#same thing happened with discrimination and slavery you know

[mask131]

As a non-American, I always have a mocking smile on my face when Americans (aka habitants of the USA or of Canada to be precise) call out a country "evil" or "criminal" and call for its complete destruction and dismantlement... Because A) "They're not a real country, they're settlers that colonized a land that was not theirs" and/or B) "They built their country on a genocide and killed the indigenous people".

This type of discourse pops up a lot with the Israel situation currently, but it had been around before for other countries and... I just laugh at the sweet ignorance of these blissfully unaware Americans who are literaly describing the history of their OWN country, little colonies that became the nation they are today by mass-genocide of the people native to the land.

So if you think one country should not exist because it is a "genocidal colony" and that everybody in it should return from "where they come from", think hard about it because it also means you want to destroy and dismantle the United-States and Canada, and also a lot of countries in Southern America. Basically the entirety of the American continent. If that's your opinion so be it, but if I see anymore hypocrite that goes "Yes X country should not exist because it was built on colonization and genocide but the USA/Canada is the greatest and has all the rights to be there", I'll hold them for what they are, aka morally short-sighted and self-centered morons. If you want to apply this line of logic to other countries, be ready to apply it to your own country too and be aware of the irony of your situation.

[And I think it is very important to remember that because recently the far-right groups in the US have been trying to erase all the "bad side" of the USA history, aka they have been erasing or dowplaying from media and school and other information outlet stuff like the American genocides and the way a huge part of American society was built on slavery... I mock a bit viciously above, but truly sometimes I am sad for Americans who literaly know less about their country than other people - I, just following a regular European school-course, ended up learning more about the USA's history than a lot of Americans I talked to.]

[schraubd]

The Holocaust Was Not Summer School; Slavery Was Not Trade School.

Someone -- I can't find who -- once said, in relation to claims that Jews had "failed to the learn the lessons of Auschwitz", that "the Holocaust was not summer school."

The retort there was in relation to claims that Jews had not imbibed the correct moral sentiments following our genocide. But I was reminded of it upon hearing the recent defenses of Florida's "anti-woke" efforts to whitewash slavery by lauding the "skills" slaves allegedly acquired -- apologias which, unsurprisingly, have spilled over to Holocaust minimization as well.

Fox News star Greg Gutfeld, whose latest book debuted on Tuesday, is currently under fire over his recent observation that Jewish people “had to be useful” in order to survive concentration camps, prompting the Auschwitz Museum to rebuke his comments as an “oversimplification” of the Holocaust. 

[....] 

During Monday’s broadcast of Fox News’ The Five, which both Watters and Gutfeld co-host, the panel raged against Vice President Kamala Harris’ condemnation of the Florida curriculum as racist. Watters, for instance, blasted the veep for not wanting “African-Americans and white Americans to know that Black Americans did learn skills despite being enslaved.”

The heated discussion, however, took an uncomfortable turn when lone liberal panelist Jessica Tarlov drew a parallel between slavery and the Holocaust, wondering if Florida schools would also teach that Jewish people received some benefits from the Nazis systematically murdering them in death camps.

Gutfeld, referencing a famous book by Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl, took Tarlov’s challenge and ran with it.

“Did you ever read Man’s Search for Meaning?” Gutfeld wondered. “Vik Frankl talks about how you had to survive in a concentration camp by having skills. You had to be useful. Utility! Utility kept you alive!”

The slide from "anti-CRT" to Holocaust trivialization is nothing new, of course. And here in particular we have one of those moments where an ounce of truth helps generate a ton of falsehood. It is true that, comparatively speaking, a Jewish inmate who had skills that happened to be useful for the Nazi war effort (or otherwise coveted by the local commander) was more likely to survive. Likewise, it's true that having enough wealth to pay for bribes actuarially increased one's life span compared to the destitute. It is not true that "utility kept you alive" (a phrase that is eerily adaptive of arbeit macht frei). Plenty of people with "utility" were murdered by the Nazis. It is not true that having money insulated Jews from the Nazis. Plenty of Jews with means were nonetheless rounded up and slaughtered. The relationship of "utility" to the Jewish experience in the camps was not one of moxie and grit overcoming incredible odds; anymore than the relationship of wealth was one of frugality and financial stewardship steering one to safety. There is no favor done to the oppressed that they can sometimes leverage opportunities to resist.

But again, this is the inevitable byproduct of the anti-woke panic. The obsession with never speaking forthrightly and honestly about oppression and discrimination -- always viewing it as a "both sides" initiative -- means one has to find ways to render Nazism, if not benign, then at least filed down. Others have written about the gentile obsession with telling feel-good Holocaust stories where plucky protagonists show their wiles and skills to secure a happy ending. This is a myth that non-Jews need to tell themselves to evade reckoning with the Holocaust in its full horror; the Holocaust did not come with happy endings.

And the same is true of slavery. Slavery was not a somewhat-unsavorily-run trade school. It was a form of White supremacist oppression. Trying to find the "happy endings" is an attempt to avoid reckoning with its horrors. And the thing is, if we actually took seriously the "nobody should be made to feel guilty based on the color of their skin" pablum, there'd be no quarrel with teaching the history in its full terrible glory. Learning of the horrors of slavery doesn't and shouldn't make White people feel guilty. The guilt comes from learning those facts and then wanting to carry on as before -- no change in affect, no change in politics, as if it never happened. The dissonance between the historical knowledge and the desire to pretend as if the history didn't happen or didn't matter -- that's what creates the guilt. But that's guilt based on one's own choices, and history class needn't and shouldn't have an interest in absolving you of that.

via The Debate Link https://ift.tt/LJUWduZ

[argumate]

vitos-ordination-song said: @argumate part of the issue is that your actual meaning in the post is unclear. Your framing makes it sound like all the things you name are the *result* of capitalism, but then in a reply you walked that back.

vitos-ordination-song said: Many of the things you named happened outside the context of the capitalist system. And you also ignored how things like racism were tied to the birth of capitalism.

vitos-ordination-song said: A lot of people are “anti-capitalist” without having actually studied economics. Yeah there’s a lot of unserious people, including “Marxists” who don’t know Marx thought that capitalism would provide the accumulation of wealth needed for communism.

vitos-ordination-song said: I just don’t think this post is a good counterpoint to that ignorance, because it’s so confused and sounds like a lecture from a fourth grade teacher about Progress.

fourth grade teachers are correct about some things! but yes, it was just a quick response to an unfortunately common genre of post that goes "capitalism is the reason why things are uniquely bad" when in fact things are uniquely good, so the argument has to be inverted to explain how they could be even better, maybe.

but I would take issue with the idea that racism is tied to the birth of capitalism given that tribalism and exploitation have been with us forever; slavery in the US perhaps might have developed around the same time, but it was also repealed as capitalism developed, and it's noteworthy that as society grew ever more capitalist it not only dismantled institutional racism but passed laws against racial and sexual discrimination, something unheard of in human history, which again cuts against any argument of this being a uniquely bad time because of capitalism.

frankly I think capitalism is neutral/orthogonal to racism: it doesn't create it and nor does it rely on it, that's a separate battle that a society needs to fight.

however, a society that prizes economic growth above other things will end up richer, and a richer society can afford to be kinder, which makes capitalism a powerful ally when combined with democratic institutions and redistributive policies to maintain social welfare.

a richer society is a better society in almost every way, that's kind of tautological as it's what "richer" means, but I think we often fail to think through the implications of this!

[stephobrien]

I’m coming from my vent account because I don’t want to get found out as a Jew on my main. Please, please stop posting in the antisemitism tag. You’re clogging it up and taking away a safe space for Jews by trying to delegitimise Jew hatred. Now, I don’t know if you’re good faith or not, but I’m leaning on no. You keep on going onto posts about Jew hatred from Jews, saying what boils down to ‘wow! I’ve learned so much from this!’ and then you go back to posting inflammatory things again. I mean, you posted something from Caitlin Johnstone, I can’t believe that you give a single shit about Jews (or Ukrainians) after that

As for your most recent post on how poor you just can’t believe lying Jews when we talk about discrimination because you’re scared we’re deceiving you, you put in a comment ‘If I'd seen said Arab nations' governments massacring thousands of civilians, while painting every single criticism of said massacre as Islamophobic, yes, I would have’. This is… I don’t even know how to tackle this, do you genuinely not know all of the horrific shit so many of the Arab states have done? Qatar is known as one of the biggest countries of modern slavery. The Houthis in Yemen sex traffic Ethiopian women, and also reintroduced slavery into Yemen. Just look at the atrocities so many of these countries have committed against Shia Muslims! Is your brain mush, how can you say this when there is so, so much evidence of the horrors that these nations have committed?! And if you think these states graciously accept criticism of those horrors… you’re being ignorant on purpose. And it’s still not okay to say that you don’t believe an Arab when they talk about anti Arab racism that they’ve experienced, I think we can at least agree on that. So why’s it not the same for Jews?

For a more personal example to Jews, look up the Mizrachi expulsion. The Arab states violently expelled almost a million Jews from their countries ‘because Israel’, which they only care about because it ruined their dream of pan Arabism, not because of any solidarity with the Arabs in the mandate btw. My family was lucky, we came from Iran, which is not Arab, so the violence was coming from the people rather than the state itself. But I’ve had to heard accounts from people talking about how they watched their family get shot in the head while their homes were repossessed for no reason other than the fact they were Jews. Is that bad enough for you? Does it even make a dent in your image of the Arab states? Or is it okay because it happened to Jews?

I know I sound very angry in this, and that’s because I am very angry. And that anger is completely justified! My life, and the lives of almost every Jew on this disgusting website, have been beyond horrible for five months. The number of times I’ve had to read about a new Jew hating shooting or stabbing in the world is too many too count. And then, non Jews like you decide to play the ‘oops, I just caaaan’t believe those Jews about Jew hatred because they could be zionists!’ (Which are around eighty percent of the Jewish population, but I don’t think you’re ready for that conversation yet, it’s reserved for people who actually want to learn). All of us are so unimaginably angry. All of us are at our fucking breaking point, or we’ve completely snapped already! The people you have interacted with have been some of the kindest, most levelheaded people here, but you’d better not get used to it, because we’re all tired of this bullshit

Thank you for taking the time to call me out. Between you and the several other people who contacted me about this, I’ve come to realize that that post was a terrible mistake.

It was meant to be a vent post about people who deliberately blur the lines around what’s actually antisemitism, and about my lack of certainty about my own ability to independently assess the less obvious instances of that (which is clearly still very lacking, as the response to that post made clear to me).

But it apparently caught a lot of innocent Jews in the crossfire, making them feel unsafe, unheard, and delegitimized. That wasn’t the intention, but it was clearly the effect. I screwed up badly, and I’m sorry.

I admittedly don’t know all the details about the horrific shit Arab nations have done. I was aware of Iraq’s government mass murdering protesters, and Saudi Arabia’s horrifically sexist laws, but some of the info you shared in this post is stuff I hadn’t previously heard of.

As for why I mentioned false accusations of antisemitism specifically, it’s because that’s the one I’ve seen several times a day lately, sometimes in the form of stuff like telling people who protest child murder that “You just don’t like it when Jews defend themselves.”

That said, you and the other people who responded have made it clear to me that that focus was based on an overly narrow view on my part. I’ve been more active in pro-Palestine circles than in circles that focus on the other situations you mentioned, so naturally that resulted in me seeing more antisemitism accusations than accusations focused on groups that aren’t directly involved in that conflict. So that resulted in a less than balanced viewpoint.

While my vent post was meant to be about one specific phenomenon I’d personally seen a lot of, the fact that I didn’t mention similar behavior on the part of groups I hadn’t personally seen as much of that behavior from did result in it being unjustly targeted, in a way I didn’t intend but should’ve assessed better.

What happened to you and other Jews at the hands of Arab nations (and pretty much every nation) was absolutely not okay. The effect my post had on you and other Jews who saw it was not okay. The treatment you’ve endured on Tumblr is not okay. And I’m sorry for the pain I caused you.

You have every right to be angry at me. I won’t ask you to forgive me or trust me, because I know I earned your anger with that poorly thought out post. I shouldn’t have made my own insecurities and frustrations other people’s problem like that. I screwed up badly, and I’m sorry.

[mojolaoluwa-oyedeji]

The whole phenomenon of immigrants (or better put, children of immigrants) moving to or living in a different country where they would normally be discriminated against (or a similar experience) and then becoming conservative, right-wing and basically agreeing with or pandering to the very people who wouldn't even want them there in the first place is very interesting (and quite distressing, in my opinion). Kemi Badenoch was born in England, but went to school in Nigeria until she was 16. However, she has no open connection to or love lost for Nigerians, including Nigerians in the UK, like her.

I know multiple people with a similar background this (went to school with some of them, actually), and a good majority of them (especially the women) have more progressive views and are quite against the right wing on a LOT of issues. Badenoch is also against immigration, even though the UK's immigration policies are part of why she's even there in the first place. A Medium article by Adebayo Adeniran (linked below, but it's hidden behind a paywall) rightly points out that she was born during an era that was very politically charged AGAINST immigrants and people of colour (thank you, Margaret Thatcher).

The rate of things like this happening is increasing. And while I personally have a TON of issues with Nigeria, its government and much of the general attitude of the populace... if you were to put me in a position of power in a foreign country, I don't think I would try to pull the ladder up behind me, or betray my background in a way. The negative generalizations people have about certain groups really just negatively affect everyone. Vicious cycles and all that.

I would actually say my thoughts on the Nigerian government have made me far more left wing than if I were from anywhere else.

I also think its interesting that Badenoch apparently denies that the UK's wealth comes from colonization, when the power of most of the worlds 'superpowers' throughout history has almost always been related to some form of slavery or conquest (usually both at the same time).

Sometimes people like this start off with progressive views and/or closer cultural connections (the Guardian article mentions she started her political career with campaigning for fellow Nigerian British people to vote her in), but then there's like this switch and everything does a complete 180.

But why? What's the psychology behind this? Is it just 'grifting'? I guess that's what perplexes me the most.

[monty-june]

the revolution (starting may or before)

• it all starts on the earliest last day of school on the planet. someone has had enough. they've decided they want to get the world together.

- so have many other youthlibs even in america, and the uk.

• eventually i want to get everyone's shit together, too, and after effort in persisting, i do.

- i manifest that all important topics, especially youth oppression awareness, go mainstream on every platform

- everyone's algorithm and everything else tells them perfectly what they need to hear, and they know how all of our struggles are connected

(of racism, queerphobia, the patriarchy, ableism, even adultism, etc.)

and finally want, and know they need, to go against the system because it affects them all

• everyone boycotts everyone complicit and i mean EVRYONE 👹

• we overthrow the world in the best way possible

- in a way that can let all abusers and monsters formerly supported by yt supremacy rot and die

after revolution is won (midsummer)

• capitalism is no more

• cultism, religious indoctrination, child isolation of any kind, and all kinds of slavery & exploitation are illegal

• we youth have our human rights again

• no one has the right to silence us in any way unless it's of unfair hatred (which, that's not happening

- same thing for all oppressed people

• all people w/ disabilities have ultimate access

• no environmental racism

• pride themed & welcome spaces everywhere for all queers

- pride merch available everywhere nearby

- rainbow “capitalism” is now supporting queer ppl in need

• no yt supremacist media in a positive or joking light allowed

• MORE DIVERSE MEDIA! diversity in disabled ppl, race, ethnicity, culture, sexual or romantic orientation, you name it, all w/o yt supremacy

• landback

• ALL kinds of discrimination are punishable as a crime if repeated after warning, the lightest sentence being detention

(yep, including whispering the N word, *insert racist non-black boi name here 😂*, ur not slick anymore.)

- discrimination is now known worldwide, so it's now ultimately stigmatized and condemned in society.

• all products are made in/with use of only ethical ways

[doyouevenknowwhatshappening]

THIS IS A LONG, BUT IMPORTANT POST, PLEASE READ WITH DISCRESSION

.

This is for educational purposes only.

.

.

.

Trigger Warning for what's happening in Congo right now:

• Slavery

• Inhumane Treatment

• Mentions of SA

• Child Endangerment

.

.

.

If you didn't know, right now in Congo people are suffering. Not just suffering, but being completely mistreated, abused, and used as tools. This issue IS NOT new. However, with the recent stream of information from Palestine, people getting educated about that horrific scene, people have brought light to many other issues worldwide that western media turns a blind eye to.

Where even is Congo?

Congo is an African country, located right on the equator, with most of the country running under it.

The DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) is not to be confused with the smaller country to the left, The Republic of Congo.

6.9 million people have been displaced since 1996, due to violence. Some of which, directly ties in to forced evictions due to cobalt mining.

Curious to how much that actually is?

This is 1,000 dots

See how many dots?

Just with that?

This is 200,000 dots.

Getting into much steeper territory no?

Each of thoes dots is a Congolese person.

This is 6.2 MILLION dots.

They're nothing but pixels now.

This is LESS than the amount of people displaced in Congo.

And Congo is a BIG COUNTRY.

It's not a tiny small one.

It's huge.

I mean, it's as big as HALF the USA.

It's the 11th biggest in the WORLD.

With a population of 95.89 MILLION people.

That means that over 7% of the Congolese people have been displaced.

(Some sources say there are only 86.8 Million people in Congo, such as Livingcost.org, if that is true I do wonder why it jumped down so far!! (This is sarcasm))

That's the same amount of people worldwide currently with college degrees.

These are the mines in Eastern DRC.

As you can see, it's more than just simply Cobalt.

However, do we even know what Cobalt is?

Cobalt

Is a highly used metal. Mostly used in machines, such as saws, batteries, surgical implants, and even paints.

There is radioactive, and non-radioactive cobalt.

"Cobalt (Co) is a hard, gray metal that occurs naturally. It is found in rocks, soil, water, plants, and animals, including people. It can harm the eyes, skin, heart, and lungs. Exposure to cobalt may cause cancer. Workers may be harmed from exposure to cobalt and cobalt-containing products. The level of harm depends upon the dose, duration, and work being done." According to the CDC.

Cobalt should be handled with care, and contact with the skin should be avoided. The dust affects the throat, nose, and lungs. The people of Congo have no protective gear, and alot of the mining there is done by HAND.

These people don't even have

Clean drinking water

And rely on their CHILDREN to make money

(Who only makes roughly 6675.00 Congolese Francs a day. This may seem like a large number, but for some insight, that's 2.50 USD, 3.68 Australian Dollars, 3.31 Canadian Dollars, 359.92 Japanese Yen, 42.13 Mexican Pesos, and 1.93 English Pounds. In the US, you could buy a small bag of chips or a candy bar. In Australia, you wouldn't even have enough for a small cup of coffee. Same for Canada and the US. In Japan, you could maybe get a small coffee or a vending machine food. In Mexico? Same deal. Oh look. Same deal for the UK.)

Imagine getting paid less than a penny after working tirelessly in a mine.

In Congo, almost 62% of Congolese people live off of 2.15 USD per day.

Per-DAY

Not per hour. Not per minute.

Per day.

You need over 400 USD to pay for things you need in Congo. Due to this, children are highly stunted in growth and potential.

The DRC is home to many Indigenous peoples, who are discriminated against and displaced at a high average. They play a hugely important role in the culture of Congo.

Congolese women experience an even higher volume of violence and harm. Almost a third have experienced SA. Only about 16.8% of women have completed secondary school. Women earn consistently less money than men do.

Right now, there is crimes against humanity taking place in Congo. This is an undeniable fact.

How can I help?

Not everyone can donate, but if you can, here are some good places to donate to:

SAVE THE CHILDREN.ORG: https://www.savethechildren.org/us/where-we-work/democratic-republic-of-congo

UNICEF IN AFRICA: https://www.unicefusa.org/what-unicef-does/where-unicef-works/africa/horn-africa?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiA67CrBhC1ARIsACKAa8QRSHqTPN6NInqxweJiuzZeiKQPG3EZIJ2TOtJCO9XGGYEEh_D07I8aAsW5EALw_wcB

Other ways to help:

• Supporting Congolese Content Creators, Artists, and Small Businesses, lifting their voices. Listen to stories.

• SHARE- Share information, spread the word!

• There are filters on Tiktok. Use thoes. It's the least any of us can do.

• Boycotting- Don't buy new vape products, don't buy from Tesla, and don't buy from Apple! You don't need the latest Infinity double X loop doop 2G phone. Use what you have already. Boycotting big tech companies comes first.

This is INHUNANE

And human exploitation.

It needs to end.

Please help the people of Congo.

Praying does nothing.

Sources:

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/cobalt/default.html#:~:text=It%20can%20harm%20the%20eyes,cobalt%20and%20cobalt%2Dcontaining%20products.

https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/drc/overview

https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/violence-democratic-republic-congo#:~:text=Clashes%20involving%20militant%20groups%20over,of%20civilian%20casualties%20and%20displacement.

https://reporting.unhcr.org/operational/situations/democratic-republic-congo-situation#:~:text=The%20drivers%20of%20displacement%20in,into%20neighbouring%20countries%20as%20refugees.

[good-jewish-omens]

07/10/2023 Hey please be fucking careful about sharing information about immigration and refugee issues while talking about fleeing the United States or within the country. I cannot tell you how much REAL ASS MISINFORMATION is going around.

Nonprofit groups are popping up everywhere and not all of them can help/are actually qualified to be helping people flee. I personally have had correspondence with a founder of one of those groups who is in their early 20s and has no record of experience in doing something like this - not even mutual aid. I'm not going to say the name of this one because I actually promised I wouldn't. Regardless of what work they're gonna do, I'm not going to get in the way of it. It'll be great if they can work it out.

In times of crisis, these kinds of groups pop up as a panic response. Panic responses make for weak organization. Sometimes they work out, a LOT LOT LOT of the time they don't and people get HURT. Also, OPS ARE REAL. If you have physically been in activist spaces, there's a good chance that you cannot confidently say you can tell an Op from real help.

I know Rainbow Railroad is also becoming a popular option in terms of trying to get support. I have some very loose ties to people involved with them and they have a track record of helping people flee Uganda and other death penalty countries. They have never said that they are able to help people in the United States move from one state to another. Frankly, I don't believe they have the personnel support or funding for that right now. Who knows what they'll be capable of in the future, but don't bank on them if you're looking for help moving from Mississippi to California. One of the BIGGEST pieces of misinformation that I heard JUST YESTERDAY was "Rainbow Railroad will help you move to Canada, I know because a friend of mine did it. It's that simple." NO IT IS NOT. It is NEVER that simple. They are working WITHIN the system, NOT outside of it.

Their relationship with the Canadian government is complicated. The Canadian government is taking a risk simply by accepting LGBTQ+ refugees and that support could weaken at any point. It's also extremely difficult to immigrate to Canada if you're disabled - they keep saying they're going to "fix the discrimination" and that they're "not actually discriminating against disabled people" but that's an absolute lie. And it's disability of any kind - chronic pain, mental health conditions, physical disability, anything you can think of. You have to literally prove that you won't be a burden to the Canadian healthcare system.

I've been working on a zine-esque document about fleeing trans genocide for a few months but the reality is I need collaborative partnership before I make it publically available. I refuse to put something out there that could endanger someone's life. In the meantime, here's a few tips on navigating this if you are planning on running:

Listen to people who have fleeing in their genetic memory and have cultural knowledge around what it means to flee. This means Jews, Rromani people, black Americans who are direct descendants of those held in slavery in the south and have kept that generational knowledge, refugees who have fled their countries to other parts of the world, people whose families were refugees, and people who stayed where they were while others fled.

If you listen and take into account the real trauma that you are about to go through by simply sympathizing with people who this has happened to before or currently, your transition to where you flee is going to be much, much smoother. Listening is a part of taking care of yourself.

Fleeing is going to mean different things for white trans Americans and trans Americans of color. If you're white, you MUST NOT assume that you are having the same experience just because you are trans.

Get extremely comfortable working outside of the system. The chances are you are going to have to steal, barter, trespass, and risk being arrested are going to increase over time.

Do not EVER feel bad for asking for money to get out. You are in survival mode. Fuck the people who criticize you for it.

Take care of yourself as much as you possibly can. Distress is distress, and even through massive change you still have the chance to take a deep breath.

Accept that some people are going to stay. Some of those people will be people that you love. You are not hurting them directly by leaving, and they are not hurting you directly by staying.

Wherever you go, you are going to have to keep fighting. Just because you're not where you were doesn't mean that you can't fight for the people who stayed. You'll find even more people to love in finding the people who advocate for you in the place that you make new roots. And those new people will want to know about where you came from and the people that you're fighting for.

Find the drag queens.

Don't give up.

Be careful where you step.

Follow love.

I'll probably update this post when I'm able to find collaborators for what I'm working on. I'd actually really like it if people circulated this because the dangerous is getting even more dangerous. Stay as safe as you possibly can.

[leophnyx]

A few months ago I was reading a person's writings on their therianthropy and how they connect to their culture, and honestly it kinda reminded me of my own and how I can't stand to be anywhere near it. I was talking to Soappary about it, and after a moment I realized that it's because it's not my culture.

My family came from a tiny little island in the Caribbean called Grenada. The British happened and slavery happened, and that's how you end up with us. The British did many things, but they particularly ripped apart most of their connections to the native culture. What my parents were raised with was a culture of violence - beatings and Christianity are par for the course, leading to the island's astronomically high domestic abuse rates. When they came here they brought their culture with them, which... isn't good, I'll tell you that.

As a result, I don't really care for much of the culture. But that's because it's not my culture- it's British Christian culture, born from violence and a people I share no relation to. The few times I've been able to see anything of my culture - natural Carribean or African religions - it feels closer to anything I would have practiced and believed in than this one.

This explains why we never synced up with modern culture here either, and why we've never felt excluded in the same way other black people might. In order to sync up with humans, in order to feel human, you have to be human in a way that matters. If every human around you is eating dirt and chasing cats, but you have no desire to do that, you won't identify as human. In order to feel excluded, you need to want to be included, and I have no great desire to be a part of Christian-American culture. I don't feel discriminated against by Christian-Americans, because I never viewed them as "my kind" (none of humanity is my kind per say, but you know what I mean here) to begin with.

On the island they practice obeah, and due to the British's influences and slavery, a lot of the original practices of Obeah were lost, so any herbs or magic knowledge we have as a culture are heavily syncretic- taken from multiple sources. I feel drawn to it, in the same way one might feel drawn to any other concept- it just fits. Even if I weren't descended from there, I'd have to admit that the descriptions of spirituality are a 1 to 1 match with our own experiences, and is part of the reason why we opt for supernatural or non-pathological labels if possible.

Obviously I can't say for sure what I would be practicing if oppression never happened or if I were there (and I'm not trying to romanticize the past, each group has their downsides), but from what I've seen it makes more sense. Maybe one day I'll go to the island and check it out for myself.

[kob131]

Okay first off-

-Jewish people are not white. That's factually just not true. They do not originate from Europe, which is the region where the group of 'white people' come from. They literally come from Israel. So if people native to Israel are not white then the Jewish people as an ethnicity as not white. And in fact, have been discriminated against in 'white' circles for decades if not centuries. I mean, remember all those jokes about rich white clubs that had the rule of 'No Blacks or Jews'? Yeah, that actually rings true.

-The argument for the Jewish people being native to Israel not 'helping' '''indigenous struggles''' should not affect you. You are arguing a moral standard, you must apply said moral standard in all applicable situations regardless of if it benefits you. The entire point of arguing a moral standard is that it helps makes things better for everyone- basically going 'this doesn't apply here because it fucks me over' is surrendering the moral argument. You just want an uneven playing field, not to be moral and principled.

All of this ignoring that if you can just strip the Jewish People of their 'native' card- Well...what's stopping other countries of stripping their natives of their own status? What's stopping the USA from looking at the Natives and saying 'Since no one alive in your communities actually lived during the time that they owned the land, it's ours now' and then just killing them? The whole argument for natives is that other cultures got the chance to build up their own histories so they should too. If said histories no long matter because *insert bullshit here* then anyone can make anything up to justify it.

-I think that if you were to apply that standard to everyone- You would quickly find the world screeching to a halt. Native tribes murdered and conquered each other too. Same with African tribes, who then sold their prisoners in the slave trade. We can't focus on every single atrocities committed because the number of atrocities exceed human comprehension.

-What's even the point here? That you would get sunburned from living in Israel thus it means you have changed so much that you no longer count? You do know that if I dropped you in the middle of Africa, you'd likely die of exposure right? Does that mean all African Americans have no rights to live in Africa?

This is such a dumb argument. Especially if we take the simplified version of 'This happened so long ago that it no longer counts' because to a human, 2000 years and 158 years aren't that different. You basically made the argument 'The US and Europe are off the hook for slavery'.

-And that's the problem isn't it? This isn't about 'what is indigenous?' It's 'what is beneficial for me?' You side only with the people who are a part of your argument. You care only for advancing your own privilege and ensuring everyone else is below you. The same mindset that caused the evils of imperialism.

The African Jews, ironically, have even less of a right to Israel than the 'White' Jews. Because the 'White' Jews have an actual ethnic history there, the African Jews don't. If you actually believed in the standard of 'Ethnic people deserve to have their ancestral home' then you would care more for the Jewish people you disregard than the religious Jews you support. Again, you only care about them because you see it as increasing your own privilege.

-It's literally more of a claim that the sub groups you support by your own logic but okay.

-Gonna be honest here-

You are native to America.

The only reason I accept this conflict in the slightest is because both groups have lived and grown up in that area. They accept that area and it's ideals, culture and beliefs. They are actually native to that area. Your hypothetical does not apply because you did not grow up in England. You did not accept that culture as your own. You do not have a right to it because you never earned it.

The Arabs and the Jewish People in Israel did.

-'still black ppl enslaved in the US-'

Literally been illegal for 158 years, dumbass. To such a point it's not even a part of fringe political discourse. And no, the prison system doesn't count- that isn't slavery.

-'And the discourse around Jewish Indigineity to Isareal won't change anything for other indigenous groups nomatter which way the wind blows.'

Well if the argument that 'being separated from country of origin for X years means you no longer count' is accepted- You're gonna quickly find yourself up shit creek without a paddle.

Gentile leftists, this is a PSA, and I am begging you to listen. Sharing claims that Jews aren’t indigenous to the land of Israel, that Jews don’t come from the Middle East, and/or that the Zionist movement wasn’t created in response to centuries of antisemitism & genocide is fringe revisionist history with a long antisemitic history. These aren’t anti-imperialist or anti-colonial stances. They are just antisemitic conspiracy theories.

And on the flip side, acknowledging the simple fact that Jews are indigenous to the region currently occupied by Israel & Palestine does not imply any opinion about the modern states of Israel & Palestine, their governments, or the conflict in the region. This post is not voicing support for Zionism or the state of Israel. This is literally just historical fact: both Jews and Palestinians are indigenous to the region where modern day Israel & Palestine are.

If you make this about the politics or conflicts of the modern states of Israel or Palestine—if you comment or send me asks to that effect—you will be blocked.

[sexhaver]

oh my fucking god i KNOW that italian- and irish-american immigrants faced discrimination from white people in america until they were assimilated into the popular definition of whiteness. im literally armenian-american. my ethnicity is in the exact same fucking boat. and guess what? if someone casually refers to me as white in conversation i don’t correct them by saying that ackshually i wouldn’t have been considered white in 1920. i agree with them because it is not 1920 any more and i have effectively the same status in modern america as a WASP. jesus fuck

also another thing that pisses me off about this discourse is that it frames “being assimilated into whiteness” as this passive thing that happened to these ethnic groups against their will, which... is not the case. every ethnic minority in america that started out being viewed as nonwhite and ended up being viewed as white got there by deliberately adopting facets of white american culture, primarily antiblack racism. the irish are the most direct example of this:

Ironically, Irish Catholics came to this country as an oppressed race yet quickly learned that to succeed they had to in turn oppress their closest social class competitors, free Northern blacks. Back home these "native Irish or papists" suffered something very similar to American slavery under English Penal Laws. Yet, despite their revolutionary roots as an oppressed group fighting for freedom and rights, and despite consistent pleas from the great Catholic emancipator, Daniel O'Connell, to support the abolitionists, the newly arrived Irish-Americans judged that the best way of gaining acceptance as good citizens and to counter the Nativist movement was to cooperate in the continued oppression of African Americans. Ironically, at the same time they were collaborating with the dominant culture to block abolition, they were garnering support from among Southern, slaveholding democrats for Repeal of the oppressive English Act of the Union back home. Some even convinced themselves that abolition was an English plot to weaken this country.

tl;dr if your first reaction to the Irish getting called white is to google pics of “IRISH NEED NOT APPLY” signs from over a century ago, you are a nerd

[thechanelmuse]

The articles are here and here.

From the second one: “In 1910, Black farmers owned more than 16 million acres of land, according to experts. In 2017, when the most recent agricultural census was done, that figure was just 4.7 million acres, about 0.5% of all farmland.” The value estimate is for “1920 and 1997 in the 17 states where almost all Black-owned farms were documented.”

They concluded the article with: “A Biden administration effort to provide debt relief to farmers of color as part of the American Rescue Plan Act, framed as repair for past USDA discrimination, is currently stalled in court after white farmers argued it was discriminatory.”

“People of color,” “BIPOC,” whatever "of color” is harmful and they know it 😒. When there is a specific thing that deeply affects Black Americans, they love to shoehorn “POC” or “Black and brown” just to make everyone feel included even tho it’s not their fight nor does it affect them. God forbid if Black Americans finally receive restitution for this country’s unpaid debts towards us huh... Lump everyone in 🙌🏽... This is how things never benefit Black Americans, but others...if anything is actually done...

Just how Biden shoehorned in Native Americans (italicized for the Dawes Rolls $5 Indians) as a stipulation when it comes to Black Americans (despite our lineage reflecting American Indian descent through the US census records going as far back to the 1500s and those oral familial tribe stories generationally passed down) finally receiving federal and state reparations for chattel slavery and lost land, and federal and state-sanctioned laws that created and still heavily piles atop the the centuries deep wealth disparity between Black Americans and white Americans/others immigrating in.

So why was the land seized? You know why. But for clarity:

- It’s more profitable for stolen land from Black Americans now headed by white farmland owners (to generate more wealth disparity in favor of white wealth) and Latino farmland owners to enlist cheap (illegal) labor through Latino farming in America. Just as with carpentry. This was originally filled with Black Americans who built this country and their descendants soon became less sought after to keep the monetary payout low. Trading places. Cheaper (illegal) labor. This is where you insert mass immigration which leads to food insecurity 🙃 and land disparity 🙃 for new residents. Mass immigration has never/will never benefit any country. 

- White South Africans have been coming over here displacing Black American farmers in states like Mississippi. A continuation into the wealth and land disparity. They’ve been in court for a minute where Black farmers are suing in regards environmental racism (pay disparity, benefits they weren’t allowed to receive, accommodation disparity where white South African acquired rent free housing, racial slurs; the works). South Africa is even keeping track.

- Bill Gates and his now ex-wife, Melinda, quietly became the largest individual farmland owners in the United States. How is this allowed? You know how and why. 

- “China is buying up American farms. Washington wants to crack down. By the start of 2020, Chinese owners controlled about 192,000 agricultural acres in the U.S., worth $1.9 billion, including land used for farming, ranching and forestry, according to the Agriculture Department.” This isn’t unfamiliar territory for a number of countries in Africa who’s seeing the same happen in their countries . 

There’s a lot that goes into undermining an ethnic group. These are just a few. Meanwhile people say all we do is complain and look for (non-existent) handouts. Comedy...

[youryanderedaddy]

♡100 followers special♡

Guys, I would like to thank all of you for all the support since I started this blog, you are the best <3 Btw this is the fic Elon Musk doesn’t want you to see lol, jk jk 

Title: Humanity

Words: 3.6k 

Summary: When you get sold to an odd looking robot after the last failure of a rebellion, things go better than you had expected. Until they don’t. 

tw: robot/AI apocalypse au, dystopia au, slavery, slight non - sexual public nudity, discrimination, vulgar language, mention of death and child abuse (in the past), obsessive behavior, non - consensual touching, angst 

              AD 3061y., 14 September

 Your hometown was in ruins, shattered by the Forces and left without any source of food, clean water or reliable manpower. The rebellion had failed just like the first ten attempts and as much as you had wanted to believe this time would be different, your dreams stayed nothing more than a way to cope with the harsh reality. Any intelligent individual had either managed to flee before the prosecution or died in agony while trying. You could still hear their pained screams ringing in your ear, the desperate look in their pupils sealed forever in your mind along with the sound of heavy breathing slowly fading into the background like your own hopes for a better future.

 The ones who decided to play meek and close their eyes to the inhuman torture happening in the area were spared, but what awaited them could potentially be worse than death itself. You were part of the flock of pitiful weak humans who had surrendered to the heartless machines wanting nothing more than to see mankind squirm and kneel underneath their mechanic heel like a bug. And now you would face the hour of judgment – tired and exhausted, heavy rusty chains around your bruised ankles making every next step a little harder than the last one. But you were certain that the most painful humiliating event hadn’t taken place yet and the thought made your blood run cold. You could recall the countless stories you used to hear on the streets from your friends about androids stealing kids and selling them like cattle to the most powerful leaders of society. Back then you would laugh at them, finding the ideas ridiculous, better fit for a conspiracy theory or a legend rather than an actual threat. But during that time life was easier – the robots were still your friends, just your average citizens, equal to the humans in every manner. It wasn’t until ten years later that some of them realized just how much better, stronger and smarter than the people they really were. That’s how the apocalypse started and that’s how it was going to end. These days the mortals were becoming extinct with the population cut down to one million. You didn’t have names or rights to any possession. Your mere survival had one purpose only – to entertain the machines so they could feel human again. And right now you were being dragged to Soraq, also known as the biggest slave market in the country.

----

 It was just as terrifying as you had imagined it to be. The Capital was supposed to express wealth, luxury and maybe even happiness but your old human views were easily opposed when faced with the mud  covering what was left of the pavement and the pale exhausted bodies of the mortals wandering the streets searching for a hot meal and a little bit of kindness it was clear no one wanted to provide. You reached out to help a young girl sobbing all by herself on the ground but the Officer roughly yanked your shoulder back and ordered you to keep going – his cold hard touch was enough to bruise your skin.

 After a few long minutes of uncertainty your keeper finally stopped, pulling you up some black stairs leading to a small stage and if you weren’t too busy looking around for the others who were captured, you might have noticed the crowd gathered inches away from you. Soon enough you were forced to redirect your attention as you heard the approving screams and cheering below. There were hundreds of robots staring at you, smirking maliciously, pinning you with their cold calculating gazes. You finally realized that this wasn’t just a bad dream or a nightmare, something unreal you could easily run away from by opening your eyes. You were about to become property and the worst part was the way the cruel machines perfectly resembled people – they looked the same except for the dark red pupils each possessed which glowed when going into a fight mode. But unlike humans the androids had gotten rid of their most intimate emotions and fears, turning themselves into empty shells, shiny and murderous with no way to experience anything properly, be it pleasure or pain.

 “Ladies and gentlemen!” The Officers started off with a low chuckle, his heavy hand wrapped tightly around your arm. His voice should have been programmed to be monotone but now it had a playful edge to it. “Today our dear subjects have decided to be feisty yet again. They still haven’t learned their lesson it seems.” He grinned eerily, quickly followed by the mocking laugher of the crowd. Some even shouted slurs and insults but you tried to focus on controlling your feelings. You needed to stay calm if you wanted to survive. “We really can’t expect more from the mankind. They are primal after all, they just can’t learn from their mistakes.” The male robot paused for a second to fix his microphone. “It’s in their DNA code to be foolish and pathetic. That’s why we need to take better care of them.” He whispered the last line down your neck and despite knowing that the machines didn’t have actual lungs, you could swear you felt his cold breath on your sensitive skin.

 “The woman is in her early twenties. Her background is unknown, but she certainly looks like someone you would want in your collection.” The android continued talking as if you weren’t there, his hands all over your tinier frame. The mass was yelling, but you only made out the words „down”, „strip” and „human”. Your eyes watered involuntarily and you let the tears stream down your cheeks in spite of the weakness they showed. It didn’t matter – it couldn’t get any worse so you could at least let yourself experience such little bits of comfort. In the next moment the Officer ripped your old ragged t-shirt, exposing your breasts to the cold autumn air. The hot red humiliation washed over you as the degrading whistles pierced trough your heart. It was such a cruel unfair punishment and you couldn’t even keep your composure long enough to not break down ugly – crying right there.

 “The bidding starts at one thousand eros!” The robot’s evil voice echoed through the area, reaching the market borders. Suddenly all the attention was on your scared vulnerable half-naked self. More than ten androids raised their hands, making your stomach turn in terror. Most of them had unpleasant appearances, resembling old people, usually men. “Do we have two thousand eros?” The officer added quickly afterwards having seen the shown interest. This time there were only five bots willing to buy you for so much money – but the show was far from over. “Am I seeing three thousand eros?” Your keeper kept going, determined to drain your bidders off their wealth, but to his utmost surprise now there were only two robots with their hands in the air – one seemingly younger and the other looking all wrinkled and bitter at the world. You silently prayed that fate would work in your favor only this time and hand you over to the man who would treat you more like a living being and less like an object.

 “Ten thousand eros.” Suddenly the android with a kinder appearance declared out loud, his cold stern gaze fixed onto you. The other male hesitated for a moment, probably wondering whether or not you were worth so much money, but at the end he cursed under his breath and slowly put his hand down with a sour expression. “Sold to K-010 for ten thousand eros!” The automatic voice of the Officer was ringing in your ear like an alarm while the crowd was shouting and cussing, some going as far as to criticize your new owner for giving up his monthly salary for a “cheap human whore”. Next he was invited on the stage to sign off all the needed documents leading to your freedom being ripped away forever and you were injected with a tiny chip which would make your location visible to your buyer at any given time. The android looked at you soon after and in one swift move he managed to place his leather coat on your shoulders, muttering at you to cover up. You obeyed, embarrassed by the reminder that your upper half was still fully exposed to all the hungry prying immortals. When the chains were finally removed, the robot took you by the hand and led you to a small white flying car with a yellow lily drawn on top – the brand was popular among the most powerful members of the Forces.

 “Don’t even think about running away.” K-010 growled when he noticed the way your attention drifted to the nearby road before finally taking your seat. You knew it was pointless now that the tracking device was deep into your skin but deep down you still couldn’t kill the last bit of hope screaming at you to do something before you were too far away to find home again, wherever it was. “If you so much as look outside while we drive, I will use my lasers to turn you into ash. Okay?” You nodded meekly and sank into the soft comfortable seat, wishing that your body would stop shaking in fear but to no avail.

---

 The journey was long and silent but it made you remember the days when music was still allowed and you used to turn the radio all the way up in your mother’s car. You would sing loudly until your throat hurt and your friends would ask you to just shut up and focus on the road. Everything was so normal and happy back then. The stinging nostalgia threatened to overcome so you tried to focus on something else. You finally faced your owner in an attempt to study his appearance. He was probably in his late twenties, his hair white with some black locks here and there, a fashion trend you usually didn’t care much for. You couldn’t afford to bother with your hairstyle when you were constantly running for your life after all. The robotic male had sun-kissed brown skin, he was taller than most human men and his lips seemed softer than most robots’. But the biggest mystery laid in his deep dark eyes, they looked scarlet at first but the more you stared, the easier it was to realize the color was actually brown.

 “Are you a cyborg, K-010?” You asked in a small voice out of the blue, breaking the peace and quiet in the air. The android didn’t spare you much attention with his gaze fixed onto the open sky serving as a road, still he opened his mouth slightly to respond. “My name is Kyle, the numbers are just a formality.” He inhaled sharply as if he was reminiscing a bad memory. “And yes, I am biologically human – just with a few practical upgrades.” You had heard of such people before, the ones willing to become an experiment so they could join the high society oppressing their own neighbors, friends and relatives, setting the lands on fire and destroying the dying environment but you had never met one until today. Honestly, you felt betrayed. It was one thing to be some unfeeling machine’s plaything and entirely another to be owned by someone with a functioning heart even though they weren’t too keen on using it properly.

 “Why would you do that?” You couldn’t stop the question from leaving your lips in the next moment. “You should know what humans have to go through just to stay alive. Today hundreds of us were crushed and sold like some animals! Yet you changed yourself to appeal to their disgusting standards.” You raised your voice, the hot tears already spilling down your cheeks yet again, your fists clenched in pure anger at the foolish greedy man. He simply shook his head and leaned back. “I had my reasons, sweetheart. You don’t know anything.” With that the conversation had ended, you could try and argue or even blame him for being a selfish bastard but it wouldn’t have done you any good so you decided against it. It didn’t matter much anymore.

----

 A few months went by slowly even though time meant little to someone in your position. Living with Kyle wasn’t as terrible as you thought it would be – his mansion was big and spacious, luxurious even. You had your own room and you were allowed to explore the house in your free time. You didn’t have many duties to attend to, your work mostly revolved around cooking, cleaning and keeping company with your owner when he was too tired to keep the robotic mask on and just wanted something sweet, something weak, something more human around. He didn’t want much out of you so you tried to do your best and stay on his good side – there was always a warm meal waiting at the table at night, every window was carefully wiped from the previous dust and the glass was now shining brightly, and you would listen for hours on end to the cyborg’s ramblings no matter how dreadful it could be sometimes.

 But it couldn’t be denied that the man had some odd habits, even if you were to overlook him buying a living being instead of simply hiring a maid. For example, you knew how thin the walls actually were because you could hear him cry almost every night. The half-robot would hold you close any time the news were too loud or a bottle of beer had fallen and shattered on the ground. Still you weren’t allowed to leave his home so all the doors leading to the outside world were locked while he was away or at work. And there were these weird long cuts on his shoulders you had managed to take notice of the first time your master had asked you to bathe him. You hadn’t meant to prey upon his naked form, but the task had been so awkward you needed something to focus on to drive the unpleasant thoughts away. The injuries looked deep and the man would close his eyes any time the soap made contact with them. Finally one day you gathered the courage to ask him what had caused the raw scratches. You were messaging his scalp gently, applying jasmine in his roots, trying to soothe his nerves and get to the information.

 “ ’S not important. ” K-010 answered lazily while arching his back into your touch. More often than not the male would melt under your care and you couldn’t help but wonder just how lonely it was to be neither a human nor a machine. “She is dead now.” He whispered darkly, secretly hoping it wouldn’t reach your ear, yet it did. “Who is dead?” You questioned him after a while, stroking his wet locks until you heard him moan. You were getting better and better at provoking a reaction from the cyborg and despite knowing it was manipulative and a little devious, he was still the ruthless owner who held your one and only life in his palms. You needed to be sneaky if you wanted a safe, comfortable life.

 “My mother.” Kyle added quickly before looking at the blue ceiling, the glossy material copying both of your reflections. The mention of the woman made the sensitive skin of his nape crawl but he kept talking. “The crazy bitch used to beat me every. She even tried to kill me a couple of times.” A slight smile appeared on his full red lips. “It didn’t work out in the end, unfortunately.” So that’s where the cuts were from – he had been violated in his childhood by no other than the person supposed to look after him. You had always hated abusive parents taking advantage of their authority and even now your own imagination made your heart ache at the picture it painted. A small boy being hit over and over until there his whole body was bruised and bloodied. A child with no one to turn to. It didn’t excuse your master’s evil doing but it certainly explained a lot. “Don’t make such a sad face, darling.” He cooed at you, reaching out to pinch your cheek. “I will always be grateful to the Forces since they gave me the power I needed to finally free myself from her grasp. I even buried her myself after everything was said and done.” Kyle grinned from side to side like a little kid waiting to be praised for the picture they had drawn, except now the man was speaking of the way he had murdered his mother. You were at a total loss of words, suddenly too frightened to respond.

 “What’s so special about being a human anyways?” The cyborg grumbled, sounding almost offended of the words you still haven’t said but were definitely thinking deep down. You were staring forward unable to draw away from that one crack in the wall, his words flying above your head. Your confusion was interrupted by the man quickly raising to his knees and catching both of your hands with his strong robotized ones. The cold touch of the metal combined with the camouflage of a soft skin was enough to mess your mind even further into the maze that was his dark gaze. Next thing you knew the male had you pinned on the hard ground, spotlessly clean and reeking of abstergent. You tried to squirm away but the hold of your wrists was too tight and strong to even make your struggling worth the trouble. “Just look at how weak you humans are.” K-010 taunted you, smirking teasingly, cruelly, yet there was something desperate in his eyes, something hidden. “You are so fragile I could probably break you if I were to press harder on your flesh.” He whispered into your ear, breathing down your neck as he dug his icy fingers into your collarbone and made you whimper pathetically at the dull pain. “People are foolish creatures, illogical by nature. They try to fight authority yet the moment they are left with a free choice, they find a way to run from their responsibilities.” The cyborg chuckled maliciously while digging his nails further into your skin.

 “We might be doomed forever because of our emotions but there is something you fail to consider.” You finally spoke out despite your rapid heartbeat and fear so great it could defeat death herself. The predator already had you in his sharp claws and there was no pointing in playing coy anymore. The worst had come to worst. Your words caught the attention of the half-robot and he licked his lips in anticipation to hear what you had to say. “Unlike the androids we can still experience love. And at the end a life without love is a life wasted in the big picture. We might be mortal but you are the ones waiting to die instead of living.” You spat at the man fiercely, ready to face any punishment he would bestow upon your weak tired body for the sheer honesty. Instead he started laughed maniacally, the sound so loud it hit the ceiling and echoed through the house like a pained scream and so violent his shoulders shook to the sides. For the first time his eyes were glowing in a bright red color so saturated and vivid you couldn’t stand to look at them.

 “This is really funny, my little human.” Kyle pronounced carefully, having calmed down. He lowered his head so that his lips were ghosting over yours, just brushing against them. “I belong with neither humans nor robots so why does my chest ache every time I look at you? Tell me, darling, am I in love?” His voice was harsh, husky – as if he was purposely trying to sound evil but the tears in his eyes pointed at another feeling. A raw painful feeling.

 You couldn’t reply not only because you had no idea what to say after the confession but also because you couldn’t breathe properly with his pretty, wicked face so close to yours. Your silence only managed to stir the cyborg up further into his madness and he kissed you roughly, hungrily lapping and biting at your lips until they were sore and bruised, the robotic man more than happy to lick the small drops of blood off. For a moment you considered kicking or shouting for help but there wasn’t anyone willing to in the radius of kilometers. No one of significance cared much about the few remaining mortals. “I could never love you.” You uttered weakly, half – heartedly pushing the man away. You were all alone in this and there wasn’t really a point in fighting someone so much bigger and stronger, yet a sad little part of you hoped that Kyle would leave you alone if you made it clear enough just how much his actions were hurting you.

  “It’s fine if you don’t love me by choice.” Your master replied calmly in a cold piercing voice. His hands were wandering through your form stopping at your hips to draw them into his. The pretty dress you used to like so much was now crumpled and reeking of him, torn apart from your shivering body and thrown away. You wished you could cry but all the adrenaline had left you too uneasy to process the pain and fear. Kyle whispered in your ear while stroking your hair gently and it made you feel like a trembling sheep before a starved butcher. “I own you, little human.” He placed a small kiss on your hot sensitive neck. “And I have enough love for both of us.”

[nesiacha]

@thatrosedose

Usually, I try to avoid conflicts and don't like historical debates involving personal history to prevent problems and because it's often irrelevant. However, this time, I will be a bit firm. I can be a coward, but some things cannot be overlooked.

Firstly, I am sincerely sorry for Albania, believe me even I don't know at all the history of Albania, so I I would refrain from commenting because I don't know . Being Franco-Algerian myself, I understand. My country, Algeria, suffered greatly under colonization since 1830 until his independance in 1962, and in some way, I try to remind people of the sufferings of our people and others like us. Nonetheless, I am equally proud to be French and like to recall that one of my ancestors died in the Battle of the Somme alongside other Frenchmen who never discriminated against him and suffered with him. However, I really don't see how this is relevant here. When I talk about the Algerian Revolution, it's to mention how some Algerians perceived the French Revolution and learned from other revolutions to... We can see some similarities in the course of events. The same applies to Albania. It could work if you talk about an era like 1850, the 20th century, etc., for better comparison. But that's stop it. Beyond that we fall into anachronism

I have the unpleasant impression, from your tone, that you are trying to discredit aedeslumini as someone with limited compassion which is false (forgive me if I am wrong, I will publicly apologize). And I must admit, I don't like this at all. It's like during a debate about Napoleon's reinstatement of slavery, I would start talking about Algerian colonization and the suffering of Algerians while another person is trying to present real historical arguments, such as the attitudes of colonists hostile to the abolition of slavery. It makes no sense, and rightly so, I would be reminded that these arguments are out of place. There are other historical arguments that should be advanced (and I say this while criticizing a lot Bonaparte for reinstating slavery because it was a grave mistake both morally and tactically). Even the historian Patrice Guennifey ( or Thierry Lentz I didn't remember), who clearly dislikes the Montagnards, rejects this dictatorial notion of some people and calls for avoiding anachronisms.

Next, I politely but firmly invite you to review where aedesluminis or others have approved what happened in Vendée. On the contrary, to my knowledge, we have all condemned these events. Regardless of our admiration for certain revolutionaries, we know well that those involved there or who did not disapprove were guilty of inexcusable acts (some did not have the same information because there were no telephones at that time, so by the time the information was verified, it could take at least two months). Flawless statesmen do not exist, and revolutionaries beyond reproach are very rare (perhaps Louise Reine Audu, Monnereau, Marie Anne Babeuf) because they were in a hellish situation in a war that most did not want, surrounded by foreign powers, deprived of sleep, and facing the atrocious punishments that royalists could inflict. Honestly, they tried their best to hold back until the gloves came off. They saved France, even though they committed inexcusable acts.

What is a bit annoying is that we don't talk a lot about the Overseas Departments, the atrocious repression in Haiti (it seems that nearly half of Haitians died, often in atrocious sufferings) which was even more horrible sometimes ( like the dogs or Rochambeau), and Napoleon's dictatorship in my opinion, with his thirst for power. He betrayed the Jacobins for this power in my eyes , which is even more unforgivable, and left France in a worse state. Louis XIV, Louis XV, and even Louis XVI were not above horrible repressions, and we don't talk about them as much. There is more talking than the exactions of the governement of Year II that them.

Also, I didn't understand what the American story is about.

In short, let's all try to remain calm. If you want, we can provide our sources and posts, but let's remain courteous.

[mrsfrecklesmarauders]

The Magical Word of JKR

In this post, I want to point out all the inconsistencies of the world that JKR has created. Some of us had been worshiping her for so long. But JKR made mistakes, not only outside her world, but inside.

Owls for muggleborns. Sending a letter through an owl seems to be something common in The Wizarding World. But why do children with a muggle background need to go back in time and use them when they could use a phone? Why can't students use any muggle technology? I know wizards are anti muggle and magic does not allow these devices to function at Hogwarts, but why not?

Drunk portraits. How could portraits get drunk? Did artists paint vessels and digestive systems for them too? How can they bleed? They are portraits with voices and personality based on real people yeah. But they are not alive. They don’t bleed or get drunk.

The trace. Wizards under 17 aren’t supposed to do magic outside Hogwarts. But The Ministry doesn’t seem to control this by which wand did it. But by location. Since Dobby did magic in the Chamber of Secrets, and they blamed Harry for it. So, what happens with pureblood kids? They are allowed to use magic outside school because their families are supposed to, so they wouldn’t trace them. So it seems unfair for muggleborns not to be able to practice magic. Since they are the only members of their family that would do it.

Hogwarts being the only school. There is only one school in all Britain for magical people. Yet there seems to be very few students when there should be a lot. And it doesn’t make sense that Hogwarts is the only choice. Or Hogwarts, or homeschooling.

I don’t understand the population of Magical Folks. It seems little because most of the wizarding families are known. There are only 28 pureblood famous families. They even practise inbreeding, they are all related. But why is that, if the wizard gene is dominant? There are more half bloods and muggleborns than squibs. So the magical population should be as large as the muggle one, even more.

Hogwarts Houses are cool. But the way kids are sorted doesn’t make sense. They get sorted when they are eleven. Seems pretty young to me to form traits and criteria that might change as they grow. Also, let’s say 100 kids enter Hogwarts one year. They won’t be sorted equally 25/25/25/25. Because according to personalities and traits, there could be 60 Gryffindors and 10 Ravenclaws, and 4 Slyhterins, and 25 Hufflepuffs. What if one year, there are no Slytherins for example?

Also, sharing a dorm, common room and classes with people from your same house (same personality and traits) seems boring and unhealthy. Having friends with different personalities, traits and beliefs should help you grow and mature. Sometimes friendships are built between two opposite people. And separating houses, forces students to just hang out with people from their houses, not others.

Love potions. These are the wizarding equivalent of drugs. Think about it. Forcing someone to show love for you is very much like drugging someone and forcing them to do stuff against their will. Love potions can permit things like raping. Something that happened to Tom Sr. by Merope. It is horrible. Yet the wizarding world permits their selling and consumption without a problem. And what’s worse, they teach how to brew it in school to children! A potion like that shouldn’t be allowed or taught.

Azkaban being the only punishment. It seems whether you are a dangerous criminal like a mass murderer or just someone that stole something once, you get the same punishment. Azkaban. An inhumane place where dementors live, and make prisoners go insane, live their worst nightmares or suck their soul. Even characters who were under the imperius curse like Stanley Shunpike. Or even The Marauders would’ve gone to Azkaban if their animagus secret was discovered. No matter what your crime is, always the worst punishment: Azkaban.

Wizards hiding from muggles. The Statue of Secrecy in the Wizarding World seems to be important. But I may ask, how can wizards hide from muggles if they don’t know anything about them? Pureblood Wizards don’t have a clue how muggles live, behave, dress, talk. Not even Arthur Weasley who works in that Department. Yet they want to be unnoticed by muggles? For example, each time a wizard dresses like a muggle they do it wrong, using colorful clothes. Wouldn’t it be suspicious? Like even Vernon sees people in cloaks in book 1, celebrating. Also, if there are a lot of muggleborns, shouldn’t more muggles know about wizards?

It is totally inhumane to just obliviate muggles each time they see something. That spell should have some consequences in their brains. Like for example, Hermione’s parents must’ve had mayhem after their minds were modified.

Memories in pensieves are not supposed to be accurate. Memories are from our point of view. From the perspective of people who lived that memory. When Harry sees Snape’s memories or Bob Ogden’s memories, they seem to be clear. Harry can see Bob and Snape in those memories when they should be seen through their eyes, they are their memories. How could Snape remember himself, see himself. You get my point? Also, memories are subjective, not objective. We remember what impacted us the most, we forget about details we don’t care about. There are feelings involved.

Not having another education after Hogwarts. You graduate from Hogwarts at eighteen. Eighteen! And you're supposed to have figured out what you want to do for the rest of your life. Why aren’t there Wizard Universities? Wizards only have 7 years of education and that’s all. Nothing before, nothing after (unless you’re muggleborn). Seems that the wizard community doesn’t care about education that much. With only seven years of education, are you suddenly prepared for the rest of your life? I don’t think so.

Adding to the last point, wizards only teach about magic. What about math, wouldn’t they need it to count their money, or take care of their finances? What about English, spelling, grammar? Not every kid had the privilege to be homeschooled by their parents before. What about Sex Ed? I think it is important for teens that age to be careful with their sex lives.

Quidditch being the only sport in the wizarding world. Quidditch is cool, I get it. But it is not for everyone. Seems that if you want to be a sports person in the wizarding world, you only have that option. Either you like Quidditch or nothing.Shouldn’t there be other sports? In the muggle world we have tons: football, basquet, tennis, swimming, running, etc.

Love protection is not common. Lily sacrificed herself for Harry. She died for him and that love protection saved his life. Why is Harry the only one to experience it? Is it because of the prophecy? I mean Lily is not the only one who has sacrificed herself for love. Not in the story, not in History. Then why aren’t there more people with lighting scars walking around?

Why don’t wizards cure things with magic like eyesight? They have a potion that grows bones back. But they cannot cure Harry’s eyesight? And don’t say that it is because eyes are connected to the soul, that’s a lame excuse. In the muggle world, eyesight can be cured with surgery.

Hogwarts Express. Yeah, we all wanted to ride the train to Hogwarts. It is part of the experience right? But what if you live in Scotland already? Why bother traveling to London to King Cross Station to take a train if you already live there? It seems like a waste of time. Is there a provided transport for kids who live in Scotland? What about those who don't live in London? What if Scotland is nearer to them than King Cross?

Ghosts. They shouldn’t exist. It is not very well explained how you become a ghost. But it doesn’t make sense that they exist and yet many characters died and didn’t become one.

Discrimination against magical creatures. We know how magical creatures are seen in the Wizarding World. Discrimination exists. But the problem is that Jkr never does anything to fix this.Not with werewolves, not with half giants, surely not with house-elves. The only issue that the war solved was the discrimination against muggleborns.

And house-elves liking their slavery is problematic. It is saying that slavery is right as long as the victim accepts it. She created S.P.E.W and never properly addressed the issue.

The Forbidden Forest is dangerous, yet students have detention there. Dumbledore says at the beginning of each year that the Forest is out of bounds. So why would you send students to detention there, Dumbles? Also, building a school near a forest full of dangerous beasts: werewolves, acromantulas, centaurs, seems kind of risky for children. Not every child obeys the rules. Look at the Marauders spending every full moon there.

How did Hagrid come to be? Hagrid is half giant. Meaning that his father is human, his mother is a giant… Ehemm… Excuse me, but how do you have sex with a giant? That’s physically impossible. How does Hagrid exist?

Male veelas? We are only introduced to female veelas in the Wizarding World. Veelas are these beautiful women that men feel attracted to, they seem in trance by their beauty, and they are not responsible for their actions. It seems to me that JKR is saying that men should not be accountable for their actions when they see a pretty girl, because it is her fault? Pretty feminist, JKR. Also, veelas are dangerous creatures. How do humans procreate with them and have half veelas or a quarter of a veela? Are there male veelas too?

Teachers not having spouses or kids. It is a stupid stereotype that teachers are sad non social people, who are only teaching because they don’t have a choice. Like they are allowed to have social lives, date, get married and have children, right? Name one Hogwarts teacher who is married with kids. They all seem pretty single. And I get it, being single is not a bad thing. But all of them being single just because they are teachers in a boarding school? Just because it was convenient to the author? Only McGonagall married once, but her husband died a few years after.

Abusive teachers. Speaking of teachers, why would Hogwarts allow incompetent teachers that are abusive (Snape), and or are dangerous for kids. None DADA teacher had teaching experience before. And since there is no further education than Hogwarts, how do teachers get prepared for the job? Teaching is not about knowing a lot of stuff about the subject, but knowing how to treat children.

Muggle vs Wizard music. What is the difference between muggle and wizard music? I never understood that. Is it the fact that wizards play music with magic? If so, why would instruments exist? Why would they play instruments? If anyone can make a spell to produce music, then anyone can be a musician. The only difference that I find is that wizard music has wizard related lyrics. Which is a stupid difference. Wizards could write songs about muggles. Muggles could write songs about wizards.

Secret Keeper. The Fidelius Charm should be a spell to hide yourself from others if you are in danger. Period. There shouldn’t be such a thing as a secret keeper. Why? Why would someone else need to know the place you are hiding? James and Lily shouldn’t have trusted anyone with their location. Not even Sirius. Not even someone they trusted, because Sirius or anyone could’ve died and passed the secret to the others. Like, it doesn’t make any sense. And also, how could Bill and Arthur be their own secret keepers but not James and Lily?

Magical therapists. Healers seem to cure physical maladies or illness pretty fine, but what about mental health? And I am not talking about mental problems because of magic. Like Frank, Alice, Lockheart whose minds were affected by spells. I’m talking about mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, adhd, ptsd, trauma etc. Don’t tell me wizards don’t suffer that. What about Remus, Sirius, Harry? Who treats these things in the wizarding world?

Time Turner. Only exists for the plot. Otherwise it is useless, stupid and confusing. Time traveling confuses the mind. Also, we don’t exactly know how it works. Is it a domino effect? Do the things you do back in time affect the present? They should. Or does it create different timelines, like it is said in Cursed Child? Also, why not use time turners for important situations? For example, save important people from dying, go back to check events of a crime and see if they are true.

Veritaserum. Wizards have a truth potion and they won’t use it. They should use it on trials to take the truth out of criminals, to see if the accusants are innocent or not. They should’ve used it on each member of the Order to find out who the spy was. They should’ve used it to discover who was the Slytherin heir when the Chamber was opened. They should’ve used it on Harry when he came back from the Graveyard to prove Voldemort was back. Why would that shit exist anyway?

Incest families. Pureblood families, or at least some of them are supposed to practise inbreeding. But if you look at the Black Family Tree, the only Black-Black marriage is between Orion and Walburga. Just one. And even if this was the case, shouldn’t this inbreeding have consequences? I don’t know if it’s the magical gene or what but The Blacks and Malfoys seem pretty fine.

If you know more and you want to add them, feel free to do so. This is a critique to improve this word and fandom ourselves. Even JKR's world is cool and wonderful, it is full of flaws that we need to speak about.

[howlingday]

nora the arc au) nora finds out that blake was essentually a child soldier and blake admits she's afraid that she doesn't know how to be a good person nora sugests she find someone she trusts to be a good person and then just follow their orders. then study them to find out how to be a good person yourself.

she was expecting blake to follow her own team leader ruby. instead now she's got a cat constantly watching her and jaune trying to get intimate. SHE CAN'T HOLD HANDS IN FRONT OF SOMEONE IT'S TOO LEWD! she can kiss her husband tho so consolation prize

Ceiling Cat!

Blake heard everything. Blake saw everything. If it happens in Beacon, sooner or later, she would learn about it. So when she learned about her neighbors across the hall being both the most trusting people and the most loving couple, she needed to learn more, firsthand.

Her years in the White Fang taught her many skills, including infiltration. She knocked on the door, no doubt drawing the attention of the dwellers inside. The door opens.

"Hm?" Jaune peered out through the door. "Oh, hey, Blake! What's up?"

She needed to gain their trust if she was taking this route. Failure to do so could end in total mission failure. She needed to give them a reason to let her in.

"Hey, Jaune. Do you mind if we talk in your room?"

"Uh, sure!" Jaune opened the door wide and stepped aside. "Come on in!"

"Thank you." The door shut behind her. Mission accomplished.

"What are you doing by the peephole, Yang?" Damn! I've been spotted! It's all on you, Blake! Your partner's been captured by the ice queen! "Hey!"

Blake sat quietly across the tea table Jaune unfolded for their discussion. She was told it was an idea Ren had to help bond the team together. It was small, square, and only had enough room for one person at each end. Thankfully, however, it was tall enough to have tea on. She was served a cup pre-made by Ren for sudden guests.

"So what's on your mind?" Jaune asked.

"I'm told you're the most trusting man at Beacon."

"Wow, really?" Jaune blushed. "I had no idea!"

Blake nodded. "I wanted to get to know you a little better, and hopefully you can get to know me as well."

"Yeah, that'd be great!" Jaune beamed. "What do you want to know?"

"First, I'd like to know about your family." Blake began. "You were born to the Arc family, correct?"

Jaune nodded. "I take you've heard of them."

"Only a few times. My father used to praise your family for being kind." Jaune grinned. "But he also criticized their recklessness." He frowned. "He said your family made a habit of sticking their nose where it didn't belong. The Faunus Wars, for example."

"Oh, yeah. You mean Abigail Arc, right?" Blake nodded. "Honestly, I don't know a lot about her, except that she broke Faunus from slavery during the early settling of Vacuo."

Blake nodded. "Yes, and at the time, she was my favorite human from history."

"Really? Who was your favorite Faunus?"

"I would say Ghira Belladonna, one of the early founders of the White Fang."

"The terrorist group?" Blake flinched, but Jaune didn't seem to notice. "Kind of weird, but I guess it makes sense if you cared a lot about Faunus rights."

Blake nodded. "Yes, and I do. Jaune, do you trust me?"

"Of course I do."

"And can I trust you?"

"You can." Blake removed the string from her ribbon, causing it to fall and reveal her small cat ears. Jaune blinked and gasped. Blake blushed as she revealed her secret.

"Kitty!"

"What?" Blake whirled around to find Nora standing behind her, gawking at Blake's ears. She had stars in her eyes, like a child watching a butterfly for the first time.

"Can I touch them?" Nora gave a pouty face. "Pleeeeeeeease?"

"Nora," Jaune warned, "mind your manners."

Blake giggled. "Are you sure you're a couple? You seem more like a parent and child relationship."

Nora scoffed. "It's just a gag we run with each other. Right, Jauney?"

Jaune chuckled. "Yes, honey, it is." Jaune then looked Blake dead in the eyes and shook his head, mouthing 'No!' Nora pulled up a chair and sat between them. "So, you're a cat faunus? I take it that's why you're so curious about my thoughts on Abigail Arc."

"Partially." Blake admitted. "Moreover, I was curious on your thoughts on human/faunus relations."

"What relations?" Nora asked.

Blake nodded. "Exactly. Humans and Faunus have had a strained connection between them since the end of the Faunus Wars. Some people have held onto their grudges from then, even when the war ended before their parents were born."

Nora nodded along. "Mhm, I see."

"It's a shame when people can't see past a set of ears or a tail to have a normal conversation." Jaune replied.

"Yes, a darn shame." Nora nodded again.

"Cardin is one example." Blake offered. "His great grandfather fought against the Faunus, and he still holds a grudge against us, even though we never harmed him."

"True, true."

"Nora," Jaune looked in his fiance's direction, "when did the Faunus Wars end?"

"Uh," Nora blushed, "sixty-three years ago starting at noon tomorrow?"

Blake and Jaune shared a look, then looked back in Nora's direction. "Lucky guess."

"Look, I don't really get it, but I still think it's ridiculous." Nora started listing things on her fingers, "The Faunus Wars, the White Fang, the Menagerie Outcastings, the SDC embargoes," Nora waved her hands in the air. "It's all ridiculous! At the end of the day, we're all the same squishy people with breakable body parts."

"A bit morbid, but I understand." Blake was surprised to hear Nora make an argument against not just Faunus discrimination, but discrimination as a whole. She smiled as she stood up. "I should be going." She tied the bow around her ears. "But before I go, I have one more question to ask you."

Jaune and Nora watched carefully. "Yes?" Jaune answered.

"I used to be a member of the White Fang. I used to hurt people for a living. For ten years, every day, I fought against violence with violence. Knowing this," Blake turned to face them, their visibly pale faces watching her every move, "will you treat me any differently?"

"Yes," Jaune answered immediately, standing up and approaching her. She watched as he closed the gap between them, unflinching, expecting the worst. "I'm sorry."

Blake couldn't move. She was trapped in his grip, and he refused to let go. Worse yet, it felt... nice.

Jaune hugged her, resting his head on her shoulder, one hand rubbing her back. "I'm sorry you had to go through that?"

"Jeez, Jauney," Nora teased, "now who's being rude, hugging a girl without her permission?"

"It's fine, it's..." Blake leaned into the hug, "nice."

Blake had left, and Jaune was currently putting the tea table away. He folded it and slipped it into the closet space. As he shut the door, he was hugged from behind by Nora. "You really do have a big heart," Nora said, "you know that?"

"Yeah, I know." Jaune answered. "What I didn't know was how much you knew about Faunus history."

Nora giggled. "Just because I don't talk about it, it doesn't mean I don't know anything about it."

"Fair point." Jaune admitted. "So, here we are again."

"All alone." Nora added.

"Ren and Pyrrha won't be back for a while. Do you wanna..." Jaune trailed off.

"Right now? In the middle of the day?" Nora asked.

Jaune turned around to face Nora. He draped his arms over her shoulders. "Why not? No one's watching."

Nora gulped. "O-Okay."

Jaune and Nora held their hands up, touching palms together. Jaune shifted his hand clockwise and began by wrapping her hand with his pinkie. Nora followed suit with her pinkie, nestling it between his Pinkie and ring finger. Jaune then lowered his ring finger down, followed by Nora, though her finger's ring cause Jaune to flinch from how cold it was. "Are you okay?" Nora asked. Jaune nodded, and continued with his middle finger. Then came the index fingers, leaving only the thumbs extended. Jaune wrapped his thumb around Nora's hand, with the girl looking up with a dreamy sigh.

"BLAKE?!" Nora shrieked. Nora leapt away and looked away with a blush. Jaune looked up, and indeed saw the Faunus girl above with cat eyes wide with pupils round.

"Should you be doing such lewd things without wedding rings on?" Blake asked.

Jaune grabbed his boot from the closet, hefting it up. "GET OUT OF HERE, CEILING CAT!" Jaune tossed his boot into the ceiling, forcing Blake to scurry away.

"What happened?!" Ruby asked, static covering her speech.

"Mission failed," Blake reported, "we'll get 'em next time."