Protecting anglophone privilege

[noracharles]

FYI: Demanding that a non-native speaker of English either stop posting or accept an anglophone gatekeeper is the moral equivalent of calling out an author for peppering their fic with babelfished non-English phrases as exotic decoration with no respect or regard for the speakers of that language.

I posted about this phenomenon in international fandom represent, but the situation in this discussion on fanficrants is slightly different. Here the commenters are very sensibly complaining only about hard-to-read-because-of-poor-grammar fics in general, you understand. The undercurrent of seething xenophobia and the racist jokes are completely incidental.

Pros of reading the discussion: see Nora flip her shit.
Cons of reading the discussion: may cause elevated blood-pressure.

Comments

[laughingrat]

The first paragraph confused me at first--but you mean that the wackfen in the discussion think that, right? That picking on non-native English speakers is basically OKAY, because we also pick on people who exoticize other languages and in the process also misuse them?

(I'm not picking at you--I just want to make sure I grok this.)

Off I go to FFR, although possibly to observe and not participate. Honestly, arguments in there get stupid real quick.

EDIT: Also, after reading your first link there, I had NO CLUE that Lindgren wrote Ronia, the Robber's Daughter. Obviously I read the English translation. ;) But I just did not remember that at all, or it didn't ring a bell at the time. Whoa.

OK, I should really read that thread before I edit this comment to death, but I clicked over and, HOH SHIT, just the title of the post alone is offensive as hell. Why in the name of piss do people not realize that phrase is racist, sexist, classist, and a whole lot of other creepy crap?

Moar edit: That dude...ugh. Both of 'em. Women get called dudes on the internet all the effing time, and our ovaries have not collectively dried up and fallen out; it won't make a dude's junk fall off if someone assumes he's female. And since he's so in love with grammar, shouldn't he know that the singular "they" is ungrammatical?

Whatever. I should stop, because this is your space and ranting about other individuals in someone else's space is probably bad manners. In closing, I'll simply say that "STFU and get off my internet" is gonna be a new catch phrase of mine, I can just feel it.

[peoriapeoriawhereart]

I am a little confused (I've not followed the links) but I would say

Demanding that a non-native speaker of English either stop posting or accept an anglophone gatekeeper is wrong

and

calling out an author for peppering their fic with babelfished non-English phrases as exotic decoration with no respect or regard as appropriate.

That said, I reserve the right to bail on any fic that's incomprehensible, though I find that more likely from native speakers of English, and I can wish within my own head never to have an American character refer to their lounge (now, if it's Star Fleet, I don't care. But it is jarring when Ray Vecchio or Jack O'Neill does it.) for 'living room'.

I shamelessly use my friends (after appropriate 'bribes') so I can get appropriate non-English phrases to stagedress my fics. Of course, I have rather shamelessly foisted Tracy onto the Maori...

[lakrids404]

On behalf of grammatically challenged non-native speaker of English, we salute you.
;)

And by the way, I am really a woman.