This is not a political blog

This is not and has never been intended to be a political blog. This blog is about comics and other pop-cultural-y enjoyments, plain and simple. Feminism comes up a lot because I'm female and that will invariably affect the way I percieve comics/other enjoyments. But this isn't a feminist/political blog in and of itself.

That's why, initially, when famous internet blogger Amanda Marcotte outright plagiarized an article from blogger Brownfemipower, I was horrified and disgusted, but I didn't say anything about it. We have one of the most prominent feminist bloggers outright plagiarizing from the work of a blogger of color and acting appallingly in the comment sections of posts in which she's called out. She may not have quoted word-for-word, but paraphrasing is also plagiarism, and clearly there was a lot of that done. All it would have taken is one link to reference her source!

I still think it's shameful that most mainstream feminist blogs have done jack shit to call her on it. Oh sure, that idiotic Open Source Boob thing manages to catch their eye, but not one of their own plagiarizing someone who ought to also be seen as one of their own but clearly is not.

But I'm being a hypocrite. Because I didn't post anything about it either and while I'll never have the traffic that those blogs will have, it's still important to talk about this sort of thing. To call people out on this sort of horrifying behavior.

I convinced myself that because this wasn't a political blog that I shouldn't talk about this matter. Then I saw this.

Fuck. That.

How the fuck did that get past the publisher? Apparently they wanted retro. Well they got retro, all right. The blatant, undeniably racist imagery is, I guess, just some kind of bonus. In their apology, they claim they weren't thinking. That's for damn sure.

And what does Amanda Marcotte say about this?

I see the concerns about the images. I didn’t choose them, and rest assured if I had looked them over, I would have said something and had them changed before it went to print. I have sent the concerns onto the publisher.

Bullshit.

This isn't even the first time this has happened! What about the original cover of the book? The one that apparently lead to a claim that "avowed liberals" ought to be given some sort of benefit of the doubt and we should assume that it's meant with coy irony?

No. It doesn't work that way. Not any more than a self avowed feminist would get a pass on blatantly sexist work. A liberal does not get a pass here. People earn the benefit of the doubt. And dismissive comments or huffy excuses are fairly easy ways to lose it.

The original cover is no longer available at Ms. Marcotte's link of course. It was a pastiche/homage to King Kong that was viewed as racist by a number of people. I've never seen the image myself, so I can't judge, but I can judge Ms. Marcotte's response. Notice, how in the Pandagon post, she edits to say that she's passed the concerns along (THAT sounds familiar) where it would be reviewed. I note that while she points out the problem of a "potential rights issue" there is no mention of the allegations of racism.

(Edited: Lauredhel at Hoyden About Town has the old cover here.)

That's convenient.

I don't buy that Ms. Marcotte didn't see the prints before they went out. After a mistake like the previous one? She clearly had enough influence to convince them to change the cover image, which she had well in advance. There is very little reason why she couldn't have had a look and caught them making the same mistake twice.

Actually, I amend that. Not the same mistake twice, the same mistake once again but even more blatant!

Seriously, I can buy being ignorant that a King Kong pastiche has racist connotations. I may well have not caught them myself, but this involves a white woman saving a white man from dark-skinned spear chucking natives!!!.

Either Ms. Marcotte is a complete and utter idiot or she brushed off the concerns of a considerable portion of her audience as meaningless and never gave a second thought to the people she might have hurt.

This has gone beyond mere privilege-based insensitivity. What we have here are repeated occurrences of racist behavior. We have someone who has appropriated the words of a blogger of color, involved in the use of blatantly racist depictions, who has responded to any criticism with dismissiveness, haughtiness, scorn, and even in some cases outright venom.

I don't think Ms. Marcotte is ignorant or clueless. I don't think she's an idiot either.

I think that Amanda Marcotte is really and truly a racist.

Oh and by the way? If Ms. Marcotte were a man, I don't think there'd be any talk of some kind of "safe space" from which to issue an apology. Why the fuck should she get one? The Open Source Boob guy didn't get one. Brownfemipower certainly didn't get one!

No. If there's an apology to be made, if there's an apology seriously meant, she can make it. She certainly hasn't been a slouch in appearing in many of the comment threads about the subject, so why not drop an "I'm sorry" instead? Or on that famous blog I've heard so much about. What was it called? Pendagon? Pandragon?

Oh well. I'm sure it will come to me.

(Edited for an update: Ms. Marcotte has indeed apologized for the content of the book. I'm glad to see that, though I can't help but note the link to the Seal apology with "they accept full responsibility." Classy.

An apology for general conduct during the various scandals would possibly be appreciated too, but that's probably hoping for a bit too much to ask for.)