#British social hierarchy

[thepastisalreadywritten]

Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham (1842 - 1928)

Downton Abbey (2010 - 2015)

[ranticore]

some more horse guy fashions, specifically historical

erased the mandolin for this one goodbye mandolin i couldn't be bothered drawing you

so my thought process for this is like what would a society of, lbr, british ppl who are horses value and how would that translate into what they wear if they specifically don't have a taboo against nudity. these fashions are pre-florian conversion (florian was the guy who gave them all government-mandated shame) and considered traditional (the full coverage dresses are also traditional but to a post-florian period so those would be called like. idk. classical). they were still in use in the enclaves north of ironwall for quite a while. anyway returning to the point, the answer to 'what they value' is movement. in actual horses, herd hierarchy and social function is based off movement - free movement for animals for whom the flight response is so strong is an incredibly important thing. dominance in horses is expressed and reinforced by controlling and curtailing the movement of subordinates. for these people, free movement was enhanced by kinetic fashion - free-flowing garments like capes, loosely-pinned headgear with feathers and floaty cloth, and noise-generating devices like bells and chimes were all used to elaborate and enhance the appearance of somebody's gait. the overall look was mostly based off of morris dancers (pheasant feathers, bells on the legs, handkerchiefs) because i like the tie-in to suppression of folk dance by puritans. i think these guys would have some great folk dances

in much the same way trainers are just normal everyday footwear now, game kerchiefs/flags were worn in non-sports contexts because it suffused into the mainstream and became Cool. the flags were used in a game similar to tag rugby if you've ever seen that played (where snatching people's flags is used instead of full contact tackling, forcing someone who's been 'tagged' to stand still until the flags are returned). as i said before somewhere, centaur team sports go incredibly hard.

the tail ornaments were status symbols and in appearance a bit like the traditional show turnout of shire horses. woven grass and straw could be used for a temporary ornament like these, but metal or carved wood were really impressive, and very common gifts of favour between romantic partners. more flags could be hung there if you wanted to be really cool

variations of this style of mane décor were also employed (they loved their ribbons)

in the same time period, Ironwall fashion was a little bit different. These expensive caparisons were usually purchased secondhand after a real horse was done wearing them, with distinct front and back halves of different length. The garments would usually have the original liveries removed and replaced by generic religious iconography as few centaurs would ever have their own heraldry. Later, in the Georgian and Victorian eras, full coverage to the pasterns with a single undergarment was the only acceptable option (that's the classical style now) The rest of the picture is self-evident, but centaurs at the time wore additional... equipment on the withers which were called a variety of very colourful names but mostly referred to as gelding bars (as in, they will geld you if you sit on them). they were metal and spiked. these were introduced by the florian government to discourage the grossly inappropriate contact of one person's legs around another. previously there was no great taboo against riding on a centaur's back, it wasn't super common but nobody was like "this is basically public sex" until our pal centaur cromwell i mean florian came along and decided this was the work of the devil. young people were also made to wear these to discourage the homosocial behaviour very common to the mid-20s age groups of both sexes, and they also had a place in preventing stallions from wrestling (ironically increasing the danger of their fights because well now all we can do is stand back and kick). the wearing of these devices was mandatory. headcoverings were not strictly necessary, and neither were fully-wrapped tails, but some especially devout citizens took to it quite well.

[probablyasocialecologist]

Palestinian human rights organizations have shown that one in five Palestinians has been arrested and charged in Israeli military courts since the occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in 1967. Each year, this figure adds approximately 500–700 Palestinian children, some as young as 12, who are detained and prosecuted in Israeli military courts.

[...] During the ongoing genocidal war across historic Palestine, Israeli carceral violence and arrest campaigns have only intensified. In the months prior to October 7, an approximate 5,200 Palestinians were detained in Israeli prisons. As of mid-March, that number exceeds 9,000. Over the past five months alone, Israeli occupying forces have arrested over 7,600 Palestinians in the West Bank, in addition to an unknown number of detained Gazans. Conditions are worsening for the imprisoned. Immediately following the war’s outbreak, the Israel Prison Service (IPS) placed prisoners in total isolation, prevented them from leaving their cells, and restricted access to water and electricity. The agency ceased providing what had already been poor-quality medical care and has dispensed inadequate food, enacting a starvation campaign against prisoners. Guards inflict violence, torture, and degrading treatment such as reportedly forcing captives to “bark.” IPS also banned visits for family members and delegates from the International Committee of the Red Cross, and severely restricted lawyer visits—cutting prisoners off from the outside world. My research inside Israeli military courts and prison visitation rooms—both as an anthropological researcher and a family member of prisoners—highlights the systematic nature of this violence and its justification through legal codes. Through an intricate web of military laws and orders, Palestinians become racialized—a sociopolitical process through which groups are seen as distinct “races” ordered in a social hierarchy. The Israeli carceral system racializes Palestinians as inherently “criminal” and thus deserving of punishment. Following the occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in 1967, the Israeli military was vested with the ultimate authority of government, legislation, and punishment over the Palestinian population. This includes prosecuting Palestinians in military courts and charging them under the nearly 1,800 military orders that govern every aspect of daily life: conduct, property, movement, evacuation, land seizures, detention, interrogation, and trial. The orders include provisions for indefinitely detaining Palestinians without charge or trial through a policy inherited from British colonial practices. Over 3,500 Palestinians are being held in this state as of early March. Other provisions regulate the arrest and interrogation of Palestinians and how long they can be denied lawyer visits. With a near 100 percent conviction rate, Israeli military courts hand down absurdly high sentences, sometimes amounting to dozens of life sentences. Torture inside Israeli prisons and detention facilities is sanctioned by Israeli High Court of Justice (HCJ) rulings that permit the exercise of violence under pretexts of “security” and protecting “public order.” Enmeshed within this carceral reality is Israel’s labeling of most Palestinian prisoners as “security prisoners.” This designation masks the political nature of their imprisonment and sanctions violations against them. As opposed to Palestinian “security prisoners,” incarcerated Jewish settler-citizens receive rights such as making telephone calls, going on home visits under guard, the possibility of furlough, and conjugal visits. These rights are denied to the mostly Palestinian security prisoners, who are viewed and racialized from the start as criminals.

26 March 2024

[writingwithcolor]

My alternate universe fantasy colonial Hong Kong is more authoritarian and just as racist but less homophobic than in real life, should I change that?

@floatyhands asked:

I’m a Hongkonger working on a magical alternate universe dystopia set in what is basically British colonial Hong Kong in the late 1920s. My main character is a young upper middle-class Eurasian bisexual man.  I plan to keep the colony’s historical racial hierarchy in this universe, but I also want the fantasy quirks to mean that unlike in real life history, homosexuality was either recently decriminalized, or that the laws are barely enforced, because my boy deserves a break. Still, the institutions are quite homophobic, and this relative tolerance might not last. Meanwhile, due to other divergences (e.g. eldritch horrors, also the government’s even worse mishandling of the 1922 Seamen's Strike and the 1925 Canton-Hong Kong Strike), the colonial administration is a lot more authoritarian than it was in real history. This growing authoritarianism is not exclusive to the colony, and is part of a larger global trend in this universe.  I realize these worldbuilding decisions above may whitewash colonialism, or come off as choosing to ignore one colonial oppression in favor of exaggerating another. Is there any advice as to how I can address this issue? (Maybe I could have my character get away by bribing the cops, though institutional corruption is more associated with the 1960s?) Thank you!

Historical Precedent for Imperialistic Gay Rights

There is a recently-published book about this topic that might actually interest you: Racism And The Making of Gay Rights by Laurie Marhoefer (note: I have yet to read it, it’s on my list). It essentially describes how the modern gay rights movement was built from colonialism and imperialism. 

The book covers Magnus Hirschfeld, a German sexologist in the early 1900s, and (one of) his lover(s), Li Shiu Tong, who he met in British Shanghai. Magnus is generally considered to have laid the groundwork for a lot of gay rights, and his research via the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft was a target of Nazi book-burnings, but he was working with imperial governments in an era where the British Empire was still everywhere. 

Considering they both ended up speaking to multiple world leaders about natural human sexual variation both in terms of intersex issues and sexual attraction, your time period really isn’t that far off for people beginning to be slightly more open-minded—while also being deeply imperialist in other ways.

The thing about this particular time period is homosexuality as we know it was recently coming into play, starting with the trial of Oscar Wilde and the rise of Nazism. But between those two is a pretty wildly fluctuating gap of attitudes.

Oscar Wilde’s trial is generally considered the period where gay people, specifically men who loved men, started becoming a group to be disliked for disrupting social order. It was very public, very scandalous, and his fall from grace is one of the things that drove so many gay and/or queer men underground. It also helped produce some of the extremely queercoded classical literature of the Victorian and Edwardian eras (ex: Dracula), because so many writers were exploring what it meant to be seen as such negative forces. A lot of people hated Oscar Wilde for bringing the concept to such a public discussion point, when being discreet had been so important.

But come the 1920s, people were beginning to wonder if being gay was that bad, and Mangus Hirschfeld managed to do a world tour of speaking come the 1930s, before all of that was derailed by wwii. He (and/or Li Shiu Tong) were writing papers that were getting published and sent to various health departments about how being gay wasn’t an illness, and more just an “alternative” way of loving others. 

This was also the era of Boston Marriages where wealthy single women lived together as partners (I’m sure there’s an mlm-equivalent but I cannot remember or find it). People were a lot less likely to care if you kept things discreet, so there might be less day to day homophobia than one would expect. Romantic friendships were everywhere, and were considered the ideal—the amount of affection you could express to your same-sex best friend was far above what is socially tolerable now.

Kaz Rowe has a lot of videos with cited bibliographies about various queer disasters [affectionate] of the late 1800s/early 1900s, not to mention a lot of other cultural oddities of the Victorian era (and how many of those attitudes have carried into modern day) so you can start to get the proper terms to look it up for yourself.

I know there’s a certain… mistrust of specifically queer media analysts on YouTube in the current. Well. Plagiarism/fact-creation scandal (if you don’t know about the fact-creation, check out Todd in the Shadows). I recommend Kaz because they have citations on screen and in the description that aren’t whole-cloth ripped off from wikipedia’s citation list (they’ve also been published via Getty Publications, a museum press). 

For audio-preferring people (hi), a video is more accessible than text, and sometimes the exposure to stuff that’s able to pull exact terms can finally get you the resources you need. If text is more accessible, just jump to the description box/transcript and have fun. Consider them and their work a starting place, not a professor. 

There is always a vulnerability in learning things, because we can never outrun our own confirmation bias and we always have limited time to chase down facts and sources—we can only do our best and be open to finding facts that disprove what we researched prior.

Colonialism’s Popularity Problem

Something about colonialism that I’ve rarely discussed is how some colonial empires actually “allow” certain types of “deviance” if that deviance will temporarily serve its ends. Namely, when colonialism needs to expand its territory, either from landing in a new area or having recently messed up and needing to re-charm the population.

By that I mean: if a fascist group is struggling to maintain popularity, it will often conditionally open its doors to all walks of life in order to capture a greater market. It will also pay its spokespeople for the privilege of serving their ends, often very well. Authoritarians know the power of having the token supporter from a marginalized group on payroll: it both opens you up directly to that person’s identity, and sways the moderates towards going “well they allow [person/group] so they can’t be that bad, and I prefer them.”

Like it or not, any marginalized group can have its fascist members, sometimes even masquerading as the progressives. Being marginalized does not automatically equate to not wanting fascism, because people tend to want fascist leaders they agree with instead of democracy and coalition building. People can also think that certain people are exaggerating the horrors of colonialism, because it doesn’t happen to good people, and look, they accept their friends who are good people, so they’re fine. 

A dominant fascist group can absolutely use this to their advantage in order to gain more foot soldiers, which then increases their raw numbers, which puts them in enough power they can stop caring about opening their ranks, and only then do they turn on their “deviant” members. By the time they turn, it’s usually too late, and there’s often a lot of feelings of betrayal because the spokesperson (and those who liked them) thought they were accepted, instead of just used.

You said it yourself that this colonial government is even stricter than the historical equivalent—which could mean it needs some sort of leverage to maintain its popularity. “Allowing” gay people to be some variation of themselves would be an ideal solution to this, but it would come with a bunch of conditions. What those conditions are I couldn’t tell you—that’s for your own imagination, based off what this group’s ideal is, but some suggestions are “follow the traditional dating/friendship norms”, “have their own gender identity slightly to the left of the cis ideal”, and/or “pretend to never actually be dating but everyone knows and pretends to not care so long as they don’t out themselves”—that would signal to the reader that this is deeply conditional and about to all come apart. 

It would, however, mean your poor boy is less likely to get a break, because he would be policed to be the “acceptable kind of gay” that the colonial government is currently tolerating (not unlike the way the States claims to support white cis same-sex couples in the suburbs but not bipoc queer-trans people in polycules). It also provides a more salient angle for this colonial government to come crashing down, if that’s the way this narrative goes.

Colonial governments are often looking for scapegoats; if gay people aren’t the current one, then they’d be offered a lot more freedom just to improve the public image of those in power. You have the opportunity to have the strikers be the current scapegoats, which would take the heat off many other groups—including those hit by homophobia.

In Conclusion

Personally, I’d take a more “gays for Trump” attitude about the colonialism and their apparent “lack” of homophobia—they’re just trying to regain popularity after mishandling a major scandal, and the gay people will be on the outs soon enough.

You could also take the more nuanced approach and see how imperialism shaped modern gay rights and just fast-track that in your time period, to give it the right flavour of imperialism. A lot of BIPOC lgbtqa+ people will tell you the modern gay rights movement is assimilationalist, colonialist, and other flavours of ick, so that angle is viable.

You can also make something that looks more accepting to the modern eye by leaning heavily on romantic friendships that encouraged people waxing poetic for their “best friends”, keeping the “lovers” part deeply on the down low, but is still restrictive and people just don’t talk about it in public unless it’s in euphemisms or among other same-sex-attracted people because there’s nothing wrong with loving your best friend, you just can’t go off and claim you’re a couple like a heterosexual couple is.

Either way, you’re not sanitizing colonialism inherently by having there be less modern-recognized homophobia in this deeply authoritarian setting. You just need to add some guard rails on it so that, sure, your character might be fine if he behaves, but there are still “deviants” that the government will not accept. 

Because that’s, in the end, one of the core tenants that makes a government colonial: its acceptance of groups is frequently based on how closely you follow the rules and police others for not following them, and anyone who isn’t their ideal person will be on the outs eventually. But that doesn’t mean they can’t have a facade of pretending those rules are totally going to include people who are to the left of those ideals, if those people fit in every other ideal, or you’re safe only if you keep it quiet.

~ Leigh

[thatsonemorbidcorvid]

A prominent women’s chess player has accused a fellow player of rape and sexual harassment as she warned a “toxic culture“ of misogyny and sexually predatory behaviour plagues the chess community.

Sabrina Chevannes, a women's international chess master, said she was raped at a chess tournament by another contestant.

The 36-year-old, who quit professional chess in January 2017, told The Independent the incident happened when she was black-out drunk as a teenager.

She added: “I woke up in the linen room of the hotel on a table. I was in so much pain. I didn’t quite understand what had happened.

“While playing chess I was in so much pain I could barely sit down. Him and his friends were high-fiving about it.”

Ms Chevannes, who won ten British chess titles, said sexual harassment, sexual assault or discrimination against women has taken place at every chess tournament she has ever attended.

She has endured racism from fellow chess players, with people often assuming she had cheated when she did well in tournaments, she added.

She told of an incident at a chess tournament when a man who was a chess master groped her.

“I was 11 years old,” she recalled. “I wanted to have a picture with him because he was famous in this world. He posed for the picture but did this thing where he put his hand down my back touching my butt. Then he turned around and winked at me.”

She encountered him again at another chess event when she was a teenager where he told her he had seen her on the front of a chess magazine, she added.

“He said ‘You are developing so well’. I said ‘I was at my best rating’, and he said ‘No, I don’t mean developing like that’,” Ms Chevannes recalled.

“He said he may need another copy of the magazine as he said he had worn his down with all the night time reading. He looked at me in a creepy, lecherous manner. When he met me when I was 18, he said ‘now you are legal in all countries’.”

The former player said she would actively avoid tournaments where he was playing. She noted he sexually propositioned her a few years ago - asking her to go back to his hotel room.

Ms Chevannes said: “He used very racist misogynistic language to my face.”

She told of another incident where a different chess player offered to let her sleep in his hotel room as she was tired from her flight but couldn’t check into her room until mid-afternoon.

“He wasn’t in the room when I was sleeping but I woke up to find one hand down my pants and one hand in my bra,” she added. “He did the same thing again when I was in the same house as him and lots of others in the chess community.”

Ms Chevannes, who now coaches chess, said she did not report any of the aforementioned incidents to the police at the time as others warned her she would not be believed.

But she explained social media posts she recently shared about her alleged experiences had been seen by the police who are now looking into her claims.

Female chess players have come forward in recent weeks to make allegations of sexual assault, violence and harassment from male players.

Earlier in the month, 14 of France's top female players wrote an open letter, “denouncing the sexist or sexual violence they have suffered” in the chess community, with over 100 women in chess signing the letter in the space of only five days.

Ms Chevannes described the chess community as an “insular world” with a rigid hierarchy where people are judged by their chess abilities and women are perpetually belittled.

“Women are seen as inferior, they genuinely believe men are superior to women in every way - including intellectually,” she added. “If you beat someone, it's described as you raped them.”

[charminglygrouped]

Muslins (cotton fabrics) made in India for the European market in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Fabrics designed to be sold and made up in Europe featured a relatively subdued colour palette, distinct from those intended for sale locally, or in Thailand or Indonesia. They were mostly naturalistic florals on white or cream grounds. The designs were block-printed or hand-painted; sometimes, some elements were painted and others embroidered (as in images five and eight).

Block printing uses hand-carved wooden blocks, which are then painted and pressed onto a length of fabric repeatedly to form a design. Each colour and design element requires a separate block.

Printing block of carved wood, India, 19th century

Beverly Lemire, a scholar who writes a lot about textiles and the production of consumer tastes and markets in Europe in this period, writes:

Textiles played a crucial role in defining gender, rank, and race in British imperial expansion during the long eighteenth century. This period saw an emphasis on whiteness in skin and cloth, symbolizing social status and racial hierarchy, with laundering, largely performed by low-ranked and racialized women, maintaining pristine garments representing social “whiteness.” Everyday clothing, its care, and the opulent societal lifestyle of the elite, characterized by events such as masquerade balls, upheld the imperial ethos of race and reinforced social hierarchies. A critical history of empire must examine fabrics and their use, as well as the motivations behind material whiteness. [Empire and the Fashioning of Whiteness: Im/Material Culture in the British Atlantic World, c. 1660–1820]

[Source and more information on fabric # one / two / three / four / five / six / seven / eight]

[girls--complex]

hi, love your work a lot! it manages to blend coherence with layers of esoterica, in a fun & meaningful way. do you have any big influences with your style?

Writing this as a narrative because my whimsicall mind can't seem to organize information logickally otherwise

So

When I was a child my Dad would show me a lot of comics/cartoons in all different styles/eras and so I was internalizing comic book logic from the very beginning. He really liked American comix both capes and Indie stuff but was also into franco belgian artists and let's be clear my papa has good taste so I was readying good stuff though I couldn't remember it all too reliably... Also Comics Journal, so I was reading comics & meta about comics. So basically I have like a deep archetypal brain stem dark spring of mind that spits out raw comic information like a dream that I can't place until I rediscover them, and a lot of deep unremembered imprintations that R kinda roiling around under the surface #Stupidsoldier

N then I was a deviantart kiddo and a reading manga at barnes and noble kiddo, and then I went and got a formal art education and learned about all these artists that sort of did pseudo comics or cartoons but didnt articulate it that way-- The German xpressionists are a big example of this -- and also about overall principles of like scale and hierarchy and time and presence -- and also just that I really like drawin the human figure in particular :)

I'm really grateful that my parents especially my dad were actually really supportive/invested in me being an artist even though they had very little faith in my character or overall competence. so I was always doing art activities to make me better at drawing because that was like the one redeeming quality I had, a lot of household resources went into me having art tutoring or doing community classes, and I was really strongly encouraged to get ma BFA

So 4 influences well I like things that are very stylish but very specific in how they represent figure N physiognomy... Naoki Urosawa & Jeff Smith were fascinations 2 me along this line... Arakawa is good too... I feel like this is a strength of American and British cartoonists generally but struggling to think of names

My favorite painter is tied between two commies: Siqueiros, who was a Mexican muralist and chaotic socialist, really specific markmaking and texture, pathos drenched figuration, charged epic landscapes, and Petrov-Vodkin, Russian ikonographer who became a propagandist for the USSR, semi-social-realist, semi-ikonographic compositions in which space is wrapping around itself to organize human figures according to a mythological logic, flattish, very cartoons/comics aligned, strange treatment of color but all really effective

History painting overall is everything to me it really doesn't show in Coward but I think it shows elsewhere some of my other dramatic sensibility is a lot from 00s action movie shlock which I would always enjoy to go see when I was younger and was somehow fascinated with the environment of government buildings and prisons and secret operations happeningunder the surface of every day life erupting into wet violence of men punching each other

I love the movie THE RAID redemption !!!!

I learned a lot of the logic of pacing N building pages around Tezuka's work as well as FMA N Death Note I think were big 1s to teach me that logic. Tezuka is a really good artist to look at for how to compose a page that supports the energy of the events that are happening on it, not that that's something I personally am good at. Favorite mangaka for tone and environment and visual identity are Katsuhiro Otomo, Tustomu Nihei, Suehiro Maruo, Nishioka siblings, Hideshi Hino

A lot of my sense of timing is also from news paper strips tbh. It's just a gut thing to me at this point hehe , Character design is also a gut thing for me I draw a little thing and I can either ensoul it with psychosexual fixation or I can't

I was born in the hospital Henry Darger worked at St. Joe's he's an ancestor to me but ofc inimitable by virtue of GOD being his sole audience

As for the esoterickal dimensions I feel like it's all it's own post let's just say I lack the inclination and ability for systematic and rigorous study but I am really interesting in gathering little packets of information and arranging them into dioramas and the longer I do it the more packets I accrue

I want to make a list of artists on here that I like/admire sometime too but that's too much for me rn. I also suspect a lot of people R mad at me for arbitrary reasons just as I also am mad at a lot of people for arbitrary reasons so I dont wanna bother no one ...

Oh well so I'm intentionally reorganizing how I draw right now because I sense a shift in my trajectory again so thanks for making me reflect

[hotchfiles]

↪ kate joyner and hotch were fucking in the period of her appearance, an essay

it's sunday and i have no social life and i think way harder about hotch than a normal sane person should but. since getting into criminal minds there has been The Question (and it wasn't just me! i've seen other people talk about it): did hotch cheat on haley while liaising with kate when she was in scotland yard? i always doubted that because he's not a cheater (but he is A man...), so today i bring you my updated theory: they were in the starts of a relationship before she died. i'm not without evidence. so let's go!

3x20

kate calls hotch on his personal phone, late at night

he speaks to her very casually for someone who doesn't talk on a regular basis and only know each other from a past assignment

jj's reaction shows it isn't common for hotch to go above jj when choosing cases

again, very casually speaking of her, calling her kate only

the apparent common knowledge is that she's a brit but

hotch not only knows she has a dual citizenship, but also which parent is british and which one is american

AND MY FAVORITES

IT ONLY GETS BETTER FROM HERE ALRIGHT

LETS GO

why say that if not to imply hotch has interest in her because she looks like his ex wife who he recently divorced (not willingly !)

AGAIN WITH THE FIRST NAMES! she doesnt call him hotch ONCE. its aaron, from the start. and HIS SMILE. LOOK AT THIS FUCKER'S FACE

garcia's reaction to the informality

now why would emily use this tone if it was to imply hotch is a CHEATER???

no thats the "oh they ARE fucking" tone

this is sort of a reach because hotch worries about everyone he works with but STILL, going from "i know her because we liaised" to this--i rest my case

then this, i didnt think too much of it because hotch can be a bit of an ass with protocol and hierarchy whateverrrr BUT

emily was sooo uncomfortable which shows in fact that wasnt normal behavior

WHY SAY THAT IF THE TWO OF THEM WERENT OBVIOUSLY FUCKING !!!!

is that it? obviously not, i am in fact INSANE so

4x1

THE FLIRTY EYES AND SMILES

AGAIN. HE DOESNT CALL HER JOYNER. NOT EVEN ONCE. KATE. AT ALL TIMES.

THIS WOMAN IS DYING AND LOOK AT THE WAY SHES SMILING AT HIM AFTER SAYING SHES NOT IN PAIN very allison dying in the arms of her first love coded

another detail i like to point out is that aaron is completely capable of walking rn, he could easily walk over to the end of the street to talk to one of the officers there but he just wouldnt, couldnt, leave her alone.

he knows the first responders wont get near them yet, he keeps BEGGING that someone does

and now for my final argument

the way he holds her hand by the ending before putting it back in place

NOW I REST MY CASE

[anyroads]

“Screaming at Paul Hollywood, a man who’s [sic] job is cooking, being shocked by the mystical magical never been used before flavour of … gochujang,” said one viewer. “How come paul hollywood couldn’t pronounce ‘taco’ and has never heard of gochujang but kept calling it ‘choritho,’” asked writer Claire Carusillo. The old-fashioned nature of TheGreat British Baking Show — watch these bakers of varying skills finagle their way through traditional English recipes with bits of flair — once felt like a perk rather than a flaw, but the show’s dedicated audience is growing frustrated with the judges’ dated tastes. . . . A disastrous “Vegan Week”–themed episode from series nine had both judges confused about the taste of nutritional yeast, though neither balked at the tofu-and-soy-milk ice cream Giuseppe Dell’Anno fed them in the “Free-From Week”–themed episode of series 12. While the show seems to sneak in challenges that celebrate alternative ways of eating and cooking, watching the judges engage and evaluate those foods feels a bit like watching them eat a plate of broccoli: They chew and swallow, brows furrowed, with little enjoyment. . . . For one, the Baking Show participants and audience have come to know these judges’ flavor preferences like the back of their hand —Leith likes booze, Hollywood doesn’t like peanut butter, and both show disinterest in the “grassy” flavor of matcha — and adjust their recipes accordingly. When Georgie Grasso cooked a rather traditional Bakewell tart in Pastry Week’s signature challenge this season, the judges fawned over her adherence to convention. Sure, a standard dessert baked right can be a treat, but the bakes are intended to be personalized. (And other contestants, like Gill Howard and her chocolate-hazelnut profiteroles, have been downgraded for playing it safe.) For a show that has evolved to reward and encourage spectacle in design and originality in lieu of “how things are done,” there ought to be one evaluator who can represent that. What Baking Show instead increasingly feels like is trying to pick out a movie to show your parents and hoping the final choice doesn’t offend anyone.

What this piece should say and doesn't, is that all of this is because Bake Off is inherently British in its structure and approach. Where other cooking shows require judges to have diverse palettes and wide ranging experience with ingredients in order to be able to judge dishes based on ingenuity, creativity, and an understanding of flavors and textures, the judges on Bake Off are there to be paternalistic authorities to be catered to. They and their judgment are at the center of the show, not the food, or the bakers themselves. It's very telling that when the show moved to Channel 4, the language around judging changed from "the bakers will now be judged on their bakes" to "the bakers will now face the judgment of Prue and Paul" with the onus being on the judge's opinions, not the bakers' skill.

It's inherent to the Britishness of the show that there's a constantly reinforced social hierarchy in which the judges are at the top and the bakers must vie for their approval in an almost servile way; it's even more inherently British that the judges' approach to their job is to expect the bakers to cater to their personal tastes, not to expand their own palates - and that if they ever do, like when Paul went to Mexico to try new foods and brought ideas back for Mexican week, they still don't understand basic flavors let alone how to pronounce the names of ingredients and dishes correctly, and use their experience to lob condescending remarks to working class contestants who've never had the same opportunities, instead of offering knowledge and insight.

The same mindset of paternalistic classism that informed British colonialism for centuries is clearly apparent in Bake Off: this is why what sets it apart from other cooking competition shows is the judges' limited palate being forced on a group of middle and working class contestants who vie for the Hollywood Handshake and gear their recipes towards the judges' taste instead of their own creative impetus. Bake Off used to be a nice, innocuous show that set itself apart from the rest because it was about learning and support. It changed not just because Channel 4 wanted to imbue it with more tension (by tightening task schedules and extending the tension soundtrack to meet the needs of extended sequences in which bakers are panicking). When the show began to venture outside the confines of traditional British baking to more modern and international ingredients and flavors, it pulled back the curtain on how out of their depth the judges were, and what resulted was the current dynamics because of an unwillingness to learn and an insistence on enforcing class dyanmics.

[bernievm]

In the heart of the ancient Achaemenid Empire, a masterpiece of Persian artistry emerges—a rhyton (drinking horn or in the shape of a horn) carved from the deep blue lapis lazuli and adorned with gold, taking the form of a majestic ibex (mountain goat).

Dating back to the 6th to 5th century BCE, this exquisite ceremonial vessel not only exemplifies the sophisticated craftsmanship and rich symbolism of the time but also provides a fascinating glimpse into the cultural and economic prowess of ancient Persia.

[Description and Material]:

*Material:

Lapis lazuli, a semi-precious stone prized for its deep blue color, was highly valued in ancient Persia and sourced primarily from what is now Afghanistan.

*Form:

The rhyton is shaped like an ibex, a type of wild goat with prominent, curved horns, reflecting the importance of nature and animal motifs in Persian art.

[Use]:

*Function:

A rhyton is a type of vessel typically used for drinking or pouring liquids, especially in ceremonial contexts. The liquid would be poured from the top and flow out through the spout, which could be the mouth of the animal in this case.

*Ceremonial Role:

Rhytons were often used in religious and royal ceremonies. The choice of lapis lazuli and the intricate craftsmanship suggest that this particular rhyton was likely used by the elite, possibly in rituals associated with the Zoroastrian religion or royal banquets.

[Cultural and Historical Significance]:

*Art and Symbolism: The ibex design reflects the importance of wildlife in Persian culture and the symbolic use of animals in conveying power and divinity. The ibex, with its strong and agile form, could symbolize qualities such as strength and resilience.

*Trade and Wealth: The use of lapis lazuli indicates extensive trade networks and the wealth of the Achaemenid Empire, as this material was not locally sourced and had to be imported.

*Royal Patronage: The Achaemenid rulers were great patrons of the arts, and such luxurious items underscore their desire to display their wealth, power, and cultural sophistication.

[Academic Perspective on Material Culture]:

*Cultural Synthesis:

Scholars often view Achaemenid art, including rhytons, as a synthesis of various cultural influences, including Mesopotamian, Egyptian, and Greek, reflecting the diverse and cosmopolitan nature of the empire.

*Representation of Power:

Academics see these artifacts as representations of royal propaganda, showcasing the divine right and grandeur of the Persian kings.

*Symbol of Status:

In material culture studies, such high-quality items are considered symbols of social status and wealth. They provide insights into the social hierarchy and economic conditions of the time.

*Artistic Techniques:

The craftsmanship of the rhyton is analyzed for its artistic techniques, such as carving and polishing lapis lazuli, which indicate advanced skills and aesthetic values.

[Notable Examples]:

Museums and Collections: Notable examples of such rhytons can be found in major museum collections, such as the British Museum and the Louvre, where they are studied and displayed as prime examples of Achaemenid artistry and craftsmanship.

In conclusion, the lapis lazuli rhyton in the shape of an ibex from the Achaemenid period is a significant artifact that illustrates the artistic, cultural, and economic aspects of ancient Persia. It serves as a key piece of material culture, providing valuable insights into the ceremonial practices, trade networks, and socio-political dynamics of the Achaemenid Empire.

[ladyblacklavender]

It’s Remembrance Day and well… it’s happening again.

Fragile men on the internet are claiming the rainbow poppies are “disrespectful” to those who died in the Great War etc. Followed by the comparison of a gay man voguing at Pride to soldiers going over the top. Yet this is not just a half-baked attempt to mask homophobia. It also displays a fundamental lack of knowledge about the history of the world wars. Especially that of queerness in the trenches.

Though the Edwardian period is famed for its restrictive attitudes to homosexuality, class and gender, some of our most famous poetry, art and film has been made by or has taken inspiration from real life LGBT+ individuals living and active between 1900 to 1919.

The famous names are visible because of the efforts made by historians to map their personal lives. But other queer people existed alongside them even if they had nothing to their name. We do not know about them because Imperialist might, particularly in a time of active war, insisted on the erasure of gay lives. It was a culture that could brook no vulnerability, in which macho stereotypes and feminine domestic tropes were key to the very emblem of Britain, where the queering of empire was a subversion not to be tolerated. To say it’s “old fashioned to be blending national symbolism with colonialism and traditional hetero-masculinity (to declare that the two were powerful and sacred to Great British Values) is an understatement.

That being said, Britain is still grappling with its Imperial history and military future in a fast changing world. Ideas around what it means to be a man or a woman are changing as well as attitudes towards sexual expression, peace and social hierarchy and rightly so. Many Britons may feel they live in the shadow of the “good old days”, with a sense of bitterness that comes from a sense of not belonging to the now and the fear of losing power.

It is natural to be wary of what we don’t understand. But we must adapt rather than default to hatred and bigotry.

Lest we forget the LGBT+ individuals who were sacrificed in an unjust war and also those who did what they could to prevent losses and aid their fellow person. We can’t let history forget them.

[katakaluptastrophy]

Me: writing fanfiction about people who live in space 10,000 years in the future.

My search history: Dance card etiquette When did the social season begin? How do you dance a quadrille? Naval ranks 19th century missionary societies Ecclesiastical hierarchy British interwar slang

[amuseoffyre]

I saw the description of OFMD on the Beeb and it described Stede as aristocratic. There’s a definite misconception that ‘Gentleman’ means ‘aristocrat’. Stede is definitely not an aristocrat based on several factors:

he describes himself as ‘landed gentry’ in his big debut - this a sub-class of the upper class who had enough money to get themselves some land and live off the profits of a trade, but are definitely at the very bottom of that tier of the social pecking order, unlike the aristocracy who “inherit it like a normal person”. A lot of gentlemen would cut ties with the business that made them their fortune because it was seen as sullying to be in trade.

Stede’s father casually doing manual labour like killing the goose and describing as “this is what a man’s work looks like”. Yes, aristocrats would cheerfully slaughter hundreds of thousands of animals for sport, but slaughtering a goose for dinner? I can’t picture it.

his father straight up tells him “you didn’t earn it, you lucked into it”, which implies that he is the one who has made the family fortune and he resents primogeniture, which means Stede will inherit it all.

Mary’s mother describes him as “not a derelict. He has money”, which is the only positive thing she can say about him. Likewise, Stede’s father sees Mary as a means to get acreage - her huge tracts of land 😏- that will elevate them into the Gentry

Stede’s social status when faced with the British Naval Officers - many Officers in the Navy were aristocrats. Likewise boarding schools were packed with them because lol! Parent our own children? Who would do such a thing! Pass them off to the help. First sons got the title/land/fortune, while second, third and more sons tended to join one of the military options or the church. Within the upper upper class there would be a social hierarchy depending on rank and station. In every possible way, Stede is at the bottom of it, which makes sense since he’s a New Money Gentleman as well as not fulfilling any social expectations of masculinity

he describes the party ship as “a bunch of posh knobs hob-nobbing with other posh knobs”. He even describes it as “high society in all it’s grotesque glory”. To the crew, he probably seems like he is a posh knob, but all things considered, he and Mary weren’t posh. Rich, yes. But posh is Antoinette and Gabriel or Sigfried: Posh generally has the vibe of knowing your 11th grandfather’s name and embarrassing scandal that had him executed by the king.

The British class system is such a weird place and heaven help you if you didn’t toe the line and fit in your nice little box.

[esta-elavaris]

A/N: So, this is the same OC that I wrote with Beckett a little over a year ago, but I have since begun another full-length (non-Beckett) fic that features an OC with the name I’m using in that, so this OC used to be Cora, and is now Clara. So totally different. The depths of my imagination continues to induce awe.

Also a disclaimer – what little I know of the British peerage system is more around hierarchy, and what I have gleaned via excessive period drama consumption. There will be flaws here. I am mildly sorry for them x

Was there anything more tedious than the festive season?

That wasn’t a rhetorical question – for the answer was yes, and Clara was discovering that first-hand. Guests during the festive season. Especially when one was an eligible young bachelorette, with already two seasons under her belt and no husband. At least her mother was despairing. That was rather funny. Though she kept that from her face and tongue both.

It was just so ridiculous. Had she dragged herself through two seasons with no offers, she might be worrying herself, but there had been offers, they just weren’t particularly good ones – not by her own reckoning, at least. They had money, yes, and social standing, of course, but they were so boring. Smiling, tittering, flattering, agreeing with every word that came out of her mouth until she wanted to ram her head through the nearest window just to wipe the insipid smiles from their faces.

 They’d give an opinion on something, anything, only to then immediately switch their previously very firm stance the moment she disagreed. They’d declare they much preferred summer over winter, she’d declare an adoration for the cold just to be difficult, and in the next second they’d be wittering on about how summer was intolerable and how they could not wait for a chill to return to the air. She’d make a terrible joke, and they’d laugh like they’d never heard anything funnier. Sometimes she even turned it into a game, seeing what she could make them laugh at, stripping them of what little dignity they had one quip at a time, and at least that was amusing. For a while.

But over the festive season, she was at least free of it. Ordinarily. But her mother’s despair had driven her to desperation, and now they had guests for Christmas. And really, what sort of desperate creature came to visit someone who wasn’t family at this time of year? Was this to be the sort of man she’d be foisted upon? It was lucky that her father was so fond of her as he was, or else she’d be being fitted for wedding dresses before the New Year was even upon them – but even his patience had its limits, and she doubted it would extend past a third season. There was eccentricity, and then there was stupidity.

So, she found herself garbed in golden florals – not the mulberry silks her mother had wished for – on the front steps of their country manor, alongside all of the servants, and her parents, watching as the carriage trundled up the path. This gown wasn’t her best, not with her colouring, but that was deliberate. She’d tempt the fool either way, so why bother making the effort? It also had the effect of making her look far more girlish than she truly was, which was good. Let him think she was a little idiot, ready to simper and smile at his every look. Let her enjoy the look of realisation on his face when he realised that he was wrong, far too late.

The drew to a halt at the centre of the drive and a footman stepped forth, opening the door. Out stepped Lord Warrington, their invited guest, and after him...well, it had to be Lord Beckett. His invited guest. Really, coming to bother non-relations for Christmas was one thing, but bringing cronies? Clara’s lips pressed firmly together as the man stepped down the carriage steps and then straightened. Imp-sized cronies, at that. Warrington had some nerve. She smiled prettily as he approached.

That smile remained frozen on her face as her parents and their shiny golden titles, Viscount and Viscountess, were introduced, and then finally the two men turned to her.

“...and this is Lady Clara Thorne,” Warrington spoke to his friend, before turning to her. “Lady Clara, this is Lord Cutler Beckett.”

She gave an incline of her head and a twitch of the knee that might just pass as a curtsy to those keen to see one. “Charmed, I’m sure.”

This Beckett was more dour than Warrington, bowing at the neck after affording her a look that lasted only a handful of seconds. And then her mother took over. Luckily, she was useful sometimes. Just, typically, not when Clara most wished for it.

The day dragged on. They sat through tea in her mother’s sitting room, during which she made all of the appropriate comments about the weather, and whether or not they were in for a white Christmas, and after that topic had been suitably exhausted, Warrington regaled them with tales of the journey here. Although ‘tales’ seemed a poor word for how he felt the need to divulge every detail of every weed the carriage had rolled past, every sharp turn it had to take, and every gust of wind that hit its windowpanes.

Beckett tired of it swiftly, retiring to the opposite corner of the room with her father, and bits and pieces of that conversation trickled in here and there, filled with words like pirates and Jamaica, and all were far more interesting. Unhappily, however, that conversation was closed – with a handshake, no less – long before Warrington was done droning on, and on...and on, and Beckett took his leave of the room shortly after her father did.

Only when the man sitting on the sofa across from her began to talk about his predictions for the return journey back to the city did she have enough and took her leave, citing a headache...before making swiftly for the library. Her bedroom would be the first place they’d look for her, and the gardens next. The library afforded a good view of the gardens, and so she’d see that happen and be able to act accordingly.

Leaning back against the library door, she closed it as softly as she could, and then uttered a soft ‘ugh’.

“The universal sound of Christmas cheer, I gather.”

At the flat words that were spoken to the far right side of the room, Clara whirled and saw Lord Beckett, sitting at the desk by the window, evidently making the most of the dying daylight.

“What are you doing?”

Beckett gave her an exasperated look – one which he then transferred down to the letters before him, and seemed to decide it was answer enough. He returned to his writing.

“That’s my father’s desk,” she said.

“Well, I hardly thought it belonged to a stranger, Lady Clara.”

“He’s rather territorial about it.”

“Then I shall consider it a great honour that he offered it for my use,” his tone remained bored.

“To work?”

“Evidently.”

“On Christmas?”

“Christmas eve, technically.  Though it makes little difference.”

As he spoke, Clara swept closer, lowering herself down upon the settee nearest to the desk – though she turned her side to him, pretending instead to contemplate the fire.

“You’re not a fan of Christmas, then? Some might deem you a heathen.”

“By all means, invite me to dance around a bonfire on tomorrow’s eve.”

“That doesn’t seem like your ideal pastime.”

“I told you to invite me. Not that I would attend.”

She snorted. Before she could help it. And that was quite enough for her. Rising, she made for the door, but he called after her – not loudly, but his voice still rang clear throughout the otherwise empty library...where they were entirely unchaperoned.

“That eager to return to Lord Warrington?”

Outrage and intrigued clashed within Clara. Fascination that he should so easily see her distaste for his friend, but annoyance that he would be so brash as to point it out without care.

“Why shouldn’t I be?”

“Because you can stand him little more than I can. Unfortunate, it seems, for you, given that he doesn’t intend to marry me.”

“He hasn’t proposed.”

“He intends to – on New Year’s Eve.”

The news came like a bucket of ice water dumped atop her head. She shuddered as though seeking to shake it off.

“Oh, God in heaven...doubtless with some terrible little speech about along the lines of let this be the last year we spend without being pledged to one another.”

Now it was Beckett’s turn to snort, though when she stared at him, his features remained expressionless.

“It’s as though you were there while he practised it in the carriage.”

“He didn't.”

“I’m afraid so. It was the longest journey of my life. You’ll only have to sit through it once.”

“You didn’t have to give an answer.”

“No, you’re right. Nor sit through the next fifty years of wedded bliss, for that matter. All the better for me. Were I you, Lady Clara, I’d pray for an early death in childbed.”

He’d have never spoken to her like this had any other been present – not so frankly, nor so...so vulgarly. So interestingly.

“God isn’t that good,” she muttered.

 There was a light sort of clattering sound as he set his quill down, and when Clara looked to him next, Lord Beckett was…considering her.

“What will you tell him?”

“I don’t know.”

It wasn’t any of his business, and her first instinct was to tell him so rather than responding honestly, but they’d fallen so swiftly and easily into this refreshing sort of honestly that once again donning the mantle of the good and proper Lady Clara Thorne seemed too heavy a burden for her shoulders, currently.

“You like him little,” Beckett pointed out. “I should think the answer would be obvious.”

“If you thought it so obvious, you wouldn’t have asked the question.”

“Perhaps I wanted to see how you would answer.”

“And now you’ve received your answer,” she countered.

“Yes. A nonsensical one.”

“Oh don’t be so naïve,” she rolled her eyes. “Warrington’s an idiot, but he’s an idiot I can handle. I won’t escape a third season without accepting someone, and what if the next lot of candidates are worse than him? It’s just…good business.”

He smiled then, and his smile was a strange thing, bitter and utterly devoid of mirth. He wasn’t a particularly handsome man, and the expression added little to that fact. But god, how she preferred it to all of the tittering and simpering that was going on not two rooms away.

“Not overly confident in your ability to handle a man who isn’t an idiot, then?”

“When I meet one, you’ll be the first to hear it.”

“Speaking of idiocy,” he replied, “I could go and tell them all precisely what you’ve just told me. Being Lord Warrington’s friend, it would be my duty, would it not?”

“Perhaps. If you liked him at all. But who would believe you, Lord Beckett? Knowing that your assertions were the mere fabrication of a jealous man, one who finds himself ungrateful to his hosts at that, telling such lies about their only child?”

“Warrington might still doubt.”

“But he’d want to believe me. It’s amazing, how powerful that can be.”

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why is he that desperate to wed you?”

Clara’s eyes flashed. “Excuse me?”

“Oh, don’t go down that route, not when we were speaking so frankly. You’ve looks. Plenty of women have looks. A sizeable dowry, no doubt, but there are others with that, too. But that’s it. The title can’t go to you, nor to him by extension. Nor the land.”

“Says who?”

“The entail, I imagine,” he said frankly. “Tell me, who does it all go to? Some distant cousin?”

“How do you know that?”

“It’s how these things go. Why not marry him? It would be very neat.”

Clara’s lip curled.

“Ah,” he said knowingly. “Not one of our sort, then.”

“My sort,” she corrected. “Tell me, Lord Beckett, has the wax seal yet dried on your shiny new title?”

He was unfazed. She liked that.

“What is he? A politician? Lawyer? Banker? Bricklayer? Stable hand?”

“He’s none of your business, is what he is.”

“Correct. Happily.”

At that, she said nothing. There was nothing to say, and she’d come in here to escape pointless conversations in the first place. And Beckett was alarmingly close to the mark, in any case. This cousin was the last living heir who could claim rights to their titles and land both, once her father was no longer around – as they’d discovered in a most unwelcome manner, when he’d been trying to a string or two to force everything to work out in their favour.

“If you think Warrington’s an idiot, this cousin is the king of all idiots,” she grumbled.

“As well as the soon-to-be king of this estate,” Beckett mused, casting an appraising eye about the library.

“Why are you here?” she asked.

“We’ve established that,” he replied.

“Not in this library, here at all. For we’ve also established that you relish all of this about as much as I do. So why come?”

“It’s unbecoming for a bachelor to spend this time of year alone in his own home. Apparently.”

“Ugh.”

“Quite.”

It was then that he returned to his letter – impressive, really, given how the dull grey of the day was now dimming to the point where they’d soon be able to see their reflections in the windows more than they’d be able to see outside.  Her mind drifted, and for a moment she considered picking up a book, but she knew she’d only stare at the ink much in the same way she stared at the fireplace now, so it seemed yet another tedious venture.

Only when she heard a door click open somewhere out in the hall did she snap back into reality, straightening and then tensing as Warrington’s grating laugh echoed outside...and then grew softer, signalling that he was walking away rather than drawing nearer. Sighing in relief, she leaned back against the sofa once more. And pretended she didn’t feel Beckett’s eyes on her all the while. 

A/N: More parts of this pairing to come -- and then I'll post 'em all on AO3 when this is done!

Dividers by cafekitsune.

[dailyanarchistposts]

A.2.3 Are anarchists in favour of organisation?

Yes. Without association, a truly human life is impossible. Liberty cannot exist without society and organisation. As George Barrett pointed out:

“To get the full meaning out of life we must co-operate, and to co-operate we must make agreements with our fellow-men. But to suppose that such agreements mean a limitation of freedom is surely an absurdity; on the contrary, they are the exercise of our freedom. “If we are going to invent a dogma that to make agreements is to damage freedom, then at once freedom becomes tyrannical, for it forbids men to take the most ordinary everyday pleasures. For example, I cannot go for a walk with my friend because it is against the principle of Liberty that I should agree to be at a certain place at a certain time to meet him. I cannot in the least extend my own power beyond myself, because to do so I must co-operate with someone else, and co-operation implies an agreement, and that is against Liberty. It will be seen at once that this argument is absurd. I do not limit my liberty, but simply exercise it, when I agree with my friend to go for a walk. “If, on the other hand, I decide from my superior knowledge that it is good for my friend to take exercise, and therefore I attempt to compel him to go for a walk, then I begin to limit freedom. This is the difference between free agreement and government.” [Objections to Anarchism, pp. 348–9]

As far as organisation goes, anarchists think that “far from creating authority, [it] is the only cure for it and the only means whereby each of us will get used to taking an active and conscious part in collective work, and cease being passive instruments in the hands of leaders.” [Errico Malatesta, Errico Malatesta: His Life and Ideas, p. 86] Thus anarchists are well aware of the need to organise in a structured and open manner. As Carole Ehrlich points out, while anarchists “aren’t opposed to structure” and simply “want to abolish hierarchical structure” they are “almost always stereotyped as wanting no structure at all.” This is not the case, for “organisations that would build in accountability, diffusion of power among the maximum number of persons, task rotation, skill-sharing, and the spread of information and resources” are based on “good social anarchist principles of organisation!” [“Socialism, Anarchism and Feminism”, Quiet Rumours: An Anarcha-Feminist Reader, p. 47 and p. 46]

The fact that anarchists are in favour of organisation may seem strange at first, but it is understandable. “For those with experience only of authoritarian organisation,” argue two British anarchists, “it appears that organisation can only be totalitarian or democratic, and that those who disbelieve in government must by that token disbelieve in organisation at all. That is not so.” [Stuart Christie and Albert Meltzer, The Floodgates of Anarchy, p. 122] In other words, because we live in a society in which virtually all forms of organisation are authoritarian, this makes them appear to be the only kind possible. What is usually not recognised is that this mode of organisation is historically conditioned, arising within a specific kind of society — one whose motive principles are domination and exploitation. According to archaeologists and anthropologists, this kind of society has only existed for about 5,000 years, having appeared with the first primitive states based on conquest and slavery, in which the labour of slaves created a surplus which supported a ruling class.

Prior to that time, for hundreds of thousands of years, human and proto-human societies were what Murray Bookchin calls “organic,” that is, based on co-operative forms of economic activity involving mutual aid, free access to productive resources, and a sharing of the products of communal labour according to need. Although such societies probably had status rankings based on age, there were no hierarchies in the sense of institutionalised dominance-subordination relations enforced by coercive sanctions and resulting in class-stratification involving the economic exploitation of one class by another (see Murray Bookchin, The Ecology of Freedom).

It must be emphasised, however, that anarchists do not advocate going “back to the Stone Age.” We merely note that since the hierarchical-authoritarian mode of organisation is a relatively recent development in the course of human social evolution, there is no reason to suppose that it is somehow “fated” to be permanent. We do not think that human beings are genetically “programmed” for authoritarian, competitive, and aggressive behaviour, as there is no credible evidence to support this claim. On the contrary, such behaviour is socially conditioned, or learned, and as such, can be unlearned (see Ashley Montagu, The Nature of Human Aggression). We are not fatalists or genetic determinists, but believe in free will, which means that people can change the way they do things, including the way they organise society.

And there is no doubt that society needs to be better organised, because presently most of its wealth — which is produced by the majority — and power gets distributed to a small, elite minority at the top of the social pyramid, causing deprivation and suffering for the rest, particularly for those at the bottom. Yet because this elite controls the means of coercion through its control of the state (see section B.2.3), it is able to suppress the majority and ignore its suffering — a phenomenon that occurs on a smaller scale within all hierarchies. Little wonder, then, that people within authoritarian and centralised structures come to hate them as a denial of their freedom. As Alexander Berkman puts it:

“Any one who tells you that Anarchists don’t believe in organisation is talking nonsense. Organisation is everything, and everything is organisation. The whole of life is organisation, conscious or unconscious … But there is organisation and organisation. Capitalist society is so badly organised that its various members suffer: just as when you have a pain in some part of you, your whole body aches and you are ill… , not a single member of the organisation or union may with impunity be discriminated against, suppressed or ignored. To do so would be the same as to ignore an aching tooth: you would be sick all over.” [Op. Cit., p. 198]

Yet this is precisely what happens in capitalist society, with the result that it is, indeed, “sick all over.”

For these reasons, anarchists reject authoritarian forms of organisation and instead support associations based on free agreement. Free agreement is important because, in Berkman’s words, ”[o]nly when each is a free and independent unit, co-operating with others from his own choice because of mutual interests, can the world work successfully and become powerful.” [Op. Cit., p. 199] As we discuss in section A.2.14, anarchists stress that free agreement has to be complemented by direct democracy (or, as it is usually called by anarchists, self-management) within the association itself otherwise “freedom” become little more than picking masters.

Anarchist organisation is based on a massive decentralisation of power back into the hands of the people, i.e. those who are directly affected by the decisions being made. To quote Proudhon:

“Unless democracy is a fraud and the sovereignty of the People a joke, it must be admitted that each citizen in the sphere of his [or her] industry, each municipal, district or provincial council within its own territory … should act directly and by itself in administering the interests which it includes, and should exercise full sovereignty in relation to them.” [The General Idea of the Revolution, p. 276]

It also implies a need for federalism to co-ordinate joint interests. For anarchism, federalism is the natural complement to self-management. With the abolition of the State, society “can, and must, organise itself in a different fashion, but not from top to bottom … The future social organisation must be made solely from the bottom upwards, by the free association or federation of workers, firstly in their unions, then in the communes, regions, nations and finally in a great federation, international and universal. Then alone will be realised the true and life-giving order of freedom and the common good, that order which, far from denying, on the contrary affirms and brings into harmony the interests of individuals and of society.” [Bakunin, Michael Bakunin: Selected Writings, pp. 205–6] Because a “truly popular organisation begins … from below” and so “federalism becomes a political institution of Socialism, the free and spontaneous organisation of popular life.” Thus libertarian socialism “is federalistic in character.” [Bakunin, The Political Philosophy of Bakunin, pp. 273–4 and p. 272]

Therefore, anarchist organisation is based on direct democracy (or self-management) and federalism (or confederation). These are the expression and environment of liberty. Direct (or participatory) democracy is essential because liberty and equality imply the need for forums within which people can discuss and debate as equals and which allow for the free exercise of what Murray Bookchin calls “the creative role of dissent.” Federalism is necessary to ensure that common interests are discussed and joint activity organised in a way which reflects the wishes of all those affected by them. To ensure that decisions flow from the bottom up rather than being imposed from the top down by a few rulers.

Anarchist ideas on libertarian organisation and the need for direct democracy and confederation will be discussed further in sections A.2.9 and A.2.11.

[vickyvicarious]

So I've been rewatching a lot of period dramas lately and this got me thinking, Arthur's clearly from the upper class, but does the book ever actually specify what his title refers to? Viscount, baron, etc...? And Lucy's a socialite and would therefore be some kind of aristocrat, but I don't think the book ever gives specifics on her family background either, but correct me if I'm wrong! And while I'm at it, would the rest of the Crew be considered middle or working class?

Hmm, so I am definitely not one who has the best grasp of all these nuances myself, so I happily welcome any others who know more and want to correct me or add in what they know! That said, here's what I think...

Arthur is repeatedly referred to as 'Lord Godalming', at least once his father dies. That means he is officially a 'peer', a member of the House of Lords. There's several different ranks within this category though, and based on title alone he could be most of them (since most were commonly called 'Lord'). I found a post talking about the peerage for the context of the Sherlock Holmes stories which I think is pretty easy to understand, especially the little table of titles/roles.

Going off that source, it says that "all children of viscounts and barons were called the Honourable;" and when Jonathan is talking to Mitchell, Sons, & Candy the guy says this: "We once carried out a small matter of renting some chambers for him when he was the Honourable Arthur Holmwood." That would suggest that Art is either a viscount or a baron. Of the two I would lean towards viscount, simply because I think he is in the upper half of the hierarchy based on the way side characters tend to react to him. I don't know if there was ever any leeway to call the eldest/only son of an earl by that title, but if so then I kinda want him to be that, purely because it is the British equivalent of a count, and that would be a really neat tie-in to the various ways Arthur is contrasted to Dracula as good/bad nobility. (I could talk more on that but it probably deserves to be a separate post.) Admittedly I don't know enough about the nuance of relationships between different classes to know how high up the ladder he can go before his association with the others here would start raising eyebrows, but I like the idea a lot.

Arthur is the only character other than Dracula to get a (non-academic) title, so I don't think any of the other characters would be part of the peerage. However, I do think Quincey is very rich and probably of somewhat equivalent status for an American. I think Lucy is probably not officially there, because otherwise I feel like either she or Mrs. Westerna would have been addressed as 'lady' at some point, if only by people meeting them for the first time or who don't know them well. However, she's definitely of a social class where he association with Arthur is very acceptable, so she had to have been well-off. I imagine her from a well-established family who might not have a title but is still certainly part of the respectable crowd. Or if she did have a rank it would be lower but not outrageously so.

I think Jack would also be pretty equivalent to Lucy, since she introduces him as "well off, and of good birth" and his close association with both Arthur and Quincey would suggest he is certainly respectable enough to hang out with them/propose to the same woman. Lucy suggesting him as a possible option for Mina to marry if it weren't for Jonathan suggests that Mina might also have a nicer family background (as does, potentially, her friendship with Lucy). But if so, then her current status as orphan who works for a living and expects to have to make ends meet with Jonathan suggests that her family must have fallen on hard times and whatever respectability there was to her name is more lingering compared to the reality of her current situation. That's my best guess, but honestly it's kinda tricky to figure out and other people who know more about the time have been confused too.

I think Jonathan is definitely of the lowest class amongst our main cast. You can see this reflected as well in how they tend to address him more casually ("Harker") while he uses some form of title when speaking to the others ("Dr. Van Helsing, Lord Godalming, Dr. Seward, Mr. Morris"). He doesn't speak of his parents much, but we know he worked for Mr. Hawkins from a fairly young age, and started out as a clerk until recently, which was not a particularly well-paying job. I think he and Mina would be considered on the lower end of middle class - at least before they inherited everything Mr. Hawkins had, which it sounds like is a comfortable existence if not the extravagances that other characters would be more used to. That might bring them up closer to some of the other nontitled people, though not as high.