Leah wrote:

To draw a direct parallel in the hopes of understanding, let's say you are

a

devoutly religious Catholic, and you choose to write B7 stories with the viewpoint that your belief is shared by some of the fictional members of

the

LIBERATOR crew. They aren't bible thumpers, but you write fanfic where, in the privacy of their own quarters, they exercize their spirituality. You enjoy this, because it helps you to identify more closely with these

favorite

characters, or because you find it entertaining....despite the fact that no such belief was shown on the show.

Actually, your Catholic analogy doesn't work at all. Most of the people who read and write slash are not gay men, they are (mostly straight) women writing about men having gay sex. Therefore, the parallell could only work if it were, say, a Jew who liked to write about Catholics for some reason or other.

In which case, the Jew doing the writing shouldn't be surprised when people who know a little bit more about Catholicism than her come in and say "that's not the way Catholics act at all." And if she says "I don't care about what Catholics really act like, I'm just writing these stories because they titillate me," she shouldn't be surprised if people get a little bit offended.

But to assume for a minute that your parallell does work: Supposing you're a devout Jew, or an atheist. Then supposing you join a mailing list and find half the list asserting that the Liberator crew were indeed Catholic and going through their tapes pointing out statements that could vaguely resemble the catechism; pick up a zine (or get given one by a well-meaning friend) and find all the stories in it chock full of crucifixes, pietas and the divine intervention of the Blessed Virgin Mary? And then, when you object to this, people start calling you a bigot and saying that you're sick?

How would you feel if some vocal non-Catholics leaped in and declared your fanfic category 'invalid'

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the word "non-canonical" is different to the word "invalid."

, or worse yet, distasteful and a twisting of the

characters...even an assassination of them? Would you be just a wee bit insulted, if only because your *own* lifestyle had just been belittled?

But if you were a Catholic, and were reading a story about Catholics by a non-Catholic, mightn't you feel as if your own lifestyle were being misrepresented? And then when you object, the non-Catholics start saying that you're misrepresenting _their_ lifestyle?

Anyway, last time I looked slash wasn't a lifestyle. If it's gotten to the point where it _is_ your lifestyle, Leah, perhaps you should look into getting some other hobbies.

Even if it were only just your taste, those individuals are not showing you respect, as a fellow fan.

Like Fiona, Tavia, Elynne and most other people on this thread I think, I'll show respect to someone who shows respect to me and my views. You might want to think about why I don't show _you_ much respect, Leah.

And that's one thing everyone owes everyone on a fannish mailing list. Yes, they are entitled to their taste...to the same degree and limitations that you are. Empathy is the only way a society can function, no matter how small.

Is this the same person who was slagging off Christians not twelve hours ago as narrow-minded and bigoted? Or who keeps coming in telling anti-slash fans that they just have to get used to it and if they don't like it they should just shut up? Or who asserted about three weeks back that people who don't have regular sex are abnormal? And who draws sexually explicit pictures of people who have asked her to stop? Forgive me, but this change of heart just doesn't ring true, some how.

Shane

Largo: Why do I feel as if I'm on trial here? Avon: Why do I feel as if you should be?

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