Thread by @lecuyerv1

1) I don’t blame @MaryRobinette for not standing up to GRRM and the Worldcon staff. You have to be a SMOF to take on SMOFs. For me, that meant giving something else up, something important, to spend a part of my life arbitrating fandom gatherings and fandom in general.

https://twitter.com/MaryRobinette/status/1289655649723273223

2) She’s also tripped over something it took me a couple of years to learn while running conventions. There are factions within the SMOF community. The two biggest groups I had to deal with were the traditionalists and the newbies.

2a)The traditionalists see and run conventions as a party for them and their friends. Awards are given to friends and people they want to impress. Their friends have great leeway.

2b) The newbies treat conventions like a business with all the attendant professionalism. The awards are something to go to the exceptional and unique of vision not a clever new iteration of the status quo. No one gets preferential treatment.

3a) I gave up a substantial part of my writing career and spent a lot of money because I wanted to give back to the community that gave so freely to me.

It did not go well.

As a SMOF newbie, I ran afoul of the SMOF traditionalists.

3b) The elder statesgeeks did not appreciate my calling them out for bad behavior and standing up for myself. They didn’t like me standing up for others. Or pushing back. Or inviting others like me to join up and arbitrate them.

4a) The way I see it, #worldcon2020 and #HugoAwards is the traditionalists pushing back on the newbies victory over dogs gaming the Hugo nomination system. If the price of freedom is eternal vigilance, the price of equality is eternal activism.

4b) I also say that the fastest way to include more non-white, non-cisgender authors is to treat fannish racism like fannish sexual harassment.

Big name white authors must refuse to attend a convention that does not have adequate representation

4c) By adequate representation, I mean the authors and artists census must match the nation’s census, percentage wise in regards to persons of color, gender preference, and sexual orientation.

4d) if potential GOHs don’t demand adequate representation among their ranks there will never be enough POC and non-cisgender authors. SMOFs need GOHs because if there are no GOHs, there is no party for them and their friends.

4e) If those same potential GOHs don’t demand professional standards for conventions and awards ceremonies, professionals standards will never happen. Then the next Worldcon and Hugo awards ceremony will just be a case of racial SSDD.