editor's note

Comic Con-flflict

An apology.

By Cathy Salustri

O ne of my jobs as the A&E editor is to curate the listings. While other papers take a copy-and-paste approach to running press releases, it's always our goal to rewrite them in CL's voice. Calendar listings, as you likely know, can be dry. We like to make them fun to read, and I see them as a way to reach people who might not read other sections of the paper — and that means that we (I) can sometimes come off as a bit of a smart-ass.

Last week, one of those smart-ass remarks — part of a listing for Comic Con in which I attempted to make fun of those people who mock cosplayers who happen to fifit the conventional idea of "hot" — was screenshotted, circulated, and misunderstood. I am sorry the snark was misinterpreted, and I know I didn't help matters by offering a flflippant tweet to commenters who insisted I was a slut-shamer and a misogynist: "I do regret that the... four of you? ... refuse to see the joke and instead want to argue on the internet. Good day." I'm sorry I fifired off something that snide, and when one of the initial  four people reached out to me in a sincere way, I realized this was not a woman angry for the sake of being angry: "Also: if you'd spoken this out loud to a group, I'm certain it would have carried well. Knowing now that it was meant as a joke, I can see the sarcasm now. But as an editor it's your job to know what will/will not translate to print copy. This fell VERY flflat. That's on you." — @SssyVlcrptr..which prompted a more sincere apology, because it was never my intent to offend the group of women targeted  by the misogynistic bullshit at which I punched JUST COS: Comic Con cosplayers. in the event listing: "So if you were offended, I apologize. @cl_ tampabay has a sarcastic tone. I really hope to see you continue to read to understand our POV." I'm familiar with the misogynistic bullshit that spawns memes like the one proclaiming "Oh, you're a hot nerd, you say? No, Im [sic] pretty sure you're a slut with glasses." I've also had some issues with body image shaming in the past — and, in fact, have never had an issue with speaking out on a myriad of issues like how the world needs more images of strong women, racism, immigration, LGBT rights... I could go on, but I hope you get the point. I don't favor objectifying women but yeah, I have no issue joking about objectifying men because it would take about 2,000 years of us doing that for things to be equal.

I also grew up as a geek. Or a nerd, depending on your defifinition. As in, I loved John Hughes movies but I didn't want to live in one. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Rocky Horror Picture Show were more my speed. And because I've been fat and I've been thin and had to deal with shit from people about both, one of my trigger issues is bodyshaming women and the whole "If you're hot you can't possibly like Comic Cons/Red Dwarf/cosplay/Dungeons & Dragons/ Dr. Who/whatever it is geeks like." By the end of Monday the train had left the station. People called for my fifiring, threatened me with the ACLU and compared me to KellyAnne Conway.

Having read Creative Loafifing Tampa since its inception and knowing the paper as I do, I never dreamed anyone would not understand that was sarcasm. I never imagined anyone would think anyone here would allow misogyny into our paper in any form.

We're at a scary time right now, politically — especially if you're a woman. It's easy to assume people are punching at you. The last few months I've been guilty of that myself. What's scary to me, too, is how we — progressives — are cannibalizing ourselves with the whole

"when you have a hammer everything's a nail." I can assure you, I was not punching at you. I was punching at the people who truly are against us — you and me. Because we are in this together, and I am sorry that what was intended as such was so widely misunderstood. As an editor at the most liberal paper in Tampa Bay, I can assure you we all have your back and we will call out misogyny in every form.