Home Again, Home Again, Jiggedy Jig

I'm back from Wiscon. I'm gonna write up my thoughts on various panels, soon-wise.

A Thought that I'm Pondering...

During one of the Class, Racism and the Singularity panels, there was some discussion about the singularity being a fannish escapist fantasy in which the problems of race, class and other identity politics are solved without the solution requiring messiness. Ian H. went further: he asserted that the narrative of a race-free future world is, itself, a racist narrative.

I've been thinking about this question: I've read a lot of talk, both in the lead-up to panels, and at the con, about how to prevent derailing. One panel asserted something that I liked: the idea that the goal is not to have a fail-free universe. The goal is to have the tools and skills to confront fail. Is the question, "how can we prevent fail?" a question that can only have meaning in escapist fantasy? Does it presuppose a future in which our understand of race or class or whatever is so simple that it never leads to conflict of assumptions?

Similarly, is the question, "how can I talk to trans people without ever getting pronouns wrong?" a cissexual-normative question?

WisCon Chronicles

I just read badgerbag's and wild_irises' essay on Safe Space versus LOLSpace in The WisCon Chronicles, Volume 3. It's a great read; smart and compassionate.