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(via janedoe225)
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Notes Smash the White Supremacist Capitalist Patriarchy: I would like your thoughts on an issue:I understand the need to avoid language that is harmful in various ways, whether it be racist, sexist, ableist and so on. Like everyone, I have my issues with problematic language and I am working on that. But where is the line? Where does calling others out cross from seeking to…
Freedom of speech does mean ‘being able to say whatever you like’. However, there is no freedom of speech without freedom of thought. We need to examine society as a whole to understand the real extent of freedom of speech; we can’t only ask questions such as ‘will that person be locked away or beaten up for saying certain things?’, we must also ask ‘how much information does that person have at their disposal?’, ‘does that person live in a culture where certain attitudes are encouraged?’ and, more specifically to this, ‘do they live in a culture that is historically based on the systematic oppression of particular groups?’
Equality and freedom of information are essential for free speech; it’s far more complicated than simply having a law to say people can choose to say whatever they want, because the mechanics of that choice must be protected in the first place. By questioning language that’s created by inequality and ignorance, and refusing to perpetuate that language, we’re helping to create the foundations for a society based on true freedom of speech.
Excepting the extremely rare (if existent at all) instances where Racism/ableism/sexism/&tc. serves as legitimate political commentary, I will always argue that the right to exist in an environment free from oppressive bullshit is infinitely superior than the right to (pointlessly) be a douchebucket.
(via adailyriot)
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Notes"If a nation expects to be both ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expect what never was and never will be."Thomas Jefferson (via dream-hope-act)
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Happy Thanksgiving
Remember that time that we stole an entire landmass from an indigenous people and gave them infectious diseases and then made up a story to tell children about how one of them helped us survive our first winter because we were such bumbling idiots about coming to a new world that we didn’t bring enough food?
Me neither.
Gotta go, there’s a sporting event where large men throw a hollow pigskin around on TV.
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Notes"Being oppressed means the absence of choices."bell hooks
. :: revolutionnow : speakupsista :: .
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"When a system of oppression exists and people have unequal levels of power/perceived value or worth in a society, it’s not enough to say you’re treating people equally, because equal treatment under systemic oppression just blindly allows that oppression to keep existing. You are a person of privilege and in order for your so-called ‘equal treatment’ to happen, you have to be able to see your privilege and constantly fight your socialization."
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Gimmie Some Feminism!: Dear Arizona- "Stop fucking up"
So, after the terrible immigration bill Arizona passed this year saying that anyone who was suspected to be an illegal immigrant was to be questioned and to have their “papers” on them. Not only does this law cause people to ask “What does an illegal immigrant look like” “meeexxiii…uhh I dunno :’(” it causes racial profiling.
But thats not what this post is about. Sigh, this post is about the NEW law that was signed by the governor Jan Brewer. This law “Will end ethnic studies in the state”. Why you might ask? Oh, because the classes ”promote resentment toward a race or class of people,” “are designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group,” or “advocate ethnic solidarity instead of treating pupils as individuals.”
Sigh, yes, I’m serious.
In my opinion we should/should not need these classes. We should have these classes because ethnic groups have contributed so much to this country! And taking away these classes takes away their contributions. One of the people who support this bill says that the people that they are teaching about had to go through “depressing times” so we shouldn’t have to teach it. Ummm, no. Ever heard that phrase about learning from the past so you don’t repeat it?”
Another thing is that we do have ethnic studies even in the main classes. They are just European studies. It really pisses me off that you can take away a whole class of people and compact and water down their history so you can feel safe that I guess we wont “riot?” And I mean really… If anything taking away the history of a total group of people will make people more angry than it will understanding.
I do believe that we should have have a need for these classes. I think that EVERY ethnic group should be taught in the classroom. Yet no where in this bill does it say “we are going to take away segregated racial classes but we will try to do a better job at incorporating their culture with the masses.” They are simply taking away the classes and hoping no one notices that they arent getting the full education they need. (Hmph, funny how the only reason I had supporting the bill ended up me being against it )
An example would be that at my school we have one womens in art class. Unfortunately that class is only offered in spring… EVERY OTHER YEAR. So its like they are slowly taking away the class, but not incorporating women into the main art classes. I went through this semester of almost all modern art and I only know of about 4 women artists because no one is teaching it!
I also feel that these classes aren’t ”made” for the ethnic group. If anything I think people in school would want to learn more about a race that isn’t theirs. I think it would be a good way to learn history that they wouldn’t usually get, but to maybe think about these certain groups in a different way.
So I really hope Arizona gets its shit together. They already lost more than 90 million dollars due to businesses not wanting to be associated with them, and thats not even counting tourism. Sigh reasons why i’m embarrassed to be an American sometimes
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(via leftunderbooks)
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Notes"Many conservatives deeply believe that, for example, black people only vote Democratic because they are “told” Republicans are racist. It may seem more intuitive to think that personal experiences, political rhetoric, and laws targeting certain ethnic groups — like Arizona’s recently passed immigration law — may be the cause of racial resentment among minorities. But to conservatives, it’s actually that minorities believe whatever white people tell them, and if they can get rid of these nasty ethnic studies classes then resentment will go away. It’s all part of the same problem—the reoccurring theme is that people of color have no independent thoughts worth thinking. Colorblind rhetoric doesn’t actually seek to end racism; it seeks to end the means by which racism is exposed and dealt with, like medieval Europeans carrying around pockets full of flowers to mask the scent of the plague."Arizona Governor Signs Bill Banning Ethnic Studies” (via smart-tart) (via ctrain) (via thecurvature) (via amandaw) (via skirtonfire)
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Notes The Silence of Our Friendsleftunderbooks:exiledsoul:so-treu:ilykadamen:
When I first got online, I thought maybe these people are so sheltered they don’t recognize racism. I don’t believe that anymore. They know what’s going on and they are sitting back debating whether they want to side with the powerless. And they decide that no, they won’t get involved, they don’t want to upset the important (white) people. No biggie, the brown folks are used to white people riding roughshod all over them anyway.
Watch it in action. I want you to watch a video over at youtube. It’s about 8 minutes long. In the video a black woman is shopping at a boutique in SoHo and the sales woman and security are BLATANTLY racist towards her. The ones who are most likely to jump in and defend her are other POC, the white people pretend they don’t see whats going on, or are simply shocked and don’t know what to do (yeah, right, but they keep right on shopping), or they side with the white person (“I bet she used the race card”), or it’s not their business.
There are only two instances where white women have a different reaction. The first, a white woman does everything in her power to deny what she is hearing, until she can no longer deny it, and then all she does is break down into a puddle of white woman tears. Those mean people made her witness racism! They busted her post-racial color-blind bubble! But she didn’t do a damned thing about it, did she?
that part of the white woman crying made me even angrier than usual. as usual, the attention was on the white women suffering because someone had the bad taste to put vulgar racism in her direct view. when some people, including the host, went over to comfort her and tell her so sorry to upset you, this is not real, this is not real. “oh thank god it’s not real!” i almost exploded. so fucking typical.
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Notes"We sanitize our history. We erase all kinds of social, cultural, and economic conflict from it. We run away, in a sense, from ourselves, from what we and our ancestors whoever they are created. Indeed, this history is highly peculiar, for it avoids acknowledging the accompanying social inequalities that capitalism (and any other economic system, for that matter) creates as it remakes society according to its own rules and imagination. The matter of privilege — and of white privilege in particular, given the majority-minority state in which we live today — is largely relegated to the dustbin of history. The truth be told, the silences in our histories speak as much truth to power as the histories we publicly uphold." -
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"
1. If I’m in a group of others who look like me, that is a cause for some kind of suspicion.
2. In order to not cause suspicion, I must be in the company of (mostly) whites.
3. If I move, I can be sure I will likely end up in poor neighborhood whether I want to or not.
4. If I move into a white neighborhood, it will be enough to arouse suspicion with my neighbors.
5. When I go shopping, I can be sure I will arouse suspicion and be followed around.
6. I will be sure that when I turn on the TV, I will most likely see others who look like me as ball players, criminals, clowns or overall failures of society.
7. When I turn to the local news on tv or in a newspaper, I can be sure most of the crime reported will have faces of suspects who look like me.
8. I know that my history is celebrated during the shortest month of the year and will likely not be celebrated any other time.
9. I know that most of the history taught is of history of mainly white people.
10. I can be sure that most of the stories I have to read for class are stories written by whites featuring white characters.
11. I can be sure that in order to pass in school I have to learn history and literature of whites by whites.
12. In order for whites to listen to me, I must agree with what they think about me and my people.
13. I can be sure that whites will not listen to me when it comes to race and racism.
14. I can be sure that in order to “make it” in the music industry I must sing or rap about sex, drugs, violence and killing my own people.
15. I can be sure that in order to “make it” in the music industry I must be an R&B, Jazz, rap or hip-hop artist.
16. When I use cash, checks, or credit cards, my skin is enough for suspicion.
17. When children of my race are missing, I know the media will likely not pay too much, if any, attention to them.
18. I know during my lifetime, I will be taught that my race is inferior in some way, shape or form.
19. I can be pretty sure that teachers will likely and severely punish children of my race for small infractions.
20. I can be pretty sure that children of my race will be put down or judged because of their race.
21. I know that the dropout rate for male children of my race is the highest among other races.
22. The way I look contributes to the way I should talk in order to be considered black.
23. I know that making good grades and good manners are signs that I’m “acting white.”
24. I can be pretty sure that I’m automatically a representative for my group in the entertainment, political, religious or social area.
25. I know that any bad manners I have is associated with my color.
26. As a male I can be sure that living beyond 30 is a blessing.
27. I know that growing up, I will see poverty, drugs, violence and/or murder at least once.
28. If I grew up middle-class or upper-class, I will be looked upon with negativity by some of my own peers. If I grew up lower-class, I will be looked upon with negativity by some of my own peers.
29. As a female I can be sure that the standard for beauty in this society is white or light skin.
30. I have a good chance of growing up in a single parent home.
31. I have at least one family member or relative who is either in prison or has been in prison.
32. As a child there’s a chance that I will likely be considered “bad” by adults who know me.
33. If I murder a white person, I can be pretty sure that I will get the death penalty.
34. If I murder a black person, I can be pretty sure that my sentence will be lighter compared to white victims.
35. I can be sure that I will be pulled over by police because of my race.
36. I can be sure that I will either be harassed, abused or even killed by police because of my race.
37. In court, I will likely not get a fair trial.
38. I know that as a male, there’s a 1 in 3 chance that I will end up in prison, and losing my right to vote.
39. As a male I must marry within my race or be considered a sellout.
40. As a male I know my number one cause of death is homicide most likely by another male who looks like me.
41. I know a new television series will have main characters that will not look like me.
42. I know that stereotypes about my people will continue.
43. I know that my experiences with racism mean little or nothing.
44. I know that I will be a scapegoat for almost anything and everything wrong with this society.
45. I know that there will be movies featuring white people saving my people.
46. I know that my history prior to slavery is hardly discussed or brought up in classrooms. We were taught that we came from slaves and nothing else.
47. I can be sure I will likely not get the job or career I want based upon my race.
48. I know that all of my people are judged for the actions of one or a few of my people.
49. I have to live with the fact that my true culture, language, history are stripped away, and the proof I have to live with is in my name.
50. I am often told that something is wrong with me and not with the society I live in.
51. As a female I the shade of mu skin defines beauty. If my skin is dark or hair is nappy, then there’s a chance that I will be considered ugly by my peers.
52. As a female I will be judged negatively by the number of children I have. If I do have children, I will be assumed that I am unmarried, that I’m on welfare, or that I’m simply an unfit mother.
53. As a child I can be sure that the newest cartoon series will not feature characters that look like me. If they do, they will likely be some form of negative stereotype.
54. As a male I will be judged by my male peers on how tough or “street” I am.
55. In religion I am taught that God is white and that whiteness is purity and cleanliness and that my skin color is the exact opposite.
56. As a female I am assumed to have a bad attitude, that I’m a golddigger or that I like to show off my body.
57. I have to live with the notion that any organiazation for blacks are considered inferior or racist by whites.
58. I have to be the best black anything in society and not simply the best.
59. I am assumed that any position I’m in is because of affirmative action and not on my own merits.
60. I have to live with the fact that I am not considered a “regular” person, that I am considered a black person.
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Group Wants UN Scrutiny Of U.S. Black Unemployment
High unemployment among black Americans means the United States has failed to live up to commitments it made under United Nations human rights agreements, a coalition of advocacy groups charges.
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“Draw me an atom”
This amazing gif by xverdxse is close to my idea of what an...
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“For in a very concrete way Europe has stuffed herself inordinately with the gold and raw materials of colonial countries: Latin America, China and...”
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while we're talking about drugs
Zimmerman was on Adderall, Temazepam, and a medication called Librax.
Side effects of Adderall:
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“You were once wild here. Don’t let them tame you.”— Isadora Duncan; Isadora Speaks: Uncollected Writings and Speeches of Isadora Duncan (via ...
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Teacher: Why did you not study?Me: A year has 365 days for you to study. After taking away 52 Sundays, there are only 313 days left. There are 50 days in the summer that is way too hot to work so there are only 263 days left. We sleep 8 hours a day, in a year, that counts up to 122 days so now we're left with 141 days. If we fooled around for only 1 hour a day, 15 days are gone, so we are left with 126 days. We spend 2 hours eating each day, 30 days are used in this way in the year, and we are left with 96 days in our year. We spend 1 hour a day speaking to friends and family, that takes away 15 days more and we are left with 81 days. Exams and tests take up at least 35 days in your year, hence you are only left with 46 days. Taking off approximately 40 days of holidays, you are only left with 6 days. Say you are sick for a minimum of 3 days, you're left with 3 days in the year to study! Let's say you only go out for 2 days... You're left with 1 day! But that 1 day is your birthday!... ...
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“We let Willow cut her hair. When you have a little girl, it’s like how can you teach her that you’re in control of her body? If I teach her that I’m...”
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“For women, getting angry is socially unacceptable, even when the anger is over violence, discrimination, misogyny, and other forms of oppression....”
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legitimate criticisms of feminism:
-transmisogyny and the lack of inclusion of transwomen
-the racist history behind it and the lack of...
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ennui (one of the trendy magazines that never never capitalized the first letter of its name) was the preferred...
