#proactive against racism

[inkblot-inc]

"Go Fish"

Summary: We get to see a bit of what the Council of Nine got to discussing while our main trio was getting acquainted (and re-acquainted) with the living island. Among other things anyways...

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x Mutant!TigerShark!Reader

[AU Masterlist] Arc 2: [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] This is Part 4

Warning(s): Starting with a bit of human discriminaiton in the beginning, and then there's a touch of mutant discrimination/racism at the end...also language cuz of course there is-

Note(s): There's a lot more dialogue than i thought in this chapter- There’s even a whole scene of dialogue spoken between Enokan people, and while initially I was going to be difficult and use code for the whole exchange, I decided to keep it in regular text. I figure from the perspective of the scene, everyone knows and is speaking the Enokan language, whereas for other scenes, there were people present that don’t speak or understand the language. God I hope that makes sense. That really just means that you have a brief break.

Word Count: Just scraping by 3k

*squints* I give NO ONE permission to repost or translate my work. Make your own shit!

While Sienna met with the Council of Nine, they came to the decision that the two humans were to be left alone for now. Not only because of their apparent connection to one of their people, that being Y/n, but Enoka herself hasn’t shown herself hostile toward them.

They could have been done away with as soon as they set foot on her soil if She wanted to, as history has proved before.

Of course there was confusion and disagreement among most of the council members, as humans have been nothing but trouble for them. But at the end of the day, the Council of Nine acts as Enoka’s mouthpiece, and to deliberately go against Her would be sacrilege.

-----

One of the oldest members in the Council of Nine, Gideon, was not as easily appeased at the “stagnant” solution, and decided to speak up. “But we were ALL there at LumeCrest,” A few of the council member’s eyes went downward, “Even She couldn’t prevent things from going tits up! We must be proactive in getting rid of all of our potential threats.”

“And we are, that’s why we’re discussing this here and now. Enoka sees all that happens on this island. If she believes that the outlanders are safe enough to be here, then that’s all there is to it. She has yet to change her mind, but if she does, we will be the first to know and act.” Leander, the member of the council chosen to be impartial while presiding over this discourse, definitely had his exercise in patience. 

Gideon would not let up, “But can She read hearts? She speaks to the mind, but can she foresee what these strangers will do? It would serve us well to be vigilant and get rid of the root of the problem before it decides to grow. And who’s to say that these humans couldn’t have poisoned one of our own against us and had them lead the two here?”

Sienna set her glass of water down firmly, her eyes narrowed and fixed on the table in front of her. “Mind your tongue. That’s my blood you’re smearing, you cretin.” She took another sip of water to cool her head. This greybeard would not be getting a rise out of her to try and discredit Leander’s point with bias.

The older man’s indignation was clear as he banged his staff on the polished flooring. “By Sthenya’s Wings!-”

Sienna didn’t even turn her head to look at the white haired man, “Don’t you dare attach my mother’s name to your tantrum, Gideon. I could care less that you’re my elder. Keep my family’s name out of your mouth. They have nothing to do with our conference,”

One of the younger members, Aeris, piped up as she ran her index finger around the top of her own glass, “Hells, Gideon, with your lack of faith in the fucking ground you walk on, it’s a miracle you’ve been on the council this long.”

There was a pregnant pause after Aeris was the only one to chuckle at the ridiculous debate. Leander eventually cleared his throat, “Regardless of our personal feelings, Enoka has spoken. To not heed her words would make us impious figures. If you still find you cannot trust or show confidence in Her judgment, then let someone else take your place” Leander looked between all the council members before releasing a breath to recenter himself. “That’s all that will be said about the matter. Our people will express caution with the outlanders and they will be monitored during their time here,” He nodded his head in Sienna’s direction, “And they will leave Enoka physically and mentally intact,” He stared directly at Gideon who continued to grumble under his breath. “This meeting has come to its conclusion, I trust all of you have your work cut out for you over the next few days. May Enoka hold your hand.” With that, Leander got up from his own seat along with all of the other council members save for one.

---

Despite her overall stoic demeanor, Sienna was overjoyed to have found her youngest sibling.

It doesn’t take her long for her to find you, Natasha and Wanda walking through one of the more secluded Enokan flower fields before joining you.

Realizing that the three of you have only been on the surface level of the living island, Sienna then takes it upon herself to show you all the developments that Enoka has gone through in your *ahem*... time away.

The atmosphere was a bit awkward between the three of you as it hadn’t been that long since your last conversation reached a rather unsatisfying conclusion.

Both Natasha and Wanda didn’t have the time nor were they really eager to explain that neither of them really felt wanted on the island. In an effort to say something, both women took to saying that the timing of going to Enoka’s main vessel was too soon.

-----

“It’s not that we don’t want to visit the…..being that we’re literally standing on, but maybe we do that when we’re more settled.” Wanda placed a placating hand on your shoulder as she could feel your rebuttal brewing.

Natasha looked toward the lighter footsteps she heard in the distance briefly before speaking up in a slightly louder tone. “Maybe sometime after we find where our bags were put.”

Wanda’s eyes widened slightly, “Preferably, yes.”

Your eyebrows still furrowed, you let up on the idea for now, “Alright alright, fine. But I’m gonna make sure that shit happens,” You were still slightly confused at their insistence, but you could partially see their point, maybe easing into it was easier?

You coughed a bit before you reached up to your neck to smack your apparatus a bit. It was then that you heard a slight sloshing sound that shouldn’t be there. “Tash’, can you come look at my bulbs real quick?”

Natasha came closer to see that the domes holding water around your neck were only half full, and only managed to splash against the gills on your neck instead of surrounding them. “It’s emptying.”

The redhead moved to tighten the bulbs or see if the reservoir needed adjusting before Sienna finally approached the three of you. “I trust the three of you have been staying out of trouble,” She raised a brow at the device around your neck with curiosity and a hint of apprehension. “Is everything alright?” I saw that around your neck when we met as well.”

You briefly tapped Natasha’s hands before going to remove  the apparatus yourself, “I’m just fine, my ‘rratus is just fuckin’ up. Probably from when you knocked it off my neck back on the boat.” Your eyes were looking over the breathing device with practiced diligence before sighing, “It looks like it’s an internal issue, and I don’t have my bag with my kit inside to try and fix it.”

“If it’s tools you require to fix your… contraption, then you would certainly find such if we go below,” She looked up at the sky to see the Sun just starting to wane following a darker blue hue. “We should make it by sunset if you’re in a hurry. Follow me,”

---

The four of you walk (it’s a walkable place for sure bud goddamn the three of you are getting your steps in) toward the center of the island that almost resembles a plaza with a gigantic sinkhole in the middle that certainly wasn’t there before in your memory.

Sienna explains that the sinkhole came about as a byproduct of the flood.

If you look over the lip of the sinkhole you can see an encased cross section of the newer underground/underwater parts of Enoka that have been developed over the past ten-plus years.

For mutants whose mutations don’t do well in water, there’s a walkway as well as elevator of sorts down to the lower levels of Enoka.

The four of you decide to take the elevator to the underground layer that’s between the surface and underwater layers of the living island.

Sienna makes it clear that Enoka has rebuilt herself the best She could and is now identified, not only what’s on the surface, but by three residential layers known as: The Survived (surface), The Buried (underground), and The Sunken (underwater)

There are just as many homes and establishments underground as there are on the surface and one could conclude that the same could be said for the underwater portion as well.

The underground is flooded in artificial light in the form of lanterns and poles that hold resemblance to streetlights.

It turns out that over the years, the Natural energon Enoka produces was synthesized to be used in smaller devices put around the subterranean portions of the island.

The natural energon has found many new uses, not only as a form of energy/power, but also helps produce stronger currents of electricity.

Those eclectic currents were then used to jumpstart their private network, allowing one to pluck signals from outside of Enoka.

et voilà: secured access to the internet and media from all over.

-----

Sienna had the four of you walk around the rim of the layer closest to the wall to avoid regular civilians as they had the habit to stare at Natasha and Wanda. The two of them not only felt but probably smelt off to the general population of mutants, and while you'd gotten agitated more than once at the squints and partial glares your partner and close friend received, you took to almost straddling the stone wall to minimize attention.

“Enoka certainly feels bigger than she was before the flood,” You rested your hand on the large stone wall that made up the integrity of The Buried. “Y teb u'yore a 'hll fo a tol torgresn, oto.” There was the smallest pulse underneath your hand that made you chuckle. You turned toward Wanda and Natasha and gestured for them to come closer to the wall. “Here, feel for yourself.”

Natasha didn’t need much convincing, but Wanda was a bit more hesitant. “I’m not stroking a wall, gup.”

Natasha’s hand stayed in one place, but the rough surface was rather warm as opposed to the cooler temperature of normal sediment. “She really is everywhere,”

You nodded at the russian’s remark with a flash of your pointy grin. “Basically,” You then reached for Wanda’s hand before she could protest and continued to goad her until she lightly placed it on the wall. There were a quick few pulses under the brunette’s hand that almost tickled and made her hand flinch.

You chuckled at Wanda's response as you slowly let go of her wrist while she kept it there, “ese, u'yore nief, Wandy.”

Sienna watched the exchange with a far away look in her eye.

~ “Just rest your hand on the tree, grumps. She’s not gonna bite your hand off if you touch her.” A younger Sienna had the adolescent version of you by the wrist to try and place your hand on one of the trees along the shoreline.

Younger you definitely fought a lot harder than Wanda seemed to be, “That’s not what Rudy said! ‘Noka snacks on kids and I don’t wanna get eaten!”

Sienna briefly chuckled before kneeling in front of you, “I told you that you can’t trust anything that that birdbrain says, Y/n. come here, I’ll show you,” She grasped your wrist once again and slowly moved your smaller hand toward the trunk of the tree.

Once it touched the scratchy texture of the tree, your little face scrunched together to brace for the impending chomp on your hand. A chomp that never came even after more than a few seconds. You slowly opened your eyes to see your hand perfectly intact before slightly blushing in embarrassment.

Sienna rested her hand on your shoulder as you focused more on the warm feeling radiating under your hand. “The last thing She wants is to hurt us, Y/n. The most she’ll do is reprimand you, and I’m sure Rudy knows that much well enough” You jumped slightly after feeling a few stronger pulses from the tree trunk under your hand, almost as if She was cosigning Sienna’s words. You laughed at the thought of the Bird boy that always managed to get in trouble or piss someone off.

Sienna took her hand off of your shoulder to ruffle your hair with a smile, “Ese, u'yore nief, Y/nn.” ~

Sienna cleared her throat as she returned back to the present. “The passage to The Sunken is just this way.”

---

The passage down to The Sunken is inside of some form of glass tube that allows the four of you to see out into the ocean,  where people and sea life alike are going about their day.

Aquariums have nothing on this view fr-

You’d gone down far enough that you can even start to see farmers at a few of the brine pools and sea farms by the ocean floor.

The difference in air was something even Natasha and Wanda had begun to notice as you could almost taste the residual salt that still hung in the air at this deep of a level.

-----

The four of you finally reached a space that looked more like a medical building of sorts. Though the expectant smell of sterilizer was replaced with that of pear and lemon.

“Everything that isn’t grown directly by Enoka herself comes out of this building. We’ve even started Sunken Gardens down here so that that our lowest layer has access to plants that were originally only grown on the surface. Our bigger brains do work down here.” She led you into one of the smaller laboratories that had shelves stocked with tools, machines, and naturally made (as well as engineered) chemicals and metals.

You inspected a stack of thinner sheet metal with a smirk, “Well ain’t that somethin. I’ll definitely be able to make hella improvements down here,” You grabbed a few sheets of the white gray metal and a mess of other things and set them on an empty table before you turned to the three women in the room. “This shouldn’t take me too long, but I don’t blame you guys if you aren’t too interested in just watching me.”

Natasha spoke up before the thought could fully register, “Watching you has never bothered me before,” Wanda and Sienna were content to pretend that neither had heard what the redhead said while she found the rubber tile flooring to be more interesting.

Sienna pushed ahead, “I figured you all would want to get to your belongings and where you’ll be staying sooner or later.”

At the mention of their belongings, Wanda perked up and agreed. “I really should,” The brunette gave a longer look toward Natasha before turning to Sienna, “Both Wanda and Jaws can stay here, but if you could show me where we’ll be staying that’d be great.” There were a few things Wanda had to look over in her bags, and maybe call Vision to unwind a bit, but maybe this would also be a small opportunity to have a positive interaction with Sienna.

Sienna, for her part, seemed neutral about the prospect, “We should get going now, since I believe your things were set up on the surface.” The security chief watched Wanda’s eyes widen at the thought of having to walk back up through the two layers before fracking a knowing smirk that looked very similar to your own. “There’s an elevator to The Survived in this building, no need to worry for your arches.”

---

Far outside of Enoka was a deep gray ship that was occupied by a great deal of armed forces in full black suits roaming around. Below the main deck in the cockpit/planning room of the ship was a familiar brown haired man standing over the screen in the center console showing a map with a small blip on it that was no longer moving. It hadn’t moved for about five hours now. The Brown haired man looked to his left at the woman at the helm steering the ship, “You told us we had to fall back, but how far out are we?” The woman internally sighed before taking her eye off of the waters in front of her. “A little over a week. I told you we would have to take this slow so that they don’t catch on. Stay on the move and circle around so we don’t get caught by their defense and surveillance. We’ve been over this, Graydon. I urge you to find your patience.” Graydon ran a frustrated hand through his hair before taking a breath and calm his rather antsy behavior. He looked back down at the virtual map with the steady blinking light on their target. “I know, Tar’. I just want to do this as soon as possible before the higher ups decide to pull us out of this job.” “Well they’ll know we’re there as soon as we step foot on the goddamn sand, so urgency isn’t really a factor,” Tara looked at Graydon for a second before putting the ship on autopilot and getting up. This isn’t a high level op. There’s only a 75% chance they’ll put us on more if we do this right.” She moved to stand next to Graydon before taking a look at the map to try and see what he was seeing. “What’s so important about this job that you’ve wanted to run it three different times?” “My birth mother was one of these muties. Said she wanted a place just like this for people like her where they could breed mutants and make more of them like rats. She’d go so far for her perfect world that she threw me away… She’s gotta be there, and even if she’s not I want to burn her dream to the fucking ground.”

** footnote: I wanted to use a completely different script for the Enokan language being spoken, but I couldn’t find a way to import it so that it was shown, so instead I made a simple code using typoglycemia (aka just unscramble the letters of each word). To make it so that it didn’t look as clunky, I sometimes replaced (i) with (y). Some words that end with vowels may have an apostrophe that takes the place of the vowel. Apostrophes can also be found at the beginning of words with vowels for fluidity’s sake. I didn’t think swears should be scrambled cuz that just *looks* off to me. The point of these changes is to have this resemble a spoken language more than it is a blatant tactic to confuse you.

Here’s a word unscrambler in case you need it

[probablyasocialecologist]

On a cold November afternoon in 2021, the three of us used metal lock-ons to chain ourselves together and block a quiet, private road near Gatwick airport, outside Brook House immigration removal centre, to prevent people being forcibly removed to Jamaica. We took action in solidarity with and support of people the government was trying to rip away from their children, partners and loved ones, while some were also physically resisting their deportation inside Brook House. We were arrested and charged with causing a public nuisance. We denied that and told the jury we felt we had a moral responsibility to act. The jury members appear to have empathised. They acquitted us. That speaks volumes. Living in this country and under a government proactively working to perpetuate racism, violence and other prejudice against marginalised people, there is an obligation to resist, in whatever way you can. That was our motivation. We now know that 41 of the 50 people the government tried to deport to Jamaica on that flight are still in the UK, and many of them have sent us grateful messages of support. Mothers have thanked us for resisting on behalf of their sons, while others have said that knowing there were people out there willing to stand up for them meant so much at a dark and lonely time – and that they can now enjoy their lives with their families.

[the-dreamers-hotel]

We are stepping on others to better ourselves.

I am absolutely begging LGBTQ+ folk to educate themselves on marginalised communities in general. You are not absolved of racism or ableism or transphobia or even homophobia just because you are LGBTQ+. You are certainly not immune to engaging in it unconsciously either, if you refuse to unlearn what the system forces on us.

Understanding intersectionality is absolutely key for queer liberation. But even more importantly, everyone must understand where their own oppression and sometimes advantageous traits affect them – such as living without disabilities, white, cisgender or even just having access to HRT, Good healthcare etc etc. There is an individual responsibility to educate and proactively and openly dismantle the tools of oppressing classes before proclaiming their opinions and thoughts on another member of the community.

If you believe that transmasculine or transmen do not face oppression based on their gender identity, then you are playing into the hands that beat you. We are our identities, and would like it if you didn’t erase that actually. In fact, maybe don’t play into the ideology that forces cisgender young men into Andrew Tate’s ilk either? You can criticise toxic behaviour without condemning all men and masculine people to death.

Not only do transmen and transmasculine people face oppression for their identity - which in itself is radically against the system quo and so the patriarchy justifies harassment - but should they have other marginalised identities, it adds to their oppression. Something a lot of this community seem to forget.

By blurting out buzzwords and barely thought-out opinions like “transmascs are privileged” or “transmen are men too and aid the patriarchy” you assist in so many deaths and so much abuse. Painting transmen and transmasculine people as toxic by default and including us in the group who want us dead as well, you make us invisible. You aid in our deaths and eradication.

Identifying as masculine or male and even passing and presenting as such does not remove the oppression experienced as someone AFAB – nor does it remove additional inequalities such as racial, sectarian/semitic, income based, sexual orientation based, and hell, homophobia.

I saw a post claiming transmen/transmasc folk on T have lost their right to be scared walking home at night. Not only do cisgender men have cause for fear during the night but to assume that “passing” somehow removes the intentions of those wishing harm on someone is absurd.

Transmasc/Transmen are treated as if they can only be men and nothing else – that this masculinity removes all other oppressive traits and it is assumed that they pass always too. Are we forgetting the subtle trained behaviour that some of us were not raised with? The conversation topics that could out us? That some of us aren’t skinny, white, and hyper masculine? Some of us are non-binary? Some of us reject conformity even as men? The fact that some of us are in mlm relationships? Hell, some of us have trans partners and that in itself can result in harm to us?

I don’t understand how you can believe a transmasc person or transman is only ever privileged.

Be outspoken to all transphobia, homophobia, racism, and misogyny – but do not deceive yourself that you are not partaking in it when you make these comments.

Stop lying to yourself. Do better.

Compassion & Comradery,

TDH.

[quasi-normalcy]

So I hope that we all agree that anti-Japanese racism is a real and pernicious thing in the West, right? Like it's a dangerous form of bigotry that threatens people's lives and safety and it should be stamped out.

BUT.

If, during the 1930s, sympathisers for Imperial Japan had turned around when Westerners were criticising their brutal invasion of Manchuria and said "Oh, well you're just being racist against the Japanese! Why aren't you being critical of Italy for invading Abyssinia, eh? Why aren't you be critical of Germany for invading Czechoslovakia?!?" I should hope that the response of any self-respecting person would be "Whatever, fascist; get the fuck out of Manchuria." Even if there probably were a few critics of Imperial Japan who just hated Japanese people in general.

So why should anyone be any more willing to entertain this same sleight of hand when the fascist Israeli government is the one doing it?

Like, absolutely, we should be proactive in stamping out antisemitism in our communities. But we absolutely should not allow Netanyahu's goons to shut down criticism because we're afraid of people accusing of us bigotry.

[qqueenofhades]

US-centric racial bullshit is even a problem in Canada. We LOVE pretending that we’re so much better than the United States and that our prejudices aren’t nearly as bad, but the way we’ve treated indigenous peoples has been abysmal for centuries, and most Canadians who aren’t Gen Z weren’t even aware of the worst of it until 2021. I’m not sure how many people outside of Canada know this but in 2021 they found a mass grave of 215 indigenous children outside an old residential school in Kamloops in BC, and everyone was scandalized for approximately two weeks. They’ve since searched like maybe five more schools out of over a hundred and found thousands of more bodies, and the initiative to even look has kind of fizzled out. This was my parents’ first exposure to the idea of residential schools, we’ve been sweeping this shit under the rug for decades, and we still get off to “not being the US”.

All this to say that Canadian history isn’t as flashy as the US but is still worth taking a look at. There’s a lot of harmful institutions still in place left over from like 1873 that symbolize incredibly tense political situations that continue to this day. And even our black history gets boiled down to “Underground Railroad”, oh aren’t we nice, when that’s really not all that happened.

Because I read international news and follow international politics, I am personally aware of the Canadian residential schools scandal, but it absolutely is something that fizzled out after a few weeks and was attempted to be covered up with a few boilerplate apologies and nothing in the way of real change or action. I would therefore gently question your phrasing of "US-centric racial bullshit," since the whole point of your ask is that while Canada pretends to be better than the US, it has its own specific racial and cultural blind spots relating to its own practice of racism. So would this not be more accurately called "Canada-centric racial bullshit?" After all, you're talking about something that happened in Canada, was perpetrated by Canadians, is directly related to the modern Canadian state, and as such as has been denied by white Canadians. After all, the big Trucker March of right-wingers that shut down Toronto took place in Canada, not the US. So yes, there's definitely a need to talk about Canadian racism in and of itself, and not just Canadian racism as a corollary of the US.

Canada is likewise a white settler-colonial state founded by Europeans (English and French, a split still prominent in modern Canada), and that therefore involved equally horrendous legacies of displacement and genocide against the First Nations people. Because Canada is so much smaller population-wise (300 million+ in the US vs just 38 million in Canada), it has thus to some degree been forced to expand its population by relying on immigrants and refugees. And to its credit, it has been more proactive about accepting refugees than the US. But there are still plenty of right-wingers who think that a geographically enormous and empty country like Canada, with only 38 million people, is getting too "crowded" with "foreigners." Likewise, Canada is still officially a part of the Commonwealth, aka the lightly rebranded British Empire, so its formal head of state is the UK monarch. And to the best of my knowledge, there haven't been any serious conversations about breaking that link and reorganizing as a republic, the way there have been in Caribbean Commonwealth countries like Jamaica and Barbados (which in fact just did it). That is because white first-world Canadians can see association with the British Empire as a "prestige," instead of the legacy of slavery and exploitation that was the British Empire against majority-black countries in the Caribbean.

Anyway: Canadians are always stereotyped as the nice people who apologize for everything and mind their business, and yes, the flaming dumpster fire of America would make anyone feel superior about not being that. But it doesn't mean there's no problems or that it's a perfect society free of its own flaws and failures, and Americans are also definitely guilty of treating it as some magical escape valve: witness the "I'm going to move to Canada" refrain when something political goes wrong here. In some ways, yes, that would be preferable, viz. free healthcare and strict gun laws. But yeah.

[worldwatcher3072]

Embracing Consciousness:

The Power of Being "Woke"

In a world riddled with racism, bigotry, misogyny, and intolerance, the term "woke" has emerged as a beacon of hope, inspiring individuals to confront social injustices head-on. However, this powerful term has not been without its controversies. In this blog post, we'll explore the essence of being "woke" and the necessity of embracing consciousness to combat the negative forces that plague our society.

The Dark Side of "Wokeness"

As with any movement, the "woke" culture has faced its fair share of criticisms. Some argue that it breeds self-righteousness and performative activism. Indeed, the pursuit of virtue signaling and the desire to outdo each other in the Wokeness Olympics can divert attention from the very issues it seeks to address. However, let us not forget that the core of being "woke" lies in awareness and empathy, not in empty gestures or hollow statements.

The Real Enemy: Ignorance and Intolerance

On the other side of the coin lie the true adversaries - ignorance and intolerance. Racism, bigotry, misogyny, and other forms of discrimination thrive when people turn a blind eye to systemic inequalities and perpetuate harmful beliefs and behaviors. Being "woke" represents an awakening, an acknowledgment of these issues, and a determination to challenge the status quo.

Fostering Empathy and Understanding

At the heart of being "woke" lies the cultivation of empathy and understanding. By embracing the experiences of others and actively listening to their stories, we gain invaluable insights into the struggles they face. Only through empathy can we break down the barriers that divide us and build a more united and compassionate society.

Education as a Catalyst for Change

Being "woke" is not about flaunting buzzwords or empty rhetoric; it's about educating ourselves on the intricacies of social issues. Delving deep into the roots of racism, sexism, and discrimination allows us to develop a nuanced understanding of these complex problems. Armed with knowledge, we can challenge misconceptions and advocate for informed solutions.

Turning Awareness into Action

Awareness alone is not enough to dismantle the structures of injustice. To make a real difference, we must translate our consciousness into meaningful action. Support for marginalized communities, participation in grassroots movements, and collaboration with like-minded individuals can lead to tangible progress. Being "woke" demands proactive engagement, not passive indifference.

Uniting for a Common Cause

As the world becomes increasingly polarized, it's crucial to remember that the struggle against discrimination is a collective battle. Rather than letting the term "woke" divide us, let us unite under the banner of compassion and equity. By seeking common ground and acknowledging the humanity in each other, we can bridge the gaps that separate us and work towards a brighter future.

Being "woke" is not a one-size-fits-all label; it represents a journey towards consciousness, empathy, and positive change. While it is essential to address the negative aspects associated with the "woke" culture, we must not lose sight of its fundamental purpose - to challenge racism, bigotry, misogyny, and intolerance. Let us embrace being "woke" as a call to action, to educate ourselves, foster empathy, and unite in the fight for a more equitable and inclusive society. Together, we can build a better world for everyone.

[elegiacmarquise]

🎩📷My OCs, Geneviève and Cornelius, Forbidden Memento 📷🎨

My Edwardian OCs Lady Geneviève and her lover Cornelius enjoying a nice spring afternoon in her mansion, in the English countryside. Her cousin, Stéphane, recently bought a rare finding from France, a colour camera, which soon caught the attention of the noblewoman. According to what was written behind the photograph, she wanted to have one picture of her happiest memories with her lover and Cornelius, albeit a bit reluctantly, accepted. Probably, as usual for Stéphane, he didn't use the camera that much but this shot was found by their offsprings many years later and was published on the Internet as one the earliest colour photographs! I wonder if Geneviève’s husband did also find it… Not that he would care that much, right?

Despite their story is set in the early 1900’s, Geneviève wears bangs, only hiding them if she goes outside or receives guests she's not close to. She would also wear her hair loose, sometimes along with some Eastern-inspired robes. She uses her physical appearance as a way to reconnect with her childhood in the 1880’s and thus, to maintain a sense of familiarity with an ambient she doesn’t know well, even after her marriage.

In general Geneviève is quite the independent thinker, even if likes to keep her femininity and sweetness. However she’s quite insecure and incoherent with her values. Ever since she married with a lord who seemingly cares about her more as an ornament than as a person, she became more silent, mostly expressing herself through her art. Ever since she met the one who later became her lover, Doctor Cornelius Spurling, and starting hosting her beloved cousin Stéphane, she would get motivated to get more proactive and actually showing her thoughts and actually investigating about her husband's shady behavior.

Her lover Cornelius is, instead, more grounded but he is still caring and passionate towards the ones he loves. He likes to see potential in those who loves, so he encourages them to do what they want, as long as it's reasonable. This altruism often backfired against him multiple times but he's stubborn enough to persecute on his way, just to being able to help. Unfortunately, because of his profession as a doctor, he’s easily stressed out and, adding with the relating frustrations of his personal life and the racism he often faces, he’s prone to irritability and impatience, feeling ashamed of it. Geneviève helps him both financially and morally through some letters she secretly sends with Stéphane's help, also encouraging him to keep in touch with his more imaginative side.

[ausetkmt]

In the face of ongoing systemic challenges, it is crucial for Black Americans to remain united and steadfast in their collective struggle against white supremacy. By staying on code with one another, the community can overcome obstacles, preserve their culture, and work towards a more equitable society. This article delves into the significance of unity, the pitfalls of personal attacks, the historical success of Black Americans through unity, and the transformative ideologies of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.

The Strength in Unity:

Unity among Black Americans is essential as it fosters a sense of camaraderie and empowers the community to confront systemic racism head-on. By standing together, they amplify their voices, challenge oppressive structures, and demand justice. Unity provides the support needed to effect lasting change and dismantle the pervasive systems that perpetuate inequality.

The Pitfalls of Personal Attacks:

Personal attacks within the Black community detract from the overarching goal of combating white supremacy. Instead of tearing each other down, it is crucial to engage in respectful dialogue and constructive criticism. By focusing on shared objectives, Black Americans can channel their energy towards uplifting one another and addressing systemic issues that plague their community.

Historical Success through Unity:

Throughout history, Black Americans have demonstrated the power of unity. From the civil rights movement to grassroots initiatives, collective action has propelled significant advancements. The civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, though differing in approaches, both emphasized unity and the importance of Black solidarity in the face of adversity. Their ideologies continue to inspire generations and serve as guiding principles for progress.

The Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.:

Martin Luther King Jr.'s vision of nonviolent resistance emphasized the power of unity and love in challenging oppression. His tireless advocacy for racial equality inspired millions, igniting a nationwide movement that brought about pivotal changes in legislation and societal attitudes. By following King's teachings, Black Americans can continue to harness unity as a force for transformation.

The Influence of Malcolm X:

Malcolm X, known for his boldness and militancy, urged Black Americans to take a proactive stance in reclaiming their rights. While his methods differed from King's, his message of self-determination and cultural pride resonated with many. By acknowledging and understanding the complexity of both leaders' ideologies, Black Americans can draw strength and inspiration for their own empowerment.

Conclusion:

In the face of persistent white supremacy, the importance of Black Americans staying on code with one another cannot be overstated. Personal attacks and division only serve to undermine the collective goals of justice, equality, and liberation. Through unity, inspired by the legacies of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, Black Americans can forge a path towards a brighter future, where their voices are heard, their culture is celebrated, and true equality is achieved. Together, they can dismantle the barriers of oppression and build a society that honors the principles of justice and equity for all.

[eelfuneral]

If I see one more person call the Bad Batch “white boys” I’m going to scream. Yes, they are whiteWASHED, but in order to be whitewashed, you have to be…not white in the first place.

At the end of the day, they are all clones of Jango Fett, who was not a “white boy”. Calling them white is basically looking at the whitewashing and ACCEPTING IT, no matter how many layers of snark you burry that underneath. Many members of the TBB fandom have actually put effort into tweaking their designs to not look quite so whitewashed in fanworks. A petition was going around a while back to get the studio to fix it, and this petition has been signed and shared by ACTIVE TBB FANS. And here you are, sitting around going “lol, they’re white boys”. Tell me, who is more proactively going against the whitewashing in this case? This isn’t to say that the entire TBB fandom is perfect and racism-free (there are, unfortunately, some rancid bigots running around) but there is a sizable contingent that is actively calling out the whitewashing in canon or going against the whitewashing in their own portrayals.

Also, the “they’re all just flat stereotypes” argument tells me that you’ve never watched the goddamn show and don’t see how they slowly break away from those stereotypes over the course of the plot.

[kuramirocket]

Big Lit Meets the Mexican Americans: A Study in White Supremacy

HarperCollins tells us: “We publish content that presents a diversity of voices and speaks to the global community. We promote industry and company initiatives that represent people of all ethnicities, races, genders and gender identities, sexual orientations, ages, classes, religions, national origins and abilities.” The New York Times proclaims its dedication to building a “culture of inclusion,” while the University of Arizona’s MFA program commits itself “to proactively fostering diversity and inclusion throughout its curriculum, admissions, hiring, and day-to-day practices.”

Some of these statements may reflect actual practices while others are simply corporate boilerplate. Whether they are sincere or not, the fact remains that most books agented, sold, reviewed, and distributed are mostly written by white people and are, moreover, mostly agented, sold, reviewed, and distributed by other white people. (In fact, the term “diversity,” as used in such statements, seems to reinforce rather than confront the notion that white, cisgender people are the norm and everyone else is a big, indistinguishable mass of otherness. But that’s a different essay.)

Big Lit is virtually a whites-only country club. Everyone knows this. The lack of racial diversity among the people who populate Big Lit is an open secret. The Big Five — Penguin Random House, Hachette, Macmillan, Simon and Schuster, and HarperCollins — is still where it’s at in terms of getting maximum exposure, resources and mainstream acceptance. Big Lit can consign to near invisibility the work of entire communities of writers it decides not to take up.

This essay is a kind of case study of the Mexican-American literary community, a community whose writers Big Lit rarely takes up. But I don’t mean to offer another lecture about Big Lit’s lack of diversity (well, not entirely). Rather, I want to examine how the ideology of white supremacy works to brand an entire population of nonwhite people — here, Mexican Americans — as inherently inferior to whites, how that message is reinforced by means both legal and extra-legal, how it seeps into literary culture, and, how, ultimately, literary culture (i.e., Big Lit) consciously or unconsciously views this population through the lens of those white-supremacist beliefs.

This ingrained and complex racism can’t be ameliorated by platitudes about diversity or tokenistic representations of “diverse” populations. 

Part One

When Donald Trump called Mexican immigrants “rapists” during the announcement of his 2016 presidential bid, he was strumming a very old chord in white America’s consciousness. Since the mid-19th century, the denigration of Mexicans and, by extension, Mexican Americans has been an ongoing project of white America. The pivotal point was the US invasion of 1848 and the forcible appropriation of half the territory that comprised the nascent Mexico. Then as now, Mexico saw the war for what it was: an unprovoked and unprincipled land grab. As a Mexican newspaper at the time thundered: “A government […] that starts a war without a legitimate motive is responsible for all its evils and horrors. The bloodshed, the grief of families, the pillaging, the destruction. […] Such is the case of the U.S. Government, for having initiated the unjust war it is waging against us today.”

Fueled by the almost religious conviction that the United States was destined to occupy the entire North American continent, Anglo America embarked on the near extermination of indigenous people and the conquest of Mexico. From the outset, Manifest Destiny was a racialist doctrine.

As one historian observes:

By 1850 the emphasis was on the American Anglo-Saxons as a separate, innately superior people who were destined to bring good government, commercial prosperity, and Christianity to the American continents and to the world. This was a superior race, and inferior races were doomed to subordinate status or extinction.

America’s true motives were laid bare in a contemporary North American periodical, the American Whig Review: “Mexico was poor, distracted, in anarchy and almost in ruins — what could she do to stay the hand of our power, to impede the march of our greatness? We were Anglo-Saxon Americans; it was our ‘destiny’ to possess and to rule this continent — we were bound to it.” (Mid-19th-century Mexico was a troubled, unstable polity but still: If your neighbor’s house is on fire, is the morally appropriate response to break in and steal everything of value you can lay your hands on?)

At the end of the war, over 100,000 Mexicans were trapped on what was now the American side of the border. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo guaranteed that these captive people would become naturalized American citizens, with all the rights and privileges thereof, and that their property rights would be respected. Those promises evaporated almost as soon as the ink was dry on the treaty. The promised enfranchisement, it turned out, was only federal, not state citizenship. This ploy allowed the states that were carved out of annexed territory to limit citizenship to something called “white Mexicans.” As for the property right guarantee, Mexican property owners became bankrupt in American courts when fighting off American predators and squatters who would trespass and forcefully stay on their private property.

Arising at the same time was Western genre fiction, emerging first in the form of dime novels. This genre provided the most popular and widely distributed representations of Mexicans and Mexican Americans from the mid-19th century well into the 20th. Its practitioners included writers like Zane Gray, O. Henry, and Stephen Crane, as well as countless pulp writers. Film and, later, television perpetuated these representations and gave them even wider currency. Central to the Western genre was the theme of Mexican racial inferiority, which these narratives used to justify the invasion and conquest of Mexico; indeed one author called it, "conquest fiction."

Much of early Western fiction originated or was set in Texas, always a hotbed of particularly virulent anti-Mexican sentiment. Mexico had initially welcomed Anglo settlement in Texas, but the Anglos who arrived tended to be slave-owning Southerners with reactionary views about the purported inferiority of darker-skinned people. Mexico abolished slavery in 1829. This contributed to the Anglo-led secession of Texas from Mexico and the founding of the Texas Republic; basically, the white Texans wanted to maintain slavery.

Their attitudes toward their erstwhile Mexican hosts was summed up by Texas patriot Stephan Austin, who on one occasion described Mexicans as a “mongrel Spanish-Indian and negro race,” and on another as “degraded and vile; the unfortunate race of Spaniard, Indian, and African is so blended that the worst qualities of each predominate.”

Antebellum pulp Westerns with titles like Mexico versus Texas, Bernard Lile: An Historical Romance, and Piney Woods Tavern; or, Sam Slick in Texas created a set of Mexican stereotypes that prevailed well into the 20th century, among them the lazy peon, the evil bandido, and the licentious señorita. In these works most Mexican males are “segregated into two distinctly inferior types: peon servants and mestizo bandidos. As “half-breeds,” the mestizo bandidos are “a cut above the peons,” but “have no moral scruples. […] When the American heroes finally ‘unmask’ these poseur gentlemen and expose their wickedness, they either kill them or hurl them back across the color line into ‘brownness’ and disgrace.” The distaff side is represented by “Mexican woman […] graced with voluptuous figures but burdened by loose moral principles.”

Higher-brow publications like The Atlantic and Scribner’s Magazine were no less derogatory. An 1899 article in The Atlantic entitled “The Greaser” portrayed its Mexican-American subject as “the mestizo, the Greaser, half-blood offspring of the marriage of antiquity and modernity.” A travel piece in an 1894 issue of Scribner’s Magazine described the borderland between Texas and Mexico as “The American Congo”; the piece is a veritable encyclopedia of racist stereotyping, including this Trumpian observation: “The Rio Grande Mexican is not a law-breaker in the American sense of the term; he has never known what law was and he does not care to learn; that’s all there is to it.”

These caricatures of Mexican Americans were amplified and even more widely distributed as early moviemakers discovered the appeal of Westerns. Mexicans were, once again, cast as the dark-skinned foils to upright Anglo heroes as summarized by an author:

[F]ilm titles and advertising made open use of the word greaser, at least up to the 1920’s: The Greaser’s Gauntlet, The Girl and the Greaser, Broncho Bill and the Greaser, The Greaser’s Revenge, Guns and Greasers, or, bluntly, The Greasers. The artistic and cultural sensitivity of these films match their titles. If adventure stories, they feature no-holds-barred struggles between good Americans and bad Mexicans. The cause of the conflict is often vaguely defined. Some greasers meet their fate because they are greasers. Others are on the wrong side of the law. Others violate Saxon moral codes. All of them rob, assault, kidnap, and murder with the same wild abandon as their dime-novel counterparts.

These silent-era representations continued into the talkies.

Brownness, stupidity, laziness, cowardice, lawlessness, and sexual immortality: these became the signifiers of Mexicans in white America’s consciousness, reinforcing the notion that Mexicans are inferior to white people. This inferiority was race-based — that is, Mexicans were presumed to be inherently and in some inchoate sense biologically less intelligent, capable, and moral than white people.So deeply embedded are these cultural images that, after the death of the Western as a popular genre in books, movies, and TV, they simply shape-shifted into more contemporary versions.

Instead of the bandidos of yore, Mexican-American men transformed into gangbangers and drug dealers; the lazy peons became grocery-cart-pushing homeless people and hapless drug addicts; the flashing-eyed señoritas now tottered around suggestively on Fuck Me Pumps uttering heavily accented malapropisms. Often, however, these stereotypes don’t speak at all. In movies and on TV, you see brown people silently pushing laundry carts, pruning rose bushes, or stacking dishes into an industrial dishwasher, a sepia background against which the whiteness — and, thus, the superiority ��� of the real heroes and heroines gleams all the more brightly.

Part Two

Before Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, there was Mendez v. Westminster in 1946, the first federal court decision striking down school segregation. Let me explain.

California’s Orange County had set up “Mexican schools,” which all children of Mexican descent were required to attend from first to fourth grade. The ostensible reason was that they couldn’t speak English, but all Mexican-American children were forced into these schools regardless of their fluency. By the time the Mendez and five other families sued, these schools had 5,000 students. In the then-prevalent racial binary of black versus white, Mexicans were grudgingly considered “white.” This meant the plaintiffs couldn’t allege racial discrimination. Instead, they argued that the segregation of public schools impermissibly discriminated against their children based on ancestry and presumptive language deficiency.

In short, Orange Country’s segregation scheme wasn’t authorized by state law; thus, by extension, neither were other forms of segregation imposed on Mexican Americans in California by a comprehensive set of statewide Jim Crow–like laws. To summarize the situation: By the 1920s, many Southern California communities had established ‘Mexican schools’ along with segregated public swimming pools, movie theaters, and restaurants.” (On a personal note, I can testify that my mother remembers being turned away from a Sacramento public swimming pool sometime in the late 1940s because she was — and is — undeniably mestiza in appearance.)

From the mid-19th to the mid-20th centuries, whites used a combination of discriminatory legal and terroristic extra-legal tactics against Mexican Americans. Mexican Americans were disenfranchised, faced residential and education segregation, were denied the use of public facilities, and were in danger of being lynched. Yes, lynched — 571 ethnic Mexicans were lynched between 1848 and 1928; in addition, the Texas Rangers summarily executed at least another 500 Mexicans without trial.

As has repeatedly been the case, these discriminatory legal measures and extra-judicial assaults corresponded to high tides of Mexican immigration. In this time of history, Mexican immigration was between 1900 and 1930 - many, like my great-grandparents, refugees. Nativist whites such as Madison Grant, author of the influential The Passing of the Great Race, deplored this invasion by a “mongrel race.” White America’s attitudes toward Mexican immigration have always been both exploitative and ambivalent. On the one hand, these immigrants are useful because they serve as a cheap source of agricultural labor in the West; however, because they are members of an inferior “mongrel race,” they have to be closely monitored and firmly kept in place.

The ease with which bare tolerance could shift to active hostility was dramatically illustrated during the Great Depression. During this period, an estimated 400,000 Mexican Americans, 60 percent of them American citizens by birth or by naturalization, were forcibly repatriated to Mexico. The pretexts given were that Mexican Americans were taking scarce jobs away from white Americans and were a drain on government relief assistance. (Sound familiar?)

In a frenzy of anti-Mexican hysteria, wholesale punitive measures were proposed and taken by government officials at the federal, state, and local levels. Laws were passed depriving Mexicans of jobs in the public and private sectors. Immigration and deportation laws were enacted to restrict emigration and hasten the departure of those already here. Contributing to the brutalizing experience were the mass deportation roundups and reparation drives. […] An incessant cry of “get rid of the Mexicans” swept the country.

Mexican Americans never passively consented to their victimization by white Americans. Following the end of the Mexican-American War, they fought the unlawful seizure of lands guaranteed to them under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in American courts many being unsuccessful and losing their private property and homes to Americans who illegally squatted on their land and protested the decisions by California, Texas, and Arizona to limit citizenship to “white Mexicans.” In the 1930s, long before the establishment of the United Farm Workers, Mexican agricultural workers organized themselves into unions and went on strike in California, Arizona, Idaho, Washington, and Colorado; they were met with brutal suppression. “[w]ith scarcely an exception, every strike in which Mexicans participated in the borderlands in the thirties was broken by the use of violence and followed by deportations. In most of these strikes, Mexican workers stood alone, that is, they were not supported by organized labor.”

The 1960s and ’70s saw the birth of the Chicano Movement — emphasizing racial pride and resistance to racism. That movement also gave birth to a body of literature that is now acknowledged to contain many of the ur-texts that form the basis of Chicano/a and Latinx studies programs.

And now? Who are these Mexican Americans? While their numbers continued to be greatest in the western states, there are Mexican-American communities in every state in the union, with a significant presence in the Midwest and a growing presence in the South. In contrast to the aging white population, a 2007 survey revealed only six percent of “Hispanic Americans” to be 65 or older; the comparable percentage for whites was 15 percent. Thus, a brown workforce increasingly supports white retirees.

Contrary to the stereotype that most Americans of Mexican descent are recent immigrants, the majority of Mexican Americans are native-born. That percentage will only increase because Mexican immigration — even before Obama’s massive deportations and Trump’s war against immigrants — has been steadily decreasing, as a 2015 Pew Research Poll shows. That poll also dispels another stereotype, showing that almost 90 percent of native-born Mexican Americans are proficient in English. Moreover, Pew Research has also established that 83 percent of all Latinos and 91 percent of Latino millennials (including, of course, Mexican Americans) get their news in English.

The Department of Education reported a 126 percent jump in Latino students entering college between 2000 and 2015. 

In short, Mexican Americans comprise a youthful, increasingly well-educated, largely native-born and English-proficient, aspirational community. 

Yet, despite all this, Mexican-American representation in mainstream American culture, when it appears at all, remains either tokenistic, stereotypical, or both. In film, television, and books this emergent community is still largely ignored.

Part Thee

As part of my research for this essay, I looked at the course syllabi for a half-dozen courses in Latinx or Chicano literature from colleges across the nation, in order to see which Mexican-American works and writers scholars deem canonical. This is the list I came up with (virtually all these books were taught at more than one school):

Americo Paredes, George Washington Gómez (written in mid-’30s; published 1990)

Tomás Rivera, … y no se lo tragó la tierra/and the earth did not devour him (1971)

Rudolfo Anaya, Bless Me, Ultima (1972)

Sandra Cisneros, The House on Mango Street (1984)

Arturo Islas, The Rain God (1984)

Ana Castillo, The Mixquiahuala Letters (1986)

Gloria Anzaldúa, Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza (1987)

Alejandro Morales, The Rag Doll Plagues (1991)

Helena Maria Viramontes, Under the Feet of Jesus (1995)

Norma Elia Cantú, Canícula (1995)

Reyna Grande, Across a Hundred Mountains (2006)

What most of these books have in common is that, with two exceptions, none were published by the Big Five or their predecessors; instead, almost all were originally published by small presses. While some were later picked up by Big Five publishers for paperback editions, most are still being kept in print by independent or university presses. Even The House on Mango Street, now generally recognized as a classic work of American fiction was originally published by Arte Público Press.

What this illustrates is Big Lit’s long history of ignorance or indifference to Mexican-American writers and the Mexican-American experience in this country. Yet to read any of these books is to experience a vision of America at once unique and familiar, for each in its own way tells a quintessentially American story. It’s just not a white American story. Yet very few Mexican-American writers find a place in Big Lit.

Big Lit is a very, very white place. White people overwhelmingly populate the Big Five; as the now-famous publishing diversity study by Lee & Low Books reported, 79 percent of people employed in the industry in 2015 were white and only six percent Latino.

A 2019 salary survey of the publishing industry undertaken by Publishers Weekly put the percentage of white employees at 84 percent.

Librarians, who are crucial to the sale and dissemination of literary texts, are also overwhelmingly white. A February 2013 editorial in The Library Journal entitled “Diversity Never Happens” observed that “Hispanics are some of the strongest supporters of libraries, and yet they continue to be thinly represented among the ranks of librarians.” ”The editorial cites statistics showing that, while Latinos/as are more likely to use libraries on a monthly basis than whites, only eight percent of the 118,666 credentialled librarians were Latino/a. A 2017 statistical study reports that “89 percent of librarians in leadership or administration roles were white and non-Hispanic.”

Similar demographic information for other realms of Big Lit appears to be unavailable. No one seems to be keeping any record of what percentage of the writers who are reviewed — or the reviewers who review — in The New York Times Book Review, Publishers Weekly, or Booklist, for example, are white. In a 2012 study of book reviews published by The New York Times, it was found that 90 percent of the books reviewed in 2011 were by white writers. White writers are vastly and disproportionately overrepresented both as reviewers and subjects of reviews in comparison to writers of color.

There are over 1,300 literary agents in the United States, most of them in New York, but I could find no statistics about their racial demographics. I did find an anecdotal study from the late 1990s, in an article called “Dearth of Hispanic Literary Agents Frustrates Writers.” The asserted that neither the literary agencies canvassed in The Literary Market Place nor the roster of agents in the Association of Authors’ Representatives listed a single Latino/a agent. The number is now likely greater than zero, but I have no doubt that the profession remains at least as white as publishing.

Similarly, there are, to my knowledge, no statistics about the racial composition of students and faculty at the many MFA programs around the country. There are, however, plenty of anecdotal accounts of how students of color are received in these programs. The essay “The Student of Color in the Typical MFA Program” powerfully summarizes these experiences. According to the essay, if a student of color objects to a racist depiction in a work by a white student, she or he risks being accused of censorship, or else the objection is dismissed as a political argument outside the bounds of literary analysis. Moreover, the student’s objection often triggers guilt or anger in white students and teachers because it challenges their cherished beliefs that they are not racist, and so they respond by branding their colleague a troublemaker.

The whiteness of Big Lit has practical consequences for Mexican-American writers. If virtually every agent, editor, book reviewer, and librarian is white, then such writers will have a much harder time finding representation, getting published, being reviewed and recommended. Therefore, there will be fewer Mexican-American voices in the literary culture. And this, in turn, means that there will be fewer counterbalances to the racist depictions of Mexican Americans in mainstream culture — portrayals that allow Trump and other white supremacists to continue to vilify a large segment of the American population. 

White progressives in Big Lit may lament this situation, but they take no responsibility for the perpetuation of white privilege, if not white supremacy, in literary culture. Why? Because that privilege benefits them.

Part Four

The obvious issue is this: the white people who make up Big Lit live in a culture whose history and practice enshrines the belief that Mexican Americans are inherently inferior to whites, and fundamentally they’re okay with that.

The standard American university education continues to emphasize the primacy of white writers and their experience. To achieve a literary culture that truly reflects America’s multiracial society first requires an acknowledgment that Big Lit’s views regarding the putative universality of white experience are rooted in the ideology of white supremacy.

Other commentators have noted that the Big Five apply a double standard when acquiring and retaining writers of color. Writers of color aren’t allowed to fail the same way white writers are allowed to. If one book by a white author doesn’t sell, no one at the publishing house says they shouldn’t acquire any books by white authors the next season. But if a book by a Mexican, for example, doesn’t sell, the publisher may take its sweet time in “taking a risk” on another.

But aren’t disappointing sales a good reason to not continue publishing a particular writer or kind of book? That would be an acceptable explanation if the same standard applied across the board. To amplify the point above, however, if a white novelist from Brooklyn fails to make back her advance, that doesn’t mean her publisher won’t acquire other white Brooklyn novelists or even refuse to publish that particular author’s next book. Moreover, and here’s where the argument really falls apart, most books fail to make money, at least initially. The editor-in-chief at One World noted at the LARB/USC publishing workshop in July 2019 that 10 percent of books published by the Big Five support the remaining 90 percent. If most books are a risk, why is that risk disproportionately attributed to work by writers of color?

“Hispanics don’t read.” Whether a Big Five editor ever actually uttered those words, it is widely believed by the Latino/a community to be a sentiment Big Lit harbors about us. According to a nationally syndicated columnist after a day or two after a book's release, she got a call from a New York Times reporter asking her how well the book would sell. The reporter jumped in to the first question: ‘Why don’t Latinos read?’” 

The Big Five, like the larger media culture, are not representative of the U.S. but of the limited tastes of the elite of Manhattan and certain areas of Brooklyn. These cultural gatekeepers — publishers, editors, agents — are simply unfamiliar with Latinos. A bias seeps into their decision making, based again on the unwarranted assumption that Latinos don’t read.

The notion that Mexican Americans and other Latinos/as don’t read is clearly rooted in assumptions of racial inferiority — e.g., immigrant, poor, less educated, less intelligent.

In short, the ideology of white supremacy is at the root of Big Lit’s “diversity problem.” The reason Big Lit doesn’t seek out, encourage, publish, and promote Mexican-Americans writers is because the people who work in it don’t really believe that Mexican Americans are the intellectual or creative equals of — or that their stories have the same value as those of — white writers.

Hey Big Lit: You think the Mexican-American experience can be expressed in a handful of stereotypes, most of which emphasize the intellectual and moral inferiority of Mexican Americans. While we’ve had to figure out white people, you’ve never had to think past your stereotypes of us. While we’ve been paddling upstream against the current of your white-supremacist assumptions, you’ve been lazily drifting along in them. You know nothing of our historical experience, while all of us have had the false narrative of white American triumphalism forced down our throats. And while you mouth your support for “diversity,” any such initiatives that you control will be, at best, tokenistic. Indeed, the concept of “diversity” itself may simply be an attempt on your part to deflect attention away from white-supremacist assumptions by turning the issue of race into a discussion about mere representation.

There can be no real diversity without a real and meaningful redistribution of power. 

It’s almost impossible to imagine that the white people who compose somewhere north of 79 percent of Big Lit would ever voluntarily and actively agree to — and work toward — an industry where their percentage slipped below 50 percent. When it comes right down to it, Big Lit, you’re much more invested in maintaining your privilege, and passing it down to your white heirs, than in helping to create a literary culture that genuinely represents the fullness of the American project — warts, near-genocides, invasions, lynchings, and all.

Of course, we’ll keep on calling you out, because you do respond sometimes — out of guilt, if nothing else. Maybe you’ll publish a few more Mexican-American writers, review a book or two about the Mexican-Americans experience, hire a Mexican-American writer to teach in your MFA program, highlight the works of Mexican Americans in your bookstore when it’s not “Hispanic Heritage Month.” We will also will continue to remind you that you will find yourself listed among the collaborators, right up there with the Scribner’s Magazine editor who commissioned “The American Congo.”

Source

[reasoningdaily]

Real-life examples of AI algorithms demonstrating bias and prejudice

Table of Content

Introduction

Three Real-Life Examples of AI Bias

What can we learn from all of this?

Introduction

Some say that it’s a buzzword that doesn't really mean much. Others say that it’s the cause of the end of humanity.

The truth is that artificial intelligence (AI) is starting a technological revolution, and while AI has yet to take over the world, there’s a more pressing concern that we’ve already encountered: AI bias.

What is AI bias?

AI bias is the underlying prejudice in data that’s used to create AI algorithms, which can ultimately result in discrimination and other social consequences.

Let me give a simple example to clarify the definition: Imagine that I wanted to create an algorithm that decides whether an applicant gets accepted into a university or not and one of my inputs was geographic location. Hypothetically speaking, if the location of an individual was highly correlated with ethnicity, then my algorithm would indirectly favor certain ethnicities over others. This is an example of bias in AI.

This is dangerous. Discrimination undermines equal opportunity and amplifies oppression. I can say this for certain because there have already been several instances where AI bias has done exactly that.

In this article, I’m going to share three real-life examples of when AI algorithms have demonstrated prejudice and discrimination towards others.

Three Real-Life Examples of AI Bias

1. Racism embedded in US healthcare

In October 2019, researchers found that an algorithm used on more than 200 million people in US hospitals to predict which patients would likely need extra medical care heavily favored white patients over black patients. While race itself wasn’t a variable used in this algorithm, another variable highly correlated to race was, which was healthcare cost history. The rationale was that cost summarizes how many healthcare needs a particular person has. For various reasons, black patients incurred lower health-care costs than white patients with the same conditions on average.

Thankfully, researchers worked with Optum to reduce the level of bias by 80%. But had they not interrogated in the first place, AI bias would have continued to discriminate severely.

2. COMPAS

Arguably the most notable example of AI bias is the COMPAS (Correctional Offender Management Profiling for Alternative Sanctions) algorithm used in US court systems to predict the likelihood that a defendant would become a recidivist.

Due to the data that was used, the model that was chosen, and the process of creating the algorithm overall, the model predicted twice as many false positives for recidivism for black offenders (45%) than white offenders (23%).

3. Amazon’s hiring algorithm

Amazon’s one of the largest tech giants in the world. And so, it’s no surprise that they’re heavy users of machine learning and artificial intelligence. In 2015, Amazon realized that their algorithm used for hiring employees was found to be biased against women. The reason for that was because the algorithm was based on the number of resumes submitted over the past ten years, and since most of the applicants were men, it was trained to favor men over women.

What can we learn from all of this?

It’s clear that making non-biased algorithms are hard. In order to create non-biased algorithms, the data that’s used has to be bias-free and the engineers that are creating these algorithms need to make sure they’re not leaking any of their own biases. With that said, here are a few tips to minimize bias:

The data that one uses needs to represent “what should be” and not “what is”. What I mean by this is that it’s natural that randomly sampled data will have biases because we lived in a biased world where equal opportunity is still a fantasy. However, we have to proactively ensure that the data we use represents everyone equally and in a way that does not cause discrimination against a particular group of people. For example, with Amazon’s hiring algorithm, had there been an equal amount of data for men and women, the algorithm may not have discriminated as much.

Some sort of data governance should be mandated and enforced. As both individuals and companies have some sort of social responsibility, we have an obligation to regulate our modeling processes to ensure that we are ethical in our practices. This can mean several things, like hiring an internal compliance team to mandate some sort of audit for every algorithm created, the same way Obermeyer’s group did.

Model evaluation should include an evaluation by social groups. Learning from the instances above, we should strive to ensure that metrics like the true accuracy and false positive rate are consistent when comparing different social groups, whether that be gender, ethnicity, or age.

[theiwtnsstand]

Reforming the Badge: Accountability and Transparency in Law Enforcement

We see it time and time again. George Floyd, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Philando Castile, Breonna Taylor… the list goes on and on…

These horrific incidents, fueled by racial bias and a culture of impunity, have shattered the trust between communities and the very institutions meant to protect them. It is imperative that we demand justice, reform, and a commitment to true accountability from our law enforcement agencies. Only then can we begin to heal the wounds of the past and build a future where everyone feels safe and respected.

Systemic racism and bias in policing:

There are many institutionalized ways that racial discrimination affects law enforcement practices and outcomes, many of which are rooted in historical and societal factors influenced by our country’s pervasive history of racism.

From the “slave patrols” in the antebellum south that were used to surveil, control, and punish black people, to today’s destructive “stop-and-frisk” policies, and other “proactive policing” policies that are overly aggressive and associated with racial disparities, the cycle of racial profiling, police brutality, and increased policing has disproportionately affected the black community.

According to The Sentencing Project, “African Americans are more likely than white Americans to be arrested; once arrested, they are more likely to be convicted; and once convicted, they are more likely to experience lengthy prison sentences. African-American adults are 5.9 times as likely to be incarcerated than whites, and Hispanics are 3.1 times as likely. As of 2001, one of every three black boys born in that year could expect to go to prison in his lifetime, as could one of every six Latinos—compared to one of every seventeen white boys.”

According to the United States Commission on Civil Rights, “The best available evidence reflects high rates of use of force nationally, and increased likelihood of police use of force against people of color, people with disabilities, LGBT people, people with mental health concerns, people with low incomes, and those at the intersections of these groups.”

Excessive force and police brutality:

While instances of police brutality have occurred throughout the nation's history, the problem has been particularly acute in Black communities. This is due to a number of factors, including:  

Historical context: The legacy of slavery, Jim Crow laws, and systemic racism has created a deep-seated distrust between Black communities and law enforcement.  

Racial profiling: Black individuals are more likely to be stopped, searched, and arrested by police, often based on racial stereotypes.  

Over-policing: Black communities are often over-policed, leading to increased contact with law enforcement and a higher likelihood of being subjected to excessive force.  

Key events and figures in the history of police brutality in the United States include:

The Tulsa Race Massacre (1921): A horrific event in which a white mob attacked, burned, and looted the Black neighborhood of Greenwood in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  

The Civil Rights Movement (1950s-1960s): This period saw numerous instances of police brutality against Black protesters and civil rights leaders, including the beating of Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, Alabama.  

The Watts Riots (1965): A series of riots that broke out in Los Angeles after a traffic stop escalated into a violent confrontation between police and the Black community.  

The Rodney King beating (1991): The brutal beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police officers, which was captured on video and sparked widespread outrage and civil unrest.  

The killing of George Floyd (2020): The murder of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, ignited a global movement against police brutality and racial injustice.  

The enduring impact of slavery and segregation in the United States is far-reaching and continues to shape society today. The legacy of systemic racism has resulted in persistent disparities in areas such as education, housing, employment, and the criminal justice system. These disparities have disproportionately affected Black communities, leading to cycles of poverty, inequality, and limited opportunities. Additionally, the historical trauma associated with slavery and segregation has had a profound psychological impact on Black Americans, contributing to issues such as mental health challenges and generational trauma.

Public Trust and Confidence

Public trust in law enforcement is essential for a functioning democracy. When citizens have faith in the police, they are more likely to cooperate with them, report crimes, and follow the law. This trust is crucial for preventing and solving crimes, as well as maintaining public safety.

The relationship between law enforcement and their communities is equally important. Police officers rely on communities to provide information and assistance in solving crimes. A strong relationship with the community can help to build trust, cooperation, and understanding. When police officers are seen as partners in the community, they are more likely to be effective in their work.

Moreover, a positive relationship between law enforcement and the community can help to reduce crime. When citizens feel safe and respected, they are less likely to engage in criminal activity. A strong relationship can also help to prevent civil unrest and promote social stability.

All research, statistics and evidence show that force is used disproportionately and there are clear racial disparities in arrests and sentencing. There is also evidence to support that implicit bias influences how law enforcement perceives and interprets information and their decision making. These biased judgements lead to increased use of force.

The consequences of our nation’s sordid racist history have resulted in widespread negative stereotypes and prejudices which have impacted law enforcement practices. Further complicating the problem, persons of color are often underrepresented in police departments. This can significantly contribute to a lack of empathy and understanding for diverse communities. That, coupled with inadequate training on implicit bias has fostered an environment that is rife with corruption and misconduct.

Lack of accountability for misconduct:

The lack of accountability for police misconduct is a complex issue with multiple contributing factors.

Internal Investigations

Would you eat at a restaurant that was allowed to do their own health department inspections? Yeah. Me neither! But police departments often conduct internal investigations into officer misconduct. Where is impartiality in this process? It is well known that there is a culture of solidarity in law enforcement, which makes it difficult to hold colleagues accountable for their wrongdoing. Also, since internal investigations are often time-consuming, limited departmental resources can lead to de-prioritization.

Prosecutors and Grand Juries:

It’s not uncommon for a prosecutor to face pressure, political or otherwise, not to charge their own officers with misconduct – especially in cases involving well publicized or sensitive issues.  Even when a trial does move forward, those same prosecutors have significant influence over what evidence is presented in a grand jury trial (which requires a majority vote to indict).

Getting justice for police misconduct in the criminal system is difficult. Internal investigations can prevent police misconduct from ever seeing the light of day, interdepartmental politics can pressure prosecutors into not pressing charges, and prosecutors can tailor which evidence is presented at a jury trial. But getting justice in the civil system has equally arduous obstacles.

Qualified Immunity:

If a healthcare professional makes a mistake in the course of their work that results in injury or death, they can face a malpractice suit. If a legal professional provides bad legal advice or mishandles evidence, they can face a malpractice suit. If a financial professional commits fraud or offers bad investment advice or even fails to disclose conflicts of interest, they can be susceptible to a civil lawsuit. This is standard in many professions, as we see it in most industries such as medical, legal, financial, architectural, engineering, real estate, and construction – just to name a few.

In the United States we have a legal doctrine that protects government officials (including law enforcement) from civil lawsuits unless their actions clearly violate established law. So as long as an officer is following established procedures, they are not at risk of civil lawsuits even if those actions were wrong or resulted in harm. Who decides whether or not qualified immunity is enforceable? The courts. And those courts set a very high bar for plaintiffs to prove that an officer’s actions were unconstitutional.

One example of this is the case of Anderson v. Creighton (1991). In this case, police officers executed a no-knock warrant at the wrong home, believing it to be the home of a drug suspect. During the raid, the officers shot and killed the homeowner. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the officers, granting them qualified immunity. The Court reasoned that the officers' actions were objectively reasonable under the circumstances, even though they had mistakenly executed the warrant at the wrong home.

Fraternal Order of Police (FOP):

Unions are great. Unions play a crucial role in protecting workers' rights and improving their working conditions. They negotiate collective bargaining agreements with employers to secure fair wages, benefits, and job security. Unions also advocate for workers' rights, such as the right to organize, bargain collectively, and strike. Additionally, unions provide their members with support and resources, such as legal representation and educational opportunities.

However, in the case of the FOP (a powerful police union) they have a history of exerting significant influence over both investigation and prosecution of officer misconduct. Between the influence they have over these types of cases and the powerhouse legal teams that they have secured; it is a recipe for avoidance of accountability.

Public Perception:

Media coverage is often sensationalized on both sides. This type of biased coverage can make it very difficult to assess the credibility of allegations. This divided public opinion can influence the decisions of not only prosecutors, but juries.

These factors contribute to a system that can make it difficult to hold police officers accountable for misconduct, even when there is clear evidence of wrongdoing. To address this issue, it is necessary to implement reforms that increase transparency, accountability, and public trust in law enforcement. We know what the problems are. Now we need to take practical no-nonsense approaches to resolving them.

Practical Approaches Everyone Should Implement

·       Get Social: Social media platforms have a myriad of groups of like-minded individuals. Many have groups that are specific to your geographic location, so the activities can go beyond online posts to include gatherings, events, fund raising, etc.

·       Contact your Representatives: Your representatives are elected by their constituency and paid with taxpayer dollars to represent them. Don’t be afraid to let your voice be heard. Express your views on important issues and encourage them to take action.

·       Grassroots Organizations: Grassroots Organizations are groups of like-minded people who work together to achieve a common goal. These goals are often social, political, or even environmental. They are typically initiated and driven by ordinary citizens rather than by institutions or large corporations.

·       Volunteer or Donate to a Non-Profit Organization: Find organizations that support police reform and volunteer your time or make a donation.

o   1M4 is an excellent organization that aims to empower mothers to become politically active and advocate for policies that benefit families and children. They hope to leverage the power of mothers to create positive societal change.

·       Know Your Rights: The ACLU has excellent resources for knowing your rights and protecting your civil liberties.  The NAACP also has excellent resources.

·       On-Demand Recorded Legal Support: Get on demand legal support for interactions with police to protect yourself and your interests.

o   Mobile applications like iWTNS (pronounced eye-witness) for Apple and Android allow users to connect to on-demand legal representation while recording the interaction to their secure cloud server.

·       Vote!: Vote in every election. This is the most fundamental way to participate in the political process and select the elected officials that help mold the laws in your jurisdictions.

Changes to Laws, Policies, and Standards

Independent Oversight

·       Civilian Review Boards: Establish independent civilian review boards to investigate complaints of police misconduct and recommend disciplinary actions.

·       Independent Prosecutors: Appoint independent prosecutors to investigate cases of police misconduct, ensuring impartiality.

Data Transparency and Reporting:

·       Public Release of Data: Require law enforcement agencies to publicly release data on police encounters, use of force, and complaints.

·       Standardized Reporting Systems: Implement standardized reporting systems to ensure consistency and accuracy in data collection.

·       Privacy and Transparency Standards: Implement policies to protect privacy and ensure transparency.

Community Policing and Engagement:

·       Fostering Positive Relationships: Foster stronger relationships between police departments and the communities they serve.

·       Community Input: Involve communities in policing decisions and policies.

·       Open Communication Policy: Promote open communication between police departments and the public.

Training and Education:

·       Comprehensive Training: Mandate comprehensive training for police officers on de-escalation, implicit bias, cultural competency, and use of force.

·       Ongoing Professional Development: Provide ongoing professional development opportunities for officers.

Accountability and Transparency:

·       Stricter Standards: Implement stricter standards for accountability and transparency in law enforcement.

·       Body-Worn Cameras: Require police officers to wear body-worn cameras to document their interactions with the public.

·       Transparency as a Standard: Encouraging transparency in decision-making processes, like The Sunshine Act requires federal agencies to do.

Legal Reforms:

·       Revise Qualified Immunity: Revise the qualified immunity doctrine to make it easier to hold officers accountable for misconduct.

·       Strengthen Civil Rights Laws: Strengthen civil rights laws to protect individuals from discrimination and abuse by law enforcement.

Addressing Systemic Issues:

·       Tackle Root Causes: Address the underlying systemic issues that contribute to racial profiling, excessive force, and racial bias, such as poverty, inequality, and lack of opportunity.

·       Invest in Communities: Invest in communities, particularly those that have been disproportionately affected by police misconduct.

·       Addressing broader societal issues: Tackle systemic racism and inequality in other areas of society, such as education, housing, and employment.

Media Relations:

·       Information dissemination guidelines: Establish clear guidelines for media interactions and information dissemination.

·       Public Access: Promote public access to information through press conferences and media releases.

The recent incidents of police brutality against Black individuals have sparked widespread outrage and calls for reform. These incidents are fueled by systemic racism, bias, and a lack of accountability within law enforcement. To address these issues, it is necessary to implement reforms such as independent oversight, data transparency, community policing, officer training, and legal reforms.

In May of 2022, US President Joe Biden signed an executive order into law to increase accountability, ban chokeholds, restrict no-knock entries, and more for federal law enforcement officers and incentivized and encouraged state and local officers to do the same. There are currently many bills in process to address police reform on a local and national level. Get involved in your communities today! Together we can build a more just and more equitable society for everyone. By: Jennifer Bartholomew, The iWTNS Stand

[kurrentkorruption]

Did you know Korean men have telegram groups where they post pics of themselves molesting their family members?

I said this over on my main blog and I'm certain you're the same racist troll, but... Yes. I'm highly aware of this. I was into kpop when Burning Sun happened. I've been in kpop fandom for over 20 years. I know the problematic nature of all the media I consume. If one abstained from engaging in any problematic media, then there would be no media to consume at all.

However, I'm glad you've decided to look into these issues and are educating yourself on something that's been happening in Korea for many decades, but talking to me in my ask box will not improve the state of feminism in Korea (or Japan, for that matter, assuming your racism against sexist men in Korea also extends to other Asian countries with similar problems). It used to be a rather hidden part of Korean society, but the proliferation of cellphones and social media presences for all kpop idols (and all Koreans in general) has shed light on how pervasive this issue truly is. The Burning Sun incident wouldn't have gotten the media attention that it had without the use of social media leading the way for enough public and international backlash that in turn led to arrests (and the all-too-short prison sentences for all involved).

Unfortunately, it requires us to be proactive about protecting those who are harmed by these incidents, rather than propping up companies who decide to hide these incidents under rugs and pretend they never happened.

You have the spirit, but you need to direct it somewhere else. I'm not mad or annoyed that you've picked me to torment, but I will say that you've chosen the wrong target and the wrong way to go about evangelizing your ideals. Perhaps donate to organizations working to improve feminism in Korea if you're so invested in the cause, but trolling around in my ask box will not help the situation in Korea when I do not live in Korea.

If you were to come back with some links to programs that help those victims of this kind of abuse, then I'd be happy to share those links around to my followers. :) Good luck and may you have continued passion for social justice in Korea! (But do try to be less racist about it. You've got moxie, but you're a little heavy-handed with the racism!)

[itscoldinwonderland]

It's nuts that you claim not to be anti abortion and then link to a clearly anti abortion website, like, what? Can you clarify your stance on abortion at all?

Anti-abortion is a reactionary stance that promotes anti-life legislation and kills people. Anti-abortionist are the ones who try to make it illegal for life saving abortions to be preformed. People who are anti-abortion are usually misinformed, pro-birth, misogynists..

Pro-life is the belief that to live and be alive is a human right. It is the idea that no person or state has the right to end your life and that the state should take steps to prevent others from taking your life.

Pro life stances are against selective abortion, against the death penalty and generally oppose war.

Selective abortion is non medically necessary removal of the fetus.

The site I link is not against medically necessary abortion and doesn't support the banning of such cases. The site also takes a proactive stance on reducing abortion (which is true pro-life) rather than a prohibition only stance (which is anti-abortion).

From their section on abortion:

"That said, we know it is not possible to build a culture of life by simply incarcerating women who seek or obtain abortions. If the practice of elective abortion is to end, the perceived need for it must also be eliminated. This can only happen when law and policy protect, support, and invest in the wellbeing of both unborn human beings and their parents. In light of this, truly successful pro-life advocacy requires actionable solutions and measures that address poverty, systemic racism, misogyny, workplace discrimination and other factors that contribute to demand for elective abortion. "

Anti-abortionist don't care about the root of why people get abortions and since they're almost always right wing they also don't care about the inequalities that lead to abortion. Anti-abortionist are usually not pro life either as many tend to support the death penalty and think war is acceptable.

[kingdomshiftersministries]

Apostolic Watch 7 23 24

My Will Be Done!

Apostle Taquetta Baker

Despite Kamala Harris’ ability to fortify women and raising money in unity, the altar she is erecting is ancient and idolatrous — it is rooted in (Jezebel) Baal worship and freemasonry (sorority and fraternity idolatry) and Trumps altar is rooted in (Misogyny) Racism, white supremacy, sexism, legalism, freemasonry (sorority and fraternity idolatry). Both these altars are operating through the ancient stronghold of pride (Leviathan) and are a kingdom divided amongst themselves. In their battle for power and position, they are releasing all types of witchcraft and harlotry towards one another right now. The righteous seed is feeling the weight of keeping the altars of regions and spheres clean and maintained by what God has done, while SHIFTING into place to be proactive against the consequences of what is and will occur through this demonic battle. God keeps highlighting and showing me how his chosen vessels are experiencing the weight of what is occurring in this hour and how wisdom is key in governing sufficiently, in youthfulness, dunamis power, supernatural strength, vigor, and with longevity in this season.

God keeps revealing to me the importance of his gatekeepers being wise master builders and continuing to SHIFT out of the old and familiar paradigms of ministry and life patterns into the new - into the momentum and leading of what he is requiring so we can receive the bloom and deluge of refreshing that he has for us even as we plow. The Lord is saying quality over quanity will be vital is sustaining in the mandate he is granting to our hands and even recognizing and trusting the efficiency of what he will have us to do, where we are not driven and validated by works but destiny investments and operations that is empowered by his grace and ox anointing.

God is also saying that this is the season of reaping harvest even as their is a continual plow and building with enduring faith. Being able to reap the harvest resides in recognizing that you are not in the toil of previous seasons. It had its purpose for that time and this present time. You will be revealed in this present time why that dimension of planting and plowing was needful even as you reap from its harvest. Being strategic in how you plow and build in this season is vital to confounding the enemy, operating stealth as you legislate my government to overthrow dark governments and kingdoms, and to sustaining for the multitudes that run from these demonic governments and kingdoms into the kingdoms I am establishing through my gatekeepers says the Lord.

1Corinthians 3:10-15 The Amplified Bible According to the [remarkable] grace of God which was given to me [to prepare me for my task], like a skillful master builder I laid a foundation, and now another is building on it. But each one must be careful how he builds on it, for no one can lay a foundation other than the one which is [already] laid, which is Jesus Christ. But if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will be clearly shown [for what it is]; for the day [of judgment] will disclose it, because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality and character and worth of each person's work. If any person's work which he has built [on this foundation, that is, any outcome of his effort] remains [and survives this test], he will receive a reward. But if any person's work is burned up [by the test], he will suffer the loss [of his reward]; yet he himself will be saved, but only as [one who has barely escaped] through fire.

While these two demonic altars battle, God will use the righteous gatekeepers to continue to sow and build Godly altars in their regions, nations and spheres of influence. This will be done via prayer and gathering gatekeepers and believers in regions and spheres to physically and spiritual perform land, atmospheric, regional and national cleansings of ancient altars, witchcraft and idolatry. Prayer is also essential to further build believers in unwavering faith to endure the storms, times and seasons, while also cultivating them as miracle workers and storehouse agents where they can be answers to SHIFT in provision from heaven to earth during these times of wars, rumors of wars, cyber blackouts, famines and scarcities of basic needs and necessities in the land.

For even stockpiles will need my supernatural power to sufficiently care for those that will be among my righteous says the Lord. There will also need to be a supernatural authority to heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out devils, take up servants and not be harmed. For people will need the supernatural touch of my miracle working power to be healed of diseases, sicknesses, infirmities, afflictions, wounds from wars; mental instability, mental illness, madness, and trauma; be among to ailing and not be touched. They will also need a supernatural heart not to withhold but to be cheerful givers, while trusting that as I supernaturally supply, I will continue to give unto them press down, shaking together, and running over, so they can be an answer in their sphere of i influence says the Lord.

While you are doing my work of building righteous altars, I am causes these demonic altars to take themselves out through their own evil workings. Do not be entangled with these altars for my judgment is upon them. I am using them for a greater purpose says the Lord. And it is not for what the world believes it is. I am preparing to drain the swamp of this world for an endtime harvest. I have spoke and shown you in dreams and visions the multitude that will SHIFT into my kingdom by the droves. You are preparing for them. These systems of the world willl fail them. For itching wars will draw them into the webs of angels of light. They will RUN to you for refuge, salvation, and provision. Be ready to receive them and to raise them up to sustain in eternal covenant relationship with me says the Lord.

2Timothy 4:3 - 4 The Amplified Bible For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine and accurate instruction [that challenges them with God's truth]; but wanting to have their ears tickled [with something pleasing], they will accumulate for themselves [many] teachers [one after another, chosen] to satisfy their own desires and to support the errors they hold, and will turn their ears away from the truth and will wander off into myths and man-made fictions [and will accept the unacceptable].

2Chronicles 20:22-25 And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten. For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another. And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped. And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much.

The Amplified Bible And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir who had come against Judah, and they were [self-] slaughtered; For [suspecting betrayal] the men of Ammon and Moab rose against those of Mount Seir, utterly destroying them. And when they had made an end of the men of Seir, they all helped to destroy one another. And when Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness, they looked at the multitude, and behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none had escaped!

When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take the spoil, they found among them much cattle, goods, garments, and precious things which they took for themselves, more than they could carry away, so much they were three days in gathering the spoil.

Proactive Prayers In This Season and Beyond:

Continuously pray, and declare miracle signs and wonders, and build yourself up in sovereign enduring faith, godly truth, sonship identity, kingly governance, and supernatural power of the Holy Spirit to perform miracle sides and wonders. Refer to the manual, “Ascending From Heaven To Earth.

Pray against the senseless bloodshed that will arise from these two demonic altars being divided against themselves.

Prayer to supernaturally destroy the stockpiling of weapons among the racists white supremacy groups that have been meeting in secret to strategies civil war in effort to remain the dominant race in numbers, and in governmental and political power.

Pray for the people to run to my righteous for safety, refuge and salvation as they realize the true agenda of these idolatrous altars.

Sow righteousness to break up the fallow grounds and break iron ceilings, set up my true wheel and purpose can be made manifest with size and following.

Hosea 10:12 NKJV Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the LORD, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you.

Pray for the word curses to be destroyed that are being released against America. These word curses are coming from those in American who are angry at the government because of injustices that continue to occur and those who fear their entitlements and freedoms are being threatened and nullified. The word curses are also coming from nations who are jealous and envious of America and have been oppressed and impacted by their rulership. Though America has much repentance, reconciliation, and repentence to do, all nations and the world at large will be severely impacted if it falls. There would be a global imploding as many nations who have the power to financially sustain do not have the power to spiritually sustain because they are an idolatrous nation and do not have my favor, grace, or mercy says Lord. They will rule with a demonic grip of the antichrist that will bring a demonstrative one world order. People think it will bring freedom, but it will bring cast iron demonic possession says the Lord.

Please know my hand is upon drawing out my righteous vessels globally and saving the lost, and not necessarily a nation. My hand is also upon Africans and African Americans for restitution purposes thus the raising up of prayer altars in and around various African nations and African people groups. Africans and African Americans are vital to my move and SHIFT in the earth thus the need for much healing in the areas of ancient slave trauma, past and current racism and injustices, and the deliverance from witchcraft and idolatry. The enemy wants to use the traumas of Africans and African Americans, tribal ancestral worship, occult organizations and practices, to draw them from my godly altar and mandate. I am healing them globally so they and their generations can reign in my restored glory. It will be important for them to not be sifted by passion and zeal. Discerning the times and trends and operating by Holy Spirit is key to not be sacrificed at the altars of BAAL and Misogyny. Refer to the manual, “Eradicating The Powers Of Racism.”

Pray for KINGDOM WOMEN to arise. My clarion call for them to arise and take their place has been released for several years now. For I indeed am blessing them for how they have been sold out to me and endeavored to journey in covenant destiny with me as a lifestyle. My KINGDOM WOMEN taking their place and operating through my spiritual mandate is key to them properly aligning in this time of feminism, emasculating of men and Jezebelic fulership. It will be important for them to reject covenanting or subjecting to the influences of these altars. The enemy wants to abort their destiny, harvest, and preparations and successes they have been doing with me. He wants to kill the personal, generational, and spiritual gatekeeping stance they have had with me. He wants to control the wombs of women - MY KINGDOM WOMAN - so that they birth seven times stronger the bondage they have worked so hard to be delivered from personally, generationally, and spiritually. Refer to the prophecies I have been given since 2020 regarding MY KINGDOM WOMAN ARISING!

Pray for the successors. There is an all out assault against natural and spiritual successors. Please tell my KINGDOM PARENTS they have done well stewarding spiritual seeds for my glory, but the battle to sift through royal priesthood is great. It is not what they did not do but the enemy wants to use the successor to destroy my altars that have been built at the gates of families, ministries, and kingdom visions. He is seeking to use their righteous rebellion as a weapon of destruction against their own destinies and the successorship positions and mandates they are to operate in. He has made them weary and has made the world enticing in their eyes. Pray against the list of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the prides of life that has been presented to sift them and have them engaging in demonic rebellion.

Successors must contend for their own right to seize their inheritance even as intercession and decrees must be entreated on their behalf. Command my divine courts rulings to be asserted over their lives and destinies. Decree out my blessings and truths over them. Do not be moved by the wooing and operations of the devil. I will honor your prayers says the Lord. Your successors will take their place if you pray says the Lord.

Pray for the nations and for the world globally, especially the USA and UK and the kingdom collaboration I am doing. Praying to cleanse sin, overthrow ancient curses, dedications, covenants, altars, and trading floors. Pray to dismantle demonic principalities and powers, systems and assignments. Pray to nullify wars, rumors of wars, weather patterns and weather warfare, cyber blackouts, famines, pestilences, scarcities and demonic signs of the times.

Job 22:28 Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.

Jeremiah 51:20 Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms.

Pray in your prayer closet and walk lands, communities, regions, and spheres PRAYING and cleansing the land and atmospheres. Heal the land and assert your claim and right to govern over them. Release your sound - my sound of heaven - my songs, music, revelations, decrees, promises, prophecies - to inpregnant, manifest, awaken my will and purpose in the earth, while counterattacking demonic sounds and litigations. Refer to the manual “Governing Divine Intel.”

Do not get distracted by what is occurring in media and culture. For your fight is not against flesh and blood. Your fight is not against symptoms but to gut out root issues, assignments, and strongholds. Your fight is not against worldly entitlements, culture trends, hype, demonic energies, sounds, and vibrations - what is the loudest and emotionally magnified in that moment. Your fight is a spiritual battle - contending for my will and purpose regarding spiritual matters.

Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

It will be important to set your affection on things above so you can live above the demonic and worldly chatter. So you can hear me, move and SHIFT with me (Colossians 3:2).

Pray according to my leading, guidance and to thwart what is to come. I willl give my seers, prophets, apostles, dreamers, precise keen intel. Do not overlook it or take it for granted. Do not lacks in sharing the info and training believers on how to utilize, share, and pray concerning my kingdom intel. Do not be lax in just sharing intel but not thwarting the demonic attacks and assignments that are and will be revealed. I have put the supernatural ability to pray to thwart these attacks and assignments. And for those I do not thwart, I will give insight on how to SHIFT through where my people are protected. The obedience and accountability to pray and govern over the intel is essential to my people not experiencing unnecessary warfare and calamity. Know that my power is in your mouths to decree a thing and it be established. My power is in your mouths to be a battle axe to demolish the plans and strongholds of the enemy.

Move and SHIFT with me in this season as this is where your supernatural strength, endurance, and perseverance resides. This is where your ability to live in and through the stormy times and seasons sufficiently resides. This is where your deluge of refreshing inside the times resides says the Lord. Refer to the manual, “Gatekeeping Regions For God’s Glory” & “Igniting Regional Revival.”

[rametarin]

This is, in fact, true. But, there's a sequence of events on how this stupid thing happened.

The discourse and discussion was about antiracism. Hard Leftists peeked out from the woodwork- you know, the Class Struggle Theoriasts? And they decided they'd co-opt thje antiracism discussion to push their own brand. Seeing an opportunity to appropriate the discussion, they decided to start pretending to be liberals (when in fact, this hardline view is not liberalism) and start the zealous argument about being anti-racist in any given situation, but then argue, proactively, that someone could be being racist or bigoted not because of the content of the statement, not because of just the context, but just because they were a white person and the recipient was not a white person.

This tended to result in the white person arguing back, explaining that racism directed at them was also unacceptable, and so no solution that proposed favoring any particular race would be acceptable in an "antiracist" society. That the only logical and fair solution would be not to enshrine or establish any protected race of people, and that no collective ethnic group, tribe or race should be able to get free shit from society on the basis of their race or assembly of identity.

And that would result in the Marxist type anti-racists loudly informing them, "It's not racism when it's directed at white people. Something is only racist when it sources from white people, to non-white people.

And that used to just utterly derail conversations. It was a go-to technique by hard-leftists when they were pretending to be liberals to add this little rule to the discourse and threaten to utterly filibust any discussion that dared to say white people deserved the same reciprocative respect on the basis of not singling them out, not automatically defining them as racists just because of their race, not automatically assuming in all interracial disputes that the white dude is the aggressor or the dispute stems from "historical racism," or that the existence of such should inherently paint all tone and interaction between races going forwards.

So, "ACKSHULLY (interrupting), you can't be racist to white people. What you experienced wasn't racism"- would get rebuttled with,

"Fine. Then it's reverse-racism."

Reverse-racism as a concept was a concession that, okay, if you're not going to accept that one can also racially discriminate against white people and that is also unacceptable, then the phenomenon of unjust bigotry directed AT white people would be reverse-racism.

Well that clearly was not going to reduce any further. The hard-leftists managed to get opposition to concede to the idea you couldn't be racist to white people and that racism was going to be defined, for the purposes of conversation with progressive "anti-racists," as a purely and exclusively white-oppressing-others phenomenon. They didn't want that to be the consensus, and it very quickly was becoming the end result of the equation. Everywhere they went to have these pre-programmed, very deliberately targeted "conversations".

So they kind of crept back under the skirts of the shallow, grass roots liberals, pretended they didn't exist, and the liberals pretended the hard-leftist contributions not only didn't matter, but would pretend they didn't exist or had no relevance when others brought them up. They gaslight the entire phenomenon and pretended those people were baseless independent wackos that were 100% unaffiliated with them or the anti-racism movement, at all.

And then like the TV funnymen and media do, suddenly there were a bunch of entertainment programs mocking people who talked about "reverse-racism," as if those people that said you could only be racist if you were a white person and the recipient was a non-white person, just never existed. They dirisively talked about those that entertained reverse-racism as a real thing were wrong and that it didn't exist, "because that's just racism, dummy. :^)"

Like the word just came about because some dumb racist white uncle was tired of being called a racist, so called them a reverse-racist, unawares that he'd just snitched on himself and painted racism as a purely white person thing. Which they then joked about being projection, by Racist White Uncle.

Well, eventually the people that believe unironically that only white people can be racist, "because privilege + power," resurfaced. With more clear roots to Marxist philosophies than in the past. They weren't just a cryptid that your racist uncle talks about and imagined like a strawman from a Jordan Peterson devotee that screams "CUCK" at everyone on twitter. They were a very real population, making disgusting arguments and accusations that discrimination and prejudice directed AT white people was rude but not racism, because whites A.) weren't "a real race," and B.) weren't oppressed. Making it not racism, or oppression, and saying there's nothing black people could do singularly or even systemically to oppress whites or commit racism against them. They argued that racism was not simply the thing you call the injustice served when a person discriminates and shows bigotry towards a member of another race, on the basis of that race, but a system of power created by white people and capitalism to oppress non-whites. That racism was purely something of systemic power, and that the US of A and Europe were inherently white supremacists institutions that needed to be abolished, dismantled and replaced in order to NOT be inherently racist (white supremacist)

The term Reverse-Racism exists at all, because Marxists that try to use a purely Marxist version of racism that demands the observation and recognition of class based struggle theory and critical legal theory be parts of the conversation and treated as truth, decided you couldn't be racist to white people.

the term “reverse racism” was coined by people who are under the impression that you can’t be racially biased against white people. More than half of the hooligans who use this phrase are the ones that say it doesn’t exist.

You’re right

reverse racism doesn’t exist

because

it's 

called

racism