#when they are actively oppressing another people and stripping them of freedom and keeping them in an apartheid state

[toss-a-coin-to-your-stan-account]

trying to talk about What's Happening and hearing "b-but israel is one of the only other DEMOCRACIES!!!!!" and having to restrain yourself because you're thinking. Who The Fuck Cares

[tepkunset]

Thoughts on X-Men 97 S01E02 – Mutant Liberation Begins

TL;DR: X-Men 97’s butchering of the Trial of Magneto is more than just a bad adaptation. It’s an offensive stripping of a core part of the original story and of Magneto’s character.

The Trail of Magneto story arc in the Uncanny X-Men comics is an iconic turn for the character and the team; it is a transformation of an enemy turned friend. But that is not all the story represents. Delving deeper into its layers, one can pull out a lot of messages. The biggest one I relate to is the effects of compound systemic oppression when one has multiple identities marking them as a minority. But that’s missing in X-Men 97’s adaptation… even worse, it actively counters this point.

Before we get into the cartoon’s adaptation, let’s take a look at the comics, first.

The story begins in Uncanny X-Men #199, where Magneto and Kitty Pryde both attend a special reception at the National Holocaust Memorial in Washington, DC. It is here that Kitty is able to reconnect with folks who knew her family, who were victims in the Auschwitz concentration camp, and Magneto reconnects with people he knew there as well. They praise him for helping them survive.

But Freedom Force breaks into the reception and tries to arrest Magneto in the name of the US government. Magneto initially resists: “My land—all the countries of the world—turned their backs on me and mine when we were condemned to Hitler's death camps. Therefore, in return, I have sworn to deny them!” However, when he sees how afraid everyone around him is, he accepts their arrest and agrees to stand trial.

The story continues in Uncanny X-Men #200. Magneto’s trial by the international court of justice begins with England’s Attorney-General claiming there is no such thing as mutant oppression, which we the readers know, is a blatant lie. Despite this, Magneto remains calm, and when it’s his turn to speak, he says the following:

“My dream, from the start, has been the protection and preservation of my own kind, mutants. To spare them the fate my family suffered in Auschwitz and do not tell me such a thing cannot happen again, because that is a lie! You humans slaughter each other because of the colour of your skin, or your faith or your politics—or for no reason at all—too many of you hate as easily as you draw breath, what's to prevent you adding us to that list?!”

But the trial attracts the attention of the Fenris twins; the Nazi offspring of Baron Von Strucker. They are there to kill Magneto, Xavier, and Gabrielle Haller (AKA David Haller’s mother), because she is Jewish and was an enemy of their father. Magneto risks his life to save everyone in the trial from them, but Xavier’s heart gives out and he nearly dies in Magneto’s arms, until he’s whisked away by his alien girlfriend who says she can save him. Xavier makes Magneto vow to stand with the X-Men and teach the New Mutants in his absence.

So, let’s keep in mind how intertwined Magneto’s Jewish and mutant identities are in this story; how they interact and shape his views and actions together. Because X-Men 97 is about to take all that away.

In X-Men 97 S01E02, when Val Cooper and the UN show up to arrest Magneto, he surrenders peacefully to try and gain the X-Men’s trust. And Magneto’s speech is very different from that of the comics:

“As a boy, my people's homes were burned to ash, because we dared to call God by another name. Then, my people hunted me with those who had once hunted them. I was a freak, born a mutant. An abomination to their misnamed gods. In history's sad song, there is a refrain. Believe differently, love differently, be of different sex or skin, and be punished. We sing this song to one another. The oppressed become oppressors.”

And it is not the Fenris twins who show up, but just generic Friends of Humanity baddies, led by X-Cutioner.

This adaptation may contain the surface-level story beats of the original, but it misses the heart of the matter; it misses the point!

Magneto’s cartoon speech separates him from his Jewish community. That is something the Magneto I know would never do. In the comics, his part about how humans are always killing each other speaks much more volumes, because he is speaking about his experience not just as a mutant, but as a Jewish person who has survived genocide. Magneto, or anyone with more than identity, does not have to choose between them. This show now says otherwise.

What I hate most of all about his cartoon speech though, is the line, “the oppressed become oppressors.” This is straight up cloaked white supremacist rhetoric; the fear that if racial/ethnic minorities are given equal rights, we will take over and start oppressing white settlers. And no, I’m not saying minorities are exempt from carrying prejudices against others, obviously. What I’m saying is, oppression is a systemic problem that largely stems from colonialism, and to paint oppressed people as a danger that needs to be oppressed or will oppress you, is a terrible idea used by colonizers to justify the system of colonialism. It is not based on fact.

The message of Magneto’s speech in the comics is that he has personally suffered from the hands of oppression before, and does not want others to suffer more. The message of magneto’s speech in the cartoon is that all people are bad, end of story. There is no nuance, there is no larger context at play, and there is no real grit to the words said! They have de-clawed Magneto’s character, and they have ripped away what he stands for… who he stands for.

[itsnothingofinterest]

So with the end supposedly approaching (relatively speaking), people have started giving some thought as to who the final threat is really going to be; Tomura Shigaraki or All For One. It’ll definitely be one of them, they’re the strongest and most established villains by a mile; but both have their own reasons for people to think they’ll be the “final boss” of the series. And far be it from me to keep my opinion to myself; I really think it’s going to be Tomura.

I’m not sure if that’s some level of controversial among the fans hoping for Shigaraki’s redemption, as I do believe the alternative’s gotten a lot of traction lately. Because understand that I’m still expecting his redemption too, and don’t expect his hypothetical final boss status to really prevent that. (Practically nothing can, it’s as much a guaranteed outcome at this point as Deku getting his sixth bonus quirk.) Realistically, the only difference would be if he & Deku then team up to fight the evil potato head, or to...just start fixing stuff I guess.

On that note, the eventual redemption is actually one of the reasons I think he’s the better choice. Almost every point of comparison between the two villain I can think of makes Tomura seem like the better choice, actually...with maybe one or two exceptions. So I wanted to go over all those points of comparison & everything they’ve got going for them as endgame villains and why the comperrisons overall seem to favour Tomura as the final boss.

1. Someone who was defeated to the power of just one man

For one, just looking at pure power levels, AFO’s just not as threatening as Tomura; and there’s not really a way to bridge that gap.

Like, Tomura’s obviously more of a threat personally; he’s got the stronger body that was scientifically enhanced, and only he has Decay on top of the AFO quirk and the collection that came with it. It is just a fact that right now, Tomura is far more powerful. And before anyone thinks that AFO could become an equal threat by just taking over & fighting in his body; that’s not true because, along with just more combat experience that doesn’t rely on an arsenal of quirks, Tomura also has that Shimura trick where you remember your origin and become super bad ass. You know, the trick that All Might used to beat AFO in Kamino. In other words, the most dangerous individual in the series right now is the AFO!Tomura body with specifically Tomura in control.

And as long as the slight edge in mentality in Tomura’s favour exists, there’s not really a way to bridge that gap and have AFO take Tomura’s place as the biggest potential threat. Restore or enhance AFO’s original body? That’s just catching it up with AFO in Tomura’s body, which is still behind Tomura in Tomura’s body. Have AFO boost Tomura’s body with him in control? It would still be better with Tomura in control. There’s no scenario where Tomura isn’t the most powerful character in BNHA.

(Well, except maybe AFO weakening him by, say, stripping him of his quirks; but if he has to make things easier for the heroes to become the most powerful, I think that kind of proves my point anyway.)

But one person can only be so dangerous, so lets talk followers. Tomura has a close knit group of friends & allies on top of a vast army super loyal to him specifically that reaches a six digit figure, and AFO...just doesn’t. And I’ll get back to this later; but I don’t think he wants one either. He sticks to just a handful of people useful to him and what’s left of his Nomu. And while maybe that is the better way for him to accomplish his own personal goals, it’s simply not as threatening as the force which Hawks thought could’ve conquered the country if the heroes hadn’t struck first.

Tomura is a country ending threat, who in the right circumstances could fight literally all of the heroes with a chance of winning, and AFO simply isn’t.

2. His own little world

And to return to what I was talking about earlier, I’m not sure he really cares to be either. Like, people say he wants to conquer everything, and I imagine he’d think regaining lots of money & power would be great down the line; but evidence seems to suggest he doesn’t really care much for the country as a whole or any of the major themes being discussed by the actual main characters at the moment.

I mean if he did, he’d probably have rescued the PLF, that army capable of competing with all of hero society. And he probably wouldn’t have told ~10,000 dangerous and powerful villains indebted to him for their freedom to just run amok while he keeps contact with only the ones useful for his personal goals. And he definitively wouldn’t be laying low & sleeping through his enemies lowest moment & giving them a month to recover, also in service to those personal goals. That activity seems to imply those personal goals matter a whole lot more to him than societal conquest.

And what are those goals? Seemingly, taking over Tomura’s body so he can finally steal One For All. To what end, we’re not 100% sure of, but I believe it’s either a) a weird pride thing where he finally has control over his brother who’s rebelled against him for decades upon decades or b) an attempt at immortality as a sentient & transferable body-controlling quirk. Either way it’s some selfish personal thing he just gets others wrapped up in.

He’s incredibly disconnected from the greater themes and conflicts of the story. He seems to have no opinions on heroics besides how people are stupid for attempting them, and no opinion on society besides that it just naturally sucks. He’s mainly just a nuisance for the actual main characters. This self-important old man stuck in his own little world is supposed to be Deku’s final opponent?

Oh, and on that note-

3. Deku who?

We’re also talking about who’s going to be the final obstacle for Deku to face; and the problem with the being AFO is that...they don’t really have much to bounce off of with each other. You might be able to argue slight foil-ment, but they don’t really know each other, nor do they have any kind of connection to each other besides Deku having OFA so he’s AFO’s enemy by default.

(In fact their latest & 2nd convo, which came out as I was drafting this post out, kind of proves that with how AFO basically just shallowly made fun of him for trying to be a hero. That’s basically the extent of their antagonism.)

In fact, I’m like 80% sure this is a major reason for the Dad For One theory existing; just to give them some connection, something to talk about. Because otherwise AFO is just an evil guy known by people Deku knows/wants to save. He’s basically just another, more dangerous Overhaul; who Deku's already fought. And to AFO, Deku’s just another OFA holder acting all high & mighty; which we also already saw him face in the Kamino fight. So what little they do offer each other has already been done for both of them. And there’s nothing wrong with that for carrying a fight, I just wonder if that can really carry the final fight.

Compare that to Shigaraki, who foils Deku in ways so numerous & obvious it’s almost hard to talk about, such as: their position as successors, strategic thinkers, very similar origins, very similar core characters, team players, red shoes, they looked really similar as kids...just to name a few parallels. Contrasting AFO, there is a lot to work with here that would contributed to a good fight that’d double as a battle of ideologies. And admittedly, we know this because it already has, this is also something we’ve seen before; but there’s a lot more unexplored with their conflict, a lot left unsaid that we could see from them arguing their viewpoints. A lot more than from Deku & AFO anyway.

I mean for Pete’s sake; All Might & Shigaraki have more in common and more to talk about than Deku & AFO. That’s a major problem if those two are meant to carry the final battle; which is why I don’t think they are.

4. Just punch him

There’s also the fact that AFO doesn’t really challenge Deku in any real way; and I’m not just talking about how All Might solo-ing him (twice) should logically mean endgame Deku should also be able to solo him. I’m more talking about how...that’s kind of all he’d need to do. If you can just beat AFO up enough then...that’s it, threat over. Wrapped up in a neat little bow.

To compare, Shigaraki is the greatest threat the heroes have ever faced, the victim most in need of saving, and to top it off, he’s got the gall to be both of those things at once. What’s a hero supposed to do with that? That’s a serious question characters are going to have to think about when deciding how to deal with Shigaraki. His position is that of, not just the greatest challenge, but a set of the greatest challenges a hero could face. And that’s before you get into his side representing those oppressed by serious systemic issues that need to be addressed as well; quite possibly simultaneously.

No one needs to address systemic corruption or prejudice to beat AFO though. They just need to punch him real hard. The biggest challenge AFO presents the heroes is “how do we make sure this guy stops being a problem for good when neither our most secure prison, nor removing his head, did the job?”

(Personally, my answer is to have Tomura do it. Because unlike Deku, Tomura actually does have a proper antagonistic relationship with AFO, so he has reason to be the one to end him besides just being the protagonist. Plus he’s under no obligation not to kill, so there’s that.)

And like yeah, that does make AFO the easier guy to deal with, and thus write an ending around (to say nothing of how he's also the most satisfying person to see punched in the face); but does that really mean Horikoshi would want to use him instead of the more interesting option of Tomura? I mean I guess we can’t be sure, there is merit in writing the easy resolution; but I’d prefer the complex finale if I were in his shoes.

5. Horikoshi’s favourite

And lastly there’s just the issue of which of the two Horikoshi’s put more work into. Spoiler alert: it’s not the guy that spent like 200 chapters in jail being menacing every one in a while.

Tomura is by far the more developed between the two, having constantly evolved over the course of the series. And more than just as a character, as described above he’s been developed as the more threatening and challenging conflict for Deku while also reflecting him in a lot of important ways. We’ve seen the growth of his power & influence, we’ve gotten to know & understand his motives, we’ve seen how he’s been failed by heroes before. Everything about him has built him up as the ultimate villain, the most desperate victim, and overall greatest challenge for Deku and the story as a whole to face.

And AFO is...nearly one of those things. Which is pretty much what he was from his first appearance. He has not developed at all over the series, and from what we can tell from his flashbacks, he hasn’t developed at all over the past ~200 years either. (I’m half tempted to call him more inciting incident then character.) What we have with AFO, as far as a character and a villain goes, is pretty much what we’re getting until he’s done. And, well; if Tomura is a better villain & a better pick for final boss than he was then, that gap’s just going to keep growing.

Like, I doubt it really needs stating how Shigaraki is probably the character Horikoshi has put the most work into in the entire series. And a lot of that work, a lot of his development, has gone to the idea of him surpassing AFO or being a villain foil to Deku, who himself is mean to surpass All Might. For his roll to be usurped by the guy he’s meant to surpass just feels like it’s going against that. Like, it’d feel almost as wrong for his character and the story around him than it would for Deku is All Might got his powers back and took over for him as main protagonist. It just doesn’t feel right for Tomura not to be the final villain, is what I’m getting at.

6. ...One saving grace

Okay, but I will admit one thing AFO has going for him that I would be remiss not to bring up. Besides being the most hated character in a series that also has Endeavor in it, I mean. He’s got this one trait that makes him an effective antagonist to anyone in the series; his complete disregard to pretty much every major theme in the series.

I mean think about it; the major themes of Shigaraki’s circle all revolve around trying to fix the society that rejected them; but AFO believes Society just naturally sucks that way as part of human nature, so their cause is doomed. And the heroes’ major themes all revolve around how to become/what it means to be a hero; but AFO believes trying to do good in that society can’t really be done & also it’s ridiculous to believe comic books are real, so their cause is also doomed and they look stupid doing it. So despite not really interacting with anyone’s core conflict or goals in favour of wrapping them up in his own, he still manages a one-sided ideological opposition with nearly every major player in the series; and that’s not nothing.

But, and I completely understand that this is just a matter of opinion, that kind of just leaves him feeling to me like a good antagonist, not a good final antagonist. I’d still prefer it be Tomura even from this perspective, because he’s able to oppose the ideologies of his opponents on purpose & with proper ideologies of his own.

To summarize:

Shigaraki feels the better choice for final boss because he’s more threatening, more interesting, both as a person and as an opponent for Deku specifically, he’s far more directly tied into the themes of the story and their resolution, & he’s had far more set up. AFO is more hated, and his callous disregard for everything everyone else holds important is something I guess, but that’s pretty much all he’s got going for him in compression. I don’t know about you, but I know who I think would carry the conclusion to the series better.

But I also know this isn’t the most popular take among my villain fan colleagues right now. So if anyone disagrees, I welcome any civil discussion about these two & their viability as final boss.

[dragonfire2lm]

Rubies and Sapphires: The Ruby Heart

Chapter 2: Spells and Swords

Beyond the red brick walls lay a formidable castle with towering spires, banners displayed the Clan Crest, a dragon coiled around a top hat, and Red was forced at sword point down the dirt path. The courtyard, with dead or dying plants in the neglected flowerbeds, was empty.

Were it not for the few scattered, top hat wearing people she saw looking at her curiously, warily from with the relative safety of the castle’s front gate, she would assume the place was abandoned. But that was far from the truth, the castle interior a maze of winding halls, within which the members of the infamous clan went about their business.

There was something about the place, an oppressive air that the inhabitants couldn’t shake that made her tail bristle. It set her on edge.

With Reginald in front of her and Wright behind her, sword threateningly pointed at her back, she was escorted through a pair of doors and into a large room.

“Your Majesty, we return with good news.” Reginald said smoothly, with added flourish as the trio halted before a round table.

The table was old, with a large, polished crystal inlaid in the middle of it, and several chairs placed evenly around the circumference. Seated on the black and gold throne at the head of the table, was a man wearing a black top hat with a crown in the shape of a dragon with its wings outspread.

“Good news eh?” he drawled, adjusting his red cape as he sneered at the sight of the Red. “Who’s she?”

“May I introduce The Cadmean Vixen, she assisted us in retrieving the jewels without issue.”

That caught the ruler’s attention, he swiftly rose from his seat, walking over as the two men presented the stolen gems.

“And let me guess? You think she should join the clan…”

“Her skills are indisputable-” Reginald said.

The clan ruler scoffed, snatching the ruby from him. He smirked as he inspected it. “Good job Reggie, and here I thought you were only good for scribe work.”

He eyed the ruby, a crooked grin splitting his face. “Yeah, we can do some real damage with this…”

“King Terrence?” Reginald asked and the other man snapped his gaze over to his subordinate.

The king gave Red a glance, looking her up and down. “You look human…”

“She’s a furhide.” Wright interjected.

“Tch, well Reggie, since you want her in the clan, she’s your responsibility,” Terrence ordered as he pocketed the ruby. “Take the Star Sapphire to the vault and give the furball a run-down of the joint... Oh and due to the shortage of rooms, she’ll be staying in the stables. I’m not wasting space on a stray.”

With his orders given, King Terrence turned on his heel and left the room with purpose, cape swishing behind him.

She heard Wright sheathe his sword.

“Well, it could have gone worse.” Reginald stated.

Wright snorted as Red glanced between the two of them. This, admittedly, was uncharted territory for her. She had spent how knows how long working by herself, living day-to-day, and relishing the few brief moments of having food readily available and a roof over her head, that suddenly being thrust into this group of magic users was daunting.

Wright handed the Star Sapphire over to Reginald. “You head to the vault, I’ll handle the girl.”

The stables were as empty as the courtyard. The building itself was sturdy despite the minor signs of disrepair she could see on her initial inspection. Red had been left to her own devices after Wright had given a no-nonsense, brief tour of the fortress. Nothing more than showing her where the mess hall and baths were located before leading her to the stables.

“Reginald will meet you in the mess hall tomorrow, don’t keep him waiting.” Wright had warned her.

The place felt like a ghost town. Like something stripped of all that grandeur and life, leaving it a hollowed-out husk while the people simply made do.

The best she could manage in the space she had been given was finding a few tattered blankets in a chest and making a rudimentary nest in the loft.

As the first light of dawn peaked through gaps in the roof, she laid down on her makeshift bed, wide awake and alert for any signs of danger. She filled the oppressive silence not with sound, but with thoughts.

Tales of the Toppat Clan, legends, reached even her during her travels. As much as she would like to hope that maybe she had finally found somewhere to call home, the reality of her situation was impossible to ignore.

Another hells damned life under the heel of another master. Bitterly, she mused that maybe that was what she should get for being a bleeding heart and sticking her nose in someone else’s business. She knew she was being dramatic of course, but it mattered little when she had nothing but her own thoughts for company for so long.

She knew it was going to be an uphill battle, but it wasn’t in her nature to just turn tail on people without reason and the Toppats had yet to do something to betray her trust.

So here she was, trying to concoct a scheme to turn her situation into something that would benefit everyone.

*******************************************************************************************

“We’re going to rob Galeforce blind!” Terrence announced to the Toppats that sat around the table. Red herself stood behind Reginald, watching the meeting unfold.

“See we got ourselves the Radiant Ruby,” the king said, showing off the jewel in question. “With this beauty we can ensnare a dragon and with a dragon on our side, no one will be able to stop us!” he grinned, an unnatural, twisted look on his face. “Just picture it, with a dragon at my beck and call we could go anywhere and steal anything. ‘Course, we gotta get one first.”

His words made her stomach drop, disgust rolled in her stomach, and she did her best to keep a straight face as he continued.

“Now, we all know dragons love gold, and we’ll need a small fortune to lure it into the trap. So, we’re going to sweep across the land, bust through every one of Gale’s strongholds, villages, you name it, and take as much as we can carry.”

A tense silence fell around the table.

“We’ll be in sight of our first target in an hour, pick your teammates and party up.” Terrence ordered and the room became a hive of activity as people got up from their seats and left to make their preparations.

She fell in step behind Reginald and Wright.

“We’re going to capture the dragon?” she asked.

“If Terrence wants us to, then that’s what we’ll do,” Reginald replied, resigned. “We have little say in the matter.”

“Once you pass your initiation, you take the oath, and The King casts the Binding Spell that makes you a permanent member of the clan,” Wright explained as they turned down a corridor. “Terrence rewrote it when he became king, an’ there’s nothin’ we can do about it.”

“Almost nothing…” Reginald said quietly. “If I just had the ruby…”

The vixen blinked. She could help him again, a few weeks to memorize the layout of the place, give off the impression that she was harmless, unimportant and build up a reputation in the clan…

Yes, she could steal the ruby in a month if she had the time and resources. She thought about leaving but judging from what little she’d put together from their first conversation, and the revelation of the binding spell, what little morality she had wouldn’t let her stand by and ignore this.

“I can get you the ruby.” She spoke up.

The two men looked back at her in surprise.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Terrence will make an example out of you if you so much as try and that is assuming, he doesn’t just kill you.” Reginald said.

“You’re not under the spell yet girl, why don’ you get off this rock an’ leave this to us?” Wright asked with raised eyebrow. “This is Toppat business.”

She stared back them defiantly. “Because I know what it’s like, you become so used to having no say in anything, to waiting for the next order, for the next chance to be useful, that it becomes normal, acceptable even… To the point that you don’t know what to do with yourself once you finally found freedom.”

“I spent five… six years at The Wall,” she divulged, powering through the well of emotions and hazy memories the admission bought forth. “They keep furhides as guards, treat them no better than actual dogs, I needed the coin and it seemed like a good offer at the time. I only got out six months ago.”

“And since then, you’ve made a name for yourself as a thief.” Reginald summarized, the shock morphing into understanding. He shared a look with Wright.

Something seemed to pass between them, a fire had been lit as the two men moved to walk beside her.

“We’ll meet in the stables tonight after the raid and discuss this further.” Reginald stated.

She nodded and joined them as they headed to the foundry to make their preparations.

*******************************************************************************************

Hours later, Red’s head was spinning, she struggled to fight against the light-headedness as the sounds of combat roared around her. She was in her fox form, hiding in a house. She’d been separated from the Toppats as soon as the fight began, the guards had been organized, a cohesive unit that had the slap-dash tactics of the mages outmatched in minutes. She had taken refuge in the shadows, slinking into houses and storing any valuables she could find in the magical pocket realm in her tail.

She’d been unlucky enough to watch as one of the Toppats, an archer with an enchanted bow, took the sharp end of a blade to the face. Red had been forced to hide in a house because the sight had made her fee like she was going to faint. As she waited for the dizziness to subside, something crashed through the back door.

She stumbled over to hide beneath a table as someone shambled into the room. Wright, unsteady on his feet, walked in with Reginald lobbing balls of fire from his hands behind him to cover their escape.

Wright sat down on the nearest available chair. Reginald locked the door behind him and waited with bated breath.

The fight raged on outside, but no guards appeared to have noticed the two men ducking into the house. Red crept out from her hiding spot, shifting into her human form, and adjusting her robes.

“What happened?” she asked cautiously as she approached them, the worst of her dizziness fading as she focused on the two Toppats.

Reginald glanced back at her, still on edge. “His defensive wards were broken by a shield bash.”

She made a noise in sympathy as she fished around her robes. She pulled out a potion bottle and handed it to Wright. Both men were surprised by the sight of the potion.

Reginald looked at the potion, then up at her. Wright grimaced as he accepted the offered potion, unscrewed the glass lid, and downed its contents.

“Thanks.” Wright grunted already looking more alert.

“If you need more, just ask,” Red said. “I can always make more.”

“You’re an alchemist?” Reginald asked.

“I picked up a few things at The Wall.” She replied.

Reginald was quiet for a moment. “We… could use your talents in the clan, we lost our healers some time ago...”

“We got a job to do, we’ll discuss this later.” Wright said as he got up.

The three of them avoided the frontlines, breaking into houses, stores and took whatever gold and valuables they could carry.

Something exploded.

The three of them moved to an open doorway and peered out to see what was going on. Maniacal laughter could b heard as the dust cleared and Terrence stepped out of the cloud of dust.

His grin was vicious as he held a golden staff. The staff had glowing black runes carved down its length and a black crystal set into the claw shaped top of the magical weapon. The Toppat King loosed a bolt of black energy from his weapon of choice towards the busiest part of the battlefield. Guards and Toppats alike were caught in the blast, Terrence only caring for his immediate victory, and Red heard Reginald suck in a breath in horror at it all.

 “His own men are in there!” Red hissed. “The hells is he thinking?”

“We can always recruit more…” Wright quoted bitterly.

“We need to help them, everyone, with me.” Reginald commanded as he led the way.

As their ruler ran rampant, the small band retrieved as many of their wounded as they could, Red’s seemingly endless supply of potions and elixirs proving to be a boon to the clan and saving countless lives.

[jewish-privilege]

After months of discussion, the Highland Park Borough Council brought their resolution on anti-Semitism to a vote on Tuesday, October 29. The final result, at the end of the nearly four-hour, standing room-only meeting, was a 3-3 tie, with Mayor Gayle Brill Mittler casting the tie-breaking vote to table. The mayor had previously supported the legislation, and asked for a new version to be presented at the next council meeting on November 12.

Public comments and debate significantly exceeded the originally allotted time. Attendees in the room were, according to different descriptions, between two-thirds and one-half favor of the resolution, which would have condemned anti-Semitism and included the BDS (Boycott, Divest, and Sanctions) movement as an example of anti-Semitism.

Compounding the problem was that the resolution put up for vote was slightly changed earlier in the evening, replacing the working version that had been posted on the council website last week. The resolution spoke of condemning all forms of anti-Semitism from “both ends of the political spectrum,” including bias, hate speech, discriminatory behavior, and hate-based groups, and charged that “components of BDS activities” are anti-Semitic.

In introducing the new resolution, Councilman Matt Hale noted that the council was in receipt of approximately 100 emails and three petitions, with approximately two-thirds in favor of the resolution and one-third against. He also called out the lack of civility in discussions about the topic and implored the audience to keep the discussion respectful and polite.

Among supporters of the resolution, community resident John Kovac urged the Council to “say no to hate,” adding that anti-Semitism exists in societies specifically when it is unchallenged. Jeff Schreiber reminded the council that the Holocaust era began with the boycott of Jewish businesses in Germany and that BDS should be considered anti-Semitic because it singles out the only democracy and only Jewish country in the Middle East, while other countries with terrible records on humanitarianism are given a pass.

Andrew Getraer, a Highland Park resident who serves as director of Hillel at Rutgers University, said the resolution condemning BDS and anti-Semitism was unique because all the local Orthodox, Reform, and Conservative rabbis agreed—something that does not happen very often. If the council wants to eliminate anti-Semitism, it must eliminate all forms, including BDS, he said.

Rabbi Phillip Bazely of Congregation Anshe Emeth (Reform) in New Brunswick said he stood in agreement with the community rabbis in support of the resolution. He nodded to Rabbi Yaakov Luban (Ohr Torah, Orthodox, Edison) and Rabbi Eliyahu Kaufman (Ohav Emeth, Orthodox) and others.

There were close to 20 speakers who opposed the resolution, for a variety of stated reasons. While not all objections focused on BDS, anti-Israel and other comments were made with varying degrees of rancor. One speaker questioned why Israel exists and “why the Arabs have to pay for what the Nazis did.” Another said it was a misappropriation of government funds to support the state of Israel.

One commenter felt that the resolution should include racial discrimination for condemnation and address each incidence of bias separately. The resolution’s language including Israel’s self-determination was questioned as the resolution doesn’t include the same rights for the Mohawk, Navajo, Lenapi, Catalan and Kurdish peoples. Many of the speakers against the resolution brought up how their Jewish roots led them to feel support for the oppressed Palestinians and the shameful living conditions for Arabs in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

As the resolution went to a vote, Councilman Josh Fine said he agreed that the resolution was imperfect, but for many reasons, he was supporting it. Councilwoman Elsie Foster-Dublin said she was conflicted about the resolution; so many Jews were fighting each other on both sides of the resolution. How could she, a non-Jew take a stand on any side? She voted to “table.”

Councilman Phil George began his comments with the fact that Highland Park was deliberately targeted with the “P is for Palestine” reading. He researched all sides of the issue and ultimately compared the resolution discussion to the issue of immigration reform where President Trump was putting politics over the truth. Adding that the resolution makes things worse than before and that people won’t change their positions, he voted “no.”

Councilman Hale voted in support of the resolution after noting that there were many complicated issues involved. He noted that there are a large number of people in town who are extremely frightened of anti-Semitism from the right, left and center of the political spectrum. He shared that when he started working on the resolution he had no idea how complicated it would become, but said that anti-Semitism is growing in the community and has to be stopped. He voted “yes.”

...Councilwoman Susan Welkowitz agreed that a new version agreed upon just that day was an issue, but the council was working to a point of exhaustion to get to the heart of the matter. The mayor had asked for an anti-Semitism resolution and they created one. The addition of BDS to the resolution made things more difficult but it could not be “walked back,” she said. She was concerned that the educational component to promote awareness and fight anti-Semitism was perceived as promoting pro-Israel propaganda. Adding that this was never an issue limiting free speech for those who dislike Israel or align with the Palestinians, she can “smell, taste, and feel” that BDS is anti-Semitism and something needs to be done. Weeding out anti-Semitism, does not mean that people don’t care about Palestinians. She voted “yes.”

Mayor Brill Mittler began her remarks noting how disappointed she was with the process and that Highland Park is a diverse community, and with that comes responsibility. There is freedom of speech, but BDS tactics are anti-Semitic. She said she requested a resolution on the topic seven months ago and brought Rabbi Esther Reed from Rutgers Hillel to the borough’s Human Relations Committee to present evidence of the horrifying rise in anti-Semitic activity in New Jersey, Middlesex County, and specifically Highland Park. Brill Mittler said she found it hard to understand why seven months later the situation is still unresolved, adding that the addition of BDS verbiage “blew everything up.”

After noting her family ties and expressing love for Israel, Brill Mittler said her primary concern was keeping the residents of Highland Park safe. If people felt that the addition of BDS language makes people feel unsafe or targeted, then she cannot support the resolution. The mayor ultimately voted to table the resolution.

When pro-BDS attendees applauded, the mayor admonished them. Saying that she cannot tolerate Highland Park residents being attacked in the streets and the council needs to come back at the next council meeting on November 12 with a new resolution. In the meantime, residents have to feel safe and stop fighting one another.

Exiting the meeting, Michael Gordon noted that this outcome was what the ADL had predicted. “Kicking the can down the road emboldens BDS supporters” and their future activities. Others leaving the meeting noted the fallacy of the signs on Highland Park lawns saying “Hate has no home here.” Someone was overheard grumbling that an asterisk should be added to the signs saying “except for Jews.”

Community activist Josh Pruzansky took to Facebook after the meeting. “Last night we faced an uphill battle with the anti-Semitism resolution in Highland Park and almost won. I don't view it as a loss but rather as a step in the process for our community of being heard and respected. The bottom line is although we lost the vote, and I attribute it to members of the Council being unprepared for this vote; we still accomplished much,” he wrote.

[fanfictionfrom-nonfan]

KAMIKAZE

Genre: Angst

Dystopia!AU Jimin x Reader

November, 2057

It only takes a moment for the future of the Earth to be completely altered. It took the President of the United States forty-seven minutes to surrender to the Red Bullet forces, thirty-two for the UN to yield, nineteen for the rest of the United Kingdoms to capitulate to a new supremacy and within ten minutes, the Red Bullet forces had set their camps throughout the globe, not giving any nation a chance to change their minds.

Not that it was possible.

They said it was ‘for the sake of mankind’ and that we were wasting resources by trading so they thought they’d make it easier for the world by centralising leadership, resources and manpower. Meaning, they’d depose the governments, take over everything we owned and strip us off our jobs until they decide what they could do to us.

But the nature of things is that if there was power, there would be an opposing force and it didn’t take long for y/n to join the Green Movement.

The Green Movement was a youth led rebellion against the new leaders and with the hot-bloodedness of young people and their raging hormones, their numbers soared. They felt oppressed, they felt like they needed to do something. Very soon, anyone below thirty who wasn’t part of it were deemed ‘slaves of the new world’.

It was an organisation where only the leaders knew what was going on, however. Many of the grassroots were in it for the thrill and pressure to do something about the sudden change without thinking. A lot of blind hatred for the Red Bullet were spread but when they started rationing basic necessities like salt and water, these youths took to the streets to protest.

It didn’t work, obviously.

Their angry cries were simply ignored and when they grew cold, tired, hungry and weak, they crawled back to their homes with tails beneath their legs.

January, 2059

By the end of the next year, the way the world work really wasn’t the way things were before the takeover. The internet had become a highly controlled community despite its incredible advancements. Sure, the speed of the internet and its data capacity was far beyond imaginable levels since pre-takeover, but network bugs were everywhere, sniffing for traces of rebellion among citizens of the Red Bullet Order. Food supplies were still being rationed, so was petrol and every day-use products like paper or medicine. Vehicles for regular use were controlled and public transport became redundant, now that people were divided into towns that were defined by the kind of work the people there did. People never needed to travel far to work anymore, they could simply walk and all these was a part of the ‘Active Living Scheme’, they said, and environmentally friendly too. Needless to say, people all over the world were uprooted to join these ‘work homes’ they were allocated to.

One such man was a Korean genius, Kim Namjoon, who was taken from his hometown in Seoul, South Korea, to India, Asia’s Silicon Valley. His own country had turned into a giant Artificial Intelligence and Organ developmental center and he knew that the only way he could help the rest of humanity regain some of their freedom was to take charge of the World Wide Web and he did just that. He had gained the trust of his superiors and he learned fast too. Soon he was able to control other computers from his own- he had the freedom of having his own to use, without the surveillance of the bugs and he even programmed a virus like software that could hide an entire computer browser from the view of any spyware.

And since he was made Head of the Red Bullet Internet Security Team, there wasn’t very much he’d need to hide.    

It didn’t take him long to find some of his fellow Green Movement comrades online and overrode their computers with the software and very soon, Green Movement activists around the world were back into action. He had created a platform for them to exist.

Then a flurry of activity online happened. Within weeks, teenagers and adults alike had formed ranks within their organisation and divided themselves into various groups. Some groups took it upon themselves to do work strikes, some who held aviation jobs formed a union that made it a point to ruin the flying experience of any member of the Red Bullet, and some extremists formed mass suicide groups, believing that the Red Bullet’s power only existed because there were people to control. Yet, everything was done in a childish manner. These minor atrocities did briefly catch the attention of the leaders but they were swiftly ignored. It didn’t matter to them that a bunch of losers were dying or that some people didn’t want to do their jobs. They had new members joining their order each they, in numbers that exceeded those of the trouble makers.    

July, 2060

It was a Green Movement ‘special team’, cleverly disguised as a prayer group that y/n had found herself a part of in the summer of 2060. At first, she joined wanting to seek a spiritual calm amidst the sudden oppression. Her job as a typists required her to get up at 6am in the morning and walk to the media station situated in Beijing, China, about a kilometer from her house and to type and transcribe whatever came through from the headquarters in Washington D.C. until she left work at 5pm. Lunch breaks were flexible but she had daily deadlines to meet so she ate when she could. Then whatever work was left, she could take back to the comfort of her own home and her personal computer where she held conversations with her Green Movement peers every night. They were a small union with around fifteen members had a private chat group where they conversed with each other. The leader was Park Jimin, a gentle looking Korean man, who was also situated in Beijing, as a music transcriber and so was his cousin, Jeon Jungkook. They had been lucky enough to have been allocated in the same town and the two of them shared an apartment just two kilometers away from her own place (or so that’s what google maps told her). She had never met the cousins although they lived near her but she spoke with them every night for at least two hours before she went to bed.

She would be lying, though, if she said that she didn’t have any thoughts of one day actually meeting them. They had hit off really well, even more than the other members of their group chat and it seemed that the feelings were mutual when Jimin messaged her privately one night.

It started off awkwardly. After all, all their conversations had always been public and never too intimate. They would usually encourage each other with prayer or shared Beijing’s condition and how their lives as transcribers in a foreign land was like to the other members or talk about their lives before the takeover and the most intimate thing they’d done was sharing selfies when they were bored. Nothing was too personal.

“Can we talk?”

Before she could reply to that, another message arrived.

“I feel like you’re my closest friend here.”

He was being so honest, she found it hard to keep herself from smiling. She was really nervous too, he felt so serious even though she couldn’t directly see him.

“Sure.”

A one worded answer. She hoped that he didn’t think she was crude so she quickly sent a second one.

“I’m happy to listen. ☺”

The smiley was very crucial.

And he talked. He told her how he felt, having to do the same meaningless routine of waking up, going to work, coming home and the cycle repeated itself. Heck, he no longer found any meaning to waking up anymore. In the beginning, he lived for Jungkook. But now Jungkook had become so much part of the routine he lived through stiffly each passing day. He hated the Red Bullet for making him feel that way and himself even more for even feeling this way towards his own cousin.

“All of a sudden I’ve got nothing I love anymore and it scares me, y/n.”

It came as a surprise to her as Jimin was their leader. He was the agony aunt to anyone who needed advice, he was everyone’s listening ear and he cheered for all of them endlessly. Then it dawned on her. Who was his comfort? Who could he turn to when he needed help?

“I feel so helpless.”

October, 2060

It took them four months to realise that they should meet up and they do, one night after work at a Green Movement run restaurant, hidden at an apartment just a few blocks away from their respective workplaces. They were nearer each other than they’d thought. Since food was rationed throughout the world, these restaurants only existed because of the Green Movement activists that worked in the Food Control department of Eastern Asia. Somehow, with another software, courtesy of Kim Namjoon, they could arrange the food stores, managed by a computerised program, to be delivered to the home of a Spanish retired chef who was allowed to remain in retirement. He was far too old to be a part of the Green Movement but he thourougly supported his son’s involvement in the rebel organisation. He didn’t like, though, the fact that Juan had been sent to Asia to type when he held a master’s degree in Spanish Literature.

Jimin had turned up at the entrance of  the media station in a borrowed car and a suit, promptly at 5.05pm. His job as a musical transcriber had more flexible hours and they could leave anytime they were done but it was precisely this freedom that had made him realise there was no longer any life in the cities outside of their work desks.

“I’d have brought flowers if I could but they don’t ration those. I hope you don’t mind this instead.” He grinned and held out a paper rose.

He looked just like his photographs, the same gentle yet alluring eyes and adorable cheeks and his smile. Y/n could’ve sworn she felt her heart skip a beat when he opened the car door for her with the happiest smile she’s seen in a while.

“I’ve always preferred Korean food but beggars can’t be choosers eh?” His smile had never left his face in the entire time they’ve been together so far. It was almost hard to believe that this smiley man was the same man who had nothing but sadness in his words that they’ve exchanged over a computer if not for the hint of despondency in the tone of his voice.

“It’s actually really nice, though. So much better than whatever I’ve been eating.” She digs into her prawns dipped in garlic aioli but her gaze never really leaving the man in front of her. He scoops paella into her empty plate.

“Can’t complain when I’ve been eating overcooked rice for the past year. Jungkook and I have never really figured out how to use the cooker.”

“How can you mess up making rice?” she laughs.

“Is that bad? Jungkook tried to fry an egg with the microwave once.”

February, 2061

It was a routine by then, to meet each other once a week. But Jimin hated routine so on some days, he’d show up just as she’d knocked off from work without any notice on his bicycle and some sandwiches and he’d take them to a scenic spot by the river where they stayed until the sun set and on other days, he’d turn up at her house suddenly with coffee, blankets and movie recommendations and sometimes, he’d take her to the mall (he calls them ration centers) where he’d use up a few of his ration tokens on dresses and shoes he liked on her.  

But her favourite was always the days he’d show up after a long day of work on his bike and they’d remain silent through the journey to his place. Words didn’t need to be exchanged. All Jimin needed wasn’t anymore sound. He’d had enough of that at work all day. What he wanted- no, needed was her cheek against his shoulders and her arms firmly around his waist as he took the longer route back to his apartment.

Jungkook welcomed her visits too. He hated the monotony of his life. As much as he loved music, having to face so many tunes in a day, everyday, almost made him lose the passion he had for making his own music.

“You’re here! I was getting bored. Maybe I should go find my own girlfriend too.” He joked. He was two years younger than his older cousin but he held a higher post in the Music Transcription center than Jimin did. His job was a music researcher and had the luxury of listening to as many kinds of music he wanted unlike Jimin who was often stuck with one song for the rest of the week. Especially if it was a symphony orchestra. He hated symphonies.

“You can, you just don’t want to. Doesn’t the Red Bullet groupie called Alice or something have a crush on you?” Jimin asks, not really looking for an answer as he rummaged through the kitchen cabinets for something to feed themselves.

“She’s a red. I’m a green.”

No one dares to fall in love nowadays and y/n counts herself lucky as Jimin tackles her into the couch with overnight tacos in his hand and Jungkook jumping of his side of the sofa with a yelp.

November, 2062

“There isn’t really any point in living, you know.” Jimin types into the group chat one day. By now, the number of members in the union had grown into a sizeable army of 600 youths. Within seconds, a hundred different people from all around the world respond, agreeing with him.

It shocks y/n when she opens her messages but that message was quickly buried by the onslaught of replies and she question’s if she actually saw it at all.

“Jimin, what was that?” she asks him privately over chat.

“Just saying how I feel. I mean, don’t you feel that way? I’ve been at this fucking job for three years now. Jungkook is a researcher. I’m a bloody transcriber. You too, don’t you ever get sick of it?”

She does, of course. She hates her job with every bone in her body but she doesn’t feel angry because she knows at least she has him.

“In this life, what do we have? We have a God? But he isn’t doing anything. At least when we die, we might get to see him. Or not. But it’s better than being a slave on this earth.”

She doesn’t dare reply.

“The best thing I have is you and I love you so much, and I feel like utter crap every time I realise I don’t have anything nice to give to you. I can’t provide you with a comfortable life away from the hell hole you’re stuck in, I can’t take you out on nice dates under a candle light, I can’t show you how much you really mean to me, I can’t even make you proud of me.”

She wants to shout at him that he’s being stupid and that everything he does, she knows it’s for her and she knows, she knows how much he loves her and she can feel it. She wants to yell that she doesn’t need fancy gifts and expensive dates because all she needs is really just him and his presence.

But she’s suddenly afraid because this Jimin wasn’t the Jimin she thought she knew. She’s scared of this stranger and the words he’s saying with her boyfriend’s online chat account.

She goes back to read their group chat and she finds that they’ve renamed their group ‘The Kamikaze’. It’s too late.

December, 2062

From that day on, it had been a downward spiral. Jimin stopped smiling, he stopped trying to get through the days, he stopped trying to make her happy, he stopped trying to make him happy. Every time she visited him, he’d only swear at himself for making her take the trouble.

“But you’re not even trying!” she once cried.

“What’s there to try for? There is nothing at the end of the road for us.”

She leaves his apartment, half outraged, half broken-hearted.

January, 2063

He shows up at her doorstep past midnight, in a complete wreck.

“I can’t take this anymore.” He stares at her with such lifelessness in his eyes. But she wondered if he was actually back when he falls into her embrace. Like the old times, he stays the night and they don’t leave each others’ arms until her alarm clock knocks the peace out of the house.

February, 2063

“I want to leave this place.” He tells her very matter of factly. “Will you leave with me?”

“Of course.” She says with a laugh, just to humour him. “Wherever you’ll go, I’ll come with you.” He smiles back with assurance and laces their fingers together and he waits for her to fall asleep first, on his bed. It was her turn to stay over at his, just like how they’ve done two springs ago. With his free hand, he brushes the stray strands of hair off her face and pulls the covers over the both of them before he too, falls asleep.

“You’re beautiful, my love.”

March, 2063

He meant it when he said he was going to leave.

“Love, I don’t want to carry on like this anymore. It’s torture.” He said those words with such pain in his voice that y/n begins to feel the suffocation he feels too. Her insides scream at her to stop, however.

Their group chat numbers had increased again but more than three hundred of the members were no longer active. They had went on with the plan hatched by their leader. To end their suffering, to hell with the Red Bullet and for the better of the world.

“Today, a hundred and fifty of our brave fighters have carried out their mission successfully,” Jimin writes, “It is time I did my duty. As your leader I will lead by example. After that, Jungkook will carry on our legacy.”

Y/n removes herself from the chat group.

Mid-April, 2063

“For the greater good of the world?” she whispers but the absurdity of her words make her howl with laughter. She doesn’t know what’s right or what’s wrong anymore. She never minded living out those long days with short nights because she knew he was always around to wipe her tears. He was willing to pluck the stars in the sky for her and that was all she needed to know. But here was a man who stood on a ladder with that very ambition but lost his footing and fell way down.

Now he was broken and no amount of healing would fix him.

“Yes, I’d say that’s it.” He smiles at her with the very smile she received the very first day they met. It’s chilling, it makes her heart leap and she falls in love with him all over again.

Late-April, 2063

His hands take hers, so delicately and he pulls her close, his eyes boring into her skull and his lips, ever so sweetly take hers with his and she finds herself heavy lidded and drunk on his touch, how softly he traces patterns onto her back, how firmly, yet not hard enough to hurt her, he holds her waist.

“I love you, so, so, much.” He breathes when he breaks away from her but then rests his forehead against hers, his eyes shut.

“It’s time for us to leave.” He takes her hand again and guides her to his bicycle where she sits at the place she’s all too familiar with, with her cheek against his shoulder and her arms around his waist and they take the long route back to her house.

“We’ll never need to part again.” He smiles, and it’s the brightest she’s ever seen, ever. There isn’t a sadness in his voice, his eyes are gleaming and worry-free and this is the first time she’s seen him so relaxed and happy.

When they reach her place, he picks her up into his arms and takes her to the bed. The whole place smells of peaches and almonds. He puts her down and joins her, holding her against him like how they’ve always done. He intertwines their fingers and rests his head against her.

And just like always, he makes it hard to breath.

His soft kisses made her dizzy.

And her heart leaps.

And then he takes her breath away.

And he’s gone with her.

Fin.

[lokeanrampant]

Anders & Mental Illness

Cause someone kinda spurred this Wall of Text.  

You want unpopular opinion time?  Here ya go:   Anders is NOT mentally ill.

So what are the symptoms that people are seeing that make them see mental illness, which, for the purposes of this post, will be a medical diagnosis concerned with neural biochemistry that can never be cured, but can be managed with the assistance of medication to help correct the body’s own imbalance.

Anders DEFINITELY has post-traumatic stress disorder.  Please note, this is not considered a mental illness by way of biochemistry.  It is a learned behavior and associated response, an extreme form of Pavlov’s conditioning, that can be treated through cognitive therapy, medication, and time.  Why does he have PTSD?  Let’s go down the list:

Because he’s been trained to hate himself since he manifested magic.  Not because he did something wrong, but because of how he was born.  Yay, let’s teach people to hate themselves for being born.

Because he’s been taught he’s a walking weapon.  

Because his own family went from being as much a family as any other (with good and bad points) to essentially calling him a monster and throwing him out like so much garbage.

Feelings of persecution because, well, he is taken from his family, called a monster, and then locked into a tower/prison to experience little to no privacy and under constant guard where any small movement, action, or thought could be met with abuse, torture, or death.

Solitary confinement – MULTIPLE TIMES.  Please note, while there is not much in canon about the type of solitary confinement used, it is generally a small cell (60-80sq ft, or a 6-8’x10’ cell).  This is where everything is done – eating, drinking, sleeping, reliving oneself.   For Solitary Confinement:  

There may be extreme sensory deprivation – there may or may not be light, sounds may be constant or none at all or that idle drip-drip-drip of condensation on stone. There is no actual human contact.

As if mages are dehumanized already, the combination of isolation and sensory deprivation furthers this dehumanization in that you will eventually start to question reality itself.  Once you leave this sort of confinement, readjusting to the sights, sounds, and textures of the real world is a major hardship.  Everything is too loud, too bright, too textured, too everything – it’s a total body sensory overload.

For someone so steadfastly opposed to being confined, who has escaped multiple times simply to be free?  Solitary confinement is the WORST type of abuse.  It’s throwing an arachnaphobic into a room full of spiders, or a claustrophobic in a tiny box, or an agoraphobic into an open field.  It is their worst nightmare come to life. Short-term, it would excruciating, but multiple times with ever-lengthening terms?  That creates a desperation that will lead to severe risk-taking, extreme levels of anxiety, a desperate need-to-please to avoid that situation again (very Stockholm Syndrome), and suicidality.  But of course, the institution that does all this doesn’t care.  One less mage to worry about.

From an RL-perspective, the United Nations has classified anything over 15days in solitary confinement “constitutes cruel, degrading and inhumane treatment, or torture.” For someone who is mentally ill already (again, see above), the pressures exerted on the human psyche for such extended periods of time would resolve into a complete psychological break.

Based on all of that? It’s a wonder Anders is functional at all, though we know people who have survived such things and live with PTSD and can be function.  It shows a pure strength of self and major resilience.  THAT we do see in Anders.

So now we’re going to look at the why so many see the shift between DAA and DA2 Anders as absolutely signs of mental illness.  So DA2 was a rushed mess with a seriously unreliable narrator and essentially decided to disregard almost everything from DAA.  Remarkable storytelling, there, BioWare.  Good on ya.  *rolls eyes*

DAA Anders.  Ah, yes, the sassy, snark-driven flirt that everyone adores.  It’s called OVERCOMPENSATION.  Anders knows full well if this last escape attempt doesn’t work, he is, quite literally, a dead man.  While he has no fucks left to give on many levels, he will fight that one tooth and nail. He would rather die than go back to solitary or be given a lobotomy.  He will rail against authority, but anyone who gives him an ounce of positive reinforcement, an ounce of kindness, that is something to which he will cling with desperation and do anything to keep that positivity occurring.  Especially if it can in some way prevent what he fears the most.  So he flirts, is charming, is sassy, is snarky, and is HELPFUL. He may have a mouth on him, but he IS helpful.  He wants to ingratiate himself.  It’s also a self-defense mechanism where if he can deflect everything with wit and sass, no one will actually know what terrifies him the most and give them leverage over him.  He can’t afford that vulnerability.  

But he cannot hide the anger – that is there, in spades and then some.  He remembers enough of his life before the Circle to know there is a better life.  He is angry for everything he has felt in the Circle, for all the people who were hurt there, for how he was hurt there, for how anything resembling any sort of goodness was stripped away, beaten out, abused, or killed.  They were not allowed anything truly good in their lives and he had had that, tasted it, wanted it.  Knew it was there.  So he is angry, furious, fighting so hard to be free and be allowed to breathe and just be him, not some monster they kept telling him he was.  He didn’t feel like a monster, he didn’t want to be a monster, but he was still terrified he was one.  

And so he becomes a Warden – mostly because he can and as yet another last-ditch effort (he has a lot of those) to break free from the tyranny of the Circles and his impending death sentence at the hands of the templars.  The Wardens should be his escape.  They are an organization beholden to NONE.  Their backgrounds effectively cease to exist, for the most part.  It doesn’t matter if they are rogue, warrior, thief, murderer, or mage – once they are joined, they are Wardens.  And if it weren’t for the continued persecution of the templars who simply cannot stop being assholes, who knows what might have happened.  He did already exhibit traits of fighting for freedom, his own if no one else’s, at this point.  Justice helped him see that there were more people oppressed and made him start thinking about that.  

For all the extra time he had before being taken to the Circle, Anders is still young.  Though there are no canonical ages mentioned, general thought is that DAA Anders is early-20s.  And the Circles are geared toward keeping mages naïve and helpless, to keep them like young children so they are, by necessity, required to rely upon their captors for survival.  Anders has a bit more independence going into that environment than many, which is how he continued to fight and get himself in trouble.  He’s very strong-willed with a drive for independence, but he’s still effectively in the mindset of a troubled teen.  

Yet with all of that, there really isn’t any mental illness.  There is the PTSD, the anxiety and paranoia, the overcompensation, all from truly legitimate and horrifying experiences that would leave multiple symptoms of lasting impact in varying extremes.  Again, PTSD is a learned response to stimuli.  He is reacting based on previous experiences and results. And it absolutely influences day-to-day interactions even if the experience is in the past, because the key part of PTSD is that the past is NOT the past, it is still actively influencing the present, even if those stimuli are not actively in the present.

So let’s talk DA2 Anders. This is actually my preferred Anders. Why?  Because he has grown up.  He’s been given the TIME to actually figure himself out to a degree outside the confines of the Circle.  And do you know what he found?  That is has mountains of strength and compassion to give to others.  That he can say NO to some things.  Do you have any idea how difficult is to say NO when you’ve been indoctrinated like that?  It’s one of the hardest things in the world to do and even when you learn it and can say it, it can still be such a struggle to fight to listen to yourself and your feelings and not fall prey to that belief that it would simply be better for everyone if you said yes, no matter how horrible it may be for you to do so.

Anders in DA2 is a semi-to-mostly-functioning adult, as any adult would be after going through his life experiences, but all in all, he’s actually doing okay for himself.  He’s managing.  Sometimes, that is the absolute best we can manage.  We find out that he merged with Justice from DAA.  A lot of people will claim this, in and of itself, makes him bipolar or, at the very least, the outdated Multiple Personality Disorder (now Dissociative identity disorder), wherein there are a minimum of two distinctly separate identities that persist.  On the outside?  Eh, I can sorta see it…EXCEPT.  Justice isn’t Anders splitting his psyche into multiple pieces.  Justice is JUSTICE, a Spirit of the Fade.  A personality in and of itself/himself (and this particular personification of Justice chooses to be male, so male pronouns from here on out).  Justice isn’t a fragment of Anders’ personality.  He is a spirit who inhabits a living form that already has a soul. YOU LITERALLY HAVE TWO SOULS IN ONE BODY.  This is not a mental illness, this is spirit possession.  So DID can go straight out the window on this one.  

And then there’s that whole spirit/demon thing.  Justice IS NOT a demon.  He’s one hell of a hard ideal, in spirit form.  I have an entire essay written about Fade Entities, but that’s another topic. Needless to say, Justice isn’t some cute lil cricket on Anders’ shoulder.  Justice is a burning ideal in a world full of injustices.  And Justice, as we can see in DAA, is actively learning about the world around him.  He becomes, essentially, a very protective elder brother to Anders as you can see Justice only really breaks out and takes control in DA2 when Anders is clearly at breaking point and under severe emotional distress.  Imagine Hawke going to bat for their younger sibling in times of distress and you have Justice, wielding the blue fire and lighting of the Fade.  Justice allows Anders to know there is someone always looking out for him, who always has his back.  He allows Anders to feel a modicum of safety and gives him that push to allow him to be who he is.  He is, in a word, family.  Not easy, not kind, not always loving, but he is the chosen family – the blood of the covenant, not of the womb – and that much stronger for it.

Justice gave Anders a type of companionship after years of solitary confinement that no one else could. Justice helped anchor Anders, even though he pushes him hard.  Spirits can learn (Justice does, Cole does, even Wynne’s Spirit of Faith does) and they learn their environments and hosts if need be.  But inhabiting the living body of someone who has experienced everything Anders has?  It makes Justice very protective and very angry, but that doesn’t make him a demon. It actually makes him more human. He feels righteous fury at those who hurt his friend and continue to hurt him and others like him.  He feels insulted and personally attacked whenever he is called demon because he knows Anders’ fears about himself and Justice and their merging and he would never want anything like that to hurt his friend or for he, himself, to fall to that.  But he hasn’t.  Justice is still Justice and still that same ideal.  To warp Justice into a demon would require Justice brutalizing everything he is and warping the ideal of justice into something else entirely. And vengeance doesn’t count here – they are two sides of the same coin, which is why you often see vengeance called vigilante justice.  If the order of the world dictates that those in power do not provide justice, then vigilantism is the justice they receive.  I’m not even entirely sure what Justice could become if he was able to be warped enough into a demon, actually, no, I take that back, he would become Zealotry – the brute enforcement of an ideal, fanatical enforcement of an idea with no regard anything but that.  And that is NOT Justice.  There are much better examples of zealotry in Thedas.

Does Anders have aggressive self-defense mechanisms?  Oh hell yes.  He actually aggressively overacts to quite a few things to the point Hawke really should have smacked him upside the head a few times.  But it goes back to that old saying where it’s not paranoia if they’re actually out to get you.  And yes, they are actively and actually out to get Anders. Yet for all of this?  For all that he remains hunted, for all that his very existence is hated and persecuted and reviled?  He starts up a free clinic.  He uses his magic to heal people without asking for anything in return, except maybe to be left alone and maybe, just maybe get a warning if the templars are too close.  He has so much compassion, even after everything he has experienced.  He cares enough to not want others to experience what he has experienced.  

So let’s get back to mental illness.  I see a lot of references to manic episodes.  Now, I know that everyone who is diagnosed with BPD, I or II, experiences their own form.  It’s different for everyone.  I have BPD II and have only experienced medication-induced manic episodes and YIKES – I don’t know how anyone deals with those on a regular basis at all.  I get the funzies of depressive episodes, sometimes so badly they will pull me under.  Sometimes, so badly that yes, suicide is at the forefront of my thoughts. A lot of that has to the with the diagnosed PTSD and self-hatred that I have been trained to have. Indoctrination is a bitch. Therapy is helping, but it took years to get this shit diagnosed even after years ago, I had done enough research to kind of diagnose myself.  But no one wanted to believe me when I brought it up as a possibility.  People see other people functioning, to the most basic appearances, normally, and they hand-wave away the idea that there might be a problem.  So that said, let’s take a look at manic episodes.

I’m going with a firm NO on this one.  The closest thing I can see to manic episodes are when Anders is working almost feverishly on his manifesto.  No abject risk-taking that was any more prevalent than his multiple escape attempts. The closest thing we have to that is him running a free clinic and the mage underground in Kirkwall.  Hell, him breathing in Kirkwall is risk-taking.  But the manifesto nights?  It’s less manic and more avoidance, in my mind.  I’ve done it.  It’s keeping so busy that you don’t have time to think about the bad things that are constantly in your head.  Keep busy, keep healing, keep writing, keep fighting and for the love of all that is good, DON’T SLEEP.  Don’t let the dreams in, don’t be helpless and vulnerable.  Work until you’re so exhausted and you don’t dream, then wake exhausted again and do it again.  This is PTSD-anxiety at work combined with night terrors.  He is terrified of going to sleep, of being vulnerable to attack, of the nightmares of not just the taint, but of dark spaces and helplessness and the Fade and memories of failures, all those he couldn’t protect.  He drives himself so hard so he doesn’t have to think of those things.  It’s a defense mechanism.  It’s mostly utilized for anxiety and depression when dealing with PTSD or with basic extreme stress/duress and grief, and his history clearly can point to when those started.  

Oh, wait, I mentioned depression up there, didn’t I?  Hey, that’s a mental illness!  Yes, it is. Absolutely.  But you can be depressed without having the mental illness/biochemistry maladaptation.  Damned genetics.  ANYWAY.  PTSD causes extreme reactions, stress and duress, anxiety, and yes, depression.  You can’t escape the anxiety, the fear responses, the need to either work yourself to the bone or sleep away the pain.  In Anders’ case, it’s working himself so he doesn’t dream. Guess what happens when you do that to yourself over and over and over again?  The body isn’t designed to go without sleep and proper rest.  Those of us with sleep disorders will tell you (and it’s in the medical literature if you care to research it) that that degree of sleep deprivation will cause depression.  It’s not necessarily a matter of biochemistry, but that of situational body adaptations to not being able to recuperate.  

So there it is in a very large nutshell – my thoughts on why Anders is NOT mentally ill.  I get that some people want to see themselves in their favorite characters.  I relate to Anders on many levels, but I cannot put my diagnoses on him.

[southeastasianists]

It is difficult to describe the euphoria produced by an event that, in a single day, vanquishes a party’s 61-year grip on power and its corruption-tainted leader.

Almost 100 days since Malaysia’s opposition Pakatan Harapan coalition took office after a historic election outcome in May, there’s still a strong whiff of optimism in the air. But not all Malaysians – in particular, marginalised groups that have long borne the brunt of repressive state action – are holding their breath for the dawn of the rights-respecting, corruption-free country the new rulers have promised.

Certainly, the administration has moved quickly to deliver on some of its election pledges, such as investigating the corruption scandal involving the state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) and bringing charges against former Prime Minister Najib Razak. It has established a committee on reforming institutions, particularly the police, which have violated rights with impunity for years; has begun the process to repeal a “fake news” law that muzzled the press; and committed to ratifying international human rights treaties.

But for some civil society groups and activists in Malaysia, particularly those advocating for the rights of marginalised communities, the new government’s 100-day report card includes concerns that reforms will not go far enough, leaving them to continue their years-long human rights battles.

Continued forced evictions for farmers to favour private developersJerit, or the Coalition of Oppressed Peoples, has been mobilising marginalised communities and farmers since 2002 to demand the rights of workers and indigenous people as well as land rights, fighting forced evictions by private developers working in cahoots with the state. Over the years, many Jerit activists have been intimidated by state government officials or private companies and targeted for arbitrary arrests, ill-treatment, and prosecution by the previous government for their activism. But while the political change might be encouraging, activist Karthiges Rajamanickam said he’s seeing little of that change on the ground.

“I was arrested last week in Penang for opposing a forced eviction,” Karthiges revealed. He is currently facing criminal charges arising from that arrest. “This may be an isolated case… [but] it seems the new government seems to be still operating in the old ways of [the former ruling party] Barisan Nasional at the same time we are seeing some reforms,” he said.

While he’s prepared to give the new government time to prove it is different from its predecessors, Rajamanickam is concerned that its policies on land will be dictated by private developers.

Indigenous people: still profits above lives and land? Another marginalised group that is expectantly watching for a change in policy are indigenous Malaysians – among them, the Orang Asli indigenous tribes of Peninsular Malaysia who make up about 1% of the population. Previous administrations had long sought to strip their identity by categorising them as members of the dominant Malay ethnic group. As a result, the authorities have rarely acknowledged their claims of ownership of their land when it decides to grant logging concessions to private companies.

“We were relieved [when the opposition coalition won the election], as we feel we can engage with the new government about our concerns,” said July Lanchong, an indigenous activist from the state of Negeri Sembilan.

“We do not know if we can achieve our objectives. We will need to monitor their comments and actions,” he said.

But Lanchong need not look far for an indication of actions the government is already taking against indigenous communities in the interests of plantations or commercial logging.

In the state of Kelantan this month, a fruit company intimidated and tore down a blockade by the Temiar indigenous community, set up to guard their land from incursions by loggers and plantation workers.

Indigenous people in Sarawak, a state in northwest Borneo island, are now mobilising against a new law passed in July that strips them of customary rights to their land, requiring them to apply to the state for recognition of ancestral domain and communal forests. That coincides with growing demand for territory for commercial logging enterprises. Yet another case of government – this time, a new broom promising sweeping reforms – placing logging interests above the rights of indigenous communities.

Refugees: ready to legally work, learn and move freely in Malaysia Malaysia’s refugee community has suffered untold discrimination and hardship at the hands of the former ruling BN party. Refugees are not legally allowed to work or attend school in the country. But one campaign promise has inspired hope among refugees and their advocates: in its election manifesto, Pakatan Harapan pledged to ratify the 1951 International Convention on Refugees, which would grant refugees employment rights.

“It will make it easier for people once they sign this [document]. I hope they will give us rights to go to school, to hospital, freedom of movement and documentation,” said Muhamad Hason of the Geutanyoe Foundation, a regional rights group.

But the Mahathir administration is yet to spell out a clear plan of when it plans to ratify the Refugee Convention or any other policy reform that will ease hardship on refugees and protect their rights. Until then, refugees will continue to live in limbo. Refugee rights need to be normalised through legislation amendments and policy changes. Activists are intent on holding the government to their election promise to “create a Malaysia that is inclusive, progressive, just and free from any forms of discrimination”.

The United Nations Refugee Agency, UNHCR, said in May this year that more than 150,000 refugees and asylum seekers registered with the agency in Malaysia. Close to half are Rohingya refugees, like Hason, fleeing ethnic cleansing in Myanmar.

High hopes for the new government to tackle anti-LGBTI discrimination It’s no secret that in a socially conservative, majority-Muslim country like Malaysia, the issue of sexual orientation is a prickly one. Perhaps that’s putting it mildly. The nation’s LGBT community has been the target of a systematic attack by the previous government, carried out through discriminatory laws and policies that have had a chilling effect on LGBT Malaysians, affecting their employment, housing, education and how the media portrays them.

Since 2012, there has been an increase in state-sponsored and state-funded anti-LGBT projects such as rehabilitation camps for transgender people and manuals, publications and videos promoting the notion idea that LGBT individuals can be “corrected”. This has created a fertile ground for the open expression of hostility towards LGBT.

But among LGBT activists like Thilaga Sulathireh, there are some signs inspiring hope that this government might finally take the lead on real strides towards inclusivity and acceptance of their community.

“[The election outcome] may allow for more space and more conversations,” said Sulathireh of Justice for Sisters, a network collective that works on gender and sexuality issues.

She is also cautious that hostility from right-wing groups, who now claim that the liberals have won power and believe that LGBT people will have their rights, will lead to heightened conservatism within the new government.

A case in point is the high-profile controversy around Numan Afifi, an LGBT activist and cabinet minister’s aide who was hounded out of his job in July by a vicious backlash and threats. Meanwhile, new Religious Affairs Minister Mujahid Yusof Rawa has been saying publicly that LGBT groups are not “allowed to practice the lifestyle in the country.” Recently the Minister ordered the portraits of LGBT activists taken down from an exhibition.

As sudden and dramatic as the political change was in Malaysia, few if any rights groups realistically expect to see that scale and pace of change in their struggles. But they all share a revived sense of optimism coupled with a steeled determination to keep up the pressure, as they’ve done for years, for positive political, legislative, economic and social progress.

Josef Benedict is a Kuala Lumpur-based civic space researcher with global civil society alliance, CIVICUS.

[amyddaniels]

We Are All Grieving Right Now. Here, How to Feel Whole Amid Uncertainty

Yoga teacher Karena Virginia discusses the collective grief of COVID-19 and what it can teach us. Plus, six tips to jumpstart your own deep healing process.

Karena Virginia

My heart is racing, and I feel that empty longing sensation in my stomach like something was taken from me. It must be 3 a.m. again. Did I say or post something too personal yesterday? Was I too much? Was I hiding in my cocoon all day not doing enough for the world? Was I doing too much activism again? Protesting again. Too much? Not enough?

Nauseous and hot. My mind runs through the day and evening before as if someone else is lying in this body right now shaming me for my existence. Did I allow too much freedom for the kids? Did they wash their hands after going outside? Did they really stay six-feet apart? Am I numbing myself when I help others overcome addiction?

Once again, I’m ruminating on the small things to prevent myself from feeling the real grief and longing in my soul. The grief and the regrets, and the longing for traditions, and moments and time with loved ones that were taken for granted are too painful to feel. Shame. What kind of yogi am I?

What I’m feeling is trauma. It’s collective and ancestral trauma. It is not just me. We are all grieving. Something very painful is happening as we rebirth ourselves, and it feels like some kind of very deep intense healing.

Can you feel it too?

See also Karena Virginia's Practice for Finding Instant Calm

The Persistence of Ancestral Trauma

In this time of global pandemic, we are collectively healing ancestral karma, while we are being told to stay home. The message is clear: It is not safe to step out of your home. Do not use your voice. Do not reveal secrets. Do not speak of herbs or spells, and, by all means, never speak truth to power. You will die if you do. There is danger outside. It can kill, and it is killing. It can strip finances and security. Hide.

The virus is invisible, but it is taking lives and jobs and creating absolute chaos in our world. We feel it even if we are not watching the daily news. Our bodies know.

Our bodies hold scores of lifetimes, and our cells hold scores of generations. We are imprisoned in our homes, our bodies, and our cellular memories. And we want to fight for peace and we want to call out the abuse of power that has been perpetuating the systemic abuse and racism for way too long. How do we run and protest for peace when we are trapped indoors and inside old stories of unworthiness and shame.

I don’t like when animals are used for testing, but this study of mice proves what our cells know. Our DNA can wire us for shame, fear, and playing small. The study took a group of mice and wafted the smell of cherry blossoms into their habitat while also exposing them to anxiety-provoking stimuli. The mice exhibited a fear response whenever they smelled cherry blossoms from then on. However, when they tested several generations of offspring of those mice that were never exposed to the anxiety provoking stimuli, they still responded with fear anytime they smelled cherry blossoms.

If our great grandparents experienced persecution, war, illness, inequality, oppression, abuse, racism, or other major traumas, those traumas are still lingering in our DNA. And, on top of that, those of us who are highly sensitive are feeling the pain of the world while also dealing with our own personal grief. This is an intense time, so we must be compassionate with ourselves.

See also Karena Virginia's Practice for Releasing Fear

Healing Ourselves to Heal the World

The good news is that we can heal. We can heal these traumas for our own children, nieces, nephews, neighborhood kids, and so on. Actually, I believe we are being called to heal our ancestral lineage right now. Marching for human rights is spiritual. Calling out broken systems is spiritual. Yelling from rooftops to end racism is spiritual. Anytime we create change for the better of this Earth, we are embodying the spiritual within us.

Anger can propel us into action. The old story that anger is “not enlightened” is changing. Denying anger was a historic tactic to keep us trapped in a cage. Mother Earth is teaching us to say “no more” to abuse, oppression, repression, assault, racism, and destruction of this sacred land we walk on.

I also believe we are becoming butterflies, and this time in the cocoon is the chrysalis. I truly believe this time of “reset” is preparing us for the miraculous. And I am not one to use that word lightly. I have used my voice for change, and have been hated for it. I have received death threats and I have felt deep shame and pain. I have experienced PTSD and the excruciating pain of loss, and I am a white woman with privilege. How do people of color who stand up to injustice feel when they are attacked for being spiritual warriors?

Being a highly sensitive person is not easy. Our energetic immune systems are delicate, and we ache for a better world. We long for peace and justice. We hurt for others, and we feel our own pain as if it is burning our skin. We are angry. We are confused. We feel boxed in, and our souls are crying out: “no more."

6 Ways to Start the Healing Process

Here are some tips that have helped me connect with myself, my intuition, and others during this time of social distancing, when feelings of anxiety, pain, shame, and fear are so prevalent:

1. Feel it

I have learned through deep pain and shame that the only way forward is to lovingly allow myself to deeply feel and express the fear, rage, shock, panic, sadness, anxiety, disappointment, and despair. How much of what you are feeling is yours? Is it an energetic weight? Is it an ancestral pattern? Is it collective grief? Can you feel it to heal it? Locate the sensation. Trauma creates a story so we can make sense of the energy moving through us. How true is the story? Is it located in that part of the body that aches? Ask yourself this question: what percentage of this ache is yours? 80%? 60%? 40 percent? For the portion of the ache that is not yours, think about what can you do to help others. When we help one another we speed up collective healing.

See also 3 Life-Changing Strategies for Processing Grief

2. Ask your guides to assist you

Placing your forehead on the floor so it is lower than your heart in a child’s pose helps quiet the mind and open the heart .I like to say this prayer: “Dear Divine one, please eliminate the ache in my body, mind, and soul that is creating this heaviness. Send angels to lift the fear and darkness that is not mine and bring it back to source so it can be transmuted into love and light. May the alchemy begin. And so it is. So it is. So it is.”

3. Move your body

Shake. Move the trauma. Dance. Tap. Massage your body. Sweep your skin with your hands to release the love hormone oxytocin. Hug yourself. Hold yourself. And just breathe.. Find compassion for yourself. Have you been giving your power away? Change up your practice if you need to, but keep doing a daily practice. Whatever your practice is to elevate. Yoga, meditation, running outside. Stay steady. Cry if you need to. Scream if you need to. Move the trauma. Move it again and again and again. Recognize that the highest teacher at this time is inside you.. Miracles occur naturally when we recognize how loved we are and we elevate our vibration. We are being called to reclaim our sovereignty. We are growing and evolving. We made mistakes, and that is what life is about. It will be ok.

See also Karena Virginia's Sequence for Feeling Strong and Secure

4. Make space for miracles

Clear away anything that clutters your home, your mind, and your spirit. Set boundaries when people send you frightening texts or videos. Once you have created that space ask spirit guides to help you serve humanity: “What will you have me do? How will you have me do it? Who will you have me do it with? When?” Then listen. You may be called to use your voice. You may be called to disrupt a system that is hurting innocent people. You may be called to stand up and fight for human rights and equality. Listen. Observe. Contemplate, and take action from the heart instead of reacting from the overthinking mind. A new world is emerging, but we need to stand up for ourselves and others. 

5. Spend time in nature

If you feel ungrounded, go outside and walk around barefoot. Ground yourself. This new earth has so many secrets to reveal. Look at the flowers. They are blossoming. There is hope. There is a rebirth. You deserve happiness. You deserve prosperity. You are healing so many layers of ancestral trauma, and spirit guides and angels are helping you. Staying home does not mean you are caged in. Bloom. Even flowers bloom in pots. They just need nurturing and love. Give that to yourself.. Keep breathing through the stuck energy so you can free yourself. Relax to attract. You do not need to push or pull. Ask and allow instead. Gifts will appear with ease the more you follow this law. It is the law of love, and it is not a bypass of any sort. It is the law of truth. 

See also We Tried Forest Bathing And Now We See Magic Everywhere

6. Hold hands with others energetically 

Create a new community with people who feel the same way. If your old community is still working for you, host gatherings–both digitally and physically using social distancing measures. It’s time to unlearn ingrained beliefs that perpetuate the problems like jealousy, competition, abuse and racial inequality. Listen to others, and listen to your heart. Let go of what others think or say about you. Observe yourself when you are putting an unhealthy system or community before your divine calling. Be true to the voice in your heart, and live with every action from that space. It takes all of us together in a circle with open hearts for this change to happen.

See also A Libations Meditation for Honoring Black Lives Lost

Want to learn how to tap into your innate kundalini energy to transform your practice and life? Join Karena in her online course with Yoga Journal, called Empowered Kundalini.

[krisiunicornio]

Yoga teacher Karena Virginia discusses the collective grief of COVID-19 and what it can teach us. Plus, six tips to jumpstart your own deep healing process.

Karena Virginia

My heart is racing, and I feel that empty longing sensation in my stomach like something was taken from me. It must be 3 a.m. again. Did I say or post something too personal yesterday? Was I too much? Was I hiding in my cocoon all day not doing enough for the world? Was I doing too much activism again? Protesting again. Too much? Not enough?

Nauseous and hot. My mind runs through the day and evening before as if someone else is lying in this body right now shaming me for my existence. Did I allow too much freedom for the kids? Did they wash their hands after going outside? Did they really stay six-feet apart? Am I numbing myself when I help others overcome addiction?

Once again, I’m ruminating on the small things to prevent myself from feeling the real grief and longing in my soul. The grief and the regrets, and the longing for traditions, and moments and time with loved ones that were taken for granted are too painful to feel. Shame. What kind of yogi am I?

What I’m feeling is trauma. It’s collective and ancestral trauma. It is not just me. We are all grieving. Something very painful is happening as we rebirth ourselves, and it feels like some kind of very deep intense healing.

Can you feel it too?

See also Karena Virginia's Practice for Finding Instant Calm

The Persistence of Ancestral Trauma

In this time of global pandemic, we are collectively healing ancestral karma, while we are being told to stay home. The message is clear: It is not safe to step out of your home. Do not use your voice. Do not reveal secrets. Do not speak of herbs or spells, and, by all means, never speak truth to power. You will die if you do. There is danger outside. It can kill, and it is killing. It can strip finances and security. Hide.

The virus is invisible, but it is taking lives and jobs and creating absolute chaos in our world. We feel it even if we are not watching the daily news. Our bodies know.

Our bodies hold scores of lifetimes, and our cells hold scores of generations. We are imprisoned in our homes, our bodies, and our cellular memories. And we want to fight for peace and we want to call out the abuse of power that has been perpetuating the systemic abuse and racism for way too long. How do we run and protest for peace when we are trapped indoors and inside old stories of unworthiness and shame.

I don’t like when animals are used for testing, but this study of mice proves what our cells know. Our DNA can wire us for shame, fear, and playing small. The study took a group of mice and wafted the smell of cherry blossoms into their habitat while also exposing them to anxiety-provoking stimuli. The mice exhibited a fear response whenever they smelled cherry blossoms from then on. However, when they tested several generations of offspring of those mice that were never exposed to the anxiety provoking stimuli, they still responded with fear anytime they smelled cherry blossoms.

If our great grandparents experienced persecution, war, illness, inequality, oppression, abuse, racism, or other major traumas, those traumas are still lingering in our DNA. And, on top of that, those of us who are highly sensitive are feeling the pain of the world while also dealing with our own personal grief. This is an intense time, so we must be compassionate with ourselves.

See also Karena Virginia's Practice for Releasing Fear

Healing Ourselves to Heal the World

The good news is that we can heal. We can heal these traumas for our own children, nieces, nephews, neighborhood kids, and so on. Actually, I believe we are being called to heal our ancestral lineage right now. Marching for human rights is spiritual. Calling out broken systems is spiritual. Yelling from rooftops to end racism is spiritual. Anytime we create change for the better of this Earth, we are embodying the spiritual within us.

Anger can propel us into action. The old story that anger is “not enlightened” is changing. Denying anger was a historic tactic to keep us trapped in a cage. Mother Earth is teaching us to say “no more” to abuse, oppression, repression, assault, racism, and destruction of this sacred land we walk on.

I also believe we are becoming butterflies, and this time in the cocoon is the chrysalis. I truly believe this time of “reset” is preparing us for the miraculous. And I am not one to use that word lightly. I have used my voice for change, and have been hated for it. I have received death threats and I have felt deep shame and pain. I have experienced PTSD and the excruciating pain of loss, and I am a white woman with privilege. How do people of color who stand up to injustice feel when they are attacked for being spiritual warriors?

Being a highly sensitive person is not easy. Our energetic immune systems are delicate, and we ache for a better world. We long for peace and justice. We hurt for others, and we feel our own pain as if it is burning our skin. We are angry. We are confused. We feel boxed in, and our souls are crying out: “no more."

6 Ways to Start the Healing Process

Here are some tips that have helped me connect with myself, my intuition, and others during this time of social distancing, when feelings of anxiety, pain, shame, and fear are so prevalent:

1. Feel it

I have learned through deep pain and shame that the only way forward is to lovingly allow myself to deeply feel and express the fear, rage, shock, panic, sadness, anxiety, disappointment, and despair. How much of what you are feeling is yours? Is it an energetic weight? Is it an ancestral pattern? Is it collective grief? Can you feel it to heal it? Locate the sensation. Trauma creates a story so we can make sense of the energy moving through us. How true is the story? Is it located in that part of the body that aches? Ask yourself this question: what percentage of this ache is yours? 80%? 60%? 40 percent? For the portion of the ache that is not yours, think about what can you do to help others. When we help one another we speed up collective healing.

See also 3 Life-Changing Strategies for Processing Grief

2. Ask your guides to assist you

Placing your forehead on the floor so it is lower than your heart in a child’s pose helps quiet the mind and open the heart .I like to say this prayer: “Dear Divine one, please eliminate the ache in my body, mind, and soul that is creating this heaviness. Send angels to lift the fear and darkness that is not mine and bring it back to source so it can be transmuted into love and light. May the alchemy begin. And so it is. So it is. So it is.”

3. Move your body

Shake. Move the trauma. Dance. Tap. Massage your body. Sweep your skin with your hands to release the love hormone oxytocin. Hug yourself. Hold yourself. And just breathe.. Find compassion for yourself. Have you been giving your power away? Change up your practice if you need to, but keep doing a daily practice. Whatever your practice is to elevate. Yoga, meditation, running outside. Stay steady. Cry if you need to. Scream if you need to. Move the trauma. Move it again and again and again. Recognize that the highest teacher at this time is inside you.. Miracles occur naturally when we recognize how loved we are and we elevate our vibration. We are being called to reclaim our sovereignty. We are growing and evolving. We made mistakes, and that is what life is about. It will be ok.

See also Karena Virginia's Sequence for Feeling Strong and Secure

4. Make space for miracles

Clear away anything that clutters your home, your mind, and your spirit. Set boundaries when people send you frightening texts or videos. Once you have created that space ask spirit guides to help you serve humanity: “What will you have me do? How will you have me do it? Who will you have me do it with? When?” Then listen. You may be called to use your voice. You may be called to disrupt a system that is hurting innocent people. You may be called to stand up and fight for human rights and equality. Listen. Observe. Contemplate, and take action from the heart instead of reacting from the overthinking mind. A new world is emerging, but we need to stand up for ourselves and others. 

5. Spend time in nature

If you feel ungrounded, go outside and walk around barefoot. Ground yourself. This new earth has so many secrets to reveal. Look at the flowers. They are blossoming. There is hope. There is a rebirth. You deserve happiness. You deserve prosperity. You are healing so many layers of ancestral trauma, and spirit guides and angels are helping you. Staying home does not mean you are caged in. Bloom. Even flowers bloom in pots. They just need nurturing and love. Give that to yourself.. Keep breathing through the stuck energy so you can free yourself. Relax to attract. You do not need to push or pull. Ask and allow instead. Gifts will appear with ease the more you follow this law. It is the law of love, and it is not a bypass of any sort. It is the law of truth. 

See also We Tried Forest Bathing And Now We See Magic Everywhere

6. Hold hands with others energetically 

Create a new community with people who feel the same way. If your old community is still working for you, host gatherings–both digitally and physically using social distancing measures. It’s time to unlearn ingrained beliefs that perpetuate the problems like jealousy, competition, abuse and racial inequality. Listen to others, and listen to your heart. Let go of what others think or say about you. Observe yourself when you are putting an unhealthy system or community before your divine calling. Be true to the voice in your heart, and live with every action from that space. It takes all of us together in a circle with open hearts for this change to happen.

See also A Libations Meditation for Honoring Black Lives Lost

Want to learn how to tap into your innate kundalini energy to transform your practice and life? Join Karena in her online course with Yoga Journal, called Empowered Kundalini.

[cedarrrun]

Yoga teacher Karena Virginia discusses the collective grief of COVID-19 and what it can teach us. Plus, six tips to jumpstart your own deep healing process.

Karena Virginia

My heart is racing, and I feel that empty longing sensation in my stomach like something was taken from me. It must be 3 a.m. again. Did I say or post something too personal yesterday? Was I too much? Was I hiding in my cocoon all day not doing enough for the world? Was I doing too much activism again? Protesting again. Too much? Not enough?

Nauseous and hot. My mind runs through the day and evening before as if someone else is lying in this body right now shaming me for my existence. Did I allow too much freedom for the kids? Did they wash their hands after going outside? Did they really stay six-feet apart? Am I numbing myself when I help others overcome addiction?

Once again, I’m ruminating on the small things to prevent myself from feeling the real grief and longing in my soul. The grief and the regrets, and the longing for traditions, and moments and time with loved ones that were taken for granted are too painful to feel. Shame. What kind of yogi am I?

What I’m feeling is trauma. It’s collective and ancestral trauma. It is not just me. We are all grieving. Something very painful is happening as we rebirth ourselves, and it feels like some kind of very deep intense healing.

Can you feel it too?

See also Karena Virginia's Practice for Finding Instant Calm

The Persistence of Ancestral Trauma

In this time of global pandemic, we are collectively healing ancestral karma, while we are being told to stay home. The message is clear: It is not safe to step out of your home. Do not use your voice. Do not reveal secrets. Do not speak of herbs or spells, and, by all means, never speak truth to power. You will die if you do. There is danger outside. It can kill, and it is killing. It can strip finances and security. Hide.

The virus is invisible, but it is taking lives and jobs and creating absolute chaos in our world. We feel it even if we are not watching the daily news. Our bodies know.

Our bodies hold scores of lifetimes, and our cells hold scores of generations. We are imprisoned in our homes, our bodies, and our cellular memories. And we want to fight for peace and we want to call out the abuse of power that has been perpetuating the systemic abuse and racism for way too long. How do we run and protest for peace when we are trapped indoors and inside old stories of unworthiness and shame.

I don’t like when animals are used for testing, but this study of mice proves what our cells know. Our DNA can wire us for shame, fear, and playing small. The study took a group of mice and wafted the smell of cherry blossoms into their habitat while also exposing them to anxiety-provoking stimuli. The mice exhibited a fear response whenever they smelled cherry blossoms from then on. However, when they tested several generations of offspring of those mice that were never exposed to the anxiety provoking stimuli, they still responded with fear anytime they smelled cherry blossoms.

If our great grandparents experienced persecution, war, illness, inequality, oppression, abuse, racism, or other major traumas, those traumas are still lingering in our DNA. And, on top of that, those of us who are highly sensitive are feeling the pain of the world while also dealing with our own personal grief. This is an intense time, so we must be compassionate with ourselves.

See also Karena Virginia's Practice for Releasing Fear

Healing Ourselves to Heal the World

The good news is that we can heal. We can heal these traumas for our own children, nieces, nephews, neighborhood kids, and so on. Actually, I believe we are being called to heal our ancestral lineage right now. Marching for human rights is spiritual. Calling out broken systems is spiritual. Yelling from rooftops to end racism is spiritual. Anytime we create change for the better of this Earth, we are embodying the spiritual within us.

Anger can propel us into action. The old story that anger is “not enlightened” is changing. Denying anger was a historic tactic to keep us trapped in a cage. Mother Earth is teaching us to say “no more” to abuse, oppression, repression, assault, racism, and destruction of this sacred land we walk on.

I also believe we are becoming butterflies, and this time in the cocoon is the chrysalis. I truly believe this time of “reset” is preparing us for the miraculous. And I am not one to use that word lightly. I have used my voice for change, and have been hated for it. I have received death threats and I have felt deep shame and pain. I have experienced PTSD and the excruciating pain of loss, and I am a white woman with privilege. How do people of color who stand up to injustice feel when they are attacked for being spiritual warriors?

Being a highly sensitive person is not easy. Our energetic immune systems are delicate, and we ache for a better world. We long for peace and justice. We hurt for others, and we feel our own pain as if it is burning our skin. We are angry. We are confused. We feel boxed in, and our souls are crying out: “no more."

6 Ways to Start the Healing Process

Here are some tips that have helped me connect with myself, my intuition, and others during this time of social distancing, when feelings of anxiety, pain, shame, and fear are so prevalent:

1. Feel it

I have learned through deep pain and shame that the only way forward is to lovingly allow myself to deeply feel and express the fear, rage, shock, panic, sadness, anxiety, disappointment, and despair. How much of what you are feeling is yours? Is it an energetic weight? Is it an ancestral pattern? Is it collective grief? Can you feel it to heal it? Locate the sensation. Trauma creates a story so we can make sense of the energy moving through us. How true is the story? Is it located in that part of the body that aches? Ask yourself this question: what percentage of this ache is yours? 80%? 60%? 40 percent? For the portion of the ache that is not yours, think about what can you do to help others. When we help one another we speed up collective healing.

See also 3 Life-Changing Strategies for Processing Grief

2. Ask your guides to assist you

Placing your forehead on the floor so it is lower than your heart in a child’s pose helps quiet the mind and open the heart .I like to say this prayer: “Dear Divine one, please eliminate the ache in my body, mind, and soul that is creating this heaviness. Send angels to lift the fear and darkness that is not mine and bring it back to source so it can be transmuted into love and light. May the alchemy begin. And so it is. So it is. So it is.”

3. Move your body

Shake. Move the trauma. Dance. Tap. Massage your body. Sweep your skin with your hands to release the love hormone oxytocin. Hug yourself. Hold yourself. And just breathe.. Find compassion for yourself. Have you been giving your power away? Change up your practice if you need to, but keep doing a daily practice. Whatever your practice is to elevate. Yoga, meditation, running outside. Stay steady. Cry if you need to. Scream if you need to. Move the trauma. Move it again and again and again. Recognize that the highest teacher at this time is inside you.. Miracles occur naturally when we recognize how loved we are and we elevate our vibration. We are being called to reclaim our sovereignty. We are growing and evolving. We made mistakes, and that is what life is about. It will be ok.

See also Karena Virginia's Sequence for Feeling Strong and Secure

4. Make space for miracles

Clear away anything that clutters your home, your mind, and your spirit. Set boundaries when people send you frightening texts or videos. Once you have created that space ask spirit guides to help you serve humanity: “What will you have me do? How will you have me do it? Who will you have me do it with? When?” Then listen. You may be called to use your voice. You may be called to disrupt a system that is hurting innocent people. You may be called to stand up and fight for human rights and equality. Listen. Observe. Contemplate, and take action from the heart instead of reacting from the overthinking mind. A new world is emerging, but we need to stand up for ourselves and others. 

5. Spend time in nature

If you feel ungrounded, go outside and walk around barefoot. Ground yourself. This new earth has so many secrets to reveal. Look at the flowers. They are blossoming. There is hope. There is a rebirth. You deserve happiness. You deserve prosperity. You are healing so many layers of ancestral trauma, and spirit guides and angels are helping you. Staying home does not mean you are caged in. Bloom. Even flowers bloom in pots. They just need nurturing and love. Give that to yourself.. Keep breathing through the stuck energy so you can free yourself. Relax to attract. You do not need to push or pull. Ask and allow instead. Gifts will appear with ease the more you follow this law. It is the law of love, and it is not a bypass of any sort. It is the law of truth. 

See also We Tried Forest Bathing And Now We See Magic Everywhere

6. Hold hands with others energetically 

Create a new community with people who feel the same way. If your old community is still working for you, host gatherings–both digitally and physically using social distancing measures. It’s time to unlearn ingrained beliefs that perpetuate the problems like jealousy, competition, abuse and racial inequality. Listen to others, and listen to your heart. Let go of what others think or say about you. Observe yourself when you are putting an unhealthy system or community before your divine calling. Be true to the voice in your heart, and live with every action from that space. It takes all of us together in a circle with open hearts for this change to happen.

See also A Libations Meditation for Honoring Black Lives Lost

Want to learn how to tap into your innate kundalini energy to transform your practice and life? Join Karena in her online course with Yoga Journal, called Empowered Kundalini.

[marlonecalnea]

Benildean artists in revolt

Apart from expressing personal chaos through their art, these Benildean artists took the nation’s turmoil and translated it on canvas.

Red constantly paints the nation, reflecting a mixture of blood, fear, and rage, as the current government’s ‘War on Drugs’ strips the youth of safety and treats the innocent as merely collateral damage. Various youth groups are now finding their collective voice against such injustices with darker shades and sharper strokes, presenting protest pieces to the public.

Filipinos have been constantly fighting for independence since time immemorial, but artists began joining the fight against tyranny during the propaganda movement in the late 1800s. The movement started to show the plight of the Filipino people and serve as a way for the voices of the oppressed to be heard. While Jose Rizal made anti-colonial literature against Spain, Juan Luna showed its wrath through his paintings. Spoliarium, one of the earliest protest arts in the country, showed Roman soldiers dragging the dead bodies of gladiators; a metaphor alluding to the suffering of Filipinos during Spanish rule.

Centuries later, the rebellion is still evidently rampant among millennials as their convictions scatter from posts on social media to rallies on school sidewalks. A number of Benildeans have also joined the uprising collective with support from the College administration.

Ms. Anna Lyn M. Bandagosa, Advocacy Coordinator of the Benilde Center for Social Action (CSA), said CSA encourages Benildeans to attend their activities, allowing students to “create outputs that are socially relevant.” Combining this support with the creative skills and techniques the College arms its students with, it spawns a breed of Benildean student artists creating art for the new age.

Painting the nation’s turmoil

Protesting the lack of respect for human life, Multimedia Arts (MMA) student Christina Lopez participated among seven other artists in the exhibit “Proclamation of 8” last September 23 at District Gallery, Quezon City, which showcased art pieces portraying issues from the current and previous administrations.

Lopez used squid ink and dead insects as the medium of her paintings. One of them was patterned with repetitions of the words “My god I love drugs,” a play on Duterte’s words and apparent abhorrence for illegal drugs. Another artwork of Lopez featured a clutter of bullets and roses with the word “pusher” (a colloquial term that means ‘drug dealer’) littered among them. Alongside Lopez’s paintings was her installation of “7000 pills,” wherein pills painted black were crammed in neatly lined up glass jars, each pill representing a victim of drug-related killings, which at the time of the piece’s creation had amounted to over 7000 deaths. Aside from her exhibited work, Lopez has also worked on a set of sculptures remembering the Hacienda Luisita Massacre titled “Magtanim Ay ‘Di Biro,” featuring an assemblage of plants, branches, and bullets covered in white paint.

“I just want to start the conversation. I think that’s where change starts,” Lopez explained in an interview with The Benildean. “The personal is political. Issues surrounding me as a Filipino citizen and as a Filipina woman do not exist in a vacuum. Issues that neglect human rights, issues that do not serve the poor—these do not exist in a vacuum either.”

Lopez believes the youth can get involved by simply contributing to the discussion, which could be more convenient in this generation’s widespread use of social media.

Digital media uprising

Meanwhile, Jazz Solomon, an MMA junior, is an artist whose protest art went viral during the Martial Law recall this year. Her work, titled “Ang Pamana Mula 1972,” depicted her observation of the alarming similarities between both administrations of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos and President Duterte.

She tweeted her artwork in participation with other Filipino artists hijacking the “#Marcos100” thread on Twitter with their own hashtag “#MarcosARTrocities,” which was done to point out the irony of “commemorating” the former dictator. Solomon’s motivation to create her art stemmed from a previous piece that has also gone viral; a gif that alternates among portraits of Marcos, Hitler, and a skull, moving almost rhythmically as though it were to go with the protest chant “Marcos, Hitler, diktador, tuta.”

“I want [people] to see what's happening around them. Though it's not exactly the same, but there's a pattern that keeps the problematic system going and we need people staying vigilant; apathy is a privilege. We need to look out for our fellow Filipinos,” Solomon said.

Solomon explained how her political art garners more spectators compared to her more personal art: “With political art, it gives people something to talk about.” Lopez confirmed this by saying, “When I include symbolism that alludes to certain issues or events, there’s just that added risk of getting targeted for going against specifics.”

Lopez and Solomon are only two of many young revolutionary artists sprawling the political scene. Art, as it is personal, has always been political, as seen in the nation’s history and in the tendency for the nation’s turmoil to emerge one way or another in each individual’s narrative.

As the diseases of the nation continue to affect the younger generation, attitudes toward politics now seem more evident, as some consider it inseparable from the personal, while others intentionally show indifference. The inescapability of these issues calls for the apathetic to realize their privilege and speak for those at the losing end of the government’s game. Fortunately, the abundance of platforms nowadays allows young people and artists to have the freedom to do just that, encouraging the youth to take part in the movement, the conversation, and the revolution.

This article was originally published in The Benildean

[thespearnews-blog]

Winnie Mandela, the only true 20th century freedom fighters still alive

New Post has been published on https://thespearnews.com/2017/10/31/winnie-mandela-true-20th-century-freedom-fighters-still-alive/

Winnie Mandela, the only true 20th century freedom fighters still alive

It is impossible to talk about Nelson Mandela’s without acknowledging the monumental contribution of Winnie Madikezela-Mandela. She is one of the most understood woman in the liberation struggle. She has played many roles such as social worker, political leader, mother, care giver, public speaker, revolutionary freedom fighter and to many in South Africa, she is the Mother of the Nation.

Her role in South African history cannot be undermined Winnie is a woman whose liberation struggle credentials speak for themselves.

By the time Barrack Obama was born on August 4, 1961, Winnie was already fighting against Apartheid. She was born and raised in the Transkei. She distinguished herself as a leader and became the first black qualified social worker at Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto in 1955.

In the mid 1950s, she became actively involved in the ANC; she later met Mandela in 1958 while he was on trial for treason. They married soon after and she gave birth to two daughters, Zenani and Zinzi.

Their family life was destroyed when Mandela was sentenced to life imprisonment on Robben Island. Winnie never got to live a normal family life as many people have. She was left ill-equipped by an unjust system to raise two young girls as a single parent. Anyone who is a single mother, or a mother knows how taxing it is to raise children without the support of a partner or husband. She was left to protect and educate her daughters alone. At the same time, the Apartheid regime kept her apart from her children to punish her and torture her soul and spirit. Nevertheless, Winnie remained politically active and refused to remain silent keeping the Mandela name and the struggle against Apartheid in the national and international conscience.

Winnie was harassed repeatedly on a daily basis by the Apartheid regime and she was eventually sentenced to house arrest in Brandfort as a Imagemeans to silence her for speaking out injustice. She never knew if she was going to sleep at home or in a police cell because of her political activities. She was banned for up to 15 years serving five years at a time. She wasn’t allowed to even go into the street in Brandfort. It was supposed to keep her out of sight and out of mind. It also stripped her of company and any intellectual stimulation with a community of like minded individuals.

She didn’t know the language of the sleepy and rundown town she was sent to but she soon learnt and radically transformed that area politically. This is what made Winnie Mandela a dangerous element in society, hence, the need to gag her by any means necessary. But she remained a defiant and outspoken firebrand fighting for the people of South Africa and to keep the Mandela name in the public.

When she was questioned if she believed if she would see a free South Africa in her time, she was absolutely convinced. She went on to explain, “That is why exile is so worthwhile because I am absolutely certain that we shall attain our liberation. And even being in exile is a constant reminder of the sickness of our society. We are virtually in prison even in our country, those who are outside prison homes are simply in a bigger prison because the black man is virtually a prisoner. And all those fellow whites and other groups that are as oppressed as we are, we are all in a bigger Apartheid prison.”

In Brantford, she had to go to the local post office to receive calls from her daughters because she was under house arrest and they could only call at certain times. She was kept isolated from them to torture and break her down. The system did everything within its power to humiliate Winnie and break her spirit. No matter what they did to her, it strengthened Winnie Mandela’s resolve.

ImageWinnie resumed her struggle after spending 9 years in Brantford and again took the spotlight in the struggle to against Apartheid. Although her fight for liberation has been dubbed controversial, she was a woman without a choice. She didn’t have the tools, resources, media, state institutions and various arsenal the Apartheid Regime had at its disposal.

Therefore, in extreme circumstances, extreme measures are justified. She fought the only way she could against a regime that used brutal violence to stifle legitimate protest. She was at war against a regime and she fought a war that most of the leaders never got to experience. While the liberation leaders were locked up on Robben Island, Winnie Mandela was in the frontline fighting the ignoble regime by any means necessary. She was organising on the streets, actively involved in the underground movement and creating publicity while facing harassment and humiliation by the regime. Image

Unless one has walked in Winnie Mandela’s footsteps, it is very difficult to criticise her because you would need to face the same moral and personal dilemmas she faced in the struggle against Apartheid. It is a miracle she escaped with her life because hundreds of others who dared to challenge the Apartheid Regime didn’t live to see Independence. Steve Biko and Robert Sobukwe are some of those. The list is too long to mention.

Many assume Mandela was attracted by Winnie’s striking beauty. But many underestimate how her strength played a part. Her strength is reinforced by her belief that her people should be equal. She believed there should be justice for black people. She played many parts and is a leading figure in the fight for women’s’ rights. She served the poor, conducting fundraising events and assisting those in the ghetto who were less privileged than she was. This is illustrated by her huge grassroots following; her love for the people is equally reciprocated.

Winnie has continually shown that she is very resilient. Her strength and ability to adapt is evident in her ability to Winnie VIImultitask while raising two girls under Apartheid, having to avoid imprisonment, evading police, keeping Mandela’s memory alive while she was also playing a leading role in the underground movement.

The release of Nelson Mandela was the highlight of Winnie Mandela’s struggle for liberation. She never looked back and was appointed as the President of the ANC Women’s League in 1993. She still continues to serve on the party’s national executive committee.

For over three decades, Winnie Mandela stood by Nelson Mandela’s side. Even after her divorce from Mandela, she continued to be his companion and was often seen by his side to the very end. There is little a man can ever ask for with such a strong, beautiful, black woman by his side, making his struggle her own struggle and the struggle for the rest of the oppressed masses in South Africa. Whatever wrong Winnie Mandela may have committed, her struggle for the liberation of a Imagefree South Africa marks her as one of the greatest liberators of the Twentieth Century. Without Winnie there might not be a Nelson Mandela.

Winnie Madikizela-Mandela’s only fault is that she is too outspoken and remains a firebrand who has refused to cool down with age unlike Mandela who emerged from prison a shadow of his former revolutionary self. Winnie continued to fight while Nelson took a backseat content with the historic compromise. Winnie refused to see racism as the root cause of Apartheid oppression but also identified that Apartheid thrived because of the economic system.To date, Winnie remains outspoken and critical about the historic compromise, the TRC and Mandela walking hand in hand with his jailor to receive the Nobel Peace prize. She also remains critical at the state of the lack of transformation in South Africa and continues to champion the poor.

Unlike many of her revolutionary comrades who have morphed effortlessly into the black bourgeois and forgotten the struggle, using their credential struggles to accumulate wealth, Winnie has remained an isolated figure clamouring for the rights of women and black people. She frequently engages in events highlighting the lack of transformation in South Africa and simultaneously waging the fight for women’s rights and redefining the frontiers of this unending battle.

Her biggest enemy is the white patriarchal economic system which has repeatedly attacked her, demonised her and snubbed her portraying her as a loose canon. Winnie has repeatedly waged a dignified war against oppression and Apartheid. If the white patriarchal system endorses Patrick Henry’s role in sparking the American Revolution and fight against domination by another nation, then, why is Winnie demonised for making an equally bold stance? Is it because she called for violence against whites, who happened to be the oppressors who created and ran this Apartheid System?

Winnie Mandela is no different from Joan of Arc in answering a higher call at an early age to lead her people to victory over those who wished to politically, socially and economically subjugate her people. Winnie remains outspoken on issues regarding racism which Mandela resolved by sticking band aid over deep seated wounds. At an address for women’s rights in Chicago, Winnie declared:

“Discrimination against black women is multi-pronged, multi-sectoral and transgenerational. Black women are discriminated by white supremacy; they have to contend with male prejudice fed by patriarchal notions, they suffer abuse from white women who are also beneficiaries of white supremacy. At the same time, they are expected to form alliances with these women to defeat male privilege. They are expected to be in solidarity with their male folks to fight racial oppression. In this regard they have little choice. They cannot sit on the sideline and watch the black male being reduced to an endangered species. After all, these men are the fathers of their children, the lovers, and their sons. In short, there is no other species that understand oppression as black women do.”

The contents of her speech don’t reflects the mind of a loose canon but an individual with a strong moral conscience Winnie VIIIand a deep thinker. Black women suffer three times as much discrimination as other groups because of her class, race, and gender. Winnie’s moral and intellectual qualities are often underplayed or totally ignored in the mainstream media. It is sometimes forgotten that she became the first qualified black social worker at the age of 19 during Apartheid. Such jobs and avenues of studies used to be reserved solely for whites. So one can only imagine how hard and smart Winnie had to be to excel in this profession. It also seems to be her grounding in social work that allows her to be so insightful in matters that concern society. She doesn’t wince in the face of power and continues to speak to power as illustrated in her Chicago speech:

“We survived apartheid and are now faced with a challenge of defeating global apartheid and global gender discrimination… Our successes should not lull us to complacency. The forces of evil continue to refine their strategies to fight back. We need to constantly remind ourselves that our oppression has economic and material interests. Our oppressors spend sleepless nights trying to reclaim the lost territories. We cannot defeat the specter of racial discrimination without a clear-eyed analysis of what constitute racism. We need to debunk those analyses that are unhelpful to our cause. Our understanding of the drivers of racial oppression should empower us to address other forms of discriminations – gender, class, religion and sexual orientation.”

No one can doubt Winnie’s sincerity in the fight against Economic Apartheid. Her rallying cries upset the idyllic picture painted of South Africa as a Rainbow Nation. Ironically, there is no colour black in the rainbow. Her fight is clearly to overturn the white supremacist structure in the fight for justice. This partly explains why Winnie remains marginalised by that same structure that controls the media and constitutes “popular” or “international” opinion. There is nothing popular or international about that opinion: it is the opinion of a tiny minority that constitutes the white middle class. They control and run the western media.

Claiming the late Nelson Mandela was the last great liberator of the Twentieth Century is wrong. That is a discredit to the likes of Winnie Mandela and others. She is a true heroine who can only be compared to legendary female icons like Nandi [mother of Tshaka], Assata Shakur, Queen Nzinga of Angola and Ambuya Nehanda from Zimbabwe. We cannot compare Winnie to the likes of Rosa Parks who refused to get up on a bus during the Civil Rights Movement in America. She spent a great proportion of her life in isolation when she was exiled by the Apartheid Regime. But that wasn’t enough to break the will of Mother of the Nation. She was not physically imprisoned but her banning orders meant she was in prison at her own expense. The extreme isolation imposed on her wasn’t enough to silence her indomitable spirit. Winnie Mandela is a struggle icon equal to if not greater than the late Nelson Mandela

By the time Obama read about Mandela in the eighties, Winnie Mandela was at the forefront of the liberation struggle against the ignoble Apartheid regime for over two decades.

She has continued fighting taking off where her former husband left off when he retired from frontline politics. There is an African proverb that states, “Until the lion learns to speak, the tale of the hunter will glorify the hunter.”

True heroes and heroines are also flawed and that is why Winnie Madikizela-Mandela is a great liberator of the Twentieth Century without a doubt. I salute this intellectual

Adopted

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  revolutionary and Mother of the Nation. Aluta Continua: the struggle continues!

[ethan-engw105]

Black Nationalism and Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream”

On August 28, 1963, hundreds of thousands gathered in the United States capital to participate in the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Congregated in front of the Lincoln Memorial, these masses witnessed what is now arguably the most famous civil rights speech: Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream.” The speech stirred love in the hearts of many and inspired hope that one day Black people and whites could walk together as equals. Meanwhile, a different civil rights message was being discussed among the nation’s African people. This message focused less on fraternizing with whites and more on becoming self-sufficient as a race. Proposed by Black liberation advocates like Marcus Garvey earlier in the twentieth century and explored further by 1960s Civil Rights Movement figures like Malcolm X, this philosophy is known as Black nationalism. These two stories—King’s advocacy for an integrated, equal United States free of hate, prejudice, and discrimination and Malcolm X’s fight for a socially, politically, and economically liberated Black population in the United States—played out side by side. Both philosophies aimed to realize a finally free Black population a century after enslavement of Africans in the United States legally ended; however, the two philosophies share few similarities beyond their end goal. While delineating his vision and hope for the United States in his “I Have a Dream” speech, Martin Luther King places his philosophy squarely outside the realm of Black nationalism.

Before delving in to the relationship—or lack thereof—between King’s dream and the tenets of Black nationalism, it is necessary to first define the philosophy itself. Black nationalism fits snugly into the Black radical tradition, embracing the radical ideas of love and unity among African peoples. It is also a philosophy of separatism—that is, it maintains that in order for Black people to be liberated, they must create their own institutions independent of white people.

[DISTINGUISH SEPARATISM FROM SEGREGATION]

By creating independent institutions, Black people would finally have autonomy, something impossible during Jim Crow segregation—and, arguably, impossible in King’s dream of full social integration. The control afforded by the creation of Black institutions, according to Black nationalism, is more important than acceptance or tolerance by whites. This control, available in every form from economic to educational, is the true path to the liberation of Black peoples. The creation of Black businesses, for example, would keep money within the Black community instead of exporting it to whites, a key component in the continuing subjugation and exploitation of the global Black population that Malcolm X explores in “The Ballot or the Bullet.” A continued investment in Black businesses by the Black community would mean increased buying power for Black people, as one person’s spending is another person’s income, allowing in turn for more investment both in Black businesses and in community enrichment. Additionally, the creation of Black schools run by Black educators would ensure that the Black youth would not be taught the lies of European propaganda, avoiding the poisoning of young minds with ideas like American exceptionalism that ignore the oppressive imperial history of the United States. Black nationalism advocates for the creation of these Black institutions and, through these institutions, for the liberation of Black peoples.

In his “I Have a Dream” speech, Martin Luther King paints a very different picture of Black liberation separate from that of Black nationalism. He repeatedly cites loving interactions between Black people and whites in the descriptions of his idyllic future. From the beginning of his speech, King appeals for the civil rights due to Black citizens of the United States under the Constitution, citing the nation’s core legal text as “a promise” to “black men as well as white men” (King 70). Already, by relying on the United States Constitution, a legal text created by whites, as his working foundation for fundamental human rights, King has hinted at his denial of Black nationalism. Later in the speech, King addresses critics who ask when the civil rights advocate should be “satisfied” (70). In his response to this question, King again cites acceptance in to white institutions as a point of satisfaction or an end goal to his advocacy: “We can never be satisfied,” King says, “as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating ‘for whites only’” (71). While King’s vision of a socially integrated United States, in which Black people and whites can live together in harmony, may seem hopeful, its undertones are more dismal. At this portion of his speech, King all but equates Black children’s “selfhood” and “dignity” with acceptance in to white institutions and by white people. This stance is the opposite of that held by Black nationalism, which, as explored in the previous paragraph, seeks to create Black institutions, not to rely on white institutions for a sense of Black identity.

Even in the most famous portion of his speech—the portion for which the speech received its title—King implies his opposition to Black nationalism. The dream for which King is so fondly remembered, he explains, “is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream” (71). The American dream is a somewhat controversial idea. To some, it is the hope for a type of social mobility that is impossible anywhere outside the United States. Others see it for what it truly is: a lie. To discover this truth, one can look within or without the nation. Internally, a quick look at a list of Black chief executives in the United States—or, indeed, a list of Black presidents—begins to reveal that social mobility in the United States is selectively applied; “rags to riches” stories are more common among white Americans than among their Black counterparts. Externally, the material wealth that is the goal of the American dream is only possible through the exploitation of the Global South. The United States imports a significant portion of three important resources from three distinct areas of the Global South: foodstuffs from South America, oil from the Middle East, and minerals from Africa. Without these three resources, the United States would not have the provisions to sustain its population, the fossil fuel energy to sustain its oil-dependency, or the minerals, like silicon and gold, to sustain its growing reliance on electronic technology. The history of the United States’s activity in these three areas, including the successful or attempted forceful removal of legitimate leaders in sovereign nations like Cuba, Iraq, and Libya, is a clear indicator that it is acting to protect its own interests at the expense of the inhabitants. King’s embrace of the American dream more obviously flies in the face of Black nationalism. In stating his famous dream, King relies on an appeal to the American dream, the hallucination of white picket fences and warm apple pies at the expense of the livelihood of Black and brown peoples oppressed globally. Of all the images King evokes in his speech, the American dream is the most obvious white institution. Black nationalism rejects these white institutions, be they intellectual institutions or otherwise; in embracing the American dream, King rejects Black nationalism.

While Martin Luther King, Jr. embraced white institutions and even held them as a standard for the self-identity and dignity of Black people, these white institutions did not embrace him until nearly twenty years after his death with the creation of the federal holiday in his name. Today, King is widely used as a tool against those fighting the same fight fought by him and other civil rights advocates of the 1960s. Selections of King’s words become weapons used by conservatives against Black radicals, while his more revolutionary words are swept under the rug, hopefully forgotten. Primary and secondary schools in the United States still peddle the European propaganda that Black nationalism aims to avoid, and this propaganda has co-opted King as part of its narrative. The more revolutionary side of King is stripped away, leaving only the docile, nonviolent man to contrast with “evil, militant Blacks” like Malcolm X. One must wonder, because of the ease with which King’s figure and message was co-opted by those who were so often the enemy of his dream, how effective and useful his idyllic fantasies really were. The fact that Black nationalism, rejected by both the enemy and King himself, was not appropriated may be a testament to its usefulness in casting off the oppressive weight of the enemy from Black peoples and finally achieving the long sought goal of liberation.

***

Work Cited

King, Martin Luther, Jr. "I Have a Dream." 22 Aug. 1963. The Norton Anthology of African American Literature, edited by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Valerie A. Smith, 3rd ed., vol. 2, W. W. Norton and Company, 1997, pp. 69-72. Speech.

14 February 2017, edited 30 April 2017

[strangezombiedonut-blog]

Enslavement of African Americans Have you been told that you are incapable of something? Or discouraged by a negative label? For years, society has labeled African Americans as drug dealers. As illustrated in the video The House I Live In, African Americans are discriminated against due to the color of their skin. These labels discourage African Americans from having a successful life because they are labeled from birth. Therefore, they are put in jail, used as cheap labor, and then released; they have nothing to support themselves but crime. These issues underline the need to stop this oppression of the African American. The image of the African American as a drug dealer has become commonplace in  society today. From their birth, they are told that they will be nothing but drug dealers. For example, in The House I Live In, a police officer says that a child would end up going to jail because the social structure of the environment will lead him to become a drug dealer. This statement illustrates how the racial formations of labeling African Americans pervade the black community. The community believes drug dealers are everywhere, and with their activity, society views its entire black population as drug dealers. This perception restricts black people from moving up the social pyramid. Even a child may be labeled as a druggie because all of society continues to label him. He will then follow the only path that society has offered him and, hence, will remain at the lower end of the social scale. By restricting African Americans to the lower class, society has enslaved them into this life. They are not given the freedom of opportunity to prove themselves. This racial formation creates an economic class distinction that keeps African American at the bottom of the social scale. The intersectionality caused by societal stereotypes of black women is used as confirmation to judge innocent people as guilty. Even with a lack of evidence that they might have committed a drug crime, innocent people still land in jail since society has a strong ideology regarding African Americans. Even though they may be innocent, they lose everything because they go to prison. For example, Emma Faye Sweart, a single African-American mother of two who was arrested as part of a drug sweep, wanted to return home to care for her children. The authorities forced her to plead guilty and to give up her rights before she could go home and see her children because in this society, females are viewed as soft and fragile figures, weak and unable to survive in society. Consequently, she lost her access to food stamps, employment, housing, and voting for twelve years. She has been subjected to a form of enslavement and she was stripped her freedom to live comfortably, to have family, and to have money to put food on the table. Due to gender, class, and race, this innocent woman lost her freedom. As can be seen, racial formation leads the black members of American society to become drug dealers. The social structure that non-African Americans create results in a common ideology that condemns African Americans to decreasing opportunity. With no other opportunity to support them, they go to jail or are falsely accused. Black women are considered inferior in the society because of both gender and race.  Moreover, when they are released from jail, they cannot find another way to support themselves beside drug dealing, which means that African Americans will end up right back in jail again. This entire cycle of enslavement can be resolved if people would work to end labeling and allow opportunities for African Americans to succeed.