lifeofgabb

[lifeofgabb]

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them : The Crimes of Johnny Depp

I’ve had a lot of thoughts about everything surrounding the casting of Johnny Depp in the Fantastic Beasts films. I didn’t like the casting from the beginning simply because I didn’t think it was a good fit. The way he was costumed and made to look resembled his role from Black Mass too closely. I thought that Colin Farrell would have made a brilliant Grindelwald as his portrayal of the manipulation of Credence was simply spectacular.

I understand that on other ethical principles, namely a volatile relationship with his ex-wife, he should be removed from the role entirely. I do not disagree. Especially in the wake of all of the abuse and assault survivors and victims coming forward, this situation becomes particularly delicate. Sexual assault and abuse in any form is reprehensible and has been allowed to continue for far too long.

However, in order to try to understand how JK Rowling and the lead team for Fantastic Beasts could have allowed him to stay, and perhaps this is just me trying hold onto the idea the Jo can still be the hope and inspiration that so many of us need, I have tried to put myself in her shoes. For us, outside of the situation and removed from the very real effects that a decision in either way could have, it seems pretty black and white. Depp did something wrong, and we don’t want him to be part of this franchise any more.

But what does it look like on the inside? What does it look like to people close to Depp or the people that cast him and worked with him?

Rowling’s works have been so impactful because they are so human, She has repeatedly shown us through literature how the human spirit can overcome so many obstacles, barriers, and hardships. To be able to write these books, the author would have to be fairly in touch with the human spirit and condition. The works have also had the insane power of teaching people how to love and how to use love as a means of protection as opposed to keeping it away for fear of being hurt.

Rowling’s own personal life has seen its share of hardships and difficulties, and she has been quite open with us, her fans, about them.

When you are close to a situation such as this, the shades of grey begin to show themselves and muddle the picture. We have seen articles from friends of the Hollywood Sexual Abusers, this is not easy for them either. Their worlds have been turned upside down as well because now a person they trusted and believed to be good, are now not safe. They are now predators.

On the many Harry Potter pages that I follow (and there are quite a few) I have seen confessions that have allowed fans to air their grievances, or to pose questions to the wider collection of fans. I saw one recently that stuck with me, and it questioned the idea that Harry would shut the Dursley’s out of his life and that he would not continue to have a relationship with Dudley in adulthood. The post talked about how situations like Harry’s don’t make people mean and spiteful. Going through the abuses he went through, how could he even think to put someone else through that. How could you inflict pain on another human.

For me, this is where the grey area comes in, because JK Rowling has been through difficult times and dealt with terrible people and at the end of the day she is not spiteful, she is kind. Could you after everything Rowling has been through take a job away from someone? Could you, when the events in question are so far away from everything, and not as close as some of the other accusations, act in a way that felt spiteful?

I don’t know that I could. I would know that I should. And that is the idea that I am wrestling with. To begin, Depp should never have been cast. I don’t think that the team needs and “iconic actor” as David Yates put it to bring this character to fruition.

As a fan, I struggle with the decision and I’m not the one who had to make it. Neither of the choices was going to be easy to make, but there were so many avenues that could have been taken that I just can’t defend the decision to keep Depp on.

There have been creative figures in our past that have been terrible people and as a person in the arts, we sometimes are taught to ignore the person and look at the art. Terrible people influenced the growth and evolution of artistic fields like theatre and music. Today, however I think that we need to keep the work and the person together. We need to hold artists and writers and performers to higher standards and that is where this issue really lies because this is an industry wide shift in the way we view people and their work.

If anyone else has thoughts, I invite respectful discussion.

[lifeofgabb]

Dream Big, Princess

A Feminist Defense of Disney

           Thank you so much for opening up this discussion. As a feminist growing up in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, I have enjoyed the evolution of heroines throughout my childhood. Growing up, I enjoyed movies like Kiki’s Delivery Service and Spirited Away that featured strong woman protagonists. However, I found that the protagonists of some of these films could be problematic for me. Chihiro of Spirited Away was a particular problem for me as I found her to have a whiney, Luke Skywalker-esque quality to her character. While her character develops, she develops in this idea of the strong, independent woman; a toxically masculine idea that will be touched upon later.

           You do bring up a good point though when it comes to finding heroines that want something more out of life than marriage, like Belle, who is desperate to leave the small-town thinking of her village. Her newest incarnation even has her shown as an inventor and innovator as much as her father is, which is important because this is the version of Belle that today’s children are the most familiar with.

           I, too, wish that there were more characters like Pocahontas, fighting for the protections of the environment and the land she lives on while using her literal moral compass to stand for what is right with passion. On top of this, she was smart enough to encourage a relationship between her tribe and the settlers that allowed them to be respectful and compassionate toward each other and the land they are using to support their lives. She did all of this too, while rejecting an arranged marriage set up for her by the men of her tribe (Pocahontas, 1995).

           While I will admit that Disney does have a penchant for removing family members, this tradition came long before they started making fairy tales into movies. This trope of broken families or lost parents often serves as a setup to insert and introduce the villain of the story. Step-parents, adoptive parents, and the like are very often the cause of turmoil in a heroine’s story. These original stories from medieval (or earlier) writers were meant to teach children life lessons in a way that was “safe” for children. To learn more, please see Bruno Bettelheim’s The Uses of Enchantment. However, most of those stories from Disney are their early and traditional films. Today, we have Rapunzel who, while separated from her parents, found them and was supported by them, only because of their ongoing love and support demonstrated through the release of lanterns on Rapunzel’s birthday. These lanterns served as motivation for Rapunzel to find a way out of her tower and see the world and see those lanterns that she had watched from afar for eighteen years (Tangled, 2010). We also have Mulan, whose biggest fear was disappointing her family and parents. She has both of her parents, and is supported by her father when he tells her that “the greatest gift and honor is having [her] as a daughter” after she has just been publicly dishonored for failing in her meeting with the matchmaker (Mulan, 1998). Most recently, we also have a heroine that not only has both parents, but a grandmother as well who serves as a spiritual guide throughout the heroine’s journey (Moana, 2016).

           This also brings calls into question the idea of representation and why it matters. To call for heroines that have an intact family structure, is to call for the invalidation of young viewers who do not share this family structure. To make that call is to say that having two supportive parents is the only way to succeed or achieve anything, but the harsh reality is that this family structure is not the only one that exists, and we cannot ignore that. There are many separated parents, widowed parents, or absent parents in the real world. What began as a trope to move plot forward in stories coming from as early as 9th century China, has now become a mode of inclusive representation for young viewers of these Disney films.

           While we are on the topic of representation, Disney is also often under fire for whitewashing their stories. For the earliest three princesses, this may be true. However, those stories take place in times and parts of the world that are generally seen as predominantly white. Meanwhile, after the thirty-year hiatus of Disney princess films, only the first two of what is considered the “Disney Renaissance” were white. The heroines of films released by Disney between the years of 1992 and 1998 were people of color, with the exception Megara from Hercules, which takes place in Greece and is considered as “white passing”. Ten years later with the release of The Princess and the Frog Disney introduced another woman of color as its heroine, and since then, Disney has looked for stories to create from different parts of the world, to make their stories more inclusive so that people feel connected to and represented within these stories. This concept of whitewashing is particularly evident in Miyazaki’s films. Coming from Japan, where paleness is the epitome of beauty and the ultimate goal for most, his films, while they are brilliant and beautiful storytelling, lack diversity.

           Most importantly, we have the concept of imagination, innovation, and creativity, particularly aimed at a goal other than finding a husband. For me, Merida’s plan to get out of marriage was extremely imaginative and innovative – she used her skills and her strengths to fight for herself because no one else would. She went on an entire journey to get out of the prospect of an arranged marriage to one of the suitors presented by the lords of her kingdom. There is also Tiana who is imaginative, innovative, and deliciously juxtaposed to her best friend Charlotte. Charlotte in this film epitomizes the ideas that Disney had been criticized for presenting up until 2009 when they released The Princess and the Frog. Tiana uses her imagination and innovation to dream up a restaurant, that she does eventually get to open, and even just survive while she is a frog in the bayou because of the mistake of a man.

           There has been a long line of Disney heroines with strong morals and the courage to act on them, and they have been the most guiding in my life. Ariel, before meeting Prince Eric, wants nothing more than to learn about a culture different from her own and repeatedly contests her father’s blind dislike for humans (The Little Mermaid, 1989). A few years later, Jasmine defied not only her father, but the laws and traditions of the land by refusing to meet with suitors from across the globe – who were only there because a law stated that she needed to marry before her next birthday. Jasmine rejected the role of a pawn in the games of men, giving a generation of women a moment of recognized self-worth when she states, “I am not a prize to be won” (Aladdin, 1992). Jump ahead again to The Hunchback of Notre Dame and we get Esmeralda, a woman persecuted by a man who only wants to have sex with her. She continuously stands up to this man and acts against him and the way he treats anyone has a categorized as “other” or “less” (1996). Jump ahead again and you land on Moana. She denies her father and the traditions of her island in order to save it. She goes on a quest in an attempt to correct the mistakes made by a man looking for attention, recognition, and power (2016). We also see a uniquely woman-centric moment of empowerment in Frozen; these two sisters teach young girls the importance of sisterhood and the importance of women supporting women, especially in a society so eager to set women up against each other (2013).

           There are still some heroines that have been left unmentioned. Why? Not because they are unimportant or there is nothing we can learn from them, but because it is true that their stronger qualities are not as apparent as their more passive ones. Snow White (1937), Cinderella (1950), and Sleeping Beauty (1959) are likely the most passive heroines that Disney has ever or will ever produce, but what can we learn from them? All of them were after a life that was different or better than what they had. Snow White was chased from her own home by an evil, jealous queen, she was too trusting and therefore teaches us to be wary of the world and who we meet in it. Cinderella was heinously mistreated by Lady Tremaine and her two daughters and still remained kind. What is the importance of kindness and what kind of life can we lead when we meet the world with kindness, even knowing what kind of wickedness exists therein? Sleeping Beauty simply wanted the freedom to follow her heart and make decisions for herself, which at the end of the day is a pretty basic desire.

           It is important to state as well that the “Disn-ification Process” is entirely up to the discretion and responsibility of the parent. However, Disney takes their role in a child’s development very seriously, as we can in their new movies and television programming. Many of the young girls I know are not even familiar with the original Disney iteration of the most passive heroines. Snow White, Cinderella, and Aurora are rarely given screen time for their original films. But, they do appear in Disney’s programming for children. Sophia the First features lessons of anti-bullying, self-worth, and empowerment for young girls taught by early princesses. Today’s programming also features a show Doc McStuffins, who dreams of being a doctor while still attending her ballet classes. All of this, I think, is pretty progressive for children’s programming, and that was all before this month’s announcement of an openly gay primary character on one of Disney’s after school programs that already covers the topics of non-traditional family structures, unplanned pregnancies, and other struggles of being in middle school. Over the last several years, Disney has not only developed more progressive and inclusive storylines, but they have set the standard for the rest of the industry. They are responsible for changes to the industry that are shaping the way we write about women for children of all ages.

           Why in today’s society do we find stories about falling in love to be a distasteful anti-feminist act? One of feminism’s most prominent platforms is love for all; to give everyone with freedom to fall in love and get married (if they so choose) without denial or persecution.

           Why is it that a feminist heroine must demonstrate masculinity? That trend of toxic masculinity becomes problematic for all genders because it promotes the repression of emotion and a refusal to communicate and share the load. Let us take a look at some of Disney’s more male-centric stories for this example. Disney has showed the dangers of the rigid and overly militant toxic masculinity in its portrayal of the evolving relationship between Captain Jack Sparrow and Commodore James Norrington. Jack is a man marked as a pirate. Why? Because he freed slaves. James is a man brought up on the belief that pirates are the scum of the earth and that no act of compassion or kindness can redeem them (re: Jack saved the life of the woman James loved and he still clapped Jack in irons). While Jack’s motivations are questionable at best, he finds himself in the position to make decisions that will either benefit him or a larger group of people, he usually picks other people. James can only see Jack as the self-serving and law-breaking pirate (neither of these facts are untrue), which makes it easy to maintain a disdain and contempt for him. However, James falls into the toxically masculine trap of an idea that what he is doing is right solely because it is being done in the name of the law. That is dangerous because it allows him to justify putting a large population of people (pirates) in danger by turning the heart of Davy Jones over to the head of the trading company that happens to be controlling the British navy. This blind faith in the law and in himself does not allow for self-reflection until a feminine character (Elizabeth) calls him out. That is a toxic quality that is seen all too often in hero characters, as well as these new “strong, independent female protagonists” like Katniss from the Hunger Games or Tris from the Divergent Series who are stripped of their femininity in order to be heroines.

           But when did we get the idea that being feminine and enjoying one’s femininity are inherently anti-feminist? Those two ideas of being feminine and being feminist are not mutually exclusive ideas. A girl that loves pink is not a bad feminist. A girl that likes princesses is not a bad feminist. Princesses are not an anti-feminist idea. It is princesses that lead me to other works of fantasy. They fostered my deep love of storytelling and my appreciation and respect for the works of Joseph Campbell and Samuel Beckett. These princess movies can do for kids today what superhero comics did for children years ago, and Disney knows it.

[lifeofgabb]

You know… Costco has a pharmacy if you REALLY want to stock up.

[lifeofgabb]

[lifeofgabb]

PSA

theres a new product by verzion called “hum” that allows your parents to track your car and places you go, if your parents are controlling like mine please check under your steering wheel to make sure that they havent installed this

[lifeofgabb]

look at this photo of my stepdad

[lifeofgabb]

[lifeofgabb]

I had a friend go meet a guy and leave the directions to where she was going with me before she left.

How women prepare for first dates

Bonus: How men prepare for first dates:

[lifeofgabb]

aesthetic: feeling yourself because you got some new lipstick/clothes/whatever and you know you make the lipstick/clothes/whatever look better

[lifeofgabb]

Just remember. There is no such thing as a fake geek girl. There are only fake geek boys. Science fiction was invented by a woman.

[lifeofgabb]

“because a 16 year old girl who had her first orgasm whilst getting raped, had to watch her 34 year old rapist go free because she had an orgasm.

because when one of my guy friends told me and some friends he got raped by a woman when he was 12, a “friend” laughed at him and told him he should be happy he got laid that young.

because my 17 year old friend’s parents let her 14 year old brother roam the streets until 12am, but she has to be home by 10.

Because my brothers girlfriend, told the police she was raped and fell pregnant but the rapist didn’t get jail time as she got an abortion and the ‘evidence’ was gone.

because a guy from my old school was raped by another guy, but because he’s gay, they said it wasn’t considered rape.

because a 19 year old lesbian got raped by a guy, and he didn’t go to prison because he said “he only tried to turn her straight so she would be accepted by her parents”.

because in some cultures, girls (and boys, of course) still get thrown out of the family because somebody sexually assaulted them.

because they’re still teaching girls to walk faster at night instead of teaching boys that they shouldn’t rape.

Because they’re teaching kids that they’re only male rapists and not female rapists too.

because I have to explain why rape makes me mad.“

[lifeofgabb]

I hope that person chokes honestly

[lifeofgabb]

The Signs as Witches

Aries: uses bodily ingredients such as hair or teeth or nails, wild and free and howling at the moon, fire tells them what they want to know, embraces all but does not tolerate betrayal, gifted in the use of poppets and curses, full of energy and static and power

Taurus: a collector of many things, uses crystals and herbs, proficient in kitchen magic, has an inner strength that knows no bounds and no true master, a home full of colored glass and jars filled with anything you could ever need, rooted and able, wears robes with many many pockets

Gemini: a card reader and game changer, spoken spells fill the very air with magic and potential, an avid learner and sharer of their craft, books and tomes and candles fill their space, knows the power of words and names, tattoos sigils and spells all over their body and they seem to move when you aren’t looking, vast and uncontainable

Cancer: rests under the moon and whispers magic in their sleep, uses astral projection to explore and learn and play with ghosts, elaborate and detailed dream diary, deep understanding of astrology, somehow already knows what you’re going to say, mysterious and soft but only on the surface, a knower of secrets, sleepy eyes, lives in a tree in a misty forest and makes friends with the plants and spirits there

Leo: strongest in the day and has eyes that light up the night, mighty voice and skilled hands, breath carries a spark, animalistic energy you can feel when they look at you, makes their own spells borrows their own power, incredible visualization makes their dreams realities, difficult to look at directly for reasons you don’t really understand, wild hair and adorned in gems

Virgo: techno witch, weaves magic into code and text, keeps a blog as their book of shadows and altar, urban magic, has a restless mind and busy hands, deletes negativity out of their life, has much information to share despite their hollow look, eyes are lit from the inside, their phone is full of pictures that keep moving and notes only they can read

Libra: covered in veils and breathes perfume to hide themselves and confuse you, summons creatures and demons to do their bidding so their hands remain clean, almost transparent at times like a ghost or vision, is stronger than they look and delights in you not knowing their power, their mouth is almost always moving but you can’t hear what they say, soft to the touch but their skin is cold, trinkets and charms and chains adorn them and their home

Scorpio: eyes and nails are dark and caked in black, frequents graveyards and learns from the ghosts and crows, solitary witch who makes friends with bones, will help you learn what you want to know for a price, is afraid to sleep, quiet and haunted, is reborn each new moon, is full of knowing and fog and promise, takes a lock of hair from all they help, you feel them in your core

Sagittarius: rides their broom with reckless abandon, plays with the children on Halloween and shows them magic is real, their home has legs and never stays still, keeps many familiars and most are birds, gifted in charms and potions and sells their work with a smile, you can hear them laughing with the moon at night, chapped lips and wide eyes, magic is erratic and spontaneous and they couldn’t control it if they wanted to

Capricorn: loose black and gray clothing that flows when they walk, keeps a pouch of salt around their neck at all times, face is often covered or hard to see, protection spells and sigils are their innate ability, the floor trembles when they are angry, always watching watching watching, lives in a stone cottage covered with moss and scrawlings and carvings, other witches are silent around them out of fear and awe

Aquarius: hermit, storm witch, plays with rain and dances with lightning and shouts thunder, keeps trinkets and mementos in small jars around their bed, asks favors and learns from the clouds, raw and swift and ready to act, soft as a summer rain and cold as hail, hair is full of leaves and wind, feet are dirty but their mind is clean and sharp

Pisces: smells of salt and dressed in rags and burlap and pearls, misty eyes that look through you and deep deep down in you, water witch with a soft face and an ocean for a heart, thing of the sea, empath who sometimes knows you better than you do, bottles own tears and keeps them for spells, witch of all trades master of none, head is full of crashing waves, overflowing with magic and wonder

[lifeofgabb]

This one time I went to an address by the American ambassador to the UK and he said he does this exercise with British students where he gives them index cards and asks them to write things on one side that frustrate/scare them about America, and on the other side things that inspire them about America, and he said when his office collected them the most-written concepts on the frustration side were like “guns, violence, racism” and the inspiration side was overwhelmingly “NASA”

[lifeofgabb]

Despicable.

That is totally unacceptable. Please make JOSEPH PRESLEY & the judge CALVIN R HOLDEN  who let him off (in)famous.

#StayWoke

#WhiteSupremacy 

[lifeofgabb]

at what point in history do you think americans stopped having british accents

[lifeofgabb]

I was on the bus thinking about Harry Potter tonight and I remembered the part where the Dementors all show up at the Quidditch game, and I remembered how they were all looking up at Harry, and I wondered why they would all be staring at him, and then I realized that it’s because he has two souls in him.