Racism, Hate, and Stupidity in the SF world

[aelfgyfu_mead]

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, but I am.

Quick summary (and please, someone correct me if I get this wrong): Helix, an SF magazine of which I had not previously heard, is edited by a William Sanders. Sanders sent a rejection note to a Luke Jackson, who posted the full contents on the Web. Jackson later removed the letter and apologized for having posted it, in a very strange way, and said Sanders's words were being taken out of context.

Sanders's words included:
"“most of the SF magazines are very leery of publishing anything that might offend the sheet heads” and
“You did a good job of exploring the worm-brained mentality of those people - at the end we still don’t really understand it, but then no one from the civilized world ever can - and I was pleased to see that you didn’t engage in the typical error of trying to make this evil bastard sympathetic, or give him human qualities.” (excerpts from Tobias Bucknell's page because the original post has been removed).

I am so floored that anyone would write those things, let alone in a rejection letter, that I hardly know where to start (but I'll try). One just doesn't talk about people that way! "sheet heads"? "the worm-brained mentality of those people"? Jackson insists Sanders meant only his protagonist, but the "sheet heads" are potential readers, not characters, and his protagonist is singular, so I don't think context really helps.

Much of the conversation seems to revolve around whether Jackson had any legal or ethical right to post the letter in full. To me, that seems a bit beside the point; at the very least, he had the right to post excerpts such as Bucknell includes, and some of the people addressing these "rights" seem unconcerned about the attitudes the rejection letter reveals, which I find far more frightening than the prospect of rejection letters being posted.

rydra_wong has a great set of links to the matter (and a somewhat related controversy over anthologies that emphasize male writers over female), in her posts for July 9 and 10.

Warning: most of her links connect to people condemning racism, but some of them quote or link to people who attack those who object to racism. Some of the language may not be work-safe, and parts are just really depressing; as I commented on one of Rydra's entries,
Neil Clarke's comment, "Dear lord, people like that do exist. I think I must live a sheltered life or perhaps I just hang out with a better quality of people" largely sums up my reaction to this whole mess....

Comments

[or-mabinogi.livejournal.com]

I saw a related post on this at Scienceblogs and really did not know what it was all about. At first glance I thought "sheet head" was a cute way of writing "shithead". Then I hear it's a racial slur and I had to think about whom it was slurring. I had never heard it before. I've heard Towel Head. And Dot Head. And I absolutely hate it when I hear my boss use those terms.

Uncool.

[aelfgyfu_mead]

Your boss does that? My gosh! I don't know how I would handle that. When I've heard slurs (very rarely), I try to correct people non-confrontationally--but I've never had to deal with someone in power over me. Occasionally I've had to deal with students, which is awkward, because I want to teach them, so that they really want to stop using the term, not just bludgeon them into not using it in front of me (though I'll settle for that if I can't actually teach them).

I don't think I'd heard "sheet head" before, but it was close enough to "towel head" that I figured it out pretty fast.

[delphia2000.livejournal.com]

I guess I'm not one to talk since I do recognize I have some racist attitudes, but I don't flaunt them nor am I proud of them. And I don't use racial slurs. I can agree that in most cases, you don't share personal correspondence without the permission of the other person, but I can clearly see this case was exceptional and deserved to be aired.

[aelfgyfu_mead]

I guess I'm not one to talk
Perhaps--but I think now. You and I had a disagreement at one point where a religion (more than race) was a factor, and, as you say, you never used a racial slur. You also make no claims nor offer the appearance of being in a position of authority. The editor of a magazine saying these things in official (even if personal) correspondence--that's beyond belief.

I think you have every right to speak about this. You recognize that your attitudes aren't perfect; I don't suppose mine are either, though I try. And that's the biggest problem: Sanders has not apologized for what he said and seems to see nothing wrong with what he said, just with the airing of it. None of us are without some bias. Some of us try to overcome it. Some don't even make an effort.

I think science fiction is all about trying to wrap one's head around other views and other possibilities, and I feel like Sanders is letting the side (of science fiction and its fans) down in multiple ways.

[loriel-eris.livejournal.com]

I was very much "Huh?" at your whole post until I followed through on various links. I got as far as thinking "Oh, this Sanders seems to be writing a very informal rejection letter, which doesn't seem to be overly professional of him, but I'm kinda lost as to what's causing the complete shit-storm."

And then I saw or_mabinogi's comment and thought "Oh, so there was racial name calling?" It wasn't until I followed various links that I had any clue as do what Sheet Head was. (And then, but context/implication, what Dot Head and Towel Head.) Seriously, even when I realised that it was racial, I was still looking at completely blankly. I@ve never heard any of these terms before. Possibly not what I was aiming for in my education today tho...

[aelfgyfu_mead]

I'm not sure what it says for me, then, that I knew right away what was going on. Maybe it's because I first encountered it through other posts commenting on it. I don't think I've heard "sheet head" before, but I have heard "towel head".

What bothers me is a combination of things. The slurs are mean, the characterization of all Muslims (though Jackson denies it and says Sanders meant only terrorists) as having a "worm-brained mentality" is hateful and frightening, and the wholesale labeling of another group of people as "those people" generally signals trouble (at least when applied to racial, ethnic, or religious groups). There's also the fact that it is informal, that there's a buddy-buddy tone to it: 'I can't accept your story, but even though I don't really know you, I think you're on my side, so I'm going to say nasty things about a whole group of people and assume you'll agree.' And the other man at least didn't seem to disagree!

I'm glad you hadn't heard those terms before; sorry to be the one to bring them to your attention.

[a-phoenixdragon.livejournal.com]

OMG... Can this be real? And amongst those who are suppose to be of a more 'learned' and 'enlightened' group? Maybe I'm naive, or just stupid - I guess you can throw me in with the 'worm-brains' - but this is simply astounding in a world that is striving to move forward - and out of the learned sections, this is totally intolerable! No wonder our morals, ethics and modern standards are at a stand-still!

*Hugs you*

[aelfgyfu_mead]

OMG... Can this be real?
That was my first reaction too.

I hope that there are fewer and fewer people like this.

[a-phoenixdragon.livejournal.com]

At least people dumb enough to say it.

It seems that we will always have some form of ignorance and bigotry - we are talking humans after all! But to WRITE such a thing - much less believe in what you wrote?

*Shakes head*

*Is bewildered*

[flingslass.livejournal.com]

Seriously, I thought it was about the KKK. They're sheetheads aren't they?
Toatally bigotted, totally unprofessional and totally off! I too am a little bit sheltered. I know people who still insist on the right to say something offensive. Their excuse. "They do it to us"
I really try to treat others the way I want to be treated. Naive, I know but...

I should say

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