I almost forgot!

[kate_schaefer]

Any day is a good day to make a donation to the Carl Brandon Society, but some days are more appropriate than others. I'm not linking directly to the particular controversy that inspired today's post, because I think the number of people who have helped explain the problem has already reached the useful maximum.

I will link to a terrific explanation of why the phrase in question was problematic.

I generally direct my CBS donations to the Octavia E. Butler Memorial Scholarship, which sends a writer of color to Clarion West in Seattle and to Clarion in San Diego each year. Other terrific CBS programs include Con or Bust, which helps people of color attend science fiction conventions, and the Parallax and Kindred Awards, which recognize speculative fiction by a writer of color and spec fiction dealing with issues of race and ethnicity, respectively. I like the way these three programs address multiple aspects of representation in various parts of readers' and writers' lives. 

Comments

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

I seem to be missing the part that's a "terrific explanation". No doubt another failure on my part.

[kate-schaefer.livejournal.com]

I don't argue with people on subjects where there can be no good outcome to the discussion.

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

No doubt you take me to be arguing with the content of that post, but I mean what I say quite literally. I do not understand in what way the post you point to qualifies as an explanation of anything. Calling it one seems like an abuse of the language. I understand an explanation to be a discourse that seeks to explicate, clarify, and offer and apply relevant information and I don't see how that is happening. It may be a fine tirade, it may properly excoriate someone for something they deservedly should be excoriated for, it may well vent righteous anger which one may honor and empathize with, it may well be a well-crafted piece of emotional writing, but what does it actually explain? That is, outside of the "'Shut up,' she explained" sense, which is comical precisely because the locutionary force of "shut up" isn't explanatory.

[kalimac.livejournal.com]

Clicking on the first link within the "terrific explanation" post and reading that as well enabled me to piece together enough of what was going on to satisfy my curiosity. This might or might not also work for you.