#hate speech narratives

[counteringhatespeechday]

The Power of Youth for Countering and Addressing Hate Speech.

Empowering youth to combat hate speech is crucial in today's world, where they are not only the targets but also influential voices in their communities. With 1.2 billion young people globally, their role in recognizing, raising awareness, and countering hateful narratives cannot be overstated. As peers, they have significant sway over each other and can drive meaningful change by speaking out against hate speech.

[spacedlexi]

speaking of fucked up overly hated female twdg characters i find it Super Interesting how people will say carver was the best villain in the whole series, but when lilly is literally just a successful carver (iron fist leader of a community turning children into soldiers) suddenly shes a bad/lame villain for some reason 🤔

[the-hot-zone]

the imagery and audio of the opening scene of s1e1 of arcane is just insanely well done for the set-up of the show’s themes and central conflicts. this is just a quick analysis (that spiraled) of what i notice as i’m re-watching, but—

a) the POV of “jinx” with the scribbles overlaying the aftermath of destruction and devastation lay the groundwork for not only what represents her POV to us, the audience, but also to where it originates. this is one of the first things we see in e1: the scribbled faces appear on the enforcers and on the dead bodies even as powder herself has her eyes covered. the echoes of violence reach her even as she tries not to look. retrospectively, we are meant to notice how "jinx" was already forming years before she started “jinxing” jobs with vi and the gang—the violence of her circumstances and the impact they have on her as a child played a key role in what the show calls her "instability," in what we understand as her development. her scribbled vision is first associated with violence done to her and those around her before it is associated with her later choices, which arguably can be rooted in her circumstances (more on this later). this is central to what arcane as a show wants to establish wrt their commentary on violence as a cycle and consequences that cannot be undone regardless of one's actions.

b) the most striking imagery to me: blood running down the faces of the statues on the bridge between piltover and the undercity, being made to look as though they are crying. the bridge is a key piece of imagery introduced in this opening sequence that arcane returns to throughout later eps. the expression of these statues is still, solemn, and silent. they are guardians of the bridge between piltover and the rest of the city. the tears of blood, however, have moved the unmovable. this can be interpreted in a couple ways, but here's mine. the blood as tears represents the ongoing mourning for those lost to violence. vander's resistance failed in multiple ways in that it did not end piltover's rule over the undercity, nor did it save those who fought in the resistance. moreover, this bridge is revisited in e2, and we see the bloodstains never left. they cannot be washed away; the memorial to those who were lost—vi’s parents—remain, and we see vander ask vi if she’s willing to lose powder to a war, just like she lost her parents. later on in the ep when vi approaches deckard, a drop of blood runs down her face like a tear. she, too, steps into the role (or tries to), as a stone-faced guardian, but violence moves her. particularly, it moves her out of powder's life, contributing to jinx's development.

c) when vi is about to cry, it looks like she’s holding herself back before she breaks down, and only then does powder also cry. there are a couple subtle moments throughout this first scene that express the extent to which powder revolves around vi, and this is one of them. powder takes her cues from vi: just minutes ago in the scene, powder only looks at the bodies because vi stopped. so we have this interpersonal level of reliance between these two, but the show doesn't want us to forget where the cues for vi come from. powder looked because vi stopped. vi stopped because the devastation around her made her stop.

d) throughout this scene, music is the dominant auditory experience. however, there is one sound that breaks through the music: the weight of vander’s gauntlets dropping to the ground. the break in the music is meant to express the weight of this decision. it's the only sound of an action that reaches the viewer as he throws the gauntlets down in favor of picking up the responsibility of vi and powder. with this action, he attempts to abandon his cause in hopes to protect vi and powder,

e) but vi looks back. we see her glare back across the bridge towards piltover, her eyes narrowed, and we understand that a key part of her character will be resistance. and to cross that bridge, she must put on vander’s gauntlets. we see her try to embrace this legacy throughout the first ep and beyond—“this is the exact job vander would’ve pulled when he was our age” is what vi says to her friends when on that first job to steal from jayce's workshop. and throughout the first few eps we see vander’s legacy called into question, with a focus on his legacy of resistance against piltover. that's the legacy those around him prefer, including vi herself. but it’s also a legacy he’s rejected in favor of another: his work to protect the lanes through non-violent means. silco’s later criticism of “you’re willing to die for a cause but not fight for it” towards vander perfectly encapsulates vander’s decision to put the gauntlets down, and why he still fails to prevent violence, particularly against vi and powder.

overall: the opening sequence is vital for establishing the link between vi's and powder's relationship and the violence enacted against the underground by piltover. the show's theme expresses that the former would not exist without the latter. the tragedy of jinx isn't just an interpersonal tragedy. it's a circumstantial one. it's an environmental one. it's a societal one. remember: mylo first drops the name jinx when he says powder jinxes every job. but there wouldn’t be any jobs to do--the coins coming into the lanes wouldn't be "only from crime"--without the violence piltover has enacted against the undercity.

there’s a lot of pain in asking ourselves the “if only’s” of these first few episodes. but if the alternative for powder killing claggor and mylo was for her to come on the mission to save vander anyways, to fight anyways, then there was never a choice. when powder says, “I’m not a fighter,” and vi responds, “you don’t have to be,” vi fails to understand the consequences violence has already had on her sister. in powder's mind, you don't have to fight translates as you don't belong here. the only way powder knows how to help is to fight--it's what vi (and everyone around her) taught her, even inadvertently. the show tells us that there was never a real choice in any part of this sequence. the real legacy was the violence topside enacted and continues to enact against the underground. what prevents vi from coming back to powder is ultimately marcus, regardless of his motivations.

what the opening sequence, and those first three eps, tell us about the show’s defining conflict is this. in a system built on inequity, its defining characteristic will always be violence, and whether those subjected to that violence try to fight it, live within it, or take advantage of it, the consequences cannot be undone. there is no going back.

[crossbackpoke-check]

find a blorbo (nhl tag game)

RULES: Go through the roster of each NHL team and find at least one player that you can root for.

tagged by @bondedpairs!! when i say too many teams to count and here for the narrative um. i may not have lied. this is not an extensive list of my blorbos but in order to make it not ten thousand years long i made up the rule that i had to do it straight from memory :)

anaheim ducks: as evidenced by recent events i DO like mason mctavish and trevor zegras but i have to honor laura and mention troy terry and beloved goalie gibbie*

boston bruins: oh for sure brad marchand… can i say patrice? one of the charlies got traded but i think mcavoy is still there because gryz is gone, brandon carlo is there still i think

buffalo sabres: cozens & thompson, owen power, rasmus dahlin, ukko pekka luukkonen

calgary flames: is chris tanev still here? is markstrom still here?? noah hanifin?? as a last resort i’ll say blasty

carolina hurricanes: aho & jarvy & teuvo teravainen & brent burns is still playing maybe? i know sepe got traded

chicago hockey: the bedsy narrative is compelling but ANDREAS ATHANASIOU MY BELOVED reunited with tyler bertuzzi… that’s the real story. also i like foligno

colorado avalanche: gabe landeskog, whatever ross colton & miles wood have going on, natemac + jo, mikko

columbus blue jackets: have long been on the merzlikins train, have been swayed to the darkside of umich boys (brindley, kent johnson, fantilli, blankenburg who is now on nsh)

dallas stars: seggy! mush! roope + miro and otter and robo and wyjo (rip ty dellandrea) and harls! etc.

detroit red wings: MOST players. dilly larks, moritz seider, jv, raymond, rasmussen, kitty, lyon, etc except for k*ne

edmonton oilers: mcdrai, ofc. nugent-hopkins, nursey, rip vinny & skinny

florida panthers: tkachuk, reinhardt, sasha barkov, verhaeghe (is there still?)

los angeles kings: adrian kempe… kevin fiala… danault… quinton byfield & alex turcotte

minnesota wild: kirill, marat, fleury, brodes, fabes, boldy, moose, middsy, spurge… god’s perfect idiots

montreal canadiens: going out on a limb here to say martin st. louis but also xhekaj (both), slafkovský, suzuki, my austrian reinbacher, yes fine cole caufield

nashville predators: MOST BEAUTIFUL D PAIR IN THE WORLD GRADY SKJEI AND ROMAN JOSI!! juuse, evangelista, isn’t stamkos there and also someone else who absolutely should not be

new jersey devils: nico… tuna (tatar), dawson mercer, siegenthaler, dougie hamilton, yes the hugheses whatever

new york islanders: barzy, zeeker & marty, anders lee, noah dobson lol

new york rangers: mika & chris, lafrenière & k’andre, shesterkin

philadelphia flyers: frosty & beezer and tk and sanny and the new baby michkov and coots and scooty loots and foerster etc etc. you know the Guys

pittsburgh penguins: the two headed monster but also compelled by rutger mcgroarty, and kevin hayes was there!!!

ottawa senators: timmy stü & brady! josh norris! the evolution of shane pinto! ullmark now and brännström and claude giroux and chabot

san jose sharks: ekky, thrun, mario, borde, logan couture, shakir, that other vaguely blond rookie

seattle kraken: brandon tanev, andre burakovsky! grubauer & d’accord also

st. louis blues: jordan kyrou, nathan walker (is still there?), rob thomas? is parayako still there?

tampa bay lightning: hedman, point, they dumped so many guys after the cup run… is kucherov still there or is he in nashville?? anthony cirelli (notable for being made out with by pat maroon)

toronto maple leafs: mitch, jt, willy, alex nylander, kniesy, dewar, et

utah hockey: crouse, keller, tuba

vancouver canucks: quinn, brock, petey, jt, garly, höggy, i want to say dakota johnson, elias lindholm?

vegas golden knights: brandon montour is here now… alex pietrangelo, so sorry to one i can’t remember who loves the lions it will come back to me

washington capitals: full of love and stupidity. oshie, nicke/ovi, pierre-luc dubois, dowd, vrána, milano

winnipeg jets: adam lowry!! josh morissey and kc and morgan barron, also vladdy my beloved

tagging @stillfertile + @colap1nto + @songsandswords + @moregraceful if they haven’t done it yet, i know they follow at least a couple teams. if anybody else wants to play i love adopting blorbos!!

[angorwhosebabyisthis]

i found this lore entry recently and have not stopped thinking about it since. it is HYSTERICALLY funny to me that fandaniel's villain origin story was just being a fuckin boomer

One of few great minds in a land that had seen the slow, yet steady numbing of its people's intelligence, Amon long lamented the sorry state of Allag , concentrating his early scientific efforts on developing medicines to increase mental capacity . He soon realized that it was not knowledge that the Allagans lacked. If anything, they had too much. What his people lacked was a leader. With a renewed sense of focus, Amon shifted his studies to the field of vivimancy, and soon was conducting experiments on his own flesh in order to attain his final goal - the resurrection of Xande the First.

— Encylopaedia Eorzea Volume I, p. 25

[queermania]

Why does everybody hate Berens? What did he do?

apart from the j1/w*ncest crowd, i don't think people really do at all. he's kind of beloved in fandom. there is a (very small) group of us hellers, however, who have noticed that he is largely responsible for some of our least favorite things in dabb era specifically (but really just in general with how he writes). most of the angry!dean stuff comes from his episodes (he seems to be under the impression that dean is just angry and there's nothing else to it which is in stark contrast with the general dean thesis of 'i'm not mad. i'm worried.'). he also wouldn't know subtlety and nuance if it hit him over the head. and then there's all the racism, most specifically in regards to kaia, but it's in other places too. the racism is obviously the biggest issue, but it kind of gets glossed over for reasons i can only guess at but i'm sure include 'omg he's the destiel warrior! we wouldn't have destiel without him!' (which is simply not true. does robbie 'goodbye stranger' thompson mean nothing to you?)

[silli-illi]

personally as a mutiny duo fan i very much enjoy zam msg'ing wemmbu "i hate you" at the start of the season then later saying "i love you". they are like brothers fr i saw this hc somewhere and they have done nothing but feed into my thoughts even more.

[troonwolf]

one thing that does annoy me about the Gw2 story is how after the plot reveal of the dragons being necessary to the planet happens, everyone starts acting like this was an obvious fact that everyone just knew, and that the commander is an idiot for killing two dragons. nevermind the fact he wasn’t even the person leading the attack in the first case, and only took over the lead in the second case because their command structure fell apart.

also kind of irritating because I like Trahearne but it’s another example of how while he’s alive, he gets all the praise for everything you do, and then when he’s dead you get all the blame for everything he did. people even start calling you things like “leader of the pact” and “commander of the pact” even though you were never the leader, aren’t in the pact anymore, and actually rejected taking over command a few episodes ago.

and it would be one thing if the game was self-aware about it, but it seems to genuinely want you to think that the dragon plot reveal was an obvious fact that you just ignored. like everyone in Elona seems to be aware of how all this works and you’re mocked on several occasions for killing the dragons, but for years before this point no one had a fucking clue and Taimi was the one to figure it out. so if it wasn’t for you and your guild, people still wouldn’t be aware of this

[shallowrambles]

The virgin-whore, purity-corrupted phenomenon as it pertains to Andrea Kormos:

///

ANDREA: We have everything we need right here. The operation is still perfect. We can ride the high seas, plunder together. We can have the life we always wanted.

BENNY: What I wanted was to leave a burning crater behind. I wanted to put your memory to rest.

ANDREA: But I'm not a memory. Benny, I'm right here.

BENNY: What I loved – it ain't here anymore. It was snuffed out a long time ago by monsters like me... like what you've become.

ANDREA: You think you're better than me now?

BENNY: No. I think we're all damned.

ANDREA snarls and her fangs descend. DEAN stabs her from behind and then cuts off her head. BENNY and DEAN look at each other before BENNY looks down at ANDREA’s body.

///

I mean, yes; on the one hand, Benny doesn't quite imply that he's better than her, but he does imply that she's worthless, nothing--just a shadow of the idealized woman he put up on the trophy shelf as his "Reason for Being." All for deciding to live the exact life Benny had lived for so long. He doesn't even try to convince her to overcome or to compromise. He just...gives up. It's quite tragic and alarmingly indicative of how Benny views his relationships as a whole, as well as his place within them.

Season 8 is, in a sense, about mirages. It's about trying to desperately convince yourself things that are not real are. (Or that things that are real aren't.) It gives it an odd, dreamy quality. These mirages are somtimes idealized, baggage-less relationships and jobs/roles (friends, family, and otherwise) that COULD be good, if not for them representing idealization/escape/etc. (It's even echoed in Cas's wish to be a hunter solely to avoid the consequences of his genocide. Naomi's brainwashed Cas is an idealized angel without the baggage of chaos.)

Importantly, these mirages never let you down. But real bonds don't stay forever in that liminal limerance of "never letting you down." Strife and perseverance and deciding if they're worth tackling (or not) are precisely what transition bonds of all kinds into the latter phases of committment and stability (or ending). Every study and pop book lands on a similar conclusion.

But what happens here? Before Andrea even lashes out, Benny absolutely demolishes her worthiness, lameting that she's no longer the uncorrupted, unblemished idea of Perfect Woman from his memories. He cruelly says this to her face, rather than actively discussing alternative futures or seeking any kind of meaningful discussion about overcoming vampiric cannibalism. Ultimately, he cannot bear that she became sullied by his father in what amounts to a symbolic chess game of moving the chattel between the two men.

What if this person isn’t really as magnificent as we thought they were? This transition is painful, but it’s not a catastrophe. In fact, our emotional and relational health depend on it. For each of us to move forward in our development, we must face the fact that we’re different people with distinctive needs that will never mesh entirely.

Disillusionment is the dark, wintry season of love. By now power struggles have risen fully to the surface.

It’s a paradox: when we feel good about ourselves, we’re more likely to feel generous toward others.

- Linda Carrol

And now? He doesn't offer an alternative to Andrea. He doesn't offer insight into why that life ultimately never worked out for him. No, it's just a verbal lamentation that this blossom named Andrea has withered in the face of life's tribulations. (It's also insanely hypocritical, as Benny is equally corrupted as she, and he has worked on the high seas, plundering and eating for likely much longer, even if he's "recovered" from the lifestyle now.)

But Andrea isn't allowed to exist in this flawed state. She's not allowed to even hear a verbalized shade of gray or a potential compromise. It's either she stays unsullied or she has to die before she disturbs that holy, past image. When Benny gives up on Andrea, he gives up on his own image, too: "We're all damned," he says. All or nothing. Black or white. Benny's symbolic suicide was magnanimously present from this moment on. Not just because of how Andrea was killed but because of how he dismissed and dehumanized her prior to her aggression. He cannot see a possibility beyond Purgatory. He cannot see potential for true shades of gray in the new Andrea or himself. For him, life becomes a ticking countdown to self-annihilation.

///

BENNY: My life changed when she entered it, Dean. Everything I had been or done up to that point just... seemed to vanish... into what we had become together

This describes phase one of love, a merging, an innocent unrecognition of the complexity of The Other. It's a very immature love, an image of perfection that clearly Benny still longs for. "You cannot become like me. You exist to inspire me to be better, to meet my needs / nourish me with your blood, and to be the reason for either my rebellion / triumph, or the fridge for my emotional pain."

Once we emerge from the Merge, some of us will be able to reunite with our lover with new maturity and deeper, if perhaps less intense, satisfaction. It depends on our ability to reconcile two distinct needs: to dwell in the delights of the other and to stand firm in our own space. - Linda Carroll

They did not survive that middling doubt, denial, disillusionment phase. (And that's okay! They're both in bad, hopeless places.) What's surprising is Benny didn't even try. This shows an immaturity and complexity Benny never quite gets credit for (he is often The Feisty, Smooth-talkin' Idealized Blood Brother, and the flaws and red flags he does portray are not Seen due to the idealization and his incredibly short tenure.) In terms of narrative...Benny is the peer-addict Dean would hypocritically support compared to Sam's wholly unsupported stint as addict - this happens in so many families! I think of it as analogous to supporting an illness with lip service in church or by doing time and donations to your local soup kitchen, but you don't have sympathy for it within your own home or family. For Dean, this is subconscious. And for Sam, it's a symbolic sore spot: you enable his addiction but you judged mine. Anyway, Benny is so zeroed in on his own fatalism, that he had already decided deep down that they'd both die. They're both damned. It's tragic for them both, but it's especially tragic for Andrea.

“Never marry a man you haven’t already divorced,” she said. - Linda Carroll

///

Better to be a fond memory than a constant, festering disappointment, eh Andrea? I wish we'd gotten to see Andrea reigning over Purgatory, if I'm honest. I'd have liked to see her grapple with everything.

///

DEAN: You ever fall off the wagon and feed?

BENNY: Some questions you just don't wanna ask, brother.

[reel-fear]

Talking abt how what BA did to Wasp is unforgivable but then saying u like Sentinel 🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩

[septembersghost]

My problem is that I can't listen to her songs rn and not remember matty like i love cardigan and every time i hear that song i'm like she said this song is for him no and don't get me wrong i want her to be happy but this guy is everything i am against he is racist homophob and many other thing his comments about her are so weird and gross and his comments about harry like wtf i thought her and harry were friends he said and did so many weird and wrong things i just can't support him i will always love her but i just can't listen to her music rn

honestly the only thing i can tell you to do is to take a break from her and hope this blows over. i just made the mistake of falling down a rabbit hole on twitter detailing stuff he’s said/done and some of it was even worse than i realized, so…idk what to even do with that information and battling how best to handle the situation we’ve got right now. i think anyone who’s upset has reason to feel that way. (and there’s a big difference between finding his words/actions deplorable and being concerned for her vs. some of the stuff shaming addiction and calling her slurs, the latter is not useful criticism).

remember that loving anyone doesn’t mean always agreeing with their choices or condoning worrisome or harmful things, and also remember that your mental health and emotional wellbeing come first here. if this is causing you distress or tainting her music, it’s not worth you being hurt, you’re allowed to step away. but i know that feels awful and i’m sorry :(

as far as cardigan goes…she’s acting up, but we ARE going to reject that and disassociate. she said we can change the meaning and reclaim her songs? yeah cardigan is NOT getting that man’s fingerprints on it ever, if i have to lock it in the vault myself (the vault being the haunted house in my own head). cardigan is safe, she cannot be touched! narrator betty never asked for this, girl get behind me! we’ll hide the cardigan back under the bed if we have to.

[counteringhatespeechday]

What are the ways to spot and counter hateful narratives within curricula?

One-sided narratives that fuel hate speech and justify exclusion can be found across different subjects and educational programmes. Discussing these narratives with school students and acknowledging their problematic nature is integral to the solution.

This includes facilitating uncomfortable conversations about social inequality and power dynamics, decoding and debunking stereotypes and prejudice, and addressing the trauma and stigmatization caused by violent pasts. Teaching and learning about these issues and revising and reviewing curricula and educational materials can sensitize learners to contemporary forms of discrimination and increase their understanding of the processes that lead societies to violence.

[immaculatasknight]

Snowflake bill

[sophiaphile]

So I watched like 8 news reports on the STL police crashing into lgbtq bar Bar:PM, and only two reports included footage of the owner saying that the cop used a homophobic slur. The rest of the news agencies chose not to include that information. Embarrassing.

[howdoesone]

How does one explore the impact of ethnic and religious divisions on the occurrence of war crimes?

Ethnic and religious divisions have long been recognized as significant factors that can influence the occurrence of war crimes. These divisions often exacerbate tensions, fuel conflicts, and create conditions that facilitate the commission of atrocities during times of war. Understanding the impact of ethnic and religious divisions on war crimes is crucial for comprehending the root causes of…

[kesarijournal]

Meta's Misinformation Misadventure: A Tale of Irony and Wit

In a world where the line between reality and the virtual realm is increasingly blurred, Meta, the digital titan formerly known as Facebook, has taken upon itself the Herculean task of tackling voice misinformation. Yes, you read that right. The same platform that has been a hotbed for misinformation and conspiracy theories now wants to be the knight in shining armor, the beacon of truth in a sea…