#why is media literacy actually nonexistent..

[jennrypan]

Tiktok keeps pissing me off- so now everytime I get Thunderbolts videos about how much Bucky loves his new team..I side eye the fuck out of them cuz yall can NEVER be normal.

Sam has every right to be pissed with Bucky. Bucky isn't some sad little baby boy who cant tell right from wrong and he isn't gonna scream and cry cuz Sam is MAD at him. They arent going to murder each other. Jesus christ. Bucky is WRONG. Jfc.

Him being in one singular movie with them and being cordial doesnt mean suddenly theyre his new besties and Sam is a big meanie for being pissed. Like-- fuck.

Yall treat Bucky like a toddler who can do no wrong and if someone's annoyed with him and doesnt agree, yall act like he needs to be coddled and protected.

[chaotic-theatrical-weaver]

sorry this is referring to an old post of yours but I loved your post on why Proctor in The Crucible isn’t the villain. so much of The Crucible is about good vs evil, being damned vs not and I believe that you as an audience are brought into the story when you decide for yourself who you persecute, who you condemn. Proctor’s character is so intertwined with his “good person” arc, or else what is that last act about (“I think I do see some shred of good in John Proctor”)? because that’s the point. it’s not just about good or evil as two binary things, it’s also about redemption. John definitely did really bad things but, as you said, you can condemn those things while understanding that it doesn’t define him. I don’t think Miller wrote the Crucible with the intention of defining people in boxes of good and bad or unchangeability

This is such a delightful ask to wake up to! Don’t apologize for it being about an old post—you have no idea how happy you’ve made me with it. You get it! You get it! I have little else to say other than let me give you sparkly gold stars for media literacy:

🌟🌟🌟

Okay, that “little else to say” part was not quite true. I might be rambling, but you have come past my drive-thru and the fact that you did suggests that you’d appreciate this, so let me reiterate something I’ve said in a reblog to that post (because Tumblr and your ask notified me only about your appreciation of the original): that last act hits so much harder when you interpret him through a BPD lens. His splitting is and always has been a lying distortion no matter what he’s done! (It’s right there. If you read my post, you’ll see that it’s right there in the text, but weirdly enough, it gets lost in most actual performances because it’s not a lens most of his actors are looking for—likely owing to the fact that the show predates the disorder’s codification. Some of his symptoms also manifest differently than we’d usually think of them because while anxiously-attached, he’s not in a time and place that affords him openness of expression there. All this to say that I am anxiously hoping for the day that my hypothetical ASL-integrated production becomes reality so that I can make this part of its canon—I’ve written about the symbolism in how main John and his signer relate to each other, and the six-part staging descriptions are readable elsewhere on my blog—but in the meantime, I will gladly settle for reading a currently-nonexistent AO3 fic that tags it or even simply expanding the Tumblr circle who supports it. RIP Coat Guy/Signer for Proctor, you would have loved DBT.)

Thank you so much, @counterculturecryer, and I hope you have a GREAT day! 🥰🥰🥰

[nothingenoughao3]

The issue both of you are (correctly!) tapping into is, IMO, one of imagination on the part of the audience.

A whole lot of the struggle with media literacy relates to audiences approaching media as though they are historical tomes (the Thermian Argument, as it's been called). This feeds into a lot of stuff about Problematic Characters or Plots, such as "writing a character who hits their spouse is morally equivalent to hitting your spouse, because I perceive no difference whatsoever between writing fiction and existing in reality".

But it also relates to special effects, such as: you're expected to imagine the backdrop when you go to a blackbox theater production. You're expected to imagine more elaborate costumes than the different hats, you're expected to imagine that stagehands aren't even there, etc. If you play the game right, you'll be able to see people blowing cigarette smoke because they're miming holding a cigarette with one hand, gesturing with the nonexisting cigarette so convincingly that your mind fills in that tiny space.

You're expected, when you see older fantasy films, to look at a puppet and go "That is a real creature in this real world". Diagetically, it's not a puppet, it's a worm/dragon/demon. It can be useful for your imaginative purposes if the makeup, prosthetics, and effects are detailed or well-rendered--but not necessary.

You're not watching a documentary which requires an eye for historical detail or factuality. You're watching a movie, an imaginative work which requires imaginative play on your part.

Folks can even do this imaginative work by accident, which is how we get audiences convinced, for example, that you actually see a character being maimed onscreen in "Reservoir Dogs". You didn't--you heard some sound effects, and you imagined the rest.

And this is why I find this whole media-illiteracy thing so depressing. It feels like y'all (not the OPs, to be clear!) straight-up do not have an imagination, do not engage in imaginative play, and do not understand media asking you to do anything other than passively sit and absorb images and noises.

genuinely, i think watching live theatre can improve your media literacy so much

like people who look at doctor who and are like 'lol the effects are so rubbish'

maybe watch a stage play where there's no backdrops and half the characters are played by the same three guys in different hats and maybe you will calm down

[petcareawareness]

People seriously underestimate the impact the media has on notions of pet ownership and what people can handle in animals.

Books, movies, TV, and internet videos from Youtube, Instagram, and The Dodo often show animals in their best moments, or even acting because they’ve been trained to do certain tasks (or are animated as humanlike characters). The fact is that the vast majority of people, even those who already have pets, have a very low or nonexistent level of animal literacy; what they take away from that kind of media oftens turns into “I want that animal as a pet.” 

People who watched Finding Nemo created an explosion of demand for clownfish and blue tangs; Harry Potter, owls; 101 Dalmatians for dalmatians, etc etc etc. When the decision to get a pet modeled after the cute, photo-ready animals seen on a screen is made, there is zero consideration as to whether or not their needs can be met and if people can actually handle them. 

Media featuring animals inevitably creates a boom of abandonment and huge environmental impact precisely because people who were in over their heads and acted purely on a whim got their dose of reality, and it’s incredibly heartbreaking to have to see the news detailing such cases. These are just some examples: 

Yearly reminders have to be passed around telling people not to buy rabbits on Easter unless they’re committed to actually taking care of them  

Thousands of dalmatians were abandoned when families discovered that they are very energy intensive, broody work dogs that are not suited to families with small children, unlike the cuddly Perdita and Pongo

Similarly, huskies and malamutes were surrendered to shelters when people realised they are not loyal Westeros direwolves

Entire ecosystems in Europe and southern Asia lost valuable apex predators when people began poaching them to sell to fans who wanted their own Hedwigs and Errols, and again abandoning them en masse when they discovered owls are highly aggressive, loud, messy, and nocturnal

Japan imported thousands of North American raccoons after the release of the Disney movie Rascal, people let them loose in the wild, and Japan now has a problem trying to figure out what to do with their enormous pest population that has no natural predator in place to control their numbers

Pacific Reefs suffered greatly when people demanded to have clownfish and blue tangs as pets, especially considering they were caught by being stunned with sodium cyanide, which, additionally, severely damages coral as well. NatGeo estimates that up to 90% of tropical fish imported by the US are caught by way of cyanide fishing; this often ends up for naught as these fish are often flushed down the toilet or released to the wild in other ways, which is also why the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico are under threat by voracious invasive species like lionfish   

The gist is that the media perpetuates this cycle of people reading about or seeing animal characters, demand is created, people impulse buy those animals, and then leave them for shelters to care for or release them to the wild when they get a rude awakening and find they’re actually unable to deal with those animals. 

This isn’t even counting other animals like “mini” pigs, chihuahuas, snakes, foxes, etc etc etc. And we can’t exactly blame this on over enthusiastic children when it’s adults who have the purchasing power to buy a pet, and who choose to do zero research, and who choose to indulge said children or even themselves when that I Want the TV Animal as a Pet urge comes on. 

Ignoring what is essentially weaponised cuteness used for online likes is hard, especially when faced with such palatable stuff like that gif of the owl riding the tablet stylus, or the plethora of cat videos. But it costs very little effort to not only educate yourself on the needs of animals and to also not encourage a rapacious pet trade industry, but to communicate that to others so that, hopefully, we won’t have to see things like Peter Dinklage and Jo Rowling having to make statements to the news because of this problem. 

--Mod Nick

[funsized-psychedelikk-blog]

who lives, who dies, who tells your story...

After our TOK lesson about Media Literacy, we were given tasks about relating topics, as a IBDP History HL student (and a not-so-former Hamilton fan, I knew what I needed to choose)

Optional activity #3 - HISTORY 

Read the following article:

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/01/victimhood/617604/

Watch this video from the musical Hamilton:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MnpoFFiBZk 

Consider this quote:

History is written by the victors - Winston Churchill

Prompts and Answers

What are your thoughts about the above? How does perspective shape the way history is told? Why does it matter?

Bias is defined as prejudice in favor of or against one thing. We all have biases whether we are aware of them or not. Whether it is obvious or subliminal, unintentional or intentional, the authors bias will always be present in a text. Thus, if an author or a group authors have a certain perception of an event and they happen to be the historians in power, events would be written the way THEY perceived them. An example of this would probably be LGBTQ+ in history. For years (but not necessarily since the dawn of time) it was considered unacceptable to be LGBTQ+. Thus, those in power were most likely heterosexual or hiding their identity; which influenced the way LGBTQ+ individuals were written down in history: nonexistent. The same can be said to other marginalized groups such as women, people of color, and people of the working class.

Another way to think of it would be how Indonesian heroes are always so glamourized and made out to be “larger than life”. An upperclassman I had once wrote a history IA regarding Gajah Mada’s actual significance to the Majapahit Empire. Through this beautiful essay she was able show that the reason Gajah Mada is so prominent in Indonesian culture is not because of his own feats and “cultural impact” but it was because during Soeharto’s rule, his administration used Gajah Mada as propaganda to boost nationalism and gather support for Soeharto. This makes you wonder if there are other figures who were made out to be more prominent than they actually were in order to fit a political narrative. I believe another example of this would be Colombus and how he pillaged America but how we were all taught that he “discovered” it.  

How different do you think your knowledge of something would be if it was written by someone else?

Currently, I study history through a British curriculum; thus the events of The First World War, World War 2, The Korean War, etc. are told through a British perspective. I couldn’t help but notice how Britain would always appear to be passive during these events, and how instead topic would focus on the USA, Germany, and other countries. If we were to look further, how I study history is also heavily focused on Western wars and Western conflicts, which I am sure would be different if I were to study from a curriculum that focused on Asian history.  

[mikkagals-blog]

Information Literacy - START (Assessing Websites) CN-21

Want to buy something but are too lazy to go out? Want to know the latest hits and trends in fashions without having to go out and purchase those monthly fashion magazines? Get different food and restaurant recommendations from professional food critics without having to actually consult them (and fly halfway around the world at that—face it, professional food critics are almost nonexistent beings here in the Philippines) when you’re touring around different countries? Know all the latest gossip about your favorite celebrities without having to buy physical copies of their interviews written in magazines and newspapers? Be in the know immediately of what everyone in the world is obsessing and raving about—like those fidget spinners that everyone in the States and other countries have been obsessing about, which is just plain ridiculous to me (But oh well, who am I to judge?). Fear not, for all of these problems already have solutions to them. No longer do we have to worry about being too lazy or too busy. With just a few clicks and taps here and there on our ever so dependable and trusty smartphones (or really any gadget that you prefer), all (well most) of our problems are solved in the blink of an eye. How you might ask? The answer is actually pretty simple. All you need are two things: wi-fi and internet. With these two things in our possession, we can surf the web and search on all the different things we want (As most people of this day and age would say if you don’t know something, “Google it.”). From things like the latest gossip about the hottest stars to simpler things like checking in with your local news channel’s website as to whether there will be classes tomorrow, the vast knowledge that technology has enabled us to access is simply outstanding. It still surprises me to this day how people all over the world have developed the skill and commitment to search/research all about their unanswered questions on the web through using things like blogs and wikis. I mean, that is no simple feat. The dedication and effort that they put in just to stalk (for example) their favorite idols or authors is simply remarkable and outstanding. That’s also probably why I don’t really have any favorite tv shows or books as of the moment (besides the fact that I’m busy with schoolwork and assignments)—I’m too lazy to put in that much effort and dedication in something that isn’t really studies related, which is also why I admire some of my classmates who know all of their favorite idols’ birthdays and addresses and other miscellaneous information. Getting back on topic, I think that what’s really more impressive is the people behind the creation of those blogs and wikis. After all, we only use those blogs and wikis to benefit our own needs, but what about those bloggers and people behind those wikis? What do they get in turn for providing us with all those information for free? And also, how do they acquire all those types of information that they post online about?

 There are a lot of things that we take for granted in life. A good example of this would be taking advantage of the recent innovations and technologies made by other people. Things like viewing blogs and wikis are actually part of the things that we take for granted. Making blogs and wikis are not as simple as one might initially think or perceive it to be. Certain levels and amounts of dedication and research are needed just for these things to be given life. However, the most important essence of a blog or wiki (in my opinion) is the love and care that the person behind it is constantly putting in—something that we all have to be aware and grateful for. Going back to my question from earlier, what do these people benefit from by sharing all these things and information—be it personal or impersonal? There are a lot of different types of blogs and wikis accessible to us posted or viewable online. What do I mean by different? By different, I mean the type of content (among other things besides the nitty-gritty stuff). From posting about travels and adventure related stuff in blogs to posting all things food related in wikis. Some bloggers even post blogs solely about their own personal lives and lifestyles. The variety is endless yet almost all blogs and wikis share a common purpose. They all aim to share these things with us to get some sort of reaction or feeling from us, their viewers. The information exchange present in these blogs and wikis are a sort of give and take relationship. We get to read all we want about the things they post, and in return we give them feedback. Most people can’t keep things to themselves, and that’s why a lot of people in this world are opinionated. This applies even in the online world. We read about blogs and wikis that are posted by different individuals and groups all the time. Now, I dare you. Do you (it could be yourself but I highly doubt it) know anyone that won’t have any type of reaction after having seen or read something (minus those people with disabilities)? I know I haven’t. This is actually the very reason why I think the comments section in all these blogs and wikis exist. They serve to let us voice our own thoughts and opinions regarding whatever the content posted about was in the comments section. The person or people behind these blogs and wikis are surely to read these things. After all, that’s what the comments section for isn’t it? Those feedback and opinions may or may not matter to them, but it still doesn’t change the fact that we did contribute somehow to whatever the blogger or editor or person had posted about. For all we know, they could have used the viewers’ opinions and remarks to change the way they blogged or post. Or perhaps the entire type of content that they might post about in the future (If worse comes to worse, they might even change the entire type of things that they post online about. For example, they could switch to dedicating their wikis and blogs about fashion instead of the initial topic of food.) That’s why I describe the information exchange happening on these online media to be something akin to a give and take relationship.

 The next question that people might think or ponder about (if you perhaps happen to be in a philosophical mood) is what purpose do the online information being posted about happen to be? I think it’s actually pretty self-explanatory to be honest. The answer is already in the word itself. All the things that we read about online in blogs and wikis serve to provide us more knowledge and insight regarding whatever topic it is that has been posted about. In my opinion, the real objective of all these information is to elicit some sort of reaction or feeling from the viewers. Not all information that we receive give us the same reaction or feeling. Some make us sad and cry (For example, knowing that your favorite blogger is on hiatus might make you feel upset.) while others make our faces light up with smiles and laughter (For example, K-pop fans might be delighted to hear that their favorite boy/girl bands are having a live concert here in the Philippines.). They might all give us different reactions and mixed feelings, but all (information) of them are the same in that they allow us to feel something after reading it (Wow, that sounded like it came from a telenovela or something.).  It goes without saying that if people question what all that information is for, then they might as well ask themselves who provides it. Depending on the type of wiki or blog, the person or people behind it may vary (I don’t mean that they may vary in height or weight or anything like that at all.). For example, not all blogs share the same type of content that they post. Some blogs are dedicated to informing people about the latest news—be it national or international—while some are dedicated to fitness and having healthy lifestyles. Not only that, blogs and wikis can also vary in the number/s of person/s behind it. Some blogs have only one person responsible for running the entire thing (for example, fashion blogger Tricia Gosingtian) while some have numerous people working on it from behind the scenes (like our shared Tumblr account for example). In the case of wikis, there are groups of people responsible for the formation of it. There are founders who may eventually also hold the position of administrator, those who can delete and undelete pages; page histories; and upload files at the same time prevent other users from vandalizing certain pages by locking them, and there are also contributors, editors, and bureaucrats. Wikis are actually considered a more open type of forum because they allow other users or individuals to make certain edits (if approved by admins and editors) and provide added information to the page itself. This way, a wiki is constantly improving (well most of the time) and changing in that it is being updated frequently and up to date with the current knowledge of the rest of the world. But we also have to question as to why and what their motives are for creating all those wikis and blogs. After all, you don’t do something without expecting at least some sort of result to come out of it.

 If we question their motives behind creating those wikis and blogs, I’m sure that their answer would be something along the lines of sharing what they feel or love to the public (maybe not so much as love for those that post about news like Rappler—which is more out of a sense of obligation). I agree. I mean, isn’t that the whole point of creating blogs and wikis? To share what you love or feel with those who might share the same passion or interest (disregarding blogs purposely made as assignments like this)? I think that’s a pretty solid enough reason for me as to why people create all the different types of wikis and blogs that we all get to read online.

 All in all, I think blogs and wikis are something that we should be thankful and grateful for.  We also shouldn’t look down on all those people who dedicate their time in creating ang posting content for us to read online because we also glean some of the information one way or another. After all, we’re all probably guilty ourselves for spending way too much of our time reading blogs and wikis. Besides, a lot of hard work has been put into creating and maintaining those blogs and wikis. Can you imagine having to recall almost everything about the thing that you want to post (and have some decent grammar while you’re at it if you don’t want to be bashed—that’s actually the worst-case scenario aside from being bashed because of your opinions that you posted regarding certain topics)? That’s something that I’m sure even the most seasoned and professional writers have trouble dealing with from time to time. Not to mention the amount of time it takes to write a blog entry or a page in a wiki. Writing a single blog post takes me almost three hours to write (that’s with certain conditions already attached to it like the number of pages or words needed to make the cut). It’s also pretty time-consuming and frustrating if you somehow can’t find the right words that clearly express the idea or feeling that you want to show. Momentum to me is also a key factor in writing blogs and wikis—mostly blogs though. If you stop in the middle of writing something to do another thing, chances are that you might forget what it is that you’re writing about. That’s why, I think that we should give respect and show our gratitude for these blogs and wikis from time to time. After all, writing blogs and wikis aren’t as easy as they seem to be.

 References:

http://www.rappler.com/

http://www.inquirer.net/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia

https://minimalistbaker.com/

http://triciagosingtian.com/

https://www.biggerbolderbaking.com/

http://aikatsustars.wikia.com/wiki/Aikatsu_Stars!_Wikia

http://aikatsu.wikia.com/wiki/Aikatsu_Wiki

http://fairytail.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page

[nofomoartworld]

Hyperallergic: “The World You’re Crafting Isn’t in a Vacuum”: A Zimbabwean Comics Artist on Social Justice and Storytelling

Cover of the upcoming ‘Razor-Man 5’ (all images courtesy of Bill Masuku)

Over the past few years, the Zimbabwean comic industry has grown significantly. In 2015, an artist collective called Comexposed launched Zimbabwe’s first-ever comic book convention. According to TechZim, it “highlighted the animation talent in the country and shed some light on the burgeoning local comic industry.” Since then, Comexposed has held multiple comic book events. Speaking at Comexposed 2016, co-founder Eugene Mapondera said that the event showed how the local comic industry has grown rapidly since the event’s inception.

Most of the international comic community hasn’t yet recognized the cultural and political importance of the Zimbabwean comic scene. Despite this, Zimbabwe — which has been described as a “great comic book incubator” — continues to produce talented artists like Bill Masuku.

Masuku is fast becoming one of the most well-known comic artists in Zimbabwe. He, along with the well-known Zimbabwean graphic artist Dananayi Muwanigwa, created a popular character named Black Zeus. Masuku went on to create the character Razor-Man, and that series, along with his other comics, are now being produced by Enigma Comix Africa, a subsidiary of Sigma-Digital Studios. Razor-Man debuted and then sold out at Comexposed’s Comic Book Day in 2016. Masuku is currently working on the fifth comic in the Razor-Man series as well as a superhero comic called Arcadia Knights. He’s also collaborating with Amanda Chaniwa on Drama Mama, a slice-of-life comic about five women experiencing life after high school.

Masuku has a consistent ability to combine beautiful line work, witty writing, and socially aware storylines to create entertaining work that pulsates with political themes. I spoke to him about his work, his social commentary, and the nature of the comics scene in Zimbabwe.

*   *   *

Bill Masuku at Harare LitFest, 2016, photo by Susanna Sacks

Let’s start at the beginning: How did you get into creating comics? What attracted you to the medium?

I started drawing comics when I was in Grade 5 [age 11]. I really enjoyed it. Books are great, but they only give half a story. They don’t always convey what the author envisions. When I first read Harry Potter, for example, Hermione was definitely black in my mind, so it was quite a shock to see her as white in the movie. Comics prevent that issue because they’re both written and visual, and I was attracted to the union between those two forms of storytelling.

One of the biggest challenges was that the access to comics in Zimbabwe was nearly nonexistent. It was only much later in my life that I actually got to hold a comic book and look at how it’s done from start to finish.

Has the accessibility of comics changed since you were younger? Why do you think it’s important that young people in Zimbabwe have access to these books?

There are small bookshops that are importing more international content, and we, the local creators, are trying as much as we can to put out the books into as many places as possible. It’s something that the entrepreneurs of the comic book industry are working toward. One of our mandates is to get as many of our books into as many people’s hands as possible.

Having access to things like comic books is super important for younger people. The adult literacy rate in most African countries is really low, and maybe it’s because of access to books themselves. But it’s definitely crucial to be able to get someone interested in reading early, to get them to want to learn more, to read more, to be literate.

From ‘Razor-Man 5’

Your comics explore a lot of social justice issues. How do you think comics enable us to explore these issues in a way that other mediums might not?

I think when it comes to social justice issues, when I’m writing my comics, the four main ones I focus on are race, gender, class, and ableism. The term “tokenism” has developed because there’s not enough diversity in general media, and I think to balance that, as a writer, you need to be aware that the world you’re crafting isn’t in a vacuum. We need to have more people of color representing themselves, just not in isolation. Or rather, not having them represent an entire race on their own. Black characters in mainstream comic-book movies often provide comic relief or some type of singular characteristic that forms a blanket representation of the entire race or culture.

On the point of gender, women characters are often represented as damsels in distress or as eye candy. We only see one type of women’s body, or one kind of female character. There’s an entire spectrum of body shapes, characterizations, and sexualities and genders that aren’t shown in mainstream media.

I think the nature of comics is to be political, to push boundaries, and to broadcast ideas. To be able to send a message while still being entertaining is definitely one of the major reasons why comic books still flourish today.

From ‘Arcadia Knights’

We’ve spoken before about how being Zimbabwean means you face a lot of specific challenges when it comes to making your work visible. International publications tend to say that your work is too niche — despite the fact that they regularly publish articles about similar artists in the United States.

Yeah, there are definitely some socioeconomic differences between creating here and creating overseas, or even farther north in Africa. One example is Roye Okupe, who’s Nigerian. For his comics, he launched a Kickstarter, which immediately gave him a much wider visibility because of the nature of the platform. He’s able to crowdfund, so he doesn’t have to take out a loan or find another job to be able to make comics. And that same statement applies overseas, where comic artists can find more visibility. Because of economic sanctions, Zimbabwean artists can’t use services like PayPal or Kickstarter. Those two points — funding and visibility — are both major hurdles in garnering more interest and being able to push more production out.

Many artists have used comics to talk about social issues. For example, Hyperallergic has covered Joy Brabner, Palestinian artist Leila Abdelrazaq, and the comics newspaper RESIST!, which was recently distributed at the Women’s March in the US. Why do you think it’s important that we have Zimbabwean comic books specifically? How can Zimbabwean artists address the social issues Zimbabweans face in a way international artists can’t?

It all comes back to context. Because of intersectionality, race, gender, and class are all big things that affect us globally. But then colorism, tribalism, and the intricacies of intersectionality come into play when you’re in a different socioeconomic location, or even just a different geographical location. As a writer, it’s crucial to be able to raise awareness about these issues at home. For example, there’s no one talking about being gay in a country where that’s illegal, and what actually happens to you when you come out to your parents. When someone who is not from here [writes about that], they’ll miss the subtle nuances that make the issue relevant to someone who is here and going through it. Having an open-minded writer who talks about these issues creates hope for the reader.

From ‘Razor-Man 5’

What are you working on at the moment, and how does it tie into those issues?

The two big projects I’m working on are Razor Man and Arcadia Knights. The Razor Man comic focuses on the Zimbabwean idea that no matter your situation, you can “make a plan.” Every Zimbabwean knows that catchphrase. It reflects the idea that no matter how bad things get, you’ll make it to the other side. Arcadia Knights is a team superhero book about people who just found themselves with powers. They’re not super buff, they’re not scientists, they’re not billionaires, and they’re not experts in their fields — they’re just regular people who ended up with powers. It’s going to be one of my most diverse projects so far. There’s a young Indian girl, there’s a black guy who’s struggling with class issues, there’s a girl who’s struggling with eating disorders, but it actually leans into one of her powers. I’m more excited for Arcadia Knights than Razor Man, despite Razor Man being more popular at the moment.

Razor-Man 5 is now available from Enigma Comix Africa.

The post “The World You’re Crafting Isn’t in a Vacuum”: A Zimbabwean Comics Artist on Social Justice and Storytelling appeared first on Hyperallergic.

from Hyperallergic http://ift.tt/2nxpK6W via IFTTT

[quibble-squibble]

You didn’t come off as belittling, don’t worry, and you don’t need to apologize for events you didn’t have a hand in

Onto the point, I also see a lot of people get tripped up on the fact that Adam is an abuser, a lot of people don’t want to talk abt the issues in his writing bc certain subsets in the fandom will harass them for it bc they see it as “defending an abuser”, even if the person is in no way defending his abusive actions, just talking abt the issues of his writing. I’ll talk more about this in a second bc I’m gonna make a detour

The fans who think he’s better as an obstacle for the yangblake relationship are also part of this problem with whitewashing- or in this case pinkwashing- the Adam issues and how they relate to the white fang plot and racism discussion.

A lot of (in my own experience) white queer fans who like yangblake don’t want to acknowledge the racism within Adam’s writing and use accusations of queerphobia to silence people talking abt it as well, even if ppl trying to have these conversations are queer themselves

And a big centre of this conflict is that to many white queers- racism doesn’t bother them as much as they claim it does. They don’t want to talk abt racism bc it makes them uncomfy, or they have an immature understanding of what racism is and entails so they can’t recognize it in themselves and the writing

So PoC fans who try to have these discussions (and even point out racism coming from the fandom) are shouted over and accused of queerphobia in order to silence the conversation. This trend isn’t unique to this fandom, it’s actually rather common for white queer fans to suddenly not care abt racism within media once they get queerness in there- even if it’s just coding. And that does get taken advantage of her I believe

Anyway, onto Adam again:

I’ve also seem som (uncommon in my personal experience, but not nonexistent) attempt by Adam fans to try and deflect from his abusive actions or even claim that he wasn’t abusive- this is absolutely ridiculous to me, I fully understand that Adam was abusive and when I discuss him I’m never trying to say he wasn’t or that the abuse was justified etc etc

I actually specifically believe that acknowledging and discussing Adam’s abusive actions are vital to understanding his character issues

Bc to me ppl are missing the point they should be getting, that the question isn’t “is he abusive or not?” (He was) nor “should you defend his abusive actions?” (No), rather the question that should be focused on is:

Why did the writers choose to make him an abuser?

Bc when it comes to media literacy and parsing apart the white fang plotline and the racism within it, viewing things from a meta textual perspective is necessary

Adam is a fictional character who has no real control over his actions- he’s written a certain way by real people in our world who made the conscious choice to make him act the way he does

So why was this decision made? Why did they choose to make him an evil radical civil rights leader, and then make him an abuser*?

*referring to the swap between Adam seemingly not caring abt Blake leaving in v1-2 and then being her ex bf in v3

This is extrapolation- I don’t know the writers personally do of course I can’t know exactly why they made these choices, I can only make inferences based on text and what I know of their words on the matter

We do know that the writers acknowledge that the faunus and white fang idea was a mistake, and they should’ve have tried to write a story on such a serious topic without any experience with what they were intending on talking about

And they soft dropped the faunus plotline after the mistral arc, it seems like they don’t really want to focus on the faunus plotline anymore- which is a double edged sword bc that was all of Blake’s character but still this is generally a good decision

But the Mistral arc (v4-5 in particular, since v6 was just the Adam/Blake tie up at the end) was this weird area where they already had that plotline unavoidably part of the story, they couldn’t avoid it, gotta wrap it up somehow, so they had to change Adam. Bc they didn’t know how to write a direct clash between two political ideals

So that’s how you end up with what’s essentially Blake fighting back against her abusive ex… with political coating on it.

And this doesn’t work at all bc an abusive relationship has a bad guy- the abuser- and trying to put this victim/abuser dynamic on a political conflict was a really bad idea, bc by this they indirectly associate his politics as abusive and evil… but his politics are rooted in real ideals* that have points, and it’s also rooted in his own systemic mistreatment

*in his ideals that have points in referring to using matters other than passiveness to attain rights, which is a root of the reactionary caricature that Adam’s minority supremacist comes from

It’s also bad bc in a political sense, Blake is the one enforcing (state) violence against him- which is completely contradictory to their interpersonal dynamic!

(It’s worth noting that the white fang was in part based on the civil rights movement from the 50s-60s in America, so this bastardized Malcolm X vs MLK Jr conflict is present here, even though MLK’s politics actively criticize white moderatism)

To me Adam feels very much the victim of hatesink, specifically in a way that’s meant to distract from his politics (strawman fallacy), bc his abusive actions towards Blake are very much an interpersonal conflict- it has a veneer where they relate it to their political differences, but not really (it only goes as far as mean vs nice), the interpersonal relationship is the focus

And what this does is- it distracts the audience from his politics, from what he experienced, from what he was originally trying to say

And this too is a part of respectability politics and the defense of the status quo

A villain makes a valid criticism of system oppression within society- and then the writers have him blow up a puppy so everyone cheer as the heroes (ppl by and large benefitted by the status quo and those oppressive systems) defeat them! The original issue is never addressed.

The entire first two volumes of the white fang plot is a lot of team Rwby beating up civil rights activists, which is really bad considering there’s two humans (both of which commit micro aggressions towards faunus), a Schnee (no further explanation needed), and Blake- one of the most privileged faunus in Remnant

And with Adam, Blake is very much tying back to the Moderate White Woman, specifically with the trope of the victimized moderate white woman. Adam- the dangerous radical- is abusive to the upper middle class white woman, so him (and his politics) need to be stopped

And you’re right- Adam being a terrible abuser CANT be dismissed or swept aside, and he DOESNT have much to his character than that (aside from his politics which go unaddressed outside the lens of “he’s abusive and power hungry”)

But why is that? Isn’t that a little insidious? To have him be so conveniently awful that talking abt the racism within his writing is swept aside?

Bc he didn’t choose to do that, he was written to do that by the same writers who wrote the rest of the white fang plot

It’s a distraction from the original point, what Adam personally has been through- not that he’s a uwu tragic sad boy and that absolves him- but that there are very real hideous effects of systemic violence against faunus within remnant that Blake and Ghira do not feel the need to address beyond platitudes.

As for Sienna- I consider her also a victim of this, bc she was essentially reduced to a stepping stool, a tool for Adam’s hatesink. (And I still can’t tell if she has more or less dignity from the writing than him)

They wave her in front of the audience like “see? She believes in using force but she has more standards, unlike this evil radical supremacist!” And then Adam kills her (there she goes, into the fridge), furthering his hatesink, and conveniently getting Sienna and her politics out of the way

Now the white fang (once Adam is removed) is just ready and waiting for Ghira and Blake to take it over!

Sienna’s politics go unaddressed, and the Belladonna politics not having worked in the past (or how they just gave up being activists when they didn’t get to be in charge, marching home to their mansion to pout) are equally unaddressed

It’s the return of the status quo, the triumph of the white moderate who ask for rights “nicely”

And yes, Sienna doesn’t come with the abuser label… bc she died. I truly do not believe that if she hadn’t died they wouldn’t use the same king of strawman distraction tactic on her OR have her just decide Ghira is right so they can get her political ideas out of the way.

Bc Rwby and it’s writers don’t like those politics and they don’t want to talk abt those politics, the show is coated in white moderate political ideas bc that’s palatable and confirms to a status quo

Sienna and Adam’s politics cannot conform to a safe status quo or moderate view so they cannot stay. If Sienna hadn’t died, they would’ve found another way to get rid of her ideas.

That’s why I feel discussion of Adam is so stunted, bc people refuse to acknowledge deeper meaning behind his character and it’s implications especially when set against Blake and the wider white fang plotline

Bc yes he’s an abuser, but many people in the fandom game that at face value instead of thinking beyond the text-

What politics and racial biases benefit from someone like Adam being written as an abuser? What’s being ignored? What’s being enforced?

But when trying to discuss this, the fandom distracts from the original point- “you just hate women” “you just don’t like bb” “you’re just an abuse apologist”

When! No! That wasn’t what most of us are trying to say! But these distractions work and ppl don’t listen to these issues

which, ironically, is the exact same tactic they used on Adam’s writing. The strawman distraction is a very old trick but here it is, still working

And that’s why I don’t like pretending this plot was something that’s it’s not- including Adam being abusive bc Adam’s abusiveness is very much part of the issue bc of how it was utilized to silence his (and Sienna’s) politics

However I do see your point of wanting to take away a less harmful message, you’re right and I can understand you perspective on that a little better than before.

It’s just hard to integrate bc for much of the fandom, they’re unable to take away a good interpretation without ignoring discussion of wider issues (or more commonly, weaponizing it to pretend these wider issues don’t exist)

I think both things can be true: 1) The White Fang/Faunus racism storyline could have been handled better than it was.

2) “Don’t let toxic abusers take over progressive movements, ‘cause their egoes will run them into the ground” is actually not a bad message all things considered.