#it's almost 230am and i have classes tomorrow

[queerasinfvckyov]

You're clearly not getting the other anon's message, so I'll try to explain what I understood of it. Harry doesn't EXPLICITLY SAY anything political. Ever. The only sort of political statement we had from him was that he'd vote for whoever was against Brexit but that he wasn't that well-versed on the matter (and he's been living in England almost exclusively for the past two years, which is when BLM arose). He doesn't do political statements on stage, not verbally. He never has and I don't 1

understand why people expect him to make a political statement now, and why specifically with BLM? Which is a subject that’s completely out of his reach as a British person that lives in London. He was never going to SAY anything about the signs, but I have no doubts that if given a flag, he would wave it, because I absolutely believe he’s for the sentiment of BLM. He wasn’t given a flag. There was a flag folded and thrown on stage, to a side Harry was NOT on towards the end of the show 2

but I seriously doubt he even saw it, and if he did, he couldn’t have possibly known it was a BLM flag (look at the picture of it thrown on stage and you’ll see it’s 1. on the other side of where he was 2. folded so it’s impossible to see what it says). I absolutely understand the outrage towards fans that didn’t show the solidarity to bring the flag to the front, which they always do with rainbow flags. That’s something to point out. The poor girl that organised this movement had to throw 3

it by herself and it was really hard to get him to notice it, and it shouldn’t have been. Harry grabs flags that fans are waving in the front row, only once he picked up one from the floor (and it was very clear it was a rainbow flag, and it was by his feet). I just don’t understand the outrage towards Harry. He said he doesn’t do politics. You can dislike that, and that has been discussed to death, but his position on that subject is clear. He’s for equality as a fundamental right, but 4

refuses to discuss politics and I just don’t think that’s a problem. When he wanted to make a statement against Washington’s position about trans people in the military, he hung trans flags, he didn’t say anything. This is his style. Why are we attacking him for doing what he’s always done? Let’s get mad with the fans that aren’t doing what they’re supposed to, not with Harry. If someone waves a BLM flag in the front rows, and he sees it and he ignores it, then that’d be valid criticism 5 (fin)

Before I get into this I would appreciate if in the future you didn’t call into question my reading comprehension ability. I understood what the ask said, and I expect you mean well (at least I hope so) but I don’t need you to clarify it for me. I wasn’t confused. 

So let’s get into it. 

Harry doesn’t EXPLICITLY SAY anything political. Ever.

Believe me, I am fully aware that Harry doesn’t typically verbalize his political beliefs. I’ve never bothered to discuss it on the blog but I’ve rambled plenty in private conversations about it (and the boys’ politics more generally). In fact, I spent the better part of the day doing just that. I am aware of Harry’s approach to politics and the place politics has re: the image he wants to present of himself to his fans. 

Except. Except, except, except. 

He does make political statements. He’s made them for a while now, even if mostly inelegantly (which I certainly do not begrudge him; he didn’t do his A levels and he certainly hasn’t gone to post-secondary where a lot of people figure out how to convey these complex ideas). It started off with him telling people not to go to Seaworld. Why? Because they treat animals with cruelty. Now, animals are ‘easy mode’, so to speak, when it comes to politics. People generally all agree that animals are deserving of certain rights and should be treated well. This doesn’t seem like a political statement but regardless it is (eg, look at the laws that are being changed in the States re: shooting hibernating bears or the support for fox hunts in Britain; these pertain to the treatment of animals and they are also political). I acknowledge that this might seem to be irrelevant and small, but as I said, it’s a starting point. 

Moving forward, Harry has also on multiple occasions even BEFORE his solo tour acknowledge the queer community and queer rights. He’s acknowledged on twitter (yes, it might not have been him, but it doesn’t matter because it’s was still approved by his team and allowed to be part of his public image) the Westboro Baptist Chruch protesting the One Direction concert (a statement that specifically denounced them, if perhaps vaguely). Furthermore, let’s not forget about “lets have a good equal time” or “It’s looking colourful in here, and for some of you I know why. Happy Pride.” (this might not be the exact quote, but it was along these lines). And what about the picture of the rainbow flag and the rainbow on his instagram the day same-sex marriage was legalized in the States? And we can’t forget his “I study rainbows” tweet and bracelet or the odd rainbow flags he was already waving around during OTRA. 

These are ALL political statements and, with the exception of the tweets and instagram posts, they were all done on stage–but regardless all done on public forums. If Harry didn’t engage with politics he wouldn’t have made any of these statements whatsoever. 

(also, it’s a little pedantic, but BLM has been a “thing” for a little over 3 years now, not two; it’ll be four next august).

He never has and I don’tunderstand why people expect him to make a political statement now, and why specifically with BLM?

As I mentioned in the ask, I don’t get the impression that people were expecting him to acknowledge the signs or wave the flag, but they were hoping he would do so and, as I mentioned in my answer to the previous ask, I expect it’s because he’s been so adamant to create safe spaces for the queer fans. By waving those flags and making damn sure his concerts are a safe space for queer fans he’s making a political statement. He’s drawing his line in the sand, so to speak, and that line is that he won’t tolerate any kind of discrimination towards queer fans at his concerts. He opens up his concerts by saying that he wants people to have fun and “be whoever you want to be”. That is a political statement. 

Ever since that show in Nashville where people’s flags were confiscated, and Harry brought one out for the encore (whether it was his own or one of the fans’ confiscated ones) and stated that he was bringing it back to where it belonged, his waving of the many pride flags has been entirely political. It was a political statement before, of course, at the first two shows, but it was made all the more so after that show. His insistence on always waving a flag, no matter the circumstances, is a political statement, too. 

So why did people specifically want a BLM flag? Because Harry has made damn sure his concerts are safe spaces for queer fans–or, as I mentioned in the previous ask too, his concerts and wherever else he feels like it (the Hollywood Bowl We Can Survive concert was certainly not his own concert, but he made it a safe space anyway). Black fans (and poc fans more generally) exist without being queer. Why is Harry willing to get political with various queer pride flags but not BLM flags? 

Which is a subject that’s completely out of his reach as a British person that lives in London. He was never going to SAY anything about the signs, but I have no doubts that if given a flag, he would wave it, because I absolutely believe he’s for the sentiment of BLM.

People have every right to hope he would have, and be disappointed that the political statements he’s willing to make as things stand now, if vaguely, seem to extend only as far as queer solidarity. And, in the words of a dear friend of mine: “ no one wants harry to draft a 20 point policy on how we begin to eliminate mass incarceration?? It’s actually real simple: acknowledge our existence”. That’s all people were hoping he would do. And once more, as I mentioned in my previous ask, that’s all he would have had to do–acknowledge the signs were there. 

The issue, of course, is that based on the fan accounts we have so far, he was aware of the signs, and there is evidence in videos that there was at least one sign in the front row dead centre in support of BLM. He didn’t mention them. 

He wasn’t given a flag. There was a flag folded and thrown on stage, to a side Harry was NOT on towards the end of the show but I seriously doubt he even saw it, and if he did, he couldn’t have possibly known it was a BLM flag (look at the picture of it thrown on stage and you’ll see it’s 1. on the other side of where he was 2. folded so it’s impossible to see what it says).

He very well might not have seen it. The flag is dark and so was the stage, and as I’ve seen some people say around here they weren’t even aware BLM had a flag. It’s quite possible that if he had known what to be looking for he would have been able to see the flag. 

However. 

He also didn’t pay attention to the people that were apparently shouting about the flag being on stage. I admit this could be down to the general confusion and screaming that happens at concerts. Yet there were, apparently, a good handful of fans shouting about the flags and the signs even when it was quiet, and it should have been easier to hear then. Of course, if he wasn’t expecting people to be talking about the BLM at the concert he probably wasn’t primed to make the connection, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that there were signs in the front row and all he had to do was acknowledge they were there, even obliquely as he typically is with politics. He did not, and people have are allowed to be disappointed and disheartened. 

I absolutely understand the outrage towards fans that didn’t show the solidarity to bring the flag to the front, which they always do with rainbow flags. That’s something to point out. The poor girl that organised this movement had to throw it by herself and it was really hard to get him to notice it, and it shouldn’t have been.

I’m glad we’re in agreement about the poor behaviour on the parts of the fans there, and I and many others have been discussing how the other fans there (especially the ones who accepted the signs and then did nothing) are also responsible for the how things went. It seems like people were being ridiculously pushy and unaccommodating in the pit with one another as well. So much for treat people with kindness. 

I just don’t understand the outrage towards Harry.

As I’ve said before, people are outraged because they feel hurt and disappointed (although I don’t think there’s hatred). Resentment, perhaps, but what else could you honestly expect? Black folk and the black fans in this fandom in particular are tired. And who the fuck could blame them? When this is the kind of fallout that occurs in response to a project with the sole purpose of creating a safe space for black fans and poc fans more generally? Like Harry has been doing for 15 shows +1 for queer fans since his tour began. They’re tired that even in this fandom, in the concerts of somebody who cares so deeply about equality and treating others with kindness, it’s still SUCH a fight just to be given the same treatment as the others have been given.

He said he doesn’t do politics. You can dislike that, and that has been discussed to death, but his position on that subject is clear. He’s for equality as a fundamental right, but refuses to discuss politics and I just don’t think that’s a problem.

I do, of course, take issue with that. Whether he likes it or not, he is in a position of power and privilege and if he desires to think of himself as an ally he has a responsibility to do what he can with his power and privilege to be an ally. I don’t think anybody is expecting him to be an activist (I certainly am not), but he’s really not even doing the bare minimum in a lot of areas–like with BLM. As for seeing equality as a fundamental right, it’s a sweet thought, but the issue is that things he might consider to be non-issues and not up for debate are, unfortunately, inherently political in the current state of the world. If he’s for equality he must take some kind of stand against inequality, otherwise he is being permissive towards the institutional nature of many inequalities (in this case, racial inequality). Silence is violence, because silence is what allows inequality to perpetuate. You cannot be for equality and also refuse to “do politics”. 

When he wanted to make a statement against Washington’s position about trans people in the military, he hung trans flags, he didn’t say anything. This is his style.

Unfortunately I’m going to have to be pedantic again here. First of all, this is contradicting what you mentioned earlier about Harry not explicitly saying anything political ever and also that the only somewhat political statement he made was about Brexit. If you mean the Brexit statement was the only one he verbalized and that he doesn’t typically verbalize political statements, sure, but if you think the only way to be political and make explicit political statements is if you say them verbally I’m afraid I’m going to have to tell you to do some more research (and I don’t mean that maliciously). In fact, I would argue that most political statements are not done verbally but conveyed through via other means–particularly, through action. Look at the way we treat politicians: we only really believe them when they show us they mean what they say, which is done through implementation of policies–through action. Or, conversely, through inaction. 

Why are we attacking him for doing what he’s always done? Let’s get mad with the fans that aren’t doing what they’re supposed to, not with Harry. If someone waves a BLM flag in the front rows, and he sees it and he ignores it, then that’d be valid criticism.  

Firstly, I don’t like the way you’re talking about people’s response to what happened at the concert here. People aren’t “attacking” him. They’re expressing their frustration and their upset and their disappointment, and every single one of those emotional responses is valid. I don’t know if you’re white, but I certainly am, and not a single one of us white people–or even other poc fans, for that matter–have any right to say anything about the way the black fans (and other poc fans, if they are feeling similarly) are reacting to this. As a white person, I have no fucking clue, not a single one, about what it means to exist as a black person in the world to day and I and we other non-black fans don’t possess a single shred of authority about how people should feel and react to Harry’s lack of support for BLM (when, again, he has put the effort into being supportive for queer fans–which is definitely amazing, don’t get me wrong; as a queer fan it means a lot to me, but black fans and poc fans deserve the same) and validation of and solidarity with the black fans. 

Secondly, as I mentioned before in this ask and in the previous one, people are calling out the fans. That doesn’t mean people can’t also expect better of Harry. These aren’t “haters” or whatever you want to call them who are calling out the fans at the concert and Harry. These are other fans who want the fandom and Harry to improve and do better because they care, and because they have a right to expect and hope for better. Black lives matter. Black fans just want people to actually act like they do. 

[larissanapora]

Jumping In With Both Feet

Im sitting in a cafe in small town Sale, Victoria Australia taking a break from the frantic process of getting organized for my first program with Gippsland Grammar. I will be officially putting on my teacher hat tomorrow. Ive spent the last week keeping busy with all sorts of adventures.

The day after I arrived in Sale I had planned on attempting once again to get my Working With Children Check which is required for my job. This plan was quite quickly crushed due to the fact that it was Anzac day in Australia. Anzac Day is their Remembrance Day. This meant that none of the places I needed to go to to get paperwork done were open. I ended up mainly doing paperwork at Cass’s place and packing for the Recce I was going on the next day. 

Wednesday was my first official day of work. We were going out to test run the program that we will be doing with the Year 8 students. I didnt end up getting much sleep due to the constant stream of worries that were bouncing around in my head. So when I arrive at the school I was definitely a bit nervous and intimidated. I briefly met my coworkers and we started loading up the vehicles and throwing gear in. I definitely felt a bit out of the loop as we left the school and headed up to the mountains. Once again it looks deceivingly flat to me. We met Oli and Dave at the starting point and proceeded to go over group gear, and I start getting a better idea of what we will actually be doing. 

We started hiking at a place called the Den of Nargun (phonetically its Nah-gun) and continue on along the Michell River 20km up stream. We eat lunch at the 1st spot we will be camping with the kids and then after a quick lunch continue on. The river that we are hiking along is the river that we will be paddling the next day. Due to very low water levels the plans have been changed already multiple times. The hike was full of ups and downs and there was some gorgeous scenery. Most people who have gone hiking with me know just about how much I enjoy it. At times it was definitely not my favourite, but over all I survived. Along the way I was slowly able to learn more about my coworkers and hear some pretty entertaining stories. 

Just before we hit our camp at Angusvale we saw a couple Wombats across the river, and along the way I was consistently hearing new bird calls. The forests here feel similar to home but are completely new to me.

We walked into camp just as it was starting to get dark and got to work setting up the rest of camp. Shamis and Dave, who had spent the day driving all over the place checking out evacuation spots and such, had the barbecue going by the time we got there so dinner was quickly ready. As the sun set we hung around the fire and ended up going through the curriculum for the program.  Sure enough this brought a round of the game, lets see what the resident Canadian can mispronounce. This provided entertainment for most the night. 

As people were getting ready at camp I knew I was in for a cold night. Almost everyone was in a down jacket and as it got colder I understood why. I know people had warned me that I was going into the Australian winter but its one thing to hear it and another to feel it. Needless to say my 0 Degree Celsius bag was not warm enough at all. I tried my best by putting 2 hot water bottles in, but around 230am those got cold and there was not much sleep. 

I got up at 5:30am blurry eyed and sore from the previous day. Just as the sun was starting to rise one of my coworkers mentioned that no more than 20 feet away from us was a mob of kangaroos along the path to the toilet. Sure enough I got probably 6 feet away from them before the hopped a couple jumps away. It was definitely better than seeing them in the zoo. 

Our plan for the rest of the day had been to head 4 km along a path to the river where the cars would run shuttle to the other side and we would see if it was doable. Turns out we had to go to Plan B. After hiking down we saw that the other side of the river was pretty much a cliff. Us hikers had to bush bash along the river for a couple km through blackberry bushes and dense brush. At one point we had to cross the river which was pretty entertaining. Sure enough after a couple hours we made it to the put in and climbed into our paddling gear. From this point we had a leisurely paddle down some “Class 2″ whitewater. Which due to low water levels was mainly flat water. Along the way we managed to also pick up a cracked sit on top kayak which provided quite a bit of entertainment as it slowly sunk with John John on it. The day finished with a speedy ride back to town and another attempt at getting my Working with Childrens Check done. I say attempt because once again after going to the post office 5 times it wouldn’t go through. 

The next day was spent working on packing food and putting together the new rafts that Gippsland had just gotten. It was nice to be in a gear bay again. Somehow, no matter what country you’re in, all outdoorsy folks are just as entertaining and wonderfully strange. 

Tomorrow is my first official day as a Outdoor Education Instructor. So I guess its onto the next adventure for me.