#when atrocities are unfolding in real time

[raplinesmoon]

a brief note:

i’m not usually very eloquent with my words, so if this is rough and i say something wrong or offensive, please forgive me, it’s been hard to piece together the right words. if there’s spelling errors, this is not proofread, and I’m sorry.

I’ve always maintained that writing and this blog is a safe space for me, a place to escape from the real world when I need it. but right now, what’s going on in the world isn’t something I can escape from. it’s robbed me of my sleep and my sanity. and honestly, writing and kpop just don’t even seem like valid enough escapes anymore, even though I feel immensely privileged to have these escapes in the first place. I feel numb. but it’s not even about me or this blog or any wips I have.

if you have five minutes to scroll through my blog, or any other kpop blog on Tumblr, I urge you to take another five minutes out of your day and learn about what’s going on in Gaza right now. do your own research, and uplift voices that aren’t being heard.

the beauty of being here is being able to connect with so many people far away, across the country or even across the world. if we can use our energy to celebrate our groups and our faves, we can also do the reverse.

life as we know it is being uprooted for so many people, the least we can do is be cognizant of that, to give some of our energy to mourn their losses and grieve alongside them. even better yet, we can hope alongside them that this reality doesn’t have to endure, that more innocent lives will not be lost.

if you get nothing else from this, I’ll leave you with this — if you’ve also been like me, feeling completely scared and horrified by what’s been unfolding, i see you. i feel your pain, and if you’re grieving, i feel your loss. i ask you to remember those on the other side of this who have a right to be even more scared and even more horrified, and who deserve your attention. the world is a complex and hard to understand place, but at the same time, it’s not. it’s brutal and violent. Please remember, that far beyond and political or religious debates, foreign economic and social policy, etc, when oppressors and bullies square off, and when people are power hungry, innocent lives are always in the middle of it. and that should be something that none of us are willing to be okay with.

if you want to stop reading here, that’s totally okay, otherwise check the tags to listen to me ramble on

[spacelazarwolf]

apparently a bunch of ppl on social media are trying to call for a boycott of rick riordan because of this statement in a blog post:

Becky and I are just back from a busy weekend with events at the Boston Book Festival and New York Comic-Con.

Before I get into that, however, some words to acknowledge the ongoing horrors in Israel and Gaza. As many of you may know, I am no longer on social media. My accounts post only updates on my books and related projects. I do not read posts, reply to posts, or share my thoughts about world events on those forums. That doesn’t mean I don’t have strong feelings and reactions. It means I am offline as completely as possible, except for the occasional blog post like this one.

I will say this: Over the last eighteen years, I have received many fan letters from young readers, both Israeli and Palestinian, who often told me that my books helped them escape the fear, grief and anxiety they were dealing with at the time. Some had lost family members to violence. Some were writing while in the distance they could hear explosions, gunfire, and the launching of rockets. They used my books as a way to escape into another world, where the monsters were fictional, and where demigods usually saved the day. While I am always glad that my books can help young readers find joy during difficult times, my heart breaks every time I hear about the things they have to deal with. I am grief-stricken by the horrific events now unfolding, especially because I know that they are part of a long historic pattern that has been robbing too many children of their childhood and perpetuating hatred for far too long.

I am also quite aware that when anyone, myself included, tries to speak about this issue, the reader is waiting to pounce, thinking, “Yes, but whose side are you on?” That is exactly the wrong question. If there are two sides to this issue, those sides are not Palestinian/Israeli or Muslim/Jewish. The two sides are humanitarian and dehumanizing. Dehumanizing has a long evil history. It is appealing and easy to buy into, because humans are tribal animals. We are hardwired to think in terms of ‘us’ versus ‘them.’ We are the real humans, the good guys, the ones with God on our side. Those other people are evil monsters who don’t deserve empathy. Hate mongers have thrived on dehumanizing for as long as there have been humans. It provides them with a purpose, a way to rally support, power, and scapegoats. It is easy to point to atrocities committed by our enemies, while justifying or minimizing the atrocities committed by ourselves or our allies.

Humanitarianism is a much harder sell. It requires us to empathize, to see other groups of people as equally deserving of dignity and quality of life. It requires not always putting ourselves and our needs first. But in the long run, humanitarianism is our only hope. If violence could end violence, if we could put an end to “those other people” once and for all, human history would read very differently than it does.

So yes, I am appalled by the Hamas attacks on Israeli civilians. I am appalled by the suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza. Both things can be true. Both things must be true. My thoughts are with all the people who have died, who have lost loved ones, who have had their worlds and their lives shattered, especially the children. More death and violence will not break this cycle, which has been going on for generations. There is no military solution. Even since I first wrote the post, only twenty-four hours ago, the Israeli government’s brutal retaliation against the entire population of Gaza has reached genocidal proportions. This is not only an atrocity. It is folly. Answering misery with misery only creates more fertile ground for extremism, dehumanizing the “other side,” letting hate mongers thrive, stay in power, and reduce us all to our most monstrous impulses. The only real solution is treating each other like equally worthy human beings, and negotiating a peace that allows all parties a chance to live in security and dignity, with hopes for a future that does not include bombs and rockets and gunfire. This means security and support for Israel, yes. It also means a secure Palestine which is allowed to get the international aid and recognition it needs to build a viable state.

Do I think that will happen? Unfortunately, no. Humans are simply too selfish, too ready to blame “the other” for all their problems, too ready to dehumanize, though I also believe, perhaps paradoxically, that most people just want to live their lives in peace and have a chance for their children to have a brighter future. The problem is when we don’t allow other people to have those same hopes and dreams — when it becomes a false choice of us versus them.

What can I do? I will continue to write books that I hope will give young readers some joy. I will resist the urge to demonize entire groups of people. I will call for less violence, not more violence. And when asked whose side I am on, I will tell you I am on the side of humanitarianism.

So with that said, I return to the world of books . . .

honestly, if you have a problem with this statement, it’s probably because he’s talking about you. this is exactly what legitimate activists (as in not just random westerners who share social media posts but on-the-ground activists who are doing real work) have been saying for decades. and i think all this really speaks to just how disconnected a lot of westerners who claim to be pro palestinian are from those activists.

if you can’t read a statement that says “i am on the side of humanitarianism and less violence” without immediately jumping to cancel them, you are the problem being discussed in the above statement.

[skidar]

The fact that my country is funding mass genocide in real time makes me sick to my stomach.

The unrelenting speed of this ongoing massacre makes me sick to my stomach.

Me knowing even if I emptied my savings that it won't get through the fence to the people that need it in time because Israel has them all trapped and won't let it in or them OUT makes me sick to my stomach.

Knowing the only thing that can stop this are the powers actively supporting the annihilation of innocent Palestinians is a hopeless feeling.

How dare.

How DARE Israel call this 'defense.'

And how dare our president embrace them in their 'time of need' and then say 'so long as you follow the rules of war.'

This isn't a war. And even if it was this violates every rule. Targeting hospitals and civilians. Closing borders to humanitarian aid, hitting refugee camps. Cutting off water, food, fuel and power. Telling civilians to go to safe zones then dropping hundreds of bombs on them when they get there. Turning off the internet so that the world can't watch the atrocities unfolding in real time showing what Israel is doing.

I'm disgusted and gutted.

Praying that Gazans can get their signal back and that world leaders get decked in the face as many times as it takes to actually call a cease fire.

[slippinmickeys]

Proof of Life (7/8)

1. The phone trills from his pocket, startling him. He hasn’t yet received a call on it, and he hadn’t taken to carrying it with him until recently, when the urge to maybe move on again was starting to take root. Only one person has the number.

“Langly,” he says into the receiver. “Everything okay?”

“Are you near a television?” Langly asks him, dispensing with formalities.

Mulder turns on his heel, he’s on a street about a block from a hotel.

“I could be…” he says. The thought of going into a hotel again gives him the briefest pause.

“Turn on CNN,” Langly says. “Right now.” He disconnects.

Mulder trots to the hotel entrance and pushes quickly through the double doors, wonders what human tragedy is unfolding that Langly thought he needed to witness. Mulder could be on a plane in less than three hours — two if he needs to head to a region that’s relatively popular and not beset by turmoil. He’s almost feeling like himself again, and the thought of getting back to work, while holding less appeal than ever, would at least afford him something to focus on rather than the empty place he still feels deep in his chest.

Turning a corner and into the hotel’s bar, which is empty this time of morning, Mulder locks eyes with the bartender, who is polishing glassware. He asks if he minds turning on the TV that sits black and silent in the corner of the room. The bartender nods and pulls out a remote, switching the channel to the international feed of CNN when Mulder politely requests it.

The program is coming out of a commercial, and so Mulder lowers himself into a seat nearby, asking if the barkeep minds turning up the volume.

And when the program comes back on, there is not human atrocity on the screen, nor the eruption of a volcano, nor even a child stuck in a well. There is Dana Scully, thinner even than she was the last time he saw her, but real and true, her sharply cut face looking intently at Maureen Dunshee, who is sitting across from her as if they are both in en-garde. In the top corner of the screen, there is a tiny chyron that says “pre-recorded.”

“Did the picture give you hope?” Maureen asks. They are obviously mid-interview.

“Did it give me hope?”

“When they took the picture. The Proof of Life. Did you know then that we were trying to get you home? Did it give you hope?”

They cut briefly to a full-screen image of Scully holding the foreign newspaper, him standing behind her looking stunned. It’s the first time he’s seen it.

“He gave me hope,” she says quietly, looking down. Something inside Mulder blossoms.

“Fox Mulder?” Maureen asks her. “The other hostage?”

Scully nods, then looks away from Maureen to a place just off camera.

“Yes,” she says, sitting up straighter, speaking a little louder, more clearly. “The other hostage. We leaned on each other.”

Maureen leans forward eagerly. “Why don’t you tell me about that, Dana.”

Scully meets the other woman’s eye. “No,” she says. “I don’t think I will.”

The shock of seeing her has worn off, and suddenly, Mulder wants to cheer, to outright whoop. She has startled the interviewer, and you can see the woman glance ever so briefly at what Mulder assumes to be the segment’s producers on the other side of the room. Still, the woman tries to recover.

“Okay,” she says, a little bit of the kindness gone from her voice. “Then why don’t you tell me about him?”

“If you want to know about Fox Mulder,” Scully says. “You’ll have to ask him yourself.”

“We’ve tried,” the interviewer says, cocksure. “He’s a hard man to find.”

“Don’t I know it,” Scully says, giving as good as she gets.

Watching this is like reading a whodunnit and slowly figuring out the mystery, Mulder thinks, discovering that the character you suspected was innocent the whole time.

Maureen seems to realize she’s interviewing a hostile witness, but to Mulder, Scully seems to be unfolding, coming back to life before his eyes.

“Well,” Maureen says. “What can you tell us? What are you willing to share?”

Scully looks at Maureen appraisingly before answering.

“He saved my life,” she finally says. “In more ways than one. And I don’t know how, but some day I plan to return the favor.”

“Romantic,” Maureen says. Mulder can sense distaste in her voice.

“You can call it what you like.”

“Love?” There’s a gotcha tone if he’s ever heard one, but his heart leaps into his throat.

“Yes,” Scully says with conviction. “Like I’ve never known.”

Mulder stands from his chair so fast he knocks it over. He looks around for he’s not sure what—someone to talk to, someone to tell, someone to whom he can point at the TV and say “did you hear that?”

He doesn’t know what to do with himself, with his energy, so he runs for the door.

2. When he walks through the door of Langly’s Paris apartment, there is an extra person in the kitchen and an odd, buzzy feeling in the air.

Langly and Asuka are seated at the kitchen table, across from a person whose hands are wrapped around a chunky coffee mug. All three of them look up as if startled to see him standing there.

“Mulder,” Langly says, half-rising.

But Mulder connects eyes with the third person and walks up to them until their toes are practically touching.

“Mulder,” Frohike says, his eyes wary but hopeful.

“Frohike,” Mulder says, smiling. He’s genuinely happy and relieved to see him and clasps the little man’s elbow to pull him up into a hug.

“Where have you been, man?” Mulder asks.

He releases Frohike, smiling, but that’s when he notices the steaming mug at the empty fourth seat at the small table. Byers? he thinks. These three men have not been in the same room since he met them in 1989.

And then he smells it; sun-dried linen. Eucalyptus. His blood floods with euphoric hope and he turns, slowly, so slowly toward the parlor just beyond the kitchen.

Standing in the mouth of the hall, a little tentative and unsure, is Scully.

He opens his mouth, closes it. Not a sound comes out.

Then, in the span of one breath, they collide. The kiss is dizzying. Sibylline. It is the past and the future and all the terrible, terrible things in between.

Asuka rushes everyone out of the kitchen so quickly that the mugs are still steaming when they break apart and turn to find the table empty, both of them panting, lips swollen and wet.

“I’m so sorry—“ they both say at the same time, then chuckle shyly.

“Don’t be sorry—“ she says at the same moment Mulder says, “I thought you—“

Mulder reaches out, gently puts a finger over her lips.

“Come with me,” he says, like a fairy in a forest. He takes her hand.

3. They are standing in the room Asuka has made up for Mulder; robin’s egg blue, plaster detail on the tall ceiling fine as a Faberge egg. It is not large; there is a single bed in the corner, a small antique dresser next to the door, but it has a long window that opens to a not-quite balcony looking out over a Parisian street, which is as noisy and nostalgic as a stereotype—there could be a foley operator the next room over—a truncated horn, someone shouting in French, an accordion playing two streets over.

He feels suddenly shy, but also magnetized toward her like a compass seeking true north. He could never really keep his hands off her, and now is no exception.

He grips her hand tightly, holds it between both his palms. He’s a little afraid to let go.

“I saw the interview,” he says.

“I hoped you would.”

“I’m still spinning,” he admits breathlessly.

“Me too.”

She reaches forward, thumbs the mole on his cheek. The heat of her palm feels volcanic and he realizes a little clumsily that in all the time since they’ve seen each other, not a single person has really touched him, except for a quick, tight hug from Asuka in Charles de Gaulle. He leans into her touch.

“How did you find me?” he asks.

A dozen emotions sweep over her face before she answers.

“First I found Byers,” she finally says, dropping her hand from his face.

He raises his eyebrows at this.

“I went back to the naval base,” she explains. “I traced your phone calls.”

“That was months ago,” he says, impressed.

“I’m a reporter,” she says primly, “I have investigative skills.”

“I’ve got some game myself,” Mulder says, his voice a little bit in awe. “And coming up against the Navy is like… trying to sail a ship on land. Metaphorically.”

At this she finally looks a bit abashed.

“Perhaps less so when your father is a decorated Captain.”

Mulder smiles at her. “So you found Byers.”

“I found Byers. Then I found Frohike. Then we found Langly.”

Mulder stares at her blankly, impressed and a little scared. “Scully, these men are ghosts. To the world and to each other. If they don’t want to be found, you don’t find them. Full-stop.” He knows that Langly was absolutely a rock about protecting him.

“I beat them about the head and neck,” she goes on. Shrugs. “Metaphorically.”

He continues to stare at her, one of her hands still clasped in his own.

“Frohike noticed Langly was harder to find and being less forthcoming than usual,” she goes on. “So… Asuka.”

“Scully,” Mulder says, “if the guys are ghosts, Asuka is a god. There is no Asuka.”

Scully turns tender, reaches out once again to delicately run her fingers over the skin of his jaw. She has never seen him clean shaven before, and seems fascinated by it.

“Mulder,” she says, softly. “She found us. She’s worried for you. She said you were broken.”

He closes his eyes. “I am. I was,” he amends, and reaches out to pull her closer to him. “I’m not anymore.”

She sighs contentedly.

“What about you?” he asks, his voice barely above a whisper. He thinks of her coming back to life during the interview with Maureen Dunshee.

“I am,” she breathes, placing the softest kiss on his cheek. “I was.” Another kiss. “I’m not anymore.”

He leans down until his forehead is resting against hers.

“Maybe there’s hope,” he says.

“Maybe there is.”

They breathe each other in, the sounds on the street below quiet to near nothing, as if the universe is pausing to listen.

“Tell me,” he says then. “Tell me everything.” And she does.

***

Once they have tearfully covered the events immediately following their rescue—both apologizing profusely—Mulder tells her about his days in the Marché d'Aligre, and the pictures he’s taken, about his recent, secret desire to perhaps change careers.

They are sitting on the bed, as close as they can possibly be. And Scully does something he suspects she has maybe never done. She opens up. She tells Mulder about the weeks with Ethan, when everyone pretended she was the same person she’d always been. She tells him about Murray, about Mikey. About the baby. It all comes howling out of her.

He holds her through all of it, tries to process it all; the thought of a child, their child. He’d never wanted children before, but he’s sad for what might have been.

“If I had gotten to the base five minutes before, none of this would have…” She sniffs and swipes at her eyes, presses the back of her wrist to her streaming nose. She takes a deep breath, regaining some of her composure. “I can’t imagine what you must think of me.”

He stands and watches as a flicker of apprehension flits across her face, but he reaches down and grips her hand hard.

“Come with me,” he says again.

***

She stands in the little room, walking along very slowly, following the line of the wire that surrounds it, taking in each picture individually.

“I remember you taking them,” she says. “But I…”

He hopes she understands what this all is.

He has hung the pictures chronologically. From the first photo—her standing in her oversized Press jacket, dazed, stunned—to the picture of her in front of the window when they first heard the Chinooks coming. The intimacy grows with each picture, a long, burgeoning crescendo of the artist falling in love with his subject.

“This tells the story,” she says, dawning realization. “This tells the story of what happened.”

“This tells the story of us,” he says.

4. He takes her to the Louvre. Two pyramids on top of each other, covered in plate glass rhombi. Historians believe that ancient peoples erected pyramids as an expression of the universal desire to reunite with heaven, and something about that feels right.

All around them are tourists of every stripe and nationality, as interesting as the art on display. They’re all toting cameras, some are holding hands. He and Scully fit right in.

They are standing in front of Michaelangelo’s Prisoners, those unfinished statues forever trapped in the marble from which they will never be released. One, Rebellious, writhes, struggling to free himself. The other, more flexible and sensual, capitulates to his death, expressing peace, harmony.

Scully looks them over, her eyes roving over the sinewy tendons, the unfinished feet.

They were prisoners themselves, a block of stone where an arm should be, where a heart should be, struggling for freedom, eventually surrendering to the sensual.

“I had a few people,” she starts to say, her eyes still on the sculptures. “After the interview, try to tell me that what we feel for each other is just the social glue of trauma bonding. That the link that bonds us will eventually snap. That we can’t base an entire relationship on the fact that we were both victims of the same crime.” She finally turns to him. “ Are you afraid that’s what this is?”

He thinks it is both more simple and vastly more complicated than that.

“All I know,” Mulder says, “is that when I was down, you lifted me up. When I was weak, you made me strong. I don’t see why we shouldn’t be able to keep doing that for each other.”

She is a pattern that’s been inked on him like a tattoo. Deep. You’d have to cut her out to remove her.

“That’s what I think, too,” she says, turning away.

He grabs her hand and they move on, rejoining the current of the moving throng.

“What would you do,” she asks, “if you stopped photographing conflicts?”

There is a group of goth kids in front of them, their clothes and hair all black as a raven’s wing. Scully’s russet hair among them gives his spirit a quick pop of lightness.

“I don’t know,” he admits, swinging their arms a little. “I have a buddy who’s a wilderness photographer. He thinks I’d be good at it.”

“Sounds like it might be peaceful,” she says.

“Or boring,” he admits. “But I’d no longer be a slave to Newsweek.”

Suddenly, the crowd around them disappears, like a tide racing back out into the sea, and he and Scully are left standing alone against the backdrop of a gold-plated colonnade. Mulder, inspired, raises his camera and takes a picture. She could be a sculpture here, he thinks. She could be a painting.

She smiles at the floor shyly, and he steps into her space, his confidence of place by her side returning. He puts a finger under her chin and lowers his lips to hers.

“Didn’t I tell you,” he says. “You belong in the Louvre.”

She leans in for a kiss of her own. “Fuck Newsweek,” she mumbles into his lips.

5. He has his long heavy leg thrown over hers in the narrow bed. They are fully clothed, but tucked in toward one another like the lovers of Valdero. They can’t stop touching; the newness of being back together has yet to wear off.

“Do you think,” she starts, her fingers playing a modified thumb war with his. “We would have met if not for…”

“I’d like to think so,” he says, not letting her finish. “I’d like to think there’s a universe where nothing bad ever happens to us. Where we’re… I don’t know, FBI agents. Partners. Solving crimes by day, making love at night.”

“FBI agents?” she says dubiously, but laughing. “What would we investigate?”

“Bigfoot,” he says, invested in making her laugh again. “UFOs. Werewolves. Psychic photography.” With each suggestion, he kisses another part of her, working his way down her neck. She laughs under him, squirms in a thrilling, delicious way.

“Psychic photography?” Her dubiety reaches a level of sass he’d like to discipline out of her in a way he knows she likes.

“Yeah,” he says, canting himself up onto an elbow to look down at her. “Also known as Thoughtography. Practitioners possess an apparent ability to place images on film with their mind using psychic energy.”

She laughs. “Have you tried it?”

“I tried to imagine Penny Willmington’s breasts while in the high school dark room, once,” he says. “Didn’t work though.”

Her laugh settles into a pleasant, throaty hum.

His body responds, and he leans down to press a wet, lingering kiss into her lips.

She sighs, stretches luxuriously under him.

“I’ve missed this,” she says, a little shy.

They’ve been listing toward the inevitable for hours, and it’s not like they haven’t had sex twenty times before, but this time is different and they both know it.

Mulder puts a hand over the tight drum of her stomach, her shirt bunching slightly under his hand. The length of it, from pinky to thumb, practically spans the whole of her midriff.

“I missed it too,” he says, brushing her lightly with his thumb. “But we don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with.”

“I want this,” she says, levering herself up towards him.

“I want—” he starts to speak but she slides her lips over his, her eager little tongue chasing his words away.

He wants. He has so many wants.

He wants her hot little mouth wrapped around him; he wants to lick the ambrosial seep from her core. But he also wants to read next to her in bed, wants to chop vegetables in her kitchen, clean her gutters, dig his thumb into the high, aching arch of her foot.

What he doesn’t want is to run anymore, not from her.

She’s slick and hot under him, the foxy muff of her center gripping him like nothing he’s ever known. Her nails are crimped in his back, her breath a tremulous pant in his ear, her kisses so earnest it brings tears to his eyes.

They rock into each other for hours, talking, laughing, gasping in the air. There isn’t a militant pacing outside their door, and the freedom gives them an exultant, adolescent vim, and it isn’t just sweet, it isn’t just fun, it’s clumsy and solemn and pure. It’s reconnection and passion and the looping buoyant feeling of a cartwheel in the summer.

They lock eyes and they never look away.

They deserve a happy ending. They’ll get one, he thinks.

[steampunkforever]

Making movies about real tragedies is always a difficult undertaking. No matter the pains you take to be as sensitive as possible, it's inevitable that such a touchy subject is going to anger SOMEONE. This doesn't even take into account the times that you, as a hypothetical filmmaker, will actually mess up for real. Nevertheless, director Paul Greengrass set out to tackle the Irish Troubles-- by no means an uncomplicated subject --in his film Bloody Sunday, a piece of cinema that tackles tasteful portrayal of the Bloody Sunday massacre by putting you in the crowd.

When we talk about how using cameras to communicate affect in cinema, handheld is one of the simplest mechanics for getting the audience to feel present in a film. It's why the crowd shots in Pi or the Goodfellas club scene or even the Evil Dead DemonCam work so well. This is essentially first person POV, and even when it isn't directly so, we feel like we're there with the characters, protesting on the streets of Derry against internment at the hands of the British. Greengrass uses handheld camera effectively, eschewing the newsreel perspective in favor of camerawork that felt more like the handheld camcorder footage used to film the 9/11 attacks on the twin towers just a year before the release of this film. He pulls you directly into the narrative. You're as much of a witness to the violence as the reporters documenting the Derry protests or the commanding officers giving the order to send in the Paras.

This brings us to the way Greengrass edits the film. The footage in Bloody Sunday rarely cuts, instead fading to black and then fading in the next shot. It feels almost like archival footage, the fades cutting off characters mid-sentence before taking us to the next segment of the film. This technique isolates the shots, but it heightens our awareness of how these discrete places and people (The British Paratrooper squad, Irish Nationalist politician Ivan Cooper, Major General Patrick MacLellan) all led up to the massacre.

It reminds me of working on my own films and logging footage. Each clip stringing together in a vacuum, telling a story without the invisible hand of narrative shaping perception through crossfades and transitions. Until the shooting starts, and Greengrass organically moves into a seamless, breathless sequence in which the Paras start shooting and the crowd scatters. It feels like you're there, and I noticed my blood pressure raise at the injustice unfolding onscreen. Incredibly effective filmmaking here, and the intentional camerawork does an impressive job at bringing the audience into the events of Bloody Sunday without the feelings of voyeurism often present in cinema about human suffering.

Bloody Sunday is, in my opinion, an elegant portrayal of a tragic landmark in the Irish Troubles. It's a film that impacted me emotionally, elevating my heartrate at the injustice unfolding onscreen. The British Government still shields David Cleary from prosecution for the mass killing, with legal repercussions for anyone who refers to him by his real name instead of "Soldier F," making clear the need for us to remember these atrocities perpetrated in the name of imperialism.

[bloghrexach]

🇵🇸 … there’s no way it could be easy!! Beyond sad …

By: LaillaB, founder of’Reclaim the Narrative’ from LinkedIn …

“It has been nearly six months since the genocidal project began unfolding in Gaza.

Muslims across the globe have been glued to their screens, witnessing one of the most significant terrorist atrocities in recent memory.

Never before has such a horrifying genocide been broadcast in real-time for the world to see. This unprecedented situation has taken, not only Muslims on a roller coaster of emotions, but the world, as they witness the heart-wrenching destruction in Gaza alongside the remarkable resilience of its people, (brothers and sisters).

To delve deeper into the thoughts, emotions, and religious responses of Muslims worldwide, a survey was conducted by Yaqeen, reaching out to over 1800 English-speaking Muslims. The results shed light on the impact of the Gaza situation on their faith and spirituality.

The turmoil in Gaza has served as a wake-up call for many, with 78% of respondents reporting an improvement in their relationship with Allah since the crisis began.

The unwavering faith displayed by the people of Gaza, even in the face of adversity, has inspired a surge in religiosity among Muslims globally.

Witnessing the steadfastness of the Gazans has led 91% of respondents to draw religious inspiration from them, with 97% expressing pride in their resilience.

The survey also revealed a deepening connection to the Qur’an and the teachings of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ among Muslims.

A significant majority found comfort and solace in reading the Qur’an, especially in light of the verses that resonate with the situation in Gaza.

The descriptions of the afterlife provided in the Qur’an and Sunnah have offered reassurance to believers, with 96% finding comfort in the belief that martyrs are alive in paradise.

Furthermore, the assault on Gaza has sparked a stronger sense of ummah unity among Muslims worldwide.

The sacred significance of Palestine, particularly Masjid al-Aqsa, has strengthened the resolve of 93% of respondents who view its liberation as a deeply personal and religious matter.

The survey also revealed overwhelming opposition to the normalization of relations with Israel, with 96% of respondents expressing concern about the potential harm it could inflict on Palestinians.

The genocide in Gaza has not only tested the faith and emotions of Muslims globally but has also served as a catalyst for a global spiritual awakening, unity, and a renewed commitment to justice and solidarity beyond the ummah 🍉 ‎ subḥāna-llāh

The hardest Ramadan ever 🌙

Because of Gaza. [#Genocide]

Hasbunallah wa ni’mal-Wakil

"How can I smile and how can food and water taste good to me when Masjid Al-Aqsa is in the hands of the crusaders” Salah Al Din Ayyubi, May allah have mercy on him 🍉🕊

O Allah, You protected the people of Badr on 17th Ramadan 2AH! — We ask You to protect the people of Gaza in Ramadan 1445AH 🤲🏼 … 🇵🇸 @hrexach

#reclaimthenarrative 🕊

[mybookhaven]

She Who Became the Sun - Shelley Parker-Chan

Fantasy - Asian - Queer Rep

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thisss book!!! I know I pretty much sound repetitive at this point, but this was definitely one of my favorite reads of 2022. It was so easy to fall in love with the world created by Shelly Parker-Chan and i can't wait for the release of the second book in the series.    

Cover art: JungShan

I was fascinated by the characters in this book, i think it's one of the top things that made reading it so incredible. It was beautiful to watch the characters unwind their inner gears as the storyline unfolded, which within itself presented a complicated narration that was incredibly pleasurable to experience. The history behind the storyline is delivered in a light chinese style which i think is better suited for a wider audience (also good for Chinese novel lovers like myself), where we go through time as various characters that revolve around the two main drivers of the story.

Reading the way Shelley Parker-Chan wrote the first section of the book, when Zhu Chongba was then simply referred to as the girl was really interesting. I loved that part as much as it hurt me. We got to see the resilience that got her to commit all the atrocities required of her for her continued survival, which later on became beyond the need for survival. And then watching the incredible parallels between her and Ouyang and all the pain that he holds within his mutilated body. It was just too good for my angst loving heart.

And it's worth mentioning the beauty of the romance within the story, however light it was. It was refreshing to read such a real description of love, so very combined with pain and regret, yet so soft and fragile.

I'm really looking forward to the continuation of this series, and anything Shelley Parker-Chan might release in the future.

[femurthief-fen]

Finished Review: What a devastating read. Truly. I don't know whether I want to rush head first into the next book or sit with my feelings for a bit and read something more relaxing.

“Rin was so tired of having to prove her humanity.” This story follows Rin and her journey after committing the atrocities that ended the previous book. A lot of time in The Dragon Republic is devoted to Rin's mental state and her questionable ways of coping with the weight of what she's done. The more I think about this book, the more I appreciate it. One of my biggest frustrations with the story was how childlike Rin could be when it came to certain decisions. In my head I was mentally projecting myself onto her and demanding that she be smarter about certain choices, but that was not what Rin needed to go through to process her trauma.

Kuang is unmatched in her descriptions of war and trauma. She writes every war scene with such intense and graphic writing that it truly feels like you're just there in the moment with the characters. Every gut-wrenching slash of the sword can be felt through Kuang's words. The war planning in this series is also something to gawk at. In many fantasy books I find the battle strategies to be very simple- which I'm fine with- but you can truly tell that Kuang went out of her way to form strategic battle plans according to how real wars are fought. Kuang emphasizes that even the best battle strategies mean absolutely nothing in true warfare because anything can happen, and articulates that beautifully to the audience.

The Dragon Republic felt like a rollercoaster of emotions and my safety bar just flew off. I think Kuang deserves every ounce of praise she receives for her writing and I will be paying attention to her future works as they come out.

I appreciate the raw horrible nature Kuang writes into the story and that she recognizes the reality of war and conquering and what happens to so many who fall under its destruction. Dark subject matter can be covered in stories like this without exploiting the situation for shock value which so many other stories would do, and also still be necessary to the plot of the story. Also Kuang, all of my favourite characters except two? Really? Did you need to gut punch me into the next century >:(((

“Our world is a dream of the gods. Maybe they have other dreams. But all we have is this story unfolding, and in the script of this world, nothing's going to bring Altan back to life.” Read this series and forfeit your soul to the torture it'll put you through <3

[glenngaylord]

Negative Space - Film Review: The Zone Of Interest ★★★★★

Whenever filmmaker Jonathan Glazer releases a new film, and he has only made four in the past 23 years, I sit up and take notice. Sexy Beast, Birth, and Under The Skin made lasting impressions, and his latest, The Zone Of Interest, has profoundly affected me more than any other film I’ve seen this year. Based on the 2014 novel by the same name from the late Martin Amis, it relates a Holocaust narrative strictly told from the point of view of a Nazi leader and his family who live just on the other side of the wall to Auschwitz.

That family consists of the real-life Commandant Rudolf Höss (Christian Friedel), his wife Hedwig (Sandra Hüller, Anatomy Of A Fall) and their children, who live in a bucolic villa complete with a swimming pool, greenhouse and extensive garden. At the outset, we watch the Höss’ picnic and lead fairly quiet, normal lives. One could easily mistake this as a serene comedy of manners if not paying careful attention. The occasional offscreen gunshot or scream, however, belies the sun-dappled visuals. Look even closer and you’ll see the barbed wire, the guard towers, and in one indelible image, the smoke from a transport train making its way across the top of the frame as Höss stands proudly watching his brood frolic in the pool.

While we never witness the atrocities, the hellish soundscape provided by the incredible Composer Mica Levi and Sound Designer Johnnie Burn provides plenty of nightmarish context. Forget all the CGI blockbusters, THIS is the true masterclass in the use of sound. The horror at the center of this film is that of indifference, disassociation, and the “banality of evil”. Euphemisms such as "yield" to signify the number of the slaughtered, or the title, which blandly refers to the area outside the camps, allows all of us to somehow stomach the terrors at hand. This forced perspective proves unbearably agonizing.

Cinematographer Lukasz Zal (Ida, Cold War) contributes an endless series of carefully composed images, mostly wide shots and often static. The negative spaces he creates suggest the unimaginable just out of frame. We rarely get a close-up of the characters, instead we’re kept at a distance as they flatly go about their days. A scene of Höss meeting with engineers to review a more effective way to exterminate the Jews plays just as matter-of-factly as one of Hedwig gardening. When one of the children locks another in the greenhouse, one could easily find it amusing were it not for the fact that the older one makes gas chamber hissing sounds at his sibling.

Glazer takes a distancing, experimental approach to the material, somewhat as he did with Under The Skin, but the effect proves far more chilling here. He creates a rhythm with one seemingly mundane scene after another until you begin to realize that coat Hedwig tries on once belonged to a prisoner, or that her children are playing with teeth and not toys. Occasionally he interrupts the story with night vision scenes of a defiant young girl whose impact on the proceedings crystalizes later with an off-camera remark guaranteed to sap the film of any hope.

The performances for the most part seem functional and this feels clearly by design. Careful not to make the Nazis sympathetic, the actors’ flatness serves to make the audience complicit with their remove from the terrors unfolding steps away. We have room to reflect on who we have become or perhaps have always been, especially concerning the current state of things. We TikTok as the world burns. Martin Amis had previously explored a shift in historical perspective with his 1991 novel Time's Arrow, which also seemed to conclude that regardless of the point of view, cruelty and apathy persist. Amis and Glazer seem to say that Nazis don’t hold the copyright on disinterest or evil. Left unchecked and unexamined, we’re all capable of such behavior.

Despite this, both Friedel and especially Hüller create a pair of unforgettable characters. Friedel carries himself tightly as any military officer and establishes himself as a dull bureaucrat who loves his family and yet doesn’t hesitate to wield his power in horrific ways. The scariest moment in any film this year comes when he tells his wife how he feels about The Final Solution, and his last moment gives us a brief window into the bile churning up within. Hüller, for her part, proves even scarier as she clomps around the house in her heavy heels, quietly threatening one of her Jewish workers, and seething with entitled rage. At one point she laughingly, and without irony, tells her mother she’s known as the “Queen Of Aushchwitz”.

This year no other film made me ugly cry as much as All Of Us Strangers and no other film can hold a candle to the screenwriting craft and love for its characters as much as The Holdovers. The Zone Of Interest, however, despite feeling more like an art installation than a traditional movie, is a masterpiece which will stick with me forever.

[lechusza]

A track for the People

At this time when our global communities continue to dynamically and dramatically change, unfold, and play out atrocities - in real time - let's not forget that we are all People. Here's a track by Classified that speaks to our collective Voice.

“People” (official video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAYcky8VpMk

alanlechusza.com

alanlechuszaauthor.com

[astrallama]

One day we’ll be able to put down all the weight on our backs and in our minds, open our eyes and truly experience the beauty of this world for the first time, but today is not that day. I write these thoughts right now in response to the real time genocide that is happening against the Palestinian people. The operations in Gaza are beyond deplorable, the leaders in Israel are not acting with global security in mind, and they definitely are NOT acting in self-defense. They are acting with rage, bloodlust, racism, and the emotional capacity of a wailing two years old who can’t get what they selfishly want. I do not believe the Zionist movement will ever want to find a peaceful solution; mass destruction and genocide are their only goals, and shame on them and everyone else who voted against a cease fire. I’ve watched enough footage of bloody children, barely clinging to life while nothing but rubble and death surround them. I’ve seen footage of people screaming and crying as fire and poisonous smoke fill the air around them. I watched a reporter beg for help moments before he was struck by a rocket. The fact that only 20 trucks have been let into Gaza for humanitarian aid for 2 million people is both dismal and laughable, the fact that a bakery providing bread for refugees was bombed after receiving a flour shipment is nothing less than pure evil, and the fact that hospitals there are unable to operate and are under threat of direct rocket fire is absolutely and completely horrible. These visions of violence and death show just how monsterous the people in charge and actually are., these are the same people who will never see the front lines of war, and have the ability to end it.

I am doing my best to limit and understand my news intake, but I will continue to stay tuned in and watch as this genocide unfolds because it’s important. Every TV and radio station should be showing this atrocity to the world, every webpage and social media site should do the same, this isn’t something we should be able to look away from just cause we find it upsetting. Being able to tune out and walk away from this is a privilege that I acknowledge I have, and I wish it was just as easy for those actually being murdered to walk away from it, but they literally can’t, and I really wish everyone could see the reality of that. I don’t believe anyone has the right to take the life of another person, but if I’m being honest I can’t really blame the actions of Hamas either. The oppression against Palestine, the global colonial practices that led to the creation of Israel, and it’s apartheid policies are the ones to blame here (just to name a few). Israel has created the world’s largest concentration camp, and spent countless years and resources convincing the world that the humans, children, elderly, brothers, sisters, and families that live there are less than rabid animals, all so they can eradicate them with full impunity, and it is absolutely awful.

Not only all of that, but this isn’t even close to the only tragedy the world faces right now. Other wars and violence around the globe continue to rage on, more and more people become displaced, and face hunger, homelessness, and disease. The world continues to burn and even on our own country mass shootings happen on a regular basis while more laws go into effect to protect guns than women and children. I was told to always be kind and do my best to be helpful, that if I try really hard I can make a difference, but I feel so very hopeless right now. My wife and I recently had a conversation about the choices we all have to make everyday, even the little and mundane ones, and these are choices we will keep having to make even as the apocalypse unfolds in front of us. The fact that I have to decide what to make for dinner, and when I should do the laundry while some people fall asleep to the sounds of rockets and gunfire, not knowing if they’ll wake up the next morning makes me feel absolutely horrible, yet I still have to wake up everyday and make these choices.

I hope that I can do more at home and in my neighborhood, to help where I can. I have Palestinian and Jewish neighbors here who are scared and hurting, there are migrants from the south who are lost and confused, and those living on the streets cold and hungry, I could go on and on highlighting all the problems that exist but you get the idea. I want to do more for them, I wish I could do more for everybody. We’re also all dealing with life and death in the natural sense as well, some of us have lost friends and family, and without them we’re unsure of how we’re going to make it through the day and even though I hope we all find the time to properly grieve and mourne their absence, we all still have to wake up everyday and make the choices that we make.

My heart breaks for everyone who is hurting right now, and I write this as I prepare myself both for my mom’s birthday and the first anniversary of her death. So many things make me think of her and I have no idea if I’m going to be ok from one day to the next. I’ve stopped hiding in the bathroom and supply closet at work when my emotions are too much and have accepted the fact that I’m ok with crying on the floor in front of coworkers and customers. I wish it was easier to be honest with ourselves and our emotions and I wish it was easier to share those emotions with others as well. Maybe if we were a little less afraid to truly show our human sides to one another we all might be able to act a little more humane.

After I finish writing this my life will more or less go back to normal, and I’ll go back to making all the choices I have to make, and some of them will make me feel bad and privileged, I’ll make art, I’ll play video games, I’ll spend time with friends, and even when I don’t mean to I’ll be selfish no mean. I still want to try my best for this world and those that still need help and faith in humanity, I’ll do my best to help those in need and stand on the side of justice, and I truly hope that all the little that we do can be enough to make a difference in this cruel world.

From the river to the sea, Palestine shall be free.

[fistsuptitsup]

I know I said on this I won't talk about the Palestine v Israel war again... but here I am.

I hate that there are little to no nuance when it comes to discussions about what's going on, you can only say that you either on one side or the other. This situation (as it is right now), IS NOT BLACK AND WHITE.

What the Palestinians have gone through for the past 75~100 years of oppression (~75 yrs. fighting against Israel's colonization efforts) is absolutely horrific, period.

BUT! What HAMAS has done against innocent civilians and tourists who have nothing to do with the war, IS EXTREMELY FUCKED UP.

And the lack of effort from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to protect the citizens of Israel before and after the HAMAS attack, as well with the lack of effort to save the Israeli hostages, IS EQUALLY FUCK UP. He should not be in power. Calling the Palestinian people, "human animals", is down right disgusting.

HAMAS's actions have only hurt the Palestinians in any effort of obtaining outside support and has put a target on the heads of innocent Palestinians (those who aren't extremists) to be associated with them by default. This is an incredibly difficult situation to to see unfold in real time. The attacks on Gaza are also so horribly bad, because most of the innocent civilians are stuck there because they have little to no place to go. And giving them so little time to leave while also attacking areas where the people are who are trying to flee Gaza is just evil.

And what HAMAS is going to the women and men held hostage are also incredibly evil. I've seen the videos they're rampant on Twitter and Reddit, it's disgusting. Using rape as a weapon of war regardless on who is doing it on either side should NEVER HAPPEN. Be it Israeli or Palestinian, it doesn't matter, IT'S WRONG.

War is always going to be a disgusting mess that only benefit those in power and those who support it. Atrocities are happening on both sides and are only going to get worse, it hurts my heart (that as someone who supports the Palestinian's efforts to stop the colonization of their land before HAMAS's attack), that now misinformation is spreading so much in so many places over what's going on. And the Israeli people who do support the Palestinian people's efforts for their fight against colonization and for their equal rights are going to get hurt as well and be misjudged for those who are against everything Palestine.

I only hope that a solution is found soon to end the conflict that works both in the favor of Palestine and Israel. I pray that day comes.

Benjamin Netanyahu should resign, he obviously doesn't care if his own people are hurt in the process of his bloody quest to power.

In war, the ones who suffer the most out of anyone: is the people.

Ok, that's it. Bye.

[republic-world]

Karnataka HC Stays FIRs Against Actor Upendra Over Alleged Casteist Remarks

In a recent turn of events, the Karnataka High Court has put a halt to the FIRs filed against Kannada actor Upendra Rao in connection with alleged casteist remarks. The initial complaint was raised by Madhusudhan KN, the assistant director of the social welfare department, and was registered with the Chennammana Kere Achukattu police.

Upendra Rao, a prominent Kannada actor, found himself embroiled in controversy due to statements he made during a Facebook Live stream. Two FIRs were lodged against him following this incident. The actor, who is also the leader of the Uttama Prajakeeya Party, was discussing his political party Prajakeeya when he uttered a statement that ignited controversy. He said, "If there is a town, it inevitably will have Dalits."

Reacting to the public uproar and protests in parts of the Ramanagara district, Upendra expressed remorse for his remarks. He clarified that he had inadvertently used a "proverb" in his live broadcast and that he never intended to cause offense. He promptly deleted the video from his social media accounts upon realizing its impact and issued an apology, saying, "I apologize for my statement."

Responding to the criticism, Upendra penned a reflective message, questioning the motives of his critics. He highlighted his own experiences of witnessing poverty, suicide, hunger, and oppression, and challenged the idea that he would deliberately target a particular section of society.

The chain of events began with an initial complaint lodged by Madhusudhan KN of the social welfare department, which led to the registration of the first FIR. Subsequently, another FIR was lodged against Upendra by Bhyrappa Harish Kumar, the state president of the Karnataka Ranadhira Pade. This second FIR invoked various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

As the legal proceedings unfolded, the Karnataka High Court intervened and issued a stay on the FIRs against Upendra. This development marks a significant step in the ongoing controversy surrounding the actor's alleged casteist remarks.

The incident serves as a reminder of the complex intersection between public figures, freedom of expression, and the responsibility to uphold societal values. It also highlights the role of the judiciary in examining such matters to ensure a fair and just resolution.

For the latest updates on this and other political news, stay tuned to Republic World, your source for real-time, breaking news, entertainment updates, education news, sports coverage, technology insights, and state election results.

[adhonoremrpbios]

-- CHARACTER --

Name: Sybill Trelawney Faceclaim: Mina El Hammani Age: 28 Blood Status: Halfblood Affiliation: Neutral Former School & House: Hogwarts, Ravenclaw Occupation: Slug and Jiggers, Potioneer (and backroom divination specialist)

-- BIOGRAPHY --

Sybill Trelawney’s Hogwarts reputation was that of a fairly typical Ravenclaw; studious and serious… Unless you actually managed to befriend her, then you got to see how strange she could be; the oddly insightful comments, the turning of her head just before someone called out for her attention, how staunchly she could defend divination one moment and then deny any interest in the topic if someone she trusted less happened to be hanging around. The Trelawney’s had a bit of a reputation all their own, see, especially among old names. Self proclaimed Seers of the future. Sybill’s great great grandmother Cassandra was the last to claim this title, and for all her effort she was shunned by her fellow witches and wizards. Divination, it would seem, had fallen out of popularity, and now rather than lauding the Sight as a gift her peers had turned, deeming Cassandra and all her prophecies little more than the ramblings of a mad, desperate woman.

 Wherever else she went wrong, Cassandra got one thing right. The Sight did skip three generations. So all that madness and desperation found a home in Sybill. Rather than give her classmates and family the chance to shun her too she had done her best to contain it all, but it ended up spilling out anyway, in nightmares that plagued Sybill throughout her school years, every accuracy haunting her as she tried to deny her gift. After graduation she couldn’t bear the idea of hanging around to watch all the atrocities from her nightmares play out in real time, but she couldn’t face the thought of admitting to her visions, either, too scared that people would doubt her.

 So Sybill took off, spent a few years traversing England, finding work and accommodation along the way. Her insights made staying safe possible, and being away from the chatter of her overbearing family meant she finally had the chance to decide for herself what her reputation was worth in a world that was falling apart. In the end Sybill realised she could live with being called crazy, as long as it meant she actually got to live, rather than hiding to save her own skin.

 So she’s returned home, and taken up a job as Slug and Jigger- potions was always one of her better classes, and working in Diagon Alley allows her to keep a steady eye on the situation as it unfolds. Though Sybill hasn’t been back for long- and is as secretive about her time away as old classmates remember her being about… Well, everything- she is at last embracing her skill and passion for Divination without shame. This means she’s been offering backroom predictions and readings for people she thinks will do the right thing with the information, but as word of this service begins to spread, Sybill is worried about the unsavoury types that might try to take advantage.

 Her official stance is one of neutrality, because she knows that is the safest way to conduct herself in public for the time being, but the things she has seen are telling her to prepare for a time when that won’t be the case, so Sybill is watching customers and passers by alike, and her inconspicuous little journal is actually a carefully curated watch list, noting suspicions and predictions as she watches the world go by from the little apothecary. As a half-blood and a Seer, Sybill knows that Voldemort and his lot won’t be stopping with the muggleborns. She may not have the guts to stand up and fight openly just yet, but Sybill knows that luxury won’t last for long, and she only hopes to have garnered enough support and trust from Order members for them to believe her when she has the confidence to tell them what she knows.

-- TRAITS --

Negative - Moody - Secretive Positive + Observant + Adaptable

Sybill Trelawney is taken by Chloe.

[xtruss]

For Native Americans, Justice is Still Far Out of Reach

— Guo Chushan | June 24, 2022

Illustration: Chen Xia/Global Times

New Revelations of Grim History

Recently, a US federal government report revealed the brutal conditions Native American children suffered when they were placed in boarding schools during a course of 150 years. "Approximately 19 federal Indian boarding schools accounted for over 500 American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian child deaths," the report said. The number is expected to grow as further investigation unfolds.

Kids as young as 4 were forcibly taken away from their families and sent to the schools, where they were made to assimilate to the government's preferred way of life and become the so-called "good Americans." They were pushed, often through violence, to abandon their native languages, cultures and religious practices. Disease as well as sexual, physical and emotional abuse was widespread. Historians estimate over 40,000 child deaths were a direct or indirect result of the boarding school system.

The American history is never short of atrocities. The US and the European settlers carried out numerous massacres against indigenous peoples, leading to massive depopulation from over 5 million in 1492 to less than 250,000 by 1900. This is a clear-cut case of genocide.

In indigenous communities, the revelations about the boarding schools have stoked a new resolve to seek accountability for the brutal past. Alas, although dark history is revealed again and again, the path toward healing is still bumpy.

The Trauma is Never Gone

The systematic repression of Native Americans continues to this day. They are grappling with limited access to electricity, clean water, health facilities and education opportunities. In the Native communities, you see some of the highest rates of poverty and premature death and suicide, and the lowest rate of graduation. The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the plight of the indigenous peoples.

Figures speak aloud. Life expectancy of the Native Americans is 5.5 years lower than the US average. Their poverty rate is 25.4 percent, the highest of all minority groups in the United States. 84.3 percent of American Indians and Alaska Natives have been physically assaulted. Only four Native Americans are serving in Congress. 87 percent of state-mandated history textbooks do not mention a single word of Native Americans' ongoing battle for civil rights.

As of now, apologies in the US have been few and far between. Former president Barack Obama signed a resolution in 2009, apologizing for past "ill-conceived policies toward the Native peoples of this land," yet the resolution had no real impact on federal policy toward Native Americans. The appointment of Deb Haaland, a Native American, as interior secretary is nothing but a superficial effort, which could hardly bring a true difference to the human rights conditions of Native Americans.

Chinese writer Lu Xun wrote, "Lies written in ink cannot disguise facts written in blood." The Native Americans still await the government's formal recognition of those crimes against humanity and genuine efforts to make amends. A real change calls for actions, rather than slogans.

Human Rights Violations Abound

When it comes to the US' dismal human rights records, the story of Native Americans is just a tip of iceberg.

Internally, racial inequality is rampant. Assumptions that people of color didn't have the capacities of full citizenship have a lingering effect on African Americans today. The likes of George Floyd and Michael Brown were killed as a result of police brutality. Thousands of people of Asian descent have reported attacks and racial discrimination after the outbreak of the COVID-19. There are also other forms of human rights violations, like gun violence, migrant pushbacks, child abuse at detention centers, the government's reckless COVID-19 response, to name just a few.

Externally, the US has spent over 90 percent of its 240-plus-year history on wars, with 800 military bases built in more than 70 countries and regions, causing turmoil in the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia. The wars waged by America in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria alone have caused more than 20 million people to become either refugees or migrants. The infamous Guantanamo prison still holds dozens of men, where numerous cases of torture, forced disappearances and secret transfers have taken place in the past 20 years. Successive US administrations promise to close the facility, yet no actions have followed.

A Land of Hypocrisy and Double Standards

The US has been at the forefront of condemning human rights abuses globally, as if the US is the world's human rights role model to be emulated. China, Russia, Iran and Belarus are among the frequent targets of US' finger-pointing, mostly based on groundless charges. However, given its gloomy human rights records within its borders and beyond, the US' hypocrisy and double standards have been laid bare.

It is clear that the US is not a champion of human rights, but a defender of hegemony, using human rights as a political instrument. At the previous Human Rights Council sessions, over 100 countries voiced their concerns about the US' systemic human rights violations, and more importantly, urged the US to give up its narcissism and stop interfering in others' internal affairs with excuses of human rights.

Each country is the best judge of its own human rights situation. Instead of lecturing other countries on their human rights, the US needs some self-introspection and should first address its own human rights problems. When the US truly practices what it preaches, the global human rights cause will be in a better shape.

— The author is a current affairs commentator.