#h/l exchange 2016

[alarrytale]

i think a lot of things went wrong with bbg:

1) i think if louis + band had actually not communicated about it being not real and louis actually tried to play a dad for the first two years, then they could have easily ended it by latest 2017 with a paternity test. because they were communicating and all of these "theories" are wild and A LOT of people are aware of this "conspiracy" I believe this is why they cannot end it smoothly because they know we are gonna go "i told you so" and then it's gonna be another hot cup of worms.

2) at the same time I also think his personal losses affect him mentally to be putting his energy into this and that's why it didn't happen immediately?

3) do you think the contract has an end date? at this point I'm afraid it doesn't have an end date and they keep renewing it of some sort.

4) i am a quarantine larrie but i have heard many many times that there were seedings of it ending in 2016 and 2018 and even at the time around early 2020? but after I have joined the fandom i haven't seen any such signs of the bg ending. it has just amplified.

5) altho at the same time i do feel there have been contrasting changes to bg then vs bg now, louis is more involved and the clarks are not followers hungry as they used to be? B's instagram is also bare minimum (just a couple pics of F and i don't follow her so idk what goes onto her stories but i think she doesn't post a lot of F; ofc cause she has her life and she's not a mother)

6) in the past couple years i have actually sat back and thought if im sane about it or not or if louis was actually the father but then immediately i recognise that nope, above anything I know that woman was not pregnant aka no baby came out of her vagina and it's all bullshit. ofc they are other proofs of him not being a father but this tops them all. and it's also laughable how the sisters don't have any other pics of F apart from the christmas stunts.

7) louis can make sony money too, if they just fucking LET HIM. i don't understand why all cruelty is imposed upon him. maybe get harry engaged to some blonde for 2 years (and make him SELL IT? 2 years can do. they did with OW) as an exchange to bg getting ended. who the fuck cares??? as long as it's not bg 2.0 and HS is fully straight and in love with a WOMAN and engaged (maybe bring on the baby rumours too to feed the het fans BUT I WANT THE KID GONE)

8) at this point im just hoping they'll end it before he turns 10 but then ill be in excruciating pain to think that this sweet boy had to endure ten years of this torture just because he's 🌈 and in relationship with mr styles? this is tortuous.

9) maybe they can end it and louis can dip of the face of the earth for a year and then come back with lt3 and be the next big thing. i am manifesting for bbg to get over before july 2025.

10) truth to be told, i am losing hope but at the same time im optimistic that it'll end someday (hopefully soon) and they don't wait for hs downfall (just because he's on his peak rn) idfc. i hate it for louis and freddie, too. the child has no agency, he didn't sign up for this and he'll grow up with a lot of trauma if he's exposed to it anymore (2 years and he'll be 10? what another 2? and he'll most probably be on the internet? this is horrifying)

Hi, anon 💚

I think bg was something so horrible and traumatic to Louis (and the rest of the band) that the only thing he really considered was fighting back with everything he had. H and L had tried to position themselves to get more freedom within their closets, and this was undring everything they'd worked for. So it was important for him to show those who sees him for who he is, and sees and support his relationship with H, that it was not real. It's not who he is. He didn’t have a choice when it came to participating, but he could restist, resist and resist as much as possible. If he hadn't, and he played willingly along to really sell it, he'd be miserable, H would be miserable and larries would have left the fandom in droves. He'd have no fans to launch his solo career with. He'd have no support.

I don't know when it will end, it doesn’t seem like it's ending anytime soon, but then again bg could end at any time. It doesn’t need seeding. But if it ends, there's nothing stopping us larries from being very vocal about it and the larry rumours coming back again. L would be halfway out of the closet and dragging H along with him. So i think it will last until they're allowed to come out. I don't know when that will be.

[mystlnewsonline]

Carrie L. Tolstedt Agrees to Settle with the SEC

Former Wells Fargo Senior Executive Carrie Tolstedt Agrees to Settle SEC Fraud Charges for Misleading Investors About Abusive Sales Practices to Inflate a Key Performance Metric Washington, DC (STL.News) The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced its settlement with the former head of Wells Fargo & Co.’s Community Bank, Carrie L. Tolstedt, in which she has agreed to pay a $3 million penalty stemming from charges brought in 2020 for her role in allegedly misleading investors about the success of the Community Bank, Wells Fargo’s core business.  The SEC previously settled related charges against Wells Fargo and its former CEO and Chairman, John Stumpf. According to the SEC’s complaint against Tolstedt, from mid-2014 through mid-2016, Tolstedt publicly described and endorsed Wells Fargo’s “cross-sell metric” as a means of measuring Wells Fargo’s financial success despite the fact that this metric was inflated by accounts and services that were unused, unneeded, or unauthorized.  The complaint further alleges that Tolstedt knew the cross-sell metric did not accurately track accounts or products that customers needed or used, since she was aware of misconduct at the Community Bank that led to bankers pushing products on customers that they did not need or want, including the unauthorized opening of accounts.  The complaint alleges that Tolstedt made misleading public statements to investors at Wells Fargo’s investor conferences in 2014 and 201, and signed misleading sub-certifications as to the accuracy of Wells Fargo’s public disclosures when she knew or was reckless in not knowing that statements in those disclosures regarding Wells Fargo’s cross-sell metric were materially false and misleading. “Companies do not act on their own.  Where the facts warrant it, we will hold senior executives accountable for conduct that violates the securities laws,” said Monique C. Winkler, Regional Director of the SEC’s San Francisco Regional Office. Tolstedt, without admitting or denying the SEC’s allegations, agreed to a final judgment permanently enjoining her from violating or aiding and abetting violations of the antifraud and other provisions of the federal securities laws and imposing a permanent officer-and-director bar.  In addition to the $3 million civil penalty, Tolstedt agreed to pay a disgorgement of $1,459,076 plus prejudgment interest of $447,874.  The SEC will combine this money with $500 million paid by Wells Fargo and the $2.5 million penalty paid by Stumpf in previous settlements and distribute the sum to harmed investors.  The settlement is subject to court approval. The SEC’s complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.  The litigation was conducted by Susan LaMarca, Erin Wilk, Victor Hong, John Roscigno, and Horace Austin of the SEC’s San Francisco Regional Office.  The case was supervised by Jason H. Lee and Ms. Winkler. SOURCE: Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Read the full article

[phdmama]

It’s a Better Place (Since You Came Along)

When Harry Styles, a mid-level talent, Finder, and small business owner, sets off on the vacation of a lifetime with his best friend, Niall Horan, he has no idea the changes his life will undergo over the next nine days. He's got it all planned - there's going to be shore excursions, lounging by the pool on the deck of the luxurious cruise ship, not to mention margaritas. What he does not plan for are the new friends, new bonds, or the mystery from his past that comes back to haunt him, and he certainly hasn't planned for Louis.

Explict. 51,868. Read it here on AO3. 

Written as a pinch for the H/L Exchange 2016, for @kingotabek. I strayed a bit from the prompt but I really hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!

HUGE thanks and BIG LOVE to my advance readers and betas: @taggiecb, @lululawrence, @letsjustsee, @femmequixotic and @noeeon. HUGE thanks to all my writing chat friends who encouraged me along the way with this one! 

[baileylang]

The Bucket List

https://archiveofourown.org/works/6562918/chapters/15015295

Louis didn’t believe in forever. Well, he did but when his forever was about the length of this football season and it was already April it wasn’t much of a stretch. And he definitely didn’t believe in miracles because if they existed he would be a world famous rock star and Doncaster Rovers would be top of the Premier League.

Louis decides to have one last weekend before the end and he works through his bucket list with an unsuspecting boy he meets in the tea shop at the hospital.

Harry is the hospital radio volunteer who got more than he bargained for when he invited the cute boy in a beanie up to hear his jingle...

[atruththatyoudeny]

Monthly Reads | January 2017 ❤ THANK YOU TO ALL WRITERS FOR YOUR HARD WORK AND SHARING YOUR STORIES! ❤

Special mention⭐ & Top 5 + 16 more stories under the cut:

⭐ 2017 HL Prompt Challenge ⭐

“A small group of us came together to do a prompt challenge with fast deadlines to have some fun and see what we can do, and this is the result. Hope you enjoy!” Authors: taggiecb, afirethatcannotdie, QuickedWeen, waytoomanypeopleintheaddisonlee, Awriterwrites, allwaswell16, LadyLondonderry, lululawrence Prompts so far: Foundation, Bloodsucker, Hinge, Scream (revealed today)

Where Your Heart Is

by anhcor & tvshows_addict | College AU | hate to love | slow burn | 154k Louis is ready for his brand new adventure. So what if he suffers from a genetic condition that prevents him from being touched? College is going to be awesome. It has to. Karma kind of owes him right now. Forget about his overprotective mother, or Liam-- his entirely too chipper step brother-- or his mess of a roommate. Forget about the gloves he has to wear at all times. He’s here to expand his knowledge, write and drown himself in books -- No matter how distracting ‘Hallway Boy’ may be-- The obnoxious, flirty frat wannabe determined to become the bane of Louis’ existence. Or, a college AU set in San Francisco where two lost boys who seemingly have nothing in common find inspiration, each other, and themselves in the process.

Black With Autumn Rain

by whimsicule | thriller | crime | magical realism | 93k “Thank you,” Geoff says, taking a sip of his tea. “What did you tell him?” Louis has a sip as well, lets the tea burn down his throat too quickly, too hot, and he feels it all the way down to his stomach. “The truth. Essentially,” he replies after a moment, licking his lips, relishing the slightly bitter taste of the brew that’s never quite strong enough for Louis’ liking. At least it’s not decaf. “That my dog scented it. That I didn’t touch the body. That I came here first thing.” Geoff nods pensively. “Did he believe you?” “Probably not. There’s only so many people who can drown on dry land before it gets fishy.” or: Harry is a journalist, Louis has lots of secrets and the moors aren't exactly the ideal place to rekindle a lost romance.

Hold My Heart

by Awriterwrites & phdmama  for H/L Exchange 2016 | famous/non famous | Mile High Club | Actor!Louis | Doctor!Harry | 14k “Excuse me, mate, I’m the window seat here.” The voice was soft, apologetic, and accented in something a bit unfamiliar — northern England, maybe, Harry thought. “Oh,” Harry jumped to his feet and moved aside, “I’m sorry, I didn’t see you standing there.” The other man laughed as he swung a bag into the overhead compartment and slid into the seat. “You were well caught up in that book, mate. What are you reading?” Harry paused, wondering how to explain the fact that he was reading an epic and x-rated romance that was the story of a relationship between a prince and the man he’d enslaved. “Oh, you know, just some fiction my sister recommended.” He turned to look at the man and froze. Sitting next to him was Louis Tomlinson. *** Or, the one where famous Louis Tomlinson offers his hand and a lot more to his seat mate on a transatlantic flight.

What do you mean he's coming?

by MediaWhore for HL Famous/Not Famous Fic Exchange | Childhood friends | famous/non famous | actor!louis | photographer!louis | 15k When Harry accepted to be his sister’s Maid of Honour, despite how non-traditional of a choice he was, he didn’t think writing a speech for the wedding reception would be this hard. Now, not only does he have less than two weeks left to find something moving and inspirational to say, but Gemma just confided in him that her old childhood best friend is going to be in attendance. The one who moved to LA and they haven’t seen in fifteen years because he was too busy becoming an Academy Awards winner. But hey, no pressure. It’s just Louis Fucking Tomlinson. Harry is screwed.

Singing to tiny dancer

by BriaMaria | Famous/Non famous | Actor!Louis | 22k “Yes!” Harry punched a fist into the air. He laughed at the confusion that wrinkled the little space between Louis’ brows. “What?” “You’re flirting with me,” Harry smiled, letting his dimples pop. Louis’ face went blank for two seconds and then he rolled his eyes, one side of his mouth lifting. “Am not.” “You soooo are,” Harry sang out, poking him in the shoulder. “You like me.” “I was simply showing you how to actually bring… what did you call it? Your A-game.” Harry adopted a patronizing expression, sure it would piss him off. “And you did great. Really.“ “Oi, fuck off,” Louis said, but he was actually laughing now. Outright. It was gorgeous and Harry wanted to live in this moment forever. It was the very best one he’d experienced. He wanted to always remember the image of Louis’ crinkled eyes, the sound of his breathy giggles, the smell of citrus that radiated off him as he swayed in his amusement. And Louis didn’t even know his name. Or ... When everything gets to be a bit too much for A-list actor Louis Tomlinson, he runs back to the town he had never really called home and the boy who was the only one he did.

Beautiful Star 

by tommoandbambi for We Wish You a Larry Christmas Fic Exchange | famous/non famous | kid fic | christmas fluff | 17k “You know, when I pegged you for a druglord, I wasn't exactly challenging you to make me believe that you actually are one. What is this place?” Louis says after he swallows over the mild panic that's building up in his throat over the fact that he's literally sitting in front of the cause of his teenage sexuality crisis. or, the famous/nonfamous kid!fic AU wherein harry and louis have to host a school Christmas party and harry isn't actually a druglord.

Play The Odds 

by alivingfire | College AU | friends to lovers | 26k Harry and Louis are best friends since childhood who, after a night of drinking, find themselves locked in a bet: first one to kiss the other a thousand times wins. Wins what? They don't know. Glory, Harry supposes. Bragging rights, though those don't do much in this economy. All Harry knows is that this is one bet he can finally win. What he doesn't expect, though, is what happens when he starts kissing his best friend on a daily basis. Namely, he doesn't expect falling head over heels in love with his best friend. Now all he has to do is make sure the bet never ends, so he never has to stop kissing Louis.

Runner On Third 

by kikikryslee for H/L Exchange 2016 | slow burn | friends to lovers | 40k As Harry stood there, the other man turned around, and he knew he was correct in who he thought it was. “Louis?” he asked, still not quite believing it. Louis blinked. “Harry? Wh– what are you doing here?” “I work here,” Harry said. “What are you doing here?” “Um, I’m picking up my brother. The nurse called and said he was sick.” Harry felt like he was going to be sick. “Wait, Ernest is your brother? Since when do you have a brother?” “Since about seven years ago, I guess. Wait, how do you know Ernest?” “I’m his teacher.” “You’re his what?” Louis exclaimed. Harry gulped. This was going to be a long year. --- Or, the AU where Louis and Harry were best friends growing up, but lost touch after Harry moved away. Ten years later, Harry has moved back to town, but he and Louis don't pick up where they left off.

Taken Over By The Feeling

by whyidontknow1 | angst | fluff| baker!harry | 53k After almost a year of increasingly troubling behavior, Louis agrees to let his sister live with him. It's a last resort before more drastic measures are taken by their mom. Harry Styles runs Given A Chance, a program for troubled and disadvantaged teens out of the bakery he owns. He offers the kids in his program what he believes they need to start on a different and better path for their lives. Louis learns all too quickly that Harry's goodwill does not extend to him. Only because he happens to remind Harry of an ex he'd rather forget. It's not the smoothest of beginnings, but in the end Louis' own issues might be the real problem.

Haven't You Heard 

by allwaswell16 for HL Christmas and New Year Fanfiction | Christmas fluff | 8k Harry Styles has been in love with Louis Tomlinson since they were eighteen. After six years together, Harry is ready to propose to the love of his life. The holidays strike him as the perfect time for a romantic proposal, but his well-meaning friends and family (including his self-appointed best friend, Niall) seem to thwart him at every turn. Or the four times Harry tries to propose, and the one time he gets it right.

If My Yesterday is a Disgrace, Tell Me That You'll Still Recall My Name 

by Trytoescapeit for HL Christmas and New Year Fanfiction | 16k The boy, right now in front of Harry, most definitely has familiar blue eyes and the same thin lips. Those lips. Small, bitten things that are so close to splitting. All he can think of is a chorus of his name. Louis, Louis, Louis, and the name means nothing to him until the boy looks up. OR Harry and Louis are childhood friends for only a year when Louis moves out of town. Fast forward to the future and Harry is a used-to-be rich kid who cut off his family's inheritance to build a life of his own and Louis owns the small cafe that's hiring. Harry spends three days trying to get Louis to remember him (because he never forgot)

Let Me Be Good For You

by onlyhuman | canon compliant | PWP | 12k His distress over the bun is nothing compared to the thrill Louis feels shoot up his spine at the outfit Harry’s donned. He’s changed into leather jeans that cling to his legs, hugging his thighs snugly. On top of it, a floaty, black sheer shirt is contouring his frame, doing absolutely nothing to hide his puffy nipples or the endless array of tattoos scattered across his torso. It’s Louis’ favourite outfit in the entire world. Or, Niall's only birthday wish is to go clubbing with his boys in Vegas. Harry ruins it all by wearing that god forsaken black sheer shirt.

Oh How I Hate This Red String Of Fate

by CalamityK for H/L Exchange 2016 | soulmates | angst | 13k Harry thought being able to see people’s strings die would be the worst thing about his gift, until at twenty-two he finally met the other end of his own. --------- Or that soulmate AU where Harry can see the red strings of fate that tie everyone together.

Like a boomerang

by youwilll | Groundhog Day AU | College AU | 48k AU in which Harry gets trapped in a lift, Louis gets stuck in a Wednesday, and it's always February 2nd. Until it isn't.

Life as we know it

by Rearviewdreamer | friends to lovers | kid!fic | 34k When a couple dies unexpectedly Harry and Louis are brought together to care for their daughter.

Counting the stars behind the clouds

by simplestardust | blind character | friends to lovers | 28k The problem wasn’t that Harry was blind. The problem was Harry himself. or, in which Louis plays keyboard as part of touring singer Harry's back-up band, and spends his time stuck between being oblivious and in denial, while Harry just wants to know how many stars there are in the night sky.

Head head heart

by Anonymous for Sub Harry Fic Fest | canon compliant | BDSM | Dom/Sub | 11k After Dunkirk has wrapped filming, Harry struggles with his inability to reach subspace. He tries taking the matter in his own hands before Louis intervenes with a plan of his own.

Reduce Me To A Pleading Cry (Break The Skin and Tantalize)

by Anonymous for Sub Harry Fic Fest | BDSM | Dom/Sub | CEO!Harry | 37k As the CEO of Styles & Styles, Harry Styles cuts a brooding and handsome figure at the helm of a very successful business. His reputation for intensity is well known, but you would be intense, too, if you had to work numbers all day, give countless orders, and conduct endless meetings. When all you really want to do at night--ache to do--is give away the reins, let someone else make the decisions, be ordered around for once, just--let go. Harry has reached his breaking point when one touch from a man whose very stance commands attention leads him back to a place he thought he’d never return. Or Harry is a broody submissive boss, Louis is a natural dom who works in the mail room at Styles & Styles, Niall is a matchmaking oracle, and a slender, dark haired man stands mute at the coffee stand encouraging others to spill their secrets.

(I didn't mean to) fall in love tonight 

by zouisclimax | High School AU, mpreg | 35k Harry texts him back a thumbs up emoji before leaning forward and throwing up again. He groans, but stands after he’s done, wiping his mouth with toilet paper, and flushing the toilet. He washes his mouth out as best as he can before steeling himself and heading back to class, trying his best not to cry. He tells himself that there is no point in worrying when he doesn’t even know if there is anything to worry about yet. He still feels sick. [or, the American boarding school AU where Harry's infatuated with Louis and one night flips his whole world upside-down]

With your love we could breathe underwater

by luminescents for HL summer fic exchange | fantasy | Mermaid!Harry | 28k Harry’s brow furrows, a look of confusion spreading over his face. “But I am real. I exist, see,” he says, raising a hand out of the water and wiggling his fingers at Louis. Louis finds himself relaxing a bit. Harry seems harmless really. And he’s quite cute, for something that’s not supposed to exist. If Louis is indeed having a hallucination right now, at least it’s a cute one. AU where Harry is a mermaid, Louis is a human, and they both discover a lot more than they anticipated.

Sex Shop Fic Verse: It's My Pleasure To Introduce You  & Switch Out The Batteries

by LoadedGunn | Sex Shop AU | 8k Louis cannot help himself. He stretches a bit so he can whisper in Harry's ear, "That's what I'd do to you, when you're close to coming. Just think. You'll be so overwhelmed but you won't want it to end, not really, so I'll switch it to the seventh setting, give you just a few seconds to catch your breath but then it'll rock inside you, right against your spot, so hard you won't be able to breathe, but before you can finally come it'll stop again. How long do you think you could keep it there, just staying right on the edge?" "I couldn't," Harry whispers, definitely shivering now. "I just couldn't tease myself like that, I'd have to touch my cock. If I wanted to... I'd need someone to do it for me." Louis slips his hands from Harry's fingers to his wrist, where he clutches hard. "You would." Or, the AU where Louis is the most helpful sex shop salesperson in the history of sex shops, and Harry really was just looking for a vibrator with simple instructions (yet ended up getting a hands-on demonstration).

by istajmaal, LoadedGunn | BDSM | Dom/Sub | Daddy kink | Gangbang 88k Harry raises an eyebrow. "Sex dice?" "Yup," Louis nods. "You know the ones we sell, one die for a body part and the other for an action to perform on that… part." "Isn't that what old married couples buy from you to spice things up?" Louis frowns and opens his mouth to tell Harry off, but then he catches his absolutely dreamy expression and can only laugh. "Yes dear, we're just like any middle-aged married couple. Except for the fact that we're in our twenties and have a box full of bondage gear under our bed." Two years after meeting in a sex shop, Harry's just returning to Louis from a month-long tour in the States, and they come up with a wholesome bonding exercise.

[brooklynmuseum]

How would you describe this person’s expression? What emotions do you associate with these colors? How do artists create works of art that empower people and imagine a more just future?

Let’s start by looking closely at how this woman is depicted. She is placed in the center of the painting, filling the majority of the space on the canvas. Her mouth is open as she speaks into the microphone she holds in her hand, and her eyes look left into the distance, somewhere beyond the frame. Her hairstyle radiates like a halo around her head. The bright, vibrant colors almost seem to pulse with energy, and the whole composition - from her central position, to the lines that lead from the bandolier-like trim of her jacket, to the vivid colors around her head - pulls the viewers’ eyes again and again towards her face.

The artist, Wadsworth A. Jarrell, incorporated various words throughout the painting; in fact, they actually make up the figure, her clothes, and her background as though they were tiles in a mosaic. Looking near the woman’s face we can see the words “Beautiful,” “Resist,” and “Seize the time;” near her head is the phrase “Get ready for revolution.” These are phrases of the Black Power Movement, which was thriving when this painting was created in 1971. The Black Power Movement sought to fight racial, economic, and political inequities experienced by African Americans, and to empower black communities in all facets of their lives. Jarrell belonged to a black artist collective known as AfriCOBRA (African Commune of Bad Relevant Artists), which sought to demonstrate the “expressive awesomeness that one experiences in African art and life in the U.S.A.” through the use of bright colors and inclusion of meaningful text. The artists in the collective were interested in shining a light on the richness and abundance of joy, beauty, and resilience of their communities.

Over the woman’s shoulders are the words: “I have given my life to the struggle. If I have to lose my life to the struggle that’s the way it will have to be.”  These words were spoken by the subject of the painting herself, Angela Davis. Davis is a professor, activist, and prominent member of the Black Power Movement. At the time of this painting, Davis was fleeing a warrant for her arrest in connection with the murder of a prison guard - an accusation of which she was later found not guilty. In an interview, Wadsworth Jarrell stated that, when painting public figures like Angela Davis, he “presented their positive strength as leaders. During the 1960s, most African American artists rooted their art in the European aesthetics taught them in art schools. In AfriCOBRA we were more interested in developing an aesthetic rooted in African American and African cultures - a new language, which we called an African American or Black aesthetic. Ours was art for the people.” Looking at the painting, how do you think the “positive strength” of Angela Davis has been communicated? What tools has the artist employed? How does this change the way you see the painting?

Davis remains an active advocate of racial, gender, and economic justice. In 2016, she was asked by an interviewer, “Is the struggle endless?”  Davis responded: “I would say that as our struggles mature, they produce new ideas, new issues, and new terrains on which we engage in the quest for freedom. Like Nelson Mandela, we must be willing to embrace the long walk toward freedom.” 

Black lives matter. The lives of Black people deserve to be held sacred and to be protected; Black people deserve to be free of violence. The experiences of Black people need to be heard and believed. We live in a country where this is not the case and has never been the case, and it is the responsibility of those of us who continue to benefit from systems of white supremacy to engage in the work of taking those systems apart and joining in the radical reimagining of what society can and should be. It is and will be an ongoing process; it is work that may never be "finished" and it is work that cannot be allowed to fall to the wayside when the news and social media feeds have focused attention elsewhere. For me, it means understanding my own positionality, how I can contribute to the work of people who know much more than me, and how I can listen to others more deeply. As a white, cisgender woman I struggle with how I can be a part of that long walk to freedom, and how I can be an ally and an advocate while amplifying the voices of people of color. Jarrell’s painting of Angela Davis reminds me to consider whose voices I listen to, when I listen to them, and how I listen to them. In a similar way, this painting asks those questions of artists and institutions as well. How can artists use their voices to empower and imagine a more just world today? How can art, artists, and art institutions be used as positive vehicles for moving our communities and our nation to a place of greater equity? Join us in the comments below to continue the conversation.

Posted by Christina Marinelli  Wadsworth A. Jarrell (American, born 1929). Revolutionary (Angela Davis), 1971. Acrylic and mixed media on canvas, 64 x 51 in. (162.6 x 129.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of R.M. Atwater, Anna Wolfrom Dove, Alice Fiebiger, Joseph Fiebiger, Belle Campbell Harriss, and Emma L. Hyde, by exchange, Designated Purchase Fund, Mary Smith Dorward Fund, Dick S. Ramsay Fund, and Carll H. de Silver Fund, 2012.80.18. © artist or artist's estate

[skylarmoon71]

Raphael x Parker Reader- Chapter 2 -(TMNT 2014/2016)

"Oww."

You rubbed your head, squinting as you looked over at the clock. You barely remembered falling asleep, much less on the ground. At least you'd woken up in time for your night job. Grabbing your glasses, you rolled your shoulders getting up. Picking up your phone you shoved it into your pocket, hoisting your bag up as you headed downstairs. May was sitting reading the newspaper on the couch. You took an apple from the counter, tucking it into the backpack.

"Honey, I don't like you working these night shifts, they're dangerous." you shrugged off the comment. "I'll be fine Aunt May, besides I'll be graduating in a few years. All of this is going towards my college fund. "

"That doesn't mean you should kill yourself working, what about your GPA."

"My GPA is fine. I'll have to get used to it when I go away. So I'm preparing for it now. " pulling the bag unto your shoulder, you took off your glasses, wiping it slightly before placing it back on your face.

"I don't think Ben would have liked the way you're overworking yourself." That statement made your body stiff.

"He's not here." you replied coldly. Gripping the strap on your bad tighter, you turned, heading for the door.

"Don't wait up." You were out the door before anymore words could be exchanged. Why did she have to bring up his name?

Agitated, and a bit frustrated, you just head for the night job. Most people hated janitorial jobs, but the one you snagged paid pretty well. You guessed it was because of the hours. Night shifts were the worst, but it was the best distraction from all your problems. You needed to say active. Continuously occupied not just at school, but work too, it probably wasn't the healthiest thing, especially since you'd passed out after your school trip at that genetics lab a few weeks ago. Since then you'd been feeling like crap.

You scratched the red bug bite on your hand absentmindedly. You should have gotten it checked out, between the headaches and chills, you just crossed it off as a bug or infection. You really thought it would have passed by now. Constantly working your body maybe wasn't helping either.

"You deserve this, it's your fault."

You grimace, trying to rid your mind of that inner voice.

"Get to work." As soon as you got there, everything would be better.

~~~~~

You clocked in with the security guard, waving at the man as you pushed the bucket.

"It's Friday night, what are you doing, go and do teenage stuff kid." you shook your head.

"No can do Mr. Reese, gotta put the hours in." He shook his head with a smile. "Enjoy life now, trust me. There's nothing wrong with being driven, just don't let it be all that you're about. You feel me?"

"I hear you!!" clicking the elevator, you entered pressing the button for the top floor.

Two hours into your cleaning, and you were actually starting to feel a tinge bit better. You scrubbed and wiped every surface. At one point you'd stopped to watch the view. This particular building was one of those publishing departments. Scandalous articles were usually thought up and printed in this room. You gazed over at the desk.

Journalism was somewhat intriguing to you. But science would forever be your first love.

The clicking of a lock behind your back made you flinch. You spun around.

"J-John?"

Not a sound.

You squinted, eyes zeroing on the door. You were pretty sure no one else but you were scheduled to work on this floor, and John checked the halls every thirty minutes, he'd buzz by not too long ago, so it couldn't have been him. Your brows furrowed when you heard another unfamiliar sound from ahead.

You approached cautiously, looking around the room. There was nothing but computers and monitors in here. The flickering of the lights ahead didn't do much to calm your nerves. As you rounded the corner, your stomach dropped at the sight of John ducked taped and lying on the floor, blood running from his forehead. His eyes caught you, orbs widening as he tried to move upright. He thrashed about, groaning and trying his best to scream over the tape on his lips. The clicking of a gun behind stopped you in your tracks.

"What do we have here, so the old man was lying, I knew there was someone else here." your heart was racing. "Turn around slowly, try anything and I'll blow your head off. " you swallowed, raising your hands slowly as you turned. Now facing the man you could make out his features. Early thirties, dirty blond hair, dark eyes and a malicious smile on his lips.

"L-Listen h-he's got kids, please. Whatever you need I can get it for you, just leave him alone. "

The smile on his face got wider. "I'm impressed, I thought for sure you would beg for your life. You got guts, I'll give you that. " he pointed the gun at John, and you panicked, stepping in front of it. John couldn't do much but watch helplessly. You could hear him sobbing in the background as you blocked his way.

"P-Please."

"Sorry kid, nothing personal. I already got what I came for." He flashed the flash drive in front of your face, tucking it into his pocket.

"Unfortunate for you, I can't have any witnesses. Went through hell to disable all the camera's on the floor. Can't have you both snitching on me." He fires a shot, and you jumped as it broke the glass behind you. You could hear it shattering in the background, and he let out another laugh.

"Bad shot, sorry. Don't worry, I'll make it quick." your eyes hardened. He was enjoying this. He took a step forward, placing it right over your heart, and John closed his eyes, resting his head on the floor in defeat. You however weren't planning to give up that easily. You screamed unexpectedly, throwing him off slightly. The action gives you about a millisecond to direct the gun away from your heart. You slapped his hand sharply, and he gritted his teeth, firing. The bullet went off ahead, and the gun flew out his hands a good distance away, and you shoved him, rushing to grab it before he could get a hold of it.

"BITCH!!"

He sprinted after you, and right as you dove to get the gun, his body collided with yours. The scream that releases from you this time is very real, because of your close proximity to the glass windows, your back hits the flat surface.

The cracking echoes in your ears, and before you know it your free falling, so is your assailant. In your haste to grab something solid, you end up pulling him. Both of you are free falling. Tears build up behind your eyes, and one last attempt to grip something, your hands skid on the edge of the building, except now, you're no longer moving, or falling for that matter. Your eyes are still tightly shut, and you're wondering if maybe you're already dead. If so, that was fairly quick, painless. But that isn't the case. You can still feel the wind.

"Wind?"

You crack an eye open. They both spring open when you look down.

"SHIT!!" your locked unto the side of the building still, how? You have absolutely no idea. Your head turns, and your fingers are stuck to the glass like a suction. You blink a few times, heart still hammering. The vicious male who attacked you is also alive, but he's in a very different situation. Unconscious too from what you can tell.

There's a long metal chain hanging from the top of the building, wrapped around his ankle. You track it to the top, and your eyes meet with a pair of emerald ones. The figure there makes you question a lot of things, and he's staring at you with the same level of shock. Possibly because you're stuck to the side of a twenty story building like it's nothing. He's not human, not even close, but you're starting to wonder if that's maybe your brain trying to make sense of all that's going on.

"Raph!"

The scream catches his attention and he yanks the chain roughly, hoisting the male into the air like he weighs nothing.

You're still partially paralyzed, and it dawns on you that whatever is going on, you should get a move on before the effects wear off and you fall to your death. So very cautiously, you inch up the building. You're moving slowly, calculated.

Making out the broken opening your bodies made, you hoist yourself into it, dropping down back first on the ground with a sigh of relief. You don't even pay mind to the clear cuts on your palms from the glass. Must be the adrenaline.

All you know is, something has definitely changed.

[shipmistress9]

D E F G H I J K L M N O P, Q R S T U V, W X Y and Z 😇😉. I sung the alphabet while writing this as well 😂. You don’t have to answer all of them though, just pick which ones you want 😊.

🤣🤣🤣

D - A pairing you wish you liked but just can’t.

My fandom life would be easier if I liked Heathstrid at least a little bit... But I can’t and I don’t really want to, either...

E - Have you added anything cracky/hilarious to your fandom? If so, what?

The oneshots Spin The Bottle and Pick Me Up.

F - What’s the longest you’ve ever been in a fandom?

Given that I only learned about the existence of fandom as a concept in late 2016, the longest I’ve ever been in a fandom is roughly 4,5 years.

G - Have you ever had an OTP? If so, do you remember your first one? Who was in it?

Many! Currently it’s Hiccstrid and Hicretstrid. And maybe a little Zelink. But thinking back, I think my very first OTP was when I was around five years old. From the Captain Tsubasa anime series, Tsubasa and... I don’t even know her name... 🤣 There was this girl who always cheered him on and was his no.1 fan. ANd in hindsight, I think I also shipped Tsubasa... with nearly all other players, mainly, Taro Misaki, Jun Misugi, and Kojiro Hyuga. 🤣

H - What is your favorite source text for fandom stuff (e.g., TV shows, movies, books, anime, Western animation, etc.)?

TV-shows, mostly. I prefer the visuals over books and I prefer the slower development over those in movies.

I - Has Tumblr caused you to stop liking any fandoms, if so, which and why?

Not caused me to stop liking them. But in some cases (ATLA and TDP, to name two) it raised my expectations so high that, when I finally got to dip into them, I was rather underwhelmed. It also didn’t help that I already knew the ending and some major plot points. If there’s one sure way to dampen my excitement it’s spoilers.

J - Name a fandom you didn’t think about until you saw it all over Tumblr. (You don’t have to care about it or follow it; it just has to be something that Tumblr made you aware of.)

Supernatural. Pretty much all other fandoms I dip into occasionally, I knew at least a little before. But literally everything I know about Supernatural is from seeing posts here. 🤣

K - What character has your favorite development arc/the best development arc?

I can’t think of an individual character right now, but in general an arc I like is someone (re-)learning to trust.

L - Say something genuinely nice about a character who isn’t one of your faves. (Characters you’re neutral about are fair game, as are characters you merely dislike. Characters that you absolutely loathe with the fire of ten thousand suns are exempt, as there is no point in giving yourself an aneurysm over a character that you hate.)

Snotlout has a great relationship with his dragon. Valka, too. Gobber and the twins are always fun, in their own ways.

M - Name a character that you’d like to have for a friend.

Already answered before.

Hmm... First, I wanted to say Astrid. And I'd enjoy having her as a friend, as someone to challenges me to be more active, to work on my skills and someone to talk.

But I think, I'd enjoy being friends with Hiccup, too. I'd like to brainstorm ideas, ponder over inventions and exchange ideas. Geek out about dragons!

N - Name three things you wish you saw more or in your main fandom (or a fandom of choice).

Acceptance, respect, and some common sense. But that’s not just fandom...

O - Choose a song at random. Which ship or character does it remind you of?

My very long list of favoured songs randomly gave me 9 Crimes by Damien Rice. There once was an absolutly stunning AMV with this song about the TV-show The Legend Of The Seeker, The Sword Of Truth (based on the books by Terry Goodkind). I was deeply in love with Richard’s and Kahlan’s relationship, and with Cara on a general level. That AMV featured them all, and I loved it!

P - Invent a random AU for any fandom (we always need more ideas).

Oh, oh, oh, oh! I just thought about this modern meet-cute AU for Hiccstrid a few days back, might as well write it down here. (And will also copy it over into an individual post, I think...)

Hiccup is a single father of a three-years-old daughter. One day, he meets Astrid in a supermarket; she’s in front of him at the check-out and when he hears her voice, he’s stunned. Because he knows her voice, hears it every day. Because she lend her voice to one of these talking toys for toddlers.His daughter’s favourite toy.

Hiccup always liked that toy best, too, because it didn’t sound as annoying as most others. Pleasant even. When he sees and hears Astrid, he recognises her voice in an instant. He jokingly thanks her for making his days more bearable. She’s confused, who is this weirdo? So he tries to explain. “The toy. My daughter’s toy. It’s your voice. A pleasant voice. I listen to it every day.” He keeps getting weirder, stammers, turns red like a tomato, until he eventually just flees, wishing a hole would open up to swallow him, that was so embarrassing.

Meanwhile, Astrid is touched. Knowing that there is at least one little girl who likes the toy she helped create. And her father, apparently. Who had been cute. In how shy he’d been. And how excited. She’s sorry he left before she was able to talk to him and thank him.

Over the next days, Hiccup would think of her a lot. Every time he hears her voice again, he’d think of her. Her face. Her smile. Until they, eventually, meet again... ^^

Q - A fandom you’ve abandoned and why.

Answered before

None, really. There are several fandoms I grew out of, like Sailor Moon or Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne. But I wouldn't say I abandoned them. I still enjoy seeing content about them.

R - Which friendship/platonic relationship is your favorite in fandom?

Those of the rider with their dragons. Hiccup&Toothless. Astrid&Stormfly.

S - Show us an example of your personal headcanon (prompts optional but encouraged)

Pretty much all of my headcanons are about Hiccstrid in one way or combination. One of my personal favourites is that Astrid has a tiny birthmark on the back of her neck. She doesn’t even know it’s there, she can’t see it and it’s almost always covered by her hair anyway. But Hiccup knows it’s there. And he loves to place a kiss on it. It tickles and would always make her giggle. And she smells so nice.

T - Do you have any hard and fast headcanons that you will die defending?

*snorts* No. If there are people who don’t share my headcanons, then... they don’t have to? I can live and be friends with people regardless of whether we share the same headcanons or not. And if people keep attacking me for mine, I’ll just block them and walk away. Arguing about something like that is not worth my time.

U - Three favorite characters from three different fandoms, and why they’re your favorites.

Astrid. HTTYD.

erm...

uh...

I really have difficulties thinking of favourites from any other fandoms here! xD

uhm...

Princess Zelda from Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Kaladin Stormblessed from the Stormlight Archives.

I might have a type here. Brave, strong, not always easy to deal with. Fiercely loyal. Stubborn. Proud. Honourable. that’s all three of them. ^^

V - Which character do you relate to most?

Same answer as the above, mostly. I think I already wrote a long answer to a similar question once. 🤔 I relate to Astrid in many ways. Loyal and reliable, not always easy to approach, often prefers to deal with her problems on her own instead of asking for help.

W - A trope which you are virtually certain to hate in any fandom.

Anything jealously, especially it being portrayed as a sign of love or dedication. But also love triangles. Unnecessary.

Another thing I don’t like is when there’s a misunderstanding and they argue about it and get angry and yell and have a huge falling-out... when it all just boils down to them not listening.

X - A trope which you are almost certain to love in any fandom.

Answered before.

Forbidden Romance. In any form. I just love the angsty tension it brings without the characters fighting or arguing about misunderstandings.

Y - What are your secondhand fandoms (i.e., fandoms you aren’t in personally but are tangentially familiar with because your friends/people on your dash are in them)?

Supernatural, ATLA, TDP, MCU.

Z - Just ramble about something fan-related, go go go! (Prompts optional but encouraged.)

With all the critical thinking that’s encouraged in fandom culture, I wish more people would remember Ratatouille and this quote by Anton Ego.

“In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little, yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so.”

-- Anton Ego (Ratatouille)

Or at least respect it. It’s called entertainment and not lecture about every little detail that is wrong with other people’s opinions. I get why it’s important to look deeper and question meanings and intentions, I really do. But sometimes, I’d prefer to at least occasionally just enjoy something without getting lectured by others for it.

_____

Thank you! 😘💜

[taylorafergus]

Girls Just Wanna have Fun-damental Rights! - Week 9

Activism is broadly defined as a “process by which groups of people exert pressure on organizations or other institutions to change policies, practices, or conditions the activists find problematic”, and the digitisation of this process refers to digital, or internet activism (cited in Chon and Park 2020, pg. 73).

The proliferation of social media and its accompanying technological developments has fundamentally altered how individuals, groups and institutions advocate for social and political change (cited in Glenn 2015, pg. 81). The introduction of social networking sites, microblogging platforms, and content-sharing services institute for the opportunity of wide-scale online and virtual participation in utilising the platforms as a ‘public sphere’ (Rotman et al. 2011, pg. 819). Habermas "defines the public sphere as a place where 'private people come together as a public' for the purpose of using reason to further critical knowledge which, in turn, leads to political change" (Kruse et al. 2018, pg. 62/63). This technology-mediated exchange affords users with the ability to contribute to, and participate in, the visibility of "national and international priorities such as public health, political unrest, disaster relief and climate change" from their computer and mobile device without even leaving their living room (Rotman et al. 2011, pg, 819).

Figure 1. Marching Women’s March GIF. Source; Rosanne-esme c. 2020.

Recent decades have seen the shift towards the use of these commercial platforms of communication for the purpose of pursuing activist campaigns and movements. This change not only belies practical motives in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of their messages, "but also reflects a different world view than the one pervading radical politics in previous decades" (Gerbaudo 2014, pg. 1). Activists, much like organisations, use social media to foster relationships and accumulate followers (Swan 2014, pg. 227). Further, social media is a central component of the success of “contemporary social activism as advanced tools of communication and inform” (Chon and Park 2020, pg. 75). Additional research asserts that the use of social media within the activist and political agenda can influence collective action in several ways, such as providing for the mobilisation of information and news that are not readily available through traditional media, the facilitation, orchestration and coordination of demonstrations, allowing users to join civic and political causes, and ultimately creating an opportunity for the exchange of opinions and open debate (Valenzuela 2013, pg. 921). Social media also promotes "personal and group identity construction... by allowing multiple channels for interpersonal feedback, peer acceptance, and reinforcement of group norms" (cited in Valenzuela 2013, pg. 922).

On the 24th of May 2014, the hashtag #yesallwomen emerged on Twitter’s platform in response to a killing spree that had occurred in Isla Vista, California. The gunman had left behind a series of bathetic youtube videos and a hundred-and-thirty-seven-page autobiographical ‘manifesto’ which were quickly circulated by the public, in which he claimed that his hatred of women had spurred his murderous rampage. A day later, users took to Twitter to engage in what has come to be known as ‘hashtag activism’ - “the attempt to use Twitter’s hashtags to incite social change” (Dadas 2017, pg. 17). Through the hashtags rapid dissemination and adoption, the “resulting hashtag #yesallwomen sought to call attention to the misogynist roots of the Isla Vista tragedy, emphasizing that yes, all women suffer from a culture that rewards men’s aggressive behaviour toward them” (Dadas 2017, pg. 17). The #Yesallwomen hashtag illustrates one example within a broader political and social movement that uses hashtags and hashtag activism as a strategy for directing attention to social and political causes and bringing them to the forefront of everyone's mind (figure 2, and figure 3). Other examples of similar altitude include #FreeTheNipple, #MeToo, #BlackLivesmatter and #IllRideWithYou.

Figure 2. #YesAllWomen [image]. Source. Pantozzi 2014.

Figure 3. #YesAllWomen [image]. Source. Girl Talk HQ 2014.

Brooke Foucault Welles, the assistant professor of online activism, explains her perspective on the use of ‘hashtag activism’ describing it as a strategy wherein which people can “use hashtags in order to denote things or issues of political or personal meaning in order to gain traction in the mainstream” (Foucault Welles 2019). The use of social media in this process, however, is often criticised and denoted 'slacktivism'. The term ‘slacktivism’ conjoins the two terms of 'slacker' and 'activism' to describe the 'feel-good' measures taken by online users to illustrate "token support for social or political causes through online means" (Chandler and Munday 201).

Figure 4. Feminism Justice GIF. Source; Giphy c. 2020.

There is undoubtedly a significant and substantial “relationship between social media and social protest” (York 2014, p. 5). However, the lexicon relating to the digital activist sphere establishes a series of polarizing perspectives on the validity and efficacy of digital activism as a means of pursuing political and social action.

References:

Chandler, D, Munday, R 2016, A dictionary of social media, Oxford: Oxford University Press (Oxford Reference Premium Collection)

Chon, MG, Park, H 2020, 'Social Media Activism in the Digital Age: Testing an Integrative Model of Activism on Contentious Issues', Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, March 2020, vol. 97, no. 1, pp. 72-97

Dadas, C c. 2017, 'HASHTAG ACTIVISM: THE PROMISE AND RISK OF “ATTENTION”, in Vie, S, Walls, D (eds), Social Writing/Social Media: Pedagogy, Presentation, and Publics, WAC Clearinghouse: Perspectives on Writing

'Feminism Justice GIF' [GIF], in Giphy c. 2020, Protest, Giphy, viewed the 19th of May 2020, <https://giphy.com/gifs/feminism-feminist-girl-power-xUA7bjwn4QH5i0XbWw>

Foucault Welles, B 2019, Researching online activism using social network analysis, SAGE Publications Ltd, London, viewed the 19th of May 2020, <https://methods-sagepub-com.ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/video/researching-online-activism-using-social-network-analysis>

Gerbaudo, P 2014, 'Populism 2.0: Social Media Activism, the Generic Internet User, and Interactive Direct Democracy', Social Media, Politics and the State: Protests, Revolutions, Riots, Crime and Policing in the Age of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, vol. 16, pp. 1-67

Glenn, C 2015, 'Activism or “Slacktivism?”: Digital Media and Organizing for Social Change', Communication Teacher, 03 April 2015, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 81-85

Kruse, L, Norris, D, Flinchum, J 2018, 'Social Media as a Public Sphere? Politics on Social Media', The Sociological Quarterly, 02 January 2018, vol. 59, no. 1, pp. 62-84

'Marching Women’s March GIF' [GIF], in Tumblr: roseanne-esme c. 2020, Tumblr, viewed the 19th of May 2020, <https://rosanne-esme.tumblr.com/post/158320356530/womens-march-amsterdam-11-march-2017>

Rotman, D, Vieweg, S, Yardi, S, Chi, E, Preece, J, Shneiderman, B, Pirolli, P, Glaisyer, T 2011, 'From slacktivism to activism: participatory culture in the age of social media', CHI '11 Extended Abstracts on human factors in computing systems, 07 May 2011, pp. 819-822

Swan, P 2015, Cases in Public Relations Management: The Rise of Social Media and Activism, 2nd edn, London: Routledge, 2014, Ebook Central (ProQuest)

Valenzuela, S 2013, 'Unpacking the Use of Social Media for Protest Behavior: The Roles of Information, Opinion Expression, and Activism', American Behavioral Scientist, July 2013, vol. 57, no. 7, pp. 920-942

York, J, 2014, ‘Social Media & Social Activism’, Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 3-5

'#YesAllWomen' [image], In Girls Talk HQ 2014, '#YesALLWomen Hashtag Sparking Gender Violence Conversations', Girls Talk HQ, May 28th, viewed the 19th of May 2020, <https://www.girltalkhq.com/yesallwomen-hashtag-sparking-gender-violence-conversations/>

'#YesAllWomen' [image], in Pantozzi, J 2014, 'Things We Saw Today: #YesAllWomen', The Mary Sue, May 26th, viewed the 19th of MY 2020, <https://www.themarysue.com/things-we-saw-today-556/>

[wisconsinprelawland-blog]

A Eugenic Disaster: The Implications Of Buck V. Bell

By Mersadie Murray, University of Wisconsin-Platteville Class of 2020

August 3, 2020

In 1927, a Supreme Court ruling set a dangerous precedent for women’s bodily rights. In the landmark case Buck v Bell, it was determined that Carrie Buck would be sterilized against her will. The majority judges opinion:

“It is better for the world. if instead of waiting to execute degenerative offspring for a crime, or to let them starve for their imbecility, society can prevent those who are manifestly unfit from continuing their kind… three generations of imbeciles are enough (Goldstein, 2016, p. 66).” 

Carries’s case was brought to the Supreme Court by a man named Dr. Albert Priddy, who has been described as a “rabid eugenist (Goldstein, 2016, p. 66).” He wanted to find a way to prove that mental incapacitation is inherited. Therefore, Priddy filed a petition for the sterilization of Carrie and then found a colleague to appeal the petition so that the case would be seen before the Supreme Court and set a legal precedent for states to legally force someone into sterilization (Goldstein, 2016).  

 The court concluded that “imbecility” is a heritable trait based on Carrie, her daughter, and her mother. Her daughter, Vivian, was just eight months old when she was given a test that declared her mentally unfit. Carrie's sister, Doris, was unknowingly forced into sterilization, as well (Goldstein, 2016). She was told that she would be having an appendectomy at the time of the sterilization and did not know the reason behind her infertility until after she had been married for 39 years. When Doris and her husband found out the reason behind their troubles conceiving, they broke down and cried. While Carrie was aware of her sterilization, she frequently grieved over her loss. And despite the court labeling her as an “imbecile” when she was 18 years old, later in life Carrie never missed reading the paper, loved to do crosswords, and was interested in the fine arts at the nursing home where she died. 

While eugenics might be thought of as a pseudoscience left long in the past, Buck v Bell has never been overturned, and forced sterilization due to mental incapacity is still allowable based on this landmark decision (Goldstein, 2016). Eugenics is “the practice or advocacy of controlling selective breeding of human populations (as by sterilization) to improve the population’s genetic composition,” according to Merriam-Webster. One infamous eugenic movement cited the United States’ use of eugenics as it’s ideal-- that movement was the holocaust. In Mein Kampf, Hitler wrote: 

“There is today one state in which at least weak beginnings toward a better conception [of citizenship] are noticeable. Of course, it is not our model German Republic, but the United States (Gross, 2016).” 

Shortly after, Hitler passed sterilization laws that would lead to the largest genocide in history. 

The case of Buck v Bell was just one foreboding step in the United States’ long history of eugenics within the court system. The United States began experimenting with eugenics in 1907 with a federally funded sterilization program used in 32 states. This program allowed for forced sterilization of people with “undesirable” traits (mostly the disabled, criminals, the poor, and minorities). When the program was ended in the late 1970s, over 60,000 people had been sterilized without their consent (Hunter, 2017). 

A more recent tragedy in inmate sterilization occurred in California between 2006 and 2010. One hundred and forty-four women were forcibly or coercively sterilized in state prisons. State prison employees either neglected their duties to require informed consent before this procedure, or they abused their power by encouraging women to consent to it (California State Auditor, 2014). The hierarchy of power between a prison employee and an inmate is clear, and it is hard to fathom that any kind of consent could be purely of free will in this type of circumstance. To add, consistent with the United States’ patterns and history of systematic racism, a high percentage of these women were people of color (McKay, 2020). 

It is important to discuss whether informed consent is really consenting when dealing with a power imbalance, such as that between a perpetrator of a crime and a judge, prosecutor, or prison warden. In 2015, a mentally ill woman was given the choice between forced sterilization and 15 years in prison for her crime (Klugman, 2017). This woman was forced, by someone of great power, to choose between two extremes: her freedom and her reproductive rights. To some, it may seem like she simply received a plea deal; however, cases that force women to give up their reproductive rights allow for these rights to continue to be abused in the future. 

In 2017, a Tennesse judge’s tactics were put under scrutiny when it was discovered that he was offering a reduced prison time in exchange for inmates “consenting” to a vasectomy or contraceptive implant. Seventy inmates took this offer-- none of them were convicted of violent or child-related crimes (Klugman, 2017). As the judge put it, the inmates were receiving “an opportunity to take personal responsibility and give them a chance, when they do get out, to not to be burdened with children…This gives them a chance to get on their feet and make something of themselves (Klugman, 2017).” The inmates were expected to take “personal responsibility,” yet their very personal decision of if and when to have a child was taken away. 

Every case that forces or coerces a person to give up their bodily rights, and is deemed legal, sets a precedent allowing the limitation of that right, just like Buck v Bell did almost a century ago. It is time that the United States takes responsibility for its’ history of intrusion on reproductive rights and the principle of autonomy, which states, “that a person who is competent and capacitated has the right to make his or her own medical choices free of coercion (Klugman, 2017).” A decision as important as whether or not to have a child should not be undermined or coerced by a “get out of jail free card.” It is time to acknowledge that Buck v Bell has paved the path for abolishing reproductive rights, exploiting the nation’s most vulnerable populations (mentally ill, poor, people of color), and continuing to ignore the systematic failures in the United States. It is time to learn and move on from the past. It is time to overturn Buck v Bell.

________________________________________________________________

California State Auditor. (June, 2014). Sterilization of female inmates. (Report No. 2013-120). Retrieved from https://www.auditor.ca.gov/pdfs/reports/2013-120.pdf

Goldstein, D. (2016). End of the Line. New Republic, 247(4), 64–67.

Gross, T. (Host). (2016). The Supreme Court ruling that led to 70,000 forced sterilizations [Audio podcast]. NPR. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/03/07/469478098/the-supreme-court-ruling-that-led-to-70-000-forced-sterilizations

Hunter, L. (2017, August 23). The U.S. is still forcibly sterilizing prisoners. Talk poverty. https://talkpoverty.org/2017/08/23/u-s-still-forcibly-sterilizing-prisoners/

Klugman, Craig. (2017, August 2). Sterilization for prisoners is not new and shows that studying history is essential. Bioethics. Retrieved from http://www.bioethics.net/2017/08/sterilization-for-prisoners-is-not-new-and-shows-that-studying-history-is-essential/

McKay, H. (2020, June 15). New documentary highlights the forced sterilization of women in California prison. Retrieved from https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/new-documentary-illuminates-the-forced-sterilization-of-women-in-california-prison

[ymjc-art22]

I found out about Shawn Mendes when he started on Vine (RIP). I thought his voice was unique and his covers on YouTube was awesome.

I joined the fandom when he started to release his first single then his self titled EP then his single Something Big. It was after Christmas vacation of 2014 when I started to sing and blast his music and talk about his music in school.

When he released his first album, Handwritten (which will always be my favourite album from him), his first single off of it was Stitches that became a smashing hit and soon, the world knew him. Then he joined "Taylor Swift" 😍 on her 1989 World Tour and I knew that these 2 should make a song together. Which I still think they should. Later last year after Taylor's 7th album "Lover" came out, they made a remix of Taylor's song Lover which I had on repeat. I came home filled with joy because they finally collaborated. I also became a fan of The Vamps because of him and their single "Oh Cecilia (Breaking My Heart) featuring Shawn Mendes".

Last December 2015, we had a Christmas party in school and had an exchange gift and on my wishlist is Shawn's Handwritten album which my classmate who got to pick my name gifted me the album which I became very thankful for because I think he knew how I love Shawn's music and Shawn in general (no homo).

Then a year after, Shawn released his 2nd album "Illuminate" and my younger sister decided to give it to me as my christmas gift from her last December 2016. I currently don't have his third self titled album/Shawn Mendes The Album yet, but I'm planning to buy it this year before he releases his upcoming 4th album. I also got to go to his 1st World Tour last 18th of March 2017. Tickets were kinda expensive so my sister and I only got lower box seats that are already expensive for us but we have the money from last Christmas. I brought my CDs thinking of bumping into Shawn and have him sign them but didn't happen😅🙃. I was bummed but he put on a good show and not surprised that his voice on recording is as awesome when live.

He came back for his "Shawn Mendes The Tour" World Tour back in October on the 10th which is also my younger sister's birthday but I had school and it was on a weekday unlike last time. And the ticket prices were more expensive like the lower box tickets we got before are the prices of the general admission tickets now. I was kinda happy and wanted to prepare for it but I didn't have enough money and my sister wasn't in the mood to go (she's not a big fan anymore) and I spent way too much on food. LOL. But if he comes back, I want to go and buy VIP tickets this time.

I also made a pop art painting of Shawn for our art class in 10th grade because I wanted to practice my skills and I got a good score off of it which I forgot because it was written on a 1/4 sheet of paper that I lost.😅

25/04/2020

[defdaily]

[TRANSLATION] Ceci Magazine January 2016 issue x JJ PROJECT

[INTERVIEW] JB & Jinyoung: Ceci January ‘16

“If it’s really a drama, whether it’s a happy ending, or a sad ending, whatever the ending might be it doesn’t matter because we are the drama that never ends. I think we have to continuously try to be happy when we do the job we like.”

- What’ve you been up to? You must’ve been extremely busy with the national <If You Do> promotions and the activities overseas. JB: After the “If You Do” promotion we went on an overseas fan meeting tour. We’ve been busy, but whenever we had time we would compose songs and practice.

- You probably didn’t have a time to take a breather this year too; will you get a break after the year end festivals? Junior: That’s our freedom. Our company gladly accepts our proposals, so if we want to have a bigger bite and work more, we do that, if we want to take a rest, we can. However, we think that now’s the time that GOT7 has to work hard, so I want to continue working. I don’t want to rest (laughs).

- Personally, I think that <If You Do> is a song that marks the turning point for GOT7. What are your thoughts on that? Junior: Rather than a turning point, it was a challenge that could display a different image for GOT7. The colours of the seven GOT7 members are too different to carry on with the same concept all of the time, so even if it’s not something like <If You Do>, I think we will become a group that challenges various concepts in the future.

- You placed 1st at a music program for the first time since your debut, too. Did you feel rewarded for your efforts so far? JB: I think it was a chance that allowed us to feel to a greater extent that our fans have worked together with us. It’s not something we do for the reward, but it did become a driving force that pushes us to work even harder further on. Just like when you get scolded all the time, and then get praised and you automatically work harder.

- JB, you are the centre of the team as its leader, and if you were to grade your performance for the last 2 years, what mark would you give yourself? JB: Hmm, I don’t think I did that well (laughs). I wasn’t even that bossy as a leader, and I didn’t really take the initiative and set an example (laughs). It’s because we have this atmosphere where the members fix everything together by talking about it, in case something happens.

- Junior, what are your thoughts on this? Junior: Actually, I’m not the one to judge, but I think he’s doing really great because the role of a leader is not something fancy, it’s a silent role.

- You’ve been together since JJ Project days, when do you help each other the most? JB: When I need a serious advice with my worries? It’s just that, the topic is not something personal; we talk more about the direction or the path that GOT7 needs to take in the future. It really helps a lot. Junior: When I get a lot of complicated thoughts. It’s been like this ever since JJ Project. It’s not like I share my worries intentionally, it sort of comes out naturally while talking. When that happens, it helps me to sort out things. JB: We don’t say “Let’s now talk about our worries.” When we talk it just turns into counseling.

- When do you think that you really match well? Junior: (Our) serious character? JB: Yes, that’s right. (laughs) Junior: Some time ago, I used to be noisy, but now I have calmed down. When I need to concentrate, hyung adjusts the atmosphere next to me so that I wouldn’t lose my focus.

- Now that I think of it, you two seem to be really gentle. The gentlest out of all the idols I’ve seen so far (laughs). JB: That’s why we have decided to lighten it up. Both of us. Especially, if we feel that the interview is getting heavier, we tell each other to go “lightly, lightly!” (laughs)

- Your serious disposition may also become your advantage. Aside from that, what is your biggest worry lately? Junior: The worry of how I should live through the cold in winter? JB: Even though we decided to tread lightly, this is too light. (laughs) Junior: I really can’t stand the cold, you know. Was it too light? JB: In my case, it’s “what should I do to become real?” Junior: Isn’t that too heavy? JB: Every group, and every member of a group has an individual colour, right? How do I express GOT7’s colour, and the colour of JB in all that? How does the colour that GOT7 expresses shines to the general public? Rather than constantly following the trend trying to look cool, I’m thinking how we can become the “real” GOT7.

- When you are in a group of men, you also end up fighting, right? How do you solve that? JB: We don’t exchange blows. We solve it by talking. Even though the conversation sounds like an argument (laughs). Junior: We sometimes open a 100-minute debate with the members. JB: If, for example, some members start fighting over something, then we all gather together in one place and talk it through. Junior: If I get into an argument with Jaebeom hyung, then Jackson would say “I think Jaebeom hyung is right,” and another member would go “I think Jinyoung hyung is right,” and like that we mediate everyone’s opinions. Rather than pointing out who did wrong, we reach positive conclusion by saying things like, you should try and correct this point, or you should try and understand where each of you comes from. (laughs)

- I read your previous interviews, both of you seem to like doing something on your own. Is it because you always spend your time surrounded by people? JB: Even if there are many people around, I like doing something on my own in the midst of all that. I have a cat character, so even if you pay no attention to me, I’m the type to do my thing in my own way. Once on my day off I went to a foot of a mountain, but when I found myself in a quiet place with no people I got so frustrated I couldn’t stay there. Junior: I’m the opposite. I enjoy contemplation on my own, read, watch a lot of movies. I watched “Secret Sunshine” yesterday.

- Indeed. I’ve found a lot of talk about books and movies in your previous interviews. Junior: I’m growing to like all things analogue. JB: It’s really nice to read a book on your own with your notebook playing some music at some café in Hongdae.

- Don’t you get recognized if you go to a café? JB: We’re not of that level yet. Junior: And Hongdae is simply far away. It’s okay. (laughs)

- Ey, aren’t you too humble? It’s been almost 2 years since your debut, where do you think GOT7 is at right now? JB: If we compare it to riding a subway, it’s like we’ve just validated our bus card. Junior: That would be the T-money card. Bus card is just for a bus, subway card is for subway. (laughs) JB: At the MAMA ceremony, in behind cut, Big Bang’s Taeyang senior said that he feels like after 10 years he’s finally little by little doing the stages he’s been dreaming about. I also dream big. That’s why now it feels like I’ve made one step forward. Just as he’s said, I’ve just validated my T-money card. (laughs)

- When do you feel the best during your activities? Junior: When I get lost in something when I focus a lot. When I don’t even remember what I was doing, I feel catharsis. JB: When I compose songs. I don’t think I can concentrate this much on anything else.

- These emotions become your driving force, right? Junior: Of course. The moment you think you can’t focus on something you like, you have to stop everything.

- Do you have a role model you look up to? Junior: My father. I think about him a lot lately. Actually, my father will have had it tens of times harder than me. Then I wonder how he managed to go through it without giving himself away to his family, how he looked after a disobedient kid like me for over 22 years.

- But you have an image of an obedient kid who doesn’t cause problems? Junior: That’s just on the outside. (laughs) I always get the feeling that my father is great. I want to be someone like my father. I will become a superman-like dad to my children in the future, too. JB: Before, I used to think a lot who I would want to look up to, but now it’s really hard to pinpoint just one person. The number of people I’ve met and got influenced by has grown, and each of them had different strengths.

- Another year has gone by. What was the year 2015 like? JB: We had a lot of opportunities to stand on stage as GOT7. Personally, it was a year of growth that allowed me to sing, compose, and mull over various thoughts.

- Then, what would you wish for GOT7 in the year 2016? Junior: I hope we get more opportunities to try something new. We always have a team meeting where we talk about what we would like to try doing next year as a team and individually. Starting with the things already planned, I hope this will be a year where we face new opportunities. For example, making an album on our own, or each of us nurturing our capabilities in individual activities and thus making the team grow even more. JB: Since I’ve decided to tread lightly, I’ll go lightly. I wish for a warm year. I wish the year 2016 were healthy and great year full of fighting spirit! (laughs)

- Finally, if you were to say a word to each other? Junior: Let’s really become lighter in the year to come! (laughs) JB: The same. Let’s try to become somewhat lighter. No need to become super light, but it’d be great to become a witty person. Junior: I don’t want to refer to anyone in particular, but when we look at the great artists we admire, whoever that person might be, there’s an optimistic side to them, I think.

- Optimistic people are good with generating interesting and original ideas. (laughs) JB: Actually, I’m an optimistic person, but when I start doing an interview, for some reason, I get too reverent. Junior: Probably because an interview is a type of a “chronicle.” (laughs)

Scans: Jr. RAM

Kor-Eng: Seven Cookies

[creepingsharia]

Connecticut: Muslim Grocery Store Worker Pleads Guilty in $3.2M Federal Food Stamp Fraud

MUHAMMAD SHAHBAZ, 50, of Jersey City, New Jersey, pleaded guilty in Hartford federal court to food stamp fraud. Shahbaz was related to the store owner and often worked shifts later in the day.

(it’s a halal grocery, see the sign in the window)

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that, on June 14, 2019, MUHAMMAD SHAHBAZ, 50, of Jersey City, New Jersey, pleaded guilty in Hartford federal court to food stamp fraud.

The federal Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program (“SNAP”) is administered by the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service and utilizes federal tax dollars to subsidize low-income households to provide them with the opportunity to achieve a more nutritious diet by increasing their food-purchasing power.  SNAP recipients purchase eligible food items at retail food stores through the use of an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card, and SNAP benefits may be accepted by authorized retailers only in exchange for eligible items.  Items such as alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, paper goods and soaps are not eligible for purchase with Food Stamp benefits, and it is a violation of the rules and regulations governing the food stamp program to allow benefits to be used to purchase ineligible items.  SNAP benefits may not lawfully be exchanged for cash under any circumstances.  The program is designed so that the total amount of each purchase is electronically transferred to the retailer’s designated bank account.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Shahbaz worked at WB Trade Fair Grocery, located at 43 Willow Street in Waterbury.  Shahbaz was related to the store owner and often worked shifts later in the day.  In 2015 and 2016, Shahbaz and others illegally allowed customers to redeem their food stamp benefits for cash and other ineligible items, including cigarettes, a tall glass bong and other items.  Shahbaz charged the customers’ food stamp cards approximately double the value for these illegal transactions.

Given the stock of eligible food items at the store, the number of registers and the customer amenities, it is estimated that WB Trade Fair Grocery could lawfully redeem, at most, between $120,000 to $240,000 per year in food stamp benefits.  However, during an approximately 18-month period in 2015 and 2016, food stamp redemptions at the store totaled approximately $3.2 million.

Shahbaz is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant on October 2, 2019, at which time he faces a maximum term of imprisonment of five years.

Raul Carlos Monarca-Gonzalez, Tallat Mahmood and Tahir Shahzad, who all who worked at WB Trade Fair Grocery, previously pleaded guilty to food stamp fraud.  Monarca-Gonzalez and Mahmood were each sentenced to 30 months of imprisonment, and Shahzad awaits sentencing.

h/t https://fraudscrookscriminals.com

[ppttposts-blog]

Exploring Gender Conflict in China Via Social Media

Introduction

               As a highly traditional country, gender norms tend to be pronounced in China. In my past research, there is empirical support on the strengths of women, such as stronger reasoning skills, that propels them to be an excellent corporate practitioner (Fincher, 2016). In this sense, the critical thinking skills of women allow them to offer exhaustively studied reasoning. However, the academic approach may not be reflective of the modern-day discourse of my social media contacts on Facebook. In this essay, the focus is the discussion is the observation of conversations via social media about gender conflict in China, which may place people in a more casual sense online.

Open-Mindedness of Well-Travelled Chinese

               On social media, the exposure of the Chinese population, particularly those who are outside of China and living abroad are more open to other cultures. In effect, they gain footing on how issues such as traditions and gender conflict are manifested in China compared to the rest of the world. In the process, the way they perceive gender roles tend to be less traditional, and there is less conflict about gender. For instance, in one of the social media users that I follow, a female Chinese student from the University of Sydney reflects a flourishing academic life before the coronavirus pandemic. She not only amasses high grades in a prestigious university but maintains an active extra-curricular life. Of late, she has an internship with one of the top auditing firms, PricewaterhouseCoopers, which is a big deal in her line of study in finance. Based on how she carries herself on social media, it is noteworthy that she is a perfect deconstruction on the thought of Chinese women as “weaklings.” Like competitive Chinese men, she proved to have the capability of having a promising career in finance.

               Meanwhile, it is also noteworthy that she drew commenters both from her relatives from China and friends from Australia and the US. With her successes in the university, it is worth noting that she posted about her new internship at PwC, one of the comments from her relatives was about when she would be returning to China to get married. As the Chinese female student was focused on getting an education and establishing her career preparation in the field of finance, getting married as per the social norms in China is not something that she was focusing on. Other commenters, Chinese men and women living outside China as well as her foreign friends, of her post were congratulating her on the success in her life and was happy to see her. Because of this scenario, greater openness is realizable when people get to travel and live outside of China. The greater openness creates fewer gender conflicts as people tend to be open to progress. After all, she could be one of the Chinese women with progressive careers that Fichner (2016) initially captured in the study.

Subtlety in Gender Conflict

               Rather than an aggressive back and forth about the conflicts about gender, there are tensions on social media that do not explicitly mention “gender.” Even so, they are still charged with influences of traditional roles of men and women in China, which then causes a conflict when individuals try to point out that someone is not conforming to such expectations. In this sense, the subtlety lies not on being explicit about pointing out deviation from norms but instead being more indirect in the way of communication. For example, going back to the relative of the female Chinese student, her comment about asking her niece about the time when she would get married is another way of reminding the student about the norms.

               Meanwhile, subtlety is widespread in how the Chinese community interacts in real and virtual lives. Women are still expected to have less competence than men, albeit it is slowly changing. It is related to how Usman et al. (2018) captured the empirical support that men do not have to prove that they are competent. Instead, there is a gender difference in the compensation that is not based on performance, but the traditional view that men are better than women. In my observation of discourses and conversations on social media, individuals would never be direct on what they want to ask. In this sense, there is greater complexity on gender conflicts among the Chinese community.

Institutionalizing Gender Inequality

            Gender inequality is deeply rooted in society. Attané (2012) and Otis (2015) have captured the challenges of being a woman in China, especially since it is the Chinese government that is depriving them of rights. After exploring these studies and comparing it with my observations on social media, it is recognized that there may be some reasoning on why some people who are not well-traveled cling to traditional views of gender. For instance, since women are deprived of equal pay and other rights, there is a necessity for those who open-minded to challenge traditional ideas that are exacerbating gender conflict. For one, there is value in amplifying the efforts of Chinese women and men who are shattering the traditional views of gender. Rather than engaging in traditional comments like the one pointed out in the previous examples, a healthy discourse would be about pointing out that times are changing and a Chinese woman could choose to have a family when she wants to and focus on her career for a period in her life. Through this common exchange, there would be more sustainable change in the view of the cause conflict.

Conclusion

           More than observations in real life and reading academic sources, social media helped confirm the role of traditional gender roles in the problem. As more people cling to it when they engage in social media, the more there would be the materialization of gender conflicts. There must be openness to the modernization of society, and having equal treatment to women is one of the key changes needed. Ultimately, social media is a way for traditional thinking to improve alongside the changing times.

 References

Attané, I. (2012). Being a woman in China today: A demography of gender. China perspectives, 2012(2012/4), 5-15.

Fincher, L. H. (2016). Leftover women: The resurgence of gender inequality in China. Zed Books Ltd.

Otis, E. (2015, March 19). Inequality in China and its impact on women's rights. Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/inequality-in-china-and-the-impact-on-womens-rights-38744

Usman, M., Zhang, J., Wang, F., Sun, J., & Makki, M. A. M. (2018). Gender diversity in compensation committees and CEO pay: evidence from China. Management Decision.

[manchestereyes]

Honestly I thought I was stressed when tatinof and ii were going on but Harry and Louis rose from the dead at the exact same time and I haven't had time to breathe since! Also goes your writing going? Anything new?

oh mooooodddd omg and i had literally JUST fallen into the phandom when tabinof/tatinof started and that along with 5sos’ promo was just.... honestly idk how i survived 2015/2016 lmao. but YESSSSS!!! not to mention, all these parallels are absolutely destroying me 😭😭😭 just like i’m sure harry’s tour is gonna destroy my bank account but shhhhh we’re not gonna talk about that dnjdhdksjs. in all honesty, i haven’t written anything in over a month since the 10 years blog has taken up most of my writing time (rip) but i did sign up for the fic fests’ holiday exchange so i’m hoping that’ll help me get back into fic writing again since i really do miss it! i’ve also been thinking about doing a larry fic based on taylor’s cruel summer and the whole reputation/lover narrative (where H is L’s tour photographer and L never thought he liked men until H came around but H has a rule that he doesn’t fall in love with anyone he works with) which i’ve been having a lot of fun brainstorming recently! so maybe i’ll start that soon if i can ever fix my horrible procrastination habits hahahahaha 😌

[igot89bct-blog]

Assessment #2: Reflective journaling

The Creative Technologies experience I chose to apply the “Kolb cycle” to is the very first Introduction to Creative Technologies (ICT) project I was given, a vlog. The vlog was an individual activity where I had to describe my reasons behind my decision to become a Creative Technologist.

I was encouraged to creatively explain why I chose to study at University, why Auckland University of Technology in particular, what Creative Technologies is historically and what I envision this career path to be. Emphasis was also placed on my ideas in the vlog being original, critical, informed and broad.

 This activity is experientially significant as a teaching tool as it teaches students to analyse their own thinking and reasoning towards their choices, helping them define their goals and causes them to research what it takes to achieve them.

The activity helps students understand the ramifications of the choices they’ve taken. It helps them understand their predecessors in that field; and what existing expectations and paradigms are waiting in the industry.

 For myself, the vlog assignment was a steep learning curve. I had never edited before and had to learn how to use new editing software. I had never filmed before, yet alone on a smart phone and I had to learn how to record my voice as its own entity for the narration. The script had to be rewritten many times to express complicated reasoning behind the vlog’s purpose and compressing the various paths in my life to my current decision to study was also difficult.

The vocal recording and editing were particularly difficult as I soon found that pacing for filming and for my narrative reading was of great importance to the flow of the overall vlog. Projection and pronunciation were also unexpected difficulties in the editing and recording process.

Arguably, my difficulties arose due to my self-imposed limit of not wanting to be shown on camera. I had to face my own issues with self esteem and my own short comings as a creator and a person in order to complete the project. In a way, it was like a strange form of therapy – I had to face my own demons around low confidence to create a competent result.

It was a good creative exercise to work around this limit, however, the earlier discussed difficulties around narration and editing were birthed completely from this limit.

In the end, I did not film enough footage to fit with my narration and thus, had to be filmed anyway. The experience taught me to allow myself to be flexible with my limits and allow myself to be vulnerable on camera. It also taught me to approach my projects with a more unbiased view, to see my creations and myself as materials to achieve the desired outcome. It was more important for the points expressed in the narration to have a physical representation of my injury, it had more impact upon the viewer seeing the repercussions than just a disembodied voice speaking about the topic.

 While completing the project I learned about the technical aspects, but I struggled with the academic purpose of why this project was useful to students – why a vlog was our assignment instead of an essay, for instance. To enlighten myself, I researched vlogging and the benefits thoroughly.

In a study of veterans’ vlogging, it was postulated that a therapeutic narrative could be achieved from collective commentary given from any of the community online who have an interest in the subject matter, not just an expert’s opinion as a person would receive from professional therapy (Schuman, Lawrence and Pope, 2019).

The study reported that vloggers were more open to sharing personal information, their faces and even stigmatising conditions in contrast to text-blogs or real life interactions as further reasoning for the deep therapeutic nature of the bond between vlogger and audience. They further postulate that vloggers turned to social media (in this case, Youtube) to process feelings of alienation, grief and loss of self and relationships.

A survey stipulated that vlogs can be used in more ways than text or audioblogs, e.g. in online education, online gaming, product marketing and news reporting (Gao, Tian, Huang and Yang, 2010).

Molyneux, Gibson, Singer and O’Donnell argue that “Vloggers also view vlogs; therefore vloggers engage with videos on several levels – they are both the encoders and the decoders, both producers and members of the audience and the Youtube community”. They emphasise how vlogging is a social activity, encouraging people to view and participate in vlog creation (Molyneux, Gibson, Singer and O’Donnell, 2008).

Vloggers attempting to connect with strangers after a loss of a loved one has been found to happen quickly; months, weeks, even days after the death, and shows that vlogging in a 24/7 online world where someone is ‘always there’ is a comfort (Gibson, 2016).

Gibson emphasises the interactive nature of vlogging, shown by the empathy expressed in comments of the vlogs. These commenters act as a substitute support system despite co-presence to the vlogger’s grief being impossible. Gibson further purports that a support network can be garnered from online communities where real world support is lacking.

An exploration of vlogging explains how vlogging can be a useful tool for identity experimentation for people transitioning genders (Raun, 2015). Raun postulates that vlogging is a continually reforming and changing form of storytelling, with feedback coming from the creator as well as the viewers. He argues that this makes the narrative of the vlogs more non-linear and democratic than written autobiographies.

 After this research, I discovered various benefits to vlogging; it can be empathy from strangers to help with a healing, structured therapeutic narrative, that people are more open with themselves in a vlog than in a blog or in real life interactions, or that vlogging helped them process feelings that they could not in real life.

Vlogging can be more useful than text or audioblogs and connects people socially, through creativity and comforting support. It can help people figure out their identities, it’s as ever-changing as people themselves and can act as a way to monitor their progress, like a visual diary.

 References:

Gibson, M. (2016). Youtube and bereavement vlogging: Emotional exchange between strangers. Journal of Sociology 52(4), 631-645. https://journals-sagepub-com.ezproxy.aut.ac.nz/doi/pdf/10.1177/1440783315573613

Molyneux, H. Gibson, K. Singer, J. O’Donnell, S. (2008). New Visual Media and Gender: A Content, Visual and Audience Analysis of Youtube Vlogs. Conference Papers – International Communication Association Annual Meeting, 1-12. http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.aut.ac.nz/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=5&sid=258c6212-018e-44a9-aa72-65aa55798a79%40sessionmgr4009

Raun, T. (2015). Video blogging as a vehicle of transformation: Exploring the intersection between trans identity and information technology. International Journal of Cultural Studies 18(3), 365-378. https://journals-sagepub-com.ezproxy.aut.ac.nz/doi/pdf/10.1177/1367877913513696

Schuman, D. L. Lawrence, K. A. Pope, N. (2019). Broadcasting War Trauma: An Exploratory Netnography of Veterans’ Youtube Vlogs. Qualitative Health Research 29(3), 357-370. http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.aut.ac.nz/10.1177/1049732318797623

Wen, G. Yonghong, T. Tiejun, H. Qiang, Y. (2010). Vlogging: A Survey of Videoblogging Technology on the Web. ACM Computing Surveys 42(4), 15:1 – 15:57. http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.aut.ac.nz/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=4&sid=edca290d-1305-4408-bc98-241a4bd5fbc0%40pdc-v-sessmgr05