#i think we should also take into account racism--i can't really talk about that because it's not my place but it's interesting that

[theodoravery]

the thing about amen and vincent that i think a lot of you still do not understand (and i'm using them specifically bc they're the ones being compared) is that 1) amen wants every single dark magician dead, and he takes pleasure in torturing them and killing them, that is a very important part of his character, and that's why the book has made it so fucking clear! amen said it himself! he is not gonna change his ways just because he and eva are in love! eva literally makes the decision to accept that part of himself, so you cannot deny it and you can't complain if you were expecting something else because the book was pretty clear from the beginning about who amen really was (and i'm not saying he doesn't have layers but those do not take away the fact that he enjoys killing and that's that) -- and 2) vincent is not like amen at all. sure, his job, and i think it even has to do with his legacy, is being a demon hunter, but he doesn't go around killing every fucking demon he comes across, he's only after the ones who don't care about his world's ways, the ones who kill humans (like mc was planning to do until he told her what would happen if she did). and sure, you can argue that both amen and vincent want to rid the world of "evil", but again, amen takes pleasure in toturing and killing people (and it's because of a personal vendetta he has, may i add), vincent does not

[the-indigo-symphony]

Since mottos and slogans have been a hot topic in the plural community lately... I want to introduce one that I've been thinking of for a long while now! It's part rallying cry, part "defiance via continued existence", and part punk in the "spikes as a deterrent" way (if that last comparison makes sense at all, lol – I'm specifically thinking of things like how wheelchair users may put spikes on the handles of their 'chair so others don't try to touch or move them without permission). It's this:

"Plural as in there are more of us than you think."

[PT: "Plural as in there are more of us than you think." / end PT]

I've also considered a longer version that would tie in the queer community/queerness – which I know is intertwined with plurality for many people – and that version would be: "Queer as in here without fear, plural as in there are more of us than you think". What do you all think?

I think it's very to-the-point, and plays on a simple premise: that we're not backing down – not in the face of hate, and not in the face of fear. Especially with the longer version; we're here, we're queer, get over it – and if you refuse to, just know that you can't silence us all, no matter how loudly you try to drown us out. We will always be here. There will always be someone to fight against the hate, to spit in the face of bigotry just by continuing to draw breath. It also has a nod to an older queer sentiment that I think we should bring back for both queer and plural folk alike – that we are everywhere. The cashier that scanned your groceries might be plural. The classmate sitting next to you might be plural. The neighbor across the street might be plural. We are here. There are more of us than you think. And we will not be afraid.

"There are more of us than you think" is also a nod to how statistics are often both misunderstood and just plain lacking in data. People really don't seem to realize just how population statistics translate to real life; how many people they pass by or have brief interactions with fit that "extremely rare" condition they dismissed, because something like "1.5%" doesn't look like a lot on paper, but ends up as a whole lot when you wander out into the world. That's at least one out of a hundred – and that estimate is on the more conservative side about one specific presentation of plurality, and doesn't account for many, many other forms of it. So, yeah, there are definitely more of us than they/you think.

I admit it can be read as a tad aggressive, but that's also part of the point. It's meant to be a very in-your-face type of motto, especially as a spit in the face of pluralphobia and all other forms of bigotry it entangles itself with – racism, sanism, disableism, ableism, religious intolerance, queerphobia, etc.. Yeah, your cashier, classmate, neighbor might be plural – and so what?! Yeah, maybe you should think twice about messing with us, because acceptance is growing and you're not going to be able to excuse your hateful nonsense for much longer without it being called out as such! But on the other hand, I think it can work well as a conversation starter, giving people the prompt to ask, "What does that mean?" In this case, the slogan being so provocative works in its favor! Yeah, actually, I'd love to talk about how plurals go unknown and deserve more awareness, how there are almost certainly more of us than even we can know for certain! And, again, spikes on a wheelchair – taking words as an art form, this slogan is art that's meant to make you uncomfortable, to make you question things; "Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.", as Cesar A. Cruz said. It makes you scared or uncomfortable to think about there being more plurals out there than you first estimated there to be? Why does it make you feel that? Is this the result of unconscious bias? Why do you think we, the makers of this slogan, might be comforted by the same phrase that disturbs you?

We're plural as in more-than-one in more than one (lol) meaning of the phrase. More-than-one in this body, more-than-one of us out there fighting the good fight – helping others, breaking down walls, and pushing for a kinder and more accepting future.

Plural as in there are more of us than you think. Fuck your hatred, we're gonna be here no matter what.

[creatingblackcharacters]

Where is the line when it comes to calling out how people draw black characters? Im genuinely asking. Just did some digging in the elphaba tag. 28/35 of the top art did a great job of depicting her microbraids. Of those 7 that did a bad job, all but 2 of them put in effort to draw microbraids, its just that some of those artists arent very good. So… theyre practicing. Additionally, there were 2 pieces of art (in addition to that 35) that were clearly depicting the musical and book art (obvious fans for years, from before cynthia was cast and the movie). So… wheres the line? Do we call out just those 2 who didnt put in a real effort to draw her microbraids? Do we call out all 7 who didnt draw them well? Do we message them privately, even though we really dont know them at all besides this one piece we happened to come across? Do we send them an ask about it and hope they arent malicious? It stands to reason that they KNOW they should put in an effort, theyre in the *obvious* minority of artists in this fandom so… odds are they do not give a fuck about depicting Black hairstyles well. I dont want to make a fuss where its not beneficial, especially as a non black person, for the obvious reasons of how fandoms typically treat black fans. But, there IS an issue, however small a percentage… so wheres the line?

I must admit, this one gave me an off vibe 😅 To one of your concerns, Let me put it this way:

"I know that Nazi will never change his mind, so I'll let him keep speaking loudly in the room where I and everyone else is sitting. It won't make a difference if I say anything to him. If we ignore him, he'll go away."

Is that true?

Or will speaking up let that Nazi know that at least ONE person in the room hears their bullshit and doesn't accept it? Will speaking up let the people in the room that the Nazi was targeting realize that everyone else in the room isn't also a Nazi that condones the way they're being treated? Will it allow them to feel stronger in speaking up? Will it at least show that you are not a fellow Nazi, because your actions are what deliver- and silence and tolerance delivers nothing, in this case?

"Making a fuss where it's not beneficial"- I always say here that my entire purpose is not to change your minds, but to shatter the excuse of your ignorance. I could have always just ended it with "everyone's a goddamn racist for funsies on here and I hate all of you"- because in my experience when we talk about "where's the line" on here, it's almost non-existent for the majority, not the minority! It's incredibly tempting to damn you all!

Instead, I made an entire blog to give people a chance. If I, who actually undergoes the very bigotry I teach about, have the grace to do that for you, I do believe that everyone else can reach inside for the strength to apply and hold accountable. There's always a benefit to speaking up against racism and injustice, even if it's not "changing their mind".

Now, if you genuinely just don't want to do that, then don't- but recognize that that's not because nothing can be done! That said, you don't have to fight every battle, and every battle doesn't have to be a fight! For those who you genuinely think are just "new" or "learning" artists, when you point out the issue, you can offer guidance. "Hey, here's an idea on how to better capture this braid pattern in a way that more accurately reflects Black hair". It doesn't have to be a "callout" off rip. If they don't take it well, then that's on them. That's a reflection of their character, not yours. And as a nonblack person, that is a role in your allyship that is important, because I don't expect Black people to have to show grace and teach to those who do wrong by us.

So no, I can't give you some statistically defined line of "oh this is antiblackness". because it's not that simple and it never has been.

[adamnablelittledevil]

The overall colorblidness, microagressive, tone deaf, racially insensitive or however you want to call it behavior of this fandom was already awful enough, but PEOPLE GOING TO A FUCKING PLANTATION, taking pictures with toys (a funko pop of white slave owner Louis btw) as if they're at Disney World and posting it so casually (further info here, here and here)? I don't even think you can go lower than that. That's one of the biggest offenses I've seen on fandom ANYWHERE, of any show/movie/book. I'm appalled.

And I'm glad this escalated enough to the point even British media outlets are writing about this, because WE SHOULD ACKNOWLEDGE IT and people should deal with the consequences of their actions, though I feel for Jacob, Delainey, black fans in general and SPECIALLY NOLA natives will probably see or have already seen this shit. Specially the latter that have to deal with it on a daily basis, because even to this day the generational traumas of their ancestors and themselves are still exploited. The fact they may have WITNESSED IT IN PERSON themselves is disgusting and infuriating.

You wanna learn about racism and slavery in the U.S.? Turn to books and documentaries, if you can't afford them or find any in our country, if you can't ship international products to where you live because access to these things can be complicated sometimes, then read a blog or watch YouTube videos for free (just please check their credentials to know they're reliable and a professional, like an actual historian and check ACTUAL black sources and not white people who may undermine such topics).

You genuinely wanna honor and pay your respects to those people? Then, go to the places YOU'RE ACTUALLY ALLOWED to go, don't focus on taking pictures for social media, just sit down, reflect on where you're standing, pray for those souls, find a local charity that you can donate money to and/or work as a volunteer for a little bit IF YOU REALLY WANT TO HELP, because local communities don't need spoiled individuals who will just be lazy and fillers or cause mess and give them more work to do.

ALSO, shame on people who did see this and said nothing, specially if they spend countless time shitposting, sharing memes or talking about white characters and ships. This happened in late OCTOBER and it's been almost a whole MONTH. And somehow this is only being spread NOW because a British newspaper made an article about it. It should never have happened in the first place, but we should've acknowledged it by ourselves and not just because it went public? If you search the tag, you will LITERALLY ONLY FIND F O U R POSTS ABOUT IT, tops. AND IT'S BEEN ALMOST A FUCKING MONTH. Does this fandom need the Daily Mail or whatever source that was to act with some decency? Are you doing it to look good or out of genuine indignation, respect and empathy for black people, specially NOLA fans? I know some people genuinely didn't know because they avoid certain blogs, tags, block, blacklist and try to curate their dashboards in the best possible way to avoid the mess, follow thousands of blogs and/or a new to the fandom, which is completely understandable, but this WOULD HAVE totally blown up way SOONER if as a collective this fandom cared more. We're talking about some pretty popular accounts, some with 16,000+ followers FOR FUCK'S SAKE. I REFUSE to believe this wouldn't have gone viral sooner if thr fanbase actually wanted to combat racism in the IWTV/TVCverse. Anyway, MAY THIS FINALLY BE THE WAKE UP CALL THIS FANDOM DESPERATELY NEEDS, shamefully way too late, yes, but at least better late than never.

P.S. Sorry if this isn't articulate enough, has mistakes, typos etc, I'm on my phone, English is not my first language and I'm way too pissed to think straight.

[spacechild-glitchypix]

A lot of people are making a lot of public statements considering this is a situation that has pretty much nothing to do with them.

Look, I'm usually one to be pretty civil on conversations like this in public because I generally feel like people are less likely to listen when you're angry and shouting but I'm also acutely aware that none of you are really paying any attention. You're glossing over statements, you're intentionally reading Rose's statements and apologies in bad faith. If you aren't going to have the good graces to truly listen to either Kab or Rose then, respectfully, back away. You're not contributing anything positive to the conversation, you're talking in circles about points already being addressed and claiming they aren't because the answer doesn't suit your narrative

You can think Rose's comments made in the privacy of his own server are unprofessional until the cows come home but, frankly, his professionalism isn't any of your concern unless you're employing him. And, as for the biphobia comments, I'll speak as someone who was literally in those discord screenshots.

The stuff said in Marshie's post is true but, on a larger scale, this was a common discussion in this server. It wasn't started by Rose, it certainly didn't end with Rose, this was an entire server of queer people who were just sick of the heteronormative way some people would develop their MCs. And if you took that as a personal attack then I apologise but I can't help you with your own feelings. We never expected this to reach public eyes, none of us would've actually said this to a person's face about their own MCs. We're not bullies, our words were posted in a public setting without our permission, the fact you people seemed to have missed that (or even claimed that we apparently weren't private enough because somehow we were supposed to just know one of our members was leaking screenshots of our conversations which is a stance I have seen at least one person take) is honestly very telling.

No one should be expected to be 100% polite or civil in their own spaces (this also includes Rose's blog, before one of you fires blossoming-attorney's post at me), we're allowed to have areas where we can speak our own grievance with friends and be hyperbolic without having to worry about people taking our works out of that space to be put completely on blast to the public. Have none of you people ever complained about a boss before???

But more importantly than that, I just think the level of tone-policing and dogpiling and harassment being leveled at one of my friends over a racist smear campaign is fucking appalling. I don't care if you do not think this is racist because race wasn't brought up, if this wasn't racism then why is Rose the only person you people have thought to go after. Why is he the only person that was named, why did no one try to find anyone else in those screenshots.

This fandom is, quite frankly, a racist cesspit, the people who started this harassment campaign by publiclly posting this bullshit on a throwaway reddit account are scum, the people who pushed it without any sort of critical thinking should be deeply ashamed of themselves and every major artist in the community making a statement as to their stance on this whole ordeal needs to back off

This community has destroyed an incredibly important space where me and many others made a number of good friends for nearly a year over the adrenaline rush of jumping on a bandwagon. You've hurt one of my good friends and tried to get him fired from his job to further a racist smear campaign because you didn't like that he's an outspoken black person.

I hope you're fucking proud of yourselves

[hero-israel]

The lies and mistruths that Jews "invaded" and "colonized" Palestine, coupled with the lies and mistruths that everyone lived together in harmony with no violence, combine to say that therefore any Jewish anxiety about a post Zionist landscape where there's a very real possibility of Jews being a minority is illegitimate. It is indistinguishable from white Boers fearing retribution, or Americans discomfort with the idea of indigenous sovereignty.

But when you whitewash your own history and gaslight Jews from dawn till dusk, of course you can make them look like whiny entitled brats who just don't want accountability and are fearing "war crime tribunals" (ok girl). But Jews are unique. This would be the one time where the "colonizer" actually has a basis to fear being the minority. There's historical precedent for it, not just from Europe. It's undeniable.

And yes, Israel's Arab neighbors probably have no intentions of wiping it off the map (Iran is a different story), and Hamas is not powerful enough to massacre all Jewish people in Israel no matter how hard they try. The West Bank is not nearly as violent as it used to be. The situation is not hopeless, and regardless Israel can mobilize millions of well trained well armed reservists with state of the art weapons the backing of most Western powers and of course nukes.

Israel is safe... but even with the knowledge that Israel is safe it doesn't matter if we're talking about a peaceful negotiated Right of Return for Palestinians and they are the majority without a single bullet being fired. And also, think of the Jewish People like abuse survivors. Someone can be physically safe, but they still do not feel safe. They need constant outside assurance that what they're experiencing is real and that they have support. Trauma takes time to heal, a long ass time on an individual scale and who knows how long on a societal scale.

It's not "centering ourselves" or being whiny or duplicitous or crying antisemitism when Jews request over and over and over again that Palestinians and their allies do the simplest fucking task of calling the murder of Jewish civilians the atrocity that it is. They can't even do that, let alone say they embrace having Jewish neighbors, that they see Jews as equals, that they would protect Jews, that they view the Jewish People as their cousins who should share the land and all its abundance with them.

They never stop and think about why these are not really concerns for 8 millionth generation German Americans, and why they are for Jewish people of all colors and backgrounds. If they're not putting in that barest baseline of work then at a certain point we can say we tried and we're going to prioritize our safety at all costs.

Excellent comment. Thank you.

I would just say that it absolutely is about centering ourselves, that centering ourselves is a wonderful thing and we should do it more, there's a reason why "The Giving Tree" is sad and disturbing.

Probably the most tragic element of this awful October is that it was all based purely on psychology, not on politics. Hamas is not actually going to destroy Israel. It was meant to trigger Israeli Jews (and I deliberately use a word that has been eroded to snotty meaninglessness by Internet trolls, since that is the mentality of these ISIS-style groups; the cruelty is the point) and shatter their sense of safety, and then put them into a position where they had to respond with overwhelming force so as not to look weak in a rough neighborhood. It will gain nothing real, nothing tangible, for Hamas, for Palestinians, for anti-Israel dead-enders; it was an act of pure spite. And the West's Useful Idiots for death and racism sign onto it eagerly, because of their psychological need to see Jews get taken down a notch (via lots and lots of dead Arabs).

[writingwithfolklore]

hello! I saw one of your more recent posts about straight people writing wlw characters. I totally agree with you. As a sapphic person myself i would love to see more sapphic media, literature specifically, out there in the world. however i saw that you said it wasn’t a very “sensitive” topic. i kinda feel the opposite. I understand that it might not be the most sensitive subject to cover but i think that when it comes to lesbian/sapphic relationships being portrayed in the media there definitely needs to be some care taken with the story, or i guess sensitivity taken into account.

often lesbians or queer women in general are highly sexualized even when the writers may not be trying to do so (it’s almost like it’s hardwired into society’s brain to sexualize us lol). it’s also kinda a running joke in the community that no wlw story line ends happily, usually it ends in death or heartbreak. it’s funny but it’s also a bit sad i think. i just feel that going forward as writers of books, movies, tv shows, etc. it’s majorly important that we be sensitive to the communities feelings on that.

There are also so many layers when it comes to understanding and portraying what a “lesbian” is. I think if someone, straight or not, is going to write a lesbian character then it’s important for them to understand and be sensitive to this.

I think a great example of a wlw storyline that was done beautifully with so much consideration for the community was the sapphic story in Arcane. I and many others felt very satisfied with it but the straight side of the fandom kinda spiraled and tainted it in a way. I think it serves as a good reminder that wlw stories are serious and should be handled with care and sensitivity by the writer and viewer.

I’m not saying any of this to attack you or what you said(bc i definitely do agree with you) and i really hope it’s not coming across that way. Feel free to ignore this these thoughts were just floating around for me after i read the post and i thought it brought up an interesting conversation. I just thought i’d kinda share what i was thinking. anyway i love you advice and find it super helpful when going through my writing process 🫶

Hello!

Thanks for writing this! You're totally right and valid to have these concerns and I appreciate you bringing it up because it is a really interesting conversation! The reason why I said wlw wasn't necessarily a sensitive subject is because I don't see it as inherently harmful, as opposed to writing about homophobia or racism for example, which in any sense of its depiction is harmful to someone and should be taken with extreme care.

That's not to say that someone can't write about wlw in a harmful way, and so for that reason many would consider it a sensitive subject. There's unfortunately many more harmful depictions of queer people in media than not as you pointed out, but I think I hesitate to call it sensitive because I don't want to equate these stereotypes and harm and struggle with the identity itself. I am also a queer person, and I think the way people can talk about queerness is at times very othering.

However, you are right in that people, especially not in the queer community, should be taking care with writing queer identities because there is a lot of harm there, and that simply saying that an identity is or is not a sensitive subject in one sentence doesn't really sum up the whole discourse about queerness, depiction, and identity. I'm happy to edit that post to reflect that. <3

[thegeminisage]

whoops, i almost forgot about the star trek update. tuesday we watched tng's "firstborn" and "bloodlines" and last night we watched ds9's "the wire" (honorific)

firstborn (tng):

i was actually bracing for this one to suck ass bc everyone says worf is a bad dad. and i dont think he is!!! like, it doesn't come as easily to him as it does to sisko, and he sometimes forgets to be gentle or kind with alexander because he's so laser focused on how things SHOULD be he forgets to the importance of taking others' feelings into account, but that's how he is ALL THE TIME with EVERYONE not just his kid. considering the circumstances i'd say he's doing well

before we get started, GREAT cameo from the duras sisters. i was initially really annoyed with their tit windows but im becoming rather fond

i really liked "the family protector guy "k'mter" at first because he said all the right things to alexander...like, it's scary not being able to defend yourself, etc. then he also was a dick to alexander and i was really exasperated...but then he IS alexander so that totally fixes it. he's angry with himself and conflicted and just wants a HUG FROM HIS DAD and that FIXED it!!! like when he said "nobody will look at you and see a human you are alone on this ship" initially it felt like racism but it being like, not quite self-loathing but just bitter experience...that's actually so clever

this is the only episode where they brought up alexander's mom kind of hating ""klingon stuff"" and how that could possibly have negatively impacted him and it only got two lines of dialogue but still. i think it's really damning that she hated her own heritage and also brought her kid up to hate it and now he's sort of out here...pretending to be human, almost, to the point where he doesn't want to participate in hsi own culture or even bond with his own father (a klingon). like it sucks so bad for him

i was afraid that the plot twist would be "k'mter talks alexander into wanting to be a warrior after all just when worf realizes he doesn't have to be" which would have been sad but a real "oh shit" of an ending. mixed feelings about them not doing that but i understand why they wanted to properly wrap things up for s7

i almost forgot but rare w for picard for bending the rules a little bit to give worf time to go to the klingon festival with his kid. credit where it is due

bloodlines (tng):

i have never been so BITTERLY DISAPPOINTED.......................

they gave. picard. an affair baby.

THEY GAVE HIM AN AFFAIR BABY!

what have i been saying since farpoint! he has an affair baby! AND THEY GAVE HIM ONE

AND THEN TOOK IT AWAY

what was the POINT OF THE EPISODE

if that's not his fucking affair child

pussy ass little FUCKS couldnt commit to changes...

i can't even remember what else happened in this episode i was so disappointed about this plot twist

oh yeah actually i do remember picard made a bald joke which i THINK was the only time he's done that in seven seasons? i think the only time ANYONE'S done it? please correct me if i am wrong but i was so shocked it got a big laugh out of me. also a rare w for picard. if he made bald jokes more often i'd hate him less maybe

oh yeah i'm coming back to add this later but it was really hilarious that picard was so torn up over his not-son being a little criminal. his horrific unforgivable spelunking crimes. so true.

the wire (ds9)

ooohhhhhhhhhhhh my god. oh my GOD. let's fucking...get into it

i rly thot garak was just a guy but not only is he a former assassin he's a current junkie. A JUNKIE! he's just like me fr

also, he can act? like that scene where he was withdrawing and saying horrible shit to julian......i was on the edge of my seat.

i love that he gave us 3 different stories about how he got kicked out. i'm gonna be honest, i looked it up, and apparently we never find out the truth? that is a bold fucking move. a daring choice. we, like julian, will never have any certainty. like, sure, i WANT to believe he released some kids from being tortured, but it's also equally as likely that he killed civilians or did a number of other horrible things

like, the fact that he can lie about it even while under significant distress.........king. like you could say oh that's the true one because that's the one where he was physically unwell but he also referred to "elim" in that one which gives it the ring of a potential falsehood

julian forgiving him anyway, even after all the horrible stuff he said, even after being physically ATTACKED (WHICH WAS SCARY!!! i was scared of him!!!!!) for "whatever he did," just because garak said "i need to know someone forgives me"..........AUGHGHGH JESUS CHRIST

THE FACT THAT HE WON'T TALK ABOUT IT. he won't tell even US what he did. eliot spencer core actually. i am beside myself about it all

maybe he's right and it is all true. maybe he destroyed a ship and framed a friend AND let some kids go. it's literally none of business though like he's not gonna tell us

anyway, i heard the term "brain implant" and nearly died on the spot, so 10/10 episode

honestly, they should have just upgraded this guy to a regular. he is so good

NEXT TIME: tng's "emergence" and ds9's "crossover" AND YES I KNOW THAT'S MIRRORVERSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[qqueenofhades]

hilary, I really love talking about history with my friends but sometimes I talk about a historical person that I'm interested in and my friends act like just because I know things about a famous historical person I support everything they did. even when I know they know I don't support slavery, racism, sexism, etc. how do I keep from losing my cool when they do this?

Look, I have no idea where the "if you talk about anything complex/consume this material/think about it in any way, YOU TOO MUST SUPPORT IT AND BE PROBLEMATIC AND BAD!!!" mindset came from, but I honestly and deeply wish it a very killed with fire. It's the same anti mindset where if you read Morally Impure Fan Fiction, you are Morally Impure, but apparently now extends to... learning about the literal entirety of human experience? Why does this not surprise me, while also making me want to put my head through a plate glass door?

Once again, I don't know what people think historians DO, but I can assure y'all, it's not sitting around talking about how Totally Great [fill in the historical person, place, or thing] absolutely was, and how there were no problems with it ever and everyone should just be like, totally down with it, man. (Tubular.) In fact, the practice of academic history is often directly focused, especially nowadays, on identifying these problems and previous interpretations, putting them into context, and discussing how they happened in the first place. Considering that we're suffering from such a profound crisis of historical ignorance, both deliberate and inadvertent, and have seen how that manifests in current events (which are just the history happening right now), I am... boggled that "we shouldn't talk about anything because it was Morally Problematic!!!" is, indeed, getting serious play. Once again, it's the anti-intellectualism that is just as rampant on the left as it is on the right, while dressing itself up in different language and pretending to support different goals. But either way, any critical philosophy based on "we can never talk about things that went wrong/people who did Wrong Things in the past" is absolutely dead on arrival as any use to anyone. Ever.

Obviously, there are complexities in how to approach this material, and I personally don't think that historical figures, especially complex ones, should be "fandomized" or treated just as Cute OTP Blorbos or sanded down to fit a sanitized fictional box (unless they are explicitly fictionalized/being used in a fictional context, and even then, yeah, it's good to keep the background in mind). It's not that this is wrong -- after all, historians get into this line of work because they have Big Thoughts and Many Feelings about historical people/places/things and want to work on those in a variety of contexts -- but it's a little uncomfortable, at least for me. That said, it's still not inherently wrong, in any way, to be interested in/want to talk about people from the past. They're human, for god sakes! You are also human! They are your ancestors! Of course you, a primate with higher reasoning and anxiety, are curious about them! You want to know their stories and consider their circumstances and ponder why they did things, including bad things! If you can't do that, shun other people from doing it, and therefore you are completely cut off from your species' entire backstory and have no frame of reference for anything at all, you're going to end up an idiot. Guaranteed.

Anyway: yet again, people talking about history (or fiction, or anything at all) in a complex way that takes into account the fact that uh, people have never been perfect in their entire existence does not mean that the person is Bad or Supports All The Evils of Human History or whatever. I'm not sure what this attempted-gotcha "don't you know they were a bad person!!!" is going to accomplish, other than giving someone the same kind of fleeting self-righteousness high that comes from Being More Correct On The Internet (or wherever), but like... if you like studying history, and they know you like studying history, I don't know why they would think you don't know that, unless you tragically failed to post a 50-page disclaimer first. And it's stupid, and it's juvenile, and it's not useful, and I think you're entitled to say much of what I've said above, in whatever amount you please, because yeah. Sheesh.

[rollercoasterwords]

I'm not sure how I feel about more or less telling people of color that they should do the emotional labor of reaching out to fanfic authors privately and hand-holding them through racism (or really, any other oppressive structure) in their fics FIRST, before making a post talking about x harmful thing in the fic. I know your advice was broad, but in the end, I am a reader of color who has more or less been told not to publicly talk about racism in fandom and instead go to the writer directly.

fair enough! i'm assuming that this is in response to this post, as i see she started making the rounds again last night while i was asleep. that post is more aimed at talking about things like people ranking fics or complaining about characterizations they dislike, and to the extent that it does address more serious issues i did, as you mention, intentionally keep it broad just bc i know i'm not going to be able to cover every possible situation in one post. at the end of the day, i am simply one individual sharing my personal takes on fandom etiquette. it's going to be up to you to actually decide what is best for you, personally, when encountering racism (or any other issue) in fics; my intent with that post was not to tell you that you can't or shouldn't speak up publicly about racism.

that being said, the intent of my post was to encourage people to evaluate how they interact with issues in fics in light of treating fandom like a community. most instances of racism (or any other -ism) in fics are not intentional, but rather misinformed; the way we address problems stemming from intent versus misinformation is going to be different. and if the goal is to address racism stemming from misinformation, then the most direct and effective way to do that is going to be going directly to the misinformed person and trying to educate them. that doesn't mean that it is any single person's responsibility to take on the burden of that education--my intent here is not to say anyone has to do this, just that i think this is the best way to address problems in a community for someone who does have the time/energy/etc to address those problems and wants to.

i think it is also important to keep in mind that you may not know the writer's own race or experiences with racism; you may not know what sort of environment they were raised in or what access to education they had; you may not know what position they are writing their story from--and, furthermore, you are not necessarily entitled to any of this personal information about the writer. there will also be times when you might encounter something that you find racist/offensive in some way, which another person from your same community feels differently about. these are all important considerations to take into account before posting publicly and one reason that i say it will probably be more effective to first go directly to the person who wrote the fic--there might be more to the conversation there than you taking on the role of educator + hand-holding someone through the issue, y'know?

bearing all this in mind, if reaching out directly to the writer is still just not a burden that you want to take on, i think that's completely fair. however, my question then would be--is making a public post talking about racism not also a form of emotional labor?

and like, i mean that as a genuine question, because in my own experience any instance of education is going to involve emotional labor to some extent. so if you're making a public post with the goal of educating people about racism in a fic, in what ways does that emotional labor differ from the emotional labor of reaching out directly to the writer? why does one feel easier/more accessible than the other? with a public post, it will essentially reach two types of people:

those who already are on the same page as you and don't need to be educated -- in which case, i understand how this option could be less draining

those who are misinformed/ignorant and do need that educational post, who may then begin to respond/reach out in a variety of ways asking you to do the emotional labor of educating them, as you have now opened that door by publicly situating yourself as a source of education on the topic

like, does that make sense? again, my questions here are genuine, because i know my own experiences w education are not going to map directly onto the experiences of everyone around me. and if the emotional labor of education-via-posting-publicly is something that feels less draining/more accesible than the emotional labor of a private conversation with the fic writer, that's an evaluation that only you can make for yourself; however, i do think it's worth evaluating why one of those feels more accessible.

and if the intent in posting publicly is not to educate and is instead just to vent frustration, and that's the reason that there's less emotional labor involved--then again, it's not really my place to tell you how you can or can't respond to racism in fics. if you want to vent publicly, that's your own decision to make. but i would, again, caution against making any assumptions about personal info that you don't know about a fic writer when venting, and i would caution against attributing intent to misinformation. the difference between someone intentionally being racist in their writing versus someone unintentionally being racist in their writing is that if you are in community with the person who unintentionally fucked up, then there is an opportunity there to directly address the issue by addressing the misinformation/internalized bias that was the root cause. that doesn't mean that you or anyone else has to take that opportunity, but when we are trying to address structral issues in fandom i personally think that direct education is going to be the most effective way. hopefully that makes sense!

[foxymoxynoona]

Rant anon here- yes! Thats exactly what I meant. About the attitude that a lot of people in the fandom seem to have whenever the members mess up. It feels gross and it feels like they’d let them get away with murder. It feels like they treat them more like objects or dolls than humans that have flaws and can make bad choices. It feels like the more the fandom tells the company that “it’s ok!!! They shouldn’t have to respond to hate!!” It will keep pushing the boundaries of what they do and do not take seriously enough to formulate a response. The group has mentioned, ad nauseam, their morals and what they want to do in this industry. It feels like they’ve stopped caring and that’s what I feel like grossed me out (other than the weird attitude towards the group I mean).

It just feels like they’re too old and too seasoned to be making these mistakes. They should know better- or at least know that when you hurt people the best thing to do is apologize- regardless of whether or not you felt you did something wrong. At the end of the day you hurt someone (this is all the metaphorical “you”) regardless of intention and that, a lot of times, is enough for some to step back and reevaluate the situation.

Through out this all it feels like there’s a lack of the accountability that we hold more western artists to (this is a research topic in its own right and far more intelligent people than I have written about it and produced wonderful articles and video essays on the subject. I am not one of those people and it’s 4 in the morning where I am and I don’t feel like delving into why we infantilize East Asian pop stars at this hour). Not that the accountability we have here is great, but at least it’s more talked about than suppressed (this can be seen with the growing number of Taylor swift defectors after her recent cease and desist letters)

Hm, it's interesting to talk about cross section between infantalizing and model minority racism overlapping with celebrity halo effect. TBH now that it's no longer directly my job, I don't spend much time paying close attention to music artists unless it's something really within my interest or it crosses into more mainstream attention --so I'm sure about the Taylor Swift controversy you're talking about, and I only have knowledge about a handful of Asian-artist controveries so definitely not enough to talk about that cycle or compare it with western artists in any real way other than to say this is such a rich and complex topic to dig into from the fan side, the consumer side, the partnerships side.

I'm certainly not going to explain away anyone's mistakes, people can answer for their own, I will only say we are never too old to fuck up haha, but yes then you do the learning, growing, and repair process.

Definitely agree that criticism or calling out incorrect behavior isn't hate, it can in fact be a demonstration of love and respect --and also that it's completely and entirely reasonable to take a step away from supporting an artist or group becasue you are not comfortable with their behavior! Not only because it's a way of putting your money and time where you want to endorse but, for the other types of folks you're talking about who see everything with rose-colored glasses, it can help create some space and ability to not only see humans as complex and likely to make mistakes, but also disrupts a hard part of hero-worship that i think may come into play too psycologically: I love this artist and believe they are good so if they screw up, I can't admit that they made a mistake because what does that say about me?

Anyway, I know you probably already know this 1000x over but protect yourself and your heart and your peace. It's ok to need to take a break from things or groups of people or whatever when they are filling you with rage, especially if you feel unable to really fix or change what you're seeing. <3 <3 <3 I'll always be here too!

[slow-button-off]

I really don't mind my askbox being a place to vent but like please learn how to read before you start attacking me once again for things I have not said.

Why do you keep talking abt people who don't like Max? Is it illegal? Must we like him at all costs? Like wtf mind your business

You're the same person that said Lewis complimenting another driver is petty and that he's not traumatized by racial abuse, right?

Please point me to where I have said that.

I quite vividly remember my last post saying this: "You might think Max is the devil’s incarnate but why are you not happy for Charles that it isn’t toxic?"

My last post was just simply about the fact that I don't get that people hate Max so much they want it to be shit for Charles. A guy that had nothing to do with last year. Who you also like otherwise you wouldn't be on my blog to comment on a post that has no obvious tags.

Why do you keep ignoring the fact that Max used ableist language and said racist slurs (even the ONU had to intervene), apologized in with a classic "I'm sorry you felt offended but I could care less", defended Piquet's use of the N-word when Brazilians themselves called him out because yes, the word is still derogatory in Portuguese, and no, people didn't "misunderstand", called his gf his best purchase, followed extreme right wing politicians on Twitter (and only unfollowed them when the N-word scandal started)?

There is complimenting and then there is blatantly lying about a third party to make a petty statement about someone else. Do I need to post the racing lines? The onboards? So that people see that the racing line that Charles took was tighter, that he left less space? All of this is easily available on the internet!

I also never denied that everything that happened didn't have an impact, just that that one singular statement wasn't trauma inflicted but rather an active choice to make.

Lewis plays the press and he is good at it. There is nothing wrong in saying it. And before I get accused of it I don't mean he is playing the press wrt the racism he faces or the abuse, but with on track incidences. And what he said about copse is in fact him playing the press. Something he did not have to do but chose to do. And he can choose that but I can also say that it was petty because it was.

Or the fact that he candidly admitted that he pushes drivers off track on purpose and they'll crash if they don't back down and cede the position (he said so after Silverstone, where he pushed Mick out several times for 7th place)?

Please point me to where I have done the things you are accusing me of! Send me the links to the posts where I have done that.

Saying I don't hate Max doesn't mean I can't say that he said something stupid. An attitude more people should have about all drivers tbh and yes that includes Lewis.

And as a result of that, the Orange Army has harassed and shouted sexist and racist slurs at people in Austria? Because all people like that need is a bit of validation from their hero, and they'll keep being awful?

Honesty is the best policy. And also half the grid does that and you don't hate them for it. Charles again the best example. Also in Silverstone to Lewis. Carlos to Charles also in Silverstone. Albon to Norris and so on and so forth. Lewis on Albon in Austria 2020, Lewis on Albon in 2019.

Hot take: what do you think happened in copse last season? There was space, Lewis was behind and the attacking driver. He could've ceded positions just as easily.

They all do it.

Please point me to where Max has actively encouraged what happened in Austria? Because I am very willing to point you to him actively denouncing it in a presser. But I guess that doesn't fit the narrative.

Why is it always "YOU people are too sensitive and want to see him as a bad guy, but he's not!", and never hold him accountable for anything?

Where have I done that? Please point me to that exact post! and when you say that then please also hold your own guy accountable, because he like everyone else isn't a pristine blameless person that has never said or done anything wrong ever.

I rue the day DTS was created because people like you, who refuse to hold Max accountable for anything, keep using it as an excuse, like "Those people only hate Max because they fell for the narrative in DTS! They just want drama!"

When most people couldn't care less for a Netflix show and have been following F1 for decades.

Until you address all of these issues, you have no right to tell people "you just want him to be the villain!"

Oh so you are aware of the fact that Lewis as a 24 year old and even older said and did some shit that wasn't great? Like the transphobia, the misogyny towards the grid girls multiple times, like knowingly lying to the FIA and then getting disqualified, like tweeting confidential telemetry just because he was pissed.

He grew up, he learned and he got better and we have to at least leave that door open for the younger ones to do as well. He is a very different person at 37 now than he was at 24. And that's normal. But you need to allow others to get to do the same.

I have no obligation to address anything. This is my blog and I get to say and comment on what I want. If you don't like it then unfollow or block me. That's fine. I block people all the time. Sometimes just because I don't want to see what they post under tags.

And no, before you accuse me of it, I'm not a Brit nor a Mercedes fan. Believe it or not, even people who don't like Mercedes can care about racism, ableism, sexism and drivers purposely crashing into others to take them out.

I just like Charles and I enjoy seeing him happy. And driving against Max is something he quite clearly enjoys and cherishes a lot. And I like that he gets to enjoy it without it being toxic, because I above all want Charles to be happy and I doubt that he'd be happy in a toxic fight. I want for his experience in F1 to be enjoyable above all.

That's probably the most interesting thing to me. So you are a Charles fan, I assume seeing as you are on my blog, but got so worked up over a post where I said that I don't understand why people hate Max so much that they want this situation to be toxic for Charles.

Do you want a toxic fight for Charles? And if so why?

I personally as fan of his am glad that he doesn't have RB and Max shit on him alongside the media. And they've had plenty of opportunities to. Like Ted serving it up on a golden platter to Horner to get a headline. And I for one am glad that Horner didn't take the bait.

I like that Charles gets to enjoy the fight with RB and Max (because lbr Ferrari are making it hard enough themselves but even without that).

I just wonder about peoples intentions when they hate someone else so much that they'd rather make a nice situation into a toxic one for their own favourite just so that the other person suffers.

When your hatred for someone else is bigger than your fandom of your fave it's a bit weird no?

I don't get the whole "poor Charles needs to be saved from himself because he is so hard on himself" when in the same vain people want the fight to be toxic. As if that would be any easier on Charles.

Also, you must think that Charles is an absolute shit judge of character, well actually the entire Ferrari team considering some of them (Mattia and Gino) have sit down chats with Max.

There are also enough journalists that are gagging to have Charles say something bad about Max, yet he doesn't. So do you think he is so spineless that he can't speak his own mind? How do you justify him saying that if Max is such a horrible person through and through?

You are in my inbox accusing me of a litany of things just for saying I like that it's not toxic are you also in Charles dms doing the same? Because he seems to be somewhat of a fan of Max, or at least he isn't denouncing everything Max has ever said. You say Max is a dirty driver yet your own fave disagrees very publicly and repeatedly. Do you think Max is stood next to him in interviews holding a gun to his head? How to you explain that to yourself? Maybe Charles just enjoys driving and fighting like that too.

I am an adult with real life experience. And I know that ranting on the internet especially on a site like Tumblr as an anonymous person has zero real world impact. Instead of ranting and accusing others of things in their inbox I actually try to have an IRL impact. And I do my part offline. Performative activism on the internet is nothing other than performative activism. And if it makes you feel better about yourself then let's go you, but I'd rather have an actual impact for and on the people around me.

At the moment I don't even care for Max outside of his driving and his fight with Charles. But I am a younger sister and above all a petty af bitch and the more you keep coming into my inbox with things like this accusing me of things you've made up the more I'm gonna end up liking Max just out of spite.

[andretti-autosport]

really interested to hear your full take on the jüri situation if you’d be willing to share

I'm not gonna share my full take on dash simply because as some people on here might still know, Jüri has been my favourite for years and I've taken the last week to do a lot of reading and research to make up my mind about the incident. And while I like to think my take is very based and nuanced, I am not interested in fighting about it on tumblr (we all know whatever I say, people will probably want to fight) nor do I have any right to educate people on things that took me a bit of time to figure out. If you want to come off anon, I'd be happy to tell you more about it!

What I will say is that I think it is a necessity for teams but also for F2 and F3 to implement social and cultural sensitivity training. With the bubble they're in, more education on important matters can never hurt and if they hear things for the first time, well thank god they heard them then. In my opinion it should be mandatory to go through a course/seminar/similar like this and like - why not add two to three days to pre season testing for all drivers entering a series? We can't forget that some of these boys are taken out of school at a young age, others go to private schools and are only ever surrounded by people just like them. They come from incredibly privileged backgrounds and while they have access to the internet, they mostly spend all their time on racing and not everyone spends their time in a liberal bubble like most of us do. I asked a lot of my friends and talked to different people to get a baseline and was shocked to learn how little people still know about slurs and casual racism, how little I know about other issues (German colonialism I literally still knew nothing about, not great to admit probably, but I will change that as soon as I have time). But while many people think, knowing how bad slurs are is something everyone knows - they really don't. Where I'm at, German uni students if you move just a little from the far left or the chronically online bubble, they might know the n-word is bad, but they don't think it's completely off limits and most don't even question the slur for Sinti and Roma. (If anyone is still reading and wants to come at me for this, don't - I know slurs are off limits and would never use either, but really educated and well-meaning people around me don't and that's the point.) So education is essential or you cannot even begin to implement accountability.

Then, keep people accountable according to rules. Because if everyone is educated (I said F2 and F3, but why not make it a prerequisite to getting any paddock pass), there's no room for doubt and you can easily just set a code of conduct and penalise it accordingly whenever it's breached.

That's my wish for the future, we assume everyone should know by now but they obviously don't so make them.

No matter what I think about Vips and Piquet and Daniel (who rapped the n-word freely and publicly in 2015, when it certainly wasn't okay either), this is how I think they could really actually change the way things go. Because I do assume a lot of them don't have a problem with this kind of behaviour behind closed doors and that is the actual problem.

[swanlake1998]

Pointe Magazine Article: Chloé Lopes Gomes Speaks Out About Racial Harassment at Staatsballett Berlin

By: Chloé Lopes Gomes As Told To Laura Cappelle

Date: December 1, 2020

(tw: racism, anti black racism, abuse)

In November, the French dancer Chloé Lopes Gomes went public with accusations of institutional racism against Staatsballett Berlin, first reported by the German magazine Der Spiegel. In the article, several anonymous dancers confirm her account. Lopes Gomes, 29, who trained in Marseille and at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy, danced for the Ballet de l'Opéra de Nice and Béjart Ballet Lausanne before joining Staatsballett Berlin as a corps de ballet member in 2018, under then co-directors Johannes Öhman and Sasha Waltz. After the company told her in October that her contract, which ends in July, would not be renewed, she shared her story with Pointe.

I didn't know I was the first Black female dancer at Staatsballett Berlin when I joined the company in 2018. I learned that from German journalists who came to interview me almost immediately. I grew up in a mixed-race family—my mother was French, my father from Cape Verde—and I was educated to believe that we all have the same opportunities.

My brother and my sister also went to prestigious dance schools [her brother, Isaac Lopes Gomes, is now a dancer with the Paris Opéra Ballet], and I didn't really think about my skin color while I was training. I spent four years at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy. I didn't necessarily feel safe in the streets in Russia because people stared at me, but I was still awarded scholarships and my teacher loved me.

I quickly realized that auditions and company life were a different story. The day after my audition in Berlin, in early 2018, one particular ballet mistress told a colleague of mine in the company that she didn't think the Staatsballett should hire me because a Black woman in a corps de ballet isn't aesthetically pleasing. This ballet mistress was in charge of the corps, and for over two years, she discriminated against me because of my skin color.

That colleague warned me before I started, but I was hopeful I would also work with other ballet masters. No such luck: I was under her supervision 90 percent of the time, and we started with Swan Lake. I was one of six new women, and the ballet mistress immediately took a dislike to me. She bombarded me with corrections, and when the premiere arrived, she told me that all the women needed to color their skin with white powder. I told her that I would never look white, and she replied: "You'll just put on more powder than the others."

I spoke to Johannes [Öhman, co-artistic director at the time], who decided I should stay as I was. The ballet mistress took the fact that I went to him as an affront, as if I'd undermined her authority, and she started saying overtly racist things.

Since I didn't speak German and she didn't speak English, we communicated in Russian initially, so my colleagues didn't understand when she would say casually: "You're not in line and that's all we see because you're Black." And then, when she was handing out the Shades' veils for La Bayadère, she got to me and laughed, in front of other dancers: "I can't give you one: The veil is white and you're Black."

I again told Johannes, who said it was unacceptable but explained to me that she had a lifetime contract, which means you're untouchable in Germany. Johannes asked if I wanted him to talk to her, and I said no, because I was worried it would get even worse.

I was so anxious and unwell that I ended up with a metatarsal fracture. I should have been back after two months, but six months later, I was still in pain, and the doctors didn't know why—until a neurologist told me it was linked to stress and prescribed antidepressants. Suddenly, the pain went away completely.

Johannes left Staatsballett Berlin abruptly last January. On the day he announced it, the ballet mistress told me that now I was going to have to use white powder. I ran into the current interim director, Christiane Theobald, in a hallway while in makeup for Swan Lake. She asked why I had whitened my skin and said that I wasn't supposed to do it, but the ballet mistress was in charge of rehearsals and didn't leave me much choice. I felt like the company's ugly little duckling.

This ballet mistress also had me and a few colleagues re-create a painting of a Black dancer surrounded by white dancers. When I asked what the photo was for, she said she wanted to show her friends that they had "one of those" too in the company, as if I were a zoo animal.

My colleagues didn't want to take the picture, but there is an atmosphere of fear in the dance world. The ballet masters are the ones who are in the studio with us all the time, who hold the keys to our evolution. If you're on a one-year or two-year contract, it's very easy for the company not to renew it, whereas some ballet masters are employed for life. They're more privileged than even some directors, and that creates a power imbalance: We should be on an equal footing contract-wise.

The Staatsballett doesn't have a safe way to report discrimination or harassment, and there was still blackface in the repertoire when I joined. In Nutcracker, some children were required to paint their faces black, while I stood in the corps behind them.

I was called to a pre-dismissal meeting with Christiane Theobald in October. She did not dance professionally, so she said she relied on the ballet masters' advice. I was told that they needed to let some dancers go due to COVID, and that I would be happier in a smaller company, because I hadn't been onstage much. I explained why that was, and what had happened to me. She admitted it was terrible but said my race wasn't the reason they were firing me.

I know I was fired because I'm Black. From the beginning, I didn't stand a chance. Christiane Theobald is part of an old-fashioned system: She has worked for the company's administration since 2004, and she let me go even after I told her about the racism I encountered. My contract runs through July 31: I've been cast in reduced, COVID-friendly versions of Giselle and Swan Lake and I still want to work.

There is still this idea in the ballet world that you have to suffer to make it. We—the younger generation—can't accept that anymore. Ballet must reflect society. I don't want to be abused just to be able to dance. I want to be happy in my life, not just when I step onstage.

Editor's note: In a statement to Pointe, Theobald, who cannot comment on personnel matters, says that an internal investigation into Lopes Gomes' allegations is underway, and that the company plans to conduct antiracism training and workshops for all employees. "I am sorry to see that there is an employee at the Staatsballett Berlin who had to endure a very stressful situation for a long time and that the situation could not be resolved beforehand. Discrimination and racism is a highly sensitive issue that is of importance to society as a whole, including the Staatsballett Berlin. It is very important to me to live a discrimination-free corporate culture and to implement it where it does not yet exist 100 percent."

[goodguydotmp3]

1) Hi, I just came across your post on Harry & although we are looking at him differently i absolutely agree with you on alot of what you say.  I never was a 1D fan, I worked for an arena & was lucky enough back in those days to see 1000's of concerts.  I remember thinking 1D was awful.  12 months ago now I fell down the rabbit hole with Harry.  I can't say i'm a fan because I only like a combination of his songs from both albums, which I listen to often on a playlist.

2. the others I listened to once and never again.  I never bothered to listen to his CALM app nor do I obsess over wanting his merch & quite frankly didn't bother to buy a ticket to see him.  In fact I kinda find him a bit cringe at times on stage.  However, I think he is one of the most charismatic sexiest humans on the planet. This has caused me to want to study him.  A lot of what I think you actually said.  He is 100% a brand.   

3. He is a smart guy & i'm pretty sure a lovely person but I also think he is a shrewd businessman.  He has allied himself with professionals who know how to make millions off of his brand.  Classic example was the beauty pages (which I despised btw). Probably in partnership with the magazine knowing it would sell out in seconds.  I'm sure him & his team are laughing all the way to the bank, and on the fans coin.  

4. I could analyse as well why I think he queerbaits, which I believe he does for his image.  That being said I truly think he is open to anything, he is at a level in his life that he is able to do whatever he wants.  I certainly don't want to paint him as a nasty person which he certainly isn't.  But again why his silence on social media ?  I do think it's because he wants privacy but at the same time he could be more open to his fans if he wished.

5. Other stars do live random Instagrams with their fans.  You don't have to give anything away  & it wouldn't hurt him to do now & again.  Yet I don't think he wants to.  He did facetime interviews with DJ's in London who all happen to be his friends, but nothing to the people who give him the lifestyle he has become accustomed to.  

6. There are a few things in his past that don't sit right with me & again, I don't hate him, I find him very charismatic & alluring, but I certainly don't think he is anything personally like his fans think he is.  Anyways sorry for all the asks. 

okay so let me just start by sating you really probably could have gotten away with just one ask but since we here let’s go. 

second (okay last one fore i go in) is this a white? you can be honest. that’s not why I’m judging you I just have hunch.

Lemme just say I already can’t take you seriously if you gone sit up here and tell me wondee is awful. WHERE? Especially Four and Midnight Memories! I also can’t imagine being privileged enough to see their live performances with raw vocals repeatedly and still have the nerve to say with yo whole chest one d is awful. Especially in comparison to Harry!! Where are the vocals?? Where are the riffs??? Every time I see a solo Harry video It’s never about the amazing things he does with his voice, it’s always some joke he made, or his dancing, or how he messed up, or an outfit someone’s talking about. one time I saw where there was a difference between shows where he was louder in the latter bc of the confidence factor. Like?? Go girl Give us nothing!!!

And even with songs, you already said he ain’t all that! You already said he’s barely passable, You already know he’s not an artist so what exactly are you even holding on for?

I know you’ said he’s “the sexiest and most charismatic man on the planet” but I promise you that 1) no he’s not so don’t even lie like that 2) not even in his own band 3) not even in the music industry.

I pinky promise you there is better out there for you, hell there are better rich white man out there just waiting for you time, attention, and coin.

Rich white men who haven’t built stadiums that hurt the smaller stadium in the same town and only benefit the large artists who would be able to sell it out, who doesn’t associate with the Kardashian-Jenner clan, who are notoriously racist and elitist and make money off of doing so, white male artists who don’t travel across countries during a pandemic, seemingly doing the most to spread as many germs as possible, at a time when his home country is among the worst county handling the spread of a deadly virus. 

Other white men who are just straight up not Zionists, which I feel should have been the point where people were actually upset but apparently not because I see “free Palestine” this and that but then scroll down and see his ugly mug in a closeup (and not no old “oh he looks like a baby” picture neither, one of them recent “my name is earl” lookin ass photos, posted uncritically). Other white men who don’t use a deadly global pandemic to squeeze for coin out of folx, 

Other white men who aren’t okay with racism, transphobia, homophobia, Zionism, and would gladly denounce any fan who felt like that. 

Other white men who aren’t just using gender ambiguity as an aesthetic, and can actually recognize and use other pronouns besides he/she when prompted.

Other white men who hire black and brown people to work with and for them, and don’t just wait until the next blm wave to try and score brownie points with prominent (white approved) black people. Other white men Who don’t take that amazon money! Other white men who don’t buy your data to make more money! Side note please tell me we’re all still pissed about that???

Harry Styles is a Nasty Bitxh and will do anything to get what he truly wants: money and fame. If you can stan a husk of a man because you think he looks pretty and his scripted remarks from some of the best pr managers money can buy sound real good when he says them, do you boo. But please don’t try to make excuses for this ho. 

At the end of the day he might as well be Mr. Monopoly himself, and if that’s okay with you, that’s between you and your bank account, but I have to ask why you feel the need to defend him (especially seeing as he has an entire team of people to do that for him), and if all the defending is worth it. If you have to make this many allowances for him, is he really that great?

 If you keep turning a blind eye, at some point you just blind.

[a-room-of-my-own]

I'm happy to see you recognise there's a difference in scale between police brutality (esp. racially motivated) in the US and elsewhere. Whereas I don't disagree that cops are bastards, I'm not sure I agree with "abolish the police"- thoughts? I've seen people argue against increased funding, etc. and I'm happy to listen to alternative ways of policing civil society but I can't see what that would look like? Police need to be disarmed, 100%; they need better training too and maybe more /1

community involvement (?) but surely a properly trained and unarmed cop who works a 6-hour day (so therefore there are more cops in numbers) would be less stressed/ overworked and therefore less likely to brazenly kill? Again, I'm not disputing that the police as it exists now is dangerous but who are we supposed to report crimes to? Who is supposed to investigate them? Who intervenes when someone gets stabbed on the street? We need the political will to hold them accountable but abolishing? Idk

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Oh no problem. I just thought that at some point it had to be said because I've read too many people saying that the situation in France and in the US is the same, when it's really not. I understand the idea of using the international exposure of the BLM movement to talk about our own issues with police brutality, but we just can't erase the specificity of the American situation. Black Americans need our support, and need us, I think, to understand what they fight for and what has been happening.

On the other hand, our local 'intellectuals' have been flooding TV channels and newspapers with hot takes about how France has close to zero racism / police brutality problem, some even giving their obviously uneducated opinion about George Floyd's death. Which is laughable, not to mention shockingly insulting. It's kind of a national hobby to say "look at how bad the situation is in N country" while ignoring our own issues.

Now about your question. I think it comes from the history of the creation of the police in the US. In the US the police isn't a national police force managed by a governmental authority, it's local. And not only is it local, but some judiciary positions are elected.

So people basically "managing" the police have a local political agenda. Depending on who voted for you then maybe your version of 'common interest' will be the interest of the people who elected you. Second, the police being local there isn't a unified training course for all police officers. Depending on where you live you may encounter people who had extensive training or people who are barely trained. I also believe that it's possible for stations to sell goods that were seized, which is pretty bad.

Edit: I hit publish too fast 😂

Also, the police as we know it, a professional force, is really recent in the US:

So without having an extensive knowledge of the American police, I think asking for its dissolution is not exaggerated, if it's to replace it with a national police force, with a clear chain of command, all the way up to the secretary of state. The police, I suppose, should be reshaped to actually protect and serve the people.