#Race Gender and Mass Media

[fuck-hamas-go-israel]

Ethnic cleansing? Genocide? Apartheid?

Throwing around these buzzwords to describe the Israel-Hamas war because you’ve seen them on social media doesn’t make you right, and it doesn’t make you an activist.

It makes you ignorant, intellectually dishonest, and lazy for parroting biased talking points with no concept about what these terms actually mean.

What is apartheid?

Well, it was first used to describe the political system in South Africa and today’s Namibia whereby racism was institutionalised. This manner of governance meant that clear racial segregation would occur, in a manner that benefited the white race and would actively oppress those who had darker skin.

This meant that there were white-only spaces, white people would get prioritised when it came to education and jobs, and relationships/marriages between white peoples and coloured people were illegal.

Is Israel objectively an apartheid state? There are no laws that actively favour one group over the other. There is a sizeable population of Israeli Arabs that can thrive in the same way as the Israeli Jews can. There are laws against discrimination on the basis of gender, race/ethnicity, and sexual orientation.

Palestinians from Gaza are allowed to work in Israel through a work permit system. There are about 150,000 Palestinians working in Israel, most of which live in Israel and some come from Gaza/the West Bank. They aren’t denied rights institutionally.

Is it harder to get a job or education in Israel if you’re a Palestinian from Gaza? Sure, because of different governments. It’s like how it’s a lot easier for you to find a job in your own country (in terms of paperwork and bureaucracy) than overseas. But you’re not denied the right to apply.

Of course, if you have a history of violence, a criminal record, or your family has ties to terrorists, then it’ll be a lot harder to get an approved work permit. But that’s not apartheid. That’s common sense, and a regulation practiced by all countries that minimally desire to protect their own population from danger.

Ethnic cleansing and genocide

These two concepts can go hand-in-hand. Ethnic cleansing refers to the mass expulsion or killing of a group of people based on their ethnicity. Similarly, genocide is the purposeful killing of a group of people solely with the intention of annihilating them.

Famous examples? The Holocaust, of course, where the Nazi regime believed in the superiority of the Aryan race and decided to declare genocide on the Jews, Romanis, the LGBTQ+ community, people with disabilities, people with “Asian features”, and many many other groups. Anyone who they didn’t think was “pure”.

Their aim was to ensure that the Aryan race propagated without having “impure” blood affecting the bloodlines. They even started a eugenics programme called Lebensborn to ensure that more pure Aryan babies were born.

More recent examples? The Rwandan genocide where the Hutus attempted to wipe out the Tutsis on the basis of ethnicity. They mandated that Tutsis mention their ethnicity on state-issued ID cards in order for the Hutus in power to be able to identify them and then kill them.

Or the Yazidi genocide which happened so recently, in which ISIL killed, raped, and sent thousands of Yazidis into conversion camps on the basis of their ethnicity. They also took Yazidi women as sex slaves and raped and tortured them.

Or the Rohingya Muslims in the Rakhine State in Myanmar, and how there was a mass killing and expulsion of them from the country, forcing them to flee to Bangladesh to take refuge, crating the world’s largest refugee camp.

Or how ISIS killed thousands of people from Christian groups in Iraq, Syria, Egypt, and Libya because of their faith, leading the US, EU, and UK to label this as religious genocide and condemned their actions.

Has Israel been practicing ethnic cleansing and genocide on Palestinians all these years?

Well, the birth rate of the Palestinian population in Gaza, the West Bank, and in Israel has been steadily increasing all these years.

So, no. No ethnic cleansing, no genocide. They are free to have as many children as they desire.

The UN Genocide Convention

The United Nations has 5 actions that constitute genocide.

1. Killing members of a target group

Israel is targeting Hamas officials with the aim of wiping out the terrorist group and ensuring that such a deadly attack on Israeli soil doesn’t happen again. I suppose you could call it genocide against Hamas, but they’re killing Hamas because they’re terrorists, not because they’re Palestinian. Shouldn’t everyone believe in genocide against terrorists?

But look at Black Saturday. Look at Hamas’ rhetoric. They repeatedly call for the annihilation of Israel and genocide of Jews. When will the media start believing what they say, word for word, instead of trying to spin it into “hmm maybe they want to kill all the Jews because they’re freedom fighters!”

War has collateral damage. Of course the innocent civilians don’t deserve to suffer just because of the actions of their government, but there have been warnings given to the Palestinian civilians prior to Israel striking the areas. There are consequences of attacking a country first, and then having that country attack you back.

2. Causing people of the group serious bodily or mental harm

The UN refers to sexual violence as the prime example of non-fatal harm.

Sexual violence has occurred. Hamas have kidnapped and raped women and even paraded the bodies of half-naked women around. But I f Israel had done the same, it’ll be the first thing appearing on everyone’s BBC push notifications (without even being confirmed as true).

3. Imposing living conditions intended to destroy the group

Many people refer to the blockade that Israel imposed around the Gaza Strip as an example of this.

This blockade was imposed by both Israel and Egypt in 2005. Its aim was to prevent smuggling of weapons into Gaza, and isolate the reign of Hamas to the region. This was to ensure the safety of Israel and Egypt.

Did this blockade pose serious challenges to the Gazan civilians? Of course. But that’s a consequence of having a terrorist government. If you have a terrorist group running your country, don’t be surprised if neighbouring countries are extra careful about who or what they allow in or out of the borders.

Many authorities from other Arab nations have also expressed approval of Egypt’s border restrictions, and even encouraged Egypt to flood the terror tunnels that Hamas has dug under the city. As a side note, other Arab nations have not historically been very kind or welcoming to Palestinians. Syria has killed over 4000 Palestinians, and many Arab countries are now refusing any refuge for Palestinians. But no one cares about that because it doesn’t make Israel look bad. All they do now is use the images of dead Palestinians under the hands of Syria and reuse them to propagate fake news.

The blockade has been labelled as a human rights violation because of collective punishment. Many humanitarian organisations believe that the blockade has caused the Palestinian civilians disproportionate harm.

Contrary to popular belief, Israel isn’t disallowing humanitarian aid from coming through the borders. Fuel, food, hygiene products, clothes, and shoes have been coming through the borders regularly for years. The Gaza Strip also has electricity and internet access and water.

Do all these items reach the Palestinian civilians? Well, there has been evidence that Hamas has been intercepting a lot of the supplies sent by humanitarian groups. This is not surprising since the UNRWA tweeted that Hamas has stole fuel from hospitals in Gaza in order to launch more rockets at Israel (but quickly deleted it after realising that it goes against their agenda to paint Hamas in a bad light.) In addition, the returned hostages have mentioned that there are many aid supplies hidden in the terror tunnels by Hamas. Instead of giving them to the civilians, they are hoarding it for themselves.

There has also been video evidence that some people are reselling these aid items in stores at exorbitant prices in order to turn profits. This has been well-documented for the last 10 years.

Is blockading the region to mitigate terrorism a disproportionate response? Well, it’s like asking if heightened security and stricter border control at airports is a disproportionate response after 9/11. Is being cautious and worrying about the security of your country an irrational reaction to the constant threat of terrorism?

4. Preventing births

Gaza’s population growth rate per annum is about 1.99%, which is the 39th highest in the world! Their population is allowed to propagate freely.

Israel isn’t preventing births of Palestinian babies.

5. Forcibly transferring children out of the group

No, Israel hasn’t been taking Palestinian children and forcing them to convert/keeping young Palestinian girls as sex slaves. Like I said, if this was truly happening, all the news outlets would be so quick to publish the story before verifying it.

Can we trust the UN Genocide standards?

The UN is known for corruption and have been exploiting the Palestinian people by selling them the humanitarian supplies instead of distributing them for free, which they should because these supplies literally are donations.

The UN also has differing standards of what they would label as genocide. For example, they refuse to call what China is doing to the Uyghurs in Xinjiang as genocide, even though the situation does fit many of their own criteria.

Hence, to all of you out there overusing these terms without knowing what they mean, make up your own mind about things. No one can force you to believe anything and no one can force you to change your mind.

But at the very least, do your due diligence and educate yourself before spouting tired buzzwords. Repeating misinformation doesn’t help anyone and can be very harmful.

[felassan]

Dragon Age: The Veilguard info compilation Post 5

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4]

[There are also a series of 'lil snippets' posts where I was just chucking together bits and pieces that I saw at other times: one, two, three, four, five, six]

Post is under a cut due to length.

There is a lot of information coming out right now about DA:TV from many different sources. This post is just an effort to compile as much as I can in one place, in case that helps anyone. Sources for where the information came from have been included. Where I am linking to a social media user’s post, the person is either a dev, a Dragon Age community council member or other person who has had a sneak peek at and/or played the game. nb, this post is more of a ‘info that came out in snippets from articles and social media posts’ collection rather than a ‘regurgitating the information on the official website or writing out what happened in the trailer/gameplay reveal’ post. The post is broken down into headings on various topics. A few points are repeated under multiple headings where relevant. Where I am speculating without a source, I have clearly demarcated this. if you notice any mistakes in this post, please tell me.

For notes in here on community council things in particular, I recommend to listen to the vid directly, it's always better hearing things first-hand ^^

Character Creation

"The diverse body and gender options make it an industry leader by a signifcant margin" [source]

"BioWare was keen to highlight the hair strand technology that looked very similar to that seen in FIFA and EA FC, also made under EA's roof" [source]

"Fine tuning sliders that allowed for microscopic adjustments of nose angles, it was clear that a lot of options exist to get the smallest possible body parts exactly right" [source]

"There's no specific genital customisation to be oversold as CDPR did but, much like Saints Row, there is an option for bulge customisation" [source]

Pronoun choice, gender identity, body type, and voice choice are 4 separate options, not tied together [source]

Height is customised on a slider [source]

Size is customized on a triangle like in Saints Row: the 'points' are fat, slim and muscular [source]

The different lighting options are 4 different settings: clean, bright, dim, sunset [source]

In CC you can also try out what Rook looks like in their starting rags, in typical mid-game armor, and some level 50 gear (class appropriate for each one) [source]

There's a way for you to modify your character's look once the game has started if you want to make some tweaks [source: the official Discord]

You can be any class and choose any backstory/faction, any race, any gender [source]

Story and lore

On meeting Neve in the opening, if Rook chooses to say the positive dialogue option (I think this is the thumbs up one, "You rescued yourself, I see") they say something like, "It looks like you're doing pretty well by yourself huh?" [source]

According to someone who played the game at SGF, the game has a Mass Effect 2 Suicide Mission feel to it [source]

The Shadow Dragons are kind of an anti-Venatori faction, sort of. [source] A freedom force. [source]

The Mourn Watch are kind of like the police for the Grand Necropolis [source]

The Veil Jumpers are kind of like weird magical investigators, weird magical nerds [source]

The moment right after the gameplay video ends is 👀❗❗...? [source]

On the timeskip, the Community Council were told that they were going to make it about the same amount of time in-game as the amount of time that passed in real life from the time most people would have last played DA:I [source]

Rook's faction is also referenced outside of the intro segment of the game [source]

In the gameplay reveal video that we saw, some of the Evanuris statue assets at Solas' ritual site are doubled up in error, i.e. some of them have the wrong heads. This is not supposed to be the case, they are supposed to each have a different head (bear in mind this was an early build and isn't the final build of the game) [source]

Characters, companions, romance

Go [here] to see some DA:TV doodles of the characters that a dev drew this year and last year. :> the hidden doodle is a version of Rook, hidden as they have not yet shown any of the possible hairstyles for Rook outside of the gameplay reveal video. [source]

It is Lucanis who has the purple wings [source]

His name is pronounced "Loo-khan-ess Day-ah-MORT-ey" [source]

Lucanis is hands-down "the sole dumpster fire of the crew". Mary "wrote him specifically to be a bisexual disaster of a human. You're welcome." [source]

As a name 'Rook' is closer to 'Inquisitor' than 'Hawke' [source]

The Community Council highly requested there to be 4 voices for Rook. They kept bringing it up [source] (there are 4 voices for Rook)

The Solas face model has been tweaked "a hundred times" [source]

Gameplay, presentation, performance etc

Rook can jump [source: the official Discord]

Rook can sprint [source: the official Discord]

Warrior gameplay (or at least one build of this) involves doing the right parry timing to lead to a certain attack [source]

Warriors have a dropkick ability, enemies can be dropkicked off cliffs using this [source]

According to someone who played the game at SGF said that the game ran smoothly and didn't have any bugs [source]

Companions can have an ability that heals Rook even when they are not mages [source]

Sword and shield warrior's ranged skill is like, boomeranging their shield over there [source]

In terms of the 'the game isn't open world, it's mission-based' stuff, it could be likened to Trespasser in this regard [source]

The first time the Community Council played, they asked if there is a photomode. BioWare said no, and the Council were like 'aw that really sucks, we really wanted one'. The next time that they went to play it, BioWare introduced them to a dev and said "Okay, we have photo mode, all thanks to this guy". "So there is one particular dev we all need to be kissing the feet of" because he figured out photo mode. [source] [nb, more on the Photo Mode situation here]

The current build of the game is not the final build of the game. A few things are currently being vigorously worked on [source]

Other

Someone who played the game at SGF was told that all of the choices and consequences were in the game, and that basically the team are just polishing things up right now [source]

The number of community members on the Community Council is in the double digits and they are from all walks of life. They don't have any contracts which say that they can only say positive things; they can be as negative as they want about DA media. Not every member of the council has said publicly that they were part of the group, there is nothing mandating them to do so [source]. They have not played the full game [source] and they tested it on consoles [source]. A lot of them ended up liking the gameplay [source]. They played some of the main story but they don't know how it ends. At one point they did three days of playtesting from like 9am-4pm daily. "I liked the quality, I liked what was going on, I was very invested. I did have some worries from the first playtest that were completely resolved in the second". "If you are someone who is into the story, I think we're safe, in the clear, I think we're okay. What I saw, I was really enjoying, I'm really excited about" [source]

The name change also surprised the community council. They aren't keen on the 'the'. There are a lot of things that they said to BioWare which, sometimes things just cannot change as it's too late. [source]

They did not see the finished game trailer before it released, and at that time it might have had a different song in it. They fed back that the version of the trailer that they saw was fine (what they saw was a bit different) [source]

BioWare have data on the percentage of people who used tactical view in DA:I and it's in the single digits [source]

Upkeep of the The Keep is a lot and it goes down like once a month. There have been times when it was down for weeks at a time [source]

[reasonsforhope]

"Major AI companies are racing to build superintelligent AI — for the benefit of you and me, they say. But did they ever pause to ask whether we actually want that?

Americans, by and large, don’t want it.

That’s the upshot of a new poll shared exclusively with Vox. The poll, commissioned by the think tank AI Policy Institute and conducted by YouGov, surveyed 1,118 Americans from across the age, gender, race, and political spectrums in early September. It reveals that 63 percent of voters say regulation should aim to actively prevent AI superintelligence.

Companies like OpenAI have made it clear that superintelligent AI — a system that is smarter than humans — is exactly what they’re trying to build. They call it artificial general intelligence (AGI) and they take it for granted that AGI should exist. “Our mission,” OpenAI’s website says, “is to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity.”

But there’s a deeply weird and seldom remarked upon fact here: It’s not at all obvious that we should want to create AGI — which, as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman will be the first to tell you, comes with major risks, including the risk that all of humanity gets wiped out. And yet a handful of CEOs have decided, on behalf of everyone else, that AGI should exist.

Now, the only thing that gets discussed in public debate is how to control a hypothetical superhuman intelligence — not whether we actually want it. A premise has been ceded here that arguably never should have been...

Building AGI is a deeply political move. Why aren’t we treating it that way?

...Americans have learned a thing or two from the past decade in tech, and especially from the disastrous consequences of social media. They increasingly distrust tech executives and the idea that tech progress is positive by default. And they’re questioning whether the potential benefits of AGI justify the potential costs of developing it. After all, CEOs like Altman readily proclaim that AGI may well usher in mass unemployment, break the economic system, and change the entire world order. That’s if it doesn’t render us all extinct.

In the new AI Policy Institute/YouGov poll, the "better us [to have and invent it] than China” argument was presented five different ways in five different questions. Strikingly, each time, the majority of respondents rejected the argument. For example, 67 percent of voters said we should restrict how powerful AI models can become, even though that risks making American companies fall behind China. Only 14 percent disagreed.

Naturally, with any poll about a technology that doesn’t yet exist, there’s a bit of a challenge in interpreting the responses. But what a strong majority of the American public seems to be saying here is: just because we’re worried about a foreign power getting ahead, doesn’t mean that it makes sense to unleash upon ourselves a technology we think will severely harm us.

AGI, it turns out, is just not a popular idea in America.

“As we’re asking these poll questions and getting such lopsided results, it’s honestly a little bit surprising to me to see how lopsided it is,” Daniel Colson, the executive director of the AI Policy Institute, told me. “There’s actually quite a large disconnect between a lot of the elite discourse or discourse in the labs and what the American public wants.”

-via Vox, September 19, 2023

[strawbebehmod]

Ok I've had enough of this "Alastor doesn't know about gay stuff" I keep seeing around. As a history nerd I honestly can't take it anymore.

Kiddos it's time to learn you a few things. First of all, compared to subsequent decades,

The 1920s were incredibly gay

Was it still illegal to perform homosexual acts, yes. Were gay people still abused and lost jobs for being gay, and were even socially excluded from cishet white society? Oh absolutely. Did most individuals have to stay closeted? Duh. But you know what wasn't a wide spread thing yet? The medicalization of homosexuality. Conversion therapy wasn't fully approved of by psychiatrists until the 40's. Crossdressing wasn't considered mental illness, scandalous, yes, but not mental illness. The haze codes were not implemented yet, and the combination of prohibition, the two decades prior of progressivism, and the horrors of world war one left the youngest generation with a rebellious spirit and a desire for breaking the law. And if you lived in a big city, being LGBT in the twenties was often better than being LGBT in the 30s, 40s, or even 50s.

Young rich kids would seek out queer cruising spots in cities as a form of tourism. Harlem was famous for it's yearly drag balls, and many of the most famous black artists at the time were infact lgbt. Broadway and Hollywood were full of individuals who people knew were not entirely straight. Hell, jazz was born in red light districts home to black queer people. In places like New York there were people famous for being openly gay and despite sodomy laws police would not care in the slightest about them.

And though the South was as fucked as it ever was with Jim Crow Laws and the race riots, New Orleans has always been one of the more progressive cities in the South and has always had a very large gay community. Between the inherit campiness and debauchery of Mardi gras to being the birth place of jazz, to new Orleans being the easiest place to get away with breaking prohibition laws in the south, Alastor as a mixed race black radio host playing jazz in New Orleans in the 20s ABSOLUTELY is familiar with the LGBT community of the time.

The thing is, the language used by the community at the time was so fundamentally different that alastor would not know what you are talking about if you spoke to him about modern LGBT issues. The pride flag did not even exist yet. Gay still meant happy to him in his age. "Bisexual" at the time was more akin to the term "trans" than being attracted to multiple genders, and transgender didn't exist yet as a word. But if you called yourself "a confirmed bachelor" he would understand you were a man who liked men. If you called yourself a "fairy" he would know you weren't cis. If you were a woman and told him you liked sapho or Peter pan, he'd know you liked women. And if you were wearing lavender, or a green carnation, a red bowtie, a violet (if you were a woman), or were a man with a peacock feather in your ensemble he would give you a knowing nod. He's not ignorant of the lgbtq. He's a man out of his time. He speaks a different language entirely to modern gay slang, so it seem he doesn't know anything about it. But he does. Gay and trans people have always been a thing and as a radio host, literally being on the forefront of mass media at it's beginnings, in arguably the best decade to be gay in the 20th century before the 60s, in a city so comfortable with what was considered debauchery that it gave birth to "devil music" and embraced it before anyone else, yes he knows what they are. He just doesn't have the modern language to express it.

[socialjusticeinamerica]

These MAGA “parents” have been terrorizing schools in Massachusetts for a few years now. A small handful of radicals go from community to community screaming threats and insults at school staff, school boards, and normal parents. Many teachers, administrators, librarians, and board members have had to resign or even move out of the community. In person and online threats of violence have escalated resulting in police involvement and lawsuits against MAGAts organized and funded by various MAGA groups. There a few if any after school events anymore due to violent threats and complaints of trespassing on school property and at the homes of staff are on the rise.

MAGA terrorists like Marjorie Taylor Greene have shared graphic imagery of the LGBT community that has redneck parents worked into a frenzy. It’s become an all out war against the LGBT at the local level. In the small towns and suburbs it’s become very difficult to operate public schools with any sense of calm or normalcy. In the few cities the MAGAts stay away for the most part due to their overpowering fear of urban environments.

A large number of these MAGAts have been proven to not even be parents or residents of the communities they terrorize. In one nearby town the mother and father leading the MAGAt charge are a prostitute and drug dealer being paid to crisis act. They bring in that stupid Tucker Carlson book about the penguins and rant and rave at LGBT students and staff and then go to their out of state home and perform really nasty cam shows. It’s total lunacy. If they’re pulling this crap in one of the bluest states try to imagine what a nightmare it is to be an educator in a Deep South state.

One man turned this entire country upside down. He created a radicalized cult that is now being manipulated by the Neo-Nazi oligarchs, the Christo-fascist evangelicals, and the RepubliKKKlan assholes. Dark money flowing from billionaire oligarchs has perverted this nation and has about a third of Americans planning to kill the rest of us in the name of Trump. What we’re witnessing is the beginning of the RepubliKKKlan endgame. They didn’t expect Trump to get into the presidency but once they realized his power over the masses they decided to go all in. The Republicans in Congress are not working for America and it’s citizens anymore and are plotting to rewrite the Constitution and created a fascist state. The oligarchs have already purchased the SCOTUS and a plurality of state legislatures. The militias are poised to strike and the street brawlers have been agitating at the local level. They’ve even been launching attacks on local power grids in the hopes of destabilizing the government and creating an environment suitable for a civil/race war. They’re not smart people and all this is out there in the public domain. It’s fairly easy to get into their social media groups and see the directives sent to them by oligarch backed political associations and follow their progress.

Whether they’ll be successful or fall flat on their faces remains to be seen but we’re going to see increasing political violence from the neighborhoods to the nations capital. They have funding, arms, a measure of organization, and some training. They’re biggest drawback is that they’re dumb as shit. Being stupid, poor, cowardly, and unhealthy isn’t a recipe for success in an armed political conflict. Oligarchs always hedge their bets and still have plausible deniability plans in place so they don’t have to flee the country afterwards. So if things go wrong for them on Jan 6th they’ll again sacrifice their pawns and hide behind lawyers and crooked Congressmen.

I’m not going to be ruled by Trump, Crow, Musk, Murdoch, DeVos, Prince, Mercer, Leo, and the rest of these fascist oligarchs. We must take their dark money and corporations out of politics. We must smash their political associations such as ALEC and the Federalist Society. Finally we need to jail the oligarch criminals, their Republikkkan insurrectionidts, and any MAGAt dumb enough to follow their direction.

[pumpumdemsugah]

I'm extremely bothered by the way I've seen other Black women talk about misogynoir and Megan Thee Stallion. Some of you are acting like her body is all those ugly things and not that she's targeted because society has pinned those things to her. I feel like some Black women are at the point where they believe the race science about Black women's bodies and it's because many of you are misogynist. I don't see this racist behaviour towards Black men when people are being racist about their bodies. You understand it's a racist smear campaign to justify police brutality but the gendered version happens to Black women some of you are so close to saying Black women are hypersexual big darkies.

People seem to understand that when a Black boy or man is shot by police, they focus on his body to invoke racist rationalisation not because he was any of those things and often they lie. Some of you are so hyper focused on Femininity you're making up shit with regards to Black history. The whites were arguing if we even counted as people, them thinking we're not proper women was because of the idea of the uncivilised Black savage, not because of genuine gender confusion. The uncivilised needed them to enslave us for our own good. How have we marginalised the role of slavery in how Black women are seen because you want to be disingenuous about the nature of how and why Black women are masculised to make a vague statement that won't scare the whites ?

Women that are hypersexualised aren't treated with kindness or dignity, they're seen as public property that doesn't have the right to complain about anything, which is the way Black women are seen. Many of you have decoupled misogyny and racism when talking about Black women and it's crazy. Do you like yourselves?

Even though the likes of Taylor Swift is taller than Megan, people talk about her like that because she's a curvy tall sexual woman that's a part of a group of women ( Black women ) that are hypersexualised because of the legacy of mass rape during slavery and the sexual abuse of Black women after. Let's recentre that

Slave masters argued that Black people could not feel pain and used that as the basis to experiment on enslaved Black women by cutting them open without anaesthetic and cracking the heads of Black babies open. What part of, they want to abuse us are some people not getting ? I don't think some people really understand what the word dehumanisation means. The hyper-visibility of Blackness means we get targeted, not because we are big Black animals. Some feel like big Black animals and desperately want to normalise your self loathing as a quality of Blackness

Find self respect and focus less on getting attention on social media. I'm sick and tired of seeing slavery and gender brought up in the same sentence only to watch people use buzzwords to say Black people are built big and scary and not talk about white supremacy, the mass rape of enslaved Black women...fucking anything that will make the white people you want to pay attention to you feel bad so you stretch " doesn't fit eurocentric gender norms" as a stand in the fact you internalised race science about your own body and want to drag all Black women into your self hatred instead of learning to see being a black woman as a fundamentally normal way human beings exist.

Talk about yourself and other Black women like people not political props to project self loathing onto

[mikavaartist]

The Evolution and Impact of Contemporary Art

Contemporary art, a vibrant and dynamic field, transcends traditional boundaries to explore new mediums, themes, and techniques. It encompasses artworks created from the mid-20th century to the present day, reflecting diverse cultural, social, and political landscapes. This article delves into the multifaceted nature of contemporary art, its evolution, and its impact on society.

The Evolution of Contemporary Art

Contemporary art emerged in the post-World War II era, a time marked by rapid technological advancements and significant socio-political changes. This period saw a departure from the conventions of modern art, embracing a more experimental and inclusive approach. Key movements that paved the way for contemporary art include Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, Minimalism, and Conceptual Art.

Abstract Expressionism

Abstract Expressionism, primarily an American movement of the 1940s and 1950s, emphasized spontaneous, automatic, or subconscious creation. Artists like Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko focused on expressing emotions and ideas through abstract forms and bold colors. This movement laid the groundwork for future artists to explore new ways of conveying meaning beyond traditional representation.

Pop Art

In the 1960s, Pop Art emerged as a reaction to the elitism of Abstract Expressionism. Artists like Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein drew inspiration from popular culture, mass media, and consumerism. Their works often featured everyday objects, celebrities, and advertisements, challenging the distinction between "high" and "low" art.

Minimalism and Conceptual Art

Minimalism and Conceptual Art, emerging in the late 1960s and 1970s, further expanded the boundaries of contemporary art. Minimalist artists like Donald Judd and Agnes Martin focused on simplicity, using geometric forms and industrial materials. Conceptual artists like Sol LeWitt and Joseph Kosuth emphasized ideas over aesthetic value, often creating works that required audience interaction or interpretation.

Themes and Techniques in Contemporary Art

Contemporary artists continue to explore a wide range of themes and techniques, often addressing critical issues such as identity, globalization, technology, and the environment. Their works challenge viewers to rethink their perceptions and engage with complex social and political narratives.

Identity and Representation

Identity is a recurring theme in contemporary art, with artists exploring race, gender, sexuality, and cultural heritage. For instance, Kehinde Wiley's vibrant portraits celebrate Black identity, while Cindy Sherman's self-portraits challenge traditional notions of femininity and self-representation.

Globalization and Technology

The impact of globalization and technology on society is another significant theme. Artists like Ai Weiwei and Hito Steyerl examine the implications of digital culture, surveillance, and the global flow of information. Their works often incorporate digital media, video, and interactive installations, reflecting the increasingly interconnected world.

Environmental Concerns

Environmental issues are also prominent in contemporary art. Artists like Olafur Eliasson and Agnes Denes create works that highlight the urgency of climate change and the human relationship with nature. These pieces often use natural materials and immersive installations to foster a deeper connection with the environment.

The Impact of Contemporary Art on Society

Contemporary art plays a crucial role in shaping cultural discourse and fostering social change. By addressing pressing issues and challenging societal norms, contemporary artists encourage critical thinking and inspire action.

Cultural Dialogue

Contemporary art facilitates cross-cultural dialogue, promoting understanding and empathy among diverse communities. Exhibitions and biennials, such as the Venice Biennale and Documenta, bring together artists from around the world, creating platforms for cultural exchange and collaboration.

Social Activism

Many contemporary artists use their work as a form of social activism, raising awareness about human rights, social justice, and political oppression. For example, Banksy's provocative street art and JR's large-scale photographic installations draw attention to marginalized communities and global inequalities.

Public Engagement

Contemporary art often extends beyond traditional gallery spaces, engaging with the public in innovative ways. Public art installations, participatory projects, and community-based initiatives create opportunities for people to interact with art in their everyday lives, fostering a sense of collective ownership and participation.

Conclusion

Contemporary art, with its diverse range of themes, techniques, and perspectives, reflects the complexity of the modern world. It challenges conventional boundaries, fosters cultural dialogue, and encourages social change. As we continue to navigate an ever-evolving landscape, contemporary art remains a powerful tool for understanding and engaging with the world around us.

[saturnns-star]

Guys!! The government is trying to push a law that will mass censorship the internet. It makes internet companies liable if a minor sees a “controversial topic”. But the so called “controversial topics” are anything about race, sexuality, gender, history, racism, slavery, abortion, gun information, gun control, everything! It will ban apps like Instagram, facebook, twitter, character ai, AO3, Wattpad, youtube, tiktok, even Tumblr! Your right for free speech on the internet will. Be. Lost! Your right to privacy will also be lost, they are requiring social media companies to tell parents of kids what they’re doing online. This can be very dangerous to kids in abusive households! It will out you to your parents! You’ll even have to upload your ID before posting! Over 40 senators AND the president of the United States supports this bill! I really need you guys to sign this petition and stop KOSA. Sign it, send it to your friends!!! (Information from https://www.tiktok.com/@yourfavoriteguy?_t=8eKeCKq4OXi&_r=1)

@i-dont-draw-stuff @imelht @a-pansexual-they-it @candiedapplez @aimless-aimz @jojo-schmo @sodastarpop @jsdimensions @locallesbianinyourarea please! Sign and share!

[olderthannetfic]

You might get a kick out of this article someone linked me to, to try and argue that BL is in fact fetishizing (because Yada Yada women consume it and produce it and all that)

https://www.youthoutright.org/articles/fetishization-of-the-queer-community

Article is a fairly short read. But I have to chuckle at it as "evidence" since it makes a fair amount of claims with 0 sources:

That young teenage women make up a majority of fandom (and that's whose consuming/producing BL)

Straight, white women get paid more to write gay romance novels (and that these novels often feature Adonis like males with 0% body fat and no body hair; play into gender/hetero norms)

Etc.

Honestly the....article, if I can even call it that, isn't cohesive. I do find myself agreeing with its first two paragraphs...and surprisingly only the first two. However, this article spends a lot of its time focusing on fetishization of Trans bodies and chasers who go after transfolks bodies (which I'm not too familiar with this so if anyone wants to speak up on this point...)

I'm very confused by how someone could read this and think "this proves my point!"

--

Sigh.

I don't even agree with the beginning. Trashy "girl-on-girl" isn't what's making men think women exist to serve them. Society is doing that. Porn is a reflection, not a cause.

Not to mention the fact that f/f-for-dudes is astronomically common compared to shitheads pestering lesbians in bars. The latter are too common because the correct amount is 0, but just based on the numbers, a lot of dudes are capable of consuming this porn without being confused about what's fiction and what's reality.

The mass quantities of f/f-for-dudes do make it hard to find f/f-for-ladies, but this article has taken the wrong message from that. The correct takeaway is that we need better labeling and search features that are driven by the nerdy desire to categorize and not by algorithms that want to sell you stuff.

As long as het romance novels or porno movies for straight guys or bestselling thrillers or whatever are popular, they're going to drown out the algorithmic results for more niche things one is interested in.

Libraries and AO3 don't have this problem. Amazon and Youtube do.

the world of “slash fiction” (fanfiction portraying a romantic and often sexual relationship between characters from a given source) began centering gay men

Wow, article writer. So you know nothing then.

it’s been claimed that straight, white women are paid more than gay men by publishers to write gay romances

I'm honestly embarrassed for this article writer. First, most of this burgeoning field is selfpub anyway. Second, many established writers in the romance field are women, and established names will probably have a shot at better pay than new people.

Third, anyone who injects "white" like this is a moron and a wanker. If we're talking about racism in the Romance field (and boy howdy is there a lot), white gay men are no better, and men's race is just as relevant as women's. Either we're talking about race or we're not.

As it stands, this author just comes across as a misogynist piece of shit.

The overwhelming majority of these romances portray relationships between white, cis, abled men with no fat or body hair.

I have bad news for them about cis gay men's media. (Well, okay, some of that has a lot of body hair and interminable descriptions of the smell of ball sweat and stinky armpits, but still...)

Men who fit the first archetype will take the position of “top” in the numerous, inaccurate, graphic-as-possible sex scenes that are central to these stories and also appear to be central to many readers’ enjoyment.

I see we're in the usual "I, a sex-repulsed person, speak for all of humanity" mode.

People like horny art. News at 11.

These are complex issues deeply rooted in society. It’s difficult to envision mitigations and solutions. However, somewhere to begin would certainly be promoting more positive, intersectional, realistic representations of queer people and queer relationships. A vital action that can further this goal is choosing to consume media with queer representation that was created by queer people whenever possible.

Honestly, my response to this ending is:

Fuck off, you entitled git.

This uninformed little whiner is equating all kinds of unequal things. Chasers are all over the place, but they aren't the ones writing fanfic or any other amateur, personal writing. We have no right to other people's hobby time. Sure, we can vote with our feet, and we should, but this article doesn't really sound like it's advocating that: it sounds like it's crying that other people have different taste from the writer. Boo, hoo, hoo, someone I don't like got attention.

It's the usual ignorant trash.

Embarrassing.

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

A title in the Arthur children’s book series is facing a potential ban after a conservative activist claimed that it “damaged souls”.

On 12 July, Bruce Friedman, a member of the Clay County School District community in Florida, filed a challenge to Arthur’s Birthday, a 1989 children’s book by Marc Brown about a fictional brown aardvark whose birthday falls on the same day as another party of a different classmate.

At one point in the book, Arthur receives a glass bottle from Francine the monkey as a birthday present. The bottle has the words “Francine’s Spin the Bottle Game” printed on it.

According to the challenge, which The Daily Beast website published, the reason for Friedman’s ban request is to “protect children”.

“IT IS NOT APPROPRIATE TO DISCUSS ‘SPIN THE BOTTLE’ WITH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN,” he wrote in all capital letters. “THIS BOOK IS FOUND IN ALL/ALMOST ALL [DISTRICT SCHOOLS]!”

“‘SPIN THE BOTTLE’ NOT OKAY FOR K-5 KIDS,” Friedman added, still using all capital letters. In response to a question about what he believes might be the result of a student using the material, he wrote, “DAMAGED SOULS.”

In a statement to The Daily Beast, a district spokesperson, Terri Dennis, said the book was among 45 titles currently “pending oversight committee review”.

Friedman is the Florida chapter president of No Left Turn in Education, a rightwing group that campaigns against critical race theory. The group seeks to “use all forms of media to expose the radical indoctrination in K-12 education, its perpetrators, the resources and methods employed and the resulting harm it inflicts”, according to its website.

In a Facebook post in September 2020, the group compared public schools to “Pol Pot’s Cambodia”, referring to the former leader of Cambodia who perpetrated the mass genocide of over 2 million people.

Last December, Friedman said that he had compiled “a list of over 3,600 titles that I believe have concerning content [including] porn, critical race theory, social-emotional learning, [and] fluid gender,” Popular Information reported.

He told the outlet that he identified the titles by “scouring the internet” for books that have been challenged in other parts of the country.

The Florida Freedom to Read Project has pushed back against Friedman’s challenge to Arthur’s Birthday, saying: “The entire book is about being inclusive of all friends and not only inviting boys or girls (based on your gender) to your birthday party.”

In recent years, Florida’s public education system has become a divisive battleground for Republican lawmakers who have enacted a slew of laws targeting various minority and marginalized communities.

In addition to the “Don’t Say Gay” ban across all school grades and bans of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in public universities, Florida’s Governor, Ron DeSantis, has banned African American studies from high schools while the state’s Board of Education updated controversial new standards earlier this month to include the claim that some black people benefited from being enslaved.

[fioras-resolve]

So like, representation in games is weird. It's critically important, but uniquely challenging due to the nature of interactivity. And a big part of this is that there's, by my estimate, two separate tracks for how representation works in video games. I'm going to be talking primarily about queer rep here, because I am a white, American, and (mostly) able-bodied transbian. If anyone wants to add on to this conversation, I absolutely encourage it, so long as you don't fling shit at people. So!

The first track of representation is one that's mostly unique to games. Representation as player empowerment. This manifests as giving players the freedom to be and express themselves in the game world.

So like, character creators are the most obvious example. What gender can you be? What race? What body type? A thing I've seen a few games do that I love is letting you pick any voice set regardless of the rest of your character, so like in Baldur's Gate III, you can pick a masculine voice but a feminine body, and that's just really cool.

Another way it's important is with romance options when applicable. Like, it was a problem with the early Mass Effect games that you couldn't enter a gay male relationship. It was a problem with Fire Emblem Awakening that for all of its marriage options across characters, apparently none of your 30+ units were interested in a same-gender marriage. Functionally, you aren't allowed to be gay in these games. So Mass Effect 3 letting you date Steve Cortez, and Fire Emblem Three Houses giving several options for queer S-Supports (although I haven't played the Mass Effect games and some of FE3H's romances are controversial) were welcome changes.

But the other track is representation as storytelling, and this is pretty broad. Basically every topic in the representation discourse surrounding other forms of media also applies here. I'm not gonna go into this too much because you've heard a lot about this already, but in my opinion it's important to have positive representation that mainstreams us to society, but also diverse representation because the human experience is vast. We need the joy, the sorrow, the rage, all of it, and games offer a unique artistic space to convey all of this.

...But sometimes, these two tracks rub up against each other. Because storytelling sometimes means disempowerment, but a disempowered player can often be viewed as "bad game design" by people who aren't thinking of video games as stories or art, but as entertainment or toys.

For example, remember when I mentioned Three Houses? That game was a massive stride in queer rep for Fire Emblem. But I had an annoyance as I looked through these romantic options. While yes, some characters can married as the same gender, all of them can also be married as the opposite gender. In fact, there is nobody in this game that a straight person can't date. Opposite-gender attraction is a given and the default. Everybody is either straight or bisexual.

To be clear here, because I know people are going to get at me for this, no I'm not against bisexual representation in Fire Emblem. I'm not even criticizing any individual example, Dorothea is one of my favorite characters. But what I am saying is that, in real life, some people are exclusively gay. There are a lot of men who a woman would never be able to date, and vice versa. I don't think that's a bad thing to want to express.

But from a pure empowerment angle, having a woman that a straight man can't marry is incomprehensible. Isn't having more choices better, rather than blocking someone off for "choosing the wrong gender?" I've actually heard this point from someone, phrased in this exact way, and I can't really sugarcoat this: I find it repugnant.

It's a stance that views these characters as entitlements and not as people worthy of respect. And I know that these are fictional characters and not real people, but a good character isn't just a proxy for audience expression. Also, if we take "romance as player expression" to its natural conclusion, then having a character who is asexual becomes bad game design. A character romantically inaccessible to me, the protagonist of the world? Blasphemy.

I think the real important thing about games is that, even outside of representation, "the player should be empowered" is a view that's often unspoken but unquestioned. A game can be moving, tragic, heartfelt, but it must also be an experience where you, the audience, are fucking cool. Every obstacle exists for you to rise above, every entity in the world that isn't you is either a tool or an adversary. Meg Jayanth calls this "White Protagonism" in her excellent piece that I couldn't do justice here. Keep in mind as always that it's both possible and necessary to enjoy media while also being critical of its more problematic aspects.

Empowerment is a valuable tool in game design like any other, but the issue is that it's also extremely popular, to the point where it's just become what games are. And it's worth pushing back against that, so games can grow as a medium. So that we can tell stories, and have characters, and convey themes, that aren't tied up in a game designer's quest to make the protagonist the coolest guy.

But despite how critical I've been, these two tracks aren't mutually exclusive. They do clash with each other sometimes, but ultimately there's room for both. I look forward to the day I can play a bog-standard RPG that lets me change gender mid-game. I look forward to playing a polyamorous character, in a game that recognizes that as valid. But I also look forward to more characters like Guilty Gear's Bridget, an actual character who goes through a genuine journey of discovery, in a way that's warmed the hearts of so many trans women, including me. Ultimately, we just need queer rep in games, more of it, and it's never been a better time to make some. Just remember, there's a difference between letting the player be queer, and having a queer character.

[shapesofculture]

SHAPES OF TOLERANCE

good morning, ٱلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ, કેમ છો?

Can you believe it is nearly the end of June and I have finally managed to draft a second post?

By the way, it seems as if EURO 2024 has just started, but let me tell you, it will finish in a blink of an eye.

Staying on the subject, it is not difficult to notice that socio-cultural layer of the tournament tend to evoke as many emotions as game results; let’s take the ‘No to Racism’ campaign as a starting point. Online and offline discussions about race and, more recently, gender discrimination in sport may, to some, be of equal or higher importance than the idea of the championship itself.

I believe that tolerance is one of the core values learned (or not) in the childhood and teen years, which plays a significant role in moulding personal point of view on various social and cultural aspects of the past, present and future. 

Tolerance, similarly to pacifism, has many facets and can present some limits, which are more likely to be set by authority, on a public and private level. 

French Marxist philosopher, Louis Althusser¹, defined such institutions as repressive and ideological state apparatuses, which hold a substantial control over maintaining a refined ideology, reproduced through mass media. 

‘Ideology represents the imaginary relationship of individuals to their real conditions of existence’

¹ Althusser, Louis. Lenin and Philosophy and Other Essays. Trans. Ben Brewster. New York: Monthly Review P, 2001.

² https://www.cla.purdue.edu/academic/english/theory/marxism/modules/althusserideology.html

[6ahaha1amjustaperson9]

Korakáki family 6/7

And second round of this family! Took forever but here they are

》Name: Ace Silas Korakáki

》Age: 65 y.o.

》Race: Skeleton

》Gender: Cis man(He/him)

》Sexuality: Polysexual

》Height: 233 cm

》Soul: Monster Soul - 92%Integrity,8%Perseverance

》ESFP-A

》Personality: protective, impatient on some occasions, brutally honest, enthusiastic, hot-headed sometimes

》Backstory: In his youth, he has always been pretty outgoing about things, as long as they didn't escalate into serious problems. Despite his family situation, he has always taken care of his younger siblings with his twin, always being optimistic, tho when Sophron left to study he was left to protect his siblings until they managed to leave too.

》Family:

•Andromitos Ace Korakáki(Older nephew): Unknown

•Sigrid Korakáki(Younger niece): Unkown

•Sophron Korakáki(Twin) - Unknown

•Sinesio Korakáki(Younger brother) - Unknown

•Dynamene Korakáki(Youngest sister) - Unknown

•???? Korakáki(Father): Alive - widower

•????(Mother): Dead

》Likes: journaling, DIY repair, photography, rain, traveling, sports, forests/wilderness

》Dislikes: heavy jewelry, animal cruelty, rude and illogical people, social media

》Personal traits:

•ADHD

•fast metabolism

•Subtle Tremor Syndrome(STS) – is a (fictional) condition characterized by mild and involuntary shaking of the hands.

》Additional note: Despite working as a freelance photographer and traveling extensively with sponsorships earned through his skill and experience, he maintains a strained relationship with his father. Despite his father's past actions, he continues to check on him, holding onto the hope that their relationship might improve one day, even though he hasn't forgiven him for the hardships inflicted on his younger siblings and himself.

》Name: Sinesio Korakáki

》Age: 62 y.o.

》Race: Skeleton

》Gender: Non-binary AMAB(They/them)

》Sexuality: Fluid

》Height: 189 cm

》Soul: Monster Soul - 75%Weak Integrity,15%Perseverance

》ISFJ-A

》Personality: Nice, truthful, passive, humble, easy-going, good-mannered, has high standards, traditional, emotional, optimistic, unadventurous

》Backstory: being the second child and physically weak has incredibly impacted his family life, especially as his father could only see him as a failure. Nonetheless, thanks to his older brothers' support he still followed his own path and when he was old enough he left too to start a new life.

》Family:

•Andromitos Ace Korakáki(Older nephew): Unknown

•Sigrid Korakáki(Younger niece): Unkown

•Sophron Korakáki(Older brother) - Unknown

•Ace Silas Korakáki(Older brother) - Unknown

•Dynamene Korakáki(Younger sister) - Alive - single

•???? Korakáki(Father): Unknown - widower

•????(Mother): Dead

》Likes: quiet places, literature, books, terminology history, science-fiction

》Dislikes: flashing lights,

》Personal traits:

•Hypomuscular Dystrophy Disorder(HDD) – refers to a (fictional) condition characterized by a reduction in muscle mass and strength, leading to weakened musculature and physical capabilities. It's a combination of "hypomuscular," indicating reduced muscle development, and "dystrophy," which generally refers to a disorder involving the degeneration of tissues or organs.

•blurry vision – wears glasses

•slight light sensitivity

•Autistic

》Additional note: After starting working on their library they finally let themselves relax and enjoy life, as they could indulge in book reading as much as they wanted and share their interest with others. The best part is when they finally sees their younger sister, who has been sent to military school, against her will, at a young age. They still hopes one day they can finally know where his older brothers are and how life treated them.

》Name: Dynamene Korakáki

》Age: 60 y.o.

》Race: Skeleton

》Gender: Demi-girl (She/they)

》Sexuality: Questioning

》Height: 252 cm

》Soul: Monster Soul - 75%Weak Integrity,15%Perseverance

》ISFP-T

》Personality: mostly keeps to herself, can't tolerate violence, rarely angry, emotional, non-rebellious

》Backstory: By her father's will she was forced into the military life just when she arrived to the right age to be enrolled in a military school, and spent her best years like that. Being the only female in the family made things difficult but always got her brothers support, and she will never forget that.

》Family:

•Andromitos Ace Korakáki(Older nephew): Unknown

•Sigrid Korakáki(Younger niece): Unkown

•Sophron Korakáki(Oldest brother) - Unknown

•Ace Silas Korakáki(Oldest brother) - Unknown

•Sinesio Korakáki(Older sibling) - Alive - single

•???? Korakáki(Father): Unknown - widower

•????(Mother): Dead

》Likes: still exploring but for now romantic and comedy novels

》Dislikes: flashing lights, sharp objects, her father, horror and crime books/ TV series

》Personal traits:

• weak magic

•slight light sensitivity

•PTSD

》Additional note: As she didn't get the occasion to explore things at all she struggles ,now that she is retired, to occupy her time. Luckily enough, the day she decided to transfer in a city and pay visit to the local library...she reunites with one of her older sibling.

[papirouge]

There’s something about every alpha masculinity account that screams “fed” to me. I really think these account are fake and ran by the fbi to monitor men online and who would be likely to commit mass violence. Other times it’s bots.

But really, look at how they cry about how men are gods on earth for women to forcibly worship them (idolatry God will strike down every man who calls himself the lord) and the need to protect children from leftist but will welcome Kevin spacey and man who preyed upon children openly all because they don’t believe in “cancel culture” unless it’s them. This is such a insidious agenda happening and it requires a lot of attention from Christians to avoid this.

That's an interesting theory

I also heart the one saying that the incel movement was incepted by old scrote trying to make younger men look as stupid & insane as possible so that women of their age be repulsed by them and instead consider dating older men on the basis they won't be as unhinged. It would make sense if older redpiller weren't as much demented as the younger ones. And it's not like they were good concealing their "opinions" those scrote are unable to have a normam conversation with a women not involving sex, breeding, female's "role" or some other redpill bs

These old scrote are much more cunning and calculating than they will admit. Andrew Tate proudly admits he has no issue lying and deceptive tactics with the girls he's trafficking so why his fans think he wouldn't do the same to them? 🤔

Now to come back to your theory, I definitely think the redpill movement is indeed a psy-op to divide society. What irks me so bad is that so called 'free thinker' media wil have no issue seeing this when it comes to race, and call the BLM movement "divisive" and breeding hate among society, but will say absolutely nothing about redpiller and their visceral hate against women. I'm thinking about Vigilant Citizen especially.. it's been a while I realized dude was shady but I realized he was definitely full of shit when he made an entire article to dunk on Barbie and its feminist propaganda that will destroy society🙄 (btw I didn't forget he never approved my comment on that article calling him out lmao Mind you, he's one of those whiny people asking for more fReEdoM oF sPeEch/truthers are cEnsOreD, but is unable to apply that freedom of speech on his own website🤡). Meanwhile he has yet to address the redpill movement and the well documented femicide attacks/shootings perpetuated by men who explicitly expressed their hatred against women. Is that enough to finally call the redpiller/mra movement "divisive" too?

VC loves making articles pointing out the occult symbolism anywhere he can, so...why didn't he say shit about Andrew Tate Russian guru who happens to be a black warlock? Or Tate xitter handle being COBRA Tate? If you look into it, dude has whole thing going on with snakes... What about his weird triangular hand symbol too. VC would've a field day making an article developing the theory that Tate is actually a plant seeking to breed chaos and gender wars - it would have made a lot of sense bc there's a lot of shady shit going on with Tate and how he's being wk'ed by the Conservative right when he's a British pimp living in Romania. Also wasn't his dad CIA? Reaaal shady shit going on... But VC won't cover that shit bc he's of his bias.. but don't worry he'll make a 567th article about celebrities hiding one eye and the awful LBGT+ propaganda because lf *checks notes* rainbow on a note book🙃

You'd think the way these people talk about feminism women were out there turning society upside down, hounding & harassing men....but nope. IDK for being so dangerous & radical, feminists seem to be very quiet 🤔 there's a reason those men have to look into movies and video games to claim oppression. The so called oppression they get from women doesn't translate IRL.

[labbaik-ya-hussain-as]

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐀𝐫𝐞 - 𝙗𝙮 𝘾𝙖𝙞𝙩𝙡𝙞𝙣 𝙅𝙤𝙝𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙣𝙚

When Israeli president Isaac Herzog described the assault on Gaza as a war “to save Western civilization, to save the values of Western civilization,” he wasn’t really lying. He was telling the truth — just maybe not quite in the way that he meant it.

The demolition of Gaza is indeed being perpetrated in defense of western values, and is itself a perfect embodiment of western values. Not the western values they teach you about in school, but the hidden ones they don’t want you to look at. Not the attractive packaging with the advertising slogans on the label, but the product that’s actually inside the box.

For centuries western civilization has depended heavily on war, genocide, theft, colonialism and imperialism, which it has justified using narratives premised on religion, racism and ethnic supremacy — all of which we are seeing play out in the incineration of Gaza today.

What we are seeing in Gaza is a much better representation of what western civilization is really about than all the gibberish about freedom and democracy we learned about in school. A much better representation of western civilization than all the art and literature we’ve been proudly congratulating ourselves on over the centuries. A much better representation of western civilization than the love and compassion we like to pretend our Judeo-Christian values revolve around.

It’s been so surreal watching western rightists babbling about how savage and barbaric Muslim culture is amid the 2023 zombie resurrection of Bush-era Islamophobia, even while western civilization amasses a mountain of ten thousand child corpses.

That mountain of child corpses is a much better representation of western culture than anything Mozart, da Vinci or Shakespeare ever produced.

This is western civilization. This is what it looks like.

Western civilization, where Julian Assange awaits his final appeal in February against US extradition for journalism which exposed US war crimes.

Where we are fed a nonstop deluge of mass media propaganda to manufacture our consent for wars and aggression which have killed millions and displaced tens of millions in the 21st century alone.

Where we are kept distracted by vapid entertainment and artificial culture wars so we don’t think too hard about what this civilization is and who it is killing and maiming and starving and exploiting.

Where news cycles are dominated more by celebrity gossip and Donald Trump’s latest mouth farts than by the mass atrocities that are being actively facilitated by western governments.

Where liberals congratulate themselves for having progressive views on race and gender while the officials they elect help rip apart children’s bodies with military explosives.

Part 2 of 2 below:

Where Zionist Jews center themselves and their emotions because opposition to an active genocide makes them feel like they are being persecuted, and where Israel supporters who are not Jewish still kind of feel like they are being persecuted also.

Where a giant globe-spanning empire powered by militarism, imperialism, capitalism and authoritarianism devours human flesh with an insatiable appetite while we congratulate ourselves on how much better we are than nations like Iran or China.

These are western values. This is western civilization.

Ask somebody to tell you what their values are and they’ll give you a bunch of pleasant-sounding words about family and love and caring or whatever. Watch their actions to see what their actual values are and you’ll often get a very different story.

That’s us. That’s western civilization. We say we value freedom, justice, truth, peace and free expression, but our actions paint a very different picture. The real western values, the actual product inside the box underneath the attractive label, are the ones you see acted out in Gaza today.

[the-tired-tenor]

Ron DeSantis: American Fascist

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has regularly starred in national headlines over the past few years thanks to a wave of conservative legislation, including the infamous “Don't Say Gay” bill and subsequent retaliation against Disney for speaking out against it. While this legislation has made him the hero of the far-right sect of the GOP, many on the other side of the political aisle have a different word for him: fascist.

Fascism is used to describe a totalitarian and discriminatory form of government - one which strictly controls what its citizens can say, do, or be, and backs those restrictions up with the threat of violence. In the Spring of 2003, Lawrence W. Britt published a list of 14 defining characteristics of fascism, which reads as follows:

1. Powerful and continuing expressions of nationalism

2. Disdain for the importance of human rights

3. Identification of enemies/scapegoats as a unifying cause

4. The supremacy of the military/avid militarism

5. Rampant sexism

6. A controlled mass media

7. Obsession with national security

8. Religion and ruling elite tied together

9. Power of corporations protected

10. Power of labor suppressed or eliminated

11. Disdain and suppression of intellectuals and the arts

12. Obsession with crime and punishment

13. Rampant cronyism and corruption

14. Fraudulent elections

Today, I will be examining each of these characteristics as they relate to the political activities of Ron DeSantis, and using what we find to determine whether he really is a fascist.

First, we have “powerful and continuing displays of nationalism.” DeSantis regularly makes displays of Christian nationalism, telling his supporters to “put on the full armor of God” to defeat his political allies, as well as white nationalism. For examples of the latter, look no further than his suppression of materials as they relate to racial diversity in our schools, as well as his law that prohibits teaching lessons that “may cause students to feel guilty” about their race, such as lessons about slavery, Jim Crow, and reconstruction.

Next, “disdain for the importance of human rights.” The evidence for this point is truly overwhelming; highlights include his flight of migrants to Martha's Vineyard, where he lied about their destination and accommodations to coerce vulnerable minorities onto a plane, the infamous “Don't Say Gay” bill, and his latest catchphrase, “Florida is where woke goes to die.”

“Identification of scapegoats for a unifying cause” is similarly easy to pick out; for years, DeSantis and his allies have slandered teachers, gay and queer parents, and most recently transgender individuals, using rhetoric against those groups as calls to action for his base. More specifically, they have recently claimed that LGBTQ teachers are “grooming” students to become gay or transgender, despite there being not a scrap of evidence to support this.

“Supremacy of the military” has always been a Republican ideal, with trillions on trillions of dollars in funding going to defense each year while critical infrastructure and the state education system crumbles.

“Sexism” is harder to identify, as most politicians know at this point that openly saying “men are better than women” is political suicide. With that in mind, it is worth noting that DeSantis has frequently expressed support for and belief in “traditional” gender roles, especially in conjunction with condemning transgender people. See also the recent passage of ever more restrictive abortion bans in the state

Next, “controlled mass media.” There's a single recent event which I will highlight here, which is the recent introduction of a bill which would require anyone who writes about DeSantis or his cabinet members to register with the state government. This is the most mask-off attempt I've seen thus far to control the media, and while I don't think it will stand, it's deeply concerning that anyone is even trying it. Recent sweeping bans on school reading material also falls into this category.

“Obsession with national security” is another point common to Republican legislators. The last few years have seen a growing obsession with keeping migrants and immigrants out of the country, including the recent Martha's Vineyard stunt by DeSantis himself.

DeSantis often invokes the Christian God, as do most of his contemporaries, when justifying legislation or rallying followers, so “Religion and ruling elite tied together” is another easy check off the list.

“Power of corporations protected” might seem like an easy miss for DeSantis after his recent scuffle with Disney, but looking at the companies that don't dare to criticize him tells a different story, which goes hand-in-hand with the next point, “power of labor suppressed or eliminated.” Florida is a right-to-work state, which already removes some power from workers, but DeSantis has taken aim at unions over the last few years. Most recently and publicly, teachers’ unions have been a target.

“Disdain for and suppression of intellectuals and the arts” is also represented by DeSantis’ attack on teachers unions (and teachers themselves), but we can also look at recent restrictions placed on state universities, not least of which is the wildly unpopular and blatant takeover of New College. He is also the force behind expanding education jobs to favor candidates from law enforcement and military backgrounds via the lowering of standards and offers of special bonuses to those candidates.

For “obsession with crime and punishment,” look no further than the criminalization of abortion, ballooning police budgets, and the removal of an elected state attourney in Tampa who said he would deprioritize the prosecution of misdemeanors.

This is also an example of “Rampant cronyism and corruption,” as this attourney was removed specifically because he spoke out against DeSantis - despite this being a clear violation of his 1st amendment rights. We can also see cronyism in the recent takeover of New College, in which several high-profile allies of DeSantis were appointed to take over the once-liberal college's leadership. Whistleblowers during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic were also persecuted by the state when they spoke out against DeSantis’ narrative that COVID was no big deal. We can also look to the recent hostile and unwelcome takeover o New College, where DeSantis installed political allies in positions of power at the college over loud and constant student and faculty objections.

Finally, we come to “fraudulent elections.” For this point, I would point readers to DeSantis’ blatant and unconstitutional gerrymandering leading up to the 2022 election - when lawmakers drew up a map that gave the GOP a modest advantage over state democrats, DeSantis threw it out and provided his own, which was so aggressively gerrymandered that he had to overrule his own party members, who balked at how aggressive - and likely unlawful - his map was in order to put it in place before the election. Additionally, see the recently introduced bill which would dissolve the Democratic Party in the state of Florida, effectively resulting in a single-party government with no competition.

Based on this examination of Governor DeSantis’ behaviors, as well as the overall behaviors of the party which he is a part of, I feel very comfortable saying: Ron DeSantis is a fascist. Specifically, he is a Christian Fascist who regularly justifies his decisions with religion, despite the intentions of our country’s founders to separate the church from political power. He is not the small-government defender of personal freedoms that he masquerades as, but an authoritarian bully who uses the levers of state power to enforce his bigotry, protect the power of his corporate donors, and force his religious views onto the citizens of his state.

Rather than use his power as a legislator to make improvements to the lives of the people he governs by doing things like fix infrastructure, fight inflation in the housing market, or protect vulnerable people from the whims of corporate interests, DeSantis is content to demonize vulnerable minorities in order to create infighting within the working class and distract from his immorality, hypocrisy, and blatant power grabs. Ron DeSantis is anti-liberty, anti-democracy, and anti-American, and should be removed from the levers of political power as soon as legally possible.