RaceFail 09 is a term used to refer to an extended discussion of race and racism in science fiction books, culture, fandom, and criticism that began in January 2009. It has been called by many other names, including the Great Cultural Appropriation Debate of Doom 3 (or 2), and RaceFail 9000.

(Ed. note: A more positive name could highlight the community strength and backup shown... but so far it's mostly been described as "fail".)

== Timeline ==

(There is a good outline of one on avalon's willow's blog -- also see discussion tab for notes on formatting and linking0)

January 8, 2009: [[Another shot at thinking about the Other]] by [[Jay Lake]] on [http://jaylake.livejournal.com/1692287.html LJ]

:This post came a few days before the main source of discussion in Elizabeth Bear's journal, and through it is not stated, may have contributed to her musings. Inspired by a discussion on ''The Edge of the American West'' about "speaking from cultural authority and presumed expertise." Lake expressed disdain for the idea that white writers don't have "standing" to use Aboriginal or First Nations material in their fiction. The comment thread, 78 responses long, was filled with fail. A lot of 101-level thinking.

January 12, 2009: [[whatever you're doing, you're probably wrong.]] by [[Elizabeth Bear]] on [http://matociquala.livejournal.com/1544111.html LJ]

:The main source of fail. Bear explains how to write The Other.

January 13, 2009: [[I Didn't Dream of Dragons]] by [[deepad]] on [http://deepad.livejournal.com/29656.html LJ]

:Not a direct response to Bear's post, but triggered by it. "...this is more my commentary on the Western, White novels and blogs I have been reading recently, and my experience as an Indian reader."

January 13, 2009: [[Open Letter: To Elizabeth Bear]] by [[Avalon's Willow]] on [http://seeking-avalon.blogspot.com/2009/01/open-letter-to-elizabeth-bear.html Seeking Avalon]

:A response to [http://matociquala.livejournal.com/1544111.html?thread=30733743&style=mine#t30733743 a thread] in [[whatever you're doing, you're probably wrong.]]

::I'm not calling you a monster. I'm not calling you a racist. But I am calling you clueless and ill worded and more than a touch thoughtless. Your ability to think about things, ''sometimes'', does not erase my pain or lack.

January 14, 2009: [[real magic can never be made by offering up someone else's liver.]] by [[Elizabeth Bear]] on [http://matociquala.livejournal.com/1544999.html LJ]

:A response to [[Open Letter: To Elizabeth Bear]] in which Bear acknowledges that [[Avalon's Willow]]'s criticism is valid. Comments start out badly ("Over sensitivity to perceived racism tends to result in the nit picking of words and sentence structure.") and go downhill quickly.

January 14, 2009: [[Untitled Post about Avalon's Willow's open letter to Bear]] by [[Sarah Monette]] on [http://truepenny.livejournal.com/625351.html LJ]

:Acknowledges that intent and result do not always match up. Comments devolve into failfest, marked particularly by [[Macallister Stone]] and [[Emma Bull]] invalidating criticism because it isn't academic enough and also because some readers aren't as smart as the writers the criticize.

(some other stuff here)
(including pnh and others commenting on chopchica's LJ in discussion of mac_stone's statements)
(Patrick Nielsen Hayden deletes his pnh LJ)

January 26, 2009: [[I'm taking this about as well as you'd expect.]] by [[Teresa Nielsen Hayden]] on [http://tnh.livejournal.com/6256.html LJ] (original is now friends-locked)

:Teresa's response to Patrick's emotional state after been called on his comments. Original post and comments full of fail and including several problematic uses of language.

January 26, 2009: [[My only statement on the cultural appropriation imbroglio]] by [[David Levine]] on [http://davidlevine.livejournal.com/154220.html LJ]

:In response to Levine finding out why [[Patrick Nielsen Hayden]] deleted his LJ. With comments disabled, Levine proceeds to chide the "anti-racist" side for scaring him and other white writers off of writing characters of color and ends with "Is this what you wanted?"

January 27, 2009: [[The last comment that went up before I flocked the previous post.]] by [[Teresa Nielsen Hayden]] on [http://tnh.livejournal.com/6434.html LJ]

:A post meant to explain why the previous post disappeared for so many readers. Some conversations and fights continued in the comments here and include failure by Teresa to shut down problem comments and language because the people using said language were on her side.

== Links and external references ==

(We could put in rydra_wong's enormous link list - ask first)

== Dramatis personae ==

===Pseudonymous or Partly Pseudonymous===

* [[Avalon's Willow]] (a pseudonym<ref>[http://seeking-avalon.blogspot.com/2006/08/about-seeking-avalon.html Seeking Avalon: About Seeking Avalon]</ref>) / [http://seeking-avalon.blogspot.com/ Seeking Avalon]
* [[chopchica]] (a pseudonym<ref>[http://chopchica.livejournal.com/profile chopchica LJ User Profile]</ref>)
* [[ciderpress]] (a pseudonym<ref>[http://ciderpress.livejournal.com/profile ciderpress LJ User Profile]</ref>)
* [[coffeeandink]] aka "Micole" <ref>[http://coffeeandink.livejournal.com/profile coffeeandink LJ User Profile]</ref>
* [[deepad]] aka "Deepa D."<ref>[http://deepad.livejournal.com/profile deepad LJ User Profile]</ref>
* [[delux_vivens]] (a pseudonym<ref>[http://delux-vivens.livejournal.com/profile delux-vivens LJ User Profile]</ref>)
* [[oyceter]] (a pseudonym<ref>[http://oyceter.livejournal.com/profile oyceter LJ User Profile]</ref>)
* [[rydra_wong]] (a pseudonym<ref>[http://rydra-wong.livejournal.com/profile rydra-wong LJ User Profile]</ref>),: compiled lists of links to posts on the subject, sometimes more than daily.
* [[sparkymonster]] (a pseudonym<ref>[http://sparkymonster.livejournal.com/profile sparkymonster LJ User Profile]</ref>)
* [[spiralsheep]] (a pseudonym<ref>[http://spiralsheep.livejournal.com/profile sparkymonster LJ User Profile]</ref>)
* [[vito_excalibur]] (a pseudonym<ref>[http://vito-excalibur.livejournal.com/profile vito-excalibur LJ User Profile]</ref>)
* [[yeloson]] (a pseudonym<ref>[http://yeloson.livejournal.com/profile yeloson LJ User Profile]</ref>)
* [[yonmei]] (a pseudonym<ref>[http://blogs.feministsf.net/?author=40 Yonmei's posts at Feminist SF - the blog]</ref>)
* [[zvi_likes_tv]] aka [[zvi]], a writer of [[fan fiction]]<ref>[http://www.slashx-files.com/aboutme.html zvi reflects]</ref><ref>[http://zvi_likes_tv.livejournal.com/profile zvi_likes_tv LJ User Profile]</ref>

===Identified by Name===
* [[kynn]] aka [[Kynn Bartlett]]<ref>[http://kynn.com/ kynn.com]</ref><ref>[http://kynn.livejournal.com/profile kynn LJ User Profile]</ref>
* [[Elizabeth Bear]] aka [[Sarah Bear Elizabeth Wishnevsky]]<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Bear Wlizabeth Bear Wikipedia entry]</ref> ([[matociquala]]<ref>[http://matociquala.livejournal.com/profile matociquala LJ User Profile]</ref> on LJ), a science fiction writer
* [[K. Tempest Bradford]] ([http://ktempest.livejournal.com/profile ktempest] on LJ), a science fiction writer<ref>[http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?K._Tempest_Bradford K. Tempest Bradford at the ISFDB]</ref>
* [[Emma Bull]] aka [[coffeem]]<ref>[http://coffeeem.livejournal.com/profile coffeeem LJ User Profile]</ref>
* [[Luke Jackson]]<ref>[http://darkerblogistan.livejournal.com/profile darkerblogistan LJ profile]</ref> (participated pseudonymously as darkerblogistan; unmasked by kynn<ref>[http://kynn.com/next/2009/01/24/author-asshattery-luke-jackson/ Author Asshattery: Luke Jackson] by [[kynn]]</ref>)
* [[nojojojo]] aka [[Nora Jemison]] who writes as [[N. K. Jemisin]]<ref>[http://nkjemisin.com/my-fiction/ Epiphany 2.0 - Author NK Jemison]</ref><ref>[http://nojojojo.livejournal.com/profile nojojojo LJ User Profile]</ref>
* [[Jay Lake]] ([http://jaylake.livejournal.com/profile jaylake on LJ]), a science fiction writer
* [[David Levine]] ([http://davidlevine.livejournal.com/154220.html davidlevine on LJ])
* [[Sarah Monette]] aka [[truepenny]]<ref>[http://truepenny.livejournal.com/profile truepenny LJ user profile]</ref>, a science fiction writer
* [[Patrick Nielsen Hayden]] (formerly pnh on LJ; deleted account), a science fiction editor
* [[Teresa Nielsen Hayden]] ([http://tnh.livejournal.com/profile tnh] on LJ), a science fiction editor & BoingBoing's comment section moderator
* [[Roz Kaveney]], ([http://rozk.livejournal.com/profile RozK] on LJ), transwoman journalist and publisher's adviser.
* [[kate_nepveu]] ([[Kate Nepveu]]<ref>[http://kate_nepveu.livejournal.com/profile kate_nepveu LJ User Profile]</ref><ref>[http://www.steelypips.org/ steelypips.org]</ref><ref>[http://www.tor.com/index.php?option=com_comprofiler&user=5984 Kate Nepveu Tor.com user profile]</ref>)
* [[medievalist]] ( [[Lisa L. Spangenberg]]<ref>[http://medievalist.livejournal.com/profile medievalist LJ User Profile]</ref>)
* [[Will Shetterly]] ([http://willshetterly.livejournal.com/profile willshetterly] on LJ), a science fiction writer
* [[mac_stone]]<ref>[http://mac_stone.livejournal.com/profile mac_stone LJ User Profile]</ref> (identified as [[MacAllister Stone]]<ref>[http://www.macallisterstone.com/stones/ Stones in the Field]</ref> above)

== Terminology ==
* [[orcing]] or orking
* [[white women's tears]]
* [[privilege]]
* [[flock]] (read as F-lock), locking a post to be friends-only
* [[friending]] and defriending - terms in social media
* [[fail]]
* [[trolling]]

== See Also ==
* [[Cultural Appropriation (WisCon 30 Panel)‎]]
* [[Cultural Appropriation Revisited (WisCon 31 panel)‎]]
* [[cultural appropriation]]

==References==
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[[Category:Internet drama]]
[[Category:Online discussions]]
[[Category:RaceFail 09]]
[[Category:Fandom]]
[[Category:2009 events]]