#especially arab americans and latinos

[skyod]

Turns out they wouldn't have won regardless of third party votes in every state so you can't blame third party.

Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar won comfortably in the same districts Harris lost so you can't blame misogyny and racism.

The only ones to blame are Harris and her campaign. They wanted to move right continuously instead of listening to us on every issue. They abandoned us. Stop being superficial about it.

[qqueenofhades]

Is it foolish of me to sympathize with how marginalized people on the far-left are incredibly frustrated that the Democratic establishment isn't as scared of/desperate to please them as the Republican establishment are toward the MAGA fringe? I guess from their perspective, voting feels like begging - most of the people who hear you won't even glance at you, let alone drop you a coin. But you still have to do it, or else you (or worse, your family) are *guaranteed* to starve.

Okay, a few thoughts here. Note: for you and the other people who have recently sent politics asks, I have been very deliberately NOT talking about it for the last few months. I had to break it yesterday because of the Orange Menace finally getting fucking convicted, but I do want to go back to not doing that (at least for the next few weeks/months/until whatever else stupid happens). So while I will answer this, I am generally not going to answer others and my apologies for that, but yeah. It's just so much and I have GOT to keep myself sane until November somehow. (Or God forbid, afterward, but you know.)

First off, most members of the American far left aren't actually marginalized people, or at least not marginalized enough that their personal well-being seems in any way likely to be affected by their loud and ceaseless campaign to tell other people not to vote. Actual marginalized people who have lived in America for any length of time are *well* aware of how the government and the state can be weaponized against them; witness how black community organizers will voice well-deserved criticisms of the Democratic establishment or other aspects of American party politics that are frustrating for everyone, but they will still always tell people to vote. Black people are also extremely aware that earning the right to vote was an incredibly long, difficult, and bloody battle that they were never given it for free, and the white power establishment fought them having it at every turn. They are thus far more aware than your average white online leftist that voting matters, because they had to work so hard to get it (and still to defend it as various red states launch openly racist assaults on voting rights, especially aimed at disenfranchising people of color). Witness how Bernie also got literally zero traction with African American voters, despite being the darling of the (white) online left.

Hispanic people are also (rightfully) frustrated at how both American parties can use Latino immigrants as a political football, but they're still backing Biden by 30-point margins. We hear a lot of chatter about Trump supposedly gaining ground with voters of color -- maybe he has, though I doubt it, but that's still incremental gains from the massive holes he was in before, and where he generally remains. Arab Americans are (rightfully) angry with Biden over Gaza, but even in the much-hyped Michigan primary, he got roughly the same amount of "uncommitted" voters as Obama did as an uncontested incumbent in 2012, and most of them have said they'll grit their teeth and vote for him in the general election anyway. Yes, a few of them have decided not to, but they are not the size of the Black and Latino populations in America insofar as electoral power, and many of them have grudgingly decided that as bad as Biden might be on this particular issue (though far less so than the social media groupthink would paint him) the alternative (i.e. Trump openly promising to deport everybody who's not white and crack down on pro-Palestinian protests and anything else) is much, much worse.

And yet, white leftists seem utterly incapable of making these same calculations. Frankly, I'm not sure they actually care about Gaza, let alone anything else they say, because if so, they wouldn't be slavering at the mouth to let Trump back in there to "teach a lesson" to Biden, Democrats, and everyone else who was not Smart And Clever Enough to sanctimoniously sit on their hands and let the fascists take over. I know this because they spent all their time lying about Biden and distorting his record and insisting people not vote even before October of last year, and then it only got ten thousand times worse. I'm not saying that all leftist or leftist-identified people are white, but they are disproportionately predominant in leftist spaces and in pushing the idea that there's "no difference" between the parties and somehow Trump and Biden are morally equivalent or will have the same amount of impact on what will happen after one of them is elected. That is, yes, because they are white and they have the privilege of assuming that a weaponized fascist government will not go after them for that reason (even though Trump and his surrogates are now claiming that "everyone" who opposes Trump has to be "dealt with.") As such, when you say that marginalized far-left people are frustrated with the Democrats, I'm... not entirely sure that's true. Marginalized people AND the far left are both frustrated with the Democrats, but one of those groups has generally still decided not to voluntarily disenfranchise themselves, and the other is pumping out Vladimir Putin-wet-dream anti-voting propaganda at every chance they get.

There is also the fact that America is not a left-wing country in any sense of the word, and that while it's easy for the MAGA Republicans to go ever further far-right and promise to be even more outrageously cruel and stupid and fascist than ever before, but that's not an actual policy or a plan. It is also a strategy of diminishing returns; witness the fact that for all the cruelty and stupidity Republicans have pumped into the public arena since 2016, they haven't actually been that good at winning elections, and most of their major successes have come from Trump winning in 2016 and thus being able to stack SCOTUS and the district and circuit courts with hand-picked right-wing nut jobs, who are functioning exactly as they were designed to do. (Which Hillary Clinton warned about, along with everyone else, and yet she was taken out by the exact same dirtbag leftist disinformation moral purity machine that is working overtime to handicap Biden for the exact same reasons.) Mainstream Democrats warned about this before the 2016 election and were scorned and laughed off. Indeed, the entire Online Left continues to resolutely deny that the extremist SCOTUS is responsible for anything (It's Biden's Fault) and thus are likewise identical to Trumpies. And since they also want Trump to get back in there and teach a lesson to the Democrats, they're just as anti-democratic, dangerous, stupid, and deliberately short-sighted as actual MAGATs, and can by no means be considered allies to the singular movement of keeping fascists out of power. That is our only present goal.

If Democrats bent over to everything the far left asks for (which is often a combination of tankie gobbledygook, various vague ideas about Communism utopia where capitalism magically vanishes with no consequences, half-baked revolution cosplays, and other stuff that is functionally equivalent to the wildest lunacies of MAGA) they would never win an election again, and that would be exactly what the fascists want. Witness how they struggled when they were branded "defunders of the police" and "socialists" and other effective responses to the mildest milquetoast efforts for reform or accountability. And the political climate right now is just far too dangerous to throw everything to the wind and prance out some pipe-dream perfect-utopia plan. I'm sure you've heard about Project 2025 and how the far-right Heritage Foundation is planning to systematically implement fascism at all levels of the country, the instant they have a compliant Republican president and congress. I would take all these people crying about Biden even a fraction more seriously if they weren't openly jonesing for something that is so unbelievably, incredibly worse.

For example: I currently have major beefs with literally the entire foreign policy of the Biden administration right now. I think they're being too hard on Ukraine (forbidding them to strike targets on Russian soil with American weapons, which would end the war faster) and, despite some promising signs and open displeasure, still far too easy on Israel. They looked foolish after insisting that Rafah was a red line and then essentially making up an excuse that what's going on now is not a "major operation." Secretary of State Blinken floating the idea of helping Congress censure or neuter the International Criminal Court arrest warrants issued for Netanyahu and co. was also one of the fucking stupidest things I've heard from a serious (i.e. non-Trumpist) American diplomat in a long time. So we respect the ICC when it issues warrants for tyrants we don't like (Putin), but when it issues one for tyrants we still do, apparently (Netanyahu), then bingo, it's back to the bad old habit of ignoring international law like we're special and it doesn't apply to us, and allows all the other bad actors around the world to do the same by pointing at America and correctly pointing out that we ignore it when it doesn't suit our purposes. I think this is wrong and I don't agree. So? What am I going to do?

Well, you see. I'm going to vote for Biden and I am going to give him money and I am going to remind everyone I know that they have no moral option but to do the same. I do this because I am aware that despite my disagreements, Biden is acting from a cautious anti-interventionist standpoint and does not want to throw American military might around recklessly or dangerously like good ol' George Dubya or Trump or even Obama and the drones. He is listening to sober mainstream advisors who have (however incorrect and useless) ideas about "avoiding escalation" and trying to bring conflict to a managed end. He is doing this with a realistic appraisal of the power of the office of American presidency and he's not going to capriciously end democracy and become a full-blown fascist dictator on day one, as Trump has openly and repeatedly promised to do. Yes, if there was a viable option apart from Biden, maybe I would think about voting for them, but there is not, and literally everyone who does not actively vote for him is helping Trump. I do not care about any other contrived and disingenuous online squealing. I know that Biden does not want the war in Gaza to go on for no reason and for maximum carnage; Netanyahu and Trump both do. That is just to name one thing.

So: yes. I absolutely understand being frustrated with the Democrats and wishing they would push harder and etc. But I am also aware that they can be pushed, that they are the only option right now, and the people who huff and puff and whine and groan about how it's such a moral imposition to vote for them are literally doing the fascists' work for them, and that is not acceptable. If they want a better system or a better world that isn't just useless internet fantasies about magical end-of-days Raptures fixing everything, also a la the crazy fundamentalists, they will have to get off their ass, do the work, and create that change. I will be happy to vote for that candidate when or if they arrive. In the meantime, I will continue to do my damndest to ensure that we even have a chance to get there. So yeah.

[brucewaynehater101]

I was wondering what Tim's racial traits are? Because I know that Bruce is Jewish, Dick is Romani, Jason is possibly Latino (I don't know if it's canon but his own traits wouldn't change because Latinos are very diverse, some may be white… The Latina who lives in Latam speaks uwu) , Cass is Asian, I think Chinese?, Babs is possibly white, Duke is Afro-American, Alfred is obviously British, Steph is white and Damian is mixed Arab-Jewish.

This is because I have seen him portrayed as white, Jewish or Asian, specifically Chinese, Japanese or Cambodian. I also love the possibility that the Batfam is a target of the Pro American (Damian would be a frequent victim) and Neo Nazis (Here they put everyone in the bag , even Tim if he were a white man the Nazis also persecuted homosexuals) and I feel that it would be something that would unite them as a family because it would be them against the world sjfshsaj and DC is a coward, possibly they put those things. and i lov your work uwu

Hello! I've seen a ton of cool AUs that portray him (and more specifically his mom) from different backgrounds, but I believe he is canonically white.

For Tim, I've seen some posts mentioning that some comic book creator was going to make him Jewish. They never quite added that into canon (his dad is atheist and his mom is implied to be Catholic), but that might be another reason why he's been portrayed as Jewish or other cultural backgrounds in AUs. Personally, it's rad to see how his storyline, characterization, or choices may or may not change or be affected by changing his upbringing, cultural background, or race. I've seen some cool AUs with Red Room or Russian decent Tim Drake.

I'm honestly not positive on Jason. I don't think DC quite confirmed a specific ethnicity for him, but he's implied to be white. I was trying to find anything that mentioned it, and someone talked about how, when he was researching who his bio mom is, he seriously considered Lady Shiva. This could indicate that he's racially ambiguous.

I personally hc him to be a third or fourth generation immigrant on his dad's side. This, in the hc, could be examined for how his dad may face social and structural barriers to obtaining work. Combined with his dad becoming a father at a young age (anywhere from 18 to 23), Willis was forced to find illegal work just to pay his bills for his family. At least, that's my hc if we're going with a good parent Willis.

You are correct that the Waynes, due to their mixed backgrounds, may face hate or be targeted by hate groups. Barbara may also be included with this due to her visible disability (I hc that some of the Waynes have, at the very least, some invisible disabilities). If we're going strictly off of canonically proven backgrounds/traits, Tim would face hate for being openly bisexual.

I am not aware of any hate groups residing within Gotham. I could 100% be wrong about that. There is the possibility of eugenicists, anti-meta groups, and supremacists (especially in positions of power) existing in Gotham. On the other hand, some of the Rogues would probably decimate those groups if they tried to root themselves in Gotham. That city is chaotic, but I love the hc that the Bats and some rogues (like Harley, Riddler, and Ivy) protect Pride events and other such gatherings. I find it more healing to think about the Rogues, despite being mass murders, drawing the line at being a bigot.

I've seen some fics that chat about the Waynes coming to Damian's defense when he's being racially targeted at school or galas. I haven't seen any for the Waynes as a whole being targeted by hate groups, but that is a possibility to explore. At the very least, there may be some awful shit online that Barbara stumbles across (even if the users aren't based in Gotham due to the Waynes being famous).

I'm glad that you enjoy my work! Stay safe, everyone, and fuck the pieces of shits that hate folks for being themselves.

[tsibeyantiger]

How to write European characters for Americans (and for everyone else, but especially for Americans):

Rule number one: Europe is a continent, not a country. No, European countries are not like American states. They are all totally autonomous and may be massively different even when they are neighbours. So everything I tell you might not be the case in every country in Europe or not in all parts of all countries!

-not everyone owns a car and many people prefer public transport or bicycles over driving, especially in north western Europe. Places that cannot be reached by foot exist, but are rare.

- Euros are the currency in most countries, but not in all. Im countries poorer than the EU average, Euros might be accepted, too, in richer countries they will not be. Cents and 1€ & 2€ are coins, the rest are notes. The notes don't all have the same sizes! Cash payment is favored in some parts of Europe, card in others. Debit cards are way more common than credit cards!

- Eastern European countries are way poorer than Western European ones. You see a lot of people moving west for work. People from Western Europe hardly ever move to an Eastern European country.

- In Northern and Central Europe, pretty much everyone younger than let's say 70 speaks at least a decent English. Millennials and Zoomers often also speak French or Spanish. In Southern Europe, the younger generations usually speak English, but elderly people are usually monolingual. In Eastern Europe, German and Russian are common second languages, often even more common than English.

- in an elevator, people usually lean against the walls and look into the middle. Standing in the middle and facing the door is uncommon. Unlike in America, you keep your fork always in the same hand and do not move it to the other hand during the meal.

- Northern and Western European countries have got a lot of foreign citizens. South Asians, Africans, Caribbeans and other Europeans are typical in the UK, Arabs and Africans in France, Arabs and Latinos in Spain, Africans in Italy, Turks, Poles, Arabs and Russians in Germany, Arabs and South Asians in the Nordics. Eastern European countries are way whiter and their foreign population mostly consists of people from neighbouring countries.

- some countries prefer their local cuisine, others prefer international food. If a country has got a world-famous cuisine, it probably belongs in the first category, if not in the second.

- With the exception of a few countries (Ireland, Finland and the Baltics), football is the number one sport. Every country has got a national professional league, but especially people from smaller countries often support a team from another country, usually from England or Spain. Women's football is way smaller than in the US and is often ignored or forgotten. Even though each of these has got at least a small fan base in Europe, you cannot expect people to know anything about NBA, NFL, NHL or MLB. Other notable team sports are handball, basketball, ice hockey and rugby, but this depends very much on the country.

- in most countries, sports clubs play a huge role, and school and especially university sports teams hardly exist.

- colleges don't really exist in most countries. If you're going for an academic degree, you'll go to a university, for other careers you'll usually get trained by your company and acquire some kind of diploma. I actually never really understood the difference between a college and a university and so do probably most people here. Studying is not free in every country, but public universities are usually very cheap and under 1000€ per year. Applications for universities are way easier than in the US and usually free. Many people go to university in their hometown. It is not common to move out from home before your early twenties, especially in Southern and Eastern Europe, unless you go studying in a different city. Students live with their parents, in a flat share, with their partner, very rarely alone or in a student's residence. They do NOT share their bedroom with anyone and fraternities or soririties in an American sense do not exist in any country I know.

- Windows can and will be opened frequently. Air conditioning is common only in the Mediterranean and is used to cool down the room, not to let fresh air in. For that purpose, we open the window.

- for distances of a few hours, Europeans either take the car or the train. You can reach every major European city by train, but this doesn't mean the train service is always good. For longer distances, flights are common.

- Germany is always less modern and the Baltics are always more modern than you expect.

- Europeans are just as political as Americans, but every country has got a great variety of different political parties, even though usually 1-3 of them dominate the political landscape. "Liberal" means "center-right" in Europe. Leftists would define themselves as socialists, social-democrats, communists or anarchists. Most countries have at least one conservative AND one extreme right party.

- You can't just fire someone for no reason in most European countries. You'll often have to pay them at least a few monthly salaries as compensation. Every country has got universal health care, though it isn't always good or accessible, and it does NOT depend on your employment. The number of sick days is not limited and even though some countries work even more hours than America, people usually can't be contacted by their employer in their free time.

- the EU is often criticised, but mostly viewed as positive. National laws may not break European law and you see EU flags on many public buildings.

- if someone owns a gun, they are a hunter, a cop, a soldier or a gangster.

- parties start and end way later than in the US. In most countries, no club will close before 3am and you don't arrive at the club before midnight. Sometimes you can party until 8 or even 10 am.

- it is common to cross an international border for shopping if products are cheaper in the other country.

- people are less religious than in America. Even in the most hardcore Catholic or Orthodox regions, you don't see shit like in the US. People there might be frantically kissing some Saint's painting, but they don't believe Jesus died for their right to own a gun or stuff.

Feel free to add some!

[deaddee-anime-brownfanlady]

Don't ASK Black People to Fight for ya'll causes when ya'll couldn't Vote against a damn convicted criminal rapist felon.

Seriously, I'm getting so fucking sick and tired of Black People/ Black Americans having to Fucking fight for everybody else causes. Especially other POC causes when half of them have shown during this damn election how deeply they don't give a Fuck about Black Americans and all while voting against their own communities best self-interests because they so badly want to sit at the table of White Supremacy and do everything they can to be close to Whiteness. While still being super anti-black as hell.

It's seriously going to be a Black vs. Non-Black POC America now more than ever.

Some of ya'll Arabs Americans and Muslims as well as some Latinos and other non-Black POC as well as some White people. If ya'll guys want protest and be on the Frontlines dealing with Trump bullshit then go ahead and do as you may.

Please don't be asking either Black women or other black people to be on the Frontlines with you when some of ya'll have shown that you didn't have our backs during this important election and Fucked us over. As well as fucking over your own racial communities too.

At this point I'm so fucking tried and done.

I did my part during this election by voting for Kamala as well as getting out the word at how bad and horrific another Trump term would be.

But some fools still didn't want to listen to the truth or evidence and would rather learn the hard way...

I didn't Fucked around at all! Yet I still have to deal with the consequences of other people damn stupidity, racism, misogynoir, and ignorance of not taking this election seriously.

From your own protests and organize and do whatever it is you can, but please stop excepting black people to fight for ya'll shit when some of you have shown that ya'll aren't true allies towards Black Americans at all.

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

A proposed amendment to the bill requiring teaching ethnic studies in California’s public schools passed the first hearing on October 8, 2021. The amendment contained “guardrails” to prevent teachers from incorporating antisemitic and anti-Israel content. Many UC ethnic studies professors bemoaned the guardrails proposed in the bill.

Specifically, ethnic studies professors objected to the provision in the bill which said that ethnic studies must “[n]ot reflect or promote, directly or indirectly, any bias, bigotry, or discrimination against any person or groups of persons on the basis of any category protected by Section 220” of the California Educational Code. Section 220 prohibits discrimination on the basis of nationality, race or ethnicity and religion (among other biases).

Shockingly, the UC Ethnic Studies Faculty Council branded this provision as “censoring teachers,” since they view it as hampering their ability to teach an anti-Israel, pro-“Palestine” curriculum. These professors view anti-Zionism as central to the discipline, while, at the same time, deny there is any trace of antisemitism in this worldview. 

The amendment died in the Senate Appropriations Committee in mid-August 2024 with the explanation that further work on the bill was needed. 

In addition to the existing high school requirement, the UC Ethnic Studies Faculty Council (UCESFC), whose leadership overlaps with the antisemitic Institute for the Critical Study of Zionism, petitioned to make one semester of ethnic studies a prerequisite for acceptance into the UC system.

The proposal was met with pushback from groups outside of the UC community, especially Jewish groups. 

A petition organized by the AMCHA Initiative stated:

“We firmly believe this proposal: 1) is the direct result of a small group of activist-educators determined to circumvent state law and manipulate the UC governance process to push a widely rejected and antisemitic curriculum for their own political and financial gain; 2) has absolutely no educational merit or justification and may even harm students academically; and 3) will unleash hatred and bigotry, especially antisemitism, into California’s public, charter and private schools.”

The ethnic studies professors were enraged by the opposition, responding:

“We also understand that the UC caved to spurious charges, in some cases advanced by people and organizations with a known history of racism, that our proposed criteria are “anti-Semetic” and disparaging to Jewish Americans. This is a LIE. Nowhere in our course criteria do we mention Israel, Jewish people or Judaism, much less any specific religion.”

A vote finally took place in May 2024. Ultimately, the motion did not pass, and “further discussion was tabled.” Some perceived the intense anti-Zionist rhetoric around the Hamas-Israel War as the reason the motion failed. 

UC’s Ethnic Studies Faculty Council

Refused to accept the Hamas attack as terrorism and accused Israel of “genocide”

Promoted the pro-Hamas encampments, exclaiming, “The University is Ours!”

Advocated for the firing of all UC chancellors for involving the police in removing the illegal encampments

Expressed “unequivocal solidarity with the students who have courageously seized the reins of moral leadership by launching Palestine solidarity encampments”

Anti-Israel Agenda in Ethnic Studies Departments

The UC Berkeley department website defines ethnic studies as “the critical and interdisciplinary study of race, ethnicity, and indigeneity with a focus on the experiences and perspectives of people of color within and beyond the United States.”

Ethnic studies departments usually focus on four groups: African Americans, Chicano/Latinos, Native Americans and Asian Americans. Arab American studies fall under the umbrella of Asian American studies.

Ethnic studies builds upon concepts of intersectionality and Critical Race Theory. “Palestine” comes up frequently in ethnic studies teaching, but exclusively from an anti-Israel point of view.

[militantinremission]

Collard Greens to go: Kamala Harris' Historic Defeat still reverberates

The Harris-Walz Ticket's historic loss to the Trump- Vance Ticket still has people talking. I wanted to get a feel for how People were reacting before commenting. Political Pundits & Democratic Shills have been experiencing near meltdowns on Camera, following Donald Trump's historical Comeback. MSNBC & CNN have posted significant declines in viewership; Losses of up to 54% for Programs like Joy Reid's 'The ReidOut', 'Alex Wagner Tonight', 'All In w/ Chris Hayes', & 'The Last Word' w/ Lawrence O'Donnell have Liberals literally scrambling for answers. The two Networks hint at impending layoffs, but it appears to be the New Normal in the weeks following Kamala Harris' embarrassing loss.

The Conversation started with What Happened?! Several Political Polls had Harris in contention, if not up Nationally. Even 'Presidential Predicter', Allan Lichtman was befuddled by Trump's decisive win. The Talking Heads were unraveling in Real Time. Democratic Shills took to the Airwaves with a laundry list of reasons for Kamala's Defeat. It was a Collective of Racists & Misogynists that had No Regard for a Woman's Right of Expression. It's no surprise that they wouldn't vote for a Woman Of Color to be President. The Groups that were singled out were:

Hispanic/ Latino Men

Arab Americans

Young Adults

White Women

Many glossed over the role that Black America played in Election Returns, but they can't ignore the low Voter turnout in Philadelphia, Atlanta, Milwaukee, Chicago, & Detroit. Democratic Shills like Sunny Hostin & Angela Rye are doubling down on DNC rhetoric; but others like Charlemagne (Da Clod), Joy Reid, & Roland Martin are trying to pivot to Black First Politics. We're hearing that the 'Black & Brown Coalition' is an illusion, & People Of Color didn't stand with Blackfolk in backing the Harris-Walz Ticket. Ironically, NONE of the Groups blamed showed any real interest in Kamala Harris. Turnout at her Rallies was lower than Trump's, & she has been accused by many of bussing Supporters to her Events.

The Democratic Party is in full Spin Mode. Alexandria Ocasio- Cortez was dumbfounded by Bronx Voters that voted for her AND Donald Trump. Jason Black, Jimmy Dore, & Sabrina Salvati were among the first to point out that AOC removed the 'pronouns' from her Social Media Pages. The Woke Agenda is being spotlighted, & Progressives are redefining what that means. We can expect Democrats to shift back to the Centrist Politics of the Bill Clinton Era, but Blackfolk are hip to that tactic. We have drawn a Line in the Sand, & Dems really don't know what to do about it. As I said before, Black America sits in the 'Catbird Seat'.

Democratic Shills say that Kamala did everything she could, but did she? What about showing her Supporters at Howard University how to be graceful in the face of Defeat? Harris couldn't be concerned with saying a few words to those College Students who waited hours for her to make an appearance. This act sparked conversation in the Grassroots about how Kamala doesn't have ANY regard for Black America; especially after getting 'molly whopped' by Trump. She blatantly ignored Black Specific Issues, & rolled out Celebrities to shame Us into supporting a Campaign that had NOTHING for Us.

As bad as Kamala's defeat was, her Campaign Expenditures have sparked even more conversation. Harris raised more than $1B (upwards of $1.5B according to Fox News) from donors, but her Campaign is roughly $20M in debt. That may explain why they are STILL asking for donations after the fact. How did the Harris- Walz Campaign spend over $1B in 100+ Days? Monty Brewster has nothing on Kamala Harris! According to Reports, Kamala's Campaign spent:

Nearly $50M on a Text Message Campaign

$10M for Beyonce's 5 minute Speech

$5M for Meghan The Stallion

$2M for The Urban League

$1.2M for Eminem

$1M for Oprah's Harpo Productions

$500,000 for Al Sharpton's National Action Network

$350,000 for Roland Martin's Black Star Network

$100,000 to construct a (temporary) replica Set for her appearance on the 'Call Her Daddy' Podcast

This is on top of spending Hundreds of Millions on Mainstream Media Ad Buys, along with reports that Social Media Influencers were being paid to post Pro- Harris Content & attend the DNC National Convention. Clearly, Harris' Presidential Campaign was a Money Grab. Rumors of embezzlement are growing. Conservatives are talking about taking Legal Action. Meanwhile, Harris Loyalists have been Radio Silent. Rumor has it that Barack & Michelle Obama left the Country; Barack is said to be disgusted with Election Results. I think that Barack backed a Candidate that he knew wasn't ready for Prime Time. He threw his Social Capital behind her, only to lose The Election & his Legacy at the same time. Barry's not alone; that Old Guard of The Clintons, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Maxine Waters, Jim Clyburn, et al are probably feeling the same as Obama. All of them lost Political Influence.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump is filling Cabinet Positions faster than he did in his 1st Term. Matt Gaetz may have been too controversial (for obvious reasons), but Trump is fulfilling a Promise to stack his Administration with like-minded individuals. Elon Musk, Tom Holman, RFK Jr, Tulsi Gabbard, Vivek Ramaswami, Linda McMahon, Pete Hegseth, Scott Turner, Sebastian Gorka, Brooke Rollins, & Scott Bessent are Trump Loyalists. These were the folks On Stage at MAGA Rallies. Trump Supporters are excited by these picks; as excited, as Democrats are terrified. Dems have good reason to be concerned. The GOP had a pretty good Election Cycle:

They won The White House

They hold a majority in the U.S. Senate

They hold a majority in the House of Representatives

They may have another opportunity to appoint two (or more) Supreme Court Justices

Trump's pick of Matt Gaetz for Attorney General could be his way of Testing the Waters. We ALL know how Donald Trump moves. He's coming strong Out the Gate, & appears to be testing the extent of his influence. At his core, Trump is a Builder. He knows the importance of a strong foundation. In this case, that means putting people he can trust in positions that will push the Trump Agenda. His alternate choice of Pam Bondi for Attorney General shouldn't come as a surprise. Bondi has been a passionate Trump Loyalist over the Years. She's the former Attorney General of Florida & carries less baggage than Gaetz, so she has a very good chance of getting Confirmed.

Kamala Harris has been keeping a low profile, but judging from footage of her at Public Events, Kamala is bitter about her defeat. She hasn't spoken with Tim Walz, & it appears that there's friction between her & The Bidens. Black Alpha Network says that Doug Emhoff may be bowing out of their Marriage. His indiscretions played a role in her defeat, but Doug appears unwilling to Ride the Storm. Safe to say that the Gravy Train has been derailed. Democratic Shills are scurrying like roaches to avoid being tagged as a 'Paid Political Operative'. It makes me question the Democratic Agenda.

I have said that America has been determined to get Black Hands dirty, since Our Great Grand Parents returned Home from WW 1. Jaime Harrison is the face of the DNC, so he gets the blame for the Democratic Party's lopsided loss. The Congressional Black Caucus pushed Kamala's Platform, knowing that there was NOTHING for their Constituents. They tried to strong arm Us into accepting an Agenda of Illegal Immigration & Rising Tide Policies that will further marginalize Us. Black Uplift means shifting the current Balance of Power, & NONE of Kamala's Policy offerings did that. This past Election put ALL of them On Notice.

Mainstream Media would love to blame the GOPs Election Day Trifecta on Black America, but doing so would be complicated. We're depicted as unsophisticated & childish, so they don't want to present a scenario where We acted with intellect & intent. They keep a keen eye on Black America, so they see the budding renaissance unfolding. They fear throwing gas on the fire, so they're fixating on Donald Trump's Cabinet Picks. According to NBC Exit Polls:

White Men voted 37% for Harris, 60% for Trump

White Women Voted 47% for Harris, 53% for Trump

Black Men voted 77% for Harris, 21% for Trump

Black Women voted 91% for Harris, 7% for Trump

Hispanic/ Latino Men voted 43% for Harris, 55% for Trump

Hispanic/ Latina Women voted 60% for Harris, 38% for Trump

All Others voted 48% for Harris, 46% for Trump

It's hard to blame Black Americans for a Democratic Loss, when We continue to vote Democrat at the highest percentage. That said, State Results show that Black Voter numbers were down. Nationally, they were down roughly 5%. I have said that it only takes 4% of the Population to start a Movement. Donald Trump lost Georgia in 2020 by '11,800 votes', but he won by over 115,000 votes this time. It's the Same Story in other 'Urban Centers'. We can't attribute Trump's Win to Arab or Muslim Americans, because their numbers are too small. Hispanics/ Latinos as a Collective, voted for the GOP at the highest percentage since George W. Bush in 2004. That said, Hispanic/ Latino Voters have an established track record of voting Democrat for a couple of Elections, only to shift over to the GOP.

This Election has raised a few questions. 1st & foremost, is the size of the Black American Population. Mainstream Media keeps Us at 12%- 13%. This goes back to Emancipation, but it's pretty clear that Our numbers are higher than that. Millions of Us 'Rode the Couch', & it shows up in the State Exit Polls. Black America IS a Political Power Base. Democratic Shills underestimated the Political Maturity of this Base & not only lost big, they awakened a Sleeping Giant. Young Family got to flex their muscles, & discovered their hidden strength. Moving forward, Dems will have to engage Us like EVERYONE ELSE, or risk future losses. Gavin Newsome is priming himself for a 2028 Run, but his betrayal of Black Californians on Reparations has doomed his ambition before it can begin. Josh Shapiro should take note.

As for Kamala Harris, her political career is likely over. Sonia Sotomayor refused to retire, so she won't be placed on the Supreme Court. A Democratic Shill suggested that Joe Biden should retire, so Kamala could be the 1st Woman President. At this point, I doubt that she could win in California. Harris may end up teaching Law at Howard University... While others wring their hands over Donald Trump, the Black Grassroots are taking a Victory Lap. The Democratic Party played Chicken w/ Us & learned a hard lesson. We aren't looking for recognition, or tokens of appreciation. We want Real Tangibles! We're just rolling up Our sleeves, so folks should get used to the New Normal. American Politics won't be the same.

[canichangemyblogname]

Woah, woah, woah, woah. Let’s not start pointing the finger at any demographic besides white people, and especially white men, for the US election results. Trump saw no meaningful increase in support among marginalized communities. He was predicting that Black men would come out in force for him. That did not happen. Let’s not be blaming anyone other than the whites in a majority-white country for electing a racist. Let’s not blame anyone other than the whites for a campaign—and now presidential administration—fueled by racial animus.

He wins because he says the quiet part out loud. He wins because he “refuses to be PC” about the “Mexicans taking over the country” and “Black crime in the cities.” (Put in quotations because these aren’t my ideas; I do not own them or hold them.) Don’t forget what country you live in: The United States, a country more than happy to shove Japanese Americans into concentration camps, mass deport Latino American citizens, enslave and impoverish Black people through plantations and sharecropping and the prison industrial complex, genocide Indigenous groups, and lie to bomb Arabs in South West Asia. This is the country that inspired Fascism.

Trump *is* representative of the soul of America: an unstable racist, misogynist, cheat, grifter, and liar. Blame gerrymandering. Blame vote suppression. Blame Harris’ short election cycle because a white man’s ego got in the way. Blame inflation. Blame the Billionaire class and the money they POURED into Trump’s reelection. Blame housing prices. Blame corporate greed and the way it has driven a cost of living crisis. Blame the fact that most Americans think tariffs are taxes on foreign countries. Blame a lack of class consciousness and the fact that most Americans believe that poor people should be taxed and rich people not because of “wealth paternalism,” the feudal-inspired idea that the wealthy “take care” of the poor and give them jobs. Blame the fact the US culture hates women and other gender minorities more than it loves an economy in recovery. Blame the lack of jobs in traditional blue collar fields due to an ongoing technological revolution; companies are investing in different technology, and someone’s uncle Joe got lost behind when the ol’ plant closed and DJT is the only one who promised to bring those traditional jobs back (he won’t, he can’t). Blame celebrity culture and the fact Americans love a showman. Blame the fact that DJT is a reaction against the social progresses in this country that make every white boy and his white mother “uncomfy,” from voting rights for non-whites to marriage equality. Blame ableism and COVID resentment, as Americans hate being told what to do (unless that law targets a specific minority group), and many believe the weak must be culled. Blame the fact that most Americans are Christian Zionists who believe that Israel must exist to usher in the second coming of Jesus, and DJT has been dubbed “America’s first Zionist President.” Blame unsound Democratic political strategy that long alienated the core of their traditional base: blue collar whites. Blame hyper-individualism and the “fuck you, I got mine” mentality. But for the love of fuck, I better not see y’all Tumblr libs blaming Black people and trans women for this shit (I have, that’s why I made this post).

[blautitlewave]

Reasons why Harris lost:

-Misogyny

-Voter suppression coordinated by Russia

-Alienating Arab Americans in a key swing state by sending a Zionist over to downplay the travesty of what’s happening in Palestine

-Leashing Tim Walz instead of letting him curry favor with disillusioned progressives by calling Republicans weird

- Ignoring progressives in favor of trying to gain the undecided (actually Republican) vote

-Aligning with the Cheneys and Clintons, two families that everyone but a small cadre of neolibs and neocons frozen in ice since 1996 hate/distrust as apparatii of the political machine

- Promising a bipartisan cabinet when the last thing anyone wants right now is compromise or working with the other party

- Refusing to criticize/offer improvements or adjustments to Biden’s policies; offering just more of the same

- Pushing early-mid 2000s pro-war in the Middle East rhetoric to a powerbase that doesn’t give a shit about proliferating more proxy wars in the Middle East. “Strongest military in the world” the absolute fuck

- Not condemning Netanyahu’s actions against Palestine

-MEN (all races, but especially Latino and White)

-Fucking white women

Democrat party will learn nothing from this. They’ll be even more conservative next time around to cater to the hate-drunk fuckasses that have been unleashed and validated by Trump and all the online manosphere reactionaries. Genuinely, genuinely, from the bottom of my heart, I hope the individuals who specifically voted for this despoiled failed abortion of a man reap the immediate consequences of their choice. My charity and community no longer includes them. It never will again. No more grace. No more patience. No more clemency or forgiveness. I’m done.

[bluenightcomedies]

political vent under readmore. 🗡️

okay that's it. from now on we're going to block anyone who mouthbreathes in our direction about "DON'T VOTE BIDEN HE'S BAD!!" or spam-reblog posts like that. well of-fucking-course he's bad. he's an american politician. hell, he's the american politician that wrote that one law that walking pork rinds use as an excuse to be as racist as humanly possible. on top of that he's a Democrat which are automatically spineless cowards that try to play both sides for PR, he's going to enable human rights violations if he thinks it'll keep him in the media's grace. i'm 100% with you telling people that he's far from an angel and to stop bootlicking him. but if you're hollering on and on about how people shouldn't vote him, I'm going to assume you're either a fed trying to edge things in the favor of the republican fascist-wannabes or just painfully out of touch with how american politics work. did you really fucking think that if enough people don't vote they'll throw their hands up and go "oh well neither wins!" or some other delusional fantasy? no, they're going to shoo in the one with the most votes anyway, and as shitty as the democrat candidate is, the republican candidate is going to be MANY times worse, and they don't even pretend otherwise. especially as half of the republican candidates planning to run are so obviously mask-off fascist that Donald Trump is getting nervous. "BuT hEs EnAbLiNg ThE pAlEsTiNe GeNoCiDeEeEeE" news-fucking-flash the republican candidate would not only keep enabling it anyway, they'd probably send over an army themselves so they can play a game of "let's see who kills the most arab and jew children" then try to re-enact the fucking Reich in USA to boot, with the LGBT and latino community at the top of the list. it was never a fucking game of good vs evil, it was never a fucking game of 'vote for only the person with zero sins in their entire life', the point is to get the one that will do the LEAST damage in, even if that person is still going to commit at least one war crime, because you won't like the alternative. period. so unless y'all got a miracle solution STOP TRYING TO MAKE THINGS EASIER FOR THE REPUBLICANS.

[aizenat]

Oh, and the Arab people with British accents trying to talk down to Black Americans are hilarious to me. Didn’t your nation leave the EU because you idiots thought no one would vote for the referendum and so yall didn’t care to show up and vote? Didn’t yall have a conservative government for the last decade that you literally just voted out a couple of months ago? Doesn’t your fucking country ALSO SEND MONEY TO SUPPORT ISRAEL BECAUSE THEY’RE A PART OF NATO AND BRITAIN IS DETERMINED TO BE AMERICA LITE????

Funny how when yall had YOUR election, I didn’t hear any Americans telling yall that voting Labour was the same as voting Tory, and you’re a horrible person for voting Labour and not just letting the conservatives win (especially when Labour leaders were being very loud in their support of Israel). How come yall weren’t expected to not vote as a fuck you to zionist positions in the Labour Party? How come yall didn’t call people in your own country voting for Labour bad people who don’t care about Palestinians and genocide??????

I get America is a “superpower,” but that doesn’t mean we should just let yall talk down to us and yell at us about our own country like we don’t live here and know. In fact, this reaction the first time Americans actually did start giving a fuck about calling out our country for its imperialism (BTW, WE’VE ACTUALLY BEEN DOING THAT: VIETNAM, IRAQ/AFGHANISTAN, AND NOW PALESTINE; WE BEEN PROTESTING THESE WARS! JUST BECAUSE OUR MEDIA DOESNT COVER IT AND SHOW IT TO THE WORLD DOESNT MEAN IT WASNT HAPPENING), I can see people who may have started getting into geopolitics backing off because nothing we do is ever good enough. We not even allowed to vote in our own best interests without our support being questioned. GTFO of here with that shit. Who are you talking to? We’re not Ray j down the way, we’re the fucking activists keeping this conversation going!

And to zero in on BLACK PEOPLE of all people to say we not doing enough?????? Yall are crazy. The whites don’t care, the Asians don’t care, the Latinos and Hispanics don’t care. But you zero in on US? The literal group of people in this country who have the LEAST amount of power? I was laughing because one girl was like “yall join the military and gleefully spread imperialism” and like sure Black people are over represented in the military (we’re 14% of the population but make up about 17-20% of the military force); HOWEVER, when I was looking those numbers up, I was directed to an article saying how despite being over represented as soldiers, we are UNDERREPRESENTED AS COMMANDING OFFICERS/TOP BRASS! Meaning we are not the ones making the decisions on who we attack!

Out of 46 presidents, ONE had been Black. ONE. There had still, as of 2024, NEVER BEEN A BLACK FEMALE GOVERNOR OF ANY STATE IN THE US.

Just because there are some rich Black celebs and Obama was a recent memory does not mean WE HAVE POWER in this country! Our issues are ignored just like y’all’s! WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING TO???????

The disrespect man lol. I’ll always support Palestine, but am I mad at the ones saying “I’m going to focus on supporting the Congo/Sudan/Haiti” instead? Nah. Cuz yall feel so entitled to us being your slaves doing the work of your activism but don’t know how to give us even the slightest of respect to not tell us we’re bad ppl just for being excited to vote in our first female black president. GTFO. I’m super hype to vote for Kamala. I’m buying merch from her campaign to support and spread awareness to get more to vote for her. That makes you mad, don’t care.

[ozianfizz]

This is the actual poll from NBC breaking down voting results by race and sex. While over half of white women did vote Trump, they voted less than they did in 2020 and the second largest group that voted for him this time was Latino men. This isn't something you can point at white women and only white women and say, "THEY'RE the reason why." But then again the kind of people doing that will find another group to blame before the week is over. It's the third party voters, it's white women, it's middle America rednecks, it's Arab-Americans who refused to vote, it's performative activists that whined too much about Palestine, etc. Someone's got to have the smoking gun that led to him getting elected again.

And while not every white woman who voted Trump did so for this reason, consider how many men recently declared that their wives would vote however they wanted because they knew they could intimidate their wives.

Maybe the majority of Americans are first and foremost concerned with themselves and nobody else. Maybe Americans generally have a philosophy of "fuck you, got mine" and a desperate desire for convenience, and a lot of them were eager to believe anything Trump said because he was able to pander to their desires for the ever nebulous and changing economy to get better. Maybe he was able to stoke people's fears about illegal immigrants and trans bathroom bills and say that the current administration abandoned "real Americans", with all of the ugliness and prejudice that phrase implies.

Maybe being an even louder and even more aggressive defender of Israel and Zionism, refusing to call for any kind of ceasefire and calling anyone who protested terrorists helped bolster a largely Christian Zionist voter base. And maybe the Biden administration and democrats as a whole were too complacent for four years until they realized that Republicans have always been able to turn out in record numbers when pissed off enough, and aren't prone to the ideological splintering that Democrats are.

Maybe one reason white and Latino men in particular voted for him was because so many men are threatened by the level of autonomy and freedom women have achieved in America compared to any other point in the country's history (and maybe we should use this as a sign to keep fighting to protect each other)

And combining all of that with the fact that most Americans are still uncomfortable with the idea of a female president, especially a Black woman like Harris (I don't care WHAT people say--she could've been Mother Teresa with melanin and most of these people would have still voted for Trump or any opponent that was male) contributed to how he won by such a large margin

[sundove88]

Linkers Of The Ancient Heroes (Cookie Run Sugar Linkage)

Hello, everyone! Sorry if I didn’t post that much art but I have a new installment for Project Link Up- Cookie Run Sugar Linkage!

And what better way to start than with the linkers of the Ancient Heroes?

Btw, their Linkage Treats are in the brackets- and I’d like to see their Linked Forms!

Jonah Ramirez (Pure Vanilla Cookie): “No matter what, I’ll find the linkers of your friends no matter what! Even if it means skipping classes and stuff!” (Determined Doctor in Training) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ [Vanilla Bean Soufflé]

Jonah is a Caucasian-Latino student at medical school, and went there because not because he wants to help heal people, but also because he wants to make a change in the world.

As much as he treasures his friends (They’re older than him), he loves his mentor Priscilla the most, especially since they became instant friends when Jonah began attending the university.

Just like his partner Pure Vanilla Cookie, he’s mostly the medic of the team, and a very good one at that.

Eliza Regale (Hollyberry Cookie): “Who's my fave granddaughters? Yes, you are! After all, I’ve still got that fighting spirit in me!” (Gramma of The Year) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ [Festive Berry Cupcake]

Eliza is a talented Black fashion designer and owner of the Fashion House Berrylicious. She can practically make any outfit you wish, but she loves making dresses the most.

She loves her granddaughters Emily and Erika (Princess and Tiger Lily’s Linkers) more than anything, and she lets her husband Ivan (Elderberry’s Linker) as well as her son Matthew (Royalberry’s Linker) and daughter in law Lorelei (Jungleberry’s Linker) to help her with designing clothes.

Just like her partner Hollyberry Cookie, she knows some sweet party tricks like a keg stand and can even break open a wall with just a headbutt.

Donnelly Hyun (Dark Cacao Cookie): “Andy… I know I’m busy with everything I’m doing… but I swear… I will spend time with you…!” (Wanting Nothing But My Son) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ [Chocolate Citadel]

Donnelly is a Korean-American father who accepted an overseas work offer too good to be true, and wants desperately to get back to his family in Bakerton (The main setting of CRSL).

He loves his wife Kiera (ChocoPearl’s Linker) and son Andy (Dark Choco’s Linker) more than anything, but is really good at martial arts. However, his coworker Qin (Affogato’s Linker) decided to keep him in Korea… for his own reasons.

Just like his partner Dark Cacao Cookie, he also has a very soft side- especially when he makes ink drawings with just a brush and ink pot.

Natalia Jameel (Golden Cheese Cookie): “Tell me, is my company going the way I want it? And if so… how can I make it better?” (More Than Just Gold) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ [Gilded Cheese Fondue]

Natalia is an Arabic woman who is the CEO of Golden Moments Inc., a trade company that has a building 36 stories tall- her office is on the very top floor!

She has a pet Scarlet macaw named Rouge and loves her husband Abdul, but feels like that something is missing from her life; and no matter how much gold surrounds her, she can’t fill that hole.

Just like her partner Golden Cheese Cookie, she loves anything sparkly and has a secret obsession with gemstones- especially amethysts, rubies, topazes, sapphires, emeralds, and pearls… but most of all diamonds.

Priscilla Magdalene (White Lily Cookie): “Come on me, you can do this. You just have to keep Patricia at bay…!” (Two Sides of The Same Flower) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ [Lily Flower Cookies]

Priscilla is a Caucasian teacher at the University of Bakerton, and she teaches botany. Plus, her favorite flowers are asiatic lilies; because of their smell and meaning.

However, a month prior to the series, she tried to make life on her own aka Homunculi- but that backfired and she was caught up in a massive explosion, leading her face to be permanently scarred and her to gain a split personality- aka Patricia (Dark Enchantress’ Linker). Despite the efforts of her friends to save her, all 5 of their Linkage Treats were destroyed and she was sent into a coma upon being split from Patricia.

Just like her partner White Lily Cookie, she truly values her friends and family- especially Jonah, who was devastated at the fact he lost his mentor.

[deaddee-anime-brownfanlady]

2RawTooReal is saying hard facts yet again because Lord....

Black People are always damned excepted to be the social justice mammies for everybody's causes. We always seem to be the ones to have to fight for someone else's crisis, especially when it comes to non-Black POC at times.

Especially Black women in how we seem to be the mammies that have to save Everyone, including America, Black women of this country once again lead the charge when it comes to getting shit done during this election season and when it comes to voting, and yet again Black women were Fucked Over by the percentage of half of White Women who voted for Trump and the percentage of Latino Men and Muslim, Arab Americans, and other POC that voted and supported this Orange White Supremacist bastard. Or those so-called " Leftists " that refuse to vote for Kamala cause of " What about Palestine!?. " Due to some moral purity, superiority, self-righteous bullshit.

This election shows that White Supremacy will always win over, unfortunately, that either be it half of White Women and half of some Non-Black POC will always vote against their own best self-interests and against their own communities so they can sit at the table of White supremacy and suck its dick to reap the benefits, not realizing they are being Fucked over in the process.

At this point, as a black woman, I'm just so damned tired, and I've had enough of everything at this moment.

I voted and did my part for this country and all.

I'll still be trying to fight for those I deeply care about within my own family and community and for a couple of other causes I care about,

But at the end of the day, for those who wanted this shit-storm to happen and those who refuse to vote against Trump and vote against Fascism happening in America.

Ya'll Rat-Fuckers reap what you sow, ultimately.

Don't ask my Black Ass to protest anything for you when some of ya'll couldn't do the bare minimum of getting off ya'll assses to vote against Trump and stopping him from harming the very groups of vulnerable people ya'll claim and pretend to care about, or those who *NOW* want to suddenly protest against Fascism, but didn't want to vote against it too stopped it from taking root at the very beginning.

Ya'll made your beds and now lie in it.

[gossipgirloff1]

What I personally find weird or maybe sad about the whole Alexandra nationality thing is that she seems to almost be embarrassed of being Latina in any way but at the same time she mentioned it at the Mexico GP to perhaps get recognition/love from fans, and as someone who is also partly Mexican and French (amongst other things lol) and mostly raised in Western Europe I can confidently say that you will almost never be discriminated in France for having Latino heritage (you are much more likely to experience racism or xenophobia as a person of African/Arab/Asian descent) so like the excuse of “protecting yourself from discrimination” that an anon mentioned isn’t really valid in my opinion. On top of that us Latinos, especially if we grow up in a family that cares deeply about our culture and tries to transmit it onward, are very proud of our heritage and love to share it with people interested in it so using it when it’s convenient to brag about it but hiding it most of the time as Alexandra seems to do is honestly kind of unpleasant/embarrassing behaviour. Last thing, this is only my opinion and others might disagree but personally I don’t think you get to call yourself Latina (or belonging to any other nationality or minority) if one of your parents is but you dont know or appreciate the language, the culture or the traditions, in this case you are just from Latin American descent but you’re not really Latina you’re whatever other nationality you have (in Alexandra’s case that would be French, and she is typically French in the way that she presents herself to the public eye) //

If she lived in Spain she would have faced more xénophobia or racism from being Latino. And as a French person people will be racist with you if you look arab/Black or have some proximity to blackness. Being Latino there is more seen as exotic there. However, she would have faced a lot misogyny because they see Latina women as hot/sexy/easy

.

[conjuremanj]

The Mystery Of La Madama. With Altar Set-up And Offering

A peculiar figure has recently become very popular in Rootwork. This person is La Madama. As you look around on different websites, or online blogs about rootwork or hoodoo you find more and more people are speaking on La Madama. But the conversation on her has become more misunderstood and that people are just repeating the same misinformation they are getting from websites and blogs and I'm no way a expert on her but I talked to some priest and practitioners in Espiritismo so I'm writing this post for the people who may be interested in La Madama or just want to learn about how to work with this type of spirit.

Who is La Madama? (Let's say, Who ARE Las Madamas?) Well, what she is not is part of hoodoo nor a hoodoo Saint as it is written online. She is not a slave women. These are dolls that are made out of porcelain or plastic and dressed in a particular color and this is a misconception that it's a specific spirit. This is totally incorrect. A Madama is a category of spirits - to which many individual spirits and guides belong to.

Again the question is who is she? Madamas are spirits of the dead, spirit guides that were slave women (or the descendants of slaves) round in stature, who has the stereotypical look of a house servant from the 1800's. Now Madamas are NOT conjure women (as in false American root workers what have you believe). La Madama isn't considered a the patron of playing card readers and bone readers or divination at least in hoodoo. Madama originated in the Latin community I believe Cuba not the US. These women are typically either women who practiced Espiritismo and maybe Santeria. When these Cuban and Puerto Rican women were alive they are depicted wearing gingham skirts (aprons) in the colors of the spirit which they worked with (red gingham for Chango or Siete Rayos, Blue gingham for Yemaya or Madre de Agua, etc.) They usually have their hair wrapped and there clothing in the same color. There are countless "Madama" spirits out there and they are NOT just one spirit.

Where did Madama Spirits come from? These spirits comes from the latino countries lik (Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic) and has spread to many other countries including Venezuela, part of Mexico and even the southern parts of The United States and This type of spiritualism works differently than the more formal "white table" version of spiritism found in Europe in the late 1800's. There have many categories of spirits including (but not limited to): Madamas, Indians, Gypsies, Nuns, Arabs, and even Pirates. There is not ONE spirit of La Madama, just like there is not ONE spirit of The Indian, nor is there ONE spirit of the Gypsy.

La Madama type spirits is NOT native to Rootwork and has actually never ever been a part of Hoodoo at all until maybe the last 15 to 30 years.

In the south southern root workers used other spirit's such as (Black Hawk) or other spirits or not native to hoodoo but were only found in Spiritualist Churches in the south and some would argue and I read that Christianity, praying the psalms and working with Saints, Indian Spirits, etc. is a rather new to Hoodoo that's incorrect hoodoo in the south has all ways use Christian prayers and Psalms in their practice. The spirit like Black Hawk plays a part later because of what he did and what he represents to us the south especially in Louisiana. Just like Marie laveau these spirits in the South like Louisiana has become important to us, and has become a part of our practice. (See post on Black Hawk)

Can I Work With "La Madama"? This is an interesting question. The answer isn't that simple. It isn't whether you CAN work with La Madama -because you can, The question actually should be "Do I have a Madama to work with me?" In (Spiritism), you don't go out seeking spirits to work with. Instead, you work with the spirits in your Spiritual Court that already surrounds you. The Spiritual Court is a group of the most intimate guiding spirits you have around you that protect and teach you. They are your "inner court" and they defend you when you cannot defend yourself. They guide you, teach you and inspire you. Each person's Spiritual Court is different than the next's. Similar to being initiated in Vodou we get our loa who wants to work with us and be a guide to that person we don't pick or choose which. Madama is the same you must have your own already in your court and a medium can help with identifying your spirits on your court.

Before you can work with her. "Madama" type spirits you need to find out IF THERE IS ONE IN YOUR SPIRITUAL COURT! This is the most crucial element that people don't take into account. You must first find out if you have such a spirit in your court with which to work and identify who is there for you. You can then work with to strengthen your relationship with those guides through prayer, meditation and contact with these spirits at your Spiritual Altar.

It is up to each person to learn as much as they can about their Spiritual Court. These spirits will act as the conduit for divine inspiration and guidance for that person. If you have a Madama type spirit you would need to find out where she's from, her name, what she practiced in her life and how to work with her.

Working and Petitioning La Madama: I would often see photos of people putting offerings to La Madama and petitioning her as if she was a saint. This is absolutely incorrect. She is not. This is not the manner in which Spiritists would ever work with a Madama-type spirit. Because there are many of her so who are you praying too exactly.

Not my photo

Setting up an altar to La Madama: people like to have depiction of her on their altar, like a statue, picture, doll or prayer card. This object acts as a physical container in which her spirit can manifest so when you call opon her for guidance and support. What a glass of water.

Making offerings to La Madama: Madamas enjoy receiving offerings thanking them for their assistance. This could be bouquets of flowers or a cup of coffee or a cigar. If you do leave her offerings, they are offerings of gratitude. Remember she's not a saint. These are given because she came through and helped you with an issue or to keep your connection with her strong.

Ultimately she will help you with reading, perceiving and psychic abilities as well as giving you inspiration when you do a spell or ritual. After all, she was a priestess in her time and knows how to work spells, (but she will tell you how to do it HER way, not the Hoodoo way) (because she was not a conjure woman, she was an Afro-Caribbean *spiritual worker).

One must understand very clearly that God is who we worship. A Madama-type spirit is not a saint to be petitioned. She is a spirit guide. She is there to give you guidance, inspire your spell work, guard you from harm, cleanse you when you pick up something nasty, and to be a teacher and mentor. You do not worship your teacher right so you would not worship La Madama.

If you don't have a Madama-type spirit in your Spiritual Court, that's fine and normal. You may have countless other spirits who are very powerful and close to you. But this internet fad of La Madama really needs to be handled with respect and people should have a better understanding so they don't waste their energy and money trying to petition a spirit that's not even accessible to them. Focus on the spirits that do surround you and keep those bonds strong, and you'll be much better off in the long run.

"Madama" is something originating from Latino countries, not the USA,