#but i think if there was an east asian lead in the star wars movies then more representation would have come along in star wars as a whole

[captainvulcant]

ATLA Live Action Review

I will preface this by saying that largely I enjoyed watching ATLA and I would watch a season 2, would even look forward to a season 2.

However, I did have a lot of issues with this series, issues which I don't feel can be solved by saying "well it's a different series it shouldn't be an exact copy paste of the original". If their changes are worse than the original then that is a failing, and there was a lot which was objectively worse. I'll begin with:

Dialogue Are these things written by AI now or something? The dialogue was giving me "I forced an AI to watch x hours of halmark movies and write one for me" but for your standard adventure series. Listen, we have had this already in 100s of other series and films. ATLA is so unique, could we not have kept the dialogue to that style instead of the expositiony "It's my responsibility" style basic adventure hero stuff? At best it was dull, at worst it was actively cringy. I felt that Zuko and Iroh's dialogue was better and most engaging, no real issues there, but only on a couple of occasions did I experience the Gaang's characteristics and dynamic that I was hoping for from the dialogue.

Music Would have very much liked to have heard some East-Asian instruments and music style. The bog-standard western orchestra did the same as mentioned above: it's dull, it's predictable, it didn't bring me into the world it took me out of it. I was metaphorically taking a shot every time the orchestra swelled at a dramatic or poignant moment. The exception was the little Leaves from the Vine motif they dotted in around Iroh, that was wonderful. Could have done with more of that for Aang's emotional moments.

Exposition So much exposition. Imo they shouldn't have shown the air nomads being attacked. We should have seen Aang fly off and then seen the fire nation making its way up the mountain ominously (on foot!! why do the firebenders have bending jet packs now??? this defeats the later plot??? why can everyone fly now????) before cutting to black. If they really wanted to show it it could have been in quick flashbacks as Aang makes his way through the air temple, which I think would have made it feel more personal to Aang and more devastating. As it was I was just reminded of Star Wars through the whole thing (so many Star Wars vibes at the air temple it really threw me off). Dialogue exposition also awful. If they had spent less time explaining every single plot point to the audience like we're stupid and more on the relationship between the characters and character development we might have actually felt like we progressed from episode 1 to 8. Which leads me to:

Characterisation I'm considering making an entirely different post for this honestly, but here it is in brief. I think we really lost something in this series, and for that I blame the 8 episode thing Netflix is obsessed with. The actors did a good job I felt, particularly with a script that was more rote phrases and platitudes than wise words and attitudes. We didn't really get to see friendships developing, they were just there. We didn't see the characters grow, and the issues which they faced and overcame in the series (which worked perfectly well!!!) have been changed for no reason. Sokka's dad was disappointed in him?? Why???? We already have Zuko whose dad is disappointed in him. I love Sokka's original character, I love seeing him getting over his mysogyny. You know what might have been helpful, in 2024 where all studies show that young men who spend time online become more conservative and sexism is rife?? Maybe showing that it's ok to change your views, that it's ok to work with and respect women, that people will still love you, and that it's not always your fault when you're taught stupid shit. That would have been useful. Taking away that aspect of his character meant changing Katara's and Sukis, and not for the better!!!! Like jesus Suki, my poor Suki. She's such a cool character in the animation. She has responsibility, she is competent and cool and knows her place in the world, but is also open to the idea of change. Why did they make her so awkward (original Suki is fun and funny as well) and unsure? And more parent drama?? Again??? Do they only have one plot?

I also felt that by missing key episodes like the Northern Air Temple we really missed out on Aang's character from the animation, and the emotional weight those scenes could have brought. This Aang doesn't goof off, he's already learned his lesson. This Aang doesn't struggle to balance his beliefs as an airbender (the last airbender, the only one who can continue them) with his job as the avatar, he's just 100% up for the fighting with no conflict. This is a huge part of his character's original internal struggle (and a massive plot point later on) and it feels like we lost something by taking it out.

Final Thoughts Once again, I did enjoy the series. I got super emotional at some parts, I particularly enjoyed the first 4 episodes. Overall I liked the casting and I think the actors did a pretty good job and I'm excited to see where this will go in season 2.

But, I do think that we are allowed to criticise and compare things. I'm seeing a lot of people on here being like stop over-analysing things!! No, lol. Firstly, this is tumblr, the over-analysing website. If you want a superficial review go to tiktok. Secondly, if I had one thing to place the blame on for my issues with this series it's that it is more generic and dumbed down than a cartoon made for kids almost 20 years ago. I am not alone in thinking that media is becoming very basic and sanitised (while at the same time becoming more explicit and violent? It's like no we can't have nuance or complex issues but we will show you explicit sex scenes and awful violence) and also it all feels the same. And I do think we should be wary of the homogenisation of media.

[katierosefun]

ahhh love your points about poc being seen as interchangeable!! might be shouting into the void w this one but my lil indian self has gotta talk about ahsoka real quick- growing up and having next to zero representation in the media i was consuming was so hard for me for ages. and i always thought of ahsoka as indian - besides her name literally being inspired by indian mythology, her skin tone and features were just SO south asian to me and i always thought of her that way. (1/2)

I was so happy to see her in live action played by a poc but a huge part of me was sad that that idea in my head was in a way decanonised and i was back to having not a single south asian piece of star wars representation (except like depa billaba who has 0 lines). idk but just her animation as a kid and adult were both SO south asian looking to me and i love rosario but its never not going to sting just a little bit that i cant see myself in ahsoka so much anymore :(( (2/2)

your feelings are 10000/10 valid! i totally relate to that feeling of disappointment when a character that you thought was someone who shared your identity is suddenly casted as someone who...is not. 

i guess with ahsoka there was some leeway in choosing who got to represent ahsoka because i think ashley eckstein was the one who was like “the beauty of ahsoka is that she is literally identifiable to anyone”, and i think that’s because in clone wars, where like,,,there wasn’t that same wall marking ahsoka as a certain race, it! was! really cool for lots of young girls--and young girls of color especially--to maybe see themselves in a character who they might headcanon as someone sharing their own ethnicity. 

that said, i also agree that i kinda thought? ahsoka was more south asian in my head too because of her name. (and oh boy, the topic of names and star wars is something that actually gets my blood boiling too, because some of the names that george lucas gives the characters/cities are literal places from south/east asian culture...the jedi outfits are heavily influenced by south/east asian culture...and like, yeah, the fact that we rarely see any south asian characters be an actual speaking character is kind of sad?) 

so  basically--your feelings are absolutely valid about the situation, and yeah, i agree that it sucks that you might not be able to see yourself the same way in ahsoka as you used to. (if it helps any, i feel like there’s a lot of people in fandom who are of the similar sentiment in rosario being the one to play ahsoka.) 

and, just in general, you’re right: there needs to be more south asian representation in star wars. i think it’s incredibly ridiculous that a lot of star wars depends so much or drew so much from south or east asian culture, and the fact that we don’t have any characters at all represent those cultures is a whole other level of cultural appropriation. (like, dude. if you’re gonna use different cultures to “world build”, then you might as well make them the main characters/significantly important secondary characters in your universe, you know?)

[whatanoof]

Shang Chi

rant below!

as an East Asian girl who grew up watching the MCU and Star Wars and loving the content with my whole being, I am used to not having people who look like me in mainstream popular media. It's the sad truth. Whenever I wanted to dress up for Halloween, I limited my options to Mulan and non-human characters. I believe that I was Mulan for two years in a row at one point, because I couldn't go as Cinderella or Belle or Aurora.

In middle school, I was obsessed with Comicon and the idea of going and being able to cosplay. But who would I cosplay as? Mulan was again, an option. But this is comicon, you're able to go as anything within the magnified range of fandom, dress as wildly and accurately or inaccurately as you want. Nothing excited me more than the idea of being able to dress up as a superhero, specifically MCU. But who? The only person in the MCU who looks like me is Helen Cho, a side character in Age of Ultron that was brushed to the side as soon as her basic plot device of genius bio-engineering was finished. She had so much potential, and then she was lost to time.

In Star Wars, the only character who remotely looked like me was Rose Tico, and I felt uncomfortable cosplaying as her because Kelly Marie Tran is Southeast Asian and I am East Asian. It didn't feel accurate nor right. And the writers did her so dirty with her character development. She was written off after her debut film, The Last Jedi, to the point where my mother went to see The Rise of Skywalker a few years later and completely missed her. She became a background character after being one of the leading side characters.

The point being, I don't claim to know any of the inner workings of Disney. I'm not angry about this issue, I'm happy that there is any Asian representation in this media. But I'm sad that whenever I think about cosplaying and dressing up and playing characters in mainstream media(MCU and Star Wars), the only logical options that I jump to consider are background characters. I'm sad because there are going to be other little girls like me, who feel alienated from a fandom because they don't look a certain way. Who feel like there is a certain activity and dream that they can't participate in because of their monolids and flat noses and features.

But when I see Disney slap Shang-Chi and Simu Li and Awkwafina to the side and not hype it up, then I get angry. They have an entire movie made. An entire fucking movie, and they can't be bothered to promote it. They promoted Dr. Strange, they promoted Black Widow and Captain Marvel and Black Panther all amazing standalone media that features new heroes and actors and welcomes them to the MCU franchise. Everyone knew when Black Panther was coming out, everyone couldn't hear enough about Captain Marvel dropped. But where is Shang-Chi? I've seen exactly one(1) trailer about it, and that wasn't even on normal TV. They're leaving Simu Liu on his own, working with every social media tool he has to communicate his excitement about this project, and brushing him to the side?

No they don't get to do that. They don't get to brush aside every little boy and girl that looks like them that internally, even subconsciously, is wondering why no one who looks like them is on the big screen. They don't get to do this.

So I'm asking politely, would you guys all consider supporting this movie? Whether reposting trailers and posters, or going to see it in theatres, or even buying it, please? As you consider, don't do it because of a hatred against a big corporation(though it is justified) or because you want to be a social media activist or whatever shit. Do it because somewhere out there, there's a child who will sit up during the movie and tug their parent's sleeve, point at the screen, and say, "That looks like me!" Do it so that Asian kids can dress up like Shang-Chi and more heroes for Halloween. Do it so that people don't end up feeling unnecessarily alienated from a fandom because of their faces.

[dweemeister]

NOTE: This is the third film released theatrically during the COVID-19 pandemic that I am reviewing – I saw Raya and the Last Dragon at the Regency Theatres Directors Cut Cinema’s drive-in operation in Laguna Niguel, California. Because moviegoing carries risks at this time, please remember to follow health and safety guidelines as outlined by your local, regional, and national health officials.

Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)

As Raya and the Last Dragon, directed by Don Hall and Carlos López Estrada and written by Qui Nguyen and Adele Lim, made its theatrical and streaming bow, the United States was grappling with a wave of highly-publicized hate incidents towards Asian-Americans in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. This spike in racially-motivated verbal abuse, assaults, and homicides began with the pandemic and, frustratingly, had only been receiving national attention in these last few weeks. Despite the nation’s racist origins entwined with chattel slavery of black people and its continued unequal treatment of minorities including Asian-Americans, I am not qualified to say if the U.S. is “more” or “less racist” than other countries. But I can hardly think of any other people that interrogate racial inequality and oppression as much (and as publicly) as Americans – an undeniable strength. There was no way Raya and the Last Dragon’s cast and crew could have anticipated the film’s fraught timing, but the film provides a much-needed, positive, and heavily flawed, action-adventure romp drawn from Southeast Asian cultures.

The very notion that Walt Disney Animation Studios was attempting to craft a film using an amalgam of Southeast Asian cultures stoked my excitement and dread. Southeast Asian cultures – including, but not limited to, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam – are often lumped into those of East Asia (China, Korea, Japan), which dominate Asian-American depictions or Asian-influenced media in the United States. What gave me pause is that Disney’s track record in films featuring non-European-inspired characters and places inspired by non-European cultures is mixed. Aladdin (1992) and Pocahontas (1995) are aggregations of (and indulge in stereotypes towards) Arabs and indigenous Americans alike, especially in their presentations of “savagery” (Pocahontas in particular is guilty of false equivalences).

Cultural aggregations in fictional settings are not insensitive, per se. Yet, Disney’s stated intentions on this film are undermined by a voice cast ensemble almost entirely composed of actors of Chinese and Korean descent – you can bring up Adele Lim’s response to the voice casting controversy all you want, but her response contradicts the film’s promotion. Amid its gorgeous production and character design, Raya manages to avoid the worst mistakes of its Disney Renaissance predecessors. But its hero’s journey is too cluttered and too littered with the anachronistic and metatextual jokes plaguing the last decade’s Disney animated features.

Five centuries before the events of Raya and the Last Dragon, the land of Kumandra saw its people live in harmony with dragons. That relationship, however, would be devastated by the appearance of the Druun – a swirling, purple vortex that turns living beings into stone. In the conflict against the Druun, the last dragon, Sisu (Awkwafina), makes a fateful sacrifice to save Kumandra by concentrating the dragons’ collective power into a magical orb. Soon after, Kumandra’s five tribes – Fang, Heart, Spine, Tail, and Talon (named after parts of a dragon) – fight amongst each other for control of the orb (Heart eventually gains possession of it), effectively partitioning the land. In the present day, the Heart tribe’s Chief Benja (Daniel Dae Kim) proposes and hosts a feast-summit to discuss and heal Kumandra’s divisions. Benja has taught his daughter, Raya (Kelly Marie Tran), the ways of a warrior and the necessity for Kumandra’s tribes to realize their oneness. At the feast-summit, Raya befriends Namaari (Gemma Chan; Jona Xiao as young Namaari), the daughter of Fang Chief Virana (Sandra Oh). Predictably, Namaari betrays her new friend in an orchestrated ploy to pilfer the dragons’ orb for Fang. Just as the Druun make a surprise invasion of Heart, the botched heist sees the orb break into five, and each of the tribes makes off with part of the orb. It will be up to Raya to recover the other four pieces of the orb, lest Kumandra succumb to the Druun.

The film’s screenplay is, charitably, a mess. Though Qui Nguyen (primarily a playwright) and Adele Lim (2018’s Crazy Rich Asians) are the credited screenwriters, Raya’s phalanx of story credits (mostly full-time, white employees at the Disney studios) suggest studio interference. Raya seems as if it is trying to cleanly differentiate certain tribes as based on a certain Southeast Asian nation. Instead, it comes off as a brew of mish-mashed parts (this problem extends to the otherwise stunning animation). With the exception of those from the militant Fang, the bit characters from the various tribes do not behave any differently from the members of other tribes. The partition of Kumandra, five hundred years before the events of Raya, feels like as if it had never existed for lengthy stretches in this film.

After Kelly Marie Tran, as Raya, narrates the mythology and history of Kumandra in the opening minutes, the film’s structure tethers itself predictably to the monomyth. The fracturing of the dragon’s orb into five parts sends Raya onto a tedious adventure: the physical travel to a new part of Kumandra, introduction of a sidekick (all of them are comic reliefs), an action setpiece involving a necessary assist from new sidekick, and the integration of that sidekick into Raya’s ever-growing party. Lather, rinse, repeat. To squeeze the four other tribes into the film’s 107-minute runtime and set up a climax and resolving actions results in a frantically-paced movie. Almost all of the film’s dialogue is subservient to its structure, the hero’s journey. This disallows the viewer to learn more about our lead and her fellow adventurers. In arguably the most important example in how the dedication to story structure undermines the characters, take Raya’s repeated mentions to her newfound confidants that she has difficulty trusting others. Six years have passed since the day of Namaari’s betrayal and Raya’s discovery of Sisu. How has Raya’s sense of distrust evolved over time, and how does it manifest towards those of other tribes? Does it appear in moments without consequence to her quest, in gusts of casual cruelty? In terms of characterization, Raya is showing too little and telling just the basics – a dynamic that also applies to the film’s most important supporting characters.

Ever since Tangled (2010), the films of the Disney animated canon have increased their use of metatextual and anachronistic humor (e.g. Kristoff’s comment about Anna’s engagement to a person she just met in 2013’s Frozen and Maui’s Twitter joke in 2016’s Moana that still makes me gnash my teeth when I think about it). Invariably, the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has seen its brand of pathos-destroying humor bleed into the Disney animated canon and Star Wars. Like so many films in the Disney animated canon, Raya takes place in a fantastical location in a never-time far removed from the present. From the moment Raya meets Sisu, the circa-2020s humor is ceaseless. For Disney animated movies set in fantastical worlds, this sort of humor suits films that are principally comedies, such as The Emperor’s New Groove (2000) – a work that owes more to Looney Tunes than anything Disney has created. Instead, Raya’s comedy will suit viewers who frequent certain corners of the Internet, “for the memes.” Do Disney’s animation filmmakers believe the adults and children viewing their films so impatient and unintelligent about human emotions? That they will not accept a scene that deals honestly with betrayal, disappointment, heartbreak, or loss unless there is a snide remark or visual gag inserted within said scene or shortly afterward?

Raya seems like a film set to portray its scenarios with the gravity they require. But overusing Awkwafina’s Awkwafina-esque jokes and a DreamWorks- or Illumination Entertainment-inspired infant causing meaningless havoc will subvert whatever emotions Nguyen and Lim are attempting to evoke. These statements are not arguing that Raya and Disney’s animated films should be humorless, that Disney should stop casting an Awkwafina or an Eddie Murphy as comic relief. Instead, Raya is another case study in how Disney’s brand of ultramodern humor is overtaking their films’ integral dramatics. Raya is noisy, clamorous – no different than anything Disney has released in the last decade, save Winnie the Pooh (2011).

Production designers Helen Mingjue Chen, Paul A. Felix, and Cory Loftis have worked on films like Wreck-It Ralph (2012), Big Hero 6 (2014), or Zootopia (2016). Each of these films feature glamorous, near-future metropolises or sleek digital worlds. Where the tribespeople of Kumandra might not be behaviorally-differentiated, the color coding, lighting, and biomes of each of the five lands comprising Kumandra ably distinguishes Fang, Heart, Spine, Tail, and Talon from each other. As if taking cues from the production designs of Big Hero 6’s San Fransokyo and, to some extent, The King and I (1956), it is difficult to pin down specific influences on the clashing architectural styles within the lands, in addition to the unusually empty and cavernous palaces and temples and varying costumes. As picturesque as some of these lands are, the art direction does not help to empower the characteristic of the tribes and their native lands. Nor does James Newton Howard’s thickly-synthesized grind of an action score, which prefers to accompany the film’s excellent combat scenes rather than stake a clearer thematic identity for its own. Howard uses East and Southeast Asian instrumentations and influences in his music, but, disappointingly, they are heavily processed through synthetic elements and are played underneath the film’s sound mix.

Character art directors Shiyoon Kim (Tangled, 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) and Ami Thompson (2017’s MFKZ, 2018’s Ralph Breaks the Internet) embrace the (generally) darker and varying skin complexions of Southeast Asian peoples. The skin textures are among the best ever produced in a Disney CGI-animated feature, and the variety of face shapes – although still paling in comparison to the best hand-drawn features – is a pleasure to witness.

The number of films starring actors/voice actors of Asian descent (all-Asian or majority-Asian), animated or otherwise, and released by a major Hollywood studio makes for a brief list. Raya and the Last Dragon joins an exclusive club that includes the likes of The Dragon Painter (1919), Go for Broke! (1951), Flower Drum Song (1961), The Joy Luck Club (1993), and Crazy Rich Asians (2018). Among those movies, Raya is the only entry specifically influenced by Southeast Asian cultures. Its cast may be headlined by Kelly Marie Tran (whose skill as a voice actor is one of the film’s most pleasant surprises), but most of the roles went to those of Chinese or Korean descent. No disrespect intended towards Gemma Chan, Sandra Oh, or veteran actress Lucille Soong, but the majority East Asian cast only serves to further monolithize Asians – as the amalgamated story, plot details, and production design have already done. I will not second-guess any fellow person of Southeast Asian descent if they feel “seen” through Raya. What a compliment that would be for this film. How empowering for that person. But the life experiences of those of East Asian and Southeast Asian descent are markedly different. Disney’s casting decisions in Raya – all in the wake of the disastrous Western and Eastern reception of the live-action Mulan (2020) – have revealed a fundamental lack of effort or understanding about the possibilities of a sincere attempt at representation.

To this classic film buff, the discourse surrounding Raya strikes historical chords. When Flower Drum Song was released to theaters, the film was labeled by the American mainstream as the definitive Asian-American movie. Opening during the height of the American Civil Rights Movement, the film (and the musical it adapts) looked like nothing released by Hollywood (and on Broadway) at that time. In that midcentury era of rising racial consciousness and the lack of opportunities for Asian-Americans in Hollywood, the marking of Flower Drum Song as the absolute pan-Asian celebration was bound to happen – however unfair the distinction. Even though Rodgers and Hammerstein (two white Jewish men who made well-meaning, problematic attempts to craft musicals decrying racial prejudice and social injustices) composed the musical and zero Asian people worked behind the camera, those labels remained. With some differences in who wrote the source material, The Joy Luck Club and Crazy Rich Asians have followed Flower Drum Song’s fate in their categorizations. Will Raya? Time will be the judge, the only judge.

Before time passes judgment, we have some present-day hints. Though not released by major studios, the quick succession of The Farewell (2019) and Minari (2020) point to an experiential specificity that Raya attempts, but never comes close to achieving. Whether through aggregation or specificity, Hollywood benefits from the perspectives of underrepresented groups. Widespread claims that Raya too closely copies Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005-2008) reflect that dearth of East Asian and Southeast Asian representation in American media. For too many, ATLA is the Asian fantasy. These simplistic observations and bad-faith criticisms (one could rebuke Disney’s vaguely-European princess films on the same principles, but I find this as lazy as the bad-faith ATLA criticisms) also suggest a lack of understanding that Asian-inspired stories are drawing from similar tropes codified by Asian folklore and narratives centuries old. If one reads through this reviewer’s write-ups, you will find an abiding faith in the major Hollywood studios – past, present, and future – to be artistically daring and to genuinely represent long-excluded persons. Many might see this faith as misplaced. But even in the major studios’ flawed attempts to depict underrepresented groups, like Raya, they concoct astonishing sights and form moving links to the cinematic past.

Assuming you have not skipped to this paragraph, the write-up that you have read may seem scathing to your eyes. Raya is no Disney classic – there has not been one for some time. However, I thoroughly enjoyed my first viewing of Raya. After a few weeks’ worth of keeping my agony private over the recent uproar over attacks on persons of Asian descent in America, it was a surreal experience to see even an amalgamated celebration of Southeast Asian culture. Over this last year, we have lost people and things that emboldened us and ennobled us. In this season of unbelonging and otherizing feelings for Asians in America, Raya’s timing is fortuitous. It is emboldening and ennobling.

My rating: 6/10

^ Based on my personal imdb rating. Half-points are always rounded down. My interpretation of that ratings system can be found in the “Ratings system” page on my blog (as of July 1, 2020, tumblr is not permitting certain posts with links to appear on tag pages, so I cannot provide the URL).

For more of my reviews tagged “My Movie Odyssey”, check out the tag of the same name on my blog.

[96thdayofrage]

Hollywood and Broadway need to realize that you can tell the stories of people of color without whitewashing or blackwashing them. Real life, if not yet reel life, is already kaleidoscopically diverse.

Of course, this assumes these agents of cultural production want to tell these stories. Their answer, however, seems to be that as artists it is not their mission to tell the stories of people of color but to tell universal, human ones. This implies that the stories of people of color are not, or as British author Nikesh Shula has observed, “White people think that people of color only have ethnic experiences and not universal experiences.” Evidently so do some people of color.

The colorism controversy surrounding the lack of Afro Latinx representation in the Hollywood version of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s In the Heights is recent but not new. As Ishmael Reed pointed out in his 2019 critique of Miranda’s Hamilton, in addition to glorifying its titular slaveholding hero and the Founding Fathers as a whole, it fails to present the voices of the “Native Americans, slaves, and white indentured servants” they victimized, voices Reed himself would subsequently include in his play “The Haunting of Lin-Manuel Miranda.”

In response to such criticism, Miranda generously conceded his limitations, while still defending his melanated whitewash of American history: “All the criticisms are valid,” he tweeted, adding, “The sheer tonnage of complexities & failings of these people [the Founding Fathers] I couldn’t get. Or wrestled with but cut. I took 6 years and fit as much as I could in a 2.5 hour musical.” The implication: the oppressive weight of these complex individuals somehow justifies jettisoning acknowledgement of the reality of their failing as slaveholding white supremacists.

In an interview with Reuters, Miranda once again invokes “tonnage” to defend his film: “To be quaint would be a dream come true. No one movie can encompass the sheer tonnage of stories we have to offer.” But “tonnage” vision may not be the only reason for the film’s failure to see Afro Latinx people. (Ironically, the Reuters interview begins with the observation that Miranda is “hoping [his] musical In the Heights changes the conversation in Hollywood about the wider appeal of such movies, just as Crazy Rich Asians did in 2018.”)

Jon M. Chu, the film’s director, provides another, noting that while the casting of Afro Latinx people was “discussed,” “in the end, when we were looking at the cast, we tried to get people who were the best for those roles.”

The sentiment is echoed by Melissa Barrera, one of the film’s white passing Latina: “I think it’s important to note though that in the audition process, which was a long audition process, there were a lot of Afro Latinos there, a lot of darker-skinned people. I think they were looking for just the right people for the roles, for the person that embodied each character in the fullest extent.”

Certainly, Miranda and Chu were aware that the film’s casting did not accurately reflect the racial demographics of Washington Heights, any more than the cast of Hamilton reflects the racial composition of the Founding Fathers. (Read another way, the dark-skinned Afro Latinx Dominican community of the Heights were the wrong people to be represented in a film about their own community.) But Hamilton’s oxymoronic, color-conscious colorblind casting is intentional. A similar intentionality cannot be read into In the Heights, and not just the movie version. (One wonders how the original Broadway musical addressed these issues during its 2008-2011 run: Were dark-skinned Afro Latinx people represented any better? Sadly, it seems colorism plagued these productions as well.

This is unfortunate, since just as Hamilton whitewashed the emotional, financial, and intellectual investment of the founding fathers in slavery and genocide, the film adaptation of In the Heights opts to omit the reality of colorism within communities of color, an issue that was suggested, albeit fleetingly, in the original Broadway production in which the father of Nina, a light-skinned Afro Latina, disapproves of her black, non-Latinx lover Benny. (Not only is this subplot excised from the film, but the romance between the two characters has also been truncated and Benny’s overall role in the film reduced.). In fact, Miranda decided to remove this suggestion of racism from the film, telling the LA Times, The film “isn’t about the parental disapproval of this interracial relationship because we wanted to focus on the specifics of the racial microaggressions Nina faced at Stanford, which Benny very much understands and has her back on. So it didn’t make sense for her to be fighting that war on two fronts.” What Miranda fails to appreciate is that battles against racism and its handmaiden colorism are swaged simultaneously on multiple fronts and that his own film’s conscious attempt to minimize these conflicts may itself be interpreted as a not so micro microaggression.

What makes the current conversation about colorism even more remarkable, is that we’ve had it before. This is not the first time Chu has been criticized for colorism. In 2018, when the Singapore-based Crazy Rich Asians was released, it was criticized there for not accurately portraying that nation’s diversity. The film’s leads are light-skinned East Asians, those in subservient roles are dark-skinned Southeast Asians. As Singapore journalist Kirsten Han, put it, “The focus is specifically on characters and faces of East Asian descent, which plays into issues of racism and colorism that still exist, not only in the U.S. but Asia.”

Responding to his critics, Chu told a press conference, “We decided very early on that this is not the movie to solve all representation issues. This is a very specific world, very specific characters. This is not going to solve everything.” Now, three years later, Chu has directed another film about a specific world and specific characters that excludes specifically dark-skinned people, creating more problems than those it was not intended to solve.

Still, Hollywood has had plenty of opportunities to clean up its act, only to squander them[3] as it deliberately continues to erase people of color from their own lived narratives. The film 21 (2008), based on a true story about a group of MIT students gaming the tables in Vegas, replaces Jeffrey Ma, a Chinese American, with a white character renamed Ben Campbell, while the rest of the real Asian American members of the blackjack team are similarly  whitewashed. In an interview with The Tech, Ben Mezrich, author of Bringing Down the House, the book on which the film is based, said that he had been told by a studio executive  involved in the casting that “most of the film’s actors would be white, with perhaps an Asian female.” In Stuck (2007), based on another real life incident, this one involving a black woman who accidently hits and kills a homeless man with her car, not only does the main character undergo a name and race change, but, adding insult to injury, the film’s race-switched white female lead sports cornrows.

Fictional characters of color are also subjected to whitening. In 2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984), the sequel to2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Bob Balaban is cast as Dr. R. Chandra, the creator of the sentient supercomputer HAL 9000, quite a departure from the Dr. Chandra, a.k.a. Dr. Sivasubramnian Chandrasegaram Pillai, of Arthur C. Clarke’s original novels. In the film Wanted, based on the graphic novel by Mark Millar and J.G. Jones, The Fox, a character  physically modeled on Halle Berry, is played by Angelina Jolie. Reuben St. Clair, the black social studies teacher featured in the novel Pay it Forward (2005), in the film becomes white Eugene Simonet (Kevin Spacey). Presumably, in the eyes of the filmmakers all these actors were “the best fit for the role,” even  where the race and the names of the characters they portray were changed to accommodate them. If the shoe fits – alter it.

Movies, television and Broadway shows are entertainments not history (though they can be both). To be sure, actors should be given leeway to practice their craft, and escapist histories can provide a means of critically reexamining contemporary constructions of race and being (see for example, Barry Jenkins’ The Underground Railroad). But such imaginative excursions devolve into extravagant indulgence when they substitute for or impede the production of stories that attempt to engage history, particularly history that has been erased by what Reed calls the “Historical Establishment.”

Sure, in the eyes of producers, a film about Anne Boleyn will capture a greater audience share than one about Sojourner Truth. A film about Boleyn starring a black woman could potentially outperform them both, if only because of the controversy it will generate. After all, Boleyn is a known quantity, a brand, a bankable historical commodity. Truth is not, at least to the gatekeepers of popular historical dramaturgy. As history, Gone with the Wind (1939) is irredeemable trash. Yet, for many, both in America and abroad, it offers, like its predecessor The Birth of a Nation (1915), a distorted vision of past American greatness.[3] As for Hamilton, aside from the entertaining irony of turning the melanophobic Founding Fathers into people of color, it tells us nothing meaningful about either but a lot about the marketability of sanitized history, just as In the Heights’s erasure of an entire darkly pigmentated community of color from its own storytells us all too much about our present.

[alif615]

Week 9 : Fandom and Fan Communities

In today’s world, everyone has had a memory of a significant impact on pop culture with a varied choice of interest of different parts of the industry. Undoubtedly, we have all come across a point in life where we have watched our favourite cartoons/series/movies with our eyes glued to the screen or listened and sang to our favourite songs out loud or didn’t mind playing our favourite games all day or read our favourite books. We were fascinated as well as influenced and, in some way, had been affected by it in our daily lifestyle. Almost, everyone has been a fan of something since we shared a deeper connection with our favourites. This week, I will be shedding light on the topic of fandom and further elaborate with definite examples.  

So What is Fandom? 

Fandom simply refers to a community or subculture of fans that share mutual deep emotional interests towards a particular section of pop culture such as music band, movie, comic, video games, book, etc. According to (Rutherford-Morrison 2016), fandom is “a space where fans create their own language and communities, and where they reimagine characters and worlds into something that is uniquely theirs.” Fandom originated very early on but was official with the emergence of ‘sci-fi cons’ during the ’30s, now known as ‘the first fandom’. Then around the ’60s, the media fandom began at a ��Beatles’ concert where “crazy fanatics” were seen. Media Fandoms are dedicated to expressing their passion through fan art, fan-fiction, cosplay, etc., through which their obsession sometimes leads them to alter their lifestyle and create their own reality revolving around their chosen fictional characters.

How Does Fandom Work? 

Fans are vocal as well as loyal towards their engagement in source materials. Fandoms are the consumers/audiences also known as the ‘unofficial media producers’. According to (Distillery 2021), in 1977 when the first Star Wars movie was released, the fandom increased quickly as fan clubs were created and increasing in number as more people were influenced and wanted to be a part of the excitement. Their creative versions of fan art and fanzines and actively expressing their understanding for the movie was worthy to not be ignored. “Fans with their passion and sense of solidarity can be so powerful that they need to be managed and cared for.” (Distillery 2021). Lucas Films has dedicated an entire department for fans since then. Gradually as the digital era began, many fandoms have been committed to the unique content they create and influence on various social media sites such as Tumblr, Instagram whilst conveying their feedback or opinions through Twitter. Fandoms are a strong clan and hold a lot of power and are capable of changing not just their community but also the society in the modern world. The businesses are moulding their marketing campaigns according to the fandoms. For instance, Mary Franklin a Star Wars fanatic was contacted by LucasFilms for consultation on the likes and dislikes of the Star Wars Online Fan Club (Penas 2020). Along with being the first film to hop into marketing, after the release of the first film in 1977 “LucasFilm has licensed nearly $25 billion worth of products for action figures to videogames to books.” (Togerson 2017). This initiative was taken to have active fan participation in sales and good publicity. According to (Togerson 2017), “In the 2011 census, the United Kingdom had 177,000 people declare themselves as Jedi (followers of Jediism) making it the 7th most popular religion in the U.K.” That is really cool. Here’s a video for a more visual and elaborate understanding. 

Fandom Can Sometimes Get Really Scary!

Social Media in itself is a rocky place where everybody put ahead of their candid perspectives on the table without thinking if the person might be impacted negatively. Often the use of speech is very wrong and a certain character is called out or bullied until the person takes uncertain measures due to immense stress and anxiety. Sometimes the fictional hatred can cross too many lines and the outcomes are often very unsettling. Back in 2017, the Star Wars movie ‘The Last Jedi’ had starred Kelly Marie Tran as mechanic-turned-Resistance fighter Rose Tico, had faced a fierce backlash from some fans who pointed fingers at her for her ethnicity and appearance as she was the first woman of colour to play a lead role in the iconic series (BBC 2018). The Vietnamese-American actress had been criticized her Star Wars character and directed their hatred at her personally receiving abusive comments, her character name from the Star Wars encyclopedia, Wookieepedia, was changed only to replace a racial slur used to mock the East Asian accent and also numerous comments that were critical of her weight (BBC 2018). Fandoms do help artists succeed but also pulls them down. Tran had later deleted her posts on Instagram.

In Conclusion

I believe that Fandom has its pros and cons. Specifically, in a pool of people, most of them are only expertise in the field of the shared source of interest, not vice versa. I think it is very important to put ourselves in other's shoes and give it a thought before stepping onto others. Fandom is wonderful and will continue to be so till it is kept that way but as long as the immature mentality isn’t fixed it could get toxic after a certain period of time.

References : 

BBC 2018, Star Wars actress Kelly Marie Tran deletes Instagram posts after abuse,  BBC, viewed 11 May 2021 <https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-44379473>.

Distillery 2021,  The history of fandom, viewed 11 May 2021 <https://www.wearedistillery.co/we-think/the-history-of-fandom>.

Penas, E D 2020,  Fan engagement: Why businesses should target fandoms, Ambidextr, viewed 11 May 2020 <https://ambidextr.media/fan-engagement-why-businesses-should-target-fandoms/>.

Togerson, D 2017, Why is Starwars so Popular?, NBC, viewed 11 May 2020 <https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/why-is-star-wars-so-popular/14225/>. 

[thestray]

Movies I watched Feb 8 - Feb 14

So I’m still on a huge kung-fu kick (pun intended) since I was working on a spreadsheet of 100 martial arts movies, which I’ll be posting soon. So all but 2 of the movies I watched this week contained martial arts.

Movies I watched this week behind the cut.

The Prodigal Son

Big fan of Yuen Biao and Sammo Hung and I’ve been meaning to watch this for a long time but just haven’t seen it available anywhere til now, found it on a free streaming channel called TCL on my Roku tv, so I watched it and loved it. My favorite part of this movie is the guy that plays his master Lam Ching-ying, he’s one of those guys that’s ubiquitous in Hong Kong movies but typically in a supporting role. I really thought his performance was really good for what could’ve been (and usually is) a caricature, a lot of the other cares ARE caricatures, intentionally, but Lam Ching-ying plays an effeminate opera troupe leader but he’s nuanced rather than over the top about it. Warning that he is called some homophobic slurs within the movie. Fun movie, great choreography, and a good satisfying story too, will definitely purchase a hard copy of this one.

Martial Arts Master Wong Fei Hung

Found this while looking for more movies featuring Lam Ching-ying, he plays the bad guy in this, a Japanese swordsman bent on defeating dojo masters to prove he’s the best. Chin Ka-lok plays the hero, Wong Fei Hung, who is a Chinese folk hero that has been played by every major Hong Kong action star; Jackie, Jet Li, Donnie Yen, Sammo, Gordon Liu, and so many others. I didn’t know this before but this, Drunken Master, Once Upon a Time in China, Iron Monkey, Rise of the Legend and so many other films are fictionalized stories about Wong Fei Hung in different stages of his life. An interesting thing I’m finding about Chinese culture through film is they treat historical figures really no differently than we treat superheroes. Wong Fei Hung, Ip Man, Huo Yuanjia (portrayed by Jet Li in Fearless among others), and it’s kinda cool and beautiful that after these people have long passed on they have become these epic larger than life characters. Anyway, the movie is cool, has really fun choreography. It kinda ends abruptly, but that’s because it touches on elements of his life that are later explored in other films. Cool movie.

Unlucky Stars

This stars and is directed by Dennis Ruel, on the left, its an independent martial arts film that is on youtube for free, definitely recommend it. The title and the whole film is an homage to 80′s Hong Kong cinema; there’s a “lucky stars” series of films that star Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao and others. If you’re bout that life you’ll catch references, if you’re not it’s still a fun little beat em up. It’s not going to blow you away with it’s cinematography, story or acting, but I thought it was really good for a low budget affair of essentially a bunch of stunt performers getting together to make a movie together. Had some good laughs, fights and stunts are great, I hope these guys get an opportunity to keep doing bigger and better stuff.

Undisputed 2

I’ve known about the Undisputed films for a long time and was never too in a rush to watch them, decided to rent the movies on Prime and was not disappointed. When you watch a lot of East Asian action films the choreography in American films, especially straight to video stuff like this, can seem a little slow and boring, but that wasn’t the case with this at all. The fights are fun, the characters are fun, and Scott Adkins kills it. Oh, and by the way Undisputed 1 features Ving Rhames, and I don’t remember else, I saw it eons ago, I don’t think it has any connection to these films other than the concept of fighting in prison.

Undisputed 3

It was such a smart move to turn the franchise’s focus to the villain of the previous film. Boyka has a real Vegeta story arc in these movies, and his super athletic style is just fun to watch. The highlight of this movie to me is when he faces off against a capoeira expert and they’re both just flipping around during the fight. I think this movie is my favorite of the Undisputed series, it has a satisfying end.

Triad Wars

This is a mob movie with Sammo as the boss and Wu-Jing, pictured above as his enforcer. It’s more of a crime movie than an action movie, but the action scenes are crazy, it’s like if you’re watching the Departed than all of a sudden someone starts flipping around and cutting off everybody’s arms. There are some brutal kills in this. I honestly don’t know if I was following the story that well, the weird thing about movies where different crime factions go to war is it’s like... these people are all evil, and we watch them do fucked up shit, and they all have the same motivation; money, so it’s like I’m not really emotionally invested in what happens, I’m just here to enjoy a guy in all white landing on top of  car and then proceeding to kill everyone with a sword.

Fighter in the Wind

I had been looking for this movie for a while but forgot what it was called, and it’s hard to search for martial arts movies because what are you going to search “the movie where a guy fights a lot of people”? Anyway I finally found it and it’s a cool movie, another film that’s based on a true historical figure, I don’t know how faithful this movie is but it was enjoyable. This coward who is always being humiliated in fights decides to train himself to become stronger and then challenges every dojo owner in Japan to a fight. It’s a karate movie, so the choreography is not as flash as kung-fu films, and he essentially wins his fights not because he has better technique but because he can take more punishment and hit harder. SIde note: THe lead actor looks so much like Stephen Chow it was distracting.

Judas and the Black Messiah

The hype is real. This was a good ass movie. The performances are all perfect. I knew that Fred Hampton was assassinated, but to see the whole story and how it went down and to get to know him really gave you the full impact of just how fucked up it was on so many levels. 

Undisputed 4

Back to Undisputed! Boyka’s back baby! Cool movie, and furthers his character development. I still think I like the previous movie a little better but this was fun too.

Brigsby Bear

Kyle Mooney is the current best member of SNL, he wrote this film and it’s funny and weird and endearing. I guess after watching people fight in prison, the true story of a black radical being assassinated by the government, and countless people dismembered and impaled, I wanted to watch something a little more lighthearted and fun. Kyle Mooney is an awkward manchild who wants to recreate a show he grew up with. I don’t want to say anymore than that, but I enjoyed it.

A Kid From Tibet

Yuen Biao with some Golden Child style mystical action adventure. It’s not mind-blowing in terms of action, but I liked this, it has some precursor to Naruto type stuff in it, doing hand jutsus to initiate powers and stuff like that. My favorite thing about the movie is the main henchwoman played by Nina Li Chi, who I’m not retroactively deciding is one of 80′s crushes. I actually went ahead and bought this on DVD just because it’s such an obscure movie I wanted to have it my physical collection.

Nina Li Chi 

That’s all for this week!

[mrsrcbinscn]

BDRPWriMo Task #28 - Closet

BDRPWriMo Task #28: Your character’s closet! Or, 15 iconic Franny Robinson outfits 

1-4. Franny’s (four) wedding dresses

Cornelius and Franny’s wedding was heavily influenced by Cambodian wedding traditions. [read here and here, later I’ll post a full HC post about what Khmer traditions they followed and how, and which ones they forwent - like obviously Neil didn’t pay a dowry for Franny] 

A traditional Cambodian wedding is comprised of many ceremonies, music, meals, gifts, and guests lasting for three days and three nights. Cambodians choose the number three because of its relation to “three jewels” of Buddhism: the Buddha, the Sangha, and the Dhamma. So Neil and Franny’s wedding ceremonies lasted three days, only family and close friends were invited to the majority of the ceremonies, with the Actual Wedding and reception happening on day three. 

Neil paid for all of her mother’s surviving (post Khmer Rogue years) siblings and extended family to fly in from Cambodia if they’d remained there, or from the other countries they’d been resettled as refugees to. For some of her siblings and cousins, the lead up to the 2002 wedding was the first time Sophea “Sophie” had seen them since before the fall of Phnom Penh in April 1975. 

They wore traditional Khmer wedding costume for all three days, but Franny changed into a Western style dress shortly after the first dance.

Day 1

Day 2 

Day 3 - The Actual Wedding

Apart from her wedding, she has four aesthetics:

Stage

#vintage

Professional pencil skirts and pantsuits

Dress to DEPRESS

5. Nature Dress

Franny wore this nature scene dress when she accepted her most recent Grammy award.

6. “Who’s This Farmer’s-Wife-Lookin’ Girl?”

... was the first thought Atlanta Jazz Festival 2005 festival goers had when Franny Robinson stepped onstage in a dress and boots straight from her closet.

“I didn’t have things like stylists or sponsored outfits back then,” said Robinson in a 2014 interview. “I’d already made a bit of splash as far as songwriting went; by then I’d had full or partial credit for writing and-or composing twenty-two songs. Mind you, I’d only graduated from NYU with my Bachelors’ in ‘02, and finished my Masters’ in England in ‘04. But as a singer, I had only released an EP and featured on other singers’ tracks. I wasn’t, you know, Franny Robinson yet. The 2005 Atlanta Jazz Festival was the first in a series of test runs.”

When asked why the Atlanta Jazz Festival when she was already living in England at the time, Robinson answered, “Atlanta is my home. The jazz festival was one of my favorite things about growin’ up here, so I wanted to launch my music career here.”

To this day, the outfit remains one of the most iconic Franny Robinson looks. Instagram captions of fans wearing similar outfits often read “channeling my inner Franny Robinson today.”

7. Baby Pink Cherries

In 2009, Franny and her lifelong friend and song-writing partner, bluegrass and folk singer and multi-instrumentalist Daniel Maitland (fc: Martin Sensmeier), formed the duo Dara & Danny. 

From an article:

Robinson and Maitland have known each other since middle school, when Maitland moved to her small town outside of Atlanta from Alaska. They started out as fiercely competitive rivals before Maitland proposed they marry their talents and begin playing music together. It was a match made in music heaven. 

Even when Franny went to NYU and Daniel went to East Tennessee State [the only university with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Studies, which he holds], they remained in steady contact and spent their summers at home playing and writing together. The first few years of their music careers were spent breaking into their respective primary fields - jazz music for Franny, bluegrass and folk for Daniel - and coming together to write music and lyrics for each other.

It was again Maitland who proposed they perform together, this time, professionally. 

Dara & Danny, a duo made up of jazz musician and bluegrass musician, flirts with jazz music but is primarily influenced by bluegrass, folk, and indie rock a la Rilo Kiley. 

“Dara & Danny is where I get to explore the music besides jazz that made me. I grew up in rural Georgia, bluegrass, country, folk music, that was all around me. And I loved it. I love all music,” Robinson said. “Like, I love hip-hop. My husband got a crash course in Outkast and the rest of the Atlanta hip-hop legends when we started seeing each other.” 

The pink cherries dress was worn at the 2010 CMAs when Dara & Danny performed. They weren’t nominated for anything that year, but were super jazzed to have been invited to perform.

Dara & Danny, funnily enough, has been Franny’s most commercially successful project. Meaning, tracks have featured in movies, tv, and its what gets the most radio play. Her work in jazz is more highly critically acclaimed, and she is much more prolific with composing jazz music than anything else, but there are more people who first discover her through Dara & Danny that then find out she’s a world class jazz musician than the other way around.

8. Met Gala 2018

You know, the Catholic-themed one. She wore a dress depicting Adam and Eve.

9. National BIcon Franny Robinson

Franny is known for not changing gender pronouns when she sings songs originally performed by men. Prior to her coming out as bisexual in 2017, Franny dodged the questions by simply saying, “That’s how the song was written.”

In 2018 she appeared in a 1940s aesthetic music video for a song by her friend, fellow jazz singer, and out lesbian Lora Lopez. Franny starred as her love interest. There was seduction, there was making out, there was stealing from men. It was so gay. 

The ‘Making Of’ video is hilarious because Lora kept laughing every time she grabbed Franny and kissed her because the first time she grabbed Franny she was like “oh my god I’m sorry, was that too rough?” and without thinking Franny went “you’re good, I like it rough, you can make it real kinky and slap me if you want.” Because that’s the kind of jokes Franny makes. And for like five takes Lora could not stop laughing when she grabbed her and kissed her.

10. Seoul Hanoi’d at Glastonbury 2016

Franny’s second most active music project - apart from her constant solo work - after Dara & Danny is Seoul Hanoi’d, the best pun I have ever made in my life. She is a founding member and co-lead singer of the band. Seoul Hanoi’d is a genre-bending performance group entirely made up of Asian-diaspora singers and musicians whose main careers are in various genres.

[I’ll make a full hc post about Seoul Hanoi’d later, too!]

The name, a pun on ‘so annoyed’ comes from the capital of South Korea and a city in Vietnam. Seoul Hanoi’d currently consists ethnic Korean, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Malaysian, Indonesian, Mongolian, Kazakh, Chinese, Nepalese, and Thai diaspora who rotate out for live shows as their schedules permit. The "core” members are almost all at every performance. Of the core members, Franny is absent the most however, because of her wildly busy schedule. She has a hand in composing almost every original song, arranging most of the covers, writing a huge chunk of their lyrics, and is the common thread between most of the other musicians, so she is considered the leader of the group.

Franny wore this outfit during their set at Glastonbury 2016, their first year performing there.

11. Swynlake Adult Prom 2019

The Gatsby-themed one? That was Franny’s JAM. She killed it with her art deco dress!

12. Postmodern Jukebox

Franny’s been featured in a Postmodern Jukebox video, and wore this green velvet dress.

13. Twinning Pink Ao Dai at a Vietnamese Festival with a Vietnamese Friend

The co-lead singer of Seoul Hanoi’d is a Vietnamese-American named Vanessa Pham. Franny and Vanessa met when they were students at NYU through their involvement with the university’s Asian Student Union. Franny, a jazz studies and musical theater performance double major from Georgia, and Vanessa, an engineering student from Texas, found that they had a lot in common.

They were both the only daughters of war refugees who came to the United States in the 1970s. They were both from the South. Franny even spoke Vietnamese almost as well as Vanessa, as she spent her first four years living with her mother in the home of a Vietnamese couple who’d taken her mother in when she was pregnant with her. In both Franny’s hometown in Georgia and Vanessa’s in Texas, the small Vietnamese and Cambodian diaspora groups were very interconnected, so each other’s culture was almost as familiar to them as their own. 

They both liked to put bacon in their cheesy grits and put hot sauce on their rice when their moms weren’t looking. They both loved authentic Chinese food as much as the next self-respectin’ first-generation gal, but they also could put away some crab rangoons because cream cheese was truly king. They both could absolutely destroy their older brothers in a fight. They both knew all the worlds to every Dolly, Tanya Tucker, and Dixie Chicks song, but also found their parents’ old Khmer or Vietnamese music comforting.

Franny could count on one hand the number of other Cambodian students she’d met in her time at NYU, so even meeting Vietnamese Vanessa who knew how to order in hesitant, broken Khmer at the Cambodian restaurant they found was exciting. More than that, Vanessa was hilarious! And smart! And such a good, loyal friend. She had a hidden talent as a singer and wanted to do music like Franny, but her parents made her go into STEM for ‘job security.’

Vanessa graduated with her engineering degree and went on to get her masters’, but after working as an engineer for four years she quit to pursue music. It was shortly after she took the leap that Franny approached her to form Seoul Hanoi’d. 

On Franny’s Instagram, there’s a picture of her and Vanessa wearing matching pink ao dai at a Vietnamese culture festival earlier in 2019 with the caption, “Thank you for sharing your beautiful voice, laughter, and culture with me for twenty years and counting!”

“What I love the most about Asian cultures is just how many of them there are.” Robinson said in a 2019 interview. “I love when my Desi friends are like ‘hey! be my plus one at this wedding!’ and they invite me to wear their traditional clothing while celebrating with them. I love learning new Vietnamese phrases from my friends. I’m always so honored when I’m invited to participate in my friends’ cultures, because I know when I invite somebody to Cambodian New Year events, or a traditional wedding, its because I trust them to appreciate this important part of me and participate respectfully. Our cultures are so diverse, and beautiful, and vibrant!”

There’s a similar picture of Vanessa and Franny together at a Cambodian New Year celebration, where Vanessa’s wearing traditional Khmer clothing with Franny.

14. Plaid Dress

Franny wore and performed in this dress at the 2011 International Bluegrass Music Awards when Dara & Danny won the New Artist of the Year, and Song of The Year.

15. That Kickass Outfit

Franny wore this outfit when she attended and performed at the 2015 BRIT Awards, and won Best International Female Solo Artist.

[jennulli]

The Evolution of Makeup

Makeup refers to the washable, coloured design of skin and hair using chemical or natural products, usually on the face.

From my guess, the general knowledge about makeup includes: Mascara, eyeliner, lipstick/ lip-gloss, blush, concealer, foundation, highlighter … (the list could go on for ever, but if you already knew this – Not bad!)

However, makeup is not only what we think of it today. In fact, a much more rich and interesting history lies beneath it, that I would like to uncover for you today, even if it is only to some extent.

Makeup, or cosmetic body art, is assumed to be as old as mankind itself. For instance, presumably 50.000 years ago, the Neanderthals in Spain already used seashells as containers for makeup.  

Cosmetic body art is also found on cave paintings worldwide, indicating that makeup has found use in the earliest stages of humanity. The reasons are varying, ranging from being part of rituals to being a part of cultural expression, as is the case for different tribes in Africa for example. In fact, cosmetic body art is argued to be one of the earliest forms of a ritual in human culture.

A probably more well-known early use of makeup is that of the ancient Egyptian – Back then, both women and men used makeup to enhance their appearance. The focus lied especially on their eyes, as they were the symbol of the sun god Re, who was one of the most important gods in the ancient Egyptian religion. To achieve that, the ancient Egyptians used Kohl eyeliner and green eyeshadow, as green was also the colour of Re.

Traditional makeup is also found in Asian countries, such as the Huadian in China, or geisha in Japan. In the middle East, people used decorative Henna during wedding celebrations to beautify the bride.

During the Middle Ages and early modern times of Europe, makeup and beauty trends would constantly change. Coloured cheeks, lips and eyes were commonly used by prostitutes and by the lower class, but during the 16th century, Elizabeth I made the use of rouge for the cheeks popular again. Thus, it quickly became a sign of wealth and upper class. Nevertheless, pale skin was a never changing beauty standard (similar to some Asian countries such as Korea or Japan) – Pale skin was a sign of wealth and status, as the less wealthy people commonly worked outside and ultimately obtained a suntan. To get pale and fair skin, women would even go as far as to use toxic lead to lighten their skin or bleed themselves (so much for beauty knows no pain am I right).

During the 19th century, the western cosmetic industry began to grow due to the emergence of new inventions such as mirrors (which became more affordable to the general public), or portrait photography, leading to increasing one’s self-awareness and creating a demand for cosmetics that help improve one’s image. Additionally, the growth of the film industry led to improvements of stage makeup, as the makeup that was developed for the stages did not look as good on camera. Max Factor went on to develop makeup that became popular not only with movie stars, but also with ordinary people. In the 1920s, he began marketing his makeup to the public with the claims that they could look like their favourite movie stars (Fun fact: Mac Factor actually popularized the term “makeup”).

From then on, different makeup looks began trending:

-       The Flapper look during the 1920s, known for black smoky eyes and red lipstick

-       In contrast to the Flapper look, a more natural look with light eyeshadow during the 1940s (as a result of rationing during the second world war)

-       The ‘London Look’ during the 1960s

-       The ‘punk’ look and experimental makeup during the 1980s

-       Onto the latest trends of the 21st century

Of course, this ‘summary’ mostly pertains to the western world and did not cover every aspect of makeup’s history, as there is much more to cover about the origins of makeup and cosmetics.

Nevertheless, I hope I was able to showcase that makeup, in actuality, is more than just covering your face in layers of paint to look prettier for men, or whatever the general public deems is the point of putting makeup on.

In fact, if you would like to know about how I view (and use) makeup, or if you would like to partake in a discussion that I started about what it means to put on makeup in the current world, check out the following links!

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/xxflxz/what_do_you_think_is_the_use_of_makeup/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

YouTube: 

[wakemany]

Hi Welcome

Tina Small is christian . Roberta Pedon is Irish

September 15, 2015

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H I    SToRM FRoNT– ERS    –   Edited   Letter   i   Sent   to   Don   blacK  —–— To  Don  BlacK  :      I   did   snail   mail   in  past .  TLH   Syracuse , Rev  RaY   Indiana ,   RNPA   LocK port  ,    said    m Y    “  Litter    With    paper ” plan   has   merit  .

silence .  No  more  chat rooms  , Yahoo  clubs . SF  is  the  only  outlet . Not   Reddit .

silence . Edgar  Steele , innocent  NSM   leader  in  prison . The  day  may  come  When  even  you  Will   be  silenced .

my  plan – small   groups ,  paper   is   hard   to   stop . Do “ exploits ”,  “ instruct   many ”,  truth  –  lives  on !

not  gonna  stop   gov’t  agenda  immigration . Fact . next  best  alternative  ?

Women  are  suffering . Ask  Shoshana  Roberts . What  else  is  Working ?                                     TonY

Read  more  if  you  Want …… start  of  my  plan

I  saw  an  angry  White  girl  with  her  arms  extended  and  walking  away  and  turning  around  at  times  and  telling  him  off  and  a  black  dude  following  . A  pastor  once  told  me  repeat =  abuse !

I  saw  this  several  times , but  another   White  lady  told  me  – “ trying  to  ignore  that  person , but  they  just  follow  and  talk ”.

I  saw  a  friendly  black  turning  around  to  see  if  a  White  girl  was  still  there .  sneaky  slowly  trying . What  to  do ?       Page 1 oF  14

Try  TEACHING  STRATEGY… Racism  is  socially  learned – babies  Know  nothing . Ask – is  it  learned ?  Then  it  should  Work !

What  a  time  consuming  pain !  Joining  KKK  ain’t  working , right ?  Your  current  “ Wake  up ? ”  strategy  is – nonsense . pointless .

but – education  won’t  stop  the  bleeding . No – but  it  Will  slow  it  down .

1. organize , 2. Wear gloves  to  hide  fingerprints  ,  3. litter  cars  (  Windshields ,  homes ,  streets  )   With  paper + dvd’s ( old  movies )… simple …. If  you  are  Fed  up

A  new  advertising  strategy . Perhaps  you “ racists ” will   Light  the  Way  to  advertise  secretly . Pioneers  in “ exploits ” = sneaky  stuff ?  INSTRUCT  MEANS  MORE  THAN  JUST  TELLING . INSTRUCT  MEANS  PAPER  and  TIME .

The  people  Who  Know  their  God   Will   be  strong  and  do  great  exploits . And  those  of  the  people  who  understand  shall  instruct  many … Daniel 11 : 32 – 33 .  There  is  always  a  Few  who  understand …

maybe  this  letter  has  something  to  do  With  what  christians  Will  do  non  violently  in  the  Future . So , most  effective  Way  is  to  do  it  privately ?  small ? publicly ?  big ?  maybe  small  and  sneaky  LiKe  exploit  christians  is  best .

Decentralized  KKK  and  no  independent  media  ( it  is  controlled , except  a  bit  of  internet )  maKes  PERSONAL  UNDERSTANDING ( Daniel  those  among  the  people  Who  understand )  or  LOGIC , REASON more  important .  if  you  agree .

unLiKe  WiKipedia , this  site  Will  not  change . it  is  up  to  you  to  decide  what  the  correct  strategy  is  and  to  learn  to  thinK  strategically .  Read  my  gov’t  letter  below . As  always – if  you  agree !

STRATEGY  1 –  Logic  strategy –  blondes  Wouldn’t  exist . don’t  need   bible  or  history . duh !   blue  eyes , red   hair  do  exist .  Why ?  Kinda   important – logic  +  requires  only  1  sentence.

STRATEGY  2 – EXPOSE  MEDIA  BIAS . Leaving  Los  Angeles . South  Africa  silence . Again , it  supports  the  argument  that  We  are  being  Lied  to .

Spy  Who  Shagged   Me  painting  KKK as  Evil  ( Dr . Evil  on  Springer’s  show ).  Star  Wars  has  important  Women + blacks  ( Windu , captain , Billy  Dee ) , but  main  actors  are  still   White !

Back  To  The  Future  has  important  black  mayor + Anti – arab . examples  from  MODERN   DAY  movies  sooo  blatant  that  it  exposes  itself .

+ in  movie “ Thank  You  For  SmoKing ”, THEY  ADMITTED  that  Hollywood  deleted  smoking  scenes  from  classic  movies .

STRATEGY 3  –  Kings  of  the  East  +  the  End .  Why  did  these  2  threats  to  the  White  Race  ( Seeds  oF  men  mingling  and  Kings  of  East )  happen  only  in  the “ Last  days ” ?

MENTioN – chinese  gov’t  told  businesses  not  to  serve  blacKs  or  Mongolians  during  1988  Beijing  olYmpics . i  thought  Asians  were  Mongolian . Go  Figure . crazy  –  but …

not  Just  gov’t ,  but  Chinese  people  protesting  in  Nanjing – Get  blacKs  out . not  Mongolians .

What  happens  if  china  Wins ?  or  Worse . If  china  does  not  show  up ?  many  angry  Whites  today .

Wouldn’t  this  Kings  of  East  strategy  maKe  Asian  White  marriages  more  Acceptable ?

Yes , but , it  Would  maKe  Zebras  more  unacceptable . Hmm … there  are  pros  and  cons .

WHO  CONTROLS  THE  GOV’T  TOMORROW ?  Either  Way ,  you  Lose  if  you  marry  blacK  –  Permanently ,  political  Law  is  stronger  than  social  Law .

Who  says  most  believe  the  Bible ?  LiKe  i  said ,  Christians  do  exist . it  doesn’t  hurt  to  mention  bible  stuff  Anyway .

Just  don’t  bring  Nostradamus  into  this  – a  Land  bridge  Would  give  china  access  to  America . He  also  predicted – Russia  and  America  are  Kings  of  the  North ,  a  New  Earth  and  NYC  gets  nuked .

STRATEGY  4 – include  PICTURES   From  the  more  recent  C R  movement , S A  Farm  murders – A  PIC  SAYS  1,ooo  Words  and  makes  racism  more  personal , real , tangible . Fastest  is  paper (  in  steady  chunKs  and  not  Just  boring  text .

STRATEGY  5 – I  Would  NOT  advise  this , it  is  contrary  to  using  bible . But  old  saying ,“ Sex  sells ” maKes  me  thinK  advertisers  sometimes  avoid  this  on  purpose .

STRATEGY  6 –” A  moving  target  is  harder  to  Hit “- they  said  in  Waterloo  Bridge ! select  different  communities , not  Just  one  metro  area  or  state . on  different  nights .  Keep  police  guessing ! cry  WolF  create  diversions  1st ?

STRATEGY  7 –  KNoW  THE  ENEMY   Beware  of  going  into  or  near  big  companies ( Hospitals , Zoo )  or  gov’t  buildings  or  downtown . carnivore  exists . only  if  connected  to  internet . Beware  of  new  computer  technologies .

About  Walkie  talkies – echelon  exists . use “ suspicious ” encoded  Words  – could  be  Worse .  cell  phones  can  be  used  as  a  tracking  device.  credit  or  library  cards  leave  an  electronic  trail . CARS  have   GPS . Surveillance  cameras  all  over . Face  recognition  technology  exists .

A  Team – Find  a  person  Who  can  refill  ink  Jet  cartridges .  Saves  money  in  the  long  run . + a  computer  expert  to  download . WORK  PROFESSIONALLY .

Have  an  escape  plan . PRACTICE  – duffel   bags ?  Need  to  refill .  There  is  a “ learning  curve ”.  Someone  to  drive  van  ( materials  are  heavy ) . go  potty  1st . Need  watchers .

Still  you  looK  LiKe  a   thief !  Even  before   distributing ,  buying  certain  (  i.e., Remote  control )  items  on  Ebay  could  raise  a   flag .

A  drug  dealer  on  the  news  operated  in  a  rural  small  town   because  there  is  LESS  OF  A  POLICE  PRESENCE  and  used  video  cameras  in  front  door  and  escaped  out  back  door .

HOMEWORK –  Know  which  routes  you  are  going  to “ Hit ”.  A “ lone  wolf ”,  instead  of  a “ cell ”– even  gov’t  refers  to  these  terms  to  describe  terrorists .

Even  if  you  think  you  have  done  enough  homework  or  practise ,  Life  has  a  Way  of  reminding  you  of  your  shortcomings .

Iron  on  letters  onto  shirt ?  You  are  stupid  to  advertise  racist  beliefs . You  are  trying  to  do  it  secretly . What  if  the  gov’t  infiltrates  and  offers  stupid  plans , such  as …

It  Was  once  suggested  that  separate  militia  should  all   Join  together . In  my  opinion ,  the  gov’t  infiltrated  and  tried  to  offer  a  stupid  suggestion . one  that  Would  expose  them  for  arrest .

“SMALL”  STRATEGY  8 – be  Weary  of  making  the  group  big , as  the  militia  have  learned  to  be  Weary .   Page  2  oF   14

 Even  iF  caught , What’s  Worst  that  could  happen ? J  Edgar  Hoover  didn’t  care  about  KKK . only  communist  Party .

gov’t  doesn’t  care  about  racial   literature , only  political . proof – other  race  sites  exist . i.e.,  stormFront  . militia  is  enemy  Madeleine  Albright  said .

There  are  other  violent +  unethical +  political  strategies  I  thought  up , such  as  booby  trap  mine  the  graffiti  – explode  harmless  paint ?  sKunK ?  Strategy  9 . Which  I  intentionally  Left  off  my  Site , should  the  gov’t  persist  on  stopping  mostly  race  literature .

movie  Sound  of  music – Activity  suggests  a  LiFe  Full  of  purpose .  What  activity  does  not  WorK ?

Politics  never  WorKs . Kuchinich  and  Trump  called  voting  a  Rigged  Game .  +  Kuchinich  was  leading  on  internet  based  polls .

Politics  never  WorKs .  Immigration  increasing  year  after  year .

What  does  a  Rally  or  demonstration  or  protest  accomplish ?  or  signing  petitions ?

Long – Lasting  Graffiti  accomplishes  the  same  thing – it  shows  that  racism  exists –  Without  the  necessary  manpower  and  effort .  Much  cheaper  than  billboards  too .

STRATEGY  9 –  Low  RisK  SHORT  SENTENCES –  I’ve  heard  of  KKK  buying  billboards  before . use  airplanes  LiKe  they  did  in  Iraq . drop  leaflets . Too  heavy ?   Remote   control ?   Beware  oF  going  into  hobby  shops .

is  it  effective ?  ADL  Website  encourages  FolKs  to  send  in  photos  of  racist  graffiti ! “ Race  matters – bible  Samaritans   are  out ” – I  prefer  over  “ I  hate  Asians ”. SHoW  THAT  RACISM  EXISTS ! or  use  marKers  indoors .  Page 3 of  14

KKK’s  ” sporadic ”  leaflet  strategy  only  tells  people  that  the  KKK  exists .  So  much  more  potential . Proves  KKK  is  ABLE  &  WILLING  to  distribute .

Possible  to  use  a  “ gun ” to  launch  material , “ Flinging ” LiKe  newspaper  boy ?  Yes , but  police  may  get  Wise  to  seeing  VANS  at  night . bicycle  With  painted   Wheels  to  paint  sentences  all  over ?

The  pro  is  better  than  lazy .  Generally , the more   sophisticated  (  GREAT  exploits ) , the  greater  the  results . Example – Temporary  Radio  sites , get  Remote  control  From  other   countries ,  placing  pre – made  newspaper  outlets , — gotta  thinK !

gov’t  could  make  people  afraid  of  unleft  pacKages  by  coming  up  With  stories  on  the  evening  news .

do  this – LEAVE  IT  TO  BE  FOUND . it  Would  be  expensive  and  many  Wasted  non – hits . but  less  RisK …… You  looK  LiKe  a  thieF ! is  a  problem  that  this  could  neutralize  .

STRATEGY 10 –  When  distributing , include  my ” How  to ” strategy  plan – Your  efforts  could  multiply  and  SelF  propagate  all  BY  ITSELF .

KKK  never  required  strong  leadership . KKK  exists  in  Brazil  and   India  also . WiKipedia  said   KKK  grew  Whenever  social  tensions  arose  and   Waned   Whenever  they  loosened  automatically . KKK  is  human  nature . It  could  ignite  by  itself , couldn’t  it ?

Super  major  “ Legit ” strategy  11 –  use  bible …  Jesus  ate  With  sinners , SAMARITANS ,  Lepers . all  contagious , and  affects  those  Who  are  not  infected .  Women  too

Sinners . “ protect your  Rep ” Tax  collectors  Were  Jews  Who  collected  taxes  From  other  Jews  and  gave  it  to  the  Romans .

blacks  Were “ sold  out ” by  black  slave  traders  ( in  Africa , not  the  ships – Packed   Like  sardines .  Titanic  sank  Whites  got  Killed – public  outcry ) .

In  movie , ‘ It’s  a  Wonderful  LiFe ’ – “ You  Know  Mr . Gower ? ( a “  sinner ” outcast  pharmacist  who   poisoned  a  Kid )  you  must  be  a  Jailbird  yourself  . Throw  them  out  ”.

on  TV , a  Lady  saw  O. J.  Simpson  getting  yelled  at  one  day . She  said “  imagine  What  LiFe  is  LiKe  everyday ”

Vivien  Leigh  commits  suicide  at  end  of  ‘ Waterloo   Bridge ‘ because  she  had  a  dancer’s  Rep .

Jesus  crossed  social   Line  into  Samaria  and  could’ve  died . He  crossed  physical   Line  and  Walked  on  Water . LiKe  cursing  Laws  oF  gravity .

Samaritans Were outcasted .  Assyrians  invaded  israel  and  intermingled  . Racial  half – breeds .

Lepers – in movie ‘ Ben Hur ’, people  ran  away . There  was  a ‘  Valley  oF  Lepers ‘ and  black  circus  performers .

… but  most  are  guilty – magic  Johnson  pleaded  on  TV , “ people  say  ooh  and  shy  away  From  me . don’t  do  that ”. imagine  Life  for  him  everyday

WiKi  article ‘ Leprosy  stigma ’ – says “ Forced  segregation …  commit  suicide ’,  Families  Were  affected …

In  movie ‘ Philadelphia ’, he  was  innocent  and  got  it  from  a  blood  transfusion . They  said “ a  social  death  preceeds  a  physical  death ” For  HIV  people .

Women’s suffrage at  turn  of  the  century. in  bible , there  Were  concubines . Read  in  newspaper , Iraqi  Women  afraid  of  Saddam‘s  son , Odai .

in  Roman  days , Women  Were  treated  a  tad   better  than  animals . Aren’t  “  honor  Killings ”  still  committed  iF  they  embarrass  Family ? and  Arab  Women  Wear  veils .

constitution  and   bible  says  all  men  are  equal , and   Yet   bible  says  all  men  Rich   poor   Free   slave  have  to  accept  mark  of  the  beast .

That  a  man  is  innocent  until  proven  guilty , yet  Joseph  Went  to  prison  for  raping  Potifa’s  Wife .

blacks  changed  their  mind  and  said “ progress ”. They  Knew  abstract  equality  can’t  exist .   Page 4  of  14

Moses  married  a  Cushite  and  God   had  no  problem . Miriam   said “  LooK  what  he  did ” = “ is  he  crazy ? ” People  do  care . if  Joseph  was  innocent  and  we  free  all  rapists  in  prison , society  will   Fall  apart . Also , Joseph  couldn’t  eat  with  his  brothers  because  he  was  Egyptian  .

“ Right  to  bear  arms ” 2nd  important  amendment  and   Well  regulated  militia  is  NECESSARY .  Malcolm X  urged  all   blacks  to  get  guns .

Not  all   blacks  think  that  Way ,  but  there  are  those  that  do . Haiti – “ Whatever  you  do  to  us , We  do  to  you ! ” TanKs  on  MLK’s  birthday . President  Charles  Taylor – “ They  owe  it  to  us  ! ”. Tulsa  got  bombed   From  the  Air . War !   Surrender  at  Tulsa – and  die  after  colFax  massacre .

constitution  was  written  by  christians  who  wrote  it  in  abstract  terms ( ForeFathers  were  wise )  ON  PURPOSE  – Knowing  that  in  reality , it  doesn’t  worK  that  way . You  can  put  bible  away – abstract  concepts  apply  only  to  God .

in  reality , the  needs  oF  MANY  outweigh  needs  oF  FEW , or  the  ONE –  Star  TreK  Khan !  but  Lot  was  the  only  ONE  in  Sodom  and  the  Famine  in  Israel   happened   because  oF  a  FEW  Gibeonites . it  taKes  time  to  explain  things  LiKe  ABSTRACT..…  but  it  is  relevant .

Lights  don’t  LiKe  darKs  in  a  movie  by  important  director  SpiKe  Lee . Who  “oppresses ” poor ?  Apostle  Paul  said, the  Rich . When  poor  become  Rich ? they  oppress  also .

darKs  become  Lighter ?  mulattoes  were  Killed  on  Haiti . American  blacks  don’t  LiKe  recent  arriving  immigrants  from  Africa . india .

clarify – 1,000  years  ( 300  Arab + 700  White )  of  slavery  is  not  oppression – it  is  ForsaKen . God  deals  with  people  on  relative  time  basis  because  people  are  relative .

God’s  LAW . 1  suffers . The   other  doesn’t . Then  the  1  who  doesn’t  suffer  suffers – until  they  die . it  is  oK  unknowingly . not  oK  Knowingly .

Social   LAW .  it’s  simple – 1  is  in . 1  is  out . in  the  50’s  60’s , it  was  social  suicide  to  go  public . congressman  Strom  Thurmond   had  a  half  Kid   he  loved , but  Kept  it  hidden .

Answer  is  simple . gotta  obey  society .  everything  is  socially  defined – naKed , purple  orange  car , Wear  socKs  on  hands

Emmett  Till  whistled  at  a  white  woman  and  got  lynched . but  he  wasn’t “ SUPPOSED  TO  DO  THAT ” – socially  defined . His  pals  hightailed  it  outta  there . They  Knew .

Michael    Richards  of   Seinfeld  did  use   the  N  Word   and  the  crowd  all  got  up  and   left  . not “ supposed  to  do  that ”.

Mrs . obama  said , “ I am  a  black  woman  from  the  south  side  of  Chicago  and  i’m  not  supposed  to  be  here ”. In  her  own  Words .

if  a  leper  walks  out  of  the  Valley  of  the  Lepers  and  tries  to  mingle  with  healthy  people , who’s  wrong ?  is  he  acting  “ out  of  place ” and “ asKing  For  it ”.   Page 5  oF  14

LEARNED – babies  don’t  Know  right  hand   from  Left . Nobody  hates  when  they  are  born .

go  bacK   6o’s  TV – Gomer     Beaver     G  Acres     munsters     Adams   Fam     Jeanie     car  54     Fav  martian     3 Sons     A   Griffith     T  Zone     Howdy  d     Lost  in  Space     Flipper – All   White

70’s  movie  ‘ Walking  Tall ’ ( With  Joe  Don  BaKer , not  Re – maKe  ). ( and  it’s  based  on  a  true  story ) , 3  White  men  walKed  into  a  black  bar  and   blacks  became  quiet .

There  was  a  prostitute  in  ‘Walking  Tall ’ who  helped  the  sheriff “ good  guy ”. in  bible , the  prostitute  Rahab  helped  the  good  guys  ancient  israelites . How  real

bottom  line – Why  do  they  mingle , but  not  CLEAVE  together – because  it  goes  AGAINST   human  nature . beauty  ugly !  interracial  is  not  oK . maKe  it  cleave .  it  won’t . Why  not ? it  don’t  work  that  way .

on  New  Earth  , animal  nature – Wolf  and   Lamb   Feed  together . isaiah 65 : 25 …… malcolm X’s   dad’s   3   brothers  died   VIOLENTLY  at  the  hands  oF  white  men … All  3 , in   3  separate  incidents .

Torture  was  Known  as “ breaking ”. break  a  horse . Pavlov “ conditioned ” his   dogs . stop  torture  and   blacks  start   Fighting  bacK –  in  numbers  in  Summer  oF  1919 .

Torture  is  learned . Animals  want  to  be  happy . get  angry , sad . Native  American  slaves  stopped  maKing  babies .

Human  same  as  animal  nature . WiKipedia  said  whites  couldn’t  control  themselves  when  they  saw  blacks  with  guns  after  the  unpopular – draft  dodgers  back  then – New  York  City  draft  Riots )  Civil  War .

black  dude  walking  up  to  Michael   Richards  at  Laugh  Factory  couldn’t  control   himself . LiKe  animal .

confused ? but  human  nature – ALWAYS  WINS  IN  THE  END .  unless  gov’t  is  controlled   by  someone  else . After  6,ooo  years , India  got  rid  of  caste  system , politically , for  the  1st  time  ever  in  1950 .

but  whole  communities  are  still  segregated  in  India . caste  system  is  not  a  solution . it  only  slows  it  down . not  stop  it . a  solution  is  supposed  to  worK .  Why  Keep  it ?  Next  best  alternative  ALWAYS  WINS  IN  THE  END .

use  bible – Jews  and   Samaritans  had  no  dealings  with  one  another. WiKi  said  in  ‘ Civil   Rights  Movement ’  article – “ blacks  and  whites  would   have  to  sit  next  to  each  other — a  simple  yet  revolutionary  act ”.

Leonard   Maltin  said  something  similar  in  Little  Rascals  Vol  21  intro  – “… Kids  playing  together  wasn’t  done  then ”.

cut  people’s  heads  off  and  put  it  on  a  pole  in  Ninevah .  Jonah  hated . WiKi  said  after  slave  revolts , blacks  same  thing  cut  off  head  put  on  pole .

history  books  are  not  always  true , on  purpose  or  accident . Hard  to  verify  most  but  not  FAMOUS  HISTORY – but  if  it  fits  bible . probably  true .  Fame  Killed  o J Simpson .  can’t  move . Fame .

Michael   Richards  said “ 50  years  ago  we  had  you  upside  down  with  a  ForK  down  your  butt”. verify  history ?  truth ?

Mention  Famous  then – oprah  1st  ever  black  billionaire – out  of  how  many  who  preceded ? , Powell – 1st  ever  black  Secretary  of  State ,  44   Presidents  were  white  men .    Page 6 of  14

They  are  burning  whites  with  hot  irons  in  Africa  today – WiKipedia  said  that  blacks  were  branded . They  say  in  Africa  today “ all   Boers  are  dogs ” – WiKi  said  “ many  parKs  barred  them  with  signs  that  read “ negroes  and  dogs  not  allowed .”  if  they’re  doing  the  same  in  Africa,  then  it’s  probably  true .

Reasons – 1 History . His  Story .  2 Africa  surrounded   by  water .  3  Live  next  to  consistently  strong , but  never  super  strong  Arabs  ( Persia  silver , Babylon  gold ,  Magog  Arabs ) . 4 Always  WeaK .  5 Travels  all  over  the  World  ( slavery ) – and  suffers .  6 Just  as  much  black  blood  as  white  1.1  billion  in  Africa .  7. Asians  Won + people  thinK  in  terms  of  night  day  salt  pepper , not  thicK  hair  Asians  are  opposite  of  thin  hair  black +  India  1  billion .  LiKe  Pat  Buchanan “ endless  cycle ” of  violence .

not  true . nothing  lasts  forever . nuKes  1940’s +  Hiroshima . chemical  weapons  WW 1 . industrial   Revolution = pollution . Soon  super  pollution  Christians  say  Wormwood  – 1/3rd  of  waters  becomes  bitter .

technology –  cars  horses , trains  canals , bulbs  Fire , photos  paint , Fridge  ice . christians  are  correct .  Whites  getting  ugly  only  in  END .

IF  THIS  CONTINUES , Spike  Lee  said  you  have  to “ move  over ”.  WiKi  said  there  was  always  violence  in  India . S F   said  We  are  the  voice  of  the  new  embattled   White  minority .

Council  of  conservative  citizens  said “ What’s  happening  in  South  Africa  will   happen  here  in  America   ..… my  Kids !

After  the  NWO , blacks  are  Lucky ? Kings  of  the  East  showed  up ?  china  can’t  walk  on  water . What  about  UK , Australia ?  ThinK –  Pharaoh  used  a  containment  strategy  and  threw  male  babies  into  the   N i l e   River .

Race  is  a  matter  of  LiFe  and  death . AsK  the  Native  American  Indians . mexican  American  WAR . SA  murders .

but  it  is “ criminal ” to  outcast  because  of  race  UN  said . it  is  if  you  thinK  about  it . but  HISTORY  FITS  BIBLE – concubines , monarchies ,  Lynch  mobs – Stephen  was  stoned . They  publicly  hung  criminals  in  America  long  ago . They  crucified  in  the  bible – naked . Public  humiliation  is  outlawed   by  constitution .

There  were  no “ bankruptcy  laws ”. You  lost  all  you  had   back  then – debtor’s  Prison .

IN  BIBLE  ( monarchies  most   stable  Form  of  gov’t ) + in  movie ‘ Wizard  oF  oZ ’ + Audrey  Hepburn  movie  ( I  Forget ) , there  were  European  monarchies . No  more  monarchies  after  WW1 . media  labels  it  “ dictatorship ”.

Most  are  simply  CONFUSED . When  Israel  airlifted  ( 1st  class + expensive )   Ethiopian  Jews , Israeli  gov’t  said  ( once  they  arrived – IT  WAS “ CONFUSED ” +  it  took  Israel  over  20  years  ( since  1948 – in  Feb  1973 ) to  even  recognize  Ethiopians .

Word   For  Word , according  to “ Ethiopian  Jews  in  Israel ” WiKi  article – “ Which  was  and  still  is  mainly  subjected  to  political  developments  in  Israel .”…… gov’t  is  still  thinking !  even  to  this  day .

Ashkenazi   ( European )  don’t  LiKe  Sephardi  ( From  Middle  East ) Jews . Pat  Buchanan  don’t  LiKe  arabs  either . or  Messianic  Jews  ( christians )  try  to  convert  my  Kids  ( contagious )  .

Messianics  live  in  Israel  way  before  Ethiopian . Race  precedes  religion  to  society .  WASP . White  precedes  Anglo  Saxon  precedes  Protestant .

Lepers  were  separated  to  PROTECT  THE  INNOCENT. it’s  more  important  ( to  Forefathers )  to  free  Joseph ,  rather  than  punish  Potifa’s  Wife . outlaw  interracial – protect  the  innocent . but  our  gov’t  doesn’t .

People  LIE – Jews  of   Weimar  Republic  thought  they  were “ more  German  than  Jewish ”, but  they  got  Killed . Latinos  think  they’re  American , but  segregated  communities  exist.

Explain  WHY. gov’t ! if  whites  rule , Why  bring  in  Eastern  and  southern  Europeans  in  1890’s ?  Japanese  after  WW 2 ?  Latinos  1990’s ?

SLOWLY – Show  progressive ! – it  would  implicate  that  NWO  existed   long  ago . Even  before  the  civil   Rights  movement , Whites  are  getting  uglier – blacks  ain’t  winning  because  of  CR .

i  discovered  that  the  NAACP  was  started   by  Jews . Attorney  general  Amos  Tappan  Ackerman . CORE – Goodman   Schwerner .  Scottsboro  boys – Liebowitz .

STRATEGY  12 – Explain  Women . Jesus  ate  With . suffrage  movement  + Femi – nazi’s – again – in  1960’s  Pat  Buchanan  said – progressive .

You  could   have  2  Wives  in  Asia . They  have  2  Wives  in  the  Middle  East  today . in  bible , Abraham  had  2  Wives   ( Sarah  and   Hagar ) . media  labels  it  ‘ bigamist ’.

Pakistan  leader  Bhutto  was  1st  Female  leader  of  an  Islamic  nation – ever !  Albright  1st  ever !  Woman  Secretary  of   State . Thatcher  and  Golda  Meir  are  the  iron ladies  of   UK  and   Israel – not

STRATEGY  13 – Explain  consequences … Kids  are  Kids . At  school . Malcolm X  was  told   by  a  teacher “ being  a  Lawyer  is  no  goal   For  a  N *  LiKe  you ”.

Kids  and  adults  are  cruel  to  those  who  don’t  looK  LiKe  they  do . “ dad , Why  did  you  marry  mom ? ” Now  don’t  say  that  about  your  mom !

“ I  got  into  a  Fight  today  dad ”.  Why ?  in  mind  “ Fight  it ”  blacks  get  into  Fights  ( i’ve  heard  this  MANY  times ) .

denny’s  WiKi  article – not  serve  black  Secret  Service  agents . BoJangles  Robinson  was  told  to  leave  a  restaurant  once .

” Asian  Jen  and  White  Tina  parent’s  told  me  she  couldn’t  marry  me  last  night . They  absolutely  refused . We  broke  up ”.

sigh …“ must  Fight  it . Fight  society”. try  again . “ son , maybe  you  should  Just  marry  a  black  girl ”… hopelessness  sets  in . He  grows  older. It  is  learned  over  time .

Read  in  Plain  Dealer :  doctors  prescribe  medicine  less  often  to  blacks . Some  blacks  have  good  Jobs ( usually  gov’t  post  office , RTA  ) , but  not  most .

Plain  Dealer  said – generally , older  Whites  do  NoT  interracially  marry .  generally , younger  do .   Page 7  of  14

Rumors  are  public . black  is  public . People  see  and   hear  things . You  can’t  Just  “ move  on ” with  your  Life – unless  you  move , LiKe  some  slaves , not  most , did   long  ago ( to  nation  of   Liberia )

God  said  to  Samuel – man  looKs  upon  the  outward  appearance . I  don’t . but  people  do . God  said  so .  Fat ,  ugly  people  discrimination  will  not  go  away . Racism  also .

Are  blacks  LiKe  Joseph ?   Right  to  be  angry .  Life’s  not  Fair . innocent . Killed . does  that  give  Joseph  the  right  to  spread  ( public )   rumors  about  someone ?

A  song – LooK  at  all  these  rumors  surrounding  me  EVERYDAY… tell   him  to  pass  a  bill  so  that  next  time  they  catch  rumors  shoot  to  Kill !    Page  8  of   14

STRATEGY  14 – Promote  british  irish  beauty , especially  FAIR  SKIN  TRAIT . Show  them  Just  how  pretty  and  the  irish  are .  Need  pics . examples  From  sports , past – Just  how  british  we  once  were .  and   BiG .

There  is  disparity . over  time , people  may  be  able  to  distinguish . it  would   lead  to  less  tolerance  to  becoming  even  a  little  uglier … to  the  individual .  Write  it  out  LiKe  I  did – Faster  learning  curve .

black  last  names – no  Stallone , SWarzenegger , Dimitri , East  South  European . getting  blurry  tho –  Half  brits .

Tall : Conan  O ’ Brien , JFK ,  Ted  Cassidy  ( Adams  Family ) , Fred  Gwynne  ( Herman  Munster ) + Larry  Byrd  and  Kevin  McHale  – definitely  Boston  Celtic .  3  actors –  Liam  Neeson , Tim  Robbins ,  Chuck  Connors .

NOTICE :  FEW  big  latinos  ( Statistically , many  participate  in  Football  ) .  Munoz ?  Just  1 , LiKe  Bruce  Lee .

Tommy  Morrison  ( Rocky  5 ) ,  Dempsey  (  heavyweights ,  unLike  latinos ) , Kevin  McBride   (  100%  irish . beat  Tyson ) .

irish  Mark  McGuire  ( home  run  King ) . latino  canseco  was  never  as  big  .

Dorian  Yates  ( brit . Mr . Olympia )   Eastern  Honky  Arnold  was  never  as  massive

+ Lee  Haney  never  achieved  success  LiKe  Arnold . Blades  never  succeeded   LiKe  chuck  Norris  or  Van  Damme .

Point – beauty  is  strategy  of  itself . Who  is  more  beautiful   than  brits ?  Haman  tripped  into  Ester’s  “ bosoms ”. boobs  matter .  KILL  ABRAHAM .  STEAL  SARAH . could  get  husband   KILLED – does   matter .

Almost  all  uncensored  (  by  Cabin  Fever  only  on  VHS )  Little  Rascals  have  the  Kind  of  racial  propaganda , but  not  historically  inaccurate , the  KKK   LiKes – negative  black  portrayals .  Which  is  also  censored !

in  other  Words , 1. Song  of   the  South  or  Rascals – take  precedent  over  2. Mary  Poppins – british , but  still  not  a  Lie  historically . This  categorizing  strategy – is – relevant , but  not  very  important . # 1  Song  of   South , Gone  With  Wind .

# 2  BRiT + religion   2   For  1  deal : my  Fair  Lady , Waterloo  Bridge , Chitty  Bang  .  Expose  immoral  strategy – Proves  that  they  removed  religion + Fun !

Answer  is  no – 3  caballeros  stereotypes  Latinos , but  does  so  in  a  romantic  sort  of   Way . Naming  gov’t  buildings  after  blacks ?  Bad – does  so  in  an  important  Way . Streets , gov’t  and  utility  buildings , bus  stations  are  named  after  blacks . and   holidays – Kwanzaa , MLK .    Page 9  of  14

STRATEGY  15 – EXPOSE  IMMORALITY .  Some  classics  Were  not  released  on  dvd , or  Were  edited  for  moral  reasons  alone . not  Just  RACE  LIES  . GaY  Lez  too.  +  nudity

2 Timothy 3 :1-4  ( unedited  KJV ) 1 This  Know  also , that  in  the  Last  days  perilous  times  shall  come .  2  For  men  shall   be  lovers  of  their  own  selves , covetous , boasters …

We  are  being  lied  to  both  racially  and  immorally  should  complement  each  other’s  arguments . These  are  mostly  old  movies . important  but  ethics  TAKES  A  LIFETIME  of  dvd   learning .

I  wouldn’t  do  this  except  short  movie  snipets – Actors  praying , reading  bible , etc . I’m  not  sure . maybe  it  is  good  to  include  the  whole  movie . LiKe  Betty  Boop , any  old  disney , RanKin  Bass  will  do .

With  a  plastic  dvd , I  was  worried  about  oily  fingerprints . besides , movies  are  not  concentrated  education .

I  would  use  at  least  1  concentrated  dvd – put  all  materials , if  not  more , on  dvd . dvd’s  can  be  replicated – could  result  in  SHARING . movies  in  AVI   Format  on  computer , but  more  people  have  dvd  players  VOB  Format . or  both .    Page 10 of 14

STRATEGY  16 – DON’T  GIVE  UP – Leads  to  greater – UNDERSTANDING ,  LEARNING  IS  RELATIVE . KEEP  DOING  IT . Why  did   Hollywood   ban  movies , cartoons ?  Answer : Racism  is  Learned .

History , segregation – say  otherwise … don’t  give  up !  6,ooo  year  India  got  rid  of  caste  system  for  the  1st  time  ever  in  1950 .

Don’t  be  intimidated  by  the  length  of  my  letter . overthrow  gov’t … not  gonna  happen  is  it ?  “ Terrorism ” is  cheap – All  it  taKes  is  paper .

But  it  is  gov’t  who  has  Lied . The  media – silence  SA + LA = Lie . Right ?  Wrong ?  Blacks  who  used  children ( children’s  crusade ) – Who  have  crossed  the  Line . of  right  and  wrong .       Page 11  of   14

The  KKK  is  MAYBE  INFILTRATED ?, that  the  United   Northern  and  Southern  Knights  asK  on  their  Website – is  it  better  to  be  smaller ? ) .  By  chance , I  discuss  this  in  my  letter .

To  Council  of  CC – When  doing  things  publicly  my  letter  Warns  about  Disney . is  Baum  Jewish ?  Did  any  meet  an  untimely  death ?  No  Jews  in  White  groups !

Miriam  complained  about  Moses  marrying  a  Cushite + Women  most  often  complain  about  interracial . Teaching  strategy  is  perfect  for  WAU “ Women  for  Aryan  Unity ” – as  they  say . non – violent  become  a  Female  race  Litterbug !

because  the  KKK  Was  fragmented + decentralized  in  1981  ( michael  donald   lawsuit ) , I  used  the  Know  the  Enemy  strategy  to  get  many  addresses – I  visited   SPLC + ADL  enemy  List ! could  someone  forward  this  to  WAU ? and   White  sisters  in  particular

Accept  uglier ?  Lost  the  magic ?  Lost  Disney  itself  ! or  a  spoonful  of  sugar ( Fun , not  hard , convenience  striKe )  maKes  the  medicine ( distributing  WorK )  go  down . or  preseal  the  material  in  a  bag  or  envelope  before  distributing  if  you  are   afraid  of  fingerprints .

initially  it  taKes  WorK . gather  Which  material  ? staple  it … Leave  it , striKe  at  clothing  store . Library . bathroom . shopping  cart . go  to  new  restaurant !    Page  12  of   14

—————————— Excerpt  from  WWW.resist.com/JOOMJournal/BITTERFRUIT.html  ( it  was  sent  to  me  from  TLH  central   NY  White  Pride  Syracuse  NY  )………

…….. What  those  bastard  Jews  have  been  WorKing  toward   for  decades , and  they’ve  finally  succeeded . Here  in  California  and  all  other  coastal  cities , it’s  commonplace  now  to  see  young  blondes  running  With  the  ugliest  damned  plates  Lips  you  ever  saw . I’m  flat  astounded  that  these  young  Women  Will  turn  their  bacKs  on  good   looKing , smart  young  White  men  to  run  With  these  animals .

Here  again  We  see  the  fruit  of   Liberal \ Jew  brainwashing . If  you  tell  the  public  that  shit  smells  LiKe  a  Rose  long  enough , there  Will   be  a  percentage  of   Fools  that  Will  start  to  believe  it ……….. and   boy , are  the  Jews  squealing  LiKe  stucK  pigs . They  hate  it . For  decades  now  they’ve  outlawed  spanKing , Labeling  it “ cruel  and  unusual  punishment ”…………  SNIP ——————————————

You  see ?  Racism  is  learned + my  ( Last )  don’t  give  up  Strategy  16  Keep  doing  it  strategy – it  tooK  Jews  decades  of  brainwashing …… You  see ?  much  thought  Went  into  my  letter .

many  Roach – Era  Little  Rascals  show  spanKing  or  parental  discipline – before  it  Was  bought . + Vol 21 – best  of  all  volumes  and  it  is  the  Last  one . At  the  introduction , Leonard  Maltin  admits  that  Hollywood  used  racial  and  ethnic  stereotypes . ——————————————————————  WiKipedia  Keeps  changing  content  so  save  the  article  onto  your  hard  drive . As  of   Sept 23 , 2013 – WiKi  said :

in “ Missing  White  Woman  Syndrome ” WiKi – most  often  a  missing  person  case , involving  a  young , white , upper – middle  class  ( frequently  blonde )  woman  or  girl .

…………… Steal  Sarah  is  Abraham’s  sister  Lie .  Privately ,  Potifa’s  Wife  tried  to  seduce  Joseph .

2  Samuel  13 : 1-14  –  Privately , as  she  was  feeding  him , Amnon  grabbed  beautiful  Tamar  and  raped  her .  Absalom  murdered  Amnon  later.

I  heard  pretty  White  gals  on  SF  complain  about  blacKs  getting  violent  or  touched  sometimes –  He  Fondled  me  in  daylight .  Even  Raping

Foreign  Aid   WorKers  in  Sudan .

other  stories –  He  Fondled  himself  ,  touched  my  hip  With  his  erect  penis  on  subway , she  undressed  and  tried  to  seduce  me .

Another  SF  girl  said ,  besides  getting  hit  on  and  unwanted  pushy  help  –  occasional  threats ,  occasional  KnocK  on  the  door  “ I  Want  sex ”.

Another  SF  girl  said – death  threat ! … SneaKY  threat  tactics  employed  by  -some  –  blacKs .

+  I  saw  on  Youtube , a  black  dude  threatening  to  punch  a  girl  and  demanding  her  phone  number … prepare  your  daughters  mentally  Just  in  case

Enough  is  enough  –  Just  do  NOT  GO  TO  PRISON  –  LiKe  many  guys  write  to  ‘ White  Voice’  from  prison –  cuz  they  are  stupid …. Live  to  Fight  another  day !

Just  WATCH  and  WAIT  and  do  harmless  SKunK  bomb  or  paint  to  those  Who  move  into  White  communities . That  Would  make  me  move !

in “ Atlantic  Slave  trade ”  WiKi – The  enslaved  people  Were  tortured   for  the  purpose  of  “ breaKing ” them  ( LiKe  the  practice  of  breaKing  horses ) and  conditioning  them …

in “ Dennis  Kucinich ” WiKi – He  also  placed  1st  in  other  polls , particularly  internet – based  ones . This  led  many  activists  to  believe  that  his  showing  in  the  primaries  might  be  better  than  what  Gallup  polls  had   been  saying .

in “ Sexual  revolution  in  1960s  US ” article – homosexuality  was  still   widely  publicly  reviled , and  more  often  than  not  was  seen  as  a  malaise  or  mental  illness , instead  of  a  legitimate  sexual  orientation . Indeed  throughout  the  1950s  and  1960s  the  overriding  opinion  of  the  medical  establishment  was  that  homosexuality  was  a  developmental  maladjustment .

in “ Public  humiliation ” WiKi – has  largely  fallen  out  of  favor  since  the  practice  is  now  considered   CRUEL  AND  UNUSUAL  PUNISHMENT , which  is  outlawed  in  the  US  Constitution …. + crucifixion  was  used   by  the  Romans  to  add  public  humiliation  to  A  DEATH   PENALTY .

in “ NAACP ” WiKi – at  its  founding , the  NAACP  had  only  one  African  American  on  its  executive  board , Du Bois  himself . + Early  Jewish – American  co – founders  included  Julius  Rosenwald , Lillian  Wald , Rabbi  Emil  G . Hirsch  and  Wise .

in “ Second   Reconstruction ”  WiKi – statistically  Jews  were  one  of  the  most  actively  involved  non – black  groups  in  the  movement

in “ Debtors ’ prison ” WiKipedia – Prior  to  the  mid   19th  century  debtors ’ prisons  were  a  common  Way  to  deal   With  unpaid  debt .      Page  13  of   14

……………Today  you  can  declare  chapter  11   banKruptcy . You  don’t  have  to  pay  bacK  what  you  owe .

in “ Caste  System  in  India ”  article – There  have  been  challenges  to  the  caste  system  from  the  time  of   Buddha , [22]   Mahavira  and   Makkhali  Gosala .

+ The  practice  of  untouchability  was  formally  outlawed   by  the  Constitution  of   India  in  1950 ,

+ Violence  against  Dalits ,  almost  always  by  other  backward  castes

…………… blacks  never  stop  trying  in  US  history  also . Even  Light  skin  blacks  don’t  LiKe  darK  skin  blacks .

in “ Racism ” WiKi – Almost  uniformly , people  who  are  darker – skinned  and  of  indigenous  descent  make  up  the  peasantry  and  working  classes , while  Lighter – skinned , Spanish – descent  Latin  Americans  are  in  the  ruling  elite . [32][33]

+ Race  is  one  of  the  three  characteristics  most  often  used  in  brief  descriptions  of  individuals  ( the  others  are  age  and  sex ) .

+ The  mass  demonstrations  and  riots  against  African  students  in  Nanjing , China , Lasted   from  december  1988  to  January  1989 . [131]

+ Bar  owners  in  central   Beijing  had   been  forced  “ not  to  serve  black  people  or  Mongolians ” during  the  2008  Summer  Olympics .

+ In  Asia  and   Latin  America ,  Light  skin  is  seen  as  more  attractive . [119]  Thus , skin  whitening  cosmetic  products  are  popular  in  East  Asia  [120]  and   India. [121]

…………… No  matter  where  you  go  Lighter  skin  is  higher  –  Asia ,  Latin  America ,  india .

in “ Ethnic  pornography ” WiKi – porn star  Mariah  Milano  concluded  that  racism  is  still  considerably  rampant  in  the  porn  industry  and  it  is  often  concealed   by  tongue – in – cheeK  arguments  LiKe  female  performers ’ personal  preferences .

…………… Gay  ( sinners ) ,  Lesbian , interracial   Lies  in  MANY  pornos  today . Not  Long  ago , A  MERE  KISS  ( 1st  interracial   Kiss  on  US  TV  WiKi  Said  )  caused  a  rucKus  on  Star  TreK .  or  1968   Petula  ClarK  touched   Harry  Belafonte’s  arm  on  TV .   Page 14 of  14

in “ Ku  Klux  Klan ” WiKi – big  city  newspapers  were  often  hostile  and  ridiculed   Klansmen  as  ignorant  farmers . + Lessening  of  social  tensions  contributed  to  the  Klan’s  decline .

…………… newspapers  were  propaganda  even  bacK  then .  Lessening  contributed – automatically . KKK  is  human  nature !

in “ Racism  in  the  United  States ” WiKi – One  of  every  nine  black  families  has  a  close  relative  in  prison  over  aggressive  arrests  done  by  US  law  enforcement.[105].

+ Mexican   mafia  Leaders , or  shot  callers , that  they  have  issued  a ” green  Light ” on  all   blacks . This  amounts  to  a  standing  authorization  for  Latino  gang  members  to  prove  their  mettle  by  terrorizing  or  even  murdering  any  blacks  sighted  in  a  neighborhood  claimed   by  a  gang  loyal  to  the  Mexican  mafia .

+ A  HISTORY  of  gov’t – sponsored  experimentation , such  as  the  notorious  Tuskegee  Syphilis  Study  has  Left  a  Legacy  of  black  distrust  of  the  medical  system .

…………… even  to  this  day , in  Israel , Ethiopian  Jewish  Women  injected   With  birth  control   by  the  Ministry  of   Health  without  their  Knowledge . YOU  COULD  DIE – blacks  Leaving  Los  Angeles . AsK  michael  donald – Killed  at  random .

in “ Driving  While  Black ”  WiKi – The  phrase  implies  that  a  motorist  may  be  pulled  over  by  a  police  officer  simply  because  he  or  she  is  black , and  then  questioned , searched , and / or  charged  with  a  trivial  offense . This  concept  stems  FROM  A  HISTORY…

+ for  many  years  doctors  forced  African  American  sickle – cell  sufferers  to  endure  PAIN  because  they  assumed  that  blacks  would   become  addicted  to  medication ; Time  magazine  Labeled  this ” ailing  while  black .” [9][10]

…………… Explain  consequences  strategy – go  to  Jail , stopped   by  police – also . Long  Live  Rodney  King !   Pain  suffering . for  your  Kids !

Why  WiKi  debt  prison ?  History  Fits  bible !  Why  Kucinich ?  Expose  media  bias  strategy !  it  doesn’t  taKe  sophisticated  info , does  it ?

Did  this  Letter  affect  your  racial  opinions , at  all  ?  If  so ,  educate  your  Kids  at  Least .  BY  LAW  your  Kids  can  disobey  parents  and  marry  Whoever  they  Want .  convince  your  family + extended – at  Least … it’s  your  Family  not  mine .

I  personally  Knew  a  dad  who  PLEADED  with  his  son  not  to  marry  a  black  girl . Had  a  talK  with  her … Kept  talKing  to  him … up  to  the  Last  Wedding  day  BUT  HE  DID  anyway . TELLING  YOUR  KIDS  DOESN’T  ALWAYS  WORK . True  story .

Afraid  getting  too  pushy   Will   bacK Fire  on  your  Kids ? or  hope  they  Find  out  on  their  own ?  Parents  are  confused  on  SF . I  can  maKe  it  clear – instruct  teach .

many  different  opinions  I  read  on  SF – by  example , ” Plant  Seeds ” , explain  guide , Learn  from  experience  could  be  too  Late . books . movies . use  reason  ( Logic  strategy )  support  With  Facts . gently  Little  at  a  time . Watch  TV  With  them . – ALL  OF  WHICH   MEANS –  INSTRUCT  LIKE  BIBLE  SAYS  ( use  bible  strategy ).

I  read  on  SF – by  example , make  them  proud  of  heritage  – most  of  all . Teaching  by  example  has  a  problem . Your  Kids  may  misinterpret  “ your  example “. Perception  is  everything . What  is  to  be  proud  of  certain  White  Heritages ?

STRATEGY  17 – Teach  many  various   curriculum . ANYTHING  HELPS – ADDS  UP  to  greater –  LiKe  Strategy  16 , UNDERSTANDING ,  LEARNING  IS  RELATIVE .

content  curriculum . What  to  teach  Kids ?  FolKs  on  SF  never  thinK  up  these  things  – Abstract  concepts , What  is  human  nature , Women’s  history – supports  argument  We  are  being  Lied  too , etc

FolKs  on  SF  mention  these  things – Logic , media  bias , use  pics , expose  immorality , use  bible + History  fits  bible , consequences , Famous  History – Famous  individuals , etc

on  SF , I  don’t  understand  why  talking  about  Hitler  or  holocaust  has  anything  to  do  with  racial  awareness .  Avoid  nazi  label  with  your  Family . What  about  Jews ?  I  don’t  Know

Today’s  Leaflets  and  Flyers  are  WAY  WAY  too  brief . If  you  are  gonna  distribute , which  is  RisKy , Why  not  have  MUCH  paper  per  striKe ?  The  Finder  can  choose  not  to  read  anymore .

others  on  SF  do  distribution  also  –  Way  too  short  in  my  opinion . I  practiced – better  to  distribute  over  a  WIDE  AREA  &  over  time . It  Was  a  pain  to  travel .

In  UNFAMILIAR , I  Jeopardized  myself  on  occasion . once  a  man  asked  me  What  I  Was  looking  for  and  a  terrible  answer  slipped  out  in  Hospital .

Easier  to  Just  leave  it  as  I  stopped  along  the  Way  looKing  natural . Rule –  never  out  of  place . LiKe  guerilla . I  used  the “ convenience  striKe ” lazy  method .

What  is  convenience  striKe ? – don’t  hide  fingerprints . inK  costs  money . use   your  company’s  printer  lazy boy .  don’t  have  to  be  pro .

When  opportunities  present  themselves –  always  have  stapled  copies  on  hand . Either  Way  there  is  a  chance  of  being  caught .

Any  method ,  besides  INSERTS  in  clothing ,  newpaper , or  library  booK ,  and  they  maybe  Will  Know  it  Was  you . The  next  day , I  Went  to  same  store  or  restaurant , and  they  Knew  it  Was  me  Who  did  it .

bathrooms  are  saFe  as  long  as  you  read  using  toilet  or  leave  it  While  PRETENDING  to  search  through  my  backpack  While  using  baby  changing  station .

You  could  use  both  the  dvd +  case  With  cover  For  2  separate  striKes .  cannabalize  your  dvd  collection ?  both  are  in 2  sided  sleeve  together .

I’ve  VERY  VERY  often  pretended  that  it  Was  an  accident  as  i  PICKED  UP  MY  BACKPACK  TO  LEAVE . Purses  For  gals .

I’ve  had  a  Few  people  return  to  me “ohh  you  left  something “.  Just  thanK  them  story . EYES  ALWAYS  WATCH , even  at  night . must  pretend .

Some  say  Just  Leave  a  LinK . Paper  is  more  direct  and  sharable . No  dvd  player  or  internet  needed . Who  says  internet  Will  exist  tomorrow ?

There  are  no  guarantees  either . Your  Kids  may  marry  black  anyway  I   heard  on  SF  MANY  times – until  they  become “ aware ”. You  mean – convinced !

I’ve  often  read  on  StormFront – move . moving  or  going  to  a  private  school  only  decreases  the  chances  of  intermingling . Besides ,  blacks  hit  on  Whites  all  the  time . You  can’t  be  there  or  Watch  over  your  Kids  all  the  time .

We  are  being  bombarded  by  media . not  Just  schools . Teaching  shielding  is  better  than  moving .  or  ALL  3  is  better – move , school , teach .

HOW  TO “ HOMESCHOOL” ?  I  saw  2  moms  sitting  down  and  reading  a  booK   With  their  Kid  at  a  restaurant  that  I  Frequent . When  I  Was  a  Kid , my  dad   Would  read   With  me . ” I’m  so  proud  of  you ” 1  mom + my  dad  said . Sit  down  With  them .

Why  I  do  this ?  I  want  credit  for  coming  up  With  these  ideas . Literally  I  am  1  individual  Who  came  up  With  a  Teaching + Legit  use  bible + other  ideas  to  help  Whites .

Some  folks  on  S F  complimented .  one   S F  girl   PM-ed  me – “ GREAT  thoughts ! “ exclamation  marK  too .

IF  You  LIKE , IF  You  AGREE , IF  You  care  about  beautY  –  Post  plan  on  S F   or

IF  You  care  about  Your  FamiLY , close  Friends –  Fast  EasY  WaY  to  trY  to  convince – email  this  site  to  them .

Should  WorK – Another  S F  man  Pm-ed  – “ I  visited  Your ��Site . It’s  GREAT “.

Who  is  right ?  Wrong ?  Lies ?  Abuse ?  She  said  no . They  Keep  doing  it ?  What  is  WorKing  ?   tinasm.com

Reminder –  my  site  is  not  just  teach  strategy , but  also  use  bible . convincing  starts  with  Legitimacy .

God said to  Samuel – man  looKs  upon  the  outward  appearance . I  don’t . but  people  do . God  said  so .  Fat ,  ugly  people  discrimination  will  not  go  away .

Samaritans –  Race  matters   in   bible .

only  in  the  Last  days ,  they  mingle , but  not  CLEAVE  together – because  it  goes  AGAINST   human  nature .

Joseph couldn’t eat with his  brothers  because  he  was  Egyptian  .

etc  etc  +  HISTORY   FITS   bible

E N D     O F     R A C E     S I T E

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because  the  domain  is  named  after  2  Women  ( can’ t  change  domain  name ) , who  were  also  mentioned  in  my  gov’t  letter , i  must , as  they  say  in  Hollywood – have  continuity . connect  domain  to  the  site’s  relevance .

According  to  Fling , 2  of   the  most  beautiful–est  women  who  ever  posed .  Why  do  women  need “  bosoms ”  LiKe  queen  Ester – to  Win  a  beauty  contest , didn’t  she ?  Just  how  potentially  beautiful  can  a  White  person  get ?   Fling + my  site’s  answer

goals – 1. To  taunt  british  Tina  Small‘s  christianity . LiKe  they  said  in  movie ‘ Rocky ‘. To  bring  her  out .  The  italian  chicKen .

Tina – actually – prays  in  1  pic ! ?  Yet , she  poses . only  topless  Justifies ?

I  believe  that  the  early  Tina  was  real , not  the  Later . computer  technology  Was  not  so  advanced  in  1981 .

+  on  internet , i  heard  people  say  they  met  or  saw  Tina  in  real   Life . Also , for  example :

country Walks round Faughcingcester http://www.thevalkyrie.com/picthumb/s/small/tour.htm

Site  probably  offends  christians . is  it  a  crime  to  have  Tits ?

on ‘ Price  is  Right ‘, Bob  BarKer  interviews  a  busty  contestant  and  audience  laughs – she  didn’t  do  nothing !

goal  2 . To  prove  Roberta  is  irish . All  over  internet , they  say  she  is  Latvian .

Another  goal – maybe  she  will  visit  also . Kinda  young  when  she  posed . born  in  1950 ?   Tina + Sarah  was  still   beautiful , even  when  old .

They  say  she’s  dead , but  who  believes  what  they  say ?  After  all , is  Tina’s  real  name  Tiny  or  small  ?  Logic !

https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberta_Pedon

says – eyes  green … under  various  pseudonyms , including  the  most  note ” melody  o‘ Hare “,” Roberta  Weaver ”,” mooschi “…

https://br.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=1006052512976

says  her  nom  de  plume ” melody  o‘Hare ” comes  From  the  name  of  one  of  her  best  friends  in  Junior  high  school .

WiKi  article ‘ pen  name ’– a  pen  name , nom  de  plume , or  Literary  double …… may  be  used  to… disguise …to  distance … a  pseudonym  may  be  used  to  protect …

+  3  magazine  covers  say  her  name  was  Robin .

Melody ?  Robin ? was  the  most  photographed  Woman  of  her  time . mountains  of  her  pics  exist . my  point – beauty  made  her  rich .

———————————————————————————————————————–

[moody-avocado]

Reylo & “Dolls” (2002), a Red String of Fate meta

It’s been a long time since my last meta! :) So, here it goes...

While there are different stories and theories concerning the red string/thread of fate, I will focus on the romantic aspect of it. Having seen the wonderful Japanese movie “Dolls” (2002), I have come to a better understanding of the “red string” (or at least I hope I have, I am going to write my interpretation :) ).

Rian Johnson, the director of “The Last Jedi”, tweeted a picture of red thread.

Intro

The Red Thread of Fate also referred to as the Red Thread of Marriage, and other variants, is an East Asian belief originating from Chinese legend. I think that it is important to remember that Star Wars has always implemented some East Asian elements.

As the wiki page says (if you already know the story, skip this paragraph; I have seen someone already write about it on their blog) - one story featuring the red thread of fate involves a young boy. Walking home one night, a young boy sees an old man (Yue Xia Lao - god of marriage and love in Chinese mythology) standing beneath the moonlight. The man explains to the boy that he is attached to his destined wife by a red thread. Yue Xia Lao shows the boy the young girl who is destined to be his wife. Being young and having no interest in having a wife, the young boy picks up a rock and throws it at the girl, running away. Many years later, when the boy has grown into a young man, his parents arrange a wedding for him. On the night of his wedding, his wife waits for him in their bedroom, with the traditional veil covering her face. Raising it, the man is delighted to find that his wife is one of the great beauties of his village. However, she wears an adornment on her eyebrow. He asks her why she wears it and she responds that when she was a young girl, a boy threw a rock at her that struck her, leaving a scar on her eyebrow. She self-consciously wears the adornment to cover it up. The woman is, in fact, the same young girl connected to the man by the red thread shown to him by Yue Xia Lao back in his childhood, showing that they were connected by the red thread of fate.

I think that a clear parallel can be drawn between this story and a potential love story between Kylo Ren and Rey, where the two lovers simply met at a wrong time, and had to wait in order to live their love.

The movie “Dolls” features three stories. 

At the start of the movie, we are introduced to a couple - Matsumoto and Sawako, shown bound by a long red rope. The two of them were supposed to get married. However, the young man rejects his engagement to his fiancée, who, as a result of that rejection attempts suicide and ends up in a semi-vegetative state. Repentant, the young man takes her out of the hospital and they run away. Throughout the movie, the man walks in front of the woman, leading her through different landscapes, environments, and seasons, as well as through the other characters’ stories - they are actually a visual representation for the link between the people that form the other couples (in addition, the other couples often have a very noticeable red item on them, as a visual reminder). They simply walk, not saying a word. The girl even makes an attempt at escaping early on, but she is prevented from doing that by “the rope”.

Another young man, Nukui, is obsessed with the pop-star Haruna. After having survived a car accident, Haruna is left injured and blind blind in one eye. She isolates herself, as she does not wish for her fans to see her in such a state. Realizing that it is probably the only way to be able to spend time with her, Nukui blinds himself.

To me, this story speaks of sacrifice, but also about loving despite the other person being damaged, accepting them as they are, accepting something other than the idealized picture. The negative connotation of this story could be obsession, but I do not see obsession as a focal point here. The particular picture I attached here also makes me think of trust, as someone blind is being led by a semi-blind person.

Lastly - Hiro left his girlfriend in his youth since he felt that he had to find a better job than the low-paying one he had. The girlfriend pormises that she would wait for him at the same place where they used to meet for lunch on Saturdays, a park bench. He ends up becoming a yakuza, and denies himself attachment due to his risky job. However, many years later, after a doctor’s visit, he realizes that he probably won’t live for much longer and at last tries to meet the girl from his youth. He indeed finds her on the very same bench, on a Saturday. She never recognizes him, but she does cease being said, now that she has this “stranger” there instead of her boyfriend, for whom she waited her whole life. I feel that here we can recognize the themes of self-denial, abandonment, waiting, but also of hope, comfort, patience and commitment.

As much as the first story focuses on the constricting, destructive aspect of a twisted love, or love-related suffering, it also shows several other important elements. Near the end, acceptance and a sort of forgiveness takes place, after all the harsh elements and situations we see the characters go through - a reconciliation.

Finally - major spoiler alert - “Dolls” shows that this “red string” type of love can be stopped only by then, and, intriguingly - not even then.

I think it’s easy to see how these themes could be pertinent to Rey and Kylo’s relationship. But, since I have no clue if Mr. Johnson has seen this movie, I think that this can be seen simply as a meta on attachment, and true love represented by that “red string”, if nothing else. It is also about what the red string represents to me now, how I see its broader meaning, or at least the meaning given to it by the movie’s creators. You can even take the meta as a movie recommendation :)

Feel free to comment, as always!!

Hugs!

P.S. Due the movie, my suspicion that it was Kylo who left Rey on Jakku lives again! :))

Disclaimer - I do not own any of the media used or mentioned in this post, educational and entertainment purposes only.

[angelfireeast]

SLEEPING ON DIVERSE TV SHOWS Sleeping or just fakes?

After the cancellation of several big diverse shows over the past few months I’ve seen many posts saying STOP SLEEPING ON DIVERSE TV SHOWS. I’m starting to think that sleeping on diverse tv shows isn’t the problem. There is just bunch of fakes on Tumblr who talk the big SJW ‘I’m all for diversity’ but really have no interest in actually watching anything with diversity in it. They don’t really want to watch anything other than white leading characters and the only gay characters they want to see are white gay men or hot white gay usually young women.

Just think of many different, creative, interesting and wonderful diverse tv shows we’ve had of late. Pitch something for the sports fans, Still Star-Crossed fulfill every period piece romance soul’s heart, Sense8 it’s got it all! The group turns family all wakes of life, gay, lesbian, trans, white, black, brown, mental health (depression), action drama you name it. The Get Down: music, coming of age story, all black cast, LGBT story, did I mention the music! Rosewood: crime show, Dr. Ken: comedy. The list goes on and on Sweet/Vicious, Underground, East Los High. Thinking even further back Almost Human: sci fi police drama exploring deep issues like slavery/free will/race issues in the form of robots & humans. There has been some really, really, really good shows made with good original ideas, doing something other that the standard cookie cutter tv series made with talented actors, great production values, and good writing. But in the end, they all get canceled for ‘low ratings’ and the excuse of it costs too much to film these shows. Then we get the ‘don’t sleep on this next show’ posts and ‘I wish we had more diversity on shows’ and ‘oh yeah I was going to watch that but it’s cancelled now’ and fan casts of diverse casts for shows getting reblogged and the posts about the idea of including POC and LGBT characters as such a great idea. Yet no watches every time a next and exciting show comes along...

Going back even further Rush Hour (Asian male lead, Black male lead, Mexican/Puerto Rican female lead and black supporting male with recurring female Asian character) and Selfie. Asian man as the lead in a romantic comedy as the romantic love interest to a white woman. How many shows are on tv with Asians women or men as the main leads right now? Elementary, Fresh off the Boat, Agents of Sheild that���s all I can think of. Rush Hour was not the greatest show ever but when was the last time you remember an Asian man and Black man co-star as leads and the leading lady not be white? Actually, have no white person headline the show? I can’t think of a time when that happened. Yes, some shows make it through and seem to be making a go of it, B99, Blackish, Fresh off the Boat, and Elementary. But so, so, so many get canceled and at higher and higher rate it feels like.

Let's also consider what happens in fandoms with diverse casts. People flip out when a black woman is treated as a romantic lead because they just can’t imagine themselves in her role. Look at Iris West on The Flash there is a whole crackship that was invented the moment the casting when was announced just to make a white woman (Caitlin Snow) to ship with the white male lead (Barry Allen). If you look in the fandom some of these crack shippers try to cut Iris out of her role on the show taking things from the comics and giving it to the white woman their want to ship with the white man. Even giving Iris’s comic book children to Caitlin Snow, making videos of grand moments of love between Iris & Barry literally cutting Iris out and pasting Caitlin over her. There is not one thing Iris has that fans don’t want to take and give to Caitlin. These shippers are fine if Barry is with any other white women they ship those ships but they have an unnatural hatred for Iris. Why? Because she’s black. People say they want diversity but when they get it and they don’t have a clear self-insert character they lose interest and even become enraged and turn nasty as the people I’m talking about here. A lot of hate directed at Iris West is people demanding the right to see themselves reflected in media - white fans demanding the right to see themselves reflected on screen by white woman who is then the hero’s lover/soul mate/hero herself. These people don’t get how stupid they sound demanding one of the few black women as respected loved leading lady be removed the screen because they don’t have enough white women to see themselves EVERYWHERE ELSE. I’ve seen this damn for white girls to see themselves on tv BS more than once in the Flash fandom. It’s just so absurd.

I think that has lot to do with a lot of people who think they aren’t racist until there is a black woman in a leading role instead white woman and suddenly people don’t know what to do with themselves because suddenly when tested they are big racist. It doesn’t come out pure racist hate like what I’m talking about above. It comes out as ‘I just don’t like her. I don’t have a reason I just don’t like her’ and for others, it just is a complete lack of interest in anything without white lead to be self-insert. These people don’t think they are racist but they grow up in a racist society full of white privilege that they are so used to everything being white and their way that can’t put themselves in a mindset of not having everything be 100% white even as they sit and claim to want diversity. So shows like Pitch and Still Crossed don’t appeal to white women who claim they would love to see woc in leading roles. Yeah, leading roles but just not this leading role or that leading role. Maybe the best friend to the white lead. When black men are the male leads it still troubles people, just look at the star wars fandom, but they will just pick any white man and project onto his character. Men of color are less of a problem because the fandom just pushes them aside to replace with white character male or female (like Supergirl, Star Wars and others). 

For Elementary managing to make it through not getting canceled it has all the diversity Tumblr fake SJW claim to want. A woman is leading role, treated as equal, not reduced to love interest or sex symbol. A woman who isn’t white! Mental illness and addiction storylines have given constant dues within the story, Trans character played by trans actor. Diverse cast with New York full of diverse people as opposed to *cough*BBCSherlock*cough*superwhiteLondon*cough*. Yet what do I see all over Tumblr? People attacking the show as anti processive because if it was really processive it would have made Sherlock and Watson gay together in a romantic storyline. Vile hatred directed at female Watson existing, racism at Asian woman playing Watson, people who just want to ship two white men together and are pissy about Elementary existing so Elementary is the only Sherlock Holmes drama to be left out graphics and posts about the many SH movies and tv series. And so, so, so many people who say...’Oh I just don’t want to watch Elementary even though it has everything I claim to want into tv shows. All the fan casts I reblog and rants about more women and poc in starring roles...but for some reason that I can’t put my finger on I just don’t want to watch it’s just not my cup of tea.’

So I’m tired of fake people with their fake calls for diversity.  Beyond tired of people who call for female lead comic book movies and diversity in comic book movies only to turn and try to BP against WW and JL against BP and so on. People who bitch and bitch and bitch only wanting diversity but it turns out to be very the select diversity. I really think there is less sleeping going on and more fake people who don’t realize that racism is driving their viewing choices. Part of me thinks if they would simply turn the shows on they would see how amazing they are and would watch. But another part of me thinks of DCtv fandom and thinks no these are people who don’t get racism is a thing you work on every day to destroy because it’s so built into everything you have to choose to see it, acknowledge your own failings and do better. People can’t acknowledge they might not be perfect.

[lazaefair]

To the anti-TFA people

I love The Force Awakens.

I have been a Star Wars fan since childhood.

I’m perfectly well educated on literature and mythology.

I still love The Force Awakens.

(Because your ~*~perfect~*~ Original Trilogy mythological space operas systematically exclude people like me, and frankly? You can pry my Star Wars LEAD CHARACTERS of color from my cold, dead hands. Wank off over as many essays about the mythology of the OT as you want, but acknowledge that that this much-vaunted mythology WAS NOT UNIVERSAL TO EVERYBODY. The Star Wars mythology is firmly Western (except for the bits that George Lucas appropriated and butchered from East Asian culture, but did any Asians actually show up in Star Wars? Not until FORTY YEARS LATER. Unless you count the Neimoidians, who were thinly veiled stereotypes that were offensive as FUCK.)

(Oh, Lucas did research, did he? He was so careful to get the Greek myth structure right, was he? Well, evidently he didn’t care enough to get anything Taoist or Buddhist remotely right, or any of the costumes ripped straight from China and Mongolia, and instead felt that he was entitled to carelessly appropriate them as aesthetic set dressing and put them on white actors because...well, we know why.)

So anyway. Those movies are still a product of their times, and those times were white and male.

And yeah, I love Princess Leia and I love Carrie Fisher and I love the step forward it was for Princess Leia to be there. But no commentary from you OT stans about how women of color have been systematically excluded from lead roles or even roles with any depth or agency whatsoever, eh? People of color have been Star Wars fans this whole time, and it still took THIRTY-EIGHT FUCKING YEARS for a male character of color to get the lead. It’s going to be FORTY-ONE FUCKING YEARS for a woman of color to get more than a couple lines and a background scene.

I mean you can go masturbate over your oh-so-white Han/Leia/Luke OT3 as much as you want - in my non-ranty moments, I do like that ship too - but fucking hell. Fuck off and let us enjoy our movies - the movies that actually include us and acknowledge our existence in a futuristic space galaxy - in peace.)

Edit to add: I would die for Lando Calrissian and Mace Windu. But 100% of Mace’s characterization came from EU novels and TV shows, not the movies. And Lando’s supporting role is simply not sufficient representation anymore. I will NOT roll over and be appeased by token representation in the year 2017.

(Part 2 and Part 3, because my brain kept thinking thoughts.)

[everydayhybridity]

Gun Violence and Pg13 Movies

I saw this story yesterday and it struck a chord, not least because I begin a new course this semester on Mass Communication, but also because I was struggling with this issue for a while. I have largely become disinterested in Marvel movies, but I have seen more than my fair share. Last year I watched Deadpool and, at least most of, the Winter Soldier. I was struck by the fact that Deadpool seemed less violent despite being more violent.

But it makes sense. The violence in the R rated Deadpool was actually consequential. People bled and died. Not pleasant, but not suspending a level of disbelief that has become entirely insincere in the inflated carnage and pyrotechnics of any of the Marvel PG13 offerings. I don’t think this is ‘Tom and Jerry’ violence, which is clearly unreal, but High Definition and CGI articulated violence to look very convincing. The Washington Post leads their report on this issue with a reference to Rouge One with the climatic beach battle and its multiple guns. So not only do we know that there is a threefold increase in gun violence  in Pg13 movies, but also that the level of gun violence is presently higher than that in R rated movies. Maybe (as my wife suggests) adults are less interested in guns?

But at least in Rouge One we are a little closer to the consequences and heartbreak of the violence. Yes my Star Wars bias is showing. What is even more frustrating is the fact that the vapid storylines of Marvel, and I guess now so with Star Wars, seem to be intentionally manufactured to be marketed globally in a homogenised package. Not political, but violent and perpetuating identity norms and hierarchies throughout. When the Phantom Menace came out in 1999 there was controversy over the East Asian stereotype of Nute Gunray, and also in the Clone Wars cartoon. 

There is a clear interest in producing films that play well globally, particularly appealing to audiences in China. Indeed the preference for high violence, spectacular, politically mute Marvel films in China is distinct. I would be curious to also see to what extent pg13 films have become more or less sexualised, or open vs closed with regards to gender norms...I have some of my own conclusions already.

[faiqairudin]

Where is Awang Budiman? Ramshackle Performance

Script for the Ramshackle fan fiction night at performance at Kaleidoscope Brunei on January 21, 2017. In the performance I was a film maker searching for Awang Budiman, only to discover the real answer was closer than I had imagined. 

8-10 minutes presentation with Powerpoint slides (run time with breaks)

Performance Actions

JACKET OFF FIRST

THEN TIE

FOLLOWED BY BELT

THEN TROUSERS

SLIPPERS CHANGE FROM SHOES

TALKING AS I TAKE OFF SHIRT

FINAL PART IS ME WEARING THE DASTAR

Thank you everyone for coming. I’m going structure this as a lecture. I think it’s an important area of study and something that needs to be shared. As you heard I am a filmmaker. I don’t have any film footage now but what I will reveal to you is very interesting. If you’ve brought a pen and paper or a notepad of some kind, even your phone that would be of great use.

As you know as well, as the night has gone on the room can get quite hot. So do bear that in mind. In 1999 Brunei searched for a mascot for their largest ever sporting event that they hosted, the South East Asian games, better known as the SEA Games. An event that is held every four years. The name of the mascot they settled on?

Awang Budiman

I have two central questions to this presentation:

What is an Awang Budiman?

What is Awang Budiman doing now?

Bear these two questions in mind as we go through this.

TAKE OFF JACKET

#AwangBudiman2017

Let’s look first at how Awang Budiman is seen now. If you grew up in the 90s, you’ve seen him around but why has there been a recent resurgence?

Let’s see what forms he has taken:

Here he is on a hat

Here he is several times on a car

Here he is posing for drawings in different positions

Here he is as a sticker

HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?

Are they looking at a reference of him, is he just sitting around waiting to be on stickers? Is he in a closet or room somewhere biding him time to pose?Just waiting for that call, sitting in a closet hoping someone will call? I don’t know that is why I have been researching this subject

Now we’ve looked at him in the recent years, let’s try and answer another central question:

What is an Awang Budiman?

So to first answer this question what better way than by the colours. Red Yellow Black

Firstly, let’s go from top to bottom  

The Dastar is red and of course the belt is as well

The Shirt is yellow

The three-quarter trousers are black

Red - What does it mean? What does it signify?

Fire. Firey, he has a flame in him that can’t be burnt out.

Movement. It was the SEA games so he did a lot of sports

Love. Perhaps a fine lover. This we can’t speculate too much on.

Sensitivity. A quality that drew out his caring side.

The soft Budiman.

The sensitive Budiman.

The cuddly Budiman.

TAKE OFF TIE

Yellow - Ok. Let’s think about this as well.

Light. He lights up any room that he enters.

Energy. Much like the Movement quality in Red, it’s related to his sporting ability in 21 sports. All of which he was a master of.

SHOW SLIDE OF BUDIMAN PLAYING SPORTS

As you can see in this slide, these are the examples of his energy and drive. And everything else I mentioned before.

You have traditional rowing, squash, swimming, boxing, pencak Silat and the like

Moving on. Yellow could also mean Freshness. Like fruit, fresh fruit. A banana perhaps.

Joy. Just imagine Awang Budiman’s face now in your mind’s eye. That is the true meaning of Joy.

Black not just in hair colour, but in clothing as well

Indulgence. Much like rich chocolates, being in the presence of Awang Budiman is an indulgence only few have enjoyed.

Elegance. Known for his simple yet refined look Awang Budiman, you might say is the 90s poster child for elegance.

Mystery. And of course, an Awang in the shadows. An Awang of mystery.

Now. We firmly established what a Budiman is and what colors his clothing conjures up. Where I went to continue this search took me to places I could never imagine This lead me to, RED, YELLOW AND BLACK. What countries have that colour in their flag? [pause] Yes that’s right ANGOLA, GERMANY and the SABAR-AGA-MU-WA PROVINCE IN SRI LANKA. I won’t bore you with all the details of each country that I went to go find my answer, but i’ll try:

MOVES TO TAKE OFF TROUSERS- PUTS ON SLIPPERS

Angola - Angola is located in Southern Africa or South of Africa whichever you prefer. And to my surprise there were 25 million people, so not exactly an easy place to find Awang Budiman.

The capital of Lu-anda was amazing. I stayed at Le Presidente Luanda, for what must’ve been close to a six months. A huge lobby and fantastic views of the city. I could really talk about Angola forever. But that’s enough for now…

Germany - I visited the Berlin Wall. There was nothing much else. And again Awang Budiman could not be found.

Sabar-aga-mu-wa Province in Sri Lanka - Ok I have to admit I didn’t go to this place but I thought the flag was interesting.

So now you know what the flag looks like when you go to Sri Lanka. None of these places gave me satisfactory answers, so the question remains

Where to find Awang Budiman?

But what if this was a dead end? Such was the web that Awang Budiman weaved the real answer lay somewhere else? So, after the goose chase I sat at home and gathered my thoughts. I started to try and put all the pieces together I have been gathering. Red, Angola, Yellow, Germany, Stickers. It dawned on me that in 1999, George Lucas released the first prequel trilogy of Star Wars. Yes that’s right: Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. Wikipedia page. So I said to myself. I need to email George Lucas about this. So in September 2012 I decided to send him an email and it went like this

STARTS TAKING SHIRT OFF. TAKES OUT COPY OF EMAIL FROM BELT. TAKES OFF SHIRT COMPLETELY. 

Dear George Lucas

I was on Wikipedia the other day and found it interesting that the first prequel movie Star Wars: Episode 1 came out the same year as Awang Budiman. I have been searching for Awang Budiman for many years now and thought you might know where he is.

Hope to hear from you soon So that was the letter, I was check my inbox daily for his reply. Days past, days turn into weeks, weeks turn into the months. Then out of the blue. I receive an email back from him. Bear in mind at this point I wasn’t sure if I could continue my search, even though it had been 17 years since I first began on my journey, I was ready to give it all up. So email he sent, that I waited so long to hear from him, said:

Check your mail

This made me even more confused because I had received nothing, nothing at all in my mail - email or mail at home. I was growing restless and anxious. What was the meaning behind it? Why not give me an explanation? Why not give me more? I had been waiting for an answer from him, and this is all I got? A “check your mail?“

BOX IS PASSED TO ME ON STAGE AND I LOOK AT THE BOX. TAKE OUT THE DASTAR TO THE SOUND OF GULINGTANGAN. TURN AROUND AND LIFT THE DASTAR UP. DO THE AWANG BUDIMAN POSE AND SAY: 

I found him

[no-s-estelle]

Final thoughts on the prequel trilogy:

Basically, I don’t hate it. In fact, I think Revenge of the Sith is a good movie. It’s (mostly) well paced, it hits the emotional points, and it does a pretty good job of showing Anakin’s descent into Vader. 

Putting the rest of the post behind a cut, because it got loooong

The Phantom Menace is pretty ubiquitously terrible though. Like, except for the podracing sequence and the last maybe 20 minutes, which were actually interesting (exclusively due to the action sequences) it was just so. badly. paced. I had to watch in 10 to 20 minute increments, taking breaks, because otherwise it just was incredibly boring. And I don’t want to rag on a kid who was most likely just doing his best, but the kid’s performance was kind of awful. Except for the moment where he ran back to Shmi when he was supposed to leave with Qui-Gon, I did not believe a minute of his acting. I don’t expect too much from child actors, because they’re kids, but I can’t help but think that they could have found a better kid to play child Anakin. And then, of course, most egregiously, there’s the veritable list of racist, antisemitic, and especially orientalist stereotypes this movie is rife with. It’s like George Lucas took every negative racial and ethnic stereotype he could find to create the aliens. I almost turned the movie off within the first 15 minutes, when it became apparent that only human characters (and droids) would get to speak without American and English accents, while all the alien characters got vaguely Middle Eastern/South and East Asian/South American accents. Watto was such an antisemitic stereotype and was incredibly uncomfortable to watch. Jar Jar Binks was just... I have no words for how annoying I found Jar Jar Binks. I could go on, but this is not an essay on racism in Star Wars, so I won’t. And I have to mention the CGI. Mostly, I get it, it was a new and exciting technology and they wanted to use it, but it was also 90s CGI and it was fucking terrible and obvious. It was really jarring to see what looked like video game sequences in a live action film.

TBH at this point I don’t remember all the details of Attack of the Clones; I just powered through it without writing anything down or stopping to think about it too much, and right now my brain is mostly full of Revenge of the Sith. Mostly what I remember about AotC is that while the pacing was still kinda bad, I appreciated the way the story unfolded. Going into this watchthrough, I knew only the basic shapes of the Star Wars storylines. I vaguely knew that Palpatine was bad and there would be war at some point, but I had no idea of the specifics. For me, at least, AotC did a really good job of muddling up the motivations for war on both sides, and keeping the truth of the extent of Palpatine’s manipulations until the very end. Throughout the movie there was this increasing sense that both sides had only a very vague idea of what they were afraid of and why they were going to war. It wasn’t exactly clear who the separatists were or why they wanted to separate, or even why that would be a bad thing, except that it would lead to war. Maybe this will become clearer if I ever rewatch this movie, but I like that I was left with the impression that the entire Clone War is absolutely pointless in that both sides really just want peace and the only reason they don’t just sit down and talk it out is that Palpatine is being a manipulative evil fuck.

I also have a lot of muddied feelings (a running theme with this post) about the introduction of the Padme/Anakin romance. Honestly, mostly to me it felt creepy and forced, but I have a tendency to see romance as forced so I’m not sure I trust my feelings in that regard. I do feel I’m justified in being creeped out by Anakin’s fixation on Padme, but that’s coherent as I can get about it right now. I don’t think they’re some kind of epic destined love, except for the part where Anakin is unhealthily fixated on Padme and needs all the therapy in the world.

RotS was definitely the best movie of the bunch, and like I said up top, I (mostly) really enjoyed it. I spent the first half being incredibly frustrated with the way the Jedi Council was treating Anakin and giving him absolutely contradictory and unfollowable advice about how to deal with his feelings, which I already wrote a post about, and then I spent the second half of the movie being progressively more horrified, interspersed with eye-rolling at the unnecessary drama of the big final fight. Like, really guys? you’re swinging on cables over a literal lava pit, and you can’t put down your giant lightning swords for a minute just so you can get to safety? And then that all went away very quickly at the conclusion to that fight. I obviously knew where things were going, but I wasn’t prepared for Anakin/Vader being burned alive. I just wasn’t. 

Probably the worst part of RotS is the wrap-up. It just went on for so. freaking. long. There were about five points where they could have cut it off and it would have been appropriately dramatic.

I think if I ever do rewatch these movies, it will be so I can listen to the music more carefully. I tried, but at the really important parts I was mostly too busy actually watching the movie to think about what the music was doing. There was definitely some interesting development of the main musical themes, though, and I would like to eventually go back and analyze them.