This was an awesome post. Thank you so much for making it.
Can I ask--and I've been wondering about this a lot this week--if it's acknowledged (and I think it's crazy that it's not), that Yuletide revolves around Christmas, is that okay? I mean, is the problem that people deny it, and are dismissive of the complaint? Because honestly, I'm not sure what way around it there is. A couple of people started this challenge, as something fun, and it grew, in ways I doubt they could have foreseen, so I guess I'm kind of--I don't think it's necessarily wrong that it revolves around Christmas, (which is easy for me to say, I know, because while I'm not religious, I was also raised Catholic, so it's part of my culture) as long as it doesn't seek to exclude anyone intentionally, and so far as possible with a Christmas theme, does as much as possible to include everyone. Having two weeks for sign ups, and doing as much as can be done to stay away from the religious aspects, and of course, listening if suggestions are made for other ways to make it more inclusive, seems mostly reasonable, to me. But I don't know whether that's because I'm speaking from a position of privilege, I guess.
Is the answer to have more cultural exchanges? Like the characters of colour ficathon not that long ago, or maybe challenges that revolved around non-Christian holidays? I'm not sure how practical that is, or whether it would end up creating more offence, but for me, that's what I'd love, and what seems like some kind of answer. That we'd learn to welcome each other's traditions rather than trying to deny that we have different ones, or meld them into one package that doesn't celebrate what's personal to anyone.
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Can I ask--and I've been wondering about this a lot this week--if it's acknowledged (and I think it's crazy that it's not), that Yuletide revolves around Christmas, is that okay? I mean, is the problem that people deny it, and are dismissive of the complaint? Because honestly, I'm not sure what way around it there is. A couple of people started this challenge, as something fun, and it grew, in ways I doubt they could have foreseen, so I guess I'm kind of--I don't think it's necessarily wrong that it revolves around Christmas, (which is easy for me to say, I know, because while I'm not religious, I was also raised Catholic, so it's part of my culture) as long as it doesn't seek to exclude anyone intentionally, and so far as possible with a Christmas theme, does as much as possible to include everyone. Having two weeks for sign ups, and doing as much as can be done to stay away from the religious aspects, and of course, listening if suggestions are made for other ways to make it more inclusive, seems mostly reasonable, to me. But I don't know whether that's because I'm speaking from a position of privilege, I guess.
Is the answer to have more cultural exchanges? Like the characters of colour ficathon not that long ago, or maybe challenges that revolved around non-Christian holidays? I'm not sure how practical that is, or whether it would end up creating more offence, but for me, that's what I'd love, and what seems like some kind of answer. That we'd learn to welcome each other's traditions rather than trying to deny that we have different ones, or meld them into one package that doesn't celebrate what's personal to anyone.