#but also for my family there's the issue of language barrier and racism so i don't know if it's different for other people

[mythicpopularculture]

ELEMENTAL SPOILERS FORTHCOMING

So I went with my daughter today to an early showing of Elemental. I have to say, one of the initial quick takes I had was “this is Zootopia if the WildeHopps shippers were given creative control,” because of certain story beats that lined up for me.

I’ve seen some criticism that it has a lazy racism storyline. I’m here to say that, in my professional (MA in English) opinion, this is not a racial allegory, but instead a commentary on the general immigrant experience, and what it’s like as a first-generation native-born, trying to be yourself.

That’s not to say there isn’t an ETHNIC element: Ember’s family gives a vibe of being from the general area of either the Middle East or Indian subcontinent, especially due to some of their ethnic dress and reverence to the blue flame (the Zoroastrian faith uses fire as a focal point for prayer and devotion). Wade and his family, on the other hand, has the “old-money WASP” thing down to a science.

No, the main commentary here is how immigrant groups are generally treated by native-born populations in society. Starting from the beginning when Ember’s parents are given Anglicized names because of language barriers with an immigration officer (a common practice particularly with Eastern European immigrants at Ellis Island), then the issues with finding housing (reminiscent of many images of landlords refusing to rent to Irish or Italian immigrants), and on into their eventual settlement into a run-down storefront/apartment, in “Firetown,” a segregated district in the city (much like many Chinatowns, Mexicantowns, and Greektowns around the country).

There’s also been gripes about the animation style, that it’s boilerplate Pixar styling, that it’s boring. I refute that, to an extent. The animation works for its purpose, to visualize what’s REALLY doing the heavy lifting, and that’s the writing and acting.

Writing-wise, this is beautifully done, even with some of the rom-com tropes that appear, they’re given a unique feel based on the environment and the strength of the immigrant narrative. The final climax, as the flood bears down on Firetown and Ember finally confesses her love to Wade just before he evaporates, was particularly strong on an emotional level, making the catharsis that much better when Wade returns to life (I had to laugh that he literally cries himself back into existence!).

The voice acting is also a big strong point, especially since this film did not have the typical Pixar stunt-casting: the only name I recognized in the cast was Catherine O’Hara playing Brook. These actors with not-so-recognizable voices did a beautiful job with the script, and brought real feeling to their line reads.

This was well worth the time and money to see. It’s going into my Disney+ rotation the instant it arrives. The only bad luck is that it came out in the same year as Across the Spider-Verse, otherwise it would be a strong contender for best animated feature, based on the writing alone.

[bmenvs3000f23]

Privilege and Nature: Are they connected? - Blog 3

Privilege, to me, means that certain groups of people have greater access to things due to their race, economic status, and physical abilities. Due to privilege, certain groups have a greater ability to access places and activities, and this has been seen in the environmental world. Often, white individuals experience privilege more than minority groups, and white men especially have been recognized as the most privileged group. As a member of a minority group as a black woman, I have noticed that my black community represents a group that has lacked privilege. Racism is one factor that has influenced privilege, and unfortunately, many minority groups still face racism directly and indirectly today. Studying environmental science and working in various co-op jobs, I have seen a lack of diverse employees and students studying environmental science. Learning more about the lack of diversity from a nature interpretation point of view mentioned in the textbook was interesting. Unfortunately, I was not surprised that there were racial differences in the groups that get to experience nature. The textbook mentioned that some people lack the privilege to participate in nature events due to issues such as high costs of outdoor equipment and activities, a lack of accessibility to nature due to where they live, a lack of knowledge about the outdoors and the programs available to experience nature, and a feeling of unwelcomeness due to the lack of diversity commonly associated with outdoor programs (Beck et al., 2018). Underprivileged people may have limited experience or comfort in nature. Due to the positive benefits associated with nature and the outdoors, this barrier needs to come down, and the outdoors should be viewed as a space for everyone, regardless of age, race, physical ability, and economic status.

Nature interpretation centres and events need to be accessible for all levels of physical and mental ability, which can be done by involving events for all types of learning styles as well as implementing physical changes like ramps, smooth walkways, braille, descriptive explanations of information and a solid visual aspect which appeals to all ages. It would also be beneficial to include interpreters with knowledge of various languages so that many people can get the whole nature interpretation experience. One recommendation mentioned in the textbook that can be used to break down barriers and increase access to the outdoors is to arrange group transportation to specific outdoor spaces that public transportation cannot reach since not everyone has access to a vehicle (Beck et al., 2018). Holding various versions of nature interpretation catered towards multiple age groups can also allow nature visitors, young and old, to gain valuable knowledge. Another suggestion was to hold nature interpretation tours and experiences during various hours of the day to support the schedules of everyone (Beck et al., 2018). Earlier, daytime hours are accommodating for older audiences, such as seniors. Afternoon interpretation events would be ideal for children or families after school and work! Ensuring that interpretation events are accessible for all ages can allow for environmental knowledge to continue to be passed down for generations and help shape more environmental activists to help protect nature. An initiative to increase the accessibility to nature I have come across is the BIPOC Outdoor Gear Library. They focus on supporting black, indigenous, and people of colour around the Guelph area through an outdoor equipment lending program and by hosting various outdoor workshops and lessons. This is a beautiful example of increasing accessibility to nature for minority groups and allowing for environmental knowledge and experiences to be gained.

The outdoors truly is for everyone to explore; therefore, increasing accessibility to nature interpretation events and offering affordable options can allow various people to truly connect and experience the beauty of nature.

References

Beck, L., Cable, T.T., Knudson, D.M. (2018). Interpreting Cultural and Natural Heritage for a Better World. Sagamore Publishing.

[flamingo-strikes]

Hi I’m a Bangladeshi diaspora aro ^_^

Second gen, so I’ve never visited the country and I’ve grown up in the West all my life though.

Tbh I don’t think my personal experience differs that much from most aros living here. My mom is pretty whitewashed lmao, so she doesn’t have traditional or regressive views on dating. My parents were strict though in some sense. During adolescence, I wasn’t allowed to date or even have a crush (which was helpful bc I couldn’t even feel that way lmao). Also my culture, which is Sylheti, is super weird about romance. Most marriages are arranged and none of the couples in my family and circle are happy. So it’s not like I feel external pressure or desire to end up like them lol, although I do feel like an outsider as par for the aro experience.

I’d say the larger issue for me is being a South Asian woman (I use that loosely tho), and hence facing a lot of racism and masculinization that has made it really hard for me my whole life to feel desired and wanted. Especially when people in my own race are racist, and then there are non-SA people who fetishize me or something. So one of the biggest kind of reasons I guess for how I realized I was aro is that I’ve been wanting to feel wanted, not that I ever actually felt romantically towards someone.

So yeah TL;DR, my aro identity is intertwined with my woc identity in the sense of learning that i just wanted to be liked, and i can’t actually like someone myself.

Although I don’t know if I’ll come out as aroace to them in the future just because they wouldn’t even understand lol (cultural + language barrier), so my plan is to just see how long i can stay single and when they’ll start questioning it 😭

i’d like to read about non-white aro experiences (as well as experiences of aro people from outside the US and UK). i don’t think there are enough explicitly non-white conversations about aromanticism. i remember seeing a demographic poll a long time ago, with a majority of aromantic tumblr identifying as white, but non-white aros exist!

i want to hear from people who can’t/won’t come out because of cultural expectations or language barriers. people who use different words to describe their aromanticism. people who experience isolation from the aro community because they aren’t white (enough). i want to hear about aromanticism from new angles!

of course, no one is ever obligated to reveal their ethnicity or race online. but if anyone has seen writing on diverse aro experiences or if they want to share their own experiences, i’d like to read about other perspectives! (pls send stuff my way)

[shinpredicts]

Marriage - long post 3

Here's part 1 to the marriage post

Here's part 2 to the marriage post

Marriages with Foreigners

While doing readings, there are a lot of people who have strong desires to marry a foreigner and live abroad. Many times they want to live in Korea (we have kpop and kdramas to thank for the great marketing that they do for Korea.) This makes me want to point out that we should not glamorize marriages with foreigners. Just because you are married to a foreigner doesn't mean your marriage is better than other people's marriages or that you and your spouse have a more interesting love story and a deeper connection than other non foreigner spouses do. Just because you married a foreigner doesn't mean that your married life will be smoother than others' married lives.

In fact, my personal opinion is that when you marry a foreigner, you face more challenges. These challenges become even more apparent when you are the one that moves abroad for your spouse and settles in their home country.

Let's say you are the one that moved abroad for your spouse, you will inevitably face culture barriers and language barriers. The language part is an assumption made on part that your language skills are probably not up to the standard of a native's. If you happen to look like super foreign in your spouse's home country, then you'll probably face discrimination if your spouse's home country is very homogenous.

You will also probably face more trouble finding work compared to being in your home country for a variety of reasons.

You're probably leaving your family, friends, or whomever or whatever for this foreign country. You are losing a big support system if you've had some for this foreign country. That can be very lonely in a marriage like when you have a fight with your spouse, you don't really have someone to turn to in person or even on the phone due to time zone differences etc.

Even if you fully learn that foreign country's language, you can sometimes still be considered a foreigner for life. Why? Simply because you weren't actually from that home country and look like the people there.

You might not be fully accepted by your foreign spouse's family. They can be racist. They can be very traditional and want their kid to marry a local person. They probably will have communication problems with you because they don't speak your language and probably aren't familiar with your culture.

And here's another problem that you have to face when you have children as a foreigner x non foreigner couple. Some people think it's so "exotic" or having biracial children somehow leads to "pretty" people. Stop. Stop that thinking please. Biracial children often face issues with their identity and they often get bullied at school, especially if the biracial children live in a country that is very homogenous (i.e. Japan/Korea.) Racism unfortunately is still very prevalent so depending on the biracial children "look" they can be treated ok, well, or poorly. That is a sad reality that exists today. Biracial children often feel like they connect to 1 culture but they also connect to another culture. They're neither fully there or fully here, which can make them very confused and frustrated. Though they may speak their native tongue fluently, because of their looks, they can still be treated as a foreigner, especially in a country that is very homogenous. If they can't speak the other parent's language fluently, then people also judge them for not being able to do that.

Divorce/Separating from a Foreign Spouse

Oh, and let me just say divorces/separations with a foreign element are horrendous. If you have let's say A is from China and B is from USA. They both have decided to live in USA when married. They met in China and lived there for a while. However, A later moved there for B because B couldn't find a job in China. A has some asset like a condo in China bought pre marriage. A would prefer to have the divorce done in China because Chinese law makes it more favorable for A. B would like it done in USA because it's easier. Who gets jurisdiction over this divorce: China or USA?

Let's do another example with children now. A is from Korea. B is from England. A and B have 2 young kids together. B moved to Korea for A. A wants the children to remain in Korea and wants them to stay in Korea. B wants the children to go to England and live with B and their family. Where should the children go: England or Korea? Who gets custody of the children? How does the other spouse get to see the children like the parenting schedule?

Let's do a 3rd example. A is from Japan. B is from Ukraine. A wants a divorce. B has left and disappeared to Ukraine. A wants to serve B the divorce papers. How to serve them to B? What rules to follow to serve them to B????

Let's do a 4th example. A is the foreigner. B is from a local country. A moves to B's country under some marriage visa/spousal visa application. A needs to be married to B at least X years to get their citizenship in B's country. B wants a divorce 1 year before A fulfills the X years of marriage needed to get B's country's citizenship. Now what?

I'm not saying don't get married to a foreigner. I'm just saying that you shouldn't glamorize foreign marriages. Just because someone has married a foreigner doesn't mean that their marriage is going to be great. If you're just wanting to get married to someone from a certain ethnicity, I think you're just setting yourself up for a recipe for disaster.

[whitepassingpocs]

is white passing privlege and white privlege the same thing????

hi! no, it's not. though it's a common misconception that it is. 

white privilege, like most forms of privilege, is a spectrum,and wpbipoc exist on this spectrum much closer to the white end but are not fully aligned with white people. 

white-passing privilege is conditional (white privilege is not!!), dependant on a great number factors, and only maintained so long as a wpbipoc is perceived as fully white by peers. here are some examples of why white-passing privilege and white privilege are not the same.

for instance, many wpbipoc have intergenerational health, education access, wealth and intergenerational trauma issues in their family that affects them, and is linked directly to the impact of white colonisation and racism on their family. eg. I may be white-passing but my Aboriginality is directly related to increased genetic risk of a whole tonne of health problems, including my autoimmune disorder.

furthermore, many white-passing BIPOC have non-white names,  leaving us vulnerable to systemic discrimination. people with less white-sounding names are less likely to be hired for jobs, less likely to be approved for loans, even less likely to be chosen on dating services. in many places, regardless of how u look, if u identify as indigenous, you are far less likely to be successful in any kind of application process.

there is also an incredible amount of historical precedence for white passing bipoc throughout history being denied resources, access, wealth, etc because of their racial herritage (see: one drop rule, white australia policy, assimilation policies for lightskinned indigenous peoples etc). wpbipoc in many western countries still face danger in this way. 

many WPBIPOC also have cultural barriers that will always keep us from fully being seen as white and having white privilege such as difference in language, social cue understandings, education. remember in the west especially, societal structures are rigged against BIPOC to favour whiteness in every way not just based on looks.

white passing privlege is also different for every wpbipoc, depending on their name, family history, race, etc. wpbipoc are not a monolith and to say that all wpbipoc should identify as white simply because we CAN benefit from a very conditional form of white privlege is extremely tone deaf.

wppoc do benefit from white privilege because of how we look and this privilege accumulates day to day, especially because we are less likely to be racially profiled/affected by colourism, but the amount we benefit is always conditional and because it is always conditional it’s not complete white privilege. x

[alchemabotana]

Shamanic Identity

Today I’m taking the time to write this post about something so personal and dear to my heart: Shamanic Identity.

You’ve probably seen it too: people with no right to the word Shaman using it liberally to describe the work they do. I’ve written several other posts about shamanism, its history, and my personal practice here on this blog, but that’s not exactly what I’m writing about today.

The word “appropriation” doesn’t begin to cover this topic, although it is a word that applies to the concepts I’m addressing. The concept of Shamanic Identity is actually not a complicated one at all: a Shaman is an intermediary between the Spirit World and the Physical World, between the multiverse and dimensional realities that are unseen and the seen world. These people do so by simply existing and taking up space. There are Shamanic Practices, Shamanic Techniques, Shamanic Ceremonies, and Shamanic Rituals, but that’s NOT Shamanic Identity. These things are simply words and labels we’ve developed as Shamans to describe categories of actions that we take in the world, not our Identity.

For example, if I stopped offering healings, making medicine pieces or altars, performing rituals or ceremonies... I would still be a Shaman, because that’s who I was born to be. I know Shamans who drive trucks for a living, are maids, trash collectors, incarcerated, or in a mental hospital: but they’re still Shamans. They don’t need to take a special class, tell you their genetic lineage, or practice a specific modality to be a Shaman.

So what has created the Shamanic Identity crisis that is so widespread in this current age? What it boils down to is The Cultural Iceburg. 

The Cultural Iceburg is the concept that what we see when interacting with an individual is not all there is. When people think of Shamanism they associate it with our Customs, Language, and Music. But they mistakenly ignore Values, Priorities, Assumptions, Body Language, Stories, Manners, and Space/Time Concepts of our LIVED EXPERIENCE.

This is why it’s so easy for someone to put on the headdress, get a rattle or drum, and start claiming that they are a Shaman. Why do these people do this? Primarily to gain a position in some social group or setting they’d like to belong to (usually not the cultural group they are appropriating from, but others in their racial/social/socioeconomic/class structure). These individuals are also highly motivated by FINANCIAL GAIN.

I want to take some time to talk about financial gain and Shamanism. I’ll be frank, I don’t know any rich Shamans. I don’t know any Shamans who feel completely comfortable charging a fair price for their services, and I know a lot of Shamans who have gone hungry and homeless because they don’t feel right about charging money. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pay a Shaman the fair price for their work (services or goods). Just as you would pay someone a fair living wage for hours worked, you ought to pay a Shaman for their work. It’s that simple.

But there are many clear examples, unfortunately many of them in my hometown community, of people taking Shaman Schools or Shaman Certifications or Shaman Classes (usually online - not that there aren’t authentic shamanic online courses) in order to claim that they are a Shaman or to show “proof” that they are “qualified” to be a Shaman. I ran into this when a local hospital approached me about coming on board as a Shaman in their clergy. It became very obvious that their department had no real clue what a Shaman does, as they asked for proof of my schooling and accreditation as a Shaman. When I told them I wouldn’t provide those materials because it is not culturally appropriate, they asked me for the names and qualifications of my teachers. My teachers also did not have the qualifications they were looking for, and I REFUSE to play the “show me your identification card” game which is insulting to our elders. 

Are you starting to get the picture?

Shamanism is a complex identity structure. It requires a person to have certain prerequisite gifts. That’s not something you can give a person or teach a person in a course or school. Some will argue that you can transfer gifts, but I will argue that you have to be a Shaman already to receive them. In my experience as a Shaman it has often been necessary to teach other Shamans how to manage their gifts so that they would not be overwhelmed by them. Shamans have to deal with a complex cultural stigma against their very identities: don’t talk to dead people, don’t listen to voices, don’t communicate with spirits, don’t you dare see one or you’ll be labeled insane. If you’re a Shaman of BIPOC origin, just go ahead and layer institutional racism on top of it, and you’re in for a flurry of misunderstanding and bigoted response to your very identity out there in the “real world.” Shamans have to learn to navigate incredible barriers to basic human rights when they take the steps to seek help for mental or physical health issues. Some of those issues have nothing to do with them, except that their care providers are too ignorant on complex cultural matters to be good advocates for their care. This is why the great majority of Shamans that I have taught, studied with, or been in the care of, have tragic stories of healthcare gone wrong & wrongful incarceration/mental institutionalism. I really don’t know a single Shaman who doesn’t struggle with a mental health diagnosis, complex PTSD, or Epigenetic Trauma.

For those of us born of family lineages, we have to navigate Epigenetic Trauma as well. We have to face a healthcare system that was built on experimentation on our ancestors, and overcome major trust issues to receive treatment for conditions that most average citizens of the US suffer from as well: anxiety, depression, PTSD, domestic violence, sexual violence, etc. Except, when a Shaman goes to receive help they have to explain why they see spirits and their whole cosmology before someone takes them seriously around conditions that have nothing to do with their Shamanic Identity. Sometimes Shamans feel they HAVE to be honest about their experiences with these providers, even if it hurts them. They have most likely been abused for their Shamanic Identity, and aren’t so much sharing their experiences to seek help for the woo-woo, but help navigating abuse.

But those without real Shamanic Identities just take off the label Shaman whenever it is convenient. They do not have to bear the burdens of Shamanic Identity, but receive the financial benefits of associating themselves with the term. These are the folks who come to me desperate to associate themselves with me as a student, so they can claim they have met the “requirements” to be a practicing Shaman for their business profile. It’s been incredibly hard for me to navigate this within myself and not respond immediately with rage. Instead, I try to educate people tactfully - some are more responsive than others. For example, I had a student once inquire about my Shamanic Mentorship - a mentorship program I offered pre-pandemic in which I explicitly stated the purpose was to receive mentorship from a Shaman. Nothing more. This particular individual had a yoga studio and wanted to “Add Shamanism” to what they offered. I tried to explain the impossibility of such a venture, especially with me as their token Shaman who would bestow this identity on them, so they could monetize my cultural and identity for their benefit. I never heard from the person again, although they do still own and operate a studio in my hometown, they have taken no actions to support our Shamanic work on any level. My hope is that they realized the futility and ignorance of their request, although I’m certain they had no intention of ever supporting us at all. 

You’ve probably seen this kind of “shamanism” online on instagram posts, influencer pages, and people who are what I call “shamanic curious”. All these individuals have done nothing to truly commit to alleviating the pains and sufferings that they’re causing by appropriating someone’s actual identity. They feel like they have the best intentions: “Omg! No!! ONLY LOVE AND LIGHT SIS!” (eye roll). However, they tend to be completely ignorant to the damage and stress they cause to real Shamans through their selfish actions. “Being curious is ok right? I mean, I have the right to explore my identity through yours and see if it gets me friends, likes, follows, and MONEY, RIGHT?” No. Go home. Think about what you are doing when you try on someone’s identity and put yourself out there as the face of that identity. Would it behoove you to consider that Shamans themselves have had to strenuously defend their identities to others? Would it perhaps be a real act of love and light to give up your curiosities and turn over that experience to an actual Shaman? Have you considered that you cause real physical, spiritual, and mental harm to Shamans, and clients that you take on in your exploration of Shamanic traditions, rituals, and ceremonies?

If you don’t truly have a Shamanic Identity I encourage you to stop what you’ve been practicing right now, sit down, and ask for forgiveness from the Spirits, as well as living Shamans and their Ancestors. I would go to a real Shaman and pay them properly to remove the slew of crazy toxic attachments you’ve definitely been accumulating, and release you from the karmic debt you are certainly incurring. If you can get a job doing anything in the real world sector that doesn’t involve you crawling up into someone’s energy stream, I would suggest you take that job and step out of a sector you know nothing about. It’s amazing to me what people think they can make-up about themselves and others because deep down they also believe that Shamanism is made up. If it’s all made up, then you can do anything you want with no repercussions and still make money off someone else’s identity. And you still think you’re not harming anyone? 

If you’re a Shaman you know that you can’t fake it til you make it. There’s no faking the Spirits, Guides, and Ancestors. There’s no faking a spiritual or psychic attack. There’s no faking the spirit’s communication to you, or their visible presence. And when you go out into the world, no matter what you do, people are going to find you for your Shamanic Identity.

For example, I once worked at a test grading facility one summer marking up EOG exams. While at this job at every break an elderly woman would come up to me and share her stories, always with the caveat “I don’t know why I’m telling you this but...” and then go into a story about how her deceased father was contacting her at her home. He would do so by knocking things off tables and moving things around. I asked her what he thought he was trying to tell her. She eventually concluded that he wanted her to move from her house, but she didn’t feel ready for that. I suggested that she tell him this next time he made his presence known. Next time we talked she shared that she had spoken with him and that the incidents then stopped. After that she didn’t come up to me to talk, and someone new started talking to me. My boss brought me photographs from her time in AZ as a young woman, depicting petroglyphs that matched my shamanic tattoos. She said “you know that means you’re a shaman right?” I laughed and nodded. At one point everyone in my grading group was feeling very ill, one of the proctor overlords had decided to crank up the AC and everyone was freezing cold. I brought everyone blankets and stones. One gentleman later asked me what the stone meant. I told him, “it’s a piece of quartz, it doesn’t have to mean anything, it can just be beautiful”. He said “No, I mean - they mean something. I know this sounds crazy, but some really bad stuff was going on with my family: financial and health problems. But when I brought that stone home, everything changed immediately. I need you to know that.” I acknowledge him and told him yes, this can happen - the stones heal who they want to, that’s just part of our understanding of them, but we don’t expect others to believe the same way. He said “I don’t need convincing, I experienced it myself”.

No one article can even begin to truly communicate the issues surrounding the theft, appropriation, and misrepresentation of Shamanism in our world, let alone the internet. I mean, the Q Anon guy called himself a Shaman too and the media just ate it up. Why? Because it is exotic and ignorance makes for good press, and good press makes for money. 

And I don’t write this to depress or discourage anyone, especially others out there with a Shamanic Identity. Instead, I hope that this encourages you and helps you advocate for yourself in this crazy world. I hope you stand up for yourself to people trying to take advantage of you, especially people in the medical field. I don’t believe that our medical field is based on true healing practices, and I can’t really get into that rant here, but I also don’t believe our doctors mean to be “bad people” or wallow in ignorance: they’re just products of their own cultural issues as well! 

However, if you’re a Shaman struggling to receive mental or physical healthcare because someone in your family or caregiver team is purposefully using your Shamanic Identity to paint you as crazy, please feel free to show them this article and demand that they use DSM-5 to evaluate you. You deserve nothing but the best treatment. You don’t need to feel ashamed for feelings of paranoia, terror, anxiety, depression, or PTSD. People who aren’t Shamans deal with it too, so don’t be afraid of those words. I don’t know many Shamans actually disturbed by their gifts. They aren’t actually suffering mentally from seeing or hearing spirits, but from the reactions of their family, friends, colleagues, and health professionals to their actual identities. These Shamans aren’t afraid of the Spirits or Ancestors, and have had to be put in the position where they rely on those spirits to provide the care and discernment of truth that should be provided by the health and wellness systems. It’s time for the gatekeepers of the medical industry to acknowledge their bias, their systemic failure of these individuals, and the exploitation of in-need Shamans. Once that has happened, real care can be provided for issues not caused by a Shamanic Identity inherently, but by external forces of society that come against a Shaman. 

This article is dedicated to the sweet Shaman who visited my shop today with only $2 to exchange for altar work. She shared her story in great detail of how the medical industry was abusing her in the ways I’ve outlined before. She was discouraged by it, seeking information to provide to herself and her care team so that she could get real care. I was happy to provide her with the shamanic goods she needed and gift it to her as a birthday present. I tried my best to give her free resources to access for her healthcare and talking points to share with her medical team. Sister, this is what I promised you on my blog, and I hope you enjoy it. Also, I wish you the Safe Passage you’re so willing to offer others, as well as the brightness of your spirit back to you. I hope that things resolve quickly and you get the respect you deserve, because I honor your Shamanic Identity, and I appreciate you honoring mine.

[rotationalsymmetry]

Long post about how justice needs to be about the people harmed, not the people causing the harm. From justice for individuals to social justice. Some non-graphic discussion of rape. Behind a cut, partly because of the rape stuff but mostly because it’s really long. Somewhat rambly.

I’ve got one more in me. At least. Hang on.

My brain will fan out in one of a thousand arbitrary directions and then not want to go back. I can do this.

Ah, right, “as usual this isn’t about being a bad person.” The US and I’m assuming the Western world in general, has a really skewed idea of justice. We think it’s about the person causing harm.

Let’s say someone rapes me. Let’s say it’s one of those mythical rapes that almost never happens: a stranger in a dark alley relying on physical force. OK. That’s bad. That’s not a stealing baby formula kind of crime, it’s not something that just shouldn’t be illegal in the first place or something that wouldn’t be an issue under a more fair economic system, that’s really bad.

(A massive percentage of the prison population is there for nonviolent drug crimes, and in general illegal is not the same thing as wrong.)

Is putting the rapist in jail going to help me or other people? I mean, maybe I’ll feel a little bit safer, maybe?

Except that’s not how most rapes happen. The guy who actually raped me wasn’t a stranger who physically overpowered me. He was my boyfriend. And he didn’t need to overpower me because I trusted him and thought that since I’d said that I wanted to do some things and not other things he’d respect that and, well, turns out I was wrong.

There is no way in hell I would have gotten a conviction, if I’d even contacted the police, if I’d even seen it as rape at the time. I’d have to prove, in a court of law, beyond a reasonable doubt, that it wasn’t consensual, and how do you do that? And most rape victims can’t. Because most rapes are committed by someone the victim knows — a boyfriend, a spouse, a friend, an acquaintance — and they’re not committed using physical force. (Alcohol/drugs are really common, although not in my case.)

How do you prove it was rape? You don’t.

That’s the bad news. The good news is, you don’t have to punish the rapists to create a world with less rape in it, or to support people who have been raped. You can tell the truth about rape and dispel the myths. You can make therapy widely available, and medical care including abortion widely available and cheap or better yet free. (In spite of what a certain Republican politician has claimed on the record, there’s no special magic that keeps people with a uterus from getting pregnant if they didn’t want the sex.)

Oh, and including generous support for parents who don’t have a lot of resources, for victims unlucky enough to get pregnant who choose to not go the abortion route.

You can promote consent culture (talking about what getting consent looks like) and fight slut shaming (slut shaming is always also rape victim shaming) and promote bystander intervention and make certain kinds of “locker room talk” socially unacceptable and spend an inordinate amount of time talking about “It’s Cold Outside”.

You can address the myth that false accusations of rape are common. You can impose social and economic consequences on accused rapists without waiting for or requiring legal confirmation. You can bring “missing stairs” out into the open. You can decide this isn’t a good time to talk about the Rule of Three when a rape victim asks for a curse in your online pagan group. You can believe victims and support victims and not ask a bunch of weird “ok, but you must have done something to make him think you wanted it” type questions.)

(Um, I’m mostly using male perpetrator/female victim language here, but rape absolutely happens in queer contexts and women can sexually assault men or boys, and believing male or nonbinary victims and people who have been victimized by women or other not-men is important too.)

Hmm. I don’t think this is exactly what I wanted to talk about here. But I guess I’ll roll with it?

Anyways: if my rapist was in prison that wouldn’t do a danged thing to help me. What helps me? Project Unbreakable. Yes Means Yes. Other people who have been raped talking about their experiences. A lot of people being very emphatic that it’s not a “misunderstanding” thing and it’s not the victim’s fault. People talking about what the emotional fall-out of being raped can look like, and how there’s no “wrong” way to react to being raped. People who make it possible to talk about this stuff without getting a lot of weird ass reactions.

And, you know, health care and stuff.

And this is what justice should look like: what helps people who have been harmed, what mitigates the damage, what promotes healing. Which pretty much always starts with speaking truth and dispelling the myths.

It’s really, really, really not about the perpetrators.

And it’s the same thing with all oppression related stuff. Racism isn’t about white people. This anti-immigrant xenophobic stuff going on in the US, isn’t about white US citizens who are overly fond of weird candy metaphors, it’s about immigrants and their families and what they need.

Fighting the patriarchy fundamentally isn’t about punishing men or doing anything with men at all, and taking the focus away from men is a really important step in fighting patriarchy.

Fighting ableism isn’t about temporarily abled people at all, and I have to say as a formerly temporarily abled person (or at least formerly able bodied person) that term resonates with me hard. It really is a fundamentally unreliable state of being.

Anyways: it’s about disabled people. It’s about being clear on the differences between what our conditions do to us and what a human-made world does to us. It’s about taking our voices out of the margins and putting them in the center. It’s about resources and support and challenging the idea that worth is connected to productivity or independence. It’s about being real and upfront about how while work often needs to be done, work isn’t worth. It’s about acknowledging that sometimes what happens to us isn’t caused by us. It’s making space for seeing people who are sick or injured who aren’t getting better, ever. It’s about representation in media, it’s about accommodations, it’s about addressing stigmas. It’s not about abled people at all.

So: I’m disabled, ableism is (partially) about me. (Definitely partially though — there’s some forms of ableism I don’t experience, and other forms I rarely experience compared to others.) When we’re talking about a type of ableism I experience (like...doctors assuming you’re not really that sick because you look healthy) my voice is important; when we’re talking about another type of ableism (like...people with developmental disabilities being treated as less than human) I need to get into ally mode and support.

I’m white: that means my opinion is intrinsically less important when the conversation turns to racism, because it’s not about me. My role is to support, to not get in the way, to use my privilege to amplify people of color’s voices. Mostly to step back. To listen. To not make it all about me.

Idk, I don’t want to act like different forms of oppression are interchangeable, and I think sometimes I do fall into that way of thinking. They’re not, there’s significantly different issues and concerns. But there’s also some extent to which ideas about one form of oppression can be transferred to other forms, some extent to which generalizations can be made. It’s easier for me to “get” racism if I think about the ways I’m marginalized. It’s not a substitute for listening though.

Anyways. I think people mess up on this a lot. Like, so much of oppression talk would be easier if there weren’t so many people whose immediate reaction to hearing oppression words like “classism” or “racist” or “patriarchy” or “transphobia” was to think “you’re telling me I’m a bad person” or even “you’re saying all men are bad” or whatever. That’s not what it’s about.

You can be really clear that that’s not what you’re saying, and people will hear it anyways because that’s what they’re primed to hear. That’s how they’re primed to think about justice. Which is one heck of a barrier to actually getting justice.

[baklava-yandere]

The Half of It is really raising the bar for coming of age stories (WILL have spoilers!!!!!):

1. Queer *AND* Asian main protagonist

2. Portraying a healthy platonic friendship between the hero and heroine without them being endgame.

3. Addressing how the line between romance and platonic love is hard to tell, and sometimes how we might be pushed by societal expectations for how men and women should interact together, i.e. how guys and girls can only be close if they are romantically involved.

4. Examples of how racism can be towards Asians without using it as a laughing point or to propagate the model minority myth

5. How people can change their prejudiced beliefs and become more accepting by learning more (I'm talking about Paul taking the time to learn about being gay)

6. Proper allyship imo!!! Paul standing up for Ellie at the end (And also before against the students calling her names before)

7. How people are still worthwhile and endearing even if they're not "smart"

8. How language can transcend meaning (when Ellie's father speaks to Paul in Mandarin)

9. The issue of language barriers against immigrants

10. The issue of not knowing whether people consent to physical touch*.

*okay, you could argue that this wasn't really resolved in the end per se and I would kinda agree. But overall, I think Paul learned about not being so sure of himself and maybe the sexuality of others when Ellie pushed him away

11. Family politics can be... Less than ideal (Aster's family and their expectations for her, mostly her dad)

12. Taking a risk to make something beautiful.

13. The necessity to open yourself to create meaningful relationships

I can't think of anymore off the top of my head but this movie was just so beautiful and amazing on a lot of levels, I had to jot it down somewhere haha. Please go watch it! You can do the 30day netflix free trial which is how I watched it.

[ladyhistorypod]

Episode 11: [Insert Political Joke Here]

Sources:

Patsy Mink

National Women’s History Museum

University of Hawaii

United States House of Representatives

Patsy Takemoto Mink

KHON2 News (YouTube)

Further Viewing: Internet Archive, Patsy Mink: Ahead of the Majority (Trailer)

Alice Roosevelt Longworth

The White House Historical Association

Theodore Roosevelt Center at Dickinson State University

Find A Grave

The New York Times

Smithsonian Institute

Wilma Mankiller

National Women’s History Museum

Oklahoma History

Time Magazine

National Women’s Hall of Fame

Smithsonian Magazine

Attributions: Cherokee Nation's Chief Wilma Mankiller, Marching Drum, Power Of People: Sea-Tac Airport Travel Ban/Immigration Protest

Click below for a transcript of this episode!

Archival Audio: I'm really very excited by, and my process says our difficulty has been that not enough have run. We can’t expect that every woman, because she's a woman, the minute she runs she's going to be successful. That's not possible. So we do need to have the numbers in there competing, and given the numbers I think we're going to be more and more successful over the years.

Alana: So this is the first episode that's going to come out after the election is over. Like, by the time this comes out we're gonna know.

Haley: I was thinking of that when I was looking at the schedule and I don't know… I'm real nervous. I have class that night. It's going to my first class being like on the east coast, so I'm gonna be real tired. I’m gonna be with my cat though it's gonna be fine.

Alana: No this podcast is gonna be so nice.

Lexi: To be fair, we might not know who actually won by that Thursday.

Haley and Alana, somehow at exactly the same time: That’s true.

Lexi: Because there's going to be a lot of contention about mail-in ballots. So, dear Lexi listening to this on Thursday or even on Tuesday while editing it of election week; how's it going? What’s up?

Alana: Are you okay?

Lexi: Are you doing okay? Do we know yet? When will we know?

Alana: When will we know? We probably won't know on Tuesday when you're editing it, but… 

Lexi: And we probably won't know on Thursday.

Alana: On Thursday when it comes out.

Lexi: We might get a result and then we might get told it's not the result. There might be a lawsuit.

Alana: This podcast is gonna be really nice for the two of you to have to remember my voice by when I die in the coup.

Lexi: Yes the coup that will occur in DC. That might be more like January.

Alana: That's true, the coup will be in January.

Lexi: When someone refuses to leave… the area… to evacuate the premises.

Alana: Maybe he’ll be dead by then.

[INTRO MUSIC]

Alana: Hello and welcome to Lady History; the good, the bad, and the ugly ladies you missed in history class. Here I am, still on Zoom, with Lexi. Lexi, have you ever run a political campaign?

Lexi: Oh my god. I have.

Alana: Did I set you up for this?

Lexi: Yes. My dog is running for daycare class president. Please vote for him. His name is Captain, he's a Portuguese water dog, he's two and a half years old, and he's really cute. His platform is that he'll give you a snuggle.

Alana: I love him.

Lexi: Me too.

Alana: And someday will be reunited in person, Haley. Haley, what's your political platform?

Haley: I know. My skeleton is allowed to be in my passenger seat so I can ride in the carpool lane.

Lexi: Skeletons is people.

Haley: My plastic Napoleon Bone-aparte should be my second in command. Thus, me going in the carpool lane.

Lexi: Vote for Haley, skeletons is people.

Alana: And I'm Alana and my single issue vote is not ushering in the apocalypse.

Lexi: I have experience as a campaign manager, feel free to hire me.

Haley: A lot of people are gonna hate that.

Alana: No I love that.

Haley: I’ve never met–

Lexi: Listen, the people who support NAGPRA, they will love that.

Haley: He’s fake. My mom really had to grill me and I–

Lexi: He’s not real. Her skeleton is not real.

Haley: My mom was terrified that I got a real skeleton. And like honestly, of all people, I could go on the deep dark black webs, sure, but she even like texted my roommate like when we were all like in a group chat and we were calling or something and she was like “Caroline it's plastic, right.” And then also, y'all were involved in this– when Robert and I started dating, for like months he thought that was real and wouldn’t go near it and was like, heavily creeped out that like he was sleeping in the same room as a real skeleton. And it wasn’t until like I pitied him and–

Alana: First of all, he’s sleeping in the same room as two real skeletons.

Haley: That's true.

Lexi: He's sharing a body with one.

Archival Audio: Because the women have not until recently reached retirement age after having worked a full lifetime, only now are beginning to realize that there is inequity in the law.

Lexi: Congresswoman Patsy Takemoto Mink was born on December 6, 1927, near a sugar plantation. She was born on the Hawaiian island of Maui, and I just have to say, Maui is one of my favorite places on Earth. It was the first place I took scuba diving lessons and it is seriously an amazing and beautiful place. I have trouble thinking of any place I've ever been that's as beautiful. Patsy was a third generation American and her grandparents were immigrants from Japan. The term among Japanese Americans for a third generation child is sansei, not to be confused with sensei which means teacher. And sansei are the first to be raised by parents who are themselves raised in America, so they are very American and that is why they get a special name. Patsy was close with her brother Eugene and the two spent most of their childhood exploring the island together, foraging for edible mushrooms and bamboo shoots which is really cute. The family mainly spoke English at home, but Patsy learned Japanese in order to communicate with her mother's parents. Her father, Suematsu Takemoto, had been orphaned at a young age and served in the military before attending the University of Hawaii and becoming a civil engineer. He served during World War I. Suematsu was the first Japanese American to earn a degree in civil engineering from the University of Hawaii and he set a precedent for his children who would go on to break barriers themselves. Patsy witnessed racial discrimination faced by her family at a young age and this may have served as inspiration for her work in later life. Patsy also grew up in a community where many families did not have the privileges and comforts that her family had, and she realized this when she started to attend school; this also likely shaped her future work. Patsy's parents treated Eugene and Patsy equally, breaking Japanese tradition in which strict gender roles were imposed. This likely contributed to the strong bond that she and Eugene shared, valuing each other as equals. Patsy, who always kept up with her brother, decided to attend school a year early to be with him in class. She started primary school at the age of just four. In the fourth grade, her and her brother were transferred to a new school. This new school, which focused on English language learning, only admitted students with fluent English skills, effectively segregating white students from non white students and indigenous people on the Hawaiian islands. Every teacher they had in class was white. Patsy and Eugene were admitted because they had great English skills, but of course, English was their first language and it was also language their parents spoke to them at home. And Patsy and Eugene were part of only five percent of the student body that was non white, so ninety five percent of the school was white. Though Patsy flourished academically, she had trouble fitting in at the new school and made very few friends. Patsy's hobbies included listening to the radio and reading books which connected her to the world beyond Maui. Eventually, Patsy entered a new school to begin high school. There she was elected class president. She claims the support of the football team helped her secure the position. This was the start of her career in politics. While Patsy was in high school, the attack on Pearl Harbor occurred.

Archival Audio (FDR): Yesterday, December 7, 1941, a date which will live in infamy.

Lexi: Local non-Japanese citizens became wary of the Japanese locals, despite no Japanese Hawaiians being involved in the attacks. Japanese families destroyed culturally significant family heirlooms such as katanas and kimonos. They shut down Japanese language schools and they disbanded their cultural clubs. At the same time, Japanese Americans in mainland America were being rounded up and sent to internment camps. Many of them had been born and raised in America and had never even visited Japan. Some of them were sansei, just like Patsy. But racism and fear led non-Japanese individuals to oust even their closest Japanese friends. In Hawaii, far less Japanese were sent to internment camps and Patsy narrowly escaped participating in a tragic part of her generation and culture’s upbringing. Despite this, Patsy later in life claimed that President FDR was her political inspiration. Patsy graduated from her high school as valedictorian in the middle of a global war. In the fall, Patsy was admitted to the University of Hawaii, her father's alma mater, and she began her studies. She participated on the debate team and became president of the pre-med club because at the time she was considering pursuing a career in medicine. As the war continued, many of Patsy's college friends decided to transfer to schools on the mainland for security reasons. One of her professors suggested she apply to a women's college on the mainland. She was admitted to Wilson College in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania which happens to be my home state. She met with the president of the college upon her arrival at the school; he told her she would probably struggle with her course work because the classes are all taught in English and she would be granted a private room. Patsy later recalled that he was so shocked when she replied in perfect English for multiple sentences, and she was then put in a shared room because if you can speak English, you can share a room. This was Patsy’s first taste of the ignorance many mainland Americans had about the Hawaiian territory, which was not yet a state. Patsy found the course work at Wilson to be below her, stifling her for real learning. She also faced discrimination from classmates and faculty. Because of this, she transferred to the University of Nebraska. It was at her third college that Patsy became engaged with policy making. The university's policy segregated white students and students of color in student housing. The international house, where she assumed she had been placed purely because Hawaii was not a state at the time, actually was home to both international students of color and American students were Black, Latinx, or Asian. The school’s other dormitories and the on-campus Greek housing only admitted white students. Patsy decided to take action and began a campaign to end the discriminatory policy. She led letter writing efforts, worked with the school newspaper, and spoke with local newspapers about the issue. Students she did not even know began supporting her in her campaign. She became president of the Unaffiliated Students, a group of individuals were not associated with Greek life at the University of Nebraska. Patsy was within just one semester a campus leader. The same year she starred at the University of Nebraska, the housing discrimination policy was lifted by the board. Unfortunately, Patsy suffered a medical emergency and had to return to Hawaii to be with her family, where she finished her last semester of college just where she started, at the University of Hawaii. She earned a dual major degree in chemistry and zoology. After graduation, she applied to medical school. Every school she applied to reject her. At the time, women were not admitted to medical school at a fair rate and women made up only about three percent of the student body of most American medical schools. And, because it was 1948, many colleges were focusing on admitting returned veterans. The odds had been stacked against Patsy, and unfortunately she would not be able to fulfill her goal and dream of becoming a doctor. Then Patsy started her first job in a museum at the Honolulu Academy of Arts. Museums always seem to be a factor in our shows… huh… Well anyway–

Alana: I wonder why… 

Lexi: I wonder why… I mean I didn't even know this about her when I picked her so this is super fascinating.

Alana: You were just– you are drawn to her.

Lexi: Yes.

Alana: The museum called out to you.

Lexi: The little museum bit. And this is actually where she met her mentor who encouraged her to pursue law, so it was through the museum that she found her true calling. And she was accepted to the University of Chicago under their international student quota, and though she desperately, desperately wanted to correct their error and remind her that being born in the Hawaii territory made her an American, she did not want to mess up the chance to get into law school, so she just rolled with it. So, she went to Chicago and she started law school. Patsy found law school intellectually a good match for her and it kept her engaged in her learning which was something she really cared about. She made many friends, some of whom were also Japanese American students studying law. It was at law school where she met her future husband, John Francis Mink. John was from a Pennsylvania mining town and his grandparents were Czechoslovakian immigrants. He had received his undergraduate degree from Penn State and was pursuing a Masters in geophysics at the University of Chicago. Patsy and John married while still in grad school. Patsy's parents disapproved, saying they wished that she would wait until the two graduated, though it is speculated they may have had qualms about her marrying a white man. Patsy graduated in 1951 as the first Hawaiian woman to graduate from the University of Chicago with a law degree. John and Patsy remained in Chicago and had a daughter named Gwendolyn who goes by Wendy for short. And after she was born, they decided it was time to move back to Hawaii. A really shitty, dumb law at the time made women citizens of their husbands’ home states. Who decided that, what for, I do not know. This meant Patsy, despite spending less than a semester for life in Pennsylvania, was a Pennsylvania resident. She fought this law, arguing that the couple had never resided there together and she was granted Hawaiian residency and she was able to take the bar exam in Hawaii. Though she passed, she could not find work as a lawyer. The dual reality of her gender and race was working against her. Potential employers found that it would not be appropriate for a married woman to work long hours as a lawyer and they also feared she would decide to have another child. Go figure, they just assume these things about women, blahblah blahblah blah, people suck. So with the assistance of her father, she opened her own firm, advertising herself as the first Japanese woman lawyer in Hawaii. She had few clients, so she worked as a part time professor and took court appointed cases to supplement her income. When Hawaii was granted statehood, Patsy knew she wanted to run for government positions. She helped start a club in Oahu for young Democrats and expanded her interest in politics. In 1959, she ran for a position in Congress, but was not elected. In 1962, she won a seat in Hawaii’s State Senate. She had run an intense door to door community campaign, and it had worked. Patsy became the chair of the Education Committee and served in the State Senate until 1964. Patsy was determined to make change on a national scale and continue to campaign for selection as a candidate for the Democratic Party of Hawaii. In 1964, Hawaii was granted a second seat in the US House and Patsy ran to be the representative; she became the first Asian American woman to serve in Congress and the first woman to represent Hawaii. During the eighty ninth Congress, from 1965 to 1967, only thirteen of the five hundred thirty five combined senators and representatives were women. Patsy was the only woman of color. There's actually an awesome picture of the thirteen women and Patsy’s just right there in the middle with a big smile, but I think it's so crazy when you think about percentages and scale and how that doesn't accurately represent America, and, hm, anyway. Patsy fought for gender and racial equality. She promoted bilingual education, co-wrote Title IX, and promoted affordable child care. As a working mother, she knew she needed to support other working parents. Even though she moved to DC to take her new role she often traveled home to Hawaii to visit her constituents and hear their concerns. In 1970, she was the first Democratic woman to deliver a State of the Union response. She also passed an act in 1974 protecting women's access to equal education. She also spoke openly against America's participation in the Vietnam War, fearing the effects on civilians of the weapons that were being used. In 1976, she attempted to run for the U. S. Senate but lost. Then the Democratic Party of Oregon asked Patsy to run for president. Because they had an anti-war focus, Patsy felt they shared values and agreed to run for them. Patsy only got two percent of the Democratic primary vote, but she broke barriers as an Asian American and woman running for president; she was the first. East Asian American woman to seek the democratic nomination for president. Patsy also served as the Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs in the Carter administration. In 1990, Patsy returned to Congress as a representative for Hawaii. She founded the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and served six more terms in the House. In the summer of 2002, Patsy fell ill with pneumonia. She was hospitalized in her home state. She died in September 2002. Because ballots had already been printed for the 2002 election, her name still appeared as the candidate. Despite passing before the election, she won by a vast majority. Her replacement, Ed Case, still serves as a representative for their district of Hawaii today. After Patsy passed away, the Title IX Act was officially renamed the Patsy Mink Act. Patsy was actually one of the women I covered in my personal Instagram campaign to combat the lack of Asian American women in U. S. history core education standards, and as of 2020, no state public school history standard mentions an Asian American woman by name. I've said it on the pod before, I'll probably say it again; let's make sure students learn about people like Patsy, especially young girls in the Asian American community who can see themselves in politics because someone like Patsy broke barriers for them. Patsy continues to be the subject of documentaries and podcasts. In fact, of all the women that I've covered so far, she was featured on the most podcasts according to my quick Google. Obama awarded Patsy a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom, commemorating her work for the people of Hawaii and the nation, and remembered her as the embodiment of the Aloha spirit. Of Patsy, Obama said “Every girl playing little league, every woman playing college sports, and every parent, including Michelle and myself, who watches their daughter on a field or in a classroom, is forever grateful to the late Patsy Mink.” Patsy left her mark on US politics, paving the way for iconic Asian American politicians today like Mazie Hirono, Tammy Duckworth, Andrew Yang, and even Kamala Harris. Mahalo and arigato, Patsy. Lastly, I would like to thank the National Women's History Museum for the awesome page if they put together on her which I used as one of my main sources and I interned there this summer and the content is really well researched and totally worth checking out if you need resources on other women like Patsy.

Alana: I think I remember Obama– like I remember him giving the Presidential Medal of Freedom to her. And I think I remember him also being like she was a political icon of his, outside of what she did for like Asian Americans and women and Asian American women. Like he was just like this is someone else from Hawaii who was doing cool political things. Like role models don't need to be gendered.

Lexi: Yeah I was just gonna say like Hawaii is his home. It might be that being born there and her being born there really built a connection for him between them.

Archival Audio: My mother and I were put behind a screen door in the drawing room. We were allowed to listen, but we couldn’t be seen.

Haley: This is gonna be a wild ride because I have a lot of anecdotes about my life and to this woman, and this woman is Alice Roosevelt Longworth known as the president's daughter or the American celebrity of her time, and she was even referred to as Princess Alice. Like I said, I have a lot of anecdotes about my life and the Roosevelts. Can I interest anyone with a fun fact?

Lexi: Yes I love fun facts.

Haley: Thank you for your enthusiasm Lexi. Her father–

Lexi: Yes! I love fun facts!

Alana: Always! I always want the fun facts!

Haley: I love these two people. President Theodore Roosevelt is technically my fraternity brother. It's like a technical, like they– we say it, we claim as like the boast Roosevelt is like our fraternity brother but there's no– I think, I don't think there's like actual documentation that they were Alpha Delta Phi fraternity members, so– and also if you're listening to me like “that's a fraternity, no women allowed” I am part of the Alpha Delta Phi Society, we still claim post-split to be like gender neutral and be like “hey, women should be involved not just as our secretaries.” That's a whole other tangent I could go on. Google it, if you will. I think there's even a Wikipedia about it. But yeah he's my fraternity brother. I say that a lot when I like, see pictures or like statues of any of the Roosevelts, it’s a great time. I'm gonna start us off with like an inkling of a Teddy quote since we've been talking about him, and a lot of you may know that this quote whisper it while you listen to it if you're in the car, taking a shower, just chilling on your bed hugging a dog, anyway Teddy once said “I can do one of two things, I can be President of the United States or I can control Alice. I cannot possibly do both.” That's just giving you a taste of what a ride we’re going to go on. So what did Alice do to be worthy of such a quote, and the honor of being one of our political ladies for this episode? Honestly I could go on hours– I know I say this all the time, I can go on an hour long tangent on Alice, and I'm going to keep it just to like her pol– main political topics. Again, cracking this history book wide open to the birth of Alice on February 12 1884. Unfortunately, two days later, both her mother and her paternal grandmother died, and she was raised by her aunt Anna Roosevelt, and grew up with her five other half siblings between New York and Washington. This leads into another fun fact, if you will. You can visit their house at Sagamore Hill, and my friend was a ranger there once last year, and I got to go visit her during our Friendsgiving and slept in one of the barns on their site and there's like, I think Teddy's buried there, Alice is not but we'll get to that. But they have a whole like Roosevelt cemetery, it's a whole historic site in Long Island. The barn is haunted by something because I could not sleep at all, I just felt like something kept waking me up and I kept looking at this like one creaky door. Because we were in like her guest rooms, which was like two, two other twin beds in case they were like more Rangers on duty. And mine looked straight at this old door that kind of like lead into a mudroom and the outdoors. I swear there was no light outside. Like I went around, like the next time, I twisted my ankle trying to get around to that area, and I couldn't find like where this porch light would be giving such a green mist of color around this door at night because like all the lights were like those museum fluorescent like white bright lights or like– nothing green light and it freaked me out. Anyhoo that's end of like my tangent with that fun fact. Go visit Sagamore Hill for more Teddy content. And as a child– back to Alice– it was clear that she was a brilliant woman. Many sources noted that she was quote self taught in many of her areas of studies and was an avid reader. Along with her brilliance, she was considered to be a stubborn, strong-willed, risk taker, headline-maker, rabble-rouser, and trendsetter. Just all the things and you want in a lady. Alice's political side didn't shine through her skin cells until her father was sworn into office after President McKinley was assassinated in 1901. She was also, if not like the first, the first of any of the president's daughters to take like on a political role, kind of like with Lexi you were saying like there are a lot of firsts going on, and I believe this was like a first, for whatever reason, but she was the first of like president's daughter having some sort of political action that she like was like “hey let's fix this. I'm gonna do this, I'm a lady, I'm brilliant, I can do this, I have a voice.” And for example, in 1905 she accompanied Congressmen to Asia as like a quote goodwill ambassador for the administration, for like one of those let's go see the sights that we see a lot of political figures around the world do. There she was involved in a lot of peace discussions that were like post Russo-Japanese War. So there's a lot there. There's a lot on like the White House website that's in the sources, but it was more about the politics rather than Alice herself and I saw that a lot when I was reading things about Alice. Like when it started to get political it was heavily on the politics not much so what Alice did for those political actions or her political voice. I don't know if that's like author writing stuff…  I didn't write it, all I know is that she was married. I believe it was like around 1906 and it was to Nick Longworth– that's why we have the Roosevelt Longworth name– who was actually part of the Republican Party. So at this time it was the Progressive Party which was her father Teddy Roosevelt and herself and then the Republican Party. And Alice agreed with her father on political stances, thus the Progressive Party, thus making these different political ideals kind of like a wrench in their relationship. But there’s a lot of other stuff that made this marriage kind of like a very topsy turvy one. But also there was alcoholism and affairs and they didn't necessarily come from Nick. This is where I read many sources where like Alice had many different lovers. I didn't really dig into Nick’s because like… men… we're here for Alice. But it was noted that she had different affairs, lovers, and these were all other men in the government. More on her political leaning, I didn't see anywhere that they got divorced, but they did have a daughter, Paulina, and Nick died bef– like way before Alice's death and she would– like should write books and go on like traveling trips, even post Daddy being in office to support Paulina. So I said her father died– that was a great segue, good job Haley. Even after her father died, she continued to use her voice in politics. She was one of the people who led the charge to keep the US from joining the League of Nations, and this is we're gonna get into like right around World War II. She was also a tough critic on how FDR was handling the Great Depression, and she at this time had a syndicated newspaper column where she would just bash politics, essentially. She would use this column to speak her voice and say “Hey, I have this, I’m gonna use it, I'm going to speak my mind, not care if I'm gonna piss any other political figure heads off” which… snaps for her. She also used her voice when she was on different committees to help the US, especially throughout World War II. She was heavily on the side of being neutral. I believe she was like even the head of some of these committees, these US implemented committees, to stay neutral. And just like overall politics itself. I couldn't find any where she was on a specific women's rights, education, it was more glossed over. I could have missed something. Other than being on committees, writing in newspapers, going on different platforms to speak her mind, she also would campaign for others such as Taft’s campaign and it was noted that she was friends with the Kennedys, Nixons, and the Johnsons; all other political figurehead families and future presidents. I didn't know where to put this little story, but like I need to say it, it's great. She was known for like, being like, that wild child. But in her wild child youths, she was known for smoking on the White House rooftop, and I'm like trying to picture the White House in my head, and obviously it probably changed a little bit since like Teddy was president, but like… I want to know if like you could see her from like walking on the Mall just like chilling on the roof because her father said she couldn't smoke inside the house for like a whole laundry list of reasons, it's not ladylike, blah blah blah, and she would just go to the roof and be like “I want to smoke. I'm going to do it on the roof. You can't touch me when I'm on the roof.” And she would also carry around a snake in her purse, and the snake’s name is Emily Spinach, yes, Emily Spinach was her… her snake’s name. Like honestly I would just love to carry around like a snake in my purse or any animal in my purse.

Alana: That’s my aesthetic.

Haley: It's an iconic name, Emily Spinach. This also confused me because I saw many pictures of her with a small dog. Like, kind of like a chihuahua, kind of like a pomsky, like one of those small fluffy dog mixes, so I want to know if like the snake and the dog got along. I don't– I don't know. I couldn't see my small dog like, liking a snake much.

Alana: I think small dogs were bred to hunt snakes. I'm not good at like the history of dog breeds but a lot of those small breeds were bred to hunt like pests, so–

Lexi: Rats, snakes.

Haley: Yeah, very confused.

Lexi: I guess if you raised it from a puppy around your snake, it might– it might have a different view, but like I don't let my parrot and my dog hang out. Maybe she didn’t let them hang out. That’s chill. I don’t know.

Haley: Yeah, I couldn't find a picture of like the two of them together, and if anyone does, please send it our way. That is– that would be an incredible portrait. Because she also– a lot of her faces are kind of like a “I don't want to be here” face, the classic “please leave me alone” which is iconic. And like one of her wedding photos is between like her, her dad and like her husband, and her face is just like “I so don't want to be like here right now…” Chef's kiss, I can feel it. I felt the energy. My last tidbit, of course, is while she was born in New York City, she was buried in Rock Creek Park Cemetery when she died at the age of 96. And I actually went to Rock Creek Park Cemetery a few years ago, when living in DC. At least like on the outside of it, if it's the same cemetery. I went to many cemeteries in DC, doing like the spooky tours but also getting from like point e– point A to point B, because like Rock Creek Cemetery is like way to get into like Maryland area. Also, anyhoo, on their website she's noted as one of their famous residents, and on their tour I believe that her like tomb, grave area is like part of their cemetery tour. Keep it respectful, people. And that's my story on Alice. 

Alana: I like that she carried a snake around in her purse. That is my aesthetic. That is goals.

Lexi: Snakes are fun little noodles.

Alana: They’re so fun.

Haley: Snakes are fun. I would love a snake. Emily Spinach. I now want like a stuffed snake to name it Emily Spinach. Lexi, I remember that one of your friends or your sister requested this.

Lexi: Yes, my sister Elena Hoffman who is in law school in DC at the George Washington University. She’s not my biological sister, she's my sorority sister she sent me this like– 

Alana: That always confuses me.

Lexi: Sorry.

Alana: Lexi will say that she has a sister and I'm like no you don't and I've– because I forget that she’s in a sorority.

Lexi: Anyway, she sent me this picture that's like one of those tumblr history… we take it with more salt than the Dead Sea.

Alana: Take your internet history lessons with more salt than the Dead Sea.

Lexi: Exactly. And it was like one of those like distorted screenshots where some screenshots it a million times and shares it like a meme. It was– it was about her being crazy, was like smoking cigarettes on the Mall, carrying around a snake, blah blah, a lot of which turns out to be true, so… Elena, thank you for suggesting her. I hope this confirms your weird internet history for you.

Haley: I really thought because I've seen like some of those pictures too, but it kept coming up in sources that I was like “oh they're not gonna give me like misinformation.” If they were, like I wouldn't be surprised, like misinformation comes up even in like what we call good sources. Like correct us if you're more widespread in the Alice history. Because I keep forgetting that like when we do this research, we do like probably like three hours of research, maybe less, maybe more depending on the person, but there are like, people devoted to this for their life's work. So like please, again we say this every episode.

Alana: If we're wrong let us know.

Archival Audio: “My guest, director, producer Valerie Red-Horse Mohl, let's start with the subject. What is the subject of your– your documentary?” “Well the name of the film is Mankiller and that actually is Wilma Mankiller’s last name. Wilma was the first woman elected Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation and her story is just so relevant today.”

Alana: So my political icon for today is Wilma Mankiller, who has the best last name ever in the entire world, it's amazing. It's actually a military rank that was achieved by one of her ancestors, but kids made fun of her for it. If your name is Mankiller, why would you– why would you make fun of that? Because one time–

Lexi: First off, I would be scared.

Alana: Exactly! Exactly, why wouldn't you be scared? One time as like a grown up she was fed up with it and she said to somebody that it was a nickname and that she'd earned it. And I’m just like, what a woman. Very cool. So, she was born on November 18, Scorpio, 1945 in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Her father's name was Charley Mankiller and he was Cherokee, and her mother was an Irish Dutch woman named Irene Sutton. And Wilma describes her family as an “activist family” so that is how she grew up to be an activist. She was the sixth of eleven children so right there in the middle. And when she was eleven years old, when she was eleven years old, the federal relocation programs that meant to encourage– I'm doing the massivest air quotes in the whole world– encourage assimilation. (Frustration noises) The racism!

Lexi: I just puked in my mouth a little bit.

Alana: The racism! But they moved her family to San Francisco, where they were poor in Oklahoma and they were destitute in San Francisco. It was bad news bears. She married for the first time in 1963 to an accountant from California named Hector Hugo Olaya de Bardi. They had two daughters, and I'm gonna bring up their names�� Gina and Felicia. Felicia is my middle name. I think it was Haley, Haley was it you who I told you my middle name and you thought I was kidding?

Haley: Yeah.

Alana: Felicia is legit my middle name. That's true. I will show you my birth certificates, or my passport probably is more likely because I have that on me. In 1969, there was a nineteen month Native American occupation of the island of Alcatraz. Like nobody was using it, it had yet to become a tourist trap and it wasn’t a prison, and so it was sort of like out of use. But for nineteen months, Native American activists occupied Alcatraz and they like had schools and were just doing really amazing things.

Lexi: That's so cool. I didn't know that about Alcatraz and that is so cool.

Alana: It was amazing. But this happened while Wilma was living in San Francisco, which is you know right near Alcatraz, of course. It awoke something in her. She considered it a benchmark in her activism that inspired her to shift her career more towards political activism as opposed to being a mom and doing other things. Her husband wanted her to stay home and be more of like a traditional– massive air quotes again– housewife, so they got a divorce, which is what I would do as well if my husband was like “no I want you to stay home.” I’d be like first of all, why didn’t you tell me this before we got married we could have saved both of us a whole heap of trouble and just not gotten married in the first place but okay. But they got divorced, and so Wilma moved with her daughters back to her family land in Oklahoma, where she became involved in community government and improvement projects. In 1979, she survived a very bad car accident where her best friend died and she was also diagnosed with– I'm probably gonna pronounce this super wrong– myasthenia gravis, which is a neuromuscular disorder that made it hard to talk, hard to write, hard to use her hands in general. So she started the Bell, Oklahoma water project; and Bell, Oklahoma is a tiny, itty bitty, little town in Oklahoma, so small, most people only spoke Cherokee, and they were in like dangerous living conditions. There was no clean water, it was just a bad time all around. But using federal grant money and local volunteers, she managed to construct eighteen miles of a water system and repair a lot of the dangerous living conditions. While she was recruiting volunteers she met her second husband who was full Cherokee named Charlie Soap. I'm not gonna say nothin about her dad and her second husband having the same name, but okay. That's a deal breaker for me, but you know what Wilma, go for it.

Haley: If I found another person with the name Fuzzy. I think I would have to marry them. I don't know like I feel like that's just too insane not to.

Alana: So Ross Swimmer, in 1983, chose her as a running mate for the Cherokee Nation election as he was running for Principal Chief and he wanted her to be his deputy. And they won, despite sexism and death threats. And in 1985 Swimmer took a position in the federal government and Wilma became full time Chief, full time Principal Chief, not deputy anymore. She served two more terms, for a total of ten years as Principal Chief. She decided not to run for reelection in 1995 because of her health. Under her leadership, tribal enrollment was up, infant mortality was down, literacy was up, unemployment was down. She created a self-sufficient health care system, although that's not really going so great anymore because of Covid and racism. Two really bad things, just in general. Of my least favorite things right now, I would say Covid and racism, really high up there on my list of dislikes. She won the Presidential Medal of Freedom, actually, in 1998 from President Bill Clinton who I'm probably gonna talk about in not a flattering light in a couple weeks. And she died in 2010 of pancreatic cancer. She left a legacy of cultural pride and self sufficiency and self government for the Cherokee people. It was her whole thing was like we can do this ourselves, we aren't helpless, we can create our own governments and our own systems, we can be just as good at government for ourselves as these white people who are like imposing these restrictions on us. We can govern ourselves. And so that was her whole thing was like we don't need outside help. That's the story of Wilma Mankiller. I have a couple of closing statements about– for the episode in general. I have been very frustrated lately with people who say that they stay out of politics.

Lexi: It comes to replace a privilege.

Alana: It comes from a place of privilege!

Lexi: But people in different communities can have different levels of privilege, unfortunately.

Haley: Yes.

Lexi: And they can try to exclude themselves from the political process because they think it doesn't affect them, which is blowing my mind. I just–

Lexi: The place I see it the most, and I'm– I don't know if you guys have noticed this too; so many people outside of museums, old heads in museums, trying to say museums should be apolitical. And this frustrates me to no end. For one, everything is political. The existence of a museum is political.

Haley: Yes.

Lexi: Our existence is political. People working in a museum, people who live and then also work in a museum. It's all political. Everything you do– your kid going to school? Political. Your kid go to school? that's political. You eat food? Politics. You wear glasses? You go to the doctor? All politics. This is all political. So, when people say museums are apolitical, I just want to– or or even when they say museums are bipartisan, museums lean one way or the other. And museums tell stories, and stories always have a bias in them, and museum shouldn't try to be apolitical. Museums should aim to tell stories and to make change in their communities. 

Haley: I’ve had a similar conversation– I will not give like personal details, but the bottom line was that… the argument that this person was trying to say why they shouldn't be political, were all like human rights… it was just like oh well museums are already like not racist, or like not gender biased and it’s like–

Lexi: Well that's wrong.

Alana: That’s just false.

Haley: But they– like they were trying to skirt around the way of saying like, “oh but these aren't, these are human rights stances, like we can talk about those in museums.” Even though like kind of saying that they're like not happening, trying to be on the more of like there is no gender bias there is no like blah blah blah– which is false, but saying like because those are human rights that they're not political, thus like a museum can talk about it, but we can't say like major political statements which–

Lexi: Human rights is political. It shouldn’t be, all humans should have rights, but…

Haley: Yes! Yes!

Alana: That's why they're called human rights.

Haley: The US has made this a political argument, of course like– regardless of what your stance is, like say “oh these are purely human rights,” not everyone sees it that way.

Lexi: And museums are racist.

Haley: Yes, museums are racist.

Lexi: You know, everyday– everyday, I like sit in the shower because I'm just so overwhelmed. And I think “Museums bad. Museums racist. Museums sexist. Me museums? Me learn museums? Me bad. Me racist. Me sexist. What this all for.” And then I say “That’s museums. Long live the museum.” Because I believe museums can be better places, but–

Haley: And we see that a lot.

Lexi: Yes. There are so many museums doing good work, like District Six Museum in South Africa, the Anacostia Community Museum in DC, one closer to home. Like there are so many museums doing good work, actively anti-racist work. But the historical institution, until we admit this organization is founded on racist and sexist principles–

Haley: We’re getting into a whole chunk of my thesis about the origin of museums. I could–

Alana: I was more talking about, in the broader sense. Like the non-museum people who I know who are like “oh I stay out of politics” and who have friends who are opposite sides of the aisle.

Lexi: Oh, “I don’t vote because I don't care”? Like–

Alana: “I don't know because I don't care.” I think there comes a time, you come to realize that just you existing is political.

Lexi: Yes.

Haley: I also think–

Alana: Like, my existence is political just by virtue of who I am.

Haley: Yes. I also want to like reference like Enola Holmes, remember that part where–

Alana: I was thinking about that a lot.

Haley: It was in the cafe and it was Sherlock–

Alana: Sorry, Lexi. 

Haley: And this other cafe human…

Alana: Edith, I think is her name.

Haley: Edith, yes. She was running the cafe and running the upstairs like women learning Jiu Jitsu…

Lexi: The suffragist karate school.

Haley: Yeah, yes. Don’t quote me if it’s Jiu Jitsu.

Lexi: They did not mention the kind, I think it was just martial arts.

Haley: Okay, martial arts. Martial arts. But Sherlock was like “oh I don't get into politics” and…

Lexi: That pissed me off.

Alana: Because like, then she was like “because the system in place benefits you and you don’t want to see it change.”

Archival Audio: “Show me what democracy looks like!” “This is what democracy looks like!” “Show me what democracy looks like!” “This is what democracy looks like!” “Show me what democracy looks like!” “This is what democracy looks like!”

Lexi: You can find this podcast on Twitter and Instagram at LadyHistoryPod. Our show notes and a transcript of this episode will be on ladyhistorypod dot tumblr dot com. If you like the show, leave us a review or tell your friends, and if you don't like the show, keep it to yourself.

Alana: Our logo is by Alexia Ibarra, you can find her on Twitter and Instagram at LexiBDraws. Our theme music is by me, GarageBand, and Ameliea Earhart. Lexi is doing the editing. You will not see us, and we will not see you, but you will hear us, next time, on Lady History.

[OUTRO MUSIC]

Haley: Next week on Lady History, we’re cracking open the history books and talking about some historic and iconic lady authors. Remember, a book a day keeps the stupidity away.

[onv-peat]

House Tour .

Hello! My name is V, and welcome to my Home. Please, take your shoes off at the door. As the wise Wiz Khalifa says, “Roll something; smoke something with me!” 

When you first step in my Home, you will be in the Living Room. Here is where we can be meta and discuss whether this blog has been or is representing a Home for me. I created this blog because I needed a place where I can write to my heart’s content. This is a space where I’m able to sit down with a nice cup of coffee, a joint, and always have a place to go, whether it is to process the events of today if I need to, or perhaps create another universe if I feel artistic. If you get lost in navigation, simply click the Floor Plan button on the left menu and it will provide you with a map to help you navigate my Home. Additionally, you can refer back to this post (which will be under the House Tour button) to decide what Room you’d like to be in today. 

Now, without further ado, let me show you around.

My Bedroom is where I will ruminate about my personal life. This is the room where I feel truly empowered to deliberate about the struggles with racism, discrimination, and various obstacles I encounter. This is also where I will celebrate the victories and milestones I achieve after overcoming the obstacles. I will discuss personal issues including but not limited to: cultural barriers of a second generation Chinese-Canadian, the murky future of an undergraduate, and balancing familial, romantic, and platonic relationships with a busy schedule. 

Within my Bedroom is one of my favourite areas, the Closet. From my favourite fits to beloved pieces of jewelry, this is the room where I am offered the opportunity to appreciate the finer things in life. I will provide thoughts and musings on (metaphorical and literal) shiny things that catch my eye. 

The Bathroom is where I do most of my reflections on events that happen on a daily basis, whether I am sitting on the toilet or boiling myself in the shower. Sometimes, if I feel extra fancy, I’ll soak in the bathtub. Get down and dirty with my angry rants about ignorance and bigotry in this sacred room. 

The Game Room is where I let my creativity run wild. This room’s purpose is simple: for chilling. In here, I have unlimited HP so no matter what I tackle, I will always be able to try a different concept without feeling burnt out. In my world, failure is nonexistent and no idea too idealistic to try. There is always an adventure to be experienced.

Conversely, the Library is where I publish my academic papers. I am thankful for the myriad of information the Internet has provided for me, and thus, I’d like to give back. After forking over thousands of dollars to university, I might as well share the wealth. As my study is in Criminology, my research realm will revolve around that area. However, the field of psychology, sociology, and English literature may pop up as these fall under my interests as well. 

The Dining Room is where I discuss current events. Often times, dinner time is when my peers and I debate on topics that may be deemed as controversial. At my dinner table, no topic is off limits but the caveat: I will not hesitate to dismiss you from the table if your language and/or content are discriminatory and defamatory towards anyone. No discrimination is tolerated here. My house, my rules. 

The Garden is where I pontificate the profundities and lessons I learn. Here, I embrace tranquility with  the peaceful sounds of rustling leaves and the sweet hints of floral, mingling with the tang of smoke from my joint. I feel connected with nature, and thus more open and accepting to criticism. You will find my monologues of introspection in my daily life in this room. 

As you can probably tell, I’m a visual presenter. I like my metaphors and my motifs. In all honesty, I structured this blog in the format of a house because I don’t have a place in real life to call my space. It’s not a fancy blog by any means, but it hosts my thoughts and my feelings comfortably. It’s minimalistic, and a place with lots of good vibes. I might do some renovations later, but for now, I’m pretty happy with it. I cannot promise I will stay here forever, but this blog feels like a good place to call Home for a little while.

I hope you enjoyed my House Tour! You are more than welcome to have some coffee or tea and ask me any questions you like. All you need to do is click the Mailbox and shoot me a message. Keep in touch, and don’t be a stranger. Until next time,

V

[cannoli-reader]

A Thought or two on the race of the Wheel of Time casting.

So “The Wheel of Time” has cast a group of people to play the characters born to Two Rivers families, Nynaeve, Perrin, Egwene & Mat.  And there have been concerns.  And there have been people making knee-jerk assumptions that these concerns are entirely founded in racism. And hey, maybe there are some. But I don’t think all of them necessarily are. 

First of all, some personal context. I am not really a SJW or much concerned about race issues in general. I am white, of entirely European ancestry, but I haven’t the slightest bit of “white guilt”. “Get Out” did not make me the least bit uncomfortable because I had absolutely no comprehension of the white characters. I understand that “representation matters” in media, but it matters to white people as well, which is why ‘Hollywood’ which is not a monlithic entity, mostly casts white people.  I don’t care if there are not enough black people or too many white people in any given movie.  We can have Scotsmen playing Lithuanian-Russians or try to pass off their burr as a brogue. We can have Terry Molloy, Stanley Kowalski and Vito Corleone, members of immigrant communities from very different parts of Europe, played by the same man. 

That said, while I think adaptations have a degree of responsibility to be faithful to the original work or to the historical time period, I don’t care that Michael Jordan and Reg E Cathay and Jessica Alba were cast as members of a family that is white in the picture books in which the Fantastic Four originated or that black paratroopers were in “Overlord”. I would not approve of T’Challa being played by a white person, because that IS important to his character.  And insisting on casting a woman of color as Cleopatra in the name of historical accuracy instantly destroys my respect for you. 

What we know about the appearance of the Two Rivers people is that they seem to be about average height for their part of the world.  Nynaeve & Egwene are short by modern standards (for a white or black North American), while Perrin is tall and Mat above average. They have somewhat darker complexions than the very Nordic-looking Aiel and possibly Andorans, but on the other hand, no character ever uses Two Rivers folk as a touchstone for dark skins, the way they do the Sea Folk or Tairens.  Even Domani are often mentioned as having coppery colored skins, with Two Rivers people using the terminology the same as lighter-skinned people, suggesting that they too, are lighter-skinned than the Domani.  When Elaida points out that Rand’s natural skin tone is unusually light for a Two Rivers native, she pushes up his sleeve to show the untanned skin, which to me suggests that Two Rivers people are not much, if at all, darker than a very pale person tans. So people do have a point that the actors for Perrin and Nynaeve, at least, if not also Egwene, are darker than they are portrayed in the books.

To which I say, “So what?” The important thing is that Rand is clearly different from the others.  That is probably even easier to convey visually if they use actors from different races, so Rand clearly stands out.  It might have been more interesting to make Rand the person of color, but then you’ll turn all the stuff into racial issues, and we don’t need that in discussions of the show.  Seriously, that was one of the more tedious parts of reveling in all the on-line criticism of Season 8 of Game of Thrones, which I prefer to think of as HBO’s six-part documentary, alternatively titled “Cannoli Was Right All Along.”  They didn’t kill off the Dothraki because they are racists, they killed off the Dothraki, to the extent that they did, because they long ago jettisoned everything else in service to spectacle.  Which brings me to the point that TV writers can’t be trusted and there are lots of other concerns in what they are going to do, beyond letting some black folks get full of themselves because Nynaeve would make Captain Marvel, Wonder Woman and Rey hide under the bed when she’s annoyed at them. 

One of the problems in “Game of Thrones” was that a lot of adaptational choices were not thought through, long term, nor were the implications. Like how Daenerys crowd-surfing on her freed slaves would look, compared to her riding her horse through a cheering crowd.  Or how abandoning a lot of the world building meant some things made very little sense.  If you read the books, between the lines, you know that the Dance of the Dragons (a war in-universe, not the book title) pretty much put paid to the idea of a woman inheriting the Iron Throne. But on the show, all we heard about that is that Stannis thinks the name is stupid.  In the books, he has definite opinions, including that the losing female contender was a traitor for attempting to claim the crown over her younger half-brother. But this sort of world-building would justify the characters’ stated preference for Jon’s gender over Daenerys in Season 8.  Going by the show alone, that makes no sense, because most of the nobles left at this point are women, and very few of the male lords would have reason to favor Jon over Dany, or else they were opponents of Dany for other reasons, like their die-hard support of Sansa, who was pro-Jon. The show’s worldbuilding undercut their own point of conflict, but they tried to fall back on book worldbuilding they had never serviced and made deliberate choices to omit characters or storypoints that would have supported that detail.

At this point I can’t see how the particulars of the Two Rivers’ ethnicity would affect the story, but I also thought cutting fAegon from “Game of Thrones” was a good idea when Season 5 rolled around.  To the extent that it is an issue in the story, the Two Rivers district of western Andor was once the heartland of a legendary nation called Manetheren.  When the nation was betrayed by their allies, the army fought alone to hold the ford of one of those eponymous rivers for far longer than anyone had thought possible, with civilians taking up arms to join them in hopes of preserving some fraction of the population.  In the end they all died fighting, but the enemy force was wiped out as a result of their defense, and so the few survivors who had got out came back, rebuilt their homes and said “We’re only leaving this country feet first.” But they lacked the human capital or resources to rebuild the nation and have been reduced to a rural farming community centered around a trio of villages.  There is a fourth village, called Taren Ferry, at the river crossing that is the only known way in or out of the Two Rivers, but they don’t have much to do with the rest of the area, and are looked at askance by the proper Two Rivers folk.  

It is also established in the text that the Taren Ferry people are the only ones to interbreed with outsiders or to have much intercourse with them at all.  The people living deeper in the Two Rivers are an isolated culture and breeding population.  Itinerant enterainers, merchants buying their crops and peddlers selling goods they cannot make themselves are their only contact with the outside world, and at one point a character actually scoffs at the idea of marrying one of them.  Rand is physically unique because his father, nearly equally uniquely, left the Two Rivers as a young man and came home with a wife from somewhere else and their baby.  

Because the Two Rivers people have only been reproducing among themselves for two thousand years, certain characteristics are reinforced in their genetics.  This is revealed when one of them, in a moment of stress, facing the same enemy that destroyed Manetheren, starts shouting in the language Manetheren spoke, using phrases specific to Manetheren.  This is later diagnosed as a kind of racial memory emerging, and strongly suggests that the character is a descendant of strong geneological connections to the last king of Manetheren. A second character feels a sort of recognition, suggesting a lesser degree of this Old Blood as it is called in the books. The other two native Two Rivers people don’t feel it. 

Now here’s the two fold problem with the casting.  The problem is not Marcus Rutherford and Zoe Robins, it is Barney Harris. They should ALL be the same race.  They’re isolated and have had very very few reproductive encounters with outsiders. Mat Cauthon should not be played by a clearly white actor if the rest of the Two Rivers is something else. 

But the really funny bit comes with the implications of the casting with regard to the Old Blood. 

Because these are the two people who are not the purest royal-blooded Two Rivers folk:

and 

while this is the one with maybe a hint of the blood of the legendary hero-king:

and THIS is the pure-blooded descendant of ancient royalty:

Ooops.  Gonna be fun when the people whose major problem with Missandei’s death is that a black woman didn’t have get to be in the last two episodes, watch the scene where Rosamund Pike tells THAT GUY, up there, how special his bloodline is.

But maybe they just rolled with the casting choices because they are going to skip the Old Blood issue. Okay. But like I said above, you never know what’s going to bite you in the butt seven or eight seasons down the road.   But the cynical part of me is greatly amused at the implications of the apparent mixed race heritage of the Two River people, and what it suggests about who the nobles and who the commoners were in the glory days of Manetheren.  On the other hand, you get the suggestion that the barriers between lords and commoners came down as they fought side by side to save their land and then worked side by side to make their community survive and we got people intermarrying without regard to the old social divisions.

[transcendent-paras]

Basic Info on My Paracosm

Don’t interact if you are not a MaDDer or an immersive daydreamer

I’m using paracosm lightly cause it’s like... mirrored thisverse? mirrored and slightly to the left with my paras added in, you know? I went from having paracosms with whole galaxies and gods and languages to thisverse 2.0.

Background/About Me: I'm a closeted trans male. Recently I’ve been hyperfocusing on music - specifically "alternative" music like punk, metalcore, rock, emo, etc  as well as kpop - and it's affected my paracosm. My current paracosm is a Trans punk rock band focusing on one band named Transcendent, and has Incorporated many of the bands I listen to into it. 

Original Paras: 

Parame - Michè Valentino: Lead singer, Pianist, Song writer. Trans male in his 20s, adopted by a family in the UK and has two older brothers. His middle brother is highkey based off  the kpop group *XO’s (to avoid this coming up in the tags) leader Su*o, and he is also in a band very similar to *XO. Michè fell in love with one of *XO’s members but because of the large age gap it was unrequited. Eventually Michè went to study abroad and moved to New York city and met his best friend and later boyfriend Ashley Nolans. Shortly after high school Ashley and Michè moved in together.

Ashley Nolans: Backing vocalist and screams/growls, Lead guitarist. A year older than Michè, he is a former myspace & later instagram drag king when he saw a drag queen at a mall. Slowly he realized he identified as a trans male instead of a drag king. His family was supportive of his whole journey and let him do what he felt comfortable doing, though they did manage his myspace since he was very young. Michè moved to Ashley’s high school and they were in the same music class. Ashley took Michè to his first pride parade. Ashley is slightly insecure that Michè will leave him for the *XO member he had a crush on, but Ashley never brings it up or lashes out/acts on it.

Nikki Archer: Bass Guitarist, Composer. Nikki is agender and has always identified as such even with out knowing anything about gender identities as a child. Their uncle took them to many rock and punk concerts growing up, and bought them their first bass for their 13th birthday, that Nikki still has but has retired it so it doesn’t get damaged on tour. Nikki’s uncle is the most understanding member of the family about their gender, but their parents try to be accepting and not ignorant. Nikki and Emilynn were Vice President and President of their high school’s LGBT Club. Though they went to the same school as Ashley they never met him and graduated before Michè started going there. Nikki and Emilynn dated for a while in high school but decided they were better as close platonic friends.

Emilynn Kay: Drummer, Leader. Emilynn is the oldest member, 5 years older than Michè and is a trans woman. She grew up in the south originally and not only had to deal with racism as a poc, but didn’t even dream of coming out to anyone besides her parents. Eventually her parents decided it would be best for her if they moved. When they moved up to New York she was able to dress the way she wanted and easily took her gender in stride. Of course she had harsher comments and bullying than white trans kids or cis black kids at her school she never changed who she was to fit in. She did percussion in the marching band and acted in theater often. She naturally took on a motherly role to other LGBT kids in the school, especially but not limited to younger trans kids, and they voted for her to be president of the club. She met Michè and Ashley at a pride parade very nervous to admit to being trans and she took them under her wing. When she realized she had a group of trans friends who all were into the same type of music and could play instruments she suggested forming a band.

Alexandria Woods: Rhythm Guitarist, Violinist, Newest Member. Alexandria realized at the start of high school she identified more feminine than masculine and after research felt Demi-girl described her the most. Her friends in high school helped her express herself while remaining closeted, especially from her parents. Her family were for the most part very kind and she got along with them on every issue except for gender. Meanwhile Alexandria also had a youtube channel that she posted guitar and violin covers on, gaining a respectable fan base on various platforms. Michè discovered her when she did a cover of a Transcendent song and he followed her on twitter. One day when she was 16, a cousin discovered one of her skirts in her closet and outted her to her parents, getting her kicked out and they have not spoken since. Alexandria made a tweet that she would have to put a pause on covers until she could find a place to live, and Michè swooped in asking if she need a place to live. After living with Michè and Ashley for a while, the band had a meeting and agreed that Alexandria would be a perfect fit in the band. The fans and later the members joke that Alexandria is Michè and Ashley’s daughter. Fans immediately loved Alexandria as a member of the band, especially since many of them had know of her in vlogs with the band and members retweeting her covers often.

Celebrity paras (censored so it doesnt show in tumblrs search results, if you cant figure out the * feel free to pm me or ask me off anon!): 

*XO: Originally in a past paracosm they were as themselves and a slightly different parame was just friends with them, but over time i latched onto the leader Su*o and started to see him as a brother figure. Not wanting to do culture appropriation I warped them from kpop to western music and made it so Michè was adopted by Su*o’s family. Nearly everything about them is the same including names and achievements, past members, and music. Because I actually know Korean there is no language barrier in music so it doesn’t bother me that they are supposed to be a uk based band and they sing in korean in thisverse, but in paracosm it is ‘in english’. The member that Michè is in love with is Ch****ol

Bl*ck Veil Br*d*s: Ashley and Michè bonded over a love for the band, and later got Emilynn and Nikki into them. Transcendent went from playing basement shows to being signed under Republic Records and it’s subsidiary Lava records, the same labels as B*B. Since they do a similar style music under the same label they crossed paths a few times in company, at warped tour, and eventually Transcendent did a few opening sets for B*B. They became close, and have talked about doing some sort of collaboration. 

P*l*y* R*y*l*: Alexandria really looked up to them, and was beyond ecstatic meeting them backstage at warped tour. The two bands have hung out a few times and they are very supportive of each other on social media. 

Other bands here and there that show up occasionally: P**rc* the v**l, f*ll*ng in r*v*rs* (michè has gotten into verbal arguments with r*nn*e a few times but they don’t hate eachother), my ch*****l romance, as ** is, sh*n*e (kpop).

Transcendent’s Music: 

Respect Existence - First album: Overall theme of the album is celebrating differences and who you are, with elements of punk rock, speed metal, and experimental rock. Usually when daydreaming about this era I listen to B*B’s album Set The World on Fire and P*V’s Collide With The Sky which is sort of the instrumental vibe I picture this album being. After this was released they were sighed under lava records

Who came first - Album: cover album dedicated to bands that influenced Transcendent’s music style. First album with Alexandria. Most recent album, and brought them further into the limelight, being a more recognizable alternative band. 

I’m Not Okay (originally by m*r)

Misery Business (originally by param***)

But It’s Better If You Do (originally by p!*td)

I Don’t Care (originally by f*b)

21 Guns (originally by gr**n d*y)

Bulls In The Bronx (originally by p*v) 

If You Can’t Hang (originally by s*s)

Don’t Feel Quite Right (originally by p*l*y* r*y*l*)

The Drug In Me Is You (originally by f*r)

10 Miles Wide (originally by es****e the f**e)

Can You Feel My Heart (originally by b**h)

The Legacy (originally by b*b)

Expect Resistance - Upcoming album: companion piece to Respect Existence (not a repackage album). Not only does it celebrate your differences but also a call to action to be unapologetically you and to ‘form a resistance’ against those who hold you back. I usually listen to B*B’s album vale and Agai*** me!’s song teenage anarchist when thinking about this time. My paras are trying to see if they can get any collaborations with different artists, Michè especially wants to have his brother on one of the songs.

[jada-m-rose-blog]

The relevance of Globalization and Caribbean Integration?

I think that both globalization as well as Caribbean integration benefit the development of the Caribbean in their own ways. However, they both come with their respective risks and challenges. I believe that Caribbean integration must be accomplished first before focusing on globalization as it can prevent some of the risks that might occur. But in order for this to happen, Caribbean integration must be done the right way.

In my opinion the best way to establish proper Caribbean integration is to first understand the benefits of merging our economies. For example, if we were to merge each countries’ export of an agricultural product, then the whole Caribbean would be able to benefit instead of one particular island gaining profit for its best product. As previously stated by Agustin Carstens in his speech, the reduction of barriers, convergence and coordinating of economic policies, and steps to strengthen financial sector linkages are key to successful integration.

If Caribbean integration is accomplished, then I believe it can prevent the exploitation of the Caribbean that might occur during globalization. Instead, with the protection of a strengthened Caribbean, we would be able to increase our overall development. So far, I believe we have come a long way with our currant state of globalization but with Caribbean integration we would be able to dive much deeper into what we can achieve with what we have available to us. Also, with global integration, we will most definitely be able to have a greater understanding, appreciation and respect for different cultures and civilisations outside of the Caribbean region. I would like to give the example of the currant increasing ties between Trinidad and Japan. As communication between these countries increase, there is a visible appreciation and exchange between these cultures. In Japan, they explore our customs, music and celebrations and the same applies to Trinidad where people are increasingly interested in their food, music and customs among many other things.

Personally, I haven’t greatly appreciated the background of the Caribbean and its indigenous people until I explored the history of other countries and their civilizations. If I had put a reason behind I think it might simply be the fact that it was all I knew growing up. I’m sure this wouldn’t apply to everyone but since all my previous knowledge as a child revolved around the Caribbean, I didn’t think much of it and thought that everywhere else would be the same. But as I grew and learned about different civilizations and their stories, I learned to appreciate the uniqueness of our backgrounds. So, I think that globalization will expand our knowledge of other civilisations and at the same time increase our appreciation for indigenous peoples, their descendants and their culture in the region.

To answer the question on whether globalization will help us to eradicate some of the issues that we have inherited in the region as a result of enslavement, I don’t think there is a definite answer. On one hand I believe that it may be able to resolve racism by observing our own country. In Trinidad there is limited racism compared to other countries because we were able to integrate all of our cultures into each other and live in harmony. With this perspective, adding in different cultures to this mix may not cause problems and people may learn to simply respect other people and their cultures.

On the other hand, there are similar countries with mixed races and cultures but there were not able to live as peacefully. I believe that the answer to this will only be revealed once it actually happens. This all depends on each individuals’ reactions which will eventually add up to become the societies viewpoint. Maybe the outcome will initially be quite negative and as generations pass it slowly becomes positive. For example, in South Korea, years ago when foreigners visited, they experienced discrimination simply because of the country’s negative history with Americans. But as of recently, visitors are mostly greeted with a positive welcome as well as curiosity because of their increased foreign media and the change in perspective as the generations changed.

Having more fluid borders as a result of globalization will greatly benefit the Caribbean in my opinion. As we are seeing right now with Venezuelan citizens trying to find work within our country, many people view it as a negative because of its association with crime however I think that the positives outweigh the negatives. In the recent past, I have constantly been hearing stories about friends of the family who have hired these immigrants and their immense compliments to their hard work. Personally, I have always thought of Trinidad to be a very stagnant society and with this increase in work ethic, I believe there will be positive long term effects. I would like to compare us to Canada, who is quite welcoming to immigrants and just how far they have reached in comparison to Trinidad.

I do not believe that globalization will erase our unique identity and negatively impact our value and appreciation for our own culture and products to the benefit of more economically powerful nations. I believe that the result of this will only depend on the degree to which we currently appreciate the uniqueness of our own culture. For example, in South Korea, which is a very globalized nation, they have a very great appreciation for their own culture and their products. This can be seen through their music, which has been greatly impacted by American influence, but they still have not lost touch with their own roots. They produce music such as hip-hop and pop, but they also produce their own original style of music just as much, maybe even more. They also have a great appreciation for their products. This can be seen through one of their cosmetic brands which focuses on using natural ingredients indigenous to their island called Jeju. They export this product, and this goes to show that globalization would not be able to diminish their appreciation for their culture.

I definitely believe that globalization can improve the quality and diversity of the region’s education system. We have only been able to get so far with our education system currently and it is in need of great improvement. We are also most definitely lacking in diversity as new jobs are being created and we have very limited persons with the appropriate background knowledge because of the fact that that particular field is not offered regionally. By using different education systems of other countries, we can change ours to become suitable for future generations and greatly benefit the public. We will also be able to increase the number of fields students can pursue with increased globalization. If we were globally integrated, it would not be as difficult as it is now to maintain the consistency of courses offered at universities. For example, it would not be as hard to maintain the teaching staff of foreign languages offered such as Korean as they can be replaced in the event of an emergency.

As of right now, I do believe that our culture may be losing its “purity” to the increasingly integrated global musical movement. However, I do not believe that it would be a long term problem. As I said in my previous example about South Korea and their music, I believe the same should apply to us. Being influenced by foreign music should not be seen as a negative. As long as we maintain our appreciation for our own culture, then we will be able to produce music influenced both by foreign styles as well as our own style.

In the end I believe that globalization will have a great impact on the Caribbean. Even though I think that there will be more positives than negatives, I greatly believe that the outcome depends on the current state of society in terms of social opinion as well as what the population does with the resources that they are given. Also, in order to increase the certainty of a positive end result of globalization on Caribbean development, I think that Caribbean integration should be achieved before that to prevent things such as the underappreciation of Caribbean identity.

[uncommon-etc]

Couldn’t agree more, but I think there is a major nuance and opportunity here that both the writers and the critics are missing out on. I’ve put up with a long string of old-money conservative governments as a scot living in England for my entire adult life, and star wars villains from the original trilogy resonate particularly because of that. The British working and middle classes are far more diverse than many give them credit for (more so than most of central and Northern Europe, though probably less so than parts of the US) so when I’m out on a march against austerity, and I realise a sizeable proportion of the crowd are made up of BAME britons, it really does feel like its all of us, against a corrupt elite, even though within that struggle we all face different barriers. 

But here’s the issue, it’s not just those who care about progress that try to diversity a bit. The government is at it too, not a lot, but just enough not to be constantly accused of institutional racism. The current conservative cabinet looks like this 

  this was the cabinet photo from when theresa may was prime minister five years ago 

and here’s one from a cabinet meeting chaired by david cameron, who was prime minister before her 

As you can see, the ruling class of the UK is still overwhelmingly male and incredibly pale, but seems much more diverse than it did back in the 70s and 80s, so good for them right? 

Not really. 

Tories have one colour, one language and one shared cultural heritage: money. If you’re rich enough, and prepared to step on people from your own community in order to gain power, the opportunities are there. And while the UK isn’t the only country with this peculiar quirk, it has by far the most entrenched belief that while the legacy of colonialism is everywhere, wealth trumps all else. And you could fill whole theses with the bizarre contradictions BAME tories seem to treat as normal. 

Take, for instance, the home secretary Priti Patel (seated second to the left of Boris Johnson in the first photo) she’s more than happy to lean on her history as the daughter of Ugandan-Asian immigrants to gaslight black Labour MPs that accuse the government of racism, but she was one of the masterminds of the plot to ship asylum seekers to Rwanda. The move was widely condemned as a violation of their human rights by the ECHR, and the public outrage that has come of it has massively embarrassed the government. 

So why would a child of immigrants, whose parents had done very well out of the UK’s hospitality to those forced to flee their homes make it her life’s mission to reduce immigration, and criminalise asylum seekers, particularly those from the African continent? 

Well, if you dig a bit deeper you find that Patel’s family were among a wealthy demographic of Indian business owners who were forced out of Uganda during the dictatorship of Idi Amin. Widely blamed for the economic deprivation experienced by black Ugandans, it was a popular move at the time, even though the economy went into a huge downward spiral afterwards (which, y’know is kind of what happens when you remove most of the middle and upper classes and expect those who’ve been deprived of a proper education and business experience to run all the businesses instead). 

Ugandan Asians were treated as a ‘model minority’ when they arrived, en masse, in the UK in the 1980s. They spoke good english, wore ‘western’ clothes, knew how to run a profitable business, and voted, overwhelmingly, for Thatcher, who, as the daughter of a shopkeeper, is still revered among many British-Indian business-owners. It’s also worth pointing out that Uganda only had such a large Indian population in the first place because British colonisers decided it was far too hot there, and they were sick of catching tropical diseases, so they deliberately elevated well-educated, business-savvy Indians to key positions, and encouraged as many of them as possible to move there. 

It’s entirely possible that Priti Patel harbours a grudge against black Africans for this very reason and wants to make the lives of black asylum seekers hell because of it. And she gets away with it, because to her white, male, cabinet colleagues, and their predominantly white voters, getting to tick the box for the first British-Asian woman as home secretary is a diversity win. 

The guy sitting on Boris Johnson’s right; the chancellor Rishi Sunak is arguably the most powerful man in the UK, having control over every penny of taxpayers money that the government allocates for public spending. He’s also the richest man in the cabinet, thanks to his marriage to the Indian billionaire Akshata Murty (who has non-domiciled status meaning she can live in the UK and have all the privileges of a British citizen while not paying any UK tax) their combined net worth is around £730m, and before going into politics he was an investment banker for Goldman Sachs.  This is the guy who’s content to continue spending taxpayers’ money on policies he knows fine well hurt BAME communities (stop-and-search, underfunding of inner-city comprehensives, an unfair immigration system) because his family’s wealth insulates them against ever having to live through it themselves. 

Second from the right on the bottom row is the former chancellor Sajid Javid, who couldn’t give less of a damn that, as a former executive at Deutsche Bank, who made over £5m PER YEAR before getting elected, he’s a major outlier to the 45-50% of all British muslims that live in poverty. To the right of him is COP26 president Alok Sharma, another British Indian whose inaction on climate change and vocal support for the expansion of heathrow airport are a slap in the face to his fellow Indians who will be disproportionately affected by heatwaves, drought and a longer monsoon season. 

It gets worse. The few black tories in the cabinet are all vocal opponents of critical race theory and an honest account of colonialism being taught in schools. Kemi Badenoch stands out as a particularly extreme example, but her attack on the concept of ‘white privilege’ and unconscious bias has to be seen to be believed: 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/20/teaching-white-privilege-is-a-fact-breaks-the-law-minister-says 

So on the one hand, no, an all white, all male ruling class with ‘British accents’ (by which, I can assure you, you mostly mean ‘posh English accents’) no longer represents the powers that impose colonialism, racism, and poverty in the UK in the 21st century, it’s wholly appropriate for a more retro sci-fi world in which it was primarily white men who held power, but we’ve moved on from that. 

On the other hand, randomly dumping a woman and/or BAME actor into a role and just expecting them to be believable as a villain is lazy storytelling and I wish it was banned, especially in the Star Wars franchise. The villainy of the real-life ruling classes, arises not only from being seen to be doing bad things, but from their sense of entitlement and class privilege. Exploring the ways in which being seen as a traitor to your own community can eventually give you a misguided impression that you’re on the right side, that your place in a system which wasn’t designed to benefit you is secure, is so much more interesting. I actually think it’s part of what made Finn such a compelling character in TFA. ‘Oreo’ villains, anti-heroes, and those who (like Finn) end up defecting, have an added layer of nuance, when written well, because of the way in which they’ve been brainwashed to enforce white, colonialist power-structures. 

But tumblr’s insistence that by its very nature structural racism can only be perpetrated by white folks and not, in equally savage amounts, by ‘model minorities’ who white people have groomed to reinforce those power-structures through a combination of forced integration and victim-blaming, is super unhealthy, and I wish it would go away. Especially when the reality is so much worse. I want to see a small number of women and/or minorities on the dark side, constantly being exposed to reminders of how the empire treats people who look and sound like them, and either developing a terrifyingly apathetic response, or actually starting to question whether they picked the right side, y’know, like in real life.       

this has probably been said elsewhere and better but i miss the days in star wars when the oppressive empire was made up of white men with british accents. that wasn’t an accident and it wasn’t a trivial decision, like they are the face and voice of power and oppression both in the past and today. giving these roles to women and people of color feels like… idk obfuscating or something? like don’t get me wrong i very much want more diversity in star wars, but the empire being a monolithic sea of white men with imperial accents, and the good guys being a diverse crowd of allies from all demographics, it implicitly communicated something important.

[progressivejudaism]

Hi, I'm considering a conversion to Judaism through Modern Orthodox and I was wondering why you subscribe to your specific branch? This is a question I ask most Jews I meet just to understand the values they hold dear

Hi there,

Thank you for your question!

Everyone chooses to identify with their Movement for different theological, practice-based, and social reasons.  Please know that everyone’s choices are unique, and beautiful in their own ways (as I’m sure that yours are!)

I am a Reform Jew.  I identify with the Reform Movement mainly because of our commitment to what many lovingly refer to as “informed choice through knowledge,” or the ability to freely practice in a matter that one finds meaningful based on their own research and knowledge of Jewish Law (Halachah), Jewish tradition, and Jewish values.  In the Reform Movement, you will typically see many Jews sway from traditional observances (like keeping Kosher and not using electricity on Shabbat and chagim) and instead live a Jewish life in a way that they find more meaningful.  For example, I find that I use my downtime on Shabbat (outside of personal prayer practice) watching movies, hanging out with friends (and using public transportation), and learning from Jewish texts using the technologies at my disposal.  This is how I can make my Shabbat meaningful.  Traditional Jews often find meaning without use of electricity, but for me, that would be a barrier to my Shabbat.  I enjoy entering a space where all Jews are encouraged to understand Judaism in their own way, although I tend to have a more traditional outlook on many traditions and customs!

I love the concept of ‘reform.’  If Jewish history teaches us anything, it demonstrates the clever ways in which the Jewish people have adapted over time to meet their needs in history.  The modern period is just another version of these adaptations, and the Reform Movement has grasped onto this concept and built a Movement around it.  I like to say “if we weren’t reforming, women would not be reform rabbis, we would not support Israel, and would never perform same-sex weddings.” 

Along with that, there are also some basic “checkpoints” that the Reform Movement has for me that I value tremendously. (There is no way that I could list everything, please note that this is condensed for your own reading pleasure)    Please note that we are not the only Movement that holds many of these particular values, but we are the only Movement that holds all of these values under the guise of the above concepts and our history as “American Judaism” later labeled Reform Judaism. 

For me, the basic “checkpoints” that I need to feel comfortable in a Jewish space are: egalitarianism, welcome of LGBTQ+ families and Jews, welcome of interfaith couples and non-Jews, our unique committment to tzedakah projects and to social action / social justice issues, and our love and commitment to the State of Israel.  For more specific information about each of these issues, please see below my signiture!

Have a wonderful day!

PJ

Egalitarianism: The Reform Movement ordains women (and people of other genders) as rabbis and cantors.  We hold that everyone, regardless of gender, can hold equal positions in Synagogue life and can perform all of the same mitzvot.  I believe that it is essential that our young people interact with rabbis across the gender spectrum, and I am excited for the day where my own children (one day!) will be able to see the beautiful diversity in our Movement!  I also struggle with the concept of a gender-divided space.  I like that in my Movement, we all sit together.  And beyond my own comfort levels, I feel at peace knowing that people who do not fit into the traditional gendered spectrum (ie. men on one side, women on the other) can very comfortably pray, and sit among whomever they wish.

Full and utter acceptance and welcome of LGBTQ+ Jews:  From marriage and pronouns to inclusive language and lobbying government, the Reform Movement is an inclusive space for people of all sexualities and gender identities.  Being warm and compassionate towards all folks is important!

Full and utter acceptance of interfaith couples who wish to create a Jewish home:  It is important to me that Jews and their non-Jewish partners who have chosen to raise Jewish families have an inclusive space to live, pray, and learn as Jews without judgment.  Even rabbis or cantors that will not perform interfaith weddings will be absolutely warm and welcoming to all couples committed to raising a Jewish family.  With that, it is worth mentioning our commitment to welcoming non-Jews (and doing interfaith events with Churches and Mosques)!

Our unique commitment to social justice activism and tzedakah projects:  The Reform Movement is unique in the fact that we have Movement-based initiatives (for several causes that I personally believe are extremely important in the current day and age) that all stem from the Religious Action Center, “ the social justice hub” of the Reform Movement located in Washington D.C.  The “RAC” (and its sister organization the Israel Religious Action Center, or the IRAC, are dedicated to lobbying government and promoting education on a variety of key issues.)   All of the issues that the RAC and the IRAC work on are deeply influenced by Jewish values and Jewish texts.  Throughout the websites, please note you can click on options to learn about why these issues are important Jewishly.  There are also an incredible amount of ideas for tzedakah projects that communities can work on to give back to their communities and to people (and the planet) in need.

I am passionate about the following issues that the RAC constantly are working to improve in the United States:  healthcare, racial justice (voting rights, criminal justice, hate crimes… ) LGBTQ+ rights  (anti-discrimination, protecting transgender servicepeople, adoption …), disability rights, hunger/homelessness and global poverty, climate change (and working to make our lives greener), Feminism (Reproductive Rights, the pay gap….), campaigns against discrimination and antisemitism, gun violence prevention, and immigration issues.

Our commitment to the State of Israel:  We are deeply engaged with our beloved State of Israel.   We are so blessed to finally, after 2000 years in exile, have our Israel back.  And we have a few beautiful campuses throughout the State, including our beautiful school in Jerusalem that overlooks the Old City.  But unfortunately, the current state of the State doesn’t live up to all of our expectations.  Institutionalized racism, religious and social inequalities, and the disgusting state of the Occupation are just some ills that the Reform Movement vehemently opposes and is committed to eliminating.