Sorry I'm not done talking about zines yet
Dec. 1st, 2021 11:03 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rynlingSpeaking of the "zines should be indie and subversive" conversation, this tweet just blew up...
https://twitter.com/rogvaettr/status/1465335292035010566
Since there's no reason to have something like this in your algorithm, I'm going to quote the tweet here:
Just saw someone talk about a zine with a 'do not apply if you've ever created NSFW art' rule, and I want you to know that you people have completely appropriated and pissed on what zines are supposed to be, which is 1000% subversive, transformative, makes-society-flinch shit.
I know from inside information (that came to me in a very roundabout way via the con programming server of an anime convention) that what actually happened was this: An artist applied with a portfolio comprised entirely of explicit cp. I saw some of the images, which are beyond debate and extremely disturbing. When it became clear that some of the artist's friends were planning on sending similar portfolios, the mods made an announcement that they wouldn't be considering portfolios that included nsfw material. Which is fair, I think.
Anyway, I think people are forgetting that oldschool punk zines were and continue to be extremely exclusive. In fact, a lot of famous punk and ska songs from the 1990s are complaints about people being excluded from the scene because they're "not punk enough." Speaking from personal experience, just last year the South Street Art Mart in Philadelphia declined to stock my "transformative, makes-society-flinch" queer horror zines for basically the same reason. (Heaven forbid your zine covers are printed with full bleed lol.)
My own view of the matter is that, if you run a zine, you can include or exclude anyone you want. Like, it's your zine. If someone doesn't like it they can make their own zine. Anyone can make a zine. That's what's so nice about the medium honestly.
https://twitter.com/rogvaettr/status/1465335292035010566
Since there's no reason to have something like this in your algorithm, I'm going to quote the tweet here:
Just saw someone talk about a zine with a 'do not apply if you've ever created NSFW art' rule, and I want you to know that you people have completely appropriated and pissed on what zines are supposed to be, which is 1000% subversive, transformative, makes-society-flinch shit.
I know from inside information (that came to me in a very roundabout way via the con programming server of an anime convention) that what actually happened was this: An artist applied with a portfolio comprised entirely of explicit cp. I saw some of the images, which are beyond debate and extremely disturbing. When it became clear that some of the artist's friends were planning on sending similar portfolios, the mods made an announcement that they wouldn't be considering portfolios that included nsfw material. Which is fair, I think.
Anyway, I think people are forgetting that oldschool punk zines were and continue to be extremely exclusive. In fact, a lot of famous punk and ska songs from the 1990s are complaints about people being excluded from the scene because they're "not punk enough." Speaking from personal experience, just last year the South Street Art Mart in Philadelphia declined to stock my "transformative, makes-society-flinch" queer horror zines for basically the same reason. (Heaven forbid your zine covers are printed with full bleed lol.)
My own view of the matter is that, if you run a zine, you can include or exclude anyone you want. Like, it's your zine. If someone doesn't like it they can make their own zine. Anyone can make a zine. That's what's so nice about the medium honestly.
no subject
Date: 2021-12-01 05:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-12-01 06:00 pm (UTC)At the same time, I think the conversation surrounding this particular tweet went in an unfortunate direction. People have been going up in arms about how one of the assistant mods of this zine is a minor. I think this is entirely beside the point, as there's no age limit to being upset by graphic depictions of certain subjects.
Also, I think the insistence on PROTECTING THE MINORS has become a little silly.
I remember being thirteen years old and writing stories about how Sailor Moon was dating Tuxedo Mask, except that Sailor Moon was actually thirteen (instead of fourteen), and Tuxedo Mask was actually in college and secretly a princess. I wrote this because I had a crush on a college-age teaching assistant at my middle school who was the only openly gay woman I saw on a daily basis, and I did not for one second think of myself as being somehow oppressed or victimized by fanfiction.
Anyway, that's when I decided to get off Twitter and water my houseplants, which was all in all a good decision.
no subject
Date: 2021-12-01 06:22 pm (UTC)It's like - I agree it's fine to say "your portfolio should not have NSFW material and this zine will not have NSFW art [in the following categories]." But I think the reason the tweet took off and was so believable (minus the inside info) was that there are a distressing number of people in fandom (being loud on Twitter/tumblr) who genuinely believe that if you draw/write anything impure (for their definition) you're actually as bad as/worse than people committing crimes or direct harm. and I just. I do not even know. It's not new, but it sure is deeply distressing in its widespread-ness and volume.