Dream with Our Eyes Open

I have joined the Organization for Transformative Works because, given that I now have 90 stories on AO3 (under my writing account), I figured it was time to put my money where my authorial voice was.

On November 16, the polls will open for the election of two new members to the OTW Board. Many of us here on DW have been posting our opinions about the candidates and indicating our choices (each voting member may select up to four candidates).

I am still mulling over most of the choices. A couple of my major issues for this election are (1) the high incidence of burnout among the volunteers and (2) the divide between the larger fandoms (mostly Western canons, especially television shows, popular movies, and a scattering of recent best-selling books, such as Harry Potter) and the smaller fandoms (such as most manga, manhwa, Bollywood and other non-Western films, non-Western literature, classical and most YA literature, and others). As should be clear, this large vs. small division corresponds quite closely with the divide between Western vs non-Western fandoms.

Regarding the burnout issue: I experienced this first hand, both in my own case and in the case of others, when I was involved in tag wrangling. I believe that the board needs members who have not only had experience with this issue but who have some ideas about remedies for it.

Regarding the issue of smaller vs. larger fandoms and how easy it is for the needs and wants of the smaller fandoms to be buried: I saw this during my tag wrangling work as well, where getting the names of non-Western fandoms and their characters to be handled well was a constant struggle. There was also the server name contest incident, opinions on which are being used as a litmus test for the various candidates' level of awareness of the tensions regarding the diversity situation. In my early fan days - literally decades ago - I was very much in the Western fandoms group: my fandoms were primarily Tolkien and Star Trek:TOS. But recently, I've become a huge fan of manga, and I'm seeing parts of the other side. For example, it's often a struggle for me to participate in multi-fandom challenges, because there are so few fans, comparatively, in the fandoms that give me joy.

I also feel that the simple majority represented by the larger fandoms leads to a lot of injustice and pain. As fans, we are often marginalized by the outside/mundane world. To have the same ugly situations re-enacted within a fannish organization that's supposed to be welcoming - "our own," as AO3's name states clearly - is particularly miserable. Yes, that's how a simple majority works - but we are supposed to be intelligent and creative, aren't we? Can't other solutions be devised, to make all of us feel welcome at the party?

On various journals and in some of the candidates' statements, I've seen it implied that somehow a Board composed of like-minded members is the best way to solve problems, because only like-minded people are going to be able to work together. I believe that is completely untrue, and that given the nature of some of the issues facing OTW, it is in fact vital to have a Board that reflects diversity of opinions, backgrounds, and experiences.

I will also note that I feel strongly that there is a huge difference between, on the one hand, expressing one's own feelings forcefully and passionately about issues, and on the other, impugning another person's reputation and sanity. The first is both understandable and commendable; the second is offensive.

At this point, I still have two candidates to pick. But in the meantime, I have decided that I will definitely be voting for Julia Beck and Nikisha Sanders.