#FEMINIST WOMEN LOVE JORDAN LI
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
Visit Tumblr Blog
Explore Tumblr blogs with no restrictions, modern design and the best experience.
Last Seen Tumblr Blogs
Fun Fact
Premium Tumblr themes are available from anywhere between $9 to $49.
Text
jordan being like hmmm who should i punch first and then picking the girl who betrayed emma’s trust and made her a laughingstock………..hot.
546 notes
·
View notes
Note
So here we are with the loving couple on the ice at last. But it bears a heavy burden. Tessa has just lectured the world in a very loud voice about the importance of feminism. Here She’s cuddling up with her bf who happens to be an active follower of a well-known flagrant misogynist. Check it out ‘Jordan Peterson, followed by Morgan Reilly’. She announced she expects all those close to her to be feminists as well. She’s a fake. Her words are worthless. Don’t be fooled people All talk All lies!
its disappointing to see women on my TL liking and squeeing over this like 😞 i hope these women someday will learn how to love themselves
2 notes
·
View notes
Text
books I read in 2019 (not including rereads, favorites are bolded!)
Come Close - Sappho
Shanghai Baby - Wei Hui
Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair - Pablo Neruda
Bad Feminist: Essays - Roxane Gay
The Mother of Black Hollywood: A Memoir - Jenifer Lewis
Sula - Toni Morrison
Reinventing the Enemy’s Language: Contemporary Native Women’s Writings of North America - ed. Joy Harjo and Gloria Bird
How to Write an Autobiographical Novel - Alexander Chee
Night Sky With Exit Wounds - Ocean Vuong
If They Come For Us - Fatimah Asghar
Heart Berries: A Memoir - Terese Marie Mailhot
Less - Andrew Sean Greer
The Astonishing Color of After - Emily X.R. Pan
Goodbye, Vitamin - Rachel Khong
Darius the Great is Not Okay - Adib Khorram
Exit West - Mohsin Hamid
Homegirls and Handgrenades - Sonia Sanchez
Heavy: An American Memoir - Keise Laymon
All You Can Ever Know - Nicole Chung
Unaccustomed Earth - Jhumpa Lahiri
The Wife Between Us - Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
The Way You Make Me Feel - Maureen Goo
A Very Large Expanse of Sea - Tahereh Mafi
Water By the Spoonful - Quiara Alegría Hudes
I Can’t Date Jesus: Love, Sex, Family, Race, and Other Reasons I’ve Put My Faith in Beyoncé - Michael Arceneaux
Bury It - Sam Sax
White Dancing Elephants - Chaya Bhuvaneswar
Pulp - Robin Talley
Shit is Real - Aisha Franz
Silencer - Marcus Wicker
Forget Sorrow: An Ancestral Tale - Belle Yang
Bestiary: Poems - Donika Kelly
Monster Portraits - Sofia Samatar
No Matter the Wreckage - Sarah Kay
Violet Energy Ingots - Hoa Nguyen
Olio - Tyehimba Jess
The Kane Chronicles: The Serpent’s Shadow - Rick Riordan
There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyoncé - Morgan Parker
Nylon Road: A Graphic Memoir of Coming of Age in Iran - Parsua Bashi
The Wedding Date - Jasmine Guillory
Fruit of the Drunken Tree - Ingrid Rojas Contreras
An American Marriage - Tayari Jones
Family Trust - Kathy Wang
Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture - ed. Roxane Gay
Little & Lion - Brandy Colbert
A Girl Like That - Tanaz Bhathena
Suicide Club: A Novel About Living - Rachel Heng
The Disturbed Girl’s Dictionary - NoNieqa Ramos
My Old Faithful: Stories - Yang Huang
Crazy Rich Asians - Kevin Kwan
Girls Burn Brighter - Shobha Rao
Moon of the Crusted Snow - Waubgeshig Rice
Kingdom Animalia - Aracelis Girmay
Happiness - Aminatta Forna
Devotions - Mary Oliver
The Proposal - Jasmine Guillory
The Kiss Quotient - Helen Hoang
When Katie Met Cassidy - Camille Perri
Heads of the Colored People - Nafissa Thompson-Spires
Friday Black: Stories - Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
The Word is Murder - Anthony Horowitz
Miles from Nowhere - Nami Mun
The Lost Ones - Sheena Kamal
All the Names They Used for God - Anjali Sachdeva
Confessions of the Fox - Jordy Rosenberg
Love, Loss, and What We Ate: A Memoir - Padma Lakshmi
On the Come Up - Angie Thomas
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
The Love & Lies of Rukhsana Ali - Sabina Khan
See What I Have Done - Sarah Schmitt
Convenience Store Woman - Sayaka Murata
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter - Erika Sánchez
For Today I Am A Boy - Kim Fu
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - Taylor Jenkins Reid
Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings - Joy Harjo
They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us - Hanif Abdurraqib
Mongrels - Stephen Graham Jones
If Beale Street Could Talk - James Baldwin
Death of Innocence: The Story of the Hate Crime that Changed America - Mamie Till-Mobley and Christopher Benson
The Gilded Wolves - Roshani Chokshi
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before - Jenny Han
The Perfect Nanny - Leila Slimani, translated by Sam Taylor
The Travelling Cat Chronicles - Hiro Arikawa, translated by Philip Gabriel
Things We Lost in the Fire - Mariana Enríquez, translated by Megan McDowell
Sunburn - Laura Lippman
The House of Impossible Beauties - Joseph Cassara
Freshwater - Akwaeke Emezi
A Private Life - Chen Ran, translated by John Howard-Gibbon
Invisible: The Forgotten Story of the Black Woman Lawyer Who Took Down America’s Most Powerful Mobster - Stephen L. Carter
Undead Girl Gang - Lily Anderson
They Both Die at the End - Adam Silvera
The Friend - Sigrid Nunez
Severance - Ling Ma
Tiny Crimes: Very Short Tales of Mystery & Murder - ed. Licoln Michel and Nadxieli Nieto
Mapping the Interior - Stephen Graham Jones
Give Me Some Truth - Eric Gansworth
How to Love a Jamaican - Alexia Arthurs
All of This is True - Lygia Day Peñaflor
Swimmer Among the Stars - Kanishk Tharoor
The Wicked + the Divine, Vol. 7: Mothering Invention - Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie
This is Kind of an Epic Love Story - Kheryn Callender
Gingerbread - Helen Oyeyemi
Where the Dead Sit Talking - Brandon Hobson
The Ensemble - Aja Gabel
My Education - Susan Choi
More Happy than Not - Adam Silvera
Nobody Cares: Essays - Anne T. Donahue
Kiss and Tell: A Romantic Résumé, Ages 0 to 22 - Marinaomi
Oculus: Poems - Sally Wen Mao
Let’s Talk About Love - Claire Kann
History is All You Left Me - Adam Silvera
Opposite of Always - Justin A. Reynolds
The Crown Ain’t Worth Much - Hanif Abdurraqib
The Weight of Our Sky - Hanna Alkaf
If You See Me, Don’t Say Hi - Neel Patel
Girls of Paper and Fire - Natasha Ngan
What if It’s Us - Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
The Map of Salt and Stars - Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar
October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard - Lesléa Newman
The Big Smoke - Adrian Matejka
Dissolve - Sherwin Bitsui
The Woman Next Door - Yewande Omotoso
The Refugees - Viet Thanh Nguyen
White Tears - Hari Kunzru
Electric Arches - Eve Ewing
The Black Maria - Aracelis Girmay
Bloodchild and Other Stories - Octavia Butler
Soft Science - Franny Choi
The White Card - Claudia Rankine
Mad Honey Symposium - Sally Wen Mao
The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls - Anissa Gray
Next: New Poems - Lucille Clifton
The Marvelous Arithmetics of Distance: Poems 1987-1992 - Audre Lorde
Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea: Poems and Not Quite Poems - Nikki Giovanni
The Arab of the Future - Riad Sattouf
Ghosts in the Schoolyard: Racism and School Closings on Chicago’s South Side - Eve L. Ewing
Gruel - Bunkong Tuon
Marriage of a Thousand Lies - SJ Sindu
Parable of the Sower - Octavia Butler
Good Night, Willie Lee, I’ll See You in the Morning - Alice Walker
That Kind of Mother - Rumaan Alam
Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows - Balli Kaur Jaswal
Hera Lindsay Bird - Hera Lindsay Bird
Queenie - Candice Carty-Williams
And Still I Rise - Maya Angelou
The Man Who Shot Out My Eye Is Dead - Chanelle Benz
Everyone Knows You Go Home - Natalia Sylvester
Naming Our Destiny: New and Selected Poems - June Jordan
The 100* Best African American Poems (*But I Cheated) - ed. Nikki Giovanni
The Haunting of Tram Car 015 - P. Djèlí Clark
Bury My Clothes - Roger Bonair-Agard
Selected Poems - Langston Hughes
Their Eyes Were Watching God - Zora Neale Hurston
Sonata Mulattica - Rita Dove
Winnie - Gwendolyn Brooks
Bicycles: Love Poems - Nikki Giovanni
The Black God’s Drums - P. Djèlí Clark
Kid Gloves: Nine Months of Careful Chaos - Lucy Knisley
Annie Allen - Gwendolyn Brooks
Parable of the Talents - Octavia Butler
After Disasters - Viet Dinh
Passing for Human: A Graphic Memoir - Liana Finck
Teeth - Aracelis Girmay
A Surprised Queenhood in the New Black Sun: The Life & Legacy of Gwendolyn Brooks - Angela Jackson
Peluda - Melissa Lozada-Oliva
A Map to the Next World - Joy Harjo
Magical Negro - Morgan Parker
Corpse Whale - dg nanouk okpik
Hawkeye: Volume 1 - Matt Fraction
Cenzontle - Marcelo Hernandez Castillo
Don’t Let Me Be Lonely: An American Lyric - Claudia Rankine
Selected Poems - Gwendolyn Brooks
She Had Some Horses - Joy Harjo
The BreakBeat Poets: New American Poetry in the Age of Hip-Hope - ed. Kevin Coval, Quraysh Ali Lansana, and Nate Marshall
Beyond Uhura: Star Trek and Other Memories - Nichelle Nichols
The Past and Other Things that Should Stay Buried - Shaun David Hutchinson
Difficult Women - Roxane Gay
The Woman Who Fell From the Sky - Joy Harjo
The Collected Schizophrenias: Essays - Esmé Weijun Wang
Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to A Tribe Called Quest - Hanif Abdurraqib
The Frolic of the Beasts - Yukio Mishima
Hawkeye Omnibus - Matt Fraction
Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations - Mira Jacob
Karamo: My Story of Embracing Purpose, Healing, and Hope - Karamo Brown
Tipping the Velvet - Sarah Waters
When My Brother Was an Aztec - Natalie Diaz
Toxic Flora: Poems - Kimiko Hahn
Virgin - Analicia Sotelo
Easy Prey - Catherine Lo
Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me - Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell
Saints and Misfits - S.K. Ali
Intercepted - Alexa Martin
Love from A to Z - S.K. Ali
Gemini - Sonya Mukherjee
The Atlas of Reds and Blues - Devi S. Laskar
My Brother’s Husband Vol. II - Gengoroh Tagame
Black Queer Hoe - Britteney Black Rose Kapri
Internment - Samira Ahmed
Dothead: Poems - Amit Majmudar
With the Fire On High - Elizabeth Acevedo
Sabrina & Corina: Stories - Kali Fajardo-Anstine
Milk and Filth - Carmen Giménez Smith
The Key to Happily Ever After - Tif Marcelo
If You’re Out There - Katy Loutzenhiser
Farewell to Manzanar - Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston
New Poets of Native Nations - ed. Heid E. Erdrich
Bodymap: Poems - Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha
Wolf by Wolf - Ryan Graudin
Tell Me How It Ends - Valeria Luiselli
Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood - Trevor Noah
Down and Across - Arvin Ahmadi
The Tradition - Jericho Brown
About Betty’s Boob - Vero Cazot and Julie Rocheleau
Fake It Till You Break It - Jenn P. Nguyen
Storm of Locusts - Rebecca Roanhorse
Silver Sparrow - Tayari Jones
Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors - Sonali Dev
Mongrel: Essays, Diatribes, Pranks - Justin Chin
When I Grow Up I Want To Be a List of Further Possibilities - Chen Chen
The New Testament - Jericho Brown
Fumbled - Alexa Martin
If It Makes You Happy - Claire Kann
Brave Face - Shaun David Hutchinson
Words in Deep Blue - Cath Crowley
Lost Children Archive - Valeria Luiselli
Care Work: Dreaming Disability Justice - Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha
We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy - Ta-Nehisi Coates
Anger is a Gift - Mark Oshiro
The Bride Test - Helen Hoang
Not Your Backup - C.B. Lee
Prelude to Bruise - Saeed Jones
The Night Wanderer: A Graphic Novel - Drew Hayden Taylor and Michael Wyatt
Naturally Tan - Tan France
Bloom - Kevin Panetta and Savanna Ganucheau
Like a Love Story - Abdi Nazemian
I’m Afraid of Men - Vivek Shraya
Juliet Takes a Breath - Gabby Rivera
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous - Ocean Vuong
Let Me Hear a Rhyme - Tiffany D. Jackson
I Wanna Be Where You Are - Kristina Forest
Hurricane Season - Nicole Melleby
Split Tooth - Tanya Tagaq
Hungry Hearts: 13 Tales of Love and Food - ed. Elsie Chapman and Caroline Tung Richmond
The Night Tiger - Yangsze Choo
Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls - T Kira Madden
Miracle Creek - Angie Kim
Ayesha at Last - Uzma Jalaluddin
Shout - Laurie Halse Anderson
The Breakbeat Poets Vol. 3: Halal if You Hear Me - ed. Fatimah Asghar and Safia Elhillo
The Tenth Muse - Catherine Chung
This Place: 150 Years Retold - various authors
Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens - Tanya Boteju
Midnight Chicken (& Other Recipes Worth Living For) - Ella Risbridger
Library of Small Catastrophes - Alison C. Rollins
Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck and Fortune - Roselle Lim
No Ashes in the Fire: Coming of Age Black and Free in America - Darnell L. Moore
The Book of Delights - Ross Gay
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle - Stuart Turton
Speak No Evil - Uzodinma Iweala
How We Fight White Supremacy - Akiba Solomon and Kenrya Rankin
A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend - Emily Horner
Here and Now and Then - Mike Chen
The Ghost Bride - Yangsze Choo
Red White and Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston
Becoming - Michelle Obama
The Wedding Party - Jasmine Guillory
Magic for Liars - Sarah Gailey
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer - Michelle McNamara
Brain Fever - Kimiko Hahn
Life on Mars - Tracy K. Smith
Notebooks of a Chile Verde Smuggler - Juan Felipe Herrera
Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude - Ross Gay
Tentacle - Rita Indiana
Hapa Tales and Other Lies: A Memoir About the Mixed Race Hawai’i That I Never Knew - Sharon Chang
Loose Woman - Sandra Cisneros
Duende - Tracy K. Smith
Mostly Dead Things - Kristen Arnett
1919 - Eve L. Ewing
Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race - Reni Eddo-Lodge
Negroland - Margo Jefferson
For Black Girls Like Me - Mariama J. Lockington
Super Extra Grande - Yoss
Home Remedies - Xuan Juliana Wang
You Can’t Touch My Hair: And Other Things I Still Have to Explain - Phoebe Robinson
An Anonymous Girl - Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
The Abundance - Amit Majmudar
I Shall Not Be Moved - Maya Angelou
Helium - Rudy Francisco
Teaching My Mother to Give Birth - Warsan Shire
Tomie - Junji Ito
Everything’s Trash, But It’s Okay - Phoebe Robinson
This Time Will Be Different - Misa Sugiura
Junji Ito’s Cat Diary: Yon & Mu - Junji Ito
Stag’s Leap - Sharon Olds
Black Card - Chris L. Terry
It’s Not Like It’s A Secret - Misa Sugiura
Washington Black - Esi Edugyan
From Here To Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death - Caitlin Doughty
I’m Telling the Truth, But I’m Lying: Essays - Bassey Ikpi
A House of My Own: Stories from my Life - Sandra Cisneros
The Terrible - Yrsa Daley-Ward
The Black Tides of Heaven - JY Yang
The Red Threads of Fortune - JY Yang
Little Fish - Casey Plett
Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion - Jia Tolentino
The Black Condition ft. Narcissus - Jayy Dodd
The Goldfinch - Donna Tartt
Dealing in Dreams - Lilliam Rivera
The Tiger Flu - Larissa Lai
The Island of Sea Women - Lisa See
America is Not the Heart - Elaine Castillo
Feel Free - Zadie Smith
Walking on the Ceiling - Aysegul Savas
My Time Among the Whites: Notes from an Unfinished Education - Jennine Capo Crucet
The Unpassing - Chia-Chia Lin
Maurice - E.M. Forster
Permanent Record - Mary H.K. Choi
The Downstairs Girl - Stacey Lee
Red Dust Road: An Autobiographical Journey - Jackie Kay
The Ungrateful Refugee: What Immigrants Never Tell You - Dina Nayeri
I Married My Best Friend to Shut My Parents Up - Naoko Kodama
Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI - David Grann
Ordinary Light - Tracy K. Smith
Cantoras - Carolina De Robertis
Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness - Susannah Cahalan
How to Be Remy Cameron - Julian Winters
The Marriage Clock - Zara Raheem
Moon: Letters, Maps, Poems - Jennifer S. Cheng
Where Reasons End - Yiyun Li
Pet - Akwaeke Emezi
Meddling Kids - Edgar Cantero
A Lucky Man - Jamel Brinkley
Maiden, Mother, Crone: Fantastical Trans Femmes - ed. Gwen Benaway
What is Obscenity? The Story of a Good for Nothing Artist and her Pussy - Rokudenashiko
The Umbrella Academy Vol. III: Hotel Oblivion - Gerard Way
Who Put This Song On? - Morgan Parker
The Souls of Yellow Folk: Essays - Wesley Yang
Wave - Sonali Deraniyagala
Love War Stories - Ivelisse Rodriguez
Baby Teeth - Zoje Stage
A Fortune for Your Disaster - Hanif Abdurraqib
Eyes Bottle Dark with a Mouthful of Flowers - Jake Skeets
Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen - Jose Antonio Vargas
The Marrow Thieves - Cherie Dimaline
Polite Society - Mahesh Rao
Patron Saints of Nothing - Randy Ribay
The Body Papers: A Memoir - Grace Talusan
A Woman is No Man - Etaf Rum
Travelers - Helon Habila
Trust Exercise - Susan Choi
The Silent Patient - Alex Michaelides
The Intuitionist - Colson Whitehead
A People’s History of Heaven - Mathangi Subramanian
The Buddha of Suburbia - Hanif Kureishi
This is Paradise: Stories - Kristiana Kahakauwila
Brood - Kimiko Hahn
Don’t Look Now - Daphne du Maurier
How We Fight for Our Lives - Saeed Jones
I Hope You Get This Message - Farah Naz Rishi
Unmarriageable - Soniah Kamal
Bad Endings - Carleigh Baker
The Water Dancer - Ta-Nehisi Coates
The Lady from the Black Lagoon: Hollywood Monsters and the Lost Legacy of Milicent Patrick - Mallory O’Meara
Shapes of Native Nonficton: Collected Essays by Contemporary Writers - ed. Elissa Washuta and Theresa Warburton
Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass - Mariko Tamaki
Even the Saints Audition - Rachel Jackson
Slay - Britney Morris
#NotYourPrincess: Voices of Native American Women - ed. Lisa Charleyboy and Mary Beth Leatherdale
The Starlet and the Spy - Ji-min Lee
North of Dawn - Nuruddin Farah
Daisy Jones & The Six - Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Drowning Boy’s Guide to Water - Cameron Barnett
They Called Us Enemy - George Takei
Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets, and Advice for Living Your Best Life - Ali Wong
The Right Swipe - Alisha Rai
Full Disclosure - Camryn Garrett
Searching for Sylvie Lee - Jean Kwok
Gideon the Ninth - Tasmyn Muir
Stubborn Archivist - Yara Rodrigues Fowler
The Wicked + the Divine, Vol. 8: Old is the New New - Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie
Never Grow Up - Jackie Chan
“All the Real Indians Died Off”: And 20 Other Myths About Native Americans - Roxanna Dunbar-Ortiz
In the Dream House - Carmen Maria Machado
Blame This on the Boogie - Rina Ayuyang
It - Stephen King
Sea Monsters - Chloe Aridjis
My Fate According to the Butterfly - Gail D. Villanueva
The Wicked + the Divine, Vol. 9: “Okay” - Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie
The Deep - Rivers Solomon
I Hope We Choose Love: A Trans Girl’s Notes from the End of the World - Kai Cheng Thom
Mooncakes - Suzanne Walker
BTTM FDRS - Ezra Claytan Daniels and Ben Passmore
Hot Comb - Ebony Flowers
Notes from a Young Black Chef - Kwame Onwuachi
Bunny - Mona Awad
The Twisted Ones - T. Kingfisher
Shuri, Vol. 1: The Search for Black Panther - Nnedi Okorafor
I Was Their American Dream: A Graphic Memoir - Malaka Gharib
Thick: And Other Essays - Tressie McMillan Cottom
Royal Holiday - Jasmine Guillory
Boxers - Gene Luen Yang
Saints - Gene Luen Yang
Fox 8 - George Saunders
The Memory Police - Yoko Ogawa
Last Day - Domenica Ruta
Wakanda Forever - Nnedi Okorafor
The Revisioners - Margaret Wilkerson Sexton
The Future of Another Timeline - Annalee Newitz
We Have Always Been Here: A Queer Muslim Memoir - Samra Habib
Somewhere in the Middle: A Journey to the Phillipines in Search of Roots, Belonging, and Identity - Deborah Francisco Douglas
Crier’s War - Nina Varela
Something in Between - Melissa de la Cruz
The Secrets We Kept - Lara Prescott
The Tao of Raven: An Alaska Native Memoir - Ernestine Hayes
One of Us is Lying - Karen M. McManus
Piecing Me Together - Renee Watson
Binti - Nnedi Okorafor
The Nickel Boys - Colson Whitehead
Recursion - Blake Crouch
Supper Club - Lara Williams
15 notes
·
View notes
Text
BOOKS OF 2019
I am massively behind but I still wanted to post this. So these are some of the books I read + enjoyed in 2019 (all of which came out in the last year or so) - I still have a huge pile to get through.
I don’t tend to read that many novels (not really sure why as I like a good novel). Read The Revenant Express by George Mann which is the latest in his Newbury + Hobbes series which is about a detective duo investigating crimes/mysteries in steampunk London but w/an occult twist. Also read Royals by Emma Forrest + Daisy Jones + The Six which is an oral history of a fictional 70s band (apparently Reese Witherspoon already has the TV rights) as well as the long-awaited sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, The Testaments.
I read quite a lot of books on music. This year I really enjoyed Revenge of the She-Punks + Under My Thumb (which is a collection of essays by women on their thoughts + feelings around music that’s classed as misogynistic/problematic). Also read Meet Me in the Bathroom (which is an oral history of the New York music scene in the early 2000s) plus Prince + the Purple Rain era Studio Sessions 1983 + 1984 which is a comprehensive guide to what Prince wrote/recorded during this period done on a day by day basis. (Apparently there’s a sequel coming out in 2021 which covers 85/86 + looks at the Parade/Sign O’ The Times era which I can’t wait to read). Amy Raphael’s book A Seat At The Table interviewed various women involved in the music business. Iggy Pop brought out ‘Til Wrong Feels Right which was a collection of his lyrics + photos. And I read Withdrawn Traces which was the book about Richey Edwards of Manic Street Preachers particularly looking at the events leading up to his disappearance + written with the co-operation of his sister.
Read memoirs by Lily Allen + Debbie Harry + collections of essays from Lydia Lunch + Brett Easton Ellis. Also read books by Jo Brand + Michelle Visage which were kind of a mix between memoir + advice. I was also pleased I finally managed to get hold of Bobbi Brown’s memoirs, Dirty Rocker Boys. I read Character Breakdown by Zawe Ashton which was a cross between memoir + fiction and a couple of books by Simon Morris.
I read Feminists Don’t Wear Pink + Other Lies which was a collection of essays by various celebrities + What Would the Spice Girls Do? (which was an examination of how the band influenced + were influenced by feminism/popular culture) and Period by Emma Barnett which examined all aspects of menstruation. Also read Pearl Lowe’s book on interiors, Faded Glamour - love her style! - and Hitler’s Monsters which was an in-depth examination of the occult influences on the Third Reich.
So my favourite books of the year - Skint Estate by Cash Carraway (a memoir that covers domestic abuse, sex work + poverty - that makes it sound very bleak which it is in places but it’s also funny + engaging) + Lost Dog by Kate Spicer (about how she adopted a dog then how she coped when he went missing - no spoilers but it does have a happy ending). Diary of a Drag Queen by Crystal Rasmussen (a memoir by a fat femme queer working class drag queen) + Defying Gravity by Jordan Mooney + Cathi Unsworth (Jordan was the face of punk + her memoir is a brilliant read full of background details on punk). And finally Vanishing New York by Jeremiah Moss which is a really interesting look at how hyper gentrifcation + mega tourism affects a city like New York.
#newbury and hobbes#george mann#emma forrest#daisy jones and the six#the testaments#lily allen#debbie harry#lydia lunch#bret easton ellis#jo brand#michelle visage#bobbi brown#prince#amy raphael#simon morris#zawe ashton#iggy pop#richey edwards#pearl lowe#cash carraway#kate spicer#crystal rasmussen#Jordan#jordan mooney#cathi unsworth#jeremiah moss#end of year#book reviews#my reviews
5 notes
·
View notes
Text
Regarding Dumai’s Wells (unpopular opinion)
Dumai’s Wells is the most popular scene in the series and I hate it. I hate it because Dumai’s Wells stands as the moment where Male Power violently, destructively reasserts itself as the dominant force within Randland, representing the destruction of a fantasy world where women do not need to fear men systemically. Even as a dude, I can’t get into cheering for that kind of shift. (Spoilers, of course)
Hey folks. LONG POST ALERT
Recently, I’ve been rereading LoC with my girlfriend—a book that we largely feel might be the best of the series (We often say “Book Six is Bae”). Robert Jordan really seems to hit his stride with OH SHIT MOMENTS like Nynaeve healing Logain, Siuan, and Leanne and the Salidar Aes Sedai delegation’s failed attempt at controlling Rand. A lot happens quickly, but it’s nicely balanced out with the extensively-detailed interiority of our favorite characters as they become more and more human. Every character grows or *doesn’t* grow in remarkably human ways and the relationships evolve naturally. Book 6 works as a sort of turning point too, setting up the storylines for the rest of the series. RJ did a really fantastic job with this book. Even though Moiraine isn’t in this one, it still stands out as a jewel of the series.
That said, *cue pitchforks and torches* as we’ve progressed through LoC, we’ve experienced a kind of dread, as we approach a pivot point. Throughout the first 5.75 books, Robert Jordan exquisitely crafted a world where the power relations between men and women were in a large part reversed from Real Life’s casual misogyny. That men and women are considered different, at least within the cultures of Randland, is fairly obvious. That men are (largely) considered less than women, again, within the cultures of Randland, is not an extravagant claim. Jordan has consistently set up women as matriarchs of Cultural, Political, and Military power. Women can Channel and men cannot. Aes Sedai are feared and resented, sure, but they’re respected as much if not more than they are feared--almost universally.
This reversal of real actual sexism carries with it certain connotations--namely the threat of sexual violence against women is, for the large part, non-existent in these books. Jordan’s female characters do not live their lives in fear of being raped when walking alone down troubled streets of Tanchico. They always have the ONE POWER to fall back on. The true threat to women characters like the wondergirls comes from other women (the Black sisters, Moghedien, the Seanchan).
This fantasy world where women don’t need to fear sexual assault has been a refuge for my girlfriend and I amidst increasing rancor from sexist assholes (Kavanaugh/Backlash against MeToo). But as this read-through is our 3rd/4th, we are aware that Dumai’s Wells looms and the balance of power is about to tip and change the world from one where women do not fear men and male violence, to one where they must fear male violence constantly. Dumai’s Wells stands as the moment where Male Power violently, destructively reasserts itself as the dominant force within Randland. In one fateful command, a literal storm of destruction obliterates a social structure that fears women. Before the battle, a military force of 5000-6000 despairs as to how they could possibly defeat 6 women. After the battle, formerly powerful women are cowering in fear and shock. Taim’s command echoes the new world order: “Kneel or you will be knelt.” Telling women to get on their knees in front of a man, and submit, carries a distinct sexual threat.
Dumai’s Wells occupies a unique place in the Wheel of Time fandom. The battle consistently comes up in discussions of favorite fan moments. At least, among the Tumblr community, the Reddit community, the Facebook Group, and on Twitter, Dumai’s Wells stands as the far and away favorite scene within the 14 book series. I am suggesting that Dumai’s Wells’ position as most loved fan moment owes its success to the fact that Dumai’s Wells signals the moment where the power balances switch. Rand is no longer being led. He is leading. Dumai’s Wells is popular because it depicts the moment where Male Power violently snaps back to reclaim its position and reassert the dominant cultural values of our society.
The reasons for the popularity of this moment are twofold. First, there’s the reiteration of real-world cultural norms and values. Just like how Shakespeare would play with social structures during his plays (with fairy shenanigans and lovers crossdressing), then reiterate and reinforce social norms at the last with a traditional wedding, Robert Jordan provides a sort of catharsis when Dumai’s Wells reinforces Real World power relations after troubling them for 6 whole books. All the readers with whom Jordan cultivated a growing frustration regarding Nynaeve, Egwene, Elayne, Moiraine, Siuan, and every other powerful female character, now get their grand moment to cheer for the formerly oppressed male’s justice. There’s relief and delight in Rand’s ascension, and all the more justified as Dumai’s Wells takes place within the context of Rand’s escape from torture. Readers are supposed to support Rand’s successful escape, cheer when he escapes the brutal box, and then not trouble themselves over the traumatized women hysterically rocking themselves back and forth on the ground. Readers who want to see Rand kick ass are rejuvenated.
Another reason why Dumai’s Wells excites readers and offers cathexis lies in Jordan’s positioning of Men as an oppressed class within Randland. The cause of the men in the books is a feminist cause. It is socially progressive (within the context of the text) to advocate for men’s rights. Some of our favorite characters are problematic allies for men’s rights (Moiraine, Birgitte, Mistress Anan). In this context, Dumai’s Wells offers a social victory and a step toward equality--balance, as Jordan would say. The situating of men as oppressed allows readers invested in equality between the sexes in the real world to feel a catharsis as men take a step forward toward that equality in Randland. Readers who want to see Rand treated like a person (and not locked in a cage) are rejuvenated.
While both types of readers (readers invested in real-world power dynamics and readers invested in equality) experience catharsis in the finale of book 6, for me, Dumai’s Wells represents the destruction of a fantasy world where women no longer need to fear men systemically. I can cheer at Rand escaping the box, but I find the victory hollow in the face of Male Power violently reasserting itself as the dominant force within Randland.
It’s also worth noting that the infamous slog starts directly after this moment, Books 7 - 10 lose their focus, their drive, and generally waffle about. While Jordan growing older has something to do with this phenomenon, maybe his work lost direction because his project of reversing gender power dynamics had lost its charge in one fateful scene.
76 notes
·
View notes
Photo
New Post has been published on http://www.lifehacker.guru/14-books-that-are-being-adapted-for-the-small-screen-in-2018/
14 Books That Are Being Adapted For the Small Screen in 2018
Hear that? It’s the sound of the land of make-believe providing us with some much-needed respite from the horrors of the real world in the form of movies and TV. Books, long the safe place for your brain, are also inspiring some of 2018’s most exciting movies and TV shows. Last year’s book-to-TV adaptations included Big Little Lies, 13 Reasons Why, and The Handmaid’s Tale, so 2018 had some big shoes to fill. Fortunately plenty of them have already delivered (looking at you, Sharp Objects). Take a glance at all the shows that have come out already this year, as well as a handful of titles that we’re still waiting on!
1 Vulgar Favors: Andrew Cunanan, Gianni Versace and the Largest Failed Manhunt in U.S. History by Maureen Orth
What it’s about: The real-life 1997 murder of fashion designer Gianni Versaceat the hands of serial murderer Andrew Cunanan.
Who’s starring: Edgar Ramirez plays Gianni Versace, Darren Criss is Cunanan, and Penelope Cruz stars as Gianni’s sister Donatella. Here’s the full cast.
The premiere date: Jan. 17 on FX
2 The Dangerous Book For Boys by Hal Iggulden
What it’s about: After the McKenna siblings lose their father, they get absorbed in the titular book he leaves behind to have a new spate of adventures.
Who’s starring: Chris Diamantopoulos plays Patrick and his twin brother Terry, Erinn Hayes plays McKenna matriarch Beth, and Gabriel Bateman plays Wyatt.
The premiere date: March 30 on Amazon
3 Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan
What it’s about: Over 300 years in the future, death is no longer permanent now that it’s possible to download human consciousness into various bodies. The sci-fi series focuses on Takeshi Kovacs, a former super-soldier who’s forced to help with an investigation into the murder of wealthy businessman Laurens Bancroft.
Who’s starring: You can see Joel Kinnaman, James Purefoy, and Martha Higareda leading this intergalactic drama.
Watch the trailer for Altered Carbon.
The premiere date: Feb. 2 on Netflix
4 Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
What it’s about: In the distant future, people burn books instead of reading them under the regime of an oppressive new American society.
Who’s starring: Michael B. Jordan, Michael Shannon, and Sofia Boutella make up the main cast.
Watch the trailer for Fahrenheit 451.
The premiere date: May 19 on HBO
5 Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler
What it’s about: Young NY newbie Tess gets a job at a high-profile restaurant, only to have her career expectations, palate, and love life expanded.
Who’s starring: British actress Ella Purnell plays Tess.
Watch the trailer for Sweetbitter.
The premiere date: May 6 on Starz
6 Dietland by Sarai Walker
What it’s about: Our society’s fixation on impossible beauty standards gets skewered in this TV adaptation, in which magazine writer Plum is recruited into an underground feminist organization.
Who’s starring: Julianna Margulies plays high-strung magazine editor Kitty Montgomery, while Joy Nash plays Plum Kettle.
Watch the trailer for Dietland.
The premiere date: June 4 on AMC
7 The Alienist by Caleb Carr
What it’s about: A psychological thriller exploring the vast wealth and extreme poverty present in 1896 New York, which is where a ritualistic killer begins gruesomely murdering boy prostitutes.
Who’s starring: Dakota Fanning, Luke Evans, and Daniel Brühl lead the cast of the 11-episode series.
Watch the trailer for Dietland.
The premiere date: Jan. 22 on TNT
8 Drama High by Michael Sokolove (aka Rise)
What it’s about: The adaptation, which was retitled Rise, follows high school drama teacher Lou Mazzuchelli and his talented students. The series was met with near-instant backlash when it was announced that the character of Lou would be straight in the show, rather than his real-life counterpart, a gay man.
Who’s starring: How I Met Your Mother‘s Josh Radnor played Lou, while Rosie Perez and Moana‘s Auli’i Cravalho also costarred. The show was canceled after one season.
The premiere date: March 13 on NBC
9 Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
What it’s about: The March sisters come of age in Civil War-era America, dealing with love, loss, and ambition.
Who’s starring: Maya Hawke, Kathryn Newton, Willa Fitzgerald, Annes Elwy, and Emily Watson make up the March family.
Watch the trailer for Little Women.
The premiere date: May 13 on PBS
10 Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
What it’s about: Before Gillian Flynn penned Dark Places and Gone Girl, she wrote 2006’s Sharp Objects. In the story, a troubled journalist returns to her hometown to investigate a bizarre string of murders.
Who’s starring: Amy Adams as Camille, Patricia Clarkson as her mother Adora, and Chris Messina as prickly Detective Willis.
Watch the trailer for Sharp Objects.
The premiere date: July 8 on HBO
11 The Terror by Dan Simmons
What it’s about: Two Royal Navy ships sail from England to the Arctic in an attempt to finally discover a navigable passage through the Northwest Passage in the 1800s but end up stuck in the North Atlantic, turning their journey into an icy, survivalist hell.
Who’s starring: Ciarán Hinds and Jared Harris play warring captains John Franklin and Francis Crozier.
The premiere date: March 26 on AMC
12 You by Caroline Kepnes
What it’s about: Twenty-something bookstore manager Joe uses his technology know-how (and insane stalker tendencies) to try to get to the woman he’s in love with.
Who’s starring: Penn Badgley plays Joe opposite Elizabeth Lail as his obsession, Guinevere Beck.
Watch the trailer for You.
The premiere date: Sept. 9 on Lifetime
13 The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
What it’s about: Adapted previously and famously, this time the iconic horror story gets the Netflix treatment. In the classic book, several strangers converge at a haunted house, including a doctor investigating fear. The show is making a few major changes to the source material, instead focusing on a family who experiences truly tragic supernatural events at the home that come back to bite them decades later.
Who’s starring: Henry Thomas, Elizabeth Reaser, Carla Gugino, Michiel Huisman, and Kate Siegel are starring.
The premiere date: Oct. 12 on Netflix
14 Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV by Brian Stelter
What it’s about: Stelter’s book about the real world of morning news is inspiring Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston’s untitled new series, which will depict a New York-based morning show. The series has already been picked up for two seasons.
Who’s starring: Witherspoon and Aniston will star and executive produce.
The premiere date: TBD on Apple
(C)
2 notes
·
View notes
Text
Final Reckoning Episode One Review plus a little info from seasons past.
Hello World! Mtv’s Hit The Challenge Returned Tuesday July 10, 2018 at 9pm! This season is “the end of the challenge as we know it”. Which as of right now I’m calling total b.s. since well mtv the last few season has been “recreating” older seasons ie; The Challenge Invasion of the champions, a very sad and terrible attempt to recreate the iconic The Ruins. Then we went into Dirty 30, the longest season in existence and a horrible rip off of Free Agents which in my opinion was the last great season of the show. In the dirty 30 we had something called the purge aka lets fuck Darrell over and allow a bunch of idiots to run the show. Yes I am still bitter because Darrell was robbed out of a title that season and instead our winners were a racist and an anti feminist douche lord, I mean Camila and Jordan. Then we slide into Vendettas after that tragic second season of Champs V stars, which we won’t even talk about since it was a bunch of d list celebrities who i didnt even know and well the terrell owens aka the biggest bitch in the nfl. Moving along, on Vendettas we received a much needed invasion of new people from big brother and mtv uk! Be warned I have never watched mtv Uk shows or any big brother so I had zero idea who these people were but I was excited to see them! We also got from season 5 of are you the one Kam, Eddie, and Alicia. I loved that season of ayto and the people they chose to come onto vendettas made total sense. But what didn’t make any sense at all was the poor get rid of eddie they did. Now I will only say this once and the source that told me this is very credible since he was on their season of ayto he also doesn’t like either person involved however he dislikes eddie more. Simple fact is Alicia Lied, plan and simple. There was never a restraining order or anything of that nature. You can look it up online its public information in every state. Moving on from that, the additions from the uk were all very attractive, and before you gasp and say even Kyle?! Yes even Kyle , I feel like he looks better in person then he does on tv. The fights that season we’re beyond annoying . This was my face anytime Kailah or nicole spoke or were on my tv screen
I give them both a chance every season they are on but they always make me regret giving said chance. The luggage throwing incident pissed me the fuck off. & Before you all go WeLL cArA dID iT To JOrdAn guess what she put a waterproof bag of his clothes in water omg get over it. Jemmeye Kailah & Britni Ganged up on kayleigh because of a rumor about her and bananas that Devin started to get Johnny thrown into elimination. It was not okay, it is never okay to touch someone elses belongings ever. I do not care, her stuff was broken and none of the actual apologized for it.
Now for what you came for my review of the Challenge Final Reckoning Episode 1
First off I was hoping this season was a team season sadly it was just a rip off of the Rivals series which was only decent for rivals 1 and 2. Rivals 3 was ridiculous and a waste of time and energy. In the beginning we see everyone show up and Tj is all like guess what your partner is buried and you have to find them! oh and the last two teams will be sent home ending their time in south africa. Me as a view knowing damn well tj is full of shit
We see Zach dig up his partner Amanda first. Listen I was very excited to hear that Amanda was coming back this season! I really was until all the twitter beef with cara, and unless you’ve been living under a rock you know exactly what I am talking about. (hint him and amanda won the challenge wooooooooh)
Here is everyones partnerships.
Zach & Amanda; Their beef seems a little forced since it’s about Amanda “making up” lies about jenna that even jenna confirmed was true. This team will go far if Zach learns how to work well with women.
Angela & Faith; I honestly don’t understand their beef, really over tor’i really. irrelevant ass team. Angela doesn’t have that same energy she did with Alicia when it comes to Shane and Kam. They won’t go far unless someone (cough cough angela sleeps with someone in power, pulling a veronica in the ruins when she hooked up with my favorite toothbrush twin evan.)
Dj Bald I mean Brad & hair plugs pathological liar I mean kyle; THIS TEAM MAKES ZERO SENSE YALL DEADASS MADE SOME SHIT UP. UHM HELLOOO DARRELL TAYLOR DID NOT WHOOP THAT ASS ON THE RUINS FOR ZERO REASON. Like mtv please stop calling kyle , he literally makes me want to stab him daily.
Cara & Marie; Listen these two have serious dislike for each other over a fucking tweet cara liked & it makes sense they are together. I honestly think this team will do well if Marie Actually fucking tries which i think she will. Tbh marie did campaign to be caras Partner.. However I feel like we as viewers deserved a coral cara team. Those two are both very strong women who need to work out their issues and become civil because I personally love them both.
Ct & Veronica; An og team, ct called v weak but she won more daily challenges then the majority of the girls on dirty 30 . A team to actually fear if they try and win
Derrick & Tori; Yasssss my boo derrick is back!!!!!! Don’t tell tyler but i adore derrick and think hes amazing. I really like tori as well but her taste in men is just as questionable as mine. Back story tori cheated on derrick with jordan. therefor they don’t like each other.
Bananas & ??? : THIS LITERALLY COULD BE ANYBODY. I’m hoping its sarah so he can break his curse and retire because honestly no one can touch his record unless Landon came out of retirement or if production doesn’t keep fucking over darrell
Joss & Sylvia the sheep; Joss is Hot , and he voted sheep into the elimination and she got mad. damn well knowing she would’ve done the same thing. they do great.
Kam & Melissa; I love this team, this “rivalry” started over a misunderstanding I’m hoping they do well...
Natalie & Paulie; I don’t care enough to waste my time
Nelson & Shane; I’m actually started to like nelson, my dislike for him comes from my loyalty to tyler.. I love shane he is the sassy gay bff that I need in my life. This team will do well if nelson and shane both keep themselves in check
Mama Day & Jozea; I’ve never watched big brother but this team is by far my favorite big brother pairing, I follow both on twitter and they make me laugh daily. underdogs i stan
Britni & Chuck; The hotmess express team. Clearly still feelings there, chuck sucks for what he did to her, they will need to find a way to get past their issues
Jenna & Jemmeye; One of the best moves in challenge history caused this feud. they will do well, jemmeyes brain and jennas brawn.
Kailah & Kayleigh; Failah likes to bully others kayleigh was her victim last season. they’ll probably be out pretty early..
Now to the results of the challenge
Amanda and Zach won.
I’m not to sure about the rest of the order except for the fact Day & Jozea came in last but before jem & Jenna and Chuck & britni.
it was chucks fault him and brit lost
it was jennas fault her and jem lost
but was anyone really in shock
So then we hear bananas yelling for help since his partner left due to family emergency everyone goes digs him up and if it was up to me he wouldve been sent “home” and not brit and chuck since they almost beat day and jozea.. after they get bananas hoe ass out tj announces that amanda and zach are able to send another team home! And out of all the teams these two dumb asses pick day and jozea. like uhm helllooooooo!!! ya’ll deadass had the chance to send send strong teams home... I can’t the stupidity of these two i can’t. SO then the three teams leave and “go home”. Everyone goes to the house and already a fight breaks out between shane and angela, over a fucking shelf. Homegirl didn’t have the energy with shane like she did with Alicia , but we already knew she was a fraud. Then cut to outside where Joss and amanda are already flirting with each other. I will give credit is due, Amanda is a beautiful girl but has a very ugly soul and joss is very smart to hookup with her, camera time is everything and why not hook up with one of the most dramatic cast members ever. Cut to Syliva saying this could go great for her alliance or terribly for her alliance at least shes smart. The Que the amanda and joss makeout session. Then we cut to bananas cara and hair plugs talking about cara and kyle. Everything out of kyles mouth is a lie and garbage. Kyle states hes gonna sleep with other people and caras like cool whatever . The cut to faith and hairplugs making out, then faith gets into hottub and johnny being johnny brings it up in front of cara, and cara pulls a queen move by being like if he doesnt want me im not gonna wait around. boy bye best choice shes ever made. Then baby girl proceeded to go into a room and make herself look bad by trying to get at paulie. Like oh no baby what is you doing go to sleep and leave him alone..
Then we cut to the best part of the night in my opinion, first we see melissa walk in and try to be civil with kailah, failah wants zero part in it but melissa still tries because melissa wants to be nice then failah pushes melissa and melissa molly whopped her then they were pulled apart
Everyone but kailah stans on twitter
Then the teams who were “sent home” arrive at the redemption house and tj explains some shit i wasn’t paying attention because i didnt care at that point
Then they go to the photoshoot day and Tj shows up which is never good..
Tells melissa and kailah they are both out ..
Now we dont know kam and kayleighs fate, we find out next week..
Over all this episode was awesome , the cliffhanger was needed , we had a fight some hook ups and a twist.
this season will be interesting to say the least.
4 notes
·
View notes
Text
Alias Grace Reaction: Episode 1
“The difference between ignorant and stupid is that Ignorant can learn.”
I fell in love with Alias Grace, the novel, earlier this year, inspired my love for the Handmaid’s Tale.
The novel is so beautifully written, and as such, despite the fact that it is not a long novel, it took me nearly a month to finish just because I was hanging on every word, often rereading it to soak it in.
And then, of course, I had to watch the adaptation. So, I thought I’d do another round of life reactions to the show, similar to those I did for Handmaid’s. I’ve already seen AG once, so I already know its fantastic. And I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since. Spoiler alert - Sarah Gadon is amazing. I don’t even have words for the things that woman can convey with the muscles on her face.
Shall we begin? Cue music…
“And I wonder, how can I be all these different things at once?”
Is it possible that this sentence sums up the series in the first five minutes? So many characters who interface with Grace in this story struggle to put Grace into a neat category. Especially Dr. Jordan. And I have to admit, there were times, especially at the end where I found myself doing so myself. Not as much with Grace, who is far too complex for a category. But with other characters. More on that in future posts.
“I’d rather be a murderess, than a murderer, if those are my only choices.”
I’m struck by two things: One, the continuation of forced choice. Grace has no real choices in this series, only what she is allowed by those who control her. There is one exception, however. Her internal choices she makes remain outside of anyone’s control. And she is quite good at utilizing her intelligence to claim as much control as she can get.
Two, the early introduction to violence with the intercut flashbacks to Nancy’s murder. If we are to believe these are Grace’s own flashbacks prompted by various questions or thoughts I feel it starts us off believing that she is guilty, for the cuts are crude and lacking in any empathy. But then, that would be putting Grace in a box again.
Graces experiences in the asylum tear me up. It was a time when psychology and psychiatry were not about helping patients, but rather learning and investigating, a fascination with the mind. With little respect for those who suffer.
“I’m not a dog, sir.”
And we begin the start of Grace owning Dr. Jordan. He comes in with this mindset of friendly, yet detached investigation. So much of his thinking in the novel is a struggle between all of the feelings he develops hearing about Grace’s life clashing with his belief that he needs to remain detached, unbiased, in order to do his work.
So he comes in with his apple, and his questions, and Grace sees right through it.
“Perhaps I’ll tell you lies.”
Grace’s transparency is at times is unsettling. It also lends to her credibility, despite the fact that she is from her own admission, an unreliable narrator.
“I thought, he wishes to go home and say to himself, I stuck in my thumb and pulled out a plumb, oh what a good boy am I.”
But I will not be anybody’s plumb.”
I will say it now, and I will continue to say so probably five times each episode, Grace Marks is one of the most intelligent characters I’ve ever read. Also, we are only at the ten-minute mark and there’s already been so much to say.
“There are many dangerous things that take place in a bed.”
At its heart, Alias is a feminist work. Throughout the story, Grace does an excellent job of pointing out many of the differences between men and women. Many things, most men have no concept of, unless they’ve chosen to seek out female perspectives.
Am I a horrible person for being totally into the tension between Grace and Simon? I love so much her unwillingness to play along, to call him out on stupid questions. And his desire to be liked by her. That little segment beginning with ‘more than one way to skin a cat.” Grace is just having none of it. And I want to applaud. Sarah Gadon and Edward Holcroft do a beautiful job developing the tension between them, and the pacing of the dialogue, the quick, sharp tone in which Grace responds to his questions, trying to get under his line of inquiry. As a therapist, I appreciate clients who are as responsive as this. Grace is standing up for herself to say I am not just a subject for your amusement. I am a person and this is my actual real life you are discussing.
Again, Grace with her transparent thoughts about thinking about pushing one or two of her siblings over the side. It paves the way to acknowledge she may have a violent streak. Or is she merely just being honest about her thoughts. And a realist about her circumstances.
Her poor mother. A woman who never had any agency. In the book, her mother got pregnant young and had no choice but to marry, despite her sister’s advice. And from that point, Grace never knew a time when her mother wasn’t pregnant.
LOL at Grace’s “I did not mean to offend your sensibilities.” Grace is steel. Simon, not so much.
Yet still, I’m very attracted to him.
Perhaps the loss of her mother, watching her suffer, waking up with her dead beside her on the bed was Grace’s first trauma. Though who knows how many came before that. For a girl who was so young, those are images she’d never forget. Also having to toss her mother off the side of a ship, rather than having a burial. We come to realize Grace’s life is about survival.
That music though. String instruments always get to me.
I wanted to smack Simon when he ignored her comments about queer ideas, showed no empathy after her loss and just asked her to continue. A reminder that at least at this point, Simon is there for scientific purposes, to investigate, not to help. Simon would probably say something very different about himself. But he strikes me as a man on a mission, who fails to notice potential harms he’s causing along the way.
Her father, first of the many trashy men in her life. This leads to the first question, of all the men in this show, who has the most integrity. None of them are perfect (not that anyone is). I’m sure hoping no one votes for her father though because he’s the worst.
Mary Whitney!! “We will be revenged.” Hmmmmmm
“The difference between ignorant and stupid is that Ignorant can learn.”
It is possible that Mary Whitney may be the only true ally Grace will have in her entire life. I love their friendship so much. And seeing the absolute glee Grace feels being around her is such a nice break from all the pain she’s experienced in the past.
“When you write, I feel as if you were drawing on me. Drawing on my skin with the feather-end of an old-fashioned goose pen. As if hundreds of butterflies have settled all over my face and are softly opening and closing their wings.”
Whew, we’ve got some tension there.
“A feeling of being torn open. Not like a body of flesh, it is not painful as such, but like a peach. And not even being torn open, but too ripe and splitting of its own accord. And inside of the peach is a stone.
My take on this quote is the final summation of Grace’s feelings towards her current status with Dr. Jordan. Fascination, heightened sense of awareness, and fear that this dynamic may lead her to open up in ways which reveal things she may not want to reveal about herself. Grace can say what she wants about not caring about what other people think, but Simon laid his cards in the open. As long as she talks (and as long as he remains interested), she is safe from going to the Asylum. So she must talk, but at what cost?
Whew, we reached the end. What a powerful first episode. Margaret Atwood strikes again. It is clear that everyone involved in making this series has done so with such care. I can’t wait for episode two.
23 notes
·
View notes
Text
The Weekend Warrior for January 10, 2020 – 1917, Like A Boss, Just Mercy, Underwater
Well, it looks like we’re back to the usual business now that it’s 2020 with the first weekend with four wide releases – two new movies and two expanding after opening in limited release over Christmas. I’m running a little behind on this so I’ll work on finishing a few reviews before Friday but for now, you can just get a general idea of what’s coming out so you can make some moviegoing plans.
The big movie that I’m most excited for people to see is Sam Mendes’ WWI epic 1917 (Universal), starring George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman as two soldiers sent on an urgent but dangerous mission to the frontlines to prevent an invasion that could leave thousands of British soldiers dead. It’s one of the most exciting movies I saw last year, which is why it ended up on my Top 25 at #2. I already reviewed the movie for ComingSoon.net and did some interviews for VitalThrills.com, so I probably don’t have a ton more to say about it, but it is the one movie I can recommend whole-heartedly this weekend. It is easily one of the best movies I saw last year (twice!)
This weekend also brings the high-concept R-rated comedy LIKE A BOSS (Paramount), which pairs Rose Byrne with Tiffany Haddish and Salma Hayek, three very funny women and great actors in a movie directed by Miguel Arteta (The Good Girl). Essentially, Byrne and Haddish play long-time besties who have been building a small grassroots make-up company and then Hayek comes along as a huge corporate mogul who wants to buy them out who makes a deal that will allow her to get a larger percentage if the two friends break up. You can probably guess the rest. (My review will be posted later tonight since it’s under embargo.)
Mini-Review: It was almost immediately apparent as Like a Boss began that this movie wasn’t going to be for me. It wasn’t the premise or the characters as much as it was the fact that it expects the viewer to be somewhat savvy about the make-up business, something I know (and care) little about.
Byrne and Haddish play best friends Mel and Mia, who have turned their shared love of make-up into a thriving local business that gets the attention of Salma Hayek’s Claire Luna, a big-shot exec at a corporation who wants to buy a stake in their business but with a catch. If for some reason the friends break-up, Luna gets the majority share of the company. This is literally the difference between a 51% and a 49% stake… so not really that big a deal.
I’m not even sure where to begin with this because there’s so much talent involved that generally deserves better, but Haddish has yet to deliver anything on par with her Girls Trip role, and that doesn’t change here. Mind you, I’ve been a big Rose Byrne fan for quite some time, and she’s really been great in movies that allow her to go between humor and drama, but it feels as if she’s trying way too hard to keep up with Haddish, who has actually toned back her character to be more of a 4 or 5 on the Haddish scale.
Jennifer Coolidge seems to be doing the exact same thing she’s done in everything from Legally Blonde to Two Broke Girls, basically acting like a dimwit, and it’s a shame because it’s not really a good part. There’s also Mel and Mia’s three best friends who are so useless at bringing anything to the story that it’s unclear why they’re in the movie at all except to act as a Greek Chorus. This leaves it up to Billy Porter to steal the movie with but just one scene, and pretty much the only one that delivers a laugh.
I’m not sure if the makers of this movie thought that it would be seen as another pro-feminist movie that women flock to, but the problem might be the simple fact that it’s written and directed by men. That certainly couldn’t have helped, especially since this movie is clearly trying to be another Bridesmaids by pushing the R-rated envelope.
The thing is that if you’re going to make a comedy, you should at least try to make some effort for it to be funny, and the fact that Jennifer Lopez’s Second Act takes place in a similar environment but finds a way to be funnier is telling that Like a Boss just isn’t up to snuff.
It’s doubtful Like A Boss will be anyone’s worst movie of the year, but that’s because it isn’t particularly memorable and will likely be forgotten by February.
Rating: 5/10
Another movie expanding nationwide after a platform release is Dustin Daniel Cretton’s prison drama JUST MERCY (Warner Bros.), which stars Michael B. Jordan as young defense attorney Bryan Stevenson, who finds himself trying to get prisoners on Death Row exonerated. The movie also stars Jamie Foxx as Walter McMillian, a man falsely accused of murder who becomes Bryan’s biggest case to date while Brie Larson plays Eva Ansley, who works with Bryan. I was kind of bored by the movie the first time I saw it, but I gave it another chance recently and generally liked it more, especially towards the last act. I may write a review before Friday if I can find any time but I’m pretty slammed this week.
The last movie of the weekend is actually one I’ve been looking forward to, since the sci-fi thriller UNDERWATER (20th Century Fox) is my kind of movie. It stars Kristen Stewart, Jessica Hardwick (from the Netflix series Iron First), TJ Miller, Vincent Cassell and John Gallagher, Jr. as a team of scientists who are trapped 6 miles below sea level when their station is hit by a catastrophe and they learn that they’re not alone down there. It’s the new movie from William Eubank, a talented filmmaker who I interviewed years agofor his movie The Signal. I’m also still working on my review for this so please check back tonight/tomorrow for it.
Mini-Review:
It’s a bit of a bummer this new undersea horror-thriller probably won’t get a fair shake from critics, because it’s being released in January. Far too many film critics just love their clichés, and when it comes to January movies (other than the ones premiering at Sundance), they expect everything to be horrible. They go in with that thought in mind and then nitpick to make sure they’re theory is right. Maybe it’s true, but it’s also not particularly fair when you have a movie like Underwater that delivers exactly what’s being sold.
The underwater drilling station Kelper rests on the outskirts of the Mariana Trench, and no sooner then we meet Kristen Stewart’s electric engineer Norah, Kepler is hit by a powerful earthquake that tears the station apart, as she and a few of her colleagues do what they can to survive. They soon learn that they’re not down there alone.
Yes, the premise is a bit of a horror cliché we’ve seen many times before, mostly in space thrillers like the classic Alien, but director William Eubank (The Signal) clearly has chops to direct a much bigger-scale movie like this that involves a lot of underwater FX-work.
While the dialogue isn’t always great, and the attempt to make TJ Miller the film’s comic relief doesn’t always work, you generally like the characters played by Stewart, Hardwick, Cassell and Gallagher, which tends to be half the battle when it comes to horror films. You actually care about them as they face bigger and bigger jeopardy.
I’m sure some women will take issue with Stewart spending a good portion of the movie in a skimpy bathing suit, as soon as she’s out of the bulky deepsea suit she wears for the rest of the movie, but you won’t hear any complaints from me about that.
Like I said, the movie gives you exactly what is being advertised and Eubank has created a movie that’s suitably claustrophobic and at times, legitimately terrifying.
Rating: 7/10
LIMITED RELEASES
The movie opening in limited release that I can recommend highly is Ladj Li’s police thriller LES MISERABLES (Amazon Studios), an amazing police thriller about a group of French detectives trying to deal with issues taking place at the local projects. I thought this French film (France’s shortlisted selection for the Oscar “International Film” category) was fantastic and shows a promising new talent in Li, who wrote and directed the film. If it’s playing in your area, I recommend checking it out, although I’m guessing it will be on Amazon Prime sometime soon as well.
I haven’t seen Jon Avnet’s THREE CHRISTS (IFC FIlms), which has Richard Gere playing Dr. Alan Stone, a psychiatrist in charge of dealing with three schizophrenic patients who all believe they’re Jesus Christ, as played by Peter Dinklage, Walton Goggins and Bradley Whitford. It will open in select cities and On Demand shortly after.
Opening Friday in the States roughly eight months after it opened in the United Kingdom is Ron Scalpello’s crime-thriller THE CORRUPTED (Saban Films), starring Sam Claflin as Liam, an ex-con trying to win back the love of his family, while trying to get out of the tangled web of corruption surrounding him. The movie also stars Timothy Spall, Hugh Bonneville and Charlie Murphy.
Josh Hartnett and Margarita Levieva star in Anthony Jerjen’s Inherit the Viper (Lionsgate), playing siblings Kip and Josie, who are dealing in opioids as their only means of survival. Kip’s attempts to get out of the family business put him and his sister and younger brother (Owen Teague) in danger. it will open in select cities and On Demand.
Ofra Bloch’s documentary Afterward (1091) debuted at DOC-NYC last year with its look at the issues between Israel and Palestine that came out of the Jews being driven out of Germany during World War II and settling in Israel where they were seen as an enemy by the Palestinians, while trying to give and receive forgiveness. This is a fantastic doc that will open on Friday and then be on VOD January 28.
Alison Reid’s doc The Woman Who Loves Giraffes (Zeitgeist/Kino Lorber) is a little more obvious what it’s about, as it follows Anne Innis Dagg’s solo journey to South Africa in 1956 to study giraffes, featuring voicework by Tatiana Maslany, Victor Garber and more. It opens at New York’s Quad Cinema on Friday and at the Laemmle in Los Angeles on February 21.
Opening today at the Film Forumin New York is Renaud Barret’s doc System K (Artification Release), which looks at the city of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the street artist performance scene that criticizes government corruption and the poverty that has struck the area.
The Sonata (Screen Media) stars Freya Tingley as a virtuoso violinist who inherits the mansion of her composer father (the late Rutger Hauer) after his sudden death, where she discovers a mysterious score with strange symbols that she tries to decipher with her agent and manager (Simon Abkarian).
This week’s Bollywood offering is Meghna Gulzar’s Chaapaak (FIP), starring Deepika Padukone as a woman attacked with acid in New Delhi in 2005 and how she survived it.
REPERTORY
It’s a new year so we’re back with more cool repertory stuff!
METROGRAPH (NYC):
My favorite local rep theater is beginning with two movies by Your Name and Weathering with You director Makoto Shinkai: 2007’s 5 Centimeters per Second and 2011’s Children Who Chase Lost Voices. On Saturday night, the Academy is back at the Metrograph screening Lina Wermüller’s 1976 movie Seven Beauties. Also on Thursday, you can see two “Metrograph Standards,” Jack Hazan’s A Bigger Splash (1974) and Edo Bertoglio’s Downtown 81. Welcome To Metrograph: Reduxwill screen Richard Quine’s 1958 film Bell, Book and Candle, Late Nites at Metrograph will screen Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low (1963) while the Playtime: Family Matinees selection is Danny Devito’s Matilda from 1996.
FILM AT LINCOLN CENTER (NYC):
Folllowing up FilmLinc’s amazing Korean cinema series from last year, this week, they’re doing a special “The Bong Show” retrospective, highlighting the work of soon-to-be Oscar nominee Bong Joon-Ho, as well as other related films with Director Bong in person for some of them. It runs through January 14 and besides all of his feature films, there will be a showing of all his shorts on Friday night, January 10, as well as Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Cure (1997), Deliverance (1972), Intentions of Murder (1964), John Frankenheimer’s Seconds (1966), John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982) and more.
ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE BROOKLYN (NYC)
Tonight’s “Weird Wednesday “is the 1984 Supergirl movie, starring Helen Slater, which is almost sold out. Thursday’s “Cherry Bomb” pick is the 1988 film Shy People. Next week’s “Terror Tuesday” is the horror classic Ghoulies (1984) and “Weird Wednesday” is Tarsem’s The Fall, the latter hosted by Vaiance Films founder Dylan Marchetti.
THE NEW BEVERLY (L.A.):
Today’s “Afternoon Classics” matinee is Norman Jewison’s 1967 film In the Heat of the Night, while the Weds./Thurs night double feature is Secret Ceremony and Boom!, both from 1968, both starring Elizabeth Taylor. Friday’s “Freaky Friday” is the 1985 film Re-Animator, while Tarantino’s own Django Unchained is the Friday midnight movie. This weekend’s Kiddee Matinee is the Studio Ghibli film Ponyo, while the “Cartoon Club” is also running this weekend. The Saturday midnight movie is Martin Scorsese’s classic Taxi Driver (1976). Monday’s “Monday Matinees” is the Stephen King adaptation Misery (1990), while the double feature running from Monday through Thursday are newer films, Greta Gerwig’s Little Women and Sofia Coppola’s The Beguilded from 2017, both in 35mm.
FILM FORUM (NYC):
On Wednesday, Film Forum will begin screening a 4k restoration of Russian filmmaker István Szabó’s Mephisto (1981) along with screenings of his other movies, Confidence (1980) and Colonel Redl (1985). This weekend’s “Film Forum Jr.” is one of my all-time favorite comedies, Billy Wilder’s Some Like It Hot(1959), starring Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis.
EGYPTIAN THEATRE (LA):
Apparently, the Egyptian now has two theaters? Sweet! As part of the theater’s “New Year’s Resolutions” its screening the 1993 horror anthology, Necronomicon: The Book of the Dead on Friday in the Spielberg Theater, followed at 10pm by Roar (1981). The Egyptian’s usual theater will screen a double feature of Airplane! (1980) and Stripes (1981) on Friday. On Saturday, you can see Pacino in Scarface (1983), the sci-fi classic The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) and Terrence Young’s Valley of the Eagles (1951) with an introduction by Joe Dante (schedule-permitting). Also on Saturday night is a double feature of Rosemary’s Baby (1968) and The Other (1972). Sunday’s “New Year’s Resolution” is “Get More Sleep!” in the form of Akira Kurosawa’s later film Dreams (1990), plus you can also see a 35mm print of The Blue Angel (1930), starring Marlene Dietrich as part of the theater’s “Sunday Print Edition.” Sunday’s New Year’s Resolution is Deliverance (1971)andWake in Fright (1972).
AERO (LA):
As part of the series “The Films of Marty and Bob, the Aero will screen a matinee of Taxi Driver (1976) on Thursday – two days before the Alamo. (Oops!) Thursday night is a double feature of Douglas Sirk’s 1955 film All That Heaven Allows and Fassbinder’s 1974 film Ali: Fear Eats the Soul. Friday begins an “All About Almodóvar” series with a double feature of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988) and All About My Mother (1999), Saturday is Bad Education (2004) and Talk to Her (2002) then Sunday is some of the filmmaker’s earlier work, The Law of Desire (1987) and Matador (1986).
QUAD CINEMA (NYC):
This weekend, the Quad will screen four movies by Bernard-Henri Lévy: 2012’s The Oath of Tobruk, a double feature of Peshmerga and The Battle of Mosul, and Bosna! With an introduction by Lévy. Sorry, but I’m not really familiar with his work enough to elaborate.
MOMA (NYC):
The Museum of Modern Art has started a new series called “Show Me Love: International Teen Cinema” running through January 19 with some interesting selections including Diane Kurys’ 1977 film Peppermint Soda, Greg Araki’s 1993 filmTotally Fucked Up, Satyajit Ray’s Teen Kanya (Two Daughters) (1961) and more. Another series that will run through February is Modern Matinees: Jack Lemmon, which will show some of the comedic actor’s best movies, including 1963’s Irma La Douce on Wednesday, Blake Edwards’ Days of Wine and Roses (1962) on Thursday, George Cuckor’s It Should Happen to You from 1954) this Friday. (Most of the movies will be repeated later in the series.) Tuesday’s matinee returns to “The Films of Marty and Bob” with New York, New York(1977).
IFC CENTER (NYC)
The IFC Center is in the middle of a comprehensive “Films of Studio Ghibli” series with a bunch of Studio Ghibli animated films, which will run through next week, as will the 75thanniversary digital restoration of the cinema classic Casablanca. This week’s Late Night Favorite selections are David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive and Eraserhead, Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining and Kathryn Bigelow’s Strange Days (1995).
MUSEUM OF THE MOVING IMAGE (NYC):
MOMI is in the midst of a “Curators’ Choice 2019” made up mostly of new movies vs. repertory stuff. Saturday will be a tribute to the late Carol Spinney with a screening of the 2014 doc I Am Big Bird.
ROXY CINEMA (NYC)
The Nicolas Cage love continues with the 1997 action movie Con Air.
LANDMARK THEATRES NUART (LA):
Friday’s midnight movie is Rene Laloux’s 1973 animated familyFantastic Planet.
Next week, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are reunited for Bad Boys for Life, taking on Robert Downey Jr. as (Doctor) Dolittle.
1 note
·
View note
Text
Letter to the CW
Hey guys, here’s an example of a letter you can send to the CW asking them to keep mon el off of Supergirl (letter under the cut for length):
Mr. Michael Roberts
The CW Television Network
3300 W. Olive Ave.
Burbank, CA 91505
Dear Mr. Roberts,
I am writing in regards to the CW show Supergirl. When Supergirl premiered on CBS, I found myself enamored with this lighthearted superhero show focused on family and the theme of ‘el mayarah’, or ‘stronger together’. Unfortunately, feminism is a rare find on mainstream TV these days, but Supergirl portrayed its main lead as a strong, capable woman who drew strength from the other women around her. Perhaps my favorite thing about the show is the bond between Kara and her adopted sister Alex. It’s so refreshing to see a show centered around the bond between two women, and two sisters at that.
When I heard that one of the DC shows would have a character come out, my thoughts instantly went to Alex, even though it seemed too much to hope for. And when she did indeed turn out to be that character, I was ecstatic. Alex’s journey this season has been everything I could have hoped for, and Chyler Leigh and Floriana Lima have been extremely outspoken in their support for this storyline. As a lesbian, representation like this is so wonderful to see, and I want to thank you for giving that to my community.
However, I have one major concern about Supergirl: Mon El. As I’m sure you know, Mon El has created a deep division among fans of the show. He perpetuates many sexist tropes, such as ‘frat boy is fixed by a woman’ and ‘inside every frat boy there’s a hero waiting to be brought out by a woman’. While I understand that the intent of the character was to show that anyone, even a person from a horrible background who is initially awful, can be a hero, I don’t think Mon El was the best vessel to tell that story. For starters, his story reinforces the idea that it’s a woman’s job to fix a man. That is not only sexist, but it frames Mon El as the lead instead of Kara and reduces her to a vessel in his story. This trope is also problematic for a very scary reason: It perpetuates abuse. Now, Mon El was not deliberately written to be abusive, and his character is meant to develop into a hero, not a villain. But girls who are watching this show will see this development and think that that is how things go in real life. When they meet a boy like Mon El, they will attempt to change him no matter how badly he treats them. And when that bad treatment escalates, they still won’t leave because they believe that if they only try harder, they can make him better like Kara did with Mon El. This is such a dangerous message to show to young, vulnerable girls. Media has a very real effect on real life, and internalizing this message can only lead to trouble.
I also don’t like how Mon El has taken up so much of the narrative. Part of season one’s charm was that the show focused around women and the relationships between them. Now Kara spends her time almost exclusively with him (incidentally, Kara has no plot line this season outside of Mon El) and barely ever interacts with her sister. Alex and Kara’s relationship was the heart of the show in s1, but now they have very little screen time together. This season, the show feels more like a romance-driven narrative, with Kara and Mon El and Alex and Maggie compartmentalized apart from one another. I understand that this is more or less par for the course on the CW, but it isn’t the show that I and so many others signed up for. Supergirl’s success wasn’t because it was similar to other CW superhero shows like Flash and Arrow; it was successful because it was different. But now that difference is slowly vanishing, and the show is losing viewers as a result.
Mon El is not the lead of Supergirl. Kara is. But it’s Mon El who gets the hero’s journey; Mon El who has driven much of this season even though CADMUS was touted as the big bad, and Mon El whose narrative is driving the latter half of season two with the arrival of his parents. The viewers of Supergirl are not interested in seeing a man take over the show when we started watching because of the powerful feminist protagonist. The product that is being sold is vastly different from the one we were promised.
I mentioned above that Mon El was not deliberately written to be abusive, but unfortunately, that’s how he has come off. Several people have come forward online, including abuse survivors, domestic violence attorneys, and therapists, and said that Mon El’s behavior is textbook emotional abuse. He has repeatedly ignored Kara’s thoughts and wishes and did what he wanted to instead. For example, when they first start dating, Kara asks him to keep it quiet for a while because her relationship with James crashed and burned and everyone knew about it. She wants time to explore this on her own. Mon El agrees without any hesitation, and in the very next scene, he blurts out their relationship to the entire DEO, which is her place of work. This behavior is disgusting. Not only does he disregard Kara’s very clearly expressed desire, he tells her coworkers about it in a professional setting. Later in the same episode, Kara asks him to be nice to her father Jeremiah, who has recently been rescued from a shady government organization. Instead of doing so, Mon El accuses the man of being a spy and calls J’onn and Alex incompetent for not being suspicious of him. He then tries to tell Kara that “all right, that’s two strikes on me”, and asks her to forget about it.
What Mon El does in the above examples is a classic case of emotional abuse. He ignores Kara’s wishes in favor of his own, and when she calls him out, he attempts to brush it off and asks her to forget it. Not only are there no repercussions for this behavior, but the viewers are shown that Mon El was correct about Jeremiah’s intentions, which is meant to validate the way he acted.
Perhaps the most disturbing thing about Mon El is that he owned slaves. We currently have a president who is endorsed by the Klu Klux Klan, which is downright disturbing, and yet someone high up the chain decided that Kara should date a man who owned slaves. Again, Mon El faces no repercussions for this behavior. Kara breaks things off with him because he lied to her about being the prince, but less than a day later, she is back together with him. And she apologizes! Mon El is the one who had hurt Kara, he is the one who has done wrong, and yet he faces no consequences and instead is given an apology. I have no words to express how disgusting and harmful this is. If Mon El were to suffer some sort of consequence, this would be less upsetting, but because he is a white man in a position of privilege, he gets off scot-free for his actions. We already see this in our day to day lives, and now it is being shown in a TV program that once prided itself on being feminist.
I could go on about the problems Mon El brings to Supergirl, but in the interest of brevity, I will stop. Suffice it to say, the messages being shown are not messages that should be perpetuated, particularly when the majority of the audience followed it to the CW because they believed they were being given a vastly different product than the one that has shown up. Mon El embodies several sexist tropes, and he has demonstrated classic abuse behavior. And yet in spite of all this, he is still dating Kara and is given quite a lot of screen time on a female-led, female-driven show. We are even expected to support this relationship and root for him because ‘he has changed’, but the reality is that Mon El has not changed much at all and has no business dating a woman he treats in such a way.
This is not the Supergirl I fell in love with. I miss the show that lived and died by Alex and Kara’s connection. I miss the show that centered around family and legacy and what it truly means to be a hero. I miss the show about the relationships between women and I miss the show about faith and love. I had hoped that the CW would keep Supergirl true to its roots, and I can’t express my disappointment that that is not what’s happened. I sincerely urge you to reconsider what you are showing and how it matches up with what your audience wants to see. On behalf of women everywhere, I ask you to consider the messages you are expressing to us. We deserve to be heroes, not to be reduced to a love interest for a sexist, racist, disrespectful man.
Sincerely,
Jordan Meyer
Fort Collins, CO
13 notes
·
View notes
Text
books I read in 2018! (not including rereads, favorites are bolded!)
Shortcomings - Adrian Tomine
Skim - Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki
Tina’s Mouth: An Existential Comic Diary - Keshni Kashyap
Turning Japanese: A Graphic Memoir - Marinaomi
Killing and Dying - Adrian Tomine
Take What You Can Carry - Kevin C. Pyle
The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue - Mackenzi Lee
Riotous Flesh: Women, Physiology, and the Solitary Vice in Nineteenth-Century America - April R. Haynes
Finder: Voice - Carla Speed McNeil
Witches Abroad - Terry Pratchett
Interpreter of Maladies - Jhumpa Lahiri
The Hate U Give - Angie Thomas
We Are Never Meeting In Real Life - Samantha Irby
Priestdaddy - Patricia Lockwood
What We Lose - Zinzi Clemmons
What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours - Helen Oyeyemi
Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Ship of the Dead - Rick Riordan
Strange Practice - Vivian Shaw
The Best We Could Do - Thi Bui
Kindred: A Graphic Novel - Octavia Butler, Damian Duffy, John Jennings
Will Do Magic for Small Change - Andrea Hairston
Pachinko - Min Jin Lee
Her Body and Other Parties - Carmen Maria Machado
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil - John Berendt
Salt Houses - Hala Alyan
March: Book One - John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, Nate Powell
March: Book Two - John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, Nate Powell
March: Book Three - John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, Nate Powell
Sing, Unburied, Sing - Jesmyn Ward
The Power - Naomi Alderman
Darkroom: A Memoir in Black and White - Lila Quintero Weaver
Blood Justice: The Lynching of Mack Charles Parker - Howard Smead
Warriors Don’t Cry - Melba Pattillo Beals
Moonshot: The Indigenous Comics Collection - ed. Hope Nicholson
Monstress: Awakening - Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda
Boundless - Jillian Tamaki
The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South - Michael W. Twitty
Speak: The Graphic Novel - Laurie Halse Anderson and Emily Carroll
A Raisin in the Sun - Lorraine Hansberry
Surpassing Certainty: What My Twenties Taught Me - Janet Mock
Bingo Love - Tee Franklin, Jenn St-Onge, Joy San
Vietnamerica - G.B. Tran
Incognegro: A Graphic Mystery - Mat Johnson and Warren Pleece
Arab in America - Toufic El Rassi
Diary of a Reluctant Dreamer: Undocumented Vignettes from a Pre-American Life - Alberto Ledesma
Tell the Wolves I’m Home - Carol Rifka Brunt
The Immortalists - Chloe Benjamin
The Argonauts - Maggie Nelson
Little Fires Everywhere - Celeste Ng
The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As Told to Alex Haley - Malcolm X and Alex Haley
All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes - Maya Angelou
The Fire Next Time - James Baldwin
Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body - Roxane Gay
Deer Woman: An Anthology - ed. Elizabeth LaPensée and Weshoyot Alvitre
Bloods: Black Veterans of the Vietnam War - Wallace Terry
The Merry Spinster: Tales of Everyday Horror - [Daniel] Mallory Ortberg
It’s All Absolutely Fine: Life Is Complicated So I’ve Drawn It Instead - Ruby Elliot
The Book of Unknown Americans - Cristina Henríquez
Through the Woods - Emily Carroll
The World Only Spins Forward: The Ascent of Angels in America - Isaac Butler and Dan Kois
Tributaries - Laura Da’
On the Bus With Rosa Parks - Rita Dove
Full-Metal Indigiqueer - Joshua Whitehead
Whereas: Poems - Layli Long Soldier
Not Your Villain - C.B. Lee
My Body is a Book of Rules - Elissa Washuta
Mis(h)adra - Iasmin Omar Ata
All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens Throughout the Ages - ed. Saundra Mitchell
This is Just My Face: Try Not to Stare - Gabourey Sidibe
Crazy Brave - Joy Harjo
Harriet the Spy - Louise Fitzhugh
The Lesser Blessed - Richard Van Camp
A Burst of Light: and Other Essays - Audre Lorde
The Mysterious Benedict Society - Trenton Lee Stewart
My Brother’s Husband, Vol. I - Gengoroh Tagame
When You Reach Me - Rebecca Stead
The Wicked and the Divine: Imperial Phase (Part 1) - Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie
Honor Girl - Maggie Thrash
The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho
The Prince and the Dressmaker - Jen Wang
Leah on the Offbeat - Becky Albertalli
The Summer of Jordi Perez (and the Best Burger in Los Angeles) - Amy Spalding
How to be Black - Baratunde Thurston
Bury What We Cannot Take - Kirstin Chen
No Reservations: Around the World on an Empty Stomach - Anthony Bourdain
Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook - Anthony Bourdain
Our Dead Behind Us - Audre Lorde
The Wicked and the Divine: Imperial Phase (Part 2) - Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie
The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell: Tales of a 6'4, African American, Heterosexual, Cisgender, Left-Leaning, Asthmatic, Black and Proud Blerd, Mama's Boy, Dad, and Stand-Up Comedian - W. Kamau Bell
There There - Tommy Orange
Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl - Andrea Lawlor
Jonny Appleseed - Joshua Whitehead
Just the Funny Parts: ... And a Few Hard Truths About Sneaking Into the Hollywood Boys’ Club - Nell Scovell
Perma Red - Debra Magpie Earling
Toil and Trouble - Mairghread Scott
Kissing God Goodbye - June Jordan
Wade in the Water - Tracy K. Smith
Reincarnation Blues - Michael Poore
Nepantla: An Anthology [Queer Poets of Color] - ed. Christopher Soto
Not Here: Poems - Hieu Minh Nguyen
Dead Girls: Essays on Surviving an American Obsession - Alice Bolin
Trail of Lightning - Rebecca Roanhorse
Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars: A Dangerous Trans Girl’s Confabulous Memoir - Kai Cheng Thom
Taproot: A Story about a Gardener and a Ghost - Keezy Young
The Witch Boy - Molly Knox Ostertag
The Haunting of Hill House - Shirley Jackson
Don’t Call Us Dead - Danez Smith
Bright Dead Things - Ada Limon
The Poet X - Elizabeth Acevedo
Citizen Illegal - Jose Olivarez
American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin - Terrance Hayes
for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf - Ntozake Shange
The Carrying - Ada Limon
Mercury: An Intimate Biography of Freddie Mercury - Lesley-Ann Jones
Unclaimed Baggage - Jen Doll
A River of Stars - Vanessa Hua
We Have Always Lived in the Castle - Shirley Jackson
Spinning Silver - Naomi Novik
Barbie Chang - Victoria Chang
Corazon - Yesika Salgado
Chemistry - Weike Wang
Number One Chinese Restaurant - Lillian Li
Lucy and Linh - Alice Pung
My Favorite Thing is Monsters - Emil Ferris
The Plant Messiah: Adventures in Search of the World's Rarest Species - Carlos Magdalena
The Incendiaries - R.O. Kwon
Dirty River: A Queer Femme of Color Dreaming Her Way Home - Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha
Dumplin’ - Julie Murphy
How Long ‘Til Black Future Month? - N.K. Jemisin
My Sister, the Serial Killer - Oyinkan Braithwaite
Unapologetic: a Black, Queer, and Feminist Mandate for Radical Movements - Charlene Carruthers
8 notes
·
View notes
Text
Pedophilia is Being Normalized by the Liberal Media
Having sex with people who are neither physically nor mentally mature enough to consent to it is rape. This is apparently an increasing controversial hill on which to die, but so be it. If you read the left-wing press, whenever they tackle the issue of pedophilia it is unanimous that pedophiles are just misunderstood.
“The current misconception is that every pedophile is a child molester, and if they’re not, it’s just a matter of time. It’s important to show the world that that’s not the case.” https://t.co/rV4SexSO5f
— VICE Canada (@vicecanada) February 8, 2018
When Ender Wiggin was banned from Twitter last December, it wasn’t because he was a far-right troll or Nazi sympathizer. In fact, Wiggin had an army of pizzagaters harassing him all hours of the day, insisting he kill himself right up until the moment his account was disabled on December 14.
That’s because Ender—aka @enderphile—is the pseudonym of a “non-offending” or “anti-contact” pedophile: someone who is attracted to children but claims to be against adult-child sex and child pornography. Inside that community, he’s known as the unofficial leader, and claims he’s been using social media to reduce the stigma associated with pedophilia, showing other pedophiles they can live lives without offending. Jackson Weaver, VICE Magazine
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
VICE used to be awesome. Even after the McInnes era, some of their reporting, articles and video journalism was top notch. Nowadays the company is riddled with sleazeball liberals who can't treat women with politeness and literal endorsements of pedophilia. Worse, it is not just VICE Canada that is as insane as Justin Trudeau. Salon published another self-described "Virtuous Pedophile" in 2015, claiming that he was a poor suffering lamb, who just wants to be loved.
Nice to meet you. My name is Todd Nickerson, and I’m a pedophile. Does that surprise you? Yeah, not many of us are willing to share our story, for good reason. To confess a sexual attraction to children is to lay claim to the most reviled status on the planet, one that effectively ends any chance you have of living a normal life. Yet, I’m not the monster you think me to be.
Such degenerates as Todd and those in the VICE article describe themselves as non-offending pedophiles. The natural question then is this- if you are a non-offending pedophile, how would anyone know? The answer is that nobody would know. You would tell nobody. So why are "non-offending pedophiles" identifying themselves?
Jackson Weaver of VICE expends a lot of energy gathering quotes and making the case that kicking wannabe child-molesters off social media platforms is counterproductive, citing that peer support- i.e., other pedophiles- is essential to stop non-offending pedophiles abusing children. However, he also writes of one prominent online pedophile that
"He’s been using social media to reduce the stigma associated with pedophilia."
The unambiguity of his words should tell you all that you need, but let us spell it out, clear as day. Pedophilia must be stigmatized in society. It must never lose its stigma. The very idea that a pedophile should feel without stain is a very dangerous idea indeed. One may feel a certain level of sympathy for the pedophile- I sincerely doubt that anyone would choose this life- but to empathize with them is a path to ruin. No doubt Weaver and others in the liberal press will deny it, but the agenda here is clear. Leftist activists are using the liberal media to convince people that pedophilia is not immoral.
I had an interesting conversation on Twitter yesterday about the hijab. The hijab, as you know, is not ubiquitous in Islam, nor is it solely Muslims that wear a head covering for modesty. It is almost exclusively Muslims that apply this modesty rule to children, however. The conversation came about in a thread begun by regressive left darling Mike Stuchbery, an unemployed failed supply-teacher-turned-banal-Twitter-chimp who goes on lengthy rambles about how history disproves conservatism, in search of Patreon dollars. The tweet, -which Mike subsequently deleted- was his standard fare of prostrating himself before Islam and coming out against a school administrator who had suggested that girls under the age of eight had no need to preserve their modesty from sexually active men. The administrator, after talking to the community, stepped down.
“Having spoken to our school community we now have a deeper understanding of the matter and have decided to reverse our position with immediate effect.”
Mike supported the people sexualizing kids, in this instance. So did some of his followers, who stated that no-one should force girls to wear anything they didn't want to, but nor should they be forbidden from wearing things that they did want to wear. I contend that as a culturally mandated practice, the hijab is a forced item- and this brought us to the topic of agency in children. We have rules about what children can and cannot do because they do not possess the experience or ability to comprehend consequences that adults are supposed to exhibit. This is why we have an age of consent, an age at which one can drive a car or fight in wars. You need to be able to understand what you are getting yourself into.
It is therefore curious to me that the case of the hijab is so contentious in the West. It is a garment for a particular purpose- it is not even a religious purpose per se. According to the Quran, Muhammad, when encountered with a woman wearing see-through clothing, averted his eyes and told her, "After a young woman reaches the age of puberty, nothing should be seen of her except this and this," motioning to his face and hands. That has been interpreted in many ways.
This is King Abdullah II, the King of Jordan. He is the direct descendant of Prophet Mohammad, and this is his family. The question is, what on earth happened to wearing the Hijab and Burqa? ..... *Cricket Sounds* ..... pic.twitter.com/fqQEUR9Mmr
— Imam of Peace (@Imamofpeace) February 9, 2018
The modesty of grown women is preserved in most Islamic cultures by some form of veil- burqa, niqab, or hijab, depending on just how barbaric the men of that culture may be. In the more advanced places like Iran, you may only be beaten severely by religious police for not wearing your hijab. In Taliban controlled Afghanistan, to go without your niqab means summary gang-rape and murder by stoning or immolation. If you aren't murdered by your rapist, you may not survive being murdered by your own family in an honor killing.
It is the woman's fault in both cases of course because the woman is immodest- a man cannot help but rape everything that he is aroused by, so it is essential that a piece of fabric is used to reinforce the generally accepted global social norm that no raping people in public is allowed. Some particularly advanced societies have even extended this emancipatory ideal to include not raping people in private, too. In all but the most fundamentalist and stone-age interpretations of this cultural practice, the veil is the reserve of adult women- at least by the standards of Islam, which is 9-years-old for some. Sadly, the fundamentalist and stone age ideals are in the ascendant.
Naturally, I oppose the sexualization of children and therefore reject the idea that an eight-year-old-girl (or younger) should be forced by her parents to wear a modesty-protector. She is a child. She is not sexually active, and therefore outside the remit of modesty- unless we are to accept the pedophiles delusion- that children are sexy. The intrinsic concept of modesty is to avoid encouraging sexual attraction in others. Modesty only exists when the person being modest understands that they are sexually attractive- the Islamic understanding is that this is a female power over men, and therfore the female's responsibility.
I am unsure why I am a better feminist in this regard than most feminists, but the world is a crazy place of late. To cut a long story short- the responsibility for being sexually attracted to children does not lie with the immodest child. Childhood is a sacrosanct garden of learning -at least Western civilization has tried to make it so- and must be innocent. This means that parents make responsible choices for the child's actions. This means no hijabs, as it infers that adult men cannot prevent themselves from rape without it being worn by all females of all ages. In essence, the hijab forces children into a sexualized state of being.
And so, we are brought back to the topic of the pedophile acceptance movement. These child molestation acceptance activists will demand that children be given the right to decide for themselves whether they can have sex with adults. This is the agenda which lies underneath the non-offending pedophile movement. If they can normalize attraction to children, goes the rationale, then what next? It is the very spirit of regression to wish Western culture back into the dark ages of marrying old men to prepubescent girls. At least in antiquity, the basis of such unions was for politics or economics, rather than to sate the lusts of mentally ill degenerates.
If you were a secret pedophile who never offended, why would you tell anyone? Perhaps there is the Catholic confessional route to salvation at play but surely there are few other benefits to proclaiming yourself as a theoretical child molester. The only logical -if logic can hold under such circumstances- is that you realize that the route to satisfying your sex drive and not being murdered or arrested is through public acceptance and ultimately legalization of pedophilia. So, you out yourself as a public pedophile with the relative safety of an anonymous Twitter handle. Maybe you write for Salon or encourage leftist media muppets to interview you about how misunderstood the whole issue of having sex with children is.
The very definition of pedophilia -or any sexual philia- is an abnormal appetite or liking for. For example, you might be a pogonophile and have an abnormal appetite or lust for beards. As a bearded man, I am abnormally attractive to you- irresistibly so. While it's funny to think about on the surface, it is actually utterly superficial. You do not know me. You do not care about me- all you want is my beard. If I were to shave it off your attraction would evaporate as rapidly as the steam on my mirror. In a similarly disordered manner the pedophile is not interested in children in the romantic way typical humans fall in love or feel attraction. It is sexual desire of prepubescent children in the same irrational and alien way that the pogonophile is drawn towards beards. Incapable of love, the -philiac is attached only to that which arouses them; when the object of desire changes -by shaving a beard off, by a child entering puberty, or whatever other form the abnormality takes- the philia goes unsated and the desire for what once was irresistible is gone. The -philiac must find another locus of arousal.
Pedophiles do not love children. One cannot love children and be a pedophile. The pedophiles use children to satiate their base desires. This is why pedophilia is an abnormality rather than a sexual orientation- A chronophilic disorder. A person may well find a much older person attractive, but when they only find the elderly attractive, this is beyond merely a sexual preference- it is gerontophilia. The attraction in this case is still a disorder but as it affects only adults there is no need to legislate against it within our society. Not so for the person who is inescapably attracted to children. It is as far from being a sexual preference or orientation as it possible to be; consider those poor souls who find themselves irrevokably attracted to tractors or who marry bridges. It is impossible to normalize even those people who harm no-one with their behavior, let alone those who wish to normalize attraction to children.
This is why the gay movements around the world have struggled so hard to distance themselves from pedophilia, with varying degrees of success. Once more for those in the back- pedophilia is not normal. In a nightmare future, the Western child is forced into the hijab and made to answer questions about whether they are ready to have a sexual relationship with an adult. How culturally enriched we will be.
Last week our Conservatoire Nursery held a (Drag Queen Story Team event to promote social inclusion. Thank you to the nursery team and parents for being open minded. pic.twitter.com/XfugTWFopv
— LEYF Nurseries (@leyfonline) December 1, 2017
June O’Sullivan, chief executive of LEYF, said:
“By providing spaces in which children are able to see people who defy rigid gender restrictions, it allows them to imagine the world in which people can present [themselves] as they wish.”
This is the motivation behind Drag Queen Story Time- The project also seeks to tackle misogyny, homophobia, and racism, so it's just your small-scale neo-Marxist indoctrination of 3 year-olds, who clearly are already so bigoted against blacks and gays that they need to be taught how to think by drag queens.
If pedophilia is normalized also, then it will become acceptable for a man who is sexually attracted to kids to run a similar project. Conservative philosophy is concerned with the preservation of the pillars of our civilization. The very concept of what makes up a family has been under attack for more than a generation, producing the tragedy today that in America 40% of children are born to unwed mothers and 25% of all children under the age of 18 — a total of about 17.2 million — are being raised without a father. 35% of these broken families are poor. The story gets even worse once we break that figure down by racial demographics.
The bedrock of our great Western Civilization is the family unit. In 1933 Christopher Dawson wrote “The Patriarchal Family in History,” and drew parallels to the decline of the Greek and Roman civilizations that preceded our own.
“As in the decline of the ancient world, the family is steadily losing its form and its social significance, and the state absorbs more and more of the life of its members,” Dawson wrote. “The functions which were formerly fulfilled by the head of the family are now being taken over by the state, which educates the children and takes the responsibility for their maintenance and health.”
Can any deny that 85 years on from Dawson we are even further along this path to destruction? Instead of addressing this matter with concern for the very fundamental building blocks of society itself, the radical intersectionalists of the left have instead pared the pieces apart with the hatchet of Social Justice. The family is irrelevant when there are transgender identities to care about. The environment that children are raised in produces racists and homophobes, so therefore society must take over the raising of children from the inadequate parents. So often unwed and solitary, the single parents of this generation and the last have gladly relinquished responsibility- and who can blame them? As a culture we have produced untold millions of people without an coherent identity of their own to pass on to the next generation.
" Ender claims that any attempt to make another account—under any name—was initially blocked following his ban, but thought they had reconsidered their stance after he was able to log back on. Following his most recent ban, he's less optimistic. Until Twitter directly addresses how they’re going to deal with users like Ender, non-offending pedophiles exist in the same state. It’s a kind of limbo, where they’re able to speak about their attractions to children publicly, but without knowing for how long." - Jackson Weaver, VICE Magazine
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
This is a progressive magazine with a culture of sexual harassment towards women. This magazine -with a huge readership- is appealing to one of the biggest social media networks on the planet to stop banning pedophiles. More than this entire article up until now, this should tell you everything you need to know about the pedophile normalization movement. Non-offending pedophiles want to become pedophiles who are non-offending because the abnormal sex they desire has become socially accepted. While the majority of people will be repulsed by the behavior, once the normalization of degeneracy has become ratified then it is then bigotry to criticize it. It is now normal for an adult man dressed as a woman to teach your three year old son how not to be a homophobe. Don't tell me this is a leap of the imagination.
Still, it is conservatives who are the problem, right? We are the ones holding society back from true progress. Progress towards what exactly? A society of fatherless sons with no role-models, no aspirations and the exaltation of self-centered gratification of the basest desires of the depraved. No thank you, not on my watch.
No empathy for the devils.
from Republic Standard | Conservative Thought & Culture Magazine http://ift.tt/2G4oSjx via IFTTT
0 notes
Text
5 Literary Agents Discuss the Horror Genre
A special treat on this Halloween morning: Five literary agents, who all represent the horror genre, took a break from reading manuscripts to answer a few questions on horror, including what they’re seeing a high demand for, what about a submission inspires confidence, and common weaknesses they see in writing. If you’re currently struggling through your work-in-progress at the moment, take your own break and see what these horror literary agents have to say. You may just find your key—whether it’s psychological horror, marginalized voices, or crossover appeal—to breaking out!
How has the horror genre evolved in recent years, in terms of both writers/books and readers/audiences?
Tricia Skinner: Horror has always proved it’s not a genre to take for granted. As soon as you think no one wants to read it or watch it, out pops some crazy cool horror book or movie that resets everyone’s perception. I think horror blends well with other genres, which broadens its appeal to readers who claim to staunchly dislike the genre on its own. Horror’s growing crossover appeal is what I’ve seen in recent years. The purely niche stories aren’t having a good time finding homes.
Caitlin McDonald: I think both writers and readers have become more discerning. There will certainly always be an appeal in campiness, but recent years have seen an influx of works that are more polished, more literary, that rely less on—or undermine—the usual tropes. I think the pressure to adhere to the “rules” of horror has lessened.
Carlisle Webber: I think it’s reached out to readers who normally wouldn’t go for a straight-up horror novel. I’ve seen horror books with plots that more closely resemble mysteries or thrillers, and I think that’s helped expand the audience.
Lane Heymont: Horror has stepped up its game recently—especially in the last few years—both in publishing and film. In years past, horror was reserved for those who already had an “in”, such as Stephen King, Koontz, Joe Hill (one of King’s sons), or to smaller presses. This was mainly because the genre was a hard sell to the Big Six (now Five) publishers. But, horror has made a huge comeback. Thanks, I think, goes to those smaller presses who took chances and produced fantastic stories by amazing authors. Some of my favorites are Nick Mamatas, Christopher Golden, Michael Hodges (I am biased since he’s a client of mine), Kate Jonez, Silvia Moreno-Garcia (who writes and edits a lot of women-driven Lovecraft), and Jennifer Brozek.
What I love about horror now is that it’s taken on this literary bent. For example, Silvia Moreno-Garcia edited She Walks with Shadows with Paula R. Stiles. H.P. Lovecraft was a notorious sexist, racist, and anti-Semite (despite his wife being Jewish), and it’s been fantastic to see his style of writing interpreted by so many talented women and POC.
The whole H.P. Lovecraft thing has caused quite a stir, and I hope not to receive any angry e-mails or comments about it. I love Lovecraft and everything he did, but it’s amazing to see his work translated to reflect our time.
As for movies—which are intertwined with books—we have The Conjuring franchise, the Insidious franchise, Sinister, and especially Get Out by Jordan Peele (from Blumhouse). Blumhouse has made huge strides and pushed boundaries with the horror genre. I can’t wait to see Happy Death Day!
Julie DInneen: The horror genre continues taking us in directions we haven’t gone before, overlapping with other genres and generally giving us more variety, as we would hope.
Meet the Agents
Julie Dinneen, D4EO Literary Agency: After years of editorial work, professional writing of many descriptions, and an internship at The Bent Agency, Julie joined D4EO Literary as an agent in 2017 to build her own list of upmarket fiction. Across the board, she’s looking for books that hook her from the very first page, whether it’s the writing, the voice or some unquantifiable draw that demands her time. She’s drawn to stories that are exceptionally well-written, that star dynamic, unforgettable characters, and that appeal to a wide, commercial audience. She’s looking for literary fiction with commercial appeal and beautiful, stand-out writing (The Girls, Cloud Atlas). She’s on the lookout for upmarket general, women’s, and historical fiction her book club will want to spend hours talking about (Big Little Lies, The Nest, Orphan Train). She’d love to discover a new twist on chick lit—think Bridget Jones for millennials—and she has a weakness for fun, perfectly-executed beach reads. She’s also looking for well-written romance, both contemporary and historical. She especially enjoy epic, genre-bending romance (Outlander, The Bronze Horseman) and she never says never when it comes to paranormal, although believability and originality are essential. Genres she reads less of, but will still consider, include high-concept YA with blockbuster potential, psychologically complex horror, and female-centric thrillers. In these categories, she’s looking for select projects with storytelling that won’t let go.
Lane Heymont, The Tobias Literary Agency: Lane has judged writing contests across the country and served as faculty member at a wide range of conferences. As Literary Assistant at the Seymour Agency, Lane led the marketing efforts for their authors and enjoyed connecting clients with readers. As a lover of literature since childhood, and at the prodding of his mentor Nicole Resciniti, he decided to pursue his passion as a literary agent. He went on to help found The Tobias Literary Agency. He strives to bring incredible and thought-provoking books to the masses, culminating in reaching the number one spot on Publishers Marketplace for agents representing horror, and the Top Ten for women’s fiction and romance. Lane represents a broad range of commercial fiction including romance and all its sub-genres, fantasy, science fiction, horror, celebrity/memoirs, pop culture, serious nonfiction, and true crime. He is a member of the Romance Writers of America, Horror Writers Association, and the Association of Authors’ Representatives. He believes what John Gregory Dunne said: “Writing is manual labor of the mind.”
Caitlin McDonald, Donald Maass Literary Agency: Caitlin joined DMLA in 2015, and was previously at Sterling Lord Literistic. She represents adult and young adult speculative fiction, primarily science-fiction, fantasy, horror, and related subgenres, as well as contemporary fiction about geeky characters. She also handles a small amount of nonfiction in geeky areas, with a focus on feminist theory/women’s issues and pop culture. Caitlin grew up overseas and has a BA in Creative Writing from Columbia University.
Tricia Skinner, Fuse Literary Agency: Tricia was raised in Detroit, Michigan. She obtained her undergraduate degree from the nationally acclaimed Journalism Institute for Media Diversity at Wayne State University and earned her graduate degree from Southern Methodist University. Professionally, she began her writing career as a newspaper reporter and wrote for The Detroit News, Investor’s Business Daily, MSN, and The Houston Chronicle. She’s covered small & minority business, personal finance, and technology. Tricia has 20 years of experience working with the video game industry in various roles, including public relations, industry relations, and writing/editing. She is also a hybrid author of passionate urban fantasy (represented by Fuse co-founder Laurie McLean). Diversity in genre fiction is dear to Tricia’s heart. As an agent, Tricia wants to represent authors who reflect diversity and cultures in their work. She specializes in Adult, Young Adult and Middle Grade. On the personal side, Tricia has a Tom Hiddleston obsession and she is definitely Team Vader. Her family includes three Great Danes (so far).
Carlisle Webber, Fuse Literary Agency: Carlisle refused to major in English in college because she didn’t think there was anything fun to read on the required lists. No Stephen King? No R.L. Stine? No thanks! After college, she took her love of commercial, YA, and middle grade fiction to the University of Pittsburgh School of Information Sciences, where she earned a Master of Library and Information Sciences. She worked as a public librarian for years before deciding to move to the business side of publishing. She attended the Columbia Publishing Course, interned at Writers House, and worked at the Jane Rotrosen Agency in New York City. She considers herself to be an editorial agent and holds a Professional Certificate in Editing from University of California, Berkeley. She belongs to the American Copy Editors Society and Bay Area Editors’ Forum. When editing, she aims to make a book the best possible version of itself, shaping it in a way so it can best use its unique voice to appeal to a wide audience. Carlisle is looking for high-concept commercial fiction in middle grade, young adult, and adult. If your book is fresh and exciting, tackles difficult topics, reads like a Shonda Rhimes show, or makes readers stay up late turning pages, she’s the agent for you.
What are you seeing a high demand for in the market?
JD: Anything and everything that’s original, believable and well-written. One trend we’ve seen more of is the weave of humor into very-scary horror, as successfully done by authors like Grady Hendrix and David Wong.
CM: I’m seeing a (welcome) interest in stories like Get Out that mirror real-world issues in our society. Psychological horror is also strong right now.
LH: I’ve been receiving lots of requests from Big 5 editors for more psychological horror than anything else. This also works well with the film side of things—low budget, high return—affording more writers a chance to see their horror novels optioned for film.
I also think psychological horror allows for fresher ideas. Monsters are a dime a dozen, but what really interests readers (and editors) is the ordinary person’s reaction to those monsters. Take Stephen King’s It, for example. What makes Pennywise so terrifying is the ability to use the Losers’ fears against them. Yes, there is the pan-dimensional monster murdering people, but the story is really about the Losers’ psychological responses to that monster—overcoming fear and childhood trauma through friendship and unity.
There’s also been a huge push for horror by marginalized peoples and women. We want to see horror from the view of different cultures—a client, Sean Cummings has a very cool horror that takes place in 1920s Canada. I’d also love to see some more horror based on Jewish mythology, or by Cajun or First Nations people. Horror should join other genres in helping counter our current political climate. Editors are looking for projects that do just that, and so am I.
That’s the long-winded way of saying, psychological horror and multicultural horror.
TS: Writers amped up the psychological terror, which continues to work. Horror that mirrors the world today, how people are so disconnected, hateful, and paranoid, but provides a scapegoat in the form of a monster, are doing well right now.
CW: Books that feel like We Have Always Lived in the Castle, where there’s not necessarily a lot of fast-paced terror up front, but a looming dark presence that builds as the novel goes on.
The biggest literary agent database anywhere is the Guide to Literary Agents. Pick up the most recent updated edition online at a discount.
What about a submission inspires confidence that you’ll be able to find the work a home with a publisher?
LH: This is a fantastic, and almost impossible to answer, question! The answer mostly given, and appropriate, frustrates authors to no end, so I apologize in advance.
What makes an agent or editor feel a project will be successful? Voice! A fresh angle also helps, but if you have a killer voice—see what I did there?—you can tell a clichéd story like it’s as fresh as ripe tomatoes. After all, there are only so many plots. Just ask Aristotle, Georges Polti, or Carroll Carroll, who said, “There hasn’t been a new idea in seventy-five years.” That was in the 1950s!
What I’m getting at is it’s important to hone your craft. Work out your voice. Avoid clichés. I often tell writers to help avoid falling into traps they must ask the questions before the readers have a chance to. Or do what James Wan did while writing Insidious: keep a notepad by your desk with all the known clichés and when you find you’ve written one, rewrite it.
CM: A strong and unique voice. This is true of any genre, but in horror it’s even more important, because this is where that tense atmosphere comes from. Think of it like the cinematography of a horror film: How little things like camera angles and cuts can build audience terror far more effectively than just showing a monster on the screen. The same principle applies here: How you tell the story is, in horror, almost more important than the story itself.
JD: As mentioned above: originality, outstanding writing, and storytelling that pulls me in and won’t let go. Right now I’m reading Joe Hill’s Heart-Shaped Box and I’m finding myself reading [it] when I should be doing other things. When that happens with a submission—and when it can sustain that momentum throughout—I start thinking about which editors might be a good match.
CW: Just like other genres, if a book has compelling characters, high tension, and other hallmarks of a quality novel, I’m more likely to want to represent it. A good scare is even scarier if it’s happening to a character I’m invested in.
TS: Crossover appeal is the first thing I’d look for in a submission. The writing must be gorgeous and mesmerizing. A publisher will always consider any work with incredible writing.
What are the most common weaknesses in your horror submission pile?
TS: Poor writing, weak structure, and failing to deliver on the horror premise. The weakest submissions are usually from writers skimming the genre’s surface layer. Some writers spend too much time in one area (e.g. creature creation) yet very little in another area (e.g. character motivation). The worst is never delivering the chills and cold sweat throughout the story. If the only time the story is scary is when the monster is in the scene, something is wrong.
JD: For horror that involves the supernatural—and most of it does, though not all—believability is especially difficult to pull off. Convincing readers that the supernatural is real—and terrifying—isn’t easy. Holes in the world-building can undermine a reader’s belief and shatter the illusion. The central job of effective horror is to scare or shock the reader and to simultaneously make us want more. If we don’t believe, we won’t feel the fear. In the same vein, if we don’t feel the need to find out what happens next, the writer has more work to do.
CW: The first is too much gore coupled with not enough characterization. It’s not enough to have blood and guts for the sake of having them. They have to surround a main character whom I want to follow to the end of the story. The second is a lack of world-building. The author writes a book and can clearly imagine their world and its rules, but it isn’t well explained to someone who���s coming in with no knowledge of their world at all.
CM: Stories that are just not unique enough in premise. I see many of the same two or three basic ideas over and over again, and unless you have a truly phenomenal narrative voice, it’s going to be hard to make that stand out on the bookshelf. Look beyond the usual settings and tropes for your story. I want to see more horror that really shakes it up.
LH: This goes along with the previous question: clichés, and then gore.
Those are the two biggest weaknesses I’ve found in horror. Blood is fine, but it must serve a purpose. Just like foul language, sex, and nudity. I’m not against those things, but it’s obvious when they are there just for thrills or to pull a gut reaction.
Horror is more than violence, blood, and monsters. It’s the shadows creeping beyond the door when you look away. It’s the sense of dread clawing at your insides when you look up at the inky night sky and find the stars are not there.
Relying on physical fear often leads to a weak plot, weaker story, and a lack emotive prowess. This is because we can only suspend so much disbelief. We’re reading words on a page so we instinctively know we’re not in any real danger, which is why it’s so important to focus on the power of words to cause the air around us to saturate with dread.
Suspense is one of the most powerful tools a writer has for captivating readers—but it isn’t just for thrillers. From mainstream fiction to memoir, suspense creates the emotional tension that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. Mastering Suspense, Structure, & Plot is your hands-on guide to weaving suspense into your narrative. Award-winning author Jane K. Cleland teaches you how to navigate genre conventions, write for your audience, and build gripping tension to craft an irresistible page-turner.
In this book, Cleland will show you how to:
Implement thirteen no-fail techniques to construct an effective plot for your story
Use Jane’s Plotting Road Map to add elements of suspense like twists, reversals, and moments of danger
Write subplots with purpose
Improve your descriptions, character development, sentence structure, and more
What do you wish you would see more of in your inbox?
JD: Voice. In any genre, originality of voice really stands out. And, of course, wonderful writing.
CM: More crossover horror: Stories that serve two genres at once. One of my recent sales is The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling, which combines a horror narrative with a science-fiction setting for a whole new level of creepiness. Using science-fiction or fantasy to change up your setting from the real world is a great way to bring a freshness to your horror novel—not to mention all the new scary elements you can introduce.
TS: I’d prefer physical creatures instead of ghostly/spirit manifestations. I’m not tired of truly dark Southern Gothic. Horror manuscripts with a multi-ethnic cast and set in a large city, or a city that isn’t Seattle, along the east coast, or fictional. An international horror story would rock. Something that jumps continents. And in all of these suggestions, I don’t care if it’s historical, alternate history, present, or future. Query me!
LH: Psychological horror—I recently signed Shadow Award-winning author Daniel I. Russell, who has written a fantastic psychological horror involving an “evil” doll. It may sound cliché, but with his voice, we truly feel the maddening suspicion of whether this inanimate object is possessed by some evil or if it’s our own madness stalking the hallways. It gave me the spooks and several of my interns complained about nightmares after reading it!
I’m also less interested in gore and violence, and more craving projects which show us how horror affects characters. This is something H.P. Lovecraft, Poe, and Le Fanu excelled at. You might be able to tell I love me some Gothic and stories involving horrors beyond description.
Last, but not least—actually, most importantly—I’m looking for projects from marginalized writers and multicultural stories. If you have a horror novel involving voodoo, ifrits, mazikeen, or any other non-European horror, send it my way!
CW: I’m addicted to true crime podcasts and TV shows, so I’d love to see more human-based, as opposed to primarily supernatural, horror. Since psychological thrillers do so well, I’d love to see some psychological horror land in my inbox. I also love stories about ordinary people in extraordinary situations.
Are there any premises or plot structures that you’ve seen played out in this genre?
Live Webinar | October 31, 2017 | Learn More and Register
CM: Ancient evil powers tormenting sleepy rural towns. The Thing in the Woods. This is a subgenre that still seems to have something of a market, but in my opinion, it’s been done to death. That’s not to say that I won’t be interested if the voice is especially amazing and unique, but there’s a lot of competition out there and it’s hard to find a new angle to bring to this table.
JD: I don’t think any premise has “played out.” Every writer spins a tale from a slightly different angle and brings her or his own unique vantage point to a story. When writers have talent, a good idea, and trust themselves to follow their vision along its own unique path, it becomes something new. You might think the market has had enough of horror stories about teenagers getting lost in the woods or hunted down at summer camp. But then a book like Joey Comeau’s The Summer Has Ended and We Are Not Yet Saved comes along and it’s new. It’s gruesome, almost funny, and somehow turns something that could have been derivative into something original. This happens all the time. In 2010, we could have been forgiven for thinking the market had seen enough of vampires, but then Justin Cronin proved us wrong with The Passage, which is inventive, well-written, and truly eerie. And on that note … if you’ve written 2017’s completely original, well-written vampire novel (in any genre), please query me!
CW: Books where a serial killer is a primary or secondary character can be hard to sell. I get the appeal, because serial killers are a little like modern-day fairytale villains, but in too many manuscripts I’ve seen they lack dimension. Also, when a serial killer is involved, there’s almost always a plot element of “How do we stop them?” so that gets repetitive.
LH: Haunted houses—we currently have an author on submission with an excellent haunted house project.
No mad scientists, either. I once mentioned—okay, maybe several times—Frankenstein is my favorite book of all time. Notice the Gothic horror? So, lots of authors pitch their horror novels as being in the vein of Frankenstein. Obviously, that’s not an automatic rejection, but it’s sure close. No one’s novel can compete with perfection. You might as well tell me you’ve written the next Iliad.
Horror only works if it’s fresh, so you need to come with a totally different angle than we’ve seen before. Think about films that left us scratching our heads: M. Night’s Sixth Sense or Alejandro Amenábar’s The Others. Both movies had the same twist, but it’s the delivery and tones which set them apart.
Something else that bothers me about horror projects I’ve been receiving is the treatment of women. Too many people seem to use them as fodder for murder to gain our sympathy or anger. I’d love to see some kick-ass women in horror—think The Descent (one of my favorite horror films) or She Walks in Shadows or anything in the vein of Billie Sue Mosiman.
TS: I’m bored with the “malevolent forces target a child” trope. Same goes for ghost house, pissed off witch spirit, vampiric whatever, cannibal neighbors, etc. If it’s on Netflix in some form, I’d rather not read it. I’m looking for new and fresh.
If you’re an agent looking to update your information or an author interested in contributing to the GLA blog or the next edition of the book, contact Writer’s Digest Books Managing Editor Cris Freese at [email protected].
The post 5 Literary Agents Discuss the Horror Genre appeared first on WritersDigest.com.
from Writing Editor Blogs – WritersDigest.com http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/horror-literary-agents
0 notes
Text
So this is the way our story end
First off scratch you were wrong about everything you never really knew me at all you thought you did in fact you thought you did so much that you even tricked me into believing you did as well but the reality is that you never did in fact if you really did I think everything would be much different at least between us see I'm not who you believed me to be I'm not someone who's gonna bow down to you and let you run the show as much as you'd like me to I'm gonna fight and destroy anything and everything that try's to control me including you as you have come to see I don't care for anyone not because I don't know who I am or what I'm supposed to do but because I only listen to one person and that me not you not my friends not even the law or society can tell me what to do cuz I don't care and yeah some would say that's crazy talk but it's not it's what people should be thinking they should think for themselves not what we been told to think why do you think you're never gonna be happy you alway been told that all men must treat there girls as princess and queens but the reality is that it should be a equal status are you feminists say women should be treated equal well we can't do that if you expect us to be puppy dogs to you and follow everything you tell us will make you happy I wonder if you even really know what you did you do realize that you kept me away from my fiends and myself while we were together you tried to make me believe that they weren't actually my friend that they didn't care for me but that's not true in fact it was you who didn't care at lest not the way should have cared all you wanted was someone like Jordan someone who would follow you anywhere you went and did everything you're way just so you wouldn't get "hurt" or "upset" that's why he left cuz you drove him insane you kept him from his friends from him being able to be himself and try new things to step out of his comfort zone and now that he did he realized that you were the problem not him and decided that he was better off with out you just like everyone else you have dated but not me cuz you won't find anyone else like me I can promise you that cuz I'm really the only person who's actually taken a hard straight look at you and has seen you for everything you are and that's someone who's afraid of everything cuz that's how you were brought up to be like your parents sheltered you away from everything friends people new experiences different types of thinking all of this was kept away from you so you wouldn't be able to make a decision for your self even now everything you have done is be cause you were told too you were told to be afraid of drugs afraid of sex and afraid of being yourself see if you had only been able to experience all the things that were kept away from you earlier on maybe you wouldn't be so messed up now maybe you would act be able to have a god relationship with someone for once instead of driving literally everyone away from you cuz that's what you do you let people in then you push them far away when you realize they actually might find out who you are really not this innocent little girl who's been hurt by other in the past your really just someone who's caused themselves all the pain that's happened to them see if you only just let people help you or even just let them give you some kind of advice instead of assuming they are just trying to tell you what to do and coming up with excuses that they remind you of your father cuz really that all made up in your head see what I'm trying to get at is that for everything I did to you in the last two months of living together nothing I said or did wasn't with out reason yes I could have done it in a much better and more respectful way but it didn't happen that way see you pushed everyone away from the start dave me Cory jordan Tyler see all of us just wanted one thing to be with you regardless of who you were we all saw who you were and weren't afraid of it we didn't accept the nice girl act we didn't make excuses for you we tried to challenge you to do better to try something different but you fought us all every step of the way and little by little we stoped trying cuz it wasn't worth it anymore cuz yes we're all willing to go that far but not so far to the point where we have nothing left like I did see unlike them i never gave up i never stoped pushing you and challenging you to try something different to break you out of you stupid thoughts see every time we fought wasn't cuz the issues were something really important or something that was a huge deal it was cuz you made it that way even the smallest thing like how I made your Mac and cheese you made into an issue that was completely unnecessary and that's why we need up braking up not cuz I lied not cuz you cheated and not cuz we didn't work well together but cuz everything that happened that you didn't like or didn't approve of you made a big problem out of nothing see I would have never lied to you if I knew that you would over react or start a huge problem which is why I never told you I was still smoking or drinking or with dave or even that I saw liz cuz I knew if I even said one word you'd make a huge deal about it like remember when I told you the truth about us trying to get you to either smoke or at least deal with people who smoked pot you made it sound like we were gonna force you to do it but real like I said before it was just another attempt at trying to get you to see things differently to get out of your comfort zone and to Esperance something different but like alway it blew up to be something much more you made a huge deal about it and because of it you stoped being friend with dave billy Tyler and almost me too right after we'd just gotten together but that's what happens when you're told the truth cuz if it's something you don't like or wanna hear you make it a problem cuz you can't handle the truth even now you hid from it you act like I don't exist anymore like I'd just been a figure of your imagination but I'm not in real Inc act I'm more real then you will ever be cuz I'm better then you cuz I know who I am because I know where I'm going and how I'm gonna get there with or with help and no matter what nothing's gonna stop me from achieving that on the other hand you hide from everything and everyone pretending to be all innocent and kind but you're not your messed up right now you need serous help you're thinking is only gonna keep you from being happy see I'm really the only person who cared for you enough to stay by you and even when you pushed me away broke me down to nothing kept me away from my fiends and stoped me from being myself I stayed and never gave up on you cuz I saw past everything past the mask past the lies past the need to control everything to see who you really could be the person I met and saw the day I laid eyes on you yes at one point even I was blinded by your bullshit but once I came too I still stayed and in fact once dave told me that ever since I started dating you I became more and more unhappy and more and more unlike myself but I could never explain to him why I did what I did to be with you cuz he'd never understand he wouldn't get why someone who's been thought literally hell and back multiple times in such a short time would put themselves through the shit that i did for you see as much as I was told I'm crazy or that I wasn't who used to be cuz of you I still stayed cuz I knew if I kept trying harder and harder maybe just maybe I'd find away to brake though to you but I was wrong I was wrong to think that all the attention and everything I did would make you happy I did literally everything you ever asked of me every day and night I'd think to my self why do I do this why am I still here putting up with her shit why do I care for someone who's obviously not gonna listen still even now I don't know why I did that why I didn't just get the fuck out of there and say see ya and leave you 6 feet under but maybe I should have maybe I was right to say who know all I know is that I'm better for it see you don't know what it's like to be loyal to be truly honest with yourself and other you don't know what it's like to be broken over and over and over to go to hell and back almost everyday from 5 years old to now even now I'm still fighting hell its self but that's something you will never get cuz you can't be loyal you can't be honest with yourself or others see as soon as you feel threatened or that someone might not like you or something litter anything you lock up and shut down everything you push everyone away you cause so much shit for everyone else that they leave and then you say oh poor me everyone hates me and doesn't like me and hurts me when the reality is none of that happens it's all made up to make you look like the victim when you're the problem and alway will be and see I saw what happened to you and your last bf the one you left me for the one you said was perfect the one who made you happy and you loved more then anything yeah well that didn't last long now didn't it what it took him what 2 maybe 3 months to be like well she's bat shit crazy i was better if with my ex then her and what did he do exactly that he got the fuck out of there and went right back to his ex same with Cory he's with Rachel see you didn't care if he was with you or not you just didn't like Rachel cuz he was giving her attention and not you that's why you could be with him not cuz he smoked or that you would ruin your friendship cuz that would have happened to obviously cuz look at us and every other bf you had or gf do you talk to them fuck no you don't even if they try to talk to you you just ignore them cuz you can't be bothered see I still watch your blog and now I can tell you been alone since that last guy cuz if you really were in a relationship you'd be posting all about him but not once have I see anything about "him" so you're just a liar but that's expected of you now but who would have guessed you'd go that far and actually make us believe you were with someone I think is cuz you can't stand the fact your more alone then even I am at lest I have true friend unlike you who has no one not even one real true friend see once cole goes back to collage who's left Cory's gone I'm gone Tyler jordan you might have Sam if that even counts cuz she doesn't care but not like you'd ever see that Brandon maybe probably not he gave up on you a while ago that's why you sent him nudes so he'd be interested in you again see everyone you knew is gone and why is that cuz you pushed them away makes sense now why you work all the time it's cuz if you didn't you'd have to face the fact your alone and it's all you're fault nobody else's but you and that's sad even to me but that what you get for the shit you pull see if you act like a little bitch you get the life of one too so there that's how everything end for us see it wasn't cuz of me it wasn't cuz of dave or anything else in the end it was cuz you're a fake and you caused it all to fall and even what I did won't compare to everything you do to yourself and I'm sorry you're this way I tried to stay I tried to help you but you just didn't want any of it so I hope you're happy with yourself cuz this is exactly what you wanted right you or have you finally realized what you did probably not but I hope one day I get to see you again and I hope you will realize it and finally I'll be able to hear the truth from you but until then rot in hell you cunt i hope you totally destroy your car due to you're own stupid driving cuz really I have never seen a worse driver then you you don't deserve to even call yourself punk rock you nothing but a face lying little girl who's all alone and only you're to blame for it have fun by yourself you cunt P.S. My only regret is that I can't tell you this in person and watch you fall apart because of it
#this is the way our story ends#I hoe your happy with yourself#you caused this#only you're to blame for this#not my punk rock girl
0 notes
Text
Letter to the CW
Sincerely,
Mr. Michael Roberts
The CW Television Network
3300 W. Olive Ave.
Burbank, CA 91505
Dear Mr. Roberts,
I am writing in regards to the CW show Supergirl. When Supergirl premiered on CBS, I found myself enamored with this lighthearted superhero show focused on family and the theme of ‘el mayarah’, or ‘stronger together’. Unfortunately, feminism is a rare find on mainstream TV these days, but Supergirl portrayed its main lead as a strong, capable woman who drew strength from the other women around her. Perhaps my favorite thing about the show is the bond between Kara and her adopted sister Alex. It’s so refreshing to see a show centered around the bond between two women, and two sisters at that.
When I heard that one of the DC shows would have a character come out, my thoughts instantly went to Alex, even though it seemed too much to hope for. And when she did indeed turn out to be that character, I was ecstatic. Alex’s journey this season has been everything I could have hoped for, and Chyler Leigh and Floriana Lima have been extremely outspoken in their support for this storyline. As a lesbian, representation like this is so wonderful to see, and I want to thank you for giving that to my community.
However, I have one major concern about Supergirl: Mon El. As I’m sure you know, Mon El has created a deep division among fans of the show. He perpetuates many sexist tropes, such as ‘frat boy is fixed by a woman’ and ‘inside every frat boy there’s a hero waiting to be brought out by a woman’. While I understand that the intent of the character was to show that anyone, even a person from a horrible background who is initially awful, can be a hero, I don’t think Mon El was the best vessel to tell that story. For starters, his story reinforces the idea that it’s a woman’s job to fix a man. That is not only sexist, but it frames Mon El as the lead instead of Kara and reduces her to a vessel in his story. This trope is also problematic for a very scary reason: It perpetuates abuse. Now, Mon El was not deliberately written to be abusive, and his character is meant to develop into a hero, not a villain. But girls who are watching this show will see this development and think that that is how things go in real life. When they meet a boy like Mon El, they will attempt to change him no matter how badly he treats them. And when that bad treatment escalates, they still won’t leave because they believe that if they only try harder, they can make him better like Kara did with Mon El. This is such a dangerous message to show to young, vulnerable girls. Media has a very real effect on real life, and internalizing this message can only lead to trouble.
I also don’t like how Mon El has taken up so much of the narrative. Part of season one’s charm was that the show focused around women and the relationships between them. Now Kara spends her time almost exclusively with him (incidentally, Kara has no plot line this season outside of Mon El) and barely ever interacts with her sister. Alex and Kara’s relationship was the heart of the show in s1, but now they have very little screen time together. This season, the show feels more like a romance-driven narrative, with Kara and Mon El and Alex and Maggie compartmentalized apart from one another. I understand that this is more or less par for the course on the CW, but it isn’t the show that I and so many others signed up for. Supergirl’s success wasn’t because it was similar to other CW superhero shows like Flash and Arrow; it was successful because it was different. But now that difference is slowly vanishing, and the show is losing viewers as a result.
Mon El is not the lead of Supergirl. Kara is. But it’s Mon El who gets the hero’s journey; Mon El who has driven much of this season even though CADMUS was touted as the big bad, and Mon El whose narrative is driving the latter half of season two with the arrival of his parents. The viewers of Supergirl are not interested in seeing a man take over the show when we started watching because of the powerful feminist protagonist. The product that is being sold is vastly different from the one we were promised.
I mentioned above that Mon El was not deliberately written to be abusive, but unfortunately, that’s how he has come off. Several people have come forward online, including abuse survivors, domestic violence attorneys, and therapists, and said that Mon El’s behavior is textbook emotional abuse. He has repeatedly ignored Kara’s thoughts and wishes and did what he wanted to instead. For example, when they first start dating, Kara asks him to keep it quiet for a while because her relationship with James crashed and burned and everyone knew about it. She wants time to explore this on her own. Mon El agrees without any hesitation, and in the very next scene, he blurts out their relationship to the entire DEO, which is her place of work. This behavior is disgusting. Not only does he disregard Kara’s very clearly expressed desire, he tells her coworkers about it in a professional setting. Later in the same episode, Kara asks him to be nice to her father Jeremiah, who has recently been rescued from a shady government organization. Instead of doing so, Mon El accuses the man of being a spy and calls J’onn and Alex incompetent for not being suspicious of him. He then tries to tell Kara that “all right, that’s two strikes on me”, and asks her to forget about it.
What Mon El does in the above examples is a classic case of emotional abuse. He ignores Kara’s wishes in favor of his own, and when she calls him out, he attempts to brush it off and asks her to forget it. Not only are there no repercussions for this behavior, but the viewers are shown that Mon El was correct about Jeremiah’s intentions, which is meant to validate the way he acted.
Perhaps the most disturbing thing about Mon El is that he owned slaves. We currently have a president who is endorsed by the Klu Klux Klan, which is downright disturbing, and yet someone high up the chain decided that Kara should date a man who owned slaves. Again, Mon El faces no repercussions for this behavior. Kara breaks things off with him because he lied to her about being the prince, but less than a day later, she is back together with him. And she apologizes! Mon El is the one who had hurt Kara, he is the one who has done wrong, and yet he faces no consequences and instead is given an apology. I have no words to express how disgusting and harmful this is. If Mon El were to suffer some sort of consequence, this would be less upsetting, but because he is a white man in a position of privilege, he gets off scot-free for his actions. We already see this in our day to day lives, and now it is being shown in a TV program that once prided itself on being feminist.
I could go on about the problems Mon El brings to Supergirl, but in the interest of brevity, I will stop. Suffice it to say, the messages being shown are not messages that should be perpetuated, particularly when the majority of the audience followed it to the CW because they believed they were being given a vastly different product than the one that has shown up. Mon El embodies several sexist tropes, and he has demonstrated classic abuse behavior. And yet in spite of all this, he is still dating Kara and is given quite a lot of screen time on a female-led, female-driven show. We are even expected to support this relationship and root for him because ‘he has changed’, but the reality is that Mon El has not changed much at all and has no business dating a woman he treats in such a way.
This is not the Supergirl I fell in love with. I miss the show that lived and died by Alex and Kara’s connection. I miss the show that centered around family and legacy and what it truly means to be a hero. I miss the show about the relationships between women and I miss the show about faith and love. I had hoped that the CW would keep Supergirl true to its roots, and I can’t express my disappointment that that is not what’s happened. I sincerely urge you to reconsider what you are showing and how it matches up with what your audience wants to see. On behalf of women everywhere, I ask you to consider the messages you are expressing to us. We deserve to be heroes, not to be reduced to a love interest for a sexist, racist, disrespectful man.
Sincerely,
Jordan Meyer
7 notes
·
View notes