#when your people is in a position of power your culture is so normalised and everyday that you kind of lose track of it

[syntymatitahna]

re: this

Smth else that annoys me is that many of my fellow Finns don't give a flying fuck about Finnish culture until it is about something that isn't actually Finnish culture. Like the Karelian pirogs/kalittas/šipainiekkus, like, if a Finn is making them at home with a recipe they learned from their Karelian grandma, how is it away from the Finn that they're partaking in a Karelian food tradition? They obviously have the ""right"" to that tradition even if they exclusively identify as a Finn, it is their family tradition. Doesn't make it a Finnish one. Why do they get so butthurt about that?!?

I kind of wanna make some kinda guide to people who feel like they "don't have their own culture" that forces them to acknowledge their culture so they can stop whining about how disenfranchised peoples are sooo meeean for not "sharing", weeeeeh. 🤦

[langernameohnebedeutung]

Am I the only one who is a little concerned about this obsession with 'body counts' lately?

I know it's easy to say 'well it isn't a re-emergence of any sort, culture has always been obsessed with women being 'pure' and 'chaste' - and we are here in the process of stamping it out! Look how far we've come since 1970s/1950s/1920s/19th century/whatever.' or 'it's just your usual incels balking against change'

And yes! you are right! And I don't have statistics or anything! - But something that alerts me is that we're no longer talking about religious or conservative contexts or specifically misogynistic circles or older people. It is a mainstream discussion and people talk about how you should ask girls for their 'body count' on the first date and if she 'doesn't answer she's for the street' and 'whatever number she says, add x%." - and is really young people regurgitating it - even young girls.

Another hint for me that this is a re-emergence and not just some remnant or something passed own from previous generations is language. I've seen quite a few tiktoks and and insta-reels by non-English speaking teens and early tweens who used the specific English word 'body count' to talk about this - something they wouldn't do if they had gotten this from their parents or grandparents or if it were an organical idea they had come up with on their own. It must have been inspired by other users who produce similar content - and these users were likely inspired by others and so forth. And as someone in her late 20s, I've never heard it used in my social circle and it was never really a big issue for any of us once we got out of puberty.

Personally, I've expected the cultural pendulum to swing back on sex positivity and the deconstruction of virginity for a while now, but I think it is important that a lot of these terms (not just the 'body count' thing) aren't your classic 'the mainstream is afraid of change' kind of backlash. A lot of this talk is coming directly from the red pill manosphere and is strategically being normalised among the youth - and because misogyny is still treated as some 'normal cultural thing' in many contexts, it is something that most young people aren't prepared for and aren't taught to contextualise and cannot identify as rooted in hate.

The obsession with virginity is one of the oldest forms of subjugation because it's so disconnected from any kind of physical reality or moral action. The moment this kind of rhetoric is given any power, any woman can be the most altruistic, morally upstanding, generous best person to ever have walked the earth - but with this tool, you can still ruin her. (The same way that a man can be the most moral upstanding, generous best person to walk the earth and then get mocked for being 'an adult virgin' or something). That's how/why this rhetoric survived for millennia in societies whose entire structure was based on denying women permanent social status - because anyone can do it! You don't need to understand anything to call a woman a slut - you can be the dumbest idiot in your village and still call a professor of quantum-physics a slut if you don't like her (or not do it, if you like her! That is what power is!). You don't need to understand anything about her policies or success-rate to slutshame a politician. You don't need to know her as a person. You don't need to have listened to a single speech of hers or anything.

That's why it always worked so well. Because it allows anyone to mistreat a woman based on nothing to do with her personal convictions, thoughts, or actions. Because anyone can invent and adapt their own standards of when a woman's 'body count' is too high (even: not high enough!) - and even if she's a virgin, you can still say she 'well, look how she dresses' or 'she wears make-up' - or just say she is lying. Because it is absolutely unprovable - that's also a tale as old as time: the moment you start ascribing any value to how much sex a woman has or has had, you can go all medieval and make up the wildest claims and they are given relevance from the power you gave that claim.

And whether it has been used against individual women or against entire cells and movements of women carving out some independence for themselves and detaching themselves or even changing the societies they had no power in, the strengthening of 'purity' rhetoric was a very common response to this because it was a way of denigrating these women without actually being forced to engage with their arguments.

I actually feel a little stupid laying out something that has been said so much more eloquently and in so much more detail on many other occasions by other people and that has been much more thoroughly analysed, but I'm actually worried that because of the sexual liberation of the last one hundred years, we might become blind to how dangerous this kind of rhetoric is for women and how ingrained it is into our culture structurally. But I am really worried watching this - especially bc a lot of similar and related rhetoric: That's not something that has been passed down to these kids from their parents and grandparents or...priest or whatever:

This is incel and MGTOW rhetoric being normalised as memes and jokes. And I see the argument of 'well, if we treat it as a joke and make fun of these dudes, then we're taking power from it'. But these last few years, I've seen so many things start out as jokes - some harmless, some not - that are now being taken 100% serious by a lot of people out there. And virginity-rhetoric is something that is still being taken seriously around the globe by billions of people, so it's not something that will treated as a conspiracy weirdo hocuspocus - but something that is falling on very fertile soil.

[youremyheaven]

I’m not Indian but the thing you said about body shaming from parents really hits. I do come from an immigrant background though and I feel like a lot of our cultures have normalised this behaviour.

But even my dad who is not an immigrant (yk those older white men who marry significantly younger women from 2nd/3rd world countries? An elder passport bro if you will lmao), once made a comment in a highly derogatory tone about my ass being too big. It wasn’t really sexual but more so a comment on my weight gain at the time, but bro I was 12 and I still think about it😭

People talk about body positivity a lot but growing up chubby/with curves is deeply traumatic and it makes me sad to think about how many of us experienced this

that was so wrong of your padre 😭😭

i s2g i feel like all non-white parents are more or less like this, and i guess even some white parents. its such a shame bc i remember being 13-14 and i felt hideous like nobody would even want to look at me and my mom would slut shame me and im like ??? babe im ugly and fat,, no part of me is "sexy" or "desirable" ALSO IM 13??? but she would talk like i was seducing every man in the city lmfao

I S2G the trauma of my early teens fcked me up ngl. its so heartbreaking to just transition from girlhood to adolescence and coming to terms with your burgeoning womanhood. like that's such a complicated experience to make peace with??? until yesterday i was a child but now i am still a child but people dont look at me like that, weird men on the streets catcall you, say disgusting things when you're within earshot, your mom thinks you're a whore even tho u literally do not know what exactly sex involves, strangers are sending u dick pics and porn gifs, now u have to worry about other people's intentions bc they might be trying to "take advantage" of you when a few months ago, they saw u as an innocent child. if someone gropes you, you hate yourself, you feel disgusting and dirty and no one tells you its not your fault. you feel afraid of people, of how they look at you, of what they might do to you, you dont want to be seen, you dont want to be touched. if you tell someone you were assaulted, sometimes they tell you its because you were careless or that you were asking for it or worse that you secretly enjoyed it. you cant eat or you eat too much, food becomes a source of shame. you want to feel like you have value, like you have power so you try to "own" your sexuality. fine if everyone thinks im a whore anyway i might as well "own" it except that it literally doesn't help. you feel worse. you dont know who you are because your whole identity revolves around how others perceive u and not what u have to offer as a human being. u think talent is worthless if u arent pretty. i could go on and on

literally female adolescence is a hellscape and every girl should get a medal for surviving it.

im sorry for my long (probably triggering) ramble but i just had to let it out lmao

im sorry that we've had to go thru this. praying for all girls and future women<333

[mohhesham95]

Human x2

'To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity.'

Nelson Mandela

I wrote about this about 6 years ago, but now seems like a good time to write again. What makes a human human? Seems like a pretty basic question, but in that answer lies a lot of the world's issues. Some would say the brain, humans, are the smartest living creatures. Some would say the ability to evolve. Some others would say the sophistication. Some would say the inconsistency, hence the term 'human error'. In a world with so many technological advances, I believe the most important human quality is empathy. If you can not show empathy, you're drifting away from what makes you human. You're just turning into a robot that can be controlled. A cog in a huge machine that serves a greater purpose. This generation has seen so much trouble in the world that would make them question the purpose of life. The Palestinian war is the latest of those travesties. It makes you think, is it a life worth living? A world where innocent people are murdered every day in cold blood, and the so-called world leaders are trying to normalise that. They are trying to make you feel less empathy, to make these scenes like a usual occurrence. The 'civilised' western governments are not very bothered about murder when it comes to 'less worthy' people. Saying no to killing has become 'supporting terrorsim', and when they try to save face, it's 'all lives are sacred'. If all lives are really sacred, you wouldn't be turning a blind eye to blatant genocide. Are you really expecting a young boy who had his whole family wiped in front of his own eyes to be civilised? Are you expecting him not to feel anger and injustice? Are you not expecting him to want to do everything in his power to get vengeance? This is basic human emotion. How can I be logical in front of blind violence? Violence breeds violence. You can't kill innocent civilians and then be surprised that these helpless people will bite back. Everything was already taken from them, and you will not take their humanity as well. We, as Arabs grew up fascinated by the Western culture. Democracy, human rights, equal rights. Human rights are for only the people they think that they deserve it. It's not all doom and gloom, though. The free Western humans saw the truth. Protests in places like London, NYC, and Berlin to support Palestine. Not in your wildest dreams, you'd imagine that. There are never positives when people die, but the real victory of this war is the unmasking of reality. The people saw the truth because it's as clear as day. The false image has been exposed. They can't lie to your faces anymore. That's why they are desperate to shut you up. They don't want you to be heard. There are no two sides to this story. Governments want to brainwash you into being a cold robot that just follows their rules and accept their narrative. They want to make you feel hopeless and helpless. But you're not. Speak up, show support, and take a side. Being neutral in a situation like this is equal to supporting evil. These situations show you the real core of people. Don't normalise killing. Don't normalise genocide. These are people with stories, dreams, and lives. They deserve a fair chance at life. They are not just numbers. Don't lose what makes you human. Don't lose your empathy. Make them heard. Life might not be fair with no fairytale endings, and we might feel powerless, but I'd rather try to do what I think is right even if it seems pretty insignificant. Just making these people heard and letting them know that we see them as unique humans worthy of a stable life is the least we could do. We were born human, and we can't let anyone take that away from us, no matter how hard they try.

[joeycontextual]

I read Savage Messiah by Laura Oldfield Ford, a zine exploring London, commenting on “yuppie culture”, political opinion of the time, and working-class people living in the city. With the text being supported by collaged illustrations, newspaper clippings, lists and photographs she’s taken while on walks, she has created a piece of work inspired by the situationists and the practice of the derive. Using the medium of zines, she’s collected works together by exploring psychogeography and capturing her environment visually and verbally.

In one section there is the story of a woman who is messaged and asked out by a man who worked at the job centre where she had to attend her interviews, after he finds all her personal information. “The devious bastard was sitting at his desk spying into my file. He knew where I lived, full name, date of birth, everything. I stared at the phone and left it.” This quote highlights a problem that has become even more prevalent after this piece was written, that personal information has become so easily accessible for anyone. From this story, the example being a breach of privacy by someone in a position of power, which is still an issue we face today. With the increased usage of the internet, not only is our personal information more vulnerable, but it has also become a lot more normalised to the public for it to be so readily available. We don’t only have our information available, but we are at a point in time where we give our information quite freely too.

 

When speaking about the surroundings in the job centre, she says “So then I had to sign everyday into this open plan office that looked like a Starbucks with plants and coffee machines and soft chairs in primary colours.” The description of soft furniture with a simple colour pallet next to things found in a typical office building, like many job centres are decorated. The opposites in furniture contradicts itself and evokes a strange feeling of an imbalance of power between the “childish” person receiving universal credit, and the “adult” government ran service. Being on universal credit is terribly misjudged by people of a higher class. When you attend a job search meeting, there is an overwhelming feeling of guilt that the enclosed, almost clinical space swallows you in. “That was the punishment, the compulsory visit to a building droning with resentment.”(pg 6) The resentment she mentions could be from and aimed at multiple things. The resentment of the case worker, judging the applicant. The resentment of the applicant inwards to themselves or the resentment to having to be put under a microscope. The compulsory attendance and mention of punishment is remnant of a detention, but instead of being punished for not handing in your homework, you’re being punished for trying to survive.

 

Ford, L., 2011. Savage messiah.

[ardenttheories]

Homestuck's always been antagonistic and insensitive, but I don't recall seeing any of you try to dox Hussie? But please, continue to rationalise how cyberbullying lgbt people for not being nice enough and having opinions about a fictional character you disagree with puts you in the right. A story doesn't go the way you'd like and this is how you respond? You COULD have just not bothered reading it instead of CHOOSING to make your online life about something you hate like a toxic weirdo.

Hi, Kate. I’m so glad you could find my blog. (Edit: that was a joke. Apparently, some anons find it impossible to tell that I don’t actually think you’re Kate). It’s clear to me that you didn’t take the time to read through any of the content that’s actually on here, since you’re throwing around rather wild accusations, so let me take this down step by step.

Homestuck has only rarely been antagonistic and insensitive. Things like the Alpha Trolls - which were clear criticisms of fandom culture - were relatively few and far between, and when we complained about them, they actually stopped. Remind me, for instance, how relevant the Alpha Trolls were to the plot? How long they stayed as mockeries towards the fandom? Yeah, not long. I actually have talked about this before on the blog - alongside other things I thought were negative towards the fandom from the original comic - but the difference here is that... in the entirety of Homestuck, these things were outliers and inconsistencies. They stuck out because they were in stark contrast to the otherwise wonderfully handled content Homestuck went over.

For instance, Homesuck is critical of abuse - especially in terms of relationships. We see through a critical lense the shit normalisation of parental abuse can do to a child - with actual talk of triggers and of the mental and emotional scarring left behind, and the complexities of the child’s feelings towards the parent’s death through Dave - and we see how self destructive relationships can be, how harmful they are, and how hard it can be to leave them - such as Terezi’s very toxic blackrom with Gamzee, which was always portrayed as something negative and harmful especially with how worried Karkat was for her and how withdrawn she became during its run, and Dirk’s relationship with Jake, which goes very much over how communication can cause a deterioration in romantic relationships especially when the two participants have conflicting mental illnesses. 

It also goes over how men, though they can be mired in toxic masculinity, can choose to be good. How sometimes we’re not born as good people, but we can become good people through the love we have for the people around us, through frequent attempts to check what we’re doing, through the sheer willpower to be good. Dirk’s entire arc, knowing that he could very easily become Bro but deciding he doesn’t want to be, that it’s something he wants to work on, is so important and incredibly powerful. Mental illness in men is often just given as an excuse to make them violent with no attempts at betterment - so Dirk actually existed as proof that you don’t have to be that stereotype. 

In contrast, Homestuck^2 completely uncritically gave Jade, who was cis, a dog dick, made her, a bisexual woman, a sex maniac and the yaoi “woman who gets in the way of the gays” trope, made her a cheater and someone who forced her partner into the relationship to begin with, and made her a neglectful mother after having cheated with her best lesbian friend in something that has incredible recall to just about every futanari video ever - and they tried to claim that this was good representation of trans women, actually, and that the only reason we didn’t like it is that Jade is “a woman” who “has sex”.

Likewise completely uncritically, they made Gamzee, an anti-black stereotype, enter a relationship with Jane, a fascist, and then made the entire thing into a cuck joke wherein Jake being frequently drunk and sexually assaulted was funny because he wasn’t “man enough”. They then forced him to go back to his abuser after he left her in a scene that read very much like, “ridiculous man thinks woman is abusing him, go back and do your manly job”. 

This, of course, doesn’t even go into the travesty that is any form of trans representation in the comic. Roxy, a trans man, is barely even focused on as trans; they make no attempt to enforce in the fandom that he’s a trans man the way they do that June is a trans woman, and even then, they seem to think that just saying someone is a trans woman is actually good representation. Not, like, bringing it into the comic - just saying that it’s a thing. And of course, that’s not even going into the completely uncritical lense they have of Vriska, wherein her being a trans woman completely frees her of any and all blame for the past abuses she has comitted, and once again she becomes an amazing character to save the day without a single flaw - which in turn inherently associates trans women with abuse apologism, abusers, and the ideology that just because we’re trans we can get away with anything scott free. 

I honestly cannot think of one instance of good and genuine representation in Homesuck^2, nor can I think of any scene where negative content was actually treated as the negative thing it actually is. There’s no critical lense at all, not like we have in Homestuck; there’s just no fucking comparison. And this isn’t a one-off situation, either. Whereas Homestuck does do fuck ups - isn’t perfect - in between the otherwise brilliant content, Homestuck^2 is just founded upon these horrific takes. There’s almost no good content in between, and what is left is a slog to get through when surrounded by the thick slurry of shit that compromises futa Jade, abuse apologism Vriska, and victim blaming Jake. 

Of course, we didn’t “doxx” Hussie. Hussie actually listened to our complaints, for the most part, and worked with us to create something that worked well. The way Homestuck^2 was touted to work. You know, since it was meant to be written with the fandom in mind, influenced by the things we suggest and react to. We went into Homestuck^2 with the explicit idea that we were going to be listened to and taken into consideration when it was being written - the way we were with old Homestuck. I’m very sorry to say that, when you make these expectations, people are going to be a titchy bit upset when you then commandeer the entire thing and exclude the fandom from any of the process that you said they were going to be part of.

Additionally, it’s rather funny, isn’t it, that what you call doxxing is actually just people upset with how triggering content is being handled, and going to the people who actually wrote the content in order to voice their complaints? It’s almost as if social media exists to allow this communication between reader and author, which is a fundamental thing you’ll learn in any creative writing course, such as the one I’m on currently, wherein you’re actually taught how to respond to social media and to build up your image with your fans. 

Homestuck^2 is an ongoing piece of media. We’re well aware that we have a potential to change these uncritical takes and the horrific way they’re being handled if the writers will just listen to genuine criticism. This is, frankly, no different to the people who go to J. K. Rowling’s Twitter to tell her how harmful her transphobic comments are; because if she believes these things, they will work their way into her texts and will perpetuate harmful ideologies. 

The literal same thing is happening in Homestuck^2 - again, such as futa Jade, which normalises the point of view that bisexuals are cheaters and completely trivialises what it means to be trans, or Gamzee, which perpetuates just about every anti-black stereotype possible. Media does have a very powerful impact on what people see in the real world. This is why, for instance, positive black characters are so important in media; if they’re always portrayed as villains, then people will see real world black people as villains as the ideology is perpetuated to the point of fact. This is especially true if the people already believe in the ideology.

Fiction is one of the best ways that we can counteract this cycle. If you make a character that they like, and they happen to be positive representation, and then they watch more media that is likewise positive representation, it’s more likely to stick that these positive representations are the actual experiences of minority groups. Also? It’s important TO those minority groups. A black person, especially right now, doesn’t want to see an anti-black stereotype fuck a fascist, engage in sexual assult, and then enact pedophilia - only to die at the hands of a hero and be laughed at for the death. Surprisingly, shit like this is why we need to tell the writers that what they’re doing is harmful, that they’re perpetuating phobic ideologies, and that we need better representation - especially in a comic that is this widely read, and also has a very large minor fanbase. 

I shouldn’t need to explain why exposing minors to anti-black stereotypes, transphobic, homophobic, biphobic, abuse apologism, victim blaming, and the trivialisation of rape and sexual assault (especially towards men), might be a federal fucking issue. 

So, no, we’re not actually cyberbullying LGBT+ people. We’re trying to hold shitty writers accountable for the incredibly toxic and harmful ideologies they’re forcing into a text that has always been written with critical thought in mind. 

I should also point out how funny it is that you’re focusing on how some of the writers are LGBT+ - as if we’re not? I’m trans, I’m gay, and I’m ace. Yes, I can actually be these things and absolutely furious that a trans women is writing some of the most transphobic shit I’ve seen in a while into characters she then claims to be completely free of blame. We can be furious that people within our own community are enforcing negative stereotypes.

Being LGBT+ does not make them free from blame. We cannot give them a free pass to be racist, to be transphobic, to be homophobic, biphobic, to be abuse apologists, just because they’re LGBT+. Not only because that’s just a terrible fucking idea to begin with, but because it also reflects so, so badly on the community as a whole. As if being part of the community instantly means that you can do no wrong? As if there can be no toxicity within our own community, despite the fact that there very much is and it is still an issue to this day?

That is such an issue, one of the biggest issues even shown just in Vriska and the way Kate handles her as a whole - and, once again, is WHY we need to get them looking at this shit more critically. This view that LGBT+ people can do no wrong and cannot be criticised is shoved into Homestuck^2 and, once again, perpetuates the ideology. This isn’t something to be proud of. This isn’t something that’s actually okay.

Also, your point that the writers aren’t nice enough and that we disagree on fictional characters - well, I’ve already been over the second part. But for the first part, I would like to remind you that they aren’t just random LGBT+ people on the internet that we’re going to because we think their takes are a little shitty. They’re actual writers working on a piece of media. They are official content creators. 

Again, one of the first things you learn on any creative writing course is that when you become a writer, you gain a significant amount of responsibility for your interactions with the fandom. This is something that you genuinely have to expect, and if you don’t, then, unfortunately you just don’t know what it means to write something that thousands of people have a potential to read. As a writer, it is your responsibility to portray your image online; it is your responsibility to engage with the fans in a meaningful way; it is your responsibility to not cause drama and to listen when criticism is brought up, to have genuine discussion and not to perpetuate hatred - especially towards your own fanbase.

Consider, for instance, the way I’m talking to you right now. This is the sort of tone that someone should take when talking to a fan about genuine criticism. When things are brought up, you go over them step by step, you listen, you write back - you don’t go on a flurry of “fuck yous” to a minor who asked you why your team didn’t post anything about the BLM movement on the official Twitter, and you definitely don’t respond to every comment with genuine criticism with the word “pigshit”. You almost definitely don’t tell your trans masculine and masculine-aligned nonbinary fans that their opinions don’t matter.

As a writer, Kate and the rest of the team have a responsibility with their interactions with their fans. They aren’t just normal fandom voices anymore; they’re official fandom voices, voices that have more weight behind them than anyone else. They’re who people are going to turn to when it comes to anything regarding Homestuck^2. Their words now reflect literally everything about Homestuck^2, the future of Homestuck as an expanded universe, and the opinions of the group as a whole. They have to be careful with what they say. They have to be held to the same standards as industry voices because that’s essentially what they are - especially now that Homestuck is something you pay for. 

Also, this isn’t a point of the story not going the way I want. This is a point of many of people in the fandom being upset with how content is being handled, upset that their voices are being shut down, upset that triggering content is being laughed at or used flippantly and without care or respect. This is people being upset that trigger warnings were removed specifically to make the comic unsafe for them as a punishment for daring to say that something was wrong. This is people being upset that a piece of media that used to be so fucking good at portraying sensitive content in a critical light, that used to be so good at normalising LGBT+ identities and healthy representations of those identities, has suddenly turned to this. 

The story can go whatever way it wants - and frankly, that’s fine be my. What isn’t fine is that content is being used specifically to hurt and to incite.

And, of course, that final piece; nothing will improve if we don’t say that it’s wrong to begin with. Someone needs to voice the complaints of the fanbase, othrewise these toxic ideologies are going to go unchecked. One of the biggest things I’ve come to understand while making these posts is that a significant portion of the fandom feels isolated in their hurt; they don’t think other people feel the same way they do, and several people have mentioned feeling like they were going crazy because they were upset with things that the text and writers are normalising. It’s so important to make sure that these people know they’re not alone. It’s so important to make sure that our voices are heard. It’s so important to try and create critical discussion and debate over something that so many people still fucking love. 

The thing is, I don’t hate Homestuck^2. I actually really, desperately wish I could enjoy it. I wish I could read through it and theorise, could go in depth about how amazing the characters are, could write long and extensive posts on how creative and engaging it is - could even just go on about how interesting the Meat-Candy divide is, and all the points they’re trying to make about canonicity. But I genuinely fucking can’t. There is just so, so much wrong in the text that is completely unrelated to plot and to the overarching Point that makes it impossible for me to read, to want to read, to try to encourage other people to read. They’re things that literally don’t need to be in there, either; stereotypes and toxic ideologies and uncritical or badly handled sensitive topics that could be rectified so, so easily. 

Homestuck^2 could be amazing for a lot of the fandom. It could be something that we all rally around the same way we did for the original comic. For for a lot of people, it has ruined their fandom experience, has ruined their desire to want to read anything more to do with Homestuck, and has caused a significant portion of the fandom to just drop out entirely. That in and of itself should be a sign that this isn’t just a little fandom drama. That this is something much bigger and much more serious that, just maybe, needs to be looked into, talked about, understood - and, potentially, changed. 

[toughgirlchallenges]

Cherelle Harding - Founder of Steppers UK. Encouraging Diversity Outdoors, Supporting Black, Asian & Ethnic Minority communities to build positive relationships with the outdoors.

Words by Cherelle:

  Steppers UK is an outdoors organisation that aims to encourage diverse and under represented communities to participate in outdoor activities. Currently, Steppers UK focuses on hiking and cycling with plans to explore the outdoors further in the future. 

  The inspiration behind Steppers UK comes from wanting to improve representation in the outdoors & change the image & stigma associated with being ‘outdoorsy’ or enjoying outdoor activities. Many communities have a heritage in Africa, The Caribbean & Asia, where nature is in abundance and very much part of culture, however, there is a disconnect with the people of the diaspora. We have lost contact with nature. 

  Steppers UK aims: 

Promote diversity within outdoor spaces & improve access for those lacking ability, representation, or opportunity 

Increase the physical & mental well-being of our participants 

Normalise the visibility of Black & Brown faces within outdoor activities 

Support participates to eradicate any fears & stigmas associated with the outdoors 

Provide fun & therapeutic experiences in nature 

Create communities of outdoor enthusiasts & equip them with the skills and knowledge required for outdoor activities to become a recreational part of their lives 

Create more environmentally friendly communities 

Through outdoor activities create spaces to build healthier, caring, and open-minded communities.   

  The Outdoors is for everyone!

  New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time - Make sure you hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss out. 

  The Tough Girl Podcast is sponsorship and ad free thanks to the monthly financial support of patrons. To find out more about supporting your favourite podcast and becoming a patron please check out www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.

  Show notes

Founder of Steppers UK

What Steppers UK does

Working with young people as a youth worker

Not having much experience with the outdoors when growing up 

Finding out that she likes spending time in the outdoors 

Being sporty and enjoying basketball

Climbing her first mountain and her first WOW moment

Taking the next steps to spend more time in the outdoors

Finding a love for Reggae music 

Spending time as a volunteer in Jamaica and Malawi 

Working with young people as a youth worker

Encouraging teenagers to step outside their comfort zone

Launching Steppers UK in 2020

Leading walks for Black Girls Hike

Black Lives Matter Movement

Where the Steppers name comes from 

Sharing the walks via social media

Starting her own personal challenge 

Being filled with joy from going on these walks

Walking as a solo woman

Wanting to be present while out on walks

Experiences the benefits from walking and spending time outside

Gear for beginners

What can you do with what you’ve got

What can you do with normal grip trainers

Investing in gear when you find out if you like the outdoors or not

Role models in the outdoors

Learning about the outdoor industry

Future plans and dreams for Steppers UK

Wanting to encourage young people to use nature as therapy

Dreaming on a mini bus 

The power of going on one walk

Making the outdoors fun

Funding of walks and Steppers UK

Frequency of walks

Wanting to get qualifications in the outdoors

Taking on a new challenge to visit all 46 Areas Of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in England & Wales

The challenge of leading groups 

Limiting the groups to around 20 people 

The Nature Fix Project 

How to connect with Cherelle and Steppers UK

Top tips and advice

The benefits of starting small

“Don’t underestimate the power of nature, and nature is truly healing, and it's freedom”

  Social Media

  Instagram: @steppers_uk 

  Facebook: @SteppersUK 

  Twitter: @Steppers_UK 

  Check out this episode!

[sxpositive]

hi emma! so i’m a v*rgn so i obviously dont know what i like when it comes to sx but when i go on nsfw pages on here it’s all so.. aggressive. or at least there seem to be very distinct power dynamics. it’s not that i’m judging ppl who are into that but it makes me so uncomfy and honestly it seems like that’s just what everyone is into and it makes me so nervous. i know it’s silly to say that i’m insecure about this but is it like. possible to have sx that has nothing to do with power..? yikes

Hi Anon,

It is not silly at all to feel nervous about a sxual dynamic that is honestly really intense and so dominant in sx positive spaces online. The answer is a complex one and I will try my best to provide different explanations that all intersect to create an unrealistic representation of human sxuality both online, and in the media. Before I do so the quick answer is yes. It is very possible for people to engage with intimacy and sx without a dominant/submissive dynamic and desire for intimacy without power is common, you will have no problem in your future sx life finding fulfilment with people of a similar mindset. 

This is a generalisation, but sx positive spaces tend to attract people who want to find community around sxual desires that are not accepted or visible in the mainstream and are associated with different levels of taboo. Sx positivity is incredibly inclusive and aims to support every individual to connect best with themselves in a way that is safe, sane, consensual but also sxually and emotionally fulfilling. The problem is that this occurs on social networking sites (SNS) where a culture of shock value and analytics of audience involvement dictate the conversation - even if only slightly. Mainstream discourse already talks about so-called “vanillia” sx, so in the alternative media (where those rejected from the mainstream go) kink becomes the new norm, because it is in those spaces. Another reason why power and kink are so visible is because there is a larger vocabulary that has been created to discuss it. It is incredibly diverse and covers a range of sxual desires. Furthermore, sx positivity and kink-spaces crossover into activism because of all the negative associations. People are actively fighting to normalise it because it has been persecuted in the past. All of this combines to make kink very loud. 

As for sx that has been labelled “vanilla”. This is of increasing interest to myself and I have seen others also start to talk about it more. Kink was defined against the dominant norm. Now this can be a tricky concept. Dominant discourse, knowledges, practices, and ideologically polices boundaries are communicated on so many levels and often without clear instruction and definition. In this way it can not be easily challenged and interacted with because it is made invisible through a lack of language. But it has been challenged. This is not a bad thing because dominant sxual norms are tied in with patriarchy, class, racism, homophobia, transphobia, and even colonialism. Sxuality is complicated. In the effort to counter all the negative, the connected idea and possibility that sx is tied to an expression of love communicated through softness is left undefined and without a voice in the movement. It wasn’t attacked, but it wasn’t labelled and categorised to be able to speak in the same way about it. It is left in the silent of the dominant norm.

We grow up with an understanding of sxual scripts (worth a google there are some very interesting studies) that don’t include explicit power, but it is still there implicitly (think back to social power hierarchies I listed above). The beauty in “vanilla” sx, and reason I think it has such an important place in sx positive activism, is that equality and sharing sxual experiences as equals in both reality and dynamic (because all ethical kink is between equals in reality) is radical in of itself. Sx without power imbalances is beautiful and wonderful and pleasurable. I wish we had more language to describe it so that individuals such as yourself, trying to explore their sxuality online will find a space and be reassured and equipped with the knowledge that your sxual desires are normal and the tools to recognise implicit power imbalances that are taught to people engaging with purposeful explicit power imbalances.

I’m sorry that turned into a bit of an essay, if you want clarification on anything i said I’m very happy to provide it. I hope my answer helped x

[magaprima]

Having seen the comments and anons on @concreteangel1221 ‘s blog about Lilith and how she less deserving of redemption than freaking Blackwood, I feel I had to have a little rant, because you guys know I have written literal essays of headcanons about this character and her actions and her experiences. 

Lilith does do, within the timeline of the show, ‘morally bad’ things (I’m using quote marks not only because the benchmark of morals is different on the show, but also that the concept of being good or evil was something invented by abrahamic religions, because the old religions/ways/gods had a more discretionary, personal compass aspect to things). We see her kill Mary, we see her kill the teenage boy to summon the Greendale 13, we see her create a creature to ‘rip the skin from Sabrina Spellman’s bones’ (the other stuff she does is no different than Sabrina, Ambrose, Hilda, Zelda, Nick etc actions, so I’m not listing it). 

However, before I go on to points and reasons why this does not stop her from having redemption or being a worth/morally capable character, I want to add, that as Lilith killed Mary, she did so on instruction from the Dark Lord (the writers confirmed in discussions about Part 3 that she was made to pick Mary specifically) and she has resurrected her. Zelda has also killed Hilda many times and resurrected her. Killing the teenage boy was, as we gauge from her monologue, a means to an end; ‘the dark lord was growing impatient with me’ so desperation not to suffer at his hands pushed her to summon the Greendale 13, which required a life. I’m just justifying her actions, I’m just saying she didn’t go out and murder for the hell of it, there was a reason, and her own self-preservation. And then when she creates the Adam Creature to kill Sabrina, I’ve already made huge posts about how that was created out of grief and anger, and how existing and surrounded by a patriarchal society made her attack the woman, the ‘competition’ rather than the man that was really to blame (as in society we women are encouraged to see each other as the enemy and men as the goal), and for that matter, her place didn’t work, she can only be accused of intent here and not action. 

But now I have seen lots of comments on posts on tumblr, instagram etc where people say Lilith needs to suffer (as if she hasn’t already), that she should be punished for what she did (as if she hasn’t been punished enough) and that she’s pure evil and totally the villain no matter what.

And I want to introduce those people to something called the Abuse Cycle. Simply put, the idea that someone who has been a long time abuse victim has an increased likelihood of becoming an abuser themselves, because this suffered behaviour becomes normalised behaviour (a pop culture reference I always make for explaining this is Regina Mills when she tells Henry ‘I don’t know how to love very well’ because her experiences of Motherhood were only ever via Cora and that was a very abusive relationship). I have made posts which compare Lilith’s relationship with the Dark Lord as a marriage of domestic abuse, as she even uses the archetypal reasoning of ‘he wasn’t like this in the beginning. He was kind at first’ and often people who enter long-term abusive marriages have come from abusive homes, and believe the latter is an escape from the former (Lilith believes Lucifer is her saviour from the abuse of the False God/Adam/The Garden) and because this new abuser will occasionally reward them and assure them that they love them (i.e here have more power, here be my handmaiden and right hand, one day you’ll be my Queen beside me), the victim often reasons, for sake of survival, that this is just the way this person loves, and it’s not their fault they behave this way (’the more he became this thing of darkness’, it’ll be different when he’s back to his true form etc). And so they stay until the thought of leaving terrifies them, and the threat of being caught is worse than the threat of staying, and eventually this becomes normal and acceptable and just the way life is. They know no different. Lilith, until she meets Adam 2.0, knows no different. First Adam and Lucifer are her only experiences of long term relationships and both are violent and abusive. 

Now the most large-scale example of an abuse cycle is human trafficking, another thing I have compared the Lilith-Lucifer-Sabrina dynamic too, especially as Lilith does use the word ‘groom’ in reference to Sabrina. With human trafficking cycles, long term trafficked victims often become abusers of other victims as a way of elevating themselves and earning themselves a more comfortable existence. For example, a young girl could be trafficked, then after 5 years of ‘loyalty’, she’s told to bring in other girls like her, she’s told that if she does, she’ll have to see fewer ‘customers’, that these new girls will do the worst jobs. So she does it, she goes out and brings other girls back to make her life easier. Then the traffickers create the idea of hierarchy; yes you’re still one of the girls, but if you help your abuser ‘break in’ the new girls, punish them and train them, well then you become the ‘manager’ of the girls, you move up a level, you’re important, and important people get better food, they get more comfortable beds. Sure they get beaten still, sure they have to still do their ‘job’, but there’s less of it now and they have status, they have a little bit of power for themselves and that’s better than no power at all. And therein the cycle begins. 

This really is very similar to what has happened to Lilith. She was brought in by Lucifer, thought him kind and they were in love, and then he changed, became ‘this thing of darkness’ and she is abused, mentally and physically (the way she hides her face in the second episode of part 1 shows how used she is to him hitting her when he’s disappointed, and the way she asks to kiss his feet show she’s learned how to calm that temper. She has made a life within her abuse, a way to survive, a way to tell herself everything is fine and good) for thousands of years. Thousands of years of suffering this behaviour, being surrounded by it, knowing nothing else, is going to make it the norm for you. Like she literally has nothing to compare to in her experiences. And now she is told ‘if you do all these things (including those I listed above) you will finally be Queen, and this new girl can take your shitty jobs and suffer your shitty position, while you rule’, and like the trafficked victims, Lilith, understandably, jumps on this and does everything she can to make it possible. Why should she care about Sabrina? She’s just some half-mortal who has had a lovely life for sixteen years, while Lilith has suffered for thousands? Now it’s someone else’s turn. Why should she care that she makes another victim?  Better to be the absuer than the abused, right?

Only, through her time in Greendale, surrounded by people who, while morally dark grey/black by Christian standards, are relatively good people, people who thank Lilith when she does something, who speak to her as an equal, who go to her for help, people who care about her, even love her (Adam specifically), surrounded by healthy relationships, living in that cottage without fear of abuse or beatings, living essentially a peaceful life, Lilith actually does start to care. She defends Theo’s right to be on the basketball team, she respects Roz’s decision to want to study away from others, and arranges that space in the library, and, in the finale, she helps Sabrina defeat the Dark Lord, and, quite notably, actually grabs the Dark Lord by the neck (telekinetically) blowing the subservient cover she has maintained for milennia in order to stop Sabrina from being hurt/abused as she has been. Because, remember Lilith knows his wrath personally and when she sees him marching towards Sabrina with it, she pulls him back ‘hold that nasty thought!’ and then, not only does she show sympathy for Sabrina losing Nick, she assures her she’ll take good care of him, and she returns her favourite teacher to her and allows Sabrina to have her powers without any need to sign a book, giving her both ‘power and freedom’. 

Lilith, after thousands of years of abuse, of normalising that abuse, of becoming the abuser herself, breaks the abuse cycle. She breaks.the.abuse.cycle. And that is a massive thing, and an admirable thing, and, in my opinion, shows us what Lilith’s core character was before abuse and experiences etc (I do maintain Lilith’s core, original character is more akin to Sabrina). Someone who can go through such long term abuse and extreme levels of it too, and then break their own abuse cycle and behave differently, is not just someone worthy of redemption, but someone who should be applauded. 

Yet, people will jump to say she’s evil and deserves more suffering, while Faustus will be defended. I like Blackwood as a character and I really love Richard in the role, but no I don’t think he’s a good person, and unless he shows real remorse and changes his ways in Part 3 or 4, then no he isn’t worthy of approval/forgiveness etc. I mean, we don’t know how he treated Constance, but the fact she had to ask for his approval whether to eat a cake, her fear and stress over giving him sons, and her general demeanour are very revealing. And then we have the atrocious thing he did to Zelda (which I won’t go into because many people have already done that) and perhaps the things he does are the very reason Edward forbid him from pursuing Zelda in the first place, and then he created a manifesto to oppress all witches, declaring women to be less than men, he made a secret society of warlocks that had such a nazi-esque demeanour it would be fucking terrifying to be surrounded by that, and then, when he didn’t want to accept the rule of a woman, he decided to poison an entire coven, before making plans to have his son and daughter married to each other in the future (and lets not forget when Zelda threatened to slit Prudence’s throat, he said he had his other children, so he could spare to lose that one). And there is no abuse cycle for him to follow; he is a white male witch. He has been born to every privilege. 

I get if people don’t like Lilith (actually, I don’t, she’s fabulous, haha, but everyone is entitled to like or dislike characters) and I get people wanting Faustus to have a redemption arc, but you can’t possibly say that he is more deserving of chances, or that Lilith’s actions are worse, when you take all things in context. Similarly, as regards Zelda: she has been horrendous to her sister, abusive in more ways than one, but the fact she apologises for the harrowing, that she did stop killing Hilda after the nightmare episode, and how she encouraged Hilda to embrace her sexuality and gives her help and advice and a glamour makeover, and then gets her back into the church of night, all shows that Zelda is taking steps to make it up to her sister. People who are saying she hasn’t done enough and she’s still bad, like we are literally only just seeing Zelda realise the error of treating Hilda as she did, but the fact she has made changes and altered her behaviour accordingly shows that she, like Lilith, is breaking her own cycle. 

So back off attacking women for less and defending men for more, people. Even fictional ones. 

Also Lilith gets demonised enough from her own mythology in the real world, I ain’t gonna add to it in a fictional one. 

[dogsliampaynedoesntinstagram]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and insights, i find them very interesting and educating! Could you elaborate on the Louis/Robbie comparison? I didn't follow x-factor closely so I don't know how either of them acted during the shows.

Thanks for your ask anon, I’ll try and explain what I mean in some depth.  Just a little bit of context - I was talking about Louis and working class masculinity and some anons talked about their experiences with working-class masculinity that was harmful and toxic in some way (sexist or homophobic). 

In response, I thought a little bit about Louis’ behaviour and harm and how Louis during X-factor was a good example of working-class masculinity that wasn’t built on, or even used, sexism and homophobia. (In 2017, Louis’ version of wokring-class masculinity did involve harm - I don’t want to deny that and I’m very happy to talk more about that if anyone’s interested - I don’t want people to think I’m denying it.  But the ask is about X-factor so I’ll focus on that. 

From his outfits to the extreme use of ‘lad’ - there’s no doubt that Louis was presenting himself as working-class during X-factor.  But from the way he responded to contestants, the comments he made, none of that reinforced sexism or homophobia or did harm in any way. 

In contrast, Robbie Williams was being Robbie Williams.  While it’s a little complicated to talk about working-class masculinity with him, because he’s so keen to be seen as a superstar first and foremost. He couldn’t be on camera all that time without reinforcing misogynist ideas about how the world worked. Whether it was treating female contestants that he considered hot as objects and then positioning his wife as the mean scold who took away his fun or asking about a trans man’s deadname.  He gives plenty of examples of the toxicity of masculinity and how inbaked and normalised fucked up ideas about other people can be.

Over months of episodes Louis treated women contestants as people, didn’t replicate homophobia or transphobia, and was himself incredibly emotionally engaged with his contestans (and other contestants). And I think that is worth considering when discussing Louis’ presentation of working-class masculinity. His appearance on X-factor could be seen as an argument or demonstration that the parts of working-class masculinity that are built on culture and resistance can be seperated from those that are built on upholding male power.

ETA: I wrote this post - and realised that I was thinking of what Louis had done and not what he had not done.  And that the aftermath of the news story about Anthony sexually harassing a woman via text complicates this ideas considerably.  But I’m OK with that, because I think performing masculinity will always be complicated by the dynamics of power.  In general, men are more willing to stop doing things than to start doing them.  And men who are presenting themselves as pro-women all over the place are no more willing to take a stand when it’s their buddies and leave that to women than any other men.  I said at the time that the thing that matters to me is the thing that can’t be known (how he responded to Anthony), but if we’re assessing the way he presented masculinity - his silence on Anthony’s actions is a crucial part of that.

[mtr-amg]

I’d like to begin by recounting of one of the bravest acts I’ve ever seen. Earlier this year I attended the Australian Romance Reader Awards, where Melanie Milburne was the guest speaker. At the table beforehand, she told me that she wasn’t sure how her speech would be received, that she was nervous because what she had to say was controversial. And then she got up and said that after a stellar career and nearly 80 titles to her name, not only were there some books that she wished she could go back and rewrite, but that there were some of which she was actively ashamed.

Melanie’s growth as an author and as a person meant that books she had written earlier in her career were now deeply uncomfortable to her. She said that some situations, characters and scenes transgressed into areas that made her profoundly uneasy, and, given the option, she would have them taken out of circulation.

I was taken aback but also impressed that in this age of backlist gold and constant self-promotion an author would not only admit that some of her books made her uncomfortable, but also that she would do so publicly and unreservedly.

Melanie is not alone—there are aspects of our history and traditions that we need to talk about, which raise uncomfortable questions for all of us, as readers, writers, publishers and advocates for the romance genre.

Romance has always existed in the margins of the literary world. Not economically, of course, but within the broader literary landscape, romance is kind of equivalent to Wakanda, the mythical land in the Marvel movie Black Panther. Those outside it see only a desolate village, starved of real culture and devoid of literary merit. But once you find the book that takes you from outside to inside, you’ll find a vibrant, thriving community that is supportive, organised and running on a mythical, powerful element that the rest of the world does not even know exists.

In Wakanda, the element is Vibranium—used to make weaponry previously unheard of—but in the romance genre, that powerful element is something else entirely. Romance harnesses hope.

Hope has been built into romance stories from the very beginning, and it’s tied so strongly to what has made this genre so subversive for so long—the idea that women’s lives can be better. It’s what the ‘happy ever after’ ending means. It’s the kernel of motivation in every one of our stories—that no matter where we are now, or what is happening, things can get better. Things will get better.

At the beginning, hope in romance was tied to finding the right husband—one who would make sure her emotional needs were met as well as her physical needs. We hoped that he would see her as a whole person and not just a possession.

But it didn’t stop there. Romance hoped new hopes for women: personhood, careers, ambition, self-acceptance, self-love, sex, great sex, mind-blowing sex, sexual autonomy, bodily autonomy, lively and nourishing friendships, and passionate and enduring love affairs. But mostly romance hoped for women’s lives to be well-lived.

Along the way, romance also hoped that emotional would no longer mean weak, that fear would no longer turn to anger, that feminine would no longer be an insult. It hoped that men would be able to cry, dance, feel joy and unshakeable love, and express those things out loud. It hoped that everyone would be able to find a happy ever after with whomever they loved. Romance hoped a lot of hopes for many different people, but mostly it hoped for a world better than the one that currently exists. In our own little bubble, we read and wrote and edited and published and shared our stories and hoped.

But what does romance look like in 2018? What hopes are we hoping for ourselves and for our future, for our daughters and sons and their children?

Suddenly, stories of triumphant women matter more than ever. The world is both bigger and smaller and the strides that we have taken forward seem to be but a façade for a deeper, more insidious malevolence, one that hides behind humour and innuendo and the demand for hard proof. One that requires a constant, exhausting vigilance.

Many of the behaviours that are now being called out—sexual innuendo, workplace advances, stolen kisses because the kisser couldn’t resist—feel in many ways like an old friend. They exist in the romance bubble. They show up in our stories, with a long history of providing a way to hope when we weren’t sure how to do so, and they readily tap into that shared emotional history over and over again in a way that feels familiar and safe.

Something that a friend once said changed the way I think about the romance genre and our responsibility to the greater world. She said: the media and the art that we consume are the most powerful influencers on our lives and our actions. If that art is romance novels, then we have the potential—and the obligation—to affect women around the world.

I keep coming back to this idea of potential and obligation. Because I think this is why romance has been so important to so many women for so long: it shows the potential within all of us, and it honours its obligations.

Now, obligations are slippery. And in a genre as big as ours, they’re hard to pin down. The romance readership contains multitudes, and it’s impossible to be everything to everyone. And, as one cogent argument goes, we’re not the only genre. Why is romance being held accountable in a way that other genres are not? Why must we answer to this ingrained malice in a way that no one else is expected to?

Because it’s obligation. If we want to call ourselves a feminist genre, if we want to hold ourselves up as an example of women being centred, of representing the female gaze, of creating women heroes who not only survive but thrive, then we have to lead. We can’t deflect and we can’t dissemble. We need to look to the future and create the books that women need to read now. We’ve been shown our potential. To rise to it is our obligation.

And this is where it gets tricky, because as a community, we have to do the one thing that romance has never taught us how to do: breakup.

It’s okay to grieve the loss here. It’s healthy. After all, in a relationship as long as the one that romance has shared with these familiar behaviours, there were good times, and we should acknowledge that our relationship with these behaviours was healthy for a time. They allowed to us to begin hoping for women’s sexual authority and gratification. They allowed us to write and publish the first descriptions of women’s sexual desire and satisfaction in such a way that she didn’t have to die at the end for the ignominy of having enjoyed an orgasm.

Our decision to move forward now—to recognise the toxic underpinnings that exist underneath these behaviours—doesn’t erase the good aspects. It just recognises that this relationship has run its course, and that we as a genre have grown beyond it.

Be strong, because no break up is easy, and this one is especially hard. There is still seduction in stolen kisses. An intense romantic onslaught can still provoke excitement.

We have been conditioned to respond to coercion. The pursuit. The games. The inclination to play hard to get. The value judgements wrapped up in our responses to our bodies and our desires.

I read an article once that said you should never trust your first response, because that is how you’ve been trained to respond—by your family, teachers, the media, society. Your first response is your conditioned response. But the second response, which follows immediately afterwards, is your thinking response.

We have been conditioned to respond to coercion. Now it’s time to start relying on our thinking response.

And part of this breakup needs to include compassion for ourselves for the things we weren’t yet aware of. We must forgive ourselves for not knowing what we didn’t know until we learned it. But we do know better now, and that comes with an obligation to do better.

Much of my thinking here has been informed by sex positivity, and how it can be applied to fictional worlds. There are two key principles to the movement: first, active, informed consent in all aspects of sexuality, and second, anything that happens between consenting adults is natural. I particularly like how principle the first flows into principle the second: if you have active, informed consent, then anything consenting adults do afterwards is natural.

And yes, it means consent for everything. Recognising the heroine’s bodily autonomy, her right to decide what happens to it at every point is crucial to these discussions. We need to divorce the idea of sexy from the idea of surprise. Your heroine can be pursued, but she must not be prey.

It means empowering your heroine’s choices—write that contraception scene. This is the genre where it should become so ingrained that women engage only in safe sex—protecting themselves and their partners—that it becomes cliche. Empower your heroines to demand safety, and empower your heroes to deliver it without being asked.

Write options. Secret babies are a treasured part of our genre, but unwanted pregnancies have serious financial, emotional, and professional repercussions for women without a support system around them. Use this plot point, by all means, but be deliberate in your choices and don’t romanticise it. You don’t know who’s reading.

Progress isn’t made without sacrifice. Privilege isn’t shared if the privileged don’t make space beside ourselves. It won’t be an easy transition—none of it. But the alternative is to continue normalising coercion and domination and disrespect and powerlessness in our romantic relationships.

We are all in the business of imagination, and we’ve all chosen the genre of hope. I hope that you understand the power that you hold in your hands to influence the world and make it better. And I hope that you continue our long tradition of hoping for better lives for our heroines, and the heroines around the world who read these stories and learn to hope for themselves.

[reece-c-parker-blog]

Gay Culture; A Blight Upon Itself

How this ethical quagmire has metastasised across the lives of our lost boys struggling to find their place as men.

Originally posted on Medium

I hate being gay. Statistically speaking there would have to be a few of us. The numbers, I’m sure you’ve noticed, are kept conspicuously quiet. No, there isn’t a vast conspiracy. It simply doesn’t fit narrative.

My pubescent years fell as the millennium turned, amidst the rise of the gay normalisation movement. This time saw the rise of Will & Grace, Queer As Folk, and Queer Eye For The Straight Guy. It was a great time to feel included. Just not for me. These programs were an entry-level concept of what it means to be gay for the metropolitan audiences of the east and west coasts of the United States. The AIDS crisis had drawn the eyes of mainstream western audiences to the existence of the gay community. There was no better time to finally address what could no longer be ignored.

I had tried to engage, during these years, with the material that was expected of me. They were telling my stories, after all. Painting the canvas of life with the experiences I should experience, and feelings I should feel. Expect they didn’t. They proselytized with tired stereotypes and the bigotry of low expectation. I soon found homosexuality a talking point in my social circles — as nothing more than a kitsch cliché pulled in for reference, then reshelved until needed. Gay men weren’t making the punchlines. They were the punchline.

This was a moment of the first of many disconnects. Where I, through failures of character and assimilation, couldn’t bond with my peers. As the industry grew, and the prevalence of gay characters onscreen continued to impress focus groups, so grew my dejection. But as the list gorged itself with new examples of progressivism, and the insertions became further tokenistic, the rise of groupthink assured this lens had become a prerequisite entry point to what it meant to be gay. Suddenly, so vanished the hardships of the few — gay culture was at the mercy of almighty corporate.

Now here we are; Expected to worship towards the cultural meccas of preselected gay figures championed not for their contributions to the realms of medicine, literature, or technology, but instead to their servile attitudes in representing the hedonism that bore their fame. Gay conversation has fast adopted an adaptation of Godwin’s Law, where as a conversation increases in duration, the probability one of the conversationalists mentioning RuPaul’s Drag Race approaches 1. Though, it’s more than this. It’s the exclusivity of language attached to those cultural expectations. While language has long been in flux, flitting to the verbal needs of its speakers, allowing our language to be shaped by corporate interests masquerading as representatives borders on Orwellian. Shade, Read, Sickening, Tea, Fish, Clock, and a series of disjointed ramblings have become the core exchanges of the gay communiqué. The expectation of this adherence, a cruel hand to play for young men seeking freedom from the limitations clasped to them during their formative years. To escape the shackles of their prison, to fall into the loving embrace of a new turnkey. Oh, but this time it’s different. This isn’t some hallway bully. This one wants you. But only if you be what it wants you to be. Only if you buy its products. Only if you wear its styles. Only if you speak with its voice. And only if you, in the innocence of your youth, surrender in your entirety.

Even an article like this risks defilement through the accusation of homophobia; for calling out the failures of a community through its inactivity of service and protection of all its members. For the suggestion we have a culture of ceaseless pandering to those most visible and easily pigeonholed would net me a gay excommunication. It simply cannot be said. It’s an inconvenience too burdensome to address, and so instead we commit to the monotonous busywork of feigning outrage by the perceived slights issued by positions of power. As if, by the consternation of the gay masses, the notion things aren’t too bad is too hefty a price to concede. Understandably so. Without a rallying struggle against the alabaster crowned, black suited boogeymen, all that would be left for the LGBT community would be to accept responsibility for the establishment of reasonable behavioural boundaries and the regulation of its members. A price too high, indeed.

In many ways it reminds me of the Arcadian Pan, whose submission to lust-filled tawdriness is emulated to a design by metropolitan hook-up culture. A youth swept away by the propagandistic idiom of ‘It Gets Better’, without the nuanced discussion of whether or not this is even true. After all, Grindr recently ranked top on the unhappiness scale, with a 77% respondents rate of user depression post usage. No surprises why. In the constricting nativity of my youth, I had dabbled, seeking conversation, which at the time was perceived to be a remedy to my loneliness, from the most populated aggregate. Within one working day I had been labelled as a faggot, by a member of my own community — for simply failing to supply him with what he wanted. The entitlement. As if I were nothing but a monkey tasked to perform by an organ grinder. Words carefully chosen, as his organ was the recipient of my expected performance. It is in this shadowy field where the ego is unleashed, freed from the shackles of civility. Where an otherwise unremarkable citizen may scale a hierarchy sheathed from the view of their heterosexual peers. Where the 1% isn’t measured by economic prosperity, but instead by the congregation of required physical traits and social capital to be granted worth. Note, ‘granted worth’. As worth within this community is not an immutable characteristic inherent to the individual, rather a bestowed upon status via the idolatry of its membership. But remember. It gets better. As if the exchange of the verbal assaults of your schooling for this is somehow, by definition, superior. Of course, it is. This time it’s a choice. An opt in.

But is it? Every year when the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras sweeps Sydney’s city streets, I can’t help feel it serves as a charming veneer — an underbelly surviving on the laundering scheme of ‘good intentions’. How respectful we are, in recognising the hard work and good character of our Australian Servicemen and women. And so we should be, their contributions are worthy of recognition. Though for some, and in numbers enough to escape the descriptor of a powerless minority, the parade and those in it are merely puppets. A necessary encumbrance to be endured before the night blooms, and the incubi feast. And feast they shall — while failing to recognise such a diet consisting of thin amoral gruel could provide anything other than little sustenance. This is not to say the Mardi Gras fails in its purpose. A brotherhood, and sisterhood, or similarly disenfranchised individuals finding solace amongst the mutual understandings of their peers is an integral cornerstone of any counter-cultural community. My query remains, why does the LGBT community repeatedly allow this message to be bastardised and accessorised by the overtly sexual?

And it is the same, hollow-toned degeneracy which snakes its way through all visual and auditory signposts, toxifying the channels of expression. The invention of preventative HIV measures has garnered responses from activist campaigns such as ‘You can fuck raw, PrEP works, no more HIV’. A delicately phrased example for a youth burgeoning into manhood. A wretched expectation of what is to come for both themselves, and their future. The normalisation of pharmaceutical dependence to enable sexual deviancy — have gay men fallen so low, they would prefer the assistance of big pharma to maintain their deviancy, rather than changing their behaviours? But of course, that is an opinion unheld. Unstated. Should that question be uttered, the tested formulaic response had already been embossed across social media. We get enough hatred from outside the community, we don’t need any hatred from within it. An interesting deflection. One that disarms all criticism. Even if it is legitimate.

One-night hook-up culture is leaving an alarming amount of young men feeling trapped. Yet, little in the way of option is offered for an alternative. Prudism is projected onto those non-participatory figures more inclined to other forms of connection. To the point, albeit most likely a problem on my behalf, I have felt rejected purely for my unwillingness to participate. The larger point is; no one should have to. The trading of bodies in a conceptualised marketplace as currency may serve the purposes of immediate pleasure, but the model itself has only been in operation for just over a decade. A time barely long enough to map the cognitive changes amongst habitual users. I often hear the espousal ‘It’s just a bit of fun’, when I vocalise even my least controversial concerns. A dismissal that I have oft found confusing. As if detachment and promiscuity held no hidden consequences. Though the citation of psychology holds little sway in this field, as it lacks the grounded and well secured architecture of reasonable discourse — instead, it’s an emotional beast. These members, with the impetus of their own desire, have decided it is fun. Thus, fun it is. Though I would argue, it takes a certain type of man to revel in such a state of emotional displacement, and not one I would imagine, many would go out of their way to willingly associate with.

For the first three years of my adulthood, bambi-like and with the same naive idealism consistent with those of that age, I was blessed with a boyfriend. Three years, you may have noted, came with an expiry date. When we, still growing, reshaped ourselves into markedly dissimilar people from who we were at the commencement of our relationship. Still, I have found these years to be the fondest of my life, and resultantly the greatest limitations to my understanding of the gay community. To be succinct for the first time in this passage — I loved him. And though this love found a place to rest, the memory of its impact remains too profound to sully with the pursuit of anything less.

But this anecdote has painted me with the status of a malcontent. One, whose bitterness and internalised homophobia, governs my actions and sews hatred and salt into the faultless fields of the LGBT. A community which celebrates the union of an autistic child and a boastful killer while they bond in front of a portrait two letters shorts of spelling rohypnol. A community who cannot stand accountable without proclaiming their victimhood — ensuring the aberrant social victimisation perpetrated within their community is kept out of public sight. Should you ever have believed racism were a plague long extricated from your neighbourhood, feel free to log into your gay phone app to source the mantra, ‘No spice or rice’. I’m sorry Mr. Rogers, It isn’t a beautiful day in those neighbourhoods, nor is it a beautiful day for those neighbours.

What is to be done? A start, perhaps, is a discussion free of the tedious pejoratives usually held in reserve for ‘The Other’. For too long the gay community has projected bad intent onto its naysayers. Understandable. But know this, a concession isn’t a loss. It’s a sign of maturity. So in the invocation of this request, I wonder — will the change prove too arduous, or my brethren too stubborn?

[notourlasthunt]

#SaveShadowhunters Media Highlights: UPDATED

Here are a collection of media highlights from articles that have been written post-cancellation. To view the original articles, please use the links included via each media outlet’s name.

Week #1

JUNE 5, 2018

Just Jared: “Shadowhunters fans are the best fans there are.”

JUNE 9, 2018

Buzzfeed Community: “It’s not hard to imagine why the show has become so important to the LGBTQ+ community, as a genre show that accepts, normalises and embraces these characters. It seems clear that the fans of the show have decided if they can’t save their show, they can at least save some lives.”

TV After Dark: “Shadowhunters fans are dedicated, passionate and loyal. What more could you ask for in a fan? From the moment the show was announced back in 2015 the fans have always been behind the show, showing their support and their willingness to act on something when it is needed. This cancellation is not only breaking their hearts but also telling them that all their effort and enthusiasm is not being considered or is not making a difference at all.”

TV After Dark: “ One thing is for sure, never underestimate the power of the Shadowhunters fandom, they are a force to be reckoned with. To the fans, we encourage you to keep fighting and being as vocal as you are being so far. You are an example of what a lot of shows wish their followings would be, but only a few, like Shadowhunters, get to experience.”

JUNE 10, 2018

CarterMatt: “When it comes to petitions to save shows from cancellation, often they can have varying effects. When they only muster a few thousand signatures, they can be a little bit easier to ignore. However, once you get past the 30,000 or so range, they start to become quite a bit deal. The one to save Shadowhunters is nearing 100,000 internet signatures over on Change.org, and that’s a figure that you absolutely cannot ignore. Let’s put this in a little bit of a deeper perspective. On average, Shadowhunters season 3 is watched live in America by almost 400,000 people. While we understand that not every signer of said petition is located in the United States, that’s still an incredible ratio of petitioners to viewers. It’s one of the best we’ve seen. It’s another reminder of how active and engaged this fandom is — it has long been one of the largest social shows on all television and that certainly isn’t changing now.”  

The Series Regulars: “So in other words, this is not just a show to the fans. It is a reflection of what they have experienced in their own lives. The show’s storylines give them the courage and strength to know their own importance in life. Having this show on air has helped so many individuals.”

Week #2

JUNE 11, 2018

CarterMatt: “This all shows the power of fandom — it’s so much more important than cynical people will ever recognize. You form emotional connections to shows when they are on and they become a key part of your life. With a show like Shadowhunters, that’s probably true more so than most other shows out there just because it carries with it such a strong, inspirational message of inclusion and equality.”

Film Daily: “It’s also worth noting that Shadowhunters fans are some of the most passionate you’ll find online. To many, it’s more than just a TV show – it’s a lifeline offering diverse and powerful LGBTQI representation, progressive depictions of gender, and thoughtful reflections on current social issues.”

Film Daily: “At this stage, the Shadowhunters fandom are much more than just a collective of people who love the show; it’s become a movement rooted within popular culture. With such impassioned efforts by fans to save Shadowhunters and to support LGBTQI young people who may draw strength and acceptance from the show, it’s ludicrous to imagine that not one single network or SVOD would step up to save it.”

Film Daily: “Why an SVOD service like Netflix would allow for the cancellation of a show with a colossal fan base like Shadowhunters is quite frankly bewildering in that respect. Streaming should be the saviour of television when it comes to fringe shows with huge fan followings and it’s a mistake to underestimate the power of such fandoms.”

Hidden Remote: “Showrunner Todd Slavkin has showed support for the fundraiser, but Freeform has been silent so far. Several fans reported that after they had posted the donation link on the official Shadowhunters Facebook page, that the links were later deleted. However, It’s unclear whether someone who runs the account is actually deleting the posts, or if Facebook is filtering them out as spam links without Freeform’s knowledge. Regardless, we hope that Freeform will help support the fundraising campaign by sharing the donation site on their official social media pages soon.”

JUNE 12, 2018

Buzzfeed Community: “The Shadowhunters fans could permanently damage Freeform’s reputation among millennials if they don’t make a statement soon. Do Freeform think by staying quiet the fans will eventually go away and let this be forgotten? It hasn’t worked so far, and frankly, I’m not sure the biggest movement in cancellation history can be forgotten.”

Talk Nerdy With Us: “To call the Shadowhunters fanbase fervent would be a gross understatement. Try: wildly passionate, driven, loyal and LOUD. Right now, they’re raising their voices in unison to save their beloved show.”

Talk Nerdy With Us: “Read the hashtag threads and you’ll see one thing repeated over and over – representation matters. Not only does the show boast one of the most diverse casts ever seen on TV, it broke new ground by prominently featuring gay, lesbian, bisexual and asexual characters in healthy, loving, non-stereotyped roles.”

Talk Nerdy With Us: “Whoever acquires Shadowhunters one thing’s for certain – they will gain a massive fan base with the potential for major bank in tie-in products alone, something that’s sorely been lacking as far as the Shadowfam is concerned.”

TV Series Hub: “What makes Shadowhunters so different than other shows is how hardworking, creative, and inspiring the fans are. With over 2+Million tweets on twitter using the hashtags #SaveShadowhunters and #PickUpShadowhunters this fandom is not going to rest and will not be quieting down any time soon. The fans have also crashed the support links for major streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon.”

TV Series Hub: “Freeform’s reasoning behind the show’s cancellation was strictly economical but fans are finding it very hard to believe. When Shadowhunters announced they were going to have a third season it became evident that the lack of promo was going to be the downfall for this show. [...]  Catching the attention for more audience members is no use when the show’s junior season was limited to tweets from Freeform and Shadowhunters main social media accounts.”

JUNE 13, 2018

CarterMatt: “We have full confidence that the showrunners will do their best to come up with a worthy ending if they have to … but why should they have to? [The Teen Choice Awards are] another cause for fans to fight for on social media.”

JUNE 14,  2018

BuzzFeed Community: “What their PR and social media team are thinking is anyone’s guess, but it does not make the company look good. Snubbing actors as beloved as the Shadowhunters cast alone has angered the fans, and their Twitter continues to be unrecognisable as a respectable, professional platform while the fans bombard every posts’ comments with demands for the licensing to be sold so the show can be continued. Their silence is both troubling and the source of their troubles, at least for the foreseeable future.”

CarterMatt: “Do we think that Freeform anticipated some serious backlash over the decision to end the show? Probably, but we have a hard time imagining that they thought it would be on this sort of extreme level. The cancellation has reverberated through multiple fan communities and it is giving everyone motivation to fight to save something that they care about deeply.”

ScreenSpy: “Shadowhunters fans continue to be one of the most awesome fandoms on the internet.”

ScreenSpy: “Shadowhunters was a rare beast among recent broadcast TV shows in that it created space for a grounded love story between two LGBTQ characters, Alec Lightwood (Matthew Daddario) and Magnus Bane (Harry Shum Jr.), that was neither sabotaged, nor ended in a dissatisfying yet familiar breakup/death trope seen in myriad other shows from Supergirl to The 100. In fact, #Malec was often portrayed as the stable emotional core of the series, while other straight couples bore the emotional brunt of sudden deaths, breakups and heated arguments. That the fans have singled out The Trevor Project is telling, and illustrates the compassion and generosity of this unique fandom.”

JUNE 15, 2018

CarterMatt: “So what can be done now for Shadowhunters? First and foremost be inspired, since what happened with Lucifer can almost certainly happen here. It’s an uphill climb, but getting more of Lucifer was also an uphill climb. Think of this as more motivation to keep fighting, trending on social media, and discussing the show. Be organized, and try to come up with specific hashtags to trend and times to trend. Show some of the potential homes out there that you are willing to subscribe to their products.Above all else, be positive and hopeful and stick together — a little bit of unity can go a long way. While there are still twelve more episodes coming for Shadowhunters, those by no means have to be the end. Fingers crossed that they aren’t.”

JUNE 16, 2018

CarterMatt: “There hasn’t been any word out there as to potential other homes for the show, but at the same time there wasn’t all that much in the way of news out there about the Lucifer revival before it happened at Netflix. Sometimes, negotiations happen under a veil since you don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up in the event that plans fall through.”

JUNE 17, 2018

CarterMatt: “You can see after the fact in some photos from the convention that the entire cast was emotional and some were in tears, which is clearly another reminder that they all love the show and certainly don’t want to let it go. The effort to Save Shadowhunters has been going strong now for a good stretch of time and at this point, it only seems to picking up steam.”

Week #3

JUNE 19, 2018

Buzzfeed Community: “A lack of official statement by all of these parties has not helped matters, none of whom seem willing to speak publicly, but the real casualty of this misinformation and false hope is the fans. Fans are desperate for news, and I would argue the fans deserve better from all of these companies.”

CarterMatt: “We do think there is still a reason for hope, but saving a show is always an uphill battle and will take a lot of effort from fans in order to make it happen. Just remember to keep your voices heard and stay unified — we’ve seen via the past couple of months that anything is possible, even if there are no guarantees.”

The Series Regulars: “No matter what happens, it is clear this show is worth fighting for. Don’t give up.”

JUNE 20, 2018

Zimbio: “If you ever doubted the power of fandom, then you’re in for a major surprise.”

Zimbio: “It’s no secret that Magnus and Alec’s relationship is the anchor of the show. Malec shippers are ride or die to the end and for good reason. Shadowhunters has empowered viewers to be kind to one another amidst adversity and live out their truth.”

JUNE 21, 2018

Entertainment Tonight: “The Shadowhunters fans are channeling their heartache into helping others.”

Entertainment Tonight: “ET reached out to Freeform for a response to the Shadowhunters fandom’s charity efforts, but the network declined to comment.”

Entertainment Tonight: “While the fate of Shadowhunters’ future remains to be seen, it’s clear that hell hath no fury like a fandom scorned – and these fans are using their passion and power to make a positive impact.”

JUNE 22, 2018

CarterMatt: “As you can see in the photos below, the plane is making its way around Netflix sporting the message #SaveShadowhunters as clear as the message can be. It’s really the perfect day for such a banner to fly, given that we’re talking about blue skies and very few clouds. Basically, what we’re trying to say here is that Netflix has to take notice of this. Whether or not they take action remains to be seen but this is clearly one of the biggest displays of fandom possible.”

CarterMatt: “We’ll see if this amounts to anything, but even if it doesn’t, you have to admire greatly the passion and enthusiasm of the fans who wanted to make it happen. They banded together for this in a way very few fandoms do.”

Digital Spy: “It’s official: there’s perhaps no fanbase more dedicated than that of Shadowhunters.”

Hypable: “Behind the hashtag is a movement for promoting what the show promotes every week — passion, loyalty, and the fight to not only survive, but make the world better.”

Hypable: “Loyalty to the seeing the show live on is only one bit of what this fandom has chosen to do during the waiting period. Banding together in the face of uncertainty, utilizing the powers they can tap into (social media, planes, charity), the Shadowhunters fandom is following in the footsteps of their favorite characters.”

TV After Dark: “The Shadowhunters fans keep proving they are a force to be reckoned with.”

TV After Dark: “If we track the numbers from the #SaveShadowhunters hashtag, the tweets cross over the 8 million mark, and that’s only counting one of the hashtags they have been using. They have at least 5 more that they use according to the day they tweet. They are impressibly organized and have even a google document set out with their tweeting plans with the hopes of getting all the fans in the same channel and under the same schedule.”

TV After Dark: “Another thing the Shadowhunters fans are proving to be is very clever. They know how to work with what they have. If they see their show is not getting the promotion it deserves, they create it themselves.”

TV After Dark: “If there is one thing that the #SaveShadowhunters campaign has proven is that the show has it all to succeed, it only needs to be given a proper treatment and the chance to grow. Shadowhunters is making headlines all over the world right now. The decision to cancel the show right when it is taking off and with a season as strong as their current season is right now is probably one of the worst we’ve seen made on TV so far. The show is not ready to say goodbye yet and the cast and the fandom are not ready to let it go. With a fandom as passionate as the Shadowhunters fandom is, you can’t just expect them to stay quiet and not fight for what they believe in.”

TV After Dark: “The Teen Choice Awards nominations help us make a point, Shadowhunters is probably the most successful show its network has right now.If they doesn’t recognize it, we sure hope that another network can step in and see what they are missing. Shadowhunters has everything it takes for a show to be successful. We just really hope that someone listens up and realizes why giving up on it right now is a big mistake.”

TV After Dark: “To all the fans out there, keep being loud and doing what you are doing. Nothing is impossible when it comes to saving TV shows. We continue to stand with you and we truly admire everything that you have accomplished so far.”

JUNE 24, 2018

Clevver TV: “Since Freeform announced that they officially canceled Shadowhunters, fans have been doing everything possible to fight the decision. They’ve protested online, vented their love for the show and even raised over $11,000 to prevent it from saying its final goodbye. It goes without saying, but these stans are seriously dedicated.”

Week #4

JUNE 25, 2018

CarterMatt: “Just think of things this way, if you are a Netflix, an Amazon, an Apple, or any other streaming platform — how impressed are you going to be in the event that #SaveShadowhunters is trending so long after it was initially canceled? It’s a real sign that this is a fandom that isn’t going away and with that, it’s worthy of your time and attention.”

The Nerd Daily: “So why would a network cancel such a show that combines so many unique characters and storylines? Economic reasons seems questionable and it doesn’t seem like a suitable explanation for the Shadowhunters fandom.”

The Nerd Daily: “Never before was friendship made into a source of strength, and for me, this is one of the most beautiful description of friendship I have ever seen in a TV show and it’s also reflected in the fandom. A lot of friendships have been made since the show aired thanks to social media and conventions.”

The Nerd Daily: “The fandom are making their thoughts loud and clear so that they can be heard. Every tweet Freeform makes receives hundred of #SaveShadowhunters comments, even though the tweet is not always related to the show.”

JUNE 26, 2018

Girlfriend: “We’ve seen many beloved shows canceled over the years, but none have garnered the response in fans that Shadowhunters has.”

JUNE 27, 2018

Hidden Remote: “The Shadowhunters fandom has unified and rallied together over the past several weeks to fight for a fourth season pick-up. Inspired by fans from other series that were also canceled (and revived) this year, Shadowhunters fans have used Twitter power-hours, strategic messaging and emailing with networks, and have now kicked their marketing up a notch. And when I say “up,” I mean sky-high.”

Hidden Remote: “What fans didn’t realize in their Netflix-targeted planning, however, was that the show’s writers room (which is currently working on the 2-hour series finale) was also in sight of the plane banner. Even if the #ShadowhuntersPlane is unsuccessful at getting a season 4 pick-up, it was absolutely successful in showing the cast, writers, and creative team just how much they are loved and supported.”

JUNE 28, 2018

CarterMatt: “This is the second straight week where the fan base has come out with some sort of big move to get the attention of various networks / streaming homes. This follows their move to fly an airplane banner over Netflix — this time around, there is no specific provider that fans are seeking out, which means that this sort of move could catch the attention of just about anyone.In between this, raising more than $17,000 for The Trevor Project, and campaigning constantly across social media, these are fans who are determined and are not giving up.”

CarterMatt: “While networks may be big business and often have to think in terms of the bottom line, rest assured that many of them also want to be loved! Imagine how much goodwill would come out of one of these networks opting to bring Shadowhunters back on the air. We’re sure that there are some potential homes out there who are well aware of that and would embrace the opportunity to make many fans happy by releasing some great news on the subject of one of their favorite shows.”

The Series Regulars: “To put things into perspective, the campaign has been going strong since we first talked about the fandom effort to save the show.. Not only have they reached over 9 million tweets with the #SaveShadowhunters hashtag, but they have also raised over $17,000 for The Trevor Project. In addition, they have also raised awareness for Girls Up and have even created Shadowhunters Merchandise with proceeds going to charity as well.”

The Series Regulars: “With how much the campaign to save the show has accomplished already, we are looking forward to seeing what else they can do!”

JUNE 29, 2018

CarterMatt: “The act of [having a billboard] itself is impressive, largely because there are so few fandoms who have tried some of the things that the Shadowhunters fandom have with this sort of scale. They’ve really put their best foot forward in trying to save the show using passion and positive energy. We love the idea of this, just as much as we love the fact that every possible home out there can see this and realize that this is a fandom that is not going away.”

CarterMatt: “For now, congratulations to all Shadowhunters supporters — regardless of what happens, you’ve got a lot to be proud of for all of your efforts.”

Digital Spy: “Shadowhunters fans truly are a dedicated bunch! On Friday (June 29), the fans made good on their promise to take out a billboard in Times Square in hopes of saving their favourite show. Good luck to the #SAVESHADOWHUNTERS brigade!”

JUNE 30, 2018

CarterMatt: “The efforts to try to save the show are noticed and very much appreciated. For some more insight into that, all you have to do is look at some of the latest reactions to Friday’s Times Square billboard via show executive producers Darren Swimmer and Todd Slavkin.”

CarterMatt: “We don’t think that the efforts to save the show behind the scenes are over and done with yet, either. If there was no hope that the series could find a future home, don’t you think that message would be conveyed? The last thing that anyone wants to do is allow fans to hold onto false hope, and with that, we don’t exactly think that is happening here, either.”

The Series Regulars: “We spoke with Brie, the editor in chief of Basic Shadowhunters Stuff about their contributions and collaboration with the fandom and other sites/accounts. She emphasized that the goal behind these efforts is to “be loud” and take any steps possible to display the devoted passion that fans have for Shadowhunters, and we have to say, this loyal fanbase has been doing one hell of an amazing job.”

The Series Regulars: “The Shadowhunters fandom is extremely loyal, and people all around the world have banded together to do what they can to make their voices heard. This has included campaigns such as the Times Square billboard, tweeting out to anyone and everyone, and sending out emails voicing their passion for the series. It has been a group effort, and everyone has been in constant communication to make all these campaigns come together. Isn’t fandom such a wonderful thing?”

Week #5

JULY 2, 2018

CarterMatt: “Think about that. Ten million tweets. That’s an expression of passion that is almost unprecedented since we are talking about a series that was canceled on June 4.”

CarterMatt: “So how much does this threshold help the show? We actually think it’s one of the biggest achievements made during the campaign to save the show so far. One of the things that you do need to remember is that network executives are often very busy, and with that they don’t have the time in which to look at every single tweet or thing that the fandom is doing to save the show. It’s often helpful to have some sort of big, headline-making announcement that they can look at and understand easily. That’s what the plane banner was, and the same goes for the billboard and the donations for the Trevor Project. Here, they can just see the number 10 million and have their jaws hit the ground.”

Clevver TV: “After raising thousands of dollars, getting millions of signatures and even buying a freakin’ planeto fly over the Netflix headquarters, Shadowhunters fans are back at it again with another attempt to save the show from cancellation. What’s left for them to do, you may ask? Oh, just casually purchasing a billboard in New York City’s Times Square.”

Clevver TV: “It’s been almost a month since it was announced that Freeform would not be renewing Shadowhunters for a fourth season, but fans are showing no signs of slowing down their efforts to getting the network (or a different network/streaming service) to change its mind. They have a TON of reasons why the show shouldn’t be canceled, so we think it’s safe to assume the fight will continue for a long time.”

Netflix Life: “Many fans are still feeling blindsided by this news, but even more, fans are not mourning the loss of the show. Rather, they’re fighting to save the show and the fan movement has responded in a big way.”

Netflix Life: “It’s a huge success abroad where the series streams on various regions on Netflix, but unfortunately, it’s not on Netflix US. It would make for a wise investment by Netflix to consider saving the show once it finishes its run on Freeform next year.

Netflix Life: “I do know the fans will never stop fighting for the show to continue. That’s something McNamara has been blown away by in the last month since the news broke.”

JULY 5, 2018

CarterMatt: “The fandom’s been global for many years now, but there are more examples of its international popularity now than potentially ever before.”

CarterMatt: “How much are things like banners and advertisements helping? We think personally they’re probably more impactful than many out there are giving them credit for. It’s something that is physical and tangible that executives can look at. If they are on the fence about picking up Shadowhunters, maybe this will convince them to give the series a closer look. The biggest thing that all of these campaigns achieve is reminding everyone in the industry that Shadowhunters fans are out there and cannot be forgotten about. What makes this particular campaign stand out is not only the resiliency of it, but also the creativity and the dedication from people involved.”

Netflix Life: “There are very few shows that have a loyal fanbase like Shadowhunters. More of these types of fanbases have come out in recent years, with the likes of Timeless and Lucifer, but the Shadowhunters fans have taken things to a whole new level. If Netflix was worried about fan commitment, then the recent efforts to save the series would help to ease them.”

Netflix Life: “No other fandom has been quite as vocal and loyal.”

Netflix Life: “And this has become more of a family than anything else. Fans have found their tribe in social media groups and platforms. They’ve celebrated births and marriages, they’ve commiserated deaths together, and they’ve supported one another in dark times—and these are in real life situations and not just the events within the series.”

Netflix Life: “If you take a look at any relationship poll for TV shows, you’ll see the shipper name Malec up there. This is the Shadowhunter ship of Alec and Magnus, one of the most progressive, positive, and public LGBTQ relationships on TV. There are very few that even come close.”

Netflix Life: “The show is all about inclusivity (unless you’re a demon from the Shadow World, of course!) and wants to encourage more growth when it comes to people of color and LGBTQ relationships. Netflix needs to encourage that more. It’s already canceled Everything Sucks! Don’t let Shadowhunters go too! This representation is extremely necessary.”

Netflix Life: “With the right marketing, Netflix could help this series grow in the way that it should. More people around the world can learn about it and tune in for every episode. The series would gain better treatment than ever before, helping it become the book adaptation of the generation. There is certainly potential there and it needs a streaming service like Netflix to take that up.”

JULY 6, 2018

CarterMatt: “You can see via the posts on Twitter below that there is a collaborative book coming entitled Love Makes Us Stronger, one that is meant to show many different networks and shows everything that they have done to date in order to work to make another season happen. This is a series that knows no bounds and is showing, time and time again, that fans will do whatever it takes in order to ensure that there is more of the story told. This book is meant to be delivered to not only many different prospective networks, but then also The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which we do think would be a wonderful venue to discuss the series and its hopes at another season further.”

Pure Fandom: “It’s impossible to deny that the Shadowhunters fandom is made up of the most devoted fans to date.”

Pure Fandom: “In all my years following television, the uproar over Shadowhunters’ cancellation is probably one of the biggest ones I’ve ever seen.”

Pure Fandom: “With a fanbase this big and powerful, it looks like the decision to drop Shadowhunters may not have been a good call on Freeform’s part.Fans’ efforts to #PickUpShadowhunters is still going strong, and we’re with you! We’ll keep fighting until Shadowhunters finds a new home!”

JULY 8, 2018

CarterMatt: “Basically, the message that we’re trying to get across here is rather simple: Sometimes, no news can be good news. Just because it seems like networks and streaming providers are ignoring Shadowhunters doesn’t mean that they are avoiding picking up the show’s future.”

Week #6

JULY 9, 2018

CarterMatt: “What’s the objective with this particular hashtag? It’s a way to show more just how much this show is beloved all over the world, and in turn the sheer number of fans who stand to be let down in the event that Shadowhunters does not end up finding a home somewhere else.”

JULY 11, 2018

CarterMatt: “For now, our advice is the same: Keep doing what you’re doing in making sure that your voices are heard.

Hypable: “From billboards in Times Square to subway stops on Korea to planes flying over Netflix, there is no limit to what this fandom will continue to do to drive awareness to their passion and love for the series.In addition to the flashier efforts, the fans have also raised a considerable about of money for charitable causes in the name of saving the show. Practicing what the show portrays every week, the fans are aiding those who need help the most, even as they struggle with their own disappointment.”

Just Jared: “And yes, they see you with the #SaveShadowhunters campaign.Martin shared that the company is ‘amazed by the dedication and persistence of the incredible fandom of Shadowhunters and the #SaveShadowhunters campaign. We are in ongoing discussions with the network and Netflix to how we can continue to bring Cassandra Clare’s vision to television.’”

JULY 12, 2018

CarterMatt: “Recently, Martin Moszkowicz and Oliver Berben of production company Constantin Film were sent a rather generous amount of Shadowhunters-themed M&Ms, ones that were decorated with familiar show iconography alongside the message to #SaveShadowhunters. Both parties shared photos of the candy on social media, which we like to think that there is some commitment there to the cause.”

CarterMatt: “Typically, the easiest way to tell whether or not someone really wants to come back to a show is whether or not they acknowledge the effort that is going on with fans. We do think that everyone at Constantin wants Shadowhunters back since it is a way for them to earn extra money.”

ClevverTV: “Shadowhunters fans are doing everything — literally EVERYTHING — to save their favorite show from being canceled.”

JULY 13, 2018

CarterMatt: “How much sway could Korea’s audience have in saving the show internationally? If the outreach is enough, a bit more than many would immediately assume. Seoul is one of the biggest markets in the world with an active, engaged young audience. These are the sort of people who will celebrate an inclusive, action-packed show that makes you care about its characters.”

CarterMatt: “Basically, remember that sometimes, saving a show is a marathon rather than a sprint and it can take so much longer than anyone would anticipate from the jump.”

CarterMatt: “Just in case you needed a reminder as to how busy Katherine McNamara is at the moment, she did this table read on Thursday, then flew out to Milan in order to be present for fans at the Italian Institute Con this weekend. That is dedication! It’s a also a reminder of how much she loves her fans given that this is a pretty emotional time.”

CarterMatt: “If there is one thing that is probably serving as the wind under the sails for many cast members, it’s this: No matter what is going on with production of these remaining two episodes, the #SaveShadowhunters movement continues.”

Cinema Blend: “Fans of Freeform’s Shadowhunters are not giving up on their show without a fight. Taking their battle to streaming networks such as Netflix and Amazon, the hope to be heard and the effort to save the beloved series has only grown stronger.”

KSiteTV: “Constantin’s Martin Moszkowicz told Deadline that Constantin is “amazed by the dedication and persistence of the incredible fandom of Shadowhunters and the #SaveShadowhunters campaign, and that they are “in ongoing discussions with the network and Netflix to how we can continue to bring Cassandra Claire’s vision to television.” Okay, then make it happen already.I’m not without hope, and fans shouldn’t be either. But really, Freeform, Constantin: Talk it over. Negotiate. You’re sitting on a gold mine. #SaveShadowhunters.” 

The Fandom: “But this fandom is not going down without a fight. So far, the fans have tweeted #SaveShadowhunters over 10 million times, flew a plane with a #SaveShadowhunters banner around Netflix’s LA headquarters, rented two billboards in Times Square and most impressively, it’s raised over $20,000 for various charities.Even as I write this post, the fandom’s been hard at work, running a month-long campaign in the Seoul subway and planning to soon hit London with double-decker bus ads. In a less grand fashion, fans have been flooding the mailboxes of network executives and it looks like network executives are paying attention.”

Week #7

JULY 16, 2018

AnneMoss.com: “For many people, these characters have been the first time that they have seen each other fully represented on a TV screen.Heartbreaking testimonials can be found all over the Internet of people who would be in a significantly worse place without this show. In short, it has saved lives.”

JULY 19, 2018

CarterMatt: “While there may not be a formal Shadowhunters panel at Comic-Con this year, the folks behind the effort to save the show have still found a way to have their voice heard. Specifically, they are doing it in the form of pedicabs with the #SaveShadowhunters message front and center.”

CarterMatt: “We do think that out of all of the fun ideas we’ve seen with Shadowhunters, this is one of the most valuable given that there are hundreds of thousands of TV fans crammed into a small space the next few days; meanwhile, you’ve also got a number of network executives and other important industry people around. You never know when someone is going to stumble across something you’ve created! It’s another reason to have hope if you are a diehard Shadowhunters fan.”

Digital Spy: “We’ve seen political campaigns less organised than this. Bravo, Shadowhunters stans.”

JULY 20, 2018

CarterMatt: “These expressions of support by the fans go a long way. If nothing else, they are a clear reminder that Shadowhunters is a show that other networks / streaming providers should consider bringing back for more.”

CarterMatt: “Also, Comic-Con is one of the perfect venues to make a big campaign statement — there are probably more people from the entertainment industry concentrated in one place here than any other TV-related event out there, save for maybe the Emmys or the Golden Globes.”

Film Daily: “If you ever needed infallible proof that fandoms rule TV shows (and not the other way around), you need to be keeping up with the Shadowhunters fandom and more specifically the #SaveShadowhunters campaign. These aren’t just the most passionate and vocal fans – they’re also the most organized and resourceful.”

Film Daily: “Like almost everything at the SDCC, the pedicabs are open to sponsorship from advertisers – but this may be the first time they’ve commandeered by fans in a bid to make a provocative statement that could save a show. Like most other networks, Freeform has a presence at the convention and we can’t imagine that this stunt will sit well with the network, but that’s precisely the point. Shadowhunters fans will not allow for their show to go and are fighting the cancellation with everything they’ve got. Which makes us wonder at this point why Shadowhunters hasn’t been saved yet. If this campaign has proven anything, it’s that there’s a tangible and sizeable fanbase attached to the show more than worthy of investing in.”

Film Daily: “Whatever happens, the Shadowhunters fans are absolutely killing it right now. For them not to see the story back on the small (or big) screen again is almost unfathomable. Someone, somewhere, has to take charge now and make this happen – the fans absolutely deserve it.”

Just Jared: “The Save Shadowhunters campaign is not slowing down. If anything, it’s heating up.”

JULY 22, 2018

CarterMatt: “Yang’s appearance gives even more credibility to the campaign, which of course already had quite a bit of it thanks to some social-media acknowledgement from everyone from executive producers Todd Slavkin and Darren Swimmer to stars Katherine McNamara and Isaiah Mustafa. (Read more about their reactions over at the link here.) There are clearly many who have taken note of the campaign down at SDCC, which also includes promotional flyers and buttons.”

Hidden Remote: “Jack Yang, who plays Asmodeus on the series, stopped by SDCC today cosplaying as his own character. Not only did he want to come see the pedicab, but he even jumped in! [...] The Shadowhunters pedicabs aren’t able to travel all the way to Edom, but we hope Asmodeus had a fun time checking out the Shadowhunters representation at SDCC!”

Week #8

JULY 23, 2018

CarterMatt: “Just in case you were wondering how popular Shadowhunters really was at San Diego Comic-Con, let’s just say that it achieved a really rare feat: Social-media dominance without even having a panel at the event.  Per the tweet (via Alex Zalben) below, the currently-canceled series was the fifth most-tweeted-about show during the convention this year. It was ahead of such staples as Arrow, Supergirl, and The Flash, and even one of the other most-popular shows on social media out there in Wynonna Earp. The only ones that fared better were The Clone Wars, Doctor Who, The Walking Dead, and Voltron — which are all properties that have been around for an extremely long period of time.”

Decider: “Timeless, which dominated leading into the Con, and flew a helicopter around trying to save the show, didn’t break the top ten. But another fan favorite, canceled show did: Shadowhunters.The Freeform supernatural show didn’t have a panel at the convention, but it does have a legion of loyal fans tweeting to #SaveShadowhunters almost constantly. Hence the number five slot on the Twitter list.”

Hidden Remote: “By the angel, we think the #SaveShadowhunters campaign is going to love this. @TwitterTVreported today that Shadowhunters was the fifth most-tweeted show during San Diego Comic-Con. Freeform did not bring the series to SDCC like it had done in 2017, but even without a panel, autograph signing, or immersive activation, the show was still incredibly popular on Twitter.”

JULY 24, 2018

CarterMatt: “Following an excellent campaign over at San Diego Comic-Con involving a branded pedicab, flyers, and customized buttons, the Save Shadowhunters campaign is now looking rather rosy.How much so? Let’s just say that they have used as much flower power as possible to get some flower arrangements and customized cards to the Amazon Studios offices plus also Hulu, Netflix, and the offices of production company Constantin Film in Los Angeles. Consider these some further reminders from the Shadowhunters family that this is a fanbase that does not have any plans to give up on finding their show a new home.”

CarterMatt: “There is probably a sense of uncertainty on the set, not knowing precisely what the future of the series is; nonetheless, you have to imagine that it is enormously flattering for the cast and crew to routinely hear that there are so many people who want more of the show and also them as these characters. That does help in so many ways to ensure that they give their best performances possible.”

CarterMatt: “The best thing that any fan of the series can do right now is stay active, and stay engaged, when it comes to trying to save the show. Often, saving shows really is a marathon rather than a race, and networks / streaming providers need to realize that this is a group of fans who cannot be forgotten about.”

Film Daily: “After Freeform chose not to do a Shadowhunters panel at San Diego Comic Con for what could be the final ever season of the show (unless it’s rightfully saved), fans threw a sassy hair flip in Freeform’s general direction and set up their own celebration of the show. That celebration was part protest and part promotion in support of the ongoing #SaveShadowhunters campaign that has been ferociously demonstrated by fans since the young adult series was cancelled at the start of June. The centerpiece? A #SaveShadowhunters pedicab that circled SDCC.”

Film Daily: “According to a fan on Twitter, one especially cool driver let fans ride on the pedicabs for free, installed a speaker so the Shadowhunters theme tune “This is the Hunt” could be blasted on the journey, and also helped to hand out flyers in support of saving the show. But perhaps the crowning jewel of the #SaveShadowhunters efforts was the appearance of actor Jack Yang, who rocked up to SDCC in character as Asmodeus and rode that pedicab with all the brooding regal swagger of the legit Prince of Hell (cane and all).”

Film Daily: “It’s become clear that Shadowhunters is a show that revolves around unity and chosen family – for fans it offers a lifeline of connection that perhaps can’t be found within other more mainstream shows. It’s exactly what makes the show standout as a much cherished gem on social media, as Shadowhunters actually enjoyed a greater presence than other Freeform shows that were part of the official SDCC schedule.”

Film Daily: “It’s no surprise that during SDCC, the Pure Fandom Awards actually created a category specifically to acknowledge the Shadowhunters fandom by gifting them The 2018 Pure Fan-spiration Award. They deserve it, too. In the time since Shadowhunters has been cancelled, they’ve refused to remain silent and have shown they know how to vocalize their passion and turn it into action – even if it’s just from the periphery.They’re the most punk rock fandom out there right now and it’d be crazy not to listen to them and give them what they want.”

Future Femme: “The Shadowhunters yarn unravelled further over the weekend as the fandom took its campaign to save the venerated show to the San Diego Comic-Con. In case you have not yet been following this ongoing saga of legendary proportions, back in June, Freeform announced the cancellation of the genre show despite execs being “very happy creatively” – a decision that was based on ‘economic reasons.’”

Future Femme: “Like a group of valiant demon hunters, the reaction has been nothing short of Biblical. Launching a #SaveShadowhunters campaign, the dedicated fandom members took to Twitter to share their upset, but they haven’t stopped there and have found active ways to promote their campaign beyond the Twittersphere.”

Future Femme: “All of this is testament to the fandom’s dedication, highlighting a wider statement that shows how audiences now rule the TV shows they watch and not vice-versa. As the nature by which we watch television changes, it’s becoming increasingly evident that a show’s importance isn’t solely based on live metrics and economics anymore and that its story and significance goes beyond the conventional restrictions of entertainment consumption.Shadowhunters offers diverse storylines and depictions of LGBTQI and female characters with complexity that are unrivaled by other young adult shows on TV right now. The fantasy genre provides escapism for its viewers, but it’s also educational – Shadowhunters has strived to move forward with acceptance and inclusivity where others are falling behind and it’s for these reasons the fandom refuses to put down its battle weapons and will not give up in the face of adversity.“

Future Femme: “Another reason the Shadowhunters fandom is so ferociously fighting its corner is that the cast & crew were already teasing season four before the cancellation. This is not a show that has reached a creative dead end and it is certainly not one that fans don’t want to see more from – in fact, Shadowhunterswas the fifth most tweeted about show during this year’s SDCC and yet it didn’t even have an official panel at the event.”

Future Femme: “If the cry is loud enough, the networks have no choice but to listen. And when it comes to Shadowhunters, the outcry is so loud you can hear it from the Shadow World. Now it’s up to Freeform to react, or else risk losing this TV gem and its dedicated fandom for good.”

Week #9

JULY 30, 2018

Digital Spy: “Right now, Netflix isn’t in talks to save the supernatural drama series. But [Cindy Holland, Netflix’s VP of original content] did praise the show for having incredibly passionate fans. [...] ‘It has a very active fanbase. I probably get 100 emails or more personally.’ We bet the number of daily emails will double or triple in the wake of Holland's comments!”

Film Daily: “The Shadowhunters fandom has fought the cancellation of their show to the last. Accumulating over 149,000 signatures on a petition to save the show thus far, they’ve also managed to raise funds for a billboard campaign in Times Square, subway posters in Seoul, raised money for charity, and hired campaign-boosting pedicabs at SDCC. Kind of a big deal, ladies and gentlemen.”

Film Daily: “The overwhelmingly passionate fan base should be enough to convince anyone this is a show more than deserving of saving.”

Film Daily: “It seems ludicrous not to serve such a large and passionate fan base by saving Shadowhunters. Somebody has to come through and save this one.”

Pure Fandom: “I started watching in June and after I started my Shadowhunters watch, it didn’t take long for me to see the show’s magic that ignited such fire in the fandom. To put it simply, the show is amazing. It is inclusive, it is bold, the cast is crazy talented, it is visually stunning – but it wasn’t the show that made me fall instantly in love – it was this fandom.”

Pure Fandom: “You have not only managed to rally in the shadows, you have welcomed new members into the family (like me) and continued your messages of love and support for the cast, despite your frustration. You are angry, but you are channeling that anger into a series of productive projects including a charitable donation to the Trevor Project, a NYC Times Square billboard, flowers and cupcakes for the cast, a bike at SDCC and so much more!”

Pure Fandom: “Shadowhunters fans – I know you are tired, but thank you for fighting for this show that you love so much – that I love so much. You never made me feel like I couldn’t join your ranks and fight with you and for that, I am so grateful. Fandoms like this are few and far between and I will never take for granted that you welcomed me so effortlessly into yours.”

JULY 31,  2018

CarterMatt: “The Trevor Project fundraiser...has officially reached more than $20,000. That’s an incredible number when you think about just how many people it is going to help. This is taking the message of inclusion and acceptance from the show and finding a way to pay it forward. It’s something that is both powerful and important in so many ways beyond what we can possibly try and spell out here.”

CarterMatt: “The official petition to save the show has officially reached 150,000 signatures! Typically, we think that any petition that reaches more than 50,000 is showing itself as one that cannot be ignored; this one has reached three times that, and there is still so much further that it could go”

Hidden Remote: “Fans should be incredibly proud of the global efforts made over the past two months to support #SaveShadowhunters, which now feels more like a movement than a campaign. The fandom’s fundraiser for The Trevor Project crossed the $20,000 mark on Monday morning, and the donations continue to grow in honor of the series.”

Hidden Remote: “Shadowhunters fans show no signs of slowing down the fight to get a full fourth season for the series, and they continue to show love for the Toronto team during the last (known) days of production.”

[margaretbeagle]

When Taking Fridays Off Can Help Our Team Get More Done: An AMA on the 4-Day Work Week

Since we first kicked off a 4-day work week in May 2020, people have had a lot of questions about it. What day are we taking off? How long will we continue this practice? Is everyone really working four-days a week or are some people working more? Some of the answers to these questions have changed over the last few months, and I’m sure some will continue to change and evolve as we learn more about operating within a four-day work week. A little while ago, I decided to answer questions about our four-day work week policy on Twitter, and I got a fantastic response. I’ve included a high-level recap in this post, but feel free to check out the whole thread if you’d like to see every reply. Without further ado, here are some of the questions I got about the four-day work week organized into a few top categories, along with my replies and those of Caryn Hubbard, our VP of Finance, and Åsa Nystrom, our VP of Customer Advocacy, who contributed to several answers.

Why a 4-day work week?

Pranay asked: Why did it take a pandemic to implement it and why is a 4 day work week matter - cant it just be about the work itself instead of timing it? We've thought about it for years, and I have a fundamental belief that 5-day workweeks aren't necessarily optimal. The pandemic meant added stress for all of us, especially for the parents in the team. I wanted to get through it with the team, mentally, in the best position. I believe that many businesses that are squeezing every last drop they can get out of their companies in terms of profit, productivity, etc. suddenly ran into issues in the pandemic. Growth goals to hit and no profit margin, meant layoffs for many companies. And when you make layoffs, you erode trust significantly with your team. That can take years to build back. I wanted to build trust with my team through the pandemic. This was one of the best ways that I thought to do it.

How does it work?

Niel asked: Does everyone take the same day off? Or is it up to the individual? Or is it based on teams? Or something more nuanced? In the beginning, we experimented with teams deciding the day, but knowing which day and having adequate time for cross-team collaboration was a challenge. Frankly it felt quite chaotic. Now, we do Fridays other than Customer Advocacy which rotate the day. Shubham asked: Which 4 days of the week do you work? M - TH or Tu - Fr or something else? Do you find that the team tries to fit in 5 days of work in 4? For the majority of the team, we do M - TH. In the beginning I tried Wednesdays as my day off, and enjoyed that but I prefer Fridays now. 3-day weekends are very powerful. I think overall, the team tries to work smarter. Perhaps trying to fit 4.5 days into 4. David asked: woah didn't know you were doing this - love it what would your reasons be for going back to 5 day? The reasons would likely be not achieving our goals, which would be sad because I fundamentally don't believe it's putting in hours that will get us there. And, one key thing is that over time, we've realized that 4-days should feel like a privilege, not entitled. So, if you get your tasks and goals for the week done, awesome - take that day off. If you didn't quite do enough for us to reach our goals, spend part of Friday working. Scott asked: Doing a 4, 10’s type of deal? Or not tracking exact hours, rather output and movement? Not tracking exact hours, and more focus on tracking output. The goal is to achieve the same if not more, in less overall hours worked (more along the lines of 4 8's). Gaya asked: That’s awesome! Hopefully more companies will follow to normalise this. Q: Did the salaries stay the same? I know people who are holding back from working less because of decrease in pay No change to salaries at Buffer with our 4-day workweeks. It's less hours for the same pay. I don't believe in same hours in less days, because for me 4-day workweeks are really about a more fundamental belief that hours worked are not correlated with results. Stone asked: Love that you did this! Do you build in any deep work/no meetings time as well? Do you think the pandemic was needed for the transition/will you keep@it when offices reopen? How confident are you that people aren’t working longer 4 days or actually taking Friday off? For many years we've had discussions and focus on deep work, and many teams have a day with no meetings. I don't think the pandemic was needed to do it, but it was a motivator. I'm confident we'll keep at it after, too. We're already 100% remote so no actual offices. I'm confident in most cases people are taking the Friday off. That said, we also don't actively discourage working a little on Friday, if the team member feels that is needed to achieve our goals. We have big ambitions for what we can do for customers *and* innovating culture.

How do specific teams and teammates manage a 4-day work week?

Dwija asked: Do you have mothers working as full time employees? If working hours of those 4 days increase - how do they manage? I know it depends on them but just curious. Females are taking a hit - BIG TIME in Covid. ( For example: Yours truly) From Caryn: We have many mothers and fathers at Buffer. Our shift to the flexibility of a 4 day workweek has been one of the most key things keeping my family of 5 healthy & safe this past year. The trust & flexibility to work the schedule that works for me & my family is everything. From Joel: To add to the great insights Caryn shared, our decision to try a 4DWW was very much with parents in mind. Working hours haven't increased. We work hard as a team to strive to achieve our goals without regularly working more hours. More here. Mark asked: Does customer support participate in the 4-day week? If so, how do you stagger hours / meet customer expectations? Yes, they do, but we still want to serve customers to the same high level. Over time, we've tweaked our 4-day workweek to drive us to push ourselves in the 4-days and feel like we've really earned that day off, not entitled to it. Our customer support team is the one team that switches up the day off in order to make sure we maintain coverage for customers. Stefan asked: Are the customer-facing teams doing 4-day work weeks as well? If so, are they all off on Fridays? If so, are customers’ emails/calls not answered till Monday? No, we have to take a slightly more unique approach in our customer service team. We're fully committed to providing world-class service, and we know the world works M-F (and even weekends). The specific day is different per team member, so more of a relay in that team. Have y’all had any issues with a handoff from one team member to another in this relay system? From Åsa: Jumping in to help with this q. No issues! We work in four-day blocks and use an assigned inbox flow to keep consistency in our customer communications. Our team covers most of the globe and are in constant communication across the week to keep on top of issues etc. Jean asked: Do you have a strong customer support team in terms of number of people? Are you also applying this formula to tech team? Our customer support team is 21 people out of 85. All teams adopt the 4-day workweek, but we also have goals we strive for and we see the 5th day as something earned not entitled. Mercer followed up with: Does that mean that your support team doesn’t always get the same time off? How do you strive to protect the time of your customer-facing teams (who so frequently don’t get the same blessings as the other teams around them)? It's not necessarily that different for our support team, but it's often more measurable for a support team. So we aim to be mindful of that. But we also have engineering teams that will work the 5th day if they don't feel on track. Most teams work 4-days now. From Åsa: Everyone on the CS team works a 4-day block & has the same days off every week to make sure we have the same ability to disengage and recharge! Being customer-facing doesn't mean we can't participate in company initiatives like these, it just means we need to plan a bit more. Sllyllyd asked: Do the more senior team members stick to four days? In general, yes. Often the more senior team members are the ones who feel the most accountability and energy for goals, and so we sometimes work the extra day to get make sure we're on track. It's not the norm, though, and when we do it's usually just a couple of hours. From Caryn: There's a high level of flexibility and trust that we'll meet our shared and individual goals w/in the schedule that works best for us. As a mom of 3, my needs look different than fellow colleagues but I thrive with that mutual respect & trust. Sometimes I choose to work 5 days.

How is it going?

Daniel asked: What’s better than you expected? What’s worse than you expected? Better: The extra day builds in reflection time that we often don't make room for, where many of us solve problems. So in many ways, we do more meaningful work. Harder: Purpose becomes even more important. We need to feel driven to do great work in the precious 4 days we have. Purpose on an org level or individual level? Both. Especially with the past year we've had. The real magic is when org purpose feels intertwined with a personal sense of purpose, something worthy to go after that can really make a difference. If org purpose feels like it serves society, individual purpose usually follows. Jesse asked: Are people get as much done? Do you have hourly staff? We have no hourly staff, which is important. This isn't less hours for less pay, it's less hours for the same pay. In terms of productivity, that's hard to measure in this wild past year we've had. But, things look promising. Philosophically, I believe we can get as much done. Awesome. Are people happier and more excited to come to work? Boost in moral? Did you see it level off? Yes, to all of that! You nailed it. We've not felt it level off yet, there's still a ton of gratitude for the 4-day workweeks 9+ months in. André-Paul asked: What are the biggest changes you've noticed within your team? Any new routines/behaviours/processes? Well, there's definitely a new level of gratitude. We're here, trying out this wild new thing, and gaining this extra day for family or ourselves. It's awesome. And with that, a sense of alongside gaining flexibility, giving flexibility too. What I mean by gaining flexibility and giving flexibility is, especially as a global team, we need to be open to meetings once in a while earlier in a morning or late at night, to make everything happen. Especially with a 4-day workweek. So, a renewed sense of, we're lucky to have this extra freedom but let's be smart about how we work in order to make 4-day workweeks really work for us as a company and for customers, so we can keep having them. Ali asked: Has the rate of burnout gone down? It's hard to measure, but I believe absolutely, it has. Or rather, 2020 was a year that drove much more burnout than most years and we minimized the amount in part through implementing the 4-day workweek. Michelle asked: I can always find more to do. Are people self-disciplined enough to really take Friday off and are people good enough at knowing how much they can really get done in a week or do they set goals that are too lofty and usually end up working Fridays? Great question. I think it's somewhere in the middle. I genuinely thing most people now take Fridays off. But, we still have big ambitions as a company and so once in a while we need to work a Friday. The real magic is when the Friday off helps you actually get more done. Luthfur asked: How are you measuring productivity? Put another way, how do you intend to make the decision on whether this is going well or not. Ultimately, we will make our decision based on whether we achieve our goals as a company. I fundamentally believe though, that the 5-day workweek is a relic of the industrial era and not necessarily the most effective way to work. So I believe we can achieve our goals in 4DWWs. One of the benefits we have, is that investors do not control our company. We can take longer term stances and decisions, that we believe will lead to great results in time. — If you or your team are trying a 4-day work week send me a tweet to share how it’s going for you, I’d love to hear about it!

When Taking Fridays Off Can Help Our Team Get More Done: An AMA on the 4-Day Work Week published first on https://improfitninja.weebly.com/

[jorjathomas]

Comparing existing magazines

As I've began to do some mild research, I thought it was beneficial to gather some information regarding my intended audience. I should see if there's a gap in the market for this particular self help magazine or if it would be high in demand or not. In this post, I have compared old magazines that were published for young women to see what has changed and what particular topics have became more popular over the years. Obviously magazines aren't as popular anymore for teens as most people would pick up a phone and scroll to kill time rather than buy a magazine from your local store however, I'm interested to see the comparison between the two. 

Old vs New

At first, I was going to compare two magazines and analyse the differences however as I started to do some research, I thought it would be interesting to see how certain magazines which have been running for a long period have changed over time as digital journalism has grown. I will contrast these brands with zine businesses which suits my idea.

Tiger Beat:

Google states ’Tiger Beat was founded in September 1965 by Charles "Chuck" Laufer, his brother Ira Laufer, and television producer and host Lloyd Thaxton. The magazine features teen idol gossip and carries articles on movies , music and fashion.’ This magazine is aimed towards adolesant girls just like my idea which is interesting to see the differences. Its funny to see how young women were perceived from looking as this magazines as they seem very celebrity based. As Tiger Beat is created by men, I'm assuming this is what they think teenage girls think about. I would say in the 60s this was true as boy bands where the hot spot for screaming girls however personally having a magazine just to get in the celebrity gossip is draining. The 60s was a very pivotal time for music and musicians didn't have a massive social platform like most artists do now so having a magazine like this is where fans would get updates about their lives. I think my opinions about Tiger Beat are solely based on how this generation has changed, I've defiantly bought zines just like this if it has my idol on the front however when looking at certain quotations and how its predominantly males being displayed despite being for girls is strange to me. For example the third image on the right where it advertised a ‘Peek inside Justin Biebers room’.  Not only does this feed on the artists personal life but it heightens this concept of teenagers becoming a obsessive fan. when looking at this magazine I begin to question whether this sort of content is normal for teenagers or am I just conditioned to believe it is what I should be thinking about as a teenage girl? Its even more ironic that this is made by men aswell but I don't know if that's the activist in me. To conclude, there was defiantly a gap in the market for supporting young adults when entering the real world as you can see. 

Teen zone:

Again, continuing with my previous opinions Teen Zone had the same intentions for their audience. Looking back at their earlier issues, it mas predominantly celebrity based. This involves gossip, looks and updates in their ‘perfect’ lives. This defiantly increased the idea of needing to be famous and look good all the time in order to be successful or good in life. These magazines are full of photoshopped faces with content telling people that they could look a certain way to feel accepted. Although looking briefly at the magazines are harmless I think they can be deep rooting in the problems girls feel in society when growing up. The only difference with this magazine in comparison to Tiger Beat is that they are still running as a business and have changed their content significantly. Teen zone only publish online now and when researching into their content i was surprised when seeing their statement. It states ‘TeenZone Digital Magazine is a magazine for the South African teenager. Teens in today’s society are increasingly being fed a diet entirely consisting of celebrity gossip. This grossly underestimates them. Teens today have voices that we all need to hear. They need to be taken seriously, and to be given the opportunity to express their views and concerns; to ask the important questions and receive trustworthy, accurate advice; and to enjoy themselves in a safe environment. TeenZone seeks to provide this platform. It is a magazine for teens, by teens.’ 

Teens in society now are much more vocal on certain events and I think we are defiantly becoming more aware on subjects which we may have not noticed before. The fact that Teen Zone has turned this around and creating a platform for teens to speak on matters special to them in inspiring and what I want to do also. They've defiantly succeeded well since moving digital as articles are much more accessible than a printed zine.

This is a picture of their website which differs from their zine. They have toned down their imagery and noticed as they are able to add more content onto a site.

As i began to look further into popular magazines from particular decades, eg; teen vogue, J-14 etc, I began to see the same results and outcomes. They were all very similar in content but I was surprised to finally see a magazine which although was produced a little later than the others, was drastically different to the others. Both aesthetically and within their content. This was a magazine called Rookie.

Rookie:

What makes Rookie magazine so different to the others is that this business was created by teenagers for teenagers. They are much more closer to their audience and were able to relate to the content they were giving out. Rather than adults profiting of their perception of what a teenager goes through despite not being one. I personally can see the differences between the two. Firstly Rookie stood out to me because of its collage-like personality. Its much more playful and personal than the previous zines I've looked at. The layered imagery with colourful texture achieves this friendly environment for teenagers to read though. I defiantly want to achieve this with my zine and I am going to look into this sort of work digitally and also physically to achieve a dimensional look rather than all of my work looking flat or 2D. 

This is a screenshot of Rookies site. Not only do they produce articles that teens can read for pleasure or to gain information, they also have platforms that can actually gives teens a place to talk and interact with others which I think is the drastic change for the industry. Interacting with the audience on a personal level proves that Rookie cares for their audience and wants to spark change. Unfortunately Rookie has stop publishing altogether as a business since 2018 for financial reasons.

Other magazines that I am interested in: As I've looked into previous magazines and began to understand their concept and beliefs,  I began to look into modern magazines that also produce the same concept as me and to see what makes them so different especially since there has been a massive sift in the journalism industry. Both of the publications below are fairly similar. Both want to create change and form a safe space where women learn new subjects which may not be normalise yet are very important for personal growth. They both combine their articles with art which helps create a visual understanding of their zine even better than standard text. I defiantly aim to follow these footsteps but I need to search for an unique concept that could help my idea become more popular for a young girl to read. I wanted to this as sadly both of these zines are either discontinued or temporality stopped making issues which makes me assume this idea isn't that successful so far whether that's due to the pandemic or society as a whole I'm unsure as of yet. I will begin to look at the impact of Covid on magazines later to understand why so many of these great businesses aren't running anymore despite having a positive impact on young women.

Got a girl crush:  “Got a Girl Crush is a blog and annual print magazine about women, by women, for everyone. We aim to disrupt the broken narrative of most women's publications and tell stories of all ages, races, and backgrounds of women all over the world. We believe that print is not dead and that there is value to having a tangible medium to read, digest, and share--rather than sharing a link online that is easily forgotten tomorrow.”

(Issue 3, published September 2016 from https://issuu.com/gotagirlcrush/docs/girlcrush_issue05_content-final )

I liked this magazine statement because it isn't restrictive on a specific audience. They mention that their content is open for anyone which I think is surprising. When thinking about making this zine I wanted to think of content that isn't too limiting or biased towards women as I think the real change in society will have to come from men's views and actions aswell as women's. When looking at their monthly articles, it was very text heavy. They had many important figures like planetary scientist Carolyn Porco, human rights activist Grace Lee Bogg menstrual activist & drummer Kiran Gandhi etc. Each had powerful stories to tell and impact onto readers. Despite this the illustrations and other visual forms of art broke down this barrier which is why it didn't look too overwhelming. I will follow through with this if not add more art into my final outcome as I’d like to be more creative for this project and really experiment with collaging. I had briefly did this in the first project and enjoyed the process.

Selva Beat: “Selva Beat is an environmental magazine with an edge. We take environmentalism and place it in the context of your favorite topics – beauty, fashion, culture, food, sex, love – to make activism as accessible and engaging as possible. Founded in 2014, we began as a way of educating the public about conflict palm-oil and have expanded into a multi-media platform that motivates others to better the planet through creative means.”

A magazines visual décor is very important as sadly you do judge the book by the front cover. Initially, this is what I liked about Selva Beat, it was very colourful and they had nice curvy, bubbled typography which isn't that common on magazines. When researching I didn't realise they were very environmentally orientated aswell as being a conscious feminist magazine. I was saddened that they aren't running anymore as I think this magazine would've been a good pivotal point. 

[precariousworkersbrigade]

On ethics, solidarity, working together: a collective conversation

Based on a collective Skype conversation between Janna Graham and Precarious Workers Brigade, 11 June 2016. Published in ‘Una Ciudad Muchas Mundos’. Madrid: Intermediae (forthcoming)

Janna Graham (JG): Dear Precarious Workers Brigade, I was recently in Madrid with Manuela, at a session where groups came together to work on this code of ethical practices – to guide their embedded work as artists in local communities, working on issues like gentrification, bodies and mobilities and child care.The scene as I walked in was very familiar and would be to all of you: groups were sprawled across the floor with large pieces of paper and coloured marker pens, intently working through the various dimensions of what ethics could mean. From the outside it appeared like the moment when we came all together in 2010, a moment in which we were preparing ourselves for the joys and struggles of the fight against austerity, knowing little of what was ahead, how much we were to come together and learn and how much we would lose. But of course this moment in Spain is very different from that one we experienced. The intelligence gained from the mobilisations in the squares is palpable. Questions about how to cope with the institutionalisation and the ‘becoming hegemonic’ of social movements gaining political currency (can you imagine us facing this question now in the UK?), with how to maintain the accountabilities but also the intimacies and personal proximities of direct democracy while engaging with the governmental bureaucracies, how to make movements stronger and not weaker by the various moments in which movement activists are defeated by the apparatus they have only recently come to inhabit. With this in mind, we can maybe read this ethics document and reflect on our own experiences of questioning the ethics of our work.... One of the first points we might want to discuss is that we have never described what we do as Precarious Workers Brigade as embedded practice, (in the UK they usually call this kind of work ‘socially engaged’, which tells you something about how normalised conditions of non-embeddedness are in the art world here i.e. is art not always socially engaged? is it not always embedded, just usually to indulge ruling elites?). Despite this, in other aspects of our lives and work in the arts, many of us do intensive work in and within particular contexts. Do you think the two practices are related?

Lola: It’s funny this question, as it’s true many of us make our precarious livings doing ‘embedded’ art or research projects. The rehearsing of questions of ethics within the PWB group was very important to many of us in this. Not because it gave us strategies for working with those groups necessarily, but because it de-centred us as individual or solo practitioners and allowed us to think of ourselves as part of larger collectivities.

Carrie: Yeah, it took the emphasis off the genius, the artwork, all the things that an art world that cares very little about ethics places at the centre. Instead, we built our power, our own collectivities, our accountability to another mode of valorisation in which ethics was a central component.

Martha: It’s true, as a group, though we made things and ideas all the time, we never called ourselves artists. This meant and means that when we do enter into this other art world (the one that does not place ethics at the centre) - whether as individuals or as different versions of the collectivities formed in PWB - we felt more powerful to negotiate and to demand different terms and conditions for ourselves but also for and with our collaborators from outside of the art world. Our meetings, places for sharing experiences of oppression in and through cultural organisations and finding ways to work against them, produced a different kind of configuration of the artist/social/community, one that was based in radical social aims and in practices of solidarity.

JG: I remember the importance for the group of thinking through of the term and practice of solidarity, that we neither wanted to work solely on our own conditions nor do ‘outreach’ with those outside of the arts. From this ethical framework that you describe, solidarity was less a way to encounter ‘others’, ‘communities’ or 'the social’ and more a way to link our struggles within the arts to struggles in what were perceived to be in ‘other’ fields, like those of cleaners, who in fact do work in the art world, so the very in / out dichotomy is often a fallacy. Our discussions were about challenging the parameters of how this art world is defined and also who is perceived to be entitled to cultural practices. I remember this very specifically in an encounter with Latin American Workers Association at the beginning of our years of collaborations, when they asked what we ‘artists’ could bring to their movement and then quickly questioned themselves, suggesting they too were were artists in their social movement work. How do we think of the making of the ethics code in terms of solidarity?

Maggie: A group of us have been reading a text on solidarity (2), as it’s become a very trendy term. It's very interesting to watch people perform the theorisation of solidarity who clearly do not write from the position of this kind of expanded and transversal practice. They reproduce themselves as theorists, or as cultural workers playing with a new term.

Lola: For PWB solidarity is always a practice. It is very local and about reproducing social movements, people who learn and fight together. Practicing solidarity is not about reproducing privilege but a move toward communing and sharing.

Irene: And it has operated on a number of levels. It is intersectional and transversal solidarity with people who are not like ourselves.

Kara: I love this quote from collective Aboriginal activists groups in the 70s: “If you’ve come here to help me, you’re wasting your time. But if you’ve come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.” (3)

Lola: But solidarity is also about solidarity between our very similar positions of exploitation, caring with and for people and being cared for ourselves. At times is has also been about supporting people as they are becoming politicised (like interns or cultural workers who did not want to admit that what they experienced was exploitation).

Adele: Solidarity started through committed mutual support, by creating spaces of sharing and listening. It was not about imposing artists into communities or particular situations.

Maggie: But as an artist or cultural worker you also have a certain power to be in solidarity, to divert resources to solidarity projects, to negotiate access to resources, visibility and cultural groups that don't have it. I recently negotiated to have a part of the budget liberated from claims and outcomes so that I could re-distribute it within a collective ‘commoning' process. We can use that privilege to take resources out to be shifted to people. How do we use our privilege, how do we use these institution that don’t deserve to have this work?

Martha: I think solidarity has to involve a kind of sabotage.

JG: It’s true. One of the things that we discussed in the events around the ethics code in Madrid, is how to engage in this work without it becoming individualised once again, without it being about the solo rogue or heroic practitioner who interiorises and both profits and pains from being the one inside the institution, the one who has the capacity to re-distribute. Even if negotiating individually as an artist for me PWB and other social movement collaborators have helped us to keep this interiorising tendency in check, to remain accountable to a community, and not to slide into modes of individualised subjectivation that, when beard alone, seem to result in either institutional heroics or ‘personal’ illness and depression. This seems really important to work out.

Carrie: Yes, there is an important difference between the ‘solidarity’ of the upper classes and those in struggle. Upper class solidarity - through which people establish strong alliances between themselves in order to maintain their position (the position of the ruling class) is not about recognising the other's conditions in order to care for them but in order to reproduce the privilege of the ruling class (even when that is the radical left). Regardless of their sometimes good intentions and radical rhetoric, many groups continue to manage the common resources using a top down approach. In the case of Common Practice, the group who wrote the text about Practicing Solidarity (2), ‘solidarity’ may not come from the upper classes per se, but still refers to a functional alliance between small art spaces. This is functional to maintain and secure public funding from the Arts Council of England against the giant cultural institutions. Little reference is made to how we might generate new forms of sustainability which are more inclusive, e.g. working with different kinds of art spaces which are not representing the art world or have never received Arts Council support or working with groups ‘outside’ of the arts who include creative practices within their social movement work. Solidarity implies some kind of symmetry, reciprocity, a commitment to the distribution of resources at all levels... not a top town approach in the name of professionalism, excellence, nor personal heroism.

JG: Shall we speak for a moment about the ethics code itself? (4) What do you think was its role in PWB? Why and how was it produced?

Martha: Well in some ways the forming of Precarious Workers Brigade itself mapped out the initial contours of an ethics code. A smaller group, then operating under the name Carrot Workers Collective, had been invited to do a residency at the Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA), a pretty well known gallery in London during their ‘Season of Dissent’. The Carrot Workers opened up the question of how to use such residencies to genuinely support political work in the art field to anyone who might like to join a conversation about it. Out of that conversation around the ethics of tokenistic/politically themed residencies we created Precarious Workers Brigade. In this larger collective, after a number of blocked attempts at using the ‘Season of Dissent’ residency at the ICA as a space for cultural workers, arts students and other communities to gather and prepare for the occupations and demonstrations of the anti-austerity movement, we used it instead to stage a people’s tribunal on the precarity (and hypocrisy) of the art field itself. (5)

Adele: In those early days the question of ethics came up a lot. I remember a very heated conversation around whether or not members of the group could claim the collective work as part of their individual practices, particularly when our political work was taking us away from our artistic responsibilities as art students or workers. This was not resolved and has remained a bit of a tension in the group, but even then signaled the need for something that we could refer to in order to navigate the complicated terrain we operate in as activists in the art field and to hold ourselves accountable to one another. Remnants of these discussions appear in the ethics code under the heading ‘authorship’.

Maggie: But the actual ethics code came later in our collective process. After the tribunal, we started to get all sorts of invitations to write texts, give talks, be on panels and do workshops. A lot of this wasn't really helpful, was distracting and extracting energies away from other things we wanted to do. At the same time, many of us were in the habit of perpetually saying yes. So we put in the ethics code some guidelines to ourselves to help us evaluate the usefulness of certain activities. There are sections on ‘When we say yes’ and ‘When We Say No’. We asked, for example, do we want to engage in consciousness-raising, if people are already conscious but inactive? Or what’s the balance and relationship between doing representational work i.e. in art galleries and on the ground/organising work i.e. running clinics for precarious workers, staging protests and actions etc.? We also asked questions about the conditions of production at the site of the invitation and who the work serves. This helped us to make decisions, to free up time, resources and energy. And it was also helpful in resisting the production logic that demands and places much value on the constant production of new things, rather than doing more with the tools and analysis we had already developed. We wanted to strike a balance between developing new tools and knowledge and making more readily available and usable our existing ones.

Kara: The process of writing the code also enabled us to make visible and remind ourselves and others what the collectives' aims were. Writing it helped us articulate why we are here and what kind of work we might need to focus on to achieve this.

Carrie: Like solidarity, ethics are practiced. Using the code also meant constantly re-visiting what we had written down at earlier stages in our processes, which was really useful in helping us re-evaluate the context around us and our relationship with it. Do certain things we are doing still make sense given how things have moved and shifted? Are the questions around ethics the same now as when we asked them in 2010? For example, when we began the group, the conversation around internships was not really out there, but now the Arts Council of England has tied labour standards around internships to public funding grants and other professional organisations have issued clear guidelines around the use of free labour in the arts. This does not mean that the problem is solved but does mean that we do not have to concentrate most of our time on consciousness raising and therefore perhaps need to accept invitations to speak in the art world less unless there is a genuine interest in organisational change.

Kara: It’s maybe important to say that we re-visit these questions of ethics in different ways. The first is situational, like Carrie describes, to help us make decisions about individual invitations but they also shape agendas of our larger meetings, usually on an annual basis. In the big meetings, we attempt to map out what we have done and what we would like to and the code plays a role in remembering our priorities, and setting new ones for the year, who is interested in working on what etc. Recently we have had large meetings reflecting on the last 5 years, not to self-congratulate or to put together a publication about the heydays of the PWB, but to reflect on where we are, what’s going on in people's lives, what are the needs, desires, of people in the group and the context in which we are operating. What does an ethical framework look like in today’s environment? How do we build self-care and acknowledgement of our own conditions into our planning? This is also an important point around ethics of a non-exploitative practice.

JG: It might be useful to say something about the form of the ethics code in relation to the idea of it being determined by its use, especially as our friends in Madrid may be thinking about how to develop their initial mapping into something that it readily available and usable across different platforms.

Adele: We were reflecting on this in relation to the code developed in Madrid, which addresses some very important points but in the translation comes across as perhaps a bit like a list of rules. For us the making of the code was to be neither slippery and non-committal around ethics but also to not be overly dogmatic in its form or its application. We found it very helpful to depart from a series of questions for discussion and collective decision-making. It wasn’t a bureaucratic terms of reference or something, but something direct and accessible to us that offered points for negotiation and discovery of what the ethics of the group were in relation to the invitations we received. Our response to these points and questions were gauged very differently if the invitation came, for example, from another social movement group, versus when they came from an establishment art gallery i.e. if the group was committed to social justice at its core we might not be so concerned about free labour (as we are all free labourers in PWB) but if it came from a gallery we had different responses. The questions of the ethics code and the various responses we received were also diagnostic, they helped us to use the invitations we received to diagram power relations across the field, relations we all know about but were now able to plot across different kinds of organisations.

Lola: It’s probably important to say that we ask ourselves these questions of the ethics code, but also the organisations that we are working with, hoping that they would cause them to reflect on their own working practices. So the checklist of ‘when we say yes and when we say no’ was turned into a set of questions for them. In this way we have not been as direct as, say our comrades in W.A.G.E. in the US, who have very clear guidelines around pay practices to which organisations can sign up and be certified. We have used different tactics depending on the various constituencies we work with i.e. intern campaigns around the ethics of payment have looked quite different from our solidarity work around immigration, cleaners etc. as each dimension and group galvanised around precarity has different conditions and terms around ethics. But we do make it a point to ensure the conditions of production are published alongside the texts and presentations that we make in cultural institutions.

Martha: Posing questions has also been a broader strategy for us, a way for us to gather particular constituencies. We use questions as a way to invite precarious workers into conversations in the first instance i.e. the question ’do you free lance but you don’t feel free?’ helped us to probe whether groups might want to gather around freelancing in the arts? As a group we are committed to processes like militant investigation and popular education, which begin with collective questioning rather than a list of do’s and don’ts. We think it’s important and vital that those most affected by an issue be the primary investigators of those conditions and the ones to pose questions of ethics.

Manuela: It’s maybe important to say that the ethics code sits among other tools and materials for use in organising and collective work in and beyond the arts... the Counter-Guide to Free Labour in the Arts (6), the Bust Your Boss card (7), the Training for Exploitation? alternative curriculum (8), the anti-raids know your rights card (9), a free labour infobox template (10)... many of them have been taken up by people working in different positions in the arts, like students, teachers, interns, workers/employees... and indeed are also addressed to people working at these different levels. The ‘Surviving Internships’ (5) guide for instance talks about the problem of free labour in the arts, offering analysis and proposing solutions for prospective interns, current interns and employees that ‘have’ interns. Ethics here are usefulness in addressing these kinds of structural forms of injustice (internships) from the points of view of the different positions involved, and to propose forms of action and solidarity across the board, not just making it an issue for interns themselves. In the brainstorm for ethics guidelines that we elaborated in that workshop in Madrid, we also thought about three different levels of practice/involvement and the positions they imply - the level of the institution, the level of collective practice, and the level of outside collaborators or ‘outreach’ if you like. Maybe it’s a PWB habitus that made me propose these three levels in order to also try map out problems from different viewpoints, to see how problems play out at different levels. Do you have any thoughts on how this multi-level mapping/proposing has worked with the Surviving Internships guide, and/or how PWB tries to engage thinking and solidarity across different positions/levels in the arts?’

Kara: Yes, we have these different positions and levels involved in the ethics codes and tools because those were also the positions reflected in the group. We would not prescribe ethical positions for people but, as we said before, from the conundrums each of us was facing in our different fields of practice and out of a collective will to fight across divisions that are imposed by the structural inequalities and violences of the field. So the group involved art lecturers and their students, curators and interns at their organisations in the same meetings, for a period someone from the Latin American Workers group we were developing actions with in relation to the immigration raids, all of us working out what ethics meant across these different concerns. This was sometimes unsettling and uncomfortable as we were straddling two systems of work at the same time: one striving for an ethical way to be and another producing us in various forms of opposition with each other. The tensions of this transversality were important to work through in shifting our perspectives from the divisions created by institutional paradigms. Very practically though, having representatives from these various positions was crucial in producing actions as we would work from the various knowledges at different levels of an organisation to stage protests etc. It has also been important in terms of dissemination of tools, messages and actions, as we have not had to promote them outside of our own fields of reference, but rather through our own friendship and working networks. We have not done follow up research on the usage of these tools, but anecdotally we share moments of their use all the time and have grown a larger community of people who in term disseminate them as and when they are useful to people.

JG: On reflection of six years of working together, we began the process of building an organisation that was based in ethics rather than production, individual authorship etc. We spoke a bit about what this meant for us in our ‘other work’ in the art field at the beginning of the conversation, but at this point in history and particularly in the UK it seems important to think about what organisations based on this kind of an ethics code might look like, at the very least as the basis for formulating new demands.

Carrie: Yeah, that’s for sure; organisations based in ethics are far from trendy here! This would be a huge overthrow.

Adele: Well, at the very core is that cultural work be seen within the context of broader socially reproductive work, and the production of commons, not a separate sphere governed by bureaucrats, elites or special ‘creative’ people.

Martha: It would position itself in relation to specific issues, and those involved would be effected by these issues i.e. issues in the neighbourhood where the organisation was situated, or the conditions of it workers. It would use this as the basis for forming solidarity relationships.

Kara: It would make, commission and show work in the framework of this solidarity. It would not become closed, but rather invite others to join if they are willing to make commitments to the work.

Lola: It would understand itself as investigating and learning from its work. It would support its workers with care and viable (even joyful!) living and working situations. It would be non- hierarchical, it would create environments of support, and it would take sides and not be aligned with forces of exploitation. It would be free of all corporations and private interests.

Carrie: Like I said, arts organisations basing themselves on ethical questions would be a huge overthrow!

2 - Carla Cruz for Common Practice. Practicing Solidarity. London: 2016. http:// www.commonpractice.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/ CommonPractice_PracticingSolidary.pdf

3 - This quote was voiced by Lila Watson at the UN Conference on Women in 1985, but she suggests it emerged out of practices of collective struggles and should therefore not be attributed to her. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilla_Watson

4 - http://precariousworkersbrigade.tumblr.com/ethicscode

5 - See Precarious Workers Brigade, ‘Tools for Collective Action: People’s Tribunal’ in Dis magazine. http://dismagazine.com/discussion/21416/tools-for-collective-action-precarity-the- peoples-tribunal/

6 - Carrotworkers’ Collective. Surviving Internships – A Counter Guide to Free Labour in the Arts. 2011 https://carrotworkers.wordpress.com/counter-internship-guide/

7 - http://precariousworkersbrigade.tumblr.com/Toolbox

8 - an updated version of ‘Training for Exploitation?’ has been published in January 2017 with Journal of Aesthetics & Protest Press and is available at: https://www.joaap.org/press/trainingforexploitation.htm

[The original 2012 draft is available here: https://carrotworkers.wordpress.com/2012/05/02/training-for-exploitation- towards-an-alternative-curriculum/]

9- http://precariousworkersbrigade.tumblr.com/post/24253388147/migrant-bust-cards-are-here- translated-into-20

10 - http://precariousworkersbrigade.tumblr.com/Toolbox