In this second installment in our “Racism on Ao3” series, we’re going to look at another aspect of archive racism that doesn’t have to be lied about to prove it exists: Comments. Though there are tools that can be utilized to protect oneself from this kind of interaction on fics, it can sometimes feel like a bit of a burden to have to go through all of your fics in order to implement these protective measures, especially if you have hundreds of fics as a very prolific writer. Not to mention: putting up barriers on fics and comment sections might dissuade good-intentioned readers from the action, making it more difficult for writers to get the positive reinforcement that inspires them to create more works.
Inappropriate racist comments on fics are unfortunately part of writing on Ao3 for some creators. Somewhat rare compared to previous fanfiction sites such as fanfiction dot net, these comments are usually written by unhappy and unhinged trolls who have nothing better to do than spread about worthless words in an effort to feel powerful in their anonymity. That these comments exist and are a continuous experience for a lot of non-English writers on the archive is an important reality we cannot ignore—we need to be diligent in our support of these creators as their existence on the archive gives us chances to not just learn more about their perspectives, they also give us the opportunity to learn our second or third (or more!) languages by reading stories we enjoy.
The most conspicuous and illuminating aspect of these comments is the reality that they are uniquely focused around race and ethnicity. The prevalence of white supremacist attitudes toward certain types of minorities is spreading—these are not just instances that only occur on 4chan or kiwifarms or krudplug, this rot is spreading in the hearts and minds of our most impressionable demographics and in the spaces they spend much of their time: children and their fandoms. Twitter user nakintups posted on the 8th of May 2023 screenshots they had taken of racially-motivated hate comments on their Tumblr, highlighting in their tweet, “Quiero que vean el tipo de abuso racista al que estoy siendo sometida por ~escribir fanfiction~ y por ~ser mexicana~.” ENGLISH: “I want you to see the kind of racist abuse I’m being subjected to for ~writing fanfiction~ and for ~being Mexican~.” In a previous tweet they are rightfully proud of their ethnicity, stating bravely and defiantly: “No me tocab, gringos de mierda, y me pueden dejar mil y un comentarios y yo voy a seguir aquí, inamovible.” ENGLISH: “Don't touch me, you fucking gringos, and you can leave me a thousand and one comments and I'll continue here, immovable.”
Nakintups has also highlighted on their profile that other authors such as Ostrava have ended up deleting English translations of their works, citing that the English-speaking Star Wars fandom is far less welcoming of certain types of fiction and creates far too much drama for it to be emotionally or mentally worth it to keep translated fics up. Nakintups brings up that Ao3 user ghostli has also moved away from the fandom for backlash over the usage of certain tags despite that the subjects represented by said tags were treated with dignity in the content of the fic. Several Ao3 accounts are now gone—deleted by their owners for their receipt of denigrating commentary in a “climate of hostility” centered upon “a certain sector of the obikin fandom.”
Shocking absolutely no one, some Twitter users have become indignant about having been blocked or cut off from certain elements of fandom due to what they perceive to be nakintups’s profiling of parts of the Obikin shippers as racists, but in this affront they have failed to provide a useful alternative for Mexicans or minorities in fandom who are wary of racism and the suspected sources. Though it may be that individual users who are not racist get caught in the block chains, it would be unrealistic to assume that “innocent” shippers won’t get caught in the crossfire. Such is the nature of blocking! If we learned anything from the block drama of the Our Flag Means Death fandom, it’s that anyone should be able to block anyone else for any reason without being accused of maliciousness and that should go double for people who are being targeted with overt harassment.
One does not have to look hard to find racially-motivated hate comments on Ao3, one simply has to have their ear to the ground. Ao3 and Twitter user ladyofreylo warned in a tweet in July of 2021 that she had received “hugely racist comments on two meta essays on AO3,” going on to reveal the name of the “white supremacist user” we all now know and abhor: none other than Sugarino. Unfortunately the nature of these comments isn’t known as ladyofreylo has since deleted the comments and they are no longer available, but it does not take a detective to determine that Sugarino is no doubt the sort of person to make racially-charged, insulting comments on the archive.
So what’s my advice? For authors: consider taking steps to limit the kind of access potential racists have to you. If that means insulting some gringos by mass-blocking whole elements of your fandom, you should totally and completely do that. You should be protecting your peace at all costs if that means it’s going to make you enjoy fandom more. I personally know a whole bunch of folks have me blocked because gosh! They don’t know a thing about me! Can’t begrudge them that, and if it protects their peace, I’m totally for it! For commenters: Don’t take the impersonal personally. One of the greatest pieces of advice I will ever impart on anyone: Stop. Taking. Things. Personally. If someone from fandom has you blocked on Twitter but you like their stories on Ao3, that doesn’t mean you have to stop reading them. Just be aware that you might have gotten mixed up in a block chain, it’s not about you. It’s about racism and protecting the peace of those who might experience it. Sometimes things aren’t about you even if they affect you and though it might be tempting to take that out on nakintups or other creators who are taking the steps they feel they have to in order to protect themselves, all you’re doing is creating another problem they need to protect themselves from. Take out your journal, write down your feelings, and move forward. If you’re not getting called out by name, it’s not about you. Almost guarantee it.
And as for my advice for the types of racists who make these kinds of comments: I know you’re struggling with something. This is a you problem. Stop making it other people’s problem. Deal with your anger, handle your issues, go to therapy, or go directly to Hell.