lesson in how hypocritical some people in fandom are. A while back, I said on a certain Discord channel, replying to an ongoing conversation, that everyone should boycott the China Worldcon because of the nation’s horrible human rights record. One person replied that it’s only necessary to keep quiet on sensitive issues while there and you won’t get into trouble. I responded that a Worldcon is about discussing sensitive issues. He wasn’t convinced, but fine, I don’t have to convince everyone.

More recently, I posted to the same channel a link to a File 770 news item reporting that the Orlando, Florida bid for the North American Science Fiction Convention had been withdrawn, leaving only the Winnipeg bid in the running. When a Worldcon is held outside North America, a NASFiC is held the same year for people who don’t want to travel so far.

The same person who said that ignoring China’s monstrous record is fine went on a rant that he would never set foot in a state as evil as Florida.
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Update on boycotting the Chengdu Worldcon

This entry was posted in Writing and tagged China conventions fandom on by

The World Science Fiction Convention scheduled for 2023 in Chengdu hasn’t made a lot of news lately. This is normal for a con in its early stages of preparation. I’d really hoped that the calls for boycotting it would grow, though, especially since they would have a bearing on the NASFiC to be held the same year. Winnipeg and Orlando have filed bids. Florida also falls below some people’s threshold of acceptability because of things its government has done, but that’s a discussion for another time. If Florida is unacceptable, China certainly has to be.

The Chinese government can bring trouble for anyone who criticizes it, even outside China. I’m obscure and hard to put pressure on, so I haven’t run into any problems, though that could change. My obscurity means I don’t have a lot of influence on many fans, though I turn up high in the search results if you look for something like “boycott Chengdu Worldcon.”
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A turning point in fannish bullying? 1

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This past weekend saw an unusual event in science fiction fandom. The con chair of Balticon apologized for the convention’s treatment of a guest, removing her from a panel in progress. This follows the blowback SFWA received for removing Mercedes Lackey from the Nebula conference after naming her a Grand Master. Could the era of bullying of convention volunteers and program participants be coming to an end?
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SFWA, Mercedes Lackey, and taboo words 3

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Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) named Mercedes Lackey a Grand Master at the Nebula Awards ceremony, then almost immediately turned around and removed her from the Nebula Conference. The stated reason was that she “used a racial slur” while on a panel.

English has long had taboo words. At one time, the strongest ones dealt with religion. Later on, ones relating to bodily functions headed the list. It’s still illegal to tell people on broadcast television what the Supreme Court’s seven dirty words are. How do you avoid breaking the law when you can’t be told what the law forbids?

The Lackey situation is similar. The File 770 article doesn’t tell us what the alleged racial slur was. Readers are likely to imagine the worst words possible (which I won’t mention, since they may lower my search engine visibility). In fact, the word she used was “colored.” If that’s a slur, then the NAACP commits it every time it gives its full name, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
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