. You all know her better as the illustrator of some of my stories, and she felt like recording for it. And you know what, I personally think it's turned out great! You all really should hear the voices she gave the characters, especially our main(Why You Shouldn't Be) Staying Silent · 2:06pm Jun 7th, 2020
I don't usually publicly talk about politics. Strange, I feel, coming from someone who has made his leanings quite well-known among his fellow writers on Team Spectrum (Hey, guys.). But I'm going to make this short, and hopefully clear - I don't mince words. Parts of this are copied from my comments, reposted here.
A few days ago, one of our own, a fellow named Jetfire2012, author of the well-beloved story It's a Dangerous Business, Going Out Your Front Door, went ahead and charged protesters with a sword, and evidence linked in his twitter showed that it was quite pre-meditated for him to go out there and do so.
Frankly, I'm disgusted and shocked by the amount of support he's gotten on his blog and story once the news broke out, with some praising him as a hero. Is it few, seeing how many more came to express their disgust at him? Perhaps. But support for his hate and actions shouldn't be there in the first place, least of all here.
I admit that I drifted away from the fandom when the first seeds were sown back in 2016. I didn't want to believe it, that hatred can be spread and proliferated through such an innocent show and its unsuspecting fandom.
I was wrong. By staying silent and ignorant, we'd be letting them in, which is precisely what I did - being silent.
I think part of me hoped it was just a fluke, that that corner of hatred would stay where they were. And yet now it's rearing its ugly head. And by staying silent, they'll continue to spread. And I'm ashamed to say I was silent, for I was afraid that I was alone.
But seeing so many people speak up in opposition, that gave me hope. That we were, and never has been alone. The blog posts that came out in the wake of this, particularly MrNumbers, Cynewulf, and PresentPerfect, they all showed that there's still good in this fandom. I'd also encouraged DoctorFluffy to share his thoughts, too.
So, like I said, I don't mince words. So, let's keep it simple and short;
I support Black Lives Matter. That includes the protesters.
I oppose racism and sexism.
I oppose fascism.
You know the rest. I'm not mentioning them here because, really, it should really go without saying what I am opposed to.
In the end, I watched this show because it's one of the few optimistic ones in a time of cynicism. Frankly, it's a shame there are even fascists and other, less-than-savoury folks who like this happy little show, and have proliferated their hate in our fandom.
To the rest of you all, if you see these sort of people, stirring shit up, don't be silent. They don't belong here. Tell them to stop. Let them know they, and their hatred, aren't welcome in Friendship is Magic.
Cheers,
-Sledge
P.S.
Impossible Numbers' blog has a neat list of the good folk who have spoken up. Find it here.
It's heartening to see how many people are speaking out about this.
5279882
As we should, mate, as we should.
We aren't, and have never been, alone.
Hear, hear. They certainly won't be welcome if they try any funny business in my corner of the site, and I won't associate with them if I ever catch them at it elsewhere. I don't want that ruining what could still be a perfectly good community. We need to keep the positive, civilized side of the fandom front and centre. That was what made it so welcoming in the first place.
(Minor nitpick: Should point out there's a space between the "Impossible" and the "Numbers". I nearly missed it my first go-around).
5281779
Fixed, thanks for the heads up, and thank you for listing the blogs. It's a real handy one, and you know what, that list gave me hope, as it did plenty of others.
Cheers, and may this fandom remain kind, as it should
5298280
Oh, I was active elsewhere - just not here, because for a while I thought it was a lost cause.
Then people started speaking up here and I just felt ashamed at leaving it that way, and realised I was doing what I called out other people for. Staying silent has never been the way.
Aye. I'm still amazed a fandom based off a show called Friendship is Magic could attract so many hateful figures and messages.