#and some said that since we are a minority group we should avoid scandal and not provoke people into hating us. which i never thought about | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

outsidereveries · 9 days

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i think the digitalisation of entertainment has ruined the simple enjoyment of entertainment for me cause theres almost too much of it now

do you think kpop overall will ever change its direction? i dont and never have really cared for tiktok challenges so its less appealling to those who dont partake in these choreographies of kpop groups. tbh I dont particularly know exactly what I like about kpop these days bc its debuting minors so much that im like ehhh its another pretty and young group so what? most often in that case i can just like them for their songs so it doesnt particularly bother me as such yet i feel like kpop still missing something or its been crazy with debuting recently yet groups are neither standing out too much or the members are quite similar to one another or its abt the images and concepts of groups rather than the songs themselves

do you ever think its taken it too far sometimes? like its never heard of less is more and some groups simply have too many members for me to fully care deeply abt each one is quite ridiculous. idk the only way i knew of kpop is through youtube so if we didnt have youtube rn i never wouldve heard abt kpop as they only seem to aim for america

so rather than other using platforms i dont even care if idols dating or no so idfk what exactly interests me much these days cause it seems that kpop is the main music rn and theres not much else that i particularly like abt music anymore so i kind fo have to like something so i dont die of boredom itself yet there isnt much for my age group to follow bc we already had our music phase

i feel too old to be liking whats current but not young enough to care that deeply for every trend or every internet fad there is. its weird to say but i often feel like i shouldve been from an older generation due to the amount of digitalisation of most media and entertainment being geared towards those who prefer online media yet theres nothing else to genuinely like outside of the internet bc its always seems to be centred around it come what may that or music and mvs are so flashy and fancy compared to what i had when i was these idols ages

even the fact that my age would be considered too old to debut in kpop is what is mind boggling to me but then id have to force myself to fit group concepts and whatever else even if they werent my taste so i probs would avoid doing kpop unless it had been from an older generation then id like to have seen more comparison bc there isnt much to compare from older kpop vs now where there is much more

i also think when older idols have said they had more rest time due to lack of internet or social media in general, i think many younger groups could benefit from more rest time yet the speed in which they are doing all these online extra things for their fans and even then they still can get negative backlash due to their fans toxic behaviour so it like they cant really win bc these groups grow up online nowadays but everyone need the internet and so much is done via a computer system so no one can truly escape needing social media either so even if their fans complain idols do too much why are they not more grateful towards what idols do for them?

esp since theres much more idols could be doing instead of being online or trying to go viral for every small detail they ever upload

these idols should thank their lucky stars with how much tool they now have and things like smartphones and whatnot or idfk instagram and other shit like that cause we never had those as kids and in a way i wish we never needed such devices cause again i dont care even if idols get into "scandals" it doesnt phase me bc its mainly that the internet overreact to such minor wrongdoings that often arent even wrong to begin with so thats an other thing i dont care for bc it always seem to want reactions from people or their fans hold it against the idols and make the idols suffer from the backlash that they receive due to people having too many means of expressing a thought or opinion online

i also think trends coming back again it doesnt surprise me anymore, like aespas cd player didnt surprise me so i didnt particularly care for it either, we had those, same for the way tech companies tried to modernise the flip phones that we also had it just aint truly wowing me rn whether it be their merch or even a few songs recently i think bc theres so much of it and its all only really accessible via our screens again maybe if kpop had been known from like before the 90s i mightve taken more of an interest but im like ehhh whatever

whats an even weirder thought is by the time these very young idols get married the internet is not only going tk descend into chaos but i will be long gone from this screen obsessed society, thank god

another thing i find useless to me is pop up shops seem so useless to me bc a) im either in the wrong country for them, im in the countryside thus its quite a trek to ghe nearest one and b) i just dont need to collect merch anymore even for western group i rather just like them for their songs these days than anything else

i think thats the only way to really like a group without getting overly attached to its members that and age gaps as well i find watching younger groups both give me fomo and existential crisis cause i never got to do anything cool like what they have and all the opportunities these groups are given is so so different and generally it all tends to be quite overly fancy and flashy but at the same time i dont know if i care enough tbh im just quite very bored of a lot of entertainment mainly bc its in such short formats tiktok and youtube shorts reels whatever tf theyre called again it only is going to get so much of my attention before i get sorely bored of it bc its not ever going to always be in person and its not something i would need anymore not like the good ole days of an internetless societh when we had cars that had cd players in them and you could generally find a use for some of the tech we had but nowadays it just seems like its load of nonsense geared towards needing our reactions or attachments in unhealthy mannerisms or behaviours that could be quite toxic for both the idols and their fans

if we needed albums then we all should still have cd player somewhere so albums dont go to waste or so they dont collect dust but no one going to be carrying around cd after cd due to smartphones so we dont particularly need a cd player if we can already access the songs on youtube and so on

even streaming ruin so many songs cause then it only matters if songs are getting the most views not whether they are nice songs or not or if they have good vocals or not non of that rlly matters anymore as per le sserras coachella performance it clearly doesnt matter if they are or arent actually talented cause so many groups just aim to go viral online

honetly i dont care how fucked up previous generations were id gladly take a time machine and go back to a non screen based society where entertainment seemed to be more lively and freer than what we have today where its so structured snd formatted mainly only for internet trends

sorry for my long ramble just wanted to get my thoughts out somehow about the way kpop has been recently it just seems much more toxic esp online, i kind of just have to like groups from afar bc i dont want to partake in it yet i also have to find something interesting enough to like and it only seems to be found on social media these days :/

sorry for responding only now;

to be honest, i agree that the entertaiment stuff being avaiable (basically almost) everywhere lost the spark of the entertaiment itself. because of it i really doubt the k-pop industry will be back like we used to know the entertaiment the industry has given to us so far, and this applies to all industires in my honest opinion. the social medias are definitely the main reason why the entertainment is overfilled in any genre possible (i am typing generally), like you said, the tiktok videos (challenges included)! i've never been interested in the content that involve promoting their song or anything else that will benefit the idol/s. this might be due to the fact i've never been obssessed stan to the extent i'll buy my ult group's merchandise (and reading what other stans've been doing, not only that..).

i also agree with your opinion related to the fact more underage trainees (boys, girls, doesn't matter) are debuting. i've always been casual listener of the genre, to be honest and even i've had some phases where i've been watching more content of some groups but that was it, you know?

the industry though has always been overfilled with groups and it's not from recently, most of them in the earlier generations (from 2nd onwards as far as i know) didn't work out either because of the majority of the companies were small or the groups didn't worked out. the paradox here is us, non-korean fans (mainly americans and europeans) give chance to more of the groups while koreans are picky, at least that's the impression i have.

related to the recent groups being the same, YES, YES, YES, I'M RELIEVED I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO HAS SEEN IT! personally, from the 4th generation onwards i've sensed the transition from copying other groups' in one way or another to being TOO similar (and I am not saying that this is only about one specific group, I am typing it collectively). this might be due to BTS and BLACKPINK's popularity worldwide for which I am not suprised, to be honest.

the whole industry, not only k-pop, is taking too far with brainwashing us in one way or another through simple stuff (for example what are the friendship between member a and member b). okay, let's say we should have a position on an event x and y (and etc.) but have the majority of us (overall) looked into the alternative medias, the real life, the news? if you believe only the one side, have you ever seen what the other one looks like? nowadays it looks really favoritised for the most of the topics (sorry for switching the topic for a bit) and if you want to change the world and bring awareness, start with your local issues ffs (not cursing to you)! okay, i understand the underage fans who will bring awareness for events that are very important and impactful and i agree that sns for once can be actually useful but DO THE SAME FOR YOUR HOME PLACE, EYE TO EYE, or creating your own brand with an purpose that can change many people's lives! the issue here is that the influencers should be accepted LITERALLY, to have their own mindset, to think independently and to let their fanbase be aware of things they care about! almost all of them (i am including all famous people here in this group because more or less they're influencing us) are basically promoting themselves and the majority of their interests basically make me feel "is that it? your hobbies being too different from what's the reality surrounding you?" like, i shouldn't care at all about it but ALMOST ALL OF US ARE LIKE THAT, it makes me feel INSANE! i've learned about the genre through youtube/psy becoming viral too but the brainwashing stuff didn't become thanks to his song! maybe i've been realising everything just now but it had started in the beginning of the whole entertaiment industry, the k-pop isn't at fault for it, they just hopped on what should be done according to the americans and western europeans!

i also feel old to follow what's trendy nowadays so i changed my actual interests because if i still follow the k-pop often i'll become one of the many people, you know? the time and the generations have changed without a doubt and for some things it shouldn't happen like that, for that i am sad. (this includes the things you said, if i get more deep into the pointless stuff the k-pop industry have become it'll be just too long)

basically, i can relate with you. there are more things to do than following random famous people that will be more worth it in the end :)

#outsidereveries #discussion: outside of readings

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randomshyperson · 3 years

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Wanda Maximoff/Reader - The One Where You Punch Tony Stark - Part II

Part 1 || Part 3 || Part 4 || Read on AO3 (Complete Work)

Thanks to @gingerbreadcookieforlife for letting me know i did not upload the entire work here.

Summary: When the rumors that you punched Tony Stark in the face spread around your school, some interesting events unfolded. Or enemies to Lovers in high School.

Warnings: 18+; Enemies to Lovers; Angry Sex; Underage Sex; High School AU; Violence; Fights; Inappropriate language; Fluff and Smut; minor mentions of Reader x Carol and Reader x Jessica Jones.

Notes: This work was already finished on AO3, but i forgot to continue this on Tumblr. I hope everyone who thought that was a one shot, enjoy the rest of it.

//-//

Sometimes is just a kiss

The news that Steve Rogers and Tony Stark kissed behind the bleachers spread quickly through the school. And it was only 10 o'clock on a Monday morning.

You had no idea who had spread the rumor around the campus, but knowing your luck, you were just waiting for the bomb to drop in your lap.

Besides, you hadn't spoken to Wanda since you gave her an orgasm against the walls of a locker room. You saw her briefly in the hallway between history and biology class, but she looked away quickly, and you rolled your eyes without patience.

It had been good sex, and you repeated that it was just that. Sex. That it shouldn't have happened, mainly because you were incompatible, and there were too many social barriers between you.

You should have known that Wanda would not break the expectations they had of her, to stay as someone as broken as you.

Closing the locker with more force than necessary, you walked out toward the history room.

Taking your place in the last chair by the window, you sit down as you wait for the class to begin. You have about five minutes of peace before an angry Tony Stark enters the room and walks toward you pointing his finger in your face in a threatening manner.

- I told you to mind your own business.

- What have I done to deserve this, Lord. - You grumble without patience, ignoring Stark completely. He lets out an angry exclamation and punches the table, making you jump with surprise.

- You'll pay for this, bitch. I'm going to-

You cut off his speech by pulling his hair and forcing his head against the table in a blow that makes a loud noise. He staggers back, shocked that he has been hit again. The room erupts in a hubbub and someone holds Tony back to stop him from jumping on you.

You stand up, gathering your notebooks, seeing that the history teacher was already signaling for you to talk to the counselor.

- You never learn, Stark. - You sneer, taking one last look at the boy's bloody nose before you leave the room, most of your classmates laughing.

- I'm so angry with you right now. - said your mother as soon as you both left the school. You didn't respond, walking with your hands in your pockets to the car. She started mumbling to herself, and only when you had been in the car a few minutes did she speak to you again.

- And the worst of it is that you hit my boss's son!

You let out a wry laugh as you looked out the car window at the view.

- I doubt very much that Howard Stark knows any of his employees, Mother.

- It doesn't matter. - she retorted, turning the wheel. You watched the landscape change as you turned the corner.

- At least I didn't get expelled. - You commented, your mother let out a wry laugh.

- Suspension is not a good thing! - she replies in an irritated tone. - And I even had to miss my shift to come get you. I honestly didn't raise you for that.

- That's the point, isn't it? - You retorted angrily, finally turning to face your mother. - Did you ever raise me? Last time I checked, I've been raising myself for a long time.

Your mother assumes a disapproving expression, denying it with her head. You throw yourself back on the seat with your arms crossed.

- You've always been so unfair, you know. - She begins. - Who's picking you up from school now, huh? And who puts a roof over your head? Food on your plate? You raised yourself, that's a joke.

She grumbles again, but you just ignore it, shutting yourself off from your surroundings.

You barely register when the car pulls up in front of your house, startled when your mother slams the car door as you get out. You take off your seat belt, and step out.

- You are grounded, three months. - she says, and you just nod. It's not as if she was present enough to know where you were going anyway. - And you are going to help your aunt in the store while you are suspended.

You let out a protesting grunt.

- Really, there's nothing worse for me to do? - You ask, throwing yourself on the sofa in the living room, your mother giggles.

- Weren't you the one who was thinking that suspension is better than expulsion? Well, you're not going to be sitting around this week. - She said as she left her purse on the kitchen table, and walked towards the small office table in the corner of the room. - Now go to your room, I'm working from home today.

You roll your eyes, getting up. Dragging your feet to your room, you slam the door as you enter, throwing yourself against your bed.

You hope Tony Stark's nose is hurting.

You are very surprised to see Natasha Romanoff enter your aunt's mercenary, shortly after school hours. She smiles at you with amusement, walking over to the counter.

- Wow, interesting look. - She jokes, commenting on the blue uniform combined with a sailor's hat that your aunt makes her three employees wear. You laugh at Nat.

- How can I help you, ma'am? - You asked in an amused tone, she leaned her arms on the counter.

- I'm looking for a fighting dog. Do you sell these here?

You laugh at the insinuation. And then a customer enters the store, Nat moves aside for you to attend to a lady buying tomato sauce and noodles, and then as you check out, she speaks again.

- You caused a fuss at school with your fight. - She remarks, and you just grumble, counting the money. - By the way, how did you find out about Rogers and Stark's secret affair?

You shrug, smiling. - I saw them kissing the night of the game. Stark freaked out, by the way, typical.

Nat laughed, and began to look around the store. - It is nice here. I didn't know you worked.

- It's my aunt's. - You say, finally finishing counting the money in the cash register. - And I worked at the junkyard on Avenue Two until last year.

- Aren't you going to tell me that you were fired for fighting? - Nat teased, making you laugh.

- No, I asked to quit. - So you say. - I wanted a quiet senior year.

Nat nods, and walks around the store, stopping at the magazine section. You see three more customers before she returns.

- I have to get home before my mother freaks out. - She announced as soon as she reached the counter. You nodded. - But I want to know if you want to do something with me?

- I thought you had a boyfriend. - You joked, and Nat rolled her eyes humorously.

- Don't be a smartass.

You laugh.

- I will be helping out in the store during this week. - You say. - Because of the suspension. I leave at seven.

Nat nodded, assuming a contemplative expression for a moment.

- Do you know where Avengers' Bar is? Three blocks past the municipal hospital?

You nod, smiling.

- Sure, Nat. - You say. - I've already driven past it.

- Why haven't you ever gone inside? I'm always there.

- I wasn't in that area to drink. - You remark with a suggestive smile, and Nat just laughs and rolls her eyes.

- Well, I'll be there on Wednesday. Some colleagues from State are playing there. - She says, and writes down a phone number on one of the papers on the counter. - Text me if you're going to show up.

- Are you sure it's not a date? - You joke and Nat just winks at you before you leave. You keep her number in your uniform pocket.

Even from outside, you could hear the music from the bar muffled against the windows.

Avengers's Bar was a popular place in town, but only for a certain kind of people. Mainly frequented by punks, bikers, and artists, it was exactly the kind of place you liked but should avoid. With its history of fights, it wasn't exactly the kind of place you went to anymore.

A dark-haired girl in metal-working attire smiled at you from the doorway, looking at you mischievously as you walked through the door. You just nodded slightly.

Inside, you looked around for Natasha and her friends, but with the amount of people in the bar, it wasn't so easy to find them.

- Y/N! - shouted Thor when he spotted you in the crowd. You smiled, walking over to where he was standing. - We're on the top floor, Nat got a table. Come on, I just came to get some drinks.

You followed him to the bar, and helped him carry the drinks for the others. You didn't recognize any of the drinks they were making there, so you decided to just drink from everyone's glass, which made Thor laugh.

- Look who I found. - announced Thor as soon as you two arrived at the table. The group smiled when they saw you, and you greeted everyone with a kiss on the cheek and sat down next to Nat.

- We heard that you were suspended. - commented Clint, but he seemed almost proud. You shrugged awkwardly.

- She wasn't content to just punch Stark, she also slammed the bastard's head against the table! - Said Natasha excitedly, and the group laughed. You laughed half embarrassed, as you took a sip of the pink drink Nat had ordered.

They started talking about some scandal that happened at the federal school, and you did your best to react to it, not really knowing who the people they were talking about were. And then Valkyrie let out an exclamation, as if she had spotted someone, and stood up. A very pretty girl approached, smiling and hugging Valkyrie.

- I'm glad you could make it, Carol. - Valkyrie said the girl who waved to everyone. When you looked closely, you finally recognized her. Carol Danvers was an ex-student of your high school, having graduated last year. She used to be very popular, and you noticed the military silver necklace around her neck.

Carol sat down next to Valkyrie, and the two of them seemed so close that you thought maybe they were dating.

When the show started, everyone exclaimed with excitement, quickly getting up and walking to the stage area. You smiled as Nat dragged you by the hand, liking the feeling of having friends.

The band was surprisingly good, and you danced with excitement, feeling the alcohol make you lively and loose. You were surprised when Carol began to dance with you, her hands on your waist.

She was very attractive, so you didn't mind her kissing you. And you pushed away the feeling that she wasn't the person you wanted. When she pulled you into the bathroom, her hands roaming over you as she tugged off your clothes, you ignored every part of your body screaming that this was wrong. When she made you cum, you bit your lip to keep yourself from screaming Wanda's name.

Your suspension was finally over, and you gave the key to the store back to your aunt before you went to school.

You tried not to think about it too much, about how many college opportunities you had missed with that stain on your record. But if you were honest, you didn't even know if you wanted to go to college anymore. Every day the possibility of buying a motorcycle and traveling aimlessly getting closer to your real calling.

Many people stared at you when you arrived at school. The vast majority didn't even bother to look away. You rolled your eyes impatiently, reaching into your jacket pockets as you walked through the main doors.

You were slightly startled when Jessica Jones approached you in your locker, but you smiled awkwardly, taking off your headphones.

- Girl, you are a legend! - she said excitedly, pushing you lightly by the shoulders against the lockers. She stood close, and you thought maybe that was flirting. - By the way, I didn't have your number to text you.

She took a pen from her bag, and grabbed your hand, writing down her own number while flashing you a mischievous smile.

- Text me, let's do something this week. - She says as she lets go of your hand. You blink slightly, and nod, a little awkwardly. Jessica doesn't seem to notice, and smiles, leaving afterwards.

You hear a whistle, and Nat looks at you with curiosity.

- You are stealing hearts, huh. - She teases, and you feel your face heat up, still surprised by the whole interaction. - By the way, are you and Carol on a real thing?

- What? - you ask in surprise. - No, I don't think so. It was just sex in a concert restroom, Natasha. I don't think she even knew my name. - You remark as you turn toward the redhead. She laughs, finishing putting her books away.

- Actually she asked me for your number. - She says, and you look at her in surprise. - But then I see you with Jones, and I have to admit, it's a tough choice. - Nat teases, making you laugh. You start walking down the hall together, walking towards the classrooms. You think Nat has said something about the show, but your attention is elsewhere. As you walk past Wanda and Peter Maximoff, everything seems to slow down, you notice the slight flush on Wanda's cheeks when her gaze meets yours, and you both hold your breath as you walk past each other. But the next second everything is as it was before, and you sigh, focusing your attention on Nat.

When you arrive in the literature room, you are happy to know that Nat sits next to you.

You hate the cafeterias. So when Nat invites you to join her at the outside tables you think it's the best lunch you have ever had.

The outside courtyard is relatively less crowded than the other places in the school, and you are in the middle of a discussion about the new TV series that launched over the weekend, when Nat signals to something behind you.

Coming out of the school, and heading towards the table where you were standing, was Sharon Carter, accompanied by her pet friend, Pepper Potts. And you really thought you could have a quiet lunch.

- To what do I owe the honor, Carter? - you asked ironically as they reached your table.

- You stay away from my boyfriend. - She spoke in a serious tone, and before you could say anything, she tipped the glass of soda she held over your head.

You felt your whole body boil with irritation and you stood up abruptly, seeing red. But Natasha tugged on your forearm, whispering something about your suspension. Sharon and Pepper seemed to be slightly startled by your posture, but they let out a wry chuckle and went back inside the school.

You tugged on Nat's arm, then left the courtyard and headed for the changing rooms. You needed a cold shower to calm yourself down, or you would do something that would surely cause your expulsion.

Since the athletic games period had not yet started, the gym locker room was empty. You sighed with relief as you found your spare change of clothes in your locker.

Walking toward the bathroom stalls, you quickly undressed, and stepped into the shower, letting the cold water wash all the soda and anger from your body.

Leaning your head against the wall, you let out a sigh, thinking about all the shit that was going on in your life in less than two weeks. And then your mind went back to Wanda, and you let out a breathless groan, laughing humorlessly. The cold water didn't help to chill the new heat that settled under your stomach. You turned off the shower, then stepped out to put on your clothes.

On your way out of the locker room, you saw something you would rather not have seen. The universe seemed to be testing your anger today.

Wanda was being pressed against the wall of the indoor bleachers, which at that time was empty and perfect for those who wanted to make out in a secluded spot. It was a tall boy, but you couldn't see his face, which was buried in Wanda's neck, kissing her. And then she opened her eyes, and looked straight at you. You saw him pull down his pants and enter her, and she moaned with her mouth ajar, without taking her eyes off you. She had a gleam in her eyes that made your whole body tremble.

You gripped the strap of your purse tightly, controlling the impulse to go over and beat the boy until he passed out, and spun on your feet, walking out the back door.

Fucking day, you thought as you walked back to school.

Eventually, you thanked Nat for keeping you from hitting Sharon. She shrugged, saying that she didn't want you to be expelled now that you were becoming friends, and you tried not to be too happy about it.

On Wednesday, Carol Danvers showed up at the door of the school on a motorcycle. This is sure to be a long-lasting gossip, you thought as you and Nat greeted her on the way out. Several students looked at you, many of them impressed by Carol's motorcycle, others impressed to see her back at school, but the vast majority trying to ask how you knew her.

- What's up, Danvers? - You say to her with a slight nod. Carol looks at you as if she wants to undress you right there, but you have your gaze on her motorcycle, attentive to the details of the vehicle.

- Hey, pretty girl. - She answers while leaning against the vehicle.

- Jesus, you are not even seeing me. - Nat teases and Carol just laughs, giving her a kiss on the cheek. - Tell me, what brings you back to your beloved school?

- I came to say hello. - says Carol. - And to invite you both to a concert on Saturday.

- And you didn't text me because you missed me. - Nat rebuts in a provocative tone, Carol smiles, and then looks at you, before confirming. You don't really know what to say.

- If the music is good, I'm in. - You joke and Nat agrees. Carol takes two tickets out of her pocket and hands them to you.

- I'll pick you up, okay? - She offers it to you. You think about refusing, without really knowing why. But you nod in agreement before you can think about it too much.

- Okay, lovebirds. I'll leave you two alone because I'm starting to get the urge to puke. - Nat jokes one last time, before heading out toward the parking lot. You imagine that she will use the break time to smoke a bit.

You shift your weight between your feet before turning your gaze back to Carol.

- I was surprised to hear that you asked Nat for my number. - You comment, and Carol smiles.

- I like to talk to pretty girls. - She says, and you roll your eyes humorously at the flirtation. She laughs, biting her lips, and you allow her to rest her hands on your waist, perhaps too low.

- Are you looking for something serious, Danvers? - you ask with a slight irony. Carol looks at you in mild surprise.

- You don't think it has anything to do with me, do you?

- Sorry, the motorcycle and the leather jacket gave you away. - You respond humorously. - I get it, because it's my game.

Carol laughs.

- I'm enjoying our time together. - she confesses. - But I'll be back at the station in a few weeks. I can't make any promises.

You nod, without really being bothered by it. Carol is not the one you wanted to be with. And to push those thoughts away, you kiss her. She smiles, deepening the kiss slightly. You think she squeezed your ass, but you're not really paying attention.

And then you break apart, and she smiles at you.

- I'll see you Saturday, right? - she asks, and you nod, letting her kiss you one last time.

When she finally starts the motorcycle and drives away, you notice the mischievous and suggestive looks you receive.

And you try not to let your anger peak, but then you notice Stark's group in the corner of the school, laughing openly. You'll need to walk past them to get inside, and you really hope that none of them will test your patience.

- Hey weirdo, who was your girlfriend? - shouts Tony Stark. You know, you really think maybe he is brain damaged. His friends laugh at the joke, and you think you will ignore it, but then he shouts again. - I'm talking to you, dyke!

He throws something at you, missing you by inches. You watch the red liquid run down in front of your feet.

You think, this is it. This is how I'm going to get expelled. By sticking a straw in Tony Stark's eye. You wondered if prison life was worth it.

But then the laughter died down in the next second, and you watched Tony turn pale.

- Mr. Stark, please come with me. - A male voice sounded behind you. The school principal was a scary man, and he was hardly ever seen outside his classroom. He never witnessed his students' conflicts, and Fury never bothered him with such matters. Tony's paleness was understandable.

- P-Professor Thanos, I don't...

- Now. - says the man finally, and Tony stiffens his jaw as he follows him. He gave you an angry look before leaving.

The buzz started as soon as they entered the school, but you didn't really pay attention to anyone. Ignoring the middle finger Steve Rogers threw at you, you went back inside the school.

Tony Stark was punished with detention. You rolled your eyes when the rumor reached you. They had also said that his father refused to pick him up and that the driver was the one who talked to Fury. You would have sympathy for Stark if he wasn't a complete imbecile.

You had chemistry again, and you really weren't in the mood to see Wanda, but you had no choice.

And then Professor Agatha was feeling particularly inspired today, and decided to switch lab partners. You ended up on the same bench as Darcy Lewis and Pietro Maximoff, you being the only trio due to the odd number of students. You sighed against your bad luck.

The experiment that Mrs. Harkness performed was not difficult, but it could be dangerous if you didn't pay attention. So you just listened to Darcy's instructions, and everything was working out fine. Then Pietro Maximoff decided that his attention was better placed on a girl sitting behind him, and started flirting. Darcy rolled her eyes, smiling at you.

In the blink of an eye, you heard a scream of pain. Pietro had forgotten the limits of the counter itself, and stretching his arms most likely to impress the girl behind you, he slammed his hand against the chemical glass jar behind him. Darcy stepped back to avoid being hit, but you were quick to help Pietro, pulling his arm into the sink on the counter, turning on the faucet as you hurried to get as much of the acidic liquid off his skin as possible.

Pietro sighed with relief, probably feeling the pain disappear as you rubbed the soap into his skin. He was extremely surprised, as was the rest of the room.

- Very efficient reaction, Miss Y/L/N. - commented Ms. Harkness as she approached you, holding a cloth to dry Pietro. - I'll add an extra point to your average for that. Mr. Maximoff, please go to the infirmary.

Pietro wrapped the cloth around his injured hand, and looked at you with a mixture of hesitation and confusion in his eyes, but he nodded in thanks.

Harkness asked someone to call the janitor to clean up the shards, and then continued the class. You found it hard to concentrate when you noticed Wanda's gaze on you.

Jessica Jones kisses you against the wall of the second floor locker room.

You exchanged a few messages, mostly innocent jokes. And then Jessica said she had something amazing to show you, and when you met her after third period, in the not-so-isolated locker room, she pushed you up against the wall and kissed you on the mouth.

Jessica tasted like coke and something sweet, and she likes to bite.You had to remind yourself that you were kissing someone while you were doing it, not feeling connected to her really.

And then two girls came into the bathroom giggling and she let you go.

- Sorry for the scare. - She joked, her lips swollen. You shrugged, smiling slightly.

- What inspired you to do this? - you teased, putting your hands on her waist.

- You of course. Punching assholes and saving people. It's hot. - She says and then she checks her cell phone. - Damn, I have chemistry now. I can't be late.

She steals a kiss from you and quickly leaves. You blink, not really understanding what has happened.

As you go downstairs, you realize that the cheerleading squad is coming out of the locker room, and Sharon and Potts give you a death stare as you walk past them. And then, as you pass through the door to the women's dressing room, you hesitate. All your logic tells you to go on your way, but then your feet are turning and you walk into the dressing room, looking around.

You let out a sigh as you find who you were looking for. Wanda is changing clothes, wearing only her cheer skirt, and a bra. Your intimacy pulsates with the image. Wanda lets out a surprised exclamation at seeing you there, but then she lets out a mischievous smile, and continues undressing.

Slowly, she lets the skirt slide down her thighs. You bite your lower lip hard as it falls to the floor.

And then two other cheerleaders come out of one of the aisles behind you, and the giggles die down when they see you. One of the girls turns to Wanda:

- Is this girl bothering you, Wandy? - she asks in a honeyed voice.

- And what are you, a watchdog? - You retort before Wanda can answer. The girl gives you a death glare. - Mind your own business, nosy.

The other girl approaches you, looking at you with disdain. - We don't like street trash here. Why don't you go back to your junkyard?

You swallowed dryly, trying to control your anger. The smaller girl giggled, and you looked at Wanda, who looked in shock, before you stormed out of the dressing room slamming the door.

You knew you shouldn't do that, but your feet dragged you out into the field of trailers.

You walked a long way until you arrived. And when you entered the courtyards, many of the residents looked at you with a frown. But you ignore them, as you walk between the houses. You knock hard on the door of one of the trailers farthest away. It takes a moment before a tall, muscular boy answers it.

He lets out a wry laugh when he sees you.

- Visiting old friends? - He teases, you don't smile.

- I need to break something, Erik. - You say simply, and he sighs. And then he closes the door, and you walk together in the opposite direction, out of the trailer park.

You have known Erik Killmonger since kindergarten. His life wasn't exactly the easiest. You used to hang out together in high school, but then Erik started getting into a lot of fights, and it was rumored that he joined a gang. He didn't tell you anything, and when you asked, he told you to mind your own business. And then, in the second year, he was expelled for breaking the jaw of Johann Schmidt, one of the seniors at the school. You remember never seeing Erik so angry. But you never knew the reason for the fight. And then he drifted away, and even though you missed him, you didn't push him.

- Here it is. - Erik said as you reached an abandoned area a few feet beyond the trailers. He handed you a wooden stick, and you took a deep breath before you started smashing through the abandoned objects there, most of them junk.

- Fuck that fucking school. - You shouted as you hit a bottle, the glass splattering through the air. Erik just stood at a safe distance, his hands in his pockets. - Fuck Tony Stark. - You shouted, a wooden box shattering with the blow of your bat. And then you noticed a tall dead tree trunk a few yards away, and you stepped forward, aggressively slamming your bat several times against the tree. - Fuck Wanda Maximoff. - And the staff shattered with the force of your blow. You let out a sigh, throwing the object to the ground, as you sat down down on the grass.

Erik walked over to you, and he said nothing about the tears streaming down your face.

- Do you want to talk about it? - he asked as he sat down beside you. You nodded in denial.

- I want you to tell me something about yourself. - You said, wiping your face.

- Um, let me think. - He says, putting his arms behind him and leaning back, he looks relaxed. - My mother is in town.

You turn your head to him in surprise. He smiles.

- Yes, I know, that's nice. - He comments. - But I won't get my hopes up. She could leave at any moment.

- I hope she stays. - You say.

- So do I.

You stand there in silence for a moment, then Erik stands up, then offers his hand to help you stand. You sigh and accept.

- Let's get something to eat, you're paying. - He says, causing you to smile ironically.

You end up at one of the dinner stands across the main road from the trailer park. You buy Erik a hamburger and fries, but you decide to just have a milkshake.

- This is all about a girl, isn't it? - he asks after a while, and you almost deny it. But you just shrug your shoulders in agreement, taking a sip of your milkshake. - Is it someone I know?

- Maybe. - you say, and Erik frowns humorously. He eats some chips, assuming a thoughtful expression.

- That's hard, I've never seen you paying attention to anyone at school. - he says. - What about that redheaded girl in the locker next to yours?

You laugh and nod your head in denial. Erik smiles, thinking again.

- What about that girl in your chemistry class? The one you said was smart?

- Darcy? - You ask and he confirms, you just smile. - No, I wish. Darcy would be less complicated.

Erik laughs, and then pushes the rest of the potatoes to you.

- Why don't you just tell me? - he asks, but his tone is not accusatory, just provocative.

- Because I don't want to admit it. - You confess, accepting the potatoes. It takes a moment, and then you speak. - I think I'm falling in love with Wanda Maximoff.

You don't look at Erik, fearing his reaction. But then he lets out a sigh, and drags his hand across the table, offering it to you. You accept, and he holds your hand warmly.

- You, my friend, are totally screwed. - He teases, making you laugh. - But keep calm. Passions go away as fast as they come.

You nod, squeezing his hand before letting go. You eat in silence, and you can't help but think how much you missed him.

Debates test your patience. And as if that weren't irritating enough, you still share this class with Wanda.

You don't look at her when you enter the room, but you feel her gaze on you. Throwing yourself on the last chair in the room, you stand with your headphones on and sink your head into your arms on the desk, wishing for the school year to end soon.

When Professor Hill enters the room, you are surprised that one of your classmates nudges you to warn you, and you smile in appreciation as you straighten your posture and put your cell phone away.

- I hope you have read the book I asked for, children. - She announces as she puts her bag on the table, and walks to the front of the cabinet, leaning against the wood as she looks around the room. - We will discuss it in class today.

The room lets out a chorus of displeasure, but the teacher lets out a chuckle. Her debates were famous for ending up in heated discussions, plus they made up about fifty percent of the grade. If you didn't say anything, you had to write a report of the discussions.

The teacher took a copy of the book from her purse, and held it with both hands.

- "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man, possessing a good fortune, must be in need of a wife." - She read, walking around the room. - Who can tell me what the line implies about women?

- It's the old-fashioned way of saying that women prefer rich guys. - Steve Rogers sneered, drawing giggles from his teammates in the room. Mrs. Hill, however, just sighed with disappointment.

- No, Mr. Rogers. - she said, cutting off the laughter immediately. - If you have no intention of participating seriously in the debate, I suggest you remain silent.

Steve let out a lame laugh, shrugged, and whispered something to his tablemate. You rolled your eyes impatiently, resting your face in your hand. And then you watched Wanda Maximoff raise her arm up.

- Yes, Wanda? - nodded Mrs. Hill waiting for the answer.

- I think it's about a reaffirmation of the status of the man. As if the woman is a trophy to prove his status and position. - She says. - It objectifies women completely.

You blinked, slightly impressed. Wanda was always smart, after all. But then the boys in class giggled, and the redhead seemed to shrug her shoulders. Professor Hill, however, smiled at her.

- Interesting position, Miss Maximoff. - she said, and walked back around the room. - Let's talk a little about the main romance of the book. - She says, and looks reproachfully quickly at two boys who are whispering, and they fall silent. - I'd like to know what you think about Elizabeth and Darcy's relationship, and how we can bring the book's issues into our current society. Do you believe that the same prejudices are faced today?

The room explodes into excitement, and you feel like going home. Mrs. Hill looks around, and waves to calm the students.

- Please, class. Raise your hand who believes that Elizabeth and Darcy would easily marry today?

The vast majority of the students raise their hands. And someone makes a comment that they would get laid on the first date, and many laugh. You play with your pencil, twirling it on your finger, and then feel a light elbow on your arm. Your classmate nods her head forward, and you blink in confusion, realizing that Ms. Hill has called your attention.

- I'm sorry, Mrs. Hill. What is it? - you ask, straightening your posture. She smiles tenderly.

- I asked why you didn't raise your hand. - She repeats. - Could you share with the class your position?

You let out a sigh, thinking about it. And then you lean back in your chair, putting your hands in your pockets, and trying not to get intimate with the stares in the room.

- I really don't understand how everyone here can say that we no longer have social rules for relationships. - You say. - If Darcy and Elizabeth were from the present day, the prejudices portrayed in the books would only be different, but they would still be there. We have many ways of forbidding people to relate to each other, even in this school.

- Interesting. Please continue. - the teacher said, leaning back against her desk. You let out a sigh, trying to organize your opinion into words.

- I can give an example of how we divide the social groups around here. - you say. - It's not like the jocks are seen hanging out with the kids in the theater. Elizabeth would definitely be one of the smart girls, and Darcy would be the dumb brat. Sort of like a Tony Stark.

The room erupted in giggles, and you watched Steve Rogers lock his jaw, commenting something to his classmate. Professor Hill gave you a warning look, beckoning the class to be quiet.

- So you believe that Darcy and Elizabeth would not be together in the present days? - she asks you, and you shrug.

- I don't think Darcy would break the expectations people have of him for Elizabeth. - You state. - And besides, she can do better than that.

Some students laughed at your comment, and Mrs. Hill smiled at you. And then she asked if anyone had a different opinion, and you were slightly surprised to see Wanda raise her hand again.

- I think they would end up together. - She says. - They are really in love, and just like in the book, I think Darcy just needs time to understand everything, and to build up some courage.

- And Elizabeth should expect him to have some guts, then? - You cut Wanda off. The room looks at you in surprise, and Wanda turns in her chair, a look of mixed defiance and surprise, but you don't back away. - While he decides whether she is worth it, should she just wait around?

- Elizabeth needs to understand that Darcy also has his own issues. - Wanda retorts. - That it's not easy to let go of all the expectations people place on you.

You laugh lightly with irony.

- Of course Darcy would be quite comfortable keeping Elizabeth waiting. - You say with mild irritation. - Besides, Elizabeth is also going through a lot. She deserves to have someone who chooses her.

- That's not what we're arguing about. - Wanda replies. - No one is questioning Elizabeth's worth. I'm saying that they would be together, but that they need time.

- And I'm saying that Darcy has to stop being such a gutless pussy and make a decision soon. Elizabeth is not going to pause her life just to wait for him.

- She would do that if she really liked Darcy. - Retorts the redhead, you blink in disbelief.

You think the room held its breath with your debate with Wanda, and you would have continued if the teacher hadn't interrupted.

- Okay, I think we're getting a little nervous. - She cut in, and you blinked awkwardly, stopping to look at Wanda. The room murmured quietly again as Wanda turned back to face the front. - Thank you for your opinions, ladies. Now let's move on, who can offer a reflection on marriage in the book?

The class continued for a while, but you completely disconnected. Your heart was racing and you realized that the discussion you had was not about Darcy or Elizabeth. Wanda was asking you to wait for her. And you felt a strong urge to punch something. And then you focused your attention completely on the literature report, ignoring the debate completely.

#wanda maximoff x reader #wanda x reader #wanda x you #wanda maximoff #wandaxreader #wandaxyou #wandamaximoffxreader #wandavision #wanda #wandamaximoff x reader #wanda maximoff x dom!reader #The One Where You Punch Tony Stark #enemies to lovers #high school

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taekooktimeline · 6 years

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Mint Choco: Sara’s Take

I take full responsibility for this controversial analysis

Mid August 2018 (filmed) - As part of a run episode, BTS engaged in a heated debate. The topic: mint chocolate, in favour or against its commercialization. Members were separated depending on whether they liked mint chocolate or not. Jimin and Tae were on the fence about it - neither liked nor disliked the taste - but ended up in the “dislike it” team. This is all true, they were actually grouped on the basis of their relationship with mint choco - how they really felt about the ice-cream. They were NOT grouped by any other secret criteria. This is extremely important to remember. However, I believe there was a hidden motive for this debate and that it wasn’t a coincidence that they chose food as the topic (preference-oriented), especially one that is only enjoyed by a minority of society. The topic had been pre-planned along with the ending and final consensus. At the end, Yoongi - as the moderator with the prepared cards - very clearly said: “We don’t want to say that someone is wrong and someone is right, we just want to take one more step towards a more peaceful world”. After that cue, they then effortlessly changed their attitude, agreeing to respect & allow mint choco as long as both sides were considerate of each other. Jimin also said: “The reason we were having the discussion was to make the world a better place”, sounding like they had all been instructed about how they should lead and end the debate, walking them through the scheme. Seems quite purposeful and deep.

Their arguments were specifically suited for the mint choco debate, but the nature of the chosen topic made them have obvious parallelisms with the most common and basic arguments used in LGBTQ discussions. Of course, they are not interchangeable if we take details into account, but they are if we only focus on the general ideas. These parallelisms with food are frequently used in real arguments by many LGBTQ individuals / supporters where they bring up such comparisons. In sum, I believe they were arguing about mint choco with the sole purpose of teaching a lesson of tolerance, respect and inclusion of minorities with different preferences as part of some hidden pro-LGBTQ activism (since it’s taboo to be straightforward about it). This doesn’t make any of the members “homophobic” by any means because as I said, they were divided according to their food preferences. They were also playing a part because even if they personally didn’t like mint choco, none of them wanted to ban it in real life (outside of the debate they respected other’s taste to begin with) but they were acting as if they did want to ban it in order for the debate to be possible. I will link their pro & anti-mint choco arguments with pro & anti-lgbtq arguments - although comparisons are never intended to fit 100% - as well as point out and give insight into a comment that could be a direct connection between both topics, but please, don’t be scandalized about it because I clearly explained the situation. NON OF THEM ARE HOMOPHOBIC, even if there’s a hidden driving force. Carefully reread this introduction if you find yourself confused or infuriated by the analysis. At this point I’m not responsible for misunderstandings. If you are too young beware because this might not be suited for you.

The debate starts with Jk trying to make the opposite team empathize with mint choco lovers. He knows they are few people but if they completely get rid of it, what about them? This can be compared to equal marriage / rights.

The opposite team distances themselves from the issue. Basically, something like: “What do we have to do with it? That’s not our problem��. A typical attitude adopted by society. (*Reminder: they are playing parts and actually talking about mint choco during the entire debate. There is just an underlying double meaning).

Jk gets political and demands a solution. He thinks it’s their right.

A comparison -

He then makes a solid point: you’re not obligated to experience it even if it’s included as an option.

Comparison -

The opposition wants to force their own views and erase / prohibit what they personally dislike (*Reminder).

Comparison -

Definition of intolerance:

The minority thinks it’s a forced opinion.

Comparison -

Mint choco team bring back up their prior argument-

The MC shows bias towards the minorities. “You shouldn’t criticize them”, he says.

Opposition questions if it’s as simple as not partaking of it if not interested. Jk continues by reasoning that if it’s not available / facilitated then minorities have no means of accessing it as they can’t make it on their own. Again, can be compared to equal marriage.

Opposition start talking about their own personal differing taste - which coincides with the majority’s - and try to use it as a valid argument to push out the variation that they don’t align with by saying “I don’t think it makes sense”. This can be compared to heterosexuality (a liking for the opposite sex/gender coupled with a dislike / distaste / unattraction to the same gender/sex) versus homosexuality (the other way around) and the confusion it can elicit in unfamiliarezed or closed minded people.

The opposition adds the visual aspect to it. They think it’s unpleasant to look at (*Reminder). This is comparable with the known fact that a great number of people feel or even express disgust when they see any type of homosexual affection.

Minority team differs.

Comparison -

Opposition continues -

Comparison -

Minority team interjects saying it’s a prejudiced thought that lacks scientific basis.

Comparison (prejudices vs science) -

Studies indicate homosexuality is a natural variant within the animal kingdom, compatible with the survival of the species:

Minority team really wants to make others understand that it all comes down to personal taste.

Comparison: these are pictures taken from Korea’s LGBTQ pride festival. “I like tomato spaghetti, do you like cream spaghetti?”, can be read on her sign. In this case she’s linking tomato spaghetti with homosexuality (liking girls in her case), versus cream spaghetti which would be linked to heterosexuality. She’s saying it’s not a big deal and just a matter of preference, “Love is Love”.

Jk can’t let go of his main argument which is a plea spoken out into the world. He’s asking for compassion.

Moderator highlighting their petition for respect -

Comparison (pride festival, attendee) -

Opposition offers an alternative route to satisfy their wishes. Joons says mint can be found in Argentina, although it is not the top producer (*Reminder: they are playing parts).

If we research a bit we’ll see Morocco takes the lead by an astonishing difference: 92.7% of global production. It’s nearly a mint monopoly. Argentina takes second place but with a derisory 6.7%. If Joon was sufficiently informed to know that Argentina came 2nd place, he must’ve certainly known Morocco was 1st place by a huge leap. Why didn’t he mention Morocco instead?

After a little more research I found out that Buenos Aires - capital of Argentina - is one of the top destinations for gay marriage tourism. They were the FIRST country in the world to pass a marriage law that allowed even non-residents to celebrate same-sex weddings with international recognition (although limited to countries where it’s legal). Even today there aren’t many countries where this is possible because even if they legalized gay marriage some countries have residency or citizenship restrictions.

Jk says “that’s too difficult” in relation to mint choco. Going back to the hidden topic, despite these existing options, traveling abroad is not viable for everyone due to increased costs and complications. What about the guests? Even if koreans marry in a foreign country, their same-sex marriage will not be valid in their home country.

Minority team repeats their arguments because they are convinced it’s a simple matter.

The moderator shows more bias by saying “don’t keep prejudiced thoughts”. The debate has a clear direction.

Comparison (pride festival, attendees) -

The opposition argues that by enabling the polemic option, the rest are exposed to accidental contamination as a result of unwanted contact when sharing experiences with friends that have those preferences. I’m not so sure about this one because they are actually arguing about mint choco and not every argument that they come up with necessarily makes allusion or is aplicable to the lgbtq topic but it could maybe be compared to the fear of being hit on by an individual of your same sex - which is a common fear.

Minority team then suggests people should first ask each other about their preferences and that way avoid unpleasant situations.

Comparison -

The opposition argues that even if they know about each other's tastes that won’t prevent either party from pursuing what they want.

Jk suggests they take precautionary measures and separate for certain scenarios. Jin later responded by saying Koreans value attachment.

A possible comparison is this below scenario where some members of a group of friends wanted to go to a gay club but the males of the group were disgusted by the idea in fear of being flirted with or groped by gay men, which is apparently something that men in general do - gay or straight - in Korea’s club culture. It was a problem because they all wanted to party together.

Knowingly, the opposition says something quite ridiculous. Tae said he wanted his friend to read his mind and know about his taste without the need to ask. This can be compared to those who find it offensive when someone doesn’t automatically know they are straight, as if they were bewildered by someone possibly thinking they were anything but straight (*Reminder: he’s playing a part).

Teammates absolutely love the irrational but emotional comment. Perfect for what they are going for.

Minority team rejects such emotional responses. It’s dangerous territory because a lot of harm has been derived from clouded judgment caused by strong emotions such as phobias.

The opposition says you can’t remove emotions from humankind, to which Jk says he too has friends. He also has emotions like any other but wouldn’t be offended by such questions.

Opposition then says it saddens them when they see all the mint choco left-over that people didn’t buy. They say it goes against market principles because it has low demand.

Comparison -

The opposition says it’s a waste of ingredients. This can be compared to people saying it’s a waste if you aren’t able to reproduce.

Comparison -

The minority team asks for coexistence.

Comparison -

They end up running a poll to see how many people in the entire room like mint choco. Turns out it’s between a 10% and a 15% of the staff. These numbers are very similar to the suspected percentage of worldwide lgbtq population - data which is part of popular knowledge. There are certainly many commonalities.

(There are many bi people that would never admit it nor act upon it).

Regardless of the comparatively small numbers, it’s said minorities should still be taken into account and their needs should be met.

Comparison -

The moderator then utters some peace-making words. They seem to serve as a cue because the opposing team starts to take a step back so as to find common ground.

Mint choco team emphasizes their simple wish to be respected as a minority.

The opposition is willing to accept on the condition that they always ask if it’s ok to add their debated preference into the shared experience so that they have the chance to decline, or simply decide.

They also come up with the idea of mixing chocolate into their mint toothpaste in order to get used to the taste and eliminate the negative thoughts associated with it. It’s a method that replicates the mint choco flavour but without having to actually swallow, just familiarize oneself with it.

This reminds me of how consuming media with lgbtq representation helps society come to terms with their existence, combats ignorance / prejudices and makes people much more likely to welcome their inclusion.

“Western countries in which being lgbtq is broadly accepted have tv shows with lgbtq representation. That kind of culture being liked by the general public helps the lgbtq community in being incorporated into the general society”

(netizen in favour of gay marriage due to watching american tv shows)

They all agree that both parties should be considerate of each other.

Joon really liked his mint choco toothpaste idea and further explains when questioned, dramatizing his words as he says he’d do it “to understand them” (*Reminder: Joon is already in touch with lgbtq culture).

Comparison -

They all are now finding consensus and preaching a positive message of tolerance and respect to construct a better world where everyone has a place, which was the initial plan all along.

MC gives final cue -

Messages they want to transmit -

Comparison -

Mutual consideration -

Agreement -

Joon comes up with another idea so that the minorities can easily recognize each other and happily interact, being able to share experiences that they commonly enjoy. He wishes for a peaceful world.

Comparison (minorities tend to seek a community) -

Jimin confesses that they began the debate with the intention of “conceding for others”. Definition:

Debates aren’t normally like that. What they were first carrying out could be classified as a competitive debate, but they just used it as a tool to bring a fitting topic forward, create a heated situation that mimicked society, and later deviate so that they could put a message across and set a good example. They all clearly wanted to campaign in favour of minorities. Info that I gathered on how it normally goes:

“In a debate, opposing arguments are put forward to argue for opposing viewpoints. Logical consistency, factual accuracy and some degree of emotional appeal to the audience are elements in debating, where one side often prevails over the other party by presenting a superior "context" or framework of the issue.”

“Competitive debates may be presided over by one or more judges or adjudicators. Both sides seek to win against the other while following the rules. One side is typically in favor of (also known as "for", "Affirmative", or "Pro") or opposed to (also known as "against", "Negative", "Con") a statement, proposition, moot or Resolution. Both sides are required to embrace and defend their own positions, otherwise it’s not a debate.”

When the time comes for Tae’s final remark, he takes the opportunity to remind them that he is neutral towards mint choco (the actual flavour) but after hearing all their points he declares he now likes it. This doesn’t make much sense because your taste doesn’t change no matter how much you empathize or agree with certain postures.

He pauses before his statement and then lets out a bashful chuckle when he continues. They all laugh quite soundly - too much of a reaction. It gives the impression of an inside joke. To me it’s like he’s now specifically referring to the hidden double meaning - to him being lgbtq.

Joon even covers his face with his arm like he too felt shy by extension -

Vmin high-five as Jimin gives it up for him. Note how Tae had his hands clasped tightly together while he laughed. That’s another indicator of awkwardness / anxiousness. It’s an unconscious way to hug himself and close off.

High-five:

Tae finishes his wishes -

Good news -

The recap of what they all want to convey is to respect each other’s differences -

Comparison (Pride festival) -

(http://www.vlive.tv/video/112445/playlist/27764)

The end ! :) Hope you found it sensible enough.

As a final note I’ll leave you with their message for the Love Myself campaign.

#taekooktimeline #theories #speculation #lgbtq #support

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theseaeaglelives · 4 years

Text

Special Edition

THE SEA EAGLE

MAKING RUGBY LEAGUE GREAT AGAIN!!!

Simply the Best???

By this stage most of us have had the misfortune of viewing this year’s NRL season opening promo. The 2-minute (thankfully shortened for TV) expose based on the iconic 1980’s Tina Turner advert highlights 30 of the greatest NRL moments from the past 30 years. Unfortunately, unless said greatest moment features some fringe minority group of indigenous, or progressive agenda rugby league highlight it misses the final editors cut.

Obviously put together by some leftie earing wearing, pony-tailed marketing tosser, who has never been to a game, the only thing missing is poor Old Izzy Folau nailed to a cross begging for penance.

Let’s face it, most rugby league fans, including the all-important angry old white men segment don’t for a second relate to or buy into this progressive gibberish and at the end of the day just want to see two teams of grown men spend 80 minutes bashing the crap out of each other without too many refereeing f#$kups. In the Sea Eagle’s opinion, a more appropriate season opening promo would have been to highlight the 30 most memorable atrocities committed by NRL players during the past 30 years. With this in mind the Director of Controversy in conjunction with marketing gurus Les Boyd Creative, has come up with this. Open the link and pump up the volume!!

https://youtu.be/FwrUTsN_mJE

Off-Season Controversy

In any other off season, the following incidents would be considered yet another shameful off-season of NRL players running amok. Of course, in season 2020 and the 2019/20 off-season there wasn't even a murmur of outrage over what happened. Basically the public is immune to all of it and expects it. And yet the tale of the tape reveals this :

Nelson Asofa Solomona

With the off-season barely a few weeks old Melbourne Storm forward Nelson Asofa Solomona on Oct 19 was reportedly seen throwing punches outside the La Favela nightclub in Seminyak Bali. Witnesses allegedly say the 23-year-old New Zealand Test prop was defending a teammate after they were set upon in an unprovoked attack. No action was taken ultimately by the NRL but the Sea Eagle certainly noticed it, and can only commend it as a great opening gambit .

Sam Burgess AVO and charges Oct 19.

Although the great player has now retired, at the time he was still contemplating being involved in season 2020. Unfortunately, things got a bit out of control when he ended up being charged with an intimidation type offence involving his father in law and also had an AVO brought against him again by allegedly attending his father in law’s premises (presumably when not invited). How Mr Burgess could be charged with intimidation is anyone’s guess.

This one still has to be played out in the Courts but again it was a fantastic entrée, with more and the best yet to come .

Mansa Fainu – Manly Hooker stabbing incident https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/manly-star-involved-in-church-dance-brawl-where-man-was-stabbed-20191028-p534ut.html.

This one was a Bobby dazzler . Manly had pinned all their hopes on this bloke to be there star #9 going forward. Regrettably things went incredibly haywire and allegations surfaced that he attacked someone whilst still recovering from a shoulder operation and his arm in a sling, allegedly with a knife carried in said sling. Bail was refused and as far as the Sea Eagle can ascertain, he remains incarcerated. It is pretty hard to top this in terms of an off -field atrocity but there you have it . Naturally, the NRL has deemed him unfit to play until this matter has been determined by the courts, although how he could play whilst serving time in a prison cell and recovering from a serious shoulder operation is anyone's guess.

David Fifita https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/david-fifita-bali-arrest-security-guard-assault-nrl-brisbane-broncos-star/news-story/8b06bdf6ab9609c48eb2c9e9a63d67d1

Another beauty this one, with Brisbane Broncos star forward again travelling to Bali and running amok. The allegations of course are all untested and unproven but the suggestions are that he was wildly swinging and landing punches on passers-by whilst travelling on a motorbike or perhaps walking in the street (one can't be entirely sure). Mr Fifita suggests he was set up. How hard would that be for an NRL player to achieve after a few drinks in Bali, the Sea Eagle suggests? In any event, he found himself incarcerated in a Bali hell hole, and allegedly having to make some sort of Brown paper bag payment to the Bali authorities in order to make this one go away. The Sea Eagle of course casts no blame against Mr Fifita for this one, as it is all supposition and hype. But the usual rules apply. That is, where there is smoke, there's usually some little F&&^%cker lighting matches.

Broncos hooker James Segeyaro doping charges.

James Segeyaro has been provisionally suspended by the NRL under the league's anti-doping policy after testing positive to a banned substance. At the time of writing this one still has to play out but it is certainly the sort of stuff you expect in any NRL off season .

Penrith Panthers NRL player Tyrone May Sex Tapes

Tyrone May narrowly avoided gaol and was sentenced to a three-year community corrections order over a sex tape scandal in January 2020. Tyrone May pleaded guilty to four counts of intentionally recording an intimate image without consent. The magistrate said his behaviour was "reprehensible" and "criminal". Apparently May and his teammate Nathan Cleary left the court without making any comment. May has been sidelined for nearly a year since being arrested over the videos from 2018, which were filmed without consent. One incident occurred at a Coffs Harbour motel and a second involved a woman in western Sydney three months later.

The 23-year-old pleaded guilty in November 2019 to four counts of intentionally recording an intimate image without consent.

Magistrate Robyn Denes sentenced May to 300 hours of community service, as well as psychological intervention, during his three-year community corrections order.

"This behaviour is not only morally reprehensible, it's criminal," she told Parramatta Local Court. "Ultimately, this is an offence which takes what was consensual sexual acts to another level. It does breach trust." Magistrate Denes warned May's offending placed him "on the cusp" of a custodial sentence and questioned whether he showed any remorse.

Not much more can be said about this one other than one must marvel at what would be revealed in a psychological intervention for an NRL player of this atrocity calibre. The facts speak for themselves and it is nothing less than a pure off field atrocity by an NRL player.

Josh Reynolds, AVO and domestic violence charges against ex partner https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/tigers-playmaker-reynolds-charged-with-domestic-violence-offence-20191212-p53jd5.html

This one showed that not all NRL players are guilty by association or by press release. Ultimately Mr Reynolds managed to persuade the New South Wales prosecutions to drop the charges on the basis of some ulterior or alleged ulterior motive of the complainant. Nevertheless, it is definitely controversial and pure Rugby League and worthy of a place in an off-field atrocity listing.

Eels winger Maika Sivo fronts court in traditional dress, barred from leaving Fiji over indecency charge https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-premiership/teams/eels/maika-sivo-tugged-on-female-bartenders-dress-before-fiji-pool-party-arrest/news-story/fb6dda5023f22790903b768a41c8c740

Maika Sivo was charged with indecent annoyance after allegedly touching the skirt of a waitress on Boxing Day during a trip home to Fiji. The NRL allowed the winger to play in the Nines tournament in Perth and the stand down policy did not apply to this player. Is there anything more fundamentally Rugby League than this one?

NRL player Curtis Scott Tasered after allegedly punching officer in the face (Australia Day 2020) https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/nrl-player-curtis-scott-tasered-after-allegedly-punching-officer-in-the-face-20200127-p53v0w.html

Curtis Scott allegedly assaulted a police officer in January 2020 and faces up to five years in jail if found guilty. Scott, who joined the Canberra Raiders in the off-season from Melbourne Storm, was arrested earlier this year after he allegedly kicked and punched a police officer in Sydney.

New South Wales Police said officers were forced to taser the 22-year-old to subdue him in the early hours of January 27, 2020 after members of the public reported a man "acting erratically" in the Moore Park sports precinct.

Scott was charged with two counts of assault, resisting police, behaving offensively in public and trespassing after being told to leave.

The NRL says he is free to play this season but warns against interpreting its decision as "a view on [his] innocence or guilt". In its statement, the NRL acknowledged Scott's charges were "extremely serious" but added "he should not be prevented from playing whilst he responds to them".

Scott's charges carry a maximum sentence of five years' imprisonment but the NRL had been considering applying its stand-down policy to him regardless.

Raiders coach Ricky sticky Stuart was naturally infuriated over this one, with his high profile and high paid recruit caught up in what can only be described as at best unprofessional. Yet again the old adage applies, nothing good happens after midnight (particularly in the Moore Park precinct after Australia Day). And, certainly as the NRL knows in seasons past, when we start talking Australia Day we usually end up with at least one NRL player going above and beyond .Who can forget what happened to Mitchell Pearce and that poor dog a few years back, after his efforts on an Australia day bonding session went right off the Richter scale.

STOP PRESS

but wait there is more. And this one takes the cake.

Corey Harawira-Naera and Jayden Okunbor stood down by Bulldogs just two days before their NRL season-opener- 10 March 2020

The Bulldogs stood down Corey Harawira-Naera and Jayden Okunbor just two days before their NRL season-opener.The players were issued a show cause notice by the NRL as to why they shouldn’t face further disciplinary action for alleged breaches of the game’s code of conduct.

It is still somewhat unclear as to what the players did but neither is the subject of a criminal investigation (at this stage). What "sources" close to the Sea Eagle can reveal is that it involved young high school girls (apparently over the age of consent) in a room after a trial was played at Port Macquarie.

It is understood that following a “promotional” visit to a local High School Messrs. Harawira-Naera and Okunbor hooked up with a couple of the girls and ended up back in their rooms for a consensual encounter. How these two knuckleheads thought that this was OK is anyone’s guest suffice to say these are NRL players and should be dealt with, with the highest of caution at the best of times.

Port Macquarie is South of Coffs Harbour where a few years back all hell broke loose in similar circumstances. Again, it was the Bulldogs.

Canterbury referred the matter to the NRL Integrity Unit after receiving concerning reports of alleged misconduct by the two players.

Bulldogs CEO Andrew Hill confirmed the players were stood down “Each was issued a show cause notice by the NRL as to why they shouldn’t face further disciplinary action for alleged breaches of the game’s code of conduct,” Hill said.

If this is in fact the case Bulldogs management also have a bit to answer for in failing to issue both Harawira-Naera and Okunbor with the simplest of instructions prior to the school visit - that being “do not f#@K any of the students”.

All the Sea Eagle can say is why do Clubs let players of limited mental ability or capacity, make decisions of any kind. Why do they play trials at seaside locations like Port Macquarie at all? The only place the Bulldogs should play a trial is in Parklea against the best local 17 inmates. There will be more to play out in this one. Rest assured. The Sea Eagle is thinking St George player Jack De Belin here.

THE SEA EAGLE

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organizedstudy · 6 years

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A vague crash course in Swedish politics

Disclaimer! I’m not an expert on Swedish politics but I’ve tried to fact-check everything. The election is just days away as I’m typing this so obviously the percentages etc will change shortly. I’ve tried to be as neutral as I can but facts is there are some racist, sexist parties here and I will not just let that pass. I’d advice you to read about the parties yourself so you get a better picture of their politics. (DN has a “the party in 1 minute on their Instagram for a quick overview!) You can also do Valkompassen (the election compass) at SVT, SR (or google it to get more results). Rösta!!

We vote on the second Sunday of September (7/9 this year)

We vote every 4 years

You have to be 18 to vote

We vote in 3 elections, Parliament, County Council and Municipality

You have to be a Swedish citizen to vote for Parliament

You have to be on the national registration list (folkbokföringslistan) to vote in the other two elections

If you’re not from the EU, Norway or Iceland you have to have been on that list for at least 3 consecutive years before election day

The parliament has 349 seats, an uneven number to avoid ties

A party has to get at least 4% of the votes to get into parliament

There are currently 8 parties in the Swedish Parliament, 5 on the right wing and 3 on the left wing

We currently have a left wing minority government composed by Socialdemokraterna (S) “The Social Democrats” and Miljöpartiet (MP) “The Environment Party”. They have been ruling since 2014

4 of the right wing parties make up Alliansen “The Alliance”

These 4 parties are: Moderaterna (M) “The Moderates”, Centerpartiet (C) “The center party”, Liberalerna (L) “The Liberals” and Kristdemokraterna (KD) “The Christ Democrats”

Vänsterpartiet (V) “The Left Party” is the party most to the left in the parliament

Sverigedemokraterna (SD) “The Sweden Democrats” is the party most to the right in the parliament, they first got into the parliament in 2014

In Sweden we have this political event called Almedalsveckan (named after the place where it’s held, Almedalen in Visby on the island Gotland) which is a week (week 27) where parties, non-profit organizations and companies meet to discuss politics and societal issues. It’s a really big deal in Swedish politics

This is quite a long post so I’ll put the rest about the parties and more specific about this election 2018 below the cut.

The parties

Socialdemokraterna (S)

Party leader since 2012 is Stefan Löfven

Votes last election: 31,01%

Members are called socialdemokrater or sossar

Left wing but have recently gone more towards the middle and are considering working with some of the right-wing parties

The party that “built” Sweden with “folkhemmet” and the social welfare

Website

Moderaterna (M)

Party leader since 2017 is Ulf Kristersson

Votes last election: 23,33%

Members are called moderater

The biggest of the right-wing parties

Considers working with Sverigedemokraterna

Website

Sverigedemokraterna (SD)

Party leader since 2005 is Jimmie Åkesson

Votes last election: 12,86%

Members are called sverigedemokrater or SDare (or fascister, nasister, rasister)

Has its roots in nazims and fascism and still has a lot of nazist in the party

Has had a lot of scandals with top-politicians saying and doing a lot of racist, homophobic, sexist etc stuff

Has voted against all laws seeking to improve the life of lgbt+ people

One of their top-politicians have twice said that sami people and jews aren’t swedes but they still claim to be “the best party for sami people” like ehm no

Website

Miljöpartiet (MP)

Party leaders are Isabella Lövin (since 2016) and Gustav Fridolin (since 2011)

Votes last election: 6,89 %

Members are called: miljöpartister

They are the only party currently in the parliament that has two party leaders, in Swedish they are called “språkrör” the reason is to promote equality on all levels and ease the workload. A språkrör cannot stay for more than 9 years in a row

They are the Swedish equivalent to different green parties around the world so environmental issues is their biggest question

Website

Centerpartiet (C)

Party leader since 2006 is Annie Lööf

Votes last election: 6,11 %

Members are called: centerpartister

One of their main questions is the improvement of life on the countryside

Website

Vänsterpartiet (V)

Party leader since 2012 is Jonas Sjöstedt

Votes last election: 5,72 %

Members are called: vänsterpartister

Will according to polls do one of their best elections since 1998

Are really popular among young people (since young people tend to be more leftist)

Is a feminist party and probably the only party that isn’t considering working with some blue parties

Website

Liberalerna (L)

Party leader since 2007 is Jan Björklund

Votes last election: 5,42 %

Members are called: liberaler

Has recently changed name from Folkpartiet

Their main thing is education

Website

Kristdemokraterna (KD)

Party leader since 2015 is Ebba Busch Thor

Votes last election: 4,57 %

Members are called: kristdemokrater or KDare

Are on the verge of not getting into the parliament as you have to have 4% of the votes

They talk a lot about how to improve the life of the elders

Website

Elections 2018

This section is more of my personal interpretation and opinions about this election period. This will of course, not be as generic as the previous sections and it is colored by the articles I’ve read and the people I talk about politics with, the activists I follow on instagram, in short, more politically colored.

This year DN (on of the biggest newspapers in Sweden) have an amazing initiative where everyone with a Swedish social security number can get access to their digital newspaper for free up until the day after the elections in order to provide people with real journalism to be able to vote based on facts (which is such an important part of democracy)

A big big thing is the question of SD. Who will collaborate with them? How much power will they get (recent polls estimates them becoming the second largest party which is sickening tbh)? Should I vote tactically to decrease their possibility of becoming the largest party?

Recently the abortion debate has been brought up again since SD wants abortions to be illegal after week 12 (it’s currently week 18), they also want nurses to refuse to perform abortions :))) so that’s a mess

Another thing with SD is the extreme normalization of racism etc that they have contributed to

Parties are going more and more towards right and they say things that would never have been accepted before

Nazist groups such as Nordiska motståndsrörelsen (NMR) and Alternativ för Sverige (AfS) have been given permission to marsch and protest several times which is 100% unacceptable and we really should forbid nazist groups because people don’t feel safe anymore

This year at Almedalsveckan NMR were there and it made a lot of people very uneasy since they are very violent and against the pure existence of LBGT+ and POC. The LGBT+ organization RFSL decided to leave because they didn’t feel safe which obviously is a huge threat to democracy

When I say they are nazist I mean it 100%, there are self-proclaimed nazist proudly going around here and it’s so fucking scary

Another important topic is the climate as a consequence of climate change getting very obvious with the several forest fires we experienced this summer.

Questions regarding sexual assault and rape following #metoo which was a really big thing here last fall

Of course some people (SD, M, probably more) want to blame this on immigration (which is wrong since in most cases the victim knows the rapist since before and there is no evidence that people born abroad rape more than others)

Feministisk initiativ (FI)

A party that might enter the parliament this year

They are, as the name suggests, a true feminist party with an intersectional perspective

Party leaders are Gita Nabavi and Gudrun Schyman (former party leader of Vänsterpartiet)

Website

There has been a lot of discussion about breaking up the traditional left-right scale and to collaborate over the political blocks

Ok, sorry I have to mention how wack Liberalerna’s Instagram page is?? It’s so weird? They literally have a video of their party leader (Jan Björklund) doing that flossing dance?? Also a screenshot of a newsarticle saying “Jan Björklund elected the hunk of this election season”?? Sorry but what??

#please give this post some love I've been working on it a lot #politics #swedish politics #politik #Sweden #swedish culture #I take constructive criticism but if you support SD you will be blocked #svpol

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pope-francis-quotes · 5 years

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23rd February >> (@ZenitEnglish) #PopeFrancis #Pope Francis Sr. Veronica Openibo, SHCJ: Focus on Mission, not Fear: ‘The church must do everything possible to protect its young and vulnerable members.’

Sr. Veronica Openibo, SHCJ, Elected Leader of The Society of the Holy Child Jesus, spoke to the Summit on “The Protection of Minors in the Church” on February 23, 2019. Her topic: Openness to the World as a Consequence of the Ecclesial Mission. Following is the working translation of her talk provided by the Vatican.

******

Papa Francesco,

My brothers and sisters, good morning.

I begin this talk with a quotation from Luke Chapter 4. For me “Openness to the world as a Consequence of the Ecclesial Mission” is the mission statement of Jesus, that we also follow.

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me and anointed me to preach good news to the poor. The Spirit has sent me to proclaim deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the Lord’s year of favor. Luke 4:18-19

Abstract

For me, as a result of the self-understanding of her mission in the world today, the church needs to update and create new systems and practices that will promote action without fear of making mistakes. Clerical sex abuse is a crisis that has reduced the credibility of the church when transparency should be the hallmark of mission as followers of Jesus Christ. The fact that many accuse the Catholic Church today of negligence is disturbing. The church must do everything possible to protect its young and vulnerable members. The focus should not to be on fear or disgrace but rather on the church’s mission to serve with integrity and justice.

Introduction

The mission of the church flows directly from our deepest understanding of the Incarnation. Catholic Christianity is grounded in the belief in a God who chose to be one with the human world.

The self-understanding of the mission of the church must be a manifestation of the Christ we know as both human and divine. The whole of Christ’s mission was to reveal who God is and who we can become. This implies a total acceptance of all that is human andall that the power of God’s grace does to transform us into being witnesses of the divine. Our world-view, if Christian, must be based on respect and dignity for each human being.

At the present time, we are in a state of crisis and shame. We have seriously clouded the grace of the Christ-mission. Is it possible for us to move from fear of scandal to truth? How do we remove the masks that hide our sinful neglect? What policies, programs and procedures will bring us to a new, revitalized starting point characterized by a transparency that lights up the world with God’s hope for us in building the Reign of God?

Throughout the time of writing this presentation, my eyes were cloudy and I wondered what this could mean. Then I remembered the first time I watched the movie Spotlight – you all…some of you know it – the 2016 American biographical drama about the investigation by the Boston Globe in the America’s Boston, the cover-up by ecclesial authorities.

At the end of the film was a long list of cases and the dioceses where they occurred and reading about the number of children affected (and also later seeing the vast amount of money spent on settlements), tears of sorrow flowed. How could the clerical church have kept silent, covering these atrocities? The silence, the carrying of the secrets in the hearts of the perpetrators, the length of the abuses – we had one last night – and the constant transfers of perpetrators are all unimaginable. Presumably, there were significant signs in the confessional and in spiritual direction: I want to believe that. With a heavy and sad heart, I think of all the atrocities we have committed as members of the church: I am saying “we”, not “they”: “we”. The Constitutions of my own congregation reminds me: In Christ, we unite ourselves to the whole of humanity, especially to the poor and suffering. We accept our share of responsibility for the sin of the world and so live that his love may prevail. (SHCJ Constitutions #6). I think all of us must acknowledge that our mediocrity, hypocrisy and complacency have brought us to this disgraceful and scandalous place that we find ourselves as a church. We pause to pray Lord have mercy on us!

In Gaudete et Exsultate (164) we read that Those who think they commit no grievous sins against God’s law can fall into a state of dull lethargy. Since they see nothing serious to reproach themselves with, they fail to realize that their spiritual life has gradually turned lukewarm. They end up weakened and corrupted. Let us no say “they”: it is all of us. So many aspects of this statement from Pope Francis stand out for me on the issue of child abuse, as also these sentences from the PCB Preparation Document: A church that is closed/shut off is no longer church. Her mission would be thwarted. It’s not about giving up principles and secularizing the church, it’s about living visibly and perceptibly what we claim to be, or what and how we really are.

Yes, we proclaim the Ten Commandments and ‘parade ourselves’ as being the custodians of moral standards/values and good behaviour in society. Hypocrites at times? Yes! Why did we keep silent for so long? How can we turn this around for a time to evangelise, catechise and educate all the members of the church, including the clergy and religious? I often ask myself: Is it true that most bishops did nothing about the sexual abuse of children? I want to believe, and from that, I have read, some did act and some did not out of fear or cover-up.

We might say the church is now taking steps to arrest the situation but also to be more transparent about all the steps it had been taking privately over two decades, such as meeting with victims of sexual abuse, reporting cases to the appropriate civil authorities and setting up commissions, and many other things. The question today is more about how to address the issue of the sexual abuse of minors more directly, transparently and courageously as a church. The hierarchical structure and systems in the church – I believe– should be a blessing for us to reach the whole world with very clear mechanisms to address this and many other issues. Why has this not happened enough? Why have other issues around sexuality not been addressed sufficiently, e.g. misuse of power, misuse of money, clericalism – we felt that many times –, gender discrimination, the role of women and the laity in general? Is it that the clerical structures and long protocols that negatively affected swift actions focused more on media reactions?

Reflection

I would like to offer some reflections based on my experience as an African woman religious. I have lived in Rome for fifteen years – as a nun – and studied in America for three. So, I am familiar with these issues in the Global North. Probably like many of you, I have heard some Africans and Asians say, many Africans and Asians say that ‘this is not our issue in countries in Africa and Asia, it is the problem in Europe, the Americas, Canada and Australia.’ However, I worked throughout Nigeria in the area of sexuality education for nine years and heard the stories and counselled many people. In fact, one of the bishops, the first to invite me to his diocese, to speak with him, have a workshop with him, and he is a priest, he is present here: our bishop Akubeze. So, he saw the need and invited me. I realized how serious the issues were and still are and sharing a few of my personal experiences emphasise this fact. In the early 90s a priest told me there were sexual abuses in the convents and formation houses and that, as president of the Nigeria Conference of Women Religious, I should, please, do something to address the issue. A second priest in the early 2000s said that a particular ethnic group practiced a lot of incest , what I added to him: that from my personal experience incest is a world issue. A dying old man revealed to me he was acting strangely because of the sexual abuse he experienced as a teenager from the priests in his school. And recently I have heard from somebody, “I know that person, I have the same experience”. So, it must have been something that was going on in this school for years: the same school. A thirteen-year-old girl met her priest attacker 25 years later and he did not recognize her…

These are just short stories.

Transparency

– So, let us not hide such events anymore because of the fear of making mistakes. Too often we want to keep silent until the storm has passed! This storm will not pass. Our credibility as a Church is at stake. I think Jesus told us, gives us a very strong statement: “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe [in me] to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.” Mark 9:42. So, my dear brothers and sisters, we must face this issue and seek healing for the victims of abuse. The normal process for clergy – in the past and still in the present in some areas – was and is to give support to ‘one of us’, to avoid exposing a scandal and bringing discredit to the church. I told my group yesterday. I used to use three “s”: “secrecy”; “silence”; and the last one is “solidarity” for men, and support for one of us. Women is the same, but the third one is different, you can ask me later… We must face this issue and seek healing for the victims of abuse. The normal process, as I said, is the support for men, but we find a way together. All offenders, I want to say, regardless of their clerical status, found guilty should be given the same penalty for the abuse of minors.

– Let us have courageous conversations rather than saying nothing to avoid making a mistake. I like this statement: We can make a mistake but we are not created to be a mistake and posterity will judge us for not taking action. The first step towards true transparency is to admit wrongdoing and then to publish what has been done – I repeat: we publish what has been done, and I think some of it has been published already. But we have to make it public – what has been done since the time of Pope John Paul II to heal the situation. It may not be enough or sufficient in the eyes of many but it will show that the church had not been totally silent.

– We must build more effective and efficient processes, based on research in human development – we use here human for mission –as well as civil and canon law, for the Safeguarding of Minors. Then give clear and comprehensive safeguarding policies and guidelines in every diocese that should be placed visibly in various parish offices and published on the internet. There must be better handling of the cases through face-to-face, transparent and courageous conversations with victims and offenders, where possible, as well as investigating groups. In many parts of the world, including countries in Africa and Asia, not saying anything is a terrible mistake as we have seen in many countries. The fact that there are huge issues of poverty, illness, war and violence in some countries in the Global South does not mean that the area of sexual abuse should be downplayed or ignored. The church has to be pro-active in facing it. I have read through some of the papers that were given out to us, in various parts of the world, many dioceses and conferences have written books. I didn’t see Nigeria in it. What I know, I worked with some of the booklets that the bishops produce in Nigeria: “call to love”, “I chose you”, “Guidelines for processing abuse of minors and vulnerable adults”. We need more of such in many parts of the world.

– The excuse that respect be given to some priests by virtue of their advanced years and hierarchical position is unacceptable. This argument states that many of the criminal offenders are old, some no longer alive, and that we should not hurt them or their reputations by taking away their priesthood in old age. We can feel sad for those who, when they were younger committed offences that are now being brought out to the open. But my heart bleeds for many of the victims who have lived with the misplaced shame – we had that yesterday – misplaced shame and guilt of repeated violations for years. In some of these areas the offenders did not even see these victims as persons but as objects.

– It is true, as a church, that we believe in repentance of the sinner, in conversion of hearts and the grace of transformation, as Jesus said to the woman caught in the very act of adultery: “Go and from now on do not sin any more.” says Jesus (John 8:1-11). This can create a strong dilemma for some, especially when we know that abusers have often been victims themselves. Do we need to probe deeply what we mean by justice with compassion? How can we help create the environment for prayer and discernment for the grace of God to enlighten us in the way of justice so that transformation and healing may take place for both victims and, I want to say, offenders? We would need to find out where throughout the world (not only in wealthier countries), are the best practices for doing this being developed and can we implement them? Many of these are to be found within the church. I think we have heard that in many of our small groups.

– In publishing the names of offenders, can we publish a complete set of information regarding these situations?

I want to suggest some strategic way forward

Strategic Way Forward

– It is becoming evident that victims that were listened to and helped psychologically and spiritually were healed. Can we train enough sensitive and compassionate people to offer this service in all countries including those places struggling to put food on the table? Are there ways of helping parishes heal victims using their traditional wisdom? Do we make use of preaching and other means to address sexual issues in society? How might dioceses share in a strategic way in providing culturally-sensitive education programs and training kits? Such materials, respecting the dignity of the human persons and emphasizing all unacceptable behaviours, could be used in parishes and schools, hospitals and other places of pastoral ministry. The UISG has promised that in the statement they made.

– How can we continue to address in very concrete ways the issues of prostitution and trafficking on an immense scale as well as personal infidelity and promiscuity around the world? There must be Catholics, alongside others with similar principles, in positions of influence in, for example, the film industry, TV and advertising. They could be encouraged to come together and reflect on their role in promoting a better view of the human person. Let there be a focus on society’s disservice to men in every patriarchal culture in the area of sexuality. From studies, I have discovered, and many have discovered, that for a long time society has accepted promiscuity, infidelity, especially in marriage for men, what is changing… thanks God! Let us investigate how better to use social media to educate people on the whole area of sexuality and human relationships.

– I want to say here: essential, surely, is a clear and balanced education and training about sexuality and boundaries in the seminaries and formation houses; in the ongoing formation of priests, religious men, and women and bishops. It worries me when I see in Rome, and elsewhere, our country included, the youngest seminarians being treated as though they are more special than everyone else, thus ideas about the status, exalted ideas about their status. This is encouraged because they assume they have already high status. The study of human development, human for mission, must give rise to a serious question about the existence of minor seminaries. I want to repeat that: the study of human development, human for mission, must give rise to a serious question about the existence of minor seminaries. The formation of young women religious, too, can often lead to a false sense of superiority over their lay sisters and brothers, that their calling is a ‘higher’ one. What damage has that thinking done to the mission of the church? Have we forgotten the reminder by Vatican II in Gaudium et Spes of the universal call to holiness? In addition, we need to ask responsible and sensitive lay people and women religious to give true and honest evaluation of candidates for episcopal appointments.

– Could each diocese be challenged to gather men and women of integrity: laity, including religious, and clergy, to form a joint commission sharing expertise about the documentary procedures and protocols, the legal and financial implications of allegations and the necessary channels of responsibility and accountability? A well-qualified person – lay, religious or priests is likely to be the best chairperson of such a group. In addition, they need to work out how best to face the serious issues of sexual abuse already exploding in some Asian and African countries in the same way that it has already elsewhere. Many people who were sexually abused by priests or others in pastoral positions will suffer as traumatic memories are evoked. Some people will be reminded that they could well be revealed as former or current abusers or accused of covering up such facts. Many in various forms of ministry will come across people, family members, adults and/or children, who have been or are being abused and need to know how to respond appropriately. Some allegations will be false which causes suffering of another kind. The impact of damaged faith in the church cannot be under-emphasized as a large number of Catholics are and will be angry and confused. We have seen that in some part of the world. People in positions of some authority also need to know what to say or do in terms of response when issues get to the media or to the press.

Conclusion

We know that the greatest issue is the proclamation of the gospel in a way that will touch the hearts of the young and old. We are called to proclaim the good news but we must BE good news to the people we serve today. No wonder Pope Francis has declared the month of October 2019 The Extra Ordinary Missionary Month. I come back to my opening passage: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me and anointed me”.

As an indicator or postscript, I emphasise the following:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon each one of us, and especially those present here.

has anointed all of us. We have heard that during the reports from groups that yes, we are here for serious business and issues have been taken care of.

to preach good news to the poor, the poor beingthe vulnerable, protecting especially defenceless children, seeking justice for the victims of abuse and taking steps to prevent this abuse from recurring.

to proclaim deliverance to the captives, for me the perpetrators are in need of deliverance, conversion and transformation, and we should not forget that.

and recovery of sight to the blind those who are not seeing the issues, even some of uspresent here, or focusing on protecting ‘our own’, or keeping silent or covering up need recovery of sight

to release the oppressed and to proclaim the Lord’s year of favour by taking the necessary steps and maintaining zero tolerance with regard to sexual abuse we will release the oppressed. This is our year of favour let us courageously take up the responsibility to be truly transparent and accountable.

Returning to the title of this conference, I just want to say one passage that has inspired me is:

You are the light of the world – I think we are the light like that this morning in the prayer – A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.

I read with great interest many articles about the Pope’s reactions in the case of the Chilean bishops – I think you remember the story – from a denial of accusations, to anger because of deception, the Pope felt, and the cover up, to the acceptance of resignations of – I thought three, but I red again two of the bishops. I admire you, Brother Francis, for taking time as a true Jesuit, to discern and be humble enough to change your mind, to apologize and take action – this is an example for all of us.

Thank you, Pope Francis, for providing this opportunity for us to check and see where we have acted strangely, ignorantly, secretly and complacently. I believe we will change, with great determination, our total approach to reporting abuse, to supporting the victims, to getting the right people to mentor and give support to victims and, above all, to doing what we can to protect minors and vulnerable adults from any form of abuse. Thank you, too, for providing women religious, through the executive of the Union of Superiors General (UISG), an opportunity to participate in this conference. This is the first time ever that we have had all the members of the executing of the women come to a meeting like this. Usually, the men come, but the women we were “pick three people and it must be this, this, this…”. Women have acquired a lot of useful experience to offer in this field and have already done much to support victims – there are women who are also offenders – and also to work creatively on their own use of power and authority.

I hope and pray that at the end of this conference we will choose deliberately to break any culture of silence and secrecy among us, to allow more light into our church, as a model Church. A model takes care of the children and continues to be a model to take care of the children. Let us acknowledge our vulnerability; be pro-active, not reactive in combating the challenges facing the world of the young and the vulnerable, and look fearlessly into other issues of abuse in the church and society.

I want to end with this, by reminding ourselves of Pope Francis’ own words: A Christian who does not move forward has an identity that is ‘not well… The Gospel is clear: the Lord sent them out saying: ‘go, go forward’! The Christian walks, moves past difficulties and announces that the Kingdom of God is near.

I pray: we will move forward, pass these difficulties. Surely.

Thank you.

23rd FEBRUARY 2019 16:50SEXUAL ABUSE AND PROTECTION OF MINORS

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tiny-cloud-dragon · 6 years

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Random Bits: FF7 02

Chapter 4

[Setting - Zack and Cloud are introducing Inspector Baerbotamm to all the unique aspects of their new training facility, much to the Inspector's dismay]

[Location - Training field - After a brief and exciting tour of the Plain of Pain, and a mildly worrying introduction to The Course, it's off to a less stressful tour of the Main Building, or so Percival thinks.]

Zack manhandled Inspector Baerbotamm toward the army's main building. A multi-storied structure of steel and glass squatting on a blanket of grass like a diamond on velvet.

"This is the Main Building," Zack said, effortlessly pronouncing the capitals as he walked the nervous Percy up the concrete path. "It's name is 'Main Building'"

Percival followed the line of Zack's finger as it pointed his attention to the area above the entrance. Large steel letters confirmed that yes, this building was named 'Main Building'.

"We thought we'd keep things simple, to avoid any unnecessary confusion." Zack said cheerfully. He could see that this oddly pleased Percival. Points for being clear and concise had just been awarded. There was nothing more annoying to Percival Pinwinkle Baerbottam than the printed word being vague, unclear, contradictory, or worse, open to interpretation.

"Well, it certainly is very correct!" Percival responded, a note of satisfaction creeping into his voice.

"Well, we kind of had to make sure everything was very simply and clearly labeled."

"Especially for the Cadets," Cloud interjected. "Since some of them come in needing 'front' and 'back' written on their underwear."

"Oh, my..." Percival said, sounding dismayed.

"Yeah," Zack agreed," We decided it would be a good idea after all that trouble with that one Cadet..." he ended with a ellipsis, a tempting trail of conversational breadcrumbs left to entice the Inspector's timid sense of curiosity.

Percival was quite certain that he didn't want to know what 'all that trouble' meant. Surely it would involve something disastrous, disruptive, or-gods forbid-unstructured! His fragile sense of Spontaneity, Adventure, and Free-spiritedness huddled in the corner and screamed in panic as Curiosity said "I'll just take a little peek..." and reached for the doorknob of their Panic Room.

"What sort of trouble?" Percival found himself asking in spite of his better judgment.

"Weeeeell," Zack replied "Let's just say we had to write 'Goes on Head' on his uniform caps, and 'Goes on Ass' on his underwear."

"Goodness gracious!"

"He got the hang of it, eventually." Zack assured him as they climbed the short set of concrete steps," Is seemed that his 'confusion' was just due to a bad case of Petty Obstinance. It took about three days, but his malady was completely cured after intensive treatment using a rather...unconventional method."

"Oh?" Percy said weakly. He was beginning to dislike ellipses.

"Oh, yes. We cured him by allowing him to wear his underwear on his head. After his platoon mate, who just so happened to have a medical condition causing excessive sweating, got done wearing them."

Percival's stomach shriveled up and gave Curiosity a fiery glare as it peeked sheepishly from behind the door, while his other sensibilities had a group vomit in the corner. The rest of his faculties mounted a desperate search for the fabled Brain Bleach which was rumored to have the ability to scrub away even the most horrific mental image.

A sudden blast of cool air distracted Percy from his inner turmoil. Zack and Cloud had just ushered him through the double glass doors of the Main Building.

Percival was rather impressed, in spite of himself. The lobby was tidy, spacious and brightly lit by both natural light and pleasantly old-fashioned incandescent light fixtures, and furnished in cozy, somewhat informal furniture pieces that punched Percy right in the nostalgia. It was an odd mix of clean and warm elements that undulated up to Percival's ear and breathed in a seductive whisper like a fancy perfume commercial: 'organizaaation!'

"You okay, Percy?" Zack asked as Percival shivered and his eyebrows did a little wiggle.

"Er...Oh, yes. Quite. I was just, er, admiring the design."

"I know, it's great, right? Much more 'homey' and inviting than the old one!" Zack said, pleased.

"I especially like the floor," Percy continued, his attention glued to the lobby floor like a magpie with a shiny bauble. "It's so clean and glossy!"

"It's polished every day with the tears of Cadets and SOLDIERs," Zack said. "It seems like the saltier the tears, the shinier-!"

A strange, halting squeak, like a squeegee on damp glass stuttered through the air, tripping into the conversation. All three men turned, ears following the auditory sputter as it grew steadily louder. Finally, from behind the reception desk's mahogany paneled wall, one of the ELITEs appeared in his wolf form, slowly dragging his backside across the floor.

Percival's hands flew to his mouth, stifling a sound that was half a gasp and half a gag.

Wrapped up in proctologial locomotion the ELITE let out a startled yelp as he was abruptly grabbed by the scruff and a deceptively calm voice hissed into his fluffy ear, "What by Minerva's bra straps do you think you are doing?"

The wolf tried to play dead, in the hopes that Cloud's ELITE form's preference for moving victims would make him lose interest. No such luck. Cloud hissed, a sound like a cross between a snake hiss and a piece of paper being violently ripped in half, and gave the ELITE a hard shake.

"Did I just see you butt-surfing across my floor, leaving your butt-pucker streaks where I have to walk?" Cloud said in that calm, off-handed tone that eventually even Cadets learned to fear.

The wolf whined again and attempted to grovel but deep down he knew there was not getting out this mess unscathed. Hope of a mild punishment bloomed on the wolf's face as Cloud sent a passing SOLDIER off to Janitorial for a bottle of cleaner. The wolf even went so far as to relax as the bottle was brought and Cloud lightly spritzed the floor with it. This wasn't going to be so bad after all! It looked like he was just going to have to clean the floor. That wasn't going to be too hard!

Hope withered as Cloud gave the soiled floor a final misting, then grabbing the wolf by two handfuls of back fur, turned to the 3rd Class SOLDIER who had brought the cleaner and asked "What do we do when faced with hardship, Private?"

The SOLDIER snapped to attention and screamed "Improvise, Adapt, Overcome, Sir!"

Cloud nodded, and said "Well, Private, seeing as I lack proper cleaning equipment, I will just have to improvise." Then without even a grunt, Cloud gave a heave, slapped the wolf down on the floor and proceeded to use him as an impromptu mop. When he was done, Cloud dismissed the wolf, now damp and smelling of lemony fresh pine trees, sending him scurrying off, tail tucked and belly low to the ground. It could have been worse, the canine part of him thought. He could have used The Rolled Up Newspaper!

With the minor interruption cleaned up, Zack led Percival down the hall behind the reception desk, pointing to the hallways leading off to the left and right.

"The left wing contains the Infirmary, storage, and the Lab, and the right wing contains the cadets' barracks and officers' apartments. The President's office and rooms are in the upper floors of the Main Building, along with the administrative offices, lounges, and other boring stuff." Zack said as they started down the main hallway. He pointed out the important places, even though they were clearly labeled.

"That is the Assembly Hall, the Recreation Room, the Restrooms, that's the door to the gardens, and this," Zack said in a very quiet whisper as they started coming up on a plain, unobtrusive door. "Is the janitor's closet where Corporal Wharton arranges what he thinks are 'secret' canoodles because he doesn't know that practically the whole base knows he's banging the President's secretary."

"My goodness!" Percival whispered, scandalized. "That is most certainly against regulations! He should have been reprimanded a long time ago!"

"Oh, I agree," Zack whispered with a sly grin as they paused a good distance away. "But I need solid proof, and not just hearsay."

A playful titter fluttered out from behind the door. Zack motioned to Cloud, and they both flattened themselves dramatically up against the wall. Zack put a finger in his ear as if using an invisible ear piece and whispered. "Alpha Wolf to Paper Snake, the fox is in the hen house, over!"

"Paper Snake to-! Wait, why am I 'Paper Snake'?" Cloud asked, sounding slightly offended.

"Dude, have you heard yourself hiss?"

"So? I don't want to be 'Paper Snake'. That sounds like a kid's toy! I want a cool code name too!"

"Fine, you can be 'Danger Noodle'"

"That's not any-!"

"Alpha Wolf to Danger Noodle, I'm going in! Repeat, I'm going in!"

Zack made a few hand signals and then started crawling towards the door. He paused and hopped into a crouch behind an invisible bush, making a show of looking around before rolling out from behind the bush to take cover behind an invisible tree. Cloud made the signal for 'all clear', and Zack waved and began moving again. Arms held out to the sides, he proceeded down the hallway, taking long, exaggerated steps with two little skips in between. You could practically hear the Pink Panther theme playing in the background. He pulled up next to the door, which giggled again, and silently gripped the handle before looking back at Cloud and Percival. Cloud nodded and gave the 'ok' signal.

In one fluid motion, Zack pushed down the handle and yanked the door open. There was a pair of surprised screams as a Second Class SOLDIER fell out of the closet at Zack's feet. A disheveled young woman in a rumpled white blouse and equally wrinkled gray pencil skirt bolted out of the closet, clearing the fallen man with a surprisingly athletic leap before rabbiting away.

"Corporal Wharton!" Zack greeted the man cheerfully. "Finally got caught with our pants down, did we? Wipe that cheeky grin off your face, SOLDIER-! Oh, my bad, that's not your face! On your feet and stand at attention, Corporal!"

Corporal Wharton flipped over and shot to his feet, standing at stiff attention. There was a long moment of silence in which Wharton began sweating nervously. Zack stared him in the eye, unblinking. He could see Wharton thinking: All those horror stories...are they true?!

Zack Shifted into his half-form. His black wolf ears and tail were held proudly and at a dominant angle. He growled and gave Wharton a grin with fangs in it.

Wharton instinctively looked away.

"You know the rules against fraternizing while on duty, especially with the President's personal secretary." Zack growled. Wharton swallowed hard and managed a passable "Sir, yes Sir!"

Zack snapped his fingers, and one of his Mako wolves materialized at his side. "You will be escorted to your rooms, Corporal, where you will remain until this matter is handled."

Corporal Wharton saluted, brown eyes staring straight ahead in terror. "Sir, yes sir!"

"And pull up your pants, Corporal!"

"Sir, yes sir!"

Zack Shifted back and turned to Percival and Cloud, grinning happily. "Alpha Wolf to Danger Noodle, Mission was a success! Repeat, Mission was a success!'

"Copy that, Alpha Wolf." Danger Noodle replied.

Zack patted Percival on the shoulder. He looked a little unsettled, which was nothing new. The man seemed to live in a state of perpetual anxiety, but he was looking a little more anxious than usual.

Better get him that drink fast, Zack thought Before Cloud ends up having to mop again! Percival's eyebrows twitched nervously as they walked to the end of the hallway and stopped at the double doors under the sign "Mess Hall".

"Here we are, the Mess Hall!" Zack said, flinging open the double doors with flair, to reveal a room with long rows of tables split in two columns. At the tables were more of the large wolves Percival had seen earlier. They were all crouching over the tables, muzzles buried in their chow bowls.

"Oh my Shiva!" Percival squeaked in horror, "There are dogs at the tables!"

Cloud and Zack both winced, and hissed "Shhhhh!"

"We don’t use the 'd' word around here!" Zack whispered with a grimace of distaste.

"The 'd' word?"

"Dog,", Zack clarified. "That's a four-letter word around here,"

"A three letter, four-letter word," Cloud added.

"But..."

"These are wolves, not dogs. Calling a wolf a dog is an insult. It's like calling someone..." Zack leaned over and whispered one of the worst, most profanity ridden insults he knew into the Inspector's ear.

Percival's face took on an almost corpse like pallor as the color drained from his face, his very blood trying to get as far from his ears as possible.

"Acceptable alternatives are 'doggo', 'pupper', and 'majestic floof'" Zack continued as Percival tried to regain his mental balance.

"But, there are animals in the Mess Hall!" Percy replied, clinging to his love of rules like a security blanket, while his sensibilities gagged as he imagined layers of dog, er, majestic floof hair covering every surface in the room, drifting in the air in clouds, and peppering the food.

"It's against Health Regulations!"

"It's cool," Cloud said smoothly, "They're Service Animals, so they're allowed."

"Yeah, we don't discriminate here." Zack added.

"But, the hair!" Percival insisted.

Zack heaved a mental sigh. This guy was way too uptight! "Oh, well, if that's all you're worried about,"

Zack turned, whistled loud and sharp, and barked "Shift!"

All the wolves immediately turned into men, three of which briefly continued to eat with their faces in their bowls before their brains nudged them and whispered Psst! Wrong shape!, and they sheepishly picked up their spoons and continued eating.

"I-is that dog food?!" Percival asked in a scandalized gasp as he witnessed one of the Mess Hall servers slap a heap of mixed canned and dry dog food into a bowl for a waiting ELITE.

"Top shelf quality!" Zack said with pride.

"You're feeding the men dog food?"

"Well, they are animals," Cloud interjected.

"But-!"

"It's nutritionally balanced, is high protein, and it's only served to the ELITEs." Zack said, taking pity on the high-strung man. "I can get you the formula from the nutritionist, along with the research notes. The notes are pretty interesting, and they detail the research methods quite extensively."

The mention of formulas and carefully recorded notes seemed to appease Baerbotamm, at least a tiny bit. He stopped vibrating like a plucked bowstring and his eyebrows suddenly unscrunched in a twisting motion that made Cloud so uneasy that an involuntary hiss ripped its way from his throat.

It startled Percival so badly that he appeared to just teleport to the opposite side to the room like a bad special effect.

"Woahwoahwoah!" Zack said, looking back and forth between a bristling Cloud and a jittery Percy. "Let's dial it back a little!"

Cloud muttered an embarrassed apology while maintained his death grip on his clipboard, which he was clutching like a terrified Duchess clutching her pearls.

"How about we get a drink, huh?" Zack said, extending the proverbial olive branch before Barebotamm shook himself to pieces.

By now Percy's nerves had gone from merely jangling, to fraying. He desperately wanted to go back to his tidy, quiet office where rules were respected and not changed with total disregard all willy-nilly. But he couldn't just leave! He had an inspection to complete, which had been assigned to him by the President himself.

"Come on, Percy, drinks are on me and Spiky," Zack said, giving the olive branch an encouraging shake. "You'll be doing us a favor. We need someone official to inspect bar. I mean, it is part of the Army."

A raw nerve whispered to Percival that maybe, this time, it would be acceptable to have a drink while on duty. Just one would certainly be alright. And besides, the host had offered. Then it made up some very convincing BS about etiquette and social interactions, which it submitted in triplicate along with some official looking sources that had just enough truth about them to avoid being categorized as outright lies.

"Do...you happen to have a good dark stout?" Percival inquired meekly.

"We sure do!" Zack affirmed happily.

The olive branch had been accepted, and the party took a good twenty minutes thoroughly inspecting the bottoms of two bottles and a pint. Percival even inspected a second pint, just to be sure that the drinks were up to par.

Once the beverage inspection was complete, and had earned an A+, a visibly less frazzled Percival Pinwinkle Baerbotamm was escorted to the next part of the tour.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

#Random Bits #cloud strife #zack fair #final fantasy vii #final fantasy 7 #ffvi #ff7 #fanfiction #ff7 fanfiction #ff7 fanfic #ffvii fanfiction #ffvii fanfic #final fantasy 7 fanfic

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jennymanrique · 3 years

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Lack of federal guidelines worsen the challenges in COVID-19 vaccine distribution

The Biden administration is expected to develop a national strategy to expand distribution as more doses are developed.

Although 20 million doses of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines were expected to reach as many Americans by the end of 2020, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) so far only just over 11 million people have received the first dose of the two required to gain immunity against the virus.

Additional to the vaccine hesitancy in various sectors of the population, there have been challenges to its distribution: strict low temperature refrigeration and a lack of trained personnel to do so, confusion in the vaccine shipping to the states and, in short, an absence of a clear federal policy.

Two academic medical experts spoke about these and other challenges of vaccine distribution at a news conference hosted by Ethnic Media Services: Dr. William Schaffner, professor of preventive medicine in the department of health policy at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, and Dr. Robert M. Wachter, chairman of the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.

“Some of the locations thought this was going to be just another flu vaccine campaign, they didn't prepare sufficiently," Schaffner said, referring to the technological capabilities of large medical centers that have adequate freezers for Pfizer's vaccine, compared to nursing homes and community hospitals that can only receive those developed by Moderna.

This is a result of the lack of a national distribution plan that left the states alone and that in Wachter's opinion, could have been avoided if Congress had approved the 8 billion dollars for distribution (included in the stimulus package) "two months ago when we found out we had vaccines, and not two weeks ago."

“We attack the development of the vaccine as an emergency, but we attack the distribution as a relative routine process that we stumble around until we figure out the right answer, and that has not worked very well," said Wachter who considered “kind of scandalous" the fact that millions of people who must having received the vaccine at this point, haven't yet.

An analysis of vaccine data in the country places California among the 10 states with the lowest rates, since only 24% of the doses received here, have been distributed. Wachter said that while this is “nothing to be proud of”, one of the reasons for the delay may be the southern California massive surge of cases.

“The same entities that you are counting on to run big complicated vaccination programs, are taking care of hundreds of really sick patients with COVID. We have to do both things at the same time,” said Wachter.

California expects to recruit a little more than 2,000 vaccinators in the coming weeks, including dentists, veterinarians, medical students, and nurses, but mega vaccination centers will continue to need staff to do other logistical tasks such as registering people or helping them filling consent forms.

"The entire system takes a fair number of people and a lot of resources," Wachter said. If this backlog is not resolved, it will take more than a year to vaccinate the entire population of California.

However, both doctors are confident that the task force of 13 health experts convened by President-elect Joe Biden to guide his response to COVID-19 will have a “communication strategy based on science and public health” and a coordinated federal distribution policy, other than "a crazy quilt of state by state policy”, Schaffner said.

Vaccine skepticism

In the state of Ohio, 60% of nursing home workers have chosen not to get vaccinated, which is concerning since these places have been the largest hotspots of death from COVID-19.

“The personnel in the nursing homes are not as enthusiastic as health care workers in the large medical centers … I am concerned about the next phase, we are soon going to be out in our rural areas in more strength, and they are going to run not only skepticisms but real resistance," added Schaffner.

The Kaiser Foundation, which has been monitoring vaccine confidence and hesitancy, found in its most recent survey that resistance is highest among Republicans (42%) and rural residents (35%), while 35% of black adults say they definitely or probably would not get vaccinated.

This mistrust among ethnic populations where the impact of COVID has been disproportionate, creates a "community problem", said Wachter because it will mean that "there are fewer in the community that will be protected and more people are likely to get sick and more people are likely to die.”

But the reasons for their skepticism are not fortuitous: these communities have had less access to health care and have been the subject of unethical medical experiments

“We need to not only to provide them a sense of reassurance and confidence that (getting the vaccine) is the right thing to do," Schaffner said.

For this it is important to find trusted messengers such as religious leaders, community leaders or even athletes. "This is part of the strategy that Biden will have to guide," Wachter said.

Another group of concern for experts are young women in their reproductive age who are rejecting the vaccine due to the volume of myths about the impossibility of becoming pregnant or the fear of causing congenital damage to the fetus, which have spread through social media without any scientific validity.

"The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists strongly endorses it (the vaccine)," Schaffner explained. "The MNRA (the molecule that develops immunity against the virus) does not go anywhere near our cells or the human DNA, neither the mother of the babies. This is a safe process for all of them," he clarified.

A model of lottery shots

Wachter argued that although health equity -which is providing the vaccine first to minorities highly affected by COVID-19- is an important parameter to follow, the complexity for vaccinators to determine who is an essential worker or who has pre-existing conditions at a Walmart or CVS for example, it is a model more complex that we are able to handle.”

He believes that the distribution could be done through a lottery system or allocation system per group, starting with adults over 75 and progressively decreasing the age to 55. "If you cover those groups you will cover 95%", because research has shown that “for younger people, the chances of dying decrease," he said.

As the vaccination phases expand to larger groups, specific programs should be designed to ensure that “we are not neglecting communities” that do not have access to pharmacies or that need vaccination programs “in schools, gyms or (even) in parking lots.”

If it is not done this way, "the system will collapse," Wachter said, citing the example of the long lines of senior citizens in Florida taking up to five hours to receive immunization.

Another suggestion from Wachter is to postpone the application of the second dose so that more people are vaccinated now, as production from pharmaceutical companies has been slower than expected. Pfizer and Moderna clinical trials show that 10 days after the first dose, the protection against coronavirus reaches 15% while at the time of the second injection, the first already had an 80% to 90% efficacy to prevent COVID-19 cases.

"It's not about leaving a second dose in a vault or not releasing it," he said. But delaying the second dose for more than 4 weeks is possible and will allow more people to receive their first injections and build immunity.

A modest study conducted by Moderna found that a good proportion of its vaccinated participants were no longer transmitters of the virus. But both Wachter and Schaffner agreed that larger samples are needed to conclusively conclude that this is the case. They recommend continuing to maintain physical distancing, wear masks and wash hands frequently.

Want to read this piece in Spanish? Click here

#English #Vaccination #vaccine hesitancy #covid-19 #Joe Biden #Donald Trump #coronavirus #lottery shots #african american #hispanics

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vsplusonline · 4 years

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US Senate passes bill to delist Chinese companies from exchanges - Times of India

New Post has been published on https://apzweb.com/us-senate-passes-bill-to-delist-chinese-companies-from-exchanges-times-of-india/

US Senate passes bill to delist Chinese companies from exchanges - Times of India

(Representative image)

NEW DELHI: The Senate overwhelmingly approved legislation on Wednesday that could lead to Chinese companies such as Alibaba Group Holding Ltd and Baidu Inc being barred from listing on US stock exchanges amid increasingly tense relations between the world’s two largest economies. The bill, introduced by Senator John Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana, and Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat from Maryland, was approved by unanimous consent and would require companies to certify that they are not under the control of a foreign government. US lawmakers have raised red flags over the billions of dollars flowing into some of China’s largest corporations, much of it from pension funds and college endowments in search of fat investment returns. Alarm has grown in particular that American money is bankrolling efforts by the country’s technology giants to develop leading positions in everything from artificial intelligence and autonomous driving to internet data collection. Shares in some of the biggest US-listed Chinese firms, including Baidu and Alibaba, slid on Thursday in New York while the broader market gained. If a company can’t show that it is not under such control or the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, or PCAOB, isn’t able to audit the company for three consecutive years to determine that it is not under the control of a foreign government, the company’s securities would be banned from the exchanges. “I do not want to get into a new Cold War,” Kennedy said on the Senate floor, adding that he wants “China to play by the rules.” “Publicly listed companies should all be held to the same standards, and this bill makes common sense changes to level the playing field and give investors the transparency they need to make informed decisions,” Van Hollen said in a statement. “I’m proud that we were able to pass it today with overwhelming bipartisan support, and I urge our House colleagues to act quickly.” House bill Stricter US oversight could potentially affect the future listing plans of major private Chinese corporations from Jack Ma’s Ant Financial to SoftBank-backed ByteDance Ltd. But since discussions on increased disclosure requirements began last year, many other Chinese companies have either listed in Hong Kong already or plan to do so, said James Hull, a Beijing-based analyst and portfolio manager with Hullx. “All Chinese US-listed entities are potentially impacted over the coming years,” he said. “Increased disclosure may hurt some smaller companies, but there’s been risk disclosures around PCAOB for a while now, so it shouldn’t be a shock to anyone.” In a sign of broad support for the measure, Representative Brad Sherman, a California Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee, introduced a companion bill in that chamber. Sherman said in a statement that Nasdaq moved this week to delist China-based Luckin Coffee after executives at the company admitted fabricating $310 million in sales between April and December 2019. “I commend our Senate counterparts for moving to address this critical issue,” Sherman said. “Had this legislation already been signed into law, US investors in Luckin Coffee likely would have avoided billions of dollars in losses.” House leaders are discussing the legislation — and a separate Senate-passed bill to sanction Chinese officials over human rights abuses against Muslim minorities — with lawmakers and members of the relevant committees, a Democratic aide said. The Senate measure is an example of the rising bipartisan pushback against China in Congress that had been building over trade and other issues. It has been amplified especially by Republicans as President Donald Trump has sought to blame China as the main culprit in the coronavirus pandemic. GOP lawmakers have in recent weeks unleashed a torrent of legislation aimed at punishing China for not being more forthcoming with information or proactive in restricting travel as the coronavirus began to spread from the city of Wuhan, where it was first detected. Trump escalated his rhetoric against China on Wednesday night, suggesting that leader Xi Jinping is behind a “disinformation and propaganda attack on the United States and Europe.” “It all comes from the top,” Trump said in a series of tweets. He added that China was “desperate” to have former Vice President Joe Biden win the presidential race. Kennedy told a news agency on Tuesday that the bill would apply to US exchanges such as Nasdaq and the New York Stock Exchange. “I would not turn my back on the Chinese Communist Party if they were two days dead,” Kennedy said. “They cheat. And I’ve got a bill to stop them from cheating.” At issue is China’s longstanding refusal to allow the PCAOB to examine audits of firms whose shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq and other US platforms. The inspections by the little-known agency, which Congress stood up in 2002 in response to the massive Enron Corp accounting scandal, are meant to prevent fraud and wrongdoing that could wipe out shareholders. Since then China and the US have been at odds on the issue even as companies including Alibaba and Baidu have raised billions of dollars selling shares in American markets. The long-simmering feud came to the forefront last year as Washington and Beijing clashed over broader trade and economic issues, and some in the White House have been urging Trump to take a harder line on the audit inspections. Last week, Trump said in an interview said that he’s “looking at” Chinese companies that trade on the NYSE and Nasdaq exchanges but do not follow US accounting rules. Still, he said that cracking down could backfire and simply result in the firms moving to exchanges in London or Hong Kong. While not technically part of the government, the PCAOB is overseen by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The ability to inspect audits of Chinese firms that list in the US is certain to come up at a roundtable that the SEC is holding July 9 on risks of investing in China and other emerging markets. Senators Kevin Cramer, Tom Cotton, Bob Menendez, Marco Rubio and Rick Scott are also sponsors of the bill. Rubio applauded the passage of the Kennedy-Van Hollen bill and said it incorporated aspects of a similar bill he introduced last year. “I was proud to work with Senator Kennedy on this important legislation that would protect American retail investors and pensioners from risky investments in fraudulent, opaque Chinese companies that are listed on US. exchanges and trade on over-the-counter markets,” Rubio said in a statement. “If Chinese companies want access to the US capital markets, they must comply with American laws and regulations for financial transparency and accountability.” According to the SEC, 224 US-listed companies representing more than $1.8 trillion in combined market capitalization are located in countries where there are obstacles to PCAOB inspections of the kind this legislation mandates.

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#Alibaba Group #chinese companies delist #Jack Ma #The New York Stock Exchange #US Senate bill #US stock exchanges #Business

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nahyall1891 · 7 years

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Thank Goblins For Green Skinny Jeans

Ben watched her. That wasn't new, he was always watching her. He'd catch himself, eyes having zeroed on her in the most crowded court yards and school halls, and he would have to force himself to return his focus to his original task. Her hair danced in the sunlight, having slowly returned to the rich purple he'd so missed. Looking back, he couldn't understand what had driven her to trying to fit in with the princesses so hard. Then, again, he'd berated himself numerous times for not having reassured her how loved as she was. Her skinny jeans, neon green with spray paint stains and holes in scandalous places, encased her legs once more. Every now and again he'd considered asking her to wear a dress to school, but thought better of it. When she'd tried her Auradon chameleon act, he'd had to stay to his inner Beast more then once in regards to her silent admirers. Her shirts were nicer, Evie had proclaimed that there was no room for debate on that front. Her hair was a day-to-day battle from what he could gather. Some days she would be radiant with her locks styled, envious eyes of lessor royals burning in her direction. Other days, it was wild and carefree in a way that would make his fingers itch to be buried in it and mess it that much more. He liked her best in her combat boots, but foot wear was on a cycle. Mondays were boots, comfy, familiar and well loved. Tuesdays were for trendy ankle boots, not bad just not truly "Mal." Wednesdays were warn chucks and those were slipped off at random intervals throughout the day. Evie was to be avoided at all costs on Wednesdays. Thursdays were heals, end of. Fridays, and these were the days when Evie barely made it to first period, Mal wore her combat boots, most threadbare pants and borderline distressed shirts and jackets. Ben had to admit, if only to himself, that he enjoyed Fridays the most. She would simmer all day and was ready to snare anyone into a proverbial battle of wits. He would be spared her verbal tongue lashings in favour of more physical ones. He had the whole ritual nearly perfected. He would lure her in after school with promises of strawberries and bad horror films. Then he would comment on the worst parts, the cheesy bits she adored. It worked so well, he had yet to officially see more then 15 minutes of any movie they endeavoured to watch. If he had his way, if Mal didn't get enjoyment out of making Evie happy, the princess wouldn't get a say. His fairy would never wear more than her boots, her tattered and torn Isle clothes and a messy, thoroughly devil may care hair do. She would horrify everyone, every day, with holes in the most tantalising places. Sadly, Mal adored Evie and the reverse was the same. Still, he lived for Fridays. Much like the one he was enduring now, which was moving agonisingly slow. Time seemed to almost move backwards every time his eyes landed on a particularly well placed hole just to the side of her left back pocket. "Dude, get it together." A Tourney ball whizzed passed his face. "Practice, your highness!" It was then that the mischievous echo of her laughter faded from his mind and the sounds of the skirmish came crashing back. He grunted as a player body checked him and he landed flat on his back. Looking up, he watched as Jay came over to say something, but shook his head in defeat instead. "You do know she's practically my sister. Like, even if we shared blood we couldn't be closer." He didn't bother helping the boy king up. "It's just wrong, man." "What can I say? TGIF." Ben had developed his own sort of ease since having ventured after her to the Isle. "The green pair are a personal favourite." "No. Just no." Even if he hadn't already decided to be more candid with his affections, after cotillion he was different. He knew now, beyond all doubt and logic to the contrary, that she loved him. Truly loved him. She'd said so, then undid her own mother's magic by proving it with a kiss. He was tackled, again. That time by the surprising power house that was Carlos. The king groaned under the younger boy, wind knocked out of him and chest sore where his shoulder had hit. Carlos was now the one standing over him, a merciless glint in his eye. "Let me guess, you're offending by my open ogling of my girlfriend as well." "No." The boy waved off Ben's confusion. "That was because you requested another Tourney practice last minute. I was going to study with Jane tonight." Carlos chuckled darkly before jogging off to rejoin he fray. Ben lay on the ground for a time. He considered staying there for the rest of practice since he was entirely unable to focus on what was happening on the field due to the dark fairy in the stands. "Oh! Has Bennyboo gotten a booboo?" He waited for her to come into view above him. "I am being mightily abused by your brothers. Make them stop." She pursed her lips in consideration, kneeling over him with her hands on her knees. "Nah. I don't think that's wise. They seem pretty adamant about beating you up." She gave him a once over and scrunched her nose in the adorable way that meant she was up to something. "Best to leave them at it." "Why do you insist on torturing me?" "Well," and here she sighed heavily and fell to the ground beside him. "We usually study and then watch movies on Fridays. Who was it that called for practice tonight?" "I had a budget meeting yesterday and then mom wouldn't let me get out of family dinner." She snickered beside him, but wiggled closer to hug herself to his arm. "I really tried to make it." "So, the team practiced last night, without you." He felt her rest her head on his padded shoulder then continue, "and, again, tonight with you. Now, who should Carlos and Jay be mad at?" "Royal accountants?" She slapped his chest, right where Carlos' shoulder had dug in. "Nope! Why don't you do the team, and yourself, a favour. Call the practice to a close and then maybe, just maybe, I'll let you snuggle while we watch Camp Gorefest 5." He heaved himself up, then aided her. Putting a little more effort into it than necessary, he gathered her up in his arms. She resisted, half heartedly, before settling against him and wrapping her arms around his middle. "You'll let me snuggle? Your the one who burrows into my side like a kitten." Her eyes flashed dangerously and she lifted her upper lip in an adorable snarl. "I'm not a kitten. I'm a dragon. I'm fierce." He smirked, but managed to take her by surprise with a quick dip of his head. She leaned in further, meeting his enthusiasm. As they kissed, he heard the pleasant sound of her delicate hum of approval. Then, another sound reached his ears and he thrust his arm out. He felt the ball hit his glove but merely shook his hand before returning it to her waist. She squeaked and tried to disengage but he merely tightened his arms. After a few minutes of inappropriate affection, they broke apart. He happily moved his attentions to her neck. To his amusement she moaned, but managed to gain enough of her faculties to push him away. "Okay, little Benny Foo Foo, down boy." He took a deep breath and loosened his grip. "End this madness and maybe we can continue indulging that little beast you have inside." He was sure his eyes were darker than black with the prospect. "You are the smartest person I know." She scrunched up her nose, again, making him lean in subconsciously. She laughed, a wonderful sound that made his heart swell, and moved away. She tapped his nose playfully. "Nope. Not until you call this nonsense to a close." He tried to keep her close, but she skilfully extracted herself. She tossed him a cheeky wink over shoulder before sauntering away. Taking a deep breath, he turned away from the stands where she had rejoined Evie and Jane. Across the field, with varying degrees of chagrins, the team was gathered. As he moved forward, he could see the clear signs of expectation on the faces of Jay, Carlos and Lonnie. Certain they had been the snitches. "Who planned that?" The groups faces dropped as they all looked at each other. No one was prepared to fess up. He took one last considering look to the girls, to Mal, in the stands. "Everyone take a lap." A collective groan of disgust rose from the group. "No complaining. Winners don't complain." Resigned to their fate, the all began a lacklustre shuffle toward the trail in the woods. Satisfied, Ben tore of his gloves and began walking to the stands. The sour look brightened on Mal's face and she leisurely made her way out of the stands to meet him. "Wait. Ben?" He slung an arm over his girlfriends shoulders and waved. "Take a lap!" With that, the couple made their way off the Tourney field and to Beast's castle. Of all the things he'd picked up, all the newly discovered tendencies and habits he knew drove Mal up a wall, his awakened devious ones were her favourite. He would later blame her green skinny jeans. Jay would blame his beat down the following practice on them, too. Carlos simply demanded practice never happened on Fridays, ever again. He agreed, but kept to himself that Mal had made unequivocal arguments on subject already. Of course, the fairy couldn't let him off that easy. In a rare show of slight remorse, she informed him she planned on being present every practice from that point on. She was unashamedly pleased he was still going to have the minor problem of constantly staring at her. She made him anti concussion mints to balance it out.

#bal #mal x ben #mal descendants #ben descendants #cause I'm a softie #also a sappy cheese ball #fanfic #disney descendants #descendants fanfiction

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sananscario · 5 years

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Why isn’t Spain a democracy?

For lovers of historical series, here is one recommendation. Hořící keř is a Czech HBO miniseries that depicts the moral corruption and the political and judiciary misery of the former Czechoslovakia during the communist dictatorship. In January 1969, Jan Palach, a young student of history, alights himself in the centre of Prague in protest against the Soviet occupation that takes place months earlier, and against the lack of freedom and prospects in a hopeless country. In order to prevent the event from triggering a widespread protest challenging the order imposed by Soviet tanks months before, some regime leaders engage in lying about the event and the circumstances surrounding it.

The three episodes of the drama then focus on the lawsuit filed by the leading character’s mother, and the subsequent trial, against the party’s high officials who have tarnished the memory of her son, and recount how the state uses various legal tricks, political manoeuvres, journalistic distortion and pressure on the environment to make the lawsuit fail and take all of this to their advantage to crack down on dissent. The series, directed by filmmaker Agnieszka Holland, shows what a dictatorship is all about in detail. Under an appearance of legality, of separation of powers, of a Constitution that defines the state as “popular” and “democratic”, which boasts rhetoric of equality and socialist values, a group of people who act arbitrarily is concealed, using all the mechanisms of the state to retain their own interests, more group than class.

Watching Hořící keř can be a good exercise to understand why Spain is not a democracy, even though it hides behind a Constitution of great principles and scarce results, an appearance of separation of powers and belonging to the club of European countries. It is not difficult to draw parallels between the Czech dictatorship of the 1960s and the current Spanish “rule of law”. We should also reread the works of Milan Kundera or Václav Havel in order to have a better understanding of ourselves. The trials against the “Catalan procés” seem to have been filmed by Agnieszka Holland, a Polish film director who is perfectly aware of what it’s like to live under a dictatorship based on fear, repression and, above all, lies. But even Pablo Iglesias himself, a moderate leader of the opposition to the regime, knows what it’s like to be watched by the political police, like Havel was, monitored by the (not so) secret services. Or it is just enough to watch the impunity of an extreme right who can physically attack citizens without having to face a judge while people who have taken part in peaceful protests, have been persecuted, slandered, fined, imprisoned, exiled or confined, without evidence, because of extrajudicial pressures (often very real), as in the case of Tamara Carrasco or various musicians or social activists.

But let’s not fool ourselves. Spain has never been a democracy. Right now the masks are falling off. The so-called “Regime of 1978” was the continuity of Franco’s regime by other means, although 20 or even 30 years ago we probably wouldn’t have made this statement. The difference is that at the moment dissent against the regime is much more consistent and widespread, and that is why the dark forces of the deep state are abusing repression in order to defend themselves against those who question an increasingly fragile status quo. We simply need to examine how they have reacted since the turn of the century to the pressure of those who claim historical memory, the interesting (and still poorly and badly analysed) police infiltrated and violently repressed 15-M, the emergence of a force like Podemos (counteracted by the State operation with Ciudadanos), the substitute bill submitted by independence parties, and the growing emergence of a new republicanism. Decades ago, in the 1980s or 1990s, arbitrary repression was just as unfair, though to a lesser extent and impact than it currently is. To give an example, in 1981, holding a pro-independence banner in Barcelona resulted in dozens of detentions and mistreatment by the police. The same thing happened in the days leading up to the 1992 Olympics, when dozens of political activists were imprisoned and tortured on fabricated charges. Recently I have been reading the draft of an interesting memoir Joan Martínez Alier, an intellectual and professor of ecology (and an anti-Franco dissident) who was arrested that same year for preparing a campaign to condemn the indigenous genocide during the Fifth Centenary festivities.

Spain is not a democracy. Next, I am going to give some reasons that reinforce this.

1. The current regime was originally flawed by an imposed monarchy

It is no secret that the continuity between Franco’s regime and the Constitution was personified in the Bourbon. A Bourbon shielded from criticism and the law who enjoys unsustainable impunity based on indications of questionable family behaviour, professional incompetence, lack of neutrality, and growing evidence of tampering with government or expressing sympathies for the far right. It was a legal continuity dictated by Franco’s own law of succession and the dictator’s will. The Constitution itself served to regulate the chaotic legislation of Franco’s regime, incorporating most of the content of the Fundamental Laws. The imposed monarchy secured the permanent leadership of the State by avoiding a referendum, which, based on the revelations by former President Suárez, would have been adverse. From a legislative and political point of view, an attempt was made to preserve the brutality of the dictatorship and to cover up its crimes, in particular through the (self-)Amnesty Law. In other words, with respect to the balance of power between war winners and losers, the regime of 1978 is an update of the regime of 1939. The failure to repair and to prosecute war crimes (and criminals) is very indicative of what happened next. The main obsession of “democracy” was to keep the power, the influence and the privileges of those sectors that benefited from Franco’s regime intact. That is why the repressive bodies were left untouched, especially the armed forces, the police and the judiciary, but also the church or the media.

2. There is a flagrant absence of a democratic culture

The damage caused to Spanish society after four decades of dictatorship was so profound that it determined its regenerative capacity. Repression to the very foundations of dissent and order through fear produced generations of Spaniards, as Jarcha’s song said, who were obedient even in bed. Sociological Francoism, which came to believe that the precarious welfare propaganda was the result of the regime’s development, turned out to be a brake on the prosecution of the Francoist crimes, the “Spanish Holocaust”, in the words of the British historian Paul Preston. In a way, the submission of the Spanish population to the escalating regression of recent years, and their support, by action or omission, for the repression of the Basque Country or Catalonia illustrates the extent to which authoritarianism has been internalised within society itself, becoming more and more like the fearful and mistreated peasants in Miguel Delibes’ The Holy Innocents. The electorate’s behaviour, supporting those who demand more nationalism (Spanish nationalism, of course), more repression, more regression, despite the high unemployment rates, precariousness and poverty, is a good barometer to explain how internalised the country’s hierarchical world view is. But also, the idea that democracy is a mechanism for majorities to impose themselves on minorities is also a sign of the degree to which authoritarianism is installed in the subconscious. Democracy serves to manage conflicts on the basis of pact and compromise, seeking consensus and making mutual cessions to reach solutions. But this does not seem to be happening.

3. Unsubtle mechanisms of censorship and the silencing of dissent

As it happened with the Czechoslovak dictatorship, it is risky attempting to dissent in the face of repression in Catalonia, in the Basque Country, or questioning the impunity of Franco’s crimes. There are dozens of mechanisms of repression, not always subtle. Here are a few examples. During the anti-Catalan demonstrations following the return of the documents of the Generalitat from the Salamanca archive in 1995, the few journalists in the local press who understood the motives of the Catalans had their media pages closed forever. Many of those who questioned the repressive policy in the Basque Country were prosecuted for “apology of terrorism”. Judges, like Garzón himself, who tried to investigate the Franco regime’s crimes, were expelled from the judiciary, as were so many others who dealt with sensitive issues. Six lads who attended a demonstration in Madrid in support of the October 1 referendum are being prosecuted. Some of the events organised in support of the independence supporters in the state have been banned (unlike the far right’s events). MPs such as Joan Tardà were unable to lead a normal life in Madrid because incidents in which they were reprimanded or threatened due to their republican ideas were frequent. Members of the military who have dared to report their superiors’ Francoism have been dismissed. Journalists who have exposed corruption scandals are being harassed by mafia groups or by the police forces themselves. To be a dissident in Spain, when the interests of Franco’s heirs are targeted, is a risky exercise… as with those who backed Jan Palach’s mother in her search for justice.

4. The impunity of Francoism

The Regime of 78 was built to safeguard the old order of 39. As the Falangist Antonio Labadie explained in 1974 when faced with the uncertainty of the changes to come, “we will fight tooth and nail to defend the legitimacy of a victory that today is the heritage of all the Spanish people”. And, given what we have seen, the bunker got away with it. Not a single Francoist has been judged. Despite the fact that Spain is the country, after Cambodia, with the highest number of missing people, the state has only obstructed any policies of memory and reparation. The Valley of the Fallen continues to be a place of pilgrimage for the far right, where the ethos of violence and fascism are spread. In fact, fascism is legal in this country. Democracy was never used to extradite dozens of internationally hunted Nazi criminals, such as the Belgian León Degelle, following 46 requests from Brussels. He died peacefully in 1994. In addition, following the 1977 (self-)Amnesty Law, dozens of crimes committed by the far right or cases of torture carried out by the police have either remained unpunished or been systematically reprieved. It is clear that a democracy cannot be built in such a way. After all, the lives of many Spaniards are still affected by the crimes of Franco’s regime which the Transition was unable to put right. Without justice and equality, no democracy is possible.

5. A systemic and protected corruption

Linked to all this, it has to be said that Franco’s regime worked, above all, towards granting impunity to the benefactors of 1939, and this resulted in a free pocketing of money, turning the whole of Spain into the spoils of war of the Francoists. Corruption, protected through privileged connections with power, which was systematic under the regime, continued during the so-called democracy. Unlawful enrichment, through contacts with the highest echelons, particularly through a promiscuity between political, economic, legal and administrative powers, continued without excessive problems. The Nóos case, for example, is a great illustration of how influence at the highest levels made it possible for certain protected elites to use public funds as ATMs. But, above all, the culture of impunity was set up in such a way that the nepotism and the endogamy existing in the judiciary, diplomacy, high administration, and revolving doors, with an IBEX 35 full of pro-Franco sagas, turned the State into the assets of a few families. To top it all off, the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the Franco regime do not even blush when they display master’s degrees and university degrees that we all know are fake. This is the kind of deep-rooted “you don’t know who you’re talking to” in Spanish daily life.

6. Poorly pluralistic media

Spain is the country where facts and the media narrative have no connection, even beyond ordinary lies. The Spanish press often explains how the facts should have happened along the lines of a political party. The following statement, written by Georges Orwell during the Spanish Civil War, could be applicable today. “In a deeply divided society with no democratic tradition, information is a mere trench“. In recent decades there has been a shift from a generalised functional illiteracy, which was the result of the lack of educational policies during the Franco regime, to a media illiteracy, promoted by the mainstream TV channels. The Franco regime created a propaganda model mainly based on the audiovisual information monopoly, which could not be renovated during the constitutional stage. Nowadays, there is an oligopoly in which the big media are connected to an endogamous economic power where large media groups broadcast the interests of the authoritarian elites. We have seen this in recent years, when, for example, not only the Basque nationalism has been criminalised because of their highly consultative and deliberative debate structures, but also the 15M or the Catalan independence movements which originate from a highly organised, self-managed and profoundly democratic and plural civil society, but which the media potrays as a blend between North Korea and Leni Riefenstahl, based on the harshest possible media manipulation, and fuelling hatred in similar terms to Yugoslavian television in the months leading up to its dramatic disintegration. Over the last few decades, television and the media have been working to convey an image of a homogeneous Spain that does not correspond to reality, concealing, for instance, the 10 million Catalan speakers in the state, shutting away Euskera or Galician, or making up facts that should fit together with one’s own prejudices, as Orwell said. And we all know that without a free and pluralistic media, there can be no democracy.

But even those uncomfortable and dissenting voices have been silenced, and those who, through meticulous research, have brought uncomfortable truths to the table have been sanctioned. Journalist Xavier Vinader was persecuted and forced into exile after exposing the dirty war in the Basque Country. Recent investigations into the fake academic titles of PP leaders, the Bar España, corruption networks or the abduction of children by institutions related to the regime have given the authors quite some grief, making them worthy of a Pulitzer award.

7. A political police and, worse still, the inability of Spanish society to react

The revelations about the Spanish police tracking and monitoring Pablo Iglesias is the tip of the iceberg. The forces of law and order seem more concerned with carrying out actions of discredit and siege against the opposition and dissent than with prosecuting the many varied crimes committed by those in excess of power. Many people are unaware of these various actions, involving the fabrication of false evidence to discredit Mayor Xavier Trias, the illegal persecution against Catalan independence, the inexplicable role (as in not allowed to be explained) of the secret services in the Jihadist terrorist attack in Barcelona in August 2017, the actions to damage public health and many more scandals that have not prompted the slightest reaction from Spanish public opinion. These actions have even benefited from a television boycott, despite their remarkable audience and authenticity. In Spain there are several Watergates every year, and very few people react. And that is unlike a democracy. It is appalling that, as in the case of Jan Palach, the police are used to prevent people from reacting, to maintain an order that quite clearly goes against the common interest.

8. Almost total Francoist control in key institutions

This is obvious in the genealogy of the state elites and in the Catholic Church (which, unlike what happens in the rest of the world, is neither being investigated nor prosecuted for abuse, child abduction, exploitation, etc.), the IBEX 35 companies, the judiciary (where judges who “poke their noses where they shouldn’t” are removed without hesitation), the high-ranking officials, the army, the security forces, as well as the complicity with a far right that seems to enjoy strange immunity in spite of hundreds of criminal acts (unlike peaceful activists).

9. The hegemony of its symbols

No. The Spanish flag, the anthem, the monarchy, or certain traditions are not the symbols of all Spaniards, but the symbols of the Spain of 39. There has been a policy of imposition and appropriation of symbols that do not seek consensus, but the staging of the victory of Franco’s regime, to the point that a large proportion of a coward and self-conscious left is adopting them as their own. The most logical would be to reconsider a new symbolism that should be debated and agreed upon. But this is not the case. The discomfort of radically anti-Franco societies such as the Basque and Catalan do not accept them. And it is much simpler to claim one’s own than to try changing those that represent a rather non fraternal Spain and so hostile that it does not hesitate to be the chromatic and musical complement of the “a por ellos” pack. (Translator’s note: The military police leaving from cities all over Spain to stop the referendum vote in Catalonia were seen off by crowds gathered with Spanish flags and chanting “Go get them!”). It is no secret that a significant part of the national cohesion is manufactured based on the external or internal enemy. But this identity is toxic, based on hatred and despise. And hatred and despise are the feelings that feed dictatorships. A democracy seeks agreement and consensus. No one should be afraid to create new symbols accepted by all, but a territory and society should also be structured on the basis of new agreements.

Unfortunately, the unionist vision of Spain represented by its excluding symbols will end up dissolving it, because, after all, the exhibition of the Spanish flag is a way of resisting an agreed solution, that is, a democratic solution.

10. Catalonia and the sham trial

The analyst Joe Brew, in his studies on audiences and social networks, highlighted the scarce interest that the trial against the independence leaders in the Supreme Court is generating among the Spanish public opinion. The analyst Joe Brew, in his studies on audiences and social networks, highlighted the scarce interest that the trial against the independence leaders in the Supreme Court is generating among the Spanish public opinion. It is obvious that for a vast majority, the shame of a televised farce in which the sentence has already been written, the testimonies of the accusation openly lying, witnesses and key evidence of the defence are vetoed, renders a public image of Spain similar to that of Saudi Arabia. Yet few voices are raised in the face of such injustice. In a way, the trial against the Catalan leaders is a supreme act of prevarication, not only from an administrative point of view, but, especially, from a moral point of view. In dictatorships, everyone keeps silent in the face of injustice. In democracies, a conflict as serious as the Catalan one would be dealt with through dialogue, always uncomfortable, always difficult, always unsatisfactory, but much more practical than causing an irreversible break that will end up turning against those in power.

Conclusion

Surely, this article will generate some indignation among those who prefer to live in a state of oblivion. Like Josep Borrell, Minister of Foreign Affairs, many will shout their heads off, claiming that Spain is an exemplary democracy. But as the proverb goes, “tell me what you brag about and I’ll tell you what you lack”. The authorities of the communist Czechoslovakia never grew tired of describing paradise on earth, the best of all possible worlds that their democratic and popular republic represented. So why should they attack those who defended the honourability of the young Jan Palach’s gesture? Spain is not a democracy. It won’t be until the toxic Franco heritage is shaken off; that of the institutions, but even more importantly, the one that still permeates the subconscious of millions of Spaniards.

Author: Xavier Diez

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progressivemillennial · 7 years

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The Mirror Game, Or, I Don’t Blame You

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the most to blame of all?

I had scrapped writing this essay thrice since I first sat down to write it in December because I foolishly continued to think we’d been done talking about who to blame for Hillary Clinton’s loss. So here we are: people are still having conversations on social media about this subject, the media still writes and talks about it, and Congress still yacks about it. We have Congressional hearings all about Russia and a special counsel, Robert Mueller, investigating multiple aspects of the election and Donald Trump’s business ties to Russia. I’m sure you still see these fights or conversations happening from time to time. This is the conversation that never ends, and for a critical reason: we still find ourselves forming the narrative of the 2016 American Presidential Election. Whoever “wins” at forming the narrative will for the foreseeable future dictate how we discuss the 2016 election. For example, when you think about the 2000 election, ask yourself why Al Gore lost. Who or what comes to mind first? Ralph Nader, perhaps? If so, that’s not a coincidence.

As we begin, I have a small favor to humbly ask: go find a mirror. Look straight into your reflected eyes. Raise either of your hands and point your index finger towards your image in the mirror. Finally, capture this image in your mind’s eye and hold it in your memory for later. Good? Thank you! I appreciate you playing along. The conclusion to the game will be revealed later. The idea of scapegoating especially fascinated me towards the end of this election, before which I contended satirically that a whole host of people and entities would be scapegoated if Hillary Clinton, the inevitable candidate, lost.

Popular Scapegoats From the Last Nine Months

1. Bernie Sanders: I admittedly was naive enough to think that Bernie would avoid blame since he campaigned for Hillary upon his defeat in the primary. Wrong! Don Lemon of CNN argued that Bernie Sanders and his supporters “in the beginning, before” damaged Hillary Clinton, enough for her to lose. This kind of logic suggests that no one should have run against Hillary Clinton; although, to many Americans, this kind of coronation process does not seem democratic.

2. Gary Johnson and Jill Stein: MSNBC made it pretty clear that if third party voters had voted for Hillary Clinton, she would have won the presidency. Rachel Maddow later tweeted that if certain percentages of Stein and Johnson supporters had voted for Clinton in key states, Clinton would have won. As we found in 2000, third party candidates make for easy, simple scapegoats. So do their supporters.

3. Jim Comey: The Director of the FBI has been loved and hated by Democrats over the past year. When he announced that the FBI would not recommend charges against Clinton, Democrats were ecstatic. Tim Kaine, Clinton’s running mate, called him “a wonderful and tough career public servant.” After his own “October surprise,” Comey drew the ire from most Democrats and would probably top the list of scapegoats had it not been for the Russian interference scandal that continues to this day.

4. The Media: Clinton aides thought that, in addition to Comey, the media was most to blame for the loss. Clinton supporters even now can be seen referencing “her emails” as a reference to the media’s coverage of the email and server scandal. President Obama in December said that the media was more to blame than Russia for Clinton’s loss. Neither Clinton nor Trump nor Sanders supporters thought the media gave their candidate a fair shake. The media also gave Trump billions of dollars of free media. The media is an easy fall guy.

5. Fake News and Facebook: Facebook took a lot of heat originally for hosting fake news on its site before the election. While the accusations against Facebook specifically have faded quite a bit, the term fake news unfortunately lives on, and it has been co-opted by Donald Trump. The narrative of fake news impacting the election results took off so quickly that Stanford University released a study on January 18 on fake news and social media.

6. White People: White people were far more likely to vote for Trump than people of color, and I say white people because the majority of white women joined the majority of white men in voting for Trump. This is not surprising since Donald Trump appealed mainly to white people. What do you have to lose, it turns out, did not resonate with voters of color.

7. Millennials: Younger voters took a Clinton win for granted, so more voted for third parties. They didn’t show up for her the way they did for Obama. They were bitter about Bernie and couldn’t let go. They didn’t vote at all because they couldn’t vote for the lesser of two evils. Bernie was too harsh on Clinton, so millennials couldn’t vote for her. The supposedly idealistic and naive millennials have been blamed quite a bit for Trump.

8. Sexism and Racism: It would seem pretty silly to argue that sexism didn’t have anything to do with the outcome of the election, although the opinion column cited here makes such an attempt. The column appeared in The Hill and was written, no less, by a woman. Regardless, many wrote and continue to write about sexism and misogyny and its role in the election. As for racism, you can likely recall Van Jones declaring the election a whitelash back in November on CNN. I mean, I’m not saying he’s wrong, but I am saying we had a black president for not-one-but-two-terms, so there are limits to this argument.

9. Wikileaks: Wikileaks revealed a number of inconvenient truths about the Democratic Party and Hillary Clinton: that Donna Brazile on at least a few occasions gave questions in advance to the Hillary camp for upcoming engagements with Bernie Sanders, that the DNC clearly favored Hillary Clinton over other candidates including Bernie Sanders, Clinton’s dreams of open borders and free trade throughout the western hemisphere, Clinton having divergent public and private positions on issues, and more. The information contained in these emails likely hurt her campaign and the Democratic Party.

10. Russia: The Google News search Russia election interference returns 278,000 results. The Google News search for Putin american election returns 5,280,000 results. The Google News search Trump Russia investigation returns 8,130,000 results. Needless to say, much has been written on the subject. The FBI, CIA, NSA, and the Office of the DNI assessed with confidence that Russia attempted to influence the American election in favor of Donald Trump, which doesn’t sound like an unreasonable assessment at all.

11. People Who Didn’t Vote: Only 58% of eligible Americans voted in 2016. While it’s a bit arrogant to argue that had everyone voted, Hillary Clinton would have won, we should be careful not to blame literally everyone who didn’t vote for Donald Trump. Some voters experienced issues getting to their voting place because the polling location is located inconveniently or due to a lack of transportation. And voter suppression laws continue to successfully suppress the vote, particularly in minority communities.

12. The Electoral College: In case you somehow missed it--and I’m not sure how one would achieve that feat even living under the world’s biggest rock--Hillary Clinton won more votes across the United States than Donald Trump. In an alternate universe where the electoral college doesn’t exist, we cannot know who would have won a popular vote because both campaigns’ strategies would have been different. But in this universe, big cities like Los Angeles and Chicago delivered Hillary Clinton a significant lead in total votes over Trump.

None of These Reasons Is Inherently Wrong

The beautiful thing about the 2016 election is that all of the reasons above could reasonably be argued for as a reason why Donald Trump won because the margins by which Hillary Clinton lost were so thin. You don’t even need to try to quantify their effect; instead, you can simply think that if a sliver of white people are racist enough to vote against Clinton, that could swing the vote in Michigan or Wisconsin or Pennsylvania to Donald Trump. Because more than a sliver of white people are racist, who could reasonably argue with you?

There are some individuals, groups, and causes that have mostly managed to escape the spotlight when it comes to the blame game, but the truth is: nearly everyone is responsible for the mess we’re in.

The Democratic National Committee: Even Hillary Clinton blamed the DNC. As she put it, “I mean, it was bankrupt. It was on the verge of insolvency. Its data was mediocre to poor, nonexistent, wrong. ... I had to inject money into it." Maybe the DNC supported Clinton in the primary not because of her ideology or ability to win but because of her wealth. And to be clear about supporting Clinton in the primary: when John Podesta was encouraged to ground Bernie “to a pulp” during the primary, he replied, “I agree with that in principle. Where would you stick the knife in?” Most importantly, the DNC wanted to elevate candidates like Donald Trump. They thought it was advantageous for Hillary to go up against one of them. They got what they wanted, and they were wrong.

Superdelegates: Like it or not, superdelegates had a choice at the Democratic National Convention: they could vote for Hillary Clinton, who won the most votes in the primary but who was already unpopular and an establishment candidate in a change election, or they could vote for Bernie Sanders, who lost the primary but also was and is very popular and had a populist message that could have been effective against Donald Trump’s. Polls at the time showed that he ran more strongly against Trump. Superdelegates chose to vote for Clinton. Perhaps they voted for the wrong candidate. To be completely fair, I am not saying that Bernie would have certainly won. We don’t know that, obviously, because we can’t prove a counterfactual.

Winning After a Two Term President: Gore couldn’t do it, McCain couldn’t do it, Clinton couldn’t do it. Since 1948, only Harry Truman and George H.W. Bush won the election after eight or more years of a presidency within their party, and Truman. It’s very challenging for a candidate to win after their party’s president held the office for two previous terms, and there’s no shame in that.

Hillary Clinton and Her Campaign: Hillary Clinton did not run a perfect campaign, and she was not a great candidate. John Podesta, her Campaign Manager, understood this, saying “we've taken on a lot of water that won't be easy to pump out of the boat. Most of that has to do with terrible decisions made pre-campaign, but a lot has to do with her instincts.” She could have chosen a more progressive Vice President to woo skeptical voters on the left. She could have not voted for the Iraq War, or pushed for war in Libya, or voted for the Patriot Act, or its reauthorization. She could have not run with the “America’s already great” rhetoric when so many Americans are unhappy with the country and its politicians. She neglected the Rust Belt. Her ads lacked substance and policy, which were her strength. Hillary is responsible, too. But that’s not all.

One of the election’s greatest myths is the most common: that if you voted for Clinton, you could wash your hands clean and blame everyone else in righteous indignation.

If, to you, Trump is Hitler, if he will bring about the apocalypse, if he will take away minority rights, tear down democracy, implement a fascist state, enable anti-semites, and all you did was vote for Hillary, then your bare minimal democratic participation does not match the level of urgency that the Trump presidency should evoke in you. There’s a gap between your rhetoric and your actions. You could have been calling voters, canvassing, marching before marching was fashionable, writing your local newspaper, participating in civil disobedience, and more. Maybe not all of the above: everyone has different levels of time to commit to a cause and not everyone can afford to commit civil disobedience, but the end of America and the end of the world sounds like a reasonable cause to make time for, no? Maybe you’re “less to blame.” Good for you. Trump is still the president.

And so, if you feel the need to blame others for the outcome of the election, recall the mirror game that we played at the outset of this piece. Remember the image of you, looking squarely into your own eyes, pointing at yourself. The next time you want to blame someone else for the election’s outcome, remember that image. Unless you were a full time volunteer getting the vote out for Hillary--which is extremely unlikely based on probability, you are responsible, whether you are happy, unhappy or indifferent to the results. Own it.

Insert quote here about age-old advice regarding what happens when one points finger in direction of others...

And know that I’m not pointing the finger at you. Read the title again. Who am I to point a finger? I did very little to get Clinton elected. In fact, I’ve basically been told that I enabled a Trump presidency, and that my conscience will have to deal with that. But I absolutely am speaking to you. We have hard work ahead of us.

Self righteously pointing the finger at others may be easy and cathartic and require little thought, but it’s much more challenging to hold the Democratic Party responsible, to reflect on what more we could have done in the run-up to the election, to change, to get more involved, to change our behavior.

Peace and love, Tom President and Founder of Team Scapegoat

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inhalareexhalare · 5 years

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“Let Him First Cast a Stone at Her”

Two occurrences in this early morning:

(1) I brushed off Ms. Len when she asked if I could deal with her bank deposit on my way, since yesterday I experienced the worst long wait ever. That particular bank has poor manpower and technology. Now I regret letting that opportunity to help pass me by.

(2) Reyna’s all anxious again from her mistakes at work. She thinks they’re minor and careless, but it’s exactly the simplicity of the mistakes that makes her feel bad about herself. Simple mistakes that she could have avoided, she thinks.

To Reyna:

Kung may mag-judge man sa iyo, sabihin mo walang kwenta siya JK HAHA

[If anyone ever judges you tell them they’re fucking useless JUST KIDDING HAHA]

Sabi nga ni Jesus sa Christianity, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her."

[Jesus of Christianity did say,...]

Remember, walang may karapatan na husgahan ka. Ginagawa mo ang pinaka-best mo, at alam mo yan.

[Remember, nobody has the right to judge you. You do the very best that you can, and you know it.]

Pero kung gusto mo ng improvement anyway, pwede mong i-note nalang yun para new habit na haha "always doublecheck" :) Malamang magkakamali ka pa rin kasi di naman tayo robot, pero magiging mas konti na probably ang frequency! :D

[But if you want to work on self-improvement anyway, you can note it instead to turn it into a new habit haha “always double-check” :) You will certainly still make mistakes since we aren’t robots, but you’ll probably less frequently miss it! :D]

I still feel bad about Ms. Len hahahuhu

Oh wait! She responded in e-mail! Yay she would like to take my re-offer of doing that deposit (as long as it’s on the wayy)

From Ms. Len:

Wait for a moment.I will go there.Thank you very much.

To Ms. Len:

Thank you so much for taking the trouble! Noted!

2019-02-28 08:40 Philippines Thursday

I..

I am seriously trembling, fuck.

I am overwhelmed with excitement as I crave for this social development.

Ms. Len and I hugged. She said sorry for the trouble, but that she also really appreciates it, because two secretaries that sit adjacent to her cubicle like to pick on her schedule. They spread weird rumors about her taking too long with errands (and are suspecting that Ms. Len is busy chatting with people and having fun despite it being the time for work.)

So this is quite a help in saving her time. I told her not to mind them. I love them as individuals, but they’re letting their perspectives run over Ms. Len this time. Those two are known for having less responsibilities as Ms. Len as people also say that they are unreliable or slow. Which makes them not understand how Ms. Len can possibly have so much errands/responsibilities to be running out and back to office the whole day.

For people who some others belittle, they should understand what Ms. Len must be feeling if they just try. :<

People just like to pick on other people. Especially if they don’t think getting to know others better is worth their time. Let’s try to break the cycle, shall we?

2019-02-28 09:32 Philippines Thursday

I ran into Richel, one of my cousins, who is now in her early college years. I was able to properly express my pleasant surprise. It’s been so long that I thought we’d have a lot of troublesome ice to thaw between us but hey, we were good. I told her that I missed her (and I didn’t know that until I said it), and she met me with similar enthusiasm and told me that she and her family would actually love to have lunch together with me someday.

I thought I’d be allergic to her since ever since I left home, I hid from my relatives ( I didn’t like to be talked about or pried on, and I didn’t want unnecessary burden on my dad and everyone although I think this absence of mine might have just worsened the gossip fuel haha) But we were cool. She didn’t know how to talk to me but in the spur of the moment I initiated so that was a surprise.

I wonder if I should take them up on that offer? I dislike feeling like I have to explain myself, but isn’t that exactly what socializing is about? Helping each other understand each other?

Okay, a part of me still doesn’t want to, but I guess I should. If they initiate of course. I am technically sent the invitation through someone else’s intention, but I don’t want this gathering to be started by me because then it would be as if I want to push my ideas onto them.

Nevertheless:

Mission: Share Your Opinion.

2019-02-28 11:27 Philippines Thursday

Waaah. I couldn’t share my opinions at our meeting. I couldn’t even speak up or make a sound. Even when Dr. Virg started lightening up to me with jokes on my silence.

I just didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t relate to them. Worse, I couldn’t find my voice. My voice was also weak even when it was Dr. Seth asking. I guess the whole, general air can give so much effect on comfort. I saw them somewhat as a group of people I couldn’t relate to.

Retirement? Salary? Nationwide competition? The only thing I could relate to was that scandal they talked about around a certain graduate who lied for years to their parents regarding studies and even graduation. That student made up a lot of stories which sounds so familiar to me because my brother did that before.

So I could only empathize. Troubled, repressed individuals who don’t know who to go to for help. Or just plainly can’t because they’re no t used to asking for help.

I couldn’t speak because I’d just be adding fuel to their gossip.

I had no idea what to do at all, although I did my job right when it’s about business.

I don’t understand what Dr. Virg and some others in the room expect from me. If they were in my position, I wonder what they would talk about? I could be the clown/joker and say some pretty stupid things just to get a laugh and a level of comfort, but that wouldn’t be me.

Hm. Whatcha think, reader?

I really believe now that small talk is important, but what could I possibly talk about? I’m clueless here...

All I can think of for now, is improve the volume of my voice. Be adventurous with it. Don’t let their expectations intimidate you.

But I’m severely lacking in improvisation in this case. Strange.

Do I really just lack information? Is that it? But their topics are too irrelevant to me.

Seriously, what do you say to:

“Ey, Lobo. You and Phoebe should be hosts to this event. Haha!”

Don’t worry it wasn’t an attack. Or at least that’s how I heard it. Phoebe is an apparently soft-spoken staff member. I could only smile or chuckle along.

I have no idea what to say. Hm. If I do have to give an opinion though, I’d ask if the event was undercover because I’m too quiet to host it. I wonder if they’d relate though. I have pretty weird contextual language, just like anyone does when there’s a huge gap in culture.

What if, instead, I say, then the event would be chaos, because I'd make a pretty speechless and therefore powerless host. Hosts exist to control the flow. I exist to observe the flow.

...

...too serious? This has always been a kind of problem haha

I like this part of me, but most don’t relate.

But I think I’ll try my second idea next time. My way of showing affection is adding some flavor and insight into things.

WAIT. I think I found another hole. I’m too busy looking for a short response, since I know they don’t think of me highly yet for me to steal more than a minute out of one turn.

(1) Do they actually think that? If so, there’s nothing to do about it. I can only shut up, or be fake.

(2) Maybe they don’t think that. If so, then I should give myself a push and try.

(3) The truth is that I really just don’t know what they think; So I must try, and keep trying. Unless it’s really evident that (1) is true, then that’s the time I drop it.

I should give it tries.

Mission: Steal Time, Test Waters!

But I still think I wouldn’t have gotten this idea at the time, since I keep thinking about the comfort levels of the other speaker and what they are probably expecting out of me. So, a revision of the previous mission:

Mission: Share Your Opinion (Think Underlying Concepts)

2019-02-28 15:14 Philippines Thursday

Huh. I don't feel so attached to Karu now, even though it's nighttime.

I'm actually pretty happy and excited on my own.

I'm genuinely excited for his gig tonight and for his net gigs, and for his new flute!

Even though I won't get to hear it until maybe a weekend morning.

You know what? I don't feel bad at all. I watched a few short films, snd then manga, and then pondered for a bit on what I could develop in that collab story I have with Nynaeve.

And I'm going to bed pretty darn happy.

I am absolutely comfortable right now.

Hm.

It feels so free to rid yourself of unnecessary reins.

Chains that shackle unnecessary burdens like self-expectations, obsessions, self-depreciation, etc...

Why did I want Karu home at night before again?

The anxiety was triggered by extreme loneliness and envy. Unforgiving to myself for having such feelings, I would beat myself up and fixate on things about myself, and then I wouldn't be able to stop with the obsessive thinking if I didn't remember to do my calm spell and breathing exercise.

Now, I just have peace. Freedom. So much freedom that I find it easy to set other people free. Set Karu free.

I guess it's hard to find peace if you're looking for it. Peace is in everything around you; in everything that taught you important lessons; in everything that you love to do; in everything that you discover new.

You don't do tricks and hacks to get the peace of mind that you crave for; you just do things for reasons that actually matter to you—you do things for getting better, and for growing up.

Don't rush it, but don't delay it.

Don't resist it.

Literally be yourself and always find ways to enhance yourself.

This was Pa's truest words, when he wasn't held down so much by the pressures of society: (I was crying tears at the age of 19, having experienced my first of societal/social failures—flunking a subject.)

"I don't need you to be the best out of everyone. I want you to be the best of yourself."

2019-02-28 22:41 Philippines Thursday

What is this. I'm still not afraid of getting up in the morning!

Because how do I know it’s all gonna work out? I don’t.

Focus. IT'S A LEAP OF FAITH.

2019-03-01 06:00 Philippines Friday

PS watch Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse!

#chrono7 #social #progress #mission #goal #relative

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pope-francis-quotes · 5 years

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24th February >> (@ZenitEnglish) #PopeFrancis #Pope Francis Saying It Is Time to Eradicate Abuse and Cover Up, Pope Reminds Lord’s Words Saying Those Who Harm Little Ones Would Be Better Off Being Drowned in the Depths of the Sea.

‘In people’s justified anger, the Church sees the reflection of the wrath of God, betrayed and insulted by these deceitful consecrated persons’

FEBRUARY 24, 2019 12:03DEBORAH CASTELLANO LUBOVSEXUAL ABUSE AND PROTECTION OF MINORS

“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.”

Pope Francis told some 190 bishops to never forget these words from the Master, decrying scandal and saying we must “keep ever before us the innocent faces of the little ones.” The harsh reminder was given by Francis in his concluding addressing follow today’s closing Mass which took place at 9:30 this morning, in the Sala Regia of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace, on the final day of the Summit on the Protection of Minors in the Church, Feb. 21-24, 2019.

The Pope acknowledged we are facing a universal problem, tragically present almost everywhere and affecting everyone. According to statistics, he said, the first truth that emerges from the data at hand is that those who perpetrate abuse, that is acts of physical, sexual or emotional violence, are primarily parents, relatives, husbands of child brides, coaches and teachers.

All the More Grave & Scandalous, for Utterly Incompatible

“Yet we need to be clear, that while gravely affecting our societies as a whole, this evil is in no way less monstrous when it takes place within the Church.

“The brutality of this worldwide phenomenon becomes all the more grave and scandalous in the Church, for it is utterly incompatible with her moral authority and ethical credibility. Consecrated persons, chosen by God to guide souls to salvation, let themselves be dominated by their human frailty or sickness and thus become tools of Satan.

In abuse, he said, we see the hand of the evil that does not spare even the innocence of children.

No explanations suffice

“No explanations suffice for these abuses involving children,” he said, adding: “We need to recognize with humility and courage that we stand face to face with the mystery of evil, which strikes most violently against the most vulnerable, for they are an image of Jesus.”

For this reason, he stressed, “the Church has now become increasingly aware of the need not only to curb the gravest cases of abuse by disciplinary measures and civil and canonical processes, but also to decisively confront the phenomenon both inside and outside the Church.”

“She feels called to combat this evil that strikes at the very heart of her mission, which is to preach the Gospel to the little ones and to protect them from ravenous wolves.”

If even one case should emerge, utmost seriousness

“Here again, I would state clearly,” the Pope underscored: “if in the Church there should emerge even a single case of abuse – which already in itself represents an atrocity – that case will be faced with the utmost seriousness.”

“Indeed, in people’s justified anger, the Church sees the reflection of the wrath of God, betrayed and insulted by these deceitful consecrated persons.” The echo of the silent cry of the little ones who, instead of finding in them fathers and spiritual guides encountered tormentors, will shake hearts dulled by hypocrisy and by power. It is our duty to pay close heed to this silent, choked cry.”

The Church’s aim will thus be to hear, watch over, protect and care for abused, exploited and forgotten children, wherever they are. To achieve that goal, the Church must rise above the ideological disputes and journalistic practices that often exploit, for various interests, the very tragedy experienced by the little ones.

Time has come to eradicate

“The time has come, then, to work together to eradicate this evil from the body of our humanity by adopting every necessary measure already in force on the international level and ecclesial levels.” The time, Francis continued, has also come “to find a correct equilibrium of all values in play and to provide uniform directives for the Church, avoiding the two extremes of a “justicialism” provoked by guilt for past errors and media pressure, and a defensiveness that fails to confront the causes and effects of these grave crimes.”

In this context, the Pope applauded the “best practices” formulated under the guidance of the World Health Organization, by a group of ten international bodies that developed and approved a packet of measures called INSPIRE: Seven Strategies for Ending Violence against Children.

“With the help of these guidelines, the work carried out in recent years by the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors and the contributions made by this Meeting, the Church, in developing her legislation, will concentrate on the following aspects:”

The first aspect, he said, is the protection of children. “The primary goal of every measure must be to protect the little ones and prevent them from falling victim to any form of psychological and physical. Consequently, a change of mentality is needed to combat a defensive and reactive approach to protecting the institution and to pursue, wholeheartedly and decisively, the good of the community by giving priority to the victims of abuse in every sense.

“We must keep ever before us the innocent faces of the little ones, remembering the words of the Master: “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of scandals! For it is necessary that scandals come, but woe to the man by whom the scandal comes! (Mt 18:6-7).”

The second aspect, he noted, is impeccable seriousness. Here I would reaffirm that “the Church will spare no effort to do all that is necessary to bring to justice whosoever has committed such crimes. The Church will never seek to hush up or not take seriously any case” (Address to the Roman Curia, 21 December 2018). She is convinced that “the sins and crimes of consecrated persons are further tainted by infidelity and shame; they disfigure the countenance of the Church and undermine her credibility. The Church herself, with her faithful children, is also a victim of these acts of infidelity and these real sins of “peculation” (ibid.).

The third aspect, Francis highlighted, is genuine purification. “Notwithstanding the measures already taken and the progress made in the area of preventing abuse, there is need for a constantly renewed commitment to the holiness of pastors, whose conformity to Christ the Good Shepherd is a right of the People of God.

“Self-accusation is the beginning of wisdom and bound to the holy fear of God: learning how to accuse ourselves, as individuals, as institutions, as a society.”

The fourth aspect, the Pope said, is formation. “In other words,” he said, “requiring criteria for the selection and training of candidates to the priesthood that are not simply negative, concerned above all with excluding problematic personalities, but also positive, providing a balanced process of formation for suitable candidates, fostering holiness and the virtue of chastity.”

“Saint Paul VI, in his encyclical Sacerdotalis Caelibatus, wrote that “the life of the celibate priest, which engages the whole man so totally and so sensitively, excludes those of insufficient physical, psychic and moral qualifications…”

The fifth aspect, the Pontiff stated, is strengthening and reviewing guidelines by Episcopal Conferences. In other words, reaffirming the need for bishops to be united in the application of parameters that serve as rules and not simply indications.

No Abuse Should Ever Be Covered Up

“No abuse should ever be covered up (as was often the case in the past) or not taken sufficiently seriously, since the covering up of abuses favours the spread of evil and adds a further level of scandal,” he said Also and in particular, developing new and effective approaches for prevention in all institutions and in every sphere of ecclesial life

The sixth aspect, the Holy Father reminded, is accompaniment of those who have been abused. The evil that they have experienced leaves them with indelible wounds that also manifest themselves in resentment and a tendency to self- destruction. The Church thus has the duty to provide them with all the support they need, by availing herself of experts in this field. Listening, let me even put it this way: “wasting time” in listening. Listening heals the hurting person, and likewise heals us of our egoism, aloofness and lack of concern, of the attitude shown by the priest and the Levite in the parable of the Good Samaritan.

The seventh aspect, he said, is the digital world. The protection of minors must take into account the new forms of sexual abuse and abuse of all kinds that threaten minors in the settings in which they live and through the new devices that they use.” There is a need, Francis stated, to encourage countries and authorities to apply every measure needed to contain those websites that threaten human dignity, the dignity of women and particularly that of children.

“Crime,” he said, “does not enjoy the right to freedom.”

The eighth aspect, he noted, is sexual tourism. The conduct, the way of looking at others, the very heart of Jesus’ disciples and servants must always acknowledge the image of God in each human creature, beginning with the most innocent. “It is only by drawing from this radical respect for the dignity of others that we will be able to defend them from the pervasive power of violence, exploitation, abuse and corruption, and serve them in a credible way in their integral human and spiritual growth, in the encounter with others and with God.”

“Combatting sexual tourism,” he said, “demands that it be outlawed, but also that the victims of this criminal phenomenon be given support and helped to be reinserted in society.”

The Pope also expressed his “thanks to all those priests and consecrated persons who serve the Lord faithfully and totally, and who feel themselves dishonored and discredited by the shameful conduct of some of their confreres.”

“All of us – the Church, consecrated persons, the People of God, and even God himself – bear the effects of their infidelity,” he said, adding: “In the name of the whole Church, I thank the vast majority of priests who are not only faithful to their celibacy, but spend themselves in a ministry today made even more difficult by the scandals of few (but always too many) of their confreres.”

The Pope also thanked the faithful who are well aware of the goodness of their pastors and who continue to pray for them and to support them. Pope Francis concluding, stressing the need to turn this evil into an opportunity for purification.

Here is the Vatican-provided text of the Pope’s address:

***

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

As I thank the Lord who has accompanied us during these days, I would like to thank all of you for the ecclesial spirit and concrete commitment that you have so generously demonstrated.

Our work has made us realize once again that the gravity of the scourge of the sexual abuse of minors is, and historically has been, a widespread phenomenon in all cultures and societies. Only in relatively recent times has it become the subject of systematic research, thanks to changes in public opinion regarding a problem that was previously considered taboo; everyone knew of its presence yet no one spoke of it. I am reminded too of the cruel religious practice, once widespread in certain cultures, of sacrificing human beings – frequently children – in pagan rites. Yet even today, the statistics available on the sexual abuse of minors drawn up by various national and international organizations and agencies (the WHO, UNICEF, INTERPOL, EUROPOL and others) do not represent the real extent of the phenomenon, which is often underestimated, mainly because many cases of the sexual abuse of minors go unreported,[1] particularly the great number committed within families.

Rarely, in fact, do victims speak out and seek help.[2] Behind this reluctance there can be shame, confusion, fear of reprisal, various forms of guilt, distrust of institutions, forms of cultural and social conditioning, but also lack of information about services and facilities that can help. Anguish tragically leads to bitterness, even suicide, or at times to seek revenge by doing the same thing. The one thing certain is that millions of children in the world are victims of exploitation and of sexual abuse.

It would be important to cite the overall data – in my opinion still partial – on the global level,[3] then from Europe, Asia, the Americas, Africa and Oceania, in order to give an idea of the gravity and the extent of this plague in our societies.[4] To avoid needless quibbling, I would point out from the start that the mention of specific countries is purely for the sake of citing the statistical data provided by the aforementioned reports.

The first truth that emerges from the data at hand is that those who perpetrate abuse, that is acts of physical, sexual or emotional violence, are primarily parents, relatives, husbands of child brides, coaches and teachers. Furthermore, according to the UNICEF data of 2017 regarding 28 countries throughout the world, 9 out of every 10 girls who have had forced sexual relations reveal that they were victims of someone they knew or who was close to their family.

According to official data of the American government, in the United States over 700,000 children each year are victims of acts of violence and mistreatment. According to the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC), 1 out of every 10 children experiences sexual abuse. In Europe, 18 million children are victims of sexual abuse.[5]

If we take Italy as an example, the 2016 Telefono Azzurro Report states that 68.9% of abuses take place within the home of the minor.[6]

Acts of violence take place not only in the home, but also in neighbourhoods, schools, athletic facilities [7] and, sadly, also in church settings.

Research conducted in recent years on the phenomenon of the sexual abuse of minors also shows that the development of the web and of the communications media have contributed to a significant increase in cases of abuse and acts of violence perpetrated online. Pornography is rapidly spreading worldwide through the net. The scourge of pornography has expanded to an alarming degree, causing psychological harm and damaging relations between men and women, and between adults and children. A phenomenon in constant growth. Tragically, a considerable part of pornographic production has to do with minors, who are thus gravely violated in their dignity. The studies in this field document that it is happening in ever more horrible and violent ways, even to the point of acts of abuse against minors being commissioned and viewed live over the net.[8]

Here I would mention the World Congress held in Rome on the theme of child dignity in the digital era, as well as the first Forum of the Interfaith Alliance for Safer Communities held on the same theme in Abu Dhabi last November.

Another scourge is sexual tourism. According to 2017 data provided by the World Tourism Organization, each year 3 million people throughout the world travel in order to have sexual relations with a minor.[9] Significantly, the perpetrators of these crimes in most cases do not even realize that they are committing a criminal offence.

We are thus facing a universal problem, tragically present almost everywhere and affecting everyone. Yet we need to be clear, that while gravely affecting our societies as a whole,[10] this evil is in no way less monstrous when it takes place within the Church.

The brutality of this worldwide phenomenon becomes all the more grave and scandalous in the Church, for it is utterly incompatible with her moral authority and ethical credibility. Consecrated persons, chosen by God to guide souls to salvation, let themselves be dominated by their human frailty or sickness and thus become tools of Satan. In abuse, we see the hand of the evil that does not spare even the innocence of children. No explanations suffice for these abuses involving children. We need to recognize with humility and courage that we stand face to face with the mystery of evil, which strikes most violently against the most vulnerable, for they are an image of Jesus. For this reason, the Church has now become increasingly aware of the need not only to curb the gravest cases of abuse by disciplinary measures and civil and canonical processes, but also to decisively confront the phenomenon both inside and outside the Church. She feels called to combat this evil that strikes at the very heart of her mission, which is to preach the Gospel to the little ones and to protect them from ravenous wolves.

Here again I would state clearly: if in the Church there should emerge even a single case of abuse – which already in itself represents an atrocity – that case will be faced with the utmost seriousness. Indeed, in people’s justified anger, the Church sees the reflection of the wrath of God, betrayed and insulted by these deceitful consecrated persons. The echo of the silent cry of the little ones who, instead of finding in them fathers and spiritual guides encountered tormentors, will shake hearts dulled by hypocrisy and by power. It is our duty to pay close heed to this silent, choked cry.

It is difficult to grasp the phenomenon of the sexual abuse of minors without considering power, since it is always the result of an abuse of power, an exploitation of the inferiority and vulnerability of the abused, which makes possible the manipulation of their conscience and of their psychological and physical weakness. The abuse of power is likewise present in the other forms of abuse affecting almost 85,000,000 children, forgotten by everyone: child soldiers, child prostitutes, starving children, children kidnapped and often victimized by the horrid commerce of human organs or enslaved, child victims of war, refugee children, aborted children and so many others.

Before all this cruelty, all this idolatrous sacrifice of children to the god of power, money, pride and arrogance, empirical explanations alone are not sufficient. They fail to make us grasp the breadth and depth of this tragedy. Here once again we see the limitations of a purely positivistic approach. It can provide us with a true explanation helpful for taking necessary measures, but it is incapable of giving us a meaning. Today we need both explanation and meaning. Explanation will help us greatly in the operative sphere, but will take us only halfway.

So what would be the existential “meaning” of this criminal phenomenon? In the light of its human breadth and depth, it is none other than the present-day manifestation of the spirit of evil. If we fail to take account of this dimension, we will remain far from the truth and lack real solutions.

Brothers and sisters, today we find ourselves before a manifestation of brazen, aggressive and destructive evil. Behind and within, there is the spirit of evil, which in its pride and in its arrogance considers itself the Lord of the world [11] and thinks that it has triumphed. I would like to say this to you with the authority of a brother and a father, certainly a small one, but who is the pastor of the Church that presides in charity: in these painful cases, I see the hand of evil that does not spare even the innocence of the little ones. And this leads me to think of the example of Herod who, driven by fear of losing his power, ordered the slaughter of all the children of Bethlehem.[12]

Just as we must take every practical measure that common sense, the sciences and society offer us, neither must we lose sight of this reality; we need to take up the spiritual means that the Lord himself teaches us: humiliation, self-accusation, prayer and penance. This is the only way to overcome the spirit of evil. It is how Jesus himself overcame it.[13]

The time has come, then, to work together to eradicate this evil from the body of our humanity by adopting every necessary measure already in force on the international level and ecclesial levels. The time has come to find a correct equilibrium of all values in play and to provide uniform directives for the Church, avoiding the two extremes of a “justicialism” provoked by guilt for past errors and media pressure, and a defensiveness that fails to confront the causes and effects of these grave crimes.

In this context, I would mention the “best practices” formulated under the guidance of the World Health Organization[14] by a group of ten international bodies that developed and approved a packet of measures called INSPIRE: Seven Strategies for Ending Violence against Children.[15]

With the help of these guidelines, the work carried out in recent years by the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors and the contributions made by this Meeting, the Church, in developing her legislation, will concentrate on the following aspects:

The protection of children. The primary goal of every measure must be to protect the little ones and prevent them from falling victim to any form of psychological and physical. Consequently, a change of mentality is needed to combat a defensive and reactive approach to protecting the institution and to pursue, wholeheartedly and decisively, the good of the community by giving priority to the victims of abuse in every sense. We must keep ever before us the innocent faces of the little ones, remembering the words of the Master: “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of scandals! For it is necessary that scandals come, but woe to the man by whom the scandal comes! (Mt 18:6-7).

Impeccable seriousness. Here I would reaffirm that “the Church will spare no effort to do all that is necessary to bring to justice whosoever has committed such crimes. The Church will never seek to hush up or not take seriously any case” (Address to the Roman Curia, 21 December 2018). She is convinced that “the sins and crimes of consecrated persons are further tainted by infidelity and shame; they disfigure the countenance of the Church and undermine her credibility. The Church herself, with her faithful children, is also a victim of these acts of infidelity and these real sins of “peculation” (ibid.).

Genuine purification. Notwithstanding the measures already taken and the progress made in the area of preventing abuse, there is need for a constantly renewed commitment to the holiness of pastors, whose conformity to Christ the Good Shepherd is a right of the People of God. The Church thus restates “her firm resolve to pursue unstintingly a path of purification, questioning how best to protect children, to avoid these tragedies, to bring healing and restoration to the victims, and to improve the training imparted in seminaries… An effort will be made to make past mistakes opportunities for eliminating this scourge, not only from the body of the Church but also from that of society” (ibid.). The holy fear of God leads us to accuse ourselves – as individuals and as an institution – and to make up for our failures. Self-accusation is the beginning of wisdom and bound to the holy fear of God: learning how to accuse ourselves, as individuals, as institutions, as a society. For we must not fall into the trap of blaming others, which is a step towards the “alibi” that separates us from

Formation. In other words, requiring criteria for the selection and training of candidates to the priesthood that are not simply negative, concerned above all with excluding problematic personalities, but also positive, providing a balanced process of formation for suitable candidates, fostering holiness and the virtue of chastity. Saint Paul VI, in his encyclical Sacerdotalis Caelibatus, wrote that “the life of the celibate priest, which engages the whole man so totally and so sensitively, excludes those of insufficient physical, psychic and moral qualifications. Nor should anyone pretend that grace supplies for the defects of nature in such a man” (No. 64).

Strengthening and reviewing guidelines by Episcopal Conferences. In other words, reaffirming the need for bishops to be united in the application of parameters that serve as rules and not simply indications. No abuse should ever be covered up (as was often the case in the past) or not taken sufficiently seriously, since the covering up of abuses favours the spread of evil and adds a further level of scandal. Also and in particular, developing new and effective approaches for prevention in all institutions and in every sphere of ecclesial

Accompaniment of those who have been abused. The evil that they have experienced leaves them with indelible wounds that also manifest themselves in resentment and a tendency to self- destruction. The Church thus has the duty to provide them with all the support they need, by availing herself of experts in this field. Listening, let me even put it this way: “wasting time” in listening. Listening heals the hurting person, and likewise heals us of our egoism, aloofness and lack of concern, of the attitude shown by the priest and the Levite in the parable of the Good Samaritan.

The digital world. The protection of minors must take into account the new forms of sexual abuse and abuse of all kinds that threaten minors in the settings in which they live and through the new devices that they use. Seminarians, priests, men and women religious, pastoral agents, indeed everyone, must be aware that the digital world and the use of its devices often has a deeper effect than we may think. Here there is a need to encourage countries and authorities to apply every measure needed to contain those websites that threaten human dignity, the dignity of women and particularly that of children: crime does not enjoy the right to freedom. There is an absolute need to combat these abominations with utter determination, to be vigilant and to make every effort to keep the development of young people from being troubled or disrupted by an uncontrolled access to pornography, which will leave deep scars on their minds and hearts. We must ensure that young men and women, particularly seminarians and clergy, are not enslaved to addictions based on the exploitation and criminal abuse of the innocent and their pictures, and contempt for the dignity of women and of the human person. Here mention should be made of the new norms on graviora delicta approved by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010, which included as a new species of crime “the acquisition, possession or distribution by a cleric of pornographic images of minors… by whatever means or using whatever technology”. The text speaks of minors “under the age of fourteen”. We now consider that this age limit should be raised in order to expand the protection of minors and to bring out the gravity of these

Sexual tourism. The conduct, the way of looking at others, the very heart of Jesus’ disciples and servants must always acknowledge the image of God in each human creature, beginning with the most innocent. It is only by drawing from this radical respect for the dignity of others that we will be able to defend them from the pervasive power of violence, exploitation, abuse and corruption, and serve them in a credible way in their integral human and spiritual growth, in the encounter with others and with God. Combatting sexual tourism demands that it be outlawed, but also that the victims of this criminal phenomenon be given support and helped to be reinserted in society. The ecclesial communities are called to strengthen their pastoral care of persons exploited by sexual tourism. Among these, those who are most vulnerable and in need of particular help are certainly women, minors and children; these last however need special forms of protection and attention. Government authorities should make this a priority and act with urgency to combat the trafficking and economic exploitation of children. To this end it is important to coordinate the efforts being made at every level of society and to cooperate closely with international organizations so as to achieve a juridical framework capable of protecting children from sexual exploitation in tourism and of ensuring the legal prosecution of [16]

Allow me to offer a heartfelt word of thanks to all those priests and consecrated persons who serve the Lord faithfully and totally, and who feel themselves dishonoured and discredited by the shameful conduct of some of their confreres. All of us – the Church, consecrated persons, the People of God, and even God himself – bear the effects of their infidelity. In the name of the whole Church, I thank the vast majority of priests who are not only faithful to their celibacy, but spend themselves in a ministry today made even more difficult by the scandals of few (but always too many) of their confreres. I also thank the faithful who are well aware of the goodness of their pastors and who continue to pray for them and to support them.

Finally, I would like to stress the important need to turn this evil into an opportunity for purification. Let us look to the example of Edith Stein – Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross – with the certainty that “in the darkest night, the greatest prophets and saints rise up. Still, the life-giving stream of the mystical life remains invisible. Surely, the decisive events of history of the world have been essentially influenced by souls about whom the history books remain silent. And those souls that we must thank for the decisive events in our personal lives is something that we will know only on that day when all that which is hidden will be brought to light”. The holy, faithful People of God, in its daily silence, in many forms and ways continues to demonstrate and attest with “stubborn” hope that the Lord never abandons but sustains the constant and, in so many cases,

painful devotion of his children. The holy and patient, faithful People of God, borne up and enlivened by the Holy Spirit, is the best face of the prophetic Church which puts her Lord at the centre in daily giving of herself. It will be precisely this holy People of God to liberate us from the plague of clericalism, which is the fertile ground for all these disgraces.

The best results and the most effective resolution that we can offer to the victims, to the People of Holy Mother Church and to the entire world, are the commitment to personal and collective conversion, the humility of learning, listening, assisting and protecting the most vulnerable.

I make a heartfelt appeal for an all-out battle against the abuse of minors both sexually and in other areas, on the part of all authorities and individuals, for we are dealing with abominable crimes that must be erased from the face of the earth: this is demanded by all the many victims hidden in families and in the various settings of our societies.

[1] Cf. MARIA ISABEL MARTÍNEZ PÉREZ, Abusos sexuales en niños y adolescentes, ed. Criminología y Justicia, 2012, according to which only 2% of cases are reported, especially when the abuse has taken place in the home. She sets the number of victims of paedophilia in our society at between 15% and 20%. Only 50% of children reveal the abuses they have suffered, and of these cases only 15% are actually reported. Only 5% end up going to trial.

[2] One out of three mentions the fact to no one (2017 data compiled by the non-profit organization THORN).

[3] On the global level: in 2017 the World Health Organization estimated that up to 1 billion minors between 2 and 17 years of age have experienced acts of violence or physical, emotional or sexual neglect. Sexual abuse (ranging from groping to rape), according to some 2014 UNICEF estimates, would affect 120 million girls, who are the greatest number of victims. In 2017, UNICEF reported that in 38 of the world’s low to middle income countries, almost 17 million adult women admitted having had a forced sexual relation in childhood.

Europe: in 2013, the World Health Organization estimated that over 18 million of children were found to be victims of abuse. According to UNICEF, in 28 European countries, about 2.5 million young women reported having experienced sexual abuse with or without physical contact prior to 15 years of age (data released in 2017). In addition, 44 million (equivalent to 22.9%) were victims of physical violence, while 55 million (29.6%) were victims of psychological violence. Not only this: in 2017, the INTERPOL Report on the sexual exploitation of minors led to the identification of 14,289 victims in 54 European countries. With regard to Italy, in 2017 CESVI estimated that 6 million children experienced mistreatment. Furthermore, according to data provided by Telefono Azzurro, in the calendar year 2017, 98 cases of sexual abuse and pedophilia were handled by the Servizio 114 Emergenza Infanzia, equivalent to about 7.5% of the total cases handled by that service. 65% of the minors seeking help were female victims and over 40% were under 11 years of age.

Asia: in India, in the decade 2001-2011, the Asian Centre for Human Rights reported a total of 48,338 cases of the rape of minors, with an increase equivalent to 336% over that period: the 2,113 cases in 2001 rose to 7,112 cases in 2011.

The Americas: in the United States, official government data state that more than 700,000 children each year are victims of violence and mistreatment. According to the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC), 1 out of every 10 children experiences sexual abuse.

Africa: in South Africa, the results of a study conducted by the Centre for Justice and Crime Prevention of the University of Cape Town showed in 2016 that 1 out of 3 South African young people, male or female, risks being sexually abused before the age of 17. According to the study, the first of its kind on a national scale in South Africa, 784,967 young people between 15 and 17 years of age have already experienced sexual abuse. The victims in this case are for the most part male youths. Not even a third of them reported the violence to the authorities. In other African countries, cases of sexual abuse of minors are part of the wider context of acts of violence linked to the conflicts affecting the continent and are thus difficult to quantify. The phenomenon is also closely linked to the widespread practice of underage marriages in various African nations, as elsewhere.

Oceania: in Australia, according to data issued by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) in February 2018 and covering the years 2015-2017, one out of six women (16%, i.e., 1.5 million) reported experiencing physical and/or sexual abuse prior to 15 years of age, and one out of nine men (11%, i.e., 992,000) reported having experienced this abuse when they were children. Also, in 2015-2016, around 450,000 children were the object of child protection measures, and 55,600 minors were removed from their homes in order to remedy abuses they had suffered and to prevent others. Finally, one must not forget the risks to which native minors are exposed: again, according to AIHW, in 2015-2016 indigenous children had a seven times greater probability of being abused or abandoned as compared with their non-indigenous contemporaries (cf. http://www.pbc2019.org/protection-of-minors/child-abuse-on-the-global- level).

[4] The data provided refer to sample counties selected on the basis of the reliability of available sources. The studies released by UNICEF on 30 countries confirm this fact: a small percentage of victims stated that they had asked for help.

[5]Cf.https://www.repubblica.it/salute/prevenzione/2016/05/12/news/maltrattamenti_sui_minori_tutti_gli_abusi- 139630223.

[6] Specifically, those allegedly responsible for the difficulties experienced by a minor are, in 73.7% of the cases a parent (the mother in 44.2% and the father in 29.5%), a relative (3.3%), a friend (3.2%), an acquaintance (3%), a teacher (2.5%). The data show that only in a small percentage of cases (2.2%) is the person responsible an adult stranger. Cf. ibid.

[7] A 2011 English study carried out by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) found that 29% of those interviewed reported that they had experienced sexual molestation (physical and verbal) in sports centres.

[8] According to the 2017 data of the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), every 7 minutes a web page sends pictures of sexually abused children. In 2017, 78,589 URLs were found to contain images of sexual abuse concentrated particularly in the Low Countries, followed by the United States, Canada, France and Russia. 55% of the victims were under 10 years of age, 86% were girls, 7% boys and 5% both.

[9] The most frequented destinations are Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, as well as Thailand and Cambodia. These have recently been joined by some countries of Africa and Eastern Europe. On the other hand, the six countries from which the perpetrators of abuse mostly come are France, Germany, the United Kingdom, China, Japan and Italy. Not to be overlooked is the growing number of women who travel to developing countries in search of paid sex with minors: in total, they represent 10% of sexual tourists worldwide. Furthermore, according to a study by ECPAT (End Child Prostitution in Asian Tourism) International, between 2015 and 2016, 35% of paedophile sexual tourists were regular clients, while 65% were occasional clients (cf. https://www.osservatoriodiritti.it/2018/03/27/turismo-sessuale- minorile-nel-mondo-italia-ecpat).

[10] “For if this grave tragedy has involved some consecrated ministers, we may ask how deeply rooted it may be in our societies and in our families” (Address to the Roman Curia, 21 December 2018).

[11] Cf. R.H. BENSON, The Lord of the World, Dodd, Mead and Company, London, 1907.

[12] “Quare times, Herodes, quia audis Regem natum? Non venit ille ut te excludat, sed ut diabolum vincat. Sed tu haec non intelligens turbaris et saevis; et ut perdas unum quem quaeris, per tot infantium mortes efficeris crudelis… Necas parvulos corpore quia te necat timor in corde (SAINT QUODVULTDEUS, Sermo 2 de Symbolo: PL 40, 655).

[13] “Quemadmodum enim ille, effuso in scientiae lignum veneno suo, naturam gusto corruperat, sic et ipse dominicam carnem vorandam praesumens, deitatis in ea virtute corruptus interituque sublatus est” (SAINT MAXIMUS THE CONFESSOR, Centuria 1, 8-3: PG 90, 1182-1186).

[14] (CDC: United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; CRC: Convention on the Rights of

the Child; End Violence Against Children: The Global Partnership; PAHO: Pan American Health Organization; PEPFAR: President’s Emergency Program for AIDS Relief; TfG: Together for Girls; UNICEF: United Nations Children’s Fund; UNODC: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime; USAID:

United States Agency for International Development; WHO: World Health Organization).

[15] Each letter of the word INSPIRE represents one of the strategies, and for the most part has shown to be preventively effectual against various types of violence, in addition to having benefits in areas such as mental health, education and the reduction of crime. The seven strategies are the following: Implementation and Enforcement of Laws (for example, avoiding violent discipline and limiting access to alcohol and firearms); Norms and Values that need changing (for example, those that condone sexual abuse against girls or aggressive behaviour among boys); Safe Environments (for example, identifying neighbourhood violence “hotspots” and dealing with local causes through policies that resolve problems and through other interventions); Parent and Caregiver Support (for example, by providing formation to parents for their children, and to new parents); Income and Economic Strengthening (such as microcredit and formation concerning equity in general); Response and Support Services (for example, ensuring that children exposed to violence can have access to effective emergency care and can receive adequate psychosocial support); Education and Life Skills (for example, ensuring that children attend school and equipping them with social skills).

[16] Cf. Final Document of the VI World Congress on the Pastoral Care of Tourism, 27 July 2004.

[Vatican-provided text] [Original text: Italian]

24th FEBRUARY 2019 12:03SEXUAL ABUSE AND PROTECTION OF MINORS

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