#and the only people that can help you are supporting your oppressor who literally gave funds to have your whole family killed

[notetaeker]

For people who are saying that what’s so different about Biden all other ‘presidents were complicit in genocide too’ the difference is that despite these offensives taking place every few years, for the first time ever there is actual fair reporting on the situation due to social media of actual Palestinians. You’re not just getting Israel’s PR report and having news agencies read that to everyone. For every single person to know the details of what Israel is doing and to be against it and for the Congress and Biden to still openly support Israel shows their blatant disregard for the people who elected them into office and the fact that they believe that they can do anything they want without consequences because people will re-elect them anyways to avoid Republicans. This is NOT the time to be playing ‘lesser than two evils’ like we always have. This is NOT about ‘finding an ideal candidate’ it’s about showing democrats that they cannot win if they continue to commit genocide.

Would you have re-elected hitler? Many people who supported hitler later said ‘I had no idea what he was going to do’ as their excuse but you have seen limb by limb body by body what US is helping Israel do. After seeing all that can you bear to still re-elect Biden who shows unconditional support of it all?

You all want to change the system so bad but how is the system going to change if you vote FOR a genocider just like they want. You change the system by showing you have voting power and that candidates need to NOT be a open genocider to earn my vote is that too much to freaking ask.

[northwest-cryptid]

It's that time of the year where I see every "I think all americans should DIE" and "I think WHITE people are BAD" bloggers go off about how they would fictionally kill Columbus meanwhile there is radio silence in terms of like... you know, actually supporting modern day living and breathing Natives who are desperately trying to actually really do something.

Listen I get anons all the time telling me this shit doesn't matter, I couldn't care less about that because I have so much lived experience with racism. But this is why I need people to get off my dick about when I say I dislike bloggers who rage bait (in the sense of feeding off your rage and hatred of a people or person) and hate for notes and attention but offer no alternatives. It's all performative and it's quite frankly, really annoying.

I don't care if they're popular, I don't care if they're a minority or something. That doesn't instantly make their argument any inherently better. They could be a great person sure but if they would rather just post another shit on Columbus post and not even talk about the fact Native people are literally still alive and still trying to figure out how to navigate a system that has divided it's own people under the laws of the oppressor; I don't know man I just can't find it in me to care about their "I think Americans are um... bad!?" take. Like yea no shit our people are being murdered, kidnapped, raped, our land continues to be taken from us, our people hate our own fucking people because of blood quantum; a stupid measure of someone's ethnicity based on a system the damn oppressor forced on us. You don't need to spread the most lukewarm take of the century just because you know it's a safe bet to rake in some notes.

Like no seriously I don't know of any other (and if there is another A. I would genuinely like to know, and B. I'm so sorry they're also going through this) minority who needs a legal identification from their genocidal oppressor that says they can legally be that minority. Do you know how shit it feels to have my own people enact racism against me because I'm not "native enough" according to the US Government? I grew up following our culture, living by our teachings; even after being told I could no longer attend powwows, even after my father was shunned for being a "breed" and by proxy I didn't get the "privilege" of growing up on a res or learning our Native language outside of whatever scraps of knowledge I could gather. None of that got to me because I couldn't let it, I couldn't let the hatred and fear that was imposed upon my people by our oppressor become what I knew of my people.

When the the tribe I was growing up in wouldn't accept me I found friends who were from other tribes; some elders some young, an old man at a store I worked at taught me Cherokee; an elderly woman who worked in the garden section of a nearby Home Depot taught me a bit of Lakota she knew. My great grandfather took my father in and taught him to understand that you are just as Native as any full blood. Yet when my father found a local tribe near us and had me attending powwows since I was young, learning to play the drums; living in the culture; do you know what happened? When I was only about 6 years old the tribe I grew up with wouldn't let us attend powwows because my blood wasn't pure enough, because I didn't have some US government official legal ID certification that says "yea the oppressor says I'm legally Native!"

I struggled to learn Lakota alongside English and my father gave up teaching me because I needed English to get through school. I eventually found a small group of other Lakota individuals looking to learn and they helped me to learn what little I know. People think we're all dead, that we've been genocided; it's awful.

And hell don't even get me started on how much I hate the term "Native American" look, if you're from Sweden what are you? You're Swiss right? You're not a Native Swedish or some shit. If you're from England what are you? You're fucking English. So what do we get? Oh we're Native Americans because what? We were the Native people here? Native just means a person born of a place. If you were born in America you're a fucking "Native American" congratulations. There are plants and animals Native to America. Indigenous literally means the same shit by the way. This all goes to say that every time a piece of media says "Native Americans believed" it's A. always in past tense like we're not alive anymore, and B. you're just gonna generalize the hundreds if not thousands of tribes? We all must believe and think the same things? Seriously? Fuck off. This is why I don't say I'm Native American anymore, I tell people I'm Lakota. You know what kills me? How many times do you think that comment has been met by the response "what's that?" or "where's that from?" I've even gotten "I thought your name was [name]?"

Here's the thing I want you to take away from all of this, if you've read this far. You can make as many posts as you want hating on a man long dead; or you can stop giving the perpetrators a scapegoat; you can focus on the people responsible for the crimes against our people happening to this very day. You could raise awareness for my people, you could spread positivity for the people affected by the genocide. Raise their voices, let them be known; let them be heard.

We all know Columbus was a piece of shit, that doesn't matter. Hating a dead guy isn't going to undo what he did.

[c-is-for-circinate]

Okay, so I’ve got way more reactions to P5 Strikers for a longer post later, but I want to keep playing, so I’m recording some thoughts and predictions after the first boss (and all the cutscenes thereafter) before they get derailed or confirmed by later events.

This is going to be a story about cycles of violence, I suspect.  On the whole, I really liked how the game handled that with Alice: what happened to her was terrible and traumatic, and in no way excuses what she did in return.  And Ann was still desperate to save her.  I’m hoping we see more of that: understanding and also condemning, all folded in together.

Oh!!!  And as I’m writing this, I’m thinking about how that ties in thematically with what I suspect may be the deal with jails and monarchs.  See, palaces, we know from Yaldabaoth, were jails in their own sense--prisoners kept in isolation from the general population of Mementos and the Prison of Regression, shunted over into their own private little pocket dimensions where they could rule whatever they wanted.  (And I have some more complex thoughts thoughts about the specific ways that system enables further violence by rewarding bad behavior, in terms of Yaldie’s motives and also reflections of the real world, but that’s another post for another day.)  This, on the other hand, feels far more like the entire jail system is just big sprawling pocket remnants of that universal prison complex with all the wardens gone.  Now individual shadows have clawed their way up to becoming monarchs over their own pockets, but being queen of your own jail still makes you in jail.  The monarchs of these places, I suspect, will all be prisoners of their own pasts and the violence that taught them to turn to violence, which is a thematically cool way to do this and I like it.

Actually, framing it that way is making the whole concept of a cycle-of-violence P5 game grow on me.  One of the things I honestly liked about the original P5 was that, with one notable exception, we never once gave a shit about the tragic backstories of the villains we took down.  Sure, we’d learn a bit about them when we stole the Treasures, sometimes, but it didn’t really matter--because the important thing about each antagonist was the harm they are doing now, not forgiving them because of the harm done to them in the past.  So I had a little bit of concern that this seeming reversal of that trend might veer off into too much sympathy for the aggressors, bur I’m thinking (I’m hoping) that what we’re actually getting is a look at how systematic violence can turn victims into further oppressors.  And given that P5 was always a game about systematic violence, this ends up feeling like a natural progression rather than undercutting the original concept.  Heck yes.

Speaking of systems of violence: yep, I am using social justice lingo when talking about this game, and no I do not think I am projecting or reading too far into it, because damn is P5S not remotely fucking around with how it feels about cops.  Like, Zenkichi Hasegawa aside (and oh boy do I have thoughts on him), dear god do I love Haru sweet smile ‘Sorry, we just despise the police, is all!’ Okumura.  Meanwhile, our hordes of faceless trash mob enemies are literally vaguely police-shaped Shadows in riot gear.  We spent a major battle blowing up cop cars. Like.  Persona 5 said prison abolition, to the tune of spending our entire game trying to break out of our metaphorical Velvet Room prison and boss-battling our final endgame through the cognitive prison of all society.  P5 Strikers apparently said, ‘you know, we were too subtle last time, and also Fuck The Police.’

Okay and actually let’s talk about ol’ Zenkichi there (hell yes, team, you go right ahead calling this adult authority figure by his given name with no honorifics even in the original Japanese, I support you).  My hope at this point is that we get his development as a parallel to the same things we’re seeing in these jail monarchs: as part of a cycle of violence.  He’s clearly got some backstory if we’re meant to care about him this much, and it led him to this place of becoming a cop out of a desire to help or to hurt or whatever, but the road he followed brought him to this role of an authority figure with no issue manipulating, using, threatening, and borderline abusing his power over teenagers.  (I say ‘borderline’ because he hasn’t moved beyond threats yet, but it’s pretty clear he wouldn’t mind doing so if necessary--we saw him beat up a drunk, so yep.) Which, can we talk about the parallels between that scene and Akira’s original confrontation with Shido?  Drunk man harassing a woman, drunk man ends up on the ground.  Except: Akira was alone on a dark street with only the three of them there, and Hasegawa’s surrounded by people who could intervene, help, or even side against him in court if anyone cared what they had to say.  Except the drunk office-worker is clearly unimportant and unthreatening, while Shido was forceful in pride and anger even while drunk.  Except Shido’s victim was terrified, while Ann is mostly just disgusted, surrounded by friends, in very little actual danger. And Akira never touched him, never pushed him, just took one step up to try and help.  Zenkichi Hasegawa provoked a mostly-harmless drunk into attacking him for the excuse to punch him unconscious on purpose. Akira’s Shido flashback was framed in every way to show us the ways our protagonist was powerless.  Zenkichi’s scene parallels it to show us a dozen different ways this man is powerful and unafraid to use it--not just against those he deems unworthy, but also, if he so chooses, over those he saves. I am really enjoying this guy as a character.  Every single time the PTs have no use for his shit, I cheer.  Him being unbalanced by the metaverse is glorious, and please let Morgana continue to freak him out by existing and Haru continue to freak him out with sweet, pleasant smiles while talking about how she’s very sorry, it’s simply that all cops are bastards, for the rest of the game. (Additional note: @errant-light and I have been watching and talking about a whole bunch of Fullmetal Alchemist lately, and apparently Hasegawa’s Japanese VA is also Roy Mustang.  Which has just been a delightful detail re: this guy’s manipulative bastardry, because in some ways I am pretty sure the mass-murdering war criminal version of this character is the better person.)

Alice as a really obvious parallel to Kamoshida is interesting, I think.  Even to the point of being a king and queen ruling a castle--and don’t think I didn’t see that “Birdcage of Lust” label!  I don’t love having a pretty young social media influencer as our sin of lust (but even that’s complicated, because Alice was pretty clearly caged and abused for daring to feel lust in the first place, NOT for preying on people, except that then she did get predatory and it’s all a little thorny and not especially kink-positive).  I do have a lot of feelings about Shujin as this place where Kamoshida abused and preyed on people with total abandon, while Alice was demonized for daring to even look at boys in the wrong way.  I really wonder if they ever met.  It’s a cool counterpoint, and a really cool counterpoint to Ann, who was likewise a victim of that school and refused to let it turn her into an abuser herself.  (I have a LOT of feelings about Ann right now.) I’m really hoping future jail monarchs continue to mirror palace rulers in interesting ways.  In theory, next up is vanity, and gosh knows there’s plenty to fuck around with in playing against Yusuke’s lonely artistic yearning to be understood.  I’m very excited.

Apparently, the internet says this game takes 35 hours to play.  Me and my 21-hour playtime so far have some Opinions About That.

[atheism-populism-egalitarianism]

A comprehensive explanation of why being actively against the BlackLivesMatter movement makes you a racist written by someone who used to be against BLM

First, saying you are actively against the BLM movement means you are against their goal. Their goal is to end police brutality, especially (not limited to) towards black people who suffer police brutality as disproportionate rates. That's pretty racist in and of itself.

"But, I can be against police brutality without supporting their movement!"

Sure you can, but what's your answer to that? Why make a separate movement against one that already has support? There is literally no point in it.

"All Lives Matter is better to me!"

Refer to the point above. Also, where are the ALM protests that are protesting against police brutality? They're not. They only protest against the black lives matter movement. They want black people, and their allies, to shut the fuck up so they can continue being ignored. Saying "ALM" is your way of saying you are against the goal of ending police brutality without having to say it. The Blue Lives Matter crowd, which the ALM croud will NEVER confront, is open and honest about not wanting to end police brutality. So pick a side, tbh. Be open about your cop fetishism or be against police brutality. Staying the middle on issues like that is always supporting the oppressor in power, whether you think it is or not, whether you want it to or not, whether you're willing to admit it or not.

"BLM is violent!"

So are the police. And 99% of all BLM protests have been peaceful, (compare that to 40% of cops being domestic abusers) and every single one that wasn't peaceful, I repeat EVERY SINGLE ONE THAT WASNT PEACEFUL started peaceful and turned violent after either cops attacked peaceful protesters, or undercover white supremacists started it. That one umbrella man was confirmed by the local police department to have been a white supremacist, but it was obvious with how confrontational he was against the protesters telling him to stop smashing windows.

All the "violence" coming from BLM has been self defense. All of it. ESPECIALLY against Kyle Rittenhouse (instablock if you defend him, sorry not sorry lol, you dont come start violence in a state u dont live in then claim self defense, that's not how it works)

If you actually gave a fuck against violence, you'd be against the police because we have one of, if not the most violent and murderous police in the world.

"BLM is racist against white people."

Are some of the members racist? Yeah. But white supremacists literally invaded the police force, they started as slave roundup. Maybe you should figure out your priorities and think about which one is a bigger threat to society, the government run, facist, white supremacists thugs, or the majority peaceful protests who just want to be treated fairly.

"PrOpErTy DaMaDgE!!"

Human lives are more important than any business, any corporation, any property. If you're madder about the property damage that comes as a result of people being angry about the death of an innocent human, than you are about said death, then you're part of the problem.

"Not all cops are bad!"

They don't have to be. The system itself is corrupt. The system demands corruption and breeds bad cops. Good cops get fired, harassed, or killed. Good cops exist, but they don't stay cops for long. Whistleblowers get killed. Cops who support BLM get fired. Cops that push an old man to the ground and get fired for cracking his skull has the rest of the department quit in protest when he gets fired. That's the reality of the situation. Cops are given a free pass that they do not deserve. Furthermore, their job is not, and never has been, to protect you. The supreme court ruled on that. Their job is to enforce the law, no matter how unjust, no matter how hamfisted, and no matter how immoral.

"Black people commit more crimes which is why they're affected more."

That's also really not the point, nor does it actually represent the reality of the world around us. When you look at crime rates by poverty, the numbers make more sense. Poverty is what causes in crime, not having darker skin. However, as a result of history, including but not limited to segregation and slavery, most black people in America live in poverty. So, since there is a higher rate of black people living in poverty, and crime is directly correlated with poverty, you can clearly see black people aren't inherently more criminal than any other race.

As anyone with a brain knows, poverty and wealth are largely generational. 70% of all wealth in America is inherited, not earned. There for it stands, logically and also factually, that poverty is generational. Education can help someone get out of poverty, but oops! Our school system requires you to go to schools within your district! And OOPS those schools are funded by property taxes. So what happens to schools in impoverished districts? They're underfunded and are often improperly equipped to handle students. Teachers are overburdened with 30, 40, sometimes 50 students in one class.

So, maybe if the ALM crowd actually did anything besides protests against BLM, then maybe you would have a case for opposing BLM as a movement. I would suggest moving towards an economic equality goal, but guess what? BLM already has that covered, they're already advocating for the things that are needed to fix the issue. And yes, that includes defunding the police.

I'll probably make a post explaining why Defund The Police is a fair, valid movement that needs to be taken seriously and why, if you're against it, then you probably don't understand what it means, but theres that.

I'll respond to any questions asked that were not addressed in this post.

[greatfay]

controversial opinions?

Cold pizza actually not good. Tastes like angry bacteria.

There’s a completely separate class of gay men who are in a different, rainbow-tinted plane of reality from the rest of us and I don’t like them. They push for “acceptance” via commercialization of the Pride movement, assimilation through over-exposure, and focus on sexualizing the movement to be “provocative” and writing annoying articles that reek of class privilege instead of something actually important like lgbtqa youth homelessness, job discrimination, and mental health awareness.

Coleslaw is good. You guys just suck in the kitchen.

Generational divides ARE real: a 16-year-old and a 60-year-old right now in 2021 could agree on every hot button sociopolitical topic and yet not even realize it because they communicate in entirely different ways.

Sam Wilson is a power bottom. No I will not elaborate.

Allison’s makeover in The Breakfast Club good, not bad. She kept literally and metaphorically dumping her trash out onto the table and it’s clearly a cry for help. Having the attention and affection of a smart, pretty girl doing her makeup for her was sweet and helped her open up to new experiences. Not every loner wants to BE a loner (see: Bender, who is fine being a lone wolf).

Movie/show recommendations that start with a detailed “representation” list read like status-effecting gear in an RPG and it’s actually a turn-off for me. I have to force myself to give something a try in spite of it.

Yelling at people to just “learn a new language” because clearly everyone who isn’t you and your immediate vicinity of friends must be a lazy ignorant white American is so fucking stupid, like I get it, you’re mad someone doesn’t immediately know how to pronounce your name or what something means. But I know 2 languages and am struggling with a 3rd when I can between 2 jobs and quite frankly, I don’t have the time to just absorb the entire kanji system into my brain to learn Japanese by tomorrow night, or suddenly learn Arabic or Welsh. There are 6500 recorded languages in the world, what’s the chance that one of 3 I’ve learn(ed?) is the one you’re yelling at me about. Yes this is referring to that post yelling at people for not knowing how to pronounce obscure Irish names and words. Sometimes just explaining something instead of admonishing people for not knowing something inherently in the belief that everyone must be lazy entitled privileged people is uh... better?

Stop fucking yelling at people. I despise feeling like someone is yelling at me or scolding me, it triggers my Violence Mode, you don’t run me, you are not God, fuck off. Worst fucking way to "educate” people, it just feels good in the moment to say or write and doesn’t help. Yes I’ve done it before.

Violence is good actually.

Characters doing bad things ≠ an endorsement of bad things. Characters doing bad things that are unquestioned by the entire rest of the cast = endorsement of bad things, or at the least, a power fantasy by the creator. See: Glee, in which Sue’s awfulness is constantly called out, while Mr. Shue’s awfulness rarely is because he’s “the hero.” See also: the Lightbringer series, in which the protagonist is a violent manipulator who is praised as clever, charming, diplomatic, and genius by every supporting character (enemies included), despite the text never demonstrating such.

Euphoria is good, actually. It falls into this niche of the past decade of “dark gritty teen shows” but actually has substance behind it, but the general vibe I get from passive-aggressive tumblr posts from casual viewers is that this show is The Devil, and the criticism of its racier content screams pearl-clutching “what about the children??” to me.

Describing all diagnosed psychopaths as violent criminals is a damaging slippery slope, sure. But I won’t be mad at anyone for inherently distrusting another human who does not have the ability to feel guilt and remorse, empathy, is a pathological liar, or proves to be cunning and manipulative.

It’s actually not easy to unconditionally support and love everyone everywhere when you’ve actually experienced the World. Your perspective and values will be challenged as you encounter difficult people, experience hardship, are torn between conflicting ideas and commitments, and fail. My vow to never ever call the cops on another black person was challenged when an employee’s boyfriend marched into the kitchen OF AN ESTABLISHMENT to scream at her, in a BUSINESS I MANAGED, and threaten to BEAT the SHIT out of her. Turns out I can hate cops and hate that motherfucker equally, I am more than capable of both.

Defending makeup culture bad, actually. Enjoy it, experiment, master it, but don’t paint it as something other than upholding exactly what they want from you. Even using makeup to “defy the heteropatriarchal oppressors!” is still putting cash in their pockets, no matter how camp...

Not every villain needs to be redeemed, some of you just never outgrew projecting yourself onto monsters and killers.

Writing teams and networks queerbaiting is not the same as individuals queerbaiting. Nick Jonas performing exclusively at gay clubs to generate an audience really isn’t criminal; if they paid to go see him, that’s on them, he didn’t promise anyone anything other than music and a show. Do not paint this as similar to wealthy, bigoted executives and writing teams trying to snatch up the LGBTQA demographic with vague ass marketing and manipulative screenplays, only to cop out so as not to alienate their conservative audiences. And ESPECIALLY when the artists/actors/creators accused of queerbaiting or lezploitation then come out as queer in some form later on.

Queer is not a bad word, and I’ve no clue how that remains one of few words hurled at LGBTQA people that can’t be reclaimed. It’s so archaic and underused at this point that I don’t get the reaction to it compared to others.

People who defend grown-woman Lorelai Gilmore’s childish actions and in the same breath heavily criticize teenage religious abuse victim Lane Kim’s actions are not to be trusted. Also Lane deserved better.

Keep your realism out of my media, or at least make it tonally consistent. Tired of shows and movies and books where some gritty, dark shit comes out of nowhere when the narrative was relatively Romantic beforehand.

Actually people should be writing characters different from themselves, this new wave in the past year of “If you aren’t [X] you shouldn’t be writing [X]” is a complete leap backward from the 2010s media diversity movement. And if [X] has to do with an invisible minority status (not immediately visible disabilities, or diverse sexual orientations and gender identities, persecuted religious affiliations, mental illness) it’s actually quite fucked up to assume the creator can’t be whatever [X] is or to demand receipts or details of someone’s personal life to then grant them “permission” to create something. I know, we’re upset an actual gay actor wasn’t casted to play this gay character, so let’s give them shit about it: and not lose a wink of sleep when 2 years later, this very actor comes out and gives a detailed account of the pressure to stay closeted if they wanted success in Hollywood.

Projecting an actor’s personal romantic life and gender identity onto the characters they play is actually many levels of fucked up, and not cute or funny. See: reinterpreting every character Elliot Page has played through a sapphic lens, and insulting his ability to play straight characters while straight actors play actual caricatures of us (See also: Jared Leto. Fuck him).

I’m fucking sick of DaBaby, he sucks. “I shot somebody, she suck my peepee” that’s 90% of whatever he raps about.

“Political Correctness” is not new. It was, at one point, unacceptable to walk into a fine establishment and inform the proprietor that you love a nice firm pair of tits in your face. 60 years ago, such a statement would get you throw out and possibly arrested under suspicion of public intoxication. But then something happened and I blame Woodstock and Nixon. And now I have to explain to a man 40 years my senior that no, you can’t casually mention to the staff here, many of whom are children, how you haven’t had a good fuck in a while. And then rant about the “Chinese who gave us the virus.” Can’t be that upset with them if you then refused to wear your mask for 20 minutes.

Triggering content should not have a blanket ban; trigger warnings are enough, and those who campaign otherwise need to understand the difference between helping people and taking away their agency. 13 Reasons Why inspired this one. Absolutely shitty show, sure, but it’s a choice to watch it knowing exactly what it contains.

Sasuke’s not a fucking INTJ, he’s an ISFP whose every decision is based off in-the-moment feelings and proves incapable of detailed and logical planning to accomplish his larger goals.

MCU critique manages to be both spot-on and pointless. Amazing stories have been told with these characters over the course of decades; but most of it is toilet paper. Expecting a Marvel movie to be a deeply detailed examination of American nationalism and imperialism painted with a colorful gauze of avant-garde film technique is like expecting filet mignon from McDonalds. Scarf down your quarter pounder or gtfo.

Disparagingly comparing the popularity and (marginal) success of BLM to another movement is anti-black. It is not only possible but also easy to ask for people’s support without throwing in “you all supported BLM for black people but won’t show support for [insert group]” how about you keep our name out your mouth? Black people owe the rest of the world nothing tbh until yall root out the anti-blackness in your own communities.

It is the personal demon/tragic flaw of every cis gay/bi/pan man to externalize and exorcize Shame: I’m talking about the innate compulsion to Shame, especially in the name of Pride and Progress. Shame for socioeconomic “success,” shame for status of outness, shame for fitness and health, shame for looks, shame for style and dress, shame for how one fits into the gender binary, shame for sexual positions and intimacy preferences, shame for fucking music tastes. Put down the weapon that They used to beat you. Becoming the Beater is not growth, it’s the worst-case scenario.

Works by minorities do not have to be focused on their marginalized identities. Some ladies want to ride dragons AND other ladies. The pressure on minorities to create the Next Great Minority Character Study that will inevitably get snuffed at the Oscars/Peabody Awards is some bullshit when straight white dudes walk around shitting out mediocre screenplays and books.

Canadians can stfu about how the US is handling COVID-19 actually. Love most of yall, but the number of Canadian snowbirds on vacation (VACATION??? VA.CAT.ION.) in the supposed “hotbed” of my region that I’ve had to inform our mask policies and social distancing to is ASTOUNDING. Incroyable! I guess your country has a sizable population of entitled, privileged, inconsiderate, wealthy, and ignorant people making things difficult for everyone, just like mine :)

No trick to eliminate glasses fog while wearing my mask has worked, not a single one, it actually has affected my job and work speed and is incredibly frustrating, and I have to deal with it and pretend it’s not a problem while still encouraging others to follow the rules for everyone’s safety and the cognitive dissonance is driving me insane.

It’s really really really not anti-Japanese... to be uncomfortable with the rampant pedophilia in manga and anime, and voice this. I really can’t compare western animation’s sneakier bullshit with pantyshots of a 12-year-old girl.

Most of the people in the cottagecore aesthetic/tag have zero interest in all the hard work that comes with maintaining an isolated property in the countryside, milking cows and tending crops before sunrise, etc. And that’s okay? They just like flowers and pretty pottery and homemade pastries. Idk where discourse about this came from.

You think mint chip ice-cream tastes like toothpaste because you’re missing a receptor that can distinguish the flavors, and that sucks for you. It’s a sort of “taste-blindness” that can make gum spicy to some while others can eat a ghost pepper without crying.

Being a spectacle for the oppressive class doesn’t make them respect us, it makes them unafraid of us. This means they continue to devour us, but without fear of our retaliation.

Only like 4 people on tumblr dot com are actually prepared for the full ramifications of an actual revolution. The rest of you just really imprinted onto Katniss, or grew up in the suburbs.

Straight crushes are normal. They’re people first, sexual orientation second. Can’t always know.

The road to body positivity is not easy, especially if what you desire is what you aren’t.

You’re actually personally responsible for not voluntarily bringing yourself into an environment that you know is not fit for you unless you have the resolve to manage it. Can’t break a glass ceiling without getting a few cuts. This one’s a shoutout to my homophobic temp coworkers who decided working a venue with a drag show would be a good idea. This is also is a shoutout to people who want to make waves but are surprised when the boat tips. And also a shoutout to people who—wait that’s it’s own controversial opinion hold up.

Straight people can and should stay the fuck out of gay bars and queer spaces. “yoUrE bEInG diVisiVe” go fuck yourself.

[automatismoateo]

Hindus should turn Atheist, to save India. via /r/atheism

Submitted June 26, 2020 at 04:56AM by Sankha_69 (Via reddit https://ift.tt/31mkUkb) Hindus should turn Atheist, to save India.

I am an Indian Bengali atheist , born in a Hindu family. I did not turn atheist , I was born an atheist.

From very childhood I was not at all attracted to the rituals, as it was huge waste of money. Whenever I questioned the rituals I was insulted , my parents said to me,” you are just a child , you know nothing about religion, you don’t know the importance of god, many great men believe in god so you must too, you have become arrogant , why are we even sending you to school. Look at your nephews and nieces they believe in god and they are better in academics than you , you will just remain a low-life farmer while they will become sucessful people, blaaah blaaah blaaaah.......” .

When the Pandits(males) arrive to start the puja(ceremony) the women of the house have to was his feet, which is very misognistic. Apart from personal pujas at home there are community pujas also , too many community pujas take place in a small area and the money have to be given by common people , if anyone dosen’t give they are harassed. They are too many pujas also , in hinduism , as there are too many gods in Hinduism. After the puja ends , the idols are immersed in holy water sources , as there are too many pujas many times blood is drawn between different groups as to who will do the immersion first. During the immersion ceremony , large processions are taken out which literally fucks up the traffic along with very loud DJ sounds in the open streets , 8 to 10 processions per day for almost 3 to 5 days in a single area , say good bye to the Old and the heart patients. Unnecessary bursting of fire crackers at an un precedented scale adding to more sound pollution and air pollution. The large cases of sexual harrasment , rapes during such processions is mind boggling. So much for imaginary super heroes who were not there to protect us from the Islamic invasion.

On every Saraswati (Hindu Godess of Education) Puja my parents would force me to give anjali( divine offering) to Saraswati , so that I can get good marks in Mathematics but every time I scored poor in Mathematics. Yes I got better in maths from class 9 , when I got a teacher who made me fall in love with maths , apart from syllabus text books I also solved many olympiads , out of syllabus text books, instead of memorizing case studies , formulas I learnt general problem solving skills. The sad part is all the credits was taken by goddess saraswati.

When I grew up ,the seeds of Atheism grew big , as I came to know about the obvious social evils of Hinduism . I will describe them elaborately but first I would like to say some thing about it.

Hinduism is very much like Islam , just polytheistic. Hindus are not more liberal than Muslims or Christians . the problem is Hinduism is not a proper religion founded by someone, so Hindus are not united and community driven ,fueled by religion to spread their religious dominance across the world .Hindus of one part do not feel for Hindus of another part , that’s why they got so easily banged by the muslims and christians .Hinduism is a collection of scriptures – veds, purans, upanishads and practices – rituals , yoga , ayurved, many of which have already been corrupted by the majority upper caste Bramhins and Kshatriyas to consolidate their social dominance over women and lower caste people , even before Judaism, Islam and Christanity were born. When the muslims invaded India they called the people of Indian Subcontinent Hindus( persian word which means – people of the Sindhu river) , at that time in Different parts of India different sects of people( Marathis, Gujaratis, Bengalis, Tamils, Shikhs, Kashmiris, Rajputs) worshipped different vedic gods in different ways , each region had a prime god of worship, these different sects did not go well along with each other , even between their own sects they were divided into many kingdoms. Now when the british planned to conquer india they were not so effective in countering the muslims , as muslims tends to be more community oriented, will do anything to save islam and they also had support of many hindu rulers. The British divised an ingenious plan , they divided the Hindus and Muslims by giving an identity to the Hindu rulers that all Hindu rulers of Indian subcontinent belong to an original, ancient, prosperous , common, vedic religion of India called Hinduism and that the muslims had looted them, destroyed their temples, thus Hinduism was born.

Now the many social evils of Hinduism-

Misogny – Hindus worship a menstruating woman – Kali, Girl childs are worshipped as Goddess but when they grow up they are not allowed to enter the main shrine of temples as they are of menstruating age. Menstruating girls are considered as impure. What hipocrisy.

Female Infanticide(banned by British) – Killing of girl childs by immersing them in milk and playing a band during the process to supress the voice of the dying child. Girls were married along with huge amount of money and gold , that’s why girls were seen as a burden on family , so they were killed . It led to one of the most serious crisis in Indian society , for every 1 girl there are 10 to 15 boys . This led to rise in rape cases , in many rural areas 4-5 brothers married 1 girl. Modern Hindus still dosen’t accept this, their excuse- it is not in the vedas , so only few people did it.

3.Sati(Banned by British ) – Buring alive of young widowed girls along with their dead husbands. Raja Ram Mohan Roy during Bengali Hindu Renassaince championed this cause and got it banned with the help of British. Ishwar Chandra Vidya Sagar another Bengali revolutionary started widow remarriage . All these were met with huge dissent from the hindus . Modern Hindus , especially of North India denies it and hates Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Ishwar Chandra Vidya Sagar and call them British dogs , their reason , well you already know what it is.

DevDasi System(Banned)- The aristrocratic temple priests used to run brothels inside the temples . The most beautiful Hindu girls chosen to dance before god and then sexually exploited by the Kshatriyas and Bramhans.

5.Breast Tax(Banned by British) – The lower caste women were not allowed to cover up their breast, the upper caste men had the right to touch their boobs any time for pleasure. This happened mostly in south India. Those who wanted to cover up would have to pay a heavy tax depending on the size and weight of their breast and it was measured by aristocratic men lifting it by hands. Things changed when a woman covered her breast and when the men came for the tax , she cut her breast and gave it to them . After that a huge revolution started and it got banned.

6.Caste System- This is the most pathetic problem in Modern Indian Hindu Society . The Bramhans and Kshatriyas had all the privileges – education , money , even drinking water and food . The shudras – dalits are seen as lower caste they didn’t have any rights. Their only duty is to serve the uppercaste . They were economically , physically, sexually exploited for thousands of years , starting from the Vedic civilization. Those who rose against the upper caste are killed in the name of god.

Honour Killing – If a Upper Caste girl marries a Lower Caste boy , the girl’s family kills both of them by hiring murderers. There are still a special type of injustice system in many rural areas called Khap court , where the girl is gangraped by the men of whole village on charges of eloping. Again don’t be surprised if Indian Redditors denies it.

8.Economic exploitation – A large amount of social welfare money are wasted by all levels of Indian goverment in organising festivals for appeasement politics , that’s why development work is so slow in India.( Same is true for Muslims and Christians), bcoz Indians put religion above development and then cry when China bangs India from the front . Earlier also Bramhins and Kshatriyas fooled people to keep money in temples , saying god will protect them and then later looted the money .

Indian War of Independence – Yes , this might come as a surprise , but it’s true. The cancer of religion is so deep rooted in India that no Cultural and Scientific Revolution took place in India like Europe , America , China. What the common people will do was decided by their masters. Now the British favoured the masters , the british protected them against people’s discontent and rivals , in return they will be under british rule and supply everything the british needs. The masters enjoyed huge luxuries till they are British puppies. Problem arised when the British started interfering with the religious beliefs of the masters . Actual freedom fighters(Gandhi , Nehru) saw this as a chance and joined hands with the treacherous masters , now they have the support of whole India to overthrow the british. So the Indian independence was never a true one , the people never fought for real development and rule of homeland rather they just wanted to stop the british from interfering in people’s religious matters , which of course were the social evils I mentioned above. Basically we traded one oppressor for another.

10.Psuedo Science – This topic is vast , there are innumerable examples. Hindus always insisting areoplanes, internet , nuclear missiles were invented during the Vedic ages. The wooden scriptures are still ok to this day but their aeroplane , missile factories dissapeared , I don’t know how ? Cow urine can cure cancer, corona .

You see why I mentioned the “Banned practices “ is bcoz it was banned by the British. The British didn’t touch the Caste System and it is still there. Had the British not banned the others , they would also have existed to this day. The cancer of religion is destroying India.

[bigskydreaming]

Given how much Hugh Jackman’s been more than happy to soak up the adulation of LGBTQ+ audiences and proclaim himself an ally, this is a fucking slap in the face.

Though Jackman had less to say about the upcoming elections than his American castmates, he made it clear that his friendship with Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner is not a reflection of his values. Jackman’s recent birthday party made headlines because Trump and Kushner were among the guests. “I’ve known those guys for 15 years,” he said, “and we don’t talk politics at birthday parties.”

Let me be perfectly, 100% clear on this, for any straight ‘allies’ out there. If you agree with this take in any way, shape, or form, you are not an ally to LGBTQ+ people.

I don’t care what you think you believe and support in your own head. If outside your head you’re perfectly willing to party with literal fucking fascists who are at the highest levels of the administration actively working to strip away the rights and protections of LGBTQ+ and other marginalized people?

THIS IS ABSO-FUCKING-LUTELY A REFLECTION OF YOUR VALUES.

THIS IS YOU SAYING THAT YOUR VALUES DON’T INCLUDE TELLING ‘FRIENDS’ THAT THEIR VERY REAL ACTIONS AGAINST MARGINALIZED PEOPLE ARE A DEALBREAKER FOR YOU.

And that 100% is a dealbreaker for me.

I honestly can’t imagine anyone’s still following me who finds my stance here surprising, but if there is, and if you’re even slightly tempted to defend Jackman for this point of view, you can show your ass the door. It’s over there, under the sign that reads FASCISTS AND FASCIST ENABLERS NOT WELCOME.

Because you may not believe you’re a fascist, but if you’re not actively opposed to their inclusion in your circles of social interaction, you are absolutely complicit in enabling them. And people need to say that until you either grow a fucking spine or show your true colors and pick a goddamn side.

THERE IS NO CENTER POINT BETWEEN FASCISM AND ITS OPPOSITION. Yes, I believe in a world with nuance and shades of gray and all that, but as I’ve said before, the fact that those things exist does not mean there are not also areas in which it is all or nothing. People who want everyone not like them to be either wiped out or thoroughly subjugated, and people who don’t want them to succeed in these goals whether because they’re among those targeted or because they wish to be allies to those that are - are absofuckinglutely a binary goddamn equation.

PICK.

A.

SIDE.

And be totally aware that if you’re not DAMN FUCKING CLEAR to the people you interact with what side you’re actually on, people are going to make their own assumptions about which side that is. And most people tend to assume that side is the same side they’re on. The side they believe is innately right and thus the obvious choice for anyone they consider worth interacting with, as well.

And just to be further clear, if you THINK you’re on the side of marginalized people oppressed under the current regime and its supporters, but you don’t do or say shit to make that clear? Any marginalized person who makes the mistake of thinking you’re on their side - and an actual ally - runs the risk of paying for that mistake in very real ways, should there ever come an occasion when they NEED an ally’s help. And the only one around is you, but turns out you can’t be counted on to actually do SHIT to stand up for them. Your empty claims of being an ally might be what gave that person the courage to stand up to an oppressor, taking strength from the support they THOUGHT they had from you, from your presence there at their back. And guess what happens when that oppressor presses their abuse or harassment and that marginalized ‘friend’ of yours turns around to ask for your help....and you’re nowhere to be seen, having run for cover the second shit got real?

While meanwhile, any actual fucking fascist oppressor shitstain is going to see your silence for agreement, and not count you as a potential obstacle to get in their way when targeting a marginalized person with less societal power than them, and thus ‘weaker’ in their eyes. Meaning they’re that much more likely TO act against such a person, without fear of consequence, reprisal or opposition from someone they see as a societal equal. Because they see you there, but they don’t see you being there as you being IN THEIR WAY. But guess what happens if that oppressor sees you there, alongside your marginalized friend, and its clear to them where you stand? That you stand IN THEIR WAY? That they have to first find a way around or through you to get at their real target, that you’re gonna make them WORK for it first? Sometimes, not always, but enough times if you consider every single instance of an oppressor abusing or harassing a marginalized person to be worth defending against....sometimes, that coward fuck is going to back down rather than risk taking on a fight they can’t be sure they’ll win, with too many people standing against them or in their way.

(And white LGBTQ+ people, just because we’re white, don’t fucking think for a second that this doesn’t apply to us standing by and for and in front of any people of color, LGBTQ+ OR straight - wherever they want you to stand to know they have your support - when one of these assholes targets them. We don’t get to feel betrayed by shit like this if we’re gonna turn around and pull a Jackman the second its a person of color under fire).

It’s long past time to put your money where your mouth is, wherever that may be. Own your fucking convictions. Don’t just THINK ‘this is wrong.’ FUCKING SAY IT. Don’t just THINK ‘I don’t agree with what that person said.’ FUCKING TELL THEM. Don’t just THINK ‘that person does not deserve the abuse or harassment being heaped on them.’ FUCKING STAND BY THEM.

But make no mistake....if ANY of us are still here twenty, thirty, forty years from now, and somehow society by and large has made it through this and gained a measure of stability and things are improved enough for marginalized people that we as a society are able to look back on current events and seem united in our horror at how fucked up it all was.....

Before you picture yourself telling younger generations about how awful and horrific and scary a time it was, the way we’ve all heard older generations speak of past atrocities...

Know that any marginalized people who were around now and are still around then, will ABSOLUTELY remember your silence, your lack of visible horror and opposition to the atrocities happening now, while it really matters. Your ‘true’ feelings kept safely hidden until one side had proved victorious and you could feel comfortable agreeing with whatever version of history had been written by whomever had proven the victors.

And I promise you, WE will not be shy about calling you the cowardly fucking hypocrites you were, are, and always will be.

[madamenighttalon]

Why Desexualizing Women in Video Games is More Dangerous than Over Sexualizing them

Little known fact about me - I’m a nerd: starting from the very first time I picked up a game controller and found myself being tossed into a fantasy world filled with intrigue and danger I have been completely hooked. One of the largest issues as I had as a young girl was the fact that I could never really relate to the characters I was playing, I just didn’t have much in common with big meaty men in armour carrying around guns. So when I found games that let me play as a woman, I was overjoyed; the first game that let me fully alter my in game self was a MMORPG by the name of Perfect World. Honestly looking back it wasn’t that great of a game, it had a pay to play aspect that made it easy for some people to level up and do quests faster and it was pretty easy to find yourself in places that you just weren’t strong enough to handle yet. But that didn’t matter to me; there were eight classes in the game at the time and seven of those classes allowed you to play as a female - with one class (Venomancer) being restricted solely for women. I was able to completely customize my character - I could make make her tall or short, thick or skinny, I could even control the size of her bust and hips; I was in heaven, not because I could create some sex kitten ( though admittedly a lot of my characters were ridiculously pretty ) but because I could create the kind of woman that I wanted to be - I could make this beautiful woman who didn’t care if she was showing a little skin because if some jerk guy said something to her she could just take them out like a total BAMF.

And yes the clothing for Playable Female Characters (PFC) was pretty revealing, which I didn’t realize at that time was a problem for some people, all I cared about was that finally I had character that was feminine AND a total badass. Playing a game like this made me believe that as a woman, it didn’t matter what I was wearing - be it a mini skirt or leather pants, my clothing didn’t take away from my personal power or invalidate me. Games like this made me feel just as, if not more, powerful than my male counterparts.

Of course as I got older and took a break from my games I realized that the strength PW had given me was not applicable to the real world - in the real world as a woman I was inherently weaker than the men around me, I had to wear modest clothing so people wouldn’t think I was looking for trouble, I couldn’t read or use my phone in public because it made me a target - made me vulnerable. This was also when I became aware of the fact that some people, people that probably have never played a video game in their life, had a problem with the way that women were being represented. They believed PFC’s we’re being objectified, that their clothing or breast size made them inherently weaker than PMC (playable male characters). Sound familiar.

I started up my gaming addiction again with Fable II and Dragon Age : Origins - I fell in love again. These games, while limiting my customization, still allowed me to play as PFC that was just as strong as the PMC - in fact there was absolutely no stat difference between the two genders. But beyond that they gave me something that my previous gaming had kept from me - they allowed me to develop my characters personality and form bonds (both platonic and romantic) with other in game characters.

Now the fantasy that I dove into was different - I knew that in real life I wasn’t powerful, that I couldn’t say whatever I wanted or wear whatever I wanted, but in this fantasy world I could do that….and more. In the spirit of being completely open - of helping you understand why this game and the way it was made is so important to me, I should mention that I am a survivor of sexual assault. As are many other people I know. In DA:O you are given the chance to play as a young woman who, along with her cousin and friends, is kidnapped on her wedding day by a nobleman looking to throw a “party”. No one can help them out of fear of endangering the rest of their people, and so the women are left to their own devices - it is also insinuated in the game that this is a common occurrence, that women are kidnapped and raped by nobles all the time because they have no power to fight back. Now let me jump in and keep going before someone gets angry; yes this could possibly teach some little idiot that it's okay to objectify and abuse woman EXCEPT FOR ONE THING. You. Fight. Back.

The whole point of the origin is that you, a woman, fights back against her oppressor and saves her cousin and friends. You, alongside your male cousin who, interestingly enough, is weaker than you and honestly only there for moral support, fight your way through the estate taking out anyone that gets in your way until finally you find your younger female cousin who has just been raped by the nobleman and YOU GET TO KILL HER RAPIST. Now I understand that a lot of people may think that its impolite for women to get this excited about violence but anyone that has been sexually assaulted or knows someone that has can tell you that there is not a single moment where they haven’t wanted that person to pay for what they’ve done, but hasn’t felt like that was a possibility because in situations like this the law is rarely on the side of the victim.

Once again throughout this game you are give the choice to wear revealing clothing, and your femininity is highlighted even when wearing full plate armour - you can wear makeup and make yourself as pretty as you want, also as a side note the physique of the women is default set as being very fit and picturesque. Over and over again you are shown female characters who are not forced to sacrifice their beauty and sexuality in order to gain power. (Also they’re literally all gay but that’s a different post)

So maybe men “objectified” them, maybe they didn’t care about the backstories or personalities, but the young women playing these games 100% payed attention.

The rather long point I’m trying to make here is  that, yes, there are some people out there that purposely create unnaturally attractive women and put them in skimpy clothing because they want to play out some ridiculous sexual fantasy, or because they want to try and demean them and their abilities. Those people won’t respect women anymore if their wearing loose fitted clothing instead of tight leathers, and it’s ridiculous to assume they’re the only ones playing. Female gamers need these characters - they need to have power somewhere because I can tell you they certainly aren’t getting it in the real world; they need female characters that are beautiful without being ashamed, who show as much or as little skin as they want because IT’S THEIR CHOICE, who don’t teach them that in order to be equal to men they have to sacrifice their femininity

When I was reading articles to amp myself up to write this I found a quote that I want to share that said “men win battles and women wear heels.”. Now I’m sure the author was well meaning but they drew in on what I believe is the real reason why these characters offend people. Women are taught through other media and real life experience that beautiful women, with large breasts or curvaceous bodies, who wear clothing that highlights these characteristics can only fall under three categories; The Airhead, who has nothing to offer society and obviously cannot possibly be intelligent because they focus on and or take pride in their appearance, The Mean Girl, who while being ridiculously pretty also has nothing to offer society because she is so self absorbed,usually but not always rich/spoiled, and has no real worth or skill other than her looks so she spends all of her time bringing other people down, and finally The Slut, the obvious beauty who must be having sex with everyone and could only have gained any power or knowledge she has through sex because of the fact that she is unashamed of her body and sexuality - she also has nothing to offer society.

So when they see these characters, when they skim through gaming clips without context, and they see that flash of thigh or display of cleavage, they automatically put the female characters in one of these categories and become offended because they think it’s just another case of woman being demeaned and under sold by men. And maybe that was the intention maybe there's some big misogynistic CEO out there cackling because he thinks he put us in our place. But that’s not what happened, yes men do go into battle, and women do wear heels, that’s what the real world has taught us, but these games -

They taught me that women can do both.

[booksandtea]

31 Horror Movies in “31 Days”| #Blogoween For the month of  October I have planned to watched 31 horror movies!

Today is my third day hosting Blogoween and it seemed only right I got y’all to pick out some of your favourite horror movies too.

Keep reading to find out the next 7 movies I watched for this gigantic task.

If you missed part one, you can read it here.

PAY THE GHOST (2015): “Evil walks among us. One year after his young son disappeared during a Halloween carnival, Mike Cole is haunted by eerie images and terrifying messages he can’t explain. Together with his estranged wife, he will stop at nothing to unravel the mystery and find their son—and, in doing so, he unearths a legend that refuses to remain buried in the past.”

I picked up this movie as its based on a book by Tim Lebbon and I’m pretty happy to say that I really enjoyed this story. However I do feel like this is one of the classic examples of the book is better than the movie.

I’m not a huge fan of Cage anyway and I’d say this isn’t one of his greats.

Letterboxd tags this as Fantasy | Thriller IMDB tags this as Drama | Horror | Mystery

THE HAUNTING (1999): “Some houses are born bad. Dr. David Marrow invites Nell Vance, and Theo and Luke Sanderson to the eerie and isolated Hill House to be subjects for a sleep disorder study. The unfortunate guests discover that Marrow is far more interested in the sinister mansion itself – and they soon see the true nature of its horror.”

I almost feel like I’m cheating to include this as I was very drunk when watching this. The atmosphere was pretty good and it was weird seeing all these actors a lot younger than I know them. But um yeah, maybe pass on this one?

Letterboxd tags this as Mystery | Horror | Fantasy | Thriller IMDB tags this as Fantasy | Horror | Mystery

SINISTER (2012): “Once you see him, nothing can save you. Found footage helps a true-crime novelist realize how and why a family was murdered in his new home, though his discoveries put his entire family in the path of a supernatural entity.” I’ve seen this movie a bunch and I actually really enjoy it! It makes great use of disturbing imagery and creepy kids. If you get the time give this movie a chance.

Its a shameit does make use of over the top loud noises which I find annoying rather than scary.

Letterboxd tags this as Thriller | Mystery | Horror IMDB tags this as Horror | Mystery | Thriller

THE FIRST PURGE (2018): “To push the crime rate below one percent for the rest of the year, the New Founding Fathers of America test a sociological theory that vents aggression for one night in one isolated community. But when the violence of oppressors meets the rage of the others, the contagion will explode from the trial-city borders and spread across the nation.” I always think I’m a fan of The Purge series but then I go and do something stupid like watch one of them and remember its not a dead serious horror movie. It has its quirks and fun moments.

The difference with this one though is its harder to only see as a goofy franchise because it does explore very relevant social situations. I really liked the background this provided to the other movies and I’m interested to see where they’ll take it next and perhaps we will see a more serious and horror filled vibe.

Letterboxd tags this as Horror | Science Fiction | Thriller | Action IMDB tags this as Action | Horror | Science Fiction

THE OPEN HOUSE (2018): “A teenager and his mother find themselves besieged by threatening forces when they move into a new house.” I finally gave in and decided to watch The Open House because I remember there being a bit of uproar when it was released because its that bad.

Well I’m here to save you some time because it is that bad. Nothing happens. Like literally nothing other than Dylan doing a lot of running. You don’t even find out who or what is doing everything weird to him and his mum.

Letterboxd tags this as Thriller IMDB tags this as Horror | Thriller

The Rezort – Key Art

THE REZORT (2015): “The ReZort, a post apocalyptic safari, offers paying guests the opportunity to kill zombies in the wake of an outbreak” Another new movie to me and I had fun with this one! The ending was a little lack luster but overall I enjoyed what this story had to offer. Imagine Jurrasic Park but with zombies, what could go wrong?

Letterboxd tags this as Horror IMDB tags this as Horror | Science Fiction | Thriller

THE RITUAL (2017): “A group of college friends reunite for a trip to the forest, but encounter a menacing presence in the woods that’s stalking them.” BRUH. BRUH. I saved the best to last again. I already mentioned I had watched this in my “Horror Authors on my TBR” post because this is pretty much what inspired that post!

I loved it. I loved the atmosphere, the aesthetic, the design. I loved the characters and then tension. Please give this a watch.

Letterboxd tags this as Horror IMDB tags this as Horror | Mystery | Thriller

I hope you liked this post, I do tend to watch a lot of movies so this could become a regular thing if people are interested.

Have you seen any of these movies? Are there any movies I should prioritise this month?

If you enjoyed this post consider supporting Northern Plunder Ko-fi | Twitter | Book Club | RedBubble

31 Horror Movies in 31 Days (2) 31 Horror Movies in "31 Days"| #Blogoween For the month of  October I have planned to watched 31 horror movies!

[theturlingtontimes]

I’m ready to Share (pt. 1)

Hey Guys! 

Well, hey to the 10 of you that are following me, haha. I just wanted to explain myself, and put my personal story out there for your guys as it pertains to major recent events in my life. I’ve always had a strange life. The suicide of my good friend made a few people I know ask me to finally share my story, and throw a bit of awareness about several different things. Mainly pertaining to mental illness, as I know not a lot of my peers or people I’ve met in general, believe in mental illness. So here goes, I guess:

I guess it all starts when I’m 2. My biological father dies unbeknownst to both my mother and I, as I am obviously two, my mom is with my “father,” and busy with her new life. My father and mother marry when I’m three and divorce when I’m five. It was a good life, even with their separating. My father and I are close, and although my mom works a lot and is going to school full time (i didn’t see her much as a child) my memories of her are happy. 

At this point, my father and I move in with my great grandparents. My Great Grandma Della, (although she was a conservative Christian woman) had a great mind. She was truly one of the greatest examples of an independent woman that I will ever have the privilege of meeting in my entire life, and her husband, my Great Grandpa Galen, was fully supportive of her independence and the way she carried herself. My Grandma Judy and Papa Brian were the same way, because of all the people (not even mentioning my mother’s family- which will come later) it took to shape me into the person I am today, I truly believe that it takes a village to raise a child. I was blessed to be taught how to think and not what to think as a child, I understand now that I’m in the real world, that in some families, beliefs are passed on from generation to generation with children being ostracised if they dare speak against their family values. 

My Grandma Angie, has always been a single mother, and for my formative years, so was my mother. My Uncle David, always made sure that I was using my imagination and kept my eyes open to the structure, flow, and scintillating fire the arts inspired in my tiny 5 year old body. I danced from ages 3-18. My Uncle Daniel, taught me the art of rebellion, such as going out and playing in the mud despite how many times my mother yells at me not to despite the starch white of my dress. 

Like I said, what little childhood I had, was a good one. 

My childhood ended at the age of 7, when my father married the spawn of the devil. 

Her name is Kari, and unfortunately her lopsided boob job and tight hold on his balls, has made him a pussy. My step-monster is probably the root of all that is wrong with me. 

It all starts when I tell her I’m not going to call her mother. At this point, according to her, I am too old for stuffed animals, dolls, Disney, and dress up. All these things are taken from me and I am left with nothing but paper and pencils from school. I am in second grade, and all the activities I am left with are drawing and reading. When I look back on this, I am saddened by the fact that I barely have a childhood to remember, and the fact my father never stepped up to defend me, but I am also thankful for this, because if it weren’t for my step-mother’s agenda to ruin my life I wouldn’t be as amazed by words as I am today or inspired by all that is around me. 

I faced emotional abuse from my father after that point. I was told I was lazy, and I didn’t even try, and what a homely child i was, but i guess that fell on my mother. Like I said, I read a lot as a child, and to this day it breaks my heart that my own father doesn’t even think I’m beautiful. I didn’t see it when I was 10, because I’m not sure a 10 year old can comprehend mental illness or abuse, but now I see I was just irrevocably depressed and demeaned from a young age. I think my self-image will always be damaged because of them, as I was always in the wrong. I would get yelled at for defending myself to all the bullshit that came my way. 

I will never forget one time after I started going to therapy because even my mother thought I was a “strange child,” when I was punished for doing an exercise my therapist had suggested- writing a letter to my oppressors, several of which were addressed to my step mother. She had found the box I kept all the letters and written one demeaning one back to me for every letter I “wrote,” to her out of my frustration. My father told me he knew they weren’t for her but I just had to take my punishment because that’s how things work in the real world. In these moments of cruelty when he knew I was innocent he would always say how good people never get what they deserve out in the real world (I’m crying even writing this) my father, who is supposed to love and care for his child unconditionally, made me sit down and write a 5 page essay on why I was sorry for writing letters that were supposed to be for my eyes only. At my current age I cannot fathom why any parent would make their fifth grade child sit down and basically apologize for being mentally ill. I will never forget this because after I finished said essay, I was sent to my room and I was not allowed upstairs for dinner with my father and siblings, and I had to literally use my toothbrush to clean the downstairs bathroom. I remember sitting in my room that night, at the age of ten, crying all night, and for the first time begging God to bring me back home. To this day, my father has not apologized for this. 

I’m in sixth grade and my Great Grandpa Henson and Great Grandma Della pass away within months of each other. My lack of interest for school gets worse and my father and his wife convinced my mother I was not doing my school work out of rebellion, laziness, and good for nothingness as opposed to the simple fact I just wasn’t interested in school due to all that was going on in my life.

They had just told me my father wasn’t actually my father. On top of my grandparents passing, I’m not sure it was the most intelligent decisions that my parents have made. All this, and my mom is seeing my soon to be step-father (who I now consider my dad) plus, all the shit that comes with middle school in general. It was a relatively rough year, to put it lightly.

Seventh grade was when all hell broke loose in my life. 

My step-mom had a nasty habit of going through my things and yelling at me about them. Even my text messages to my mother. I was never exempt from having an opinion, and at this point I’m twelve and I’m headstrong. Through my adolescence I become more stubborn, and I get better at standing up for myself. Which leads to the situation that separated me from my father and broke our relationship beyond repair. I had a few work sheets from a seventh grade health class on sex & drugs (of course, it had to be that time of the year) and I got screamed at for hours because I had health homework, but according to my step-mom, I was selling drugs and whoring myself out. I got called a demented freak, and sent to my room, because my parents couldn’t handle being in the same room as me. I sobbed, and sobbed, and sobbed that night and for the second time I can remember in my life I prayed that God would take my life, to take me home with him because I couldn’t handle staying here on earth with a family who hated everything I was. The next morning when my father took me to school, not only did he not speak to me on the way there, I’ll never forget the disgusted look he gave me when I told him I loved him, and the silence I got in response. 

Eighth grade was a relatively happy year, as my mom married Jamie, my dad, and I think I might be more thankful for him than my mom is. To this day, he is one of the only people to make me feel loved, and the love of my life, my younger brother is born this year in my life.

The ninth and tenth grades makes me realize how shitty people are, and abusive, and selfish. I had a boyfriend who didn’t value me at all, who was emotionally abusive, and very on and off about me, but it was normal for me, right? I had a childhood full of emotional abuse and my own personal hell had me feeling like nothing good was coming for me. There’s more to this part of the story that some of you who are close to me may know, I don’t want to get into this. And many more events. These years were heartbreaking for me. 

Here’s the back to back romance that became my life:

My junior year rolls around, and I finally have a boyfriend, Alex, who respects me, and really helps me feel better about everything that is going on in my life. I can never apologize to him enough for how poorly I acted in that relationship when all he gave was his all, and again; I’m so irrevocably sorry about that, as I didn’t stop for a second to consider he probably had his own problems as well; in fact I don’t think I ever even asked him, so when he said he needed time, I exploded, and that was not okay on so many levels. I’m sorry. 

Then there’s Jake. I couldn’t even tell you what that was, but believe me when I say he was (and still is) divine beyond comprehension. I’m not sure it was felt on both sides, but for me, Jake was the first person I had ever “talked,” (for lack of a better term), to that I felt truly understood by, and listened to. He amazes me, and still does, because of how compassionate and understanding, he is. When you meet this kid, and talk to him, you’ll see what I mean. It’s like he has all of life’s answers- he knows the order of order and the order of disorder, and at times I really wondered if he’s life’s own force. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out- but I wish him nothing but the best.

My junior year was truly ass. 

My Great Grandma Henson died, my Aunt Sherry dies five days after her. 

After this, I’m too depressed to care about my stupid christian school (well, less than I already did) and eventually, it all got to be too much. 

I drank bleach. 

You might be saying, wow, Jordan, that’s really selfish. But it’s also really selfish of you to not think of what it feels like to not feel anything. Being numb is truly a curse, and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. It’s this feeling of total incapacitation (not sure that’s an actual form of the world, but who cares) and defeated all the time, with nothing but hatred, disgust, and judgement from those around you, is the hardest thing you can go through. Because you can’t help it. In this situation, you’re completely helpless. 

And that’s how I was feeling. 

My life actually looks up at this point, I’ve never felt as normal and content as I did in a treatment center. Being around other people who understood what was going on with me, how superficial and mindless my ass school was, listened to my frustration without judgement, and agreed. No one here made me feel like an idiot for talking about how high school wasn’t shit, it made me feel better to be praised for my art instead of being called a freak, or dark, or different. I HATED that in high school. I felt celebrated and unique. For the first time, I wasn’t anxious around other people my age, and for the first time in years, I truly, utterly wanted to live. 

Lets end on a good note, It’s currently 1:14 A.M. and I am falling asleep. I’m going to finish this story soon, don’t worry. (For those of you interested, anyway.)

[therebelwrites]

Gir, BYE! Notes on Nicki Minaj, Black Rebuilding and the Ninety Percent

I hear Nicki Minaj is considering “retiring” from rap. Y’all mad, but I’m not.

I told y’all 4 years ago that I wasn’t feelin the trend that she was bringing to the rap industry, and by proxy, Black CULTURE.

I admonished the fact that she made it “cool” to be fake. My people already got enough things to worry about, and with her desperation to appease the white/Jewish-controlled music industry, she defiled the standards embedded deep within the (real!) breasts of the Black community.

(And the green grass grows all around, all around...)

Her fans view her “exit” (is it obvious that I’m not 100% convinced?) as a new loss to the rap game, yet in light of what the ancestors have been telling me, it’s actually a WIN for the Black community. (You like Nicki and think I’m just hatin?? Read on...)

I already told y’all that we’ve bottomed out, and Nicki (and many other  Black politicians and entertainers helped usher in (or out) the Black bottom. They buck danced to the tune of Black decadence, all the while convincing the masses that they were propagating Black BRILLIANCE. So Nicki is leaving, but riddle me this:

WHAT EXACTLY DID SHE CONTRIBUTE TO THE BLACK LIBERATION STRUGGLE IN THE FIRST PLACE?? HOW DID SHE USE HER CRAFT, MONEY, MAGIC AND PLATFORM TO ELEVATE BLACK WOMEN? (If your only response is “Queen Radio,” then I gotta deliver a hard NO. Remember, I told you that partaking in the Black Liberation movement is all about SACRIFICE. Anybody can GIVE things in which they have no real emotional investment--that includes money, which can always be regenerated--but it’s about what you RISKED, and even SURRENDERED, on behalf of your people. Sometimes reputation is worth more than dollars because it is a bigger RISK. THAT’S why you have celebrities who will “donate” (and subsequently write-off) millions of dollars to the cause, yet NEVER openly support, for risk of “damaging” their reputations, which they use to make money.) DID NICKI’S DECADE-LONG PRESENCE IN THE GAME RESULT IN A NET WIN OR A NET LOSS FOR THE BLACK COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE?? WHAT EXACTLY WAS HER NET IMPACT ON THE BLACK COMMUNITY ANYWAY?? (If you think I’m being too hard on her, then you jus aint read enough of my posts about Black celebrities. The price of Black celebrity is that you MUST GIVE BACK TO BLACK. Y’all been lettin too many of these folks slide through without PAYIN UP.)

90% is the number they gave me. NINETY PERCENT of what we now consider to be “Black” culture is simply a mockery of what our culture REALLY is. Nicki aint what she used to be (still got the skillset, but what’s a talent with no SELF-RESPECT??), and neither is rap, and neither is Black culture. All have been infiltrated and defiled by the oppressor and fashioned into a tool for Black DESTRUCTION.

What we now consider to be Black music AINT Black music!! Look at the videos, listen to the sounds of the elements, Earth, Wind and Fire, and OBSERVE the joy, happiness, color and LIGHT in their music. Listen to early rap and absorb the calls to fight the power and keep hope alive! Those were the messages that were being ELEVATED then! These same messages are considered “underground” today. As a teenager, I had R&B ALONG WITH Uncle Luke; Neo-Soul ALONG WITH Too Short. Today you can turn on the radio (”mainstream” music, right?) and literally hear young Black men and boys rapping about shooting someone’s grandma in the back!! And Nicki’s videos have become increasingly self-depreciating. THAT sho nuff aint the behavior of ROYALTY!

You corrupt a culture through it’s MUSIC, because music is wide-spread, rhythmic and repetitive. (Is this not the basis of hypnosis??) NEVER have we had to fight SO MANY simultaneous battles as Black people!! When I remind the ancestors that sellouts have always existed, they tell me that they’ve never existed in such numbers and worst, with such IMMUNITY. What has always been ostracized within the Black community has now become FASHIONABLE. Black celebrities today openly BRAG about how much of their souls and community that they have SOLD for fame. There are wide swaths of the Black community who don’t even know which way is UP no mo!

With all the nonsense that Nicki has popularized, I’m glad to see her go.

”But she’s a Black woman; you should wanna see her win!”

I do! And she has been, and will continue to, despite what she does. BUT as I’ve said over and over again, we can NOT simply focus on numbers (i.e. Black faces in high places) no more, we gotta take QUALITY over QUANTITY. The way I see it, Nicki’s departure will create space for somebody better suited to LEAD the Black community through the use of rap music. Black female rappers actin like Black men and praising destruction and disrespect AINT. IT. I told y’all Black female rappers possess the power to change the world!

It’s been done before (hint: Queen Latifah), and it can be done again, cause you see the way my culture set up...

Let Nicki get her mind right...Then who knows, she might come back and be part of the 10%...

[beckytext]

Okay, so we’re doing this.

The Mary Sue discussion is happening on Twitter again. I don’t know what set it off (this was the first tweet I saw about it; here is my own thread). The points I have made in short are:

1: I think it’s a good thing that teenage girls are imagining stories where they are the awesome center of action;

2: I don’t care if the quality of those stories is bad, because most of the people writing them are still learning to write, and anyway, bad stories on the internet hurt no one;

3: “Mary Sue” is a super gendered, sexist insult that has nothing to do with actually critiquing characters and is instead a way of policing teenage girls, women, and the characters they write.

So to get into it a bit, here is the story of How I Realized Mary Sue Critiques Are Total Bullshit. 

So some history: when I was in sixth grade, Sailor Moon aired in the US for the first time. Needless to say, I loved it, and it had an enormous impact on me. A couple of years later -- somewhere around 1997, seventh or eighth grade -- my family got AOL. Somehow, early on, I stumbled onto the Cartoon Network message boards and discovered other people who loved Sailor Moon, and from there, found mailing lists of yet more likeminded fans. One of those mailing lists held a Sailor Moon fanfiction contest.

(Hey, this got long, so the rest of it is -- as we used to say in the LJ Days of Yore -- behind the cut.)

The thing was, I’d been writing fanfiction in my head for as long as I could remember -- but I didn’t know that was the kind of thing that people actually wrote down. So I did, and my terrible story got an honorable mention, and I was hooked. I spent the next few years of my life living in fandom, creating OCs and spinning epic stories and making friends with other people who did the same. It was awesome.

But the one cloud that hung over it was this attitude I kept running into that all original Sailor Scout characters were Mary Sues -- especially if they were Sailor Earth characters (which, uh, mine was). And not one but several communities sprang up to mock those characters. The characters were written by earnest girls like me, who wanted to be part of the show we loved, to have fun imagining ourselves that way, and to share those stories with other people who were also having fun that way.

Those communities were... well, terrifying. Some mocked line by line, MST3K style; some linked to character profiles with mean commentary. Sometimes they were clever! But mostly they were just kind of nasty. And they all came with lists of rules about what did or didn’t make for Mary Sues. You were never allowed to have a character who was: too powerful, too confident, had a weird hair color (even though canon characters had blue and green hair?!), was named after you, used Earth powers, used star powers, was best friends with any characters on the show, was romantically linked to any characters from the show, could sing well or was otherwise talented, was too clumsy, was too smart, etc, etc, etc. And oh yeah, She Had To Be Flawed.

Viewed in a charitable light, I can understand it. The basic gist of “these are cliches, avoid them” is not a terrible thing. But I was 13, 14, 15 and just starting to share my writing, and that advice was not shared in empathetic ways, and there was not yet much backlash advice of “actually, most writing advice is bullshit, do what you want.” (Which I think we do see more of now, which is a good thing.) I took it seriously. So did my friends. So yes, we worried a lot about Doing It Wrong, which meant that instead of being able to go wild with our imaginations and write the stories that delighted us, we were shrinking into what was acceptable. Trying to write within parameters that other people had set for us, trying not to cross any boundaries into what was Bad and Mockable, treating someone’s kind of mean rules as gospel. (There were literal quizzes you could take, with ticky boxes, to test if your character was a Mary Sue -- score too high on it and you’d better Give Her Some Flaws!)

Okay, so, fast forward a couple of years. One of the best things fandom gave me was contact with other writers my own age, who, like me, were writing both fanfic and original fiction, who had daydreams of being published someday. We shared those stories, too. And because we were young and just learning (hey, did you know it’s okay to be just learning how to do something?!) a lot of them were pretty bad. But we supported each other, and that was the first taste I had of other people reading and enjoying my writing. It was awesome.

But the scourge of Mary Sue Mocking had spread. It wasn’t ever really just Sailor Moon fandom, but the who idea had expanded. Every fandom had its own variety of Mary Sue test, and yes, people began looking at original fiction as well. (And this was well before the days of “Batman is Mary Sue!” counter arguments. Is it clear yet that I am an Old?)

So I’d known for awhile that I felt kind of ooky about the Mary Sue mockery. I’d grown out of Sailor Moon fandom, and into and out of a few others, all of which had their own patterns of Mary Sues (and mockery there of). I was just... increasingly uncomfortable with it. And then one day I ran across another litmus test of the ticky box variety. It was for characters in original fiction.

I thought about my sprawling fantasy epic, the one I’d been sharing online for a few years, the one I had a few friends who’d drawn art for. The one with pretty half-angel boys and angry warrior girls. The one I’d been pouring my heart and soul into. 

Nervously, I took the quiz.

Hooooo boy, was my awesome female OC a Mary Sue. (I just did some googling; I’m not positive but I think this may have been the one I took.) Here are some examples of questions my character “failed” by answering yes:

5. Is your character a teenager?

6. Does your character have a tragic past?

17. Is your character the sole surviving member of some great tragedy, genocide, or the last of a house or species?

23. Was your character adopted, orphaned, a runaway, stolen at birth or in any other way raised by someone who is not the character's own parents.

31. Is your character any sort of nobility or royalty?

33. Does your character have strangely coloured hair, or hair that changes throughout the story? 

35. Are there prophesies about your character? And okay, I’m not going to claim my teenage fantasy epic was a brilliant feat of characterization. I wrote it from roughly ages 16-20; it was a mess. But it wasn’t a mess because my protagonist had survived a massacre of her home as a child and was raised by her grandfather, and also turned out to secretly be a long-lost princess. It was a mess because, you know, I was still learning to write.

And all of those things I ticked off on the quiz? They were staples of the fantasy genre. Because I was writing a fantasy story. And the character ticked off all those boxes because she was the protagonist. It was her story, so of course she was the character of legend; of course she was the survivor of tragedy; of course she was the long-lost princess. The story wasn’t warped around her to make her super special. The story was built around her, because protagonists are supposed to be super special. 

(Yes, even “everyman” protagonists. I mean, which is more reality warping -- the idea that a character who survived a tragedy and was raised to be a warrior ended up leading armies against the oppressors who’d murdered her parents, or the idea that a bland normal dude is going to suddenly fall in with a group where everyone else is super special and unlock his own super special powers that eventually let him save the day? H I N T: he can only do that because he’s also super special, no matter how bland he is. /tangent)

In short (ha, too late!), what it came down to was this: I realized that stories of all kinds revolve around their protagonists. That is, actually, good writing --  no one wants to read a story without decent characters. And if that makes the protagonist special, well, yeah. That’s kind of how stories work. And if the protagonist is a girl, people are going to call her a Mary Sue and hate her for some reason. (H I N T: misogyny.)

So at that point I decided, fuck it, if that’s a Mary Sue, then I’ll read and write Mary Sues to my heart’s content, and defend the rights of everyone else to do the same. Because while I was driven by spite to keep writing, it could easily have gone another way, and gotten me to stop all together. I saw that happen to a lot of my fannish friends back in the day, and that really sucks. Again: learning to write is a process. Being mean to people who are beginners doesn’t actually help most of them, it’s just discouraging.

Bad writing -- at least, when we’re talking about “bad because Amethyst Orbs” and not “bad because Racist Caricature” for example -- doesn’t hurt anyone. Writing is a skill; like any other, it takes practice to get better.

And you can get better if you keep working at it. How do I know?

*points to Bound by Blood and Sand, AKA the fulfillment of my teenage daydream, AKA a book about a teenage girl who is definitely the most special person in her world, AKA a book I freaking wrote that’s published by freaking Random House*

Just sayin’.

Spite is a great motivator. Write the story you want, teenage girls, and fuck anyone who doesn’t like it.

[swawesome-wow]

If you wanted people to be informed, you'd have mentioned Palestinian terrorists and Hamas. You'd have mentioned the suicide bombings and hundreds of murdered innocent Israelis. You'd have mentioned the Palestinian leadership that first declined coexistence in 1948 and rejected every offer of peace since then. You'd have mentioned lies and propaganda and blood libel against Jews, thought in Palestinian schools. You care about playing the victim. But it's an old game. And you'll lose.

I wasn’t going to take the time to respond, but it’s summer break, and I refuse to let you hide behind anonymity and not learn a little something while you’re there.

1. “If you wanted people to be informed, you’d have mentioned Palestinian terrorists and Hamas. You’d have mentioned the suicide bombings and hundreds of murdered innocent Israelis.”

Oh yes, how could I forget to talk about Palestinian terrorists and Hamas. The thousands upon thousands of innocent Israelis killed. Wait, what’s that? 1,213 Israelis have been killed since September 29, 2000. 9,478 Palestinians have been killed since September 29, 2000. I have never claimed that Palestinians have not killed innocent Israelis. Those numbers are only since the year 2000. Israel has occupied Palestine for 50 years, give or take, as you yourself aptly admitted by bringing up the conference in 1948. There is immense loss on both sides, though one has lost nearly 9x as many lives. However, comparing it numerically is extremely reductive, not only are you wrong numerically, you’re ignoring why people have been slaughtered on both sides, and what brought everyone to this point. There is no “justifying” the murder of Israelis by Palestinians, there is only understanding why these killings happened, holistically, and understanding the context.

People refer to it now as the Israeli-Palestinian “Conflict, Divide, etc.” But before recent, heavy political and monetary support of Israel, it was called the Palestinian Genocide, for good reason. 

2. “You’d have mentioned the Palestinian leadership that first declined coexistence in 1948 and rejected every offer of peace since then.”

Let me make this very, painfully clear. 

Palestine does not owe coexistence to Israel. Israel is an occupying state, an oppressive state, and one that has committed genocide against the Palestinian people. 

To bring it down to your level of understanding, the Palestinians were there first. Palestinians of EVERY religion, including Judaism, though I’ll touch on that later. The Palestinian leadership has been lamentable, no one is denying that. But let me put it this way:

Let’s say America was invaded today, by, say, Canada. (Sorry Canada, you were the first country to pop into my head, since I owe half my citizenship to you.) After things calm down enough for the leaders to meet, Trudeau says to *shudder* Trump (or even Obama, in this fake scenario, would make the same decision), “Hey man, I know you were here first and everything, and I know we bloodily invaded you, but like, let’s just coexist, like on that bumper sticker you guys are so fond of.” Do you honestly think the President of the United States of America, would EVER agree to something like that? Seriously? Of course not, that would be ridiculous. Even 50 years later, America would still be fighting for its freedom from its maple-drenched oppressors. So why are you holding Palestine to such ridiculous standards? 

I am truly saddened by the violence that has stemmed from this entire situation, but until Israeli soldiers stop wrongfully arresting, imprisoning, and killing Palestinians, even children, I don’t think you can possibly hope for “peace.”

My grandmother, a few years back on a return visit to Palestine after she fled so many years ago to Canada, was stopped at the border wall (yes, there is a wall there, in case people were unaware) for eight hours, for no reason. She was not charged with anything, neither were her daughters, my aunts, that were with her. Her crime was being Palestinian. I wonder what that sounds like. 

Oh yes, and because of that wall, the already pitiful economy of the Gaza Strip has crumbled, and they have no way of rebuilding it. Even if Palestinians find jobs in Israel, they’re backed up for hours each day just trying to get processed through the wall in either direction. They’ve been economically choked off from the rest of the world, yet Israel continues to receive monetary aid as if they’re in desperate need.

3. “You’d have mentioned lies and propaganda and blood libel against Jews, thought in Palestinian schools. You care about playing the victim. But it’s an old game. And you’ll lose.”

Once again, I need to make something crystal clear. So listen up. \

Palestinians do not hate Jews. They hate the Israeli government. Not Israelis, not Jews, the Israeli government, because that is the body that is responsible for Palestinian suffering. 

Since I was in elementary school, any time someone found out I had Palestinian parents, they immediately made quips or even stated directly that I must hate Jewish people. I had someone say “oh, so you’re anti-Semitic.” I’ve had people ask me if myself or my parents are terrorists (and I used to be Christian, now I don’t practice anything, my point being that I can’t imagine how hard it is for any Muslims). This misconception is so widespread that it’s toxic, killing any reasonable discourse on the subject by people stamping me with the anti-Semite sticker. So, I’m sorry, I haven’t had the chance to play the victim. Let me know how that goes for you. 

What I said earlier, about all religions coexisting? Let me elaborate.

For the thousands of years that Palestine has existed, Christians, Muslims, Jews, ~whatever~ lived side by side, happily and comfortably. Another misconception is that the Israeli movement came from within Palestine, which is just plain misinformation. This is a very, very reductive explanation of what actually happened, forgive me for not being more detailed:

When the second World War ended, there were thousands upon thousands of displaced European Jews (mostly German as you might imagine, but elsewhere as well). When Europe (and America) tried to figure out where to help these people relocate, no one wanted to take them in, deciding it would be too difficult to reintegrate. Palestine had the room and the kind heart needed to take them in, so that’s where many were relocated, en masse. But it was a finite time that Palestine agreed to host these refugees as refugees, they would eventually need to either integrate with the Palestinian people (gain citizenship, etc), or decide where they would want to move, if not stay there. But the relationship began to change, as some began to perpetuate the idea that they belonged there all along, and that the Palestinians were the ones that needed to leave or integrate elsewhere. As with most conflict, religion took a match and set it to kerosene, as suddenly Jerusalem was the center of the occupier’s claims to the land. While I won’t try to argue about it as I’m not informed enough on religious history, I will say that it is entirely possible to create a religious homeland without literally invading the country and creating a religious state. Church and state are separate for a reason, and have to cooperate, not override one another. 

So there are plenty of Palestinian Jews that understand and are outraged at the Israeli government, though they have been left out of intentional eviction, arrests, torture, and killings. 

COMIC RELIEF BREAK that is actually somewhat related but I promise it’s funny:

One time my mom was telling me about something that happened over in Palestine to friends of our family so word made it back to us. Like I said, the three major religions were living pretty happily together, especially where these friends lived. The IDF was evicting all the Palestinians from a neighborhood to allow Israeli settlers to take over. Our friends were one of the families kicked out, and they were best friends with the Jewish family next door! So when the IDF came knocking on the Jewish family’s door to offer them the keys to their best friends’ house, (they were Jews so they were allowed to stay with the new Israelis coming in), the husband of the family was FURIOUS. He started to back-talk, offended at the very thought, but his wife (the really clever one in this story) shut him up and took the keys. The husband couldn’t believe his wife would betray their best friends like that, but she just rolled her eyes in a “you idiot” fashion. They had the keys now, and they promptly gave them back to their best friends so they could reclaim their property! I always thought that story was hilarious :D

While I am disgusted at the thought that you could somehow compare this entire subject to a game, if that’s the only way you can comprehend such a vast discourse, I’m happy to oblige the metaphor: The only “loser” here is the one who can’t think for themselves and hasn’t done a little goddamn research, you soggy walnut. 

Speaking of research! Here are a couple of resources for those who have been following along! I honestly can’t say that the second is an unbiased source, however if you’re looking for straight statistics and numbers, check out the first link! It’s where I got the exact numbers I used above. If you want the international law/human rights perspective, check out the third link. Thanks y’all!

http://ifamericaknew.org

http://www.globalresearch.ca/israels-genocide-towards-palestinian-arabs/5591341 (thanks canada)

https://ccrjustice.org/genocide-palestinian-people-international-law-and-human-rights-perspective (really good source explaining the international law and human rights perspective on the issue)

[knightofbalance-13]

https://sokumotanaka.tumblr.com/post/158693391644/its-weird-to-me-that-the-humans-in-remnant-are-so

“It’s weird to me that the humans in remnant are so shitty as people, If you remember the faunus WOR it does state humans used to attack and kill faunus for just being different, an act that wasn’t met by retaliation from the faunus at the time or by any humans who thought it was wrong.“

... So just people then? Because we’ve been doing this as a race of thousands of years: Killing anything that is different. I fail to see why they are held to sucha higher degree than you or I. Pretty sure 90% of the cast of RWBY are better people than the both of us.

“And it continues to get weird because humans lived alongside faunus yet I find it strange no one calls out cardin, our naive optimist protagonist doesn’t tell weiss it’s not fair to judge faunus as one unit because their people, not objects, yell yang the most outspoken member literally just sits there, yang a roamer looking for her mom at some point and doesn’t have anything to say? I’m not saying the injustices need to escalate to make the problem seem “real” but there needs to be some damn consequences to human behavior; ruby wanted to be a hunter to help people yet when velvet is getting bullied literally just watches!“

Because they can’t do anything? Listen, I have been arguing with you for months about your toxic behavior, much in the same way with Cardin, and you haven’t changed. You can call out a racist all you want, you shouldn’t expect them to change. Plus, people tend to not get involved with big affairs. America didn’t get involved with the World Wars until it started affecting us directly. Once again: Why are they held to a higher regard than the rest of humanity?

I seem not to be the only one who feels this either, many people bring these issues up when talking about the faunus.

Your first link is dead and the second comes from a guy tried to argue Jaune got too much screentime to himself this Volume despite the fact that “too much” was 5:42 minutes. Not great sources.

We’re in a world (eerily similar to our own.) Where people will say “Wow that’s fucked up.” yet don’t really seem to care the difference here, these characters became hunters to help, to act where certain people couldn’t/wouldn’t.  And for a young faunus who probably gets attacked (There are probably people out there who are worst than cardin) when you’re treated like shit, attacked for being different and pushed into a corner…consider, your young, vulnerable and now feel unwanted, this is a real feeling, and very relatable.

Yeah and how much stupid shit do people in our world do all the god damn time? A lot going just by the rwde tag alone.

Again, this seems like you make our world out to be better when it’s not. We do this shit all the time and considering that it’s one form of racism against the tens of types of racism we have today, it’s so unrealistic to expect them to be better.

 Now consider the faunus who only feels safe among their own, who wants humans to stop attacking and hurting their kind, so joing the white fang seems pretty enticing, remember before the series began the white fang didn’t preform anything too rash. We didn’t start hearing about hostile takeovers ans such until cinder took over which was directly after blake left. I understand there are people who hear the phrase white fang and have a few things to say.  I want you to take the time to read this. I don’t support the murder of people in remnant, but I do support the white fang’s existance, now hear me out! Remember the white fang started out with peacful protest and as I watched the series could not wait to see the peacful side of the white fang; (That’s an issue for another post) To them attacking SDC cargo and taking away potential ammo from their oppressors/screwing the people using their race as labor slaves seem ideal to a young mind despite how detrimental it might be. (It’s two choices for these people either force a difference or wait for people to change after eons, remember blake states that the peaceful side of the white fang has been going on for centuries.)

Uh...it began five years before the series so yeah, I have no doubt that the White Fang has been doing shit like that before. Especially considering our own history in which even outside of the black panthers the CRM had people doing violent shit in it’s name.

Then how about the killing of innocents? Because Adam tried that bullshit in the Black Trailer which was before Cinder’s takeover, evident by the implications of Blake being in the White Fang on Cinder’s first attempt but not the second. Because that’s the real issue here. The instant you take an innocent life, you lose the right to ask for equality because you ARE equal now: you’re the same as the shit you fought. And no, you don’t get to kill innocent humans because their ancestors did horrible shit. Those humans are not their ancestors and had no control over them and shouldn't bear any guilt. Just as well, judging by SUn the only Fanaus we’ve focused on outside the WHite Fang considers them a cult, Fanaus themselves hate the White Fang so that argument doesn’t work.

But fine let’s say they are allowed. That also means you can’t complain when one black guy shoots another black guy because tribes in Africa enslaved their kinsmen and you can’t speak up about ISIS because Muslism were killed off by Christians in the Crusades. See how dangerous and stupid that mindset is?

In a world where the white fang of the new age are now extremist and humans are innocent, there seems to be a lack of effort that makes me not care for the cast.  Humans innocence is shown to us by being indifferent but that plays against them because these characters who have a strong sense of justice like Ruby, Pyhrra and Jaune see this act infront of them and don’t react at all.  We’re given lines that sound phoned in and tired, These people who want to help the world don’t do anything!

They all glare at the fucker. What more can they do against an asshole, call him out? He ain’t gonna care, evidence being when I call you out you shrug it off. Punch him? Newsflash, they'd bet in trouble. Been there, doen that. Prank him? Then he automatically assumes Velvet did it.

But back tracking a bit: That’s because the conflict isn’t theres. They have no stake in it and there is a lot more serious shit going on like a humanoid Grimm trying to kill everyone and an infinite amount of Grimm to kill.

Okay then: Fanaus innoncence is shown by them not saying a word about the White Fang kill regular, normal humans and aiding Cinder. Ergo, by your own logic, we shouldn’t care about the White Fang. Whereas The main group is facing  much bigger threat, ergo we should care about them.

Weiss is calling a race, trash and flithy and no one reacts, at all. Again they stand there blinking and their lack of reaction make them seem stiff and inhuman, if you want to prove humans are a complete innocent part, then show some effort RT! You could put some flavor text in a line, on a newspaper a character picks up, a sign etc that says “Hey there are humans who fight these prejudice.” -I want fox anf yatsuhashi to loom over cardins team-  And I’d be satisfied, I’ll expect to see a glimpse of them at some point, but I think a small effort is better than zero. Especially with this writing crew.

In Volume 1...afterward she was better around Blake, started liking Sun and risked her life trying to save Velvet. That argument is invalid.

... What gave you THAT idea? The SDC is obviously treated as malevolent and evil and Cardin is treated as a giant jackass, humans are constantly killing each other-This makes no sense! Especially considering a certain writer’s involvement in RvB’s Chorus Trilogy which made a big point in showing that war often times just has two sides with differing opinions! Don’t go blaming the show when you’re the one reading it wrong.

Oh look, potshot against the writing staff. Guess that means I can amek potshots too. But unlike rwde’s, mine will be funny.

Being indifferent is not the same as being innocent, if you watch people beat, tease or harass a person for them races, sexual orientation etc,  rather than say something, do something or call anyone who can do stop it, you don’t actually care.

Glass houses motherfucker, I was suicide baoted by a regular in your tag, pointed it out and no one ever said a word, especially you. By your own logic, you don’t care and are not innocent!

[religioused]

The Bethany Life

by Gary Simpson

Sermon for May 16, 2021 in Lectionary

Opening Prayer

Companion God, we seek wisdom. What we find are books about Christ written hundreds of years ago. We long for something new, for a fresh teaching from Jesus. Our world needs new transforming stories and wisdom. Give us the power of the risen Christ so we can be transforming stories. Amen.

Call to Worship Based on Ephesians 1:15-23 and Psalm 47:1-9

One: In the face of adversity, this church is faithful. Your faith and love are widely known.

All: We did not know that.

One: Prayers are offered for you to have more wisdom and discernment. Christ is in the heavenly now, ruling and protecting this church.

All: This is reason to celebrate!

One: Clap, shout, rejoice, sing!

All: God is an incredible leader, an impressive King.

One: God subdued the oppressors.

All: We are God's family of choice.

One: Sing praises to God.

All: We sing praises to our King, to the King of the nations, to the King of the earth.

Acts 11:1-11 (CEV)

Theophilus, I first wrote to you about all that Jesus did and taught from the very first until he was taken up to heaven. But before he was taken up, he gave orders to the apostles he had chosen with the help of the Holy Spirit.

3 For forty days after Jesus had suffered and died, he proved in many ways that he had been raised from death. He appeared to his apostles and spoke to them about God’s kingdom. While he was still with them, he said:

Don’t leave Jerusalem yet. Wait here for the Father to give you the Holy Spirit, just as I told you he has promised to do. John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.

6 While the apostles were still with Jesus, they asked him, “Lord, are you now going to give Israel its own king again?”

7 Jesus said to them, “You don’t need to know the time of those events that only the Father controls. But the Holy Spirit will come upon you and give you power. Then you will tell everyone about me in Jerusalem, in all Judea, in Samaria, and everywhere in the world.” After Jesus had said this and while they were watching, he was taken up into a cloud. They could not see him, but as he went up, they kept looking up into the sky.

Suddenly two men dressed in white clothes were standing there beside them. They said, “Why are you men from Galilee standing here and looking up into the sky? Jesus has been taken to heaven. But he will come back in the same way that you have seen him go.”

Luke 24:44-53 (CEV)

Jesus said to them, “While I was still with you, I told you that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the Books of the Prophets, and in the Psalms had to happen.”

45 Then he helped them understand the Scriptures. He told them:

The Scriptures say that the Messiah must suffer, then three days later he will rise from death. They also say that all people of every nation must be told in my name to turn to God, in order to be forgiven. So beginning in Jerusalem, you must tell everything that has happened. I will send you the one my Father has promised, but you must stay in the city until you are given power from heaven.

50 Jesus led his disciples out to Bethany, where he raised his hands and blessed them. As he was doing this, he left and was taken up to heaven. After his disciples had worshiped him, they returned to Jerusalem and were very happy. They spent their time in the temple, praising God.

Reflection:

The lectionary reading for this week includes Acts 1:1-11. The author of Acts chose to include information about Jesus' assumption in his letter to Theophilus. The story of the last hours Jesus spent on earth are important or they would not have been included in both Luke and Acts.

The names of people and places can be important in Biblical narratives. The story takes place close to Bethany. I am not sure there is another town with so many different and divergent, meanings associated with it. Bethany can mean “house of affliction,"(1) “house of misery,” “poor-house,” and “house of dates,”(2) Contrasts are also found in Bethany’s history. Bethany was a home for Jesus' friends, a place here Jesus performed miracles, a place of celebration, and the beginning and the end of Jesus ministry. Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, three of Jesus loved friends, call Bethany home.(3) Simon, the man who had leprosy, lived in Bethany.(4) In Bethany, Jesus is anointed.(5) Jesus' triumphal entry to Jerusalem starts and it is close to where Jesus ascends into heaven.(6)

With good reason, Jesus' disciples were afraid. There had been building tension between the religious leaders and Jesus, culminating in Jesus' crucifixion by the Roman authorities. The wounds of pain and loss from Jesus' crucifixion probably ran deep. Even though Jesus rose from the dead, it is unlikely that there was not fear of persecution and oppression by the authorities.

Jesus tried to prepare the disciples for a time when He was not going to be physically present. From Luke’s narrative, I get the sense that Jesus took people in a walk through the Bible, starting with the Law of Moses and continuing with the prophets and the Psalms. From the Bible, Jesus was able to show the nature of His ministry and was able to show how His ministry brings salvation to the world.

This was the last recorded time that Jesus taught His disciples, but it probably was not the only time that Jesus taught people. The reading from Acts informs us that Jesus was on the earth 40 days between His resurrection and his ascension. Forty days can be an expression in the Bible, an expression meaning a long time. A similar expression in English is a month of Sundays. The time between Jesus’ resurrection and His ascension was forty days. The time frame of forty days might be literal, might be symbolic, and might be both literal and symbolic. The narrative in Acts comes with a sense that Jesus spent a lot of time appearing to people, showing people that He was alive, and teaching about the Kingdom of God. The disciples were well academically prepared for the task ahead of them. They just needed to wait for Pentecost, wait for the power.

Four parts of the Christian faith that are traditionally considered important elements can be seen in the passage from Luke:

• The resurrection.

• Need for the cross.

• Urgent nature of the mandate given the church.

• Holy Spirit as a source of power.(7)

The church is facing overwhelming problems. The problems the church of Christ is facing now are very different than the problems faced by the emerging church in Jesus' day.

As a church, we need to figure out how to respond to many challenging things:

• The pandemic.

• Use of religion for political purpose.

• Racism.

• Indigenous concerns.

• Misogyny, homophobia and transphobia.

• Poverty, hunger, and homelessness.

• Interreligious and interfaith tensions.

We have the teachings of Jesus and the wisdom of the patriarchs and matriarchs of the church

Bethany can mean “house of figs."(8) When Adam and Eve eat the fruit of the forbidden tree, they realize that they are naked and they made clothes out of fig leaves. In this sense, there can almost be a literary linking of Bethany to story of the fall of humanity.(9)

In some respects, Bethany is a microcosm of human experience. In the human experience, we see present the different meanings of the word Bethany. Misery, affliction, poverty, and a need to cover up shameful life events. But the lasting understanding attached to Bethany is that it is close to the assumption, close to where Jesus ascended into heaven. The lasting sense of our lives is that we live close to the ascension, close to the heavenly.

Verse 49 in New American translation says Jesus tells them, “I am sending the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from high.” The time for humiliation and embarrassment are over. No longer are Jesus’ followers subjected to shame, because their loved teacher was executed like a terrorist. The early church is clothed with the power of the Spirit. Even though your life has elements of misery, affliction, and poverty, you are clothed with the Spirit.

Prayers of the People

At the end of each prayer, we will all respond, “Thank you for hearing our prayer.”

One: Bethany can mean house of figs. For those clothed in embarrassment and shame for things they did or neglected to do, we pray that they will see themselves clothed with God’s power.

All: Thank you for the move of the Spirit.

One: Bethany can mean poor house. We pray for the daily bread, the immediate needs of the poor. We pray that our hearts will be troubled by the needs of the poor until we make a difference.

All: Thank you for the move of the Spirit.

One: Bethany can mean house of affliction and house of misery. We pray that those in misery and those who are afflicted with find comfort and practical support. Make us, God, healers and comforters for those in misery.

All: Thank you for the move of the Spirit.

One: Bethany was a home of Jesus' friends. Make us the house of friends for those who need friends and to those who are ministers and healers.

All: Thank you for the move of the Spirit.

One: Bethany was a home of miracles and celebration. Make our church a place where miracles that make people whole take place and where celebrations of milestones take place.

All: Thank you for the move of the Spirit.

One: We pray for lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinian territories and that negotiations will help resolve long-standing issues.

All: Thank you for the move of the Spirit.

One: We pray that the Coronavirus pandemic will end soon. We pray especially for India and portions of Africa that are hard hit by the pandemic.

All: Thank you for the move of the Spirit.

One: We pray for an end to hate in all its forms – racism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia.

All: Thank you for the move of the Spirit.

One: Spirit shine through the misery, the poverty, the shame, the affliction of our community and of our lives. Let the spirit of the risen Christ be seen in our wounds.

All: Amen.

Notes

(1) “Bethany.” Wikipedia. 20 May 2021, 21 May 2021. <https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bethany_(given_name)>.

(2) “Bethany.” Wikipedia. 13 May 2021, 16 May 2021. <https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bethany>.

(3) J.D. Douglas, et al., eds. New Bible Dictionary. 2nd ed. (Leicester, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 1982), 132.

(4) Smith's Bible Dictionary. (Uhrichville, Ohio: Barbour, 1987), 37

(5) Douglas (1982), 132.

(6) Douglas (1982), 132.

(7) William Barclay. The New Daily Study Bible: The Gospel of Luke. (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2017), 352.

(8) “Bethany.” Wikipedia. 20 May 2021, 21 May 2021. <https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bethany_(given_name)>.

(9) Genesis 3:7 (New American Bible) fig leaves are used.