#shining example of white privilege

[istumpysk]

OPERATION ICEBERG: THE TIER LIST

THEORY:

Curtain of Light

TIER:

Fanfiction: These "theories" are nothing short of delusional fan-crafted fantasies, embarrassingly disconnected from any shred of textual reality.

[Tier list overview]

EVIDENCE:

Oh boy!

First, let's outline the theory.

Please note, like any other fan theory, there are always minor differences of opinion. So, we'll cover the basics that most people seem to agree on.

Daenerys, Jon, and Tyrion are the three heads of the dragon.

To defeat the Others, they will each mount a dragon and travel as far north as possible, beyond a curtain of light, where they will encounter a Lovecraftian, apocalyptic dimension filled with all kinds of monsters.

While they are beyond this curtain of light, they will engage in life-affirming activities in the face of death. Some believe this could manifest as Tyrion learning to love himself, childbirth, or a sexual encounter between Jon and Daenerys.

They will then sacrifice themselves and their dragons to defeat the Others. Presumably, much will go up in flames.

Apparently, this epitomizes the theme of the human heart in conflict with itself and will serve as the conclusion of the story.

Now, for the evidence...

Oops, there isn't any.

If you've ever had the privilege of reading someone discuss this theory, you'll have noticed a glaring lack of textual support. Nevertheless, I'll do my best to piece together a coherent argument for why this could happen.

(Honestly, I'm a bit bitter that I'm putting in more effort to prove this theory than anyone else has.)

What does it mean when something is Lovecraftian?

To borrow from dictionary.com, 'Lovecraftian' pertains to elements reminiscent of the works of fantasy and horror writer H.P. Lovecraft, especially those that depict monstrous, misshapen beings from other dimensions or universes.

George R. R. Martin, a fan of literature, incorporates numerous Lovecraftian references in his A Song of Ice and Fire series and its associated works.

Examples include:

Leng (Island): Inspired by Lovecraft's Plateau of Leng.

Sarnath (City): Likely inspired by the city of Sarnath in Lovecraft's "The Doom that Came to Sarnath."

Ib (Island/Civilization): Possibly a nod to Ib from "The Doom that Came to Sarnath."

K'dath in the Grey Waste: Inspired by Lovecraft's Kadath in the Cold Waste.

Church/Cult of Starry Wisdom: A probable reference to the same cult in Lovecraft's "The Haunter of the Dark."

Deep Ones: Likely inspired by the aquatic creatures in Lovecraft's "The Shadow over Innsmouth."

"What's dead may never die": Possibly inspired by Lovecraft's phrase "That is not dead which can eternal lie / And with strange eons even death may die."

The Drowned God: Possibly a nod to Lovecraft's Cthulhu.

Dagon: An Ironborn-associated name, also an ancient being in Lovecraft's lore.

The Black Goat of Qohor: Possibly a reference to Lovecraft's Shub-Niggurath, the "Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young."

N'Ghai and Nefer: Likely inspired by Lovecraft's N'Kai, an underground realm associated with Tsathoggua.

Are you noticing a pattern? These nods to Lovecraft are mostly found in peripheral settings, with minor association to the Ironborn. George tends to make a lot of references to all kinds of literature in a similar fashion.

I'd hesitate to jump to the conclusion that this implies the existence of a parallel universe with otherworldly monsters, accessible via a portal in the far north. But since this is appearing in the evidence section, I guess we'll do that anyway.

Moving on.

The words "curtain of light" appear in a Bran chapter. One time. In only this chapter.

Finally he looked north. He saw the Wall shining like blue crystal, and his bastard brother Jon sleeping alone in a cold bed, his skin growing pale and hard as the memory of all warmth fled from him. And he looked past the Wall, past endless forests cloaked in snow, past the frozen shore and the great blue-white rivers of ice and the dead plains where nothing grew or lived. North and north and north he looked, to the curtain of light at the end of the world, and then beyond that curtain. He looked deep into the heart of winter, and then he cried out, afraid, and the heat of his tears burned on his cheeks. Now you know, the crow whispered as it sat on his shoulder. Now you know why you must live. - Bran III, AGOT

Melisandre also references curtains, though they are clearly different curtains than Bran's curtains. Whatever, it's fine.

Shadows in the shape of skulls, skulls that turned to mist, bodies locked together in lust, writhing and rolling and clawing. Through curtains of fire great winged shadows wheeled against a hard blue sky. - Melisandre I, ADWD

x

The flames crackled softly, and in their crackling she heard the whispered name Jon Snow. His long face floated before her, limned in tongues of red and orange, appearing and disappearing again, a shadow half-seen behind a fluttering curtain. Now he was a man, now a wolf, now a man again. - Melisandre I, ADWD

There is a place called the Land of Always Winter. It's like the Arctic.

The icy trenches rose around them, knee high, then waist high, then higher than their heads. They were in the heart of Winterfell with the castle all around them, but no sign of it could be seen. They might have easily been lost amidst the Land of Always Winter, a thousand leagues beyond the Wall. - Theon I, ADWD

x

Yet no matter the truths of their arts, the children were led by their greenseers, and there is no doubt that they could once be found from the Lands of Always Winter to the shores of the Summer Sea. - The World of Ice and Fire—Ancient History: The Dawn Age

x

What is commonly accepted is that the Age of Heroes began with the Pact and extended through the thousands of years in which the First Men and the children lived in peace with one another. With so much land ceded to them, the First Men at last had room to increase. From the Land of Always Winter to the shores of the Summer Sea, the First Men ruled from their ringforts. - The World of Ice and Fire—Ancient History: The Age of Heroes

The Others are believed to originate from the Land of Always Winter, where, according to legend, you can also find spooky ice spiders.

However, I should mention, a detail that might be easily missed in the books is that they are currently at Hardhome and continue to press south towards the Wall.

Yet there are other tales—harder to credit and yet more central to the old histories—about creatures known as the Others. According to these tales, they came from the frozen Land of Always Winter, bringing the cold and darkness with them as they sought to extinguish all light and warmth. The tales go on to say they rode monstrous ice spiders and the horses of the dead, resurrected to serve them, just as they resurrected dead men to fight on their behalf. - The World of Ice and Fire—Ancient History: The Long Night

In 2012, George confirmed that future books would explore further and further north. No shit, you don't say. I wonder if Bran's journey through history, where we learn more about the origins of the Others, has anything to do with that.

"And what lies really north in my books—we haven't explored that yet, but we will in the last two books." - George R. R. Martin

Bran uses the common metaphor "the heart of _____ (winter)" in the same passage that the curtain of light appears. Later, in another book, Daenerys enters the House of the Undying, where she encounters blue figures reminiscent of the Others. There, she finds a literal blue heart that appears to be their life force. Drogon eats it. Together, these things might suggest that there is a literal blue heart beyond a portal that needs to be set on fire to defeat the Others.

Also, another time, Theon stands in the middle of Winterfell and uses the same "the heart of" metaphor (common phrase found throughout the series). Shortly after, he references the Land of Always Winter, so I thought I would throw it in to be generous.

He looked deep into the heart of winter, and then he cried out, afraid, and the heat of his tears burned on his cheeks. - Bran III, AGOT

x

They were in the heart of Winterfell with the castle all around them, but no sign of it could be seen. They might have easily been lost amidst the Land of Always Winter, a thousand leagues beyond the Wall. - Theon I, ADWD

x

A long stone table filled this room. Above it floated a human heart, swollen and blue with corruption, yet still alive. It beat, a deep ponderous throb of sound, and each pulse sent out a wash of indigo light. The figures around the table were no more than blue shadows. As Dany walked to the empty chair at the foot of the table, they did not stir, nor speak, nor turn to face her. There was no sound but the slow, deep beat of the rotting heart. [...] Through the indigo murk, she could make out the wizened features of the Undying One to her right, an old old man, wrinkled and hairless. His flesh was a ripe violet-blue, his lips and nails bluer still, so dark they were almost black. Even the whites of his eyes were blue. They stared unseeing at the ancient woman on the opposite side of the table, whose gown of pale silk had rotted on her body. One withered breast was left bare in the Qartheen manner, to show a pointed blue nipple hard as leather. She is not breathing. Dany listened to the silence. None of them are breathing, and they do not move, and those eyes see nothing. Could it be that the Undying Ones were dead? [...] Then indigo turned to orange, and whispers turned to screams. Her heart was pounding, racing, the hands and mouths were gone, heat washed over her skin, and Dany blinked at a sudden glare. Perched above her, the dragon spread his wings and tore at the terrible dark heart, ripping the rotten flesh to ribbons, and when his head snapped forward, fire flew from his open jaws, bright and hot. - Daenerys IV, ACOK

x

Only its eyes lived. Bright blue, just as Jon said. They shone like frozen stars. 

[...]

When he opened his eyes the Other's armor was running down its legs in rivulets as pale blue blood hissed and steamed around the black dragonglass dagger in its throat. - Samwell I, ASOS

If you cherry-pick through the text and remove all context, you might be able to piece together a few sentences suggesting that life and love will defeat the Others and that a great self-sacrifice is imminent.

The man looked over at the woman. "The things I do for love," he said with loathing. - Bran II, AGOT

x

We are only human, and the gods have fashioned us for love. That is our great glory, and our great tragedy. - Jon VIII, AGOT

x

"Sansa, permit me to share a bit of womanly wisdom with you on this very special day. Love is poison. A sweet poison, yes, but it will kill you all the same." - Sansa IV, ACOK

x

"You're mine," she whispered. "Mine, as I'm yours. And if we die, we die. All men must die, Jon Snow. But first we'll live." - Jon V, ASOS

x

Someone threw a stone, and when Dany looked, her shoulder was torn and bloody. "No," she wept, "no, please, stop it, it's too high, the price is too high." More stones came flying. - Daenerys VIII, AGOT

x

"You are a boy of fourteen," Benjen said. "Not a man, not yet. Until you have known a woman, you cannot understand what you would be giving up." "I don't care about that!" Jon said hotly. "You might, if you knew what it meant," Benjen said. "If you knew what the oath would cost you, you might be less eager to pay the price, son." - Jon I, AGOT

Daenerys is convinced that there will be three heads of the dragon, and let me tell you, that girl's expectations are always fulfilled.

"If you were grown," she told Drogon, scratching him between the horns, "I'd fly you over the walls and melt that harpy down to slag." But it would be years before her dragons were large enough to ride. And when they are, who shall ride them? The dragon has three heads, but I have only one. She thought of Daario. If ever there was a man who could rape a woman with his eyes . . . - Daenerys V, ASOS

If the author leads you to believe that something will happen, it must be true.

Lastly, I should mention that there are vague references suggesting that George has written other stories with events and themes similar to this proposed ending. However, I can't verify these claims, and unsurprisingly, the works in question are never cited.

Well, that was it.

Say what you will about the "Daario is Euron" theorists, but at least they attempt to back up their crazy idea with actual text from the books.

COUNTER-EVIDENCE:

To put it bluntly, this theory has no basis—no textual support, no historical parallels, no evidence in the companion books, no prophetic visions, no dreams, no myths, no legends, no similarities to the television show, and no foreshadowing to speak of. It is entirely made up, with only a few words from the text as its foundation.

Does that sound like George R. R. Martin to you?

That said, now that I’ve realized his three-fold revelation strategy, I see it in play almost every time. The first, subtle hint for the really astute readers, followed later by the more blatant hint for the less attentive, followed by just spelling it out for everyone else. It’s a brilliant strategy, and highly effective. - Anne Groell, George R. R. Martin's editor

A Song of Ice and Fire is about the people of Westeros putting aside their petty differences and uniting against two existential threats: ice, represented by the Others, and fire, represented by Daenerys Targaryen and her dragons. It's not a story about fire defeating ice.

Well, of course, the two outlying ones — the things going on north of the Wall, and then there is Targaryen on the other continent with her dragons — are of course the ice and fire of the title, "A Song of Ice and Fire." The central stuff — the stuff that's happening in the middle, in King's Landing, the capital of the seven kingdoms — is much more based on historical events, historical fiction. It's loosely drawn from the Wars of the Roses and some of the other conflicts around the 100 Years' War, although, of course, with a fantasy twist. You know, one of the dynamics I started with, there was the sense of people being so consumed by their petty struggles for power within the seven kingdoms, within King's Landing — who's going to be king? Who's going to be on the Small Council? Who's going to determine the policies? — that they're blind to the much greater and more dangerous threats that are happening far away on the periphery of their kingdoms. - George R. R. Martin

x

Ice and fire of course are also opposites, they're a duality and there's a lot in my books that are about duality. Certainly the religion of Melisandre, one of the most important characters, I think is basically a dualist religion with the premise that there are two gods. It's somewhat based on Zoroastrianism, and a little bit based on Catharism, Albigenses heresy who I know had some roots here in Spain once upon a time, before they were all killed. The idea of a world divided between good and evil, war between the two, which is so basic to so many fantasy starting with Tolkien, but much more so in the case of Tolkien imitators, was something that I wanted to recast and think about and maybe subvert a little. But I'm still using kind of the language of it, and some of the symbols associated with it. So all of these are grist for the mill, it's not something as simple as saying ice is this and fire is that. They're both many things. And one of the most important things is that both of them, ice and fire will kill you dead. So they're both dangerous in their own ways, hate, love, desire, coldness, they can both be deadly. - George R. R. Martin

x

While the lion of Lannister and the direwolf of Stark snarl and scrap, however, a second and greater threat takes shape across the narrow sea, where the Dothraki horselords mass their barbarian hordes for a great invasion of the Seven Kingdoms, led by the fierce and beautiful Daenerys Stormborn, the last of the Targaryen dragonlords. The Dothraki invasion will be the central story of my second volume, A Dance with Dragons. The greatest danger of all, however, comes from the north, from the icy wastes beyond the Wall, where half-forgotten demons out of legend, the inhuman others, raise cold legions of the undead and the neverborn and prepare to ride down on the winds of winter to extinguish everything that we would call "life." - The Original Outline

x

I have tried to make it explicit in the novels that the dragons are destructive forces, and Dany (Daenerys Targaryen) has found that out as she tried to rule the city of Meereen and be queen there.

She has the power to destroy, she can wipe out entire cities, and we certainly see that in 'Fire and Blood,' we see the dragons wiping out entire armies, wiping out towns and cities, destroying them, but that doesn't necessarily enable you to rule — it just enables you to destroy. - George R. R. Martin

In the established lore of A Song of Ice and Fire, dragons can't cross the Wall and dislike cold and wet weather. How exactly will they get to this Lovecraftian Land of Always Winter, and how will they be of any use in that climate?

The men of the Night's Watch were as thunderstruck by the queen's dragon as the people of White Harbor had been, though the queen herself noted that Silverwing "does not like this Wall." Though it was summer and the Wall was weeping, the chill of the ice could still be felt whenever the wind blew, and every gust would make the dragon hiss and snap. "Thrice I flew Silverwing high above Castle Black, and thrice I tried to take her north beyond the Wall," Alysanne wrote to Jaehaerys, "but every time she veered back south again and refused to go. Never before has she refused to take me where I wished to go. I laughed about it when I came down again, so the black brothers would not realize anything was amiss, but it troubled me then and it troubles me still." - Fire & Blood: Jaehaerys and Alysanne—Their Triumphs and Tragedies

x

Autumn was well advanced when the Prince of Dragonstone came to Winterfell. The snows lay deep upon the ground, a cold wind was howling from the north, and Lord Stark was in the midst of his preparations for the coming winter, yet he gave Jacaerys a warm welcome. Snow and ice and cold made Vermax ill-tempered, it is said, so the prince did not linger long amongst the northmen, but many a curious tale came out of that short sojourn. - Fire & Blood: the Dying of the Dragons—A Son for a Son

x

The big man looked out toward the terrace. "I knew it would rain," he said in a gloomy tone. "My bones were aching last night. They always ache before it rains. The dragons won't like this. Fire and water don't mix, and that's a fact. You get a good cookfire lit, blazing away nice, then it starts to piss down rain and next thing your wood is sodden and your flames are dead." - The Dragontamer, ADWD

x

He saw no sign of dragons, but he had not expected to. The dragons did not like the rain. - The Queen's Hand, ADWD

x

(bonus, for laughs:)

"The things…Mother have mercy, I do not know how to speak of them…they were…worms with faces…snakes with hands…twisting, slimy, unspeakable things that seemed to writhe and pulse and squirm as they came bursting from her [Aerea Targaryen] flesh. Some were no bigger than my little finger, but one at least was as long as my arm…oh, Warrior protect me, the sounds they made…" "They died, though. I must remember that, cling to that. Whatever they might have been, they were creatures of heat and fire, and they did not love the ice, oh no. One after another they thrashed and writhed and died before my eyes, thank the Seven. I will not presume to give them names…they were horrors." - Fire & Blood: Jaehaerys and Alysanne—Their Triumphs and Tragedies

House Targaryen and their dragons played no role in the previous Long Night.

How the Long Night came to an end is a matter of legend, as all such matters of the distant past have become. In the North, they tell of a last hero who sought out the intercession of the children of the forest, his companions abandoning him or dying one by one as they faced ravenous giants, cold servants, and the Others themselves. Alone he finally reached the children, despite the efforts of the white walkers, and all the tales agree this was a turning point. Thanks to the children, the first men of the Night's Watch banded together and were able to fight—and win—the Battle for the Dawn: the last battle that broke the endless winter and sent the Others fleeing to the icy north. Now, six thousand years later (or eight thousand as True History puts forward), the Wall made to defend the realms of men is still manned by the sworn brothers of the Night's Watch, and neither the Others nor the children have been seen in many centuries. - The World of Ice and Fire—Ancient History: The Long Night

x

The Targaryens were of pure Valyrian blood, dragonlords of ancient lineage. Twelve years before the Doom of Valyria (114 BC), Aenar Targaryen sold his holdings in the Freehold and the Lands of the Long Summer and moved with all his wives, wealth, slaves, dragons, siblings, kin, and children to Dragonstone, a bleak island citadel beneath a smoking mountain in the narrow sea. - The World of Ice and Fire—The Reign of the Dragons: The Conquest

Bran's curtain of light is simply a reference to the aurora borealis. For the love of christ, it's not a portal to another dimension.

North and north and north he looked, to the curtain of light at the end of the world, and then beyond that curtain. - Bran III, AGOT

x

Sailors, by nature a gullible and superstitious lot, as fond of their fancies as singers, tell many tales of these frigid northern waters. They speak of queer lights shimmering in the sky, where the demon mother of the ice giants dances eternally through the night, seeking to lure men northward to their doom. - The World of Ice and Fire—Beyond the Free Cities: The Shivering Sea

Speaking of Bran, why isn't he central to this theory? Didn't that sentence appear in his chapter? What is Arya up to? Where is Sansa? Why are the Starks, who are the central characters of this series, taking a backseat in their own conflict, which is unfolding in their own backyard?

(Not to mention the Night's Watch, the wildlings, the northerners, and the children of the forest—you know, the people who are actually integral to this storyline.)

Yeah, the children were always at the heart of this. The Stark children, in particular, were always very central. Bran is the first viewpoint character that we meet, and then we meet Jon and Sansa and Arya and the rest of them. It was always my intention to do that. - George R. R. Martin

x

Whenever I propose analogies like that, fans jump in with their own ideas, but it depends on what team you root for. To me, the Starks are heroes, so they would be the Giants. - George R. R. Martin

It's going to be a pact facilitated by Bran.

What is commonly accepted is that the Age of Heroes began with the Pact and extended through the thousands of years in which the First Men and the children lived in peace with one another. - The World of Ice and Fire—Ancient History: The Age of Heroes

x

Regardless, the children of the forest fought as fiercely as the First Men to defend their lives. Inexorably, the war ground on across generations, until at last the children understood that they could not win. The First Men, perhaps tired of war, also wished to see an end to the fighting. The wisest of both races prevailed, and the chief heroes and rulers of both sides met upon the isle in the Gods Eye to form the Pact. - The World of Ice and Fire—Ancient History: The Coming of First Men

x

According to these tales, the return of the sun came only when a hero convinced Mother Rhoyne's many children—lesser gods such as the Crab King and the Old Man of the River—to put aside their bickering and join together to sing a secret song that brought back the day. - The World of Ice and Fire—Ancient History: The Long Night

x

How the Long Night came to an end is a matter of legend, as all such matters of the distant past have become. In the North, they tell of a last hero who sought out the intercession of the children of the forest, his companions abandoning him or dying one by one as they faced ravenous giants, cold servants, and the Others themselves. Alone he finally reached the children, despite the efforts of the white walkers, and all the tales agree this was a turning point. Thanks to the children, the first men of the Night's Watch banded together and were able to fight—and win—the Battle for the Dawn: the last battle that broke the endless winter and sent the Others fleeing to the icy north. - The World of Ice and Fire—Ancient History: The Long Night

Tyrion Lannister is not a Targaryen; he is not one of the three heads of the dragon. He is the malevolent, vindictive son of Tywin Lannister. He rapes women, he kills women, he marries child hostages to acquire their castles, he will be complicit in the death of potentially hundreds of thousands of people, and he isn't getting anything remotely resembling a heroic ending.

Jaime kissed her cheek. "He left a son." "Aye, he did. That is what I fear the most, in truth." That was a queer remark. "Why should you fear?" "Jaime," she said, tugging on his ear, "sweetling, I have known you since you were a babe at Joanna's breast. You smile like Gerion and fight like Tyg, and there's some of Kevan in you, else you would not wear that cloak . . . but Tyrion is Tywin's son, not you. I said so once to your father's face, and he would not speak to me for half a year. Men are such thundering great fools. Even the sort who come along once in a thousand years." - Jaime V, AFFC

Daenerys and her dragons represent one of the two principal threats in the narrative. Azor Ahai is a misinterpreted prophecy that is intended as a warning, not as the foretelling of a hero.

Since the first book, her sole objective has been to rule foreign lands seized through force. She exploits slaves, consistently engages in brutal acts of violence, and leaves devastation wherever she sets foot. She will intentionally burn King's Landing to the ground, and then she'll be stabbed to death.

No. You are the blood of the dragon. The whispering was growing fainter, as if Ser Jorah were falling farther behind. Dragons plant no trees. Remember that. Remember who you are, what you were made to be. Remember your words. "Fire and Blood," Daenerys told the swaying grass. - Daenerys X, ADWD

The idea that Daenerys, Jon, and Tyrion will love themselves or each other, either physically or emotionally, and then collectively sacrifice themselves, is the dumbest climax anyone has ever conceived. You forfeit the right to ever complain about the show if this is what you thought should happen.

Finally, please remember that, by default, the original creators of this theory are always wrong about everything.

STUMPY'S THOUGHTS:

You might be asking yourselves, "How do we distinguish between joke and fanfiction theories?"

I'll tell you. Both are equally absurd, but the fanfiction tier has the unique quality of making you feel like you're reading a story written by a fanfic writer who's in denial about their aspirations to write fanfic.

VOTE:

I welcome discussions. Feel free to reblog, respond, or challenge my perspective—I won't be offended by any of it.

Please note, if "no" is the eventual winner, or if it's competitive, a second poll will be conducted to determine the proper location.*

*won't be necessary for this theory.

NEXT THEORY:

Varys has Tyrek Lannister

#operation iceberg #asoiaf theory tier list #theory 5 #curtain of light

[fernthewhimsical]

The magic of fabrics

[Disclaimer, an old website post that I never wrote down the sources for, though most was wikipedia. I never posted it here but wanted to share]

Introduction: In witchcraft, everything has its own magic. There are entire books on, amongst others, the properties of trees, gemstones and colours. These properties help us guide our magic in the right direction. They help us focus on our goal and add their magic to our own, strengthening it. A lot of witches craft their own talismans, pouches and tools. Using fabrics for their crafts, aligning them with the colour they need to work their spells. But what about the fabrics themselves? The way they were made, the materials they were made from, their history and myth. Why limit yourself to only the colour when working with fabrics? This essay is made up out of three pieces. First the correspondences, an easy and fast way to see what the different fabrics mean and what their magical properties are. The correspondences were put together from history, myth, folklore, dream symbols and my own thoughts about the fabrics. Secondly the trivia, fun facts about the different fabrics which explain where the properties came from. It explains how the fabrics have been used in the past and the myths surrounding them. The final part is a list of materials, showing what the fabrics are made of. This list is included because it can add more depth to the choice of fabric. For example; flannel can be made from wool, cotton or synthetic fibers. Wool flannel could have very different magical properties than synthetic flannel. The same could be said for linen made of flax or linen made of hemp. This essay shows the magic of fabrics. Every symbol used in witchcraft will add its magic to the ritual or to the craft. So this knowledge is not just for the pouches and talismans, but also for ritual robes, magical cords, and everything else the witch could think of. Like everything in magic the possibilities are endless! Happy Crafting!

Correspondences: Canvas: creativity, new beginnings, potential, possibilities Cashmere: comfort, warmth, luxury Chiffon: feminine, delicacy, vulnerable, elegance Cotton: simplicity, harvest, protection, rain, good luck Denim: ruggedness, durability, labour, working, independence, rebellion Felt: protection, good luck, wealth (white felt), sacrifice, strength Flannel: mojo bags, comfort, relaxation, warmth Flax: weakness of man, prosperity, gift of the gods, Hulda Gauze: uncertainty in wealth, healing Hemp: travel, burial, trance, opening gates and doors, vision, enlightenment, Bast Lace: sacredness, rite of passage, feminine, privilege, sensuality, sexuality, duality Lamé: luxury, wealth, royalty, sun or moon Leather: protection, covering, animals, instinct Linen: righteousness and purity, does not cause sweat, rest, elegance, luxury, sophistication, light and purity, (display of) wealth Satin: lustrous, sensual, shine, love Silk: wealth, luxury, softness, smoothness, prestige, transformation, magical insulation Velvet: distinction, honor, sensuality, emotions, royalty, leadership Voile: secrets, unveiling, hidden, wedding Wool: Hope, renewal, spinning, women’s crafts, durability, comfort and warmth

Astrological signs and fabric correspondences: Aries: lamb’s wool Taurus: leather Gemini: gauze, chiffon, voile Cancer: flannel Leo: lamé, brocade, velvet Virgo: cotton, canvas, chintz Libra: silk, satin Scorpio: snakeskin Sagittarius: spandex, lycra Capricorn: mohair, cashmere, hemp Aquarius: feathers, metallic fabrics Pisces: rayon, nylon, watermarked taffeta

Elements and fabric correspondences: Earth: leather, wool, cotton, felt Air: chiffon, voile, gauze Fire: satin, lace, velvet Water: silk, satin, taffeta Spirit: hemp, linen, felt

Trivia: Cashmere: The goat is considered a ‘clean’ animal in the Jewish community. In the past a goat was sacrificed to honor a special guest. In the bible the goat is seen as ‘those who do not need God’. They are stubborn and world wise and God keeps them away from his followers. It was Napoleon’s second wife who made cashmere popular with the aristocratic community. According to lore, Napoleon had brought her seventeen scarves made from cashmere and she loved them. It became a must-have for the wealthy.

Cotton: Burning cotton was thought to cause rain. Planted or scattered in the yard it keeps ghosts away. In the black community of Georgia it was said that a newlywed couple that slept on a cotton mattress during their wedding night, would always have money. See: Linen

Felt: the Mongolians tied felt amulets to their horses before going to battle, they believed felt brought good luck and protection from evil spirits. Mattresses with felt protected against scorpions and snakes. Brides used to be seated on a seat of white felt during the wedding ceremony. The yurts of the Mongols are also made from felt. The whiter (newer) the felt, the wealthier the person who lives in it. They also made fetishes out of felt which they hung in their yurts. Foxes over children’s beds for peaceful nights, horses over the hearth as a totem of the sky and a man shaped fetish at the door to represent the man of the yurt or the guardian spirit. This is still in use today. The Turkmen nomads sacrificed their animals on felt. The Romans used felt in their armor and shields to protect the men wearing them. See: Wool

Flannel: Originally Turkish red flannel was the best quality flannel that could be bought. Mojo bags are almost always made from red flannel. This goes back to the time of the slave traders. Flannel was a sturdy and cheap fabric that was given to the slaves to be made into underwear. The slaves turned the scraps into mojo bags. In the 1880’s it was thought that flannel underwear protected against diarrhea and dysentery.

Flax: the Egyptians thought that flax was a gift of the Gods. Linens woven from flax are found in ancient Egyptian tombs. The Teutonic Goddess Hulda looks over spinning and specifically the cultivating of flax. It is said that She taught how to spin flax into fabric. In Estonia, a spirit known as the Flax Mother guards the flax and is said to live in a linen press. See: Linen

Hemp: sails used to be made from hemp fibers, they were the only thing that could withstand the ocean winds. The deceased used to be buried in hemp. Hemp was sacred to the Goddess Bast. A sacred incense of cannabis flowers and cinnamon was burned every morning in honor of the Goddess Bast or Isis. Korean men wore paji ma, hemp pants that they thought brought virility and power. See: Linen

Gauze: Dream symbolism says that being dressed in gauze means that you are ‘uncertain in your wealth’. Gauze used to be made from silk, thus you have a luxurious, wealthy fabric, that is full of holes. This would explain the dream symbolism. Nowadays gauze can be made from any material. Cotton gauze is the gauze used for dressing wounds and other medical purposes.

Lamé: In the past entire clothing pieces were constructed using gold of silver yarn. In these cases the metal was wrapped around yarns of silk or cotton. It was said that these fabrics were ‘befitting a princess’. Nowadays lamé is made by gold, silver or even copper which has been wrapped around aluminum or stainless steel threads.

Linen: the ancient Egyptians used linen as a currency. Egyptian mummies were wrapped in linen. During the wrapping of the deceased, the priest would stop to say prayers and write on the linen. In Ireland linen is thought to absorb energy. Therefore strips of cloth were considered appropriate offerings. The scraps were infused with a disease of a prayer and then tied to a tree. Linen is mentioned over a hundred times in the bible. It is seen as a fabric of earthly power and success, worn by important people with influence and wealth. ‘Fine linen’ is often mentioned when talking about pure and righteous women. The temples of God were clothed in fine linens as should the people who come to them to worship.

Satin: The more expensive satins are made from silk, the others from nylon or polyester. In the Middle Ages satin was always made from silk and therefore only worn by the wealthy.

Silk: It’s been said that silk is a ‘natural magical insulator’, meaning that it will keep magical energies contained within itself and protects its contents from influences of the outside world.

Velvet: In paintings the use of velvet symbolizes leadership and royalty. Queens and leaders such as Napoleon are often depicted wearing velvet or having velvet draped over various furniture.

Voile: The name means ‘veil’ in French.

Wool: In the bible wool is thought of as pure, clean and free of sin. For this reason it was not allowed to mix wool with linen, for it would not be pure anymore. God’s children are seen as sheep and Jesus Christ is sometimes portrayed as the ‘Lamb of God.’ See: Felt

Materials: Burlap: jute plant, sisal fibers Calico: unbleached cotton Canvas: cotton, linen, hemp (ancient times) Cashmere: goat wool Chiffon: cotton, silk, synthetic fibers Chintz: glazed and printed calico Cotton: cotton plant Denim: cotton Felt: sheep wool Flannel: wool (ancient times), cotton, synthetic fibers Flax: flax plant Gauze: silk (ancient times), cotton, synthetic fibers, metal Hemp: cannabis plant Lace:  silk, linen, gold/silver threads, cotton (modern) Lamé: metallic yarns Leather: animal skins Leather (fake): a textile base, often cotton, with a synthetic layer, often PVC Linen: flax, textiles in a linen-weave texture, even when made of cotton, hemp and other non-flax fibers are also loosely referred to as “linen”. Mohair: Angora goat hair Muslin: cotton Nylon: synthetic polymers Organza: silk, nylon (modern), polyester (modern) Rayon: semi-synthetic cellulose fiber Satin: silk, nylon, polyester. Satin is a type of weave with a glossy front and a dull back. Silk: cocoons of silkworms (moth larvae), this is a protein fiber, similar to wool or human hair. Suede: animal skins, mostly lamb Suede (fake): mostly cotton or silk Taffeta: silk or synthetic fibers Tulle: polyester, nylon Velvet: velvet can be made from many kinds of fibers Velour: cotton, cotton blends, polyester Velour de panne: polyester blend Voile: cotton or cotton blends with polyester or linen Wool: sheep wool

#witchblr #correspondences #fabric magic #textile crafts #witchcraft #spellcraft #mine

[raynedayys2]

Okay sooo Leighton Murray yap session incoming.

Rambling About How Much I Like Her

For starters, I love Leighton. I love her a little bit too much, but she's so silly & I think she deserves her own ramble post.

I really love the growth she went through over the show. She started off as this really nasty rich girl, and now she's a rich girl who knows & understands that she's privileged.

But I also love the little random scenes of her being a good friend & a good person, especially since she at the beginning she acted like she didn't like the girls. For example, her sneaking Kimberly her credit card so Kimberly's mom wouldn't have to pay for dinner. Or the way she did Kimberly's hormone injections, drove her to the procedure, and took care of her for a bit.

I also love that she's not just 2D, and her interests aren't just stereotypical for someone like her. Yes, she likes shopping & rich girl stuff, but she's also into math. (Which I think is cute, especially how she tries to deny it all the time) And her personality still shines through regardless, like making the professor make a big deal out of her being the highest scorer on that test.

Leighton & Alicia

I feel like these two dorks were a cute couple, but I don't know how I feel about them getting back together. Alicia claims to be this big ally of other queer people & she runs the women's center, but she constantly tried to make Leighton come out. Mind you, Leighton has only started exploring WLW relationships in college. She's known that she's liked girls for a while (she admits this when she's in the doctor's office with Kimberly & she says she was scared she was going to come out to her parents after her wisdom teeth removal) but she never "acted" on it until college.

Leighton has always been perceived as a cishet white rich girl. And one of her biggest fears is that coming out was going to other her & being queer was going to be her only personality trait (to others) instead of Alicia comforting her she basically says either come out or break with me.

I completely understand Alicia's concern about being closeted again, but that was no reason for her to treat Leighton like that after she knew she was Leighton's first real relationship. It blows my mind that Kimberly was a better ally to Leighton & she's not even queer. It was Alicia's right to break up with her, but bare minimum, she could've guided Leighton through this & gave her advice. Or she could've explained that being queer didn't have to be her whole personality & Leighton was still a 3D person despite her sexuality. (But I digress)

Leighton & Tatum

I feel like they were a less toxic couple & Leighton's little crush on her was extremely cute. Like the way she specifically went out of her way to play tennis to try to impress her. And I really like how Tatum treated the whole "coming out situation". She reassured Leighton that they could take it slow & validated her feelings. (Which is what Alicia should've done)

I also like that they chose that as an opportunity to show Leighton's growth. She finally stands up for what she thinks is right, and stands by her friends. I think it could've been a good time to have Tatum grow as a person along side Leighton, but they put her back with Alicia so whatever.

Leighton's Flaws

Leighton is like every other character & real person, she has flaws. She has done stupid stuff, but I feel like that doesn't take away from how much she's changed.

Like the first episode, where she berates her old "friends". Obviously, it was her fault they didn't want to room with her, it could've been nice to have her realize that she was the problem in that situation. Or reflect on it later in the season if she ever randomly bumped into them.

They also could've had a moment where she realized money can't fix everything. (Beside the community center thing, because she literally got a girlfriend out of that) Like she gets into trouble, or she tries to help somebody else get out of trouble & they sit her down & tell her that money can't fix everything in the world.

And the way she handled the disease situation sucked. Yes, whoever gave it to her didn't tell her, but she didn't have to do the same to another innocent girl. She definitely should've taken that girl aside, had an open conversation, and still paid for the meds.

#text post #infodump #ramble #rant #tslocg #the sex lives of college girls #leighton murray #lgbtq #wlw #Renee Rapp

[voicesandthoughts]

As someone who has posted Swiftie content and identified as one - and as a white person with a considerable amount of privilege - I felt a need to speak on the situation with Matty Healy. If nothing else, to catch some people up or get it off my own chest.

Let's start with the facts. Matty did a nazi salute at a concert, insulted ice spice for her race and body. He has been known, or at least accused of being racist, anti-semitic, and misogynistic in the past. It has been publicly shared that this man watches 🌽 of colored women being subject to humiliation, degradation, and violence. During this conversation, he and a group proceeded to make fun of “fat black women". This is the TIP of the iceberg.

As for Taylor.

Who you hang out with tells alot about your own person. It is telling as to what you are okay with happening or okay remaining ignorant to. She told us in Daylight that she wants to be known and defined for what she loves. Right now, she is choosing a harmful and ignorant definition. As someone who agrees with that voice memo, that we should be defined by our love, she is not someone I feel comfortable fully aligning myself with as I have in the past. Any support to this aspect of her personal life reflects on the supporter and sends a clear message to your community. It really sucks, I've been a Swifte since I was a kid, but maybe it's time to "find another guiding light".

But, she shines so bright.

I have an extremely hard time separating art from it's creator. This is why I don't ever seek out music from Kanye West or John Mayer, ect. It's why I don't consume Harry Potter content as I used to. So this issue has been making me question a lot. Taylor Swift is the music I've grown up with. Her music has carried me through falling in and out of love, heartbreak, trauma, and the process of becoming myself. Her inspirational quotes are often ones I have taken to heart and been happy to repeat to others. I have centered so much of my life around this woman, from staying up each night of the Eras Tour and listening to her music more than anything else.. to participating in easter egg hunting and theories. This is one of few sets of music/art that I am really going to try to hold onto despite some actions, but I cannot be an apologist or ignorant for her either. As I saw someone on TikTok say; My swiftianity is going on vacation until there has been accountability taken and performative activism becomes real allyship. Love the music, some past speeches : not the person she is choosing to define herself as right now.

This is not the first time either. And the following examples are not the only examples. She has worked with David Russel (accused of sexual misconduct/assault (to his, 19 at the time, niece) and fostering a hostile work environment on set). She has remained friends with Lena Dunham for years. A woman who has made insensitive remarks regarding the Holocaust, victim-blamed a 17yr girl, and admitted to many actions that could be taken as having molested her sister at a young age. I’m not attempting to cancel Taylor but it is so important to call her out when she does something wrong or problematic like this. I have had the privilege of being ignorant, but as I learn more I simply cannot be. It would be "frilly and spineless" of me to align myself with her whilst claiming to be an ally of any marginalized groups or fellow victims of SA.

Anyone from any perspective on this is welcome in my DMs or here to discuss :^ just keep it respectful.

#Taylor Swift #matty healy #lena dunham #spilled thoughts #taylor and matty #regardless of wanting to hold on to the art I can't even listen to her music rn #makes me feel sick #she's also been way too quiet on so many other things after claiming allyship

[caffeineandsociety]

White cis gay men are often seen by mainstream society as the default face of The LGBTQ+ Community; this is both caused by, and feedback loops into, the way white cis men are privileged by society. When it comes to representing The LGBTQ+ Community, white cis gay men are often relatively privileged over other subgroups.

HOWEVER.

Gay men, regardless of race or AGAB, are...you know, still oppressed by society at large. In fact, many homophobic tropes about gay men have a uniquely gendered bent to them, from the "effeminate limp-wristed fruit", to the "burgeoning predatory bear", to the "devious AIDS vector" (which is also frequently aimed at trans women, thanks to popular bioessentialism and proximity to transphobic "deception" tropes), to the "greedy decadent hedonist who would destroy society as long as he gets his quickie at the club"-

And cisheteropatriarchal society FUCKING LOVES IT when people end up parroting these tropes in the name of "feminism" and "uplifting other queer subgroups".

Now, I want us all to think back to the ToddInTheShadows video about James Somerton for a moment. Remember what that video was calling out - the way Somerton's very limited original content was, primarily, repeating common misogynistic and transphobic tropes, but spinning them not as misogynistic and laterally queerphobic stereotypes, but as Very Common Bad Behaviors By Privileged Subgroups Of Oppressed Groups.

I want us to recall - he got away with this for years. He got well-meaning people, who nominally knew better, absolutely eating it up. He probably very sincerely believed it himself! How does that happen?

Consider the trope I highlighted. The "greedy decadent hedonist who would destroy society as long as he gets his quickie at the club".

Consider for a moment, how important it is to recognize how white cis men are relatively privileged over other queer subgroups - and how that kind of relative privilege can serve as a blinder to the suffering of other queer subgroups - and how, as a result, there are prominent white cis gay voices who don't see the problem with gentrification, or with highly censored rainbow capitalism; how that relative privilege can turn into throwing people under the bus...

And I want you to consider just how easy it is for criticism of that pattern to slip right into repeating that trope. Into an implication that every white cis gay man is Jeffree Starr or some shit. Into an implication that Jeffree Starr's flamboyant aesthetic is inextricable from him, personally, being a shitty I-got-mine sellout, especially if you can tie it to a critique of the misogyny in the makeup industry. Oops! We're now on a runaway train straight into homophobia town!

And the thing is, just like the example with James Somerton, you usually won't even notice it's happening. Look at how many people watched Somerton's videos. Again, he probably believed everything he said himself. We Live In A Society. We live our lives simmering in this toxic brew of stereotypes. We internalize them. After ToddInTheShadows pointed it out, of course, so many of Somerton's former viewers became thoroughly unable to unsee it - but before that? It was background noise. Of COURSE women fetishizing gay men is more of a problem than lesbophobia and misogyny! Of COURSE the presence of a single-digit number of wlw couples in children's media proves queer women are super privileged over queer men! Of COURSE trans people are being divisive by trying to distance themselves from their AGAB, that's TOTALLY inherently the same thing as denying the shared history of the communities! Because the assumption that women are just that airheaded and reckless and frivolous, and trans people are just playing pretend, is such a common set of beliefs in mainstream society, that it was just taken for granted until someone came along to shine a big, bright, glaring spotlight on it.

The lesson we need to be taking from that is not James Somerton Is A Bastard; it's the importance of being CAREFUL when criticizing lateral aggression from an oppressed group to make sure that it's not looping right back around into its own flavor of lateral aggression.

In the case of gay men, for example, we need to be careful NOT to reinvent the same old stereotype that's been around...presumably since the first time someone decided that the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah were the gay sex more than the closed-off cruelty.

[oatbrew]

i was going to wait until i got all the bad endings but i wanted to write down all my thoughts about bustafellows before i forget. overall, it was very good but ultimately bogged down by its ending and its expectations of a sequel.

my positive takeaways:

teuta's a gift of an mc. i feel like i really got to know her as a person beyond her relationships with the lis. i love that she's direct and driven. i love that she reckons with her privilege but she tries her best to support even if she may not understand. i love her more mature genki girl vibe and humor and that she's able to take a joke as much as she can give one out.

really appreciate it when mcs have friends outside of her lis whose relationships feel very substantial and real rather than surface level

all the lis were very good. shu and mozu are my favorites but there wasn't a bad route. even helvetica's, which i was the wariest in starting, i ended up really enjoying (but this was dampened slightly by spoiler-y reasons below)

all the relationships really worked. i love world ending confessions like any other romance reader but as i grow older, i appreciate this subtler, grounded, and mature development even more. which is what i loved so much in shu's route for example ie the way that they both already know what's going on between them and they don't have to signpost to the audience "We Are In Love" but they learn they do have to communicate with each other as a couple if they want to grow

but by far the best thing about the lis is the family dynamic. in terms of plot, this game shines on its themes. i find it compelling that it takes a pretty non-absolutist and humanist view on, to be facetious, "we live in A Society" plot ie that it's not always possible to take a black and white morality on very gray issues and sometimes the best thing we can do is "grit our teeth and do it" and rely on our community and loved ones to uplift each other. (kind of related but this is kind of the stance i wish tears of themis would take on some issues instead of always impressing the message that the system or the status quo is always the most ideal.) so seeing protagonists who are morally gray in a very human way and even unabashedly questionable/self-serving outside of their group and context is really refreshing.

my more critical thoughts (more spoilery)

the pacing of the ending was like whiplash. i had my suspicions that there was more to adam than being an affable and supportive friend. it breaks my heart that his love is unrequited and that he's the type to suffer quietly and dirty his hands for the sake of his loved ones. the true dark horse of the game. i wish we got to spend more time with him

that being said, i remain ambivalent about the revelation of zora as a rapist. his absence is his presence as a character so everything we know about him we receive secondhand from teuta. which might work well to one of the game's themes: that we cannot fully understand another person even if we may love and care for them. the only thing we might glimpse as an "objective" presentation of him as a person is through adam's spectral vision but even that is colored by adam's traumatic experience with him and the real-or-not-real manifestations of his less than level brain. perhaps if they wanted to make this work, it would be prudent of the writers to depict more of what zora was like with teuta via flashbacks. what facets of his character remained constant or exacerbated before and after his addiction? what was the baseline dynamic among these four people? this story was in desperate need of an epilogue in teuta's point of view. we start the story with her; it only makes sense we end it with her. what this thread was crucially missing was her emotional reckoning with this realization. and what could supplant "auld lang syne" is more development of luka and adam's inner world as characters. i feel like we only got to know them as extensions of teuta before this, so to have these very strong character reveals be rooted in these two side characters, completely outside of what's been developed with teuta and the ensemble of lis in the bulk of the story, makes the pacing feel very rushed because we got to learn the equivalent of a route in one episode.

which is why if they expected to leave a lot of loose threads because of a planned sequel, reserving this revelation in the second game would have worked better because they could have built up to it with more impact and measured pacing. and i say planned sequel because the ending left as much questions as answers. especially regarding sauli. i feel bad for helvetica whose emotional foundation in his route seem thrown in the air because of this revelation with his adoptive father. i can buy that sauli is less than scrupulous but still carry genuine love for his son but the thing is because of a lack of an epilogue we don't know the nuances and full context. and we don't see helvetica's emotional reckoning with this either. the thing is even if they wrote this with a sequel in mind, a story should be complete either way as an arc. what this does is take perfectly complete endings established in the other routes and blows it wide open and you can't do that as an ending for your main story. if they wanted to go down this way, reveal to the audience that sauli is hiding some secrets of a darker nature but only to the audience. and leave the exact secret ambiguous. reserve helvetica's full reaction to the reveal and reckoning in the second game. it leaves us wanting to know more but it doesn't leave us feeling muddled and confused as it doesn't retroactively take away from the emotional impact that helvetica's route already left us with at the very last minute.

to be brief "full contact" suffers from the same problems as "auld lang syne" in the sense that we don't know these people who are apparently major players in the plot and worldbuilding beyond their role as teuta's supporting cast. why should we care about vonda as an antagonist when we only see glimpses of him? can we really be fully invested in carmen's conflicted feelings over theo and alex when the impression we've gotten of her so far has been as a portrayal of a minor character? and the thing is this isn't a bad thing! a supporting cast shouldn't have a fully developed arc and exploration as its protagonists. but the thing is the game fully expects us to come into "full contact" with the same level of investment and complex understanding of carmen, alex etc as we do with teuta and her lis.

again if they insisted on this, then they should have upgraded carmen etc to the main cast and treat them with the same character work as the lis. the downside to this is that it bloats the story and perhaps this is what the writers thought and forced this storyline to resolve anyway in one episode with the intention that any expectations or questions can be fulfilled or answered in the sequel. again!! you want your main story to be complete. leave some intriguing threads but don't reserve full on emotional story beats that should have been resolved in the first to a second installment that your audience may or may not even pick up. there's a difference between intrigue to sell a sequel and frustrating loose threads that offer no closure for the first story. one adds to the development; the other detracts.

anyway lol i really enjoyed this game and i can already imagine the fanworks i might create for it but these were just too glaring for me to shrug off

#jm. #bustafellows

[rivetgoth]

fr i know reddit is like a giant cauldron full of poison but if u go on any of the misogynistic "mens rights" subreddits theres a HUGE amount of trans guys

Yeah like. Idk, there has been much better writing on this by more eloquent experienced theorists and activists but it is an undeniable truth about marginalized identity that certain groups will develop this mindset that they were entitled to some form of privilege that they were denied— Usually in the form of the initial mindset being “if I’d just been born in the oppressor class I’d be afforded the privilege that rightfully should have been mine.” I think this is an understandable and complex instinctive response to oppression but the issue is that lots of people don’t work to uninternalize and work through these things and try to think critically about this first-instinct response. Because it is extremely fucking toxic to hinge your worth not on the desire for equality but on the desire for PRIVILEGE and more than anything it ends up coming out via attempts at punching down at other marginalized groups in order to feel superior and regain some of that perceived owed privilege.

Cis women do this as transmisogynists who implicitly or explicitly are functioning under the belief that had they just been born male they would be afforded the privilege they’re rightfully owed. White gays do this under the pretense that had they just been born straight they’d be owed some form of privilege and it usually comes out as very obvious racism, often towards nonwhite members of their own community. It’s a common mindset in incel spaces among incels who feel that they are at some uncontrollable disadvantage that makes them feel inferior to other men and entitled to some sort of privilege they were denied. And trans men FUCKING DO THIS ALL THE TIME TOO. It’s so fucking easy as dysphoric trans men living in patriarchal cultures to see the privilege often afforded to our cis counterparts and feel that we missed out on something, that their privilege is something we should have been given and were denied for reasons outside of our control.

And they’re right, in a way, right? Like, if I’d been born a cis man I would probably have very different opportunities in some ways than as a trans man. But like, one of the reasons this whole mindset is still a very privileged one that leads to isolating at best and outright targeting at worst other marginalized people is that it leaves no room for intersectionality at all. The idea that a gay man is afforded privilege for being a man that was denied purely due to his sexuality becomes a moot point if you’re also black, or trans, or a woman. For example. It also leads to a really nasty assimilationist “you’re making us look bad whereas I’m the shining example of being as close to normal as possible” mindsets a lot of the time. Andddd it is straight up counterproductive to any move towards actual equal rights for anyone because it’s continuing to uphold systemic inequality and oppressor/oppressed classes, with the goal of marginalized people being to BE an oppressor class, rather than to dismantle them.

So like. Yeah. Trans men have this massive fucking issue of just seething over the fact that they are not afforded the privilege that [white, straight, gender conforming, able bodied, thin, etc] cis men have. I get it. I think a lot of trans men really struggle with self acceptance and it comes out as both self destruction and tearing down others. It’s the root of a lot of the really aggressive truscum types IME, like read between the lines and you can almost always identify the actual root of their anger is that they are insecure about themselves and are projecting that onto others. I say that as a dysphoric trans man who has been in those spaces and has at points in my life sympathized a lot with some of them. A lot of it is born from insecurity and I think that’s quite normal for a marginalized person, especially a young one and especially one dealing with dysphoria at the same time. I also think it’s bullshit to make this a foundation of your theoretical discussions on the marginalization that we face or to allow it to go unchecked just because we are oppressed though. I think spending even a few seconds in any trans man-dominated community makes it very obvious that there is a glaring issue of unchecked bigotry towards other groups and replication of toxic masculinity happening. I have seen so many posts on FTM subreddits that boil down to “women are so shallow for not wanting to fuck me” and/or “if I’d just been born cis then women would want to fuck me.” There is a lot of completely unnecessary hostility towards trans women including very frequent accusation that trans women somehow have it easier than us, usually due to “visibility.” To be blunt I think basing privilege on how “visible” an identity is in the mainstream is like, a thirteen year old’s concept of marginalization and privilege/oppression dynamics and has no bearing on the workings of the world whatsoever.

I am critical of the trans guy community because as a guy who has been dysphoric my whole life, grew up closeted in a very conservative area, was called slurs through my teenage years, transitioned as a young adult after an incredible amount of strife from family, as a trans guy who is openly bisexual and kinky and weird and gender nonconforming, who is non-op and has PIV sex and wears makeup and jewelry with a beard and a flat chest, who has been involved in the IRL queer community for years and whose friends are almost entirely trans people and crossdressers and drag kings and queens and weird kinky gays of all types, I am NOT keen on the way so many of us allow this victim complex “life is so unfair to me” ass mindset to inundate trans man spaces and destroy our solidarity with other groups and each other. I do not think dysphoria or oppression or internalized or external transphobia or whatever is an excuse for punching laterally or down. I think trans women are our closest and most crucial allies in our fight for equality and autonomy and I see them as my sisters and friends. I have fought hard to be proud of who I am as a trans man in a way that hopefully does not knock down anybody else and I do not understand why we can’t talk about our pain or the nuances of our oppression and marginalization without it turning into a game of “who has it worse” and becoming volatile towards other groups of vulnerable people.

And like. I don’t appreciate the fact that I as a trans man complaining and disagreeing briefly about the wording of a popular post made by another trans man on my own blog, with the username of the other guy cropped, turned into bitchy ass online trans guys telling me I have poor reading comprehension and don’t know how to form a real argument. As if it’s my job as a trans guy to fucking write a goddamn manifesto any time I wanna say “I think this is dumb” on my own damn blog about INCREDIBLY niche insular intracommunity discourse. Like how are y’all fighting for our rights and voices when a fellow trans guy so much as saying “this is stupid” in the context of explicitly defending trans women on a post is enough to warrant waking up to like half a dozen guys throwing a fit in my notifications about how I’m a self-hating trans man who needs to word my 30 second complaints better if I ever want to be taken seriously and not face some imaginary online social ostracization.

Idk. Obviously getting off topic but yeah. I have not and never will feel very accepted in trans guy spaces nor do I like the way so many trans guy spaces allow their members to talk about other groups. I stopped using r/FTM after I made a post on there asking that people curb their weird biphobic posts about how they don’t want to date bisexual people because it would make them feel like they aren’t real men (SUPER common sentiment on there) and I had my notifications inundated with guys mansplaining dysphoria and internalized transphobia to me like that’s a fucking excuse for constantly suggesting that bisexuals are shallow sex-obsessed transphobic whores or whatever and some even accusing me of “being bitter that they don’t want to fuck me” as if I’m not a fucking bisexual trans man asking people to just like. Check themselves and their biases sometimes. Like Jesus. I feel like so many trans male-dominated spaces are just so filled with misery and entitlement and a willingness to eat each other and other marginalized groups alive. Even the fact that you can’t step foot into lots of FTM spaces without a ton of posts shitting on DI scars or phallo results OR shitting on guys who DON’T get either surgeries just feels ridiculous. Like what are we doing. Where is the solidarity where is the community where is the sense that we as marginalized people can uplift the voices of other groups and work through our issues to be wiser and kinder and more thoughtful and caring than those who do us harm?

[khizuo]

I think there’s a lot more nuance to your f1nn5ter take that’s missing simply because it doesn’t really take into account… how and why people use tumblr?

most people don’t use tumblr to try and advance queer liberation or promote social justice and mutual aid…. they use it for entertainment first and foremost. they want to post/see things that they enjoy, instead of focusing solely on real life issues. hell, tumblr can also be an ‘escape’ of sorts from the shitty reality around them (or that they personally experience)

so they just… don’t want to make their entire feed about those real life struggles, and doom posts about those trying to kill and erase them, and people asking for help to escape their shitty lives. it’s distressing and sad and not what they come to tumblr for. instead they focus on things that are more simple and lighthearted and positive, like a popular gnc streamer.

the point I’m trying to make here is that…. I don’t think you can accurately judge someone’s moral beliefs or actions based on their posting/reblogging habits, because for them this isn’t the moral beliefs website— that’s not what they’re here for. It might be for you, and that’s okay! but that’s not how it is for, id argue, the majority of users. they want a safe space away from that and i don’t think pressuring or shaming bloggers for doing that (/for not posting about [X] issue) is going to help anyone.

hi anon! if anyone out there following me uses tumblr as an escapism site™, then good for you. i'm commenting less on the moral character of individual people as i am on a general culture i've observed on the site as a whole. and the fact is: posts about how "revolutionary" f1nnster are get tens of thousands of notes while trans crowdfund posts struggle to get to a thousand.

the thing is — very few people on tumblr are completely removed from the reality of queer oppression. posts on the topic are frequently reblogged, because such a large part of the userbase is lgbtq. this is why f1nn is so popular on tumblr rn — people are upholding him as a shining example of gender-noncomformity. the problem comes when people (mostly tme queer people) start legitimately calling him more "revolutionary" than trans women because he's "challenging gender norms" or something. this completely ignores context — f1nnster is a popular wealthy white streamer, while transfemme folks often face disproportionate levels of violence and poverty, often as a direct result of coming out.

a lot of tumblr activism is performative. i'm not saying this in a "this makes xyz a bad person" kind of way, what i mean is that posts about social justice and hating capitalism and shit will blow up with the people reblogging them doing nothing to actually build material solidarity, which, yes, involves mutual aid and uplifting marginalized voices. now, i don't know everyone on tumblr, so I'm sure there are people who do mutual aid/organizing work offline and then come on here to exclusively fandompost. but i'm also sure there are people who don't do any mutual aid/organizing work and who then come on here to reblog a few social justice-y posts and then never think about concrete actions to take to actually live up to that which they say they care about. and these are very often the same people who will reblog a post about how "revolutionary" f1nnster is.

I know of plenty of people on tumblr who could participate in mutual aid but don't. this popular tumblr idea that crowdfunding posts are evil or whatever needs to die. it screams of liberalism and a "not my problem" attitude that is actively harmful towards goals of liberation. my complaints are about the performative leftism that I observe a lot on here, and how this culture of performative leftism has chosen f1nnster to uplift as its newest hero. and honestly, I'm more worried about trans poc and multi-marginalized folks who are struggling to get their basic needs met than i am of white and/or class-privileged queer people feeling bad about their escapism site™.

#my answers #and like!! i will always bring up my own privilege!!! #i benefit from anti-Blackness as a non-Black person #and i benefit from my class-privilege #i benefit from colorism as a fair-skinned person #and from fatphobia as a straight-sized person #and from ableism as someone who is not (as far as i know) physically disabled/chronically ill #i try to materially support folks who are more marginalized than me #because tbh it's the least i could do #and i'm by no means perfect. i don't say all of this to put myself on a moral pedastal

[dark-night-of-the-clownfish]

Early Rock & Roll was invented by black people.

🗂📻🎙

White people being influenced by black music or doing covers of songs from black musicians in itself isn’t the issue because music is not exclusive to one person or group, but it becomes an issue when white people profit from black music while not showing respect, sharing the history, credit, or economic rewards with black artists.

…I think Hozier is a good example of the proper way for how white musicians should go about using musical influences from another culture (especially one that has been marginalized) in a respectful way because he gives credit and uses his privilege to shine a spotlight & celebrate the black voices that inspired him.

#rock & roll #music #history #blues #elvis presley #big mama thornton #b.b. king #hozier #nina simone #nina cried power #Cultural Appropriation #poc #pbs #r&b #Spotify #text post

[gunnerina]

People are always so quick to call out “threats” and whatever the fuck about all these other drivers but are fucking dead silent when the same shit comes to Lewis.

Please understand that people say shit in the heat of the moment and absolutely none of those tweets or comments are serious or can be taken as serious threats. Please fucking learn how literally any other sport operates, you’re going to be relieved at how civil F1 can be.

The way some of y’all jump at the chance to criticize other fans and their driver when that driver has been consistently the victim of racist abuse and threats since his karting days really shows how hypocritical and straight racist you are. Literally I don’t care how you feel about the word racist, your actions show that is exactly what you are: you’re racist.

You all may think being racist just includes using the n word and trying to fucking l*nch someone. Don’t let Hollywood’s depictions of overt racism fool you, covert racism is alive, well, and incredibly prevalent in places like the Northern US and Europe (I use those examples because they’re the loudest about being “not racist”).

Y’all play fucking psychological warfare with people of color everyday. Then you refuse to acknowledge the way you chip away at POC’s lives and sanity little by little. And it kills you that we have learned to survive through your bullshit.

And then you turn around and are up in arms about the first, unserious “threats” on social media about your driver who is steeped in white and economic privilege.

Understand these few instances are little to nothing in comparison to what POC deal with every moment of every day.

So stay silent when POC face daily abuse, because your white supremacist beliefs shine when you finally decide to speak up for someone else. (and btw you don’t have to be white to buy into white supremacy)

#I’m tired. #this is every fucking week

[stinkyeyeball]

Here's a rant nobody wanted, but I just rewatched The Addams Family (1991) and I have THOUGHTS about why their family dynamic is so comforting to me and many others.

Firstly, even though Addams blood has deep significance in the film, the expectations that often come with family do not apply. Fester is away for multiple years, he makes the family briefly homeless, he deeply betrays those who trust him, and yet he is welcomed back into the family again and again. Also, not only blood relatives are welcomed in; it's clear that even others are welcomed with open arms as long as they do not judge any member of the family. For example, this is seen with Margaret, ex-wife of the Addams lawyer turned Cousin It's partner, being treated the same as any other family member at the end of the film. In the end, what makes the family is not blood, or amassed riches, or a feeling of loyalty; it is the deep care the characters feel for each other. When the family loses their house, it's not concern for money that makes them miserable (derogatory), but for Gomez a hurt over losing his brother once again and for Morticia a concern for her depressed husband. Obviously there's an element of privilege here as well in that they have never needed to care about money, but it's also such a strength that it's no surprise that most other relationships end up orbiting that dynamic as foils or being sucked in, the characters becoming Addamses themselves.

Secondly, I really love the way the film portrays the characters' various oddities. Sure, the movie is overwhelmingly white and there are some stereotypes that aren't great. But just focusing on the endless quotable one-liners they roll out, a very specific approach shines through. Commonly "bad" descriptions such as "slob" or "evil" or "maniac" are embraced as part of the characters' identities, inseparable from them as people if one should even want to attempt it. It's not hidden, or explained away, it's just there along with everything else. When the family lose their home, the office worker asks Morticia if her husband is a loafer, a hopeless layabout, a shiftless dreamer? With a sad look she responds, "Not anymore." Nurturing each other's interests and personal development is a core value of the family, and she's not worried that he's not providing - she's worried that he's stagnated in a way that makes him suffer (that's her job, after all).

Adding on to that point, even disability is portrayed in a very beautiful way. Cousin It not speaking in a way we understand as watchers is never a gag, and we see him interacting with others and developing a seemingly well-functioning relationship to Margaret (who also, by the way, develops from a stereotypical nagging wife to an Addams). Thing is able to communicate perfectly well with the family through sign language and sheer personality, and the family cherishes him and shows him great respect. He is never tossed around as a gag or ignored because he cannot verbalise. The thought would be outlandish. What I especially love, though, is the way these characters are also treated not only as equals, but as fully fleshed out personalities. The thing is an grinder dad friend who stutters when he's stressed and likes to mess with Fester. Cousin It is a great dancer who comes up with wild ideas and listens to rock. This is not to say that they would not have these traits were it not for the Addamses, but the family makes room for them, sees them and loves the characters for them.

This got so long and there's so much more I could say, but whatever. As a queer, most likely autistic, generally weird person who's fallen off the curve due to mental issues it is just indescribably comforting to have a place to go where I have no doubt I'd be fully accepted, no raised eyebrows or passive aggressive comments to fear. Even if it's fictional, knowing that such characters and such love can exist becomes real in its own way.

#And I've not even TOUCHED upon the way Morticia can express her femininity with no fear of being undermined because of it #Also did I mention the word crazy is never used in the entire film #And Morticia's face when Wednesday's teacher tells her a kid chose president Bush as their personal hero #no thank you bigot bitch #no thank you bigot #Generally just take me home road paved with good intentions #The Addams Family #chosen family #lgbtqia #lgbtq #mental illness #autism

[maxlambert2]

Multimedia Blog 1

The Curse is a new show by creators Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie about the creation of a new reality tv-show gone haywire. The initial premise, although comedic, takes a dark turn with the introduction of a “curse” which seems to have an impact over everything, whether the curse is real or not.

On the surface, it provides a satire of reality tv stars and productions, exploring the artifice that comes with television, but dives into deeper social issues along the way. One major example relating to Multicultural America is the White Privilege Checklist by Peggy McIntosh. The two lead characters, Asher and Whitney are both white and wealthy people, which provides a strong contrast to the working-class and indigenous communities around them. The premise of the show relates directly to point three, that the reader can turn on the tv and see someone of their race. Home improvement shows are famously populated with Caucasian couples, a trope The Curse plays with. The main characters operate as acknowledging their privileges and choosing to use them to benefit the local community. But all while they say they are aware of their privileges, and try to benefit the community, they simply contribute to the exploitation of indigenous land and to gentrifying this place. 

The exploitation of Indigenous land in The Curse by the hands of the lead characters brings to mind segments of Aleta Ringlero’s Prairie Pinups. In relation to the pinups that are the subject of Ringerlo’s text, they say “They make the viewer uncomfortable, and a general tone of reticence towards the prairie pinups.” In episode two of The Curse, the leads take a local artist out to dinner, hoping to use her artwork in their tv show. They wine and dine her to exploit her for their own monetary gain. The situation is uncomfortable, with the viewer being plainly aware of the business deal at play, presented with long takes of uncomfortable silence.

Like what Ringerlo said, these images in the show are made to make the viewer uncomfortable, which might not have been the original intention of the pinups, but is the historical context brought upon through our knowledge of the exploitation of Native people. The tone of the show is restrained, letting the awkward and uncomfortable moments shine through, letting the audience decide if our characters are knowledgeable of their exploitation and white privilege. The Curse judges from afar. 

#Youtube

[edenvs3000f23]

Blog Post #3

Prompt: What role does “privilege” play in nature interpretation? Please include your working definition of privilege.

Privilege is a topic that has been and still is thoroughly debated when it comes to scenarios like race, gender, social class, and education but is often overlooked or not recognized in topics like science or nature interpretation. Personally, I have a hard time understanding why privilege is a topic that is still debated and brings intense controversy when it so blantly exists in so many different ways. When talking about privilege in a social context, my definition would be any unearned benefits, advantages or opportunities that a certain individual or group has received solely based on a specific culture, social or economic category they fall into. I feel as though people that do possess privilege are often ignorant to the advantages they are receiving, for example, things like access to a better education or employment opportunities or simply people that do not face discriminatory or systemic barriers. The word privilege to me, is a concept that shines a light on discrimination and inequality in society in hopes to promote not only awareness but serious change. 

When looking at privilege that exists within science, like said, it is something that people wouldn’t think about or wouldn’t know is an active problem when interpreting nature or scientific facts/research. Personally, I was unaware of privilege existing in the science realm until my first year at Guelph when I took ENVS 1030 Introduction to Environmental Science where my professor taught an entire unit on it! Learning this was super eye opening for me and it is something I will carry with me for the rest of my degree and future careers. When closely examining scientific information, privilege can significantly influence the way one perceives and interprets the science of our natural world. Privilege, whether it be related to race, gender, education, or social class, can shape perspectives of the environment, access to information or opportunities to further scientific knowledge. Societal privlege can determine who has access to knowledge and resources, for example, when we look historically, people belonging to marganlized communities (low social class, underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds) have faced barriers that can significantly limit access to quality scientific education. This underrepresentation in scientific fields limits diverse perspectives that can be significant to scientific research. When looking at how this can affect nature interpretation, this can cause skewed perception of our world. As an example, individuals existing in a privileged urbanized background may interpret nature as’ untouched’ but fail to recognize indigenous histories and cultural connections that exist in the landscape they now inhabit. Also, when looking at representation in science and scientific research, the majority of the most well known scientists are white and male and there are few that represent other genders and races. This may cause people to feel unrepresented or excluded when it comes to engaging with nature or sparking interest in taking on a science career/field. 

Now when looking at privilege and environmental issues, I have learned through past courses, this is an increasing problem in terms of environmental justice. I have learned that low-income and communities of colour often face harsh environmental degradtion and pollution while the privileged communities have easy and readily access to clean air, water, or spaces. This not only now affects the health of people but how people can perceive nature. If you constantly face scenarios like pollution or environmental degradation on a daily basis, the way you interpret nature would be drastically different than someone who has access to clean environments and ecosystems. I feel that addressing and combating privilege in science and nature interpretation is crucial in creating an equal and inclusive society.

[leftistfeminista]

Pornography was then seen as a stimulant for natural desire and sexual release, and alongside prostitution, as a vehicle to channel this desire in acceptable practices. The institutional facilitation of pornography and sex workers for soldiers emphasized and further legitimized the idea that men have a natural propensity for sexual release through heterosexual penetration, and that the satisfaction of that desire is in great part what makes a good soldier. As our informants said, watching each other was also arousing. Peer pressure to perform is highly intimate and homoerotic, set off and mitigated only through violence. If soldiers did not comply with the need to perform sexually and show heteronormative manhood, they would get a beating—or they were threatened with feminization through rape themselves. Hence, soldiers’ own sexual desire is enforced with and through violence and abuse. While the soldiers, and the military hierarchy, frame the sexual servicing of men through managed prostitution as benign and preventative of unacceptable sexual practices such as rape, bestiality, and homosexuality, the staging of this sexual release through pornography, force, and collective and performative penetration provides the emotional introduction to the much more violent practice of gang rape and the sexual torture of prisoners.

If men were ordered to have sex with prostitutes, were they perhaps also ordered to rape? They were. According to several of our interviewees, captured enemy women (suspected Shining Path members) were always raped. As the TRC testimonies discussed by Boesten (2014) show, the captain would have privileged access to captives, and if the person in question was considered pretty or otherwise desirable (by being white or well educated, for example), she would be kept alive for a couple of weeks to serve the desires of the captain and sometimes also the troops. Imprisoned women would also serve the base cooking and laundering (Gavilán 2012). As such, soldiers were encouraged—or forced—to mirror their heterosexual masculinity performed with sex workers.

#political prisoners #women's rights #feminism #peru

[realhankmccoy]

Q: Hank, is there ever a time for so much as one moment where you wanted to 'look smarter' than Boi, who is in full Trump mode today of regilding his already gilded lily and talking about how suave and shine and gorgeous he is?

A: nope, not even close. that Boi can't even get an arrow near the dartboard. however, do i have insecurities in regard to Boi -- things I think he can do that I can't do? This is what his mini-Trump is searching for. Evil conservatives always want to know your insecurities, because they're truly just out to harm and torture others if they can get away with it. They're here to wreck the world and posit their own faces upon everything.

Like most bags of middle class Wonderbread, he presumes that everyone is trying to become him, and that everyone who is not him has somehow failed. This is precisely how White America in its whitest form is. A lot of these people literally look at blacks and Latinos and hold out hope for them that someday their skin will start to whiten through the generations... so, of course Wonderbread is wrong. I'm not trying to become him. I also don't share that Wonderbread quality. I wouldn't want people to become me... heavens no. I do think of myself as having certain prowesses and see myself as a mentor, but a good mentor doesn't make you into himself... that's not the point.

I can see to Boi, however, he does see such things as 'the point' which is probably why he has such deep-seated fears of others cucking him, which are misfounded fears since Trump was able to easily cuck him by playing on the most typical of American notes. At this point he's so well into being a ball in Trump's court that actually being cucked by the little girl or old veteran of foreign wars down the street would be a vast improvement on getting the mini to scream as it starts to wither...

So.... what are my insecurities in regard to Boi? Well, mostly things that have little to do with him -- word count, for example. Amount of 'content' as the kids call it produced on Tumblr. This is purely a petty, lazy way of driving the self that I've always engaged in.... OH NO, OTHERS ARE WORKING, I SEE... I MUST WORK MORE THAN THEM... it's the dumb German trying to do right for his family and community in me. This also, importantly, is paired with the thought that I'd rather not be writing on tumblr at all, knowing that I see this site as a disaster and just a sort of toss-off journal, and so what I'm doing is consciously letting an insecurity about not producing enough 'content' materialise pointlessly as 'content' on a throwaway blog in order to debase myself to an extent while still running.

I don't know quite how to describe it, kids, but pretend I'm a robot and that device that whirls out from the side pointlessly wants to keep spinning just to show that it's a good robot even though it knows that device spinning is a pointless exercise other than, you know, staying a bit well-oiled and not rusting entirely, but realising there are many real tasks that should preferably be attended to and the inherent trashiness of buzzing that little spinner.

So what else with Boi, since the matter that concerns Boi is always some narcissistic thing about 'WHAT HAVE I GOT THAT MAKES ME SPECIAL, FUCK YOUR FEELINGS, IM SPECIAL, ME, ME, I MUST BE SPECIAL AND SUPERIOR" which is typical of white Americans, especially those from sheltering and competitive homes in the nuclear middle class mode of privilege... sigh... it's so easy to see why Trump was able to get into him, being that many aspects of his childhood must have been like growing up Trump... anyhow, he wants to know about what makes him special... still... and how he can get others such as me to respect that more and aspire to BECOME BOI more ... sigh, kids these days... they have found this stupid way to let Trump's America wire their circuitry into thinking narcissism is 'good and natural and most logical and superior...' anyhow, since he's way down the self-esteem BE ME YOU SHOULD BE ME wormhole today, let's see what I can come up with (I'm feeling like a babysitter right now, kids, and picturing the Baby Trump balloon existing inside Boi's cranium as a mini...) so, ok, what can I coo over Baby Trump as concerns the subject matter of him wanting to ensure his flavour of Wonderbread is a recipe to be aspired to and that needs to take over more shelf space and be emulated by other brands or whatever...

If he'd just examine that he's a typical product of America he wouldn't be feeling these desires so strongly...

But here we go, humouring those insecurities and desires of his: Boi does interesting little bits of filigree sometimes, brief juxtapositions of his big words that he glues together in an effort to 'look smarter' or whatever it is that his projection on me is -- I always thought 'look smarter' was one of the things he tries to do, bringing him towards some sort of heavy mineral content in his sedimentary deposits of writing, and he just confirmed that. I just told him yesterday he needs to do more of this. Why wouldn't a person want more nice wrought iron ornamentation and curious filigree upon the edifices? That's what he does well and should do more of it. If there's anything I'm 'insecure' about it's that I don't make such things myself and would have to remove myself from what I do and sort of learn to do that -- now, make no mistake, I suppose I already did learn to do that, mostly, as I've written some experimental stuff in my time. But I haven't learned to do it all in his way, or with his detail, and being that I'm always like 'well, Hank, you're obviously totally worthless unless you do every single thing of a person's life better than them' I guess that would be the insecurity.

There's also some dense brambly stuff he can get up to that has a nice texture. He's not nearly as dense as Pynchon, of course, who is exponentially more dense, but I remember working on lyrics in my early 20s and always trying to make them more dense. I guess it's a 'guy' thing. So, there's times where I might think, well Hank, you sure have a light and breezy style, shouldn't you economise and compact it a bit? But again, I don't write on tumblr stylistically, so I'm about as 'worried' a wrestler who's not competing in the discus throw is. Still, sure, there's a time anyone in the bleachers could watch a discus throw and wonder with a splotch of worry about how 'gee, i doubt I could throw a discus like that...'

But no, it's not really some competitive 'fear' if I just encouraged him yesterday, is it? It's more like 'make sure to be a good mule for the system at least if you're going to remain hopelessly wedded to the system, as he is -- and do more of that filigree and find a way to put that to use.' Also, I guess maybe there's a fear that his parents support him in a way mine never did and I'll just be a workhorse for the rest of my life ages 43 to 65, my labour gone to the capitalists, while he kicks back and has a relatively pleasurable and sheltered life of video games, smoking when you feel like it, scribbling when you feel like it, toying with other boys (I am too nice and humanising, generally, to toy with people in the Trumpian, dehumanising way he does) and I'm well aware there is a sort of pleasure to be had in being more like Marquis de Sade than I am.

I suppose, also, I like dirty things, and though I don't find his blog erotic, I do find it sort of PigPen, which brings to mind an indelible, delightful song from my childhood and you know, sort of forces Lucy to head for the door... whereas I would, as a more Charlie Brown character, kick that football again and again while she rips it away. America is so squeaky clean that dirtying it up is usually a good thing, although I'm not sure about that... because you see, it's also sea to shining sea of rednecks, but rednecks with vacuum clearners. Anyhow, I digress... I'm just saying, kids, that rather than choke on the formaldehyde in the new carpeting, a little dirt might help. I guess I'm in fuckin' France though, where things are old and modern and clean without being extra bourgeois in the way America is... so hey, dirt as an antipode to the extra bourgeois tendencies of America is all I'm saying.

Make no mistake, on a superficial level, Boi is very showered and into personal grooming and all that, like all products of the nuclear middle -- he's suspicious of the unwashed peasantry, the unclean, etc. I'm the one who lives like a pig and smells like crotch and dirt, unshowered for weeks or a month at a time... I haven't ever felt like I have time in the day for such conventions, being that I've always seen myself as behind and in need of catching up.

True story, kids: I've never owned an electric vacuum cleaner. I use what is called a 'manual broom' like my maternal grandma used, the cheap ones that just have some wire rollers or whatever in the bottom. So I guess I've been drowning in dirt my whole adult life, since obviously the device I use isn't going to catch any of the small particulate matter. Bissell Natural Sweep is a good example of the sort of device I buy.

Why's that Lucy always gotta find a way to make sure the middle class survives in its royalism, tho? Gosh darn it, Lucy... everybody would have just kept coughing and things might have continued on towards objet petit a if not for the Queen of Sheba demonstrating leadership and bolting for the door.

#pigpen #Youtube #peanuts #the pigpen hoedown #lucy

[jgparra]

ALL AMERICAN

All American is a drama TV show that reflects the life of NFL player Spencer Paysinger. The show follows the life of an all-star football high school player from South Central LA that gets recruited to play at Beverly Hills High School. In order to chase his dream of becoming a professional football player, he must leave his mom and brother behind and live with the Baker family. These two families live in vastly different worlds, and Spencer James who is the main character finds himself stuck between these two worlds. I believe that this TV show reflects the concept of cultural identity that we have been talking about from week one.

Although people might think this is a football show, the show addresses a lot more than just sports. It represents what it’s like to live in the United States as a black man. The show does a great job of including current issues in the show. For example, one of the episodes was inspired by George Floyds brutal death at hands of a police officer. This opens the conversation of race and how we should be able to live in a world where race doesn’t define us as a human being It’s time to get rid of any racial prejudice and embrace the cultural diversity in our country.

There is an episode in All American where the Baker twins get pulled over. Jordan and Olivia Baker are son and daughter to a Black dad and a White mom. They grew up in Beverly Hills living what’s considered a privileged life. The encounter with the police officer shines a light on current social issues like police brutality and racism. Billy Baker calls this the “ugly side of being a black man in America”. This connects back to Peggy McIntosh white privilege check list. There’s a checklist item that states “If a traffic cop pulls me over or if the IRS audits my tac return, I can be sure I haven’t been singled out because of my race”. Even though the Bakers were raised in a privileged neighborhood, that did not make them immune to racism.

#Youtube