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so the history of warnings 101, i could go for this
Picking up a thought from about three different conversations:
I wonder if it would be worthwhile to have a panel on warnings, not just common triggers, but the historical perspective on them as vehicles of exclusion in fandom and how they've changed in meaning and reason for existence. A lot of perspective on them during the debates the last time and now is still shaped by when they were used against slash or against certain types of fic, vids, etc. And I didn't know until some discussion enlightened me on this that VVC was at least partially founded on a period of time when warnings themselves were used to exclude, not to facilitate inclusion.
Now, we use warnings to make things more inclusive to other fans, but there was a time they were a form of social control, and it could be institutionalized in ways that marginalized.
In all the debates, I really didn't know that as more than an abstract thing, and when I was in Smallville, there were still slash websites under password and some authors requiring direct contact via email for their fic because that was the only way they felt safe. I mean, I feel as if I should have guessed that one.
Anyone have more information on that? I get the impression this was also an issue before regular 'net access as well and that it might have come from cons originally, but a complete perspective would be interesting to know about and read. A lot of discussion during these two debates makes a lot more sense if the original purpose of warnings was to restrict access and exclude certain groups of fans entirely.
And when I say, "I wonder if it would be worthwhile", I mean, "Please yes one day let's do that?" Any con; just someone take good notes and post them so I can read about it.
I wonder if it would be worthwhile to have a panel on warnings, not just common triggers, but the historical perspective on them as vehicles of exclusion in fandom and how they've changed in meaning and reason for existence. A lot of perspective on them during the debates the last time and now is still shaped by when they were used against slash or against certain types of fic, vids, etc. And I didn't know until some discussion enlightened me on this that VVC was at least partially founded on a period of time when warnings themselves were used to exclude, not to facilitate inclusion.
Now, we use warnings to make things more inclusive to other fans, but there was a time they were a form of social control, and it could be institutionalized in ways that marginalized.
In all the debates, I really didn't know that as more than an abstract thing, and when I was in Smallville, there were still slash websites under password and some authors requiring direct contact via email for their fic because that was the only way they felt safe. I mean, I feel as if I should have guessed that one.
Anyone have more information on that? I get the impression this was also an issue before regular 'net access as well and that it might have come from cons originally, but a complete perspective would be interesting to know about and read. A lot of discussion during these two debates makes a lot more sense if the original purpose of warnings was to restrict access and exclude certain groups of fans entirely.
And when I say, "I wonder if it would be worthwhile", I mean, "Please yes one day let's do that?" Any con; just someone take good notes and post them so I can read about it.
no subject
I was going to cons on a regular basis from 14 years old to about 21 years old. These were science fiction cons, generally lit based, with a strong gaming component. Balticon, Disclave, and others that I don't even remember the name of. Cos play was the norm, and hook-ups were half the reason you went.
The art shows at these cons were big and vibrant and vital, but if you knew where to look, and could get around the warning curtain, that kept it separate, you cold find the slash art. The one I remember was at the back, in the adult art section, and the print itself had a flap on itto hid the frontal nudity - no intercourse, just a penis. It was K/S (of course) and the title was something like "Who says only every seven years?" the boys were in an romantic pose - but they weren't having intercourse. I don't even think there was any touching of genitalia.
Fast forward a few years. I'm in my first online fandom - a really tiny fandom for the show Prey, which at that time was in syndication on scifi (as it was spelled then) My friends Margaret, Mary Willing-Prey and I started writing the first slash ever in that fandom. We warned for slash - I think. I should double check. We warned for it because no one else was writing it in that fandom, and there was a very strong following for the canon het relationship. I don't think we posted it on the main bulletin board either - I think we posted it on our own websites and on a mailing list. We were REALLY nervous about it at the time. I think we also warned for het sex in our het fics - I'd have to go back and look to refresh my memory...
Now, I still see "this is slash, if you don't like it hit your back button" as a warning on some fics - especially on ff.net
I'm not sure if this is exclusionary... but I know that it resulted from a feeling of paranoia and not wanting to get flamed.
no subject
Yes, I know.
It was the stone age.