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“If autism isn’t caused by environmental factors and is natural why didn’t we ever see it in the past?”

We did, except it wasn’t called autism it was called “Little Jonathan is a r*tarded halfwit who bangs his head on things and can’t speak so we’re taking him into the middle of the cold dark forest and leaving him there to die.”

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how can you support Veronica Roth's book? It's racist. Do you even know what racism is? You should revoke your support of her book.

I’m going to answer your second question first. Do I know what racism is?

Being called Paki, Sand N*****, Camel Jockey, etc. and hearing my family being called that since I was a small child, having people vandalize my parents’ motel; having them trash my brother’s car; my father getting assaulted and arrested for being brown in white town; my teachers telling my mother I didn’t belong in their classes when I was 5 years old because I didn’t speak English even though I was 100% fluent; having a checkout clerk tell my mother I was stealing when I was a 3yo because I ate a grape at a grocery store; a teacher attempting to sabotage my education by forcing me to spend a year in remedial classes in junior high to put me behind despite having high test scores; being harassed, insulted and attacked by a group of teenagers as a 7 year old walking with my brother in the desert; getting ordered out of a store in my hometown for ‘looking like a gangbanger’, getting pulled over and hassled with my best friend for driving around my home town because she was white and I was not; having a group of guys surround me on a bus in college and mock me for my appearance;  being told over and over  GO BACK, GO BACK, GO BACK; Even now, dealing with micro-aggressions and getting regular messages and anon asks (b/c I choose to keep an open line of communication with fans) telling me that I don’t deserve any of my success, that I am a ‘diversity case’ or that I am, somehow, inferior because I am brown.

Does that constitute as racism? If so, then yes, I know what racism is.

Now that that’s out of the way: I have had many people asking my thoughts on Carve the Mark, the book in question, or telling me my thoughts are wrong, so here’s what I have to say:

I read Carve the Mark critically and did not find the book to be racist or ableist (which was the other criticism leveled at it.)   To be absolutely clear–I read the criticism thoroughly and found that I did not agree with what it was saying. I thought that there was plenty of evidence in the book that the exact opposite was true, and that the cultural groups represented were varied and nuanced and open to many different interpretations. (One example: I felt that the cultural group portrayed as more “violent” was comprised of many skin colors and reflected a hodgepodge of different societies, and that the main character was portrayed both critically and sympathetically. And I felt that the group portrayed as more “peaceful” also had an array of skin/hair types, and again, was portrayed as nuanced–both good and bad.)

(Re: the issue of ableism, more informed folks than I (see Leigh Bardugo and Kody Keplinger) have spoken about the issue. I direct you to them because they are more knowledgable about issues of ableism than I am.)

What is happening here is a difference in opinion. It is a normal thing in a free and fair society. For some reason, this upsets a few people, as they apparently think that people of color are some sort of Borg Uni-mind who all think exactly the same way. Here’s a tip: we don’t. POC can disagree with one another, guys. And we can discuss, and we can learn from such disagreements.

This is a case in which I disagree with the criticism that another POC has for this book. Not because I like the author of the book. Not because I haven’t read the book. But because I just don’t agree with the criticism. This, by the way, does not mean I don’t like or respect the people who have leveled the criticism. Quite the opposite. It. Is. A. DIfference. In. Opinion.

As the wise Somaiya Daud said, “there is no One Reading”, meaning that people can read the same book and have different takes on it.

Example:  I read a book a couple years ago by a POC author that unintentionally denigrated my language and people. Other people read this book and did not see this at all. In fact, some of you might have read it and not noticed it or found it offensive.  To me, that’s ok. You read and interpreted it differently than I did. I can inform you of how I feel, and discuss it with you (I actually did with the author, and the author was receptive) but if you read it, and hear my opinion and ultimately don’t agree with me, I’m going to respect your right as a free citizen to have your own opinion. I do not expect you to trash the book or not read it because I was hurt by it. In fact, I’d rather you read it, because then you’ll have an informed opinion about it and speak about it intelligently.

And that’s sort of what this comes down to:  In dealing with other POC, not all POC opinions are immediately the ONLY opinion. We are not a monolith.

As a WOC who has dealt with racism, often violent, since I came to this country, and as a WOC who has spent much of her life being told to sit down and shut up, I find it very odd that some of the people who consider themselves allies are essentially telling me to sit down and shut up. (Not all of them. I’ve had many civil and intelligent conversations about this.) Essentially, they want me to revoke my opinion about the book.

So here’s the thing: You can criticize me. You can say “Sabaa, you are an idiot and I disagree with you.” That’s fine. You have that right and I absolutely support you being able to voice your opinion. But don’t tell me to undo my opinion. Because by doing so, you are, in effect, attempting to silence me, and I am sick of people trying to silence me.

[dropandgivemenerdy]

There was an interview that Steven Moffat gave a while back. Or no, it was a speech followed by a panel, and the moderator asked something about the balance between keeping things interesting and overwhelming the audience, and Moffat was basically like, “What balance? I’ll overwhelm the shit out of them.”

Seems apt for this evening.

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Anderson don’t talk out loud, you lower the IQ of the whole galaxy.

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Now that the new episode of Sherlock is over I’m ready for someone smarter then me to find all the little things and overanalyze them for me…

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Sherlock fandom before 4x01:

Sherlock fandom after 4x01:

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Tomorrow is the LAST DAY to order our Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them box!

You can expect some truly magical items this month, as teased in some of the pictures above.

Subscribe to Nerdy Post here.

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The Nerdy Post October theme is Outlander! Subscribe today for just $13.95+shipping! There's going to be some awesome new items and designs, so don't miss out! Go to www.nerdypost.com

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www.nerdypost.com So excited about this y'all.

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The first three months of Nerdy Post have been a hit! Just one week left to subscribe and get September's theme: SUPERNATURAL! I wish I could show you what's in the box beforehand because you won't want to miss it if you're a fan! Check out www.nerdypost.com for details!

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New book review up on http://dropandgivemenerdy.blogspot.com

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Free-handed by Alexis Lampley {aka DropAndGiveMeNerdy} www.nerdypost.com

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GAME OF THRONES Nerdy Post is available for only a few more days!! If you loved the Harry Potter box, expect this one to be even better. You don't want to miss out, because you can't get these items again anywhere. Visit www.nerdypost.com and subscribe before midnight on June 30 to get high quality nerd merch for your favorite fandom! Just $21 *including shipping* for US and Canada and only $7 shipping for everyone else!

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“VALAR MORGHULIS” Personal piece inspired by the house sigils and themes of HBO’s epic fantasy series, Game of Thrones. Season 4 will premiere on April 6! Can’t wait! :) UPDATE: Prints now available for sale on my Society6 shop! See bigger image HERE. Facebook | DeviantArt | Twitter | Behance | Instagram | Shop 

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Day 7 {because I'm perpetually behind and forgot to post again last night}of our #nerdybookchallenge ••• Character I Shouldn't Like But I Do ••• He's a bully and a spoiled brat, but I think deep down he's a good kid. He just grew up an only child in a rich, snobby family. I think what Dumbledore said about there being both light and dark inside us is such an accurate quote for him. ••• Ps. Can't believe it has taken me this long to show you the #quidditch set I got from @worderybooks like a month ago 😱 ...isn't it beautiful?! Mads like the bludgers best. Guess she's gonna be a beater when she gets to Hogwarts! •••

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I need these.

CoolBookmark on Etsy

• So Super Awesome is also on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest •

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Who was the Potter cat?

So we all know the Potters had a cat, right?

All we have per descriptions of this cat is that 1. It was enough of a Potter to make the list when they went into hiding and 2. Harry scared it with his new broom he got from Sirius.

There is further no mention of said cat.

On the other hand, don’t we know another, really old, beaten down, ugly, sad, sad cat?

A cat that befriended Sirius Black and seemed to KNOW Peter Pettigrew’s smell, hold a grudge against him, even?

Part-kneazle, so it has a remarkable ability for finding things that are shiny and that it has a connection to, like, say, a family member.

A cat that knows it’s way around Hogwarts, around the Whomping Willow, almost like it had been there before with another owner.

A cat that absolutely REFUSED to let Hermione leave that shop without him after seeing a certain rat, was CRAZED, almost.

We have no mention of this cat/kneazle’s age, except that it had been in the shop for a while and no one had wanted it. Magical creatures live a long time. Cats live a long time. It’s within reason that this cat could be 30, even 40 years old.

It makes too much sense.

The Potter cat is Crookshanks.