Ovinomancer said:
But, isn't that the point here? That the harassers, and I think we've all pretty much agreed on this point, are almost always white men, in this social situation. Now, there are many, many reasons for this, primarily demographics - the hobby is very much populated and dominated by white men, so, it does make sense that just simply through numbers most harassment would be done by white men. But, since this specific group - in this case, predominantly white men - have a fairly lengthy history of harassment in the hobby, I'd say that it's not terribly unfair to say that white men are not recognizing the problem.
If they were recognizing the problem, then the problem would largely be solved. The whole point of the rhetoric is to get people talking. Job well done there. We've got considerable conversation going on here, and I would hope that it's being seen by more than just the people posting in this thread and the word is spreading. And that word is, "In our hobby, we have a problem with the majority group either directly harassing minority demographics in the hobby or standing on the sidelines and not doing anything to help resolve the issue." That you and I both belong to that majority group does not mean that we are automatically terrorists or cowards.
She's pretty specific in the blog post. Those perpetrating these actions are doing so maliciously with the intent of forcing women and POC out of the hobby. Those standing on the sidelines and not doing anything, are every bit part of the problem, since they aren't actually doing anything to prevent those who are maliciously driving people out of the hobby. Thus, they get called out as cowards.
Now, if someone is actively doing things to resolve issues, then they are not part of the problem, they are part of the solution. Whether those actions are relatively minor like complaining on a forum about chainmail bikinis or taking the time to tell buddy that maybe dick jokes aren't appropriate at that particular time, or taking more direct action like getting involved in a legal dispute or whatever. Doesn't matter what you are doing, so long as you are doing something. Those that just stand on the sidelines are not relieved of any responsibility. Closing your eyes doesn't make the problem go away. And anyone who isn't stepping in is part of the problem, whether directly or indirectly.