The Wordsmith's Forge

Here's a terrific infographic about how privilege works and how to work around it.   My thoughts ...

1) Almost everyone inhabits a mix of privileged and disadvantaged groups.  By examining the areas in which you have or do not have privilege, you can extrapolate how to treat people gently.  

2) The more privilege or other power you have, the greater your responsibility to use it kindly instead of cruelly.  Just because you could  hurt people and get away with it, does not make that okay.

3) Most of the good things in life are not particularly limited in supply, and many of them are more enjoyable when shared.  So when you get some, turn around and hold the door for someone else.


For me, there's a lot of shear between how I appear and how I really am.  Passing privilege has its perks, but can create great friction when I respond to things in ways that people do not expect or accept.  Frex, I have mixed heritage, but it doesn't show unless you look very closely.  This can shock people when I respond to certain types of attack in similar ways to folks who look very different from me.  I have a lot of ancestors; I can choose to identify with the ones who are not bigoted assholes.  For a lot of people, there is shear somewhere in their identity matrix, and it often takes decades to figure out how to handle that -- especially when society is screaming at you to do one thing and your conscience cricket is whispering something else.

Another factor that resonates for me is the matter of voice.  As a wordsmith, I occupy many positions where what I say holds more influence than average.  On a global scale, it's not so much; but within certain subcultures, it's a lot stronger, and it can have quite a potent effect on individuals.  So I try to pay attention to what I say, that it may do the most good and the least harm.  I look for ways to support other voices, especially in underrepresented areas.  While I can't fix the whole world, I can work on making my little corner of it more representative.

This poem came out of the January 21, 2014 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired and sponsored by mdlbear. It also fills the "disability" square in my 8-29-13 Wordsmith Bingo card. This poem belongs to the series Walking the Beat.

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This is the freebie for the February 2014 Crowdfunding Creative Jam. It was inspired by a prompt from ellenmillion. It also fills the "Case/Mission Fic" square in my 12-8-13 card for the genprompt_bingo fest.

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Because anyone can be a hero. 

It's time for our regularly scheduled SFWA squabble. Here's a piece by C.C. Finlay and a piece by David Gerrold. You know how I express my dissatisfaction with this organization that seems to start a brawl every few months? I stay away from it, and associate with saner ones.

Let me explain the difference in between editing and censorship. (Credentials: I am a professional editor. I am a diploma-holding literary scholar.) These things are about the power differential between people who make decisions, and people who are affected by those decisions ...

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This poem came from the January 21, 2014 bonus Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from janetmiles and perfectworry. It also fills the "nonjudgment" square in my Wordsmith Bingo card. This poem has been sponsored by janetmiles. It belongs to the series Walking the Beat.

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This poem came out of the January 7, 2014 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from perfectworry. It has been sponsored by janetmiles.

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Pictures of a sexy fat woman and her partner.  Advertising and glamour need more diversity like this.

This complaint about inaccessibility is brilliantly specific.  The key to communication is to speak a common language, whether in nationality or in metaphor.  In this case, it draws on a relevant quote from a common fandom.  Print it out, tack it to your bulletin board, and label it "Like This."