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joshualunacreations · 2 years

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There's a PR push to celebrate the new romance between Chelsea Handler and Filipino American comedian Jo Koy. But Handler has a history of being racist and using her dating life with men of color as a shield from facing repercussions—and Koy seems happy to let her do it again.

Handler used this tactic in the Black community. Her response to backlash was to create content that talks around her racism without truly addressing it—and still profit from it. Ironically her "acknowledgement" of anti-Black racism is how I got exposed to her anti-Asian racism.

In 2016's Chelsea Does Racism, Handler claims to be "egalitarian" with her jokes about race. But it’s clear she’s made choices on which groups to appear empathetic to and which groups she feels safe to dismiss with a laugh—such as Asian men. And she's unapologetic about it.

Fast forward to Handler and Koy’s media tour touting themselves as a power couple. This matters because Jo Koy is currently being celebrated as major Fil-Am rep with his soon-to-be released studio film, Easter Sunday. Proudly pairing with an anti-Asian racist sends a message.

Jo Koy was not only the most frequent guest on her past show over the years (meaning he knows who she is), but invited her to play a role in Easter Sunday. This serves to rehabilitate her image, bring her into Fil-Am/AsAm spaces and let her profit from it. Handler's recent IG video says it all: She wants a Kardashian empire, where Filipinos are swapped in for Black people as accessories to her whiteness. She's talking like a textbook sexpat yet repeatedly describes Filipinos and Black people as infiltrators.

Jo Koy's decision to partner with Handler makes more sense knowing he's guilty of peddling anti-Asian stereotypes too. In one special, Koy publicly body shames his son—ignoring his pleas not to. This is the same special that got Steven Spielberg to greenlight Easter Sunday.

You can guess the elevator pitch for Easter Sunday: "Think Crazy Rich Asians, but take out the rich so they're just crazy." White-mixed Asians like Jo Koy are granted more humanity than monoracial Fil-Ams due to the legacy of colonization, and Koy seems to be leaning into that.

Jo Koy is hardly the only example of an Asian with media power choosing whiteness over the AsAm community. Far more often, the pattern consists of white men partnered with Asian women (a legacy of racist U.S. policies like the Mixed Marriage Policy) For ex, AsAm Chloe Bennet—who's half-white like Jo Koy—proudly defended Logan Paul after he mocked and exploited a dead Japanese man. Yet Bennet is centered in campaigns about anti-Asian hate. Asians who hurt their community aren't punished by white Hollywood—they're rewarded.

The legacy of the MMP is so strong that white men feel entitled to speak on Asian issues in AsAm spaces⁠—and Asians with media power let them. This causes severe harm, as seen by the erasure of AAPI men from hate crime data and narratives. Back to the film Easter Sunday, there are no Fil-Ams credited on the creative team. I'm all for pan-Asian progress, but not at the expense of specific ethnic groups. It's the first studio film to center on a Filipino American family. This pattern of erasing Fil-Ams in AsAm spaces needs to stop too.

Overall, Easter Sunday is supposed to be a "first," but with so much racism embedded in its creation, I don't feel like celebrating. The idea of seeing either Jo Koy or Chelsea Handler on a red carpet for a major Fil-Am milestone is awful. It's a win for them—not us. If you enjoy my work, please pledge to my Patreon or donate to my Paypal. I lost my publisher for trying to publish these kinds of essays, so your support keeps me going until I can find a new publisher/lit agenthttps://twitter.com/Joshua_Luna/status/1134522555744866304https://patreon.com/joshualunahttps://www.paypal.com/paypalme2/JoshuaLunaComics

#jo koy #chelsea handler #easter sunday #filipino american #anti-asian racism #anti-black racism #asian american #fil-am #filipinos #josh luna #joshua luna

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yukinojou · 3 years

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I already squeed quite a bit on Twitter, but turns out my Shadow and Bone thoughts demand longform. So that was a 40+ tweet thread or using my Tumblr for an original post for once.

I was wary about the Shadow and Bone adaptation the way I'm usually wary about good books being adapted onscreen. It was amplified because my actual favourites are the Six of Crows books, and because the American-based movie complex has a bad track record of doing anything based on Eastern Europe. 8 episodes in 3 days should tell you how much I loved it - the moment I finished, I wanted more.

First, the technical praise:

Damn but the plotting is tight. It took me a while to realised it's based on heist movie bones, where every little thing (The Freaking Bullet!) is important. The story fulfills its promises and manages not to bore at the same time - it delights by the way they're fulfilled. I called out a few plot developments moments before they happened, and I was happy about it. Such a joy after so many series where "not doing what viewers expect" led to plot holes and lack of sense. It might be an upside to the streaming model after all.

From a dramatic point of view I can tell all the reasons for all the changes, especially providing additional outsider points of view on Ravka (Crows) and letting viewers see Mal for themselves the way he only comes across in later books.

Speaking of which, this is a masterclass in rewriting a story draft. SaB was Bardugo's first, and having read later books you can really see where she didn't quite dare to break the YA rules yet, especially Single POV that necessitated a tight focus on Alina's often negative feelings rather than the big picture and a triangle that felt a bit forced. The world in the series is so much bigger, the way Bardugo could finally paint it when SaB success gave her more creative freedom, and some structural choices feel familiar too. It's a combination of various choices by crew and cast, but the end result meshes together so tightly and naturally.

Visuals! Especially the war parts because Every Soviet Movie Ever, but also the clothes (I would kill for Nina's blouse in the bar), the jewelry, the interiors. The stag was so very beautiful. And a deep commitment to a coherent aesthetic for each character and setting.

Look, you can do a serious fantasy series with colours! Both skin colours and bright sets and clothing! And all scenes were well lit enough to know what's going on, even in the Fold!

Representation (aka I Am Emotion)

To start with: I was born behind the Iron Curtain, in the last years of the Cold War. The Curtain was always permeable to some extent, and we have always been aware that while we have talented artists of our own, we never had the budgets and polish of the Anglosphere Entertainment Machine. So we watched a hell of a lot of American visual storytelling especially because yeah, you can tell we don't have the budgets. 90s and 2000s especially, it's getting better now.

In American stories, the BEST case scenario for Eastern European representation is the Big Dumb Pole, the ethnic stereotype Americans don't even notice they use, where the punchline is that his English is bad or that he grew up outside Anglo culture. Other than that, it's criminals, beggars, sex trafficking victims, refugees. Sure, we may look similar (except we really really don't, not if you're raised here and see the distinct lack of all those long-jawed Anglo faces), but we are not and have never been the West, never mind America. It's probably better for younger people now, but I was raised under rationing and passport bans. Star Trek and Beverly Hills 90210 were exactly as foreign to me.

The first ever character I really identified with was Susan Ivanova in Babylon 5 (written by J. Michael Straczynski, yay behind-camera representation). This was a Russian Jewish woman very much in charge, in the way of strong women I know so well, not taking any bullshit, not repressing her feminity. I recognised her bones, she could be my cousin. The sheer relief of it. There have been few such occasions since.

The reason I picked up Shadow and Bone in the first place was recommendations from other Polish people. I've had no problems finding representation in Eastern European books because wow our scene is strong in SFF especially, but it's always a treat to find a book in English that gets it. And Leigh gets it, the bones of our culture, and I could even look past the grammar issue (dear gods and Americans, Starkova for a woman, Morozov for a guy) that really irked me because of the love for the setting and the characters, the weaving in of religion/mysticism (we never laicisized the same way as the West, natch), the understanding of how deep are the scars left in a nation at war for centuries. The books are precious to me, they and Arden's Winternight and Novik's Spinning Silver.

To sum up: Shadow and Bone the Netflix series gets it. You can tell just how much they've immersed themselves in Eastern European culture and media, it comes across so well in visuals and writing and characters. Not just the obvious bits (though the WWII propaganda posters gave me a giggle), but the palaces, the additional plotlines and characters, the costumes, the attitudes. About the only thing missing in the soldier scenes was someone singing and/or quoting poetry.

I will blame the Apparat's lack of beard on filming in a non-Orthodox country. Poland's Catholic too, but I very much imagined him as an Orthodox patriarch, possibly because I read the books shortly after a visit to Pecherska Lavra in Kiev and the labyrinthine holy catacombs there. Small quibble, not my religion, not my place to speak.

(I've seen discussion on the issues with biracial representation in the show, which is visceral and apparently based on bad experiences of one of the show writers in a way that's caused pain to other Asian and biracial people. I'm not qualified to speak on those parts, other that Eastern Europe is... yeah. Racist in subtly different ways. If anything, the treatment of the Suli as explained in Six of Crows always read so very true of the way Roma are treated, and even sanitised.)

And now for the spoiler-filled bits:

Kaz and Inej. I mean... just THEM. So many props to the actors, the writers, the bloody goat.

I adore the fact the only people who get to have sex in the show are Jesper and a very lucky stablehand.

Ben Barnes needs either an award or a kick. The man's acting choices and puppy eyes are as epic as his hair.

So Much Love for Alina initiating the kiss. Her book characterisation makes sense, she's so trapped in her own head because she has no time to process everything that's happening, but grabbing life by the lapels is a much more active choice. Still not making the relationship equal, but closer to it.

Speaking of, Kaz's constant awareness of how unequal his relationship with Inej is, and attempts to give her agency. I'm really curious how his touch issues come across to someone who doesn't know the backstory there.

Feodor and his actor. He looks exactly like the pre-war heartthrob Adolf Dymsza, a specific upper-class Polish ethnic type that's much rarer now that, well, Nazis killed millions of Polish intellectuals in their attempt to reduce us to unskilled labour only. The faces he makes are the Best.

Nina!! Nina is perfect, those cheekbones, that cheek, I was giggling myself silly half the time. I cannot wait to see Danielle Galligan take on the challenge of Nina's plotline in Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom, she'll kill us dead.

I already mentioned that the writers fixed Mal's absence from the first book, but Mal in general! The haircut gives him a kind of rugby charm, and Archie Renaux is outstanding at emoting without talking. Honestly, all the casting in this series is inspired, but him in particular.

Extra bonus: Howard Charles and Luke Pasqualino playing so very much against the type of the swaggering Musketeers I saw them play last. Arken dropping the mask at the end... Howard Charles is love.

I can't believe not only was Milo's bullet a plot point, but the fact Alina was wearing a particularly sparkly hair ornament in a long series of beautiful hair ornaments was a plot point.

In conclusion: so much love, and next three season NOW please. Okay, give me a week to reread the books, and an extra day because new Murderbot drops tomorrow...

#shadow and bone #six of crows #shadow and bone meta

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bountyofbeads · 4 years

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Rural Montana Had Already Lost Too Many Native Women. Then Selena Disappeared. https://nyti.ms/37h2SjG

Rural Montana Had Already Lost Too Many Native Women. Then Selena Disappeared.

For decades, with little public notice, Native women and girls have gone missing or been found murdered. The disappearance of Selena Not Afraid is showing how much things are changing.

By Jack Healy, Photographs by Cristina Baussan | Published Jan. 20, 2020, 3:00 a.m. ET | New York Times | Posted January 20, 2020 |

BIG HORN COUNTY, Mont. — Jackie Big Hair slept in her car again, waking every few hours to fire up the engine and gaze at the frozen highway rest stop where her 16-year-old daughter had been reported missing.

“I just have to be here,” Ms. Big Hair, 50, said, watching semis lumber across the plains. “I don’t know where else to go.”

This was her vigil now, along with searches in Billings about 30 miles away, three weeks after her youngest child, Selena Not Afraid, was reported missing from a barren stretch of Interstate 90 in a southern Montana county where 65 percent of the population is Native American. Law enforcement officials said a van carrying Selena home the day after a New Year’s party in Billings had pulled into the rest stop after breaking down, and then reportedly started up again and driven away without her. Nobody had heard from her since.

A national outcry over the killings and disappearances of Indigenous women has reached a boiling point here in Big Horn County, a rural stretch of rolling mountains and ranch lands that contains the Crow and Northern Cheyenne reservations and has the highest rate of missing and murdered Native Americans in Montana, and among the highest nationwide.

Local activists had an incomplete count of 27 Native women who had gone missing in recent memory in Big Horn County alone. Now, there are 28. The difference here and in many parts of the West is that for decades the disappearance of mothers and children, cousins and friends almost invariably played out in utter obscurity, with modest law enforcement investigations that almost invariably languished unsolved.

Activists and researchers say the crisis burned unheeded for generations until a few years ago, when families’ stories of how their loved ones were sex trafficked, murdered with impunity or dismissed as chronic runaways gained traction through grass-roots organizing and social media, forcing politicians and law enforcement to take notice.

Last year, 5,590 Indigenous women were reported missing to the F.B.I.’s National Crime Information Center, but advocates say the staggeringly high rates of violence suffered by Indigenous people is still not fully reflected in official accounting. Some of the victims are misclassified as Asian or Hispanic, or are overlooked if they live in urban areas instead of reservations, or their cases are lost in a jurisdictional maze over which state, federal or tribal law enforcement agency bears responsibility for investigating.

Law enforcement officials said these can be extremely difficult cases to investigate, sometimes ranging over vast expanses of territory, but that they are committed to solving them. The families say the problem is more a matter of will and resources than of difficulty.

“Native women have been dehumanized from the very beginning,” said Desi Rodriguez-Lonebear, a demographer who grew up in Big Horn County and is on the board of the Sovereign Bodies Institute, which has created its own database of cases. “The law has failed us time and time again. We’re tired of it. We’re tired of our people dying, of our kids going to jail.”

Now, families like Selena’s are taking an urgent public stand to pressure politicians and law enforcement to provide more aggressive responses to these cases. They are raising alarms through social media and even bracing themselves against Montana blizzards to keep their loved ones from being forgotten. They are organizing candlelit vigils, rallying at courthouses and sheriff’s offices and marching for days along prairie highways, reservation roads and to the steps of state capitols.

“We’re here demanding it,” Selena’s aunt Cheryl Horn said one afternoon, warming her hands with a bowl of chili as volunteers returned from another fruitless search of the nearby hills. “We’re not being quiet. We’re not leaving.”

In recent months, a flurry of federal and state agencies across the country and here in Montana have raced to respond with task forces and law-enforcement resources, including a new Justice Department effort to coordinate federal and local responses to disappearances and murders in Indian Country.

Law-enforcement authorities say that Selena, a member of the Crow tribe, went missing at about 2 p.m. on New Year’s Day. A New Year’s Eve party in Billings had spilled over into the following afternoon, and she was riding back toward her home in Hardin, about 50 miles east.

According to local and federal law-enforcement alerts, the van broke down and pulled over at the rest stop, where Selena was last seen walking into a field. Her family believes she was taken, possibly by a passing car.

When her relatives heard the news, they began pouring into the rest stop, circling their cars and campers and horse trailers into a makeshift windbreak and transforming a frozen spit of asphalt and concrete into a scene of prayer and protest.

They lit a campfire, searched through ranchers’ fields and garlanded the fences and sign poles with red ribbons and posters of Selena. They saturated social media with calls for help. “Internet warriors,” one of Selena’s aunts called the response.

At 16, Selena already knew the toll of violence too well.

She had buried three siblings — a brother who had been fatally shot by Billings police officers; a sister who was struck and killed by a car; and her twin sister, who died by suicide when she was just 11 years old.

“I’ve always felt like there’s a bad presence against us,” Selena’s older brother, R.J., said. “I’ve expected the worst.”

After Selena was reported missing, police officers from South Dakota and Wyoming joined Big Horn County sheriff’s deputies, Bureau of Indian Affairs officers and volunteers to search the nearby hills. Federal and local law-enforcement officers set up a command center in the basement of the county courthouse. Thermal drones and helicopters buzzed overhead.

The F.B.I. issued an alert for Selena and sent in a search team, but agents and sheriff’s investigators have said little more about her disappearance, or whether they are investigating the older acquaintances who had been riding in the van with her. .

The swift response has surprised some activists. “Nothing moves that fast,” said BethYana Pease, a Crow community organizer.

Families and activists say they have been sounding these alarms for years. They say the crisis flows from generations of discriminatory government policies and racism in reservation border towns like Hardin that devalue Native women’s lives and deaths.

Jay Harris, the county prosecutor, who is a member of the Crow tribe, said the proliferation of meth use and a scarcity of federal law enforcement had exacerbated the problem. Last November, the Crow chairman declared a state of emergency over what he called ineffective investigations and unanswered police calls on the 2.3 million-acre reservation, and said the tribe would move to form its own police force.

Some victims’ families wondered why the deaths and disappearances of their own mothers, sisters and nieces had not sparked a similar outcry. Ms. Pease ticked off names she said had never received justice: 14-year-old Henny Scott, who was found dead two weeks after she went missing in December 2018. Bonnie Three Irons, a mother of six, whose body was found in the mountains in April 2017.

Or 18-year-old Kaysera Stops Pretty Places. It was late August when Kaysera went out with friends in her hometown, Hardin, the county seat. Four days later, a jogger found her body in a suburban backyard next to the house where she had been that evening, just steps away from a busy road.

“Where the hell were these big shots when my granddaughter was missing?” asked Carmelia Brown, a relative who said she loved Kaysera as a granddaughter.

Kaysera’s family believes she was murdered, but her cause of death has lingered undetermined for four months, her autopsy still unfinished. Her family says it has never been told a certain time of death. The case is classified as “Suspicious” and still being investigated, said Mr. Harris, the county attorney.

Kaysera’s family members wondered how she could have lain in someone’s lawn for days without being seen. They were troubled that her body had been shuttled back and forth between the funeral home and state crime lab before being cremated by the county coroner, who is also the funeral director. They were disturbed that one of the lead investigators into Kaysera’s death had also been involved in an incident in which her younger brother was beaten and forcibly restrained.

“Why does nobody care about this?” asked Grace Bulltail, one of Kaysera’s aunts and an assistant professor of engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “We’re not being given any information.”

Family members were uncertain whether Kaysera and Selena knew each other, but their stories have become intertwined. When Kaysera’s family led marches to the county courthouse seeking answers into her death, Selena attended, her aunt Cheryl Horn said. She posted Facebook tributes to Big Horn County’s missing and murdered Indigenous women.

One morning at Selena’s roadside vigil, as one of her great-aunts lit the day’s fire, her overcoat swung open to show a red sweatshirt bearing Kaysera’s face.

“This is the justice that Kaysera didn’t get,” Ms. Horn, Selena’s aunt, said.

*********

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autismgavemychildvaccines · 5 years

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Alright, fuck it.

So, past... Fucking what has it been, 2 months now? I’ve been talking about doing a post on abortion, researching it, splitting every end of the laws that were passed and mocking the men and women who made them, passed them or supported them mercilessly. In fact, still have the outline and notes in another tab. But, it’s been proven by fate or fatigue I’m not going to ever get that fucker done, so instead of just throwing up my hands, I’m just gonna give y’all some facts, resources and the like and stow my opinion for now; it’s the first bits that actually fucking matter at any rate. So, shit’s bad, we all know shit’s bad. Plenty of states are basically ignoring Roe V. Wade, a mountain of academic research, and the majority (roughly 73%) of their populations opinions. Ironically, the bright side to that first bit is, just like how they are basically ignoring Roe V. Wade, if you live in a liberal state, there’s decent odds that your state would outright ignore any abortion ban passed by the supreme court in this decade. I mean c’mon, weed is still technically federally illegal and more states have went and lit a spliff with their mates than ever, and the federal government isn’t doing shit about them (as a state employee who’s told the CDC to eat dicks on 2 occasions in recent memory, I would love to see them try), so at least some women are safe here and have at least some (depending on TRAP [ Targeted Regulations of Abortion Providers] laws, your state may vary) protections and legal access to what should be considered normal medical supplies and procedures. However, as any political map will tell you, there’s a gigantic, fuck-off red sea where that likely won’t be happening, which is also filled with often the poorest, under-educated, and most likely to be abused populations in the country (another post for all that later). For women in these areas, there’s often a 100+ mile trip to any abortion facility whatsoever, and the added cost of gas, lodging, etc which can turn an already expensive procedure ($300-$1,500 in most cases) to a prohibitively expensive one. And that fucking sucks, and there’s not too much we can really do about it. But that does not by any means make us powerless on this one.

The easiest thing you can do as an American is be a conscious consumer. That’s right folks, time to weaponize capitalism. You see, these people don’t give a fuck about women or babies or any of that fresh-out-the-sphincter bullshit. But they do care about companies who have “moral values”, a lot. Just look at the “Save Chik-Fil-A bill”, if they’re willing to bend over backwards and essentially falsify their “christian values” to support a corporation, well, we can use that to our advantage, can’t we? For example: Georgia. Now, Georgia has a pretty big corporate presence. So, if there was a significant number of people to switch to their competition and let it be known that their home base was why, well, one of two things would happen. 1. The company moves, and it cripples the local economy further or 2. the politicians crumble to their real master’s wishes and overturn the ban, conveniently stating some other reason. Either way, it fucking scares them and should. Maybe if we’re lucky it might shut them up on this “South’ll rise again!” Bullshit. Economics crippled the South the first time, and those folk (southern baptist conservative types)... Well, ain’t they just slow learners? So by all means, call AFLAC and tell them you’re switching to Geico because Geico doesn’t HQ themselves in an abortion ban state. Fuck Progressive, though. They’re in Ohio, another ban state. Love Coke? Welcome to the Pepsico Side, fucker. Based in NY. Having those Chik-Fil-A or Popeyes Cravings? Son (I use this as a gender neutral term)... You disappoint me. Go get on with your bad self and make some genuine good fried chicken, Goddamn. All of these options are minimal in terms of consumer side impact (may even be cheaper for some), but can have killer repercussions. Now, what else can you do? Well, there’s always these resources that you can help with that I am shamelessly copy-pasting from a good article from The Cut (Cheers to Amanda Arnold, the original author) : Donate to local, grassroots organizations.Aside from nationwide organization like Planned Parenthood, NARAL, and the ACLU, there are many smaller reproductive-rights organizations that provide support and resources to people seeking abortion in their states. A few good places to give: • Access Reproductive Care - Southeast: ARC is a volunteer organization that helps families in 12 states across the southeast access reproductive care. • National Network of Abortion Funds: NNAF is a network of more than 80 funds in at least 38 states that seeks to eliminate economic barriers for low-income individuals seeking an abortion. • The Yellowhammer Fund: Based in Alabama, Yellowhammer not only provides funding for abortions at one of the city’s three clinics, but also helps with other barriers to access patients may face, such as travel or lodging. (Yellowhammer is part of NNAF.) • Mississippi Reproductive Freedom Fund: Run entirely by volunteers, the Mississippi Reproductive Freedom Fund helps people access abortion, and provides both support and resources to parents.

• Women Have Options: This Ohio-based organization provides financial assistance and support to low-income patients seeking reproductive care, abortion included. • National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum: NAPAWF is a multi-issue community-organizing and policy-advocacy organization that fights for policy changes that would benefit women, transgender, and non-binary Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. • Gateway Women’s Access Fund: Based in Missouri, Gateway provides both educational and financial support to people in the state who can’t afford the full cost of an abortion.

Of course, donating to legal aid to help challenge and overturn these idiot-made laws are also a good idea and can be done with Amnesty International, the ACLU, and more grassroots groups. Worse comes to worse, we can take a strategy from my homeland. States that allow for abortion drugs and such have grassroots groups that funnel these drugs into areas where they are needed, by using drones to fly over borders, drop the goods and head back out. We’d probably need more discreet methods, because, you know, guns, but what the fuck ever, right? Good starting point. Lastly, if you or someone you know needs care, there’s a handy resource that made the rounds not too long ago on Tumblr that allowed for discreet sending of abortion drugs, and read as follows: “Both Aid Access and Women on Web are international organizations that send safe and affordable abortion pills to women globally who don’t have access to a safe or affordable abortion. If you have questions or want to know if you qualify please check with Aid Access and Women on Web” - Original post by zoe-oneesama Anyways, hope to get back to less self-inflicted public health bullshit soon. Help who ya can, love who ya can, all that shit. I’m out. P.S. Don’t forget to vote out these insufferable idiots next election. Your votes and dollars matter equally. Please fucking use them wisely.

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touchmycoat · 6 years

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i enjoyed the crap out of Crazy Rich Asians!

re: representation, at first i had literally zero interest in the film ‘cause i was like, “lmfao what kind of Chinese mother’s wet dream, i don’t give a shit about the Singaporean upper crust.” and to some degree, i still mostly feel that way! it’s a high key “asian” fantasy, but like literally, it’s no different from the royalty fantasy of Princess Diaries or such. plus it’s literally a romcom, so i’m not mad.

but honestly i hung so tightly onto Rachel and her mother. no spoilers, but shiiiiiiit, i wish they had paced the film a little bit better (esp in the beginning) so i got more of the Heart that came from Rachel and her mother. that shit is so fucking important!!!!!!!!!!!! broke my heart too, that entire scene in the bedroom. Constance Wu did such an amazing job with just all her expressions there, how sad she looked for herself but also for her mother and i was literally in so much tears. like, that was the relatable immigrant-mother-and-daughter content i needed.

there’s this weird thing where since “Asian American” representation’s not been done in hollywood in aeons, and the film industries of Korea, Hong Kong, Japan, China, Taiwan etc. are p lit, that we (the “Asian Americans”) can look overseas for “representation.” Except it’s not really representation, is it? it’s not portraying the various experiences of Asians abroad, and even with some shared cultural background, why would a Korean drama “represent” Chinese people? so even as i’m getting tired of all the headlines telling me to watch Crazy Rich Asians for the representation (like sure, you can shove 50 East Asian actors into a single film, but why won’t anyone tell me if it’s actually a good film?), I’m reminding myself that seriously, the political aspect definitely matters.

it’s just overall a silly film with good chunks of feels thrown in! isn’t it so funny that any objectifying-type gazes in this film is aimed solely at the men? What interesting intersectional politics there: the Gaze that has been so thoroughly used by white male-dominated media to sexualize and objectify women (”Oriental” ones, of course) has been flipped on its head to sexualize East Asian men, who have been culturally feminized and emasculated and not allowed to be objects of (hetero)sexual desirability.

plus there’s so much cultural relatability. all the family drama that happens at the dinner table, the brutal criticism adults like to dole out while laughing, the endless list of siblings and cousins, the food and dumpling making

the narrative is so thoroughly female-led! like, Nick was ultimately the only guy that really mattered, and his narrative line was.... not....... very..... . . cohesive.... lfmao. but whatever! Rachel’s cool. Astrid’s fucking?!?!? gorgeous??? i loved the introduction scene and her intrigue. the actual execution of her plotline was more tell than show after that imo, but FUCK if it wasn’t satisfactory at the end. She’s an excellent actress too, holy shit. That scene in the car???? bb. bb. bb.

i love the chick getting married. what a delight the whole way through. just, such a breath of fresh air, and so fucking real lmfao. i love love love asian girls like her. just live your best life, lady.

Michelle Yeoh is a whole legend, and walked the balance between disapproving iron lady and doting vulnerable mother soooooooo well. she’s fucking real as fuck. you’re not meant to hate her, which is a brilliant decision. i loooove the mahjong scene, and how Constance Wu did hurt and vulnerability alongside battle and anger. THE AIRPLANE SCENE. UM. BINCH. BINCH!!! just so well done.

criticisms? pacing of Act I left much to be desired for me, but i do think the ending more than made up for it. Rachel was adorable and it’s sweet to watch her relationships with people develop, but I do think she came off as just kind of generic throughout the first half of the movie. (I liked when she was angry though. That was just real and adorable.)

#crazy rich asians #personal #i loved it i'd watch it again #it's delightful

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aion-rsa · 3 years

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Shang-Chi Trailer Teases New Era for MCU Visuals

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

It’s not what you’re used to seeing in a Marvel Studios release: bright neon light casting Simu Liu and his on screen opponent in neon silhouette; a dazzling array of forested trees acting as both venue and enraptured audience for a fight scene in the woods; just even an occasional emphasis on shadows, period. Yet all these things and more are visible in the new Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings trailer.

Could this be a signal that the Phase 4 era of the MCU will be a more visually dynamic one? We can hope.

The new film, which opens in September as Marvel’s first post-Black Widow release—and the first film made by Disney set after the events of 2019’s gargantuan Avengers: Endgame—is a bit of a fresh start for Marvel. In addition to not being a sequel or a prequel to an already established character, it is the first MCU film starring an actor of Asian descent (not to mention a wholly more diverse cast), as well as an attempt to right the perceived wrongs of dismissing the “Ten Rings” organization as a punchline in Iron Man 3.

However, it might also be a chance to further diversify Marvel’s visual style which, by and large, has been blandly utilitarian for about a decade. It didn’t begin this way. Jon Favreau’s first two Iron Man films were both shot on 35mm celluloid and have a playfully colorful dynamism to them. Kenneth Branagh’s first Thor, for whatever other flaws, also had a relatively stylish cinematography. Yet beginning with Marvel’s transition to digital cinematography on Captain America: The First Avenger and especially The Avengers, a rather uninspired, overly well-lit visual presentation became the unofficial Marvel house style.

Video essayist Patrick H. Willems accurately described how many of the Marvel movies of the mid-2010s, with flat lighting and the type of visual uniformity found on television, often resembled a “parking lot.”

There have been outliers, of course. The Guardians of the Galaxy films and Thor: Ragnarok have particularly been exceptions, but arguably the kind that prove the rule. Nevertheless, most of the visual awe in MCU movies tends to come from what’s designed in a computer instead of what’s captured by an actual physical camera. Shang-Chi suggests that could change.

With the aforementioned action shots glimpsed in the trailer, some imagery in the film seems inspired by a fight scene in Sam Mendes’ Skyfall, while other shots clearly evoke Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (and hello there, Michelle Yeoh!), director Destin Daniel Cretton appears to be wearing his influences on his sleeves. Formerly an indie filmmaker behind critical darlings like Short Term 12 and Just Mercy, as well as the first Asian American MCU director, Cretton is open about wanting to shake up the visual look of Marvel movies.

In 2019 he even explained to Collider why he wanted Bill Pope, the cinematographer of The Matrix, to lens Shang-Chi.

“He has a really beautiful style, that’s both naturalistic and grounded, but also heightened, in the best way,” Cretton said. “And anybody who can shoot The Matrix is probably gonna do great with this one… I think particularly for our first Asian/Asian American step into the MCU, that tone feels right.”

Indeed, Pope did lens all three of the Wachowski sisters’ original Matrix trilogy. Additionally, he has experience of overseeing the photography on some of the most stylish genre films in the last decade, including every Edgar Wright film since Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, including 2017’s Baby Driver. And in the realm of superheroes, Pope was the DP on Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3, with the former still widely recognized as one of the best (and best looking) superhero films ever produced.

Shang-Chi will similarly be Pope’s first movie in the MCU. And if the trailer is anything to go by, he’ll be bringing some very welcome style to the proceedings. Perhaps things really will look quite different in Phase 4?

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worldtrends · 3 years

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Guidelines FOR COOKING RICE

If there were a culinary string around the planet, it would presumably be rice.

Internationally, rice has a put on the table in pretty much every country. Velvety arborio rice in Italian risotto, tacky rice in Japanese sushi, jasmine rice as a base for Thai dishes, blended flavors in Spanish and Caribbean rice dishes, rice as a supplement and absorb Australian curry...... What's more, the rundown goes on.

With attaches returning to a vestige, rice has likewise since quite a while ago been a staple in American family units, utilized as a side dish, in soups, stews, and pan-sears. However, maybe because of its prevalence and profound established history, it has lost its shine. It's not difficult to plan and simple on the wallet, however, is it exhausting?

It doesn't need to be. On the off chance that you consider rice a fresh start that can be lit up or decreased, you can be similarly as innovative in the kitchen.

It's the ideal material for a great deal of Asian, Mexican, Middle Eastern, and Mediterranean flavors, Simmons, creator of The Amazing World of Rice (William Morrow). Add some curry or turmeric to give it an Australian profile. Add daintily cut shallots and it gets Asian, add ground Parmesan and it gets Italian, add cut tomatoes and it gets Spanish.

What's more, this adaptability, the capacity of even an unpracticed cook too so effectively change and adjust rice to any flavor profile, likewise makes it an occasional chameleon. You can have a light rice plate of mixed greens or a rice dish with new nursery vegetables on the mid-year table.

Since you're presumably attempting to look and feel your best during the dynamic late spring months, you'll likewise profit by the way that rice is sound and without gluten. Rice has numerous medical advantages. However, a few kinds of rice are superior to other people. Find out about sound rice.

Sound RICE CHOICES.

Numerous individuals don't understand the number of assortments of rice to appreciate. Some are more grounded than others, give solid supplements and help you feel full because of their high fiber and protein content.

1. Earthy colored RICE

Earthy colored rice has for quite some time been a top choice of the smart dieting world, however, it merits clarifying why.

Basmati Rice Nutrition is white simply because it is handled or refined.

Rice doesn't get white; white rice was initially earthy colored, red, dark, or purple, yet the grain, or external husk, which contains the most fiber, has been taken out.

When moving turned out to be more famous, they could undoubtedly eliminate the sound and it was a superficial point of interest that lone the rich could bear.

Albeit the healthy benefit of various assortments of rice fluctuates, crude rice has a few significant advantages: minerals, for example, iron, magnesium, and potassium; nutrients, for example, K and B6; and solid fiber, protein, and sugars. Eliminating the grain implies eliminating large numbers of these supplements, transforming white rice into void calories and low-esteem carbs.

Most well-being specialists suggest supplanting refined white rice with earthy colored rice, which studies have demonstrated can decrease the danger of diabetes, bosom malignancy, and obesity.

Cooking: Brown rice takes more time to cook, and its nutty flavor and gentler surface make it difficult for some to switch. Yet, there are approaches to blend it up. Phillips suggests cooking earthy colored rice in stock for additional flavor. Mr. Soups suggests cooking earthy colored rice like pasta, slicing cooking time down the middle, or purchasing steamed earthy colored rice for a much quicker form.

Notwithstanding earthy colored rice, there are numerous assortments of entire grain rice that have recently shown up on supermarket racks.

2) BLACK RICE

Previously, dark rice was saved uniquely for the sovereigns of antiquated China and was classified as "prohibited rice."

Also, according to its incredible healthy benefit, it's not difficult to perceive any reason why. With a dietary profile like earthy colored rice, it contains elevated levels of anthologists, similar solid substances found in dim shaded berries.

We're not used to considering grains carrying shading to the table, so this is an incredible method to carry those supplements to the table.

Dark rice, accessible in both long-and short-grain forms, takes on a profound purple shade when cooked and has a sweet nutty flavor and delicate surface. Its interesting shading makes it a basic however stylish side dish or the highlight of a feast.

I ordinarily make cod miss with dark rice; the cod flavors mix well and look great on plates. You can blend dark rice in with white or earthy colored rice for differentiating colors, use it as a stuffing for peppers or squash, or in sweet dishes with rice pudding.

To cook: For some rice, add two cups of water. Heat to the point of boiling, decrease to a stew, cover, and cook for a 50-an hour until rice is delicate.

3. RED RICE

This medium-grain, red-hulled rice comes in a few assortments with comparative flavors and nourishing profiles.

Bhutanese red rice is a bowl of typical rice that has been developing for millennia in the ripe valleys of Bhutan, high in the Himalayas. Payload rice is red rice imported from Thailand, and Camargue rice is filled in southern France.

Red rice turns dull pink when cooked.

I intend to utilize it in a pot with red beans and rice, It's every one of the one tones, however, the delicate surface is the thing that I like and it's beneficial for you."

Red rice can be utilized as a side dish for a fast primary course, as surface and shading, blended in with dark or white rice, as a base for Spanish rice, or as a pilaf. "It has a more sweet-smelling flavor that sets well with flavors and chilies," Simmons adds.

To cook: Add two cups of water to some rice. Heat to the point of boiling, lessen to a stew, cover, and cook for a 50-an hour until the rice is delicate. WHICH RICE IS BEST FOR WEIGHT LOSS?

At the point when you're attempting to shed a couple of pounds, it's ideal to remember earthy colored rice for your eating routine - it's a good and fiber-rich choice. At the point when you eat it with other sound nourishment, including lean protein and greens, you can appreciate a nutritious and delightful dinner that will help you feel satisfied.

IS BASMATI RICE HEALTHIER THAN BROWN RICE?

Basmati rice isn't as good as earthy colored rice, however, it has a delicate grain that sets well with numerous dishes. Basmati rice is accessible as earthy colored rice, which has no external husk or germ. It additionally has a nutty flavor and is more grounded than white basmati rice or customary white rice.

IS JASMINE RICE HEALTHIER THAN WHITE RICE?

Jasmine rice comes in entire grain assortments, which are more grounded than white rice, which is intensely handled. Earthy colored jasmine rice is lower in carbs and calories than white rice while giving potassium, iron, and calcium. Dark, purple, and red jasmine rice give extra medical advantages.

IS WILD RICE HEALTHIER THAN BROWN RICE?

Wild rice is a sort of grass and has a more gritty and strong flavor. Be that as it may, if you lean toward your rice to have a nutty, gentle flavor, you ought to think about earthy colored rice. On the off chance that you will likely expand your protein consumption while diminishing calories, pick wild rice since it has twice as much protein and fewer calories than a similar serving of earthy colored rice.

Much the same as eating heaps of vegetables, it's critical to get a wide assortment of entire grains. The vast majority have known about earthy colored rice, yet attempting various tones is a great method to flavor it up for certain supplements.

#Basmati Rice Nutrition #Hunza Foods

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gadgetsrevv · 5 years

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Rebekah Vardy-Coleen Rooney Instagram feud: Why the football wives are fighting

As Britain descends into an increasingly bleak political horror show, today the country is delivering on its most famous export: Shakespearean drama. On the morning of October 9, two famous wives of major football (i.e. soccer) players were embroiled in an epic feud that just so happens to be deliciously suited to the era of Instagram Stories and private accounts. It’s the kind of splashy kerfuffle that forces people who previously had zero knowledge of or interest in a group of people or perhaps an entire sport to eschew all their responsibilities and learn everything they possibly can about it all in the span of a few hours.

This particular English Renaissance play stars two women, Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy (who goes by Becky), both wives of footballers who played for the England national team. Like many WAGs (an acronym for the wives and girlfriends of athletes), the two were friends, and Rooney had trusted Vardy enough to be included on her private Instagram account, where Rooney would post personal updates about her friends and family.

But according to an operatic tweet posted by Rooney on Wednesday morning, which is at once a brutal damnation of Vardy’s actions and a master class in scene-setting and plot building, Vardy was selling those private stories to the press. “For a few years now someone who I trusted to follow me on my personal Instagram account has been consistently informing the Sun newspaper of my private posts and stories,” it begins.

“After a long time of trying to figure out who it could be, for various reasons, I had a suspicion,” Rooney writes. Here’s where it gets good: “To try and prove this, I came up with an idea. I blocked everyone from viewing my Instagram stories except ONE account.”

Coleen Rooney in 2018.

Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

Rooney then writes that, over the last five months, she posted a series of fake pieces of information about her life to see if they ended up in the Sun. They did: On August 15, the Sun published a story about Rooney and her husband traveling to Mexico to seek controversial gender selection treatment. On September 28, the paper published a story about Rooney possibly joining the BBC reality show Strictly Come Dancing; a third piece about a supposed flood at the Rooney’s Cheshire mansion was also published by the Sun. (All these stories published in the Sun have since been taken down.)

Rooney writes that it was difficult to remain silent and refrain from commenting when the false stories spread about her but that it ultimately helped her find the culprit.

“I have saved and screenshotted all the original [Instagram] stories which clearly show just one person has viewed them,” she writes.

“It’s……. Rebekah Vardy’s account.”

By the time Americans were starting to wake up, the news had lit up British media. That’s not just because the British press is among the thirstiest in the world. It’s because the story had everything: a Notes app-esque manifesto, the genius weaponization of social media, the demonization of a woman named Becky, the exposure of shady tabloid inner workings, and yes, two very rich women fighting with each other, one of whom is widely beloved among football fans for “standing by her man” (Rooney) and one of whom is seen as a fame-hungry money-grubber (that’d be Becky). The Rooney-Vardy feud lets us all feel the kind of vindication of knowing a maybe-bad person is an actually-bad person; it allows us to share in Rooney’s catharsis as she closes her explosive note with the absolute perfect kicker. It’s ……. really great gossip.

Who are Coleen Rooney and Becky Vardy?

It has not been nearly as fun of a day for Becky Vardy, of course. Shortly after Rooney’s post was made public, she posted her own statement to Instagram denying the allegations, claiming that other people had access to her Instagram account and if only Rooney had called her when she first suspected that Vardy was leaking stories, she could have changed her passwords. “I don’t need the money, what would I gain from selling stories on you?” she wrote. “I liked you a lot Coleen & I’m so upset that you have chosen to do this, especially when I’m heavily pregnant. I’m disgusted that I even have to deny this.” Vardy has also reportedly tasked lawyers to conduct a “forensic investigation” on her Instagram account to find out who has access to it.

But for many who have followed both Vardy and Rooney for years, the two statements were vindication that their opinions about each woman were correct all along. “Becky Vardy has always been shady,” says SB Nation soccer writer Kim McCauley. “It’s very obvious she wants to take down Coleen because Coleen has always been the media’s favorite WAG, who got all the best TV spots, and Becky wants to take her place.”

Jamie and Becky Vardy in 2018.

Jan Kruger/Getty Images

“The Vardys are not nice people,” agrees Nicolle Zamora, who writes for the soccer site Unusual Efforts. She points to a series of racist statements both Becky and her husband Jamie Vardy have made in the past. Jamie has been caught on camera multiple times calling a person of Asian descent a racist slur; in 2014, Becky tweeted “Getting followed at 3am from work to your car by a weird black man has to be up there with one of the scariest moments ever!”

Becky in particular is also widely considered inappropriately fame-hungry — she was a cast member on the reality series I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here and regularly appears on talk shows like Loose Women, Good Morning Britain, and This Morning. Many have long suspected her of being the writer behind the Sun’s “Secret WAG” column, which covers football gossip from an anonymous WAG, which would solidify the link between Vardy and the Sun’s coverage of Rooney.

What adds insult to injury, Zamora adds, is that the Sun has a long and bitter history with the city of Liverpool, where both Coleen and her husband Wayne Rooney were born and raised (the Rooneys now live in the US, where Wayne plays for DC United). Since 1989, the people of Liverpool have boycotted the Sun for its false reporting on the horrific Hillsborough disaster, where 96 people were killed at an FA cup football game due to overcrowding inside the stadium.

Meanwhile, Coleen Rooney has long been royalty among football WAGs, once a part of the original queen WAG Victoria Beckham’s crew in the mid-aughts and now most known for being a mother and loyal wife during her husband’s various reported infidelities. People like her because, as London-based football fan Scott Perdue tells me over DM, she has a “humble background, stuck by her man, tries to stay out of the headlines.

“Coleen Rooney has absolutely bossed Rebekah Vardy,” he adds.

Why the Coleen Rooney-Becky Vardy feud is irresistible

But there is also something more universal going on with the Rooney-Vardy feud that’s pulling in even people totally unfamiliar with British WAG culture. Humans love stories about celebrities acting as investigative reporters of their own lives, and Rooney isn’t the first person to weaponize her social media accounts: Kim Kardashian has reportedly sent her friends fake photos of her newborn children to find out who is leaking information to the press. Fans, meanwhile, have started referring to Rooney as “Wagatha Christie” in admiration.

It might also simply be more banal than that. It’s refreshing, for once, to have a clear winner and a clear loser, to be able to root for one team without feeling sorry for the other. Ironically, this is also what can be so appealing about being a sports fan.

Charlotte Wilder of Sports Illustrated draws this parallel: “I’ve always said that sports are the greatest reality show. Even on reality TV, we assume that everything’s edited or manipulated. But you can’t have spoilers for a game, and there’s something really pure about that. And when the athletes’ lives mirror that unexpectedness, it’s thrilling to me.”

Wayne, Coleen, and son Kai Rooney in 2013.

Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images

Often, when we see athletes’ or celebrities’ lives play out in the press or on social media, there’s a tendency to assume what we’re seeing is in some way fabricated. The Rooney-Vardy feud, meanwhile, feels pure in its messiness. “A lot of times these athletes are very calculated because they know people are paying attention,” Wilder says. “And when done well, it becomes a master class in public relations. With something like this, [Rooney] knows she’s bulletproof, so she can take a risk. You don’t do this unless you’re pretty sure it’s not gonna backfire.”

Ultimately, what we’re talking about is leaked personal interest stories about the lives of famous people. “It’s still fairly petty,” Wilder laughs. “It’s not that there’s some horrible crime at the center of this, so it makes it a little more harmless to enjoy something like this. If it were really ugly and messy I would feel sad, but at this point, we can enjoy it.”

All of which makes Coleen Rooney and Becky Vardy the perfect distraction from literally everything else happening in the UK right now: a feud so neat and perfect it can be tied up with a bow, a Twelfth Night-style comedy of errors that writes itself where the good guy gets all the faves and the bad guy gets canceled. If nothing else, it beats talking about Brexit.

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elsewhereuniversity · 7 years

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An Excerpt from Elsewhere University's Student Accommodation Guide, Accurate to Term Beginning September 20XX

(Handwritten RA’s notes in parentheses)

The Towers

Mid-20th century brick apartment towers, divided into Pelham, McGonagall, Byron, and Bulwer-Lytton. Despite rising to 14 storeys, they have no iron rebar frames supporting them internally, leading many students to say they can feel the Towers sway in high winds. While this is not true, they definitely have the finest views on campus, being situated on the top of The Hill. The Towers have ample kitchen space, but prospective students should be reminded of their thin walls and thin floors. They are regarded as the “party” flats, and many second and third year students will say if a bad decision is going to be made on a night out, the odds are good it will happen in the Towers.

(No one remembers inviting the slim boy with slicked-back blonde hair, but he brought rum and an electric personality and makes himself welcome. He suggests a drinking game none of you have heard of, and only you remember never to play a game whose rules you do not understand. Your friends are not so fortunate)

The Ziggurat

Built in an unusual art-deco architectural style, the ziggurat is officially known as the Carnarvon Memorial Building, and dates back to the mid-1920s. The outward-facing rooms have large windows and are generally well-lit, but rooms further into the interior have no windows at all. Despite pre-dating air conditioning, students report that the rooms at the heart of the Ziggurat remain cool even in the height of summer. Thick walls and shag carpets also make the Ziggurat among the quietest of on-campus accommodation, which many more studious undergraduates consider a bonus.

(She finds sand in her shoes all year round, but at least her food never spoils. An undergrad swears she sees a falcon roost outside her room every day at sunrise. A label on a box of leftovers reads “Whoever opens me without consent, there will be judgement, an end shall be made for him. I shall seize his neck like a bird… I shall cast the fear of myself into him”. Every assumes it is a joke, until the seal is broken.)

The Chinese House

A quaint piece of 19th century Orientalism, and the last survivor of an eccentric effort to build an international students village using architectural styles from all over the world. Most were demolished between the expansion of the football field, the construction of the Michelson-Morley building, and a terrible fire in the mid-20th century that destroyed the Dutch farmhouse. Despite an ongoing and heated debate among the student population over whether or not the building’s styling and history make it an unfortunate racist relic or an architectural piece worthy of preservation, the Chinese House’s residents report that it is pleasant and homely. Regardless of nationality or religion, residents are advised to participate in the Mid-Autumn Festival arranged by the Chinese House Residents’ Assistants, as a matter of etiquette.

(Every year, room 5B is taken by an Asian student with dark hair who keeps a rabbit. No one tells security, even though pets are not allowed in campus accommodation. Impolite questions about where she is from are met with a patient smile, and a gentle reminder that an American flag flies over her home)

Dadd House

A modest Victorian building with en-suite rooms and upholstery faithful to the original. The Accommodation Office must deny absolutely any and all claims that it is a re-purposed insane asylum, including rumours that rooms 2A-2F still have padded walls, or that the 3rd floor rooms have locks on the outside of the doors, as these are baseless and harmful claims which do no justice to the building’s proud traditions. We must remind would-be applicants that the continued existence of Dadd House is due to a very generous grant provided by an anonymous donor, with the proviso that the House is reserved for those majoring in Fine Art, Art History, Music, Music Theory, Ceramics, and Animation. Exceptions cannot be made for those studying Liberal Arts.

(Her music only improves during her residency, filling the dark, sad halls of the house with beautiful sound. He paints great swirls of colour over his canvas, over the walls, over the floor. Her mind is alive with poetry, and she finds herself speaking in hexameter. What had been normal motions startle her as she catches smear frames in the corner of her eye. A group of non-students stroll through the tiled corridors, golden eyes flicking from one delight to the next, furred ears twitching. They discuss who they shall give their ultimate patronage to, as gardeners would discuss which plants to nurture, and which to prune)

Elsewhere Square

An early 21st century addition to the campus, this is one of the more divisive accommodation buildings in recent years, and has been voted “Ugliest Campus Accommodation” in a National Students’ Union poll every year since its construction. Certainly its garish colours and incongruous position next to the venerable Morganwg Building make it stand out, but it is worth remembering that the Morganwg itself was once denigrated as “Gothic” in its day. The layout of the corridors may seem counter-intuitive at first, but students are sure to adapt to it quickly with help of Residents’ Assistants (known colloquially as “Pathfinders” in the Square). Due to a certain proportion of permanent residents, space at Elsewhere Square is limited, but rooms are en suite, and its position is convenient for all campus locations.

(At every junction and intersections, we carve symbols into the wall, and the freshers quickly learn their meanings. You have gone too far, they say, turn back and do not continue. Your rooms are behind you, and you are in unfriendly territory. The unwise head deeper into the building, finding corridors which narrow abruptly into squeeze-bys and stairs which descend below the ground floor. The corridors beyond warp as cheap plasterboard gives way to bare limestone rock, forcing those who descend to twist and contort themselves to pass. No one has ever failed to return from the depths of Elsewhere Square, but no one who ventures there returns unchanged)

Taliesin House

A rare survivor from Elsewhere University’s earliest days, this Romantic-styled house lies on the edge of campus between the Lake and the playing fields, offering pleasant verdant surroundings and easy access to the Sports Centrer for students in sports science courses. The Residents’ Assistants run a lively calendar of events, including socials at the spring and autumn equinox, as well as the summer and winter solstice fairs, as well as a poetry competition in the first week of August. The nearby forests are private property of the Dean’s House, and the Accommodation Office must stress in the strongest language the need for students to stay out of the forest, on pain of expulsion and a permanent mark against their academic record.

(The sports societies love Samhain. They spend all night cheering, drinking to excess, dancing around the ceremonial bonfire that campus security tacitly agrees to ignore. One of the RA’s wears a pair of stag’s antlers, and in the darkness you have a fanciful moment where you imagine they are sprouting directly from his head. Then two drunken members of the girl’s rugby team stumble into the forest together, and a carynx horn bellows through the night. Everyone is inside by the time they hear the thundering of hooves and the baying of the black dogs)

Your RA Suggests:

Residents are requested to keep communal spaces (such as kitchens and bathrooms) clean and tidy, although everyone makes an exception for salt spills.

We suggest you bring only cast iron kitchenware to Elsewhere University. If you can’t get any prior to arrival, remember that the Accommodation Office holds a Lost and Found sale during Fresher’s Week.

While Elsewhere University Campus Security prides itself on its effectiveness, the Accommodation Office must formally issue a warning to all students to avoid unfamiliar individuals, particularly at night and during periods of lunar occlusion. Watch your friends closely.

Campus traditions may seem quaint to you, but it is worth remembering that what appears to be random superstition to you represents hard-won knowledge for others. If you don’t want to participate in seriousness, then at least participate with a sense of fun.

Most importantly, remember that your accommodation is your home, and you should never feel out of place or uncomfortable in your own home.

(Fairies are real, words have power, your home is only as safe as you make it)

(AN: The Ziggurat, the Towers, and Elsewhere Square are direct references to existing accommodation at University of East Anglia and University of Essex)

[J]

#j #stories #the towers #the ziggurat #the chinese house #dadd house #elsewhere square #taliesin house #fantastic EXCELLENT #submission #the dorms

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joshualunacreations · 5 years

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(Please don’t repost or edit my work. Reblogs are always appreciated. Support my work here: https://www.patreon.com/joshualuna)

History has shown Filipinx are valued for our labor, not our voices. But the only thing more consistent than our exploitation and oppression is our resilience in the face of it. #FilipinoAmericanHistoryMonth

There are many horror stories about Filipinx being mistreated. Whether working in our home countries or as Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), we're treated as a servant class no matter where we are—suffering long hours, low wages and benefits, and intentionally dehumanizing treatment.

For example, in 2019, a Filipina maid in Saudi Arabia was tied to a tree as "punishment" by her employers. An animator in the Philippines was fired for demanding a full-time salary for his full-time work. Filipina nurses who tried to quit an abusive New York nursing home got stuck in indentured servitude. Out of 66 US allies in WWII, only Filipino vets were denied payment and benefits that the US promised. Call center employees working as outsourced low-wage labor for US corps who've earned promotions and higher pay are given unrealistic quotas to get them fired. The list goes on.

I even experienced this myself in May, when I lost my publisher of 10+ years for—ironically—talking about the racism and oppression Filipinx and other Asians face. They were happy to publish my stories centering non-Filipinx, but not when I decided to center myself and other Fil-Ams.

In my industry (comics), the exploitation of Filipinx is a well-kept secret. In a recently released video by DC Comics—which was meant to highlight Filipinx creators—they inadvertently admit to hiring Filipinx only to circumvent paying striking American creators better wages.

But Filipinx don't stay silent, we fight back. From legendary Lapu-Lapu, Gabriela Silang, and the Katipunan—who resisted Spanish colonization and fought for independence—to Fil-Am labor leader Larry Itliong, Filipinx have a long tradition of organizing protests and revolutions.

Yet when we do speak up, our contributions can still be erased—sometimes by other POC. Itliong spearheaded a highly effective labor movement in the 30s and 40s when he organized the Delano grape strike and unionized laborers, but his work is often credited solely to César Chávez. A search for Itliong's name will result in articles and books that always acknowledge his collaboration with Chávez. But if you search for Chávez’s name, Itliong is rarely mentioned. This erasure hurts even more so because the whole movement was about solidarity between Mexican-Americans and Fil-Ams.

What this means is Filipinx are seen as exploitable labor by pretty much everyone: whites, other POC, even our own. That's why a major part of the Philippines' economy relies on remittances from OFWs sending their earnings home—one of the country's biggest exports is people.

So on this last day of #FilipinoAmericanHistoryMonth, let's all commit to fighting racial and class injustice, uplifting Fil-Am and Filipinx voices, and recognizing Filipinx contributions all year-round.

If you enjoy my comics, please pledge to Patreon or donate to Paypal. I recently lost my publisher for trying to publish these strips, so your support keeps me going until I can find a new publisher/lit agent.

https://twitter.com/Joshua_Luna/status/1134522555744866304

https://www.patreon.com/joshualuna

https://www.paypal.com/paypalme2/JoshuaLunaComics

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capt-sulu · 7 years

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Aaaah so @maximumdarkwarps did this amazing biblical analysis of Krall, Kirk, and ST: Beyond which was seriously incredible and y’all should go read it (seriously, read it)!!! And then I remembered that last week I analyzed Kirk’s role a Christ figure for my Lit class. Which is opposed to how @maximumdarkwarps defines him solely as a Hero’s Journey protagonist (fight me!! jkjkjk :’)). My argument isn’t nearly as esoteric but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Under the Read More because it’s kind of long, haha. I dropped the intro because I’m pretty sure I don’t have to explain Star Trek. :)

First, to examine Kirk’s relationship with his father. As with Christ, Kirk has a significant relationship with his father. George Kirk died to save his family, his final acts protecting their escape shuttle and launching a final attack on their aggressors. This serves as both an example for what Kirk later does, but also gives him an identity.

In the Holy Trinity, Jesus is always referred to as the Son. When Pike, a Starfleet captain and his soon-to-be father figure, first intervenes with his self-destructive lifestyle, he tells Kirk he knows who he is because he is “[his] father’s son”. Kirk’s introduction as the Son is definitely a significant move on the part of the writers.

But Kirk does not rely solely on his name and parentage to make a name for himself. While he may not have the talent for miracles, his full potential is still a lot. He’s revealed to be of “genius level”, which is proven when he completes the four-year Starfleet Command track in three AND hacks Spock’s Kobayashi Maru exam simulation, even though Spock, a half Vulcan, is supposed to have intellect that far surpasses that of normal humans. Christ was noticed for his intellect as well, debating with rabbis and teaching at temples from a very young age. And, as with Christ, there is obviously something special about Jim Kirk, a greatness that Pike senses in him when they first meet. He says as much when he tells Kirk, “you feel like you were meant for something better. Something special” -- which is essentially Kirk’s very own Chosen One prophecy.

Pike hints at this greatness again when Kirk breaks Starfleet laws to save a planet from volcanic destruction. It’s almost ironic, but Pike tells him that he had seen a “greatness in [Kirk]”, but that Kirk was now simply “playing God”. In their next conversation, when the two are more calm, Pike confides in Kirk, “I believe in you”. The constant reminders of divinity are more than ample evidence for Kirk’s position as a Christ figure.

While (as Foster notes) Christ figures are never actually perfect as Christ is, it is important to address Kirk’s history of self-indulgence and self-destruction. As a young boy in Iowa, he drives an antique car off a cliff because he can. As a young man, he flirts and sleeps around, and gets into bar fights simply because he itches for conflict.

Even when he saves Spock from a volcano, risking the lives of his entire crew to do so, it is done selfishly. When Pike demands to know why Kirk would even put his crew in harm’s way in the first place with the volcano, Kirk avoids the question and boasts that he has lost “not one” crew member throughout his entire, however brief, captaincy. His actions could be seen to serve his hero complex and not because of any real compassion.

But Kirk, as any good character will, evolves. He has a moment of revelation after Admiral Marcus, the villain of Into Darkness (spoiler alert), threatens to destroy the Enterprise and her crew along with it. Kirk literally pleads with Marcus, claiming “[he’ll] do anything” if Marcus would just “let [his crew] live”. This is a stunning act of humility, completing contrasting the egotistical, blustering Kirk from the start of the film.

This character development leads to Kirk’s self-sacrifice. It is not enough to just save his crew, as he has before -- this time, he is willing to lose everything to do so. Kirk follows in his father’s footsteps, realizing that the Enterprise and its crew are his family, as Khan (a foil to Kirk) so eloquently puts it. He fulfills the Father’s legacy. But the Enterprise is also more than just family -- Kirk, as a Christ figure, is actually saving an ideal world.

In an interview from September 2016, George Takei (the actor who originally portrayed Helmsman Hikaru Sulu) spoke about the metaphor of the Enterprise. It was to be a representation of an idyllic Earth, with people of different nationalities working together to further a utopic society. Star Trek aired in the late 60s, and the fact that it included an Asian man, a Russian man, and a Black woman as significant characters was a monumental step for American television, given that WWII had recently ended and the Cold War and Civil Rights Movement were in progress.

With this legacy in mind, it becomes evident that Kirk is not just saving his family with his sacrifice -- he is saving an ideal Earth, much as Christ did.

But Christ came back to life. Kirk does, too, and how he manages it is almost laughably obvious. McCoy, the Enterprise’s Chief Medical Officer and Kirk’s best friend, resurrects him through blood. The connection here to Christ is obvious. But the fact that the blood came from a man supposed to be the epitome of mankind is more interesting.

This man is Khan.

Kirk maintains two foils throughout Into Darkness, one being Khan and the other being Spock. Both of them, like Kirk, could represent the peak state of humanity, yet the writers chose to make Kirk the Christ figure.

Khan and 72 others were a part of a 20th century eugenics experiment, designed to be physically and intellectually superior so that they might guide humanity into a Golden Age. As Khan puts it, he’s better at “everything” -- he’s the perfect human. However, the experiment was a failure because the subjects became despots. As Admiral Marcus and Spock note, “Khan and his crew were condemned to death as war criminals” for “the mass genocide of any being [they found] less than superior”.

These homicidal tendencies are evident in Khan throughout Into Darkness. He opens fire on 20 innocent men and women to take revenge on one, and he literally crushes Marcus’ skull with relish. Khan is clearly not in control of himself.

This negates the argument for Khan being emotionless and calculating. His cold eyes and visage may present glacial haughtiness, but all of his actions are driven by his need to protect his crew, his family. If anything, Khan suffers from an overabundance of emotion, unable to keep himself in check. This runs into pure selfishness.

On the other hand, Spock could be more readily perceived as emotionless and calculating. He is half-human and half-Vulcan, and controlling emotions is the Vulcan tradition. From a young age, Vulcans are given the education to accompany their more keen minds -- cultivating their extreme intellect, and mastering their emotions so their emotions will not master them.

Because Spock is half-human alongside his Vulcan heritage, he could be seen as a superhuman like Khan. Spock and Khan have superior mental and physical capabilities in common. But, in regards to emotion, Spock is at a disadvantage like Khan.

At the start of Into Darkness, Spock goes into an active volcano to activate a freezing device. While this is an act of self-sacrifice, foreshadowing what Kirk later does, Spock does not do it out of compassion. In fact, he does not seem to even understand why Kirk went back to save him from the volcano. Spock was only doing what he thought to be logical.

Spock only learns the depths of human connection when Kirk dies right in front of him, Spock powerless to do anything. He finally understands what Kirk had meant when he’d said, “I’m gonna miss you.” Through his friendship with Kirk, Spock learns compassion -- a situation that further solidifies Kirk’s role as a Christ figure, as Christ himself valued and taught compassion as a core value.

Thus, while Khan and Spock could both be considered epitomes of humanity, neither can be a true Christ figure. Khan allows his emotions and selfishness to guide him, while Spock is unable to relinquish his grip on pure rationality.

Kirk treads the fine line between the two. He allows himself to trust his “gut feeling”, but knows when he is emotionally compromised. As he tells Spock after Marcus threatens his ship and crew, “The Enterprise and her crew need someone in that chair who knows what he’s doing. And that’s not me”. This comes soon after Kirk’s genuine apology. The Enterprise and his captaincy are perhaps Kirk’s greatest pride, and his relinquishing that is a significant sacrifice already. This in itself proves that Kirk is a balance of emotion and logic -- having the compassion to care for his crew, but understanding the bounds of what he can and can’t do.

Because Kirk is established as a Christ figure in the Star Trek reboot series, he can be considered the model that the series wishes to put forth as the best humanity has to offer. In a universe where aliens are everywhere and mankind is no longer alone, it becomes increasingly important to define humanity. Kirk fulfills this. Because of his role as a Christ figure in Star Trek’s Alternate Original Series, Kirk becomes a symbol of humanity and its potential, showing the nature of humanity as one of emotion and compassion.

#jim kirk #james t. kirk #captain kirk #star trek aos #star trek meta #my posts #ahhhh it's not my best essay but i had a lot of fun writing it #sorry i know theres probably a lot of summary but for whatever reason my classmates know nothing about star trek #i know its sad #ALSO THANKS @MAXIMUMDARKWARPS FOR YOUR ENCOURAGEMENT AND AMAZING META YOU ARE INCREDIBLE

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katjohnadams · 7 years

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It’s. Not. The. White. Wash.

So, I realize on Tumblr I’ve been more on GitS’s ass and FB more on Iron Fist’s ass. So let me balance that out.

First: It’s mostly white people talking about white washing, so let’s please discard that straw man. An asian Iron Fist would be cool, but a white Iron Fist learning to be a strong social ally for asian americans and using his color and wealth privileges as such while -listening- to asians more than talking to/over them would be -better-. We got neither. We got a white-savior-trope so tired I don’t think a direct shot of epinephrine could wake it.

Second: The martial arts being inaccurate is a gripe, nothing much. But treating the various asian groups and their arts as interchangeable is not a gripe, that’s a slap in the face. We’re not scenery, we’re diverse cultures. And given Asia was opened to the West in every foul and violent method they had available, most of which have repercussions to this day, some actual effort not to casually traipse over our identities would be nice. Inaccurate combat has always been a part of stage combat. Bringing a Shinai into a Wushu school is just fucking offensively dismissive.

Third: It is disrespectful to have someone enter another culture and appear to master it in fiction. Period.

Fourth: “But the source material!” EDIT: I was misinformed of Luke Cage’s Origins, this was actually a reference to the first draft of the DC character that became “Black Lightning”, originally called “Black Bomber”. I didn’t do my research, and that’s my fault. Please re blog this fix. My apologies to my readers because holy fuck that was a misstep. Luke Cage was originally a white man magically turned into a blacksploitation-level stereotype superhero. The original concept for Black Lightning was called Black Bomber, a white supremacist who turned into a black man under stress. The editer that green lit this DC Disaster left the company before anything went to print and DC quickly tried to save the concept work. So we got Black Lightning instead. I think we’ve gotten past defending things that are crap because of “but the source material!” Ya’ll claim new creators have artistic freedom. Cool, then they should use it -well-.

Fifth: “It’s just entertainment!” Ghu. What an empty argument. No, it’s not just entertainment; it’s a hurtful representation of a third the world’s population. Moreover, if it were so trivial, if the details are so unimportant, why refuse to support changing them in a way that would not be as hurtful? I mean, if there’s no difference to you, what does it matter? And what we see and consume and create reflect what we believe, and reinforce those beliefs society-wide. Educated and worldly people still believe that Chinese take out is dog meat, that Asia consists solely of China and Japan (Korea and Vietnam if we’re lucky), and that “positive” stereotypes of Asians are “actually helpful.” It's not "just" media.

Sixth: We are being treated as mere scenery for a white character. If there’s not a glaring issue with that, well… If they weren’t treating us like set pieces they can swap and move at will, it’d be a very different story. I’d love a white Danny Rand immersed in various Asian cultures learning about them and discovering that the power of the Iron Fist is only part of what he should and will become, that by emptying himself and becoming full of the arts themselves he will learn about the fighting styles and those who created them. Again, not what we got.

Seventh: In the western world, as Asians, Identity is hard. We don’t get much honest representation. It’s pretty much Kung Fu, Mystic arts, and other bad stereotypes. And more, we don’t have media really exploring this place we’re caught in, between two very different cultures we love, unsure how much we can be one without betraying the other. Iron Fist is a small paper cut of hundreds, thousands if you count what we hear from “friends”. But it’s even worse when we say “Hey, there are some problematic things here. This treatment of Asian Identity is bullshit,” and all we hear back, no matter how civil, how clear our talking points are, is that we’re looking to be offended. We’re tired of being offended. And most of us won’t even argue because we have lost all faith in the West to ever care about us. Asians become insular because they are excluded and denied their identities. Iron Fist was no new sins, but the fandom has been fucking toxic.

Eighth and last: Please don’t tell me how to feel about Iron Fist. Don’t tell me I want to be offended. Don’t tell me what is and is not hurtful. Especially if you aren’t Asian.

I don’t hate Iron Fist as a concept. Needs a new century’s paint, but there’s a lot of potential. Pretending work doesn’t need to be done and badly does the entire fandom a disservice, and is disrespectful to a third of the planet. Worth considering.

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yalitonthebrain · 7 years

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Y.A. Television on the Brain: 13 Reasons Why (SPOILERS)

This may be a blog focused around Y.A. Lit. regarding mental health, but a recent production has made me feel as though it’s fit to give some examples of current representations of mental health in the media, specifically television shows focusing on students in high school.

Show 1: 13 Reasons Why (Spoilers)

youtube

So this show has been out for a mere four days. I didn’t notice it had been released until the day after and I binge-watched the shit out of it. The mini-series, based on the best-selling novel by Executive Producer Jay Asher, is a thrilling mystery story regarding the suicide of Hannah Baker. It follows the story of Clay Jensen, a junior at Liberty High School who finds a series of 13 tapes on his doorstep one day. The tapes were recorded by Hannah, Clay’s love interest, prior to her death. The rules of the tapes go as follows: you must listen to them all and you must pass them on to the person next in line. Every tape is about one of the people that led her to kill herself. Given that Hannah’s tape about Clay was #11, there had been plenty of people who were already aware of the tapes and were looking to conspire against Clay to save themselves from their perfect lives being ruined.

Clay learns how each individual impacted her, mentally and physically, and shows how microaggressions can be equally as detrimental to a person’s life as the more major epidemics. Although Clay never directly looked to hurt Hannah, his inability to act when she was reaching out to him or looking for someone to defend her caused massive emotional trauma. For instance, when she was put in an indie newspaper in the school for having the “Best Ass” and no one took their eyes off of it from then on, Clay assumed she should take it as a compliment. Little did he realize the toll it had been taking on her life. She is sexually assaulted at her local mini-mart, having her ass grabbed without consent. She feels as though she has eyes on her 24/7. And her only solace tells her to take it as a compliment. Helpful, right?

The television series goes in-depth as to how each person affected her and how what began with a photograph of her dress up as she was going down a slide led to a series of events that made her incapable of living life anymore. Although Clay could be that “romantic savior,” an amalgamation of the sexual torture she endured throughout the show leads to her inability to have a sexual relationship with Clay when the event becomes possible at a party. She sees him as every guy that has assaulted her in the past because, through his passive oppression, he has not done as much as he could have to stop the rumors and rude comments about her and, therefore, cannot consent herself sexually.

Although this show thrives in its portrayal of suicide, microaggression, and the effects of rape, bullying, and social media (an aspect of which is, ironically, a tape player), it does an odd dance with diversity. They have representatives of the Black, Latino, Asian American, and a large variety of LGBTQ members, but practically all of which are considered to be secondary antagonists aside from Jessica, an African American woman raped while unconscious by her boyfriend’s best friend. Although we are meant to find sympathy for her in this instance A.) For being caught in the circumstance in the first place and B.) For both her boyfriend and Hannah not doing anything about it, Hannah still puts her on her list of 13 reasons why she killed herself, for she did not treat Hannah fairly. We can praise the show for showing a wide array of diversity, don’t get me wrong. The show has a vast display of characters engaging in interracial relationships and many homosexual ones as well, something ill-depicted in the mainstream media from my point of view. I do, however, question why through all of the diversity, the two protagonists and antagonist are all straight and white and the show practically villainizes almost all of the people of color in it.

Overall, I’d give this show a 10 out of 10. I feel bad that I have yet to read the book, but I hope to do so in the near future. This mini-series is very compelling and gives a unique take on the effects of bullying, depression, alcoholism, rape, and the mental repercussions that come with not addressing these issues.

For those of you who see the show: Let me know what you think about the ending! I personally believe it left someone’s plot line painstakingly disregarded (Yeah, I cried. I knew it since the third episode or so, but I was hoping it would take a different direction).

#ya television #13 reasons why #netflix #ya lit #jay asher

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jessicakehoe · 6 years

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Long Overdue, the #MeToo Wave Has Finally Hit India

The waves of #MeToo, a movement that has been sweeping the world since Harvey Weinstein was publicly exposed as a sexual predator in October 2017, have finally reached the shores of India. For the past year, though allegations against powerful men in Hollywood and North American media have been tumbling out in a near-steady drip, Bollywood had by and large seemed inoculated from this infectious—and desperately needed—new strain of truth-telling. But like with all great movements, all it needed was a catalyst.

It started with a story that, ironically, had been told before. Former Bollywood actress Tanushree Dutta had spoken out 10 years ago about an incident on a film set that involved a veteran actor, Nana Patekar, touching her inappropriately while filming a dance routine. She complained to the choreographer on set but her concerns were dismissed and reportedly more lewd dance steps added to the routine. “It was really creepy because he had to put his hands all over me,” Dutta told Radio 1 Newsbeat. Emotionally traumatized, she tried to leave the set but her vehicle was attacked by an angry mob believed to have been hired by Patekar.

“This happened ten years ago, and even ten years ago all the steps were taken: I filed a police complaint, gave a complaint to CINTA, produced written records, everything,” Dutta said at a We The Women summit earlier this month. “The media covered it extensively, although the media was extremely hostile at that time. There was some outright derogatory, scandalous, salacious gossipy reporting at that time. It erupted like a story and it died down like a story, and the film industry was completely silent. I saw that these guys, Nana Patekar, the producer, the choreographer were all party to my harassment, and went about their lives as though nothing happened.”

Scarred by the experience, Dutta left the Hindi film industry but re-entered the public sphere just two weeks ago with her retelling of this story. Although she has seen an outpouring of support, she has just as equally been dismissed by people on social media and by members of the film community, even though a journalist who was present at the time has corroborated her story.

Some incidents that take place even a decade ago remain fresh in your memory. What happened with #TanushreeDutta on the sets of “Horn Ok Please” is one such incident – I was there. #NanaPatekar

[THREAD]

— Janice Sequeira (@janiceseq85) September 26, 2018

Dutta has since re-filed her complaint with the police but what that will achieve legally is yet to be seen. But perhaps that doesn’t quite matter. Just like with Dr Christine Blasey Ford, whose courageous coming forward may not have changed the outcome of the situation at hand but did galvanize a nation, Dutta’s recounting of her experience unleashed a flood of similar stories on Twitter and finally brought about a long-overdue reckoning. Unlike the #MeToo movement in the US, which was driven largely by investigative reporting by outlets like the New Yorker and the New York Times, India’s moment of reckoning has largely been wrought on Twitter. “Women are making it clear that they have had enough and they are ready to call out their abusers in public, as is evident from the multiple threads on Twitter of them naming and shaming harassers, and finding support from others who have had similar experiences,” wrote journalist Rituparna Chatterjee in a recent op-ed. “A WhatsApp group I am a part of lit up with incidents of sexual violations in the media industry, and women journalists have spoken about all the times they were made to feel uncomfortable by fellow journalists for just trying to their do their jobs. Within the safety of the closed group, they spoke about the whisper networks that have known men notorious for their transgressions.”

In the aftermath of Dutta’s retelling, women took to Twitter to out men that had violated, harassed or assaulted them in the past. Within days, a slew of Indian men—prominent journalists, comedians, directors and politicians—had been accused of sexual misconduct ranging from harassment to rape. “Finally, India’s women are pushing back against the corrosive abuse of male power,” wrote journalist Barkha Dutt in an op-ed for the Washington Post. “It is nothing short of a revolution.”

There’s the woke comedy group, All India Bakchod, whose members have been the target of several allegations in recent days.

So Utsav @Wootsaw loves asking women for nudes, he feels entitled to them pic.twitter.com/Wfemcgzlem

— Mahima Kukreja 🌱🌈✊🏽 (@AGirlOfHerWords) October 4, 2018

One of its recurring collaborators, Utsav Chakraborty has been accused by multiple women of requesting and sending nude photographs over Snapchat and text, and a member of its regular ensemble, Gursimran Khamba, has been accused of sexual harassment. The ensemble’s co-founder Tanmay Bhatt has voluntarily stepped down in light of the fact that he had been informed of the allegations against Chakraborty but failed to act on them.

Vikas Bahl, a co-founder of one of the country’s most progressive production companies, Phantom Films, has been accused of sexual assault by a former employee, who says he masturbated on her without her consent after pretending to pass out in her room following a post-production party. The company, which is behind Netflix India’s acclaimed original series, Sacred Games, has since been dissolved. The news of the assault first broke on Huffington Post India last week, and has since unleashed a flood of responses and apologies on social media from the other partners of the production company, one of whom was allegedly informed about the assault at the time.

Several prominent journalists have been named in allegations of assault and misconduct, including MJ Akbar who was once an editor at Asian Age and is now a junior minister in India’s Foreign Ministry. Journalist Priya Ramani, who has worked under Akbar in the past, wrote an open letter to her abusive former boss—without naming him—in the October 2017 issue of Vogue India, and has now come forward to reveal his identity. Since then, several other women have come forward to reveal they were harassed or violated by Akbar, including Ghazala Wahab, who wrote a harrowing account of her experience working with him in a piece for digital news outlet The Wire. “Once, in autumn of 1997, while I was half-squatting over the dictionary, he sneaked up behind me and held me by my waist,” she wrote. “I stumbled in sheer fright while struggling to get to my feet. He ran his hands from my breast to my hips. I tried pushing his hands away, but they were plastered on my waist, his thumbs rubbing the sides of my breasts. Not only was the door shut, his back blocked it. In those few moments of terror, all sorts of thoughts ran through my mind. Finally, he released me. All this while, the wily smile never left his face.”

Other journalists who have been named in recent days include Prashant Jha, political editor and bureau chief of the Hindustan Times; Mayank Jain, principal correspondent of Business Standard; and KR Sreenivas, resident editor of the Hyderabad edition of The Times of India newspaper.

Since I'm calling them out.

Let me tell you about @KRSreenivas who is currently resident editor @toi Hyderabad (I think) who offered to drop me back after a day's work. We were about to launch Bangalore mirror back in 2008 and I had just moved to this city.

— Sandhya Menon (@TheRestlessQuil) October 5, 2018

The dam has broken and the floodwaters of #MeToo in India show no sign of letting up. Lets hope the cavalcade of credible allegations continues, and that some measure of justice is finally served.

The post Long Overdue, the #MeToo Wave Has Finally Hit India appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

Long Overdue, the #MeToo Wave Has Finally Hit India published first on https://borboletabags.tumblr.com/

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lindyhunt · 6 years

Text

Long Overdue, the #MeToo Wave Has Finally Hit India

Some incidents that take place even a decade ago remain fresh in your memory. What happened with #TanushreeDutta on the sets of “Horn Ok Please” is one such incident – I was there. #NanaPatekar

[THREAD]

— Janice Sequeira (@janiceseq85) September 26, 2018

There’s the woke comedy group, All India Bakchod, whose members have been the target of several allegations in recent days.

So Utsav @Wootsaw loves asking women for nudes, he feels entitled to them pic.twitter.com/Wfemcgzlem

— Mahima Kukreja 🌱🌈✊🏽 (@AGirlOfHerWords) October 4, 2018

Since I'm calling them out.

— Sandhya Menon (@TheRestlessQuil) October 5, 2018

The dam has broken and the floodwaters of #MeToo in India show no sign of letting up. Lets hope the cavalcade of credible allegations continues, and that some measure of justice is finally served.

0 notes