Social Commie Justice Something
April 8, 2015

I really don’t like identity politics . . . although I’ve never actually seen a good definition of identity politics, so I guess what I don’t like is identifying people by their politics or beliefs. Anyone who knows me knows I’m a raging socialist. Even in Canuckistan, I’m pretty red.
I’m also a supporter of the military who believes the Canadian Armed Forces should be warfighters and not peacekeepers.
And I support the right of citizens to own firearms, though I believe there should be limitations.
I’m not defined by simple labels, and I don’t judge people based on their labels. I have lots of friends who don’t share my politics at all. Actually, I have friends who think my politics are horrible. We still game together, joke together, and have fun together. Sometimes we even talk politics. We totally disagree, but that’s okay, because they explain how I am wrong and I explain how they are wrong.
By the way, they are very, very wrong. š
I have very close friends with whom I’ve gotten blind stinking drunk and for whom I’d give an organ who disagree with everything I believe regarding how we should govern our nation (or their nation, for my international brethren) and how we should treat others.
Making decisions about people based only on their politics is, frankly, stupid. Except when you are electing them, then totally make your choices based on their politics.
This came to mind looking at the brouhaha over some directed voting at the Hugo Awards, brought to my attention by Black Gate Ć¢ā¬ā one of my favourite places on the internet.
It really looks like a case of deciding who should or should not win an award for fiction or other endeavours based on politics. That assessment is almost certainly driven by confirmation bias, since I support inclusiveness. That doesn’t mean that I don’t support the writings of “straight” white males, ’cause I did say inclusive, I just don’t think there is a problem with non-straight, non-white, and/or non-males making genre fiction and winning awards.
The situation with the awards looks a lot to me like making decisions about creativity based on politics. Which would be stupid.
I guess that makes me a social justice warrior or something.
Labels. So very convenient.
You can read about this brouhaha over at Black Gate.