What is RaceFail '09?

[I didn't provide the larger context of the massive racefail happening right now in my last post because it was so much about that individual fail, but I feel that a) it's an important conversation and b) it's easy to get lost in the massive sea of links out there and decide the signal-to-noise ratio is too unfavorable for you. Much thanks to wistfuljane for providing so much summary in handy easy-to-copy form]

What is RaceFail '09? daedala provided the shortest summary of RaceFail '09 here and it is as followed:

1. Bear writes a post about how to write the Other
2. Avalon's Willow critiques one of her books on racial tropes
3. Bear agrees unequivocally in writing
4. Commenters defend Bear in increasingly racist language.
5. Massive fail all over the internets.
6. Bear says that she was lying in 3. in order to model appropriate conversation.

But daedala's summary barely scratches the surface. ( Here are other more detailed, but still brief summaries of events: )

( Racism 101 Resources )