Badger Pod Nerd Cast 6: Race fail, tentacles, and the feminist invasion

Show notes

An excerpt from Rachel’s fucked-up Harry Potter erotica

“The kids are Alright, Chapter 1: An empty nest” http://naughtynerdess.tumblr.com/post/92617381291/the-kids-are-alright-chapter-1-an-empty-nest

She was beaming from ear to ear. “Oh it’s quite alright Ronald. Everything will be just fine.” He shuddered again as she got up and off of his rapidly shrinking member. “But you could get pregnant.” He said.

“Ronald that’s the whole idea.” Ron felt a sick feeling grow in the pit of his stomach. Hermione’s eyes shifted to an inhuman milky color. “You’re not Hermione!” He reached for the wand in his pants pocket, only to find it missing. “Looking for this?” she said, holding it up.

Feminist standpoint theory

Feminist standpoint theory comes from the idea that socially underprivileged people are epistemologically privileged. In other words, people who are oppressed actually know more about their society than people who aren’t.

It started with Hegel, who said that if you have a master and a slave, the slave knows more about the injustice of that relationship. The reason for this is because the slave can survive only if he sees not just his own position but also the one of his master. For example, to survive under colonization, the colonists have to learn the colonizer’s language.

Marx and Engels replaced master/slave with bourgeoisie/proletariat (I’ll call them proles—thanks, George Orwell). So, even though the proles were at a social disadvantage, they had an epistemological advantage—they actually knew more about their society because of their struggle with the bourgeoisie. This unique knowledge was their standpoint. So, to get the best picture of a society, standpoint theorists always interview the most marginalized person first.

Feminist standpoint theory takes master/slave and bourgeoisie/prole and applies male/female. It claims that women’s special sociopolitical position gives them an epistemological advantage. Therefore, when thinking about a society, it’s best to start with information from women’s lives. The female standpoint is the better place to look for knowledge.

Here is a quick non-political example. Person A approaches a building and comes into it through something perfectly familiar to her—an “entrance.” Person B approaches the same building and sees a long flight of stairs with a conspicuously absent ramp or elevator to accommodate her wheelchair. Person A experiences an entrance to a building, whereas Person B experiences a barrier to entry. Person B’s standpoint is a more complete picture of the situation.

Brian Martinez intro

My name is Brian Martinez.

I usually go by the name Zanamaru (Zan-a-mar-roo).

I am a resident of the Midwest USA, in Chicago.

I am a student and a concierge at a live theater.

I am an artist, illustrator, amateur animator, and head of the Society of Illustrators in Chicago, a group that seeks to expand and grow the illustration scene in the Midwest.

I am very passionate about the arts of all kinds.

I currently have a web comic called Good Guy, which is an autobiographical tale of my romantic experiences done with some humor and larger-than-life situations thrown in.

I have a YouTube channel where I discuss social issues under the name Zanamaru.

I have a podcast called The Brown Geeks Podcast, where I go in-depth in nerd/geek culture with reviews and analysis.

I have a large interest in men’s issues and am in support of improving the state of relations between all genders.

I am exploring libertarianism, anarchism, and other alternative politics.

RaceFail

In 2009, RaceFail ensued online. RaceFail is said to be a discussion by fans of color about racism in fantasy and sci-fi. Apparently, writer Elizabeth Bear in particular fanned the flames. One African-American blogger, Avalon’s Willow, referred to her character as the following:

“It’s about my personal confusion that an author so highly spoken of by people I respect, would write about a magical, negro who gets bridled by a white woman after trying to kill or eat another white woman and, to my horror, becoming some sort of beast of burden/big buck protector; my horror at watching the humiliation of yet another black man so that a white woman can be empowered in front of her peers.”

Elizabeth Bear had written in her LiveJournal Whatever you’re doing, you’re probably wrong, where she gave advice on “writing The Other without being a dick.” She shared:

Don’t think of “the other” as the other. Begin by seeing people as people, regardless of gender, nationality, color, etc., not shiny exotic cute ethnic people — just people.
When you write about people who are “other” or different from yourself, consult people you know who live what you are writing about. If you have a Catholic character in your story for instance, learn about Catholicism and talk to Catholic people.

However, in her comments section of her reply to those who were outraged at her, there were apparently many racist comments that she did not correct.

Has fantasy and sci-fi dropped into the realms of racism?

http://fanlore.org/wiki/RaceFail_%2709

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Rachel Edwards

Rachel is a former host of Honey Badger Radio, a recurring member of the Tales from the Infrared crew. She wanders around the web researching feminist insanity, poking people with a large stick, and keeping everyone in the silly place. When she isn't doing any of those things she spends her time doing even more blogging, grooming her rather large fluffy cat, nerding out with her favorite people, and burying herself in various fandoms. Pinkie Pie is best Pony! (You spelled "Fluttershy" wrong. -- Zen)

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