#diaspora boy

[steveyockey]

I love the Haggadah, the guidebook to the Passover seder, because it's one of the few Jewish texts that embraces imagery, and because its imagery has evolved to reflect the perspectives of particular periods and communities. One section in particular, the Four Sons (updated to Four Children) frames various approaches to questioning and answering the Passover narrative. They each embody types: the Wise Child, the Wicked Child, the Simple Child, and the Child Who Does Not Know How To Ask. It's the representations of the Wicked Child that fascinate me. The Wicked Child is said to cut himself off from the community, and in turn the community is obligated to ostracize him. He is what we might call a “self-hater." For hundreds of years, Haggadot in Europe depicted the Wicked Child as a warrior, his uniform updated for the region and era in which the story was retold. It was a point of Diasporic pride that Jews and war—and, by extension, Jews and empire—were incompatible. Not just incompatible: mutually exclusive. Judaism was fundamentally opposed to tyranny and all its trappings. Soldiers were intrinsically wicked, their armaments signifiers of depravity.

Then, after 1948, this imagery was reversed, and the uniform vanished. Not only was it no longer acceptable to depict the Wicked Child as a soldier; it was now often the Wise Child, typically the hero, who'd get that role—depicted as an Israeli soldier, of course. There are Israeli Haggadot with soldiers everywhere, not just among the Sons. And not just Haggadot; some of my favorite Rosh Hashanah cards involve soldiers, tanks, gunships, and aircraft carriers. "Have a sweet New Year, also here's a hand grenade!" It's almost a parody of the traditional antipathy for warriors, and a brutal denial of what used to be intrinsic to Judaism. I know Zionists will read this differently—pre-state Jews feared armies because they had no sovereignty, we need our own nukes, etc. The gleaning I take is that neither culture nor self-imagery is static. Contexts change, authenticity is subjective, culture is fluid. The one constant is that the Haggadah itself, and everything it represents, is our cultural firmament, and it is everybody's. Imagery, tradition, family, history, narrative: they're all part of the ever-morphing palette of art.

Who knows, maybe one day we'll stop policing legitimacy based on conformity to twentieth-century dualities etched in stone. In the meantime, we have comics.

Eli Valley, Diaspora Boy: Comics on Crisis in America and Israel (2017)

[nothingbysomebody]

[sxnshxnxxnddxxsxxs]

if you wanna give duke a super, cool

give him like steel, not because they’re black, but because black people find community with one another *shocking*.

but also please remember that duke is a super in his own right (i personally think that his light powers include the ability to move at the speed of light or at least should develop that way) and specifically he is cass’s super.

because he and cass are besties.

like lowkey it’s hilarious that wfa put cass and kon’s brief dating history above cass and duke’s very well established close friendship for who cass considers to be her super (especially when it’s becoming apparent that some people didn’t know that cass and kon dating was canon).

[blackstarlineage]

Why The Honourable Marcus Garvey Was Proven Correct and W.E.B. Du Bois Was Proven Wrong: A Garveyite Perspective

Introduction

The ideological battle between Marcus Garvey and W.E.B. Du Bois was one of the most defining conflicts in Black political history. Du Bois, a Harvard-educated intellectual and a leader of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), saw Garvey as a reckless demagogue. In contrast, Garvey saw Du Bois as an elitist gatekeeper who sought to integrate Black people into a system that would never truly accept them.

From a Garveyite perspective, history has vindicated Marcus Garvey’s vision of Black nationalism, economic self-sufficiency, and Pan-Africanism while exposing the limitations of Du Bois’ integrationist strategy.

This analysis explores:

How Garvey’s predictions about Black self-reliance, Pan-Africanism, and economic control came true.

How Du Bois’ integrationist model ultimately failed Black America.

Why Du Bois’ elitism and colourism created division within the Black struggle.

The modern relevance of Garvey’s teachings compared to Du Bois’ outdated ideology.

1. Marcus Garvey’s Vision Was Proven Correct

1.1 The Failure of Integration and the Continued Economic Oppression of Black Americans

Du Bois believed in integration, arguing that Black people should seek acceptance in white society through education, politics, and activism.

Garvey, on the other hand, warned that integration would only result in continued Black economic and political dependency.

Decades after the Civil Rights Movement, Black people in the U.S. still suffer from:

Economic exclusion (higher Black unemployment, wage gaps, and lack of generational wealth).

Mass incarceration (systematic targeting of Black men under policies like the War on Drugs).

Police brutality and voter suppression, proving that legal "equality" has not ended systemic racism.

Garveyite Perspective: Garvey was right—white America was never going to fully accept Black people as equals. The dream of assimilation was always a lie.

1.2 The Global Black Struggle Proves Pan-Africanism Was the Answer

Garvey taught that Black people across the world must unite as one people—economically, politically, and culturally.

Du Bois initially dismissed Pan-Africanism, focusing on Black progress within the U.S. rather than seeing the struggle as global.

Today, Pan-Africanism is seen as the key to Black empowerment, with movements such as:

The African Union, pushing for economic self-sufficiency in Africa.

The CARICOM reparations campaign, demanding justice from former colonizers.

The Buy Black and economic nationalism movements, reinforcing Garvey’s call for Black self-reliance.

Garveyite Perspective: Garvey was right again—Black people can not rise if they continue to depend on white institutions. Global Black unity is the only way forward.

2. W.E.B. Du Bois’ Vision Was Proven Wrong

2.1 The Failure of the "Talented Tenth" and the Betrayal of the Black Masses

Du Bois promoted the "Talented Tenth" theory, believing that an elite group of educated Black leaders should guide the race.

This strategy failed because:

It created a class divide, with elite Black intellectuals looking down on the working-class majority.

Many of these "Talented Tenth" leaders abandoned the Black masses once they gained access to white society.

It depended on white institutions, which ensured that Black people never built their own power structures.

Garveyite Perspective: Garvey understood that the fate of the race depended on the strength of the Black masses—not a small group of privileged intellectuals seeking white approval.

2.2 Du Bois’ Hypocrisy: From Integrationist to Pan-Africanist

Du Bois spent most of his career attacking Garvey, calling him a "fraud" and a "dangerous agitator."

But later in life, Du Bois himself embraced Pan-Africanism and moved to Ghana!

This proves that Du Bois knew Garvey was right all along but wasted years fighting against him instead of working towards the same goal.

Garveyite Perspective: Du Bois realized too late that integration was a dead end. Had he supported Garvey’s movement instead of fighting it, Black people might have been decades ahead in their struggle for sovereignty.

3. Du Bois’ Elitism and Light-Skinned Supremacy

3.1 Du Bois’ Colourism and Disdain for Dark-Skinned Black People

Du Bois came from a privileged, light-skinned background and often expressed disdain for darker-skinned Black people.

He described Garvey as:

"A little, fat, black man, ugly but with intelligent eyes and a big head."

This was a direct attack on Garvey’s dark skin and African features.

Du Bois’ colourism reflected the same white supremacist ideals he claimed to fight against.

Garveyite Perspective: Du Bois’ elitism and colourism weakened the Black movement by creating unnecessary division instead of unity.

3.2 The Psychological Damage of the Integrationist Mentality

By promoting integration over self-reliance, Du Bois conditioned Black people to seek white approval rather than build their own power.

This led to:

Black dependence on white-owned businesses, rather than fostering Black economic self-sufficiency.

The destruction of Black-owned economies like Tulsa (Black Wall Street), as Black elites abandoned their own people in pursuit of white spaces.

A generational mindset of inferiority, where success is measured by how much a Black person assimilates into white culture.

Garveyite Perspective: Du Bois’ philosophy created a cycle where Black people keep chasing white validation instead of building their own independent systems.

4. The Modern Relevance of Garvey’s Teachings vs. Du Bois’ Outdated Ideology

4.1 Why Garvey’s Message is Still the Blueprint for Black Liberation

Today, Black people are rediscovering Garvey’s model of self-determination, seen through:

The resurgence of Buy Black movements.

A push for reparations and land ownership.

The growing movement of African repatriation and investment.

Meanwhile, Du Bois’ integrationist approach has failed to eliminate systemic racism, poverty, or police brutality.

Garveyite Perspective: We are now living in the reality Garvey warned about—Black people must abandon Du Bois’ failed approach and fully embrace self-reliance and Pan-Africanism.

5. Conclusion: Marcus Garvey Was Right, W.E.B. Du Bois Was Wrong

From a Garveyite perspective, the historical record proves that:

Garvey was correct about the failure of integration and the need for economic self-sufficiency.

Du Bois’ reliance on white institutions only led to continued oppression.

Pan-Africanism, not assimilation, remains the key to Black liberation.

Du Bois’ elitism and colourism created division within the Black movement.

Garvey’s Final Insight:

"We must remove from our people the idea that they can be dependent upon others for success. The Negro must be self-reliant. In culture, in commerce, in politics, we must strike out for ourselves!"

Today’s Black activists must fully embrace Garvey’s vision, reject the failed integrationist approach, and focus on building independent Black power.

[softseaside]

Blauauge (”blue eye”) but give him different eyes colors depending on his mood 😐🤢😡🥰🤨

Since he has access to the Thaumaturgy cantrip as a tiefling, I liked the idea that he can change his eye colors depending on his mood 👀💙 They only change when feeling very strong emotions and he doesn’t notice the color change 🤔

Blauauge didn’t raise up with other tieflings and therefore feels disconnected to his heritage and doesn’t know how to use his corresponding tiefling traits 🤔 ALSO, he is very bad at regulating his emotions ✨

[jesncin]

Have you read Parachute Kids before???

I have now!! (the curse of being a graphic novelist is that you're too busy making comics to be reading comics so I miss out on quite a lot when I'm deep in production)

Suffice to say, WHAT AN INCREDIBLE BOOK. Parachute Kids deserves every award that it got because that was a serious roller coaster ride for a middle grade book. I was expecting "Asian family has a culture shock vacation in america" but then it went SO HARD into the realities of being an undocumented immigrant that I had to take breaks over how real it was getting. But at the same time I was so gripped that I kept reading. Looks like there's a sequel coming up, which is fantastic because I adore these characters dearly.

Everyone read Parachute Kids!! I highly recommend it!!

[bonesandpoemsandflowers]

honestly, I feel like Dave McKean's work elevated Neil Gaiman way more than the other way around and we don't distribute credit for that properly. I truly don't think--and, critically, never have thought--the early Sandman writing was so good that it would have gotten far without the heavy hitting art lending it such an air of respectability. McKean's work is so visually distinct still, let alone 20 years ago, let alone 30. "This is serious art for serious stories for serious people," those mixed media paintings say when they're surrounded by pen and ink put out on a brutal schedule. "I am a serious person with sophisticated tastes," the buyer says, given permission to be pretentious and smug as hell, which is very alluring to many people.

[salty-software-engineer]

Man I just finished Babel and I was excited to read discussions online because there's so much going on in it with so many little things and just....angry white people. Everywhere. Truly a dead dove moment.

[yearningforunity]

Design Cut by Twin Barbers, Brixton, 1992.

Ph. Carole Wright

[seaglassdinosaur]

Love Sing Street, love the final sequence, wonderfully, perfectly open-ended to the point that Conor’s hypothetical success after the fact does not matter to me, however, I would absolutely watch a sequel with Ngig as the main character.

[bravest-notts]

we're now maybe two or three sessions from fighting an ancient white dragon who's also wielding a powerful fire orb on top of his usual abilities. as The Cleric™ i am feeling a growing sense of anticipation and nervousness, like preparing to sit for an exam held at gunpoint

[youarenot-theexception]

I just finished reading The Kite Runner by Khaleed Hosseini. My mind is blown away yet again by his articulation of emotions and language for story telling. I just wanna say to the people i really love and appreciate, for you, a thousand times over.

[josephinekhawaja]

Been seeing posts around proposing Satine and Bo-Katan Kryze as respectively the Star Wars Elsa and Anna...

...given obvious visual and probably other parallels. And I do see what they see, this is the way. But just immediately hilarious to me on another level as Anna endgames with a more working-class dude with 'zero social skills', who starts off as not exactly her favourite person in the universe or at that to be stuck with. And whose dearest companion is assuredly non-human because humans are overrated as at least half the song goes (facts though, Kristoff -- where is the lie). Perfection.

[julietwiskey1]

Also when Mon and Perrin were discussing their arranged marriage has a cut to Leida standing a few feet away eating a green pastry and walking away. The only way I can describe it is the most suspicious way to eat a pastry and leave.

I wonder how long Leida has been attending the cult like meetings in episode 11. She has the traditional hair style they all wear, but it’s only at this point the Vel seems actually surprised and worried. So I’m not sure if the hairstyle is a true indication of length of attendance.

Her cadence seems slightly off in her solo recital, like it’s not drilled into her yet. But who knows. I’m probably reading too much into this. But I do wonder how much of it is turning towards her old tradition to feel connection and how much it is to get at her parents.

[cosmicrhetoric]

im trying to exit my hater era re: YA like i have better things to do with my time but by simply being brown and following some book accounts i have been getting nonstop press for that book that's being marketed as like desi fantasy watched jodha akbar jashne bahara once enemies to lovers dupatta caught on some white boy's wrist shyamalan era firebending book and let me tell you. you couldn't pay meeeeeeee

[dtkqer]

like can we be honest for once. q is kinda very white passing