#what is panther profits

[soyouareandrewdobson]

Asians are all the same, right? The racism of a company cock gurgling moron

Like herpes and unlike the Dobbear, I am back baby.

At this point, deepest apology for my long absence. Personal issues over the last two years prevented me from writing anything and also destroyed for the longest time any desire to really continue the blog.

However, I don’t want to let things unfinished and seeing how the hypocricyofandrewdobson still manages to get some rise out of old Dobson related stuff, I wanted to just return, in order to properly contribute a bit more critical thinking in regard to his old comics.

And while I will not immediately return to my retrospective of SYAC, here is at least (for a start) my opinion on one comic of his, that in my opinion just proved hilarious and controversial in hindsight, and rather racist even back then.

I admit, I don’t know anymore what the title of the comic here is. All I know is, that it came out around 2018, shortly after the release of his “Black Panther” comic, another malignant piece of Dobtrash that has made the rounds online ever since. However, unlike the Black Panther comic, which became the center of a lot of discussion regarding Dobson’s racist assumptions about comic book fans while ironically trying to present himself as woke, this one was weirdly drifting off into obscurity. Which is kinda weird, cause in my opinion, it is way more racist and actually kinda insulting to the very craft Dobson supposedly “dedicated” his life to.

Let me explain.

First, over the course of three panels, Dobson comes essentially off like he is considering the medium of comics as inferior to the medium of movies. Making it look as if comics are unsuccessful because they cannot rail in the same amount of money than certain flics and calling them at best nothing more but a pitching ground for corporations to create new shallow mass product.

Now I am a bit of a realist and I know that, especially in the world of mainstream American superhero comics, this is kinda the case. Most comic book characters, stories and franchises are owned by multibillion dollar corporations, who either have a direct hand in the creation of the product (via corporate mandate for example) and/or use the likeness of the product to make profit in additional, more valuable revenues than the printed medium. Such as cartoons, merchandise and movies. One example I can think of, to show that it isn’t just an American issue: Yugioh. The card game wouldn’t have come to be if there hadn’t been a manga starring a little boy putting together an ancient Egyptian puzzle, but while the original manga ended way back in March of 2004, the card game makes millions globally still after 25 years and counting.

But that doesn’t change the fact, that comics as a medium still have value. Without the stories told within their pages, we wouldn’t have characters such as Captain America, Superman, the Mask, the Ninja Turtles and so on to begin with. Don’t get me even started on stories that aren’t falling into the American mainstream comic trend, but still succeeded in the printed comic medium partly because of genuine artistic and profound value such as Maus, Barefoot Gen, Watchmen, V for Vendetta, TinTin and a shitton of (other) stuff from Europe and Asia.

So when Dobson, who always acted like he is proud to be a cartoonist and that comics are a superior medium to others, suddenly reduces them to just being a “pitch ground for better stuff down the line” at best, I as a fan of the medium and just the art of creating stories in itself, get kinda pissed.

Additionally, the way how he compares movies to be better than comics, is severely flawed.

He brings up the fact, that “Captain America: Civil War” made over one billion dollars at the box office as an example, while pointing out the fact, that most single comic issues barely manage to sell 100.000 copies, while holding up a copypasted “Civil War” issue.

Already, Dobson essentially compares apples with bananas, while also giving both false and incomparable data, that also ignores many aspects to be considered.

For starters: He compares the earnings of both movies and comics with two different values. For movies, he goes by the monetary profit a superhero movie could possibly make, while for the comic issue, he goes by the total number of copies sold.

But here is the thing: Assuming the average selling price of a comic is at 4 dollars for a single 30 page issue, selling 100.000 copies would ring in like 400.000 dollars. And considering that producing one issue likely costs a company less than 20.000 dollars (obvious costs for mass production and distribution not withstanding) they can still make a decent profit this way from ONE issue alone. One issue. Not multiple issues of a long running, but sadly underperforming series. All of that by the way doesn’t even account for the fact, that most single issues at best tell only a quarter of a decent short story nowadays and ignores later “long term” factors, such as reprints of the issue, late term buying of the issue, tradepaperback sells of the issue, the longterm effect and cultural impact the issue may have on the actual series or plot continuity  (such as Amazing Spiderman 122, aka “The Night Gwen Stacy Died”). Don’t get me even started on the fact, that many of these issues get first sold in the US and only over the course of one year or longer may then additionally be sold in other parts of the world, therefore bringing in even more money for the publisher.

Example: The Duck comics by Don Rosa, which earn more than four times more in Europe, than they ever did in America, despite the guy being from California. Finally, a a little add addendum: that example Dobson gives indirectly via the “Civil War” issue? A quick google search revealed, that Civil War issue 1 sold over 300k copies in May of 2006 alone. Sure, not necessarily the best numbers ever for a single issue (as evident by the following list: https://bookriot.com/bestselling-comics-of-all-time/ )but still nothing to be ashamed of.

And yes, I know that we live currently in a time, where comic book sells have dropped significantly for a variety of reasons, one of them being an overall lack of decent stories. But as long as other stuff still manages to run freaking circles around American superheroes (*cough* One Piece *cough*) I wouldn’t say the medium itself is dead. Just a specific branch of it is suffering from a lack of quality and the customers are jumping ship.

A superhere movie meanwhile is a completely different beast. Ever since “The Avengers” came out in 2012, most superhero movies are 150-250 million dollar behemoths, that get overhyped by advertisement campaigns that are almost equally as expensive and try to trick the audience into believing, that they all are somehow the next big mindblowing thing on the big screen. Plus there hasn’t really been a superhero movie in the last 10+ years, that didn’t release simultaneously worldwide, instead of only coming out in the USA, and then a few months later, in other parts of the world.

So is it any wonder then, if a superhero movie that got advertised like the second coming of a saint, makes 1 billion, when there are already billions of potential customers worldwide all at once when the product launches?

That number btw becomes actually less impressive, once you start to think about how it came to be. Something our blue bear obviously didn’t.

See, on average every movie theater demands like what, 12-14 dollars per movie nowdays?

If we divide the box office of Civil war (1.152 billion btw) with 12 dollars, that makes on average 100 million people worldwide who watched the movie. A bit more than one or two percent of the worlds population. Not to forget, that of the box office success we have to substract such things as production cost of the movie, advertisement, the earnings of the theaters… so suddenly the movie may at best have had only earned one quarter of its box office for Disney as actual profit.

Not to forget, Dobson made that comic in 2018, when superhero movies on average did ring in so much money, because of the hype machine. But now we have 2023 and within the last five years (and especially 2023 itself) we have seen how superhero movies can also utterly fail to make money or even earn just enough to make back the production cost. Birds of Prey, Eternals, Ant Man 3, that Secret Invasion streaming show that still cost over 200 million… Do I need to get on?

Bottom line, Dobson’s indirect jab at comics as the less profitable revenue doesn’t hold that much water really in the real world, where once the hype dies down, comics may actually prove themselves as the more valuable longterm medium. Even if it may just be for the fact, that they end up staying longer relevant in the popcultural subconscious than the current movies, which tend to lose relevance with each new hastily produced and released installment in the franchise.

But where this comic really shines and shows Dobson’s ignorance on a cultural level, is in the last panel. When all off sudden it turns “racial” by claiming that Asian people, unlike “traditional” comic readers (aka white, in Dobbear s eyes therefore instantly racist people), would eat a Marvel character like Amadeus Cho up.

Question Dobson: Why do you assume, they would eat him up? You give no real argument based on anything the character does storywise, that the “target audience” may find admirable. So I can only think, that your reasoning is, because he is ever so slightly east asian coded.

Boy, do we have to unpack not just a can of worms, but a whole package of cans now.

First, the chosen language by saying “eat it up”. When being a writer, you should know that you need at times to choose your words wisely, because of the sheer implications they can carry. And the statement “eat it up” sounds way to close to a negative statement like “suck it up”. Making it come off as if Dobson considers Asian people to be mindless cattle that will consume the grub the House of Mouse will give them without question or any desire for actual quality to it.

Second, it recks of a certain mind set I hate within the American entertainment industry and some of its creators and consumers. That mind set being, that “non-traditional” American cultures supposedly don’t know better than Americans in what is okay for the sake of representation and entertainment or not. It’s a mindset that goes beyond the necessity of e.g. localizing a foreign product to the national market, by e.g. creating a sterilized, corporately mandated and rather unrealistic depiction of another culture within their product, that will fall apart as soon as the people who are supposed to be represented get a proper look at it and realize, how pandering and often times badly researched, if not outright offensive, it is.

Only recently did we see in the world of animation how that can backfire, when Disney released the trailer for “Primos” an upcoming animated show supposedly about a half Latina girl spending her summer vacation with her annoying cousins, people calling it based on the intro (and a leaked pilot) pandering towards a latino audience in a racist manner. And guess what: currently, Disney shelves it and tries to bury its existence like Dobson his old inflation art.

Dobson himself has actually indulged in that sort of shit kinda, back with his infamous Nintendo comic.

Essentially calling the “true”, Nintendo corporation approved depiction of his childhood Nintendo heroes disgraceful, for not falling in line with the late 80s depictions he saw in localized, made in America products such as the DiC cartoons. That and minor homophobia mixed with misogyny by calling Link “girly” for having longer blond hair since Ocarina of Time and blaming fangirls for it.

Third, and that is kinda related to my prior point, the reality of things is, that “Asians” actually did not eat up that sort of thing in the last couple of years. Sure, there is always that thing about a Chinese market. the big movie companies try to pander to and may succeed with some dumb action flics featuring big robots.

But the reality is, that not even people living in a dictatorship will eat up every trash you give to them, just because it comes from Hollywood or is supported by their glorious leadership. Disney tried to create two pandering messes of movies for Chinese people to watch, called Mulan (the live action adaptation) and that Shang Chi movie. And how did they do there? Oh right! The government did not even allow Shang Chi to be released and Mulan was released but supposedly didn’t do so well, considering (COVID not withstanding) it only made 70 million globally!

Don’t get me even started on every human right controversy in relation to the later, starting with filming in China near a concentration camp and ending with the main actress being essentially a Chinese propaganda puppet.

So, if those movies flopped, why would Chinese people for example flock for an Asian Hulk? A hulk that is not even Chinese but Korean.

See, this is another issue that fails with the example: The actual choice of character Dobson name dropped is actually kinda terrible.

For those unaware: Amadeus Cho is a supporting character in the Marvel comics, created in 2005 by American writer Greg Pak and artist Takeshi Miyazawa. The later, despite the name being very east Asian, sounding, actually being from Canada. Now both do have east Asian roots so to speak (Pak  e.g. is the son of an Korean-american man with a Caucasian woman), but they also have grown up within a society that taught them both western social values more so than we would see in east Asian countries. So with the creators already not necessarily having the most real life experience with the average mindset of a Korean citizen, can we really say that their actual creation helps “represent” those people of a foreign, non-american culture?

And that is not even covering stuff like the actual story of the character itself.

See, in the comics, Cho is supposed to be an American-Korean genius (wish fullfillment much, Greg?) and one of the smartest people in the Marvel Universe. His parents named him after Amadeus Mozart (a pretty white motherfucker as far as I remember) and he grew up under Methodist beliefs. So basically the “Korean heritage” of the character has already been thrown out of the window. Now I don’t expect the character to act stereotypical Korean, listen to K-pop, declare bulgogi to be his favorite dish or any of that shit. But when you want to sell me the character as being in some way or another connected to his ancestral culture, shouldn’t he engage at least in some “Korean coded” things?

I mean, the character of Anne Boonchuy in Amphibia is a Thai-American who acts more like a 13 year old girl that learns to be less selfish and impulsive over the course of the show and whose “heritage” isn’t thrown at us, the viewer, most of the time. In fact, Anne herself acknowledges that she e.g. can’t really speak thai, despite her own mother being fluent in it and a season 3 episode reveals, that Anne is “begrudgingly” a part of the L.A. thai community. And yet, in connection to the shows story and as part of Anne’s characterization, her heritage is acknowledged and plays a part of who she is. Even if it simply means she knows how to cook certain thai dishes, loves her parents and their customs, helps out in their restaurant, can speak a few words thai and knows the basics of Muay Thai, a form of martial arts (and fighting sport) from Thailand.

Amadeus doesn’t even have Korean parents anymore, because they were killed as part of his tragic hero backstory. Nor has he ever visited an Asian country. Oppps.

To build further up on it, Amadeus becomes for the longest time simply a major supporting character in the Marvel universe for the likes of Hulk and Hercules, two white coded characters. Sure, he plays a major role in the defeat of some cosmic horror level villains (such as Mikaboshi in the Chaos God storyline most people forgot even existed) but it takes a long time for him to become a “A-lister” so to speak.

In fact, according to Wikipedia, it wasn’t till after “Secret Wars” in 2016 (eleven years after the character was created), that Amadeus thanks to a chain of events eventually got his chance to Hulk out. And then they still had to kill Bruce Banner to make Amadeus “stand out” initially (don’t worry, Bruce came back. I mean, characters actually staying dead in comics, so that heroes can learn there are consequences? Preposterous) In fact, Amadeus hasn’t really proven himself as a decent “solo” act. Instead he became a member of the Champions (among Miles Morales, Mrs. Marvel, Vision’s daughter Viv. Nova and Cyclops), essentially creating yet another superhero team for teenaged vigilantes. Despite the fact, Cho himself should be by now in his mid 20s.

Now look, I do not want to shit talk the character. Partly because I haven’t read everything he was in myself and partly because in the few things I did see him in (both pre- and post Hulk) he was okay. He is a decent hero and person, who tries to do good, even if he screws up here and there. That is something I can admire in a character in general. But he is not a good “representation” of another culture, because his complexion and minor physical features aside, he is NOT embodying even minor values or traditions of that foreign culture. He is simply a Korean-American (or technically Canadian), who falls more on the American side of things.

So essentially, Dobson who virtue signaled on multiple occasions how bad it is when companies he didn’t like tried to speak on behalf of other cultures, would have no problem at all to ask for Asian people to swallow this obviously “Made in American” product. The “Made in America” line actually working both on a metaphorical and a storytelling level, cause trying to google what “east Asian coded” heroes in the Marvel Universe actually come from an Asian country instead of being simply born on American soil, is pretty damn small.

After 20 minutes I only found Shang Chi, as he was born in China, and that character was created as part of kung-fu exploitation in the 70s by white dudes.

Yaiks

However, none of that tops the next two points that really sell Dobson to me as an American centralistic racist. Or at least a twat who doesn’t understand how through bad wording he comes of as ignorant of other people’s cultures.

The way he generalizes Asian people in his statement, while also ignoring the actual accomplishments in the creation of entertainment in multiple Asian countries.

If you’ve read closely what I typed, you may have seen that I used the term Asian at times in tandem with the term “east Asian” to e.g. describe Amadeus Cho.

And that had a very deliberate reason. While I was not a fan of geography in school, even I know that Asia as a continent is not “nationally” as homogenous as let’s say Australia or North America. In fact, Asia is the biggest continent on the planet, hosts more than half of earth’s population and consists of at least 47 internationally acknowledged states.

States such as Turkey, Russia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, China, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, North- and South Korea, Egypt, Israel, Iraq, Iran and so on.

Now what all these states have in common, is that they have their own unique historical, social and “racial” culture and background. Heck, religiously speaking, Asia is the cradle of the world.

As such, Dobson stating that a “Korean coded” character such as Amadeus Cho (who is only Korean on the most surface level and would technically just be a legacy character of yet another white person) would be an immediate hulk smash hit with all these different people of different backgrounds…. Yeah, it sounds like condescending, colonization inspired shit, a smooth brain would come up with.

To Dobson “Asia”, at least based on that comic, is only defined as the “yellow skinned” people from the far east, who like rice, noodles, spicy food and give us anime, Godzilla, fireworks, buddhism and communism. It does not include anyone from the middle east or of more European ancestry. And if you are even remotely familiar about history, you would also know that Japanese, Koreans and Chinese all around do not e.g. like to be thrown into a pot with the others for a variety of reasons. Many of them political.

Or to sum it up even shorter: Dobson insinuated that a very shallow, “east Asian” coded American comic character would be an immediate hit with more than 47 different countries, ignoring that not all of them share the same background despite being part of the “same” landmass. And in doing so, he simultaneously generalized and denounced entire groups of people based on their racial and cultural background, which in as far as I am aware of, is considered racist.

But the “racism” is supposedly justified, because “representation” matters, it would be giving the middle finger to “traditional” comic fans and those nations and their culture are underrepresented globally.

Which is baloney.

Don’t get me wrong, I myself think that representation does matter. But the world does not necessarily rely on the good old US-Ayy only to give it to us.

Cause a lot of the Asian nations I brought up here? They have their own entertainment industry and stories, which again, get ignored by Dobson to make a dumb and false point.

I mean, manga is currently dominating the international comic market, all while Japan has also a booming animation industry and some of the most iconic heroes in modern popculture with the likes of Son Goku, Kamen Rider, Super Sentai etc.

China has a prominent -if propaganda driven- movie industry.

India has Bollywood and delivers some of the most ridiculous but awesome musical movies on the planet.

Russia had authors such as Tolstoy and movie directors, that redefined the “art” of filmmaking.

Korea had a few years ago one of the biggest streaming hits with Squid Game, while also earning an Oscar for a movie titled Dobs- I mean “Parasite”.

Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Turkey… even nations that have not entertainment living up to “western standards” still produce stuff in some way or form to entertain the masses and their people. Just google up the character Kara Murat aka the avenger of Anatolia.

And don’t get me even started on the sheer ton of mythology, stories and history each of their cultures have provided the world with. Journey to the West? Baba Yaga, the entirety of the Gilgamesh epos...

And yet, there is this indirect assumption by Dobson, that all of them would be so deprived of “heroes” in their media and folklore, they would letch on second hand shop Hulk? Fuck off, Dobbear. I know you like to suck corporate cock as long as you think they are woke and you have childhood nostalgia for them, but this is pathetic. Take Amadeus before A Rama Raju comes around and roundhouse kicks him back to Canada. Then get the taste of mouse smegma of your Disney cock gobbling lips.

#adobsonartwork #syac #hypocrisyofandrewdobson #amadeus cho #racisim #mcu #tom preston #andrew dobson #i am back #back again #guess who's back #Youtube

[sweater-daddiesdumbdork]

On The Hunt: Then Two Steps Behind

Summary- 4.7 Alpha Steve x Little One. Steve and Bucky are finding no leads in their tracking, but Fury has a possible lead. T'Challa makes use of the Reader's Little Wolf tracking skills to help locate some of their kidnapped Panthers in Ulysses' camp.

Warnings- violence, mentions of weapons, and shifters being trafficked.

A/N- Thank you so much for everyone sharing and following this story. Any input, questions, or just general thoughts about this verse is welcome! It's pretty inspiring to keep continuing this story. Special shout out to my beta, if you see this, thank you! Dividers made by @firefly-graphics 💙🐺

Chapter Two / Masterlist

Steve scanned over the Howling Commando’s gear, giving a nod of approval. “I don’t see anything we need to switch out, send a message to Stark that we are fine.” Steve told the beta who gave a nod to confirm and turned away to do the task given. Steve was meticulous in checking their gear, knowing that such a thing could be life or death for the team. 

Following the maze of hallways, he soon found Bucky who was hovering over a table, his hands in fists as he pressed down against the wood that was creaking under his weight. Fury eyed Bucky from the other side. 

“If there was something to tell you Barnes, I would give it to you.” 

“All of this is nothing?” Bucky snapped, if the White Wolf was at all showing, Steve knew he would be bristling. 

“Now I didn’t say that I have nothing, just not from this intel you brought me.” Fury, always cool and collected. He tapped on a screen, projecting a picture. “ My sources say it’s not just wolves Hydra is going for. It’s shifters in general.” Steve approached, glancing over the information the projection showed. “And they are willing to use smugglers to get them.” Another tap shifted to another projection, stats, and a face appeared on the screen. 

A face that the Alpha saw made him immediately snarl, Steve baring his teeth at the image. The weathered face with a grim sneer stared back at him. “Ulysses wanted to sell Y/N when they had us. Brock refused but he was willing to pay whatever for her.” 

<We should rip his throat out> The Alpha dropped his own suggestion. 

Gladly.

Fury nodded as if not surprised by Steve’s information. “I’m not at all surprised he would have bought Y/N. He is a kidnapper and smuggler. He stands to make a profit on an Omega Wolf such as Y/N. They are highly sought after because they are hard to control than a Beta or weak Alpha is, not to mention few and far between.” Fury side-eyed Steve as he said this. 

It made Steve’s stomach churn at the thought of someone buying you just to break you. Bucky studied the man as well, trying to place him. “I remember bits and pieces of him while Brock had me. He brought Brock shifters, but so many of them were barely hanging on anymore that we had to…” He stopped talking, dragging in a breath before continuing. “You think we can get what we need from him?” 

Fury shrugged. “It’s more than you Alpha’s are finding now. If you want to pursue him, I can get you over there.” 

“Where is he?” Steve questioned. 

“He is on the edge of Wakanda’s borders right now.” 

Steve glanced at Bucky. “Go visit the King?” 

“Might as well since what we are doing is proving useless for now. I’m going to pack up.” Bucky was abrupt as he left, leaving Fury frowning at the Sergeants departure. 

“Rogers…” He kept his tone low. “I want you to know that Barnes isn’t in a good place right now. I know he is practically your brother but you need to be careful with him in the field, especially with the howling commandos following his orders.” 

Steve felt the Alpha bristle at the implication but it was true. Steve wasn’t about to indulge in the struggles Bucky was facing, how the White Wolf has secluded himself away from Barnes, or the nightmares that had him fighting nothing in his room and Steve had to guard him against hurting himself or anyone else in the vicinity, how his anger and fear about the unknown was causing Bucky to either lash out or shut down vacantly. “I'm well aware Nick, trust me. That’s why we are leaving the commandos behind this time, just Bucky and I will be going to Wakanda.” 

Fury clenched his jaw but gave a nod, relenting to Steve’s decision.

“Y/N, your wolf will just stand out.” T’Challa stated while you prepared to argue at the injustice of being left behind. “Wolves and Omega’s are not common here. Ulysses will know exactly who you are when he sees you.” 

“And you don’t think you won’t stick out like a sore thumb? You are the damn king of Wakanda.” You snapped out, you were feeling irritated at the implication you couldn’t go with the panthers and hurt to be left behind. 

T’Challa didn’t let your outburst phase him, well aware that you were dealing with pain from Steve’s abrupt departure from your life. “You are right, I will. Why I’m sending Okoye to strike a deal with Ulysses, offering to see his “stock” to make purchases. You and I will be listening in as backup, should anything go awry.” 

Your jaw snapped shut in surprise and the Little Wolf uncurled in your mind. <It’s reasonable… Ulysses looked us over extensively with interest, he isn’t gonna forget us.>

“Right now it’s the best we can do Y/N, but I promise you're not going to be left behind, we need you.” 

“Yes, I can be okay with that.” you relented, but a silent thank you passed between you and T’Challa with a look. 

Okoye slid from her seat, sighing at the long spear she typically carried. “So I have to blend in with the outsiders?” 

T’Challa nodded “Head to toe.” He pointedly looked at her favored weapon and she scoffed. 

“This comes with me.” With a twist on the pole, to grow compacted, able to store away should she require it. 

“Fine, but you still need to change. From the leader of the Dora to a wealthy trafficker looking to spend.” 

She wrinkled her face in disgust at what she was supposed to portray. “That can be done.” 

T’Challa laughed at her reaction, turning to you. “Come on, we need to blend in a bit more as well Y/N.” 

You scowled at the brickwork of the building you were hovering around. Inside Okoye got her meeting with Ulysses, making the deal as you and T’Challa hovered in the back. The tall man stood next to you, his eyes narrowed at the street beyond, watching carefully. Your hand pressed near your ear, listening to the conversation go down inside. 

“And what is it you're interested in?” Ulysses voice grunted, muffled around something in his mouth. You could picture him with a cigar between his fingers, leering at the Pantheress. 

Then a tone you  expected rolled through the comm’s, Okoye purring in her response. “Specifics? Youngin’ panthers.” 

“Oh, what are you planning on doing with a bunch of brats?” 

“That is my business Mr.Ulysses, but I can promise you no one will look twice at a young panther here wandering the streets. Good runners.” 

There was a cackle in the comms and it went silent, you felt your heart hammer in your chest that maybe Okoye was caught. You made to bolt for the door but T’Challa’s hand grabbed at you, sweeping you into his hold like the two of you were huddling against one another. His sharp feline scent assaulted your senses as he hushed his voice near your ear. “Calm Wolf, his men are scouting the area for threats.” 

You turned into T’Challa, hiding against him, letting him shield you from sight. The Little Wolf lowered low, growling softly in your mind. Hush, I can’t hear Ulysses. 

<Sorry, I just hate being here and not doing anything.>

I do too. 

A booming man’s laugh came through. “You are ruthless, using the kids. Smart though. Sure, I got some inventory you might be interested in. Gonna cost you though.” 

“Name your price, I will have it ready tomorrow.” 

After a few more exchanges, Okoye hinted that she was leaving. T’Challa tilted his head back towards the street, signaling it was time for you two to leave the back alleyway and retreat with Okoye. 

As you both started out for the main street, Ulysses men came back through, stalking down the alley. Luck was not on your side as you tried to duck from being seen, one of them brushed against you, hard enough to make you stumble and the man lifted his nose, eyes blazing with interest. 

A fucking tracker, of course, this human would employ shifters. “I know you.” He snarled, whirring on you with interest. His eyes blazed at you as he sniffed the air again. “You were that Alpha’s bitch.”

Vibranium blades you kept hidden up your sleeves slipped down into your palm as you twisted to face the shifter, cursing at the luck you were recognized. You were seconds away from activating the bracelets on your wrist. T’Challa slipped out of sight, the men rounding on you taking no interest in what looked like another homeless person wandering the alley. “I have no Alpha.” 

“I can tell, you have that feral look to you, a bitch with no one to control her.” He sneered as he thought he had you cornered. The Little Wolf bristled, readying for the attack of the larger shifter, her snarls starting to build in your chest and escape as you finally revealed your weapons, slicing the tip across the man's face, catching his cheek in a flash, causing him to stumble back in surprise. “You bitch!” He spat while the armor swept across the front of your chest and up around your neck, protecting your throat.

You didn’t give him the time to come at you again, your leg sweeping out to kick at his gut making him double over with his arms wrapped around himself, T’Challa knocked his partner down when the man moved in a rush to help subdue you. He was quickly dropped to the ground while you had your blade pressing against the shifter's neck, pressing the sharp blade in enough to go through layers of skin, your face snarled as it pressed into your attackers. “I don’t need to be controlled.” 

The shifter's scent was sour with fear now, the way you had caught him by surprise. Your Little Wolf was ready to rip his throat out, take out the threat. T’Challa caught the man by the nape of the neck and crushed a handful of herbs under his nose; it was luck that the shifter took a deep, heavy inhale, drugging himself. The fumes were pungent as your attacker's eyes rolled and he was out. 

“Put the blades away Wolf.” T’Challa rumbled out, leaning down to sort quickly through the men's clothing, making it look like a robbery. “No bloodshed today. They will not remember us and we don't want to alert Ulysses that something is going on.” 

You leaned down enough to wipe your blade off and put it away. “What did you give them?” 

T’Challa grinned wickedly as he yanked out their wallets, pulling out the cash and ditching the wallets in a nearby dumpster. “We have more than just vibranium in Wakanda. Our land is rich with medicinal plants if you know how to gather them.” You two went back onto the street, weaving among the people bustling. “When they wake, their memory will feel like fever dreams and have a headache that will make them think they went on a bender and got mugged.” The money he took, he slipped the money to another soul on the street who needed it. “They will be so embarrassed that they won’t breathe a word of this to anyone.” 

You glanced over your shoulder, making sure no one else was following. “Clever.” You muttered while the two of you blended into the crowd, Okoye soon joined them, ignoring them as if they were no one till several blocks away, having been given the all clear sign and all of you piled into a van tucked away. 

“Deal’s in place.” Okoye settled gracefully into a seat while you plopped down, listening to the king and her go over the specifics of when, where, who and how much Ulysses was expecting. 

You could feel your Little Wolf getting ready for the hunt. 

At any kind of exchange of this magnitude, it feels like it should be late. The night time shadows provide places for the most unsavory to slink through, hiding their intentions till they are ready to pump your system full of poison. 

Ulysses set up this exchange at ten o'clock in the morning. The only thing he did like you figured would be to go to a remote location. As the vehicle you were packed into with other panthers let you know, the springs protesting with squeals, you all being jostled in the back. Even T’Challa’s claws were out, digging into the side of the vehicle for stability. Your Little Wolf panted heavily in the muggy heat while you swiped at the sweat creeping down the side of your face. 

Okoye was going over the plans, preparing to let you all out well before reaching the destination with the expectation that the group could finish going the last couple miles, with your Little Wolf using her sharp sense of smell to find the compound's location. Ulysses wasn’t an idiot, he would have his own group checking every vehicle, probably with the same skills you possessed. They were ready though, to mask the scent in the truck, Okoye was confident in that. 

“Y/N, as fast as you all can travel okay? T’Challa is equipped to listen in when I’m ready for all of you to come in.” The stern general glanced at her king. “You have to let me get at least a hold of the kid he is using and try to hold out long enough to find out where else they are keeping people.” Her eyes roved to everyone in the back of the truck. Some of the fiercest shifters you have ever seen, the Dora Milaje was not a force to challenge. “Do all of you understand the orders?” 

A unionized confirmation made you hide a grin, thinking about how your pack mates would be sassing the Alpha right now, but they were as fierce in your opinion as this group. “Y/N?'' Your name came across as having no room for amusement, and you gave a confirming nod to appease Okoye. 

“Good! Stop right here.” She thudded against the driver's end wall and the truck came to a screeching halt, jolting you against T’Challa’s firm side. You distinctly heard the rumbling growl come from him in agitation before loosening his claws from the side. 

Straightening yourself, you popped out of the back of the truck, listening carefully to the sounds around you. Exotic birds and monkeys screamed overhead, which you were used to by now. Bursts of color rose as whatever flock had roosted overhead. The familiar buzzing of bugs and the chittering of other creatures emitted loud, questioning cries. It wasn't till Okoye climbed out and checked in one last time with everyone before she left that things went back to normal. Still loud, the jungle was much like the forests you missed. 

It was when all went quiet did you have to be concerned. Right now, none of you were seen as a threat to the wildlife teaming the area. You hoped that you all could stay that way, it would make your chances of getting to the compound without being caught better. 

“Shuri, we are going dark now…” You heard T’Challa informing his sister in whatever device was planted on him. “And you are going to have to quiet down so I can hear Okoye.” 

Nakia patted an assuring hand against his arm, leaning up to whisper in his ear. You and your Little Wolf felt a pang at the sight of the couple. 

It made you miss Steve, how his presence would have calmed the racing of your heart right now. How he would have checked in with you, his touches would have lingered protectively on you, but it was better. The two of you would have watched each other. 

If only he could remember that time as well as you did. 

The Little Wolf whined, knowing your distractions could cause you harm. You inhaled sharply, getting to work and pushing your mate from your thoughts. 

<Ready when you are.>

A glance at T’Challa sets you in motion, your form quick to shed its human form. Nakia grasped at the clothes of those who shifted and stashed away. The ones who remained were poised on their feet, ready to race alongside. 

The Little Wolf gave a shake of fur after the shift, releasing any of the pent up energy left. Her nose lifted, sharp in the air to sort through the assault of information provided. The air was heavy and damp, making everything cling in particles wherever the water was. A blessing for a tracker, the scents of man and shifters wouldn't fade nearly as fast unless it rained. 

So far the morning sun was shining bright. And she could smell the scent of fear and adrenaline, coating her tongue with a foul taste. 

It was enough to make her spring forward as in a chase, following the trail like it was a string, having unraveled. Everyone followed, well behind to not distract her. Except for T’Challa, the man kept pace with you, feet thudding steadily as you darted through the jungle. The animals who claimed the trees screamed at the suddenness you would burst by, followed by a pack of people and black panthers. But they never silenced, they never feared they were being hunted. 

It provided enough cover that when you skirted around the first of Ulysses' men, they never expected the king to leap over you in a silent attack or the other panthers to silence them. 

Everything about the panthers was stealth while hunting. 

Seconds later you skidded to a stop, the King coming to crouch next to you, his hand resting gently on your back to keep you from continuing. “I see them, they are not hiding very well.” 

Ulysses had let some of his guard down here, not bothering to hide the massive camp so deep in the jungle. Judging from how far they traveled, Wakanda’s borders were not far away. A couple days away on foot if that. 

How could the vigilant panthers miss such a thing? 

“Shuri, note our location.” T’Challa muttered softly. “Do you see anything?” His eyes scanned upwards, searching for how they were hidden. You could faintly hear Shuri’s reply in his ear. 

“Nothing brother. I will test it out some more. So don’t let anyone shoot down my drone.” 

T’Challa cracked a small grin. “I will do my best.” He went silent and you settled down alongside him, focusing on the camp. 

From this vantage, it was all so open. People everywhere doing whatever tasks were assigned to them. The stench was almost overpowering. Fear and remnants of blood, it was saturated into the ground the camp was built on, the Little Wolf kept her ears pinned back in unease. Okoye wasn’t all that far away, an appearance of ease as she talked with Ulysses, the General playing her part well. She never once let it be known she was aware they were close. T’Challa kept watch of her, waiting for her signal. 

“Impressive.”  Okoye’s eyes roamed around the camp while she strode with Ulysses. “Do you move lots of products through?” 

Ulysses was cold as he shrugged. “Enough for you to get what you are looking for, I am sure. Come, I will show you what I have for you.” He gestured his hand forward, Okoye hesitated a moment before flashing him a smile. 

“Shouldn’t you lead the way?” She glanced around and your fur stood up along your spine, a soft uneasy whine making its way up your throat. Something was wrong, it felt wrong. “I do not know the layout of your camp.” 

“And you never will.” Ulysses reached behind him and pulled out a pistol, aimed right for Oyokes chest. From the truck a shot rang out, a scream of the panther driving echoing sharply. “T’Challa thinks he is smart huh?” His voice raised as his finger started to squeeze the trigger, all happening in seconds. “Sending in one of his prized panthers.” The shot rang off, sending T’Challa breaking from cover along with you and the panthers hunting with you. 

Okoye was quicker, the shield Shuri equipped her with bouncing off her forearm she shielded herself and her spear was suddenly in her hand, the metal shooting out to form, knocking Ulysses off balance, the gun slinging away suddenly. 

The metal over your bracelets swooped over you as more shots rang out, the camp suddenly in full combat mode. Panthers snarled in retaliation as they attacked their targets, sharp claws piercing and slashing up men’s bodies. 

T’Challa raced beyond them, Okoye being blown off her feet as a grenade exploded near her and giving Ulysses the chance to evade towards a truck, swinging himself into it to rev the engine. 

The shifters still human stayed in the trees, taking aim with specially made weapons to shoot out anything they could. 

“Shuri, get that drone on that truck,” T’Challa yelled as he reached his general, helping her to stand. 

“I’m fine.” She pushed him away. “Go now. He is close.” Okoye hissed in pain at T’Challa, but he hesitated, unable to leave her just yet. 

You weaved through the fighting, searching for the captured shifters in this camp. The few people that took interest in you, noticing you among the chaos were quickly dealt with as you leaped at them, snapping your jaws at throats and ripping them out. 

It was brutal, quick, and efficient. 

Your nose raced, the smells being sorted in milliseconds till you found what you were looking for. 

Fear, blood, metal, bodies. Panthers always had a scent of the deep jungle tops, misty wet and floral scented. All of it tinged with fear, bitter and sour. Your muzzle wrinkled up at it, jogging to a tent. 

“Who is that?” Bucky was quiet next to Steve, on the backside of the camp. Steve picked up Ulysses scent in the city and they followed it to this camp. The two of them prowled all night, picking up information about what was going on. 

Ulysses was moving shifters through, trucks going in full of shifters they found and leaving in the same way for some other destination. Bucky and Steve were just in the middle of a plan of how to infiltrate the camp when this woman appeared. 

Tall and commanding, she had her driver take her through the front without hesitation. Steve couldn’t believe his eyes as to who he saw. 

Okoye, and if she was here, that meant the Dora Milaje and possibly T’Challa himself were here. “A panther, that must mean there are others.” He pulled back from his hiding spot and tried to scent them. Something familiar was in the air, drawn to its wild sweetness, but he didn’t have the chance to sort it out when Bucky hissed in surprise. 

“They broke cover from the other side of the camp.” 

Steve growled at the suddenness of everything going to hell. Bucky was about to take his chance when he grabbed his brother's arm, pausing him. “Go fast, aim with kill shots Buck, anyone tries using trigger words, don’t give them the chance.” 

Bucky snarled as he shrugged his arm. “I’m fine Steve.” His eyes were hidden as he stepped from hiding and Steve felt the Alpha shake himself off, dispelling the unease of letting Bucky into this. They had seen him struggle with his control. 

<We will stay close> The Alpha assured as Steve bolted out, searching out both Ulysses and Bucky in a sweep of his eyes. 

As much as we can. A boom made the ground shake, Steve had to plant his feet as he found where the next threat was coming from. T’Challa stepped out of the unsettled dust with Okoye wrapped in his arm and a truck was squealing away. 

<There!>

Got him. Steve bolted in a run, preparing to let the Alpha take over when a streak caught his eyes, low to the ground the wolf traveled swiftly, and he would know that run anywhere. You were tracking among the attacking panthers and that made the Alpha stall. 

<What is the Little Wolf doing here?!> Steve changed course, following after you as you approached the tent all the trucks entering the camp earlier would go to. 

He was so far away, Steve yelped a warning as you darted inside, knowing that the tent was loaded with guards all armed with various weapons. Steve skidded inside to see you mid-tackle with one of the mercenaries, your strong jaws around the barrel of his weapon, each snarl had you wrenching your head, scraping your teeth against the metal. Just as fast as he noticed you, Steve assessed where the other threats were located- two on one side, rushing out of their chairs where they were playing cards of some kind and another around the back side of loaded cages, bracing his rifle against the top one to take aim and the one you were currently working on disarming. 

With a lift of his foot, Steve shoved his foot against a wall of empty cages, sending them tumbling over the two mercenaries scrambling to their weapons, his hand slipping against his chest and yanking out a vibranium dagger he carried on him, a gift from T’Challa the last time he was here. The blade raced true to its target, landing in the rifleman's skull and killing him instantly. 

A glance over his shoulder showed you had dragged the mercenary down, unable to withstand your attack anymore while he covered his face with his arms, a weak shield against you. Steve leaped over the cages to grab another mercenary, a punch to his head knocking his senses out and he slumped into dead weight from Steve’s hand. The last one managed to crawl out of the tented area, taking his chances among the panthers. Panting, Steve hauled the last remaining mercenary to one of the cages and slammed him in. 

Finally, it was mostly quiet in the tent, the people in the cages huddling in fear, waiting to see what they would do and there you were. Shifted back to yourself blinking at him, the shield wrapped around your body like a second skin, vibrating with whatever power was built into it. The shock was etched on your face, pain and sorrow quickly melded into a rage. You snarled at him. “What are you doing here Steve?” 

Steve felt himself rising in the challenge as he stepped around the tossed cages, stalking towards you. You looked as fierce as ever, his Little One ready to battle the enemy, but now it was him you were bracing to go against. Your eyes roved over him protectively, like you were making sure he wasn’t injured in any way but kept your touch well away from him. 

“What am I doing here, why aren't you home Little One?” Steve hissed angrily. “Where you are safe?” 

You backed a step like you were whiplashed, shaking your head. “You don't get to call me that Steve. It’s also none of your business.” 

“Are you alone?” Steve hesitated to take another step forward after you purposely backed away from him, out of his reach. “Why isn’t anyone with you?” 

Your chin hitched, your defiant move. Steve could sense you were discussing with your Little Wolf what you must have wanted to share with him. His own Alpha paced frantically because you were so close. Steve tried not to let himself get lost in your scent overwhelming him. It was almost like the first time, heating him from the inside out with the need to be close to you and be able to touch you. <Don’t drive her away Steve.> The Alpha snapped at the man. 

“Yes, it’s just me here, I'm alone now Steve.” You finally started, loosening your fighting stance slightly. “The rest of it is my business. Now help me get these people out of these cages if you are going to stay.” The dismissive tone stung Steve and made his chest ache at how hollow you sounded. 

You simply turned away from him, walking away to continue your mission.

#alpha steve and little one #the pack #on the hunt #amber writes #sweater writes #chris evans characters #steve rogers au #steve rogers #nomad steve rogers #shifter steve rogers #marvel au

[valkyrieandstrangeridingaragorn]

This is why all his promises fall flat in every movie. He kept saying he had learnt his lesson, that he won't make the same mistake again, he goes back to being with Pepper… but time and time again he reverts back to his old self. He never learns anything. It got to a point where he would promise to never do the same thing again and I just laughed. Sure buddy, you won't.

The Ultron fiasco is taken by the entire team as a whole, in fact in Agents of Shield they have a scene where some Shield execs claim the team had created Ultron - not just Stark or Banner, the entire Avengers team - and if Shield believed that you can bet the public did as well. So Stark never went out to admit he had made that mistake, and what he does in CW is even worse.

Besides the Accords and the attempted murder on Bucky, when Friday told him Zemo had impersonated Bucky to frame him for the bomb in Vienna, does Stark share that with the public? No, he does not. And the media were all going hard on Bucky for that, saying his name and showing his picture on the news. It is heavily implied in Black Panther that it was T'Challa who told the media that Bucky was innocent. What does that say about Stark? That he's so vindictive that he's okay with letting the public think Bucky had committed a crime he had not? Well, what am I saying… he let his team rot in the Raft.

He tries to force the team to sign the Accords but the very moment he disagrees with them he violates them. He tells Clint: "You broke the law, I didn't make you. You read it, you broke it" mere minutes before he chooses to break that law himself. And he has the audacity to tell Steve he didn't inform Ross of where he was going otherwise he would get arrested. Hypocrite much?

We get countless people asking for Wanda or Bruce or Bucky or even Steve to have to pay for the consequences of their actions as if Stark didn't return to his million-dollar compound after levelling an entire country, as if he didn't go back to his luxurious life after violating the Accords he had previously signed, as if he hasn't been allowed to walk free after making a fortune out of war profiteering, as if he wasn't treated as a hero despite creating Edith, as if he hadn't gone back home free as a bird after committing attempted murder on an innocent man.

#anti tony stark #team cap

[feckcops]

Why Has the Left Deprioritized COVID?

“Left failures to incorporate an analysis of disability and ableism are detrimental to our vision and organizing capacity. Capitalism itself is fundamentally ableist, awarding the food and shelter necessary for survival on the basis of an individual’s ability to work for pay. Capitalism ensures its own survival by turning disabled people unable to work, along with other unemployed people, into a surplus population whose existence disciplines employed workers into accepting poor working conditions and little pay, lest they fall into the abject poverty and exclusion experienced by many disabled and unemployed people. Work under capitalism is a disabling process, as workers become debilitated through unsafe jobsites, injuries from accidents or repetitive stress, and the mental and psychological tolls of a work culture that is almost universally unsustainable …

“In 1970, the Young Lords, an organization that fought for self-determination for Puerto Ricans and all colonized people, occupied Lincoln Hospital in the South Bronx to demand better healthcare. In 1977, disability rights activists occupied a federal building in San Francisco for 26 days, demanding the right to access any service that receives federal funding: hospitals, universities, schools, public transportation, government buildings, libraries, and more. That sit-in wouldn’t have succeeded without the support of the Black Panther Party, Gay Men’s Butterfly Brigade, and United Farm Workers, who provided the occupation with food, security, and personal attendant care. These groups understood that their members had a stake in disability rights, whether or not they were disabled themselves.

“The left needs to unite against pandemic ableism, not out of goodwill or charity towards disabled leftists, but for our movement’s survival. Organizations limit their potential membership when they romanticize pre-pandemic organizing practices, where everything happened in person and those who couldn’t attend due to disability or illness, lack of transportation, a work conflict, or family caregiving duties simply couldn’t participate. When unions fail to understand – or act on the understanding – that scarce, poverty-level disability benefits and the end of pandemic unemployment supports are political attacks on all workers, whose exploitation happens in relation to the parallel misery of unemployment, they miss an important opportunity to help build power for the working class as a whole …

“We need to organize collective action that builds bridges between our individual workplaces, issues, or identities. We need to work together as teachers, nurses, school staff, retail workers, seniors, and disabled people whose lives are increasingly dangerous and isolated, to shut down production and consumption to demand a public health response that puts life over profit. To get there, we need to call the pandemic what it is: an exercise in eugenics, a mass disabling event, and an escalation of racialized class warfare. The left’s job is not to accept the narrative of events that corporate media and government officials give us – ‘the pandemic’s over’ – but to craft our own, showing each other how many more people could be kept alive with policies such as universal free healthcare and housing; abolition of prisons, borders, and nursing homes; and broad mask requirements, ventilation upgrades, and widespread, accessible testing. We don’t need to accept mass infection. To survive this pandemic and the next one, we need to recognize that we all have a stake in transforming this extractive system, and together we have the power to shut it down.”

#covid 19 #covid #coronavirus #covid pandemic #pandemic #healthcare #disability #ableism #leftist movements #the left #workers rights #trade unions #mutual aid #organising #capitalism #racism #eugenics #american politics #politics

[archaeocommunologist]

So, per my request, syntaxblk added my name to the blocklist (and with the most detailed entry, no less!). As usual with this crowd, there are many funny aspects, but I wanted to draw up a few notes

1.) These people aren’t leftists. They have no coherent economic analysis. Their politics are an aestheticized jumble of “social justice” causes, and as such, they are laser-focused on speech acts, to the exclusion of all else. The only things they are capable of talking about or criticizing are the ways other people speak online: who is or isn’t “allowed” to speak on a topic, what words they are or aren’t “allowed” to use (see: “say her name”)—and that’s it. When it comes to the real world, they’ve got nothing.

2.) They are also hopelessly identitarian, and this stems from their adoption of afropessimist philosophy. You find similar “radical pessimist” notions in TERFism, third worldism, and certain strains of anarchism. The “oppressor class” is evil, which is why they oppress; white people are colonizers because white people are bad, not because colonization is profitable. This is an anti-materialist position that cannot create an effective politics. It’s a disease of powerlessness. It’s contemptible where it’s not just sad.

3.) #oh wow here we go calling black people psyops

William O’Neal was an FBI informant who infiltrated the Black Panthers in Chicago. He provided the FBI with detailed information about Fred Hampton’s apartment, and then slipped secobarbital into Hampton’s drink so that he would not wake up before the feds could assassinate him. William O’Neal was also a Black man. Identity isn’t a defense like you think it is.

#syntaxblk #receipts #fluoresensitive #anti racism

[hermit-searching]

One more addition to my Casey Jones hockey post:

By today's standard ticket prices none of them would be able to go watch a game lol. The average Rangers ticket is around $150, which btw is a fucking scam especially since they're in the nosebleeds. You also have to factor in the Rangers being the second most profitable hockey franchise, losing only to the Toronto Maple Leafs, so tickets sell out quickly. AND the resell price is astronomically high thanks to scalpers.

Like just go on Ticketmaster right now and look at the playoff prices. Assuming they move onto the second round they're only going to get more expensive.

This is all to say being a sports fan is a wildly expensive hobby no matter which sport it is, but being a genuine hockey fan I know first hand how hockey is a huge hole in the pocket. Rip Casey Jones' wallet.

-

03 Raph: what crawled up your ass and died?

03 Casey: they cancelled the game

03 Raph: why?

03 Casey, clenching his fist: Taylor Swift concert

03 Raph: those monsters

-

oh one more fun fact about hockey, despite being in the exact same state and in driving distance from one another they will put the Islanders or Rangers up in a hotel when they're the away team. It doesn't matter how close to home they are. They will sleep in a hotel. The same happens to the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning.

this has been fun hockey facts with some TMNT with Hel.

#theotxt #rottmnt #tmnt 2012 #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #tmnt 1987 #tmnt 03 #casey jones #hockeyposting #update: Toronto lost the other night #also to the one dude who reblogged the last post and got cranky i mostly talked about hockey: you missed the point where im a hockey fan lol

[oursunkencity]

Afrofuturism! :]

Hi-Hello, and welcome back to Our Sunken City!

It has been a while since I posted, but I’m back! This time, I am focusing on Afrofuturism, as I am taking a course with Tananarive Due! I honestly did not know what to expect in this class, as I did not have a concrete understanding of what exactly Afrofuturism is. However, after two weeks of reviewing television shows (e.g., Black Panther on B.E.T), musical artists (e.g., Sun Ra, George Clinton, Janelle Monáe, Lil Nas X), authors (e.g., Tananarive Due, Octavia E. Butler), and short films (e.g., Pumzi, Space Traders), I feel like I have a general understanding. 

When asked by my family, friends, and classmates, I shared how Black Panther is a great starting point for explaining Afrofuturism, as most people have seen the movie or at least heard of it. Musicians, writers, and artists are able to tell their stories placed in the future of the current racial and economic struggles and injustices as they point out the blatant flaws in the world. In their science fiction stories, the allegories and metaphors highlight problems and inspire solutions that create an alternative world worth living in. 

Black people in America have a dark past that was constructed through slavery and racism. These futurist stories can be thought of as a form of escapism from the current state of affairs. Why live in the present when I am hated for the color of my skin when I can dream up a colorful, technologically-driven future with all these cool futurist elements and things that can delete the struggles of the now? Okay, maybe not delete it because the stories and music we’ve reviewed have not ended well, but I would like to think there will be one in the near future in this class that will leave me smiling… or at least I hope so. 

To expand on the futurist stories, I have referenced episode three of Black Panther, which aired on B.E.T. In the episode, Black Panther was invited to a meeting with the “big timers” of world leaders and was asked if he would sell vibranium to them as it is an invaluable resource of energy. Black Panther declines as he emphasizes the constant chase for profits that has led to a lack of progression in the U.S. and other countries. Rather than cure diseases, there are temporary solutions that are placed in high regard with the intention of making money off the sick. He highlights how if there were more emphasis on the well-being of their citizens, then they would have already had the resources needed. I think this episode is such a great example of the Afrofuturism that I have come to know and love. 

I am excited to see what else we dive into. With that said, I am signing off, and I will see y’all next time!

#ucla #tananarive due #afrofuturism

[morosexualharrow]

I really like your Eat Predators videos. I know you said you’re done, but part of me wants to hear all your thoughts on the latest stream (which I started watching out of morbid curiosity and then had to rage quit). It’s annoying to see her turn on the (women) directors of the show when she, first of all, acted like she absolutely loved the docuseries while it was trending and then jumped on the “actually it’s bad” bandwagon for clout, and secondly, sat down with them in the first place knowing damn well that people just do not get paid to be featured in docs. It’d be like getting paid to give an interview with a journalist and would be ethically ridiculous. Now she’s acting like she was bullied into being interviewed because she wanted to be featured in the final cut more? That’s just petty. And honestly, she should have known that her story, as fair as it is, does not and never has compared to racist harassment, sexual abuse, being forced to do the insane sexual shit that the writers were forced to do, etc. How was Dan Schneider the bad guy in her story except insofar as he didn’t prevent children from bullying each other (which he should have done, but there are a metric ton of teachers, parents, and other adults who are guilty of the exact same thing). She’s a grown adult but acts like a child who doesn’t understand the industry that she literally grew up in.

thank you I'm so glad you enjoyed!! Yes I completely agree. She was so excited to have been asked and to have been part of their pitch reel and then once the tide turned she turned with it. And this whole, "oh I got harassed out of talking about Drake ever again" is WILD. And the way people are just buying into what she's saying!! I'm getting comments saying I'm bullying her bc they don't watch the video they just heard her say anyone who was criticizing her was bullying her and then they see criticism and go oh this is what that was without watching the videos lol AND she's laying the groundwork to try to defame Kat Tenbarge who is like an actual principled feminist journalist who has been in the trenches since at least during the Amber Heard Johnny Depp trial that I've been aware of her consistently having good takes and platforming the right thing. She says over and over she's not going to give her opinion about Drake Bell and then she says she doesn't like the NYT article about him being bad and she also doesn't like this MSNBC article about his survivors being harassed and is tweeting like mad over there rn about Kat's other articles and talking shit about how Kat is "for profit" it's absurd. I woke up this morning and checked twitter and she was comparing Eat Predators to the Black Panther Party last night???? said it's as bad to ask if she has any accrediation to be gathering all these vulnerable people into one place she's acting like is a support group as it would be to ask the Black Panthers if they were able to talk about racism. Even if I was trying to make a really mean "Alexa Nikolas is self important" joke I wouldn't have said she thinks she's Fred Hampton, but she does, apparently.

[queenaryastark]

However — and here another spoiler warning is warranted — Bassett revealed that the decision to kill Queen Ramonda was not a plot point she was very keen to initially. “I objected,” she said. “Yeah, I was like, ‘Ryan, what are you doing? Why? You will rue the day! You will rue the demise of [Ramonda]. People are gonna be so upset.'” Then Coogler, known for his cool-headed demeanor, explained himself. “‘He was like, ‘Angela, I know, I know, but look, to die is not really to die in this world. It doesn’t really have to mean that.’” -- Angela Bassett, IndieWire

At this point, the Black Panther film series is essentially rooted in normalizing and even glorifying black death.

Seriously though... The first time we meet T'Chaka, he's immediately killed and his death is used to motivate his son, T'Challa. N'Jobu is murdered by his brother T'Chaka moments after being introduced (preventing him from freeing his son's mother who dies offscreen), which motivates his son Erik Killmonger to go down a villainous path, which includes killing his girlfriend and Zuri, attempting to kill T'Challa, and causing deaths in battle before he chooses to die as well.

Now with Wakanda Forever, the real life death of Chadwick Boseman was used to kill T'Challa, removing a hugely important black hero with more than half a century's worth of comic material from the MCU before fully adapting him. While this was a massive mistake and frankly disgusting since they gave the character a similar end to the real life actor -- thus directly glorifying and profiting from a real man's death -- at least they warned audiences about it ahead of time.

But then they killed off Queen Ramonda.

That's right. This black family has been cut down to just Shuri (and a kid who is in hiding for some reason). So why was Ramonda killed? Apparently to motivate Shuri, because T'Challa's already unnecessary death couldn't have been used for that purpose? But then keeping her alive would deprive them of another opportunity to normalize black death.

It's amazing to me that Lee and Kirby were more progressive back in the 1960s when they created T'Challa and Wakanda as positive black representation than Coogler and Marvel are now when adapting their work.

Also, compare this to the Thor series where Odin was put in a magical coma to raise the stakes for the story rather than being killed off in his very first appearance. Not to mention Loki surviving several films before dying and then getting a series. I'm not saying Odin and Loki should have gone the way of T'Chaka and Killmonger. I'm just pointing out how easy it was for Marvel to dispose of black characters in comparison to white characters.

#queen ramonda #angela bassett #t'challa #chadwick boseman #black panther spoilers #black panther #wakanda forver spoilers #wakanda forever #marvel

[wakandaiscoming]

The headline of this article is misleading but the article itself is good.

LONG STORY: Companies don't buy the rights to Marvel characters outright, they license them from Marvel for a period of time. In this case, Marvel sold distribution rights to Universal in 2001 along with The Incredible Hulk.

Distribution rights are different from production rights. Sony still has production rights with Spider-man and they have come to a mutually beneficial profit-sharing agreement for Holland to be in the MCU.

But we know, since Marvel has tried to work out arrangements with Universal to make a Hulk movie, that Universal is not willing to do such a thing with the characters that they own (for now). Hulk and Namor can't have their own movies. A similar-but-different situation happened with the Netflix characters, Marvel was not allowed to use those characters that had TV shows produced and distributed by Netflix for a certain period of time.

What do we know about Hulk's situation, if that is the same as Namor? He can be in other character's franchises (like he was in Thor: Ragnarok and Namor was in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) as well as team-up movies (The Avengers franchise) but not his own franchise.

But eventually, whatever rights Universal has are going to expire.

In fact, I heard rumors (on the internet, I have no personal connection to any of this), that the Hulk rights would be back at Marvel in 2024. That She-Hulk would be leading into a World War Hulk movie.

The fact that Marvel is also using Namor now, in my mind, gives credence to the idea that the Hulk and Namor characters are going to be fully back home at Marvel soon but that they are not YET.

In any case, the next "unannounced" (meaning we don't know what it is) Marvel project is projected to be in theaters in July 2025. I wouldn't mind seeing him in Black Panther 3, if that gets the greenlight. Or in Avengers: Secret Wars!

Yet.

#namor #the incredible hulk #hulk #she-hulk #marvel #mcu #long post #licensing fun! #netflix #sony #netflix marvel #black panther: wakanda forever #spider-man

[theuncannytruthteller]

Chadwick would've wanted it to be the role the character T'Challa to live on he knew what the character T'Challa meant. T'Challla was created in 1966 during the Civil Rights Era by Jack Kirby to Stan Lee. T'Challa is the FIRST mainstream Leading Black/African superhero. T'Challa has been the focal point even integral to the world of Black Panther and to his nation Wakanda. T'Challa was created to be positive Black Representation he wasn't no side kick; he didn't speak in a stereotypical jive tone or have stereotype features. The whole idea is if the rumor of T'Challa Jr or whatever they call the Child he has with Nakia come true that's an issue. One reason we don't want a Jr. is because of racial stereotypes the fatherless Black Child trope is a no then you have the single independent strong Black Woman. Those things hurt Black people in the long run it only reinforces those stereotypes which is not our reality. Chadwick was fired for standing up against Stereotypes, so I doubt he'd be happy or fine with them adding in two.

(Video by: Tony Weaver Jr.)

His widow even said, "It really was the most powerful piece of work that Chad was able to lay the FOUNDATION for." What do you do with a foundation? You build off it you, so by not recasting and killing TChalla you're killing a legacy and letting the foundation he created be wasted.

No, we don't want Killmonger back nor do we care about the mantle or who takes up the mantle we care about the character beneath the mantle. We care about T'Challa, we're also asking to not use according to the leaks T'Challa will pass away via sickness aka using Chadwick's real-world illness as part of their story which is insulting, disrespectful, distasteful and disingenuous if said rumors are true. Chadwick Boseman's real-world death/ilness as part of the plot. We also don't need a film to teach us or show us how to grieve we see Black Death every day and many have become so desensitized to it. They should've recasted if they wanted to grief take time off reshuffle the film, they did it to make themselves feel better which might trigger someone else. Honestly that is selfish if that's the type of film you're cool with that's you I personally can't get down with that. We don't know what kind of person T'Challa would've been as a father as a King or Husband, he was reunited with his family after the blip for 5 years. On top of all that we don't know how he will deal with the people of Wakanda after opening the boarders, are his people for it or against it how will he deal with it we don't know because his story hasn't fully been explored or told. The most we have seen of T'Challa is him in cameos and only one solo film and him in the what if series without the mantle of Black Panther because it's not about the mantle it's about the character himself. Unless this film is set during the blip it won't make sense. Otherwise, how will you explain killing off a perfectly healthy and alive character?

A tributes as they're calling it don't sell tickets it doesn't market or profit off a dead man's image. That's explotive recently its come out the cast and crew took their new cast and crew to see Chadwick's grave.

Honor: How are you Honoroing Chadwick by killing off the character he brought to life, as his brother Derrick Boseman said he honored them by making sure they had a career.

https://youtu.be/4G4UtrMpGEw

So if they did want to honor him, they'd recast T'Challa to give someone else the opportunity to honor Chadwick by taking on the character he brought to life in turn them having a career as a lead alongside Shuri as lead. But no, they're going to kill off his character putting his family back through that trauma. That's not how you honor him that's how you dishonor him and how legacies die. They say they were Chadwick's friend but you're fine with killing off the character your friend brought to live. That don't sound like a friend to me, I could never do that to a friend I want to honor and respect.

What people have to understand is T'Challa isn't dead, people have separate the actor from the character. Chadwick Boseman has passed on the character T'Challa hasn't.

People don't care about mantles of Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, it's always been about the character beneath that role. Just like no one cares about the 007 mantle it's James Bond they care about the same applies here anyone can take the mantle we don't care it's about the character beneath the mantle we care about with all that being.

#recasttchalla #savetchalla #TChallaLives #DontKillTChalla #WakandaForever # SayNoToRacistStereotypes #BlackPanther #RestoreTChalla #ChadwickBoseman #VariantTChalla

[ciswomenofficial]

Serious work to improve the rights of queer and trans people grows out of the barrel of a gun. Maybe a literal gun, maybe a riot, or maybe the gun of a bourgeoisie police officer in the case of liberal reform, but it’s all possible because of guns. Our society would collapse if there were no violence in it. All societies existing in present conditions do so because of violence.

If you want gay liberation, women’s liberation, or trans liberation, than you will have to do the kind of reforming of the economy that is not possible under the gun of the bourgeoisie police officer. The most you can achieve without restructuring the economy into a socialist economy and cultural revolution is the liberation of the gay settler or the gay middle class. If we want a total emancipation of the whole gay people, we need to navigate it though the primary contradiction: ultimately class, but in a colonial context racialized class.

And the anti-capitalist and anti-colonial struggle in America has always at its best been armed and militant. Even Martin Luther Kings famous non-violent direct actions were attended by individuals wielding shotguns for self defence, to say nothing of the SNCC members who kept guns around their homes, the panthers, Malcom X, the American Indian Movement and many others among the chief forces and most politically advanced members of the colonized masses in that era. the anti- colonial struggle globally has also been armed and militant at its best; they fought a bloody war in Algeria, Nelson Mandela did bombings in South Africa, China valiantly fought off the Japanese invaders and the comparators who profited from American and European business interests. Even the first anti-colonial war of the modern era in Haiti was fought violently. Every slave revolt was fought through violence. Back in America some of those slave revolts (the ones happening domestically) and the fight fought by John Brown (supported by black anti-slavery activists such as Harriet Tubman) both drove the nation forward to the violent civil war that abolished slavery. The history of opposition to colonialism is bloody, and so it must be.

The idea that we must not give them resistance, the idea that resistance is what they want and makes us look bad is an ahistorical idea. No amount of hand-holding, or satire has ever defeated oppressors. Do you think there was no satire against the nazis? People didn’t take the nazis seriously enough because they were hypocritical and held probably false views. That did not stop them from taking over the Weimar government and declaring themselves the new German reich. No, the nazis were stopped by war. Civil war, international war, that is the most reliable way of stopping one’s enemies. Can we vote against the problem? Well, male Gen zers are—in general—turning to the right wing, and Trump is becoming more and more appealing to a lot of people while the democrats are losing ground by their own incompetence. Voting will not win is the issue any time soon—just as attempts at voting did not matter in the Weimar Republic and did not stop the nazis.

The force of fascism in society is not driven by poll numbers. Nor have other developments: Keynesian policies are popular in America, FDR is upheld as one of the greatest presidents, and yet his popular Keynesian reforms been being dismantled by neoliberal reforms since the Carter administration. No Democratic Party led government has reversed this purposed “Reganomics” as some erroneously call it. That is because these policies are driven by the historical changes in economic realities driven by the contradictions in capitalist economics. So is rising fascism. Rosa Luxembourg once said that either socialism will triumph or barbarism shall. The people of Germany chose nazi barbarism in the decades after that. We have two choices in the present: continue with capitalism and colonialism and fall into our own period of barbarism, or fight against them and prevent and defeat barbarism. Perhaps it will be a Keynesian barbarism and will not be barbaric to you personally. That does not seem as likely at the moment, when Bernie sanders campaign has failed so spectacularly, driven in part by Democratic Party scheming towards its emerging left wing. What is more likely is that we will be the subject of fascist barbarism.

[j3st3r-luvr]

I’m bored so here’s what I think each non 50 blessings hotline Miami characters mask would be.

Biker- ik he is in 50B but if he did choose a traditional mask I’m 100% sure it would be a peacock. For one thing it’s a very elegant bird and would serve as a great foil to jackets rooster mask. For one a male peacock has very vibrant colors that match bikers (pink jacket can metaphorically match the flashy eye-feathers a peacock has). This would also complement bikers “guns blazing” play style. Showcasing how he’s more willing to question his part in 50Bs plot rather than put his head down and mindlessly obey their will (kinda like a chicken would). Bonus points for also mirroring the “cock joke” with richards mask. (Figure it out yourself)

Next is beard- a cat. Not a big cat but a regular orange tabby. Not only does he have chill “leave me be and I’ll be V. Cuddly vibes” like a cat but I 100% believe he would let a stray cat crash and live In his gas station. He’s just chill like a house cat and I respect that about him.

Evan wright- a vulture Lol. This one kinda explains itself, with some of mannys dialogue about “the press being vultures” aswell as Evan sniffing around dead bodies as opposed to killing the Russians himself. Not much else to say.

Onto the funny thicc skin man himself

Manny pardo- I’m more of the opinion that if he did have a mask, it would be a puppet mask (basically just phantoms face in mask form). Not only does him being a puppet suit him, with his actions mearly puppeting the fame of the masked maniac, he’s also a very hollow man. He chases fame to fill the void (it never works though). But if I 100% had to pick an animal it would be a German shepherd. Not only are they the dogs favored by the police but they also parallel the dogs used by the Russians. This club as a possible reference to manny being in kahoots with the son.

Speaking of which for the son- I’m torn between a panther or a shark mask. But Leaning towards a shark. As we can see he owns his own pet shark (I always assumed one given to him by his father) and I could definitely see his personality being compared to a sharks whole aesthetic. But a panther mask could work better as a reference to his fathers legacy. Aswell as showing how he lives in the shadows of his dad. Always wanting to win his approval but never getting it due to his death. All in all I’m more fond of the shark, as it is a mask not already in game (apposed to the panther) and it goes to show more of the son’s personality aswell as being his own thing not too connected to his dad.

Onto the henchman- he would be an eel all the way. A small fish with big Dreams only able to succeed at them by stealing the sons profits/hard work. He’s slippery and didn’t make too much of an impact outside of his bosses escapades. (No hate to the guy but he is unmotivated to work for what he wants. Floating in the middle rather than choosing his own destiny)

And for fun here’s a some bonus masks

Daniels- gives me big polar bear vibes. (An no not because he fat)

Barnes- coyote. I know it’s not a wolf but at least one of the “ghost wolves” had to be a canine.

#hotline maimi 2 #hotline miami #evan wright #manny pardo #biker hlm #henchman Hlm #the son #beard hlm #barnes hlm #Daniels hlm #ik I probably forgot someone #let me know if I did #cross posted on Reddit

[mensahjacq]

The Legend That Was Lost Too Soon

I honestly am not a huge fan of Tupac. I do acknowledge that he is a legend in rap and hip/hop history but his music has never been anything I’d personally listen to. He still should be given his credit as one of the most influential artists of all time. However, he starred in one of my favorite movies from the 90s, which is why I dedicated this blog post to him.

Overview

Tupac Amaru Shakur, often referred to by his stage names Makaveli and 2Pac is regarded by many as one of the greatest rappers of all time in terms of success and influence. Shakur has sold over 75 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians. Shakur's music has been recognized for tackling many of the modern socioeconomic challenges that inner cities face. Shakur was born in New York City to parents who were both political activists and Black Panther Party members. 

Controversies

Tupac’s legacy was not all sunshine and rainbows. He was arrested and sent to jail multiple times, and actually faced prison time at one point. 

He faced a trial in 1994 for alleged sexual assault of a fan. He and members of his entourage were charged with sexual abuse of a woman named Ayanna Jackson. Throughout the court procedures, the late rapper maintained that the encounter was consensual, and he even pled his case to the public by discussing it on The Arsenio Hall Show. He ended up being sentenced to 1.5 to 4.5 years. After serving eleven months of his sentence, he was released from prison on an appeal financed by Marion "Suge" Knight. 

An article by CBC, written by the CBC Radio, talks about how Tupac did not only release music with a societal conscious message. Shakur shifted away from positive and affirming political music and toward more profitable, but controversial, music when trends began to change. 

Acting Career

Tupac was a master of many cards, as he didn’t stick to just making music. He also pursued an acting career. One of his most famous appearances was in the movie Juice in 1992. This is one of my favorite 90s movies of all time! Tupac played the role of Bishop in the film. The plot foes like Bishop gets a taste of power with the possession of a firearm, he turns into a merciless killing machine who his closest friends no longer recognize. It really is a hood classic and introduced me to how talented Tupac was.

Tupac also starred in the film Poetic Justice in 1993. He played the character Lucky and had an on-screen romantic partner. This role showed how versatile Tupac’s acting style was and how he could truly fit into any role presented to him.

Accomplishments

Before he unfortunately passed away, Tupac made a huge mark on society and had an ongoing list of successes and accomplishments.

Tupac sold over 75 million records worldwide. Rolling Stone magazine named him one of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time."

One of his most well-known songs, "Changes," addresses issues affecting society. The song reuses phrases from "I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto," which was recorded in 1992, and samples Bruce Hornsby and the Range's 1986 smash song "The Way It Is." Tupac had experienced growing up with concerns of poverty, classism, and racial segregation, all of which were addressed in the 1986 song.  Tupac addressed racism, drugs, war, violence, and police brutality in his verses.

Rappers' attitudes about movies have altered since Tupac's breakthrough film, Juice. Bishop, a confused young guy who betrays his friends and grows into a ruthless murderer, was played by him. The film not only illustrates what it was like to live in Harlem in the 1990s, but it was also the first time a rapper gave a truly excellent dramatic performance.

Tragedy

He was killed in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada, on September 7, 1996, at 11:15 p.m. The incident occurred while the vehicle in which he was driving was stopped at a red light. Four shots from a.40-caliber Glock were fired at Shakur. Six days later, he died as a result of his injuries. 

Just recently, Duane "Keefe D" Davis was apprehended on September 29, 2023, a whole 27 years later, after having been charged by a grand jury for the first-degree murder of Tupac Shakur.

This made me happy because society went all these years without knowing who killed such a legend in the making, and now it seems justice has finally been served.

citations used:

#tupac shakur #juice movie #poetic justice #suge knight #keep ya head up #music blog #blog post #artist #rap #hip hop #90s rap

[irondad-defensesquad]

i've probably said this before, but i would rather see miles being introduced in no way home instead of the other two spider-men and all their villains.

of course i'm VERY skeptical of the mcu ever introducing miles at all, bc 1) it would be way more obvious that they wanted to profit from spider-verse and 2) the mcu keeps fucking everything up with every new project, so i don't trust them with anything.

while i don't rlly doubt they're going to introduce miles since they're relying so much on fanservice, and aaron did appear in homecoming - not to mention the deleted scene that basically confirms miles' existence in the mcu -, on the other hand, for example, they never brought up toomes and that guy in prison again. it's weird bc save for peter's loved ones and mysterio, toomes was the only person who knew his identity. i thought they would do something about it in nwh, but from what i've heard, it was never mentioned at all.

still, if actually done right, i think miles would be a great addition to the spider-man franchise, especially at a time where peter is dealing with so much pressure. that would've definitely been much better than the nostalgia cashgrab that is nwh. and said addition would actually make sense bc miles and peter are from the same universe. the latest marvel movies count with honestly bizarre crossovers, like... riri in black panther? america chavez in the doctor strange movie? maybe the first one i can kind of understand since they killed off tony, it just felt out of place when i first heard about it. i don't even have to mention all the other cameos in multiverse of madness, right (and don't even tell me "IT'S MULTIVERSE WHAT WERE YOU EXPECTING!!!")

yeah... again, besides the guardians of the galaxy stuff, i'm not looking forward to anything in the mcu. not even the fourth spider-man movie. i mean, i didn't even see nwh and i do not plan to. i might be a little interested if miles does show up one day, but for now i'll just make up scenarios in my head, i guess.

#lotus speaks #anti no way home #anti nwh #i don't want to tag anything else so i don't get harassed lmao

[greatwyrmgold]

Due to recent events, I've been thinking about the neoliberal model of liberation. You know, liberators like MLK and Gandhi, or at least the fantasy versions of them people like to praise. Oppressed people who are nice to his oppressors until they decide to stop oppressing them. By refusing to stand on a bus and making a few speeches and maybe some polite protests, you can attain liberate your people!

And if you deviate from this model? If you use violence, or break things, or even obstruct traffic? You're Doing It Wrong. You're part of the problem, you're making people not want to give you rights, you deserve what happens to you.

There's a lot that this model leaves out, not the least of which being opposition to liberty. In this model, the oppressor will simply let the oppressed be free if the liberators are peaceful enough. And that's the charitable interpretation; you could easily argue that the model doesn't really have any oppressors, just some people who think bad things about the oppressed people and need to be shown that they're wrong. Who could oppose that?

In reality, people need liberation not from other people's bad thoughts, but from exploitation and marginalization upheld by a class of people which profits from it. That class causes two problems for the neoliberal model of liberation. First, the oppressors won't give up on that profit just because the liberators are being nice. Second, the oppressors can interfere with every form of nonviolent resistance.

They can discredit individual activists, or threaten their employment and social ties, or physically attack them. And the oppressor class usually has influence over politically significant institutions; they are, after all, defined by how they profitably marginalize and exploit others. That influence lets them do other things. It lets them control the narrative, sow doubt about the peaceful intent of the liberators, exaggerate any deviations from that peaceful intent. It lets them keep news stories and court cases and such out of the public eye, if they'd threaten their oppression. And it lets them criminalize the would-be liberators, so that they can be beaten and imprisoned and demonized by the criminal justice system.

The neoliberal model of liberation has no answer to—for instance—police brutality beyond "be nice enough that they stop hurting you". It has no answer to misinformation campaigns beyond "Be nice enough that they can't lie about it". It has no answer whatsoever to oppressors who refuse to stop even once they admit the liberators are nice guys.

Any wannabe liberator following this plan religiously is doomed. Either they will remain unobtrusive enough that their oppressors can ignore them, or they get popular enough that their oppressors shut them down.

No successful liberation movement has relied on peaceful protest alone. MLK's activism was mostly peaceful, but he worked alongside the Black Panthers and Malcolm X. The British Raj ended not because of one man, but because of many movements making India "ungovernable in the long run," many of which were violent. Pride Month started with the Stonewall Uprising, a riot in response to violent police raids. Suffragettes were stereotyped as brutal man-haters, and while many were peaceful, some of them used arson and mail bombs.

There is certainly a place in liberation movements for peaceful protest and such. But there's also a place for violence and destruction and mild disruption to daily routines. At bare minimum, inconvenient protests make it harder to ignore you and violent self-defense is an important defensive measure. Depending on the circumstances of a given marginalized group, violence may play a greater or lesser role in its liberation. But it will need to play some role, and anyone who says otherwise is either ignorant or trying to hamstring inconvenient protesters. Or, in some cases, justify genocide.

(That's not getting into Ian Danskin's argument that the modern media landscape is actively undermining the mechanisms by which peaceful protest can affect change. But if that argument is true, then even the real MLK and Gandhi aren't effective models for modern liberators.)

#politics #protests #resistance #violence #political violence #essay