#Voice of the Marginalized

[pansexualdemic]

#capitalism #palestine #economy #imperialism #colonialism #israel #congo genocide #genocide #africa #marginalization #marginalizedcommunities #marginalized groups #marginalized people #black women #black voices #afrofuturism #melanin #afrocentric #afropessimism #afro surrealism #amplify #leftist #socialism #communism #anarchist #left wing #anti capitalism #white leftists #yt #uplifting

[dykeinthedark]

Somerton's misogyny and lesbophobia was fucking blatant and the fact his fans didn't care / notice until a man made a video on it is abhorrent. That IS a problem, people NEED to do better or else bigotry towards women will only continue to be accepted! Lesbians were calling this loser out for years and no one cared!

hey. as a lesbian who watched somerton's videos you have to understand that it wasn't "fucking blatant" and it was embedded between smart (stolen) points in the structure of the argument, and was given fake "evidence" to prove it --- something hbomberguy specifically shows with every example. i personally always noticed that it was weird and it was always a critical point when watching his videos (and also uh, side note but you shouldn't primarily go to cis white men for good takes about feminism and the lesbian experience anyways --- like, you should be watching a diverse intake of thought from underrepresented creators and understand that the cis/white/male perspective will always be limited because it's not universal)

to many, though, it for sure didn't register as a pattern of behavior until the instances were laid out. saying that audiences were "abhorrent" for "excusing" it just shows a complete lack of sympathy, because again: the pattern of behavior was the problem, and rhetorically each individual instance was relegated to enough plausible deniability where it slipped by most audiences who were probably watching the video in the background while they folded laundry or something. when bigotry is shrouded under the guise of fact, it takes on the affect of truth and abuses the viewer's trust in the creator. sure, media literacy is a huge problem, and i've written and researched so much into that, and yeah yeah audiences should "do better." the reality is though, putting the blame on the audience feels a little misogynistic in itself, bc you're just shifting the blame from the literal people who need to be blamed for practicing bigotry --- cis white men with a large platform.

the real thing u should be saying here is to call for a diversification of one's media intake, but no -- let's blame the audience for getting lied to, instead of uplifting female, queer, trans, poc, etc voices. the only way people "need" to do better, imo, is listening to those people instead and seeking multiple perspectives.

like y'all, let's retire this very new narrative that all james somerton fans were evil misogynists who willingly supported this and need to be destroyed. really most people who watched his content were younger queer people genuinely interested in queer media analysis, film theory, and queer history, probably excited that a long video essay was dedicated to their favorite show/movie/etc, and lets not pretend this wasn't disappointing for them as well. can everyone like chill out.

#hbomberguy #james somerton #like for me personally it was always like. yeah his view is hindered by being a cis white gay man. and when ur a lesbian noncis poc like me #u just kind of accept bigotry like that as inevitable?? fucked up but in that instance u literally just watch fem creators of color instead #DIVERSITY YOUR MEDIA OR DIE!!!!!!!!!! UPLIFT MARGINALIZED VOICES!!!!! STOP BLAMING AUDIENCES FOR BEING DUMB #LITERALLY IF U KNOW ANYTHING ABT MEDIA STUDIES RULE 1 IS AUDIENCES ARE LAZY AND WON'T FACTCHECK #IT'S UP TO CREATORS TO PRESENT THE TRUTH AND UP TO THE LISTENER TO SEEK MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES

[miraculouslumination]

The audacity to be like "there's a problem with racism in transandrophobia discussions" while also unironically using the term "transandrophobia truther(s)"

#Jean mumbles #Of course there will almost always be racism in discussions of oppression #But like...bro are you really going to say this and then side with the exact same people #Who have constantly erased and silenced the voices of trans men of color and other marginalized trans men #Calling them shit like white-aligned or overall gatekeeping their blackness #Are you seriously not seeing how that call is coming from inside the house #And again - truther is something that has very heavy ties to antisemitism #So again. Are you really the hero because of this? #Are you actually helping people here? #Now I'm white so obviously take what I say here with as many grains of salt as you feel is best #But all I'm saying is that racism is fucking everywhere and there is not a single group in this discussion who is guilt free #And right now you're participating in the violent act of erasing and silencing the voices of non-white and non-gentile trans men and mascs #I wish the best to anyone who has fallen for this pandering bullshit #And a huge apology to all the trans m&ms this bullshit hurts #Transandrophobia #(Gatekeeping blackness but also just non-white raced and ethnicities in general)

[growmydarling]

fat liberation! make chairs in waiting rooms plus sized. shame people who speak negatively about someone's size behind their back. make clothes fucking fit. make building accessible for everyone, regardless of mobility. stop believing weight is someone's *fault*.

#my teasing can be mean but in the end i love and respect fat people #and i have thin privilege #and want to speak from the voice of privilege for that of the marginalized #ffa

[aeonsaeons]

I have no idea why I’m not seeing anything about this anywhere, but I’m wanting this video to really blow up. At least show people there’s more than 2 options nobody really wants. The working class can work together and allow for a viable third option. I really think this is possible this election!! Everyone’s pissed!

#there’s a link under the vid that goes to their website if you want to volunteer in the campaign #that’s the only way it’s going to get done folks #I feel so dumb being like those bots that do political stuff on tumblr #promise I’m a real person #is if we all work together are getting our collective voices heard #Claudia De La Cruz #Karina Garcia #election 2024 #Votesocialist2024 #PSL #party for socialism and liberation #?? #Youtube #but this is really important to me as someone who is of a marginalized group that is being targeted and most of my loved ones are as well #Uhh 😬 yeah #🧍 #psl national #socialism

[autismserenity]

pretty please, my fellow progressives

Could we please all keep in mind that the concept of "The Jews In General, or A Specific Type Of Jew, Controls Education, Government, Media, and/or Banking", is a longstanding antisemitic trope?

And most of all, that it is false??

No, a marginalized group does not also control education, the government, the media, and/or banking?

No, Jews do not secretly control these things and just pretend to be marginalized? No, Jews have not secretly been accumulating power since the Holocaust, granted by too-generous gentiles, out of pity?

No, it isn't better if you just mean a specific subgroup or kind of Jews. It's still specifically Jews.

It's like when people who hate trans/queer people are fine with rich white cis gay men. So they think it's not bigoted to blame "people with blue hair and pronouns" for the downfall of society.

We all know this means, "I only see some of you as human like me. You have to speak and act a certain way to count. Everyone in your group has to pass a test to get into the Good group."

Doesn't work.

Sure, it gives them plausible deniability to the people who matter to them. But everyone else can see exactly how they feel.

We've all known for years that it's bad to think of a marginalized group as having some "good ones." Rein it the heck in, please.

Because YES, all of those examples are ones I've seen implied, or stated outright, over and over, within the progressive community. This month alone.

#antisemitism #anti-semitic #yes this is about how gentiles use zionism #yes this is about how fast it went from 'this isn't NECESSARILY antisemitic' to 'this ISN'T antisemitic' #yes this is about claiming that we claim antisemitism to deflect valid criticism #yes this is part of a larger pattern of violating every progressive standard but only for jews #none of us would ever say 'people are just claiming misogyny to deflect valid criticism' #we would never claim that trans people secretly control or “influence” the government #we would never treat Ukrainians like “'noble savages” who need us to speak for them #but we treat Palestinians like “noble savages” who need us to speak for them #we know to center the people affected and uplift their voices in every other situation #but in this situation we ignore the fact that we're supporting palestinians by talking ABOUT them #we swallow far-right Palestinian propaganda channeled through diaspora organizations #while Palestinians in Gaza demand completely different solutions and support #zionists echo Palestinian solutions and experiences because we know people in Israel and Palestine #and we get told we love genocide or just blocked #this is how Hamas propaganda is designed to work. Hamas has systematically silenced Palestinians for 18 years and now it's all you know #it is genuinely terrifying to see the entire progressive community sound exactly like the alt-right while it absolutely insists it's not #we also know to center marginalized people's voices about what harms them -- except the Jews? #honestly I think that progressives listened before Oct 7 and that the “no we just mean ZIONISTS are evil” has done wonders to reverse that #let's be real the zionists-not-jews trope comes from Hamas too #all it had to do was claim it definitely meant Zionists not Jews and that it was the Palestinian resistance and progressives flocked to it #its fighters were calling home from the massacre to boast about how many Jews they had killed. it has not changed. #i suppose that the zionists-not-jews thing gave freedom to unexamined antisemitism that people felt guilty about #but oh my god it caught on like absolute wildfire #wall of words

[overthegardenwirtt]

trying to study and feeling a genuine sense of grief and psychological damage at dale jennings. like wtf that was sooooo not sweet little awkward s1 dale of u. but at the same time it kinda was ??? like the roots were there and u can see it. dale never reconciling with adam lindell after adam tried to make things right. dale denying his sexuality and asking tim to hide too and treating him not like a person but an opportunity. dale using tims sexuality against him when tim made real criticism about the HIV narrative that was being pushed. dale doing nothing and letting tim quit his job and seeking the secure public heterosexual relationship with Helen that would bring him social security and fame. like wow maybe the season 2 finale dale felt out of character at first but goddamn were the seeds there. of course dale would screw over yet another genuine friend who needed him so that he could maintain his status. and now he has alienated gerry, tim, and helen. the three people in the world who see him and accept him for who he is. for the approval of people like geoff walters and lindsay. but like dale said in season 1, he has worked really hard to get to where he is.

#god i hate him so much #its crazy how helen is portrayed as cold and heartless and dale is portrayed as sympathetic with audiences #but who CONSTANTLY fights for the platforming of voices of marginalized groups and genuinely stands up for the people she cares about #and who steps on the people who care about him to achieve a higher status #the newsreader #the newsreader spoilers

[weldnas]

-

#Seeing the dune part 2 american centric red carpet and as a devoted aficionado of the books and yk a moroccan person here are my 2 cents #Dune was one of the few Western works inspired by MENA culture that that felt genuine and respectful #But ofc despite the profound symbiosis with Middle Eastern and North African culture evident within the pages of the novels #the movie adaptation lack of substantive representation from these communities both in on-screen portrayals and within production roles was #very much disappointing in part 1 and i doubt there are any change now #While drawing inspiration from the Amazigh peoples of Algeria and Morocco #the film barely skims the surface of its MENA influences leaving substantial potential untapped #Herbert openly acknowledged the profound impact of Islam and MENA culture on his noveIs #from the metaphorical representation of Spice as oil #to the allegorical parallels drawn between the occupation of Arrakis and real-world MENA geopolitics #By marginalizing Arabs from the narrative fabric of Dune the essence of the story is being undermined particularly its anti-colonial core #the irony of this is kiIIing me because this was a direct resuIt of us impérialism on the middIe east #But the reality is that Dune is an American production tailored for an American audience so it makes sense for it to be what it is now #a big production running from its original essence #What adds to my disappointment is the fact that I liked Villeneuve's adaptation of Incendies and I had what you call foolish hope hfhg #Dune feIt Iike a squandered opportunity to authentically depict the cultural milieu that inspired it #Given the narrative's inherent anti-colonial themes #the omission of Arab and North African voices dilute its message if any of it is even left #without representation from Arabs and Amazigh people the cultural essence becomes another appropriated resource watered down to an aestheti #rather than serving as a critique of the destructive actions of colonialists seeking power and dominance #the narrative becomes susceptible to distortion and co-option by the very entities it was intended to condemn and hold accountable

[harrylovesspaezle]

disabled people are the most underrepresented group in media, and just because my disabled character was a shithead, does not mean you get to talk over my disabled ass when i criticize how his arc and his disability was handled

#imagine we talked over other marginalized voices like that #it would not fly #so shut up maybe! #ive been struggling to articulate this properly so this is all you get #ofmd #ofmd fandom critical #our flag means death #izzy hands #the izcourse #disability #disability representation #representation

[trebhum]

#i dont have much to say other than: listen to his beautiful robust voice and also sorry you can see me adjust the volume in the margins #i just had to share this clip with the world bc its been one of my favorite parts so far and also just so i can keep it for myself #31 minutos #tulio triviño #juan carlos bodoque #video #vid

[tolerateit]

HOW do you post this on the internet without a second thought like.

#meg talks #Sometimes it feels like half of this fandom straight up refuses to hear marginalized voices to protect their peace

[five-thousand-loaves-of-bread]

i give blanket general permission to reference & quote me (as long as mention my account/credit and probably mention i nonverbal higher support needs POC so people know where i coming from ) when advocate for higher support needs nonverbal nonspeaking level 2/3

in fact i encourage

#tired of tiktok want to get voice out there but that platform not accessible but have so much influence on ‘community’ #also feel free mention that i & probably many other people like me who can use social media don’t go on there bc extreme bullying there #literally drive out more marginalized members of community #🍞.txt

[dark-nimbus]

A Rant on Representation in Media (mostly comics)

CW: ableism, disability erasure, mentions of fat phobia, mentions of fetishization, lmk if there’s anything I missed

I can’t believe that here in 2023 we still have to say this, but fuck it this year has already been hell enough so why not add another thing

Representation, whether it be for disabilities or culture, race or religion, any marginalized group— ALWAYS MATTERS

I spent the majority of the other night dealing with people trying to downplay the impact of Barbara Gordon’s paralysis being retconned. Wanna see how that went?

“Oh, but it’s okay if Barbara Gordon still has some mobility because there’s paralyzed people that regain their ability to walk”

Her spinal cord was completely severed, she was left fully paralyzed from the waist down

“There’s a 60yo fighting in a Kevlar bat suit and shifting clay people, but Barbara getting her legs back again is a problem?”

Okay, can clay people restore a spinal injury? Can Batman punch a nervous system into fully functioning? What relation does that have?

Aside from the fact there’s zero connection between the two, paralysis actually fucking exists. Batman and clay shifters, believe it or not, don’t. Lemme know if you find an irl Batman or Clayface that needs representation. Go on, I’ll wait

“Barbara being able to walk again isn’t disability erasure, there’s other paralyzed characters”

The definition of disability erasure is literally terminating someone’s disability under the belief it makes a person less than. The fuck you mean it’s not?

And how many paralyzed comic characters can you name? I’m willing to bet it doesn’t come to 50. Every character belonging to an underrepresented group matters. Whether their representation is taken away completely with that one character’s erasure or not isn’t the fucking point. You’re still fueling the already negative stigma around disabilities and sweeping disabled people further under the rug

“Her disability erasure doesn’t matter, DC will just paralyze her again in later issues”

I’m sorry, are you completely paralyzed from the waist down? Do you embody each and every paralyzed person and their experiences? No? What makes you think that you get to determine whether the erasure of something you don’t even have matters?

As for DC re-paralyzing Barbara, it’s been retconned since 2011. Even if they do plan on undoing whatever whack job microchip magic they’ve got going, they sure as hell are taking their sweet-ass time

I can’t believe people were actually arguing in favor of Barbara’s disability erasure, but here we are. Representation has always mattered and always will, and yet media loves grossly misrepresenting everything. Barbara was such a strong character as Batgirl, and flourished in her character development even more as Oracle. Her struggles, overcoming them, and learning to love herself and value her abilities beyond the mantle made her a well-loved inspiration for many. To have all of that stripped away and undone with a microchip was just as insulting as it was a destroyed opportunity for character growth

And unfortunately that’s not the first conversation I’ve had regarding the representation of characters

Oh, you thought I was done? Ha! I wish. How about Spiderverse?

“Oh but Sun-Spider can’t be a superhero, she’s wheelchair-bound!”

Professor X. The Chief. Oracle.

And just to cover all my bases: Bucky Barnes, Daredevil, Hawkeye, Doctor Mid-Nite, Hornet, Jericho, Cyborg. And that’s not even going into characters with much more hidden disabilities. Disabilities never stopped anyone from being able to achieve anything, nor should it ever

“Fat spider-people? Really? That’s just unrealistic”

Yes, really. What’s the problem with that? Surely it’s not the webbing, which have been proven to be durable enough to support buildings. No way it’s how they’re shaped when there’s a car, a horse, and a whole ass T-Rex spider variant

Some people really forgot the whole concept behind the first Spiderverse movie. How Stan Lee made it clear that “anyone can wear the mask.” It doesn’t matter your body type, whatever disorders or disabilities you have, your ethnicity or your upbringing. Being a hero is so much more than that, and the diversity of each spider-variant only reinforces how Spider-Man represents everyone

But let’s go even further with voice acting

“So what if Sunspot is being voiced by a white person instead of an Afro-Brazilian voice actor? It’s animated”

Oh wow I wasn’t aware that representation stops at the sound machine. Yes, Sunspot’s newest voice actor is Brazilian, but with a character whose ethnicity plays an integral part in his story, you’d think Marvel would figure casting an Afro-Brazilian VA would be more authentic for the role than the fourth white dude in a row, but no. Of course not

And with each VA they cast, Marvel pushes Afro-Brazilian VAs out of this role they’d intimately understand and be passionate in representing. VAs that Sunspot fans would love to see knowing that their favorite character (or even themselves) would be understood, rather than being hollowly voiced with characteristics that don’t match the person

“If Sunspot should be voiced by an Afro-Brazilian voice actor does that mean Magneto should be voiced by exclusively German Jewish voice actors? It’s not a monolith”

And neither are Brazilians. Hell, neither is any religion or race. That’s why we want an Afro-Brazilian VA. There’s so many nuances that can only be breathed into the character by someone who understands because they themselves have lived that life. It may be small but those nuances are what make the character feel alive to their audience, and the closer a VA is to the experiences of their character, the more genuine the character feels

Portraying animated characters doesn’t fall completely on the writers and artists. Artists may take control visually, and writers may be responsible for plot and voice lines, but it’s the VAs that are in the spotlight. VAs are the ones that gives these characters character. And those characters can’t be fully and properly represented for viewers if it’s not all there

Representation always matters. Its significance doesn’t go away with erasure, and it definitely isn’t less important because other people who aren’t among that marginalized group refuse understand. Disabilities don’t define who someone can be, nor does body type, or culture, or religion or any other background. It doesn’t stop at the sound machine. Anyone who says otherwise are just adding to the ignorance most media uses to excuse the already shit representation of the entertainment industry

Every marginalized group is valid. Every minority deserves to be portrayed as they are and not feel like they’re being fetishized, infantilized, or inaccurately represented for the sake of plot

Little me, the queer adopted Asian kid with raging ADHD, severe anxiety, and shit communication skills deserved more than the fetishization from anime characters and shouldn’t have needed to wait until they discovered Cassandra Cain, the first character to show that superheroes could look like them too

And people that never struggled to find themselves represented in media sure as hell don’t have an excuse to encourage lacking representation and feign ignorance when common decency and basic human empathy is free

#nerd shit #cassandra cain #barbara gordon #disability #marginalized communities #comics are for everyone #comics #dc comics #marvel #marvel comics #representation matters #disability representation #sunspot #batgirl #across the spiderverse #sun spider #black representation #voice acting #batman comics #detective comics #oracle #orphan #star scrivening

[mundifinis]

i will never understand why so many queer people insist on how "love simon is for the straights" and it's like yeah there were some problems with how simon's outing was handled by his friends but i don't think some people understood the impact that film had? i remember seeing the trailer, in theaters, on new years eve 2017. i had realized almost a year earlier, at the age of 12, i was queer. seeing that trailer, being a scared 13 year old girl who had only came out to her lesbian best friend at that point, and seeing a mainstream popular film about a closeted queer teenager that was geared towards me and other teenagers about coming out and being queer and being ourselves-- that meant everything to me.

and when i read the book a week after i saw the movie, it was my first ever queer book i ever read and love, simon was the first queer movie i ever saw. to see a mainstream movie that dealt with being queer and coming out and seeing myself in film for the first time? it meant the world.

so no, love, simon is not for the straights and it's inherent. the writer of the book, becky albertali, is a queer woman. the director, greg berlanti, is a gay man. the love interest, blue, was played by a queer actor, keiynan lonsdale. and there are probably so many other queer voices who made that film so saying "for the straights" is just diminishing every single queer voice on that film and frankly, just an ignorant statement: a film that is unabashedly queer will never be for the straights.

#and ik it's not 'the first queer film' #bc obviously there were others #but the fact it was so mainstream and it was released during a time #when representation in media for marginalized identities was becoming talked about and becoming emphasized #like that's so important to me and always will be #just because you didn't like it doesn't give you the right to ignore the queer voices and the impact it had on queer audiences #like you don't need to make up reasons for why you didn't like it #just say you didn't a move on #queer tag #love simon #ashla.txt #simon vs the homosapiens agenda #svthsa

[is-the-owl-video-cute]

I’m scared for the kids who might unknowingly buy the Harry Potter game or the books or the movies without knowing what’s going on. We need to ACTUALLY ban this franchise. Burn copies in stores. Smash your friend’s computer if you have to. I don’t know why we’re simply telling people to “read other books” and not going full scorched earth. There’s children out there who could be entrapped into this thing and not know until it’s too late…(It’s not censorship because it’s actually bad. Only minorities should be allowed to censor things because we know best.)

Nice try, buddy.

#You’re not going to get me to agree with you that book burnings are cool lol #This is entrapment #anyway #I don’t even think it should be banned #because that would make it harder for people to see WHY marginalized people don’t like it #I do however think perhaps if TERFs don’t want to continue being lumped in with conservatives they should #you know #maybe not silence all the pesky poc and Jewish and gay voices speaking out against her statements and content as harmful #This weird transphobe alliance that forms just because your favorite white celebrity also hates trans people #is exactly how people end up down the alt right pipeline #her tweet alone endorsed Matt Walsh’s ‘documentary’ #meaning she’s promoting her young fans to look into his commentary #which also introduces them to Ben Shapiro and Jordan Peterson and before you know it #you’ve got some fledgling trump lovers lol

[see-arcane]

Honestly the whole "only virgins become vampires" not only is inconsistent with Alucard and Mina Harker, but a lot of terror goes away. Fear of becoming a bloodthirsty monster you once feared and aware of it should be universal. There's a reason why the First Mate jumped. There's a reason why Jonathan vowing to let Mina turn him into a vampire hits. There's a reason why there was the looming threat of Mina turning the men into Dracula's "jackals". With the virginity rule so much tension goes away.

Yeah, Dracula's vampire rules are kind of prone to being screwed with in every adaptation and spinoff under the sun.

I think Hirano just threw the virginity thing (and the 'They have to be the opposite sex!!!' thing) in so he could have the threat of the zombies 'ghouls' to play around with rather than an endless legion of vampires. If it were the novel's rules, that'd mean

A) Way more intelligent vampires to deal with every arc

B) A much higher body count as vampires tried to avoid making new vampires, opting for full slaughter instead. Which would have worked super well in a manga as grisly as Hellsing! But Hirano wanted his un-zombies, so what can you do :/

#the vampire rules really are probably the skeeviest thing in the series #have to be virgin #have to be (panicked straight voice) OPPOSITE SEX!!1! #and once you are turned--if Seras is the only example--you're unable to call the one who turned you anything but Master #which is #certainly a route to take #(Again: Marginally but crucially happy that Hirano has Alucard take a paternal/mentor role with Seras rather than Other Options) #hellsing #dracula