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mccoyyy · 3 years

Note

Bring historical accuracy to Carlisle's early life, pretty please 🥰

absolutely (and thank you @pandabooraccoon and the other two anons who asked something similar to this too I love you so much). I'm putting this under a read more cause, yeah

ok, to start of with I am nowhere near an expert, but this time period in history really fascinates me cause there was so much going on.

so Carlisle was born in 1640′s London, and at the time there was a shit tonne of religious and political upheaval going on. You had the Union of Crowns, disagreements over the Church systems, covenanting, Civil War and Cromwell, Executions and the removal and restoration of the Monarchy. Shit was mad. But I’m gonna start with Carlisle’s dad (I’m going to call him Abraham but full credit for that one goes to @panlight) cause I have so many thoughts

Abraham was a pastor in 1640. He most likely started working when he was breached and then took over as Pastor (Preacher) after his dad died. I’m going to say he was born around 1620, married in 1639ish and then Carlisle was born a year later. So he would be what, 20 when Carlisle was born.

First of the bat, there is no way that Abraham would still be alive and kicking when Carlisle was 23. The life expectancy back then was just under 40, so a 43 year old Abraham cutting about burning witches (and we’ll get to that in just a moment) just isn’t realistic but neither are vampires so oh well. In terms of religion if were being historically accurate, then Abraham would have most likely been an Anglican pastor as that was the dominant form of church in England at the time and he would have been fucked up by the mob/church/general public/all of the above for being anything else

However, it gets sticky when you bring in the idea of Puritanism. I firmly believe that Abraham would have loved Cromwell and puritanism (cause I like to headcanon him as an utter dick) but if were doing that then it creates a problem. If Abe was a devout Protestant Anglican, he would have believed in the divine right of kings (a monarch has no authority other than the word of god and therefore doesn't need to listen to anyone else) and therefore seen Charles I as the mouth of God, and had issues with the whole execution thing, so if Abe was a Puritan, then he would probably have to be a Presbyterian (dominant form of church in Scotland and also the parliamentarians) but again, this causes problems cause no one really liked Presbyterianism (understatement). It’s possible that he could have been influenced by Cromwell and switched from Anglicanism but religion back then was very different to what it was now, it took a lot to get people to change their ideas over faith (see the plague) so I’m gonna go out on a limb and blame Charles I who first started to undermine parliament and try to start Absolutism which lead Abe to change his loyalties. Either that or he supported Cromwell’s agenda but didn’t agree with execution which is the most likely option tbh.

With Abraham out of the way, we can now move on to our boy. Carlisle, the son of a pastor in 1640, there is no fucking way that this dude didn’t know the year/date he was born. Know why? cause dates were recorded by none other than the fucking church. aka his father. Carlisle is just bad with dates but that's ok buddy i guess that happens when your like 300. Secondly, his dad wouldn’t have raised him. It would have been left up to his mum, but cause she wasn't around he would have been raised by a wet nurse until he was breeched and entered the adult world at the ripe and grown up age of six (at least I think but I’m not 100% sure) when he would have started helping his father with sermons, and received an education of some form (probably a clerics education). Either way, he would have been helping his father at a very young age and exposed to so much shit

Back to Abraham for a wee second. Smeyer writes that he hunted down and burned vampires but again, this isn’t likely. Vampire hunters did exist but not in London. They were most common in Bulgarian/Serbian beliefs and even then they were very different to the modern idea of vampire hunters. And secondly, they wouldn’t have been burned! pyres weren’t used in the 1600s and instead would probably have been killed through hangings, torture or trials to determine whether they were a witch or not. So the good news is, Carlisle didn’t have to watch women being burned alive from the age of like six, he would only have to watch women being drowned, tortured, disembowelled, branded and hanged! and not just women accused of being witches, but most likely Catholics too!

We don’t know much about Carlisle’s life from his birth to his ‘death’, so I’m gonna take creative liberty and make some stuff up. London in the 1640s was utterly awful. It was dark, bleak, and really smelly. He was pretty lucky in terms of the plague cause the only major outbreaks occurred just before him and just after him (1603, 25 and 65) but there would have been the odd outbreak. I like to believe that Carlisle was an argumentative little shit and from the age of like 10 argued with his dad about literally everything. Canon says that Carlisle didn’t agree with his fathers particular brand of faith, so I’m going to go out on a limb and say that whilst he was still a protestant, and most likely Anglican, he probably followed an early form of religious tolerance at the least. Lutheranism didn’t reach England until around the enlightenment so I don't want to call him that but it was in existence in Germany at the same time so others had probably moved towards it a little, it just didn't have a name. His tolerance probably came from watching his father punish Catholics from the age of six, and their main argument as he got older was probably regarding tolerance of Catholicism. As much as I hate to say it, its low key unrealistic that Carlisle wasn’t married as a human so that would probably have been another point of contest between Carlisle and Abraham.

During Cromwell’s puritan reign was the most prominent witch-hunting years too, so if were being really nit-picky then Abraham would probably have only started hunting witches or at least started doing it a lot more frequently than he previously did round about here.

Cromwell died in 1658, and the monarchy was restored in England in 1660, but Carlisle’s dad most likely still followed puritan ideals and was not happy with the restoration period, and again, the revival of Christmas, theatre and fun was something that 20 year old Carlisle and Abraham would have disagreed over. Carlisle would have taken over a lot of his fathers duties round about this time, leading sermons and all that because Abraham should have been dead by now so I guess smeyer can have that one.

And now we get up to our boy’s final years. And this is like shooting still targets. Carlisle was hunting vampires in London sewers when he got bit, and then crawled into a potato cellar where he writhed in agony for 3-4 days. Firstly, sewers. The London sewage system wasn’t built for one or two hundred years. London was so fucking smelly. Like so much so that if it was sunny the house of commons/Westminster had to be evacuated cause the (literal) shite in the Thames would have warmed up and became especially pungent, and it was only when it started to affect MP’s that they though that maybe they should do something about it (which is probably another reason that super-senses-vampire Carlisle boosted to France as soon as possible). So he wouldn’t have been fighting vampires in sewage systems, but instead an alley, slums, or even along or near the Thames if you want to keep the sewage aspect.

After being bitten, it would have been pretty difficult for Carlisle to drag himself into a potato cellar because he’d be crawling for quite some time. Potatoes didn't become a staple crop in society for quite a while. They were about and people ate them, but were largely seen as food for the lower classes in society, and there certainly wouldn't have been cellars filled with them.

Also just as a little end note, plague devastated London 5 years after he was turned so literally my favourite headcanon to give Carlisle is that he blamed the outbreak on himself. Yes, he may have went along with the miasmic theory that Plague was caused by bad air instead of his fathers ‘divine punishment’ theories, but there’s nothing like a good bit of puritan guilt am I right? seeing and maybe helping with the plague (masks and so many herbs stuffed inside them would have blocked the smell of blood) is also what I like to think made Carlisle want to go into medicine.

And there you have it. A (sort of) accurate version of Carlisle’s and Abraham’s life. and again, disclaimer, I am nowhere near an expert, so there might be inaccuracies and mistakes here. But basically, smeyer please. Google is free.

#god im such a nerd #ive literally been waiting for this excuse lol #history is something im seriously interested in so pair that with immortal vampires living in different time periods and im in heaven #watch someone who actually is an expert come along like 'yeah your completely wrong lol'#ask #stregoni-benefici #carlisle cullen #twilight headcanon #twilight #twilight renaissance #rach rambles

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sheena-isa-punkrocker · 3 years

Text

Patrick Hockstetter’s Parents HC

disclaimer I don’t write hc or stories or prompts for any fandom but this has been on my mIND for several months and i just gotta gET IT oUT-

these hcs are based on the movies and not the book mostly

pat’s mom is vietnamese and was an immigrant, his dad is reg yt

his dad actually served in the military during the vietnam war and was stationed there. he eventually met pat’s mom and they had a relationship

long story short, his dad brought pat’s mom to america before american troops left saigon

they married in america and lived in a few bases while pat’s mom got her green card and learned english over time

pat’s dad is originally from maine but not derry, eventually the couple moved to derry after his dad became ex military

pat’s mom became fluent in english at this point but she had an accent which people in town made fun of her for

also were at times racist against her

but dad put a stop to that when he was around or when she brought it up to him

they do like the small town life, prefer it better than being in the big cities or on a military base for sure

soon pat was born and pat’s mom became a stay at home mom most of his childhood, only when he was in middle school to high school did she get a part time job at the library

dad works as a clerk at an office

NOW FOR THEIR PERSONALITIESS

pat’s dad is more calm and laid back although friendly, is a more open minded individual, can actually speak vietnamese!, he doesn’t speak about his military time except if it has something to do with his wife like a memory or smth

pat’s mom is the more extroverted one but not wildly so ambivert maybe?

is DEF the one that will say her opinion if she disagrees with something tho whereas dad will let it pass but she doesn’t express it in an aggressive way (kinda like “i dont agree with that because such and such”)

has no problem chastising pat on chores i.e. washing dishes, laundry, cleaning his room/the house in general lol its kinda funny to see her telling him to do something and he does it with a scowl on his face every time

there are times where she is a bit hard on him, it’s mostly due to how she was raised since in viet culture, a lot of pressure is put on first born sons esp

she does feel bad at times for that though and lays off for awhile

this is also due to avery’s death

since avery died and pat is now their only son, both mom and dad let pat get away with ALOT OF STUFF more than he should esp when it comes to school problems they just feel guilty

and yep u guessed it he takes advantage of that we’re not surprised here

but they are loving parents much to pat’s annoyance lol

pat’s mom conceals her viet accent in public tho, due to comments ppl in town have made about it

but at home she doesn’t care to keep it up

she tried to teach pat viet, still hoping he becomes fluent at some point lmao but thats a pipe dream and she kinda knows it loool

she talked to pat in viet when he was a baby, and to this day he understands what she says in viet but he just responds in english (cant write viet either)

its cuz he’s lazy and doesn’t see a point in learning it its for the culture u bastard omfg

VERY RARELY he will reply ONE WORD to his mom in viet (like she asked to pass her the salt or some shit and he says “yeah here” or smth) and she smiles every time he rolls his eyes

if she has trouble understanding something, his dad will translate in vietnamese for her

yes she makes viet food including pho but she has to replace trad ingredients for whatever replacement she can find at the store

pat’s mom was originally catholic, his dad wasn’t but they all go to church together so pat was raised catholic (i think it mentions in the book that he is but idk and am too lazy to look it up again ealfvneakv)

he’s baptized, received first communion and is confirmed and yes there are pictures of it in his house lmaooo but he’d rather die then talk about it so not even the bowers gang know about it

his parents love him obv cuz they good parents

he’s rather annoyed by their existence and its not overly friendly nor overly mean to them

they’re just kinda... there.. at times to him

like roommates lol its sad but they dont realize his true feelings obv

however he doesn’t like it when ppl in town make racist comments about his mom or his dad being married to her and death glares at any person that makes a comment

its more along the lines of “i can cause my parents discomfort but not YOU” type of thing tho dsvdjfvfj he’s not a noble person

has def punched henry for this reason so henry doesn’t say shit anymore

both his parents try to blend viet and american culture in their household

they like the other bowers gang bois and are very nice to them, they give them advice when needed, they usually leave the bois alone tho if they are hanging out at pat’s place while they’re there

the bois like them and are cool with them

they also tell the story of how they met and left vietnam together and got married every anniversary to pat and he feels like his soul is being ripped out of his skin every time alskvnarlab he doesn’t care AT ALL

this kinda turned into more about pat’s mom than anything lol but i hope i did good its been 6 yrs since i made hc about something lmao

if u wanna add anything let me know! i’d be glad to make a part 2 to this or other bowers gang hcs too!

#it 2017 #it chapter 2 #patrick hockstetter #henry bowers #victor criss #belch huggins #bowers gang #Stephen king

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thisiskatsblog · 3 years

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By Larrie I meant do you still believe Harry and Louis are together?

See, for me “identifying as a Larrie” and “believing Louis and Harry are together” are two very different things. The curiosity about whether Louis and Harry were together are what brought me here all these years ago, and even if, back then, I drew the conclusion from what I could see that something must be going on behind closed doors, I didn’t identify as a Larry (which is what it was called then) and I’m rather having more than less trouble with that so many years later.

“Believing Louis and Harry are together” is, to me, is on the level of epistemology: what we think we can know, what we believe to be true and how we justify that. And on that level, I have often said that, all things considered, I was convinced that Louis and Harry were a couple. I haven’t followed anything closely for quite some time, so I don’t know if I’d still say that, but I haven’t heard or seen anything to the contrary - and there was the giant H on Louis’ t shirt at his livestream which is the only thing I’ve seen recently, so I might lean towards yes, they could very well still be together.

“Being a Larrie”, in my view, is on the level of identity politics, and I have a problem with that, in general, but particularly in the context of this fandom.

There’s this great book by the French-Lebanese writer Amin Maalouf, about “circles of identity”, where he describes that we all have multiple identities, and it depends on the context which “circle of identity” is activated - and these circles can be concentric or intersect, and when they do, it can be very confronting when others deny that those circles could intersect and say it’s either/or.

For example - while living in the US, I really felt my “European” identity being activated, I looked and behaved so differently from Americans, I felt I stood out, and I would have introduced myself as from Europe, before I’d explain I’m from Belgium. Meeting other Europeans there, however, it’d be the first thing I said that I was Belgian. Also, religion was so important in the US, that I’d suddenly have to think about whether to explain that I was raised catholic, but Europe is pretty secular, and in fact I was more of an agnostic and/or atheist - things that in secular Europe really didn’t matter one bit, so the US really activated the religious identity circle and I suddenly had to decide in which circle I stood.

But then back home, when Brexit happened a few years ago, I felt strongly confronted with my 1/8 British roots and really felt “cut off”, and unwelcome - I think that was the first time I felt how painful it can be to have roots in “different cultures” - until then I had felt pretty “whole” and all of the sudden there was this internal conflict between allegiances.

Anyway, you get the picture. And applying this to the fandom, I do not want to identify as “a Larrie” in most contexts, because it cuts me off from so many people in this fandom that are important to me. I have a friend who means a lot to me who only still follows Harry, and one of my favourite people in this fandom - I wouldn’t call her a Louie, I don’t know if she calls herself that, but she’s close with some Louies, and she’ll explain me “Louie” theories, I see some of her points, others not, and we discuss this rationally, sometimes agreeing to disagree - and she is very important to me. We go way back, we are both LGBTQ+, we have both defended Rainbow Direction with our lives. I do not want to activate a circle that cuts her off from me. So I wouldn’t spontaneously call myself “a Larrie” I don’t think - not even after all these years.

Except in a context, for example - and this has unfortunately happened too often before - where people are under attack from the press for example, for expressing their belief that Louis and Harry are LGBTQ+ and are/were a couple - particularly when such an attack is mainly founded on the easy “Larries are conspiracy theory believers” type arguments, and the person attacking them is (as usual) completely tone deaf to the fact that many people who identify as Larries are in fact LGBTQ+ and probably better able than they are to pick up on the LGBTQ+ subtext of what Louis and Harry do and say.

I am an LGBTQ+ fan of Louis and Harry and I think they may still be together - though I’m framing this with disclaimers cause haven’t followed very closely lately, and I’ll defend LGBTQ+ people in this fandom who stand up for their beliefs against heteronormative blindness

But I think the Larries/antis and Larries/Louis/Harries debates in this fandom define circles that are considered as not intersecting, where it’s either/or, you are one or the other, and that cuts me off from people who are important to me

So I say no, because I won’t be cut off from LGBTQ+ friends in this fandom simply because they have come to a different conclusion or have different tastes in music or have a different favourite. In this fandom, I prefer to activate the “OT5″ and “LGBTQ+” circles of identity.

#identity #epistemology #larries #am i a larrie #circles of identity #amin maalouf #i think i wrote about him before #or talked to t about him #not sure #Anonymous #ask #oh my god i must be so tiring on your dashes with my overlong answers #anyway #i enjoy philosophizing about these things

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dr-gloom · 4 years

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Some thoughts/analysis on the new episode, because the video itself and people's reactions were bugging me

Disclaimers: I don't hate Patton or Roman, I'm not calling Patton abusive or manipulative, as those terms insinuate knowing what you're doing and I don't think Patton does know how he's coming across

- First I wanna just point out, as a few others have, that Thomas is once again wearing black and white while discussing a grey-area issue. I love the attention to detail

- The recap only really highlights that Thomas admitted to wanting something that contradicted Patton's statement of why he's a good person (or more specifically "perfect", which, as nice and friendly and lovely as that sounds, is a toxic mindset and I like that Thomas touched on that at the end), which is an interesting point to cover honestly, especially since later Thomas challenges Patton to call him a good person

- "Now kiddo, if you're gonna dish out Fs, why don't we make them friendly hugs?" I understand Patton was trying to lighten the mood and joke a little and all that, but he's not letting Thomas just... Be angry/upset. He's trying to control how he feels and steer away from negative emotions, which I thought he learned not to do??

- I love that Patton heard what he was saying and stopped. Good on him. But what he replaced it with is called guilt tripping and that's not much better. "I'm surprised you would say something like that about your friends. I always thought that when it came to your pals, that sort of language would be... Ineffable?" It may sound gentle and sweet, but he's still saying "you can't talk about your friends like that" (and I get it, we all know that's not how Thomas really feels, but again he needs to be allowed to express himself). You can tell from Thomas's face while Patton's talking that the guilt tripping worked, at least for a moment.

- Anyone else notice a little Logan shining through in Thomas's words/actions the first portion of the video?

- "If our goals aligned with his what would that say?" Uhmmm gee lemme think Roman... Maybe that you care about Thomas's mental health and desires???

- I think it's very telling that during the rap Thomas cuts Patton off right before he's about to say something that, judging from the graphics, was going to make him sound heroic and said "I made this choice", while looking very... Upset.

- Okay so when Thomas was all "why didn't I just talk to them???" I felt hella vindicated but the second time I watched I finally heard Roman say "I mean I kinda brought that up before but it got shut down faster than an Antarctic icepop shop". Like... Fuck, they seriously do not appreciate or listen to Roman at all

- Patton brushing them off with "Eh well hindsight is 20/20" pissed me off so much. No empathy whatsoever. Jesus Christ.

- Roman's reaction when Thomas said no to the whole future vision thing made me laugh and no one is talking about it

- But yeah Thomas talking about using foresight has a total Logan Vibe

- Patton's reaction when Thomas says "I made a decision with a blindfold on" is... Interesting...

- Seriously that cat analogy was so specific.....

- One should never base their decisions on "well they've helped me before so I owe them" like. No. Patton, Roman, stop. He should have decided to go because he wanted to, not because he owed it to them or you made him feel like shit

- "Those baby-making Catholics" lmfaooooo

- "You, thinking about giving their wedding a pass all because of a callback that, really, might not work out". That bugged me too, because it can just as easily be argued he gave up his big break for a wedding he barely participated during. If we're being completely logical here (and borrowing from a later concept of how our time is better used), his time would have been better-spent at the callback since he wasn't even mentally present at the wedding

- "Maybe they understand, and maybe they still want you to go to the wedding but feel too guilty to say so. Or, maybe you end up going to the wedding, and they feel guilty seeing you there because they feel like they took a big opportunity away from you". First off, they did (or would have, had the conversation taken place and they insisted he come). Secondly I personally feel like he owed it to them (and yes, I'm aware how that sounds but I can't think of better phrasing) to talk about it with 100% honesty on both sides, because now he's angry that he went to their wedding and they have no idea. Sure, the vid ends with them coming over to catch up, but if it hadn't? That's the kind of shit that festers very easily. I feel like he'd have been more satisfied if he had still decided to go after talking with them. I think Thomas realizes this too when he responds to Roman's question with a very sure, very adamant "No."

- "This was our chance to be there for them when it counted". I know this is me reading into things but it felt like he was saying anything else he may have done for them doesn't matter or isn't good enough

- "Why does their complexion matter" LMFAOOOOOO omg roman

- "... We can all agree that you're a good fellow-" "Can we? All agree on that?" Like fuck, Thomas still isn't sure what Patton thinks of him? That cuts deep. And... Patton still hasn't apologized. He conceeded that he's "been a bit much", which is far from the same thing

- pfffft what the fuck was Roman trying to do???

- "Well that's a relief... I think". Meaning Thomas still isn't fucking sure where Patton stands. I have to admit his dialogue did sound a bit circuitous

- he almost said GameStop lmfao

- why is he fixating so much on frogger

- "At least 16 graphics!" I died laughing

- "By the liquid lipstick of William Shakespeare" wut the fue? Lmao

- "just like you don't have to get him a hotdog" "I feel like you kinda do... Maybe". I know Janus says it later on but he was right when he said peppering in a few "I don't know"s and "maybe"s does not a conversationally-conscious person make. Like, he didn't even add the maybe until Roman reacted negatively to what he was saying

- I'm surprised Logan said it'd be wrong for Thomas to keep his money to himself tbh

- Roman mouthing "behoove". Like, c'mon dude, stop being such a dick to Logan when he's just trying to help

- Logan's so done he's not even trying to hide it. Like you can see the annoyance clear on his little pixelated face

- Also did anyone notice that Logan kept getting cut off so the next time he "spoke" he made them read it aloud so they'd actually fucking listen

- "Yeah! As long as that's not the main reason you're doing it!" Honestly though, most people do good things for their own benefit; tax benefits, That Good Feeling, compliments from others etc. It doesn't diminish the effect of the good act, so who cares?????

- "You shouldn't do a good thing just because it makes you feel good... I-I think." He's trying so hard but he's just not understanding how this works is he. Also it's interesting that he preaches holding to your values and not nitpicking situations yet he's literally doing it right now because last time he just... Needed to counter Janus and couldn't admit he'd had a fair point

- "Deceit said you'd be doing the right thing for a selfish reason if you did it for your own emotional gain". You can tell by his tone he's trying to make Thomas see Deceit as wrong and bad but like literally two seconds later he audibly confirms he feels the same way

"Definitely! Maybe... I think so... What do you think?" Tbh I'm proud of him for asking someone else's opinion, esp cause he's screwing this up so horrendously

- man if Roman being scared to share his opinion after Patton visibly disagrees isn't a huge red flag idk what is

- the world of the video game is called AU I'm screaming

- I'll always be salty that Roman once again shoved a "dark side" into the villain roll without asking

- I don't agree with Patton automatically assuming that just because the hero wants a reward, it means he doesn't care about the people he saves getting it. People can have multiple motives and wanting recognition isn't bad or evil or selfish

- I'm so fucking glad Thomas snapped and asked "am I not allowed to feel good if I do something good" because that's basically what Patton's saying and no one was addressing it. And Patton saying that can't be a valid motive is honestly fucked up

- during the trolley problem the options toggle the most between morality, anxiety, and denial. Idk, it's just interesting

- it's also interesting that Patton views moving the trolley as worse than letting it stay, meaning he thinks small active murder is worse than larger, passive murder. Not bad or good or anything, just interesting

- I hate hate hate that Patton silences Logan when he's the one who asked him to say something, especially since he follows that with "oh you can't really learn good morality from a book hahahaha". Like dude just acknowledge that you don't agree but there are other valid points of view, my god

- also you can tell from the color that Janus totally put that skip button in, meaning Logan really, really wanted to continue but Janus could see it wasn't going to get them where they needed to go

- "stu-ooper dooper unique mustache" lmfaooooo

- Thomas keeps coming back with something along the lines of "I need the answer to X so I can meet your expectations". He even says "I don't understand what I need to change so I can meet your standard". Last time I did a post like this, back when SvS came out, I said Patton has too much sway/control over Thomas, and he still does. Thomas doesn't try nearly as hard to "meet the standards" of his other sides, but in this instance he's desperate to know how he can appease Patton. I don't think that's necessarily a good thing, given that it's likely because he wants Patton to say without hesitation that he's a good person

- Roman thinks he's the problem I wanna cry

- "And I'm an awful driver" I laughed so hard

- "I only mean well when I say that that is the stupidest thing you have ever said" I can't stop laughing XD

- "You're just blowing smoke" seriously someone help me

- Roman's reaction when Thomas says he feels guilty just killed me. They all just acknowledged that Roman is his motivator and Thomas comes out and says his motives make him feel guilty? Ouch

- "Doing nothing is even worse!" Patton honey I'm begging you to please stop talking omg this is going so poorly

- "doing nothing is worse than doing a good thing for the wrong reasons" first off, who's to say what a wrong reason is, and secondly, that's an interesting take from the man who refused to move the trolley 👀

- oooof Thomas's relief when Logan cuts in though

- "Huuuuuhhhh I do need help" fuck, I wanna cry, poor Thomas

- "Logan, like you said this isn't your area of expertise" ITS NOT YOURS EITHER ROMAN OMG

- "Every point you've made in today's discussion has contradicted that sentiment" YES LOGAN JANUS SLAY. Also anyone else notice Patton looking to the others for validation because I Sure Did

- oh man though I thought Logan was finally getting the chance to lay into Patton and take him down a peg and it turned out to be Janus

- "Oh, is it not? Please, correct me if I'm wrong." yeah paTTON CORRECT HIM IF HES WRONG (notice how he doesn't even have an argument to that, all he can say is "you're wrong!")

- honestly the way he goes from 0 to 60 should've tipped us off that that was Janus

- I wanna know if Patton turned into a muscular frog irl

- idk Patton feels like a villain when he's all "Thomas you choose!"

- "What have you done with Logan?!" "Nothing at all and I resent the question" weeeeeelp there goes loceit

- even Janus admits Patton is misleading unintentionally can we all calm down now

- I find it interesting that Thomas willingly stays behind Janus

- "Sure if he's in that kind of situation then of course he should focus on himself. But does he deserve it? I don't know." *Record scratch* excuse me wHAT?????? And like, you can't ignore the obvious symbolism behind that attack missing Janus and hitting Thomas. Thomas is knocked out and Patton just ... Keeps talking? Jesus fucking christ

- and Roman so adamantly attacking Janus has a very pre-AA vibe to it

- "Not that any of you care, but I am unharmed, and I don't want to talk about it." Thomas looks like the only one genuinely concerned when he says this and that hurts

- Janus looks so happy that Logan's backing him I wanna cry my baby aaaaaaa

- SOMEONE FINALLY ACKNOWLEDGED THE CHOICE ROMAN MADE AAAAAAA THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU can we stop acting like Janus is evil now please

- "Well when is it enough?!" ".... Trees?" I'm STILL LAUGHING SOMEONE HELP ME

- I'm so fucking happy Thomas doesn't agree with Roman about trusting Janus

- Roman laughing and saying Janus's name is stupid and Janus's jab about him and Remus just... Gutted me y'all. Thems some hurt boys. And he looks to Thomas and Patton and they just... Can't side with him, cause they know that was hella fucking rude of Roman.

- I genuinely believe that Janus's nod meant Thomas was telling the truth. Based on his facial expression (which was slight but idk I notice more stuff than most people apparently???) He was trying to reassure Roman. And Roman just... Took it the completely wrong way, because he still thinks all Janus does is lie. When Roman says "wow, I can't believe this" you can actually see Janus's smile disappearing, because he realizes Roman took the nod the wrong way

- aaaaand then he immediately goes into attacking Janus. *Sigh*

- "Everything's gonna be okay, kiddo. We love you." "*Scoff* Right." I truly believe the next video is gonna be about Roman, because there's no way in hell they could ignore the obvious hurt and self-deprecation coming off of Roman

- "Janus? Is there a limit to how many times a person can say sorry before you have to admit that they're just bad for you?" Patton was talking about himself. Whether Janus was trying too hard to be witty and missed that or what, his reply hurt Patton, and you can see that Janus realizes his mistake with Patton's reaction. We have to remember that this isn't a side who's used to how the others communicate, though. He doesn't spend time with them outside of the few videos he's shown up in because of how they treat him. It's gonna take him time to get the little things like this and until then there's gonna be a lot of hurt feelings and (hopefully) apologies

- Janus immediately backtracks once he realizes what the real question was and says "... it depends... How many things have they had to apologize for? How frequently do they have to apologize for things? How terrible were the things that they did? One of the biggest factors in my very humble opinion is whether or not they seem to be making an honest effort to do better" this is Janus trying to tell Patton "you aren't bad for Thomas. I see how hard you're trying. It's okay"

- you can totally see Janus realizing why Patton fights him so hard while Patton is explaining how hard shit's gotten as Thomas grows up

- "Janus?" "I'll take care of him" y'all I need the tissues

- Janus trying to lighten the mood with the whole push-someone-down-the-stairs thing just... Made me die laughing. Y'all know he's hella good at April fool's pranks okay? Okay

- "You're not stuck with an evil snake boy, you're just stuck with a snake boy" HES SUCH A DORK I LOVE HIM

- I reacted the exact same way to Thomas saying Janus was right omg

Again, I'm not saying I hate any of the characters, this is just a stream-of-consciousness analysis-and-commentary-type post on the new episode

#sanders sides #ts spoilers

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hallaevak · 4 years

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skam thoughts

hi ok i’m bored n sick so i’m here to give my (maybe unpopular? idk) thoughts on skam + remakes. i have seen most* remakes, but i’ll mention if i have not seen a particular season or not

first off: basic opinions (favorite remakes, favorite characters, etc)

fav jonas/eva remake:

- skam nl (kes/isa) - isa is, in my opinion, the most relatable eva remake. she’s so sassy and lovable! in general i’m not the biggest fan of the season 1 plot, but i think all jonas/eva pairings, chemistry wise, have been phenomenal. isa/kes are just a little bit more impressive in my opinion.

fav noorhelm remake

- this will be of no shock, as this is quite a popular opinion, but wtfock (senne and zoë). most william remakes kind of suck, and the general character dynamic between noora and william is not something i like. i enjoy the plot but a lot of williams are just...ew. i’m interesting in skam españa interpretation (nora and alejandro) but i can’t fully judge their season until it’s over. zoë is such a wonderful character and senne is actually not a dick! i sobbed when they broke up in s3.

fav evak remake

- i’m tied. either skam france/wtfock. i love the (for some reason controversial) dynamic between sander and robbe. i also love elu, like the basic bitch i am. elliott demaury OWNS me.

fav youssana remake

- honestly, i kind of didn’t like any of them (that are released). there’s only two out there, druck and skam france, and i didn’t like any. i’m sorrryyyy i just love sana bakkoush and no one could ever be better than her. oof! disclaimer i have not watched all of amira’s season/druck s4. i wasn’t personally interested but the acting was phenomenal.

alright now to remake-specific comments.

SKAM, the original, the og, love of my life, scandi legend that started this obsession

- honestly one of the best teen shows i’ve ever seen. the development of characters is so prominent. the acting, for mostly amateur teenagers, is mind blowing. maybe american shows just suck? but i’m absolutely in love with every character. they show such realistic stories and i applaud the skam team + actors for portraying their stories so well.

- the one comment i have is the noorhelm relationship. i just? i don’t like it. when i first watched skam i loved it. noora was hilarious (still think that) and the perfect independent woman model. i also liked william. i just wished they showed more of his vulnerability because his kind of static character is not doing it for me. he doesn’t show any evolution or change. idk, he’s still a wet fish in my eyes. obv this has no shade to the actors, thomas hayes is lovely. his character? not so much. i could write a whole essay on how flawed and dislikable william is.

now, the first remake: skam france

skam france, oui oui baguettes this remake really tickles my fancy

- as someone who kind of understands french, i really do like this remake. i have some issues with s1 and s2 but overall it is a solid remake. being the first, it makes sense for the seasons to seems little unoriginal. i still love emma and manon but their characters aren’t very authentic.

- s3 is where they really nailed it. elu’s immense popularity is only a testament to how truly wonderful the season is. the acting, the characters, slight changes in plot. i loved it. a lot.

- i wasnt impressed by s4 but it might just be my extreme love for iman meskini. no one could ever replace her.

- BUT S5. OH BOY. ROBIN. MY BABY. he is such a good actor and i love arthur he MUST be protected! i love that his shame is not romantically related. also as someone who is interested in deaf culture wow! i’m impressed by the research done by skam france. not only is his the first original season but it is excellently executed. noee is my mother i love her.

druck, likely the most liked remake to which i do not disagree with that statement

- druck is legendary. i really appreciate the small changes in plot and character dynamics that create an identity for each remake and druck is so so good at doing that. mia’s season is lovely and so is matteo’s, as well as the other two. i did not finish amira’s season as wtfock s3 started and i was a little too invested in that haha but i liked what i saw. the mia/noora drama annoyed me but it was okay. i saw it in the way how we all beg for evak/elu/nicotino/etc content in later seasons but then complain when noorhelm/jonas and eva content occur in later seasons, which is weird at best or just fetishization of gay couples at worst. take ur pick. i like it when previous plot lines kind of intertwine into the current ones as it shows that people’s shakes are not temporary and have immense effects on others (which is the point of skam, right?

skam italia, the controversial remake that said bye and then uno-reversed itself (thanks netflix)

- a lot of people don’t like skam italia. it’s understandable, as the actress for sana is not a woc or muslim. however, it is slightly understandable (but not defendable, i was way too disappointed when i found this out) given italy and it’s cultural background. it astonished me that they could even produce an isak remake due to their pretty strong religious beliefs. italy is very much roman catholic, and gay marriage isn’t even legal there (this is the only skam where gay marriage is not legalized). so i give them major props to facing potential backlash in producing s2/marti’s season. it makes sense for there to not be a muslim/woc actress because of the demographics in italy. ww1 and ww2 really spun a number on italy’s race, as many jews and romas as well as pretty much any non-italian ethnicity were kicked out. this creates barriers especially when it comes to hiring a woc actress. skam italia is already breaking barriers when it came to controversial topics (literally all of skam would be controversial in italy’s alt-right view, it seems). tl;dr: kudos for being able to produce a pro-gay show but shame for not being able to hire a woc actess.

- i loved marti’s season as was a fan of the other two seasons. they’re well produced and beautiful and more dramatic than the other skams imo! the soundtrack is absolutely gorgeous.

skam austin, the american cousin no one seems to like that really lives up to the american stereotype

- ok. when i first saw austin/the fact that they made an american remake, i hated it. disgusting. i hâte america as it is. it was cringey, the acting was bad (i’m sorry i’m sorry), and it got rid of the charm that skam had.

- when i watched it a second time around, i changed my mind. i think grace’s season redeemed it a lil bit. it’s living proof that skam remakes must be watched twice or more to fully formulate an opinion. it’s still cringey but i mean, it’s very accurate to american culture. i’m ashamed to say that i, an american, have said many phrases that austin has used.

- skam austin isn’t THAT bad as people make it out to be. i think americans esp are uncomfortable with a skam from their own culture, myself included. and it’s fine to not vibe with it and prefer other skam remakes. i think the actors are okay, better when i saw it the second time, and the editing/music/videography is beautiful (ofc julie andem is a part of it). people give it crap for being american.

skam nl, may she rest in peace or pull an italia and 180 us

- man i was so depressed when i heard that lucas vdh was not getting his season. lucas is downright one of my favorite isak remakes and his story would’ve been so interesting.

- besides that, skam italia has one of the best eva seasons. it is my favorite and is usually a lot of others favorites as well. isa is just so relatable. liv’s season is also incredibly well produced. i didn’t hate noah! it was a miracle come true. he redeemed the william character if only for one remake.

- my one comment/critic isn’t even that serious. it’s just? dutch? it sounds so...weird. i’m a stupid american but i cracked up at things that were definitely NOT jokes because of the language. i’m sorry netherlands/holland i do not mean to laugh.

skam españa, also controversial for good reasons but also conflictingly good

- alright folks. i am confused with skam españa. i don’t know if i love it or like it.

- hear me out. we all know of the controversy with the panphobic comment that nora made. it was stupid and uncalled for and really disrespected the whole pan community of viewers. now, not many people are pan but for a show where an original character (even bech næsheim, love of my life) is canonically pan? it was kind of a slap to the face.

- besides the comment i loved cris’ season. it was refreshing to get an isak season where it was a she, one, and where isak was not living with his eskild but instead had a family. it was also beautifully shot and i love irene with my entire heart.

- that said, i liked eva’s season. nora’s season is interesting. maybe it’s because it’s the first i’ve watched multiple seasons live (españa and france) and have no attention span and is more interested in skam france s5? idk. the clips aren’t really doing it for me. i love the viri clips but the nora clips are eh. she just seems very...in genuine? idk. i also hate miquel get his ugly ass out of here. i can’t fully analyze the season until it’s over but i’m not really interested in it. i also don’t like the noorhelm plot or dynamic at all so that may be it.

wtfock, or another controversial remake that imo shouldn’t be controversial

- wow. i love wtfock. s1 was rocky and i wasn’t sure of how it would be. s2 SLAPPED ME THRU THE ROOF. god i love senne de smet so much. zoë is actually redeemable??? and oh my god milan is my favorite eskild like please adopt me.

- season 3 was the first one i watched live. i arrived to the skam scene late so i didn’t get to experience march madness aka 5 live skams at once and i wish i did. but wow. willem ds and willem h really are one of the main reasons why wtfock s3 did so well. they’re amazing actors with incredibly chemistry.

- the controversy that imo should be controversy: the gay bashing scene. i was surprised at the backlash. people were upset over the fact that they showed such...intense events without immediate remediation. it’s understandable to be mad but? they were criticizing things that had no correlation with the scene, like the willems’ acting or the music picked. it was very wild. they also did a lot of bitching about how lgbt people should see gay bashing because it’ll bring back bad memories and that skam was for the gays only and should cater for only lgbt people. which i heavily disagree with. 1) gay bashing in media is so prevalent and downright important. things can’t be fluffy gay all the time. this happens in real life and does such a great complement to noor’s comment about how no one cares that robbe is gay because it’s 2019. THAT. IS. SO. IMPORTANT. it’s so so important to realize that despite the strides made for lgbt people, gay bashing and violent homophobia. still. exist. also. i would like to direct you to these examples of gay bashing where no one blinked an eye : queer as folk, where s1 justin gets bashed in at his prom and has difficulties drawing; s2 (i think? may be s1) skam españa where lucas rubio gets bashed; skam s4 where even and isak encounter a homophobic dick; these examples are endless. the one thing that miffed me the most was that many critics acted as if they were forced to watch wtfock and therefore criticize its every move. like no? you have a choice? no one is forcing you. quite the opposite! wtfock is geoblocked! you’re actually forcing yourself because you’re taking the time to find illicit resources in order to watch it! alright man i’m done with this rant. many also criticized the writing of the show. it was shaky but watching it a 2nd time, where all clips were released, was so much better when it came to clarity. many ‘poor writing choices’ made sense in the larger picture. again another example that you should watch skam remakes twice to understand the big picture.

- tl;dr wtfock is lovely and should not be criticized for one wrong move.

thank u for hearing me out. i have strong opinions but a frail heart. pls be nice!

#skam #skam france #druck #skam italia #skam espana #wtfock #skam nl #skam austin #evak #elu #sobbe #skam is my love

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breitzbachbea · 3 years

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(p1) okei, what i think I can gather about you from your art/writing,(bare in mind i haven't read your long fics/most drabbles yet tho). Your 200+ OC's of different nationalities show you want to live in a thousand cultures, have a thousand lives and live in every part of history, but as you cannot, you have 200 OCs which is almost like containing 1000 souls (very relatable tho).... But 200+ OCs and your longest AU's are massive, show yeah 👀👀 And you enjoy ships that bicker... cos....

(pt2) cos the intimacy needed for that is HUGE. You love the 'i love you, i hate you, but i cannot escape from you' -> bonus points if it's history, language or culture that ties your ship together. Additionally: -completed devoted to the one they love (and would suffer for them) is a dynamic that interests you -u think the italian language is hot af -i get the feeling that michele is either how u want to be loved (idyllic love), or michele is how you love, cos that's your comfort ship (sic/ire)

1. That's pretty accurate! I have this fear that I'll never have enough time on this earth to do what I want (but I've been working on getting rid of that fear. There's enough time). I'm so fascinated by the world that we're living in, what used to be and how it relates to what is. The endless multiplicities of identity that a group can contain or even an individual.

So indeed, I make OCs based on what I learn about the world and in turn the OCs give me a good way to interact safely with the knowledge I find. It's a perpetuum mobile of creativity and knowledge.

And history is just the entirety of human experience on this planet, so trying to breathe some more life into it via Historical AUs is one of my favourite ways to engage with it. I love writing term papers as much as trying to apply the scientific findings to actual people. (I think one of my favourite things may be Sexuality in the res publica AUs, the do's & don't's that aren't the same as they are now. I freed Michele & Lovino from their catholic guilt, only to immediately constrain them with the class & gender expectations of the Roman Republic lmao).

2. I never thought about it like that, but yes! I enjoy bickering because it's an admission of closeness! You can't have friendly bickering if you're not close! (Which is why Hugo & Alois Are Like That. I enjoy them constantly mocking each other greatly, but it's never friendly and it always ends in a mess).

My family had and has its shares of problems, but I know that we love each other. Immensely. We're also that kind of family to constantly poke fun at each others, so I think that's why I instinctively resort to this kind of dynamic, with any kind of close relationships. It's not the ONLY one, because that would be boring, there are so many more ways to express love and it naturally doesn't suit every kind of character.

(I just remembered when we were at the lunch table and my dad spotted a magpie on the stable roof.

Mom: " ... why are my curtains pulled back again?"

Dad: "So that I can watch magpies.")

Here are some more non-romantic examples from my work/with my characters:

AA(The last one was a response to a tiktok that was basically "Asking your nice friends for fashion advice vs asking your mean/honest friends for advice")

3. I DO love the "i love you, i hate you, but i cannot escape from you". Maybe also for personal reasons, we're not getting that private on here. It's one of the inherent tragic aspects of Hetalia that has fascinated me for a long time: They're human and they feel like humans, but they lack part of their free will. They somehow have to survive entire lifetimes, loving and hating and remembeand worse, they have to bear decisions they themselves don't necessarily make. The relationships they form with the only other people like them, whether it'd be bonds of platonic, familiar or romantic love, the only solace and stability might have, may be snatched away from them. It can turn to hate or grow cold or another nation can disappear afterall and there is nothing they as individual people could have done about it. It's a double-edged sword - You tie yourself to someone who could be your raft as well as sink you to the bottom of the ocean.

I inevitably ended up keeping this kind of relationship in my "Like Father Like Son" Universe. Now, quick disclaimer - I am not saying they are solely the victim of their circumstances. They're all criminals in my AU and I have zero patience for making excuses for the Organized Crime. I worry greatly about the problematic aspects of my work and am well aware of them. The last thing I ever want to do is actively romanticize the Mafia. I want to add for the following part, too, that I draw as much on the real world as possible, but the structures of the organized crime in LFLS are a little more reminiscent of Monarchy or Aristocrazy.

With that out of the way however, the worldbuilding in LFLS mirrors their existence in Hetalia. Escaping their position would come with great dangers, even though their existence as is will never allow them true happiness. They're different from the people around them and there is a special connection between the Hetalia characters as bosses here - All of them inherited this position. They all basically suffer under the same yoke, they all are faced with the same difficulties. And, like in Hetalia, some of their decisions are out of their control. Business overrides their private life. They have to look out for their own people and families, for their own survival, so they may hurt the ones they love. And yet, and yet, they cling to one another. Try to make it as functional as possible. Take the pain for the relief. It's not pretty, but it's fascinating as an onlooker and fictional tragedies are also a great outlet for one's own emotions.

4. That also kind of ties in with "completed devoted to the one they love (and would suffer for them) is a dynamic that interests you". Hells yeah it does, because two people losing themselves is beautiful. Yes, it can be toxic, yes one should take care of oneself and have boundaries. But unconditional love is something I believe we all yearn for and I hope I one day get to devote myself to someone else again, as much as is healthy.

Again, it's also not just perfect for lovers, but for siblings and guardian figures. Paddy would lay his life down for Harry, Charlie & Soph. ("There's no pain that I won't go through/Even if I have to die for you" - Starset; "I love my children more than anything in this life! I will chose their happiness over mine, every time!" - Slightly changed version of Congratulations from the Hamilton Mixtape).

Gilbert who's so eager to be here for Ludwig and to protect him; to take anything off his brothers shoulder that he can.

And on the romantic side, is there anything better than two people simping head over heels for each other??? Or when a character wants to kiss/fuck another one so bad that it makes him look stupid??? I also love more quiet, more serene relationships, but to appreciate their calm, you have to make a storm to compare them to. All storm or all calm only gets you bored and exhausted.

5. Hell yeah do I think the Italian language is hot af, who'd disagree with me? It also unlocks emotions that were previously unavailable when I listen to Italian music. (German does the same. There is just something to each language that it can express certain feelings in a way like no other). YOU tell me that you listen to Shimmy Shimmy by Takagi & Ketra and aren't hypnotized by Giusy's voice. No other soundtrack for my Sicilians, Greeks and Turks fooling around on a beach and being highly erotic with each other.

6. Hm, this may be tying in with 2 again. I think I'm more of a Harry, personally, to be honest! (Nerdy, got aggression problems, cheeky, hothead, can't really cook). I think SicIre is my comfort ship because it's the type of love my parents had. It's what I am most accustomed to and there's also just a beauty in not caring what the rest of the world has to say and doing your own thing. And Harry isn't the prettiest bloke on the block and will probably never think of himself as beautiful, but that is fine because Michele looks at him like a sky full of stars. And the entire world can tell him Michele's a bastard, Harry won't listen to them. From a hetalia standpoint, these two are islands who had to suffer a lot from foreign occupation and being regarded as backwards & weird. Sicily tries to keep the autonomy it has and makes sure that others know they aren't like the mainland and Ireland fought hard for its independence from the British empire. From a LFLS standpoint, Harry embraces Michele with all of his past baggage and jagged pieces. Harry is the first person Michele never fell out of love with, the only one, and he's here to reassure Harry that he is worth caring for every step of the way.

#beareplies #amber #wow this was LONG lol #about me

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sundayeveningthoughts · 4 years

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The Talk in Three Phases: Part 2 — Black is Beautiful

Sunday Evening Thoughts

February 16, 2020

Dear Rachel and Paul,

Black is Beautiful

I am dark but desirable,

O daughters of Jerusalem,

like tents of Kedar,

like Solomon’s curtains.

Do not look on me for being dark,

for the sun has glared on me,

My mother’s sons were incensed with me,

they made me a keeper of the vineyards.

My own vineyard I have not kept.

Tell me, whom I love so,

where you pasture your flock at noon,

lest I go straying

after the flocks of your companions.

—If you do not know, O fairest of women,

go out in the tracks of the sheep,

and graze your goats

by the shepherd's shelters.

Song of Songs 1:5-8 (Translation by Robert Alter, The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary)

It has been a difficult three weeks deciding which texts from the Song of Songs to analyze in detail. It is very easy to choose libidinous texts like “Your eyes are like doves,” or “Your hair is like a herd of goats,” or “Your teeth like a flock of matched ewes” (that will get you a date!). But in the current trend if you said to anybody other than your girlfriend, “Your two breasts are like two fawns” or “Your lips nectar” or “Your robes the scent of Lebanon,” you will probably get arrested. On the other hand, if she says, “Let my lover come to his garden and eat his fruit,” I interpret that as a “Yes!”

Remember the author of Song of Songs takes each person and has the other describe the physical characteristics of the other in pastoral nature-terms from the top of their head to the bottom of their feet, and yes, every body part. But I’ll leave that for you to play with… the text, the text... no pun intended!

Full disclosure: Very little of the exegesis I am providing is my original thought. 99% of it comes from Robert Alter, Professor of Hebrew Languages at U. of California, Berkeley, and author of The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary; 50% comes from Michael Coogan, Professor of the Semitic Library, Harvard University, and author of God and Sex: What the Bible Really Says; and 45% from Jennifer Wright Knust, Professor of Religious Studies at Duke University, and author of Unprotected Texts: The Bible’s Surprising Contradictions about Sex and Desire. How does it add to more than a 100%? Because by-and-large, all three agree on the meaning behind the texts in Song of Songs.

Song of Songs 1:5-8 is fascinating. So let’s start…

“I am dark but desirable” opens this section with an interesting disclaimer. Is it a protest or an attribute? The ancient beauty of black women like Cleopatra, Nefertiti, and the Queen of Sheba are well known. Historians disagree on the “blackness” of each of these women, but all are historically known as being beautiful, strong, black women.

Still, why the conjunction “but”? Why is darkness viewed as less desirable? It is interesting that even today in many parts of the world the darker a woman is, the lower the social class she is thought to be associated with. But, before we judge people in countries that subscribe to that notion, Michelle Alexander points out in her book The New Jim Crow that Americans are in many ways worse, because we legalize it into our way of life by legislating exorbitant fees and jail time for petty traffic violations in Southern American cities that keep black Americans impoverished. This happened to a black, female Thinker here in Hampton Roads. Nevertheless, the female protagonist in Song of Songs confidently thinks of herself as “hot”!

“O daughters of Jerusalem” or in popular vernacular, “Listen you rich, white, city bitches, don’t think of yourself better than me.” Sorry for the aggressive tone, but I’m trying to be honest to the text. This is interesting in a couple of ways: Not only is she defending herself of her phenotypic characteristic, but she is also supporting the rural, agrarian view v. the city slickers. Why is this important? When I asked a Thinker who works in the Middle East, what is the real cause behind the civil war in Syria, they said that it is very much an economic battle of city v. rural, manufacturer v. farmer, or in reality, who controls the prices of goods. When farmers in Syria tried to raise their prices, Assad (the government) rejected buying it for their asking price. This led to the collapse of the rural economy. Assad then offered to buy farm goods at a guaranteed price to which the farmers agreed, but then raised the prices of fertilizers and other necessary farming manufactured goods to grow and produce the raw farm goods or food. This led to more protests of farmers, which then started to spread to suburban dwellers, because farmers could not pay for their purchases, which led to protests in the cities. And before you know it, the farmer, the small business person, and lastly, the poor city dwellers are being bombed by Assad with the help of both Russia and the U.S., all the while ISIS grows as an apocalyptic response to the societal problems created by greed, or in biblical terms the “daughters of Jerusalem.”

Welcome to the real world today! … and in ancient times!

“Like tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon” refers again to darkness, blackness. She is as black as the tents of Kedar. Kedar is a nomadic, dark skinned, Arab tribe which to this day, Arab Bedouins make their tents out of black goat's hair. And according to Alter, the root of Kedar q-d-r is the same root for black or darkness in Hebrew, thus a play on words which is lost on most of us. “The curtains of Solomon” were certainly viewed as cloth of royalty and beauty. Thus again, a playful poetic image, “she is as black and rough (in a feminist sense) as the tent of nomads, but as beautiful and exquisite as the finest fabrics of Solomon’s.” Alter also notes there are some sexual insinuations in this too. She can be as aggressive in bed as necessary to achieve her own sexual satisfaction, but can be as gentle as necessary for him to achieve his too. In this last sense, a poetic juxtaposition of parallel images.

“Do not look on me for being dark, for the sun has glared on me, my mother’s sons were incensed with me, they made me a keeper of the vineyards. My own vineyard I have not kept.” Again the female protagonist cries out for equal justice. She is black because she is made that way. And although her brother’s were incensed — “incensed” has the same root as “sun glaring,” thus again a Hebrew play on words referring to things being burned or blackened. She responds that they want to keep her locked up and maintain her virginity, but she responds she is her own self and has not kept her “vineyard.” Of course in an economic sense, they want her to work for them, thus she cannot be free economically to be self-fulfilled financially.

“Tell me, whom I love so, where you pasture your flock at noon, lest I go straying after the flocks of your companions” is a little tease on her part. “‘Hey babe, what are you doing this afternoon?’ she inquires with a shy smile. ‘A woman has certain needs too that must be fulfilled,’ she jests, ‘or should I call one of your friends?’ she says rhetorically.” Note the nature words used - pasture, flocks, attending sheep, creating images of pastoral scenes used in European art of the 1800’s and 1900’s through the American pastorals of the mid-20th century.

(Andrew Wyeth’s “Christina’s World” shows a pastoral scene of an unfulfilled woman longing for more.)

“If you do not know, O fairest of women, go out in the tracks of the sheep, and graze your goats by the shepherd's shelters,” he now speaks, playing along with her game. He also compliments her on her beauty “O fairest of women.” If she feels at all intimidated because of her darkness, rest assured, he likes it. Black is beautiful!

My favorite part of our visit to India last year, besides the actual wedding, was our visit to rural India. One of the things we saw were these little 6’ x 10’ lean-tos (shepherd shelters) with a straw roof that all farmers used in the late afternoon for shade from the hot sun and to store some extra products, as the temperature often approaches 112* F in the summer. One can easily see those lean-tos as a rendezvous for a young couple deeply in love with little chance of being caught in an afternoon by frolicing in the hay.

(Mom at a farmer’s hut in rural Chennai, India.)

This was our conversation when we were in rural India!

“Oh fairest of women… go out by the shepherd’s shelter..,” I encouraged. (1:8)

To which Mom said, “While the king was on his couch, my nard gave off its scent.” (1:12)

Yes, yes, I thought, it’s going to be a good day. What else should I say? I know, “O you are fair, my lover… our bed is verdant, too.” (1:16)

Mom responded, “Like a quince tree among the trees of the forest, so my lover among the forest. In its shade I delighted to sit, and its fruit was sweet to my taste.” (2:3)

“Look, Solomon’s bed!” she proclaimed. (3:7)

“What a stud I am!” I boastfully thought. (Extra biblical text not found in the Hebrew Bible)

Why are such graphic, sexual physical descriptions found in the Bible? Because it is precisely the most natural, most human characteristic we possess. Unfortunately, in my opinion, my church — the Catholic Church — still doesn’t get it. Natural human behavior is clothed in pious (and often sanctimonious) language from celibate priests with negative connotations of sin and hell. I don’t know, perhaps they still want to maintain control of the people like in the Middle Ages, but unfortunately for them, today the people are smarter than the priests. Fortunately, I think Pope Francis is starting to “get it.” After all, “who am I to judge” (Pope Francis in a 2013 interview on his book, Mercy).

Have a good week…

Love,

Dad

P.S. Songs of strong, black women are found often in hip-hop, especially from female singers. Tupac is a complex figure. On the one hand, he was often involved in violent situations, and on the other, many of his songs preach against many social injustices. Here is one about the wonderful role of strong, black women.

Crank it up!

youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYaR6LOnkak

Little somethin' for my godson Elijah and a little girl named Corinne

Some say the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice

I say the darker the flesh then the deeper the roots

I give a holler to my sisters on welfare

Tupac cares, if don't nobody else care

And uh, I know they like to beat ya down a lot

When you come around the block brothas clown a lot

But please don't cry, dry your eyes, never let up

Forgive but don't forget, girl keep your head up

And when he tells you you ain't nuttin' don't believe him

And if he can't learn to love you, you should leave him

'Cause sista you don't need him

And I ain't tryin' to gas ya up, I just call 'em how I see 'em

You know it makes me unhappy (What's that)

When brothas make babies, and leave a young mother to be a pappy

And since we all came from a woman

Got our name from a woman and our game from a woman

I wonder why we take from our women

Why we rape our women, do we hate our women?

I think it's time to kill for our women

Time to heal our women, be real to our women

And if we don't we'll have a race of babies

That will hate the ladies, that make the babies

And since a man can't make one

He has no right to tell a woman when and where to create one

So will the real men get up

I know you're fed up ladies, but keep your head up

Keep ya head up, ooh, child, things are gonna get easier

Keep ya head up, ooh, child, things'll get brighter

Keep ya head up, ooh, child, things are gonna get easier

Keep ya head up, ooh, child, things'll get brighter

Aiyyo, I remember Marvin Gaye, used to sing to me

He had me feelin' like black was tha thing to be

And suddenly tha ghetto didn't seem so tough

And though we had it rough, we always had enough

I huffed and puffed about my curfew and broke the rules

Ran with the local crew, and had a smoke or two

And I realize momma really paid the price

She nearly gave her life, to raise me right

And all I had to give her was my pipe dream

Of how I'd rock the mic, and make it to tha bright screen

I'm tryin' to make a dollar out of fifteen cents

It's hard to be legit and still pay your rent

And in the end it seems I'm headin' for tha pen

I try and find my friends, but they're blowin' in the wind

Last night my buddy lost his whole family

It's gonna take the man in me to conquer this insanity

It seems tha rain'll never let up

I try to keep my head up, and still keep from gettin' wet up

You know it's funny when it rains it pours

They got money for wars, but can't feed the poor

Said it ain't no hope for the youth and the truth is

It ain't no hope for tha future

And then they wonder why we crazy

I blame my mother, for turning my brother into a crack baby

We ain't meant to survive, 'cause it's a setup

And even though you're fed up

Huh, ya got to keep your head up

Keep ya head up, ooh, child, things are gonna get easier

Keep ya head up, ooh, child, things'll get brighter

Keep ya head up, ooh, child, things are gonna get easier

Keep ya head up, ooh, child, things'll get brighter

And uh

To all the ladies havin' babies on they own

I know it's kinda rough and you're feelin' all alone

Daddy's long gone and he left you by ya lonesome

Thank the Lord for my kids, even if nobody else want 'em

'Cause I think we can make it, in fact, I'm sure

And if you fall, stand tall and comeback for more

'Cause ain't nothin' worse than when your son

Wants to kno' why his daddy don't love him no mo'

You can't complain you was dealt this

Hell of a hand without a man, feelin' helpless

Because there's too many things for you to deal with

Dying inside, but outside you're looking fearless

While the tears, is rollin' down your cheeks

Ya steady hopin' things don't all down this week

'Cause if it did, you couldn't take it, and don't blame me

I was given this world I didn't make it

And now my son's gettin' older and older and cold

From havin' the world on his shoulders

While the rich kids is drivin' Benz

I'm still tryin' to hold on to my survivin' friends

And it's crazy, it seems it'll never let up, but

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gaiatheorist · 6 years

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A ‘sin’?

I suppose I ought to look up what Tim Farron actually said, it’s likely to have been phrased along the lines of ‘I believe that’, or ‘the Church teaches that’ homosexuality is a sin. It’s all relative, isn’t it. (Side-warp on whether incest is considered a sin, or just illegal and biologically damaging. Hey-ho, children, especially daughters, are still viewed as property in some cultures. Bloody religion.)

The former leader of the UK Liberal Democrats was repeatedly asked, during the recent election campaign, whether he believed that homosexuality was ‘a sin.’ He fielded, evaded, and dodged answering that question, because he was playing the political game at the time, and, at that point, stating that he believed that all non-heterosexual activity was ‘wrong’ wouldn’t have been great for business. That must have been very difficult for him, because he DOES believe that any parties not playing the game along the lines of ‘insert tab A into slot B’ deserve an eternity of being prodded by Beelzebub and his various minions. It was one of the reasons for his resignation, that his religious beliefs couldn’t be reconciled with the wider beliefs of his party. Stoical? To bite back a deeply held belief ‘for the greater good’, and then step down? I don’t know, I’m just getting a tinge of that thing where a person leaves a room after an argument, slams the door, and then walks back in to say “And another thing!”

I don’t like cauliflower, and I caught myself being a bit judgemental when I read that M&S are going to stop selling pre-packaged ‘Cauliflower Steak.’ I realised I was being judgemental 3/4 of the way down the article, where ‘Mushroom Mince’ was mentioned. Mushroom mince is great. Cauliflower is horrible. (Mushroom mince, if you have a few mushrooms loitering at the back of your fridge, starting to look a bit wrinkly and sad, chop them, and freeze them, the ‘mince’ can then be thrown into anything.) I don’t like cauliflower, so I don’t buy it, I’ve stopped buying the Morrisons ‘Wonky Veg Box’ for £3, because it had a cauliflower and a swede in it, and I don’t like either of them. I don’t like cauliflower, or swede, they smell like flatulence before they’ve even been digested, and no amount of creative seasoning can hide the taste of what they are. In my opinion. Some people like cauliflower and swede, and that’s perfectly acceptable. For them. (Profoundly ironic that the ex, who has such an aversion to eating vegetables that he’s probably going to end up with rickets and scurvy, REALLY likes cauliflower.) I’m allowed to not-like cauliflower, I’ll choke it down if there’s nothing else, and no option of a ‘No, thank you.’, I just don’t like it. Damn it to hell? Hardly, I just choose not to eat it.

I can not-like cauliflower without causing controversy. I’m not jumping up and down, referencing some obscure or accepted religious text, proclaiming cauliflower ‘a sin.’ Eat cauliflower if you want, I just don’t like it. Despite cauliflowers looking like brains, I’m not hurting anything by not liking them. I’m not causing offence, distress, or alarm to cauliflowers, however much I argue with people on the internet who do like them, we can ‘agree to disagree’ on cauliflower. In some ways, I can ‘agree to disagree’ with Tim Farron’s stance on homosexuality, I won’t go off on a tangent about all the other things I don’t like; what I can’t agree with is him stating that because he doesn’t agree with homosexuality, it’s ‘wrong.’

Various religions have many and varied rules and teachings about what is, and is not acceptable. I was raised Catholic, no meat on a Friday and such, I’m not going to go all Ten Commandments on my neighbours for stealing my bin, they were hardly coveting my Oxen, they’re just opportunistic twats who can’t manage their household waste effectively. I’m not going to expand-out on which of the Commandments I’ve contravened, I’d be here all day. There are things I do, and things I don’t-do, while-ever I’m not breaking any laws, or damaging other people, it’s a fair-enough way to live.

That’s my issue, as an assigned-female person, with equal attraction to males and females, some religions would have a problem with me. ‘The Church’, or any other religion has no place in my bedroom, I can be my own Goddess in there, and worship what I please. Yes, I’m smiling. What I’m not smiling about is the dogma and rule-binding that the majority of the mainstream religions push. If I’d remained in that Catholic family, who knows what conditions might have been placed on my reproductive autonomy, or what level of domestic abuse I might have been conditioned to ‘accept’? (Standard disclaimer, not ‘all’ Catholics, but the primary school teacher tearing the page out of my ‘Daily Diary’ where I’d referenced domestic violence, and quietly telling me “We don’t talk about things like that.”, and the Priest calling me in to take Hail Marys because my younger brother had taken a short-cut gave me an idea of what might be to come.)

As black-and-white linear as I can be on some issues, I don’t really hold with the concept of ‘sin’. I believe that when you die, you decompose, that people remember you for a while, and then, over a period of time, nobody remembers you, you become an anecdote at family gatherings, a watered-down story about yourself. I don’t believe in Heaven, or Hell, I don’t live this lifestyle to ‘earn my angel wings’, or avoid pitchforks, fire and brimstone. (I don’t actually know what brimstone is.) I live this mostly non-judgemental life (apart from cauliflower and such) because it seems like the right way to ‘be.’

Tim Farron, I have ‘lain with’ multiple partners, sometimes literally, although that’s not very practical. I am equally attracted to males and females, it’s all just meat no-one eats, however much biting or swallowing goes on. I’m also a compulsive masturbator, not quite ‘Chucky’ from Sons of Anarchy, but the anti-fap brigade wouldn’t approve of some of my lifestyle choices. (Does it count for females, I’m not ‘wasting my seed’, as such, I’m sterilised, my ova don’t reach my uterus?) I’ve had periods of absolute chastity, and instances of borderline hedonism, choosing not to be a brood-mare for a man I came to find repulsive probably ticked the bad-wife boxes. Tim, we’re just not on the same page at all, you’d view many of my activities as ‘sinful.’ I view them as delights you’re missing out on, but I’m not going to attempt to convert you to my way of thinking, you’d likely shudder as much at the thought of some of the things I get up to as I would at my assumption that you’re a lights-off type. (I’m not assuming ANYTHING about what Tim Farron gets up to in the bedroom, I just had to type that to finish off a sentence that was in danger of trailing off somewhere deliciously deviant.)

For me, as a probable-pervert, sexuality isn’t rooted in the desire to procreate, I did that once, I didn’t like it, even more than I don’t like cauliflower. Cauliflower didn’t cause life-long physical deformation, or an absolute mental breakdown, and years of fear-of-inadequacy. For me, sexuality is firmly, or wetly, depending on the situation about the giving and receiving of pleasure, of sharing physical intimacy with a person (or persons) of your choosing. (There goes my mind again, on the whole ‘sharing pleasure’ angle.) You do you, Tim, and I’ll do me, what I won’t do is to tell other people that my way is the only way. If I’m wrong, and I do end up in Hell, at least it will be warm, and I have a different perception of pain to a lot of people, the number of tattoos and other markings about my body are evidence that I’m not averse to a bit of pricking. I’ll continue to give and receive pleasure my way, as long as nobody freezes, screeches, or tries to climb out of the window, there’s no harm in that.

The harm that Tim Farron and other mainstream religious people do is vast. The ‘Thou shalt not’ ought really to be a relic by now, I shouldn’t know that certain types would be very judgemental of the fact that I’m just as happy with my mouth on a vagina as a penis. I shouldn’t be surprised that certain types think I’ve ‘damaged’ my body with tattoos and piercings. I shouldn’t be perpetually on-edge that my ex’s family aren’t going to accept my son’s sexual preference, and be ready to go in guns-blazing to defend him when it eventually blows up. Keep your notion of ‘sinful’, Tim Farron and similar, but see the irony in the time you spent pushing that question aside, into your own personal closet. That uncertainty, about whether it would be acceptable to voice that particular opinion was there for a reason.

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dumbassholesopinion-blog · 7 years

Text

Mosque #1 Review

Intro: I am interested in exploring different religious cultures. I am irreligious myself, but I grew up Catholic. I did the whole church, communion, etc. etc. When I was in high school I grew out of religious beliefs, but I never lost interest in the cultural phenomena known as religion. I am currently on a quest to visit as many different religious organizations and services as possible so I can become more intimately connected to the practices and the people that practice them. That may be a bit voyeuristic of me, and perhaps during my religious journeys some may take offense to my interest in their religion as more of an anthropological/sociological curiosity rather than trying to find any deep meaning or connection to their spiritual beliefs. However I would like to think if someone unfamiliar with my culture wanted to follow me around and ask probing and naive questions about my belief systems, I would be more than open to accommodate them. -------------------------------------

Facility Experience: -------------------------------------

In short: Great experience! Maybe I will go again!

I first stopped by in the afternoon to inquire about any services that they offer. It was empty. Someone walked in and I asked them when their services are. It seems my previous religious experiences have corrupted my view of what all other religious experiences may be, because I had no idea that the "services" at mosques are a bit different than Catholic ones. I assumed that there would be one or two hour long sessions where the Imam would talk and pray about various parts of the Quran. I was wrong, as the man I asked did not even understand what I meant by "services" at first! However, he was very open to answering all of my questions regarding potential times I could visit to learn and experience the religion.

I ended up going, unknowingly, on Ramadan (though considering the importance of Ramadan, I feel I should have known that it was this month) - something I both regret and am very happy about. I felt more out of place than perhaps I would have due to the sheer number of people and how serious they took Ramadan compared to me, but I also felt that this was an excellent day to dive right into the culture and religion.

I arrived a little after 8. From here on out I am going to talk about what I experienced at this mosque in particular. Based on my knowledge and what I was told there, it seems as if this is typical for many other Muslim institutions as well, but I do not no for sure.

They were setting up food to break their fast for Ramadan. Immediately when I walked in I was greeted by somebody, who was more than happy to both explain what was happening and show me around the facility. This was typical of my time here. I did not feel unwelcome at all, something I was nervous about considering my lack of religious inclinations and the fact that I never experienced this religious culture before. Not everybody was coming directly up to me offering me food and showing me around as my guide did, but I was frequently greeted by friendly faces and a willingness and eagerness to discuss life and religion.

Religious Experience: ---------------------------------

At 8:30 prayer services started, which is what I found most interesting. According to the people I talked to there are five of these a day, and the last one can last a bit longer especially if one chooses to independently pray in the space provided. I was told that it was five times a day to remind the devout where they came from and who created them. As in, they take some time out of their busy life to remind themselves of their spirituality. That is incredibly impressive commitment, aside from their already month long commitment to fasting every day.

For now I only have Catholic services to compare it to, so I will do that. It is much shorter. Around 10 minutes. However I found the spiritual experience to be much more satisfying. I could not understand what the Imam was saying, but I enjoyed the chanting/song-ish way that the prayers were being led. I also liked how everyone was much closer together, and I liked the movements (standing, kneeling, face down on the floor). It was an "experience" much more than a "service." I can see how if I participated in that religion I would find the experience very cathartic. It felt more like meditation, where as Catholic services felt more like listening to a speaker.

Cultural Analysis: --------------------------------

As for their cultural practices themselves, I have some disagreements. First and foremost, they separate the men and the women. I understand that this is not unique to the religion of Islam, and perhaps may not even happen in other Mosques. However it did happen in this one and I was perturbed.

My friend, a woman, also “joined” me at first. She stated that her prayer experience was very similar, however she had to listen to the Imam through a speaker in a separate room. Likewise, during the Ramadan fasting break, the men had a very large space outdoors to eat, and they could also choose to eat inside. Women did not have an outdoor option. I disagree with this separation on a fundamental level. I feel as if this norm is still practiced due to tradition, and I feel the longer time goes on the more uncomfortable this practice becomes. Should women really be separate from men? I would argue that this practice is due to sexism more than any other reason.

Also, during my discussions with various patrons of this Mosque I did feel quite uncomfortable when the religious overtones of what was being said became too extreme for my tastes. I love arguing about religion and discussing religion, but at points I felt I was being preached to.

One patron frequently discussed the greatness of God and how we must all worship him due to his greatness (not in those exact words), much like how I would assume the stereotypical evangelical would discuss God. This patron would, from my point of view, force this reverential speak of God in just about everything that he said. I do not fault him for this. This was 1) Ramadan, a particularly holy Holiday so someone being overly spiritual and/or proselytizing was not surprising and 2) I was clearly an outsider looking in. This patron most likely felt it appropriate to discuss God in these terms with me because he was looking to show me how he expresses his religion. I respect that and I loved hearing his point of view, despite how uncomfortable it made me at times.

However I was told one thing by a patron that not only made me uncomfortable due to its overly religious nature, but uncomfortable because I am ideologically opposed to this way of thinking. This patron discussed how this life on Earth is temporary, and how the afterlife is “Paradise” that would last forever. This patron also discussed judgement day. I have many issues with this line of thinking. I am aware that Islam is not the only religion that views existence this way, and I am aware that this view of existence is somewhat more extreme than how many moderately religious people view existence.

In my view it is not only a very cynical view of life on Earth, but a dangerous one. By subscribing to this viewpoint you are not only denying the potentially amazing things one can experience in life on Earth, but you are devaluing life on Earth itself. There are MANY people who view life on Earth as the one and only experience of existence they are getting, and I am one of them. I find no reason to believe in any kind of paradise afterlife or any afterlife. I feel denying oneself the pleasures of reality because the God you believe in or the afterlife you chase is misguided at best and ignorant or dangerous at worst. This way of viewing existence does not jive at all with the way I view existence, therefore hearing somebody discuss it as a literal phenomena was disturbing.

The way people discussed Ramadan was both uncomfortable and heartwarming. Based on my understanding of it after my experience here, Ramandan is about testing your willpower and becoming closer to your spirituality and God. Essentially if you can be a good person while you’re hungry as fuck, you will be able to be a good person most of the rest of the time too. Ramadan fasting instills a sense of humility in the people that practice it, and as one patron said to me it helps others understand that “we are all the same.” That no one person is better than any other person. I wholeheartedly agree with that ideology! I just feel that one does not need a religious reasoning to pursue these enlightenments.

Now for the prayer services: like I stated earlier I feel if I was a Muslim or if I cared about being spiritual, these prayer services would very beneficial. But I am not, so I found these prayer services to be very strange. For one, your head needed to be down the whole time, and we kept getting lower and lower. I understand the reasoning. If you believe that God is all powerful, all good, all knowing, all loving, and he created you and everything you love, you want to show respect to him. From my perspective this prayer service felt as they were providing deference to God by demeaning themselves. Again, this service seemed to devalue human life on Earth and human existence. I do not personally believe in any god or gods, so when people are this committed to feeling “less than” a higher power it disturbs me. I would much prefer a meditative experience that focused on reality. However, to many devout Muslims this is reality. So who am I to judge? (I’m going to anyway).

I would like to put a disclaimer here. At no point in time did I express any of these negative feelings or ideological disagreements with any of the patrons at this Mosque. As much as I fundamentally disagree with all religion, I am also not going to these institutions to cause trouble. I am there to learn and to experience, whether I agree or disagree with the way they do things or view the world. If I was asked for my feelings regarding a specific ideology or practice I would have expressed them, but I was not. If I continue to participate in this particular Mosque and get to know the regular patrons better, maybe I would feel comfortable expressing my beliefs. But I would feel it to be massively inappropriate to proselytizing my own beliefs when I am exploring a religious facility.

Some good things! Despite my disagreements with many of their traditional services, the people I talked to espoused very humanistic and agreeable ideologies. Almost everyone I talked to, including the ones who also espoused parts of their ideology that I did disagree with, discussed how Islam is an inclusive, welcoming religion whose ultimate goal is to help others. As one convert told me, he was attracted to Islam because according to the Quran “it’s not that you should help poor people, but you MUST help poor people.”

Religious experiences are very subjective, and you can pick and choose just about every possible ideological viewpoint from the Quran as well as every other holy book. I was happy with my experience at this Mosque and hope to continue to learn and experience different cultures, communities, and religious beliefs in the future.

#religion #muslim #islam #reviews #culture #spirituality

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