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Originally Posted by Tomk2
Anti-capitslism and anti-police were the "top of the page" mission statements for those organizations. Their primary purpose. You couldn't miss it. Unless you never looked and just wanted to virtue signal by listing those organizations.
Why would a SFF awards organization choose to behave like this? I ask because I wanted to join it, but not if it is instead a political organization.
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So I opted to look at DisCon3's site, and the places they ask you to donate just to see what you were talking about. The below are excerpts taken from the organizations respective websites that are linked by DisCon3:
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1) The Carl Brandon Society: The Carl Brandon Society’s mission is to increase racial and ethnic diversity in the production of and audience for speculative fiction.
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Yes this seems radically inappropriate for a SFF org to suggest donations.
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2) Black Science Fiction Society:
Black Science Fiction Society is a group grounded in a philosophical framework created by activist Maulana Karenga known as Kwanza, which centers around 7 distinct principles known as The Nguzo Saba: (I'm not going to list them as it gets a bit long, but the essence is to build and foster a strong community which continues to grow).
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Their manifesto (their word choice) includes several things (none of which are anti-capitalism or anti-police) and can best be summed up by their number ten item "Build a self perpetuating system by which black science fiction and grow and thrive"
Again an absolutely shocking organization for a SFF organization to suggest donating to.
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BLM DC:
Black Lives Matter DC is a member based abolitionist organization centering Black people most at risk for state violence in DC, creating the conditions for Black Liberation through the abolition of systems and institutions of white supremacy, capitalism, patriarchy and colonialism.
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Well we finally have an actual mention of one of your complaints, anti-capitalism. But it's one of several, yet the only one you opted to focus on. Still, all of these are topics dealt with in SFF and which affect SFF authors, and y'know the world they (and we) live in.
Though one thing I did find absolutely objectionable is the color choice, at least on Mac OS X with Firefox, white text on a bright yellow background? That alone is almost enough to make me want to concede this organization to your view. Almost.
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FreedomFightersDC (@FFDC2020):
A predominantly Black-led group of activists focused on change through organized actions while simultaneously advocating to #DefundThePolice
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Hardly "anti-police" if one takes the time to understand the concept, and very certainly not boldly stating they are "anti-police" as you claimed was on these pages. It's also yet another theme in SFF which also impacts SFF writers and readers.
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The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund:
America’s premier legal organization fighting for racial justice. Through litigation, advocacy, and public education, LDF seeks structural changes to expand democracy, eliminate disparities, and achieve racial justice in a society that fulfills the promise of equality for all Americans. LDF also defends the gains and protections won over the past 80 years of civil rights struggle and works to improve the quality and diversity of judicial and executive appointments.
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So, no anti-police comments here, nor anti-capitalist. They state they wish to expand democracy which I'd think is something most folks in the US at least would support or at least not find "controversial". And, this is becoming a theme here, these are all issues that are dealt with both in SFF works and by SFF writers.
Care to actually cite your examples, because thus far you seem to have shown a tendency to exaggerate the goals of these organizations, while also downplaying or entirely ignoring some/most of their goals, or the organization entirely.