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snoozefestalert · 5 months ago

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Message to usamericans

This will be divided into multiple talking points. I am posting this mostly anonymously to avoid harassment.

This a message to US American's from a US American.

"Why are you posting such a serious work on the gay porn writing website?" Because it is a prime example of minorities banding together in order to achieve one large thing, I've seen Archive reach its annual goal of thousands of dollars within a DAY. Additionally, we can do something small to make difference, hopefully this can be a part of that. At the very least, I just want to get you thinking and at the very most, I want you to get your feet on the ground.

Before you jump in my ass, again, I am American. Don't play with me.

It is often we see that American's are called selfish, stubborn, lazy, entitled, stupid and inconsiderate. And I understand that it is difficult to not become upset when someone is making a judgment about who you are without having met you personally, especially if you are a minority or your circumstances are less than ideal.

However, understand that great privilege comes with being American, we benefit from imperalism. It is an ugly truth, but everything and every comfort we have is from the blood and tears of the innocent, many from the people slaughtered our own soil and many many more overseas. The American government is not deserving of such graces, we all know that, but it holds great power, regardless if we want it to or not. And people's frustrations with America and American's comes from a great and old rage of being oppressed by the American occupation.

Secondly, and quite frankly, selfishly. If you not want be labeled as a "Stupid and Selfish American" Do not act like one. I understand this may cause controversy but please hear me out.

How do you treat people who speak English with an accent, which could very well be their second or even fifth language, in private? How many languages do you know? Do you automatically assume someone is from the states when you speak to them in an online space? Did you even bother to ask?

Do you understand what people say when they speak of US centrism? Have you heard of the term, and if you have, how deeply do you think it goes?

I see other Americans online make these statement's:

"America is many counties in a trench coat."

- I know 50% of us say this in jest, know that 50% genuinely believe that. No, it is not. States vary in many things like laws and accents and what is considered to be polite. This is also the case, literally everywhere else. What made you assume that we were the only one's to do that? America is big, yes, but I beg of you to know, the rest of the world is even bigger.

"People outside the US can't even name all 50 states! They can't even name the capital of every state!" —

- First of all, can you? Can you name the capital of any country outside of the US that isn't in Europe? Name all the Canadian provinces and territories off the dome! When was the last time you REALLY looked at a world map? And I mean REALLY looked at it. Do you own a map, a globe, anything? They are not expensive. When was the last time you went out of your way to learn a culture that was not your own without it being in an academic setting?

"Our education system is bad!"

- Yes. I am aware. I was born and raised in one of the most dangerous cities in the country. My elementary school doesn't even exist anymore. I remember playing on the playground during recess and then my classmates and I had to lay flat because a shootout had begun and our one teacher couldn't rally all thirty of us inside in time without risking any of us getting hurt. Do you really think we are the only one's who suffer from education not being prioritized? Do you think we suffer the most? Why do you think that?

- Yes, there were many things I was not taught in school. There were times where I would be in an online space and people were making fun of Americans for not knowing who a recently deceased public figure was. My initial response was to be offended, but then I sat and I thought about it. And I had no-fucking- clue who this person was or what atrocities he had committed. They were right. So you know what I did? I liked the post for later and went and researched it myself. I didn't leave a comment talking about how poor or education system was or how it wasn't my fault I didn't know. The internet is at your fingertips, please, it is your greatest tool in more ways than one. The man in question, by the way? Henry Kissinger. The wealthy American man who bombed Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos in the name of American power, money and greed.

- When I said the internet was, is, your greatest tool, I meant it. Why do you think your schools didn't teach you that? Why do you think everyone outside the US knows about that but you? Understand that ignorance is a temporary state of being. You can always be learning. The American education system does not foster curiosity, that is why I am. Always ask questions. Always research on your own. Be curious and implore others to do the same. Always look up names, histories and actions of people. ESPECIALLY, if they sit comfortably on our wealth while we fight over their scraps. When we fight each other, we cannot fight or question our politicians, our governors, our senators or our police. They do not care about us. They care about their money and don't you ever, ever, forget that.

"You can just ignore American politics if you don't want to hear about them!"

- Take a look at this post really fast for me: https://www.tumblr.com/zzoupz/757516050990530560

- I am speaking in broad strokes here, naturally, people outside the us have every right to not want to hear or give a fuck about our maniacs in the oval office. They have their own issues to worry about as well. But please know, generally, people do not have that luxury. American oppression has sunken its claws so deep in so many other people's flesh that they have no choice but to pay attention. Why? Because usually some way or other, our politics impact them.

- Remember when I mentioned US centrism? You can afford to ignore the issues of other countries politics because they do not affect you personally. That does not mean you SHOULD NOT care. But this is a prime example of US politics impacting the rest of the world while we are granted the luxury, and quite frankly, the comfort of not knowing.

- Yes, I know it is not your fault. I know you did not make it this way. I know many of you are also upset at this reality. So when other people talk about their cultures, their criticisms, their politics, thier history and so on. Please listen. Listen to learn.

- It is not right that people must suffer for our comforts. We must change that.

"We are not our governments."

- True. People are not their governments. I hope that while you ask for this grace to be set upon you, you also extend it to others? Do you honestly think every app made in China is spyware out to steal your data and spy on you? What on EARTH would they even do with it if they had it? Facebook/Meta, Apple and YouTube steals and sells your data nonstop and you don't say anything about that? You have to ASK and app to not track your data, you cant even putright say no. Have even SPOKEN to someone from China or even a Chinese American? Do you TALK to people outside of your own ethnic group?

- Do you think every person who critiques the US government is automatically a bot? A spy? Did you ever stop to think that perhaps this person may be impacted by the American government and NATURALLY has opinions to voice about it? Are you listening to learn from them or are you just listening just to respond to them?

-If people are sharing their frustrations about America/its government/American tourists/ etc, this is not your place to go "But!" Or tone police/" I agree but you could've said this nicer" Why? Because you must understand, America IS the oppressor. It always has been.

- Some of you say this and will then go out and literally suck the skin off some cop's dick. Stand up.

"A person from outside the US gives a critique about American's or America and your first response is to go "Yeah, we suck." or "I'm sorry, we hate us too."

- Listen, I understand you want to go "We're not all like that." But your words mean nothing if your actions do not reflect them. You do not need to apologize or belittle yourself, when you do that, it makes the person have to comfort YOU rather than the other way around. Intentional or not, you are making this about YOURSELF. It's like when POC talk about white supremacy, their experiences with racism or living as women of color and some white person goes "Haha yeah I hate white people too! I'm sorry for being white." Please, read the room.

- Instead you can simply, AGREE. You can go, "Yes/Exactly! | I see where you're coming from! | Yes, that is unfair/unjust! | " OR! you can say nothing. You can nod, like/share the post, remember it for the future and adapt accordingly.

- I understand the desire to want to defend yourself but in most if not all cases, these criticisms are valid! They are coming from someone who is STILL heavily impacted and they aren't even from the US! Do you see how insane that is?

- Please try to understand and begin to try to take your "L" in silence. Just keep these criticisms in mind, try to become better accordingly, listen when people speak and for the love of god, stop embarrassing the rest of us in the comment sections of social media posts.

"Yank/Yankee doesn't offend me. It's a baseball team too."

Please shut up. I don't even have a valid talking point on this one but I am begging you to keep this one to yourself. The rest of the world already doesn't like us do not add fuel to the fire buddy.

Do you want the rest of the world to come up with another deragatory term for us???

"People outside the US don't know how our government works!"

- I PROMISE you they do. They are in fact, smothered by it despite their best efforts to ignore it.

- Do YOU how THEIR governments work? Name the president of Mexico without looking it up. How long is a presidential term in Mexico? Name a country with a King/royal family outside the UK?

- If you are curious about a countries politcal climate, culture, etc, please look it up online! And if someone of said place is interested in sharing/telling you where to look, ASK! (If they say no, that is fair! They dont HAVE to say yes. You should try your hardest to research online anyway)

"X term is offensive/ doesn't make sense!"

- Additionally, possibly controversial, these terms could be considered polite/sensible WHEREVER THIS PERSON IS FROM. For example, In the states, it is considered extremely offensive to refer to someone who is black or brown as "Colored." However, in South Africa, it is the most appropriate term!

- This goes for queer labels/titles as well! These terms and identities go by many names by many different groups. They are not wrong or better than the other, they are different and have been shaped by many different walks of life/experiences. (Additionally, not quite the same, but there are people who mean well, WHO ARE IN YOUR CORNER, even if they are not up to date on the terminology. )

"Americans face/suffer X issue!"

- Yes. We do. We are not the only one's . Please do not tell people, "You guy's don't understand because America oppresses us." Because YES, if America does oppress it's own people, imagine what the fuck it does to everyone else.

- It is not a competition, that is not what I'm trying to say. What I AM trying to say is, people understand. Do not assume that they do not. Do not "What about ME," on someone else's post, comment, conversation, etc.

- Listen to me, you are not a bad person. Bad people do not try to become better. But you must TRY to become better. You cannot learn if you are talking. And your talking means nothing if you actions don't mirror your words. You cannot make people NOT hate America/Americans, it would be foolish and selfish to try, especially knowing what this nation has done and is doing. My friend, YOU hate America(ns) and you're FROM HERE.

- Undoing Amercian centric thoughts, actions, conversations etc, isn't going to make peoples thoughts, emotions and histories go away. People are still going to call Americans selfish, lazy, cowards, annoying, etc. You must try to be better anyway.

I'm not trying to get on here and saddle on my high horse, to be like "Oh I'm one of the good one's." That is not what Im trying to do. I am telling you what I have learned and I'm trying to share that with you.

More to take away from this. (This can most likely apply outside the US as well but I'm staying in my lane. If you are not US American, do with this what you will. )

The rest of the world IS NOT JUST EUROPEAN COUNTRIES, CHINA, JAPAN AND KOREA!!!!!! THE WORLD IS A BIG BIG BIG PLACE! Yes, these countries have rich and deep cultures and histories you should learn about but there are dozens more you should learn too.

As an American, your elected officials are not your friends. I don't care how much they talk themselves up, if they look like you or anything else. They are simply that, elected officials. You vote for them so they can do their jobs. And if they say their job includes giving a fuck about people, that they give a fuck about YOU, then you BETTER hold them to that. Say it with me, do their words reflect their actions?

More on elected officials. Who is your mayor? Your Comptroller? Who is the representative of your district? When and where is your town hall meeting? Do you have a library card? When and where is your farmers market? What's your neighbors name? Is there a community garden? Are they any local shops, events happening near you? How can you find out? I live in a city on the East Coast as well as the north, so I understand this may be harder if you are in a Southern/Mid-western/Etc part of the states but I am BEGGING you to try looking before you give up. And, if you have the resources, do it yourself too! We need each other, we must build our communities again brick by brick.

What do I search for/ Whats a good jumping point? I think its SO snobby when people tell you to do better and then provide NO resources, so here are just a few things to get your gears turning. I am speaking to American's, so understand these will be US based links, if there are resources you know of outside the US, please share and I can edit this to add.

Nonprofits near me

Burn music on the CD's, mod your old gaming consoles and print out your photos for a scrapbook again. These companies have gotten too comfortable putting simple shit behind paywalls and ads. If it is not in your hands, it is not real. And they will take it from you when they can no longer profit anyway.

If you want to connect to people across the world, there are things like discord for language learning groups or, A Pen Pal! Apps such as Hellotalk may also be useful to you!

Khanacademy.org (American nonproft oraganization deigsned to teach with short videos and even lessons, 100% free, you just need an account)

Black/Latine/Native/LGBTQ+ advocacy groups near me

Can I start a community garden in X State? / Zoning Laws of X State

Local election dates/candidates

Food not bombs (Locations outside the US as well!)

How do I get a library card?

https://openlibrary.org/ (online library)

http://web.archive.org/ (online archive)

Is X library partnered with Mango? (A language learning website in the US that lets you learn languages for free if you have a library card!) Or Rosetta Stone/Udemy

Language learning groups near me (There may even be one on discord/tumblr/etc!)

Brief history of X country.

Soup Kitchen volunteers

You can always look up a world map, but I STRONGLY recommend having a physical one on your wall/work space. Allposters.com has cheap one's that are 36in x 24 inch. Pick a country to learn about, any one, anywhere, even if its only for like an hour.

BDSmovement.net (If you have not already, please joint the fight in the Palestinian liberation/freedom. Boycott products from Israel/companies that support Israel and share/donate any fundraisers for Palestinians. These fundraisers are in USD, EURO, CAD AND MORE )

Look in to the hashtags of Free Palestine, Free Congo and Keep eyes on Sudan. Atrocities are happening across the globe in the name of Western comfort/goods, we must do our VERY BEST to help as many people as we possibly can.

https://www.tumblr.com/newsfrom-theworld/754997875427115009/list-of-campaing-resources-for-countries-in-need?source=share (This link provides a master-list of resources for countries/people in need including Sudan, Palestine,Yemen, Haiti, Congo, Lebanon, Puerto Rico, Tigray, West Papua, Uyghur, and Hawai'i.)

If you are making a post about history/historic figures, resources, links, etc Please specify that these are US based and that they may or may not work in other countries. You can encourage people to add to it and re-share it once additional resources are added. (This will not dimish the fact that SO many things are us based and will still cause frustrstion for many people, but at the very least people can know what to expect)

When people who are not American are critiquing America, listen, especially if they did not ask for your input. Do not speak. Listen.

If you order something online and make a mistake on your order information. Please specify all the details of your order, including that you are in the US. Georgia the STATE and Georgia the COUNTRY both exist. Mail does not just come to the US.

Practice being humble and kind. Not just in person but online as well. You will be wrong, misinformed and fall victim to American propoganda. Apologise, reflect and do better and move forward.

If you can make your own stuff, do it. Keep as much money from these corporations as POSSIBLE. Or even shop small!

^ This includes, gardening, book binding, paper recycling for books/crafts, recycling, having reusable items, buying second hand like in thrift shops/depop/mercari/facebook mp/yard sales/clothing swaps

^ there are entire youtube and tiktok channels dedicated to teaching you how to do these things on your own. Just search the topic and go! The internet is what?? Your biggest tool!

^ if you interested in this one as I am, please look into homesteading skills/traditional skills

Your fight for equality must include everyone. Black people. Brown people. Gay/queer/transgender people. Disabled people. Fat people. Women. Men. Children. Nature in all its forms. From all 4 corners of the world.

Do not give the president or the vice president money? LIKE EVER?? AT ALL?? I cannot believe I have to say this but I'd rather say it than not. Donate to ANYTHING else. Donate to Wikipedia or Adblock or something!

The American government will steal even the skies from you. But only if you let them. Do not let those fuckers rest for even a MOMENT, until they do what they said they would do. There are more of us then there are of them.

Hold your vote hostage against elected officials. Do they fucking want it? Of course they do! They have got to earn it. Make your demands and if they can meet them, then that's when they can have it. If they fail too, drop them like a sack of bricks. There are no second chances when people's lives are at stake.

https://www.tumblr.com/fairuzfan/757294690366357504?source=share Read this post.

Wear a FUCKING mask.

Kill the cop in your head.

Create, build community and love. Joy is resistance. Your apathy will not save you. Fighting in the comment sections online is not going to change the world, you must go out and do that on your own.

None of us are free until we are all free.

"I am severly disabled/cannot leave my home due to a disability/ I am a child/minor, but I still want to help and make a difference! What can I do?"

A few of the tasks listed above require very little physical activity like a pen-pal, library card, wearing a mask, etc. pick whatever you can do. If there is something I didnt think of, share it with me! And i can add.

You are never too young or too old, to big or too small, to make a difference. We need eachother. We always have.

I'm sure there is so much more. but I am just one person. I cannot do all of the work for all of us. But I can do some of the work and you can meet me halfway. And that is how we make a difference. If there is an issue in your community that troubles you then I suggest you share what you can on it and lay the foundation because if not you, then who? If not now, then when?

I hope this is helpful, I apologize in advance if I've gotten something wrong about other peoples countries/homes and if there are any errors.

#learn spanish #mutual aid #us centrism #us politics #usa #us american #amerikka #us news

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lesbiancarat · 3 years ago

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Haha its fine! Im book anon for a reason so take all the time you need! Before I start, I wanna apologize for the possible asks you got about the merch and hybe in general. I didn't intend to cause stress and need to be careful bdjahdsj so slap me with a fish!

Onto the ask! But agreed, I mean before the big kpop boom we saw, this was very common. Build a decent fanbase and then move to Japan or China. (Of course sometimes you see INSTANT movement in other countries but that depends on the company and such but you know what I mean) but since we do have the more global kpop era, we may see more companies do America which isn't a bad thing. It makes sense buisness wise so they will jump on it after debut or something. Thus I don't see it a bad thing for kpop groups to promote in America because hey, if in Korea they do sell western artist music who also tour there, kpop groups can also do the same ya know?

Now onto the hybe comment, I will try not to speak too much on it so I will try to summarize. I think my theory is due with merch from their main artist, they think maybe it could work with svt which maybe could but svt has a different fanbase so throwing on random merch won't make fans really want to buy (not saying some won't which kudos to you! As a fan you are allowed to consume what you please except not be a bad apple about it) so thus like the infamous water bottles which was done for bts, they thought why not do it for svt because bts fans sold it out apparently for a 2nd wave of it being sold again. (Which to this day idk why someone in the hybe team thought this was smart. Like...this is just in bad taste imo) I do wanna agree that it appears that hybe doesn't seem to have a proper art team for svt because while sometimes wild, I do know for their main artist they do have thoughtful merch based around say an album concept I recall. Kf course they will make mistakes i.e. the water bottles. I do wish it can improve because even though it is capitalism, I think fans do want decent merch. We have seen interesting ideas like svt making their own magazine and selling it lol. Of course it is hard to please because some fans want subtle merch ideas while others don't mind the vibrant pastel colors we got or some want wild ideas like svt figurines or something. Overall I hope I didn't drag this too much as I just wanted to respond back to you, I agree with many points you said so yeah cx I say let's also wait as this is barely what, a year or even less of svt being under hybe properly. Especially when hybe had its rebranding and expanding so things are being changed, I know fans are worried about this which is valid but let's not panic just yet. Let's come back in a year to this and see what has improved and what hasn't. (OK but peldis sold the boys rings!? :o since when!? I haven't heard of this actually, when did this happen if I may ask?)

Oof yeah sadly with streaming, many view "oh you don't stream it means you aren't a fan" when isn't the case (which is why I personally don't like when certain companies also do "listening parties" which seems a bit ???) I do remember this popped up big in 2017 but many fans called it out so it quiet down a bit. Like we didn't see it so often where fans were causing problems over it so idk why this returned nor what the cause of it was.

But thank you!! It really was a nice closing chapter, I think when I have personal stuff settled I will try maybe get a new bunny? And oohh congrats on the album! (Note to hybe or pledis. Please make the us store a more common thing, it makes things so much easier! Am happy it was at your place quick so kudos to the us store. Oohh wonderful choices! I think for many fans anyone or heaven's cloud seems to be the popular picks? For me, I may have to say game boi or heaven's cloud as well! Those songs make me just so happy? Like game boy is just so creative with the way it was made. As a video game nerd, it is perfection. I could make an essay about this song lol and heaven's cloud is just...wow. I feel so at ease with the song, comfortable and soothed. Like you are on a cloud lol. Also that is totally fine! Rtl was a grower for me (I blame the mv, it didn't do the song jusitice) but it is a bop and can't stop humming the chorus at random moments. Overall a great summer album. Just imagine any of these songs performed live ndjansns

lol don't feel too bad about it! honestly they weren't that bad + i can always delete asks if i really don't want to answer them, i just always get a bit paranoid that things will get out of hand so i may end up getting more serious in those situations OTL

and yeah i agree! i don't think it's a bad thing for groups to promote in the US, as you said, it's similar to groups expanding their fanbase by promoting in china or Japan or other asian counties, it makes sense from a business standpoint and there's nothing wrong with promoting in different countries. i just wish that some kpop stans understood that western and/or global popularity is a bonus and not a requirement for success. while they do have a global appeal, at the end of the day kpop's main audience is korea, and groups that achieve popularity in Korea have already achieved what they set out to do. but there's unfortunately a decent chunk of international fans that prioritize western popularity over anything and can't fathom that a group can be successful without being popular in the US. or they just talk as if their groups western achievements are more valuable than their Korean ones and to me that starts to look like xenophobia... (sorry if I'm repeating anything i said before in regards to this, i feel like i am but I'm too lazy to go back and check OTL)

since you sent this ask hybe released the caratland merch which was actually really nice, and today they also announced that there will be birthday merch for cheol (and presumably all members from here on out). we don't know what the bday merch is yet but some carats are already a bit miffed that hybe is even thinking to capitalize off the boys' birthdays... i bring both of these up bc i feel like the caratland merch proves your point that hybe is capable of designing good and thoughtful merch, and honestly this does reassure me a bit. but on the other hand them trying to capitalize off the boys' birthdays also proves that they still don't fully understand carats wants and priorities as a fanbase. which, if the future of seventeens merch is gonna be quality merch with some shitty cash grabs in between, i can live with that. I'm not gonna like the shitty cash grabs and i think it would be in our best interest as a fandom to not go crazy buying those shitty cash grabs, because if we don't then hybe will hopefully stop wasting their time and put more effort into /quality/. but if we get quality merch for important events like concerts and fanmeetings, i can live with it. as you said too, it can take time for these things to change, and we should all recognize that. but at the same time merch specifically is market driven, so i don't think it's a bad thing if people like @ hybe on twt about any bad merch that comes out in order to drive that change dhfkfj

but also on a maybe more fun note in regards to the merch... with some carats being upset about the bday merch i was thinking about what hybe could do for merch instead that would fill the niche of being at intervals throughout the year that could still be limited time drops but that carats wouldn't be mad at them capitalizing on and then i was like duh! they could literally just make merch off of going seventeen! honestly I'm surprised they haven't yet. maybe not merch for every episode, but they could have a line of permanent gose merch w a basic logo or something and then release limited time merch themed around some of the more popular episodes at various points during the year. I'm actually kind of obsessed with this idea now and for once I'm like hybe/pledis please capitalize off of this!! dhfkgjg

they never actually sold them, but for seventeens 3rd anniversary, pledis planned to sell replicas of seventeens rings. after it was announced carats were understandably upset since the boys worked so hard for those. luckily pledis heard carats concerns and put out an apology and didn't manufacture them in the end. I'm glad that at least they listened to carats even though it would have been better if they had never considered the idea in the first place :(

oh yeah listening parties are definitely just another marketing technique to boost streams. i think like with a lot of marketing techniques, it just depends on the execution. imo if they're done well it can be a good way for fans to connect while listening to an artists music, which is mutually beneficial for the company, but i can totally see a situation where companies get greedy and push it too hard. i don't know anything about what happened with them back in the day, but if you're curious why SVT had listening parties leading up to your choice, they were set up by UMG, the American distributor that SVT worked with for this cb. in this case the listening parties weren't just for boosting streams, but also likely for UMG to gauge interest. SVT isn't officially signed to a US label yet, but UMG's data from the listening parties could be used to show US labels whether or not there's enough interest for them to be signed. which if that happens we'd almost definitely see a more permanent US shop!

ahh yes, once you're ready I'm sure it would be great to have another bunny companion 🥺

yes! heavens cloud and gam3 bo1 are both such feel good songs! my sister actually added heavens cloud to their Spotify after i made them listen to the album in the car dhfkf it's now one of 6 kpop songs they have saved (4 of which are SVT... my influence 💅 DHFJFH) I'm certain we'll see some of the songs from your choice at caratland this year, hopefully it's all of them but I'd especially like to see heavens cloud and wave 👀 I'm also still crossing my fingers for an i wish live performance bc i can't believe my favorite SVT b-side is one of the TWO tracks they haven't performed live not including the new album (the other one being network love, which i would also like to see live!)

#melia.ask #📖 anon #long post #it always takes me so long to answer these bc i am incapable of shutting up OTL

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qqueenofhades · 4 years ago

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I have a question about your opinion as a historian about how to deal with problematic past. I am French, not American, so not quite as aware of what is happening right now in the US regarding statues as I probably should. My question is the following: many of the politicians who promoted (admittedly white) social equality in France, worked on reforming labor laws, etc, in the 19th / 20th century were certainly not anti-colonialist. How to deal with this "mixed legacy" today? Best wishes to you!

First off, I am honoured that you would ask me this question. Disclaimer, my work in French history is largely focused on the medieval era, rather than modern France, and while I have studied and traveled in France, and read and (adequately?) speak French, I am not French myself. So this should be viewed as the perspective of a friendly and reasonably well-informed outsider, but not somebody from France themselves, and therefore subject to possible errors or otherwise inaccurate statements. But this is my perception as I see it, so hopefully it will be helpful for you.

(By the way if you’re interested, my post on the American statue controversy and the “preserving history!” argument is here. I originally wrote it in 2017, when the subject of removing racist monuments first arose, and then took another look at it in light of recent events and was like “WELP”.)

There’s actually a whole lot to say about the current crisis of public history in a French context, so let me see if I can think where to start. First, my chief impression is that nobody really associates France with its historical empire, the same way everyone still has either a positive or negative impression of the British Empire and its real-world effects. The main international image of France (one carefully cultivated by France itself) is that of the French Revolution: storming the Bastille, guillotining aristocrats, Liberté, égalité, fraternité, a secular republic overcoming old constraints of a hidebound Catholic aristocracy and reinventing itself as a Modern Nation. Of course, less than a generation after the Revolution (and this has always amused/puzzled me) France swung straight back into autocratic expansionist empire under Napoleon, and its colonialism efforts continued vigorously alongside its European counterparts throughout the nineteenth and well into the twentieth century. France has never really reckoned with its colonialist legacy either, not least because of a tendency in French public life for a) strong centralization, and b) a national identity that doesn’t really allow for a hyphen. What I mean by that is that while you can be almost anything before “American,” ie. African-American, Latino-American, Jewish-American, Muslim-American, etc, you are (at least in my experience) expected to only be “French.” There is a strong nationalistic identity primarily fueled by language, values, and lifestyle, and the French view anyone who does not take part in it very dimly. That’s why we have the law banning the burka and arguments that it “inhibits” Muslim women from visually and/or emotionally assimilating into French culture. There is a very strong pressure for centralization and conformity, and that is not flexible.

Additionally, the aforementioned French lifestyle identity involves cafe culture, smoking, and drinking alcohol -- all things that, say, a devout Muslim is unlikely to take part in. The secularism of French political culture is another factor, along with the strict bureaucracy and interventionist government system. France narrowly dodged getting swept up in the right-wing populist craze when it elected Emmanuel Macron over Marine Le Pen (and it’s my impression that the FN still remains relatively popular) but it also has a deep-grained xenophobia. I’m sure you remember “French Spiderman,” the 22-year-old man from Mali who climbed four stories of a building in Paris to rescue a toddler in 2018. He was immediately hailed as a hero and allowed to apply for French citizenship, but critics complained about him arriving in France illegally in the first place, and it happened alongside accelerated efforts to deny asylum seekers, clear out the Calais migrant camp, and otherwise maintain a hostile environment. The terror attacks in France, such as 2015 in Paris and the 2016 Bastille Day attack in Nice, have also stiffened public opinion against any kind of accommodation or consideration of non-French (and by implication, non-white) Frenchpeople. The Académie Française is obviously also a very strong linguistic force (arguably even more so than the English-only movement in America) that excludes people from “pure” French cultural status until they meet its criteria. There really is no French identity or civic pride without the French language, so that is also something to take into consideration.

France also has a strong anti-authority and labor rights movement that America does not have (at least the latter). When I was in France, the joke was about the “annual strike” of students and railway workers, which was happening while I was trying to study, and we saw that with the yellow jacket protests as well. Working-class France is used to making a stink when it feels that it’s being disrespected, and while I can’t comment in detail on how the racial element affects that, I know there has been tension and discontent from working-class, racial-minority neighborhoods in Paris about how they’ve been treated (and during the recent French police brutality protests, the police chief rejected any idea that the police were racist, despite similar deaths in custody of black men including another French Malian, Adama Traoré.) All of this adds up to an atmosphere in which race relations, and their impact on French history, is a very fraught subject in which discussions are likely to get heated (as discussions of race relations with Europeans and white people tend to get, but especially so). The French want to be French, and feel very strongly that everyone else in the country should be French as well, which can encompass a certain race-blindness, but not a cultural toleration. There’s French culture, the end, and there isn’t really an accommodation for hybrid or immigrant French cultures. Once again, this is again my impression and experience.

The blind spot of 19th-century French social reformers to colonialism is not unlike Cold War-era America positioning itself as the guarantor of “freedom and liberation” in the world, while horrendously oppressing its black citizens (which did come in for sustained international criticism at the time). Likewise with the American founding fathers including soaring rhetoric about the freedom and equality of all (white) men in the Constitution, while owning slaves. The efforts of (white) social reformers and political activists have refused to see black and brown people as human, and therefore worthy of meriting the same struggle for liberation, for... well, almost forever, and where those views did change, it had to come about as a process and was almost never there to start with. “Scientific” white supremacy was especially the rage in the nineteenth century, where racist and imperialist European intellectuals enjoyed a never-ending supply of “scientific” literature explaining how black, brown, and other men of color were naturally inferior to white men and they had a “duty” to civilize the helpless people of Africa, Asia, Latin America, and so on, who just couldn’t aspire to do it themselves. (This is where we get the odious “white man’s burden” phrase. How noble of them.) So the nineteenth-century social reformers were, in their minds, just doing what science told them to do; slavery abolitionists and other relief societies for black and brown people were often motivated by deeply racist “assimilationist” ideas about making these poor helpless people “fit” for white civilization, at which point racial prejudice would magically end. This might have been more “benevolent” than outright slave-owning racism, but it was no less damaging and paternalistic.

If you’re interested in reading about French colonialism and postcolonialism from a Black French perspective, I recommend Frantz Fanon (who you may have already heard of) and his 1961 magnum opus The Wretched of the Earth/ Les Damnés de la Terre. (There is also his 1952 work, Black Skin, White Masks.) Fanon was born in Martinique, served in World War II, and was part of the struggle for Algerian liberation from France. He was a highly influential and controversial postcolonial theorist, not least for his belief that decolonialization would never be achieved without violence (which, to say the least, unnerved genteel white society). I feel as if France in general needs to have a process of deep soul-searching about its relationship to race and its own imperial history (French Indochina/Vietnam being another obvious example with recent geopolitical implications), because it’s happy to let Britain take the flak for its unexamined and triumphalist imperial nostalgia. (One may remark that of course France is happy to let Britain make a fool of itself and hope that nobody notices its similar sins....) This is, however, currently unlikely to happen on a broad scale for the social and historical reasons that I discussed above, so I really applaud you for taking the initiative in starting that conversation and reaching out for resources to help you in doing it. Hopefully it will help you put the legacy of these particular social reformers in context and offer you talking points both for what they did well and where their philosophy fell short.

If there does come a point of a heightened racial conversation and reckoning in France (and there have been Black Lives Matter protests there in the last few weeks, so it’s not impossible) I would be curious to see what it looks like. It’s arguably one of the Western countries that has least dealt with its racial issues while making itself into the standard-bearer for secular Western liberalism. France has also enthusiastically joined in the EU, whereas Britain has (rather notoriously....) separated from all that, which makes Britain look provincial and isolated while France can position itself as a global leader with a more internationalist outlook. Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel are currently leading the effort for the $500 billion coronavirus rescue package for the EU, which gives it a sense of statesmanship and stature. It will be interesting to see how that continues to change and develop vis-a-vis race, or if it does.

Thanks so much for such an interesting question, and I hope that helped!

#history #french history #black history #history of racism #anonymous #ask

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Text

New additions to the Indian Springs School Library May thru August 2020

Bibliography

Sorted by Call Number / Author.

152.4 O

Owens, Lama Rod, 1979- author. Love and rage : the path of liberation through anger. "Reconsidering the power of anger as a positive and necessary tool for achieving spiritual liberation and social change"--.

200.973 M

Manseau, Peter. One nation, under gods : a new American history. First edition.

304.8 K

Keneally, Thomas. The great shame : and the triumph of the Irish in the English-speaking world. 1st ed. New York : Nan A. Talese, 1999.

305.5 V

Vance, J. D., author. Hillbilly elegy : a memoir of a family and culture in crisis. First Harper paperback edition. "Hillbilly Elegy is a passionate and personal analysis of a culture in crisis--that of white working-class Americans. The decline of this group, a demographic of our country that has been slowly disintegrating over forty years, has been reported on with growing frequency and alarm, but has never before been written about as searingly from the inside. J. D. Vance tells the true story of what a social, regional, and class decline feels like when you were born with it hung around your neck. The Vance family story begins hopefully in postwar America. J. D.'s grandparents were "dirt poor and in love," and moved north from Kentucky's Appalachia region to Ohio in the hopes of escaping the dreadful poverty around them. They raised a middle-class family, and eventually their grandchild (the author) would graduate from Yale Law School, a conventional marker of their success in achieving generational upward mobility. But as the family saga of Hillbilly Elegy plays out, we learn that this is only the short, superficial version. Vance's grandparents, aunt, uncle, sister, and, most of all, his mother, struggled profoundly with the demands of their new middle-class life, and were never able to fully escape the legacy of abuse, alcoholism, poverty, and trauma so characteristic of their part of America. Vance piercingly shows how he himself still carries around the demons of their chaotic family history. A deeply moving memoir with its share of humor and vividly colorful figures, Hillbilly Elegy is the story of how upward mobility really feels. And it is an urgent and troubling meditation on the loss of the American dream for a large segment of this country." -- Publisher's description.

305.8 D

DiAngelo, Robin J., author. White fragility : why it's so hard for white people to talk about racism.

305.800973 D

Dyson, Michael Eric, author. Tears we cannot stop : a sermon to white America. First edition. I. Call to worship -- II. Hymns of praise -- III. Invocation -- IV. Scripture reading -- V. Sermon -- Repenting of whiteness -- Inventing whiteness -- The five stages of white grief -- The plague of white innocence -- Being Black in America -- Nigger -- Our own worst enemy? -- Coptopia -- VI. Benediction -- VII. Offering plate -- VIII. Prelude to service -- IX. Closing prayer. "In the wake of yet another set of police killings of black men, Michael Eric Dyson wrote a tell-it-straight, no holds barred piece for the NYT on Sunday July 7: Death in Black and White (It was updated within a day to acknowledge the killing of police officers in Dallas). The response has been overwhelming. Beyoncé and Isabel Wilkerson tweeted it, JJ Abrams, among many other prominent people, wrote him a long fan letter. The NYT closed the comments section after 2,500 responses, and Dyson has been on NPR, BBC, and CNN non-stop since then. Fifty years ago Malcolm X told a white woman who asked what she could do for the cause: Nothing. Dyson believes he was wrong. In Tears We Cannot Stop, he responds to that question. If we are to make real racial progress, we must face difficult truths, including being honest about how black grievance has been ignored, dismissed or discounted. As Dyson writes: At birth you are given a pair of binoculars that see black life from a distance, never with the texture of intimacy. Those binoculars are privilege; they are status, regardless of your class. In fact the greatest privilege that exists is for white folk to get stopped by a cop and not end up dead...The problem is you do not want to know anything different from what you think you know...You think we have been handed everything because we fought your selfish insistence that the world, all of it--all its resources, all its riches, all its bounty, all its grace--should be yours first and foremost, and if there's anything left, why then we can have some, but only if we ask politely and behave gratefully"--Provided by publisher.

305.800973 G

Begin again : James Baldwin's America and its urgent lessons for our own. New York, NY : Crown; an imprint of Random House, 2020.

305.800973 O

Oluo, Ijeoma, author. So you want to talk about race. First trade paperback edition.

320.9 B

Bass, Jack. The transformation of southern politics : social change and political consequence since 1945. New York : Basic Books, c1976.

323.1196 L

Lowery, Lynda Blackmon, 1950- author. Turning 15 on the road to freedom : my story of the 1965 Selma Voting Rights March. Growing up strong and determined -- In the movement -- Jailbirds -- In the sweatbox -- Bloody Sunday -- Headed for Montgomery -- Turning 15 -- Weary and wet -- Montgomery at last -- Why voting rights? -- Discussion guide. As the youngest marcher in the 1965 voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, Lynda Blackmon Lowery proved that young adults can be heroes. Jailed nine times before her fifteenth birthday, Lowery fought alongside Martin Luther King, Jr. for the rights of African-Americans. In this memoir, she shows today's young readers what it means to fight nonviolently (even when the police are using violence, as in the Bloody Sunday protest) and how it felt to be part of changing American history.

364.973 U.S.

U.S. national debate topic, 2020-2021.

420 M

McCrum, Robert. The story of English. 1st American ed. New York, N.Y., U.S.A. : Viking, 1986.

488.2421 A

Balme, M. G., author. Athenaze : an introduction to ancient Greek. Revised Third edition. Book I -- Book II.

510 C

Clegg, Brian. Are numbers real? : the uncanny relationship of mathematics and the physical world.

530.092 F

F©œlsing, Albrecht, 1940-. Albert Einstein : a biography. New York : Viking Penguin: a division of Penguin Books USA, Inc, 1997. Family -- School -- A "child prodigy" -- "Vagabond and loner" : student days in Zurich -- Looking for a job -- Expert III class -- "Herr Doktor Einstein" and the reality of atoms -- The "very revolutionary" light quanta -- Relative movement : "my life for seven years" -- The theory of relativity : "a modification of the theory of space and time" -- Acceptance, opposition, tributes -- Expert II class -- From "bad joke" to "Herr Professor" -- Professor in Zurich -- Full professor in Prague, but not for long -- Toward the general theory of relativity -- From Zurich to Berlin -- "In a madhouse" : a pacifist in Prussia -- "The greatest satisfaction of my life" : the completion of the general theory of relativity -- Wartime in Berlin -- Postwar chaos and revolution -- Confirmation and the deflection of light : "the suddenly famous Dr. Einstein" -- Relativity under the spotlight -- "Traveler in relativity" -- Jewry, Zionism, and a trip to America -- More hustle, long journeys, a lot of politics, and a little physics -- Einstein receives the Nobel Prize and in consequence becomes a Prussian -- "The marble smile of implacable nature" : the search for the unified field theory -- The problems of quantum theory -- Critique of quantum mechanics -- Politics, patents, sickness, and a "wonderful egg" -- Public and private affairs -- Farewell to Berlin -- Exile in liberation -- Princeton -- Physical reality and a paradox, relativity and unified theory -- War, a letter, and the bomb -- Between bomb and equations -- "An old debt. Albert Einstein's achievements are not just milestones in the history of science; decades ago they became an integral part of the twentieth-century world in which we live. Like no other modern physicist he altered and expanded our understanding of nature. Like few other scholars, he stood fully in the public eye. In a world changing with dramatic rapidity, he embodied the role of the scientist by personal example. Albrecht Folsing, relying on previously unknown sources. And letters, brings Einstein's "genius" into focus. Whereas former biographies, written in the tradition of the history of science, seem to describe a heroic Einstein who fell to earth from heaven, Folsing attempts to reconstruct Einstein's thought in the context of the state of research at the turn of the century. Thus, perhaps for the first time, Einstein's surroundings come to light.

530.092 G

Gleick, James. Isaac Newton. 1st ed. New York : Pantheon Books, c2003.

539.7 B

Lise Meitner : Discoverer of Nuclear Fission. Greensboro, NC : Morgan Reynolds, Inc, 2000. A biography of the Austrian scientist whose discoveries in nuclear physics played a major part in developing atomic energy.

598.07 T

Watching birds : reflections on the wing. United States : Ragged Mountain Press, 2000.

811 D

Dabydeen, David. Turner : new and selected poems. 2010. Leeds : Peepal Tree Press, Ltd, 12010.

811.54 J

Jones, Ashley M., 1990- author. Dark // thing. Slurret -- //Side A: 3rd grade birthday party -- //Side B: roebuck is the ghetto -- Harriette Winslow and Aunt Rachel clean -- Collard greens on prime time television -- My grandfather returns as oil -- Elegy for Willie Lee "Murr"Lipscomb -- Proof at the Red Sea -- Sunken place sestina -- Hair -- Antiquing -- The book of Tubman -- Harriet Tubman crosses the Mason Dixon for the first time -- Avian Abecedarian -- Harriet Tubman, beauty queen or ain't I a woman? -- Broken sonnet in which Harriet is the gun -- Recitation -- What flew out of Aunt Hester's scream -- Election year 2016: the motto -- Uncle Remus syrup commemorative lynching postcard #25 -- To the black man popping a wheelie on -- Interstate 59 North on 4th of July weekend -- Red dirt suite -- Love/luv/ -- Summerstina -- Ode to Dwayne Waye, or, I want to be Whitley -- Gilbert when I grow up -- I am not selected for jury duty the week bill -- Cosby's jury selection is underway -- A small, disturbing fact -- Water -- Today, I saw a black man open his arms to the wind -- Xylography -- I see a smear of animal on the road and mistake it for philando castile -- There is a beel at morehouse college -- Dark water -- Who will survive in America? or 2017: a horror film -- In-flight entertainment -- Imitation of life -- Broken sonnet for the decorative cotton for sale at Whole Foods -- Racists in space -- When you tell me I'd be prettier with straight hair -- (Black) hair -- Kindergarten villandelle -- Song of my muhammad -- Ode to Al Jolson -- Hoghead cheese haiku -- Aunties -- Thing of a marvelous thing / It's the same as having wings. A multi-faceted work that explores the darkness/otherness by which the world sees Black people. Ashley M. Jones stares directly into the face of the racism that allows people to be seen as dark things, as objects that can be killed/enslaved/oppressed/devalued. This work, full as it is of slashes of all kinds, ultimately separates darkness from thingness, affirming and celebrating humanity.

814.6 G

Gay, Roxane, author. Bad feminist : essays. First edition. A collection of essays spanning politics, criticism, and feminism from one of the most-watched young cultural observers of her generation, Roxane Gay. "Pink is my favorite color. I used to say my favorite color was black to be cool, but it is pink, all shades of pink. If I have an accessory, it is probably pink. I read Vogue, and I'm not doing it ironically, though it might seem that way. I once live-tweeted the September issue." In these funny and insightful essays, Roxane Gay takes us through the journey of her evolution as a woman (Sweet Valley High) of color (The Help) while also taking readers on a ride through culture of the last few years (Girls, Django in Chains) and commenting on the state of feminism today (abortion, Chris Brown). The portrait that emerges is not only one of an incredibly insightful woman continually growing to understand herself and our society, but also one of our culture. Bad Feminist is a sharp, funny, and spot-on look at the ways in which the culture we consume becomes who we are, and an inspiring call-to-arms of all the ways we still need to do better.

822.3 T

the tragical history of Doctor Faustus : The Elizabethan Play. Annotated & Edited by John D. Harris, 2018. Wabasha, MN : Hungry Point Press, 2018.

822.33 Shakespeare

Major literary characters : Hamlet. New York : Chelsea House Publishers, c. 1990.

822.8 W

Wilde, Oscar, 1854-1900. An ideal husband. Mineola, N.Y. : Dover Publications, 2000.

823.914

Vincenzi, Penny, author. Windfall. 1st U.S. ed. Sensible Cassia Fallon has been married to her doctor husband for seven years when her godmother leaves her a huge fortune. For the first time in her life, she is able to do exactly as she likes, and she starts to question her marriage, her past, her present, and her future. But where did her inheritance really come from and why? Too soon the windfall has become a corrupting force, one that Cassia cannot resist.

843.8 F

Flaubert, Gustave, 1821-1880. Three tales. Oxford ; : Oxford University Press, 2009. A simple heart -- The legend of Saint Julian the Hospitaller -- Herodias.

909 S

Sachs, Jeffrey, author. The ages of globalization : geography, technology, and institutions. "Today's most urgent problems are fundamentally global. They require nothing less than concerted, planetwide action if we are to secure a long-term future. But humanity's story has always been on a global scale, and this history deeply informs the present. In this book, Jeffrey D. Sachs, renowned economist and expert on sustainable development, turns to world history to shed light on how we can meet the challenges and opportunities of the twenty-first century. Sachs takes readers through a series of six distinct waves of technological and ideological change, starting with the very beginnings of our species and ending with reflections on present-day globalization. Along the way, he considers how the interplay of geography, technology, and institutions influenced the Neolithic revolution; the spread of land-based empires; the opening of sea routes from Europe to Asia and the Americas; and the industrial age. The dynamics of these past waves, Sachs contends, give us new perspective on the ongoing processes taking place in our own time-and how we should work to guide the change we need. In light of this new understanding of globalization, Sachs emphasizes the need for new methods of international governance and cooperation to achieve economic, social, and environmental objectives aligned with sustainable development. The Ages of Globalization is a vital book for all readers aiming to make sense of our rapidly changing world"--.

937.002 B

Bing, Stanley. Rome, inc. : the rise and fall of the first multinational corporation. 1st. ed. New York : Norton, c2006.

937.63 L

Laurence, Ray, 1963-. Ancient Rome as it was : exploring the city of Rome in AD 300.

940.3 B

Brooks, Max. The Harlem Hellfighters. First edition. "From bestselling author Max Brooks, the riveting story of the highly decorated, barrier-breaking, historic black regiment--the Harlem Hellfighters. The Harlem Hellfighters is a fictionalized account of the 369th Infantry Regiment--the first African American regiment mustered to fight in World War I. From the enlistment lines in Harlem to the training camp at Spartanburg, South Carolina, to the trenches in France, bestselling author Max Brooks tells the thrilling story of the heroic journey that these soldiers undertook for a chance to fight for America. Despite extraordinary struggles and discrimination, the 369th became one of the most successful--and least celebrated--regiments of the war. The Harlem Hellfighters, as their enemies named them, spent longer than any other American unit in combat and displayed extraordinary valor on the battlefield. Based on true events and featuring artwork from acclaimed illustrator Caanan White, these pages deliver an action-packed and powerful story of courage, honor, and heart"--. "This is a graphic novel about the first African-American regiment to fight in World War One"--.

940.53 B

Browning, Christopher R., author. Ordinary men : Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the final solution in Poland. Revised edition. One morning in Józefów -- The order police -- The order police and the Final solution : Russia 1941 -- The order police and the Final solution : deportation -- Reserve Police Battalion 101 -- Arrival in Poland -- Initiation to mass muder : the Józefów massacre -- Reflections on a massacre -- Łomazy : the descent of Second Company -- The August deportations to Treblinka -- Late-September shootings -- The deportations resume -- The strange health of Captain Hoffmann -- The "Jew hunt" -- The last massacres : "Harvest festival" -- Aftermath -- Germans, Poles, and Jews -- Ordinary men. In the early hours of July 13, 1942, the men of Reserve Police Battalion 101, a unit of the German Order Police, entered the Polish Village of Jozefow. They had arrived in Poland less than three weeks before, most of them recently drafted family men too old for combat service--workers, artisans, salesmen, and clerks. By nightfall, they had rounded up Jozefow's 1,800 Jews, selected several hundred men as "work Jews," and shot the rest--that is, some 1,500 women, children, and old people. Most of these overage, rear-echelon reserve policemen had grown to maturity in the port city of Hamburg in pre-Hitler Germany and were neither committed Nazis nor racial fanatics. Nevertheless, in the sixteen months from the Jozefow massacre to the brutal Erntefest ("harvest festival") slaughter of November 1943, these average men participated in the direct shooting deaths of at least 38,000 Jews and the deportation to Treblinka's gas chambers of 45,000 more--a total body count of 83,000 for a unit of less than 500 men. Drawing on postwar interrogations of 210 former members of the battalion, Christopher Browning lets them speak for themselves about their contribution to the Final Solution--what they did, what they thought, how they rationalized their behavior (one man would shoot only infants and children, to "release" them from their misery). In a sobering conclusion, Browning suggests that these good Germans were acting less out of deference to authority or fear of punishment than from motives as insidious as they are common: careerism and peer pressure. With its unflinching reconstruction of the battalion's murderous record and its painstaking attention to the social background and actions of individual men, this unique account offers some of the most powerful and disturbing evidence to date of the ordinary human capacity for extraordinary inhumanity.

940.54 S

Snyder, Timothy. Bloodlands : Europe between Hitler and Stalin. New York : Basic Books, c2010. Hitler and Stalin -- The Soviet famines -- Class terror -- National terror -- Molotov-Ribbentrop Europe -- The economics of apocalypse -- Final solution -- Holocaust and revenge -- The Nazi death factories -- Resistance and incineration -- Ethnic cleansings -- Stalinist antisemitism -- Humanity.

951.03 S

The search for modern China : a documentary collection. Third edition.

973 M

Meacham, Jon, author. The soul of America : the battle for our better angels. First edition. Introduction : To hope rather than to fear -- The confidence of the whole people : visions of the Presidency, the ideas of progress and prosperity, and "We, the people" -- The long shadow of Appomattox : the Lost Cause, the Ku Klux Klan, and Reconstruction -- With soul of flame and temper of steel : "the melting pot," TR and his "bully pulpit," and the Progressive promise -- A new and good thing in the world : the triumph of women's suffrage, the Red Scare, and a new Klan -- The crisis of the old order : the Great Depression, Huey Long, the New Deal, and America First -- Have you no sense of decency? : "making everyone middle class," the GI Bill, McCarthyism, and modern media -- What the hell is the presidency for? : "segregation forever," King's crusade, and LBJ in the crucible -- Conclusion : The first duty of an American citizen. "We have been here before. In this timely and revealing book, ... author Jon Meacham helps us understand the present moment in American politics and life by looking back at critical times in our history when hope overcame division and fear. With clarity and purpose, Meacham explores contentious periods and how presidents and citizens came together to defeat the forces of anger, intolerance, and extremism. Our current climate of partisan fury is not new, and in The Soul of America Meacham shows us how what Abraham Lincoln called 'the better angels of our nature' have repeatedly won the day. Painting surprising portraits of Lincoln and other presidents, including Ulysses S. Grant, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, and Lyndon B. Johnson, and illuminating the courage of such influential citizen activists as Martin Luther King, Jr., early suffragettes Alice Paul and Carrie Chapman Catt, civil rights pioneers Rosa Parks and John Lewis, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, and Army-McCarthy hearings lawyer Joseph N. Welch, Meacham brings vividly to life turning points in American history. He writes about the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the birth of the Lost Cause; the backlash against immigrants in the First World War and the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s; the fight for women's rights; the demagoguery of Huey Long and Father Coughlin and the isolationist work of America First in the years before World War II; the anti-Communist witch-hunts led by Senator Joseph McCarthy; and Lyndon Johnson's crusade against Jim Crow. Each of these dramatic hours in our national life has been shaped by the contest to lead the country to look forward rather than back, to assert hope over fear--a struggle that continues even now. While the American story has not always--or even often--been heroic, we have been sustained by a belief in progress even in the gloomiest of times. In this inspiring book, Meacham reassures us, "The good news is that we have come through such darkness before"--as, time and again, Lincoln's better angels have found a way to prevail."--Dust jacket.

976.1 S

Smith, Petric J., 1940-. Long time coming : an insider's story of the Birmingham church bombing that rocked the world. 1st ed. Birmingham, Ala. : Crane Hill, 1994.

F Bir

Birch, Anna, author. I kissed Alice. First. "Fan Girl meets Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda in this #ownvoices LGBTQ romance about two rivals who fall in love online"--.

F Bra

Bradbury, Ray, 1920-2012, author. Fahrenheit 451. Simon & Schuster trade paperback edition, 60th anniversary edition. Introduction / by Neil Gaiman -- Fahrenheit 451. The hearth and the salamander ; The sieve and the sand ; Burning bright. History, context, and criticism / edited by Jonathan R. Eller. pt. 1. The story of Fahrenheit 451. The story of Fahrenheit 451 / by Jonathan R. Eller ; From The day after tomorrow: why science fiction? (1953) / by Ray Bradbury ; Listening library audio introduction (1976) / by Ray Bradbury ; Investing dimes: Fahrenheit 451 (1982, 1989) / by Ray Bradbury ; Coda (1979) / by Ray Bradbury -- pt. 2. Other voices. The novel. From a letter to Stanley Kauffmann / by Nelson Algren ; Books of the times / by Orville Prescott ; From New wine, old bottles / by Gilbert Highet ; New novels / by Idris Parry ; New fiction / by Sir John Betjeman ; 1984 and all that / by Adrian Mitchell ; From New maps of hell / by Sir Kingsley Amis ; Introduction to Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 / by Harold Bloom ; Fahrenheit 451 / by Margaret Atwood ; The motion picture. Shades of Orwell / by Arthur Knight ; From The journal of Fahrenheit 451 / by Fran©ʹois Truffaut. In a future totalitarian state where books are banned and destroyed by the government, Guy Montag, a fireman in charge of burning books, meets a revolutionary schoolteacher who dares to read and a girl who tells him of a past when people did not live in fear ... This sixtieth-anniversary edition commemorates Ray Bradbury's masterpiece with a new introduction by Neil Gaiman ; personal essays on the genesis of the novel by the author; a wealth of critical essays and reviews by Nelson Algren, Harold Bloom, Margaret Atwood, and others; rare manuscript pages and sketches from Ray Bradbury's personal archive; and much more ... --- From back cover.

F DeL

White noise. 2009; with an introduction by Richard Powers. New York, NY : Penguin Books, 2009.

F Gri

Grisham, John, author. Camino Island. First edition. Bruce Cable owns a popular bookstore in the sleepy resort town of Santa Rosa on Camino Island in Florida. He makes his real money, though, as a prominent dealer in rare books. Very few people know that he occasionally dabbles in the black market of stolen books and manuscripts. Mercer Mann is a young novelist with a severe case of writer's block who has recently been laid off from her teaching position. She is approached by an elegant, mysterious woman working for an even more mysterious company. A generous offer of money convinces Mercer to go undercover and infiltrate Bruce Cable's circle of literary friends, ideally getting close enough to him to learn his secrets. But eventually Mercer learns far too much.--Adapted from book jacket.

F Hem

Hemingway, Ernest, 1899-1961, author. The sun also rises. The Hemingway library edition. The novel -- Appendix I: Pamplona, July 1923 -- Appendix II: Early drafts -- Appendix III: The discarded first chapters -- Appendix IV: List of possible titles. A profile of the Lost Generation captures life among the expatriates on Paris' Left Bank during the 1920s, the brutality of bullfighting in Spain, and the moral and spiritual dissolution of a generation.

F Hur

Hurston, Zora Neale. Their eyes were watching god. 1st Harper Perennial Modern Classics ed. New York : Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2006. Foreword / Edwidge Danticat -- Their eyes were watching God -- Afterword / Henry Louis Gates, Jr. -- Selected bibliography -- Chronology. A novel about black Americans in Florida that centers on the life of Janie and her three marriages.

F Kid

Kidd, Sue Monk. The invention of wings. The story follows Hetty "Handful" Grimke, a Charleston slave, and Sarah, the daughter of the wealthy Grimke family. The novel begins on Sarah's eleventh birthday, when she is given ownership over Handful, who is to be her handmaid, and follows the next thirty-five years of their lives. Inspired in part by the historical figure of Sarah Grimke (a feminist, suffragist and, importantly, an abolitionist), the author allows herself to go beyond the record to flesh out the inner lives of all the characters, both real and imagined. -- Provided by publisher. "Hetty 'Handful' Grimke, an urban slave in early nineteenth century Charleston, yearns for life beyond the suffocating walls that enclose her within the wealthy Grimke household. The Grimke's daughter, Sarah, has known from an early age she is meant to do something large in the world, but she is hemmed in by the limits imposed on women. The novel is set in motion on Sarah's eleventh birthday, when she is given ownership of ten year old Handful, who is to be her handmaid. We follow their remarkable journeys over the next thirty five years, as both strive for a life of their own, dramatically shaping each other's destinies and forming a complex relationship marked by guilt, defiance, estrangement and the uneasy ways of love. As the stories build to a riveting climax, Handful will endure loss and sorrow, finding courage and a sense of self in the process. Sarah will experience crushed hopes, betrayal, unrequited love, and ostracism before leaving Charleston to find her place alongside her fearless younger sister, Angelina, as one of the early pioneers in the abolition and women's rights movements. Inspired by the historical figure of Sarah Grimke, the author goes beyond the record to flesh out the rich interior lives of all of her characters, both real and invented, including Handful's cunning mother, Charlotte, who courts danger in her search for something better. This novel looks with unswerving eyes at a devastating wound in American history, through women whose struggles for liberation, empowerment, and expression will leave no reader unmoved. -- Publisher's description.

F Nab

Vladimir Nabokov. Glory. United States : McGraw-Hill International, Inc, 1971.

F Orw

Orwell, George, 1903-1950. 1984. Signet Classics. New York, NY : Berkley: an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC, c. 1977. "Eternal warfare is the price of bleak prosperity in this satire of totalitarian barbarism."--ARBookFind.

F Sal

Salinger, J. D. (Jerome David), 1919-2010. Nine stories. 1st Back Bay pbk. ed. Boston : Back Bay Books/Little, Brown, 2001, c1991. A perfect day for bananafish -- Uncle wiggily in Connecticut -- Just before the war with the Eskimos -- The laughing man -- Down at the dinghy -- For Esme--with love and squalor -- Pretty mouth and green my eyes -- De Daumier-Smith's blue period -- Teddy. Salinger's classic collection of short stories is now available in trade paperback.

F Tho

Thomas, Angie, author. The hate u give. First edition. "Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed. Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil's name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr. But what Starr does or does not say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life"--.

F Tho

Thomas, Angie, author. On the come up. First edition. Sixteen-year-old Bri hopes to become a great rapper, and after her first song goes viral for all the wrong reasons, must decide whether to sell out or face eviction with her widowed mother.

F Tol

The Hobbit : or There and Back Again. First U.S. edition; Illus. by Jemima Catlin, 2013. New York, NY : HarperCollins Publishers, 2013.

F Ver

Around the world in 80 days. Classics. Trans. by Geo. M. Towle. Lexington, KY, : October 29. 2019.

F Ver

Around the world in 80 days. Illustrated First Edition. Translated by Geo. M. Towle. Orinda, CA : SeaWolf Press, 2018.

F. Gri

Belfry Holdings, Inc. (Charlottesville, Virginia), author. Camino winds : a novel. Hardcover. "#1 New York Times bestselling author John Grisham returns to Camino Island in this irresistible page-turner that's as refreshing as an island breeze. In Camino Winds, mystery and intrigue once again catch up with novelist Mercer Mann, proving that the suspense never rests-even in paradise"--.

SC A

Alomar, Osama, 1968- author, translator. The teeth of the comb & other stories.

SC Mac

Machado, Carmen Maria, author. Her body and other parties : stories. Contains short stories about the realities of women's lives and the violence visited upon their bodies. "In Her Body and Other Parties, Carmen Maria Machado blithely demolishes the arbitrary borders between psychological realism and science fiction, comedy and horror, fantasy and fabulism. While her work has earned her comparisons to Karen Russell and Kelly Link, she has a voice that is all her own. In this electric and provocative debut, Machado bends genre to shape startling narratives that map the realities of women's lives and the violence visited upon their bodies. A wife refuses her husband's entreaties to remove the green ribbon from around her neck. A woman recounts her sexual encounters as a plague slowly consumes humanity. A salesclerk in a mall makes a horrifying discovery within the seams of the store's prom dresses. One woman's surgery-induced weight loss results in an unwanted houseguest. And in the bravura novella 'Especially Heinous,' Machado reimagines every episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, a show we naïvely assumed had shown it all, generating a phantasmagoric police procedural full of doppelgängers, ghosts, and girls with bells for eyes. Earthy and otherworldly, antic and sexy, queer and caustic, comic and deadly serious, Her Body and Other Parties swings from horrific violence to the most exquisite sentiment. In their explosive originality, these stories enlarge the possibilities of contemporary fiction." -- Publisher's description.

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silversabl-inova · 4 years ago

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( same information beneath the read more if you’d rather click through. ) BIOGRAPHY | BASICS | WANTED ARCS

i can bear any p a i n as long as it has meaning.

IC PORTION; BASICS —

CHARACTER NAME/ALIAS: Silvija “Silver” Sablinova

FACECLAIM: Katherina McNamara

AFFILIATIONS: The Wild Pack, ISA

AGE (physical age as well, if different): Twenty three (23)

SPECIES (human, metahuman, alien, etc): Human

IS YOUR CHARACTER’S IDENTITY SECRET OR PUBLIC?

... Is ‘both’ an okay answer? I’m sure she thinks her identity is secret, but her name is Silver Sablinova, it’s not like... a leap to guess she’s the Silver Sable. I guess it’s probably secret to the rest of the world because I don’t think she’s “famous” yet, but in her home country and the criminal underworld of eastern Europe, she’s probably pretty well known for her more infamous capabilities.

IF SECRET, OR YOUR CHARACTER IS A CIVILIAN, DO THEY HAVE A CIVILIAN OCCUPATION?

She prefers the term “secular recovery operative” but she’d be most appropriately dubbed a nationalistic bounty hunter.

IF YOUR CHARACTER LIVES IN THE FORTRESS, WHAT ARE THEIR DUTIES?

N/A.

DESCRIBE SIX TRAITS (3 positive, 3 negative) YOUR CHARACTER HAS AND HOW THESE AFFECT THEM:

[ + ]: PROUD - The third generation of Symkarian nationalists, Silver’s childhood was quickly marred by an airstrike that stole her mother’s life and destabilized her entire country, causing a civil war. Ever since, all Silver’s life has felt like a battle: for freedom, for justice, for family, and for peace. She knows her family history like the back of her hand, and because of this, she knows that fateful day was the result of her own family lineage doing everything it can to protect Symkaria & its people - but in the end, they had done anything but. The last surviving member of the Sablinova line, it’s Silver’s duty to restore balance to Symkaria, and she holds this duty deep in her heart, fueling the fire inside her. Everything in her life can be boiled down to ending the war in Symkaria - nothing else matters to her, and Silver’s duty to her country & compassion for her people are, arguably, her best qualities. [ + ]: RESOURCEFUL - There’s nothing in a room that Silver can’t make into a weapon at a moment’s notice. She’s not above fighting dirty to achieve the upperhand, and if her arsenal of gadgets won’t do the trick, than whatever’s closest to her will have to do. Locked in an empty room? No matter - she’s trained her entire life for the inevitable day when that situation arises, and when it does, her foe will be shocked to learn that she is the deadliest weapon of all. [ + ]: UNWAVERING - Devotion is one thing, but Silver is unwavering in her support. Once past her icy exterior, Silver tends to show her devotion with actions rather than words. She’s the first to interject herself into a dangerous situation to protect those she cares about; that circle is too small to allow any harm in its way, and Sable would break any law or commit any crime to safeguard those closest to her. It’s why her heart has such exclusive access - that kind of loyalty is, quite literally, worth dying for.

[ - ]: COLD - There’s a certain sharpness Silver tends to adopt when dealing with... people. Whether it be her version of professionalism, or just a product of her childhood, Silver’s apathetic approach to most interactions may give the impression of aloofness or distance. Bridging that gap is difficult for her, and for what she can’t give people emotionally, she tries to supplement with non-verbal acts of compassion. Not everyone has the ability to see through her stony exterior, or bone dry humor, and she often comes across as unhospitable or unconcerned, even if she’s anything but. [ - ]: DETACHED - Sometimes, you have to be selfish to be selfless. Silver has to remind herself of this fact constantly to keep herself in check; it’s easy to be swept up in the warmth of compassion for all, but a good leader knows when to draw the hard line between what’s good for everyone, and what’s good for your people. Silver has to draw that hard line far more than she’d like to - her one track mind is on brand for the Wild Pack’s affairs, but on a larger scale, this self-centeredness can spell disaster when they’re not careful. She just continues to tell herself that if Symkaria will ever be restored to its former glory, she needs to become as comfortable as she can with restricting big picture empathy. [ - ]: INFALLIBLE - When Silver makes a choice, be it over a contract or a personal matter, she becomes quite obstinate that her decision was the best possible one. In most cases, thankfully, it ends up being true; however, when Silver does make a mistake, she will outright refuse to accept responsibility, instead often blaming all other factors surrounding the situation for impeding her. If the mistake is a deadly error that costs innocent lives, than her adamance increases tenfold, but in her heart, she knows she’s not free from wrongdoing - she just refuses to relent her headstrong exterior for fear of losing the respect of the Wild Pack.

POWERS AND/OR ABILITIES:

Indomitable Will: unnaturally strong willpower, able to resist all forms of temptation, including subordination manipulation, telepathy, subliminal seduction, & mind control.

Weapons Specialist: skilled with a katana, throwing projectiles, stun guns, & dual-wield fighting.

Master Martial Artist: and gymnast!

Multilingual: Fluent in seven languages - English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Somali, & Symkarian

WEAKNESSES:

Human: Quite literally, she’s human. No level of aptitude with guns, throwing knives, Kevlar bodysuits, or martial arts will help her defeat super-powered foes, and even though she can keep up with the best of them, a well timed sniper would write the end to Silver’s story immediately.

The Wild Pack: One of the last vestiges of her family history, Silver’s pledge to lead the Wild Pack includes protecting them, at all costs. There’s few honors she holds higher than the privilege to be apart of their ranks, let alone their commander in chief. She wouldn’t jeopardize their well-being for any contract, no matter how ludicrous.

Symkaria: It goes without saying that on the global playing field, Symkaria is the beating heart of Silver’s allegiances. She loves her country, and she would do anything to return it to the glory of her childhood - even if that means aligning with the wrong people for the right amount of time. Silver’s compassion for her countrymen - and longing for what used to be - outranks her perception of the bigger picture.

WHAT DREW YOU TO THIS CHARACTER?:

Well. I love Silver Sable, off the bat - the Spiderverse is pretty much my favorite comic conglomerate in the world, so I feel pretty comfortable writing characters derived from it. I dig a good villain, or at least, antagonists, and I just feel like Silver is one of those characters you can really dig your teeth into & flesh out so many different layers. The death of her mother at a young age, the duty to a country she saw prosper & implode within her lifetime, the lineage to uphold within The Wild Pack, and moving forward, the mending of Symkaria & creation of Sable International -- they’re all different strokes of the same woman, and I love poking & prodding around them all to see what sticks!

IC PORTION; DETAILS —

WHAT BROUGHT YOUR CHARACTER TO SOKOVIA?

Money. She’s only there to fulfill a contract - she’s been hired by the ISA to retrieve any powered people she can find. She’s not a big fan of Sokovia as of late, especially given their recent catastrophes. The damage to Sokovia had a ripple effect, upsetting the socioeconomic standard of neighboring countries. This, of course, includes Symkaria; getting powered people out of Sokovia will hopefully halt the continued destabilization she’s watched through her country even further off balance, making it easier for the oppressive regime currently in place to make swooping laws

(I would like to offer your current players the ability to opt into this plot! I don’t want to assume anyone wants her as an antagonist - if no one’s interested, she can certainly creep along the sidelines within the city of Matchak in the name of reconaissance. I would die if she & the Wild Pack were part of the reason why people are going missing in the woods, or at the very least, they begin to provide intelligence as to who or what is causing it.)

DID THEY SIGN THE ACCORDS? WHY OR WHY NOT?

No, Silver & her team aren’t superpowered and thus, outside the scope of the Accords, the ISA, or anybody else, for that matter.

(Well, maybe not Interpol, but that’s not her chief concern... ever.)

PROVIDE 3-5 HEADCANONS RELATED TO YOUR CHARACTER:

Thou Shalt Not Kill: Silver doesn’t consider herself a mercenary, unlike the rest of her crew, and for good reason. She staunchly keeps to a “no kill” rule; her clients pay her for retrieval, not assassination (and even if they did, her price would be too high). Silver specifically accepts contracts that require her to bring the target back alive, preferably to face trial. It’s a moral and economical decision - she believes in the hard lines of justice, and typically, the Wild Pack will get hired to also run security for these high profile trials. It’s a win-win in her eyes, especially because this moral alignment begins & ends with her; she can’t force the Wild Pack, a band of true mercenaries, to abide by that rule unless it’s part of the fine print. Otherwise, they don’t get paid.

I’m Not Your Silver Lining: Silver does not “connect” well with others. Even the Wild Pack, despite being raised within their ranks, has become inexplicably difficult for her to bond with after she assumed a leadership rule over them. She doesn’t put herself on any kind of pedestal; it’s just lonely at the top, and heavy is the head that wears the.. crown? Tactical helmet? Whatever. Regardless, her icy exterior isn’t the result of her pride, but her inability to display outward affection. It makes her quite difficult to befriend, let alone romance.

Anything You Can Do...: She does not do well with being confronted with her own mortality, chiefly the indisputable fact that she is not super powered. She’s quick to start a fight with anyone who dares to say it. Silver has accomodated this woeful transgression of fate in every way she could, keeping a strict training routine that began in her childhood and never letting herself have a “real” life outside of the Wild Pack. Stories of her “powers,” passed in hushed whispers around Symkaria, never failed to bring the smallest of smiles to the Ice Queen’s lips, before quickly melting away. She feels uncomfortable around true superpowered individuals, knowing she’s at a tactical disadvantage at all times, so Silver prefers the company of augmented humans or just normal people.

WANTED CHARACTER CONNECTIONS:

Peter Parker: NEVERENDING PLOTS FOR SPIDEY!!!! I’m partial to Silver being an antagonist against Spiderman; I’m also partial to them being begruding partners, and pretty much everything in between! There’s a lot of back story I would want to establish with Peter’s player, since Silver does have some background in NYC at the Symkarian Embassy. Has she heard of him from her time in America, and can’t believe her eyes when she sees web residue in the forests of Sokovia? Maybe he intrigues her, in the sense of cat-and-mouse, the chase for a target that she can never quite catch. Anyway, I just like that they’re well matched and could endlessly go in circles around one another!

Dick Grayson: Silver will not take well to other mercenaries on her turf, and if she finds herself losing targets - and money - because of some dick in a spandex suit, she’s going to intervene the only way she knows how: a tactical net and a stun gun, to haul his ass off to ISA, or whoever offers the highest bid for his head. Either way, their connection would be openly antagonistic, and it’d be way more enjoyable if he continously slips through her fingers through the fault of only her own.

Tony Stark / Bruce Wayne: Waaaaaay in the future, but right off the bat - I know I’d love to lay the groundwork for Silver to have Tony and/or Bruce help her begin the first drafts of Sable International weaponry, specifically the special red energy blasters they use as well as their unique armor.

I like the idea of Tony trying to spear head any kind of science based project, but obviously, he has his own demons that he’s struggling with re: his inventions, so that would be the slowest of burns for Silver to actually convince him to help her of all people. Potentially, it would be easier to recruit Bruce because she has a hard moral alignment of Justice, which may appeal to him, but it also may not since she doesn’t have an issue breaking other countries’ laws to acquire her target. It really depends! I’m open to either or both options.

POTENTIAL CHARACTER ARCS: ( ohhhhh buddy... )

THE WILD PACK: Silver’s ascenscion to leader of the Wild Pack may not be a new development, but I don’t think she has quite the handle over her role as her father had. At the moment, she’s still trying to prove herself that she was their best choice. It doesn’t help that she was merely picked for lineages’ sake, the group being “passed on” to her, despite there being members who were more qualified and possibly, even more respected than a Sablinova. It’s caused Silver to retreat within herself, for now, as she tries to feel out what’s the best version of herself to be that can actively command their respect. I want to see her grow within this role, specifically finding her stride and proving herself as not just her father’s daughter, but her own person. I’m mainly focused on her accepting the weight of her father’s death as a “positive” burden to shoulder, because it gave her the Wild Pack, but without anyone to banter off of, I want to remain a little removed from addressing her relationships with individual members until I get a better idea of her.

THE BAD GUY?: At the moment, she’s not very concerned with anyone’s opinion of her, outside of the Wild Pack’s. If that means that she’s comes across as a “villain” for simply doing her job, she doesn’t quite care - everyone has to make a living somehow, and she hasn’t seen these so-called “superheros” do very much to help anyone other than themselves. Sure, individual civilians are great to rescue, but they hold no concern for the bigger picture when it comes to their actions.

THE GLOBAL PEACE AGENCY: I don’t know what the hell is going to happen with this group, but boy am I excited! Regardless of whether their true to their name, I think Silver’s entire personality is tailored to be taken advantage of by them, especially if they promise stability for Symkaria. As long as she’s not exposed to intel that hints at bad intentions, she’d probably operate at their beck and call, until her trust in their motivations becomes fractured.

SABLE INTERNATIONAL: I want Sable International to come to fruition!!! I don’t know how, or why, but I just love that journey for her! Maybe as a retirement plan from “bounty hunting,” so she can lean more into private security consulting? Maybe as a tactical weaponry distributor that could rival Lex Luthor / Trask / Oscorps’ on the global market, but in the name of “good”? Maybe something happens to the Wild Pack and it’s the only way she can keep herself sane in the following months? WHO KNOWS!!! I’m always open to ideas!

CHARACTER BIO —

Silvija Sablinova and her mother, Sacha, were sleeping peacefully in their beds the morning that the Sablinova family was changed forever. It was too early to even be awake, dawn having not yet struck its colorful brilliance across the lavender-grey when the drone peppered the valley. It wasn’t the first time such an act of aggression was lobbed across their way, but this time, her father Ernest wasn’t there to save them, away on an assignment with his Wild Pack. It was the end of February, the winter of 2002. Silver was five, and from that moment on, she never left her father’s side again.

After that, the story sounds the same. Daddy's little girl raised to be his right hand; there's no softness, no grief, only purpose for them both to find vengenance for her mother's killer. Not a border nor an army could keep them from finding whoever ordered the strike, and with the Wild Pack by their side, their path toward retribution knew no limit. In the mean time, they trained, and Silver's entire life began and end at all the same lines as her father's. It would be nice, if the story could stop there, but it never does.

For generations, the Sablinova's served the monarchy that ruled over Symkaria, until World War II threw the entire planet off-kilter and brought their beloved country into turmoil. Her grandfather was a prolific Nazi hunter and a national hero, actively fighting against the civil war threatening to break out across the land. Her father followed in his footsteps, his career more focused on collecting HYDRA agents with terror charges, alongside his infamous band of mercenaries as they brought countless criminals to justice. In 2017, when it was exposed that HYDRA had infiltrated SHIELD, a frequent employer of the Wild Pack...It was no surprise they would be targeted, but once again, Symkaria became the battleground of their disposal; their loved ones targeted, their neighborhoods raided, and soon, they were left no choice but to go underground.

Silver was there the day that her father's tenure as their fearless leader came to a shuddering halt, face to face with the man who hadn't just taken her mother from them. He'd destroyed their homeland in the name of the enemy. He'd taken peace from innocents without a second thought. In his final act of treachery, he stole her father's life and body, slipping through the Wild Pack's clutches as they gave desperate chase, but to no avail. She was the natural choice as his successor; it was a lifetime achievement tainted with sorrow and defeat.

The hunt has never ended, despite what Silver says. She knows her father's dead, and she'll probably never find the man who destroyed her family, but still, she waits. Until then, it was business as usual; catch the bad guys, bring them to justice, rinse & repeat. No duty is monotonous when it serves a greater purpose, but eventually, even Silver couldn't stop herself from pushing the Wild Pack toward Sokovia. Their unrest had begun to bubble over and spill across its borders, eventually displacing refugees and criminal activity into Symkaria's own. Silver Sable may be investigating client contracts, but Silver Sablinova is bidding her time, waiting for something, anything to help her either accept the fate that's been handed to her, or to find the man that caused it.

Until then, all she can do is be stronger than she was the day before.

#srisingintro

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azebraslife · 5 years ago

Text

TWSITD was bad for 3H’s narrative

Hopefully Three Houses’ DLCs will add some meat to TWSITD, but as it stands, I think their inclusion is overall detrimental to 3H’s writing. I have grievances with the narratives of many FE games, for that matter, for making a single group (usually religious, though not in TWSITD’s case) be the driving force behind most of their games’ villains. In TWSITD’s case, they’re so cartoonishly evil and have such a hand in nearly all of the game’s problems (dating back more than a thousand years, even before Seiros and Nemesis’ clash), it detracts from the gray morality that the game tries to depict.

Edelgard probably gets the worst of it, because their involvement splits her story between that of a strong-willed individual who came out of her traumatic experiences willing to do anything to see her ideal future come to fruition in her (shortened) lifetime, and a helpless girl who’s little more than a puppet for her abusers, forced to do their bidding until she can bide her time to strike back -- which is only after she’s achieved everything they want out of her (aside from her own death).

I don’t think those two aspects have to be mutually exclusive, for that matter. But its handling in 3H is bogged down by the way TWSITD is completely brushed aside for Crimson Flower’s ending while the Church of Seiros, which ironically doesn’t even have a strong hand in the things they’re accused of, takes the brunt of CF’s narrative villainy. The game never delves into the implications of having to live with Arundel (the disguise of Thales, TWSITD’s leader), and how Edelgard was very likely influenced by him, if subconsciously. Instead, CF just rolls with the idea that Edelgard is both morally and logically correct, and TWSITD are the lesser evil to be dealt with when the time is right.

If CF’s epilogue talked about her tumultuous rule and the difficulties of ruling a united Fodlan, I think it would be more palatable. But no, it's a golden ending that completely ignores the heavy implications that she’s become Seiros II. It also ignores how the Insurrection of the Seven was a response to Ionius’ consolidation of power -- and considering the fates of House Hrym, which attempted to leave the Empire in response, and House Ordelia, which provided aid to Hrym, the nobles have a decent reason for believing Ionius could become a tyrant. (In fact, Hanneman suggests to Hubert that his father’s participation may have been to protect House Vestra.)

On top of all that, due to Arundel’s involvement in the Empire’s retaliation against Hrym and Ordelia and in the Insurrection, it’s easy to draw TWSITD’s connection to them. The crest experiments on Lysithea and her siblings were test runs for the experiments on Edelgard and hers, and after the success in Lysithea, TWSITD were satisfied enough to sell the knowledge of their results to Duke Aegir as, perhaps, a solution to the dwindling number of Crest-bearing children.

The premise of doing unethical experiments to resolve their Crest issue would actually be fine narratively! Arguing that unethical scientific and technological progress is needed to spur growth would fit right in place with a story that has us inciting a 5-year-long war in the name of overturning a corrupt social order. But... that doesn’t happen. Edelgard, who is among those who suffered the most at TWSITD’s experiments and sorely wants payback, is ironically the one who has to turn a blind eye to it and let it continue. It’s also undermined through Hanneman, who achieves the fruits of his Crest research (granting and removing Crests) regardless of the route he’s on, without the bloody death toll TWSITD leave behind. He’s also basically sponsored by Garreg Mach (and by extension, the Church of Seiros), so it’s not like they oppose Crest research as long as he isn’t looting bones and hearts and blood for it.

Any argument that the Church of Seiros is suppressing technological advancement is undermined by Shamir and Claude, neither of whom were raised in Fodlan. Both question the large emphasis on religion in Fodlan, but never its technological state. There are no accounts of Almyra or Dagda having significant technological advancement, nor evidence that Rhea cares enough to try and suppress it in foreign countries to keep up appearances in Fodlan. (Which is a real accusation I’ve seen from pro-Edelgard fans.) It’s only TWSITD (and Rhea in CF) who possess any fancy technology, and TWSITD are only interested in using their tech to destroy things. Inconsistently, at that; what determines what they can target? They can target Arianrhod and Merceus, with a veiled threat of nuking Enbarr, so... why didn’t they just use it on any capital and throw the continent into bloody chaos? They develop this whole convoluted plan for revenge on Seiros, that eventually backfires them on every route (arguably even in Azure Moon, where they aren’t dealt with directly, as Arundel gets taken out far sooner than he expected).

In that regard, TWSITD’s chaotic evil nature make Edelgard’s arguably well-intentioned objectives (besides her whole beef with Faerghus’ and the Alliance’s very existences) a lot muddier. It’s quite difficult to argue a virtuous cause when you’re working with a group that wants all of Fodlan to collapse on itself through infighting. Cornelia belittles Edelgard, praising her for being a good girl and doing exactly as TWSITD wants. After we kill her, Arundel punishes Edelgard by nuking Arianrhod, destroying a key fortress and a significant number of their own troops, logistics and morale be damned. Edelgard, who isn’t in a position to reveal TWSITD as the cause of the attack, is left little option but to lie to the people and pin the blame on the Church.

And on the subject of Cornelia, TWSITD’s gambit with the Tragedy of Duscur is ridiculous. We aren’t given details, but if Cornelia was already one of TWSITD when she arrived in Faerghus and “cured” the city of its plague, they’ve been setting up Dimitri for basically his whole life. (You could also safely assume, if the premise is true, that the plague itself was orchestrated to give Cornelia soft power.) They destabilized an entire country just for the sake of pitting Dimitri against Edelgard, and it worked.

In all honesty, I think TWSITD’s involvement in the Tragedy of Duscur was a bit of a mistake. What happened could be removed of their influence and it probably still would’ve happened (the crux is that noblemen believed Lambert was too radical and was steering Faerghus in the wrong direction). Making TWSITD involved turns the tragedy into, as Dimitri says, a “sick farce” wherein all the pieces they’ve laid down move in the exact script they had in mind.

Long in short, TWSITD take away a lot of agency, turning events that would otherwise be natural results of political conflicts of interesting coming to a head into an elaborate scheme to destroy Fodlan from within. If TWSITD had a reduced presence in the story or were doing dangerous things for a more neutral cause, and if 3H was willing to take a leap of faith and make non-golden endings (let’s be real, all of 3H’s route endings are poorly written in this regard), I feel like the narrative would be stronger for it.

#FE16 #fe16 spoilers #fodlan #edelgard #dimitri #twsitd #meta #rant

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lovemesomesurveys · 5 years ago

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What’s the most played song on your iPod? I haven’t used my iPod since 2012. I use Spotify on my phone, but I don’t think it tells you what your most played song is. What is one quality you admire most in others? People who are driven and get shit done. What would you do with a million dollars? Sigh. I’d have to first and foremost pay off my debt. I’d also help my parents and brother out. I’d get us a new house. Traveling is a must. What’s your favorite song to dance to? I don’t dance. Well, unless you count a little head bobbin’ and maybe a little movement of my arms or shoulders. lol. What would your ideal birthday party be like? I’m 30 and old so I don’t look forward to my birthday anymore, ha. If I were able to travel for my birthday then that would be nice.

If you could be reincarnated into anything you wanted, what would it be? I don’t want to be reincarnated. I don’t believe in it. What talent would you like to have? A talent at all would be cool, but in particular I wish I had any artistic ability or was musically inclined. Are you ticklish? Just my neck. What’s the longest you’ve gone without sleep? 30+ hours. What New Year’s resolutions did you make? I don’t make those anymore. What are three songs that mean the most to you? Everlong (acoustic) by Foo Fighters, Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd, and... I’ve having a hard time choosing a 3rd. There’s so many songs that mean something to me for one reason or another. So many memories and emotions. Who is the one person you miss the most? There’s 3 someones. What do you think of your parents? I love them with all my heart. I couldn’t keep going if I didn’t have them. My mom and I are super close, she’s my rock. What is one thing you would do to make the world better? I don’t know what I could do. What is your favorite kind of sandwich? My sandwiches at home consist of bologna, sharp cheddar cheese, mayo, mustard, and spinach with olive oil on the side mixed with basil and oregano for dipping. At my favorite deli I get turkey, salami, provolone, mustard, mayo, and oil and vinegar. If you had a puppy, what would you name it? My doggo’s name is Princess Leia. She’s 2, but she’ll always be my puppy. (: If I were to get another dog; though... I’m not sure what I would name him/her, but it’d also be after a character. If you could be invisible for a day, what would you do? I don’t know. How much cash do you have on you right now? Zero. What do you think makes you attractive to other people? Nothing. Would more money make you happier? It would help with a lot, but I wouldn’t be cured of my mental and physical health. I’d still have that baggage. Money isn’t magic. What is one of your favorite memories as a child? So many. I loved my childhood. It’s not that I didn’t have any struggles or obstacles, cause I did, but honestly that’s not what stands out. I was a strong, brave, resilient kid. Kid me would be so disappointed in current me. What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever had to do in your life? I’ve had a lot of struggles. How do you measure intelligence? I don’t know. There’s issues with the IQ test for one. Grades aren’t accurate representations of intelligence either; neither are exams. It’s a complicated thing.

What cartoons do you watch? Hey Arnold, Rugrats, and Doug. Have you ever used drugs? Only weed. If you were a Skittle, what flavor would it be? The red one I guess that’s the only one I liked. How would you describe your style? Very casual, ha. I wear leggings and oversized graphic tees. If you had to spend $1,000 in one hour, how would you spend it? Christmas presents for my family. What’s your favorite smell and why? I have many. Where do you buy your clothes? Mostly Hot Topic, Boxlunch, and Kohl’s. What’s your favorite kind of cake? White cake with buttercream frosting, funfetti/rainbow chip with funfetti/rainbow chip frosting, red velvet with cream cheese frosting, lemon with lemon frosting, and strawberry with strawberry frosting. Does intelligent life exist elsewhere in the universe? I don’t think there is in space, but what do I know. If you could eat anything right now, what would it be? I’m good right now. Are you into tattoos? Nah. Do you like photography? I mean, sure? I’m not a photographer, but I can appreciate nice photos. If you were a holiday, which one would you be? I love Christmas, but I’d probably be Halloween cause it’s dark and gloom, ha. Do you have any siblings? I have 2 brothers. If you were to get a tattoo, what would it be of? I’ve wanted to get free bird tattooed on my inner wrist for several years, but I highly doubt I’ll ever get it done. What’s the biggest celebrity you’ve ever seen in real life? Jamie Lee Curtis. I met her at a book signing years ago. How many pushups can you do? Zero. What person in history do you admire most? There’s a lot of admirable people in history. Who is your favorite actor? Alexander Skarsgard. What is the most daring thing that you have done in public? Nothing. Have you ever lied about your age? Only back during the AOL chat room days. :X Have you ever cried while watching a movie? If so, what movie? Yeah, I’m not usually one to cry during a movie, at most I may tear up a little, but there’s been a few who have managed to get me. When The Fault in our Stars came out I ended up seeing it by myself cause no one else I knew wanted to see it and I was in there bawling my eyes out lmao so it was better that I went alone. The Avengers: Endgame definitely got me. Are you afraid of anything that most people are not afraid of? Probably a few things. Where do you see yourself five years from now? I just gotta take it day by day. What is your favorite candy? I haven’t had any candy in like over a year, but Reese’s are always a good choice. And white chocolate. Have you ever watched someone struggle with addiction? Yes. Who do you look up to for your style? I don’t look up to anyone for my style. Who is your favorite sports team? I don’t care about sports at all. How often do you drink alcohol? It’s been 6 years since I last had any alcohol. What is your life in three words? Blah, bleh, and meh. If you could be anything in the world, what would you be? Healthy. Would you have a pet dragon? If so what color would it be? Um, no. I’m no mother of dragons or whatever. What’s your favorite sport? None. Do you believe that homeless people are dangerous? Just because someone is homeless it doesn’t mean they’re dangerous. Sure, some homeless people can also be dangerous, but it’s not mutually exclusive. If you could be skinny and miserable or fat and happy, which would you be? Well, I’m skinny and miserable now. I’m not miserable because I’m skinny, but it is related to some of the issues I have and also adds to some. I just want to be healthy and happy. Period. If your life flashed before you, what do you wish you would have done? I want to do something meaningful with my life. If you were to invent something, what would it be? I have no idea. Who would you like to get to know better? No one at the moment. Have you ever had a near-death experience? I’ve had two. Do you fear death? Yes, of both losing my loved ones and dying myself. What is the strangest food you ever ate? I don’t eat anything I consider strange. I’m so picky and basic. Do you think you’re cool? Nope. I’m definitely not. What reality show would you like to be on? None. What’s your favorite thing to order at a Chinese food restaurant? Chow mien, pot stickers, egg rolls, and crab rangoon. I used to love orange chicken and kung pao chicken, but I can’t either one anymore due to the spicy food sensitivity I developed a few years ago. As someone who was once obSESSED with spicy food... it sucks. Are you happy with your life? No. If you could name your own planet, what would you call it? Planet Nowhere. I know that’s already a thing, but shh pretend it’s not. If you could live another 200 years. What would you hope to see? Oh yikes. I mean, the future terrifies me and I don’t want live 200 years, but I am curious about what the world will be like then. Like the advancements made and such. Hopefully it’s not worse... Would you rather be hot or cold? Cold. Definitely. How would you rate yourself? In the negatives. Would you ever move to a different country in an attempt to start over? Not another country, but another city, maybe even another state, yes. My family and I want to move out of here. If you could be a character from any book, who would you be? Hmm. Do you prefer taking baths or showers? I only take showers. I haven’t taken a bath since I was a kid. Do you still collect toys from Happy Meals? No. I heard they were bringing back popular ones from my childhood; though, and I kinda want to get those. What’s the most spontaneous thing you’ve ever done? Uhhhh. I have no idea. I’m not the most spontaneous person. In your opinion what is the greatest challenge the world faces today? * Like, the world or jst humanity? Bc I think humanity is its own worst enemy <<< Most definitely. Do you like dogs or cats better? Cats are cute and all, but I’m a dog person all the way. What have you achieved that you once thought was impossible? Earlier this year I got really sick and it knocked me flat on my ass, causing a lot of issues and setbacks. I didn’t think I’d be able to get to where I am now, which still isn’t good, but not like it was then. It was just really, really bad. If an ex texted you out of the blue, how would you respond? I probably wouldn’t even respond at all to be honest. Do you have a favorite poet? No. What have you tried to quit, but weren’t able to? Picking my nails, picking at/biting my lips, and picking at acne. Would you rather go on a shopping spree with $200 or put it in the bank? Put it in the bank. What was the last rumor that you heard? *shrug* What country star would you most like to meet and why? Blake Shelton. He seems cool. Have you ever been in a car accident? No. Are you an organ donor? No. What is the most dangerous thing you have ever done? Not taking care of myself like I should be...not doing and neglecting certain things. What is the meaning of life? Uhhh. What word do you like the sound of? I can’t think of an example right now. What’s your favorite ice cream flavor? Strawberry. Wow, I haven’t had ice cream in like 3 or 4 years. Do you prefer cupcakes or muffins? I like both. Are you an athlete? Nope. There’s nothing athletic about me at all. What did the last text message on your phone say? I don’t feel like checking. What is the funniest movie you’ve seen in your whole entire lifetime? Hmm. I don’t know what I’d choose as the funniest movie ever of all time. What’s the worst nightmare you’ve ever had? Losing my mom in one and my brother in another. I woke up literally shaking and sobbing. What do you know how to cook? Ramen. What’s the worst injury you’ve ever had, and what was it from? The one that made me a paraplegic takes the cake I’d say. What’s your favorite amusement park ride? Most of the rides at Disneyland. What do you wish you were doing right now? I’m fine with doing this. Who are your musical influences? I don’t have any. I’m not an artist or musically inclined at all. What was your favorite band or musician when you were 12? The popular artists and groups at that time circa 2001. What’s the best pick-up line that’s ever been tried on you? I’ll never forget this one guy in high school who actually came up to me and asked me my sign lol. How many drinks can you handle? I was a lightweight. What was the longest phone conversation you’ve ever had? A few hours. I can’t believe I actually used to spend that much time on the phone at one point. What’s your favorite candle scent? Autumnal ones from Bath & Body Works are great.

#personal #text #survey #surveys

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vee-angel · 6 years ago

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The Sodom Virus Chronicles (Introduction)

Hey, everyone! It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything but I’ve felt extra motivated to write lately, so hopefully I’ll be putting out content more often. This is part of a project I’ve had in mind for quite a while. This introduction is part of the basic premise of a series of stories that will have an exciting amount of possibilities. And don’t worry, I’m still definitely going to be continuing work on the Pervert Pentet series (after all, you’ve only met Piper and Nancy so far; there’s still Teira, Sherry, and Bailee). So enjoy this introduction to the world of The Sodom Virus Chronicles! And remember, this is all just for fun and fantasy.

***

In the late 1970’s a strange new ailment appeared in the world.

The illness only seemed to affect females, and its effects were devastating; at first it presented with diminished motor control and cognitive function, a loss of hair, nails, teeth; eventually leading to death a few months later. By the early 1980’s the illness had spread so widely as to become an epidemic, with several countries declaring a state of emergency. Scientists scrambled to figure out the cause in the hope that they could come up with a vaccine, a treatment, hopefully even a cure. Eventually statistical information revealed a surprising fact: Women who stayed chaste deteriorated far faster than those with a male partner. More surprising still, the most promiscuous women deteriorated slowest of all.

A series of experiments were carried out, each with progressively better results. The result that finally showed a complete stop to the progression of the illness was the group engaging in unprotected anal sex at least four times each day. It was eventually hypothesized that the so called “Sodom Virus” was a form of genetic deterioration that, for reasons unknown, was neutralized by the presence of a Y chromosome. Doctors believed that the incomplete genetic material in male sperm was most easily broken down into usable material when administered to the female body This would be consistent with the experimental results; anal absorption was more efficient than vaginal, and much of the material was destroyed by stomach acids when swallowed. Therefore, while anal application was most efficient (with four average sized ejaculations per day being sufficient to stop the progression of the virus), similar effects could be achieved through higher amounts of sperm being administered to the vagina (seven times per day) or mouth (ten times per day).

When the news broke across the world, it was met with mixed reactions. Some were skeptical, claiming it was some misogynistic hoax, others hoped that it could be adapted with some kind of synthetic replacement, even though doctors said that was unlikely to become reality anytime in the near future. Men around the world stepped up, though. Nearly every hospital or medical office adapted large sections to be able to collect and administer sperm. Females who weren’t able to have sex due to age, communicable disease, or other factors were given priority. Women who were healthy and attractive were turned away from such facilities, sometimes harshly. After all, the supply was limited, and no one was willing to let the most vulnerable of the population suffer a slow and unpleasant death because some college lesbian thought “men are gross” or “anal is uncomfortable.” For the first time in history, young women were shamed for chastity.

Practically overnight, pornographers became captains of industry. What was once seen as a shameful luxury became a necessity, as humanity’s survival became dependent upon the near perpetual arousal of men. Donating sperm and fucking women became a civic duty. While it would take time for laws to be amended, nearly the entire world decided to no longer to prosecute rape or sexual assault except in the most extreme of cases.

The cosmetic surgery industry boomed as well, as did gym membership, beauty treatments, cosmetics, and nearly anything that could help make women more attractive. It was an uncomfortable conversation for most of the world to have, but it was a sad truth that a woman’s life expectancy was now correlated to how sexually attractive she was.

A few years after the cure was found, the world had stabilized, knowing they had managed to narrowly avoid species-wide extinction, yet the world was still frantic to adapt to this new society. Supplies of semen were slowly increasing, as drugs to improve sperm production and decrease refractory period became more commonplace, but it still wasn’t enough. Most civilized societies decided to prioritize their young, concentrating the treatment into a daily injection given to all underage girls until they come of age. After that, their health and life would depend on their ability to attract men willing to fuck them.

By the early part of the twenty-first century, the world looked very different than anyone would have imagined. It had been a few generations since the Sodom Virus emerged, and the effect on the demographics of the world was substantial. Even in such a short time, unattractive or prudish women had practically become extinct, and the men with the highest sex drives passed on that trait to the next generation.

The ubiquitousness of pornography resulted in progressively greater extremes, with the average woman expected to be the personal porn-star of whatever man happened to be using her. The now outrageously influential porn-company CEO’s could practically write their own legislation, often making laws that seemed more to serve their own amusement rather than any practical function. While many female politicians had tried to stand firm against society’s hard turn toward misogyny, it had been difficult to take them seriously when they had to beg someone to fuck them in the ass every few hours.

While the vast majority of women under forty were now safe from the degenerative effects of the Sodom Virus, they were still competitive. Partially due to a combination of a genetic predisposition to hyper-sexuality, cultural conditioning, and a general fear of not getting enough sperm to ensure the Virus stayed dormant.

In the most powerful country in the world, feminism was outlawed. Even the barest hint of a belief in women’s equality was punishable by a fate many considered worse than death. Throughout most towns and cities were Repositories where feminists were stored; in truth they were often little more than an outdoor metal post where a small cluster of feminists were chained until such a time that someone borrowed them for some purpose considered beneath even a woman. In a mockery of the their desire for independence, they were unable to be owned. As a result, they lost the only thing that put restrictions on their use. While all women were generally open for sex, heavier use and permanent modifications were at the discretion of their owners. But without owners, feminists were open to any use by anyone of any sex or status. They were often rented out free to perform hard or dangerous labor. Cosmetic surgeons and some of the more extreme sadists practiced and experimented on them to determine if their techniques were survivable and resulted in the desired effect. Some female athletes even used feminists like punching dummies to train for the increasingly popular All-Female sport of competitive rape.

Body modification, plastic surgery, and beauty treatments had become far more commonplace; and given that attractiveness was a necessity to women’s health, government subsidies made it universally affordable. Even girls who grew up in families living below the poverty line were easily able to get beach-ball sized breast implants and regular anal bleaching. In fact, some states even imposed mandatory minimum breast sizes, fearing that some errant flat-chested feminist may attempt to pose as a man as part of some deviant scheme.

The women who thrived in this society were the ones who considered themselves lucky to live in such a world. They read about the dark ages of feminism and prudishness as a backwards time of female oppression. They were finally free from the horrendous burdens of yesteryear; expectations of chastity, dignity, autonomy. Mainstream society agreed that such things were a regrettable mistake to force on women, a relic from a less progressive society. Women needed attention, affection, direction. The modern female couldn’t imagine the evils of a society in which she wasn’t perpetually exposed and stared at, touched, or told what to do. It was generally agreed upon that the Sodom Virus was a miracle of nature that came about to correct an unnatural error of mankind.

Women’s self-expression became unrestricted as well. Now that comfort was secondary to sex-appeal, women of all kinds were able to express who they were on the inside. Fashion became more daring, appealing to the extremes of every male sex-fantasy. Bimbos, punk-sluts, cow-girls, sporty dykes, and a rainbow of other looks and styles became commonplace. On an average day, one could walk down the street and expect to see anything from tattoo-clad goth girls in lolita style french maid outfits to busty Southern belle’s in sun-dresses that weren’t quite long enough to cover their cunt. And of course there were the women who had put so much work into their bodies that they saw no point in hiding any part of it from view with clothing.

The world of entertainment changed as well. While the privacy of female celebrities had never really been respected, the public now felt a sense of entitlement to see their most private or shameful acts. Not only were pictures and videos of every part of famous women’s bodies available at the cost of a few swipes of a touchpad, but they perpetually ran the risk of public outrage if any desirable content wasn’t available. If a female was part of a famous family, for example, it could be seen as an offense to her fans if she didn’t make videos of her 69ing with her sister, licking her mother’s asshole, or pissing in her own mouth. Younger celebrities often had to make frequent apologies for such failings, and hope that it would be understood that the busy job of constantly accommodating the sexual generosity of her fans might cause delays in filming or releasing such videos.

While the number of female politicians dropped swiftly after the rise of the Sodom Virus, there had recently been a resurgence of women in positions of political influence. Many were aging porn-stars, who were looked up to as progressive icons who had led the fight against the perversions of female dignity and modesty even before the Virus. Others were younger girls with even more forward-thinking viewpoints. They believed that the older politicians had become complacent in fighting against the evils of feminism.

All in all, the world had changed drastically from anything it had ever been before.

#sodomvirus sodomviruschronicles #sodomvirus

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billehrman · 5 years ago

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“Sustain the Expansion”

The Fed’s semiannual Monetary Report was released Friday and really offered all the ammunition the Fed needs to begin lowering rates this month. The Fed is concerned that uncertainty over trade has constrained business spending and caused a slowdown in manufacturing. The Fed cautioned that growth in many advanced economies has slowed too. Not surprisingly, the report mentioned that the American financial system was in excellent shape as evidenced by recent stress tests. The Fed report went on to discuss that inflation continues to run well below the Fed targets and that a certain amount of inflation is considered healthy. Finally, the report concluded that risks to the downside and financial stability have increased due to global issues including the risk of a hard Brexit, fiscal challenges abroad, high debt levels in China and the possibility of escalating trade conflicts. The Fed emphasized that it will act to “sustain the expansion.”

The Fed has two mandates: maximizing sustainable employment and stabilizing inflation. While the Fed has exceeded its goal on lowering unemployment, it has failed to achieve its inflation objective of 2% for over 8 years now. We continue to believe that the Fed should begin lowering rates this month to not only sustain the expansion but to catch up to the yield curve which has inverted in several places flagging a huge warning sign about the economy to all of us and hopefully the Fed too. The Fed needs to begin lowering rates NOW to narrow the interest rate differential with foreign rates which would cause the yield curve to steepen, stop the dollar from rising, boost inflationary expectations and global growth.

Clearly, we all let out a huge sigh of relief when Presidents’ Trump and Xi called a cessation of the escalation in the trade conflict between the U.S. and China, but we really need the Fed to begin lowering rates now to not only sustain the expansion here but to release global interest rate pressures, including flow of funds from abroad. The United States continues to suck capital in from all over the world as the interest rate differential has only continued to widen over the last six months. There is absolutely no demand for funds in Europe which is one reason for such ridiculously low rates, even negative. The Fed needs to stop the dollar from rising.

We expect the Fed to begin lowering rates in July. While we believe that they could lower rates by 50 basis points then, we expect the Fed to go slow lowering rates by 25 basis points with another cut a few months down the road. We would not be surprised to see the Federal Funds rate end the year at 1.75% at which point the Fed would pause from any additional rate cuts in 2020, a Presidential election year, unless the economy weakens meaningfully.

Let’s look at the data points from last week that either support or detract from our view that the U.S. economy is doing just fine with inflation running well beneath the Fed target, weakness continuing overseas and the dollar continuing to be super strong:

1.) The United States economy has clearly weakened from its stronger than anticipated first quarter real growth: the trade deficit increased to $55.5 billion, the highest level in 2019, as exports rose 2% to $210.6 billion while increased 3.3% to $266.2 billion with the trade gap with China narrowing to $31.1 billion; auto sales continue to be weak running at around a 17 million pace; construction spending fell 0.8%; and the supply side manufactures index slipped to 51.7 with the non-manufactures index increased to 56.9% from April’s read of 55.5. Clearly the service sector is continuing just fine as evidenced by their business activity index at 61.2; new orders at 58.6 and their employment index at 58.1.

The unemployment data reported Friday was surprisingly strong rising 224,000 jobs which led to a quick selloff in the financial markets fearing that the Fed may not cut rates in July. However, the data confirmed that inflation would remain weak as average hourly earnings rose only 0.2% from last month and was up 3.1% from a year ago missing estimate. If non-farm manufacturing productivity continues to improve at a rate greater than or even near 3% as in the first quarter, it means that there is no employment inflation whatsoever. Since labor is 60+% of cost of goods, it also means that there is little inflation in the system. Conclusion: the Fed should cut rates even with unemployment so low and the economy performing pretty well.

Trump picked two Fed nominees, Christopher Waller and Judy Shelton, who are likely to support lower rates and easier policies. We give even odds only that either/both of them make it through the Senate review.

We remain optimistic that U.S. economic growth will average greater than 2% for the rest of the year into 2020 led by consumer spending. It is very hard to see much of a slowdown with well over 2 million jobs created over the last year combined with meaningful real wage gains. We continue to believe that Trump will do all in his power to bolster economic growth at least through the Presidential elections, 2020. Finally, we doubt that he would do anything foolish on trade which could hurt the economy.

2,) Growth in China continued to weaken in June which is no surprise. In fact, the Caxin-Markit manufacturing purchasing managers’ index fell to a five-month low of 49.4 in June which means contraction. China is suffering from weakness in domestic consumer demand, manufacturing and exports. While we continue to expect the government to enhance both fiscal and monetary policies to bolster the domestic economy, the country needs more than a ceasefire on trade to really reaccelerate growth.

3.) Growth throughout the Eurozone continues to be disappointing especially in Germany which is normally the engine of Europe. German factory orders plunged 2.2% in May and were down 8.6% from a year ago. Huge declines were reported in export orders and investment which does not bode well for the rest of the year. Rates moved further into negative territory last week which says it all.

On the other hand, we were pleasantly surprised that EU leaders nominated Christine Lagarde to be the new head of the ECB. We believe that she is incredibly intelligent, understands the problems with a global perspective, and will engage on multiple front to boost Europe’s growth potential.

4.) Japan on Friday raised its assessment of the economy as the coincident index of business conditions for May rose 1.1 points to 103.2 and output actually rose 2.3% from the previous month. We believe that the threat of a higher consumption tax in October may be pushing buying intentions/manufacturing forward which may result in disappointing numbers later in the year. Japan needs the U.S. and China to resolve their trade conflicts before we will see any sustainable growth.

Ah, there is no place like home! We continue to believe that the U.S. stock market is undervalued with the 10-year treasury bond yield hovering around 2%, bank capital/liquidity ratios are all time highs and a friendly Fed wanting to sustain the expansion. Why shouldn’t the market multiple be closer to 20 than 17? We remain confident that the Fed will begin cutting rates soon as inflation continues to run well beneath their 2% long standing target. The market will continue to anticipate the Fed moves therefore we would expect the dollar to begin to weaken and the yield curve to slowly begin to steepen. That does not mean that we expect much higher long rates as we still expect inflation to remain surprisingly weak for the foreseeable future.

We are entering earnings season and we strongly suggest that you listen to as many earnings’ calls as possible so that you can better differentiate between managements which is the key to long-term investment success.

Our portfolios are concentrated in technology, global capital goods and industrials, housing related companies like HD, cable with content like DIS, large domestic global financials like BAC, low cost, free cash generating commodity companies, healthcare with new product flow, agriculture, and many special situations. We own no bonds but expect the yield curve to steepen over time nor are we fully long the dollar anymore.

Remember to review all the facts; pause, reflect and consider mindset shifts; look at your asset mix with risk controls; do intensive research and…

Invest Accordingly!

Bill Ehrman

Paix et Prospérité LLC

#finance #wallstreet #economy

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dallasareaopinion · 3 years ago

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That ridiculous work life balance phrase

Have you ever noticed you have solved all the world’s problems while driving in the car? Probably not a good idea to be that distracted while driving in Dallas nowadays. Apparently we recently won the worst city to drive in gold medal.

Anyway, some attempts at remembering what I thought about while driving yesterday.

And the reason I say ridiculous work life balance phrase is because in the general social media world, it tends to focus on middle class people trying to balance work and their home life when actually it is much more.

For example and this is a minority of people, but there are people who are very successful at one type of career and they are blissfully unaware of the world this way. And they cannot understand why people cannot stick to something and try to reach the highest pinnacle in that field or be satisfied with a modicum of success. And on the surface there isn’t anything inherently wrong with this thought, it just limits who you are as a person. This leads me to my point. When people limit themselves to one endeavor they not only limit themselves, but they are limiting society. And I would also suggest they are limiting their own happiness.

Have you ever noticed there are some people that are all over the map with what they do? They can never focus on one task or career or endeavor and in many cases, they never really reach what people who subscribe to the American work ethic as successful.

These two examples are outliers to the big problem. The majority of us in shape form or fashion, engage in a multitude of ventures throughout our lives and then attempt to balance. This balance has become what I mentioned above in the modern social media world. And this isn’t what my thoughts yesterday were trying to work out, but it frustrates me because it interferes with tackling the much larger issue.

And that is people need a much broader sense of who they are and what they do because it leads to a better society. Sure it helps if people volunteer at their local food pantry or church or other non profit along with working, but it is even more.

Think about the ultra successful that seem to work at their career till their death. Is it because they are a “type A” personality? They do not know better or have been shown better? They are fearful on attempting something new? Is it some combination of all these factors? Who knows, but they create a void in their lives that carries forward if society picks this up as a norm. And they may or potentially scoff at this thinking.

The issue I somehow came to yesterday was this singular way of thinking permeates large portions of our society and it becomes a norm to focus on one undertaking and let someone else who has focused on a singular undertaking in another area be your resource and you have a misguided trust they dedicated the time to understand their world as much as you understand your singular world.

We accept that others are as responsible as ourselves. We want to focus on what makes us successful so as not to have to think about other problems or concerns or issues. This give us the impression our insulated world is actually good. And throw in the fact most people are conformists by nature and it compounds the problem. Good hard working well intention people can be lead astray. And it allows people with singular purpose dictate to others or control others via an over reliance on the above discussion.

For example, lobbying in our country and the products of the Citizens United decision allow singular purpose to control how our legislation is written. If you rely on others for information, news or social content you are more susceptible to misinformation and social control.

And being Republican or Democrat have nothing to do with the above, it is we allowing this way of thinking to help us manage the world, allow singular purpose people or organizations to manage us.

So how does this apply to that work life balance ridiculous phrase. It is because we, both as ourselves and then carry forward to society, do not see that there is a larger balance in life we need to achieve. And to make change it starts with the simple and obvious answers such as a successful businessman may need to change focus and start using their knowledge to manage a non- profit and simultaneously learn from the non profit while also broadening the intake of information and worldviews of themselves and the people they now manage or a professor taking their knowledge and applying it in real world situations in maybe a completely different field, again bringing their worldview and clashing it with other people’s worldviews and expanding both worlds.

These are just two simple specific examples that draw together ideas to broaden people’s perspectives. You can work in a vast amount of scenarios to start to create this goal, yet it is this beginning hopefully that helps all of us understand the misnomer of the phrase work life balance. We need to broaden our attempts in creating new unbalances to make our work life balance more productive for ourselves and society. And yes the infamous, get out of our comfort zones phrase applies, but we need to address this with attacking this to look beyond our own goals,to not just give ourselves more success ie get out of our comfort zones to find a new comfort zone for many.

And then we can see why Citizen’s United is a failure for this country, why social media is a failure for our country, not because the mechanism is a failure, but because we cannot see how it is failing us in its current application.We need to learn how the tools are being used because it is always how we use tools that define what is made.

Cheers

And all this made a heck of a bunch more sense while dodging cars at 70 mph crossing three lanes to exit. Gotta love entitled drivers. Maybe that had partially something to do with the above. Or what I was thinking at the time that created the hodge podge of thought above.

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historicimpactonthefamily · 4 years ago

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The impact of Black Lives Matter on family

On May 26, 2020 the first of many protests that our country would see that summer erupted in Minneapolis after the murder of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer. Years before this event, an organization called Black Lives Matter appeared in 2015 calling for an end to police brutality and racial inequality in our country. It was not and hopefully will not be the last time our country grapples with what it is like to be Black in America. Issues of police brutality and other kinds of racial injustices are embedded in our society in a way that sometimes only those experiencing them can see. In 2016 when Donald Trump was elected many were

hopeless, but Black people did not need Donald Trump to feel hopeless. For some it amplified fears they already had about their identity and the struggles they face every day as a result, but it did not reveal anything new about the prevalent use of racially coded rhetoric of politicians or the systemic nature of racism. Since 2016 Donald Trump has arguably grown more controversial with his rhetoric on race and racial issues regarding instances of police brutality and even calling Black Lives Matter a symbol of hate.

Black Lives Matter as a hashtag and movement came into popularity in around 2013 when Trayvon Martin was murdered at the hands of the police. Protests erupted around the country with most media attention focused on Ferguson Missouri where it took place. The killing of Trayvon Martin started a national protest that gave birth to the now household name Black Lives Matter. Black Lives matter and the rise in awareness of racism itself will not only, hopefully, impact public policy but it will affect how African Americans view themselves and the future effects on their families. In 2020 Seaton and Yoo discussed how Health data shows that black adults who support Black Lives matter tend to have better health. This could be because access to information and energy to contribute to nonprofits is available most those who can afford it.This is the same with the time and money it takes to attend protest. Those who can afford those things then most likely do have access to better healthcare because access to better health is expensive in America. The supporters of this movement might be middle class families with children. Supporters of the organization have access to some kind of television or social media app. The emergence of Black Lives Matter has forced families to have to discuss race and its impact on their everyday lives. While some may put off by the ‘violence’ associated with the organization, the core call for equality is one that every person of color.

Black identity is unique as culture, but it is not isolated from influence. In Barbershops, Bibles, and BET: Everyday Talk and Black Political Thought, Harris-Lacewell discusses the tendency to focus on the effects of national elitism on black political identity and ideology when attention to the local elitism could enlighten us by looking at everyday conversations that are happening in the black community in church, barbershops and salons (Harris-Lacewell 2020). Harris-Lacewell states that the framework for black political thought centers on Black Nationalism, Black Feminism, Black Conservatism and Liberal Integrationist (Harris-Lacewell 2020). Harris-Lacewell builds upon the black archetype that has been used to study race in America and attempts to enrich it by focusing on non-homogeneous and mixed identities.

Components of these mixed identities within the black identity affect how blacks perceive themselves and their experiences. Sullivan & Windburn and R. M. Valelly & C.M. Swain investigated the connection between black identity and legislation in studying intersectionality (Valelly and Swain 1995)(Sullivan and Winburn 2010). Sullivan and Windburn found that on some of their measures of black identity, black legislators shared similar identities, whereas on other measures there was a bigger gap (Sullivan and Winburn 2010). They also found that self-perception of race and ideology did influence cohesiveness. Their conclusions advance our understanding that Black people have a self-perception as a race that can create cohesiveness in the group (Sullivan and Winburn 2010). Crenshaw (2018) and Pauli Murray (1975) have studied the intersection of race and gender in black women to argue for the reevaluation oof policies, laws and feminist theory that affect the black women and lack of inclusion of these experiences (Crenshaw 2018)(Feminist Legal Theory (Vol. 1) - Google Books n.d.).

Work on the black family dynamic also helps to give insight into the complexities within the black identity. Research done by Hunt and Hunt found in their study that Black females are most likely to be adversely affected by parental absence unlike the previously held views that broken homes lower the achievements of Black males (Hunt and Hunt 1979). Women often serve as the matriarch and provider for their families in Black households. The lowering of their achievements affects the entire Black family structure. Black families are also constantly separated by the very institutions meant to keep citizens safe not harm them like prison and institutions meant to protect children. Exploring the effects of family organization and involvement in the life of young ones between white and black families, research shows that while Black families tend to more involved in the form of transportation, household work and childcare whites tend to report greater involvement in financial and emotional kinship (Sarkisian and Gerstel 2004).

Anderson and Stevenson explore how exposure to racially discriminatory encounters are remediated by parents by telling their children about their own racial experiences. This can improve the well being of youth since long term exposure to these encounters have huge effects on their physical and mental health. The article argues that discriminatory racial encounters require active racial socialization in order to repair from race-based traumatic stress from past, current and future encounters. Last summer it was impossible to turn the TV on without seeing something about race, police brutality and protests. Black Lives Matter adds to racial socialization by forcing everyone to talk about race. Yet even this discussion comes at a cost.The current movement although positive can stress the people it is trying to help. Racial socialization may increase the burden on already economically hard hit parents to find the time and resources to educate their children about racial experiences.

Black Lives Matter is beginning a conservation that will affect how black families are seen both socially and politically. We are fighting back on stereotypes of Black mothers and fathers that are blamed and criticized as bad parents poverty and high incarceration rates of Blacks are forcing these parents to choose perhaps between being there for their child or feeding them. There is a call to appreciate already existing black family institutions as they are and not contour them to fit the traditional family model of one mother, one father and kids. More and more black teens are being accepted for their sexuality and their choice to not have children or at least the fact there is an alternative to traditional family is finally being discussed and seen in the media. Additionally, young people are more accepting than their parents. They are embracing the change that organizations like Black Lives Matter want to bring.

Works cited

Anderson, R. E., & Stevenson, H. C. (2019). RECASTing racial stress and trauma: Theorizing the healing potential of racial socialization in families. American Psychologist, 74(1), 63-75. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/amp0000392

Seaton, E.K., Yellow Horse, A.J., Yoo, H.C. et al. Health Implications of Black Lives Matter Among Black Adults. J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities 7, 1241–1248 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-020-00749-z

“Barbershops, Bibles, and BET: Everyday Talk and Black Political Thought: Harris-Lacewell, Melissa Victoria: 8580000741353:Amazon.Com:Books.”https://www.amazon.com/Barbershops-Bibles-BET-Everyday-Political/dp/0691126097 (September 13,2020).

Valelly, Richard M., and Carol M. Swain. 1995. “Black Faces, Black Interests: The Representation of African Americans in Congress.”

Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 14(2): 346. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3325163?origin=crossref (September 9,

2020).

Sullivan, Jas M., and Jonathan Winburn. 2010. “Measuring the Effects of Black Identity on Legislative Voting Behavior: An Exploratory

Study.” Journal of African American Studies 14(3): 359–74.

Crenshaw, Kimberle. 2018. “Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine,

Feminist Theory, and Antiracist Politics [1989].” In Feminist Legal Theory: Readings in Law and Gender, , 57–80. http://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/uclfhttp://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/uclf/vol1989/iss1/8 (September 12, 2020).

-Gifty Agana

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nctaezen · 4 years ago

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Happy valentine day aka both the lovey dovey holiday and our bday bpy himself, I saw your gifset and 100/10!! Amazing work, please frame that gifset in a museum pronto!! It sounds like your valentine's day was fun ^_^

But yes I am from Chicago haha, it doesn't seem fancy to me being in Chicago with how expensive downtown can be at times (but then again, when is downtown in ANY big city not expensive?) But it is a lovely place nonetheless, granted don't come now because its cold like the northpole xD but very much recommended the spring time personally! I do hope you have the chance to come to Chicago when things calm down

Ooohh same lol, I can do my nails like a pro but eyeliner ??? I struggle lol. I watched videos on tips but I still can't figure how to not stop my hand from shaking =/ (if any of your followers know a trick do share! Help this noob anon out, i will pay with cookies!) I can do it decent line but its always thick for some odd reason lol. It starts off good in the beginning with a nice thin line but then I go full raccoon mode xD I have big eyes as well so technically not good for my eye shape but it is what it is haha. I do prefer pencil since its easier but I do enjoy the liquid eyeliner look. My current makeup look is eyeliner, mascara and some lip product. I do eyeshadow if I want to be fancy haha but for sure need to look into getting some better products. The ones I do have my eye on are nyx because we love a good mix of free of animal products and cheap, bare minerals is nice as well as well as color pop! For the pricier end fenty and rare beauty are on my list (especially rare omg the lipstick shades are so, so pretty! Especially the color you mentioned ^0^) but ooh we love pinks and orange shades! We love the soft, spring romantic vibes! For me. I like a bit of everything but i do find myself leaning into red, pink, orange shades with a mix of dark tones like a dark wine shade or even black djaksja. My favorite lippie i own is this beautiful orange/brown color? Idk if that is the right way to describe it but it is a pretty color! Jdkandks @ that large lipstick collection, respect haha. I enjoy the old school lip gloss look because i like pretending to feel like an Bratz doll lol.. bb creams are good and I may go with one in the future since it seems a good product to use if you don't want to dive into foundation and such c:

Now skin care wise, I agree! Not all pricey products are better. You can find good products for half the price that works for your skin! It is a trail and error sadly but eventually you will find something that works best for you c: and ooohh i think i have heard of those brands! I'll look at them later to see what they have so thank you for the suggestion!! Lol maybe that's a good thing the brand isn't around where you live xD but true, it is best to not continue with using the products so I will sadly throw them away. I feel bad since I did spend money but if it isn't doing me good skin wise well why ruin my skin more? Garnier is great for sure! I love their micellar water so I may invest in some of their other products! When I will do that, not sure because my parents are a bit strict when it comes to makeup/skin care stuff *sigh*

Oof I do feel like there have been alot of romance plots so we do need a break with some other plot ideas like a good mystery drama for example like let me feel like Sherlock when watching the episodes haha. But ahh it be like that xD sometimes you start off watching a video or two and then you are spending half the night watching funny edits of nct lol and idk how he can be calm like jaehyun is so calm in the most chaotic moments. Like he didn't even flinch when the boxes exploded in nct world!! Teach us your calm ways jaehyun. But I do love his dad ways from the humor he has or his dad sneeze (I will admit some fans do take the "jaehyun dad" narrative a bit too far sometimes or maybe its just me? Thoughts love?)

Oof until april!? Oh no D: I hope the numbers slow down during then, sending good vibes to your family as well during these times! You also stay safe! As for me, yeah just have been staying inside. Not much to do sadly but I'm being well fed with kpop so not complaining haha

Hey hey! How was your week/days so far since Valentines?

Well I had a lot to do and I was mainly busy with work (once again). I am remodelling/redecorating my room as well and I still have lots of plans on it, let’s see how the things end up because I will do it all alone (wish me luck).

Happy you loved that set and I hope you will anticipate my Ten set as well (it’s a secret, not secret anymore but I still haven’t started with it yet I have lots of notes and ideas saved, I just need the courage and time for it).

Oh yeah I knew it hehe as far as I know Chicago looks very modern and seems a bit luxurious, indeed should be a bit expensive in the downtown, but even in my country, downtown is something I usually avoid for hanging out because it’s super super pricy.

I came across a few fun videos on tiktok and there was a girl doing her eyeliner in one go, like less that 1 second and I was like?? she’s not from this world. I had the chance to try my new bb cream and corrector from nyx and so far I love it, it doesn’t feel heavy or itchy on my skin, also knowing it’s cruelty free, it’s something that stands on my top buy makeup brand list. I used to love lipgloss when I was a child/teen, but not anymore, I wear my hair down and if go out. Forget about it, especially since I live in a windy area. And now with masks I can only wear a no-transfer lipstick or simply lip balm. A brand I think I will try soon will be Cerave, I heard only good things about it and Wayv also promoted it in the past. At that time the brand wasn’t available in my country, now it become quite popular and if the lockdown ends next month, I’ll go to a pharmacy to test the products and (hopefully) buy some.

As for my drama experience, I started to watch Vincenzo since it’s on Netflix it’s much easier to watch but I didn’t expect the whole comedy twist, I thought that drama was based on a dark-crime-mafia plot, yet I was once again fooled by the trailers. Anyway he looks sooo good for his age, I thought he was in his twenties, just wow! We’re a decade apart, and man! he looks so young, maybe even younger, insane! I should drink more ginseng tea for infinite youth haha Anyway the drama is a stay because I love him so much, he is a very talented actor and hopefully the plot will change as the history will go on.

About Jaehyun and that dad narrative, well yes. Things go out of hand for everyone else not only for him, especially in cases when these words are shoved right into their faces, I would never dare to comment anything like that under their social media or even on personal-interactions, it just seems uncomfortable on many levels. If someone looks hot and sexy, this is what he is and this is what we call them for, magazines and articles describe idols a lot these days with these words and that is ok because it means they have an attractive image that everyone wishes to have or achieve, yes I do get jealous sometimes even if they are men so 😂 but those type of whatever role-playing words, no, niet, nein, não, non. Out of question.

Meanwhile a few comebacks happened and I was excited for it, Shinee’s title song is sooo good and I love the savage lyrics. The rest of the album is also amazing, I have like 3 top favorites. Now I am waiting for Wayv comeback that will happen soon, hope SM won’t disappoint with another low-budget MV, I know we are in a pandemic situation rn but even inside the box, a MV can look stunning. SM take notes from “Make a Wish”, that was simply beautiful and almost everything was shot indoor, stunning effects I want to see again.

And I don’t think I had the chance to ask you, how did you like 127′s Japanese album? I love all the songs and there is non I skip when I play the whole album. I love how different hits from their Korean albums, there is something alluring about it, well the lyrics also suggest that so- I couldn’t miss that huge album that looks like an A3 portfolio so I already ordered one, hopefully by the end of the March I’ll get my hands on it, I can’t wait because the pictures are simply stunning!

Hope so far you have been fine, stay healthy and take care of yourself, and hope to hear from you back soon ❤️

#anon #glitch anon #reply

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jewrocker · 4 years ago

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Biden’s “Impossible Dream”

Along with the other eighty-million Americans with an IQ over five, I too am doing backflips at the prospect we’re just weeks away from flushing this unprecedentedly corrupt and incomprehensibly cruel administration into the cesspool of infamy where they belong. However, as ecstatic as I am at the thought of an actual human being once again occupying the Oval Office, one must still be realistic as to what to expect going forward. Sadly, it seems, to the contrary of our president-elect.

President Biden’s statement that he intends to be a president ‘...to all Americans’, while admirable and more than a welcome change from the incoherent ramblings of the Mad King, seems to be more than a bit out of touch with what’s actually going on in this country in 2020, and beyond. While he may indeed devote every ounce of energy to this seemingly insurmountable task, unity is still a two-way street. Last we checked, there’s a massive concrete divider in the middle of this one. A concept that the president-elect inexplicably doesn’t seem to fully have grasped. Especially, considering, as a former vice-president, he lived through eight years of Senate Republicans sticking it to his boss every chance they got. I mean, “Hello, McFly?” Do you really believe Congressional Republicans are just going to snap out of their near twenty-year trance because you’re friends with them?

Exhibit One: Leader McConnell.

If you’re old enough to remember the Obama years, you’ll have no trouble recalling the now-infamous line uttered by that bastion of Honor and Ethics, Mitch McConnell. That being, “My only goal for the next four years is to make Obama a one-term president.” Aside from being borderline treason for a Senator to openly admit he’s going to spend every waking moment betraying his oath in order to achieve his despicably anti-American goal, “Moscow Mitch,” as he’s now affectionately known, hasn’t changed a bit. In fact, he’s gotten worse, and, thanks to his miraculous re-election in a state that had him at just an 18% approval rating, more emboldened.

After shamelessly defending our Russian-asset POTUS at every opportunity, including predicting the outcome of an impeachment hearing before it actually took place, the worst leader in the history of the United States Senate spent the past four years doing NOTHING, but filling an unprecedented number of conservative judgeships; including, surprise, the Supreme Court, where the louse seemed to actually revel in reneging on his own call to wait until after the election to choose a replacement for Justice Ginsberg. No policy. No compromise. No nothing. Nothing, that is, but increasing the deficit by trillions and making sure his corporate cronies are exempt from responsibility due to their shameful response to the pandemic. I guess that’s something.

Thus, unless our incoming president is suffering from severe amnesia, he should have no illusions that, following the Georgia runoffs (should Republicans maintain the stranglehold they currently enjoy), there isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell McConnell, the demonic amphibian he is, will allow any dissenters to side with the president, on anything. Not a bill to curtail the amount of robocalls one gets on a daily basis, nor a motion to change the ketchup dispenser in the congressional cafeteria.

Exhibit Two: Trump’s Minions

If, after witnessing 126 House Republicans sign onto what is nothing short of a statement supporting the overthrowing of our Democracy, as well as several Republican Senators coming out in support of objecting to the States’ already-certified electors, anyone who thinks president Biden will somehow get these cockroaches to join hands singing Kumbaya, is living on another planet. In fact, from what we’ve seen in the last six weeks, alone, it’s fair to say Congressional Republicans are now more of a threat to our nation than ISIS. Yes, that ISIS. At least, the Islamic State have the decency to tell you to your face exactly what their objective is: The total destruction of American Democracy. Period. Modern day Republicans have proven they have the same exact goal; they just do it from within, disguised as “patriots.”

Exhibit Three: Seventy-Million Idiots

In spite of the Deplorables on The Hill, the biggest hurdle the president, and vice-president, have in front of them may very well be the American People, themselves. While there’s got to be a few million in the human Chernobyl’s base of seventy-million-plus who aren’t full-blown, racist psychopaths, there are still way too many who’ve shown they’re fully committed to the cult of Trump. Even now. Even though their government led them into a year-long nightmare of misery and misinformation: even as their apathetic leaders choose to bail out their billionaire buddies, while sending them a $600 slap in the face, they continue to support them. Unmoved.

Even though Benedict Donald has spent the past two months proving he has zero interest in/reverence for this Democracy and in a peaceful transference of power, truth is, outside of maybe a handful of ‘awoke’ individuals who’ve finally seen enough, he’s most likely not lost a single one of his hardcore supporters. In fact, many of them have doubled down in their support of the village idiot - going as far as to organize a “parallel inauguration” on Universe Two - the fantasy world where Trump will still be president (Most pundits refer to Trump supporters as living on ‘Earth 2,’ but their thinking is so alien to facts/common sense, IMO, they deserve their own universe.). These sad, sorry fools fell hook, line and sinker for the president’s claims of “fraud”, to the tune of stocking his post-election war chest with a cool quarter-billion dollars. Translation: you’re looking at an entire sect of people who have no basis in reality. So, who’s worse? The Trump supporter? Or the one who tries to reason with the Trump supporter?

These Trump-described “suckers,” who, in spite of everything they’ve seen, in spite of the fact we have a president who’s golfing while millions can’t even put food on their table during the holidays (those still alive that is) are still so consumed with hate for the other side, they’d rather see their nation brought to the brink of civil war than be governed by a Democrat. They’d rather elect a corrupt, bottom-dwelling QAnon conspirator to Congress, than an honest, sane liberal whose major crime is refusing to believe Tom Hanks and Bill Gates are partners in a global kiddie porn empire. Case in point, the more than dozen House seats that flipped red this past November, and, with them, some who actually believe the above. This kind of unhinged, spiteful, masochistic thinking suggests the hate modern day Republicans have towards liberals is greater than the love they have for their own children. Good luck overcoming that type of home-grown martyr, Mr. President.

Exhibit Four: Biden, Himself:

The welcome, sorely needed public comments seeking to reunite a hopelessly divided nation, notwithstanding, by stating what the New York Times calls “no interest” in pursuing any type of retribution/Justice, re: the myriad of crimes committed by this horrific administration, IMO, the president-elect has already stepped in it. Especially after the Georgia phone call.

It’s never a good idea to address your supporters, many of whom feel they’re owed some form of payback after being forced to watch helplessly as their Constitution was consistently used as toilet paper by a mob boss POTUS for four, long years, and, right out of the gate, say you’re just going to forget the whole thing. After all, this isn’t Nixon we’re talking about here. This is a thousand Nixons... on steroids. This is treason in all its forms. The attempt to “find” 11,780 votes, just one more than Biden, is the most egregious crime ever committed by a U.S. President. Yet, the president-elect continues to spew this type of disappointing, non-confrontational rhetoric. While hopefully just said for the cameras, it definitely gives many of the incoming president’s supporters, including Yours Truly, night sweats.

In fact, IMO, SDNY aside, letting these, spineless, racist, anti-American miscreants sail off into the sunset, with free health care for life and full pensions, on us, would be worse than all their crimes put together. As it will not only show the next corrupt bunch of lawless idiots to come down the pike they can do whatever they want and they’re guaranteed a free pass from the next guy, it will end our experiment in Democracy as we know it; as it will have all-but-proved the president is, in fact, above the law. I really hope I’m wrong. Fingers crossed Biden is just doing his job and saying all the right things, while privately working to nominate Sally Yates for A.G. IMO, should Ms. Yates get the nod, she will see to it Justice is served on all fronts. If not, you can bet there’s a damn good reason.

Mueller made the fatal mistake of playing fair with Trump and Barr, and their legion of sycophantic sheep in Congress, and wound up looking like a timid, outmatched eunuch. After living through the Obama years, after living through The Trump years, after seeing the literal definition of treason on a daily basis, it appears Biden is choosing to ignore these screaming red sirens and walk down that path, as well, at least with his words.

How much more proof does the president-elect need to know these individuals on the other side of the aisle are only interested in one thing? Total Dominance, by any means necessary. Even if it’s a flagrant violation of their oaths to defend The Constitution. Every single low-life choosing to join a wanna-be fascist in his reprehensible attempt to overturn our national election are only Americans by birth. That’s where it ends.

In Alan Parker’s classic film, Mississippi Burning, there’s a great line in the scene where the two FBI agents, played by Willem Dafoe and Gene Hackman, realize playing by the rules with these racist bastards will never get them the Justice they seek. Straight-laced Dafoe says, “Don’t drag me into your gutter, Mr. Anderson.” To which, no-nonsense Hackman replies, “These people crawled out of a sewer, Mr. Ward! Maybe the gutter’s where we outta be!” Here’s hoping there’s more of Anderson than Ward in our next president.

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noiseartists · 4 years ago

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Daydream Deathray: Crispy and bold Shoegaze from Kentucky

Daydream Deathray is an aggressively melodic Shoegaze band from Kentucky. They have a great band’s name also.

Originally conceived in 2016 from the dissolution of a punk rock band, the project was initially mired in difficulty. At the end of their first attempt at a debut EP, the studio owner left town and ceased communication with his clients. This prompted founding member, Matt Glick, to put together his own studio and re-record that EP. But, just as it was nearly completed, the studio was broken into and nearly everything was stolen - including their recordings. This came on the heels of family tragedy for Glick, leaving him in a cloud of depression for months, and effectively ending that chapter of the group.

Once Glick finally began recording again, a different aesthetic direction started to naturally present itself. With this sense of a fresh start, Daydream Deathray have crafted a short and sweet debut that feels light, but with a sprawling sense of darkness just on the horizon. They give an overwhelming sense of personality to their take on a genre that often tends to fit neatly within its own self-imposed guidelines.

Note from the Editor: Before the interview starts some apology on the latness of this article. The band have been kind enough to send the blog their interview earlu in 2020 and due to operations slowing it is only now that it is picked up.

Who are the group members?

As of this moment, it’s really kind of just me. There have been a few half-assed attempts at putting together a live band, with one more attempt coming really soon. But, I dunno… people are busy, I’m kind of particular about things, and playing live just hasn’t really been too much of a focus for me. That being said, Mandy Mac was part of the last attempt at putting something together, and we get along pretty well - so, as long as everything works out, I’m sure she will remain a part of the line up. Judah Moore-Denk is possibly going to join on guitar, and Zach Ortiz may be joining on bass, for this next experiment.

How did you meet?

With Mandy and Zach, it’s mostly just from playing with other bands in the past, and/or just having mutual friends. Judah is actually the son of some friends of mine, which is wild. I’ve actually witnessed him grow up, and always knew he’d turn out to be a rad adult.

How did you come up with your name?

Coming up with band names is really not a strength, for me. Daydream Deathray means something, but I can’t possibly articulate what it is. What is your music about? On the ﬁrst EP, Bloom, it’s kind of all over the place. Love, rejecting conservative idealism, and surrealism are all there. I don’t ever think too much about the “what” or the “why” with lyrics or themes. I kind of just arrange whatever seems to be ﬂowing through me from the ether, I guess.

What are your goals as an artist artistically/commercially?

I really do mostly just try to make music that I enjoy. In doing so, I hope others get a feeling from it that I get from the music that inspires me. I like pushing my own boundaries, too.

What are you trying to avoid as a band?

I think part of the reason I’ve (maybe subconsciously) stiﬂed us becoming a legitimate live band is to avoid situations I’ve been wrapped up in with past bands. I just don’t want to become too boxed in, creatively. I feel like if I’m writing the majority of the songs, I shouldn’t feel limited in following whatever direction feels natural for me. But that’s not a mentality that everyone can always get on board with, when everyone feels equally invested in a project.

Why do you make the music you make? Is it in you? Is it your environment?

I guess it’s just who I am. I’ve tried to stop and focus on other things, but it never works.

What inspire you for the music or for the Lyrics?

Sometimes it’s just whatever is going on in my life, or whatever is eating up a lot of my energy on a larger social level. A lot of times, it’s love or desire, and trying to put words to those feelings, but in a way that hasn’t been done a million times before. But, usually, it just…comes. I don’t know from where or why.

Tell us what you are looking when trying to achieve your sounds. Do you experiment a lot or have a clear idea of what you want?

Sometimes, it’s a very clear idea, and it comes out exactly as planned. Other times, it takes years of fooling with a part of a song that I can’t stop messing with. I try to not be too rigid with creating things, and just let things happen. And, sometimes that means it takes a really long time to happen (as you know…haha.)

Explain your songwriting process.

I usually just have something come to me while I’m playing guitar, and I’ll either take the reigns a bit and make something of it, or I’ll be a little more patient with it, and just hop on board and see where it takes me.

Describe your palette of sound.

It depends on my mood, I suppose. I may have synesthesia, to some degree. I tend to think about visual color spectrums a lot while writing and recording.

Who would you want as a dream producer, and why?

I have “heroes” when it comes to music and production, but I think I’d be far too timid to work with many of them, if the chance arose. And, I’m aware that I likely wouldn’t get out of it whatever I’ve fantasized about, y’know? I think, practically, I’m far more interested in working with dream mixing engineers. And, at the top of that list is Alan Moulder. I would have the time of my life just sitting and learning from someone like that.

If you could guest on someone else’s album, who would it be and why? What would you play?

I’d actually really love to work on a straight up pop record. Speciﬁcally on the ‘sound design’ end of things.

What musical skills would you like to acquire or get better at?

I’m currently focusing most of my practicing energy on becoming a much better drummer. I’ve always been able to play a bit, but I’d like to be really proﬁcient someday. And, as always, I wish I could sing better. Like, much better.

Which other musician/artist would you date?

Well, I am happily married to the most beautiful human being on the planet. But, I guess, purely for the interest of having a laugh, I could mention that I had some pretty heavy teenage crushes on Toni Halliday and Miki Berenyi.

Is there a band that if they didn’t exist you wouldn’t be making the music you make?

So many, really. In addition to the obvious ones like Lush, MBV, Curve, Slowdive, I’d have to say The Cure, Jane’s Addiction, and Smashing Pumpkins were probably the three most important ones to me in my formative years.

You are from the U.S. what are the advantages and inconvenient?

I like the fact that I live in the middle of dozens of bigger cities, but I actually live in a really small town in Kentucky. So, I get the best of both worlds. It’s pretty easy to tour here, especially in the eastern half of the country. As far as drawbacks go, I’d have to say they’re currently mostly political.

What are some places around the world that you hope to play with your band?

I would really, really love to tour Europe someday. My last band got several offers, but it never worked out for various reasons. But I really LOVE traveling and exploring, and if I had all the money in the world, I doubt I would ever stop traveling for very long, with or without music as the catalyst.

When is the next album/EP due?

Hopefully before the end of winter. I had really hoped to have an EP out months ago, and a full length in the spring. But, life happens, I guess. I seriously have so much material at various stages of completion. There’s already at least three full lengths worth of stuff up my sleeve, if not more.

Some artists you recommend.

I hate to say that my ability to ﬁnd current music that really excites me has been sort of ceased up in the past few years. I used to know all of the cool new bands before everyone else. Now, I’m like “holy shit this band is amazing!” And then realize the recording came out 2-5 years ago. I guess it’s because I’m not out socializing and touring all the time, anymore. I’m fairly out of touch.

Anything else you want your fans to know?

If anyone’s actually a fan, I’m beyond grateful for them taking the time to listen, and I’m overjoyed that they connect with what I create.

FInd Daydream Deathray here

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#USA #Shoegaze #Noise Pop

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