“Storytelling is central to communication. To a large degree, all communication is about telling stories. We tell stories to our spouses, children, friends, and coworkers. Through stories we present and represent ourselves and others. Stories have been defined as ‘social events that instruct us about social processes, social structures, and social situations.’ We literally narrate status (‘When we were at the Gold Golf Club…’), biases (‘This guy, who was not even a member of the GG Club…’), and beliefs about the social order (‘…had the audacity of asking me out, even though he just drives a Cavalier’). Stories are also important because they help us reinforce our arguments; they assist us in our attempt of persuading listeners that we are ‘right.’ Thus, the stories we tell are not random, as they evince the social position of the narrators and belong to what Moscovici labels as ‘social representations.’ Storytelling often represents the most ideological moments; when we tell stories we tell them as if there was only one way of telling them, as the ‘of course’ way of understanding what is happening in the world. These are moments when we are ‘least aware that [we] are using a particular framework, and that if [we] used another framework the things we are talking about would have different meaning.’ This is also the power of storytelling—that the stories seem to lie in the realm of the given, in the matter-of-fact world. Hence stories help us make sense of the world but in ways that reinforce the status quo, serving particular interests without appearing to do so.”— Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, Racism Without Racists: Color-Blind Racism and the Persistence of Racial Inequality in the United States (via brute-reason)
Elderly Pakistani Man Stabbed To Death After Leaving Mosque In Birmingham
A 75-year-old man stabbed to death yards from his home may have been targeted in a racially motivated attack, according to police.
Mohammed Saleem, who used a walking stick, was stabbed three times in the back as he returned home from prayers at his local mosque in Small Heath, Birmingham, on Monday night.
The blows were struck with such violence they penetrated to the front of his body.
The father of seven also had no defensive wounds in what has been described as a swift, vicious and cowardly attack by the man leading the murder investigation, Detective Superintendent Mark Payne of West Midlands police.
Officers want to trace a white man, aged 25-32, of medium height and build, spotted on CCTV footage running near the scene of the attack around the time it happened, just before 10.30pm.
Police also want to trace a seven-seat people carrier captured on CCTV, driving near the mosque with the two male occupants, both white and in their 30s, who are considered “significant witnesses”.
In an emotional family appeal on Thursday, two of Saleem’s daughters, Shazia Khan, 45, and Nazia Maqsood, 44, called for the attackers to hand themselves in. They tearfully described their father as a “widely respected member of the community” and “much-loved”.
Donald Glover talking about the comments he received during his campaign to be the next Spider-Man (x)
“I was talking about it with Dan Eckman, who directed my Bonfire video. Can you imagine that trailer? That would be dope. Like it makes sense… a poor black kid in Queens. Like it just fits.”:( This is breaking my heart.
(Source: halemcjoel)
“To JK Rowling, from Cho Chang” by Rachel Rostad
Regardless of your opinion on the Harry Potter books (I’ve been madly in love with them since way back in elementary), you should watch this video. Be sure to actually listen to the poet and not immediately jump to the defense of the books that you love. It’s okay to love something and acknowledge that it has flaws.
Watch it, it’s absolutely brilliant.
(rebloggable by request)
Can you quote me on what part of my blog said there is “SOMETHING WRONG with liking Classic Disney” etc? Because I should edit that.
Or maybe you’re assuming that’s my position? A lot of people feel that critique should go hand in hand with enjoying media. Like it for the beautiful animation and memorable music, etc, but hold it accountable for its issues. Racism, sexism, ableism, etc, should not get a free pass just because a company has a reputation for being “magical.”
Magic isn’t real. They have a bottom line. They can change for better without losing their “magical touch,” unless you’re asserting that a movie can’t be magical without racism etc. There is nothing hateful or mean about critiquing media- media is not a person with feelings. Disney itself understands it has issues. I never go out of my way to critique individuals for LIKING Disney.
And you’re more than a little misunderstanding of the criticism if you think anyone’s against romantic relationships in general- it’s how the relationships arestructured, always structured a certain way with little variation, that is the issue. And traditional femininity, if you’re defining it as upholding the sexist ideals of chivalry and constantly portraying women as needing to be saved etc, is problematic, though the critique is more about eliminating its popular portrayal in media so that people don’t grow up seeing it as ideal, rather than haranguing them for growing up the way they did.
There is nothing wrong with liking things, but there is something wrong with using your personal preference as a political or social tool against critique. Your likes aren’t sacrosanct. Here is what is included with “Classic Disney” that you seem to be against critiquing:
- Racist caricatures in the Lady and the Tramp, see video
- Racist caricatures in Peter Pan, see video
- Classic Disney cartoons and books like this one
- Here is a blog post on racial/cultural stereotypes through villains in more recent movies like PATF & Mulan
- Not to mention that not many Disney movies, old or new, pass the Bechdel test for basic female representation, and the majority stick to the 4-1 men: women ratio that is tokenizing
- etc etc etc
“With statements such as “as a society, we haven’t been able to eradicate our Arab mentality towards women”, Femen positions women of the region as veiled and oppressed by their men as opposed to the enlightened and liberated women of the west who live in a developed and superior society where they have the “freedom” to remove their clothes… …The role of feminists from outside should be to support the work of the women in the communities concerned, not add to the problem. International feminist solidarity is crucial but this is not the way to do it. A true ally does not use racism to attempt to defeat patriarchy.”— Chitra Nagarajan, “Femen’s obsession with nudity feeds a racist colonial feminism,” The Guardian
“Rap has a bad reputation in white circles, where many people believe it consists of obscene and violent anti-white and anti-female guttural. Some of it does. Most does not. Most white listeners don’t care; they hear black voices in a litany of discontent, and tune out. Yet rap plays the same role today as Bob Dylan did in 1960, giving voice to the hopes and angers of a generation, and a lot of rap is powerful writing.”—
Roger Ebert
I liked him :(
(via wretchedoftheearth)
R.I.P
D:
(via misscontraption)
“When feminists can see the problem with all male panels but can’t see the problem with all white television programmes, it’s worth questioning who they’re really fighting for.”—
Reni Eddo-Lodge (via difference-is-happy)
We already know, and that’s one reason they hate us so.
(via witchsistah)
Said it before, say it again:
If you don’t support equality for everybody, then you don’t support equality.
End of line.
(Source: thefword.org.uk)
Ron Weasley’s character is consciously written as somewhat racist. Not as racist as Malfoy, of course - he doesn’t scoff at mudbloods and halfbloods, and he doesn’t see himself as superior at all. Still, he unquestionably accepts the inferior position of house elves (they love serving), when he finds out that Lupin’s werewolf his reaction is not only scared but also disgusted (Don’t touch me!) and he is clearly very uncomfortable finding out that Hagrid is half-giant (giants are wild and savage).
And this is brilliant. Because it demonstrates that racism isn’t only present in clearly malicious and evil people, in the Malfoys and Blacks - it’s also there in warm, kind, funny people who just happened to learn some pretty toxic things growing up in a pretty toxic society. And they can unlearn them too, with some time and effort. Ron eventually accepts Hagrid’s parentage, lets Lupin bandage his leg and in the final battle, he worries about the safety of the house elves.
Some people are prejudiced because they are evil, and some people are prejudiced because they don’t know better yet. And those people can learn better, and become better people. And that’s an important lesson. The lesson taught about discrimination shouldn’t be “only evil people do it”, because then all readers will assume it doesn’t apply to them. Instead old JK teaches us “you too are probably doing it, and you should do stop ASAP”.
“[M]any nations of the third world are described as ‘underdeveloped’. These less wealthy nations are generally those that suffered under colonialism and neo-colonialism. The ‘developed’ nations are those that exploited their resources and wealth. Therefore, rather than referring to these countries as ‘underdeveloped’, a more appropriate and meaningful designation might be ‘over exploited’. Again, transpose this term next time you read about the ‘underdeveloped nations’ and note the different meaning that results.”—
Robert B. Moore, “Racist Stereotyping in the English Language”
(via wretchedoftheearth)
← Older Entries Page 1 of 7
