ameliacrn

[ameliacrn]

Conglom-o Zine is Here.

Conglom-o zine is a very dangerous zine…but don’t let that dissuade you from submitting your work to this very special collaborative project.

We want you to send us your art inspired by beloved children’s cartoon “Rocko’s Modern Life”. It can be a comic, an illustration, a map, a puzzle - really anything you like as long as it’s an image of some kind. The aim is to have the book ready by Canzine 2017 (that’s October 28th), and to print in greyscale, but if interest is high we’ll aim for a later date and maybe even push for colour – so please go ahead and work in colour.

Once the zine is ready, we’ll be selling the printed version and providing a pdf version for free from our tumblr. Any money we make after costs are covered will be donated to the WWF Wallaby appeal (you can find it here - https://donate.wwf.org.au/campaigns/wallaby-appeal-2016/)

Submission Guidelines

· 5.5” x 8.5” maximum, 150dpi minimum

· Colour images are welcome – we will probably print in greyscale to begin with, but a shiny colour version of the project is definitely an aim.

· You can send up to 3 pages of content – that could be a 3 page comic, 3 single page comics, 3 illustrations, whatever you like.

· Send your submissions to conglomozine@gmail.com in either PNG or PDF formats

· The deadline is August 30th 2017

· Please include your preferred name, your website, and your social media handle/s with your submission.

[ameliacrn]

I’m very excited for the new season of Doctor Who. I think  Jodie Whittaker is a fantastic actor. That said I honestly wouldn’t call this progress anymore, I think a POC regardless of gender would have been more radical. For all my woman-pals out there who have been repeatedly excited about the badass female leads out there, keep fighting the good fight. Remember that there are still a lot of us who still can't see ourselves reflected on screen. We’ve been in your corner for some time and now that you have so many heroes I hope you don’t become content. I hope you will be in our corner and be push for more representation of everyone.  Support the films like Black Panther and A Wrinkle in Time. When a remake of some classic comes out I hope you will demand and defend a diverse cast whether you see yourself in it or not. When Jodie decides her time as the Doctor is over, I hope you insist they go further. It would great if all marginalized people could be this excited about the characters being produced this year.  I’m still waiting for a collection of badass WOC lead action figures instead of my beautiful but lacking collection of tokens.

[ameliacrn]

MINI #TIFF16 Review: The Day My Father Became a Bush

This film is amazing. It had me laughing, crying, and slightly scared within minutes. It was selected in TIFF as a kids film which is accurate but before you get all ageist remember most of your favourite films, books, etc are probably for kids (remember Harry Potter?). I absolutely fell in love with main characters and visually the film was stunning. It is also the most politically relevant film I think I saw at the festival as it is essentially a film that chronicles the journey of a child refugee as she tries to escape war and get into another a nearby country. As I mentioned it’s for all ages so it manages to beautifully tell this tough tale in a safe space without showing anything that may traumatise the audience (& while I think we adults need to be aware of what’s going on the world, as someone who tries to stay informed, it was a nice humanizing change to the medias’ preferred images meant to shock viewers).  Please see this film if you can!

TIFF’s summary:  Adapted from the novel by award-winning author Joke van Leeuwen, The Day My Father Became a Bush tells a story of war as seen through the eyes of a 10-year-old girl.

[ameliacrn]

Marc Jacobs & White Creators ( a small repear of my blog about Kubo & the Two Strings).

S'up creative types. I've said this before (like with Kubo for example). You may think that art comes from anywhere and therefore it's your right to use things from all cultures but that's because you can't see past your privilege. Black artists with dreads have been discriminated against because of their culture and their black hair. Meanwhile that white artist who uses the dreads in their 'trendy edgy show' had way more doors open up for them because their name & look didn't clash with what society deemed unprofessional. Before you established yourself as an artist and were working a retail gig to fund your art, someone else read your Anglo-Saxon-esque name on a resume and didn't worry about your ability to speak English. So they then offered you an interview which got you a job that helped support your art. You did not get to a point where you can take from a person of colour's culture without walking over a POC whether you meant to or not.

http://globalnews.ca/news/2944324/marc-jacobs-blasted-for-use-of-white-models-with-dreadlocks-at-nyfw/?sf36121211=1

Note: Don't get me started in Marc Jacob's bull about blacks straightening their hair. You know it's survival when it's assimilating into the dominant culture and you also know many black women at some point in their lives have been made to straighten their hair by non-Black employers Also, Note: I have been asked if Dreads are a hair style how is it cultural appropriation. The problem is the power behind the hair. For myself, in a perfect world everyone could use dreads but we currently live in world where black people are told their hair & look is unwanted. Many people (especially black women) have been made to get rid of their dreads. For example in schools across Canada, the states, and even in countries in Africa policies are in place to ban dreads and other traditionally black hairstyles in favour of more white styles (& these styles are not just for look but protect and strengthen certain hair textures). There are cases where kids are literally damaging their hair to fit with the policy. So right now, you have many black people being punished for wearing their own styles while people like Marc Jacobs' can put white models on the runway with dreads and get praise & credit for that look. My problem isn't the hairstyle itself so much as it is the power behind that style and who gets to use it. If we lived in a world where Black people weren't further alienated for black hairstyles I wouldn't have a problem with white people wearing dreads. 

[ameliacrn]

This #BlackPanther high-five is everything. #FanExpo2016 #Blerd #FanExpoCan #Marvel #Representation

[ameliacrn]

Kubo and the White Creators

White Entitlement in the Arts.

I struggled a lot with this topic. As I write this blog I acknowledge that I may be traveling out of my lane a bit and I hope I do not further marginalize anyone from a marginalized community (please tell me if I do). (Note CW: race, oppression, police brutality, appropriation, rape, violence, trauma). 

Before I saw the film, I knew three things about Kubo and the Two Strings:

 It was made by Laikka

 Laika made ParaNorman (my favs)

Charlize Theron, Matthew McConaughey were in it directed by a white guy (Thanks to sponsored ads for keeping me informed #Instagram)

I watched it and it was wonderful. Man, was it beautiful! The art was stunning. Like all good films, the story had me scared, sad, and laughing all within minutes and it continued to do so throughout the rest of the film. Did I mention it was beautiful? 

At its core, the film follows a boy, trying to reunite with his parents while simultaneously  collecting pieces of armor to defeat an evil force (the force happens to be another relative of his).-That is the best description I can give without spoilers.

Then I sat through the credits as rage and disappointment stirred within me.

All of the main characters are played by (largely recognizable) white actors. There are some secondary characters with names you don’t even learn who are played by actors with Asian heritage but they have only a few lines. But the film uses several elements that are undeniably inspired by Japanese culture.

Turns out while we’re all yelling at Ghost in Shell for its fuckery, animation gets an unearned pass. Despite years ago acknowledging the damage racial typecasting in animation can cause.

Guys, Rooney Mara took the role of a POC again. Like did she learn nothing??? (The answer is yes. She has learned nothing).

But it is not just the casting. After all, this article is title the white creator and it is white privilege and artists as a whole that I plan to talk about here. None of the key creatives were Japanese. The director, the writers, lead designs all white. So of course, they made those casting choices.

“But it was so beautiful and such a good story!”

If you saw this movie, and if you found it as beautiful as I did, ask yourself what made it beautiful? Can you think of something that didn’t involve elements of Japanese culture? No? Cool then stop applauding these filmmakers cause they’re lazy artists who stole from marginalized communities.

There is nothing about the story of a boy reuniting with his parents or facing evil, that has to be Japanese. I’m not saying the lead character can’t be Japanese. I’m saying the settings, the origami, the characteristics that are intrinsically Japanese don’t need to be in the film. Or Laika did not have the ability to tell this beautiful story without Japanese elements than both casting and key creatives should have been more diverse, Before you go apologizing for them, let me remind you that a lot of nameless secondary characters were voiced by people with Asian descent so Laika knew what they were doing.

Here’s how I think the key creative conversation went: The white guys at Laika, inspired by Japanese culture wanted to make a movie. So they hired people but of course (as is the case with all creative hirings) they needed people who were on the same page...creatively as them. You all know how that goes

It’s time that we as artists (writers, designers, painters, singers, actors, etc) looked at our privilege especially those of us being paid to do so. Doesn’t matter how talented you are, you did not get there on your own.

For every cis white boy who is laughing, playing or getting into trouble there are marginalized kids being punished for existing. While ‘boys will be boys’, girls are having the word pretty stuffed down their throats. They have to color in between the lines more. While white kids are told they can be whatever they want to be black kids are being shot by cops. Their parents warning them not to be carefree because this is the reality we live in. While white kids are praised for their ‘indivuality’ kids of colour are being mocked for bringing a different kind of lunch to school. So let’s start there. We’re you encouraged to do art at all growing up?

^Enjoy this beautiful picture of #BlackBoyJoy (it’s actually stock image but still)^

As a light skinned mixed kid in a predominantly white community, I had the privilege of going to an elementary school with music and art teachers. I also was placed into camps and programs so that by grade 8 when I auditioned for art school, I was already at an advantaged. The fact that I speak without an accent, and have an anglo sounding name allowed me a foot in the door (an animation door at that) that others were not invited to.  

Kubo and the Two Strings as a film is not okay because we live in a world where Japanese people are punished for their heritage while Laika is praised for its use of Japanese culture.

You see the problem with Kubo, is the same problem with The Birth of a Nation, and Anything. Their existence as films on the market put the opinions and desires of those with power over the people they’ve harmed (whether directly or inadvertently).

And before you tell me to let the art speak for itself...

Tell me why, you rarely hear “let the art speak for itself” from people belonging to whatever marginalized community is being stepped over in the name of said art? We live in a world where art does not stand alone.

[ameliacrn]

Qi Shan & Xin Yue’s wedding

The Mystic Nine  老九门 (2016)

[ameliacrn]

This is my favourite Muhammad Ali  video because you know I’m not big on sports.

When they say “not all white people”

[ameliacrn]

#TCAF !! Just a few of many comics we will discussing at the #reFormation Workshop for #Teacher #Librarian day. I'm so very proud of the collection of books we accumulated & very grateful to be included on this day. (at Toronto Reference Library)

[ameliacrn]

This is from a small birthday I had a few weeks ago because sometimes 'adults' (or whatever we are) deserve some solid play-time too. Sometimes things aren't made for us (RE: the last link I shared) and that's cool -we can also have our own playdates. #DrunkenPlaydate

[ameliacrn]

Hey, “grown-ups” Not everything is about you.

Adult entitlement is so high. There are so many things out there that are made with kid audiences in mind that adults feel the need to take away from kids. How many times have I heard things like “Steven Universe isn’t really a kid show”? Newsflash: IT IS. Their target audience is around 6-11 and everyone else is just along for the ride. Do the people behind the show know you exist? Yes. Does that mean it isn’t FOR KIDS? NO.  May I ask, what makes you so insecure that the idea of you liking something for kids bothers you so much? Austrailia 

If you’re one of those people who can’t accept that a) you like something that’s meant for kids and/or b) sometimes things aren’t made for you, it’s time to reevaluate the way you see the world.  Rant Over. 

[ameliacrn]

Tabletop Gaming has a White Male Terrorism Problem

I am a gamer. I followed the call of Cthulhu and ran in the shadows with hackers and shamans. I traversed the ancient lands of Greyhawk, Faerun, and Eberron with companions new and old. I swung from an airship and buckled swash over London for the Kerberos Club. I threw dice and flipped cards and ground men into dust playing table-top wargames.

I don’t do that anymore.

Since July of 2015 fans of the game Malifaux have been attempting to overwhelm me with death and rape threats for no other reason than I am a woman who has opinions on the game. Wyrd Miniatures is silent on this matter and hangs up whenever anyone attempts to discuss the harassment. Given that a large number of threats identify the senders by name as Wyrd staff members, I do not find this surprising.

But that’s not what this article is about.

Keep reading

[ameliacrn]

This is my first video of this nature -the kind of open reaction video but I had to get this out there for myself.

Note: I'm super happy for everyone this affects. This is for the better. That being said, as part of the class of 2012 (and graduate class of 2015) it's really hard not to feel lost. I'd be happy if they just removed the interest on my student loans.... It’s just disheartening 

Here’s the full story for those out of the loop

[ameliacrn]

The Importance of Danny Pink: A look a Black Men (Humans) in Doctor Who. Chapter 1: Mickey Smith

Quick Note. This is an essay not a blog (it doesn’t have secondary sources or anything that would stand up in Academia but I thought I should be upfront.It’s long and no one will read it but I needed to write it. 

Two Years ago Doctor Who announced Samuel Anderson would have a reoccurring role on the show and the world was a buzz with speculation over companion status! My exact words were “I have high hopes!” and boy was I not disappointed. Danny Pink was an amazing character and a huge step towards diversity in Sci-Fi. Yes there have been other Black people in Sci-Fi and yes there have been other great Black characters on Doctor Who but Danny Pink is really special.  Over the next few weeks I will be posting sections from a short essay (I wrote for fun while waiting for the 2015 Christmas special), The Importance of Danny Pink: A look a Black Men (Humans) in Doctor Who.

CHAPTER 1: Mickey Smith

I’m about a year late but having watched everything that Clara went through I’ve been thinking about the life and death of Danny Pink. Note there are spoilers for seasons 1-8 (but you’ve had time to catch up by now). Danny Pink is in my opinion, the most important Character of Colour to date on Doctor Who and I wanted to get that off my chest.  

Black characters, especially black men have had it pretty rough in the New Doctor Who series (better than how they had it in the Classic series but still pretty rough) and as a blerd (black nerd) it has occasionally been difficult to watch.

Black characters, especially black men have had it pretty rough in the New Doctor Who series (better than how they had it in the Classic series but still pretty rough) and as a blerd (black nerd) it has occasionally been difficult to watch.

Mickey Smith

Mickey Smith made history as the first Black person to travel in the TARDIS and he’s way more impressive than we as an audience give him credit for. Unlike any other companion or part time assistant if you will, Mickey had to earn his ticket onto the TARDIS. When we first meet him he is hardly an admirable character, crawling away in fear of the plastic blob that threatened the planet and still on his knees when the Doctor and the TARDIS begin to take off with his girlfriend.  He really isn't a character you expect to see around much afterwards but he's oddly realistic. If we're being honest with ourselves, most of us probably wouldn’t jump into heroic action when faced with the Doctor. Mickey just needed time.

We don't see most of it on screen but Mickey spends the next year brushing up on his computer & technology skills, his knowledge of science & extraterrestrial life, and occasionally helps save the world. When he asks to join Rose and the Doctor, they don’t really have reason to say no (which thankfully Sarah-Jane points out).

No one had or has worked harder to become a part of the gang (certainly not Adam, Rose’s brief side thing in Season 1). Not only is Mickey being the first black traveler a historic moment but also a proud moment for blerds everywhere.  

That being said Mickey constantly gets the short end of the stick and Doctor Who as a show never really questions why. In fact as an audience we're supposed to be okay with this; more than okay, on some occasions we're supposed to laugh along with it. In the same episode where he has finally earned a spot on the TARDIS an ongoing gag occurs where the Doctor (a man we somewhat idolize) and Rose (a person we're supposed to identify with) treat Mickey like a pet-robot-dog except that K9 actually gets praised.  

Throughout season 1 & 2, the audience is left understanding that Mickey just isn't good enough for Rose. I'm not saying Rose and Mickey should have stayed together. I shipped Rose and the Doctor as much as the next fan but I do think we need to question why Mickey wasn't good enough.

Why wasn’t he good enough? He was a good boyfriend, he made Rose laugh, he had a job and cared about her? The blame for this could all be placed on Rose, sure. She was a terrible girlfriend. Adored as she was let’s face it she was at times horrible and selfish. She vanishes for a year while the world accuses Mickey of murder (a realistic outcome for someone in Mickey’s position) and no one ever even apologizes. Ironically the only person to acknowledge that he even deserves an apology is a POC, an extra of assumedly Asian descent. 

We could just say the show made Rose a horrible girlfriend and that it has nothing to do with Mickey being black or any other ulterior motive but that's not being fair. Doctor Who is a great show and deserves better criticism. I also think that line of thinking will become harder to keep up when we compare Doctor Who's treatment of other Black character pre-Danny in the upcoming weeks.

I can’t wait to focus on these two ^ -LOVE THEM

Again, I'm not saying Rose and Mickey should have stayed together. I just think they should have either cut him lose real sooner. Alternatively  (and in a better way that would have allowed us to get all those great Mickey moments) they could have had a proper 'Let's Just Be Friends'/let Mickey dump Rose continued to travel. Realistically not much would have had to have changed in order to give Mickey some self-respect.

Mickey choosing to stay in the alternative universe during “The Age of Steel” was the best choice he could have made in this series. It was essentially his “I need to be my own person” revelation; the only way he could surpass his less-than-human status in an arch that treated him like a modern day (or perhaps past-day) K9.

Some would argue that Mickey's choice to stay in the alternate universe is proof that show (showrunner, writers, creative team, etc) were conscious of Mickey's position but being conscious of it isn't enough. You can't just show mistreatment of Mickey without commenting on it and call it social commentary.  While Mickey realizes he's never going to be good enough for Rose and the Doctor, (as I've mentioned before)no one ever questions why that is... So the lens we are given as an audience to see Mickey is 'He isn't Good Enough' not 'Mickey badass computer programmer'.

Next up: Martha

[ameliacrn]

Pottermore Sorting Hat

As much as I hate to say this, the new Sorting Hat Quiz on Pottermore highlights a major flaw in the Wizarding Educational System.  The reason people are being sorted into different houses four years later isn’t just because the test has changed, but because people also change. 

Just look at who you were in high school vs who you are now. Chances are between the ages of 11-18 you probably went through some changes. Unfortunately the Wizarding Educational System labels children at an early age and then uses that label to define them throughout their academic careers. 

I sure hope the Muggle Educational System does a better job at allowing their students to grow instead of boxing them in.

https://twitter.com/AmeliaR_N/status/693997333223247872

[ameliacrn]

So thankful and lucky to be a part of this <3

Amelia, works in Children’s TV, interested in researching representations of race & gender in children’s culture.

Women of Toronto Headshot Project | Project FAQ here: http://bit.ly/WoTHP

[ameliacrn]

And then this #costume won everything by dressing up as Sexy-White-Privilege #HalloweenCostumes #HappyHalloween #CultureNotACostume #WhitePrivilege #SilverSnail #Snailoween #CulturalAppropriation #POC