#2004 feminism wins

[pico-farad]

Asuka's problematic trait is that she's a Not Like Other Girls girl.

I love her so much.

This is how I interpret her beef with Rei — it's not jealousy over Rei having a crush on Judai, it's a very typical stage of teenage internalized misogyny where she blames other girls for the way she's been treated under patriarchy.

Rei: *winks at Judai*

Asuka: *malding internally* This is why people think girls only play Duel Monsters to find boyfriends—

girl calm down she's 13

Asuka has a very consistent storyline of having femininity — and by extension heteronormativity — forced upon her by the school, her brother, and even her friends. This is a classic Not Like Other Girls origin story; it's a frustration response from young girls facing insane pressure to conform to traditional femininity, which results in contempt for the feminine altogether. The frustration is displaced on Other Girls, because they're a representation of the traditionally feminine, and they contribute to the pressure to conform, whether directly or indirectly.

A huge part of Asuka's character is how she copes with the systemic pressure that girls face by putting up like five different layers of defense mechanisms, including distancing herself from femininity or even being perceived as a girl at all. Because she just wants to be taken seriously as a duelist in a male-dominated, misogynistic industry.

(the manga canon isn't the same as the anime canon, but I wanted to include it)

She has side-eyed EVERY other female character in GX for being obsessed with a boy — Junko, Momoe, Rei, Tania, that bug girl, the frog princess (I put a whole aside about her relationship with Junko and Momoe below)

Asuka, you're bombing the Bechdel Test.

I know it's bad that GX caricaturized all of its female characters other than Asuka to be boy-obsessed, but, well... it's a narrative that does resonate with the audience of young girls who were playing a card game made for boys in 2004. You can cringe at the bad feminism now, but I think that's the part that's charming and nuanced about Asuka.

Teenage girls mostly grow out of their Not Like Others Girls phase and look back at it with embarrassment (maybe because we turned Not Like Other Girls into another way to shame girls), but it is something that's worth exploring. Asuka is a genuinely kind person, and I think she too will grow up and realize how stupid and reductive she was being.

"a real woman" Asuka sweetie you're going to cringe over this in five years.

THE JUNKO MOMOE ASIDE:

Asuka is nominally friends with Junko and Momoe, but as the series progresses, she spends more and more time instead with her group of male friends. A significant portion of her interactions with them are her showing veiled judgment towards them for fangirling over boys, from tennis guy to Edo Phoenix to her brother.

And when she joins the Society of Light, that veiled judgment becomes unveiled.

Junko and Momoe are in the middle of losing to a sexist wine dude, and Asuka is so furious, her Not Like Other Girls instincts override the Society of Light brainwashing and she takes over the duel for them. ASUKA'S INTERNALIZED MISOGYNY IS STRONGER THAN BRAINWASHING.

Sommelier: Goodness me, I had high hopes for the ladies of Obelisk Blue. But I suppose to you, duels are like making tea or arranging flowers. Just one more skill you learn to land a husband. Just surrender, why don't you? Asuka: Wait! Junko & Momoe: Asuka! Asuka: If you two lose, there won't be any more students in the tournament representing the long-respected Obelisk Blue girls' dorm. I will carry on the duel. Naturally, I will carry on with their life points.

Even though Asuka would win if she used White Veil, the signature card of the Society of Light, she discards it in order to activate Hallowed Life Barrier. Because this is all her, not the Light.

Asuka: (I won't rely on the Society of Light's power. I'll win with my power from my days as a girl of the Blue dorm.) Asuka: Let me show you the power of Obelisk Blue girls. My turn, draw!

Neither of these scenes are girl-power-girl-solidarity moments. It's the opposite. Asuka takes over the duel because she doesn't want their loss to reflect on the entire Obelisk Blue girls' dorm, and all female duelists (therefore her).

When the duel is over, she contemptuously rejects Junko and Momoe, shaming them for being so bad at dueling and victim-blaming them for the sexist attacks they receive. Asuka spent the whole duel defending the Blue girls, but she is NOT one of them.

Junko: Asuka! Come back to the Blue girls! The way you dueled just now was just like old times! Asuka: You're so naive. This is why you get told that you only "practice." Protect your own pride next time. I am a member of the Society of Light.

Everyone who ships Asuka/Junko/Momoe as a default lesbian best girlfriends uwu ship get outta here, those three have BAGGAGE to unpack before any lesbianism can be achieved.

(I have more to say about these three and how it parallels Judai's relationship with Shou and Kenzan, but that's outside the scope of this post)

Anyway, that's why Manjoume is a better feminist than Asuka

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

In the Paris Olympics, Brazil's gold medals are Black and female

Rebeca Andrade and Beatriz Souza won the first gold medals for the country

In Brazil, the gold has a genre and race. Beatriz Souza and Rebeca Andrade were the first athletes to win gold medals for the country in the Paris Olympics in judo and the gymnastics individual floor final, respectively. Both are female Black athletes from poor families and benefited from the Athletic Grants Program, launched by the Lula government in 2004.  

Like them, the other Olympic medalists for Brazil also accessed the program at some point. Gabriel Medina, from surfing, and Larissa Pimenta, from judo, are the only athletes not currently benefiting from the program.

Ellen Scherrer, mentor of the page Black Feminism in Sport and researcher at the State University of Campinas (Unicamp, in Portuguese), stresses the social aspect of sports development in Brazil.

“If we think about the Black athletes with medals, such as Rebeca and Bia, they are both Black women who participated in social projects. Brazil still lacks public policies and financing for sports,” she said.

Continue reading.

[read-marx-and-lenin]

Who r u voting for?

I've been pretty consistent in saying it doesn't matter who anyone votes for as an individual, the ballot box is not a place of revolutionary activity and we should focus our efforts elsewhere. That said, my state does mail-in ballots, so I still fill them out and send them in since it doesn't take much time or effort for me.

There will likely be four left-wing candidates on the ballot in my state: Jill Stein with the Greens, Cornel West as an independent, Claudia de la Cruz for the PSL, and Rachele Fruit for the SWP.

The SWP are Zionist Trotskyists, so I won't give them the time of day.

I voted PSL in 2016, but since then there's been a lot of shit going on with them and despite the fact that there's a lot of good people working with them and a lot of good local branches, I can't support them on a national level until they get their shit together. Their treatment of women, transgender people, and people of color needs to improve. There was a great article written in 2021 by a Maoist group on the issues within the PSL that I'll link here, and while I don't agree with their conclusion that the PSL is "fundamentally reactionary" and that collaboration with PSL groups is useless, their criticisms are still worth reading.

I voted for Howie Hawkins in 2020, but I've never been a fan of Jill Stein due to her pandering to anti-vaxxers and alt-med types. She's a doctor, she should know better. She's helped push a lot of anti-science misinformation on the left, and while her platform is far better than any of those from the Dems or Republicans, I still can't forgive that. Science-based medicine is one of my sticking points.

So that leaves Cornel West. He's not a communist, and I'm not a fan of his religiosity, but his platform is still solid and I like him the best out of these four candidates. Again, I'm not doing this because I think he can win. The only way he could possibly win is if Harris, Trump, RFK Jr., Jill Stein, and whoever the Libertarian guy is this year all die a week before the election, and even then, it'd probably be a toss-up between him and de la Cruz. My vote for West is purely to signify "hey, there's people here who want what Cornel West is offering". In that sense, I'm treating the presidential election more as an opinion poll than anything else.

[jayjamjary]

HAHAHA I WIN! NUANCED UNDERSTANDING OF SOCIETY WINS!

We had to watch a shitty 2004 King Arthur movie for a class I'm in where the only thing I could appreciate was the costuming (which, to my limited understanding of historical fashion, was pretty good) and for my analysis of the film I wrote about how the like. One relevant woman. Was just used as a cheap "girl power" move without any real respect for women as people behind it and how the film perpetuated unrealist and violent standards for men and do you know what my teacher said after giving me a 100% on my analysis?

"I think that is the best observation I've read in years, and it's enough that I may include this angle of gender studies with it [the film] next year."

Yayyyyyyyy! She liked my last analysis too. I'm winning. The feminism flows through me and I'm being told good job for it, this is great.

[ren-in-mac143]

Discussion Presentation: Race and Representation

"Can't Hold Us Down"

"Can't Hold Us Down" by Christina Aguilera featuring Lil' Kim is a significant track from Aguilera's 2002 album "Stripped." Released in 2003 by RCA Records, this R&B and hip-hop song, marked by a dancehall outro, delves into themes of gender double standards and feminism. The track was written and produced by Scott Storch, with Aguilera and Matt Morris contributing to the songwriting. The song was distributed as a CD single across various countries and also received a 12-inch edition release in the United States. Lyrically, "Can't Hold Us Down" is a forthright critique of societal double standards, where men are often celebrated for behaviors that lead to women being negatively judged. This feminist anthem encourages women to be assertive and challenges the notion that women should be passive. Notably, the lyrics suggest a rebuke directed at rapper Eminem, who had previously referenced Aguilera in his songs. The song's reception was mixed. While some critics found the lyrics confrontational and empowering, others critiqued it as lackluster or a waste of talent. It garnered a nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals at the 2004 Grammy Awards but did not win. Despite these mixed reviews, "Can't Hold Us Down" has been recognized as a feminist anthem and a significant piece in Aguilera's discography, marking an important moment in feminist pop music. Commercially, the single achieved notable success. It reached number 12 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and charted within the top ten in many countries worldwide. The music video for "Can't Hold Us Down," directed by David LaChapelle, was inspired by New York City's Lower East Side of the 1980s. Set on a Los Angeles soundstage, the video features a confrontation between Aguilera and a man, culminating in a symbolic act of defiance. The video, however, garnered some criticism for potentially conflicting with the song's feminist message due to its provocative nature.

"The Blackness of Blackness: A Critique on the Sign and the Signifying Monkey"

Tales of the Signifying Monkey, a symbol deeply entrenched in African American folklore. In the Blackness of Blackness essay, Henry Louis Gates' central thesis revolves around "signifying", which he argues, transcends mere linguistic meaning and embodies a form of cultural and political resistance, a way for African American writers to navigate and challenge the complexities of their social and historical contexts. Just as African American literary tradition has used signifying to assert identity and resist marginalization, contemporary artists like Christina Aguilera use music to voice similar struggles against societal constraints and injustices. In "Can't Hold Us Down", her direct confrontation of gender stereotypes and double standards mirrors the subversive nature of signifying in African American literature. She asserted:

"If a guy have three girls then he's the man,

He can even give her some head and sex her raw,

If a girl do the same then she's a whore."

The first line, "If a guy have three girls then he's the man," points to the common societal trope where men are often praised or admired for having multiple sexual partners. This is a reflection of a deeply ingrained mindset that equates masculinity with sexual conquest. The male is depicted as a figure of admiration for his ability to attract and engage with multiple partners, reinforcing traditional notions of male dominance and virility.

The second line, "He can even give her some head and sex her raw," delves into more explicit sexual territory, highlighting the freedom and lack of judgment men often experience in their sexual exploits. This line underscores the perceived entitlement of men to engage in sexual acts without fear of societal retribution or moral judgment.

And lastly, "If a girl do the same then she's a whore" sharply contrasts the previous malely behaviors, exposing the starkly different societal attitudes towards women who exhibit similar sexual behaviors. When a woman engages in the same level of sexual activity as her male counterparts, she is often subject to harsh judgment and derogatory labeling.

Overall, these lines criticize a pervasive societal hypocrisy where men and women are judged and valued differently for the same actions. In Gates' framework, the these lyrics can be seen as an act of 'signifying' against patriarchal structures. They reveal and critique the hypocrisy in societal attitudes toward sexuality, paralleling how African American writers use signifying to address and resist racial stereotypes and injustices.

“STEREOTYPE, REALISM AND THE STRUGGLE OVER REPRESENTATION”

In "Stereotype, Realism", Ella Shohat and Robert Stam delve into the field of media representation, particularly in cinema, focusing on the portrayal of ethnic, racial, and colonial subjects. They critique the narrow focus on verisimilitude in media representations, which often perpetuates stereotypes rather than challenging them. They argue that representations in media are a "delegation of voice", influencing public perception and understanding of various communities​​​​​​​​. Just as the authors critique the media's role in perpetuating stereotypes and reinforcing societal norms, Aguilera's song challenges the stereotypical representation of women as passive or submissive. She asserted 2 consecutive questions at the very beginning of the song:

So, what, am I not supposed to have an opinion?

Should I keep quiet just because I'm a woman?

Firstly, the rhetorical question "So what am I not supposed to have an opinion?" challenges the often unspoken rule that women should be passive or less vocal about their views, especially in domains traditionally dominated by men. This line questions the legitimacy of societal norms that dictate women's behavior, suggesting a rebellion against the idea that women's opinions are less valuable or should be suppressed.

The follow-up question, "Should I keep quiet just because I'm a woman?" further underscores the gender bias inherent in expectations around speech and expression. This line directly confronts the sexist notion that a woman's primary role is to be seen and not heard, a concept that has long been used to marginalize and silence women. By posing this question, Aguilera not only rejects this outdated stereotype but also empowers her listeners, particularly women, to question and resist these societal norms.

These lines, act as a form of counter-narrative, pushing against the dominant media, portraying the often marginalized or silenced women's voices. They also embodies the concept of "progressive realism" that Shohat and Stam discuss, where marginalized groups use media to combat dominant, stereotypical narratives. The song's assertive tone and its message of female empowerment and resistance against gender stereotypes exemplify an alternative narrative, one that challenges the traditional representations and pushes for a more nuanced, respectful portrayal of women.

Discussion Questions!

How do societal expectations regarding gender roles and sexuality manifest in today's dating culture, and what steps can individuals and communities take to address and change these double standards?

In what ways do current popular music and other forms of media challenge or reinforce stereotypes about gender and sexuality? Discuss with examples from recent years.

Reflect on the concept of "signifying" as a form of resistance. How do marginalized groups today use social media and other digital platforms to signify their identities and resist stereotypes?

Consider the role of media representation in shaping societal views. How can media producers, consumers, and critics work together to ensure more diverse and realistic portrayals of all genders and ethnicities?

[engshoujosei]

Helter Skelter: Fashion Unfriendly

1 volume

Licensed by Vertical (now part of Kodansha)

Through round after round of extensive plastic surgery and vigorous maintenance, Ririko has become the absolute manifestation of beauty, and becomes a wildly successful model, actress, and singer. However, soon, her body, unable to withstand the burdens of surgery, begins to crumble, and along with it so does her mind, as she plummets towards a frightening and inevitable end. Note: Won the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Grand Prize in 2004.

Status in Country of Origin

1 Volume (Complete)

Tags:

Abuse

Adapted to Movie

Antihero / Antiheroine

Anxiety

Award-Winning Work

BDSM

Bisexual Character/s

Celebrity/ies

Cheating/Infidelity

Cruel Female Lead

Dark Ambience

Depression

Detective/s

Drug Abuse/Addiction

Emotional Manipulation

Female Centric Plot

Feminism

Fetish/es

Frankenstein

Idol/s

Jealousy

Makeover/s

Manipulative Female Lead

Masochist/s

Mental Breakdown

Mental Illness

Mentally Unstable Character/s

Model/s

Modern Era

Nudity

Plastic Surgery

Pop Culture

Psychological Manipulation

Psychological Trauma

Reflections on Human Nature

Scandal/s

Selfish Protagonist

Sexual Coercion

Showbiz

Social Commentary

Suicidal Thoughts

Suicide/s

Surrealism

Time Skip

Unfulfilled Dreams

Violence

[squirrelwithatophat]

There definitely should be some words or terms to refer to the specific forms (or manifestations) of prejudice and discrimination faced by men of low-status or subordinate groups.

It’s simply not true that there’s a “base prejudice” (e.g., racism, classism, homophobia) faced by equally all genders within a particular social category and then “base prejudice” + “misogyny” (or “base prejudice” in interaction with “misogyny”) for low-status women but absolutely zero stereotyping or hostility specific to low-status men. In fact, a lot of evidence suggests that low-status men face disproportionately high aggression (relative to women) from high-status men, in large part because outgroup men (but not women) are perceived as posing a threat of violence or subversion. In other words, "outsider" men tend to be seen as threatening, either to “us” in a direct physical or sexual sense (thus justifying violence in “self-defense”) or to the established hierarchy (thus justifying violence as defending the social order), while women are often treated dismissively. The only type of aggression from high-status men that low-status women tend to face at higher rates is sexual aggression. The fancy technical term for this pattern is the “Subordinate Male Target Hypothesis” (Haley et al., 2004; Navarette et al., 2010), and it does indeed contradict some aspects of the “double jeopardy” and intersectionality perspectives (e.g., Veenstra, 2013). If you want specific examples, just take a look at, say, the gender breakdown of victims of racially-motivated hate crimes and police shootings. This isn't to say that men in general don't enjoy status and power over women in general - it's that men from marginalized groups often do face stereotyping and mistreatment in different ways (and in some contexts to a more severe degree) than women from the same marginalized groups, and acknowledging this reality isn't inherently an attack on feminism or attempt to deny stereotyping and mistreatment more specific to women.

I do understand some of the knee-jerk negative reactions to "transandrophobia" and "transmisandry," because MRAs were throwing around the word "misandry" in the same sense as "reverse racism" or "heterophobia" back in the dark ages of the 2010s. But I really haven't seen alternative terms specific to trans men...?

It seems undeniable to me that the stereotypes and prejudice targeting trans men differ quite a bit from those targeting trans women. Transmisogyny very clearly involves elements of both old-fashioned misogyny (e.g., characterizing trans women as seductive/deceptive, their femininity as artificial or frivolous) and the typical hostile imaginings directed at outgroup/minority men (e.g., as violent, criminal, sexually-predatory, dominance-seeking), so it's perhaps not surprising that trans feminine folk tend to take the brunt of the transphobic violence. But prejudice against trans men often includes elements that aren't faced by trans women, at least not to the same degree. For example, trans men and boys are often characterized as "hysterical girls" following a "trend" or "craze" and falling to peer influence (which inexplicably favors trans over cis people in these fantasies) in a way that denies our agency, intelligence, and capacity for understanding our own desires; trans women's motives are more likely to be construed as agentic but in a gross and nefarious way, such as transitioning in order to spy on cis women naked, fulfill a sexual feminization fantasy, or win a trophy in competitive sports. It makes sense to have terms for prejudice against trans and gender non-conforming people in general (transphobia, cissexism, cis supremacy), prejudice against trans women specifically (transmisogyny), and prejudice against non-binary people specifically (enbyphobia, binarism), and by the same token, it makes to have one for prejudice against trans men specifically (whether it's "transmisandry," "transandrophobia," or another term).

I'm already incredibly fucking tired of the this new trend of arguing that actually, "transandrophobia" is just a very misguided term, and the transmascs talking about it simply don't know enough about gender studies / theory to understand how silly and misguided it is.

Oh I'm sorry, who is it that hasn't unpacked their misogynistic ideas because they think being trans makes them immune? Could it possibly be the people insisting that all transmascs are just too silly and misguided to understand Real Theory? Maybe it's the people arguing that transmascs should sit back and let the Real Adults do the thinking for them?

Is Every Single Transmasc just too stupid and uneducated to understand the breathtakingly genius ideas generated by your god-like intellect and superior academic background, or are you just perpetuating run-of-the-mill misogynistic stereotypes against a group of people society refuses to acknowledge as anything more than women who have been led astray by dangerous gender ideology-- in order to avoid engaging with ideas and experiences you don't want to admit you aren't actually the ultimate authority in?

[joshuadunshua]

thinking about bell hooks’ writings on the “feminism” of (mostly white) class privileged “feminists” being a thinly disguised desire for patriarchal power & dominance on par with (mostly white) class privileged patriarchal men

thinking about how that’s the brand of feminism that won out in the last 15 years even though she saw it as a minority of feminists as recently as 2004

thinking about how that mainstream feminism appropriates the language of Black, intersectional feminism to grant itself an unearned legitimacy in leftist spaces

thinking about how appearing feminist is more important than being feminist in online spaces (& in some cases this has extended to irl)

feminism isn’t a skin you can put on your online avatar for bonus “argument winning” skill points but a good portion of you treat it that way

marginalized people, including your people, need you to not be flippant about your engagement with feminism & feminist theory & feminist texts written by feminist scholars

some of you seem convinced you can get all your feminist education here on tumblr dot com and, speaking from the perspective of someone who first learned about feminism from tumblr and continued to learn about feminism from tumblr for years before deciding to make a fucking degree out of it and has literally formally taught feminisms 101, you absolutely the fuck can not get all your feminist education directly from here.

i’m not saying you shouldn’t speak if you don’t go to school for this shit—this isn’t an elitist post—but I am saying you absolutely need to do more than read & reblog tumblr posts on the topic. whether that’s reading essays available free online, reading books, listening to audiobooks, watching YouTube breakdowns and crash courses, listening to podcasts, whatever your format, you simply must engage on more intentional levels with theory than social media.

the antidote to radfem well-poisoning is education.

you cannot identify dangerous rhetoric creeping into your own if you never learn what it looks like and how to spot its sheep costume. If all feminisms look like sheep to you, you’ll never see the fascistic wolf.

(If you want to get more invested and involved in feminist theory, or would like some advice on where to look, what to consider, reading recs, etc., feel free to ask me. If you have recommendations, feel free to share them with me/others on this post or otherwise! I want to share information as much as possible. There will be no gatekeeping of knowledge here.)

[brokenedgeben]

Remember when I said I had more to say? You’re getting it.

A.k.a. my Sion/Exile vs. Reylo meta that I’ve been sitting on for quite a while now. Fair warning, this may start a rumble, but I have to get this out of my system.

Call it one of those moments when I realized that I am not against hero/villain pairings by default. I mean, my Darkpilot shipping aside, one of my favorite pairings when I was in the Knights of the Old Republic fandom was Darth Sion and the Jedi Exile (unfortunately only available if you play the female path. I’m guessing Chris Avellone didn’t want any Unfortunate Implications, to quote TV Tropes...?). Why does Sion/Exile work for me, and Reylo does not (besides my love of FinnRey and Darkpilot)?

Let’s look at the evidence.

For a bit of backstory, Knights of the Old Republic II follows a General of a fallen Jedi-turned-good-again (or bad again, depending on your choices), named simply the Jedi Exile (there’s one book that calls her Meetra Surik, but IMHO, she’s really the Exile in name only from what I heard), who has (SPOILERS) cut herself off from the Force after a traumatic event at the Battle of Malachor V. When she returns to Republic space, she, among other things, finds herself tracked by two Sith Lords intent on exterminating all Jedi everywhere. One’s a Sith Lord who feeds off the Force (it’s a long story). One’s Sion, who relies on his physical and mental anguish in order to survive things that would kill a normal person (including the explosion of a starship). As a result...well, he basically looks like this:

Yeah, that guy. This is when he’s confronting the Exile on Korriban (I know it’s Moraband in the new canon, but this is old canon). We’ll be going into that soon enough.

So, on the surface, SionExile and Reylo have similarities. Sion and Kylo even look somewhat alike.

Seriously, I don’t think it’s a stretch to think that they went to the same clothing designer. Difference is that Kylo’s not as seriously scarred, but I digress.

But in the end, there are definite differences in terms of how they’re executed. To begin with, Sion actually seems to care for the Exile, in a very twisted sense of the word. Kylo...if there’s any love in him for Rey, it would be a miracle. 

First meetings

For Sion and the Exile, they actually have two first meetings. One is on the Republic ship the Harbinger, when the Exile (along with her two party members, Atton and Kreia -- Kreia being who Sion has a very complex relationship with. He hates her, yet also yearns for her approval, even though it’s clear that she loathes him. And at the same time, he wants to save the Exile -- at least the female Exile -- from suffering the same fate he did, whatever happened to him pre-game) is trying to get off the mining colony Peragus. Sion makes his entrance to the Exile at the end of a long dark hall on the ship (unfortunately, I can’t find a good screencap of it), while saying (at least in the Restored Content mod), “I came to warn you, Jedi; you know not the path you walk.”

Their second first meeting comes on Korriban. Sion’s treatment of the female Exile is quite a contrast to how Kylo treats Rey. While he is rather creepy in terms of describing himself as having studied the Exile extensively (up to knowing where she walked when she was in Exile, her battles in the Mandalorian Wars, and more), he’s surprisingly gentle with her. 

For starters, in a video game, the voice acting is essential (along with animation, etc.) to convey emotions. In contrast to his angry Evil Cannot Comprehend Good treatment of a male Exile (Sion doesn’t understand why someone would turn away from power instead of embrace it), Sion is generally tender towards a female Exile in terms of how he speaks. His voice softens, and while there are instances where he seems genuinely confused as to why Kreia would sacrifice herself for the Exile either way, he shows sympathy for what she’s gone through (“You know what it means to be broken.”) and tries to warn her, again, about Kreia and what she’s capable of (”The one who travels with you will destroy you, as she did me. I can end it before it begins.”).

Now Sion, obviously, is not a destined partnership sort. Sion’s not even the character I mainly ship my female Exiles with (that would be Atton, God bless him). But it is noteworthy that even his facial expression seems to be softer in that screencap -- at least as soft as one can get considering the animation. Pretty decent animation for 2004, really. It’s also noteworthy that Sion’s voice goes a lot more tender when he says that line, almost like the Exile’s valuable to him. (We’ll get into that more later)

In addition, he has qualms about harming the Exile. After the Exile (temporarily) beats him in battle, he actually spares her, even ordering his assassins not to harm her. “She,” he says, “Has earned this. She and I will meet again.”

Even that shows more respect towards the Exile than Kylo shows towards Rey. The Exile may be his enemy, but he respects her for what she’s been able to accomplish (especially since, in both paths, he underestimates the Exile. The difference is that with a male Exile, Sion despises him, while with a female Exile, Sion begrudgingly respects what she’s capable of).

In contrast, Kylo’s meeting with Rey is much different. In her initial vision, Rey’s frightened of him:

He terrifies her in the forest of Takodana, blatantly:

There was quite a ruckus made over the fact that he carried her bridal style (and even that you would have to stretch quite a bit, considering that it reminded me more of how Michael Myers would carry a victim), but even then, the difference between bridal style and that is that you have to have consent from the carried (carry-ee? Who knows). Kylo didn’t have Rey’s consent when he carried her. He actively knocked her unconscious with the Force (it’s rather unclear, but he does wave his hand a little) in order to get what he wanted:

And lest we forget, he tortured her. “But brokenedgeben!” you may say. “You ship Darkpilot, and that’s way worse than Reylo!” 

Yes, I ship Darkpilot. The difference is that Darkpilot shippers never try to romanticize Poe’s torture or minimize it like Reylos do with Rey (some have said that Kylo didn’t really torture her). We acknowledge that what Kylo did is a terrible thing and actually try to work with it. Sion obviously never tortured the Exile (ergo, not much to go on), so the best we can do is get into Kylo’s torture of Rey. I remember reading multiple fics that tried to excuse and rationalize Rey’s torture, including saying it was okay because he didn’t use a torture droid on her like he (apparently) did to Poe. But does it really make it better? Let’s really look at the evidence here. Aside from taking off his mask for Rey and trying to explain to her why she’s here, he isn’t really any better towards her than he was towards Poe. In fact, the only difference is that Rey beats him in the end. When he’s interrogating her, and getting into her personal space, she’s crying, closing her eyes, and turning her face away:

She doesn’t want it. It’s easy to understand why JJ Abrams would compare this scene to a sexual assault -- Kylo refuses to get out of her head and she has to force him out, and then there’s the gratuitous closeness of the two (again, without Rey’s consent, so even if Reylo did exist, it would be one-sided at most) during the torture scene. 

Attitudes towards enemies

With Sion, it’s made abundantly clear that he does have compassion and respect towards the Exile, twisted as it is. That only becomes stronger as we get to Malachor V. Nihilus has been vanquished, but Sion and Kreia are still standing, and Sion is relegated to being Kreia’s servant again (after Kreia makes a point of Force Choking him). Now, Kylo had no qualms about bringing Rey to Snoke, and even watches idly as Rey’s tortured by Snoke:

When Rey’s tortured by Snoke, there’s no emotion on Kylo’s face. There’s very little emotion, actually. He does nothing to intervene until the last minute when he kills Snoke (and even Rian Johnson’s comments don’t necessarily suggest that he killed Snoke for Rey). Not to mention that he’s tortured Rey in the past, complete with very creepily getting into her space:

When Kreia and Sion discuss the Exile on Malachor, however, Sion immediately shows concern for her. He explicitly asks Kreia what she will do to the Exile, which Kreia mocks him for, even asking if he has feelings within that shell. (In contrast, aside from Snoke bringing up the idea of Kylo having compassion for Rey in the novelization -- very different from romantic love -- Kylo’s feelings for Rey are never acknowledged onscreen) Even when Kreia explains what she’ll do (which may have been a bluff, but Sion didn’t know that), Sion actually is furious -- he doesn’t show it explicitly, but the gesture he makes of helplessly clenching his fists says volumes, really. 

When Rey tries to sway Kylo away from the path he’s going down (and keep in mind she’s crying all the while), Kylo shouts at her, and then, to twist the knife further, forces her to say that her parents were basically nobody and then says, “You have no place in this story. You come from nothing -- you’re nothing. But not to me.” Even the last part could arguably be called a form of emotional manipulation. 

And keep in mind, Rey crying above? Kylo did this to her. All because she wanted to help him.

How does Sion handle the duel with the Exile? He explicitly says that he respects the Exile’s abilities -- twice, actually. “I cannot see as [Kreia] does, but I know that in time, you will surpass her power. But not here. Not [at Malachor].” And “You are strong. As strong as I had believed. But you cannot beat me. [Kreia] knows this.” Part of the last one is sheer denial of the fact that Kreia’s using him as a pawn in a very complicated game of dejarik, part of it is a belief that he’s saving the Exile by either having her leave the Academy or killing her himself. When the Exile tries to help him (albeit in a twisted way, considering that it actually does result in Sion’s death at the end), Sion doesn’t ridicule her. He doesn’t rub in the fact that she’s nothing. If anything, Sion’s words seem to be more of unhealthy twisted coping mechanisms literally trying to keep himself alive. His words are fundamentally turned against himself, while Kylo actively wants to (emotionally) break Rey into joining him.

Think about it. If Kylo really loved Rey, he would have appealed to her joining him by confessing he loved her. Not implying, but confessing. It still would have gotten the point across that Kylo is manipulative, but it would have been a major step up from basically humiliating her and putting her down to make himself feel better about the fact that Luke “chose” her over him (don’t believe me? The novelization explicitly says that Kylo’s jealous of Rey. So was Sion with the Exile, of course, but the waters do get muddied by the fact that he genuinely seems to care for her and worry for her in a twisted way). 

First, Do No Harm

During their duel in the forest on Starkiller Base before Rey gets the upper hand, Kylo has no qualms about knocking Rey unconscious to focus on Finn first (it’s only after he severely burns Finn that Rey actually reenters the fight). Does he suggest her joining him? Yes, and in an arguably less derogatory way than he does in TLJ, as he doesn’t focus on her origins as much as her power and potential. That’s actually the catalyst for Rey being able to defeat him, and keep in mind, during her duel, she’s absolutely furious with him (and justifiably so):

(This was the best GIF I got of angry Rey, BTW)

After Rey fundamentally rejects him on the Supremacy, Kylo has no qualms about harming her. He even orders the Falcon blown out of the sky (though he doesn’t succeed or Rey would be dead) by his TIE fighters when Rey shows up to the battle. In contrast, while Sion doesn’t hold back in his duel against the Exile, he repeatedly urges her to surrender and leave Malachor because he sees it as better than what Kreia will inevitably do to her (in his eyes). Johnson could have chosen to have Kylo hesitate in firing on Rey for whatever reason (after all, he had it in the beginning with Kylo refusing to fire on his mother), but he didn’t. He chose to have Kylo treat Rey as any other opponent he hated. 

The Confession

While Kylo never really confesses his feelings to Rey explicitly, some Reylo shippers have interpreted the “you have no place in this story” speech as a love confession simply because of Kylo’s “but not to me” at the end. The problem is that it doesn’t do anything to tie into Kylo’s character; it’s just awful. In contrast, Sion’s confession is...probably not going to win any awards for best confession ever, but it ties into his character organically and is unexpectedly poignant because it is basically Sion trying to comprehend feelings that aren’t simply the hate and anger that’s keeping him alive -- feelings that may literally kill him. Even the script directions for the dialogue (shown on this Wookieepedia page if you scroll to the bottom and look for the eleventh footnote) describe it as him trying to describe what love feels like to him. It’s part of his character and makes sense. It illuminates a part of his character. With Kylo, the “you come from nothing” speech could have been intended to serve a similar purpose, but what does it really reveal about him? Nothing, except him being a manipulative bastard. And Sion/Exile was never intended to be a destined partnership (those would fall to Atton/Exile and Disciple/Exile, respectively, for a female Exile. And possibly Visas/Exile and Handmaiden/Exile if you’re using a mod). It was all part of Sion’s character, not knowing what to do with his emotions that aren’t hate. 

Even while he’s dying, he doesn’t lose his affection for the Exile. He even, while warning her about Kreia a final time, says, “Her weakness is you. As you were mine.” Coming from the literal embodiment of the Dark Side, that’s actually touching in a way. 

A tale of two heroines

What also makes Sion and the Exile work is purely in a character-driven way -- Sion is a look into what the Exile could have become if she depended too much on the Force/fell to the Dark Side. (Nihilus is a more blatant parallel, but Sion definitely has his parallels too) The Exile keeps her character arc; she isn’t sacrificed identity-wise in order to try and save Sion. All throughout her encounters with Sion, she keeps her identity intact. And keep in mind, this was written in 2004. 

In contrast, everything about Rey’s character in The Last Jedi is sacrificed to serve Kylo. She’s willing to put herself in danger on the off chance (and a really forced -- if you pardon the pun -- off chance that there may be good in him). Luke had a more familial version of it with Vader, but he kept his character arc of becoming a Jedi intact. Rey is sacrificed to serve another, her story of becoming a Jedi ultimately consumed by Kylo’s story. And this was in 2017. And called a “feminist” film. Calling it feminist is a genuine insult to feminism. 

Does Rey get a chance to resolve her own conflicts? No. She’s relegated to resolving another’s conflict. When she confronts Snoke, it’s all about “Ben”, not resisting the Dark Side herself. Rey rarely gets a chance to have an identity of her own in TLJ until towards the end; it’s all about Kylo. But hey, what do I know? Obviously I hate things directed at women, despite being a woman myself. 

Conclusion

When a hero/villain relationship keeps the heroine’s agency more in a game written in 2004 than a movie in 2017, we’ve got problems on our hands. Even saying that KOTOR II was a deconstruction is no excuse, as The Last Jedi was a deconstruction as well. (I’m probably going to stir up some controversy considering that apparently KOTOR II and TLJ are Friendly Fandoms, but TLJ doesn’t even hold a candle to KOTOR II) The difference is that one got it right, and the other got it wrong. One defied sexist tropes, one succumbed to it. One made the villain sympathetic and even redeemable through the relationship, the other did not. 

So how would I have written Reylo? I wouldn’t have copied Sion/Exile word for word, but I’d take these lessons to heart:

-Emphasize the nature of Rey and Kylo as foils. Using Kylo as a foil for Rey would have arguably saved Rey’s character from becoming just a tool for Kylo, as she would have faced him in a way that was relevant to her becoming a Jedi in her own right. Even if you didn’t have her lose in the forest on Starkiller Base, she could be learning to resist the Dark Side, or at least struggling with it. You could even have her struggle with Luke’s teachings, at least in terms of what she’s learned. 

-Cut the whole matter of Kylo ragging on Rey’s origins. It really does nothing except make him look like a pointless jerk.

-Have Kylo actually show he cares for Rey. There were countless opportunities. He could have hesitated to blow her out of the sky on Crait. He could have expressed sympathy towards her parentage (even though he has no idea what she’s gone through, at least he’d be trying). He could have openly used his caring for her in order to get her to join his side. (Think Bastila with Revan) He could have warned her what Snoke would do to her and that she shouldn’t have come (though that would have gotten in the way of his plan to turn her, so there is that. Mostly suggesting, of course). 

-Build up to Rey actually caring for Kylo and wanting to save him. There was no transition to her sudden change of mind, not even a bit of foreshadowing. It makes me wonder if a scene got cut that never even made it into the deleted scenes. 

-Completely change the “You come from nothing” scene. Instead of having Kylo use Rey’s parentage against her, have him promise her a future -- a better future, in his eyes, than what she’s got. 

-Have Kylo try and warn her about Luke. It would have been a nice bit of foreshadowing for the fact that Luke’s not entirely the good guy. 

-Make it unique to their characters. Make it part of their individual arcs (as I would argue that Sion got an arc despite not being a party member). Make it unique and striking, and you can likely get some gems from there.

In the end, Reylo could have been a lot more. Rey could have been a lot more. The fact that a game made in 2004 had better writing, character development, feminism, and emotion than a movie made in 2017 really does say volumes about how Star Wars has evolved -- and how it may go in the future.

[johnmulaneys]

ok. rebelde 2022 thoughts from someone who has been a rebelde 2004 fan since it originally aired 

let’s start with: i don’t like the netflix 8-episode seasons, they don’t give me enough time to actually know everything i need to know about these characters and get attached to them (it’s the same issue i had with young royals tbh). rebelde 2004 was a telenovela that aired almost daily for basically 2 years. they could spend 5-6 chapters with some b-plot storyline going on and still have us hooked with other storylines and all that, and then move on to a completely different storyline the next week, you know?

so having jana be like “i thought what we had was real” to esteban after (what it feels like) only knowing him for 3 days? blargh. also having them as the main couple was just... a terrible idea. they’re boring, very troy and gabriella which is nothing like the rebelde couples we love. mia and miguel? diego and roberta? the blueprints of enemies to lovers. maybe the 2022 romantic dynamic that hit the closest to a rebelde dynamic was dixon x mj, with dixon being the more wildcard, rebellious one and mj being more sweet and innocent (a similar dynamic to lupita and santos) and even that still felt a little rushed (again 8 episodes... not enough); i also really liked andi x emilia but thats because rebelde 2004 didn’t have gay people so 2022 wins there.

also that jana x esteban break-up at the end felt so out of the blue. it lacks drama, it lacks silliness, it lacks everything that made the og rebelde so good.

another thing: the personalities for these characters felt really flat. out of the main 6, luka was the one with the most distinguished traits, i feel like he was the one that was the closest to having a whole “hero’s journey” going for him (obviously he’s my favorite). the thing about rebelde 2004 that really worked was that the main 6 characters were very flawed, completely different from one another and very cartoonishingly so. 

mia was an extremely girly-girl-spoiled-bratty-most-popular-daddy’s girl ever, roberta was the most rebellious-rock-n-roll-post-feminism-punk girl, lupita was the peak angelic-church-going-innocent-eternally-virginal type, etc. all these characters were very distinctively different from one another to the point where watching them learn how to get along felt much more interesting and rewarding. and even the supporting characters, the teachers, the parents, etc., all of them felt very unique. meanwhile in 2022 these traits that are supposed to tell them apart are kind of... flat. i can kinda compare them to the og 6 but i cannot right away categorize jana or esteban in any kind of archetype, all these 2022 characters feel like a bella swan-ification of the og main 6 and it’s boring tbh

don’t get me started with la logia... 2004 la logia were truly terrifying. they’d specifically target scholarship students, it was some sort of neonazi allegory, using anonymous threats and real violence and it was genuinely scary whenever they were around. like you’d be fearing for these characters’ lives when they were caught by la logia, people would end up in the hospital fighting for their lives fr!!!!!!! and now... la logia catches the newbies (regardless of status) and makes them... sing? laughable

and “you can’t compare the two” won’t fly here. it’s a direct continuation of an iconic piece of entertainment, and i am a fan of the source material, i am exclusively watching it to make comparisons. not to mention, the characters themselves made direct comparisons - which actually make me dislike them a little more (jana cohen you will never be mia colucci)

and a few lore issues:

so pilar and tomás just... broke up? i guess it happens, of course not all of the couples that ended up together in the 2004 version would be together forever but when you’re making something for people who watched the material source... maybe a little explanation wouldn’t hurt? i wasn’t even that invested in pilar and tomás (i’m more of a lesbian pilar truther tbh)

celina was pregnant when the og rebelde ended. where is the child? that child would be 15-16 in 2022 which is the perfect age for them to be in elite way school... being a character... causing trouble...

speaking of elite way school: this new version is so fucking ugly. the og ews was this DREAM school we all ENVIED and the students would use their laptops in class (i remember being so jealous because laptops were still like. A Big Deal) but this new one is like: concrete. here’s all these students with this wannabe 2000s aesthetics, but this school will be just boring concrete. ugly as fuck and looks tiny

why were there no celina and pilar scenes? they’re literally the two characters that connected us to the original story and they’ve known each other for a long time. celina now has pilar’s dad’s job! and i would’ve felt it in my heart if, in that final scene of the nonames (i refuse to call them rebelde) singing that iconic song, celina and pilar had just fondly smiled at each other because of the good ol’days..... but then didn’t do it! ugh

but let’s go to what i liked:

luka. i’d be biased anyway because he’s a colucci but as i mentioned before he felt like the most distinctive character out of the main 6 and his journey felt the most rewarding to follow.

the anita twist: was genuinely surprised by that. maybe i wasn’t that interested in the logia storyline since it felt so silly compared to the og but seeing her in that revelation scene was quite surprising

diversity: something rebelde 2004 really lacked and the 2022 version managed to do better (we can always keep improving though).

andi x emilia: although it still felt rushed (fucking 8 episode season), it was very refreshing to see a queer storyline in the rebelde universe

lourdes: she was very likeable (even though she purposefully tries not to be), loved her attitude with the students and i wish we had seen even more of her

the covers: i actually enjoyed the covers (although i thought the salvame mv was very corny but not in a camp way like the 2004 one, you know?), listening to songs i’ve loved for more than half of my life in new versions was fun and i’m always up bop to tras de mi .

these are my first thoughts tho. if i think of anything else i’ll keep talking about it i guess lmao

[philosophyblr]

AFRICAN & BLACK PHILOSOPHY: Getting Started

Hello everyone! As many of us who study philosophy in some form are likely aware, people of color, especially black philosophers, are radically underrepresented in the field (composing only 1.32% of all philosophers in the US). In order to combat such marginalization, and in attempt to help amplify black voices within the field of philosophy, I have complied a series of links & information here for learning more about African/black philosophy, especially within the US. Please feel free to add to this post if you feel that anything is missing, esp if ur a black person!

Overview:

According to Wikipedia.org: “African philosophy is the philosophical discourse produced by indigenous Africans and their descendants, including African Americans. African philosophers may be found in the various academic fields of philosophy, such as metaphysics, epistemology, moral philosophy, and political philosophy. One particular subject that many African philosophers have written about is that on the subject of freedom and what it means to be free or to experience wholeness.”

Articles to start with: 

“What African Philosophy Can Teach You About the Good Life.”

“A truly African philosophy.”

“African Philosophy.”

“Descartes was wrong: ‘a person is a person through other persons.’” 

“Does Western Philosophy Have Egyptian Roots?” 

“What You Should Know About Contemporary African Philosophy.” 

“Philosophy in Africa - A Case of Epistemic Injustice in the Academy.” 

“The African Enlightenment.”

“The Radical Philosophy of Egypt.” 

“The first God.” 

“African Philosophy Is More Than You Think It Is.” 

And some introductory texts:

Barry Hallen, A Short History of African Philosophy. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press (2009).

Samuel Oluoch Himbo, An Introduction to African Philosophy. Lanham et al.: Rowman and Littlefield (1998). 

Dismas Masolo, African Philosophy in Search of Identity. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press (1994).

Kwasi Wiredu, A Companion to African Philosophy. Malden, Oxford, Victoria: Blackwell Publishing (2004). (PDF version linked here.)

Key essays:

“The Struggle for Reason in Africa” by Mogobe Ramose in The African Philosophy Reader eds. P.H. Coestzee & A.P.J. Roux

“Appeal,” David Walker 

“What to the Slave is the 4th of July?”, Frederick Douglass

“Ain’t I a Woman?”, Sojourner Truth 

“The Black Woman’s role in the Community of Slaves,” Angela Davis

The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. DuBois (first chapter esp.)

“A Problem of Biography in African Thought” & “What Does It Mean to Be a Problem?” by Lewis Gordon in Existentia Africana 

“Racism and Feminism,” by bell hooks in the PDF linked here

“Recognizing Racism in the Era of Neoliberalism,” Angela Davis

“Nonviolence and Racial Justice,” Martin Luther King, Jr. 

“The Ballot or the Bullet,” Malcolm X

“The Uses of Anger: Women Responding to Racism,” Audre Lorde

“Whiteness as Property,” Cheryl Harris

Important contemporary black philosophers:

Cornel West (political philosophy, philosophy of religion, ethics, race, democracy, liberation theology)

Angela Davis (also a writer and social activist & just a general badass, really worth knowing about regardless of whether or not you have an interest in philosophy)

bell hooks (race, capitalism, sexuality & gender through a postmodern perspective)

Lewis Gordon (Africana philosophy, black existentialism, phenomenology)

Kwame Anthony Appiah (probabilistic semantics, political theory, moral theory, intellectual history, race and identity theory)

Patricia Hill Collins (sociology of knowledge, race, class, gender studies)

John H. McWhorter (linguistics) 

George Yancy (Critical philosophy of race, critical whiteness studies, African philosophy, philosophy of the body)

Kwassi Wiredu (African philosophy)

Franz Fanon (20th century Marxism, psychoanalysis, colonialism)

Online podcasts, blogs, & videos:

Podcast on Africana philosophy (the website linked here also contains several useful links and resources for further reading)

Youtube series on African Philosophy

Award-winning blog run by a Nigerian-Finnish woman which “connects feminism with critical reflections on contemporary culture from an Africa-centred perspective.”

Other links & resources:

Journal on African Philosophy

Wikipedia page, which includes a list of African philosophers

History of African Philosophy

Online bibliography on African Philosophy

25 Black Scholars You Should Know

The Collegium of Black Women Philosophers

[inhibited-irregularity]

EUROVISION 2021, personal favorites:

- Russia 🇷🇺

Manizha, Russian Woman: Absolute favorite. The sheer originality of the song! Her energy and the level of absolute badassery! She can sing, she can rap,and she's a bomb of energy. The way reggae and brass and hiphop and Slavic melodies overlap and it somehow works, the transitions between fun and "I'm bitter about the sexism and I'm mocking it unapologetically and making a stand" and the anthemic, emphatic and powerful message to Russian women; I was swelling with emotion while watching her. While to an American or a Westerner it may seem like performative feminism, I'm gonna remind you that in Russia and other Slavic countries that's very much not a thing and actually a very unpopular stand to make, and in Russia, The Balkans, and Eastern Europe in general, hundreds of women face domestic and sexual abuse on the daily, and those who do come forward rarely get support and are mostly dismissed. Let's not forget that Manizha got a huge backlash from the Russian government officials, and a big part of it was for her Tajik roots. The honesty of her message is real, and she's speaking from personal experience and the experience of women around her - nothing performative about her song, and you can tell from her delivery that the fire within her is true and she leaves her heart on the stage and pours it into the song. The staging and costumes are great as well, and symbolically well thougt-through. I would really like her to win, or at least get to the top 5. Most of all, I hope her message is heard and felt. 10000/10

- Italy 🇮🇹

Måneskin, Zitti e Buoni: definitely the closest thing to my actual music taste this year, so liking them off the bat wasn't a surprise. However, they're not just your regular Franz-Ferdinand-ish young alt rock band that wants to do rock "properly" - they have IT. The X factor, the Je ne sais quoi. I've been exposed to that particular genre, and I can confidently say that the song still manages to be refreshing and original (that bridge, those riffs!) The band has a great energy and no matter how much Damiano steals the show, they are still a unit and nobody is left in the shadows. They have the spirit of great rock bands of the previous century, and yet they don't try to copy anyone (khm,Greta Van Fleet, khm). Damiano's vocals are both powerful, seductive and provoking, and I'm still admiring the sheer amount of emotion he can pack into a single line and the nuance and yet rawness behind it. I'm not gonna state the obvious lol (the obvious being yes, I'm thirsty as well, he becomes yet another unattainable rockstar for me too,and yes they all look great) Anyway, great song, and maybe the clearest and most serious candidate for the number one spot, taking both the jury and the public into consideration. 10/10

- Iceland 🇮🇸

Daði Freyr and Gagnamagnið, 10 years:

What can I say about this masterpiece that hasn't already been said? A clear fan-favorite (hi, Valentina), but with the guns to back it up. The song is contagious, fun and campy, and unlike some other songs with said qualities, actually good from a musical perspective. Daði is incredibly charismatic and his sense of humor shines through, and even though he's the star of the show, the same can be said about the other band members. The synergy Måneskin has can be applied to Gagnamagnið as well, even though the energy is entirely different. They're serving us fun, sunshine, kitties rainbows sugar spice and everything nice, and manage to do it with zero cringe factor (plus those funky keytars). I'm one of those Eurovision fans that lament the golden age's (2004-2009) campiness (We'll never forget you, Verka), and Daði managed to bring it back, but modernised, polished and still sincere. I personally preferred the epic dad joke that slightly more commercial Think About Thing was (but that's one tough act to follow), but I'm always down for a husband adoring his wife and singing praises to their relationship. Since we're on tumblr, I feel obliged to use the term "cinnamon rolls" in describing Daði and the band. 9.5/10

- France 🇫🇷

Barbara Pravi, Voilà: She brought the theatrics, she brought the drama, and she brought the 101 in "that's how you perform". Her personality leaps through, and her voice is both beautiful and full of emotion and power. I'd hire her to star in a serious and artistic movie. Despite the fact that Voilà is from its melody to the singing style to the video to the vibe and the aesthetic hands down the most French thing I've seen since Amélie (do not come for that movie), it miraculously doesn't come across as a cliché, but rather an homage, and an individualistic one at that. It's not entirely my cup of tea, since I'm usually biased to songs that may come off as snobbish (I mean, the jury is going to lap it up), and are all about being proper and technical and oh how ~artistic~, but Barbara puts the soul into the immaculate. I'm not giving her the highest mark because I'm yet to see the performance, but I'm rooting for her. If she delivers the performance, we might have a clear winner. 9/10

- Ukraine 🇺🇦

Go_A, Shum: I'm a sucker for all things ethnic and mytological, so this was a no-brainer. I want that song played at every party. I want to go to the forest in the video and chant and summon the spring with flute and hard-bass. Kateryna Pavlenko has some unexplainable power over me, and her eyes are simply hypnotizing. The vocals are great, proper Slavic ethno right there (seriously, check out Slavic folklore and traditional music), and she has a subtle punk quality too(?). Ukraine came to save the spring and make us forget about the pandemic, and minus the Maruv fiasco (justice for her!), they always deliver and I expected nothing less. On the other hand, I loved the original version much more and couldn't help but be a bit disappointed with the revamp (yes, I know they had to), and while I personally love Shum, I think some other acts are more deserving of the higher placement. Go_A are not my winner, but definitely soon to be in my playlist. 8/10

- San Marino 🇸🇲

Adrenalina, Senhit ft. Flo Rida: You know that golden age of Eurovision I mentioned? THIS. I'm Serbian, so I can't resist a banger reminiscent of our horrible turbo-folk elements (and I say that endearingly,takes me back to 18th birthday parties (boy I'm glad that's over)). Let's just crown Senhit this year's Queen of Camp. The wild factor of Flo Rida...just?? Amazing. Can't wait to see how the performance goes (EDIT- it went great, I had a grin on my face the entire time and couldn't help but dance along). A certain refreshment after Serhat and Valentina Monetta endless loop. They didn't dial down the weird, but made it catchy af, and the vocal can rival any Balkan folk diva. While I think it's definitely the most entertaining entry this year, it's far from being the most original, and it's not really my genre of preference. Will vote for Senhit and root for her to qualify. 7.5/ 10

- Sweden 🇸🇪

Tusse, A million voices: As I mentioned before, I'm the first person that starts complaining about Sweden Superiority as soon as Eurovision season begins, and I'm with you all with being tired of Sweden qualifying just because they're Sweden and usually just bringing the same brand of MTV/Calvin Harris/American pop, or a successful and not-so-subtle imitation of the performances that did well the previous year,but listen: A million voices is a solid pop song and I'm going to die on that hill. It actually embodies the essence of pop - a catchy, pleasant melody sung by a good vocalist, with a short,sweet and uplifting message. It's not the same as previous years, it's not commercial, just good pop - good pop being something you immediately like and vibe to no matter how many common elements of the genre it checks. It relies on RnB rather than electronic sounds, auto tune or various DJ effects. Tusse is charming and charismatic af, and he's a 19yo kid doing an amazing job on a global stage. You don't have to like it, but there's no need to hate on it (ask Jendrik). Imo, Tusse deserved to qualify. Not winner material yet, but I wish him a fun time and a successful career. 7 5/10

- Switzerland 🇨🇭

G'jons Tears, Tout L'Univers: I saw the video first, and I HATED IT. It came across as a Duncan Lawrence-high-art wannabe, something technically perfect, but empty of soul or meaning, another soft boy with a sad falsetto, another jury-points bait. BUT. I changed my mind entirely after seeing him perform. Hands down, it was touching and epic. Reminding me of Hamlet aside, he DELIVERED, and made me love him, and actually enjoy the song. I still think the song is less original than Tusse's voices, but I enjoy the troubadour vibes of the pre-chours. G'jon is absolutely adorable, and I'm not gonna be mad if he wins. 8/10

shout-outs&honorable mentions:

- Serbia 🇷🇸 Yes, some national bias, but I'm proud of our girls. Ever Since we placed 2nd with Željko's Lane, we had that goddamn flute e v e r y year, and the same outdated scenography with a side of extra pathos (I'm sure that ruined Sanja's chances and her otherwise great performance back in 2016.) Finally something fun and actually representative of the music popular here. They looked flawless and the energy was off the charts. Go, Hurricane!

-Finland 🇫🇮 Yes, cheesy and corny and I cut my finger accidentally from watching the video on all the edge, but I'm biased because they're bringing emo and nu-metal back, and that's the music of my early adolescence (hello, Kaulitz brothers and Andy Biersack,hello Gerard Way and Linkin Park) Call me grandma lol

- Malta 🇲🇹 DESTINY CAN SIIIIIIIIING! I wasn't impressed with the song initially, but the performance blew my mind.

- Ireland 🇮🇪 A for effort, and so nice of her to try and give us something unique! While it wasn't good enough to qualify, it was super fun and she seems so nice. Also, we all know that she was out of breath an can sing much better than that. Still wasn't bad.

- Romania 🇷��, for being so young and brave enough to put on a show. The nerves got the better of her, but the song itself is good and no doubt she'll do well in the future

- Lithuania 🇱🇹, thanks for the memeries

- Croatia 🇭🇷, Not my cup of tea, but Albina gave a great performance

-Norway 🇳🇴, for embodying the spirit of Eurovision

- North Macedonia 🇲🇰, for the disco chest

- The UK 🇬🇧, for putting some effort

(Might edit later)

[blogspersonal707]

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–St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church Amarillo -Fritch Fire Volunteers — please note! The address for the multi-agency resource center — MARC — has changed. The new address is 308 Ridgeland, Fritch TX 79030. Please follow the Red Cross signs. –Toot’n Totum … Continue reading

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I’ve updated my prediction for 2024 and I’m now convinced that it is going to be Kamala Harris vs Lara Trump

Who the fuck is Lara Trump? You’ve heard of Ivanka and Melanie and maybe Tiffany, but Lara? She’s Eric’s wife, and she’s running for senate in North Carolina in 2022; the current NC senator Richard Burr is retiring, and because he voted to convict Trump in the impeachment trial his constituents are pissed off. I knew that his successor was going to be a Trump supporter, but I didn’t expect it to be a literal Trump, this is a new development. They’re trying to establish a political dynasty; this usually takes generations and decades, but Trump has bought every position he’s ever had and his entire family gets to coast off of make recognition rather than skill or qualifications.

I was so sure that it would be Ivanka who ran in 2024, but now that Lara is almost certainly going to become a senator, she has the nomination in the bag. In 2008, Republicans said Barack Obama wasn’t qualified to be president because he had only just been elected senator since 2004, they saw him as moving too fast. They then nominated Trump with zero qualifications in 2016, so it’s not that they cared, they were just making up excuses to oppose Obama. Lara Trump doesn’t want to be a senator, she’s just using this as a stepping stone to the White House.

If she runs in 2024, Biden will almost certainly step down after one term and let Kamala Harris run. Nothing sticks to Republicans, they’re held to a much lower standard than Democrats; while Republican men can run against Democratic woman no problem, if a Democratic man ran against a Republican woman, he’d be labeled a misogynist and it would stick to him. So it’ll be Kamala vs Lara, guaranteeing us the first female president in 2024, turning it into an ideological thing. Everyone assumed the first female president would be a Democrat (from 2000 to 2016 everyone assumed it would be Hillary Clinton), just as the first black president was a Democrat, but Republicans want that milestone themselves so they can push a toxic conservative agenda with a veneer of feminism. A Republican woman president would ban abortions and strip healthcare and punish trans people for existing, they’d go on a Margaret Thatcher power trip, call themselves the Steel Lady to Thatcher’s Iron. They’d also face much more scrutiny than their male predecessors because of legitimate misogyny, so Lara wouldn’t be as beloved as Donald because a large chunk of Republicans don’t think women should run for office period (not a majority of them, but at least a quarter).

If the Republicans run another old white guy in 2024, the race will be unexceptional, but if they run a woman then that drastically changes the optics of it and turns it into a media circus. 2000 was an important race (especially near the end), 2004 was not, but 2008 was. 2012 wasn’t, but 2016 was. 2020 was very important, and the last thing Republicans want is to run a boring candidate in 2024; they’re either gonna run Donald a third time, or Lara (assuming she wins the 2022 senate race, which is already leaning red, so her nomination would be tantamount to election).

[thesustainableswap]

Questions, sources, resources:

00:11 - Q1: How well do you feel the school system supports LGBTQ+ students? Talk on head boy/head girl, sex education, how ‘everyone will know theyʼre gay at 14,ʼ bisexuality not being taken seriously.

09:42 - Q2: Did you feel safe & supported at school where you felt like you could come out? Talk on ‘Section 28,ʼ & the tone of voice used for LGBT terminology.

13:47 - A tangent on having open discussions with kids about the LGBT+ community & seeing representation or real life stories in magazines or on TV.

17:08 - Back to the school system.

18:32 - Q3: Why do you think weʼre seeing a rise in ‘traditional,ʼ ‘conservative,ʼ views? Talk on conversion therapy & people having to flee their homes to find safety.

28:05 - Q4: Do you feel there is good representation of LGBTQ+ in the media?

34:34 - Q5: PM Boris Johnson stated that, ‘Gay men were “bum boys in tank tops”.ʼ Do you feel the current UK Gov supports the LGBTQ+ community?

36:59 - Weʼre talking about the GRA, self identification & bathrooms.

48:32 - The idea that all men are ‘biologically aggressive,ʼ trans inclusive feminism, & why discussion, communication & education is the way forward.

54:36 - Discussing the health care system, how language is gendered & periods!

01:01:58 - Q6: 50% of marriages end in divorce. Between 1% - 8% of trans people ‘de-transition.ʼ Despite this, why is heterosexual marriage protected while trans people arenʼt?

01:07:46 - Talking about trans kids as well as trans families & puberty.

01:15:43 - Q7: Youʼve been vocal about emailing your MP about LGBTQ+ issues. Did he continue to express his support publicly, or only privately?

01:23:22 - Edʼs last chance to get any important information across!

1 in 100 people are transgender https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/23/us/transgender-teenagers-how-many.html

LGB are 1 in 10 https://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/apr/05/10-per-cent-population-gay-alfred-kinsey-statistics https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/culturalidentity/sexuality/bulletins/sexualidentityuk/2018

Section 28 (1998 - 2003) https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/article/cacc0b40-c3a4-473b-86cc-11863c0b3f3

Equality Act (2010) https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/contents https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/equality-act-2010/what-equality-act

Poland & LGBTQ+ https://balkaninsight.com/2020/06/16/lgbt-rights-seize-spotlight-in-poland-move-online-elsewhere/ https://balkaninsight.com/2020/02/25/a-third-of-poland-declared-lgbt-free-zone/

‘Queerness was not a white thingʼ https://www.instagram.com/p/CCMlbr7DdEG/

Platonic relationships https://www.nytimes.com/1979/04/08/archives/platonic-love-greek.html https://www.theguardian.com/books/2007/nov/10/history.society

ILGA Europe https://www.ilga-europe.org/

Ban Conversion Therapy www.banconversiontherapy.com

Russia 45 out of 49 countries in Europe on LGBT+ rights (2018 study) https://rainbow-europe.org/country-ranking https://www.dw.com/en/russia-putin-seeks-constitutional-ban-on-gay-marriage/a-52617850

LGBTQ+ Russianʼs leaving Russia https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/how-lgbt-couples-in-russia-decide-whether-to-leave-the-country

LGBTQ+ refugeeʼs trying to escape from trauma and conversion therapy https://www.unhcr.org/news/press/2019/7/5d19bdc04/un-rights-experts-urge-protection-lgbti-refugees.html

Halle Berry, Jared Leto, Eddie Redmayne playing transgender characters https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/07/halle-berry-apology-trans-man https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/trans-people-not-happy-about-jared-leto-winning-oscar030314/ https://www.indiewire.com/2015/11/eddie-redmayne-talks-backlash-trans-representation-and-the-power-of-the-male-gaze-in-the-danish-girl-50373/

Boris Johnson: ‘Bum boys in tank tops.ʼ https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2019/12/12/boris-johnson-tank-top-bum-boys-homophobic-peter-mandleson-history/

The Gender Recognition Act https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2004/7/contents https://www.stonewall.org.uk/gender-recognition-act-gra-take-action-trans- equality

Black trans women matter https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/27/us/politics/black-trans-lives-matter.html

Trans men not going for cervical screens https://phescreening.blog.gov.uk/2019/04/10/reducing-cervical-screening-inequalities-for-trans-people/

Kenny Jones https://www.self.com/story/male-period-trans-model-kenny-jones

Between 1% - 8% of trans people ‘de-transition.ʼ https://www.stonewall.org.uk/about-us/news/dispelling-myths-around-detransition

Jazz Jennings https://time.com/4350574/jazz-jennings-transgender/

Freddy McConnell https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-kent-51759203

Laura Jane Grace https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/laura-jane-grace-a-trans-punk-rockers-fight-to-rebuild-her-life-111470/

Jordan Gray http://www.jordangrayofficial.com/ Ben Barnes https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39644215-the-autobiography-of-a-transgender-scientist

Alan Turing https://www.biography.com/scientist/alan-turing

[dippedanddripped]

When British tennis champion Fred Perry became the first player to win a career grand slam in 1935, he might have hoped his legacy would be defined by the stunning bit of history he made, still just 26 years old. It’s unlikely he could have predicted his name would be used in 2020 to uniform a far-right male militia jacked up on violence and misogyny. And yet, Proud Boys, an organisation allegedly founded as a joke by Gavin McInnes in the run-up the 2016 US election, has become instantly recognisable by its allegiance to Fred Perry’s black and yellow trim polo, forcing the brand to publicly distance itself and announce last week that it had withdrawn sales of the shirt in the US and Canada a year ago.

McInnes, 50, is the Scottish-Canadian co-founder of Vice Media, and lives in Brooklyn. He believes western culture is under siege and that feminism is a cancer. His group, much like an enraged Reddit sub-forum given vein-popping physical form, has been described as an alt-right fight club and hate group by Southern Poverty Law Centre (SPLC), as white supremacists by Joe Biden,and classified as an extremist group by the FBI – even though McInnes rejects the notion that Proud Boys are racists . It is not, by a long stretch, a good look for Fred Perry.

“It is incredibly frustrating that this group has appropriated our black and yellow twin-tipped shirt and subverted our laurel wreath to their own ends,” the company said on its website last week.

The statement added: “We are proud of its lineage and what the laurel wreath has represented for over 65 years: inclusivity, diversity and independence.” Fred Perry is unequivocal that it has “absolutely nothing” to do with Proud Boys and that “that association is something we must do our best to end”.

That embroidered circular flick, modelled on the original Wimbledon logo, has been adopted by many subcultures since the first polo was launched in 1952.

“It is easy for the piece to be taken up as uniform because it is designed to look like one. It is stern and sensible and needs a distinctive kind of look to pull it off. That look is not a very large and very aggressive and very pink man,” said fashion writer Tony Glenville.

In May, Fred Perry launched a new line with a publicity shoot featuring only models of colour. In pure Twitter bait, fury and counter-fury spewed online as some white customers claimed they would boycott the brand for “spreading diversity bollocks”. In a statement to Dazed and Confused magazine, Fred Perry replied: “We believe actions speak louder than words … Our real fans know what we stand for, and their response to this speaks volumes.”

It is not the first time the brand has been fashionable for groups on the fringes of society; part of the appeal of a neat, utilitarian Fred Perry polo is that it is subversively nonconformist. There is an ironic fashion joke at play: the aesthetic might look objectively square, but its spirit is rebellious.

Few brands have been tussled over as hard by competing subcultures. From tennis nuts to Jamaican rudeboys, skinheads, mods, ska-punks, indie kids and Camden popstars, all have done the Perry polo before Proud Boys came along. The brand has been worn by racist skinheads before McInnes’s lot and, despite its current wobble, is certain to be worn by music fans for some time still.

Amy Winehouse sported hers all over London and ended up collaborating with the brand in 2011 on a collection of Perry classics with Winehouse twists (collars turned up, sleeves capped in semi-sheer fabric). The line still sells well, particularly in the Far East. Damon Albarn, Britpop’s poster boy for the knitted cotton Perry pique shirt, was able to request a specific style of eight shirts which he wore for Blur’s reunion gigs in 2009.

Musicians have been essential to the brand’s credibility, be it the Specials and the Jam or Arctic Monkeys and Skepta. In a project for the brand’s 60th anniversary in 2012, Don Letts made a series of films tracing the line of cultural scenes and musical hierarchies that emerged in Britain since the teddy boys of the 1950s. Fashion was key, but it’s intriguing to see how little the look has shifted for Perryheads, whether they’re on scooters revving around Southend in the 60s or dancing at the 100 Club in the 90s.

Perry was the son of a textile factory worker born in Stockport. He first became a world table tennis champion at 19 before going on to win three consecutive Wimbledon titles. Despite his record-breaking success, he was treated with contempt by the elite who ran the sport in Britain. To Andrew Groves, professor of fashion design at Westminster University, it is this contrast between Perry’s underdog status and unquestionable personal glamour that has helped define the brand.

“The working-class authenticity of both Fred Perry the man and Fred Perry the brand allows it to resonate with each new generation,” he said. “Its no-nonsense design has enabled it to be reinterpreted by each emerging subculture in a way that gives it additional layered, and sometimes contradictory, meanings. Fred Perry was worn on the terraces at Chelsea but also in the gay bars on Old Compton Street; by skinheads at NF rallies but also by Jamaican rudeboys.”

Perry was a heartthrob: he dated Hollywood actresses, including Marlene Dietrich, and married four times. He moved to the US and took up citizenship there before launching his sportswear line with Australian footballer Tibby Wegner in the late 1940s. The company was kept in the family until Perry died in 1995, when it was bought by Japanese company Hit Union.

Groves believes the brand has been able to transcend each decade because of the way it has been reinterpreted by new fashion tribes. “It’s ironic therefore to see this particular shirt adopted by the Proud Boys,” he said, “given that within gay culture, a black polo shirt with yellow tipping on the collar usually signifies that the wearer is into watersports.”

What Fred Perry would think about all the symbolism at play on his bestselling shirts is another matter.

Style wars

New Balance In the early 00s, the athletics brand was adopted by neo-Nazi groups in Germany. The company clawed back credibility by sponsoring anti-racist music events.

Burberry The Burberry check, whether real or counterfeit, became so synonymous with football hooligans and thugs that in 2004, two Leicester pubs banned any customer from wearing the pattern. It was a long crawl back to its contemporary reinvention as a super luxury British brand.

Stone Island In the mid-1980s, the then obscure Italian sailing label became huge on the terraces with football casuals, who matched designer clothes with lairiness. The look went “weekend suburban dad” after some time, but the brand was given a surprising new twist when the rapper Drake began wearing it.