I whole heartedly agree! Keep politics out of the fandom! They have no place here! Honestly the best thing to do is to try your best to steer clear of those people, and not get involved with them. I personally do the respectfully nod, smile and leave approach on those who try to introduce this crap into the fandom.

Glad I'm not the only one who thinks so. Burr hugs

Yay! Burrhugs! ^_^

Agreed!

i agree with you. This stuffs should not be here.

Problematically, everything is political, including the fandom itself. This means that the fandom as a whole needs to take a stand on issues some might deem "political." We can't escape politics completely.

I definitely agree that I'd like to see less political infighting and division within the fandom, though. We absolutely need to take a principled and firm stand against bigotry, covidiocy/covid denial, and other genuine threats, but I reckon some folks incite arguments or stir up controversies that wouldn't exist without their meddling or poking, and that's not productive.

I don't see why a fandom has to be political. If we can argue for a separation of church and state, then it should be FAR easier for a separation of furry and state. Entertainment should not be about politics. When I go to the beach, I don't worry about Republicans or Democrats. I'm there for the sand and the water. I don't want to live in a world where it is IMPOSSIBLE to escape politics. If the fandom can't be a safe refuge, then we are all lost. In short, I disagree, Troj, even though I understand why you might feel that way. Bear hugs.

Here are two examples of what I mean:

To a lot of people, even just tolerating LGBTQ people is inherently political, and actively embracing and celebrating us is even more so. I think this is an important hill for the fandom to be willing to stand and fight on, even if it alienates a few homophobes and transphobes.

Similarly, there are people who'll consider the active inclusion of racial minorities, people with disabilities, and others as inherently political or "SJW-y," and I think the fandom needs to take a principled stance in favor of inclusion and general acceptance in those areas, too. Neutrality isn't enough, because neutrality can readily slip into passive exclusion, which can slip into active exclusion.

There are some people who think that any kinds of health regulations and restrictions (esp. related to covid) are inherently political. I think conventions and meets are courting disaster at multiple levels if they don't enforce some health and safety guidelines, especially during public health crises (e.g., pandemics).

There are also people who'll read a political agenda into cons' support of charities focused on issues like animal welfare and nature conservation. If a charity is ethical and well-respected, I don't think a con needs to tiptoe around just to appease a vocal minority.

I agree that I'd like to see less partisan nitty-gritty, hair-splitting, and infighting in the fandom, though. Really, we need to go back to the basic question of what X Issue has to do with the fandom and the people in it, and if X Issue poses an *imminent threat* to the survival or health of the fandom or the people in it. If the answer is "No" or "Er, well..." then maybe people should table it for an appropriate time.

Very well said and thanks for the excellent points. What a sad world we live in where doing the right thing is considered an offensive political point of view to many people. I cry.

Me too! It's a shame from my POV we even have to cover those bases or consider the topics I listed "political," but there you go. I've had to learn to look under the hood of people complaining about "politics" because it's too-often code for "including minorities" or "taking a principled stand against abuse, assault, or some form of real harm."

THAT aside, yeah, some people in the fandom have a tendency to start debates, take stands, or spotlight divisions or differences in opinion at times and in spaces where I don't think it's healthy or productive, even if I happen to agree with the stance being put forward.

If animals, people, or fandom aren't being directly harmed by something, sometimes it's best to let sleeping dogs lie, and save certain discussions or debates for your personal social media or social group.

Even when I happen to personally agree with the stance in question, I really don't like the fights that usually result from some furry declaring that everyone who doesn't share their *particular* stance on a nuanced, niche, and/or partisan issue is evil and needs to GTFO of the fandom.

I haven't been to a con in over 10 years and I'm going to Motorcity in October.
I have no idea what to expect!

Nice! I agree, the fandom must be outside of politic issues and problematic topics, so, come on! for that kind of things exist Twitter, Reddit and 4chan!

the worst of all is that, instead of being cold and critic, they get mad as if their mother was offended by someone, even I suspect they wouldn't defend their mother or their boyfriend or girlfriend as they defend a dumb idea or a politician, who practicaly receives a paidment to stole and make people fight...