#Luna the ranter

[lunatheranter]

#5 Series: 99 Problems and a Gender Ain’t One

Gender: Please Select. I’m looking at the binary options, I’ve always clicked “female”. When it asks your sex, that’s a no-brainer. I have all of the bits that make me AFAB. But what in heck’s name is a woman? I took a class at my university recently, Queer Cinema in Asia. You can already imagine the debates that raged for four of the prescribed six hours and continued furiously on into the SOAS bar. Since Introduction to Anthropology last year, I’ve been considering social constructs and this class brought one major realisation: my gender identity is entirely socially constructed. Not by me, my parents, friends, the media – by a small group of idiotic pseudoscientists some hundreds of years ago who sat around their cosy lounges sipping whiskey and theorising on how they could categorise people based on their own bodies and behaviours as archetype. Of course people with vaginas were hysterical – they were sold off to the highest bidder at the ripe age of 12 and expected to stay in the house all day with a cluster of little brats they were barely old enough to lift out of the crib. Ten or twenty years of that and you’re bound to go batshit crazy. Fuck all to do with biology, my friends.

So gender of late has been a great consideration of mine. I’m being asked all the time – by people, by quizzes, by registration forms – to identify myself based on a binary constructed hundreds of years ago for the sole purpose of making me subservient. In an act of defiance, I click “other”. Suddenly a weight lifts off my head – as if I’ve been carrying around this big sign declaring “WOMAN” for 22 years. I still, to all intents and purposes, look and act “like a woman”. I accept female pronouns, but I prefer gender neutral. Why? Gender pronouns don’t shake my identity. I’ve called myself female for 22 years and nothing has really changed but the language I use to refer to myself. It’s 2017 and I have no idea what it means to look and act “like a woman” because every single female-identifying woman I know looks and acts differently. Sometimes I wake up and inexplicably I don’t feel “female” at all. Maybe I don’t feel “male” either. So what? So what.

 The youth generation is getting tired of binaries and constructs. Our souls have been around long enough to know that it’s a whole bunch of bollocks. In the beginning, there was fuck all. Then a handful of idiots decided to invent a bunch of things to call people who seemed a little bit similar and by the centrepoint of time itself it had all got out of hand. Now we’re here, in the age of deconstruction, moving back toward the gender neutral, the natural order of things. When I see people stating that the natural order of things is binary, I get legitimately furious. We are not born binary. We are taught binary. We are forced into binary and social constructs only invented in the first place to position one collective at the top of the pile and another at the bottom but in nature there is no pile. If there was, some of us would be born eight feet tall with supernatural powers meant to keep the others in check. We aren’t. We’re born with all the bits necessary to produce more of us and nothing else. So I’m cancelling my subscription. Because, from my personal perspective, if I don’t believe in gender, gender cannot affect me. Nobody can tell a “they” how to dress or look or behave because “agender” is, at its core, not a gender category. It is the absence of gender. So tell me to be more ladylike, I’ll tell you I’m no lady. “What are you then?” I’m not. I’m human. Pure, unadulterated, totally liberated human. I’ll say it and I’ll stand by it: you can’t tell somebody with no gender how to present. Forced by nature, an act of defiance. I have no gender.

[kwontotheluna]

Deletion: Advanced Notice

The people who will be interested are, by now, few and far between but after contemplating several options I have decided to delete my account. I need some time to collate all of my original writings and save them, so the actual deletion might take some time. I've had this blog since I was 14, so this has not been an easy decision. Luna the Ranter and my Korean Portfolio will still run, but this blog and all of its side-blogs will be gone. I think I've covered everything but if you have any questions or comments, you know where my ask is.

[lunatheranter]

Before I Lose Your Attention

Now, look. I know I keep promising to post and not doing it. That’s over now. Deadlines have passed and Luna the Ranter is BACK! I’ll be semi-present through May and more regular through June and July. I’ve decided to break up “why I’m angry about everything” into several themed rants thus creating a new series and hopefully I’ll be rebooting the Body Image Series! Although I’m sat here starting to sound a little overambitious, I’m hoping to launch Luna the Writer before the end of the year, more info on that later~

[lunatheranter]

I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW I'M SO ANGRY

Context: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1513100738780045&id=341163402640457

WHAT IN FUCK’S FUCKING NAME IS THIS ATROCITY?????? I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO ANGRY AT AN INANIMATE OBJECT

DID THEY FORGET WHAT CAME BEFORE SMARTPHONES???? DID THEY THINK WE JUST WOKE UP ONE MORNING AND SHIT OUT ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY??????? GO BUY A £10 NOKIA AND GET OVER YOURSELF YOU PRETENTIOUS TWATS

“MINDFULNESS PHONE” I WANT TO THROW IT AT A FUCKING WALL

IS YOUR HEAD SO FAR UP YOUR ASS THAT YOU MISSED THE FLIP PHONES HALF THE SIZE OF YOUR HAND???? IN THAT CASE YOU CAN PUT THIS SHIT IN YOUR MOUTH

WHAT FUCKING CONSUMERIST NONSENSE

I PRAY THAT THERE IS NOBODY ON THIS PLANET MORONIC ENOUGH TO ACTUALLY BUY A PHONE WITH ALL THE LIMITED FUNCTIONALITY OF A 2008 NOKIA FOR ANY MORE THAN THE PRICE OF A 2008 NOKIA

MY BASIC INTELLIGENCE HAS NEVER BEEN SO INSULTED THIS PHONE HAS FUCKING OFFENDED ME I’VE BEEN OFFENDED BY A FUCKING INANIMATE OBJECT

THIS IS THE MOST LUDICROUS, MOST POINTLESS, MOST WORTHLESS PIECE OF TRASH EVER TO BE BORN TO THIS WORLD SINCE 14TH JUNE 1946

I HAVE NO IDEA WHY THIS IS AN ALL CAPS RANT THIS PHONE IS GETTING MY HELLFIRE

IF I SEE SOMEBODY WITH THIS PHONE IN THEIR HAND AND IT IS NOT ON FIRE I WILL DO A LONELY ISLAND AND THROW IT ON THE GROUND I WON’T BE A PART OF THEIR SYSTEM MAN

[lunatheranter]

#5 Series: White People Are Evil!!!1!!

Yes, we are all evil. Every single person on the planet with pale skin is 100% Satan-born ignorant scum. Nice 👌 This rant is coming from several places. It's coming from my own experiences and perspective. It's coming from my POC friends who are tired of having oppression prescribed to them. Who are as tired as I am with their white friends being attacked for disgreeing or agreeing or just showing up to the party. It's coming from a place that's unplugged from the fucking matrix. This rant is largely anecdotal, because it's also personal, but who doesn't love a good anecdote? Or ten. 1. "Why don't you just leave then?" Recently in the comments of some or another Facebook post, a (white) girl made a joke about the US being a mess. Somebody subreplied that she should just leave, if she hated it so much. This girl came back like lol I'm from Hungary idk what you're talking about. Because some white people AREN'T AMERICAN!! ISN'T THAT AMAZING!!!! This is sale point one of this rant. Europe is hella white. Some white people, would you believe, were born in largely POC countries. Would you believe!! There are all types of people everywhere!! NOT ALL WHITE PEOPLE ARE AMERICAN ISN'T THAT INCREDIBLE!!!!!! 2. You White People™ Again in the Facebook comments (notorious for The Discourse™). I watched a clip from a film in which an African guy had taken artefacts from a museum & was on trial, arguing that he had not stolen them because they had been stolen from Africa in the first place. (If anybody knows what film this is hmu bc I lowkey wanna watch it). I noticed in the comments an ongoing (in some places surprisingly civil) intersectional debate about the ownership of art, with even many native Africans suggesting that the art should stay in the museum because art belongs to everybody. I commented on this discussion: [I'm not sure how I feel about this perspective. It's interesting to see the contrasting views across race lines in the comments. "Does anything ever really belong to anybody?" It's a curious thought.] This was my entire comment. I did not state an opinion. I expressed my interest in a discussion. The tirade of abuse I was subject to was unreal. One person subreplied with an entire rant, condensing me to an Evil White Person™, accusing me of ignoring historical fact and trying to blot out Black culture. The main catcher? My name is Luna Kwon. It is a Korean name. In my profile picture, my face is mostly obscured. This person had no reason to assume that I am white. And I didn't express an opinion. I was on an endeavour to educate myself on the opinions of others. I literally got dragged for thinking. 3. Yes it's Facebook again. This is the article which largely prompted my writing this rant this morning. You can read it here: http://afropunk.com/2017/07/white-friends-comes-trauma-im-not-willing-deal-anymore/ A few things to note: it's on Afropunk which is a POC forum, and while I understand that this is a POC space, the headline is nonetheless inflammatory. Secondly, it is one person's experience. One American person's experience in a Southern state and we all know what they're famous for. I read the article. I read the article and spent the whole time thinking "What? Really? Who does that??" Because I certainly wouldn't even consider behaving like any of the situations this person describes, and I don't know anybody who would, either. Maybe it's because I grew up in a metropolitan area, went to a metropolitan school, and have all of about 3 white friends. Maybe it's because I view every individual as an individual and I cannot comprehend judging person B, C and D based on person A's behaviour. Before anybody starts going off like we're in the Facebook comments, I'm not trying to invalidate this woman's experience. I hope she would not try to invalidate mine. What she's dealt with is what she's dealt with and if other people identify, that's their experience. Nonetheless this view (the inflammatory nature of the writing, not the content) is grotesquely separational (as somebody got dragged hard in the comments for pointing out) bc if my POC friends suddenly dropped me because I'm white (not only would I have no friends but) I would be very upset. I would want to understand exactly what I did to offend them. I would want to correct that behaviour. But I'm sure that this would never happen because, as I've said, I cannot imagine behaving in any of the ways the author of the article described and I would say to her: those people are not your friends. And it's not because they're white, it's because they're ignorant bigots. What you want to say is "having bigoted, ignorant, racist friends is a trauma I'm not willing to deal with". Because I'm from the UK. I live in a metropolis. My closest friends consist of: one Yemeni Muslim, one Punjab Indian, one mixed-race British-White/Indian, one Caribbean, one Korean (born and raised), one Chinese, one White with untraceable lineage and one White-British. I have no concept of racial sterotyping. Disrespecting another culture is completely alien behaviour to me. I've spent my whole life trying to understand and integrate into other cultures, to cultivate a greater understanding of my friends' backgrounds, to gain a deep comprehension of what it means to be culturally respectful. Because I grew up in this metropolitan environment, it is second nature. I don't even think about it. I also want to point out that the person in point 2 decided that I can "probably trace my lineage down through many generations" so let me clear that up *just incase she's watching*: my family (father's side, my legal family name) originates from German war refugees. I can trace my lineage back to the First World War, because my surname was fake from the moment they hit dry land. My mother is from a closed adoption. I have no freakin idea where I come from. As opposed to some of my friends, who can trace back to their great x16 grandmother's neighbour's uncle's cat's second cousin because they are descended from migrants. But yeah you looked at my skin tone in bright sunlight and determined that you know everything about me. So how about you take a fucking seat. When I hear "white people" I hear "yeah, you". When that finger is pointing, you better be damn clear who you're pointing it at because I am sick of being shamed for my skin colour and I am sick of feeling ashamed. I am Welsh. We have a rich history and culture dating back to the ancient Celts - can I not celebrate that, because it's a white culture? Empowerment is one thing, and I'm all for it. I hate that many POC suffer on a daily basis, I can't comprehend it, we should all be equal and free to seek happiness. But shaming people you don't know based on their skin tone is (racist and) not born from a desire for empowerment, it comes from a place of anger-fuelled supremacy. When I hear "white people are evil" I hear "I am not capable of rational thought". I hear "I think I'm the centre of the universe and everybody shares my experience and view". Shaming others is not the path to empowerment. We've already established this argument within feminism: tearing down other women does not make you an empowered woman. Well tearing down other people does not make you an empowered person. It makes you a bigot. You attack me for something Person A did, that makes you the same as Person A. Go yell in the mirror.

[lunatheranter]

#5 Series: If I Hear the Word Privilege One More Time

Privilege. Strictly speaking, it has meant the same thing since the concept was born: “a special right, advantage or immunity granted or available to only a particular person or group”. But these days I see every Tom, Dick & Harry banding it around like a battle axe and the main issue is assumption.

First of all, it’s important to note that our society is built in a way that is inclusive to the concept of privilege; our great great great great great great great great (or not so great, actually) grandparents formed our society into a hierarchy where the top segment gets special advantages that the rest of us don’t. The problem with throwing the term about left right and centre (especially online, I’m looking at you, SJKWs) is that it’s a multi-faceted global issue and it is not static.

I’m going to use myself in Korea as an example again because it’s the only one I’ve got; I can’t really speak from anybody else’s experience. I often get finger-pointed as privileged before people even know me (usually on the internet, SJKWs) because I’m white and educated. These people pick up on two things – my skin colour and my eloquence – and label me before they know a damn thing else, so here’s a bit about me for the confusion: I’m white, yes. I’m from a lower working-class family and attended one of the roughest schools in my area. I’m agender, polyamorous, pansexual. I’m from a minority religion (Wicca) and, as far as the tiny details go, technically from a minority culture (I’m Welsh). It takes a 10 minute conversation to realise that I am, even in the UK, more minority than majority*. I have been discriminated against for every single one of the things I just listed, including my skin colour. Which brings me to: when I go to Korea, my privilege changes. White is no longer a privilege area, but my class status also changes. Because I come from a wealthy country and my money is worth more in Korea, because I am also educated and well-spoken, I become upper middle-class. With this in mind, let me elaborate.

It is utterly ridiculous to accuse somebody you’ve never met of privilege; you’re judging a book by its cover. You don’t know which categories that person identifies in, you don’t know what kind of discrimination they might have faced. I have POC friends who are constantly like “what are they talking about discrimination? I’ve never experienced that??” because, despite fitting into one minority group, they are middle-class, cishet, Christian – majority. They don’t feel like they shoulder any burden of discrimination and, the same way I hate being labelled privileged, they hate being labelled oppressed because it just isn’t true.

The issue is not with the concept of privilege (there is, of course, an issue with it, just not this one, more on that later): privilege exists. As I said at the beginning, it is built into societies across the world (for the purpose of oppression), but it is built in different ways. Some people of colour will never experience discrimination (that does not negate the importance of rights movements) the same way I’ve been lucky (or privileged) that my parents tolerate (not accept, don’t get confused) my LGBT+ status – because there are people who have lost their families for it, who have lost their lives for it. The issue is the ignorance with which the term is waved around and the readiness with which people (SJKWs for the most part) label all white people as privileged and all people of colour as oppressed. It just isn’t that way. The world doesn’t work that way. We are becoming an increasingly global community and as we move into a different culture, a different economy, a different geography, our privilege changes. In the UK I pretty much have all the rights I need, but I still suffer discrimination on a social level. In Korea, my rights and protection are reduced and the social-level discrimination is more severe in some areas and less in others. If I moved to, for example, Saudi, I would have no rights at all and I would probably be stoned to death for any number of the things I listed previously. To say “you’re white and therefore you don’t know what it’s like to experience discrimination” is just ridiculous. Likewise, “you’re coloured and therefore you must be oppressed” leaves many of my friends pulling faces.

While it is largely in race discourse that this problem seems to occur, it naturally bleeds into other facets of the discourse as a whole, which brings me to my next point. I am what’s generally referred to as “straight-passing” and “cis-passing”. For anyone who doesn’t know, it means I “look” like a cishet woman even though I’m not, and assumes that therefore I face less discrimination. But for many people who are non-binary, part of the + in LGBT+, or non-normative in their relationship behaviour (polyamory, for example) the discrimination comes from within the minority group – especially when you’re “passable”. From inside LGBT+ circles we get things like “but you don’t look gay, so you don’t get it”. First of all, it’s 2017 and I don’t really know what “looking gay” means. Secondly, that dysphoria you get when somebody misgenders you? The other day at work our boss asked the boys to line up on one side and the girls on the other. I fully froze in the middle because I didn’t know where to stand. I’m wearing the girls’ uniform so I stood with the girls; that’s all I had to go on. I work for a lot of clients who like to have girls and boys doing specific jobs, so don’t act like I don’t know just because I generally present as female. I might not get heckled on the street (although as a generally feminine-presenting AFAB individual I get that too) but I still don’t have an allocated place in society. In Korea they don’t even have words for me. I’m just disordered.    Of course, “passing” does give me some extent of privilege over those who “look” non-normative (although passing as FEMALE takes some of that away again), it means I can generally go about my daily life without pre-judgemental attacks on my sexuality or gender identity (or lack thereof) while others can’t, but there are too many people (again I say people, I mean SJKWs) who assume that, because you “pass”, you’ve never been invalidated, judged or attacked. That is, obviously, not even plausibly true. In this way, privilege is a graded concept and using it as a general term for a lump category becomes more and more ridiculous the deeper you go. There is no such thing as “general privilege” and you cannot assume based on somebody’s profile picture that they have never faced discrimination. That doesn’t mitigate the fact that there is an enormous amount of unrecognised privilege by those who have it, but calling people out on the internet is fucking dumb unless they’re ranting on like an entitled prick. By all means give the pricks a free privilege check, fill out the prescription for entitlement-be-gone and pray they cash it. But in general it is not your job to check somebody else’s privilege – especially if all you have to go on is a profile picture. If I see “well judging by your profile picture…” one more time I’m gonna explode. Unless they’re saying “fuck human rights” while dressed in Nazi uniform, holding a briefcase of cash and burning an LGBT+ flag. Then you can judge them by their profile picture.

*I recognise my privilege in the areas it exists but refuse to take more than my due share.

[lunatheranter]

June Schedule!

Ladies and Gentlemen while I’m procrastinating available, my preliminary rant list for the following month or so~ I am going to try to stick to a schedule. Try. I still have a lot of other commitments, but none of them are uni.

Body Image Series Reboot

Stop Policing My (Fucking) Body

Why Do We Care About Hair?

“Are You Anorexic?” and Other Stories

Media Predator: Stop Comparing Yourself to Others!

#5 Series: Why I’m Sick of Literally Everything

Misandric Discourse Has Ruined My Sex Life

If I Hear the Word Privilege One More Time

In-Fighting: The Queer Unwanted and Other Stories

Know When to be Triggered

Know When to be Triggered pt 2: Stop Prescribing Language

Brit Culture Gave Me Anxiety

SJKWs, “Cultural Appropriation” and Sheer Ignorance

The Internet is Too Fucking Loud

99 Problems and a Gender Ain’t One

Can We LGBTQuit It

It’s Not the Fucking 80s, Get Over It

THE END OF THE WORLD!

[lunatheranter]

Options!

Hello to everyone who’s still listening! There’s a few things pissing me off at the moment so I thought I’d put some options out there so my followers can choose what I rant about next. Here are the choices:

1. Vogue acting like a political magazine on Twitter 2. “Privilege” 3. People taking “triggering” and “safe spaces” completely out of context 4. Minority group in-fighting (and how it’s really not fucking helping) 5. Why I’m literally sick of everything

To vote, drop a number in my ask box

[lunatheranter]

Hold on to Your Chairs, Luna’s Going Off

Yes ladies and gentlemen, people of fluid gender and cats who are sitting on their human’s laptop; I’m about to go off in true Luna the Ranter style.

SO THERE’S THIS WOMAN ON THE BUS. WHO UTTERLY CANNOT GRASP THE CONCEPT THAT A WOMAN CAN HAVE HETEROSEXUAL MALE FRIENDS. At first I thought she was being ironic, but apparently not. Gems such as “What? You have male friends? And they’re straight? No, that’s not possible.” and “they’re all in love with you. They’re just waiting for the opportunity.” exuded from her ignorant lips. I prayed that she was a figment of my imagination, but alas, even I, a writer, cannot conjure up such stupidity.

FIRST OF ALL, this dumbass approach to gender relations is the most binary thing I’ve ever heard in my life. Bitch, welcome to 2017, where people have to fight every day to be identified with the right gender/sexuality/bubblegum flavour, and you’re quite happy to be part of the problem. SECONDLY, I have clearly just witnessed one of THOSE people who thinks that everybody is attracted to everybody regardless of the fact that they themselves are not attracted to everybody. Probably thinks being gay is a choice smh. THIRDLY, with this hocus pocus kind of logic, as a pansexual I can’t have ANY friends because clearly I’m just “waiting for the opportunity” to jump ALL of their bones :( I had no idea there were still people left on the planet who think that attraction works like this. I looked at her face, this bitch was not five years old.

AND WHAT, MAY I ASK, IS THIS: “you can’t have male friends unless they’re gay. Which is great.” ARE WE BACK IN 2010 WITH THE “I LOVE GAY PEOPLE!111!!! GAY BEST FRIENDS YAY!!1!!” MENTALITY?! WTF DOES THIS EVEN MEAN?! WHO ARE YOU?!

I’m just. I’m praying that she was trying to troll everyone on the bus. If you’re out there, bus woman, come forth and profess to the world that you were trolling all along. Or else, come forth and educate yourself. Caps lock and everything, geez...

[lunatheranter]

Luna Takes on The Vegan(ist)s

Let's be honest, I was going to pop up on one side of this at some point. You might be surprised to learn that Luna the Ranter is actually fairly neutral when it comes to the vegan/non-vegan argument; I don't have any strong opinions on whether or not one should or should not consume animal products. There are fair points on both sides. Back in the day, my mum used to say she'd never met a healthy vegan – but back in the 80s, the kind of nutritious alternatives we have now didn't exist and vegans pretty much had lettuce. On the other hand, animal products provide important sources of vitamins and minerals which we, as omnivorous predators, need to survive and it is somewhat ingrained into our nature. Give a lion a salad, I dare you.

What I do have strong opinions about, however, is the aggressive, we're-right-and-you're-immoral vegan uprising that's been steadily heading over the past year or so. To kick off, let me state outright the problems with this approach:

1. It's aggressive. Aggression is not positive, it is not fair, it is not necessary, and it does not work. It's more likely to force people to agree with you externally and then go somewhere else and do the polar opposite of what you've told them to do. And yes, it's not asking. It's telling. Guilt-tripping, yelling, forcing disturbing images in people's faces – these things are not only going to make people walk away, but also cast a shadow on any positivity in your movement. It is totally counter-productive and in the meantime you just make other people feel like shit. 2. It's obsessive. It nitpicks. It delves into the darkest, dankest corners and generalises its findings. It hunts through lists of ingredients to find a vitamin which may be derived from an animal product's second cousin twice removed. It demonises people who use animal products. Do you like being called an evil, immoral, heartless demon with no humanity on your way to feed homeless orphans because there's eggs on the menu? No. Does it even make sense? No. 3. It is immoral in itself to try to force another person to think the way you do, to believe the same things you do. That is called indoctrination, and that constitutes harm. By forcing your opinions on somebody else, you are harming them. This is part of my own moral code and belief system, so feel free to draw your own conclusions on this point.* 4. It is unrealistic. I am not a vegan. I am not ever going to be a vegan. I had a dream where I got water on my vintage suede trousers and I woke up in cold sweats so the idea of me getting rid of them is ludicrous. There are thousands of people like me who are not and will not be vegan, no matter how many statistics you yell at them. Trying to straight-up convert people who do not want to be converted is a fool's game. More on this later.

*Secondly, I feel I have to make a statement about morality before I continue; when addressing such a topic, it is important to note that we are born with humanity (that is, the ability to love, to care, to nurture etc (with the exclusion of sociopaths)) but morality is not inate. Morality is something we build for ourselves. It doesn't come from some mystical far-off cloud land, and nobody's moral code is exactly the same (if yours matches somebody else's without discrepancy, I'm afraid you've been indoctrinated; refer to point 3 above). It's based on our experiences, opinions, ideas, and formation of the way we individually understand the world. We are not born moral beings. If we were, history and society would look very, very different.

But enough of the support act, let's get the headliner on stage. I'm obviously aware that this does not apply to ALL vegans (the same way it's not ALL men and not ALL white people; that's not the point we're addressing here) and I am specifically addressing the aggressive, obsessive, narrow-minded veganist (can we call it veganist? I like veganist) movement that's been spreading of late. The video which was the final straw in my shall-I-shan't-I internal debate on whether to post something was shared by a good friend of mine who is a vegetarian and animal rights activist, and who agreed with... the meat-eating man. Because she, like myself, does not like to see people aggressively ramming their opinions down somebody else's throat.

In this video, they quote a conversion statistic which cannot be verified. This is one of my bug-bares with these people. Are they calculating based on people who said they would convert on the day? More than likely. Did they conduct 6 to 12 month follow up interviews to find out whether those people actually made those changes? I highly doubt it. Therefore, the statistic is completely null. I see this time and time again with this type of movement. They take the most extreme, raw statistic and blast it out there like it's the word of a deity. Why do I know that this happens? Because I've done it. For my dissertation, I went to WHO and quoted the raw suicide rate instead of the age standardised rate. Why? Because it's higher. Because I want to make people think “oh my god, that's horrible!” (I then went back and corrected the statistic because that’s not ethical practice). I'm going to rest my case on stats and facts right here and let you mull it over while we have a paragraph break.

Silly, silly veganists (I'm using this term now). Did you really think that screaming “You're a bad person!” in my face as I walk down the street was going to change my mind? No. You've just ruined my day. So what I'm going to do is sit in front of your protest and eat this steak, because I no longer believe that your opinions are valid. You've successfully invalidated your own movement. Applause. Spamming social networks with disturbing pictures of mutilated animals is only going to get you blocked. This approach not only doesn't work, it can be dangerous. You could cause somebody serious mental harm by doing this. I've seen clearly anxious people forced to engage in arguments by these people. I've seen people crying because they're being spammed with traumatic images. This is nothing short of pure aggression. The desire to upset people. Unfortunately, it seems that a lot of people jump on the bandwagon purely because they want to hurt others in this way, and not because they genuinely support the cause. It's extraordinary the lengths people will go to. It's unethical, it's unfair, and it's totally unnecessary.

 Let me exemplify with an analogy or two: I used to eat a lot of meat. I'm talking seven days a week, at least twice a day. My family have always been big meaties. Meat in everything. Meat with a side of meat garnished with meat. It was like meat > water. I didn't notice it for a while, but I was getting sick of eating so much meat. It actually made me quite ill. Don't get me wrong, I've always had a very healthy diet, but I started to meat overload. I needed to cut down. Then I went to Bermondsey Market, where I encountered RAW. The woman was super friendly, answering all my questions about how the vegan cakes were made, what's in everything, what kind of extra nutrients I can get from this food. I loved how varied the ingredients were. I bought some food to try, and I loved it. I now eat consequently vegetarian or vegan meals about 4~6 days a week. It's not even a conscious effort; I was shown an alternative, and I liked it, so I ended up cutting down. A lot. But wait! There's more! SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London) is known for it's... um... alternative? societies and events, so naturally we have a vegan soc. They like to do bakesales. I like it when they do bakesales, because my first ever taste of vegan cake was THE BEST lemon drizzle cake I've EVER had. I bought a few things to try, and I loved all of them. Not one of them was a different consistency than regular cake, not one of them tasted a bit weird. This year, I made myself a vegan birthday cake (mostly because we were having a dinner party, and one of my housemates is vegan, but I had wanted to try vegan baking since the bakesale) and when I discovered how easy it was, I switched to vegan baking. I'm not strict with it, but it's there (plus, if I want my housemate to try my cookies........) Why am I telling you this? I want you to notice how it was achieved. There were no placards or disturbing videos of people taking bites out of live cows. There was no demonising, no guilt-tripping, no force-feeding somebody else's moral code. I was simply offered the opportunity to try an alternative, with the hope that it might result in me making changes. Nobody told me that I'm evil for not being a vegan, immoral for my lifestyle choices. They just said “hey, would you like to try this? It's healthy and sustainable” so I said “yeah, let's give that a go”, and when I liked it, viola! It resulted in change. This just in! Being nice to people makes them want to listen to you more than being shitty and aggressive! Oh, that's not just in? What do you mean, that's been around for centuries?! Moving on...

I want to talk (briefly, because this is getting tl;dr) about the idealism of the veganist (I've coined the term now, it can't be revoked) movement, because it's not realistic. These people want everyone to stop using animal products overnight. Though I detest to do so, I must inform you that that's not going to happen. First of all, we need to remember that being vegan isn't just about diet – a vegan can't wear, wash in, eat or otherwise use ANYTHING which contains substances derived from animals. That means checking your fabrics, toiletries, appliances (because polymer and some other plastics (rather unecessarily, to be completely honest) use animal fat in the manufacturing process) for vegan friendly status before buying. Expecting everyone to suddenly commit to this change is just ludicrous. What we can ask people to do is to cut down. To reduce. To aim for things which are kinder and more sustainable. In mass production, even the “good” things aren't as great as we want them to be. We can encourage people to switch from supermarket to local marketplace buying as the animal products usually come from local, sustainable, well-structured farms which don't operate on a large scale and therefore rear their animals to a much better standard. We can ask for people to use less. To petition and rally for better farming practices. To be willing to pay a little more for better treatment of farm animals. In year 9 biology, we watched a video from a battery egg farm. I went home so disturbed that I point blank refused to eat anything other than free-range eggs. My mum said they were too expensive. She spent years saying they're too expensive. I still refused to eat eggs from caged hens. I went without eggs. Now that I'm an adult and I control what I buy, I was picking up free-range eggs every time I went home, because I knew my mum would have caged. One day, my brother ate one of my eggs (I was mad). When he noticed that the quality was much, much better than the ones he's used to eating, guess what? He refused to eat caged hen eggs. So then there were two of us. My brother pestered my mum relentlessly, insisting that free-range was much better. She now buys free-range eggs, and we all agree. It's better. My point is, it took me years to get one person to make this change. Some people will change their lifestyle at the drop of a hat. Others won't. Some will never come completely to your side, but telling them they're bad people isn't going to change their mind. I'm not ever going to be vegan. I can state that outright. But I've made dietary changes: all of the meat I buy is locally and sustainably sourced, I often opt for meat-free options purely of my own free will, I only buy free-range animal products and my milk consumption has dropped from 4 pints a week (hella milk) to 2 pints a fortnight (not so much milk). I know that I'm not willing to commit to a fully vegan lifestyle, (I eat A LOT of eggs and I love my purple suede trousers waaaaaay too much) but I have been encouraged to make changes by people who have approachably and enthusiastically offered me alternatives that I've enjoyed.

My problem is not and never has been with the movement. Your lifestyle choices are yours to make. It's not my place to tell people what they should or should not eat. My problem is with the methods, because aggression is NEVER the answer, and calmly offering an alternative always works much better than trying to force people to agree with you – and if it's not my place to tell you what to eat, it's not your place to do so either.

Luna out on vegan(ist)s.

[lunatheranter]

This Just In: Luna Retires from the Rant!

That's right guys, Luna the Ranter is coming down for good. I know that I've been dormant for a very long time now, despite promising two new series and scratching down a whole bunch of new ideas. There are a few reasons for this. I know that I don't have many followers but most of the ones I do have have been with me for a long time and I feel that you deserve an explanation.

Why, Luna, why?!

I have several reasons for my exit.

1. I moved to Napoli and got a job as a teacher.

That's right, I'm living in sunny Italy doing the job I always wanted to do, which sounds idyllic... I'm very busy. The school have a lot of faith in my ability, which means they are not treating me like a new teacher; just to start with, I am currently teaching 8 courses in my first week, most of which are brand new and have no plans or materials associated with them. This means that I usually get to the office for 9am and don't leave before 8pm because there is so much planning to be done - and I'm only going to get busier.

Additionally, I have to maintain a professional image and let's not pretend that this blog is in any way professional. If my superiors were to find something like this under my name, it could diminish the faith that they have in me and limit my opportunities. Even though this is unlikely to happen, it is something I have to consider at this time in my life.

2. Let's face it, this blog is flat.

You guys are great. You always give me feedback and share your thoughts and views about my topics. But there are only 14 of you, and two of those are my own blogs #shamelessselfpromotion. To be honest I don't see any point in dedicating time to a social issues blog if I don't have the platform to influence people or actually make a difference. LtR used to be something that I did because I was passionate about it; now it is something I do (or don't do, as the case may be) for a handful of people who may or may not be reading it.

3. Some of my rants got personal.

Needless to say really, it's never a good idea to blurt out things on the internet. Unfortunately, when my anger has had the better of me I have written things about people with whom I have since reconciled. I want them gone, and that's the last of it.

4. I don't have a laptop.

My laptop died and then died again and has finally given up the ghost completely. Although I have access to computers at work, it would be extremely unprofessional to use them for this purpose and writing on my phone makes my eyes go square.

5. I'm just not angry anymore.

This is the bottom line of it, guys. I don't get angry like I used to. I grew up, I moved on. Perhaps I'm more mature, perhaps I'm just sick and fucking tired of the bullshit. Either way, I just want to live my own life in peace. I don't have the time, energy or headspace to complain about the rest of the world or deal with its issues. I have so much going on in my own life that I don't need or want the extra stress. I'm working 8 or 9am til 8 or 10pm 6 days a week and when I get out of work the last thing I want to do is spend two or three hours getting angry about the world's bullshit. I just want to give love to the people I care about, have some laughs and be calm. This blog can't do that for me.

LtR used to be a place for me to vent when the world made me angry. Now the world makes me so tired that the anger has left my system - in fact, the anger left my system a long time ago. Not only that, after writing my dissertation on the shit state of the mental health system in South Korea I have discovered that a better ways to make a change are to write serious academic papers about serious issues and to get directly involved in the systems which represent those issues and force them to make changes.

These are my reasons for taking down Luna the Ranter. I hope you will understand and if you have any questions or comments, the blog will stay up until the end of February; you know where my ASK is.

[lunatheranter]

You’re Probably Not Going to Like This

This is a rant I've been intending to have for a while. The one saved in my phone was much more succinct, so I have adapted it. In light of recent *cough* elections *cough*, this is a sensitive topic, but I deal with sensitive and taboo subjects here. As I have said: If you don't like it, don't read it! If you are going to comment without reading the whole thing first, expect me to call you an idiot. You have been pre-warned.

Grab your pitchforks and form an angry mob, we're going to talk about racism! Openly! In a global context! Firstly, if you are certain that the only type of racism is white > black racism and you're so content in your own ignorant little bubble that you don't feel the need to change that, stop reading now. If you're going to try and wage a blazing argument with me on this subject, read this first. I will still win, but at least you'll be educated.

Let's clear up one massive misconception before we start: “Racism” is an umbrella term!

Racism: prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior

Racial discrimination: discrimination, unfair treatment or bias against someone or a group of people on the basis of their race

Racial stereotyping: forming simplified or false ideas about someone based on their race

Xenophobia: dislike of or prejudice against people from other countries

Race: classification of humans into groups based on supposed physical or genetic traits shared by the group

A few basic facts that everyone should know about race and racism:

1. Race is a social construct. It has no scientific foundation. Ask any biologist, sociologist, anthropologist, or person with a brain. RACE DOES NOT EXIST. It is something that was constructed to segregate one set of humans from another.

2. “Positive racial stereotyping”, eg. Asians are intelligent, is still racial stereotyping and therefore is STILL RACISM.

3. Xenophobia is a branch of racism. A white person from England slurring against a white person from Poland is STILL RACISM.

4. There is no such thing as “reverse racism” and I'm about to explain you why.

Take a look at that first definition again. Do you see the words “white people discriminating against black people”? No, you don't. And if you do, go fetch your glasses or your therapist because you're either blind or delusional. The reason you do not see those words is because that's not what racism is. Hello USA, I can see you getting angry already. This is going to upset you: I'm afraid you're not the only country that matters. Sure, you know it's not the only type of racism “but it's the WORST one!!!111!” in the USA. Which, again, is not the only country with prevalent institutional racism.

 The idea that white > black racism is the only type of racism, or the most problematic or prevalent type of racism, is just another example of the Western world thinking it is the only part of the world that matters. We're trapped inside this ignorant little bubble, paying attention to only what goes on in our immediate vicinity and then getting upset when somebody tells us we're wrong. That needs to stop here.   All racism, that is “any prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race”, is racism. Straight up racism. The concept of “reverse racism” is absolutely ridiculous. First of all, because it implies that racism can only come from one direction, and can only go one way. There are tens of different races on this planet, in hundreds of different places. You dare tell me that white > black racism is the only problem. Tell me, I dare you.   Secondly, it implies that white people hold all power everywhere, which is simply not true. It implies that white people, wherever they go, will never be discriminated against based on their race or origins. That is completely ludicrous. Here's why:

The example I am going to make use of here is South Korea. I am doing so because, as a white British person living in London, it is the only place so far where I have been directly exposed to racism. [Disclaimer: I do not believe that Koreans are inherently racist, or that their ignorance is intentional. I love South Korea and its people, and this is not intended as an attack on them. It is simply the only example I have at the moment. I have every intention of becoming a citizen if not a national of South Korea in the future. 대한민국 만세.]   Korea has a racism problem. It is faced by all non-Koreans. Yes, that includes white people. Yes, it operates on a structural, institutional level. There are clubs and restaurants which do not let foreigners – ie. non-Koreans or non-Asians – in, and this is legal. Shops operate sales which are not applicable to foreigners, and this is legal. There are services which foreigners cannot access and all of these things are legally supported and include white people. Foreigners are more likely to be persecuted for crimes and receive harsher sentences than Koreans. This is racial discrimination. The phrase “are you Russian?” does not usually mean “are you from Russia?”. It means “are you a prostitute?”. Explain to me in succinct points how this does not constitute racism. Somebody I know – a white British girl – who has lived in Korea for a long time has had the police called on her while walking in the street in Seoul, wearing jeans and a sweater, and been accused of prostitution. Because she's white. If you're confused, scroll up, read the definition of racism, and tell me that this does not qualify. If you still do not see it, let me put you on hold while I contact the nearest psychiatric unit. People yelling “go home you American slut” at my white British friend IS RACISM. (Assuming that all white people are American is also racism). So if you're going to look me in the eyes and tell me that “you can't be racist to white people”, you need to get your ignorant little air head out of the clouds. You're living in a bubble.   Yes, white > black racism is a problem. Yes, white > x racism is a big issue in the Western world. IN THE WESTERN WORLD. All over the world, every day, somebody of some race, creed or culture is experiencing racism. That includes white people. It includes South Americans, People of Colour, South Asians, Oriental Asians, Europeans, Americans, Australians. It includes everybody. It can take the form of police murdering innocent people. It can take the form of refusing access to services. It can look like this: “go back to your own country you Polish cunt”. It can involve attacking people physically or verbally. Worst of all, it can be hidden deep under the surface in harmful, unvoiced opinions because racism is not always an action. It is a thought. An idea. Something which separates us and incites hatred within and without all groups of people, everywhere in the world. If you say or do something nasty to somebody based on your opinion of their perceived race, regardless of what that race is, you are part of the problem. If you laugh or agree, you are part of the problem. Even if you do or say nothing at all, but you are silently harbouring a harmful opinion about a group of people, you are part of the problem. And if you think that there is only one type of racism, you are part of the problem.

Closing notes: I will take questions on this. I will comply with polite requests for extended explanation of my argument. If you have lived in every single country in the world for a significant enough length of time that you can quantitatively and definitely prove my argument wrong, then I will consider myself told, but if you come at me with your Western-centric opinions, with your whiny, self-important belligerence, you can take a large desert cactus and you can shove it deep into an orifice of your choice. If you are still fucking confused, you can go back and read the definition of racism over and over again until it finally sinks in. Racism is racism. Always. For everyone.

LUNA OUT.

[lunatheranter]

(Im)Pending (Doom)

So I guess my followers will be expecting a rant right about now. The truth is I have nothing to say. I woke up at 6am this morning with the election out of my mind - of course Trump couldn't win. It was a ridiculous idea. I wasn't worried because the outcome was inevitable; in fact I had almost completely forgotten about it. I wasn't even going to check the Internet this morning. As it happened, I had a notification. I opened up Twitter. My mind went completely numb. I cannot accept this as reality. If my SNS feeds had said "a winged unicorn flew down on a rainbow, entered the presidential race, and was elected overnight!" I would have believed it more than I can bring myself to believe this. Perhaps when the creeping shadows burst out from the corners and begin to spread, perhaps when the poison manifests itself in legal policies, then I will have something to say. For now, words utterly evade me. One of my friends and I have a joke that I'm an alien from a fictional planet that I created as part of a book I'm working on. How I wish that were true now. How I wish that I could get on the next space shuttle out of here and go home. But we cannot leave except in death, and better than to flee in the face of hatred is to stand and fight against it with love. I urge every single person on this crumbling planet to cast aside their differences now and embrace each other with love. Let hope bring us together. Do not let fear drive us apart. I don't think anybody really believed that this could happen. I certainly did not. I still don't, and for now I'm still waiting to wake up.

[lunatheranter]

Gaga, Queen of My Heart

I look at Lady Gaga and wonder if there’s anything she can’t do. Of course there isn’t; she has vision and drive. She’s everything I strive to be every day: strong, kind, motivated, ambitious. Growing up it was difficult for me to find a powerful female role model; I wasn’t pretty or popular. I was never interested in celebrities because that didn’t seem like an attainable goal to me. How could I, a short, skinny weirdo, ever grow up to be like that? It’s sad and telling that I was severely depressed by the age of 14, and I had given up on myself. I remember when Gaga debuted, I hated her. I thought “why is she acting like that? Who does she think she is?” I realise now that it’s because I didn’t know who I was. I didn’t have confidence or ambition. Dreams, yes, but no motivation or drive - my real dreams were way too big for me, after all. “Just Dance” got played everywhere and I reluctantly started listening to her music. Perhaps it seems silly now, but “Hair” got me. I thought “god this is me!” watched her soar into fame, I became a fan, I started paying attention to what she had to say. She was the first person who told me I could have all that, no matter who I was. “Be realistic” said everyone else. “Dreams won’t pay the bills”. “Stop being so dramatic”. Gaga said “dream big, work hard, be as dramatic as you like” and after all, who is the successful one? So I listened to Gaga. I became outrageous with my style. I let my dreams get much bigger than me. There were many other factors, of course, but Lady Gaga was the first person who taught me to love myself first. Love yourself first, and the rest will come.

Gaga is a true celebrity. She has talent. She is honest, kind, brave and humble. She is the embodiment of all of the qualities I want to have; the personification of my heart’s dream. Could I call her a soulmate? Yes, a soulmate of sorts - a friend of my soul. Somebody who stands before the world with a voice and spreads massive love. If the world stood at your feet, if every single ear was listening to your voice, what would you say next? I hope I would do the same. My heart’s dream is not to be famous or rich, not really, it is to inspire. I think that’s her heart’s dream too. And she’s achieved it. Every day she is changing a life.

When I’m demotivated, I look at Gaga. I think “what will this superwoman do next?” I’m not ashamed to say that I idolise her. I’m not embarrassed at all to proclaim myself a little monster, a follower of a dream much bigger than me. It is because of Gaga that I believe I can get there. I can be who I want, do what I want. I follow her every move because it reminds me when I’m not doing enough, or when I’m doing too much. I know that one day I will stand on that pedestal. I hope that she will be proud of a little monster. I hope that one day I’ll be able to stand on her level, and to thank her. To say “you helped me get here”.

It’s my beautiful, wonderful friends who support me every day and the dream and the drive, that comes from within. But when I was 16 and hiding in the dark, it was Gaga who made me think “what am I doing? How can I be somebody like this? How will anybody see me if I don’t show myself?” And now if people dare to tell me I have too many goals, that I have to pick only one and be content, I point at that humble New York girl and I say “No. She has it all. And if she believes I can too, then so do I”.

This is normally something I would put on my main blog, not here, but I feel like it belongs to the public. It’s one eye of a greater vision. Part of a bigger societal picture. To finish I want to give a grotesquely huge thanks to my precious friends who support my dreams, who are always rising with me and helping me grow. Of course, I want to give a massive thanks to Lady Gaga, who inspired me to let my soul shine. Keep shining Mother Monster, we’ve got our paws up.

“I am a walking piece of art every day, with my dreams and my ambitions forward at all times in an effort to inspire my fans to lead their life in that way.” - Lady Gaga

[lunatheranter]

Hi followers. I haven't posted for a while since I've been on a personal journey and busy with all sorts, too. I don't write many positive rants but coming up today is a rambling which has been brewing in the back of my mind for a while. I think it will be followed by a few issues I've been meaning to cover, as well. I have a couple of rants saved in my phone which I will edit and post sporadically over the next few weeks, some of which are related to the Body Image Series I was unable to complete. (If anyone has any questions about that feel free to head over to my ask box where I'll answer them in due course).

[lunatheranter]

About Not Being Angry.......

Do you fucking idiots have any idea what you've fucking done?! I am ashamed of my country. I am ashamed to call myself British and for the first time in my life I am thoroughly above and beyond ashamed to call myself Welsh. Dear my fucking parents: did you think of me when you voted out? Did you think of my European classmates? Did you think of the value of the pound crashing my potential wages abroad? Did you think of my brother who already has a hard enough time getting a job? Or did you think "grumble grumble immigrants grumble grumble the past grumble grumble"? Don't fucking answer, I know which one it was. Because if you had taken a second to think about my future you would have voted remain. If you cared about anything other than your backwards past you would have voted remain. As for the rest of you: your grandchildren are ashamed of you. Your children are ashamed of you. Strangers are ashamed of you. You fucking idiots, the whole world is ashamed of you. You stand by Farage? You stand by Trump? I hear you mock them and then obey them! I see you laugh at their ideas as you follow them! Blind and useless, all of you. Look in the mirror. Your reflection is fucking ashamed of you. I used to be proud to say I'm Welsh. We're a Labour country. We were the land of the brave and proud. We stood up and fought for love and humanity. Pleidiol wyf im gwlad. True I am to my country. Today, Wales, you shattered your values. You smashed your soul and you made me ashamed. True you are not to your country, true you are not to your people. Go out in the streets and cheer for the collapse of the future, raise the flag for the tears of your grandchildren. Raise the dragon in the name of hate. I dare you. We'll burn it down.