#Me years ago 'Americans think racism is black and white and do not realize their definitions do not work in the rest of the world'

[enekorre]

Love seeing an American be racist on my years old post about racism in Europe and then block me. If I didn't have emails turned on I would never even have seen the comment. Fucking racist moron 🤪

[finitefall]

hope you dont take this the wrong way.. but maybe dont get involved when you dont know the people in the post..

Hi, anon. I'm sure plenty of people agree with you: "Catherine, you don't know the people who were first involved, just because you saw the post on your dashboard since two people you follow answered doesn't mean you should too". And in certain circumstances, you would be right. In those circumstances, however, I don't agree with you.

I've read the entire post, and I did hesitate to reblog and add my own answer. Why? Because I got death threats myself both IRL and online. Because I'm suffering from mental illness and as someone who attempted suicide, I asked myself if it would be in my interest to risk having someone telling me to kill myself. It wouldn't be the first time, either. I even considered ignoring your message, anon. Avoid answering to this, because I'm not stupid: that answer isn't gonna make me popular. But... if people want to hate me, they will anyway.

Here's the original post @lady-phasma answered to:

I deserve a dark haired lover with soft eyes and a heart full of love

Nothing, I repeat, nothing in this post mention being white or a BIPOC. Nothing. Having dark hair doesn't mean crap. And what does this woman who thought they were only answering to a post about your tastes got? Insults. Accusations of racism. Death threats. When OP could have just said it wasn't for white people. Those who didn't want to understand that deserved to be blocked, but she didn't get an opportunity to realize she had answered on a post that wasn't for her and her tastes.

Then, someone who's actually a mutual, @la-pheacienne, was accused of using the n word. A black woman said she used the n word twice, when she absolutely never did such a thing. I would have blocked her myself and reblogged the post just to warn people of who she truly was if she had done such a thing. People have to realize how serious that accusation is. You can't just accuse people of being racists like it's a joke.

I'm not from the US. I'm French and have always lived in France, but I learned to check my white privilege very often. I'm not being colorblind like many people saying they're "not racist": you're either racist or antiracist. There's racism here too, hi. We're not the US, thank God, but still.

Have you watched Fruitvale Station, a 2013 movie inspired by the murder of a 22 years-old African-American by a police officer? Or a more popular one, When They See Us, a 2019 miniseries about the arrest and conviction of five young boys? Do you remember Trayvon Martin? George Floyd? Breonna Taylor? All the others I want to name here but I'm not sure how their names are spelled? Those aren't trick questions, it's only leading to this one: would you like their families to see this post? Honestly?

You know why I got involved? Because it was the right thing to do. Because I've never been a quiet witness to those things. I don't care whether or not I know the person who's being insulted and threatened. I've defended someone who used to bully me in school, once. Why? Because it was right at that time, when that person was being threatened. I still don’t have a high opinion of them, but that didn’t mean what was happening right in front of me was all right. If you only say something because it's your friend and you like them, I don't know if you actually believe in anything besides defending your friend.

People have unfollowed me. I'm glad. I don't want people who think what happened was all right to follow me. If people want to send me threats, I have a strong moral support now that I didn't have years ago. What's important for me is to not pretend I didn't see something going against what I believe in. I know people love to look the other way, but I've never done it and I'm not about to start now just because it would make my life easier and because more people would like me.

I've checked that woman's blog and apparently she'll be all right. With someone else, that might not have been the case. You know people do commit suicide because of what they're being told online? It's not just about @lady-phasma. It's not just about one of my mutuals having been accused of being a racist. Perhaps it's about me, in fact. About the fact that I can't imagine seeing this, think "lol it's ridiculous" and go watch TV. Believe me, people have told me to back off enough times in my life for me to realize that this isn't an attractive personality trait, but that's how I am.

[qqueenofhades]

1) I really don’t understand why conservatives are so allergic to white children learning about racism—even just basic things. Like when I was a child, I was bullied SO much for being Black, starting in kindergarten, and it continued until I began to straighten my hair, dream about bleaching my skin, and contemplate suicide in middle school. It was around that time when it stopped. Now I’m fine, though I still straighten my hair, and I’m friends with and care about many of those people.

2) And I want to emphasize that they are GOOD people, and they were just children at the time who didn’t know the full gravity what they were doing. I don’t hold it against them. But I was a child too, and I was really hurt and I had a lot of internalized antiblackness for years as a result. And I’m only 18- I’m Gen z. So it was during the Obama era when I was bullied, not the 1960s. What I simply don’t get is, if white children are old enough to BE racist, why can’t they be taught about racism.

3) If they’re old enough to bully POC, why do conservatives think they can’t learn some BASIC things about why that’s wrong? And why are children of color expected to just take it? It just… disturbs me.

Oof. First of all, I am so sorry that that happened to you, and you're displaying a remarkable amount of maturity and grace for anyone, let alone an 18-year-old, in being able to differentiate between children copying behavior they learned at home from racist adults, and who they became later. Honestly, there would be nothing wrong if you'd never had anything to do with them again, let alone remained friends with them. As you said, you were a child too, they caused you a whole lot of unnecessary pain and suffering, and made you contemplate suicide! As a middle schooler! Kudos to them for recognizing their past toxic behavior and (presumably) apologizing for it, I guess, but sheesh. And of course, your story is familiar to everyone who grew up "different" in America, in whatever way. Which is just not right, but it's become intensely normalized and a central tenet of conservative/Republican power in the post-Obama years, in a way that hasn't been the case since the nadir of white backlash against the civil rights movement. Like, there was a time not so long ago when making racist remarks in public was grounds for a Republican candidate to be forced to step down; they could say it all they wanted in private, but there was a taboo against doing so in public. Now they say it as loudly as possible and openly campaign and fundraise on it. They compete to see who can be the most racist and xenophobic. Why should they apologize, when they realized there was a whole segment of America that was hungry for them to be as vile as possible, and would flock to vote for them as a result?

You obviously do not need me to explain the lived experience of everyday racism to you, but hopefully I can offer some perspective on the systemic/institutional/historic macro-level workings of it. The short answer to your question is that white conservatives don't want their kids to learn that racism is wrong because they straight-up don't think it is wrong, and they don't want to ever acknowledge or talk about or admit any fault for white supremacy, because they think it's just liberals "whining about political correctness" and failing to worship America enough. Conservatives don't want to talk about Native American genocide, Manifest Destiny, slavery, or anything aside from their fantasy narrative of rugged white men "opening the West" and building "the greatest country in the world." They hate history because it doesn't paint previous white supremacists in, to say the least, a very good light. It challenges the entire bedrock on which they have built their power, their identity, and their persecution and grievance complex. Because America is only now starting to barely even acknowledge and talk about its racism problem on a widespread fashion, the conservatives are panicking. Racial demographics are changing, younger generations are uniformly more liberal, and in their lifetime, the white supremacist model of punishment, subjugation, control, and generally accepted public destruction of people of color may well finally be on its way out. So they're lashing out and going ultra-extremist in hopes of putting it off as long as possible.

Trump was obviously pivotal in moving Republican racism to the mainstream and open acceptance, but it was the case long before. It became a deliberate political strategy to cultivate whites who were angry about the partisan realignment of the 1960s and deserted the Democratic Party en masse as a result; after Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act in 1964, he is said to have remarked to an aide that "we have just lost the South for a generation." Republicans swooped in to pick up these angry racist southern white voters, even though they had been the anti-slavery, New England-based, relatively liberal political party in the 19th century, and all the racist southern whites were Dixecrat Democrats. Except Johnson's embrace of the VRA and the civil rights movement finally completed the switch of those party positions. Reagan's 1980s "war on drugs" was laced with anti-Black dog whistles and assaults on Black communities, even if it was more subtle than the outright physical attacks on civil rights protestors in the 1960s. Then Obama got elected, and the right wing lost its ever-living mind.

There was a recent post, which I can't find now, profiling how some white Obama voters switched to Trump. The part that stuck out to me was what a white Iowan woman who had previously voted for Obama pointed to as the moment she became "disillusioned" with him: when he expressed sympathy for Trayvon Martin, the young black boy murdered as he walked home with a bag of skittles, and said that Trayvon could have been his son. This woman viewed it as Obama "taking a side" in racial conflicts (you know, because both sides are morally equivalent!) and "fomenting hatred." So in other words, the instant that Obama -- a Harvard-educated constitutional law professor and Christian middle-class father and husband who was otherwise as "respectable" as you could get -- did anything to remind her that he was black, or took any kind of position on racism, or expressed sympathy for the young victim of a racist hate crime, even in the most moderate and inoffensive of terms, THAT was what she saw as "taking sides and fomenting hatred." That is the depth of white fragility that exists in this country, and why so many white people who had voted for Obama by managing to forget he was black, subsequently switched to Trump. The defense of the idea of "white innocence" was more important to them than anything else.

This is also why white working-class and non-college voters are a reliably Republican demographic, even though they would also benefit from Democratic economic, social, and political policies. They don't care if their lives get materially better or not; as long as the Democrats are a party that supports and includes people of color, the people who have built their entire identity on the idea that being white is the best thing about them, simply will not vote for them. This is why the analyses that try to claim "economic dispossession" as a reason for white working-class people to support the Republicans miss the point. White working-class people (or at least the majority of them) support the oligarchs who are directly responsible for disastrous economic policies, and they don't even find it remotely bad, since they rabidly defend hypercapitalist economic exploitation and bash any "socialist" that tries to fix it. If economic grievance was their actual motivation, and not the maintenance of the white supremacist hierarchy which they see themselves as having a crucial role in supporting, they would vote differently. Thus far, they don't.

So... yeah. American conservatives aren't ever going to want white children taught about racism, since that might deprive them of the next generation of white supremacist foot soldiers and threaten the entire 400-year old system on which their power rests. They don't see it as wrong; in fact, they're now inclined to cling to it more than ever. Liberals likewise tend to view racism as a personal, individual, or moral issue, rather than as the all-consuming structural monolith that it is. The idea is that "good people" can't be racist, but that is just... not how any of it works.

If you haven't heard of/read it already, I strongly recommend Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, by Ibram X. Kendi. Kendi is an award-winning Black scholar, historian, and antiracist activist who has also written several other books on the topic. I think that his work will help articulate this for you further, and explain why, as the title of his book suggests, anti-Black racism is so deeply rooted in white America's psyche. Hopefully, however, this was somewhat helpful for you too.

Hugs. ❤️

[aspoonofsugar]

I wish unicorn of war would just disappear from youtube that person (cant recall their gender) with the ammount of stupid points they bring up and like recently comming on a video called how rwby fails lgbt about a show thats not over yet (and the video having blake and yang a couple that techiqually isn't together yet wonder if they are still salty over clover dying (all because a writer shipped him and qrow I didn't even know that was a ship cause to me it seemed oh clover is helping qrow

Hello anon,

I am sorry, but I do not watch their videos hence I can't comment on them. That said, I would like to use your ask to share my 2 cents on the whole LGTBQ+ representation issue, not just in RWBY, but in general.

I think it is important to realize that offering representation and exploring themes linked to LGTBQ+ or gender is not the same thing. It is the same for all important social issues. A story where there is racism does not necessary set itself up to explore the issue deeply or thematically. A series with disabled characters might not be interested on truly reflecting on disability. In short, just because there is rep it does not mean the topic is going to be at the centre of a story.

That said, rep is still extremely important to normalize some phenomenons (the existence of queer people and their right to have happy relationship, what living with a disability means, etc.). The more rep there is, the best it is. Obviously there can be some rep that won't meet everyone's taste and maybe in some cases it might be offensive to some and can be criticized. However, with the exception of very rare cases, every rep is on some measure positive and deciding that it is not woke enough for your standards is literally helping no-one.

Now, RWBY has some decent rep imo. Blake and Yang are main characters and they are clearly ending up together. The series also has minor characters that are confirmed queer like Ilia, Coco, May, Sofron,Terra, Nolan and Scarlet. There is absolutely nothing bad in this.

You want more? That is a fair wish, but not all series are gonna have as much queerness as you want. That is a fact. Some authors will be more interested in representing this kind of characters and in exploring these themes. Others will not.

You don't like Bumbleby as a ship? Fine, it does not change it is 2 main girls ending up together in a Young Adult American series that debuted in 2013. Like, I am not sure, but I think Korrasami happened in 2015... imo remembering RWBY has been planned in its major bits (which I am fairly sure involves the endgame ships) not today, but 10 years ago is good food for thought.

Now, Bumbleby's execution is not perfect (I really think they should have handled Sun better), but it is not even remotely as out of the blue or as badly written as some people claim. Imo it is something clearly decided since early on:

Black the beast descends from shadows. Yellow beauty burns gold.

Even dismissing Red Like Roses, volume 2 and 3 still clealry code Blake and Yang romantically.

Yang and not Sun is the one who convinces Blake to go to the dance:

Yang: And if you feel like coming out tomorrow, I'll save you a dance.

So, symbolically she is the one who brings Blake to the ball:

Sun: Sooo, does this mean we're going... together?

Blake: Technically, though my first dance is spoken for.

Notice that Blake and Yang wear complementary outfits (black and white, ying and yang), while Black Sun have both black clothes.

Not only that, though:

Blake: I had someone very dear to me change. It wasn't in an instant, it was gradual - little choices that began to pile up. He told me not to worry. At first they were accidents, then it was self-defense. Before long, even I began to think he was right. This is all just... very familiar. But you're not him. And you've never done anything like this before. So... I want to trust you. I will trust you. But first, I need you to look me in the eyes and tell me that he attacked you. I need you to promise me that you regret having to do what you did.

Adam: And as I set out upon this world and deliver the justice mankind so greatly deserves, I will make it my mission to destroy everything you love.

Yang: Blake! Where are you!?

Adam: Starting with her.

Yang is directly compared to Adam aka Blake's previous partner and lover and she is Adam's target the moment he is trying to hurt Blake. Like, crazy ex-boyfriend targets new love interest is a recurring trope. Not to count Yang losing her arm is juxtaposed to Pyrrha screaming Jaune's name while he is being attacked by Cinder. Arkos is clearly romantic and the 2 scenes happening frame beside frame is a way to equate the 2 relationships.

In short, structurally there is little doubt. Bumbleby is endgame and it is set up very very early on in the story. Criticizing the ship because it has yet to happen makes little sense to me. How many straight ships are confirmed at the end of a story? Why should they have the chance to crown the characters' arcs at the very end, but queer ones have to be confirmed early on to prove they are somehow good enough?

What is more, even if you somehow decide to follow this standard... so far only Bumbleby and Renora are clearly confirmed as endgame ships. Personally, I think all the major characters will end up in a ship by the end. Even if this were not the case, I am still fairly sure Renora and Bumbleby are not gonna be the only 2 ships. And yet, they are the ones who have undergone the most development and are clearly the closest to be confirmed as canon.

In short, for the standard of the series... Bumbleby is actually confirmed pretty early on imo :''')

Anyway, thank you for the ask anon and have a nice day!

[tayegi]

A note on Asian privilege

As some of you know, I live in a small, predominantly white suburban town. Last week, I went to the grocery store and stood in line waiting to check out behind this old white couple. I noticed the nice conversation the cashier was having with the couple, and figured that we might have a similar exchange. So I went up to the cashier when it was my turn with a friendly greeting, but the moment she laid eyes on me, her expression completely changed. She immediately dove for her hand sanitizer and smeared it all over before she would even touch my groceries, and didn’t respond to my greeting. And even as she bagged my groceries, she refused to make eye contact, and kept a healthy distance between us, even with the glass divider already in place. And that’s when I realized that she wasn’t just being rude-- she was terrified of me. That even though I was born and raised in the US and have not stepped foot in Wuhan China, she was scared that I might carry a deadly virus and get her sick. 

I have experienced many condescending and outright racist insults in my life, both subtle (e.g., “But where are you really from?”) and overt (e.g., “Go back to your country” and other racist slurs), but never have I ever experienced anyone reacting to me with fear before. And when I told this story to my family, they were equally as shocked. “Why would she be scared?” “But you’re so small and harmless!” I remember feeling strangely embarrassed by the encounter-- like I was the one to blame for the cashier’s fear of me. That I should apologize for the deadly coronavirus just on account of me being Asian. 

And that’s when I realized that this is exactly what Black Americans have experienced everyday for hundreds of years. 

That feeling of being seen as dangerous. Of others being afraid of you. It is gut-wrenching. And it is mind-blowing that no one in my family has experienced this until 2020 with COVID-19. This fear of Asians will pass, as COVID-19 either passes or becomes integrated into our daily lives. But the association of Blacks as dangerous criminals still continues, and will continue unless we do something about it. 

I am so beyond privileged that I can walk into a store without fear of being followed by a cashier or accused of robbery. That I can call police for help without fear of being shot or arrested instead. 

Asian Americans are called the “model minority” and some even wear this title as a badge of honor. It is not a compliment and should not be viewed as such. It’s a manipulative way to turn minority groups against each other. “Look at how much Asians have achieved. Why can’t black/Latino people be more like them?” Why? Because Asians already come from a place of immense privilege. 

We love to pat ourselves on the back and think of ourselves as hard-working underdogs who overcame the barriers of language and racism to succeed. I won’t deny that there are hardships that immigrants and other Asians face. No one is saying that you didn’t suffer!! But your sufferings are in no way comparable to what Black Americans face on a daily basis. And that’s because most Asians come from highly educated or wealthy backgrounds. Think of all the international students you know-- what’s the stereotype about them? That they’re filthy rich, huh? And why’s that? Because it’s true. Asians currently have the highest SES and are the most educated of all ethnic groups in the United States. The only Asians who are allowed to immigrate to the U.S. are usually the richest or most educated. And there aren’t negative stereotypes about dangerousness or criminal behavior around us. 

My dad was a poor grad student, and I grew up in relative poverty as a kid. I remember watching him struggle to make ends meet. But even then, we were highly privileged. Both my parents already had their bachelor’s degrees before immigrating. Do you know how rare that is? Both of them had decades of education and support that set them up for success in the United States. Sure, there was the language barrier, but they were offered free ESL classes from the university. And if all else failed, they could easily just go back to their homeland and find work there. And once my dad graduated with his graduate degree, he was instantly able to find high paying jobs that instantly launched us up to the middle class. Yes, I was poor growing up. Yes, my parents struggled. But they were highly educated, coming from privileged families, and could teach me and pass down those skills. 

The number one predictor of your future SES and income is your parents’ income. 

Let that sink in. 

It’s not hard work. It’s not intelligence. It’s what privilege you were born with that determines your success. Now imagine if you had to start all the way back with slavery. Where you were just an object and had no rights or money. The “American Dream” is just a lie rich people tell to keep poor people in their place. “If you work hard, you can achieve success.” And then they try to use Bill Gates or Zuckerberg as examples of this “American Dream.” Bullshit. Sure, Gates & Zuckerberg dropped out of Harvard to pursue their dreams, but they were privileged enough to get into Harvard in the first place. And I can guarantee you that I would have never gotten into my PhD program-- wouldn’t have even dreamt of applying, if not for my family of academics. 

Asian Americans need to shake off the title of “model minority” and stand with Black Americans. We might be seen as particularly well-behaved dogs, but we’re still dogs in the system. We’ve seen how fast the American public has turned on us during the COVID pandemic. I doubt there’d be even a fraction of this xenophobia and violent hatred if the virus came from Europe. Don’t forget that Japanese Americans were imprisoned in internment camps during WWII. Not even Germans, who started the war, but the foreign-looking ones. And don’t forget that the Chinese weren’t even considered human and weren’t allowed to be U.S. citizens until less than 80 years ago. The system is no friend of ours. No matter how they try to flatter us with all this “model minority” bullshit. We are not special and we will never be seen as equals by Whites. 

Standing in solidarity with Black Lives Matter is standing for equality. It means that we will not put up with white supremacy and systemic injustices anymore. The system is broken, and I am sick and tired of seeing other Asian Americans do everything in their power to try to be perfect, unoffending citizens and appease white people in power. We have to fight for justice and equality. Not just because the tides can turn at any time and put us at harm, but simply because it is the right thing to do. And we, as a community, are in a unique position of privilege in order to make change. 

Black Lives Matter. And check your goddamn privilege. 

[africanization101]

Your blog is wonderful. I believe it articulates perfectly the way Blackness has come to implicitly dominate Europe, culturally, socially and sexually. Whiteness, or at least White men, really had no plan to retain their hegemony when they lost the ability to explicitly dominate the continent. It just shocks me how rapidly we are being supplanted. My question is this: do you think we will ever reach a stage of explicit Black domination of Europe? Or will Whiteness just slowly fade and be forgotten?

Your message, just like many messages in my inbox, comes at this topic from a right-wing perspective; reformed right-wing perhaps, but still right-wing, looking at the world in terms of hierarchy and domination. Interracialist right-wingers’ problem is that they can’t really perceive whiteness as a dominant force anymore, but they still need structure and hierarchy in their lives, so they adopt Blackness as their new guiding principle. Makes sense, right?

I come at this topic from a liberal perspective: I don’t need to dominate or be dominated, but I do enjoy diversity and the social changes we are going through. I’m not naive either though; I realize that many people do cherish clear guiding principles and that telling them “do whatever you want” is going to be less compelling than “be white” or “be Black”, in a generalized sense of those terms. Even if I personally don’t advocate for binding standards, I recognize that binding standards will probably come into existence. And now we’re starting to touch on your question.

Whiteness as a guiding principle has been differentially fading in Western societies depending on how prevalent Blackness has been in any existing social stratum. For many socioeconomic reasons, Black people have been primarily exerting dominant cultural influence in the lower social stratum in the West, and that’s where we already see a trend towards not just white fading, but Black cultural domination: the ideal type (both male and female) in Western lower class society has by now definitely become Black. My favorite example of this is an American character by the name of Bhad Bhabie, a supposedly white woman whose entire fame and career is based on being a stereotype of a low-class white female; now look at her presentation and lifestyle:

There are more than a few young white women who see her as their role model, but obviously not everyone wants to become Bhad Bhabie. Whiteness is definitely still hegemonic in the upper social strata of Western societies, but even there, it is on shaky grounds. @tori-reid-united-colors is playing on that theme with her blog description “from preppy to promiscuous, from bourgeois to bimbo, from socialite to snowbunny“. Yes, white women of means still pay lip service to whiteness as a cultural concept. But how many of them secretly Black it up when they get a chance, and how many who don’t wish they’d have the courage to do so?

There are many Black people who’d have the means and tools to shake it in middle and upper class life, but have been held back by legacy racism. They’d fit in, but they’d also change the scene up quite a bit, and we’re now seeing them begin to exert their influence in this social milieu as well. Do you want to bet on the proliferation of whiteness in this context? I wouldn’t.

Sure, not everyone is going to hop on the Black train with no intention of going back. At the same time, the incentive to do so will become greater with each passing year for basically everyone. So if you’re asking me whether I see Blackness as a culturally dominating phenomenon, I’d have to say yes, I do see it becoming that. And if anyone thinks I’m being hyperbolic and fetishistic with that, remember all the hyperbolic and fetishistic things I said a couple of years ago that are now part of mainstream culture. I called this blog “Africanization” for a reason.

[damgoodjob]

Because I’m tired of people being raggedy

A long one…

…I’ve been resting…but I saw a status that poked me a bit.

I can say this now…and I say it without apology or holding my tongue.

First, I acknowledge and pay respect to the individuals who lost their lives in Kabul. It’s hard to see families break down when their loved ones are brought home with American flags draped over their coffins. I hope to never have to experience that. Ever.

I saw a status that called people who don’t stand for the flag a “disgrace”, and I hope to share some perspective.

A few years ago, a friend of mine who had fought for this country came into my inbox and basically told me that unless I laced my boots up and fought for this country, I had no right to ever criticize America…that’s where I struggle…I struggle with veterans who think that they have the right to tell me how to think, act, stand or speak with regards to this country because of a decision they made in serving this country as military personnel.

I will always do my best to support the decisions of friends who choose to go into the military. I support my younger brother who is a Marine.

What I find the most disconcerting is that people will mourn the death of individuals who have lost their lives in combat overseas, but remain silent when Black people are unjustly killed right here on American soil by police officers and racist bigots…and then have so much to say in opposition to movements like Black Lives Matter (which shouldn’t be a movement, but rather an understanding) when a Black person is killed in a city like Chicago.

You did not grieve for Atatiana…you backed the Blue.

You did not grieve for Tamir…you backed the Blue.

You did not grieve for Sweet Aiyana…you backed the Blue.

You did not grieve for Akai…you backed the Blue.

You did not grieve for Elijah…sweet Elijah…you backed the blue.

You did not grieve for Beautiful Breonna…you backed the Blue.

You. Did. Not. GRIEVE for George Floyd…you waited for every piece of evidence to come out about him that would justify him no longer existing on this earth, and you backed the Blue.

With footage of Derek Chauvin’s KNEE on his neck for almost ten minutes…you watched that man die, having not resisted…you contributed to Derek’s bail, you prayed for his family, and you backed the Blue.

When Black people are murdered because of the color of their skin…are their killers a disgrace?

When our Forefathers…some of whom owned Blacks as slaves, would maim, rape, and kill enslaved Black people…were they a disgrace? They had statues erected in their honor…so certainly their good outweighed their bad, right? If a few Negro heads had to roll for democracy and the birth of this great nation, so be it.

When fire hoses and dogs were turned on Black people who protested and marched for equality…were those officers a disgrace?

In the eyes of so many Americans, a disgrace is anything that would dare to challenge the status quo…and the reason why racism no longer exists, never existed, or no longer has any bearing in the eyes of the average American citizen is because RACISM IS the status quo. Racism IS business as usual. RACISM doesn’t exist because RACISM has proven to BE the American way for so many.

So what if a few Blacks can’t afford healthcare?

So what if COVID 19 affects the Black community at larger rates?

So what if the number of Black people who die from COVID 19 is significantly larger than any other group in certain areas?

So what if a few Black people get shot by the police?

The response to Black Lives Matter is All Lives Matter…followed by Blue Lives Matter…but no one who Backs the Blue or drives around with that Blue painters tape on their car, or adorns decals of the American Flag with that blue line in the stripes would ever agree that just like their lives matter, the life of an unarmed Black person matters…creating Blue Lives Matter as a response is saying directly to Black people…if you die, you die.

It broke my heart to see a mother kneel down as she met her son’s flag draped coffin as his body was returned home…

…but I realize that so many of you who would call someone who doesn’t stand for the flag a “disgrace”, would never shed a tear seeing Elijah McClain’s mother break down after taking Elijah off life support…

Seeing Emmett Till’s mutilated body wouldn’t move you after he was murdered for whistling at a White woman…and his murderers were acquitted.

He was a kid. A kid.

Tamir Rice was a kid.

Trayvon was a kid.

Aiyana was a kid.

The story of 4 little girls from Birmingham, Alabama who were murdered after a church was bombed by an angry White mob doesn’t move you to tears.

A white man walking into a church and murdering Black worshippers doesn’t move you…the decedent’s family’s forgiveness moves you.

Botham Jean being murdered in his own apartment doesn’t move you…his brother’s forgiveness of Botham’s murderer moves you.

A difference in perspective is what caused me and a lifelong friend to never reconcile, and unfortunately I will never ever get the chance to…but even in our difference of opinion, I would never call him a disgrace because I care more about the message of equity and unity than calling him anything other than “brother” or “friend”.

People become strangely patriotic when Americans die in combat overseas, but say nothing when Americans die at the hands of domestic terrorists.

I was shamed and made to believe that I feed into the liberal trash being broadcasted by the media and that I’m a race-baiter who is the lowest of the low for spreading divisive rhetoric…but to me, the lowest of the low are people who claim to love this country, but do nothing to speak out against injustices just because the hue of another person’s skin must obviously warrant some of that treatment.

If you ask me, THAT isn’t very patriotic at all. If America stands for liberty and justice for ALL…you better start offering up that same energy at the dinner table and at your churches because I guarantee you…the hatred that so many accuse me and others of spreading is a lot closer to your homes than you even realize.

…but I’m not so naive to the fact that many of you actually know that.

Why is it sadder and more appropriate to mourn the death of someone who gave their all for this country than someone who did their best to just stay alive IN this country?

Stories of fathers-to-be tug at heartstrings…but what about Elijah? He wanted to be somebody. Aiyana wanted to be somebody?

Tamir…he wanted to be somebody.

Trayvon could’ve been somebody.

Addie May wanted to be somebody.

Little Carol wanted to be somebody.

Little Cynthia wanted to be somebody.

Little Carole wanted to be somebody.

Emmett wanted to be somebody.

They all had dreams…didn’t they? Didn’t they dream the dream you quote “MLK” for dreaming?

Or is his dream only relevant when combatting people fighting for equity?

If you’re going to call someone who sit or kneels during the Pledge of Allegiance a disgrace…

You’d better offer that same energy to those who disgrace their badge and uniform when they take another Black life without flinching.

Why isn’t Brian Encina a disgrace? A man couldn’t control his ego long enough to just give Sandra Bland a ticket and keep it moving…he had to exercise his dominance and put her in her place…now she no longer exists.

…but he’s human just like us, right?

So what was Sandra Bland?

The officer who murdered Philando Castile, a licensed gun owner in the car with his partner and child made a simple mistake, right? Sometimes it just happens….but Eric Garner panicking and struggling to breathe was resisting arrest. He wasn’t only human. Mike Brown wasn’t only human. Walter Scott wasn’t only human. Ahmaud Arbery wasn’t only human.

Chiiiile…y’all out here being situationally patriotic. You might stand for the flag, but you got your back turned on your fellow citizens who were trying to do every day things like run to the corner store, leave from their brand new job, lay down in their bed and rest, walk around in their apartment, walk around in their home, BE A KID, BE A KID, BE A KID…

[pixelsilver]

Hi, it’s The-Abomination, and I just want to say a few things about what happened.

Well to start off, I deleted everything because of a severe mental break down. Because surprise, surprise unmedicated anxiety mixed with years of trauma from being bullied as a kid makes you kind of lose your shit. 

All of that was six years ago with the latest being around three. I have changed quite a bit since then. Especially considering I came from a conservative family who instilled in me that anyone who wasn’t straight or Cis were odd or plain disgusting. It took me years to unlearn what they have taught me. 

Fuck, I had to unlearn my own internalized homophobic. I thought I was ace at first because I didn’t like guys but slowly as I looked more into the community, I realized that maybe just maybe it wasn’t that I didn’t like anyone, it was maybe because I never thought I could be *gay*. I struggled a lot with my identity in the past and only just now I’m accepting myself as who I am. 

I even dated a transwoman who had been my friend for ten years. She helped me with understanding myself and I am forever grateful for her making me realize somethings about myself. I would give up anything in the world for her. She had been there for me and I fucking love her. Amelia if you are reading this, you are my world. 

Fuck, I have quite a few friends who are gay, lesbian, bi, trans. I’m actually good friends with a reformed jewish gay man who sure as hell I love to death. I would fucking die for that man. I love his intelligent snarky ass. 

Racist? Well is it racist to believe that people shouldn’t be attacked for the color of their skin no matter if they’re black, white, mexican, asian, or really ANYONE. I think it’s disgusting to attack anyone and that reverse racism doesn’t exist. It’s just racism and hiding behind your identity to justify your hate for people is AWFUL. Only bitter, hateful, spiteful people would do that.

I am not sorry that I called Menderash a racist, because that is exactly what they are. 

You can kiss my mixed native american ass menderash. Oh? You didn’t know I was part of a tribe not only by blood but actually recognized as a member?

If we are going to play the minority card, then I get to play mine. I’m proud of my heritage but I realize that people in the present aren’t the ones who had taken away my tribe’s land. You should be attacking the real racists, not attacking a whole group who more than likely only have a loud vocal minority that are racist.

Menderash is a hateful spiteful person who has attacked several of my friends in the past. They even attacked a fifteen year old girl after she wouldn’t buy into their lies about another person on here. I have watched them attack MULTIPLE members of the LGBTQ+ community for not agreeing with them.

They are not an ally, they are just looking to fight people. I quite frankly find it disgusting that they would do such things. I’m here to have fun, love people, and bring happiness. That’s why I staunchly don’t like politics on my blogs at all. Because at the end of the day, the animorphs fandom is supposed to be fun not stressful. 

<3

[neon-junkie]

Hey everyone,

This will be my final post addressing the fandom conflict that has quite frankly gotten out of hand. Although it’s very likely this post will be picked apart, no matter how well intended it is, I will no longer be addressing, interacting, or responding to any further accusations made against me. Of course, if people have questions from a genuine place of interest, I will be happy to clarify anything for you, either via DM’s or non-anon asks. I will not be answering anonymous asks on this, as I do not want anything else posted on this topic. 

As a side note: For anyone tempted to wade into the debate, I sincerely ask you not to get involved. Do not make yourself a target, do not feel you need to ‘pick a side’, and please do not think you have an obligation to reason with either side. It seems to be well past the point of that, so please find people you get along with in this fandom and curate a space for yourself away from all this conflict.

Warning: This post will contain uncensored slurs, mentions of racism, paedophilia, transphobia, LGBTQ+ phobia, death threats, threats of violence, targeted harassment, and abusive language.

To start off, I want to apologise to everyone who has somehow gotten drawn into this mess by either defending me, following me, or interacting with my content. This whole situation with me began well over a year ago when I wrote a crack-smut fic featuring Javier/Micah, posted back in August 2019. A crack fic is defined as “a work of fan fiction that is absurd, surprising or ridiculous, often intentionally.” It was inspired by a camp interaction between Micah and Javier, and like many other fanfiction writers, I decided to write smut about it. The fic was titled ‘Dirty Fucking Greaser’, and if that shocks you, I’m sure you can imagine how shocked I was to be informed afterwards that ‘Greaser’ was in fact a very serious 19th century slur for a Mexican individual. My first encounter with this word as insult was via RDR2, where it was used like a very casual insult. My only prior knowledge of this term was in regards to the greasers youth subculture, so the severity was lost on me. This obviously does not excuse my ignorance, and I should have researched the term better, but this is just again to apologize for that oversight, the insensitivity, and to highlight that my use of this term was not meant maliciously. Following this being pointed out, I proceeded to make 3 separate apology posts [Unfortunately I can only find the third one: HERE], renamed the fic, and added slur warnings in both the tags and the fic description. When I continued to receive complaints and increasingly aggressive abuse (which included being told my apologies weren’t good enough and I should delete my account and even kill myself), I attempted to delete the fic and mistakenly abandoned it instead. I contacted AO3 to see if it could be removed, but they said there was nothing they could do. I contacted their DMCA takedown team, who also said they couldn't remove it. Please note that all this happened 7-8 months ago, and has been dragged on for almost a year. 

So, from this one unfortunate incident, I’ve been branded a racist, and someone who attacks POC, when all I have done is tried to defend myself and correct my past mistakes. I could have done this more gracefully in the past, but frankly when you’re suddenly the target of unrelenting callout posts and nasty anons, it’s very hard to be open to criticism of this sort, but this is what I’m trying to move past.

Over the course of the year, this one mistake has spiralled, and the crusade against me has somehow coincided with moral conflicts over certain characters and ships. This has devolved into dehumanizing abuse, witch hunts, death threats, doxxing, anon hate, and much more unpleasant behaviour.

I have been in fandom for a very long time, and at the heart of all fandom circles is the fear of censorship and subsequent purges, so the ‘ship and let ship’ mentality was more or less the pinnacle of fandom philosophy. And yes, this can be problematic in some contexts. People have their right to be uncomfortable with content, have a right to be offended by content, but that is not content meant for you. This argument has devolved into ‘what material is morally right to engage with’ and that is a mentality in which fandom will not survive, because for every person who is telling me I’m an awful person for writing about Micah, there are three other people telling me how much they appreciate me making that content. For every fic in which I characterize Javier and Flaco a certain way, some people are made uncomfortable by it and others tell me they enjoy it. And this isn’t just white people, but POC too, which makes it very difficult to know whether I am genuinely in the right or the wrong, especially when it comes to the concept of ‘fetishization’ which I have been made aware I need to educate myself on. I intend to do so, but I disagree with the common accusation that finding non-white men romantically and sexually attractive is inherently fetishistic and makes me racist. It’s pushing a catch-22; don’t find POC sexually attractive? Racist. Find POC sexually attractive? Racist.

I am always willing to be (politely) approached about anything my readers may be concerned about, but if it’s something I’ve specifically tagged for (such as themes, scenarios, etc.) I’m afraid you consented to reading it and with that I cannot help you. You are just as responsible for curating your space and what you see/read just as much as I am responsible for tagging it appropriately.  

On the topic of racism, I want to bring up my prior use of ‘white racism’ which has obviously been a point of contention among both white and people of colour. The (literal) black vs white concept of racism is incredibly American-centric, and as someone from Europe, which has a history of oppression against white cultures and those of people of colour, it feels inaccurate. However, this has recently been discussed with me and I came to the realization that while growing up, especially in the UK, ‘xenophobia’ and ‘racism’ were marketed as one and the same. So, with this little revelation in mind, I will no longer be using ‘white racism’ (Or ‘reverse racism’) to identify the abuse I have been receiving, but will instead call it by what it really is; dehumanizing, debasing, xenophobic, puritanical.   

Very briefly, I will also touch on the NewAustin situation, which has also been dredged into this. I did not ‘chase a POC from tumblr’. NA was a minor who for some reason was on my 18+ blog and took issue with me, likely from the ongoing discourse regarding my fic and initial mistake, as well as my interest in Micah. They were subsequently harassed into deleting their account by anonymous hate following various conflicts with other users for their support of me or their ships in general. I have never encouraged my followers to target anyone, and have always asked to be blocked and blacklisted by those who do not like me or my content. When NewAustin messaged me following the deletion of their blog, I was admittedly indifferent to the point of being unkind, and accused them of sending the hate themselves. This was based on the anon hate being racially-driven without there being any prior knowledge or publication that NA was a person of colour. This aside, I should have at the time, whether I believed it was my followers or not, condemned this behaviour. Regardless of the issues I’ve had with these people, it is never ever ok to send hate to anyone, no matter the motivation behind it, and that should have been stated at the time.

All I can do at this point is acknowledged and apologize for my past mistakes, and try to improve myself going forward.  

It is not my place to dictate the morals of the character/ship-aspect of this argument, and I am not interested in waging a war of opinion. This post is simply to clarify how I am involved in this, and why I am so viscerally targeted. You can draw your own conclusions, but I am no longer interested in this endless back and forth.

To my mutuals/followers, I stand by my request to not interact and to block and move on, as this is what I’ll be doing too.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I hope it makes things from my perspective a little clearer.

-RAT <3

EDIT: Just after this post was made, the fic in question was finally removed. I had to go through a DMCA take down, which can take months, since I originally abandoned the fic, thinking that meant delete. I explain this in more detail above. Said fic is gone, and has been gone since this post has been around.

[tcm]

Reframing Films of the Past: An Interview with TCM Writers

All month long in March, TCM will be taking a look at a number of beloved classic films that have stood the test of time, but when viewed by contemporary standards, certain aspects of these films are troubling and problematic. During TCM’s Reframed: Classics in the Rearview Mirror programming, all five TCM hosts will appear on the network to discuss these issues, their historical and cultural context and how we can keep the legacy of great films alive for future generations.

Also joining in on this conversation are four TCM writers who were open enough to share their thoughts on their love of classic movies and watching troubling images of the past. Special thanks to Theresa Brown, Constance Cherise, Susan King and Kim Luperi for taking part in this conversation. Continue the conversation over on TCM’s Twitter.

What do you say to people who don’t like classics because they’re racist and sexist? 

KL: There are positive representations in classic Hollywood that I think would blow some peoples’ minds. I always love introducing people to new titles that challenge expectations. 

That said, anyone who broadly slaps a sexist or racist label on a large part of the medium’s history does a disservice to cinema and themselves. That mindset keeps them ignorant not only of some excellent movies and groundbreaking innovation but history itself. 

I think people need to remember that movies are a product of their time and they can reflect the society they were made into a variety of degrees - good, bad, politically, culturally, socially. That’s not to excuse racism or sexism; it needs to be recognized and called out as such for us to contend with it today. But it’s important for people who say they don’t like classics for those reasons to understand the historical context. In particular, we need to acknowledge that society has evolved - and what was deemed socially acceptable at times has, too, even if sexism and racism are always wrong - and we are applying a modern lens to these films that come with the benefit of decades worth of activism, growth and education.

SK: I totally agree K.L. For years I have been encouraging people to watch vintage movies who keep proclaiming they don’t like black-and-white films or silent films. For every Birth of a Nation (1915) there are beautiful dramas, wonderful comedies and delicious mysteries and film noirs. 

 These films that have racist and sexist elements shouldn’t be collectively swept under the rug, because as K.L. stated they shine a light on what society was like – both good and bad. 

CC: First off, fellow writers may I say, I think your work is amazing. I'm continually learning from the talent that is here, and I am humbled to be a part of this particular company. Similar to the prior answers, for every racist/sexist film the opposite exists. Personally, classic musicals attracted me due to their visual assault, creativity and their unmistakable triple-threat performances. While we cannot ignore racist stereotypes and sexism, there are films that simply are "fantasies of art." There is also a review of evolution. In 20 years, what we now deem as acceptable behavior/conversation will be thought of as outdated and will also require being put into "historical context."  What we collectively said/thought/did 20 years ago, we are currently either re-adjusting or reckoning with now, and that is a truth of life that will never change. We will always evolve.

TB: I would say to them they should consider the times the movie was made in. It was a whole different mindset back then. 

Are there movies that you love but are hesitant to recommend to others because of problematic elements in them? If so, which movies? 

TB: Yes, there are movies I’m hesitant to recommend. The big one, off the top of my head, would be Gone With the Wind (1939). The whole slavery thing is a bit of a sticky wicket for people, especially Black folks. Me, I love the movie. It is truly a monumental feat of filmmaking for 1939. I’m not saying I’m happy with the depiction of African Americans in that film. I recognize the issues. But when I look at a classic film, I suppose I find I have to compartmentalize things. I tend to gravitate on the humanity of a character I can relate to. 

KL: Synthetic Sin (1929), a long thought lost film, was found in the 2010s, and I saw it at Cinecon a few years ago. As a Colleen Moore fan, I thoroughly enjoyed most of it, but it contains a scene of her performing in blackface that doesn’t add anything to the plot. That decision brings the movie down in my memory, which is why I have trouble recommending it.

Also Smarty (1934), starring Warren William and Joan Blondell, is another movie I don’t recommend because it’s basically about spousal abuse played for comedy, and it did not age well for that reason.

SK: Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961): Audrey Hepburn is my favorite actress and I love her Oscar-nominated performance as Holly. I adore Orangy as Cat, as well as George Peppard and Buddy Ebsen, who is wonderfully endearing. And of course, “Moon River” makes me cry whenever I hear it. But then I cringe and am practically nauseous every time Mickey Rooney pops up on screen with his disgusting stereotypical performance as Holly’s Japanese landlord Mr. Yunioshi. What was director Blake Edwards thinking casting him in this part? Perhaps because he’s such a caricature no Japanese actor wanted to play him, so he cast Rooney with whom he had worked within the 1950s. 

CC: I cannot necessarily state that I am in "love," but, a film that comes to mind would be Anna and the King of Siam (1946). It is an absolutely beautiful visual film. However, Rex Harrison as King Mongkut requires some explanation. 

Holiday Inn (1942), and the Abraham number...why??? Might I also add, there were many jaw-dropping, racist cartoons.

How did you learn to deal with the negative images of the past? 

KL: I often look at it as a learning experience. Negative images can provoke much-needed conversation (internally or with others) and for me, they often prompt my education in an area that I wasn’t well versed in. For instance, blackface is featured in some classic films, and its history is something I never knew much about. That said, seeing its use in movies prompted me to do some research, which led me first to TCM’s short documentary about blackface and Hollywood. I love how TCM strives to provide context and seeks to educate viewers on uncomfortable, contentious subjects so we can appreciate classic films while still acknowledging and understanding the history and the harmful stereotypes some perpetuated.

SK: It’s also been a learning experience for me. Though I started watching movies as a little girl in the late 1950s, thanks to TCM and Warner Archive I realized that a lot of films were taken out of circulation because of racist elements. TCM has not only screened a lot of these films but they have accompanied the movies with conversations exploring the stereotypes in the films.  

CC: As a Black woman, negative images of the past continue to be a lesson on how Blacks, as well as other minorities, were seen (and in some cases still are seen) through an accepted mainstream American lens. On one hand, it's true, during the depiction of these films the majority of Black Americans were truly relegated to servant roles, so it stands to reason that depictions of Black America would be within the same vein. What is triggering to me, are demeaning roles, and the constant exaggeration of the slow-minded stereotype, blackface. When you look at the glass ceiling that minority performers faced from those in power, the need for suppression and domination is transparent because art can be a powerful agent of change. I dealt with the negative images of the past by knowing and understanding that the depiction being given to me was someone else's narrative, of who they thought I was, not who I actually am.

TB: I’m not sure HOW I learned to deal with negative images. Again, I think it might go back to me compartmentalizing.

I don’t know if this is right or wrong…but I’ve always found myself identifying with the leads and their struggles. As a human being, I can certainly identify with losing a romantic partner, money troubles, losing a job…no matter the ethnicity.

In what ways have we evolved from the movies of the classic era?

KL: I think we are more socially and culturally conscious now when it comes to stories, diversity and representation on screen and behind the scenes, which is a step forward. That said, while there's been growth, there's still much work to be done.

SK: I think this year’s crop of awards contenders show how things have evolved with Da 5 Bloods, Soul, One Night in Miami, Minari, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, The United States Vs. Billie Holiday, Judas and the Black Messiah and MLK/FBI. 

But we still have a long way to go. I’d love to see more Native American representation in feature films; more Asian-American and Latino stories. 

CC: There are minority artists, writers, producers, directors, actors with the increasing capacity to create through their own authentic voice, thereby affecting the world, and a measurable amount of them are women! Generally speaking, filmmakers (usually male) have held the voice of the minority narrative as well as the female narrative. I agree with both writers above in the thought that it is progress, and I also agree, more stories of diversified races are needed. 

TB: One important way we've evolved from the movies made in the classic era by being more inclusive in casting. 

Are there any deal-breakers for you when watching a movie, regardless of the era, that make it hard to watch? 

KL: Physical violence in romantic relationships that's played as comedy is pretty much a dealbreaker for me. I mentioned above that I don't recommend Smarty (1934) to people, because when I finally watched it recently, it. was. tough. The way their abuse was painted as part of their relationship just didn’t sit well with me.

SK: Extreme racist elements and just as KL states physical violence. 

Regarding extreme racist elements, D.W. Griffith’s Birth of a Nation (1915) is just too horrific to watch. I was sickened when I saw it when I was in grad school at USC 44 years ago and it’s only gotten worse. And then there’s also Wonder Bar (1934), the pre-code Al Jolson movie that features the Busby Berkeley black minstrel number “Goin’ to Heaven on a Mule.” Disgusting.

I also agree with KL about physical violence in comedies and even dramas. I recently revisited Private Lives (1931) with Norma Shearer and Robert Montgomery based on Noel Coward’s hit play. I have fond memories of seeing Maggie Smith in person in the play when I was 20 in the play and less than fond memories of watching Joan Collins destroying Coward’s bon mots.  

But watching the movie again, you realized just how physically violent Amanda and Elyot’s relationship is-they are always talking about committing physical violence-”we were like two violent acids bubbling about in a nasty little matrimonial battle”; “certain women should be struck regularly, like gongs”-or constantly screaming and throwing things.  

There is nothing funny or romantic about this.

KL: I try to put Birth of a Nation out of my mind, but S.K. did remind me of it again, and movies featuring extreme racism at their core like that are also dealbreakers; I totally agree with her assessment. I understand the technological achievements, but I think in the long run, especially in how it helped revive the KKK, the social harm that film brought about outdoes its cinematic innovations.

CC: Like S.K., Wonder Bar immediately came to mind. Excessive acts of violence, such as in the film Natural Born Killers (1994). I walked out of the theatre while the film was still playing. I expected violence, but the gratuitousness was just too much for me. I also have an issue with physical abuse, towards women and children. This is not to say I would not feel the same way about a man. However, when males are involved, it tends to be a fight, an exchange of physical energy, generally speaking, when we see physical abuse it is perpetuated towards women and children.

TB: I have a couple of moments that pinch my heart when I watch a movie. It doesn’t mean I won’t watch the movie. It just means I roll my eyes…verrrrry hard.

-Blackface…that’s a little rough; especially when the time period OF the movie is the ‘30s or ‘40s film.

-Not giving the Black actors a real name to be called by in the film (Snowflake…Belvedere…Lightnin’). I mean, can’t they have a regular name like Debbie or Bob?

-When the actor can’t do the simplest of tasks, i.e. Butterfly McQueen answering the phone in Mildred Pierce (1945) and not knowing which end to speak into. What up with that?

Are there elements they got right that we still haven’t caught up to? 

KL: I don't know if the pre-Code era got sex right (and sensationalism was definitely something studios were going for) but in some ways, I feel that subject was treated as somewhat more accepted and natural back then. Of course, what was shown onscreen in the classic era was nowhere near the extent it is today, but the way the Production Code put a lid on sex (in addition to many other factors) once again made it into more of a taboo topic than it is or should be.

One thing I particularly hate in modern movies is gratuitous violence, and it perplexes and angers me how America weighs violence vs. sex in general through the modern ratings system: films are more likely to get a pass with violence, mostly landing in PG-13 territory and thus making them more socially acceptable, while sex, something natural, is shunned with strictly R ratings. Obviously, there are limits for both, but I think the general thinking there is backwards today.

CC: The elegance, the sophistication, the precision, the dialogue, the intelligence, the wit. The fashion! The layering of craftsmanship. We aren't fans of these films for fleeting reasons, we are fans because of their timeless qualities.

I'm going to sound like a sentimental sap here, ladies get ready. I think they got the institution of family right. Yes, I do lean towards MGM films, so I am coloring my opinion from that perspective. Even if a person hasn't experienced what would have been considered a "traditional family" there is something to be said about witnessing that example. Perhaps not so much of a father and a mother, but to witness a balanced, functioning, loving relationship. What it "looks like" when a father/mother/brother/sister etc. genuinely loves another family member.

I was part of the latch-key generation, and although my parents remained together, many of my friends' parents were divorced. Most won't admit it, but by the reaction to the documentary [Won't You Be My Neighbor?, 2018], the bulk of them went home, sat in front of the TV and watched Mr. Rogers tell them how special they were because their parents certainly were not. We don't know what can "be" unless we see it.

[wenellyb]

hey! every now and then i've seen random posts about sebastian's comment/s on colin kap kneeling among other things, but i've never seen any source material or hard facts. do you have any posts about this or deconstruction of your own? i'd be very interested, ty!

Hey yourself😉!

So I've found the screenshot of the post (at the bottom) and just so you know he also posted an apolology but that one I couldn't find a screenshot of.

There are plenty of posts talking about this but I think most of them are old so it would take some time for me to find them.

If you want my opinion. The whole thing was f*cked up and I remember being extremely surprised and unfollowing him after that post.

And he did apologize, which is good and I do think he understands that that post was not great, but it wasn't my main issue.

When the whole story with Kaepernick happened it was a real eye opener and exposed a lot of racists even among celebrities. I'm looking at you Christopher Meloni. But not only him.

So Colin Kaepernick was to kneeling to protest against police violence and racism.

And a lot of people reacted like a lot of White people react when the topic of racism arise: deny everything and get defensive "How dare he protest blablabala" "He's so rich and he's saying White people are priviledged..." "How dare he say there is racism in this country". You know the usual.

But the thing is to me, the way he protested was the most respectful, and most peaceful way to protest and also so impactful. And some people had still a problem with it...I don't understand how ANYBODY could have a problem with it ... unless they were racist in one way or the other. That was the bar for me... I could not have respect ANYBODY who had a problem with him kneeling, because their message was clear “just sh*t up and play football”.

To me, anybody who had a problem with Colin Kaepernick taking a knee... was automatically problematic and the worst.

For other forms of protests there can always be arguments against it, lousy arguments, but arguements nevertheless: "They're blocking the streets" "There was violence during the protest",... etc... But what is your argument with having a man kneel during the National Anthem, to call out something as serious as police brutality.

To me it was clear that they just wanted Black Americans to shut up, and stay in their lane. "Sports have nothing to do with politics blablabla"

And unfortunately history proved Colin Kaepernick right, and I don't think anybody could voice bad opinions about him today, but at the time, a lot of people were criticizing him, calling him names, insulting him, and even some celebrities were talking about how disrespectful he was.

They cared more about the way he was voicing his protest, than the fact that racism was a real issue.

And because of the protests last year, I think a lot of people tend to forget about that time, but Kaepernick faced A LOT of backlash, A LOT and for what....??? Absolutely no justification. With the way some people reacted you would have thought he burned the American flag on a daily basis, or used it as toilet paper.

So having that in mind, it was really disheartening to see an actor you respect take part in that...

And just to be clear, this is my personal opinion, but I don't think Sebastian had any bad intention with that post (not like other celebrities who were outright criticizing Kaepernick, for some reason I only remember Chris Meloni lol). But the timing, and the content, even as a joke, even as a promotion tool for his movie was extremely bad. You also have to understand the context, and how there were a lot of people rooting against Kap.

Worst case scenerio Seb’s post was racist and best case scenario it was tone deaf.

I can only assume Sebastian watches the news in the US, so he must have known what the caption "take a knee" meant and still decided to post it... So maybe he wasn't ill-intentioned, but to him the topic was light enough that he could post it on his social media...

My main problem isn't even with Seb's post, it was a weird way to promote his movie, or a joke I don’t know. Artists do problematic stuff all the time, and it's up to the fans who support them to decide if they keep doing supporting him or not.

My main problem was and still is the reaction of the fandom, where White Seb stans think they know and understand racism better than anyone else. And honestly this is not me saying that Seb is racist, this is me saying that we should be allowed to voiced our opinions without being silenced or accused of trying to villainize him or cancel him blablabla .

But the Seb stans don't understand that and prefer to turn a blind eye.

I make difference between stans and fans. The Seb fans are the ones who are willing to listen, understand why some people might be offended and admit that their fav f*cked up. The stans are the annoying ones who yould rather keep their head in the sand.

And nobody is even asking to stop supporting Seb... If I cancel an actor, I will stop consuming his content, supporting him, paying to see his movies etc... But I'm not forcing anybody else to do it... But I would like to be free to voice my dislikes especially if that actor was being problematic... without the stans complaining about how "I don't know their fave"

I haven't cancelled Seb btw, I just don't feel like finding him excuses and glossing over the words and if I think that something he did was racist, I will say that it was racist, not "problematic" or "tactless" or "clumsy"...

I think that a lot of people are confused about what racism is, and think it is only White Supremacists who want to harm all non White people.

But it's not only that and in my opinion, there are many layers to racism. If you have "nothing against Blacl people" but there is a part of you that believes you or White people are better than Black people, well you are racist... If not hiw would you describe it? I have already told this story, but I have a friend who swore she wasn't racist and we even had a big debate about racism, and a few weeks later, her boyfriend told me that during a family dinner, she had talked about a common Black friend of theirs saying "She is pretty for a Black girl"... But if you ask my friend, she will say she isn't racist.

If you try to silence people calling out racism, you are contributing to it instead of fighting it.

Another example, I received a lot of "problematic" comments at work from coworkers on my hair, my origins etc, but when I talked about it to my friends and said those comments were racists.. they said that I was "overeacting" that those comments were harmless or just my colleagues being "ignorant". But one time, I was done with it and I wrote to HR about it losting all the comments I had received and the HR director called me and told me that those comments were racist full stop, he didn't try to minimize it or act like I was exagerrating.

And that's how I see the reactions of Seb stans whenever something from him re-sufaces, like my friends who just act like it is nothing.

Just so you know you are not helping when you do that.

They act as if we're suppoosed to accept that because "it's not that big of a deal". Who told you that? How do you determine what is a big deal or not? Especially when you have never dealt with racism?

Fandom behaves as if people who were hurt or offended by that post were overracting. "It was a joke" "It was a long time ago" "He would never do somthing racist"

How hard is it to say " I can see that my fave did something problematic, or that what he did was racist, and I would still like to support him but I understand that people were hirt"??? How hard is it to continue to stan your fave WITHOUT trying to silence people who call out the behavior.

And also the way they refuse to use the words is annoying... it's always "I'm sorry if anybody was offended", never "What I did/wrote was racist and I know better now". If no one wants to admit it when they do racist stuff... nobody will never get anywhere... Like my friend who is convinced that she isn't racist but goes around thinking that White Women are more beautiful than Black Women, and even says it when surrounded by her family. 

And people act like the people who were hurt have no reason to be hurt because he apologized, but I hope those people realize that it doesn’t work that way. An apology is great of course, but it doesn’t take out the hurt, or the feeling that if he was comfortable enough sharing this on social media, what is he comfortable doing in the safety of his close circle?, or remove the idea that maybe an actor you adored, and respected doesn’t view Black people struggles as a serious matter.

I personally don't hate Seb, far from it. And the reason why I have so many posts about him, calling him out or not, is that he is one of the very few White actors I'm interested in. I don't know him personally, but I enjoy his interviews with Anthony and enjoy his movies. But I'm not about to act like he is perfect like some of his stan do and also I have absolutely no issue with people who have "cancelled" him because of his past behavior, because I understand them and it's their choice, it's what works best for them... I don't want to force them to root for someone who maybe wouldn't root for us.

Last point, that I won't elaborate because I have already written way to much. There's a difference between people actively trying to be racist, and people who are racist and maybe don't realize it, or people who have prejudice but are working on it...

I hate it when White people act like the worst thing in the world is being accused of racism when the actual worst thing in the world is being racist. Because it shifts the conversation from... "Oh how can I improve myself and stop this racist thing I'm doing, or how can I work on this prejudice I have?" to "How dare you call me racist!!! I would never" all the while they continue doing the racist thing they do.

TL:DR: His Instagram post was f*cked up, and he apologized. And it's up to each person to decide if they still want to support him or not, but it would be great if thise who still support him stopped pretending that those whose don't are overreacting or had no reason of being offended.

[whitehotharlots]

The point is control

Whenever we think or talk about censorship, we usually conceptualize it as certain types of speech being somehow disallowed: maybe (rarely) it's made formally illegal by the government, maybe it's banned in certain venues, maybe the FCC will fine you if you broadcast it, maybe your boss will fire you if she learns of it, maybe your friends will stop talking to you if they see what you've written, etc. etc. 

This understanding engenders a lot of mostly worthless discussion precisely because it's so broad. Pedants--usually arguing in favor of banning a certain work or idea--will often argue that speech protections only apply to direct, government bans. These bans, when they exist, are fairly narrow and apply only to those rare speech acts in which other people are put in danger by speech (yelling the N-word in a crowded theater, for example). This pedantry isn't correct even within its own terms, however, because plenty of people get in trouble for making threats. The FBI has an entire entrapment program dedicated to getting mentally ill muslims and rednecks to post stuff like "Death 2 the Super bowl!!" on twitter, arresting them, and the doing a press conference about how they heroically saved the world from terrorism. 

Another, more recent pedant's trend is claiming that, actually, you do have freedom of speech; you just don't have freedom from the consequences of speech. This logic is eerily dictatorial and ignores the entire purpose of speech protections. Like, even in the history's most repressive regimes, people still technically had freedom of speech but not from consequences. Those leftist kids who the nazis beheaded for speaking out against the war were, by this logic, merely being held accountable. 

The two conceptualizations of censorship I described above are, 99% of the time, deployed by people who are arguing in favor of a certain act of censorship but trying to exempt themselves from the moral implications of doing so. Censorship is rad when they get to do it, but they realize such a solipsism seems kinda icky so they need to explain how, actually, they're not censoring anybody, what they're doing is an act of righteous silencing that's a totally different matter. Maybe they associate censorship with groups they don't like, such as nazis or religious zealots. Maybe they have a vague dedication toward Enlightenment principles and don't want to be regarded as incurious dullards. Most typically, they're just afraid of the axe slicing both ways, and they want to make sure that the precedent they're establishing for others will not be applied to themselves.

Anyone who engages with this honestly for more than a few minutes will realize that censorship is much more complicated, especially in regards to its informal and social dimensions. We can all agree that society simply would not function if everyone said whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted. You might think your boss is a moron or your wife's dress doesn't look flattering, but you realize that such tidbits are probably best kept to yourself. 

Again, this is a two-way proposition that everyone is seeking to balance. Do you really want people to verbalize every time they dislike or disagree with you? I sure as hell don't. And so, as part of a social compact, we learn to self-censor. Sometimes this is to the detriment of ourselves and our communities. Most often, however, it's just a price we have to pay in order to keep things from collapsing. 

But as systems, large and small, grow increasingly more insane and untenable, so do the comportment standards of speech. The disconnect between America's reality and the image Americans have of themselves has never been more plainly obvious, and so striving for situational equanimity is no longer good enough. We can't just pretend cops aren't racist and the economy isn't run by venal retards or that the government places any value on the life of its citizens. There's too much evidence that contradicts all that, and the evidence is too omnipresent. There's too many damn internet videos, and only so many of them can be cast as Russian disinformation. So, sadly, we must abandon our old ways of communicating and embrace instead systems that are even more unstable, repressive, and insane than the ones that were previously in place.

Until very, very recently, nuance and big-picture, balanced thinking were considered signs of seriousness, if not intelligence. Such considerations were always exploited by shitheads to obfuscate things that otherwise would have seemed much less ambiguous, yes, but this fact alone does not mitigate the potential value of such an approach to understanding the world--especially since the stuff that's been offered up to replace it is, by every worthwhile metric, even worse.

So let's not pretend I'm Malcolm Gladwell or some similarly slimy asshole seeking to "both sides" a clearcut moral issue. Let's pretend I am me. Flash back to about a year ago, when there was real, widespread, and sustained support for police reform. Remember that? Seems like forever ago, man, but it was just last year... anyhow, now, remember what happened? Direct, issues-focused attempts to reform policing were knocked down. Blotted out. Instead, we were told two things: 1) we had to repeat the slogan ABOLISH THE POLICE, and 2) we had to say it was actually very good and beautiful and nonviolent and valid when rioters burned down poor neighborhoods.

Now, in a relatively healthy discourse, it might have been possible for someone to say something like "while I agree that American policing is heavily violent and racist and requires substantial reforms, I worry that taking such an absolutist point of demanding abolition and cheering on the destruction of city blocks will be a political non-starter." This statement would have been, in retrospect, 100000000% correct. But could you have said it, in any worthwhile manner? If you had said something along those lines, what would the fallout had been? Would you have lost friends? Your job? Would you have suffered something more minor, like getting yelled at, told your opinion did not matter? Would your acquaintances still now--a year later, after their political project has failed beyond all dispute--would they still defame you in "whisper networks," never quite articulating your verbal sins but nonetheless informing others that you are a dangerous and bad person because one time you tried to tell them how utterly fucking self-destructive they were being? It is undeniably clear that last year's most-elevated voices were demanding not reform but catharsis. I hope they really had fun watching those immigrant-owned bodegas burn down, because that’s it, that will forever be remembered as the most palpable and consequential aspect of their shitty, selfish movement. We ain't reforming shit. Instead, we gave everyone who's already in power a blank check to fortify that power to a degree you and I cannot fully fathom.

But, oh, these people knew what they were doing. They were good little boys and girls. They have been rewarded with near-total control of the national discourse, and they are all either too guilt-ridden or too stupid to realize how badly they played into the hands of the structures they were supposedly trying to upend.

And so left-liberalism is now controlled by people whose worldview is equal parts superficial and incoherent. This was the only possible outcome that would have let the system continue to sustain itself in light of such immense evidence of its unsustainability without resulting in reform, so that's what has happened.

But... okay, let's take a step back. Let's focus on what I wanted to talk about when I started this.

I came across a post today from a young man who claimed that his high school English department head had been removed from his position and had his tenure revoked for refusing to remove three books from classrooms. This was, of course, fallout from the ongoing debate about Critical Race Theory. Two of those books were Marjane Satropi's Persepolis and, oh boy, The Diary of Anne Frank. Fuck. Jesus christ, fuck.

Now, here's the thing... When Persepolis was named, I assumed the bannors were anti-CRT. The graphic novel does not deal with racism all that much, at least not as its discussed contemporarily, but it centers an Iranian girl protagonist and maybe that upset Republican types. But Anne Frank? I'm sorry, but the most likely censors there are liberal identiarians who believe that teaching her diary amounts to centering the suffering of a white woman instead of talking about the One Real Racism, which must always be understood in an American context. The super woke cult group Black Hammer made waves recently with their #FuckAnneFrank campaign... you'd be hard pressed to find anyone associated with the GOP taking a firm stance against the diary since, oh, about 1975 or so.

So which side was it? That doesn't matter. What matters is, I cannot find out.

Now, pro-CRT people always accuse anti-CRT people of not knowing what CRT is, and then after making such accusations they always define CRT in a way that absolutely is not what CRT is. Pro-CRTers default to "they don't want  students to read about slavery or racism." This is absolutely not true, and absolutely not what actual CRT concerns itself with. Slavery and racism have been mainstays of American history curriucla since before I was born. Even people who barely paid attention in school would admit this, if there were any more desire for honesty in our discourse. 

My high school history teacher was a southern "lost causer" who took the south's side in the Civil War but nonetheless provided us with the most descriptive and unapologetic understandings of slavery's brutalities I had heard up until that point. He also unambiguously referred to the nuclear attacks on Hiroshmia and Nagasaki as "genocidal." Why? Because most people's politics are idiosyncratic, and because you cannot genuinely infer a person to believe one thing based on their opinion of another, tangentially related thing. The totality of human understanding used to be something open-minded people prided themselves on being aware of, believe it or not...

This is the problem with CRT. This is is the motivation behind the majority of people who wish to ban it. It’s not because they are necessarily racist themselves. It’s because they recognize, correctly, that the now-ascendant frames for understanding social issues boils everything down to a superficial patina that denies not only the realities of the systems they seek to upend but the very humanity of the people who exist within them. There is no humanity without depth and nuance and complexities and contradictions. When you argue otherwise, people will get mad and fight back. 

And this is the most bitter irony of this idiotic debate: it was never about not wanting to teach the sinful or embarrassing parts of our history. That was a different debate, one that was settled and won long ago. It is instead an immense, embarrassing overreach on behalf of people who have bullied their way to complete dominance of their spheres of influence within media and academe assuming they could do the same to everyone else. Some of its purveyors may have convinced themselves that getting students to admit complicity in privilege will prevent police shootings, sure. But I know these people. I’ve spoken to them at length. I’ve read their work. The vast, vast majority of them aren’t that stupid. The point is to exert control. The point is to make sure they stay in charge and that nothing changes. The point is failure. 

[richincolor]

Interview: Michelle Quach

We have a special guest today. Michelle Quach was kind enough to answer a few questions for us about her debut, Not Here to Be Liked. It's being released today so you can grab it right away.

Summary: Eliza Quan is the perfect candidate for editor in chief of her school paper. That is, until ex-jock Len DiMartile decides on a whim to run against her. Suddenly her vast qualifications mean squat because inexperienced Len—who is tall, handsome, and male—just seems more like a leader.

When Eliza’s frustration spills out in a viral essay, she finds herself inspiring a feminist movement she never meant to start, caught between those who believe she’s a gender equality champion and others who think she’s simply crying misogyny.

Amid this growing tension, the school asks Eliza and Len to work side by side to demonstrate civility. But as they get to know one another, Eliza feels increasingly trapped by a horrifying realization—she just might be falling for the face of the patriarchy himself.

Crystal: First off, I read Not Here to Be Liked all in one gulp. You had my attention from the first page and I absolutely needed to know what was going to happen next. The plot was intriguing and the romance had me smiling so many times. On a side note--I also seriously considered simplifying my wardrobe.

From the title, it's fairly obvious that likeability is not Eliza's priority. How do you think likeability plays out along gender lines?

Michelle: Aw, thank you so much—I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed the book!

I think it’s possible for people of all genders to be unlikeable, but it plays an outsize role in the way a girl’s worth is determined. Being liked isn’t always a requirement for a man’s success, but it is almost always for a woman’s. On top of that, the standards for female likeability are quite fickle. Your appearance factors in disproportionately, as does your ability to make others feel comfortable. Sometimes you can even become unlikeable just for being too popular (think of basically every young female celebrity ever). And the worst part is, these expectations can continue to shape your behavior even after you’re aware of how absurd they are.

Crystal: Are there unlikable female characters in other novels that have caught your attention in the past?

Michelle: Probably my favorite of all time is Harriet from Harriet the Spy. She’s self-absorbed, judgmental, and nosy—but she also learns, which mean there’s hope for all of us. More recently, I also found Ivy from White Ivy by Susie Yang to be terrifically unlikable. I won’t say whether she learns anything, though.

Crystal: What kind of relationship do you have with the term and concept of feminism?

Michelle: I definitely consider myself a feminist, though my relationship with the concept has evolved a lot over the years. In fact, I’d say it’s still evolving! What makes sense to me right now is the idea that feminism needs to be as inclusive as possible, which means it should dismantle not only sexism but also all other forms of structural inequality, including racism and economic inequality. That said, I do also support all kinds of progress, even if it’s incremental.

Crystal: What was the most fun aspect of writing Eliza and Len's story?

Michelle: Their banter! I love writing dialogue in general, but it’s so fun to throw two well-matched characters together and just let them go at it.

Crystal: Were any of the characters more challenging to write than the others?

Michelle: I would say Winona, because her experience as a Black teen in a majority Asian and White community is most outside my own, and I wanted to do my best to make sure her story felt authentic.

Crystal: Can you tell us a little bit about your journey to publication?

Michelle: I started writing Not Here to Be Liked about four years ago, after almost a decade of not writing anything at all. Before that point, I’d basically given up on my dream of even finishing a draft, let alone getting published. But I gave it another shot as part of a 100 days challenge…and this time I made it to the end! Everything happened really fast after that: I got my agent through PitMad, we went on submission a month later, and then the book sold at auction within a few weeks.

Crystal: If you're able to share, what's up next with your writing?

Michelle: I’m currently working on Book 2, another YA contemporary romance, and trying to read and watch as much as possible to get inspiration for Book 3!

Crystal: We wish you the best with the book release and look forward to reading more of you work in the future. Thanks so much!

Michelle Quach is a Chinese-Vietnamese-American who also spent a lot of time working for student newspapers--including The Crimson at Harvard College, where she earned a BA in history and literature. Currently a graphic designer at a brand strategy firm in Los Angeles, Not Here to be Liked is her first novel.

[kaiya101]

Chapter 5: Fieldwork

1. Phenotype: 

This photo is an example of phenotype. The photo shows 3 different races and it also shows 4 different characteristic traits from each person. The different shades, eye color, lip color, makeup, face structure of each woman shows the physical form of how they are viewed. Every race and person have a different genetic sequence. A lot of times you may see someone and say “oh, they look stressed” based on their appearance or “it looks like she got surgery” because she wears makeup. These are examples of how people are viewed based on their looks and society and what people may think based on their looks. A lot of white women today get lip injections or fill in with lipstick/lip liner because of insecurities and the want of bigger lips, it’s crazy because having big lips for African Americans when I was in elementary school, was an issue.

2. Institutional racism: 

https://archive.bluelivesmatter.blue/black-lives-matter-deray-mckesson-baton-rouge-lawsuit/

This photo and article are an example of institutional racism. DeRay Mckesson is a Black Lives Matter activist and was the leader of the riot in Louisiana in 2016. The purpose of the riot was to stop the killings of blacks by police officers, and he was arrested and charged because of the injuries that took place that night. The judge of his case sued him, and he fought to get it dropped and the federal system took it further and refused to drop the lawsuit. The system knowing that DeRay is a black man and one of the activists for the Black Lives Matter is a reason why they wouldn’t drop the lawsuit. The system wants to eliminate whatever they can to stop blacks from realizing how bad and unfair the system is because of racism. DeRay was the organizer of the riot, but it was for justice. Seeing that the officers arrested about 200 rioters that day is sad and looks like they are again trying to eliminate the movement. When DeRay posts on Twitter about the movement he uses “Stay Woke” and this shows that he wants to remind blacks to do so when it comes to the justice system.

3.Hypodescent: 

This photo is an example of Hypodescent better known as “One Drop of Blood.” This photo is of Barack Obama former president of the United States, his mom was white, and his dad was black. If you were to not know him majority of people would think that his parents were both black. After finding out that his mom was white people may think “oh he’s not fully black or African American he’s mixed” which is not the case. When you have at least one person out of your family/ancestors you are considered black, even if you didn’t look like it. Racism also takes part in this situation as well, treating and doing things differently because of the history they have on them, like one of their ancestors from years ago being black. A lot of the time people mistake “mixed” as a race and don’t really know where they stand in society.

4. White Privilege: 

This tweet is a great way to explain what white privilege means when black people say such things. The word can be mistaken as an offense to whites when hearing this word. Blacks aren’t hating on whites but simply stating the reality of this world. Blacks go through being treated different by the government/police office, getting denied by a job because of their color, getting stopped by police and having to be on edge, and more. White skin protects them from going through the challenges that blacks go through. This tweet reminds and teaches whites that they have an advantage that they may or may not see. This reminds me of when my mom who has been working at her job in the government since 2006 in her division and she just got promoted to another job January of 2022 after applying for jobs and being denied. She told me that she was training whites to do her job and receive higher pay then her and move up before her. This goes to show that there is a lot of advantages of whites.

5. Miscegenation:

https://repository.library.georgetown.edu/handle/10822/1051098#:~:text=Miscegenation%20typically%20involved%20white%20men%20and%20Negro%20women%2C,freedom%20on%20that%20of%20the%20mother%20in%201662.

This picture is a perfect example of Miscegenation. In the 1600′s white men were punished for marrying black woman because of the amount white women. Why punish them if they are in love and happy. In 1967 the Supreme Court made it legal for interracial marriage. The world today shares all different types of marriages with different races. Love is love and when you find that person you should be able to marry, I’m glad that they made the interracial marriage legal. Marrying someone who is out of your race gives each other knowledge on where they came from by visiting and learning about their different cultures. In Brazil a lot of Portuguese men chose to date black women and Brazil didn’t partake in the “one drop of blood” rule.

6.Microaggressions:

This picture is a prime example of microaggressions. The quote is very offensive even if it wasn’t intentionally meant to be. The question I have is how is a normal black person supposed to act? Some things that people say may not be meant to hurt someone’s feelings but it’s about the respect and the attitude of the question or comment. Blacks and even other races are seen to be someone there not, you don’t truly know a person until you get to know them, just like the saying, don’t judge a book by its cover. Microaggressions are used a lot in society today, you see people’s true colors on how they feel about you by their comments.

[olivieblake]

Let me preface this by saying I have always shipped dramione. However, I’m re-reading the Harry Potter series for the first time in years. In that time I’ve become a lot more educated on racism (and it’s many forms, etc...) Also, this is my first time reading it where I didn’t think of mudblood as some made up word for muggle born wizards, but the wizarding world equivalent of the n-word. Given all that, my feelings about the dramione ship have shifted. (1/2)

I often wrote off Draco’s violent racism as the fault of Lucius not Draco, but at what point does it become Draco’s fault. It is chicken soup for my souls when I see racist teens being denied or expelled from schools because of using the N-word or doing something equivalently racist. They probably learned it from their parents as well, but I still blame them. I don’t know what my question is. I just wanted your thoughts

I have a lot of thoughts and here they are in a stream of consciousness format

one is that I think you’re right to recognize that “mudblood” is the wizarding world’s n-word and in a lot of ways there are problems with the dramione ship that we have to be careful about. there’s a reason, for example, that I never write draco using the term “mudblood” in a romantic or sexual way (I really don’t understand why people seek that out) and also a reason I never write historically untenable situations, such as the nazi officer and auschwitz prisoner prompt someone asked for a few months ago. I do think you’re right that there’s a layer of distance we’ve taken advantage of in romanticizing the relationship; it’s hard for us to make the connection to white supremacy because the potterverse is an imaginary world—which is important for children! we feel safe within this world because our imaginations are supposed to be safe and they are children’s books. also, the decision to cast a pretty white actress named emma watson meant that for a lot of us, issues of racism seemed like very distant parallel. should we realize differently now? yes, probably, maybe. I’m still working through my feelings on this, so we’ll come back here

point two: this is the problem with so-called cancel culture, though, that you seem to be implying that at some point draco’s “racism” becomes unforgivable. but it’s not just within the dramione ship that he realizes his wrongs—canonically he shows evidence of awakening, if not actual repentance. isn’t the idea that we want people to wake up and realize they’re wrong, regardless of how long it takes? I would LOVE for donald trump to wake up tomorrow and be like oh shit I’m a racist misogynist, fuck!! that’s obviously not going to happen and it wouldn’t undo anything he did prior to that—but the whole point of dramione is to write draco’s process of 1) realization and 2) contrition. I would argue that every dramione fic (certainly every dramione fic of substance) involves him facing his prejudice and perceiving his error. does it matter that he doesn’t figure this out until his life is threatened at age 17? I mean yes, of COURSE you can blame him for his prejudice (and his prejudicial actions) whether it starts with his parents or not. 

but isn’t THE WHOLE POINT that he changes his mind? 

I mentioned in our AMERICANAH discussion that I think the author was right—the only way to “cure” racism is romantic love. “Not the kind of safe, shallow love where the objective is that both people remain comfortable. But real deep romantic love, the kind that twists you and wrings you out and makes you breathe through the nostrils of your beloved.” I think the dramione ship has this concept at the root of it: that draco falls in love with hermione and in valuing her over himself (which is what love is!), he begins to not only understand her trauma and the way he caused her pain but also begins repenting for it with his choices. this is always at the heart of it. we always want draco to feel that crushing devastation of knowing exactly what he’s done, and then we want him to be on her side, unconditionally.

is it EXTREMELY ICKIER when you think about this within the frame of a nazi loving a jewish woman or a white supremacist falling for a Black woman? YES, immensely so, I hate it and I would never write an AU for either of those scenarios. I would absolutely not touch that at all. so I think that distance I mentioned earlier is pretty crucial here, because yeah, this is a fake world with magic that doesn’t exist and “mudblood” isn’t the n-word because it isn’t preceded by centuries of slavery, imperialism, or punitive institutional bias. well, there’s obviously institutional bias once voldemort pops up and wrecks shit, but historically? it’s unclear

—which is not to excuse anything. I do think intellectually there is a line to be drawn between these comparisons, though it’s a fine one. if I could choose to unship this at this point in time... maybe I would. personally I have always been diligent about the way I address morality in my fics, but was I ever considering it in terms of racism? no, not really. would I have romanticized this relationship if it felt even remotely like a real prejudice that existed in the world? I don’t believe so, no.

ultimately... I stand by the way I have written this ship. can I stand by the ship in general? I think that’s much more questionable, and also the reason I have avoided so many dramione fics and tropes in the past. because sure, you can romanticize the bad guy for the thrill of the angst, but at a certain point there has to be a moment where we question what, exactly, we’re romanticizing. while I do think there’s an argument for making the intellectual distinction (again, these are children’s books, and also as a first gen immigrant american who was neither british, white, nor magical, I already felt extremely distant from literally everything in these books, so at 11 years old I would not have made the connection between the n-word and “mudblood”) there is also a strong argument for being more conscious of what you read. if you seek out fics where draco is the one who saves hermione, are you seeking something akin to a white savior narrative? if you like fics where draco fetishizes muggle culture, is that the same as fetishizing Black culture? or are you just normal and horny and interested in reading fantasy romance using characters you already know from a fiction series you grew up with??

in conclusion: I think, as in all things, there are gradations to the morality of what we romanticize, and being aware of what we consume and why we consume it is what’s important right now. on a broad scale, however, there are no definitive answers as to whether something is wrong or right, and I will definitely have to think about this when I approach it in the future.

[unadulteredunpopularopinions]

Is Simu Liu Racist? Era of distrust?

Simu Liu’s tweet from 2012: I thought I was at a NIcki Minaj concert for 20 minutes before I realized I was just watching a homeless man yell at a pigeon....

Before I start, this tweet was from 2012....9 whole years ago. People really must have the patience to literally scroll through decades of tweets just to find one thing they may not like.

Now, do I find his tweet to be racist?

No. There was nothing in the comment that had to do with ethnicity at all. You can’t equal criticism to racism every time you don’t like what someone says. At most, I just found the joke to be corny. But hey, everyone has a different type of humor. In lamens terms, he doesn’t like her music. That is fine. 

Everyone has a right to their own opinion. He doesn’t HAVE to like her music and he has the right to comment on his own page just like anyone else expresses their likes/dislikes online. He said nothing about her character, her as a person. He only commented on the music. This has nothing to do with ethnicity.

I know there is tension, higher than ever, within many ethnicities right now (the tension always existed but this recent violence/increase was sparked off by a buffoon in the white house making racists feel comfortable/bold when they have no repercussions). However, this specific incident is not due to racism.

If I were to strictly make this an issue between asian and black people (because racism is really a global issue/illness), racism against black people is prevalent in the asian community. However, racism against asian’s is also prevalent in the black community. Of course, not ALL of each community is racist, but there is systematic racism prevalent in both.

As a black woman, I get annoyed when people say black people can’t be racist because racism is systematic oppression meh meh meh meh. But, asian people are oppressed just as black people are. We have the history of slavery for hundreds of years and systematic oppression against black people in America. 

Most people don’t know, but many different ethnicities were also called the N-word and compared to gorillas when they came to America for a better life/the American Dream (I can’t handle the hypocrisy of hating immigrants when the english settlers/villains were immigrants themselves or rather hailed from immigrants). The word “gook” (no offense, I know many of us won’t know what that word is) literally means country. Koreans came to America, and obviously there were communication issues between people of two different countries. But the “americans” (really english settlers/villains used that word against them as a slur. Even though they were just trying to show happiness at being able to come to America.

Asians have historically been looked over in America. There have been a multitude of media that made fun of their accents, features and food over the years. America had also removed them from their homes, sold their homes and businesses, and put them in concentration camps due to the bombing on pearl harbor. (Again this is America treating Asian Americans bad for what Asian countries did when they are actually in fact....American.)

Now, we have Asian Americans being attacked because people are mad at covid-19 which Trump bitch ass increased the temperament of the racists and made it a “china”: issue. It makes me sick to my stomach when I see the news coverage. You have people literally attacking the elderly and women. Not that I agree with people attacking anyone because it literally does not solve anything, but why don’t these cowards ever try and step to someone that looks like Dwayne Johnson?? (and if you think someone is diseased...why enter their personal space??? This proves that these mfs are dumb as fuck,)

I hate when people who also hailed from immigrants in America tell other people (who are often actually had been born in America as well) to go back to their country...sure bitch as soon as you go back to yours then. You have no more right than anyone else. Check your misplaced entitlement. You have done nothing good and contributed nothing positive to this country. Sit your ass down. And shut your ass up.