#i have people to talk to online

[stil-lindigo]

the machine.

a comic about being a 'creator' online.

creative notes:

#in light of recent online 'success' i feel like this may come off as ungrateful #just wanna say that all the comics i make in this series are written about experiences i felt in 2022 #which was a rough year personally and creatively #and i very luckily don't feel this way anymore #and this also isnt to shame anyone who DOES feel this way #its easy to start to feel like all you are is a vending machine of art #and like thats all you are to people #theres nothing human to you #it can be a bit of a pit #and on some level this damage is self inflicted but social media really doesnt help that feeling #this wont work for everyone but having friends around you who you can talk to about stuff that ISNT art #going outside for dinner #maybe walking around #its good for when you need that feeling to go away even a bit temporarily #youre a human being #not a mindless content creation machine #and i hope anyone who feels like this now can get to a place where they have a healthier relationship with their own work #good luck to all of you #and thank you for reading #comic art #its 10pm #stillindigo art

[frocio]

i still remember clearly one of my first interactions at pride with a 40-something member of the lgbt community. I asked him if I could take a picture of him with the bear flag (because I was really happy to see it irl for the first time!) and he asked, "are you feeling like a she-bear a little bit?"

and being gay almost exclusively online back then aside from maybe two friends, I was shocked by that question. me? a 19 years old kid who thought themselves to be cis and bi? I was basically the polar opposite of what a bear is.

but now, six years later, I see it. I'm fat, I'm hairy, I'm shamelessly a dyke, I'm masc. yes I'm butch, but fuck it, I'm also a she-bear. that guy was right. I hope he's doing alright and he knows he's changed my view on labels forever.

#he's (largely) the reason why im so adamant about interactions within the community #i know and understand that many are not lucky enough to have the chance to socialize with older lgbt members of course #but reaching out to them online is also a great tool. what im saying is that it's important to talk to them #because what people argue about online literally does not matter #personal

[defsiarte]

I think it’s weird how hostile the art community, on Twitter especially, has become towards children as of late? Like artists that i follow one or two people in common with, I’ll go to their bio and there’ll be something saying “minors fuck off” (or something more violent like kys) and like… dude did the 🔞 emoji not suffice? I completely get not wanting to engage with children (I’m gradually reaching a point where someone follows me and I see they’re 15 or so and get Stressed™️), but that’s still a human person. Grown ass adults will have some weird hatred of kids online for the crime of being children. Something they can’t change.

#the accounts I’m talking about aren’t even always nsfw. these people are just like this #I think it’s weird. like maybe the proshitter crowd is so… obsessed with some mythisized Evil Minor that they fear monger about online #that they forget what it’s like to be a child online… or how to properly engage with them at all. #not saying that adults don’t have the right to exist in adult only spaces bc ngl!!! kids will be stupid sometimes #but like I’m not going to tell them to die about it. just block and move on #honking

[phoenixyfriend]

something something one of those those "Jango falls for Courtesan/Stripper/NightclubSinger/TrophyWife!Obi-Wan" AUs...

But instead Obi-Wan actually being a sex worker, he's undercover and still a Jedi, and either:

They split ways and run into each other a few months later with Obi-Wan in full Prude Beige Knight mode OR

The situation goes pear-shaped while they're still flirting and Obi-Wan has to break cover to grab a senator and jump out a window and suddenly this half-dressed glittery Person is batting away shots with a lightsaber and there's a bratty twelve-year-old who ALSO has a lightsaber threatening people with I Will Eat Your Liver if they keep staring at his dad's ass just because the sequined sheathe dress tore in a sexy place

#jangobi #jango fett #obi wan kenobi #anakin skywalker #star wars #phoenix talks #undercover au #undercover as sex worker #to be clear: I do enjoy sex worker AUs both as a form of entertainment and in their surprising weight in normalization of sex work #they've done an unprecedented amount of work humanizing the profession #for sheltered young people who might have otherwise needed a lot longer to get over their prejudices #and while in my case I started on that path of Recognizing People As People through reading firsthand accounts by sex workers online #the impact that sex worker AUs have had on that whole situation is not to be dismissed #but also they're just fun to read? they're entertaining in the way any profession-based AU can be #I'm just as eager to read a sex work AU as I am to read a senator AU or racer au or college professor au etc #...anyway I just realized that the original post could theoretically be read as 'sex worker AUs bad' and I don't want anyone to think that

[royalarchivist]

After completing the Nether minigame, a short video plays showing some of the last things the Eggs did before they disappeared.

[Muted the irrelevant cross-talk because it was loud and distracting.]

#QSMP #Tubbo #Blue Team #The Eggs #QSMP Eggs #Purgatory #Soul Fire #Muted irrelevant cross-talk because it was distracting #I was going to wait for QSMP to post a clean video they played of the Eggs #But I know not everyone is watching stream today #Likewise I will probably not be posting any other clips from today #I don't watch streams on the weekend #also there's only two people online for this event so #* two people who are LIVE and online #Wish this had been done on Monday instead I feel bad for Etoiles and all the other streamers #I'm sure the admins have their reasons but. Two streamers #I hope green team doesn't log in at all because that would be genuinely so funny LMAO #Blue Team twiddling their thumbs like ''erm. so what now'' #realistically they could still win even if green didn't log in but that'd be BM imo #Though I don't think anyone is genuinely going to die #likewise I don't think any Eggs are going to die #it'll all be ok it's just a game

[hazel2468]

Look-

Anyone who tries telling you that both parties are the same and there is no point in voting? Has a fucking agenda, and it's a nasty one.

Do the Dems disappoint me? Yes, constantly. Do I have gripes with Biden? 100%.

Do I also recognize that he has GOTTEN SHIT DONE and that those things are like. NOT talked about by people my age because it feels better to be angry and constantly demanding better while being unwilling to put up with Average Joe who is ACTUALLY doing things that progressives have been asking for for AGES (putting caps on medication prices, working to cancel student and medical debt, investing in infrastructure and going after inflation, started working on protecting reproductive rights after Trump put in place the shitty judges who wrecked Roe, is trying to go after how weed is scheduled and pardoned all federal offenses, et-fucking-cetera).

Not only do I actually LIKE some of the shit Biden is doing? If Trump gets back in office? People will die. He and his have been OPEN about the fact that they want to go (somehow) even MORE fascist.

Fucking vote. Anyone telling you not to has your worst interests at heart. Be as pissed off as you want, but fucking VOTE. Because we have a chance of continuing to push a president like Biden towards the change we want to see. We have ZERO chance of that with Trump, or someone like him.

#us politics #look as a queer disabled Jew who is also trans #i am getting REAL fucking sick of people talking about how Biden is shit like #he has done so much stuff #I have my fucking complaints about the guy but anyone acting like he's done nothing is either a complete fucking nimrod #or someone who is probably a fucking troll #like we KNOW that people tried to influence the previous election online #we KNOW people tried to fucking fuck with our election process via online trolling and making accounts and saying shit like this #HOW are we still buying into this uwu all parties are the same #when the EXACT SAME SHIT was used to get the WORST MAN ALIVE into office before????

[svtskneecaps]

dude i fucking love how this server has communication as its premise and built into its fucking core. i fucking love that. bc it's one thing to be like 'this server is about multilingual communication and cultural exchange!!' bc that could present in any NUMBER of ways but like. with the federation and the eggs and a common shared goal they all decided WE ARE A TEAM. and like, ok,

when baghera was sus of jaiden because of the thing when pomme died and jaiden had been the reason baghera left her side for the only time that day, i wasn't even worried. i wasn't worried bc i was like "we just wait. because i know they will TALK TO EACH OTHER." and I WAS RIGHT. TWO DAYS LATER IT WAS ALL CLEARED UP AND BAGHERA WAS HELPING HER OUT WITH CUCURUCHO

and the ordo theoritas is functionally a secret organization. it would be SO EASY to gatekeep the lore, on grounds of "the federation is always watching and anyone could be a spy" and yet the ordo theoritas says that, like bad SAYS THAT, says OUT LOUD, "anyone could be a traitor" and then turns around and goes "hey person i've had a few days' worth of conversations with, here's a detailed rundown of everything we've learned about the island's mysteries, and the secret location of the ordo base". SOFIA was supposed to be secret from everyone, and for a little bit she was. but now like, the ordo theoritas is showing her to everyone. it would be SO EASY to hide things and to gatekeep things but they just. don't do it. here's the supercomputer!!!! don't forget to grab her waystone so you can come back anytime!!!

bad learns something. "i need to tell forever/cellbit/baghera". forever figures out a new way to protect the eggs, and he gets it to everyone within days. cucurucho tries to have a secret conversation and the entire server knows about it almost instantly and there are three people buried in the walls reading the subtitles and giving each other meaningful glances

i love it. i love it. miscommunication plotlines drive me up the fucking wall and the fact that i wasn't even SCARED when jaiden and baghera could easily have angled into an angsty tangled web of that and instead just MET WITH EACH OTHER AND EXPLAINED EVERYTHING AND CLEARED THE AIR ALMOST IMMEDIATELY was so fucking breathtaking. and this is a multilingual server. this is a MULTILINGUAL SERVER. i love it. i love it so much i want to cry. it's a server for communication and people Communicate, it would have been SO EASY to slip into monolingual factions and stick to the familiar but they DIDN'T. they DIDN'T. WE GET TO HAVE A THEORY TABLE WITH SO MANY LANGUAGES SITTING AROUND IT. we get to have conspiracy walls in every language!!!! idk sometimes i forget how fucking CRAZY all this is, like the scale of what they've accomplished

so yea thank you to quackity and the qsmp admins for this, and thank you to the streamers for hearing 'this is about connections' and taking it ENTIRELY to heart, and also thank you to whoever the fuck decided to give quackity's school class the job to look after a fucking egg to learn about parenting. bc holy shit. holy shit.

#qsmp #this is a mess but i keep marvelling at it ever since jaiden's streams #just that. it could have gone to hell. but they TALKED TO EACH OTHER. #and i kept seeing people on tumblr like 'nooo they're dividing them 😭' and i kept thinking in my head: #'it's ok. don't panic. don't worry. they're so good about communicating: roier will say something or jaiden will say something' #'and they'll resolve anything right there and then' #i fucking love it. i fucking love it. there have been cross lingual projects before that didn't breed community like this does #everyone is trying so hard to protect everyone. forever and baghera didn't even trust quackity and they were still trying to protect him #i can't express how much this silly fucking server means to me. i can't explain it #its so good. its so good. i love it so much i swear to god #like i promise you if some of the less active members were to step back online and ask about the lore #they'd get a FULL fuckin rundown of it even though the ordo theoritas is technically a secret society #just immediately #i love it. there may be gaslighting and girlbossing but there is NO gatekeeping #unless we count the french exp farm lmfao #idk idk idk!!!!! it means so much to me i swearrrrrrr #THEY'RE A TEAM YOUR HONOR. THEY!! ARE!!! A TEAM!!! #shut up vic #block game brainrot

[crabussy]

IS ANYONE ELSE FEELING KIND TODAY!!! IS ANYONE ELSE FEELING GENEROUS TOWARDS OTHER PEOPLE!!! IS ANYBODY ELSE BEING KIND AND TRYING TO UNDERSTAND EVEN WHEN ITS HARD!!! IS ANYONE ELSE ASSUMING THE BEST OF OTHERS INTENTIONS AND RESPONDING IN KIND!!!! CAN ANYONE HEAR ME

#having a day ^_^ #I love being kind I just wish other people loved being kind more #people on the internet are SO FUCKING MEAN TO EACH OTHER???? its a terrible phenomenon #I have never seen people in real life treat others badly with the horrifying proportion of hate I see online #please. try to be kinder try to be more patient even when its frustrating #I have changed minds and deescalated arguments SO many times by being kind. #if someone is spouting misinfo in a furious rage and they're saying hurtful things? try responding with patience and kindness #even when you don't feel they deserve it. because one of 2 things usually happens #EITHER. they immediately shift their tone because you're talking to them like an equal and not an idiot #OR they continue to be horrible and it makes them look really nasty. its not a good look!! most people won't do the second thing!! #hateful online arguments has turned my mental health into a disgusting stew in the past #since I started being kind out of sheer frustration my mental health has improved a thousandfold #listen. sometimes its okay to be mean. if someone tells you to kill yourself I dont think its appropriate to give them patience and kindnes #BUT. if you treat someone like they're stupid. even if you're right!!! they won't listen to you or consider your words!! #because admitting you're right means admitting that they're stupid like you think they are. that feels bad so people won't do it #my wisdom. today I am so tired

[jestroer]

late night Wels in a cute outfit

#really wanted to draw wels for a while and suddenly got an urge to draw thinghs idk what to tell you #it collided #kinda really love how he turned out #i probably shouldnt post it right now because 0 people are online but yk #just have him #im sleepy and really like him #welsknight #hermitcraft #court jester's dress moment #skirts also get into this tag yes #court jester's art #also i dont actually know why people draw wels with wings i always wondered #if you know tell me please #but i just love to draw wings really i dont need to be talked into it really i see wings im in #also with how i draw his hair long and pretty straight he looks really like false which is pretty fun i think

[mzminola]

This is not a perfect analogy but I am making it anyway to try to convey what being online has been like for me lately.

Seeing people say "Oh, Jews are fine, I just hate zionists!" is like seeing "Oh, women are fine, I just hate feminists!"

Zionism and feminism are both very broad socio-political movements that have changed focus over time, that ostensibly have some very basic core tenets but you really need to ask the specific person you're talking to how they personally define it to be sure.

Both have been subject to legitimate criticism, and hostile reactionary bullshit. Had waves, sub-movements, splinters, people with damn near opposite views sharing the term and people with seemingly identical views rejecting it.

You can give working, broad definitions like these:

Feminism is the belief that all people should be treated equally regardless of gender, with a focus on women's rights due to systemic oppression.

Zionism is the belief that all peoples have the right to self determination and safety, with a focus on Jewish people finding it in Israel.

You can also give different definitions! Many people give different definitions! Many people also hold these beliefs but use different names for them for various reasons.

There are self-described zionists who are jingoistic, racist, etc, and who attribute those attitudes to their zionism. Just as there are feminists who are misandrist, bio-essentialist, transphobic, homophobic, and so on, who attribute those attitudes to their feminism.

There are also incredibly selfless, compassionate activists working for positive change in the world who consider themselves zionists and feminists.

It has been very jarring to see people, who I respect, uncritically reblogging posts or headlines that use "zionists" as a stand in for "bad people", just as jarring as it would be to see them sharing things that use "feminists" that way. Especially when those posts contain easily debunked conspiracy theories that I know you'd have seen right through if the OP said "Jews" but because they said "zionists" you swallowed it whole.

I am not asking anyone to stop sharing important information, petitions, news articles, resources, and so on. I am asking you to slow down and stop spreading inflammatory language that paints a broad socio-political movement for Jewish self-determination as inherently bad. The same way I would ask you not to spread inflammatory language that paints gender equality & women's liberation as inherently bad.

If the information is important, please look for other, more neutrally worded posts. Or verify the links yourself and make a fresh post! There is no situation online in which the only way to share information must be to spread such language.

#antisemitism #being critical of zionism is not automatically antisemitic #just as criticizing the feminist movement is not inherently misogynistic #but the way a LOT of people have been talking lately...it has been indistinguishable #please slow down #being Jewish in America #and online #I have so many filters and yet I cannot escape this even in fandom spaces #''Jews control the media'' repackaged as ''zionists'' or ''the Israeli government'' has been the one I've seen the most #but there's been some outright blood libel too #and of course the usual banking bullshit #when you accept a term like this as synonymous with ''bad people'' you swallow the lies more easily! you swallow the exaggerations! #you fact check less! you reblog from psyops and bigots who've found keywords! #and it doesn't have to be this way #please stop making it be this way #editing tags to add #zionism #I think I left it off originally to stay out of the tracked tags

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

watching spop with the knowledge that catra and adora get together in the end is really a horror movie experience. you go in expecting a complicated and angsty but ultimately healthy romance with good pacing, but soon realize that you're watching the story of a doomed tragic hero.

every time you see catra commit another atrocity, your heart just sinks further and you feel so bad for adora. you're dreading the moment they get together and when you reach that point, it's just as horrifying as you expected. and the worst thing is, most of the fandom accepts it as a perfect ship and you feel like adora felt in the false reality, wondering if you're just going insane.

#seriously at the end of the series i was like “??? that's so toxic surely people are talking about this” #but then in every fandom space online people are praising this hellfire of a ship #i'm glad i watched it as an adult bc if i had watched it at the age of 13 or 14 i would have accepted c//a as a very normal healthy ship #spop critical #spop salt #spop criticism #spop discourse #spop #she ra #anti spop #anti catra #anti catradora #anti c//a #antic//a #anticatra #anticatradora

[uncanny-tranny]

Over the years, I've gotten a lot of cis people messaging me about how they should go about dating or courting somebody who's trans, and I always felt like my responses would almost... disappoint them because there isn't this magic secret to dating us.

Cis people, if you want to date us, just date us. We're human beings, we're not wild animals to tame! I promise you can have a healthy relationship with a trans person without needing to feel like the world will end if you mess up.

Trans people who date cis people often want to feel secure in your acceptance of them. You don't have to talk about our transness for hours on end to prove that you accept your loved one. You don't have to put on a display and cabaret about how Much You Accept Us. Just be a person around us, and let us be people, too!

I almost want to disappoint cis people by reminding them of this. Some of the best relationships I've had with cis people have been ones where my transness is acknowledged, sure, but it's acknowledged in the same way that my left-handedness is. It's not a joke to them, it isn't something to be horrified about, but it's also something that they don't objectify me for.

#trans #transgender #lgbt #lgbtq #ftm #mtf #nonbinary #watching a video about this topic and it just reminded me of this #like there have been plenty of cis people who have come to me for advice and while i appreciate the thoughtfulness (don't get me wrong!)... #...part of me just feels like... they see trans people as needing to be Tamed in some way or Appeased... #...like they see us as people but it's more like they see us as Trans People and not... people... #...and maybe i'm looking too deep into it. maybe i'm jaded but that's sometimes how it can feel with some people... #...like my besties that i talk to fully accepted me... #...though it is funny when they forget i'm... not a trans woman or (with other friends) that i'm... not a cis man #(maybe i just give off ambiguous vibes irl and online because it's happened irl and with my online buddies) #adding once again: i don't think ALL cis people who ask this are doing so in bad faith #cis people i'm glad you are vulnerable about not being sure about how to go about transness... #...however i don't always think it's the best move to go to a stranger about your interest in a trans person in your life... #...simply because: 1. transness isn't a monolith and... #...2. it feels awkward because you aren't going to *them* to have this conversation that will ultimately affect *them*... #...because your relationship with a trans person will likely /not/ affect a trans stranger...

[joons]

“The social media gamification of community”. I’m obsessed with this. Do you mind elaborating on it?

When your primary community is online, the normal incentives we have to get along with a diverse group of people are no longer in play. The whole idea of manners is that you are signaling to your neighbors that you are not insane, that you are safe, that you are willing and able to assist them if there's a problem, and you hope they will do the same for you. In a small community, whether it is a workplace, a church, a small town, an apartment building, or a subway car, you are expected to maintain a certain level of politeness and care for other people, because we are social creatures who get spooked in large groups and want to rely on some kind of script for how to behave in ways that won't get us kicked out of the group. We smile wordlessly, we say "hello," we don't blare loud music, we step outside to smoke, we call when someone has died, we hold open doors, we intervene if someone seems uncomfortable, and if we have a real issue with someone, we are forced to confront them about it directly, while trying to be honest, direct, and professional. There are alternatives if we think someone is really harmful, like reporting to the police, or a whisper vine where the people who need to know about their behavior know it. But in general, you cannot get away with spreading lies about someone - or cutting someone off, or being really rude, or refusing to do the small things that allow us to assure each other that we're all fine - without seeing, in an IMMEDIATE, physical sense, the consequences. Something as small as littering will show in our environment. Someone flipping you off unsettles you, even if they're a stranger. And they can see your reaction. They can see the reaction of the people around you, or those of their friends, who might say, "Hey, knock it off." There's basically a shared need to make the space into a strong network, one that helps as many of its inhabitants as possible, where they are safe and where everyone has a stake in not going apeshit, if only because there are people in the vicinity who might punch them for being awful.

We don't get any of that on social media. We can delete people very quickly from our lives without them even knowing. We don't have to face their families, or their disappointed faces when they find out they've upset us. We don't have to even deal with our conflicted feelings as much because we don't have to be reminded of it. If someone annoys us, we can take a video of them, upload it, and immediately get tons of positive feedback from people who don't know the person involved, don't care what will happen if they laugh at them, and will make YOU feel great for being antisocial and cruel to a neighbor. Because it's not happening in front of them. It's at a distance. It makes you feel like a reporter instead of a fellow citizen. And gradually what happens in this isolated, digitized world becomes more important than what is happening in front of you. You don't really "NEED" the people around you, you feel, to survive, so why should you treat them kindly? Why should you compromise on your own preferences, why should you try to reach an agreement that will make everyone feel like they had an input in a difficult situation? You are used to tailoring your own experience, and it's fine to take what is happening in a small town and turn it into content that the entire globe can pick apart without having to live with the fallout.

tl;dr touching grass is so good for you because it reminds you that you are a person who needs others and you can't get in the habit of modding your life to avoid any difficulties because that will just make you stale and unable to grow and make living in the physical presence of people unbearable because everyone is playing to social media instead of looking into someone else's eyes beside them

#it's good to learn to hold your tongue! #because you are aware that word will actually get back to the people you're talking about! #you don't have to have a take on everything and you don't have to treat people like they're downloadable content that are eating ur memory #and i just think being Too Online can make it easy to get into that mindset #me not excluded

[wellthatschaotic]

whenever i see someone who is like "yes but [x] isnt as oppressed as [y]!!" or "[x] is widely accepted now!!" as a way to like. disregard queer people's experiences. i'm just like. have you been outside? have you been in the real world?

#im just. #infighting is so dumb #'you're tme so you can't talk about-' first of all. we're not tme. transmasc =/= tme. honestly tme is a dumbass label anyway and has just #become a 'progressive' way to ask for agab #what do you think a boy/masc person in a dress reads as to transphobes. you think theyre gonna apologize if i say #'actually im transmasc not transfemme' #thats not how that works- #every time we try to correct our pronouns we get stopped because it's 'inappropriate' and 'uncomfortable' #same with every time we try to explain our gender #and yet there are still people online trying to judge if a complete stranger is 'queer enough' to count #(and if they're 'not' the reaction is like. death threats for some reason??) #and im always like. GO OUTSIDE. PLEASE. #the queerphobe on the bus does not ask for your labels before calling you slurs. the bully harassing you will not stop and apologize if you #try to say 'i'm not [x] actually im [y]' #they do not care. they are full of hate and they have already decided on a target. #also? you have no right to a stranger's labels and life experiences #trying to demand that is already creepy. especially since your goal is to see if they're worthy of respect #ok rant over i think. just. ahhghh

[pigeonwit]

davey jacobs but he has meltdowns. big ugly meltdowns where he cant be touched or spoken to and just needs to be left alone to cry and stim and scream and go catatonic for a little bit. davey jacobs but he has involuntary twitches and stims that include punching himself, twitching his neck/his face, knocking his knuckles together, scratching his skin, etc. davey jacobs but he has shutdowns where he just cant get out of bed or shower or do anything because his energy is so thoroughly spent that even moving hurts. davey jacobs being autistic but not the 'palatable' kind of autistic that neurotypicals find cute and quirky. but his loved ones still love him anyways and don't get frustrated with him for it. they try to help him stim the way he needs to without hurting himself. they dont get mad when hes so exhausted that he cant do certain things because they know its not a matter of choice or pushing yourself or him purposefully not wanting to make an effort for them, he simply cannot do it just yet.

davey jacobs being autistic in ways that are inconvenient and frustrating. davey jacobs being deeply ashamed of that all his life. davey jacobs learning over time that there are people who will not treat his autism and its more difficult aspects as an obstacle to overcome in order to love him.

davey jacobs being autistic and still being loved unconditionally for it.

#now switch out 'davey jacobs' for 'me; tumblr user pidge pigeonwit' #i need to go to back to university right now or i will DIE. #anywhore. this isnt me saying 'ugh the newsies fandom treats autism like [x]' tbc #honestly all the autistic headcanons ive seen have been dope and received well. #its almost like we're all autistic and know what the fuck we're talking about #but man!! i sure hate how autistic people have to constantly be behaving ourselves in order to be treated like fucking people!! #both in real actual life and online!! #vent #too poor for therapy tag #newsies #davey jacobs #uksies

[andoutofharm]

Racism in bandom and the entire music scene is an enormous problem, one that a lot of white people would like to ignore. Let me make it clear: we cannot ignore this. In the last few days I’ve seen some truly horrifying things said to and about people of color who are taking on the emotional labor and the pain and stress of confronting this racism. This cannot be excused or brushed under the rug.

If you’re a white person here on tumblr and you’ve seen some of these posts where people of color talk about the hardships and racism they’ve faced as nonwhite fans of bands and ignored it, you’re complicit in this. [edit: that is to say - if you’re ONLY reblogging posts about it but not taking the time to change your actions and learning then you’re complicit, not that by not reblogging them you’re complicit.] I’m not saying you have to reblog every post like this you see - blindly reblogging to “prove” you’re not racist does nothing. I’m saying that when you see these posts and hear about these experiences you need to THINK about how you engage with people of color AND with racist people in the spaces you’re in. You need to LISTEN to the non white people making these posts and believe their experiences and adjust your own behavior accordingly.

Back when MCR was actively touring there were lots of conversations about the racism directed at Ray Toro in fandom spaces, and now with FOB returning we’re going to see a lot of that racism return and be directed at Pete Wentz. This is important not to ignore, and it’s important to think about how you talk about these individuals and how this contrasts with how you talk about their white bandmates. Even more importantly though is how you engage with the non white people HERE, on tumblr, in bandom spaces, and at shows. It’s great you think Ray or Pete are attractive or appreciate their music and their talent, but how are you treating the people of color around you? Are you listening to them when they talk about their experiences and racism and try to adjust your behavior? Or do you pat yourself on the back for reblogging a call out post and move on with your day?

These conversations are going to continue throughout the next year as FOB begins their tour and this racism start to pop up more and more, and you need to be prepared to think critically about your own biases and where you need to change and be actively anti-racist in your spaces.

#to be clear: i’m white. i have my own biases to continue to overcome and i need to be more actively anti racist #but i want to learn and i want to make this a safer space for non white people both online and offline #and if you dont want to do the same you need to have a serious talk with yourself about why that is #or why you might get defensive when these conversations come up. #and if I’ve said anything here (or in the future) that’s inaccurate or wrong or otherwise should be changed PLEASE tell me #fandom racism