#and yes that looks antiblack

[moodr1ng]

i dont wanna start a fight bc its tiring but theres a white person making some quite angry posts about how nobody criticizes the designs of the orcs in dungeon meshi for being antiblack caricatures and im kinda here like.. im not sure what about the dungeon meshi orcs reads as black to you but ngl i think no one else is mad about it bc people didnt largely think that "big, hairy and animalistic" and "have pig-like noses" were black features and idk i find it weird for a white person to assume they are

[anissapierce]

Im an absolue idiot for checking this tag every once in a blue moon

Like...its been years now and the antiblack trends in behavior continue

[creatingblackcharacters]

Antiblackness Isn't Sexy!

As #Kinktober is upon us, I want to take this time to remind everyone that certain things may not carry the same "sexy" connotation for everyone! This isn't just a "your yuck is my yum" situation, this is a "hey, you're being racist" situation. Now if that's what you enjoy, I can't tell you otherwise. But if you'd like to be considerate towards your Black readers and peers, here are *some* (not all!) things to keep in mind:

1) Objectification is not respect. You can think Black people are sexy- I certainly do! That does not mean treating us like sex toys. An example: if your first thought when you look at a Black male character, is "This'll be good smut, I bet his dick is gigantic"- if your first thought is about their genitals and that they're a good fuck... That is weird. Abeg. Nothing else stood out to you? Just ye olde "Black men have big dicks?"

There's a racist and dehumanizing history behind the oversexualization of Black men, Black bodies in general. Sure, big penises are not insulting or bad, but just as you don't want to be brought down to your bits... Don't do it to us. We can be sexy without being objectified. You can think we're sexy without objectifying us!

2) Making your Black character more sexually aggressive (if fic: -than their canon counterpart). Your Black character having a high libido is fine, but if you've essentially written a sex pest, especially in comparison to a nonblack counterpart... Why? Why do you think that they're automatically the one that would be like that? One example of that is the whole "step on me mommy" thing with confidently sexy Black women. What makes you deem she's the "aggressive" one? She could be a gentle pillow princess.

3) Making your Black character more physically hulking (if fic: -than their canon counterpart). They don't look like that, you know they don't look like that, and you need to consider why you felt the need. Especially in comparison to their nonblack counterparts.

4) Chains and whips, Specifically the large, hulking Black or Brown character in chains held by a skinny white character. Especially if they're like a werewolf. You know why these visuals can be questionable! I know the intended symbolism is supposed to be steamy and animalistic, a bodice ripper deal. But think about it- how often have you seen the opposite- with a skinny Black person holding a hulking, animalistic white person in chains? What imagery are we evoking when we draw this, constantly? We are not animals, we are not raging, uncontrollable sex beasts.

Consensual sex and kink are supposed to involve respect between all parties. Respect, communication, vulnerability, and trust. You can have an interesting, sexually active, high libido, kinky Black character without morphing them a stereotype to be used for the sexual satisfaction of white viewers. Just as white people that do kink are humans with inner lives, so are we. Do better by your Black characters, and your Black readers, by showing us that respect. 👍🏾

[wlwmedarda]

I'm honestly just looking to rant and this might be long depending on how fast I get irritated the more I type so if this isn't coherent or well written I apologize in advance. Since it looks like Ambessa will take on a more antagonistic role in arcane season two, I would like to unpack the fandom's antiblackness that you guys are either blind to or aware and too pussy to call it out as my gut is telling me it's gonna increase and if no one is gonna start the difficult conversation then I sure as hell will.

Sevika:

Mel:

Starting off strong with the definition of "you guys want complex female characters but can't even handle her". Mel Medarda is in quite the predicament seeing how she's morally grey, a black woman, AND "gets in the way" of a mlm ship so she was kinda screwed from the start. A cunning politician disowned for her pacifism who acts as a sort of bridge to Noxus' slow introduction, and is THE ONLY CHARACTER IN THE SEASON 1 MAIN CAST SPECIFICALLY CREATED FOR THE SHOW. She's treated like satan incarnate or a Jezebel (highly suggest looking into that if you don't know what that is), GOOD character analysis is rare, and when she is talked about positively, it's so often chalked up to appearances that I'd rather yall not talk about her at all. Oh you love Mel? Then can we talk about her relationship with her mother? Unpack her dynamic with Jayce? Maybe more fanworks centered around her? I've seen yall's fake asses dropping the shittiest fucking takes about her only to turn around and gush over how pretty she is, and yall think you're slick about it and you're not. I would say I prefer the ones who are loud and proud about their hatred but that'd be a lie, they're two cheeks on the same ass; annoying and couldn't give a decent break down of her character if a gun was pointed at they head even she's perfect to dissect. I could talk about her more but we'd be here all day and so many black women even from outside the fanbase have already talked about yall so there's no need for me to add on 🤷🏾‍♀️🤷🏾‍♀️🤷🏾‍♀️🤷🏾‍♀️.

Quick question, have you guys ever tried to talk about her in a non sexual way? Yes, Sevika is undeniably sexy and you could argue that true stans of hers talk about her outside of horny time, but a good half of the fandom is a different story. In a similar case to Mel's, deep dives into her character are rare to find which is crazy when she acts as Zaun's own "kingmaker". She's loyal to her city and the cause, never to a specific person and will not hesitate to betray you. She could be your right hand man one day, and the next she might find a better kingpin to follow and stab you in the back like it all meant nothing. "Were you tempted?" "Not for a worm like him". Simple and subtle and probably my favorite Sevika scene; she comes to realize Silco is no longer the best leader for Zaun, but he's as good as it gets for now and so she sticks by him. I remember a YouTube comment breaking down how she's essentially the quintessential Zaun: a brute warrior molded by her environment, who defied Vander's peaceful ways and embraced Silco's cruelty. Her mindset and goal is interesting and you'd think it'd result in some fascinating meta or exploration of her upbringing when we got a hint that she potentially has some daddy issues right? Obviously, but what do we get instead? White sapphics treating her like nothing more than a sexual object. How delightful!

Ekko:

This might partially be Riot's fault because — and I hate to sound like a league lore nerd — Ekko is quite underdeveloped compared to the richer origins of his former pre arcane self, but I'm gonna hold off on that till the season finale to see how they handle him. Anyways, at this point the fandom clearly sees him as Jinx's trophy husband. When you talk about him, she is brought into the convo 90% of the time. That's exactly why I prefer black timebomb shippers over the nonblack ones because I trust they actually love Ekko as a character on his own. Even though I have my complaints regarding how's been written so far, I still know he's too good to be reduced to Jinx's loverboy. He fights and cares for his city, the only character that you can confidently say is pure of heart, and is the revolutionary leader Zaun really needs. He's just as smart as Jinx too, he is literally going to create TIME TRAVEL. Why does no one wanna talk about that? Can we be excited for his character development and arc not just for the timebomb scenes you'll get out of it?

Ambessa:

Can't even deny this woman is awful but her presence on screen enthralled me after a couple of rewatches and I also love bad mothers in media so I've settled on a love/hate relationship. Yes, she's definitely gonna have some influence on Caitlyn, which makes sense since she has now lost her mother; she's vulnerable and as we have seen, naive. She's practically free real estate for Ambessa. My recent worry though has been how the fandom seems to be willing to put all of Caitlyn's actions on her as if Cait isn't a grown ass woman who can make her own decisions. Of course being grown doesn't mean you're immune to manipulation, but I've seen some Silco and Jinx comparisons and it is NOT the same. Mind you we haven't even seen the first three episodes; we don't know how far Ambessa's manipulation is going to go and we can't really tell what the dynamic is gonna be like based off of clips and trailers that are likely shown out of context on purpose to throw people off. I'll never defend her actions, hell I'll join in on the lashings, but my black ass is also not gonna sit here and let yall talk about her weirdly or pin all of this on her.

Some might say I'm overthinking this, but I've been here since November 2021 and have sat back and observed for 2 years. You don't have to write deep, philosophical conversations 24/7, I'm sure it's not all in bad faith and I won't act like I don't thirst over Sevika or marvel at Mel's beauty. I'm not saying you have to like these characters and that you're racist if you don't. My frustration comes from the lack of nuanced conversations and hypocritical opinions surrounding black characters in this show. When you try to say something about this, you're hit with excuses; it reminds me of how man obsessed fujoshis act when they're questioned for not giving two fucks about female characters. They're either reduced to one character trait, only admired for their looks, or only discussed when it's about the white character they're connected to. Do NOT under ANY circumstance be black and morally ambiguous, you WILL be held to higher moral standards than everyone's wittle blorbos who can do wrong and are defended from all sides when you dare to take the rose colored stan glasses off and criticize them. What's really ridiculous is you hear the "complex characters" bullshit every two to three business days and some of you have the nerve to boast about this series being diverse while simultaneously ignoring the complexities in the characters of color. This is the main reason I took a step back and with season two around the corner I thought "Hey, maybe it'll be better this time!" and it was a mistake. Good to know yall still have an underlying racism problem you don't wanna address but with some extra classism thrown in. "What will we do once Arcane ends?" hopefully get a job, touch some grass, and reflect. Lord knows yall need it. The faster yall sizzle out the better. I'm done that's all I have to say lol goodnight 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽.

[cheddar-cheese-enthusiast]

rant post about thunderbolts ahead— if you have an issue with me bullying your white faves (or have an issue with me saying the words “white faves”), then this post probably isn’t for you:

ok here we go— main issues with thunderbolts:

my issue is not with the “sambucky divorce”. idgaf about the sambucky divorce. my problem is the blatant racism surrounding every mention of sam wilson outside of his own movie, and the way he has been constantly overshadowed by marvel.

bnw had some problems, yes— but it was true to it’s characters. sam is treated with respect, and even bucky gets a wonderful, in-character cameo, and is mentioned multiple times throughout the film, all in positive ways.

the only mentions of sam post-endgame have been in bnw, tfatws (which were both his movie and show), and more recently, thunderbolts. and all they gave him was a shitty post-credits scene where they called him dumb for trademarking the avengers name.

i don’t care what marvel’s intention with this scene was. i don’t care if they wrote it to be a “haha funny sam is suing them” joke. there is no fucking way that not one person in that writers room knew how this would be taken by the fans.

sam has been constantly drowned out to push everyones white faves. captain carter, a one-off character from what-if has had more mentions than him. and now people are saying that john walker, of all people, should have been captain america. and i’m also hearing rumors that chris evans will be playing a role in doomsday.

it’s very clear that practically no one at marvel ever cared about sam wilson, and that they are trying to drown him out and overshadow him.

and it’s becoming increasingly obvious that people only like sam when he’s playing nice with bucky. i watched tfatws and thought “bucky is in the wrong! there’s no way people are taking his side in this argument!” and i go online and see everyone berating sam for being mean to their favorite white boy. i see this pcs for thunderbolts, and the same exact thing is happening.

and before people jump on this post with “oh, they were forced to become the new avengers, they didn’t actually want it” 1. again, my issue is about how marvel as a company is pushing sam’s character down, and 2. you’re telling me there is a 14 month time jump, and they’re still working for the government- the very thing the avengers, espectially sam’s avengers are against? (and 2.5: bucky’s entire political career had one goal- catch valentina, and now you’re telling me he’s been on this team for 14 months?) 3. this is also character assassination for bucky and yelena. neither of them should want to work for the government, especially yelena, given what we saw in the black widow movie.

sam was friends with steve and natasha for years, and he wants to build a team that upholds their legacy. and he is CAPTAIN AMERICA. that is his job. and you’re telling me that he shouldn’t be upset that some random team out of nowhere, which contains one of his best friends, is now the new avengers????? and lives in stark tower????? absolute fucking bullshit.

and if you care more about the “sambucky divorce” or how sad bucky looks in that pcs, get a fucking grip. i’m sure their relationship will be fucking fine. the rampat racism and antiblackness from the mcu has actual real-life implications.

[creatingblackcharacters]

Question 6 anon here, obvs u rlly don't have to but if u wanna argue w/ my comment pls do argue, if I'm full of shit I wanna hear it 👍 This question has been driving me up the wall for years I just want to know why ppl all seem to agree fandom racism is bad and agrees with all the arguments and yet everything's still so racist and would appreciate different perspectives

I just think that the idea you have, that the people who are racist and aren't don't hang in the same circles, is just fundamentally not true.

Like sure, Trumpers might not click on my blog to learn about designing Black characters lol. But a good majority of the antiblackness I've seen on this website has come from people who swear they're liberal or progressive or fight for some cause for something that they deem important... And then just don't apply that grace and logic to Black people. So you'll see people saying intelligent things... and hate negroes 🤣. And then you'll see those people being reblogged en masse by people who agree with their good takes... And maybe don't know about the antiblackness they were just spewing. Not that you can tell who does and doesn't, out of the tens of thousands.

So yes, y'all do hang in the same circles. Yes, the people who need this page very much are also people around you. We have to stop acting like they aren't. I have mutuals who reblog people that I won't follow, simply because I've seen those people keke-ing it up with antiblack, whitewashing bloggers. Even the distant connection there is enough for me to be like "nah, unfortunately I can't kick it with you", even though we're in the same fandoms and such.

Essentially, the call is more often coming from inside the house, and the unwillingness to approach it from within because "oh I'M not racist" is preventing it being answered. Every antiblack sentiment you see in fandom isn't gonna look like an overt slur. It's gonna be in the way people perceive and treat Black characters versus others, in the way they treat Black character design, the way they allow others to slide when they are racist because "their art is cool". That tolerance I've been talking about? That's where you see the line for people, and it's so much closer than folks think.

[fllagellant]

If i see one more “ I find Wyll boring BUT “ comment at all on Anything i am going to get so . Mean .

I do not care if you find Wyll boring for whatever reason . I do not ! And I can promise you people who are like “ Larian should give Wyll more content and care instead of being racists and listening to other racist “ do NOT want to see you like “ yeah he is SO BORING BUT ! When he gets more content he won’ t be ! “

This is not about your enjoyment i literally do not care . The motivation is not “ Wyll is a boring character “ ( he isn’ t . Btw . He has one of the most interesting character backgrounds and is one of my favourites characters like . Ever . Even with his current state in game . ) this is not about you defending yourself on random posts about why we should not be allowing antiblackness and racism to go unnoticed and unpunished . This is not about YOUR enjoyment this is not to make him suddenly so interesting to YOU .

No one needs to hear it it’ s always the same . Wyll is boring Wyll is too cheesy Wyll is too good for me Wyll isn’ t enough but it isn’ t my fault at ALL !! Yes he had a content disparity . Yes his story will massively benefit When ( NOT IF . ) Larian actually add more content to his personal quests . Yes he deserves so much more than what Larian has done . However , this is not the time for you to Lament how much you Dislike Wyll on posts asking for people to send in feedback and criticizing both fandom and Larian . You look foolish , to be honest

Just reblog the posts . Just send the feedback . We have had to deal with so much negativity from fandom at large about Wyll and you guys are STILL AT IT CONSTANTLY . Literally not the fucking place

[livingdeadhorse]

Ykw, something that’s been on my mind a lot is how (most) people understand on a surface level that Daisaku Bandai’s character is racist, but they aren’t willing to engage with what that says about Kodaka.

It’s not the average “donut lips” racism that we’ve come to expect. Kodaka lifted the entire character from minstrelsy. From his looks, to his talent, to his name, to his entire personality, and even that absolute nothing of a death. (Yea, I think naming the character you based off an enslaved Black man something along the lines of ‘Eternal Harvest’ is fucking wild) Like I hate that people’s solution to the problem is “he should’ve lived!” No, I don’t think he should’ve been conceptualized at all.

Do y’all know how crazy it is to be more racist than “donut lips” and speedrun to “the smiling slave” caricature? And this isn’t me reaching, Kodaka stated he got inspired by Uncle Tom lmao. “Inspired” is doing a lot of heavy lifting when it’s essentially another variation of the minstrel show* character.

(*Uncle Tom in the book is a different matter but in short; if you remove that character from the context of antebellum slavery and make him a comic relief character…Congrats! That’s just another character in the long line of minstrel show Uncle Tom’s.)

Usually I’m careful to not immediately jump to “this creator is intentionally racist”. However, I think that if he portrayed a Black character like this in 2016, then it’s safe for me to assume that the antiBlack racism in THH was intentional mockery.

You don’t portray the guy with locs as dirty, “useless”, cowardly, and stupid by accident. And you don’t portray the ambiguously Black woman as an “ogre” or a missing link (read: long-winded way of calling her an ape) by accident either. Yes, I’m well aware that she was canonically light and then got darker with strength (lmao). I still look at her concept art, see different iterations of a Black woman, and know that on some level that’s what they intended for her. And sorry, but y’all let that Little Black Sambo shit slide too easily. Whenever people talk about 1-2’s problems, they never bring ts up. It’s annoying.

Maybe the game didn’t just “age badly”, maybe Kodaka’s actually just not fond of Black people.

[creatingblackcharacters]

i have a question im seeing an influx of elphaba/glinda fanart based on the movie but sometimes im not sure if the artist drew Black hair correctly? i wanna reblog but i dont wanna promote art that doesnt draw Black hair correctly but i also dont want to be overly critical of the art? im using my best judgement but sometimes it feels like none of the way people draw Black hair looks right and i have to lower my standards i feel like im going crazy scrutinizing elphaba’s braids every time i see art on my dash is it supposed to be like that (i am poc but not Black)

It's maddening, isn't it?

You're talking about lowering your standards and being less critical, but the standard is "depicting a Black woman as she looks". That's the bare minimum! Cynthia Erivo said that she intentionally chose microbraids for Black girls to see that style on screen- choosing not to depict that style as is, is tantamount to saying "fuck them Black girls and their rep".

So! This is a CHOICE that you have to make!

Do you choose antiblackness for the sake of your enjoyment? Do you accept that you'd rather be antiblack in order to feel comfortable, to feel included, to feel "more sane"? Because you've said the quiet part out loud- be willing to accept that you'll be letting antiblackness slide for fun! But it's easier!

Or, do you choose to keep your standards, and accept that it is, ultimately, lonely? And yes, it is sad and hurtful and crazy that in order to be included, you have to accept racism (and you're not even a part of the group being demeaned this time). You can choose antiracism, and accept that it means seeing just how normalized racism really is in your spaces, and just how unwelcome being Black really is. And that is hard.

Me personally, I usually choose the latter. It is lonely, and 8/10 I cannot share the art of the "Black" character I love. But I think it was Che Guevara that said "If you tremble with indignation at every injustice then you are a comrade of mine." 👍🏾 My integrity means a lot to me- if they don't respect me, I gotta respect me, and I respect those who own up to the hard choice.

[weaselbeaselpants]

Lily, I did/do agree with you on some fandom takes, especially back during the DownWithMolestia days. Heck I agree with a lot of your takes in current year. Even if I agreed with you on everything you say I'd still fucking drop you and hope every single one of your fans wakes up and does so to for the right reasons --that you're a predator/lying abuser, not that you hate Gay Rocks in Space-- too.

Like, you wanna hear proof some folks' who I not only liked but REALLY like their videos and still absolutely think are in the wrong?

JonTron and Brad Jones.

I still find myself quoting their damn videos every now and again because god damnit that shit is/was funny, sue me. I loved CinemaSnob especially and god JonTron's videos were so much fun.

Too bad JonTron said some of the worst, most horrendously antiblack shit I've ever heard and has never fucking apologized for it or even BEGUN to have an iDubbz moment. I believe Pewdiepie feels+understands what he did was wrong more than JonTron and that's a bad sign. Jon was funny, a white person. Don't care. I'm never going to follow anything he makes again because the stuff he had to say was heinous and no it doesn't just "go away" because another white yter is in trouble for this kind of thing or it's been so many years since his 'canceling' and 'doesn't matter'. Really?

CinemaSnob is less racist (publicly) but he showed his true colors by publicly choosing to stay with his toxic friends and showing he was a two-sided jerk, and then made up lies about doxxing and harassment just to sweeten the deal. What he did (while roping Double Toasted in no less) was straight up admit that he doesn't care about any of the shit leveled at Channel Awesome, even after CA themselves admitted to hiding a sexual predator, because "he'd still have a career" even after he hurt anybody. Say all you want about any yter, breadtube or whatever, being callous and 'uncaring' or blocking ppl that just disagree w them- "apologize even if you don't mean it = dumb", "Logan Paul filmed a dead body and he still has a career", it's that side you showed of yourself, Brad, that is always going to make me actually genuinely hate myself for quoting your old videos or seeing you show up in an old Phelan or Allison vid.

Whether it be personally or politically, you can look like an ass and even the biggest fans of your work are gonna be shaken up and drop you for it-- to which you'll probably say they were never really "your REAL fans" for being "sensitive" w really it's just people having independence and critical thinking.

I would not be the person I am now if I didn't disagree/look into the drama buzzing around my personal fav yters like Lindsay Ellis and Jenny Nicholson with an open mind. I know (of, not rlly know) these women and their careers and the points where they were definitely getting harassment and if there's any credible basis for shitty behavior they've done - no matter how I feel about their work, I DON'T want to defend it just because I have this parasocial comfortzone in their essays. I don't want to entertain hate campaigns and lolcow farmers, I want to always do my due diligence and genuinely know "wait wtf did 'x' say about 'x'." In the case of folks like Ellis or PanPizza or Quinton Reviews here's usually always some degree of nuance or-"yes soandso isn't a [thing I thought they were cuz of drama I saw], but I'm personally allowed to not like them bcuz of how they handled these accusations"-vibes. Valid asf. That's me with some of the people I watch, like Wendigoon. It's fine.

In the cases of JonTron, Brad Jones, Emily Youcis and now Lily Orchard....no. Fuck this. I'm an adult and it's not the quality of your work you make whatsoever, it's all about your personality. If you are shitty and vile, possibly even criminal (hate speech should count as criminal, Youcis) and you don't even begin to care that you are any of those things...yeah why should I give you the time of day or treat your work like it's different from you as a person?

[eah-confessions]

Am I the only one who feels sort of... weird about Cedar as a character? Why did we get literal wood as our first main instance of a somewhat dark-skinned Black character? It just felt... like... weird? I am not necessarily saying EAH is anti-Black for this, however it does create some awkward and unfortunate implications. I know Cedar's story and issue is about how she's trying to claim her humanity, despite being made of wood. I know that's her story. Yes, it's meaningful and impactful that a wonderful character like her is Black or Black coded. However, it can also include the fact that... there is still this concept of distancing humanity from her in the process. I only say this is accurate because there are just so few Black (dark/medium skinned characters in EAH) that are barely fleshed out in the show. So you cannot really share how Black girls are people and have personality, lives, love interests, etc. I mean Briar is possibly Black, and is very well written, however... she was also rather light skinned in comparison to Cedar and Justine. Justine and Nina don't really count, because they're barely fleshed out. Yes they have good personalities, but they were cursedly introduced too late into the story. So yeah, it obviously has very negative implications whether EAH wanted it to be so or not, about Black girls. I won't deny the point of Cedar's story, particularly her character in the books. However, I just... don't know. I am a NB (nonBlack) person of colour, but even I can notice unfortunate misogynoir and antiBlack implications. No, I'm not necessarily saying EAH is antiBlack or misogynoir, but it has those elements in it... Not to mention, it's just awkward seeing how there were like dozens, upon dozens of White characters in the story... I KNOW EAH is a product of its time, I understand that. I get that. Doesn't mean I can't critique it or look at it through the lens on how it shapes our understanding, views, and the implications on how we and others are meant to see Black girls. As forgotten, as not AS well fleshed out as they could've been, as smaller in comparison to the White leads, etc. We need them to be light-skinned or something for them to be given a shred of attention or spotlight. I have to critique EAH on this lens, it may be one of my most favourite shows ever... however, think about how many Black girls watched the show noticing the disparity and lack of characters like them. They deserved to see themselves in fairytales too. Cedar, Nina, Justine, and Briar will never be enough to make up for that. Also, wished we had some Asian representation (South Asian, North, East, West, Southeast, etc.) however... everyone and their mother knows EAH would've never done that... sooo yeah. I also wouldn't have minded any kind of Indigenous representation for any of the characters, or some South American and Mexican representation too. I do not know, it just would have been nice.

-

[prototypeluv]

yap session 01: gender and yt supremacy

Something's been plaguing my mind lately- the idea of my gender. What I'm perceived as- I know a lot of my peers just play me off as a 'woman'. Which in SOME ways, I agree with. For example: my experience growing up as a black fem will forever change my perspective. Black women are one of the most hated demographics, even without the queerness I associate myself with. The world is ridiculously antiblack, and it sounds insane, but I unfortunately don't see that mindset changing anytime soon.

A lot of the black genderqueer folk I meet are fem presenting like me. Whenever we get to why, it always comes to this: it's easier to navigate life as a hyperfeminine person in the black community. Blk women are already masculinized to a certain degree, our natural bodies being called provocative. The features of our faces are picked on because they don't adhere to a white standard. Black athletes in women's divisions often are forced into being drug tested because of endless accusations of performance enhancers. We're disrespected on the sole basis of being black and feminine, add queerness to the equation and it makes things ten times more difficult.

My features are soft, and my body is shapely- I cannot pull off the androgyny that I desire to attain. There's never black androgynous rep, just pale and predominantly white folks. It's ruined my self-image in some ways. I look in the mirror and curse the lips given to me by my mother. My high cheekbones and small face do nothing but feminize me. I can wear the most 'masculine' outfit (whatever that is) and still be seen as just a woman. The complexity of my gender isn't acknowledged due to my features. I turn to hyper-femininity because it gives me one extreme when I can't pull both. I do my makeup, wear skirts and crop tops, embrace the natural curves of my body...because it's all I can do.

I don't want to be seen as just a woman. Yes, I consider myself a black woman, but that's because my experiences are intertwined with my gender identity. The experience of growing up as a black woman carries with you. It's always in the back of my mind when I'm in public. I can't be too loud; I can't be upset, or I'll be a walking stereotype. My solidarity lies with black women, it forever will- especially considering that the faces of androgyny are nothing like me. Name a black genderqueer icon that doesn't have money- that doesn't have access to the fashion, makeup, and wigs that we working-class queer folk don't. You can't. All of our ideas surrounding androgyny are just combined aspects of a white supremacist beauty standard. A pretty face (slender nose, long eyelashes, sharp jaw, smaller lips) and a 'masculine' body (muscle, thin, tall, shorter torso and longer legs). Realistically I will never attain this form because I *can't*.

I want to be confusing; I want to be a pretty boy- handsome and gorgeous at the same time. I want to change outfits and be properly gendered despite what I wear. I want to fit that standard, as much as I hate admitting it.

[eobarried]

ok let’s talk about miguel o’hara because it needs to be done. i want to clarify that this is not a hate post or anti-miguel in any sense, but it is a critical analysis of his character and role in the spiderverse. if you don’t feel like you can read this right now, i suggest you like it/save it for later and read it when you feel like you can with an open mind

especially for anyone who’s a miguel enjoyer (i consider myself one as well) because if you really love his character, it’s important to understand why his character was created and what a great narrative tool it is! anyway-

miguel o’hara is, allegorically, a bigot. 

now - let’s unpack and clarify that. miguel is allegorically a bigot - his character is used to represent a certain, specific type of bigotry we see in real life. notice how i’m saying “bigot” and not “racist” - because despite the memes, i don’t think miguel’s hatred of miles is rooted in antiblackness. i think it’s rooted in something a little more complicated, which is why i’m using the term bigotry. but this can be a little confusing, so let’s start from the beginning. or, at least, the most important part.

the canon.

i want you to really think about the word used here - canon. hearing that word should break the fourth wall for you, just like hearing “he’s got hammerspace!” should have earlier in the movie - or discussions different characters have surrounding their distinct art styles. it’s meant to break the fourth wall and draw attention to itself. specifically, the use of the word canon here is meant for us to take a step back from the in-universe events (treating the characters as “real” people and looking at events logically) and instead think of the spiderman story and mythos.

spiderman, as a story, has been told over and over again. we, as an audience, are deeply familiar with this story, as we’ve seen it as a live-action blockbuster in no less than three separate franchises. that’s not even mentioning all the cartoon adaptations, and of course the comic runs. adhering to a specific formula surrounding the story makes sense. when someone walks into a spiderman movie, they have certain... expectations. that no matter what version of spiderman this is, that they follow certain story beats and adhere to certain rules as they follow along in their journey. miguel, when explaining this to miles, focuses on said story beats (which i’ll get to in a second), but there’s something that’s way more important than specific plot points that we need to address here.

and that’s theme. 

theme (if you’re not an english literature person), is basically something you take away from the story. it’s usually a moral, idea, or concept that can be applied to the world around you, and helps you learn more about yourself, society, culture, or history. all stories have themes - usually they have multiple. so let’s get into it.

the original spiderman comic was notable in several ways. the thing that made spiderman so popular and successful is that he was the first (notable) teenage superhero that wasn’t a part of a greater team. spiderman wasn’t a sidekick that was written in to appeal to an audience of children. he was a teenager himself - but he was no less competent or strong than the (mostly adult) villains he fought. 

and not only was spiderman a kid - he was the kid. he was a nerd. he was an older white teen, yes - but he represented the type of person who would go out and buy a comic book more than any other hero at the time. before he became spiderman, peter parker was just kind of a geek. at the time (the 60s) this still identified him as an outcast. peter was socially awkward, not good with girls, he didn’t have many friends, and he was bullied consistently. the only thing he was good at was science, basically. we can connect peter’s original portrayal to many legitimately marginalized groups - specifically those that might be autistic and impacted by ableism. to those kids reading that comic, they saw a hero that represented them.

and how does peter represent them? what does spiderman teach these children by reading these comics? the original spiderman is the story of a man who, by chance, was granted the opportunity for greatness - to become an integral part of his community. spiderman uses his skills (both those granted to him by the spider, but also those that he inherently has, such as his skills with science and engineering), in order to prove his worth and merit. it’s lonely, the road he has to walk - he can’t tell his friends and family who he is, lest they become victims like uncle ben - or lest they betray him. he can only rely on himself and his own knowledge in order to protect his community. the themes we draw from spiderman are this: luck can strike at any time, but you need to use your own strength and intelligence to pull yourself up afterwards, no matter how hard things get. no matter how many people you lose.

that’s what miguel believes spiderman is about. this original spiderman story is that of the american dream. of a youth who is ostracized by society (for whatever reason), but is still able to use their own merit to overcome the obstacles placed in front of them and the grief and pain they face on their path to greatness. it’s a hard and lonely path, but miguel values anyone who has the bravery to face it.

so why does he hate miles?

because he didn’t do it alone. because miles doesn’t believe in the traditional american dream.

if you want to read more about that, check out my analysis comparing spider-society and visions academy over here (it’s not as in-depth as i would like it to be, but it gets the job done) but basically: miles believes that every person deserves greatness. he states it very clearly when talking to his dad about how he won the lottery to go to visions: he just got lucky. he feels as if he took an opportunity away from someone else. why is it just given to him, when anyone else at brooklyn middle is just as deserving of an amazing education? when these resources should be put to use to uplift his whole community, not just miles alone?

miles brings that same energy as a spider-person. he’s not just an anomaly because his spider was from a different dimension. he’s an anomaly because he had a mentor. not only a mentor - he had a whole clan of spider-people there for him. while peter b parker and the crew weren’t always very good allies for miles, they still wanted him to succeed. each spider-person was an outcast - not in the same way as miles, but they were eager to describe what miles needed to master in order to keep himself safe as a crime-fighter. although they weren’t always supportive, it wasn’t because they were “gatekeeping” - it’s because they were worried miles might hurt himself. to them, he hadn’t put in the work on his own, and because he hadn’t proven himself as a spider-person in isolation, they thought there was no way he could be successful as a spider-person during a very high-risk mission.

however, miles proves them wrong. it’s true that miles has to pull upon his own inner strength, but he also pulls on wisdom from those that mentored him - his father, his uncle aaron, peter parker, and peter b parker. as well as love and support from his community. miles became spiderman - but not in isolation. he had help, and support, and love - always - that helped him succeed.

because spiderman - in all universes - represents success in america. in the original comics, spiderman is able to overcome his status as an outcast in order to help his city. he now has great power - a potential allegory related to wealth and social or political status. he uses that power in order to protect the community he loves (nyc) as they can’t all protect themselves.

now let’s bring it back. miguel. right.

miguel has already made his mark as a spiderman. although we know he broke canon, it wasn’t related to him becoming spiderman. we can assume that miguel still went through serious struggle and trauma to get to where he’s at. and now, through thematic analysis, we know that becoming spiderman represents success in america.

so, miguel’s dislike of miles, thematically, connects to how older generations may believe that younger generations “have it too easy” or “don’t put in the same effort.” it’s the (mainly capitalistic) ideal that in order to succeed, it has to be in isolation, without outside help. we can infer that miguel is not only upset that miles didn’t do things “canonically” - but that he is afforded success that miguel doesn’t think he deserves. miguel believes that in order to succeed in america, one needs to do it on their own, and suffer in order to succeed. no “hand-outs,” no support, no community outreach. it’s a very rigid capitalistic standard - which is why i called it “bigoted.” miguel is still a marginalized figure - and it’s important that miguel is the one stating the viewpoint, not a white spiderman. because this isn’t a white vs black storyline. miguel’s dislike of miles is specifically a sort of generational, inter-community bigotry.

for someone who hasn’t experienced it - think of it like hazing. you join a new sports team. the senior players say “you carry the equipment out and clean everything after the game.” you ask “why? can’t we all just do it together? aren’t we supposed to be a team?” and they say “no. you’re the new guys. hard work builds character. deal with it.”

alright. so we took a look at canon through a meta-story lens. now let’s pull it back even further.

so, miguel’s ideology. he adheres firmly to canon, a series of events that cannot (or, should not), change. if we apply that to our lives, that sounds a lot like predestination. destiny. fate. let’s call it predestination for now - you’ll see why in a minute.

now, a belief in predestination makes sense. it can bring a lot of people comfort, thinking that horrible events are out of their hands, and often times it can be harmless to believe in predestination in these instances. for example: someone who blames themselves for not being able to say goodbye to a loved one who died suddenly. if this person believes in predestination, it might ease some of their pain and guilt to know that there was nothing they could do - that it was the will of some higher power that their loved one is gone, and that there was nothing they could do to prevent it. some individuals might find comfort in knowing that they are not to blame for the work of the universe.

however, predestination can also be malicious. thinking that things are the will of the universe, or the will of god... that’s been used for some pretty fucked up stuff in the past. in a more moderate (and topical) example - royalty. many kings used the concept of predestination to explain why they deserved the crown. their bloodline was chosen by god himself - that’s why they’re powerful (compare to spider-people and their success. if they are also predestined for their spider-bite, doesn’t that make them akin to monarchs?)

in more nefarious examples, predestination can be used to subjugate and oppress others. predestination was used in ancient indian society in order to justify the caste system - utilizing the hindu concept of karma to justify why certain members of society were mistreated and oppressed. in a more american sense, predestination was often used as a way to justify both slavery and segregation. originally, slavers tried to justify that god wanted black individuals to serve as slaves because it was his will. later, when divine intervention fell out of fashion, they attempted to use eugenics to justify that black individuals were simply born inferior - that it was just science, and that there was nothing they could do about it.

that’s the other reason it’s called canon. the original usage of the word was to refer to the books of the bible that the church recognized as legitimate. it ties back to faith and religion. 

now, religion, faith, and even the belief in fate itself - are not inherently bad. miguel’s belief in predestination doesn’t make him a bad or bigoted person inherently. however, the way he forces other to believe and adhere to it is. it’s very likely that miguel became so attached to the canon in order to justify why his wife and daughter died - in order to remove his own accountability for their passing and instead place the blame on some higher power. this belief snowballed out of control, however - and now influences his jealousy and distaste for miles and his way of life.

because forcing a canon - a story - on miles, is wrong. when miguel tells miles that his father must die, that he has to adhere to canon - that’s a horrible thing to say to a young black boy. to tell him that in order to be successful as a marginalized individual (to be spiderman) that he has to lose the last black male role model he has? it’s heinous! it’s akin to telling miles that in order to succeed, he has to cut ties with part of his culture. which does happen to young marginalized people in america. they are told that in order to be successful, they have to leave their culture, community, and support system behind.

it’s especially sinister when looking at it from the point of view of storytelling. when looking at it from that angle, miguel is basically telling miles that in order for his story - the story of a young black boy - to be profitable, he has to go through even more trauma and loss. it’s similar to what his guidance counselor mentions when discussing how miles should write his college entrance essay - that he should lie, and emphasize that he struggles while growing up, and that his support system was unstable. it’s the traditional story of a struggling black boy - which i discuss more here when talking about earth 42 miles and his inclusion in the spiderverse.

miguel’s bigotry is centrally tried to his idea of what american society expects of marginalized individuals who were able to achieve their dreams despite it all. a story of pain and struggle. one where they were able to - only through their own strength and intelligence, and maybe with a little bit of luck - pull themselves up, and quietly work towards their own success.

miguel’s belief in the american dream and predestination not only influences his treatment of miles, but also his creation of spider-society. now, let me be frank: miguel, in this franchise, is not supposed to represent someone who created systematic oppression. he’s simply one of the people who believed in bigoted ideals and allowed those ideals to influence his decisions. because when miguel created spider-society, it basically became an elitist isolation chamber. spider-society is located in a huge tower on miguela’s earth. the tower is so tall and imposing on the utopian landscape, there’s no way that miguel is able to properly support his own community as spiderman - he’s not worried about what happens to his own community. especially once we learn that a good portion of them live underground, where miguel can’t even see them. even if he wasn’t occupied with anomalies at all times, there’s no way he could even connect with nueva york around him.

the same can be said of all the spider-people in headquarters. they’re not even in their home dimensions. how can they possibly support their communities when they have isolated themselves as far away as they could literally be? it parallels how successful individuals often treat their communities in reality - what do wealthy people usually do at the first sign of their wealth? they build a huge mansion to get away from it all. many times in our capitalist society, wealthy and successful people abandon the communities they should be supporting. 

miguel represents that. he is a successful, powerful person, who decided to focus only on other successful, powerful people like him. marginalized people who achieved the american dream on their own. people who, instead of uplifting others, instead tear down those who don’t fit into their “mold.” who are successful in their own right, but don’t hold the same ideals and values that they do. who aren’t the model example of marginalized success in the eyes of the (white) american “audience.” 

miguel is a product of a great problem within society. while he partakes and perpetuates bigotry, that doesn’t mean that he’s irredeemable. the narrative shows that miguel is a broken man. if we think about to the end credits scene from itsv, where he calls his dimensional travel bracelet a “goober” - he wasn’t always so hateful. he wasn’t always like this. he can un-learn his bigotry and he isn’t completely lost. the way that he discusses his ideas - it’s clear that he knows that there are flaws in them, just as other spider-people consistently point out. he can be changed and improved - just like our real leaders and role models can be changed and improved. miguel is not without saving - but it’s important to remember that he does need to be saved. 

[witch-apologist]

I think you may misunderstand something. A client always has priveledge over a service worker during their interaction. This doesn't necessarily mean they would hold priveledge over them n other situations if they're both working class and people of color, but let's be real here, people of the same social standing absolutely can be bigoted against each other.

Hell even classist, have you seen how impoverished blue collar workers talk about impoverished customer service workers?

And especially racist, and let's be real here, a lot of desis are racist specifically towards black people.

Your first point is just objectively incorrect, as a service worker I have seen in real time workers having class privilege over customers. Yes, usually this is the case but it simply isn't for every situation, which is what I have been talking about. The most vulnerable in our society, those whose poverty is evident on their person, do not get these privileges. I watched in real time as we were told to take mistreatment from well off looking customers but watched poor customers be escorted off the premises, and threatened to have the police called on them, for acting a little too weird. Especially in service industries where the service we provide is essential to life. We are paid to be the gatekeepers of food and you don't think that has any class overtones when there are people who cannot afford food or have to beg strangers for money or help? When you can't afford to lose out on the dinner or groceries you needed because the man outside ignored no contact and refused to leave unless you answer the door? (Happens all the time btw ask any disabled person who relies on delivery to get groceries)

People of the same social standing CAN be bigoted towards each other of course but social standing is incredibly complicated as well. Which is again, why I am making the point that the women who are MOST vulnerable to sexual harassment and assault from delivery drivers ARE THE WOMEN OF THE LOWEST CLASSES. The ones with the least security measures, the ones with the least ability to fight back either through the system or with their own resources, the women least likely to be believed. I'm sorry but a white man driving a Tesla while he doordashes on the side has class privilege over a brown woman in a dilapidated house. This is a dynamic I know exists because I pay attention to the world around me. My point is not every issue is as open and shut black and white applicable to every single person, as you want it to be. Class analysis HAS to remember those of us who live outside of our generalizations or we risk becoming the very thing we seek to call out!

There may be an antiblack problem in Desi circles there is also quite frankly, lots of anti-indian racism amongst lots of groups that include poor people, especially in the UK.

[captainofwonder]

i think i accidentally left a rambling, gushy message @ the wrong tumblr because i’m nearly blind in one eye alongside being near-sighted, ergo i struggle with reading small print and i couldn’t find any external links to this account, and therefore assumed your hellsite handle was the same as your other socials 🥲 welp! i’ll just go curl up in a hole and die of embarrassment in just a moment—

i’ll try and paraphrase my original message without chatting off your ear like i did that…poor soul yesterday, so hi! hello! here from your recent video: “fandom is dead, here’s how we can fix it”; i’m allergic to leaving youtube comments, so here i am instead lmao — i really appreciated the approach you took to discussing the matter of modern fandom. i’ve seen the occasional post about fandom etiquette show up on my dash here or on x/twitter, but almost never on my feed in video format before now — oftentimes when fandom is “discussed” on youtube, even by content creators with massive platforms, the essayist is either condescending in a “kids these days 🙄” manner or they’re going “LOL! look at the cringe! aren’t those people weird??” while pointing and cracking jokes to the fellow normies about shipping drama or cosplayers doing a stupid little tiktok dance and sacrificing nuance and humility for maximum entertainment value, like some kind of. twenty-first century freakshow attraction. your video felt, refreshingly, like an actual discussion with the community, with you actually bringing in and platforming our voices on the matter, rather than a takedown — it actually reminded me a lot of coleydoesthings and princess weekes’s content, just a tad more blunt, and that is a compliment. you just got a new follower <3

i’ve been in online fandom for a. long time, just like a lot of my fellow y2k babies, it seems. i’m relatively young, physically (twenty-four, the second funniest number lmao) but i’ve been a lurker since i was ten years old — reading ff.net stories on my dinky little DSi web browser — and i officially joined my first online fandom at thirteen, so i’ve been around to see the gradual shift from the last gasping breaths of Ye Olde to our current climate in real time circa 2014-16. i’ve heard the death throes as old titans slowly withered and died (ff.net and livejournal, you will always be missed) and their decomposing bodies give way to more accessible but also more corporatized spaces and i’ve seen the gradual shift in attitudes among people for both the thankfully better (the “cosplay is not consent” movement, growing awareness of antiblackness and ableism in fandom spaces, more pushback against the blatant fetishization of queer people, etc.) and for the dismally worst (antishippers, harassment campaigns, growing entitlement regarding fanwork such as the unauthorized selling of fanfiction and giving unwarranted “critique” on fics, a general consumer culture dominating fandom culture as of late, etc.) and BOY, do i feel like a sixty year old man sitting on my porch, yelling at clouds, sometimes. i’ve also noticed, at least in the spaces I frequent (i say as if i’ve ever ventured outside my jayvik hobbit hole in six months), that there seems to be something of a resurgence, for lack of a better word, or nostalgia for Old Fandom™ — or, at least, the ✨ aesthetics ✨ of such — nowadays, and i’m hopeful that this might lead to another shift as the young’ins grow out of their more conservative, black and white thinking laced with vitriol and mudslinging in favour of becoming more conscious of their behaviours and embracing the more open-minded approach of the old merged with our more modern, progressive sensibilities — and perhaps we will see the creation of more personal fandom spaces we can congregate to that are not so tightly restricted to our current “social media” algorithm-sullied hellscape climate drenched in capitalism and irony poisoning, what with the creation and growing popularity of social networks like neocities alongside the modern titans like ao3. eh, what can i say? i’m an optimist, perhaps to a fault :skull:

i promised not to talk your ear off only to do exactly that; i fear i am beyond help 😭 you seem like an absolutely lovely person and i will be definitely checking out the rest of your content. and, just to check in, i sincerely hope your day is going well <3

lol thanks for the message I really appreciate it! and I can definitely relate to having grown up online to see what the social media landscape has become today lolol. Thanks again!

[creatingblackcharacters]

For a few years now, since I became aware of the concept, I've tried to impress upon my white friends that the culture-less state of being American whiteness relies on is A, a sad way to live; B, something that can and does lead to harm, including but not limited to cultural appropriation, and especially at the expense of Black people and culture; and C, something that is in their interest to try to escape from without performing said harm.

This has been a somewhat difficult idea to explain, but Sinners does it so flawlessly. It really gives white viewers the tools they need to understand not only that this type of harm exists, but also that they are quite capable of it. I'm often the friend who has to take people aside and be like, "heyy, you actually do capitalize the first letter of Indigenous, yes even in this context," and movies like Sinners make that kind of work so much easier.

This is not to say it is the responsibility of movies and such to educate audiences in this way of course, but when such a piece does come around, it can be a lot more accessible and thus more effective than, say, a textbook. To that end, do you know any other media that do a similar job of giving audiences the tools to make race and racism easier (if not less heavy or painful) to talk about?

Thank you for your help, and for running another accessible resource for learning about this stuff! I really appreciate what you do here.

Btw, while I am in your inbox--do you have any other media you want to hype up, whether or not they have to do with the topic at hand?

There is plenty of media about real world figures suffering under the violence of racism- Malcolm X, Fruitvale Station, When They See Us, Jasper, TX, 12 Years a Slave, Selma. None of those things are "easier" watches, but it does put the brutality in your face. I'm not sure how you could watch them and not get it. There are also documentaries- look up documentaries of the Black experience! Grass is Greener, Stamped, 13th, I Am Not Your Negro, LA 92.

I am averse to saying that fiction movies would necessarily make it easier or more accessible than a documentary telling you the facts straight up. Because even for Sinners, the movie didn't give you the tools, it gave you the symbolism- if you lacked the tools walking in (media comprehension and the base understanding of antiblackness and manifestations of white racism), then no, you didn't understand the movie- and a LOT of people have shown that they did not understand Sinners!

I will say that I have mixed feelings about this. A lot of Black people are very tired of Black trauma movies. Now, I do think it's important to recognize the violence in our history- it is CLEAR that we need to know and remember these things, to show that they happened and that we saw them! But I understand their frustration when it comes to questions like yours, where you want people to understand racism through being- and I hate to say it this way- entertained by our suffering. Because it's like... How many of these movies do we have to make, where we bleed and suffer and die on screen, and y'all still don't do anything after watching it? Why do you have to see fictional people suffering to understand, when the real ones don't move you? Why does it take a movie to enforce our humanity?

That's why you can show them these movies, but if they're not willing to watch the documentaries or do the reading, their efforts at antiracism will only go so far. Make sure you tell them that last bit I said, because it's something y'all need to think about.