#I mean it's probably a good thing people aren't watching the very racist movie

[fallloverfic]

I've seen some very odd takes about certain language used in the scene where Mizrak rebukes Olrox at the end of Castlevania: Nocturne, which I think might be due to lack of knowledge about the historical context of certain things.

CW: historical racism against First Nation groups

I know reading academic articles isn't for everyone, but I have to wonder if a lot of people in the Castlevania: Nocturne fandom have not watched things like, say, Disney's 1995 animated Pocahontas, which, for all its many, many flaws, features the song, Savages. I'm not going to quote it in full here, you can find the song lyrics elsewhere (though the European colonizers do use the lines "vermin" and "barely even human", among other epithets). It's not a great song for a lot of reasons (among them being it tries to "both sides" things). But to look at the scene in CN where Mizrak, a Christian working in a European Christian church with at least some Europeans, calls Olrox, a First Nation man, an animal without the understanding of how Christian European colonizers (typically as part of or at least backed by some Christian churches) have viewed First Nation peoples and treated them, and certain epithets used for them, and how European Christian dehumanization of "new world" groups and non-Christians generally worked/works?

Well.

[jambeast]

As a child, growing up in my Diaspora Household, full of Brown Bodies, I would often lift a handful of smelly spices to my nose to smell how good they smelled. Damn, these were some stinky fuckers! “Yummy,” I would think in my beautiful and lilting native language, “there’s no way that Wh*te People would ever make fun of me in an elementary school lunchroom for this.” How wrong I was. 20 years later, I have hunted down each one of the children who once were sort of mean to me about the food I ate and summarily executed them. If this sounds familiar, it means you’ve been reading a very specific genre of online writing: the South Asian smelly lunchbox essay. A prime example of these popped up recently: this Eater piece from last week. These pieces almost always begin with some sort of personal anecdote about the author’s childhood. The author is shamelessly mocked by their cruel, racist white classmates. Crying, they dump their lunch into the school rubbish bin (garbage can for all you Americans) and implore their parents to pack them Dunkaroos or Lunchables or some other disgusting branded pre-packaged thing. As these young Brown Bodies get older, they notice that the same white people who may have made fun of them at one point learn to enjoy Indian food. This unleashes a tidal wave of fury within their Brown Body — This is my culture, how Dare You — and, seeing red, they put pen to computer to type out some incoherent mess about how they’ve been personally wronged. This gets run in some food magazine and is effusively praised on Twitter for being a great encapsulation of everyone else’s rage

I've seen this sort of discourse a few times, and it's striking to me how similar it is to an attitude I encountered on 4chan's Videogames board, /v/ in like 2014-16

White nerdy male comic book/videogames fans on 4chan would claim to have been horribly bullied specifically for liking comic books and videogames when they were kids. That they were socially ostracised and, basically, oppressed, for being weird nerds in a way not dissimilar to any other oppressed minority (which (if true) I don't entirely disagree with.)

And then some time around 2012, The Avengers makes a lot of money and The Big Bang Theory gets popular and Mainstream Society (who they map on to a sort of... nonspecific Archetypical Spirit of the-type-of-people-who-would-have-bullied-them-personally-in-school; the Chads and Staceys of the world) starts getting into comic book movies and videogames. Everyone and their mum is watching the new Starwars Sequel and pretending like they were a big star wars fan the whole time (ignoring that the original star wars films were some of the most widely popular mainstream movies ever made ever, but anyway...)

And there's a sudden sense of rage that these people - the Sort Of People Who Would Have bullied them in school for liking Star Wars (or whatever) suddenly like Star Wars (or whatever), and suddenly act as though they weren't bullying them as a kid 30 years ago for liking star wars (which they probably weren't, since they aren't the same specific individuals, but importantly they are, to the /v/ user, the Sort Of Person That Would Have). It's as if they waived their right to like star wars (or whatever) as soon as they made fun of it 30 years ago (assuming they did, which they individually might have, but might not have, which doesn't matter). There's a sense that they, as an identity group, *own* [X Nerd Property], it's theirs, and you're taking it from them if you try and interact with it yourself if they don't permit you to, a permission you must earn through their respect or your group membership.

They had their chance but squandered it. It's as if Star Wars (or whatever) is unwilling to forgive them for their disrespect. That these people (not really any individuals in particular, rather an abstract Class of people) are hypocrites for not having the same preferences they did when they were children. And the punishment for this hypocrisy is the poetic justice of not being able to enjoy the newest okay-ish movie.

It's a very strange kind of resentment that seems to be calling out to a call to action to make everything worse out of spite; the Platonic Chads and Staceys of the world not liking Star Wars doesn't, like... that doesn't fix any of this. The impulse is not an impulse to Fix. It's purely a destructive impulse to Spite.

[destinyc1020]

You are correct about choosing what a person feels comfortable with. I like Andrew Garfield but the way the twitter/tik tok hype is treating him like he can do no wrong is off to me. He literally defended Mel Gibson coz he was cast in the dude's oscar bait movie......I was very uncomfortable with Andrew that year. I enjoy his work but that will always have me side eyeing him

Oh gosh, don't get me started on Mel Gibson.🙄 He's crazy. Idk if it's because I have actual recorded proof of his racist tirades or what, but yikes... Ever since that scandal I have not been able to watch his movies anymore. But anyway..... RE: Andrew....

Yea, sometimes you have to make your own decisions about the limit of what you will expect/allow from an actor, and what you won't allow that will lead to "canceling" them. I hate "cancel culture" on every single little thing, but that was the best word I could come up with. Was he saying those comments because he actually backs up Mel Gibson, or because he just had to do his "job" and promote his film? Like, are they good friends, orrrr was he just basically bsing for interview reasons? Thats' something also to consider I guess. But you feeling off/uncomfortable with it is perfectly fine. Sometimes some things our faves do/say will disappoint us at times. Some people feel very strongly about certain things and they can't separate the actor and his work from the person, and that's OKAY. Then, there are some who can appreciate an actor's work, but don't really care about them as a person. They're able to compartmentalize things a bit more. And that's okay also! I mean honestly, if I were to tally up all of the negative things that I've gone through in this country and the history of the "birth" of this nation, and all of the ways my ancestors were treated here in the past (and even currently), I probably wouldn't even be living in the US right now lol. 😅🤣 Sometimes you have to realize that most things in life aren't squeaky clean or perfect, and if you go looking long and hard enough, you WILL find something wrong with everyone lol. Sorry if that's a very dire way to look at the world lol, but those are just my personal thoughts. Most people aren't saints.

I just choose where to draw the line, and everyone should be given the right to do that for themselves (ie. not other people or "cancel culture" doing that for them).

[ehbunnehsblog]

So I am gonna be putting a compilation of parts of the PPG script here and mind you I have never seen the original so I can't comment on a lot but yes I might criticize some parts cause this is so bad. So first off as you can tell drugs are going to be involved in this because if you want an adult show ya need drugs kids fuck just fighting some bad guys let's make a show that was about kids now talk about drugs and be controversial just like if they were a Disney star.

Here is a good one right here like wtf does this even mean? Buttercup was straight I believe in the original and I get they made her to be lesbian which is fine but it feels like a slap in the face to the original like how tf was Craig supposed to know she was actually lesbian??? Lmfao! I can just see them in a dark room while she says this. Like I get how this fits the show but while it does it also is a slap in the face to the original.

Remind you that in the original these girls were kids. Imma say it now I am sex positive I am weed positive if you do that hey whatever that's great but I hate how these shows have to add sex and drugs and partying in. You know those relatable tweets people see online? That's the vibes I am getting it's trying way to hard to sound relatble and to be raunchy but like barely anyone would actually talk like this. Shows don't have to have sex, drugs or partying to be adult but CW here thinks this is what it is but hey they are just from Hollywood so of course they probably wouldn't know what people that aren't from there are actually like.

Let's tackle the first one first okay. Why are they making characters who were young before so oversexulized it's so weird and now the second part WHY TF WOULD YOU EVEN PUT THAT IN THERE???? Sorry but this is so bad who the hell wrote this who needed that? Really who needed to have that part? Sorry but it gets worse but all of these write like a 15 year old writing fanfic but these got taken down so this is most likely real and if it is that person should probably be fired. If people wanna make a remake they should know what the fans want but it feels like they didn't. We couldn't save Winx club from being destroyed so hopefully we can save this one.

Ughhh honestly that's all NEXT!

Oh god of course let's put in politics because people aren't miserable enough. Honestly as someone who likes shows, movies etc. I can watch a movie with politics but I also like watching them to get away from politics. I am sick of politics and I assume PPG was so sweet where people watch it to get away from politics.

This looks like something the Onion would write like this part would be good if it wasn't about PPG.

Whyyyy omg okay heres the thing on the internet this is fine but in a show this is gonna age terribly like don't make Harambe jokes or any memes pretty sure Harambe is an old meme anyways so it already aged badly. Look at Bubbles and her white self talking about whitewashing even though she is white and Buttercup was white in the cartoon but oh no Craig is wrong and he actually is the bad guy who whitewashed fuck off CW you aren't better you must be jealous people would prefer to watch something that's actually good than whatever this crap is. Also the black people I have talked to hate how they made Buttercup why? Because of stereotypes they made the aggressive one black. They say they wanna be diverse but than look racist. Also another stereotype is that if you are a tomboy you must like girls so they made Buttercup have two stereotypes which btw it's fine to be a tomboy and like girls but it's a big stereotype that if you are a tomboy whether you like girls, guys, both, neither etc you must be a lesbian which isn't always true.

Sorry for the amount of swearing but this writing is awful and just all of it needs to be thrown out and CW needs to stop and fire these people. I get that Y2K is very popular but this isn't what people asked for or wanted and if they wanna bring back an old and beloved show this isn't how you do it. Idk what they did but they really should have talked to fans of the series or just made a cutesy and girly remake. Idk why and I talked about this in my last PPG post but CW must really dislike feminine and girly things feminine and girly things are usually seen as less and aren't always appreciated as much as more masculine things and don't get me wrong some of those feminine things suck but seeing it from a company feels worse because it's actually making the change that feminine and girly can't be a thing and than they make it all about sex, drugs and partying and very adult and heres the thing I am 19 almost 20 and I might be too old to others to like girly things and cutesy shows maybe but it's fine to be older and like to like more feminine, girly and cutesy things. This script definitely makes me want to watch the original.

☆If you liked this post pls give it a like and follow me I post a lot of stuff about nostalgia☆

[your-average-weeb-dealer]

HELLO OH MY CONGRATS ON 130!!!?! I'd love to enter your event!!!!!! I was wondering if I could have either a deathnote or bnha matchup!!!?? I am a Leo, and an enfp!!! My pronouns are she/her, and I am heteroromantic and asexual!!! So first thing I'd look for in a s/o would be that they were respectful of me being ace!!!! The dream would be to be with someone that would either do impulsive things with me, or just stop me from doing them when it gets out of hand!!! My dream date would either be an amusement park so we can ride some crazy rollercoasters, a picnic where we can make flower crowns, doing crazy things really early in the morning when I can't sleep, or just staying home and baking while watching movies!!! I have a hard time going to sleep, and I don't want to bug anyone because of that!! I have a pretty major sweet tooth, so if they also enjoy chocolates and cake and just overly sweet things then that's a bonus!!! I tend to lean towards people who are the opposite of me meaning they are either not very expressive, or they can be a little more harsh(?) than I can!!! *Laughs in both mommy and daddy issues* I am great at carrying conversations as I am very talkative!!! I am 5'0, and I have a smaller build!! I have blonde curly hair that right now is getting to be kinda long so I am going to cut it back to shoulder length!!! I have blue eyes, and tend to dress kinda out there!!! I love to wear pastel colours, with lots of crazy accessories!!! A bonus with a s/o would be that they have a sense of fashion!!! I express myself via my clothing and by making art!!! I am in the middle of expanding my jewelry collection, and I just made a whole heap of crazy earrings!!! I love to embroider and sculpt and just create things!!! I used to love making digital art but I haven't really done much of that in a while because I compared my work with that of other artists too much... I can be confident at times, but my insecurities do come out, and in order to deal with that ideally I would surround myself with people that would be able to help me in those times!!! Also on that note I'm over 7 months ed relapse free!!!!!! I am so happy to be at this point and my friends have helped me so much I owe the world to all of them!!! My home life isn't all that great but I have plans to move to Chicago and become a florist!!! I love dogs!!! I also love music and I cannot exist without background noise and I don't want to annoy anyone with that... one of the most important things for me when it comes to people is being around those who aren't racist, sexist, homophobic, or just not supportive of letting people be who they are or want to be!! At this point I am just ranting, so thank you for the opportunity!!! I hope you have an amazing day, and don't forget to drink some water!!!

Thanks for all the info!! And congrats on 7 months, it takes a lot of strength to get that far!! 

I match you with...

Mello/Mihael Keehl (from Death note)

-and- 

Denki Kaminari (from Bnha)

Chocoholic (Mello)

you’d be the perfect couple... besides the fact that he’s in the mafia- 

He’s go out of his way to buy you sweets (he may even share some of chocolate... if he’s in a good mood) 

Being that he gets overly emotional a lot of the times, he would probably end up impulsively doing random illegal shit with you 

He’d stop you from doing stupid impulsive things as well 

Dates with him would probably be indoor movie dates and cuddling

He can’t do that much with you since... well he is a criminal 

He’d be a total tsundere, he’d be a complete jackass when you first met but as you get to know him he’d be a lil softy

H E  P R O T E C C 

He’d get mad if you couldn’t sleep and didn’t come over to him and ask for cuddles  

He wouldn’t mind having music playing while he works- it just better be something he likes. 

He probably goes shopping with you, and he’s good at it 

I mean he’s got money and a fashion sense, there’s no way you’re going to be walking around in something basic or bland

Memelord (Denki) 

You would both be the trouble makers of U.A

Anything happens and you and Kaminari are the first to get the blame

it makes sense though, you and him are both super impulsive

Your dates would mostly be to amusement parks, pinic dates, walks on the beach and you trying to still be with him whilst avoiding Mineta   

He doesn’t mind at all that your ace- ok he may be a little disappointed at first but he’ll get over it because... 

A PRETTY GIRL WANTS TO DATE HIM

I mean he can’t even get over how happy he is

He definitely knows how to draw, and may even draw little comics of the two of you 

He’ll braid flowers into your hair while you’re on a picnic date 

If you ever compare your art to his he’ll just say

“Huh? B-but, it’s not a competition. I drew this so you could see how beautiful you are” (denki) he said holding up a portrait he made of you  

He tried learn how to sculpt so he could relate to you even more-

yeah, it turned out just looking like a giant lump of clay

You and him run around the U.A school grounds when you can’t sleep, destroying everything you come in contact with 

(A/n: AHHh I didn’t expect so many people to request match ups!! Don’t worry I’ll get to all of them!) 

[sabradaz]

Just wanted to say this isn't hate or anything. Look, i realize that u shuldn't blindly accept information u r being fed abt a medium u never interacted w, n this case it's books, n u obviously r right by saying that u shudn't have discourse abt it if u haven't read it, n so a person shudn't. That being said knowing the background of the creator/author n all the problematic things they've done, i personally will safely take the information i recieve abt it bc there's no point in reading something if i'm unable to enjoy it, especially considering it will waste the limited time i have in my life when i can spend it on other less hurtful things. I'm not gonna engage in discourse abt it, ofc, but i'm still not gonna read it. Also these aren't just petty problems. We're talking abt actual real life issues that actively hurt marginilized communities. We're talking racism, fetishization n transphobia. I'm not gonna force myself to read or watch something if ik it's only gonna end up mentally triggering n hurting me. Again i will not *personally* engage in discourse abt it, but i will stand idly n watch others who have read it do so, so i can form my own opinion on it. Is that a bad idea? Probably. But better safe than sorry. Is life unsafe, n i shudn't hold myself to the expectation that it will be? Ye, ofc, but that's not what i'm talking abt tho. I'm talking abt when *i* have the control, n if i can help it, y wud i wanna go out of my way to purposefully inflict pain on myself. If there seems to be a great concensus, n not a tiny one, that there r many problems w the medium in question, then frankly better safe than sorry. N i will even go as far as warn those close to me abt it. I won't start a discourse abt it since i haven't actually interacted w it, but i'll still give warnings based on what i've heard. If they end up wanting to interact w it, that's their choice. I won't force em not to. I've never watched “Birth Of a Nation” in my life, but i know from the great concensus held that it is an awfully racist movie, n it will only shock n upset me if i watch it. I'm not a robot. I'm a human w feelings n emotions, n i sure am gonna proudly n arrogantly act on them, ONLY when it comes to these issues. I'm not gonna think logically cuz academia, which has a BIG history w classism, racism, transphobia n everything bad under the sun, tells me to. Again none of this is hate. Just wanted to hopefully let u in on a diff perspective.

Here is the thing. You don’t have to have an opinion on anything. Saying, “I heard this movie is racist/homophobic/sexist/antisemetic, and therefore I have no interest in watching it,” is extremely valid and I personally think is very smart. First and foremost self care is essential and reading those reviews and then refusing to engage in the content is great. However, you need to keep in mind that you’re making those judgements based on reviews, not the content itself.

For example, I haven’t read the new ACOTAR book and I’m not planning on it. I made this decision based on the fact that I didn’t enjoy the other books too much and the poor representation throughout the series became a deal breaker. However, as long as I haven’t read it, I can’t really form my own opinions on it. I especially can’t from any opinions that would have any value in any form of discourse or otherwise. If (I have yet but I also don’t really engage with the fandom) I see a post calling it racist or homophobic I might feel validated in my decision but that doesn’t mean I can make my own post calling it racist or homophobic. I still wouldn’t have anything useful to add to the discourse regarding the new book. If you know what I mean?

I wrote this post specifically in response to some discourse occurring in the She-Ra fandom probably about six months ago? I won’t go into too much detail expect essentially the creators did a panel about the show which received a lot of accusations of racism, antisemitism and homophobia. Most people posting about it had clearly not seen the panel because I’ve never seen such a huge amount of misinformation being spread so quickly by a fandom in such a limited space of time. (I’d like to add that some of it was good and important, especially in regards to Bow’s brothers, but a lot wasn’t.) This wasn’t to defend Noelle Stevenson, but rather to highlight the fact that by refusing to watch the panel but engage in the discourse regardless they were adding a frankly useless voice to the issue and were at risk of spreading misinformation.

This post was not about people forming their own views on whether or not they want to engage in the content and by extension discourse of a text. If you decide you don’t, all the power to you. But you need to know you won’t have anything useful to add to the discourse or even general discussion regarding it. I couldn’t write a long post about the poor representation in Sarah J. Maas’ books because I read them so long ago I can barely remember. I don’t want to reread them and so as I don’t have anything useful to add to the discourse I don’t and I shouldn’t.

Academia is extremely classist, I know. It has many faults in its approaches to pretty much everything. But it is right in the sense that you have to engage in the material to make a judgement on it. You can’t do a calculus question without having seen the question, like you can’t interpret a text without having read/watched it.

I think we both agree on this though. My post was specifically referring to public discourse, not how one privately engages with books/movies/etc. and I agree with you in that regard. However, it is really important that we draw that line between what we can use as private judgements on something and what we can use for public opinions. If you put something in the public it can influence people’s understanding of what you are talking about, and as such you need to know what you are talking about. What Dave from Sound Design said about something isn’t a good enough basis to start public discourse on, regardless of whether you think it’s good or bad. But if it makes you want to either read/watch or not read/watch something then that’s fine too.

[ijaws]

@iriswestsallen

Since you blocked me, I'll respond this way.

Did you literally read any of my post...? At all?

For those of you who are curious:

-‐--------

#1. If you ACTUALLY read what I said you will notice that I am PRO POC and Female Characters.

Do I think that there needs to be some sort of Diversity Quota or, more specifically, MORE POCs or Female characters? Not necessarily.

I don't choose the types of content I enjoy based on meaningless, superficial, aspects of a character. A person being Black, White, Asian, or Female doesn't really mean much to me. If I like the premise and the characters are cool, in depth, and interesting then I'd probably give it a chance.

With that being said, I don't see any problem whatsoever if there ARE more POC or Female based movies/etc. However, if the advertising or main point of a story IS a person's skin color or gender that ISN'T due to the film/series being a historical based movie, then I will most likely not watch it. It is either a propoganda piece or a movie that I feel wasn't targetting me/or piquing my interest. Example: Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants, Mean Girls, Devil Wears Prada, Twilight, etc. (I mean... Twilight's Universe and take on Vampires was very unique and interesting to me but the films were... meh? They weren't bad.)

#2. Appropriation of established characters irks me. A lot. Clark Kent/Superman, Bruce Wayne/Batman, Mary Jane, Peter Parker/Spiderman, Hiemdall, Brunnhilde/Valkyrie, etc... Those are established characters and some are established entities of significant Culturue(s) in Europe... Just to name a few anyway. They were introduced as being White and Straight. Some were invented and worshipped, even now, as Dieities. I don't think any of those figures, as well as MAAAANY more, should be race, gender, or sexuality changed.... at all...

If you want a Black Spiderman you have Miles Morales. If you want an Asian Spiderwoman, you have Cindy Moon/Silk. If you want a Female Batman you have Katherine Kane/Batwoman. If you want a Black Flash you have Wallace West/Kid Flash. (His story is a bit complicated.)

You know what's even BETTER than being side versions of characters like Batman, Superman, Flash, Spiderman, etc.? Character's having their OWN identity.

Cyborg is not an side version of a White Character. Cyborg is his own hero. An ORIGINAL hero. Same thing as Static Shock, Black Lightning, Black Panther, Storm, Luke Cage, Blade, Misty Knight, Falcon, FUCKING SPAWN, Katana, Karma, Silver Samuri, Cassandra Cain, Doctor Light, BLADE, Brother Voodoo, etc.

All of those, too my knowledge, are all ORIGINAL characters. They weren't offshoots of White Characters, they weren't reinventions of White Characters, and they aren't token characters. They stand on their own. They don't NEED another White Hero to prop them up and they don't need to DEPEND on another White Hero to make them popular.

Miles is only popular becuase he's a Black Spiderman. (I mean... If he wasn't a Spiderman I honestly dunno if people would know him.) Batwoman is only popular because she's literally the Female version of Bruce Wayne.... (Again, if she wasn't called Batwoman I don't think many people would know her.)

Do you get my point?

Lastly, on this subject, my stance will always remain the same. If a character is introduced as Black, White, Asian, Straight, Gay, Female, Male, and so on, they STAY Black, White, Asian, Straight, Gay, Female, Male, etc. Race changing, Gender Bending, and Sexuality Shifting is not and should not be acceptable. Alternate Universes are one things, paradies are one thing, and all that are unique in those changes, but continuity is something that should be upheld...

You can't create an Indian Spiderman and call him Peter Parker... Peter Parker isn't Indian. Peter Parker isn't bi, or gay, or whatever else you add on to that. Peter is Straight. The same goes for other established characters. Cyborg isn't White. Blade isn't Gay. Mar-Vell isn't a woman. Do you see what I mean?

#3. Lastly, wanting to keep established White Characters as White is NOT racist!

Why?

Well.. Let ask you this:

Are Black People racist for wanting Black Characters to stay Black?

I'd say no. Of course not. They just want characters that were created to be like them and are part of their culture to STAY that way. It is NO different with White People and Peter Parker, Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne, Mary Jane, Valkyrie, Hiemdall, and so on. They are a part of White Culture... How and why is it racist if we want them to STAY that way when Black people AREN'T racist for wanting THEIR characters to stay that way for them?

Does that not seem hypocritical? That there's a double standard at play?

"But Whitewashing is opression. When a Black Person is playing a White Role it is to help represent them and good for the children to see that."

So you're literally saying that Culturual Appropriation and Race-Washing is okay...

You know what would be better? Creating INDEPENDENT and ORIGINAL POC Roles/Characters that are UNIQUE without IMPEDING on ESTABLISHED CHARACTERS!

You want a Black, Asian, or whatever love interest for Spiderman? INVENT one. You want a Black love interest for The Flash? INVENT one. You want an important POC character in a movie? INVENT one...

That way you are not appropriating ANYTHING and are creating original, independent, characters.

Oh... and one last thing...

If you reblog a response to me, but block me before I can even give a response, then you are a coward... I'm sorry, but you are. Either say something to my face or don't say anything at all.

This is just a general statement. Not aimed at anyone. Buuut there it is.

[birdofathousandfandoms-blog]

So, you watched/read The Hate U Give and now you feel like you've been punched in the guts.

Good. If that book/movie made your white ass uncomfortable, this post is for you. And before anyone comes at me, I am white, and I am specifically calling white people for this (Cause we all need more attention am I right fellas). And, before I go on, I am a white Spaniard that lives in the UK, so I really know jack shit about black people's struggles in the USA, or just black people's struggles, period. Which is just about right, since that's not what I wanna talk about.

So, I watched the movie today, in a cinema that had about 20 white people and 6 black people, that's a family of five, and an elderly lady.

By the time the movie was halfway through, every single white person in the room was either quietly sobbing, or looking like they bit into something they really hated. The room was thick with tension, and several side glances were thrown at the black people, most apologetic, a couple defensive.

Now, the movie was wonderful, obviously, but it was the emotional equivalent of a car just parking on your torso for a bit more than an hour and a half. But this is not about how we feel, and it never has, not when it comes to this. But if it made you feel uneasy, or just plain devastated, you're on the right path.

Now you probably feel the urge to do one of these:

1) Make it very well known that you're not racist. You're not.

You're probably wrong. We all like to think we aren't racist. Being racist is bad. We don't wanna be bad. But the truth is, you probably are. I definitely am. Not like I go around calling people the n word or saying black people should die, mind, a good amount of racist people aren't like that. But I will catch myself tensing up if I walk past a particularly large group of black people or frowning harder at a person being rowdy in the bus if they're POC. I'm working on it, because you do need to work on it. I've been racist for 20 years, and it's hard to unlearn that, but you NEED to.

2) Go cry to the black people in your life because you are white and that's heinous (hint: it's not and if that's the message you took from this you have some serious victim complex).

Please don't do that. You are privileged, yes. You have to acknowledge it, yes. But that shit won't help anyone but you.

I don't know how a black person would react to it, because people are individuals and a similar life experience doesn't mean they have a fucking hive mind, but I know that if a straight person came up to me and did that, I, specifically, would be uncomfortable. And I'd feel obligated to comfort them, to go "Oh nooo, you're fineeeee, it's not your fault, don't worryyyy" and that's just the thing. You're not looking for forgiveness here, you're looking for validation, whether you are aware of it or not.

It is not black people's job to validate you. It is not their job to comfort you.

3) Help. You just watched this movie and it made you feel the need to take your white privilege and use it for good, to make your voice be heard, to take racism by the horns and fucking annihilate it.

Good spirit, same here, but start small.

Better people than me have explained what you should do if you want to be an ally for any oppressed group, so here:

Maybe watch the 13th on Netflix, it seems well researched and a very good educational piece, I haven't watched it yet though so as far as sources go, this one is pretty shit since I don't know much about it. Here's the trailer though!