The Darker Side of the Industry

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When I woke up today I happened upon something that saddened me.

I’ve read many a story in Science-Fiction and Fantasy where a sensitive social subject could be explored without fear of the usual backlash from those parties involved. So it disheartens me to read a rejection letter with comments of someone who is blinded by their own hatred of a particular group. However, another thing came to light as I had gone through the comments on these blog entries. I kept finding the same recurring theme from minority writers and readers that SF/F is racist and bigoted.

Huh?

I agree with the sentiments that William Sanders had overstepped the boundaries of professionalism and good taste, but then these commenters on several of these blogs lump all of SF/F together as racist and a “white man’s club” because of their own experiences? Isn’t that just as bad as what William Sanders had done by writing those racist words himself? Generalizing an entire community and industry by the actions of a few?

I’m a minority writer myself (Hispanic) and I’ve had nothing but great interactions with the SF/F community and industry at large. I’ve found support everywhere I turned and even in my rejections I had found more to strengthen me in my pursuit of being a better writer. Where is all this hatred coming from that I haven’t run into it?

Maybe I’m just lucky I haven’t encountered it. Or perhaps more likely is the SF/F community and industry are a lot more supportive of the growing voice of minority writers and those few commenters had run into the wrong people. I’d like to think that SF/F will prove me right in this regard, and so far it has.