The Untamed Mind of...

THE BLACKALLURE

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 02:00:28 -0400

In a 1920′s/Harlem Renaissance era inspired with with finger waves, turbans, and cigarette holders “Black Allure” Vogue Italia February 2012 issue photographed by Emma Summerton.

Featuring Ajak Deng, Chanel Iman, Arlenis Sosa Pena, Jourdan Dunn, Melodie Monrose, Lais Ribeiro, Rose Cordero, Mia Aminata Niaria, Sessilee Lopez, Joan Smalls and Georgie Baddiel

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"To put it simply, I AM TIRED OF TRYING TO EXPLAIN THIS SHIT TO PEOPLE WHO DON’T WANT TO HEAR IT...."

Sun, 10 Mar 2013 19:49:12 -0400

“

To put it simply, I AM TIRED OF TRYING TO EXPLAIN THIS SHIT TO PEOPLE WHO DON’T WANT TO HEAR IT. Especially “jokes” like MacFarlane’s, which, to the layperson’s ear, barely register above microaggressions (if the kind of people who see no problem whatsoever with “We Saw Your Boobs” were the kind of people who used the term “microaggressions”). I am tired of trying to have an intellectual discussion about dog-whistle sexism in a culture where prominent politicians are still trying to grasp what rape is, and in a world where little girls are shot in the head because they want to go to school. Asking people to think critically about some hacky jokes from a dancing cartoonist? You might as well wear a sandwich board that says, “Yell at Me With Bad Grammar.”

I am tired of being called a shrieking harridan for pointing out inequalities so tangible and blatant that they are regularly codified into law. I am tired of being told to provide documentation of inequality in the comments sections of a website where a staff of smart women documents inequality as fast as our fingers can move. Like, you might as well write me a note on a banana peel demanding that I prove to you that bananas exist. I am tired of being asked to “cite sources” proving that sexism is real (that RAPE is real, even!), because there is no way to concisely cite decades and decades of rigorous academia. Allow me to point at the fucking library. We can’t cite “everything,” and our challengers know that. It’s an insulting diversionary tactic, it’s an attempt to drag us all backwards, and fuck it. Do your own research like the rest of the grown-ups.

”

-
Lindy West, “Sexism Fatigue: When Seth MacFarlane Is a Complete Ass and You Don’t Even Notice” on Jezebel.

PREACH!

(via cognitivedissonance)

nastyshitwhitepeopleeat: turning off asks for a while also if you’re going to reblog our shit with...

Sat, 09 Mar 2013 18:42:54 -0500

nastyshitwhitepeopleeat:

turning off asks for a while

also if you’re going to reblog our shit with “omg this looks delicious” or some “omg reverse racist you’re disrespecting european cultures hdu” just unfollow us, for fuck’s sake

i don’t have the spoons to engage with all the racist assholes in my inbox right now — i’m too tired of repeating myself over and over again, let alone seeing the hordes of people sending us hate.

So. “Spoons.” That term is only meant for disabled and/or chronically ill people.

If you are one of those people, then carry on.

If not, stop appropriating the term. It’s not okay. Use something else.

fuckyeahfeminists: rhrealitycheck: The 18 For-Profit Companies...

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 04:46:36 -0500

fuckyeahfeminists:

rhrealitycheck:

The 18 For-Profit Companies Fighting to Eliminate the Birth Control Benefit

Notice how they’re all old white men for the exception of one (white) woman.

the-cat-with-hands: uthyr: sassafrasscas: mikexcore: sassafra...

Sun, 24 Feb 2013 16:58:16 -0500

the-cat-with-hands:

uthyr:

sassafrasscas:

mikexcore:

sassafrasscas:

reasons why jim beaver is a+

Because women are weak and completely helpless right? fuck this post yo

#it’s not about women being ‘weak’ or ‘helpless’ #which they aren’t #it’s about real fears that women have to deal with everyday #including me #it’s about how i carry my keys in my hand on the way home #it’s about how i have pepper spray in my pocket when i leave the house #it’s about how i try to not walk around by myself at night #it’s about how i always have a sense of precaution around strange men #the amount of times i’ve been harassed by strange men in public is astronomical #invading my personal space #giving me unwanted compliments #getting called a bitch when i ask them to leave me alone #most men feel like they have this entitlement with women #and jim beaver doesn’t and CONSCIOUSLY makes an effort to make women around him feel more comfortable #SO YEAH #he’s fucking a+ #so fuck you yo

it’s about the fact that i feel really uncomfortable when someone gives me a compliment on the street at night. how i think about i think i might have to get off the bus early so someone doesn’t follow me home. how i don’t feel comfortable on an elevator alone with a man.

it’s about thinking about someone else besides yourself and being conscious about how you may come off to others

so yes a+ jim

and you can fuck right off

Sorry this is about a man realizing that we live in a rape culture and instead of whining that us stoppid wimins just need to protect ourselves or not be so scared or whatever he’s changing HIS behavior to be less threatening and less intimidating.

fuckyeahfeminists: justplainsomething: arythusa: coppolaseyes:...

Sun, 24 Feb 2013 16:39:36 -0500

fuckyeahfeminists:

justplainsomething:

arythusa:

coppolaseyes:

Women in Film

I have been waiting for these stats for many moons. (Holy SHIT 8% directors)

that last image just made my life.

Anyone have sources for these numbers?

"We have shows like 30 Rock and Parks and Recreation struggling to stay on every season, and shows..."

Sun, 24 Feb 2013 16:36:08 -0500

“

We have shows like 30 Rock and Parks and Recreation struggling to stay on every season, and shows like Two and a Half Men and Big Bang Theory having no trouble at all. Shows like the latter two, which capitalize on trivializing women and their roles or attempting to put them in “their place,” become the most popular and successful shows on TV. So this poses a grander question: Why does our society enjoy sexism so much? Or, more importantly, why is our supposedly progressing world so opposed to breaking this sexist quo? You might say that it doesn’t matter – it’s just a TV show. But it’s not “just” anything. Everything matters, especially television. Everyone enjoys television, and until that arena of entertainment can employ more ladies and create shows that demonstrate the depths of different types of characters – women, people of color, and the LGBTQ community – our society that is so incredibly susceptible to what’s on that silver screen is going to continue to inherently absorb sexism.

So when shows like 30 Rock go off the air, that precious air time is replaced by shows that still present women as sex objects, dumb blondes, nagging wives, emotional coworkers, or ugly neighbors. We, unfortunately, still live in a world where a show run by women is a landmark, but we have to hold tight to those landmarks and make sure they keep breaking down those discriminatory norms.

”

- Anisha Ahuja, I’m Sad 30 Rock Ended (And Why You Should Be Too) on Feminspire.com (via feminspire)

I don’t understand why a tv that’s feminist gets to be important even though its also racist

Oh wait, yeah I do

(via youngbadmanbrown)

er. what. this show? the one with the Blackface? what? i forgot… womenz power!

(via biyuti)

jalwhite: nitanahkohe: Just hours prior to the Grammys...

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 21:27:19 -0500

jalwhite:

nitanahkohe:

Just hours prior to the Grammys Pre-Telecast earlier this month, Radmilla Cody, a Navajo recording artist and Grammy nominee, tied her mother’s hair into a traditional Navajo bun as they dressed for music’s biggest night. Both wore Navajo attire, with Radmilla in her most prized piece: A pair of moccasins her grandmother Dorothy made for her when Radmilla was a teenager. Dorothy passed away late last year at the age of 97 just before Cody learned of the Grammy nomination. Before walking out the door of a family friend’s home, her mother Margaret embraced her and tearfully said, “I’m very proud of you. You’ve come a long way. You worked so hard for this.” With tears streaming down her cheeks, Cody responded, “Mom you always said, let them talk. You said you’re going to be somebody and here we are.”

The road to the Grammys hasn’t been easy for the former Miss Navajo Nation, who is half black. Growing up on the reservation she endured racial slurs. In 2003 she went to prison for more than a year in connection with drug-dealing activities of her then-boyfriend’s drug dealing, who she has said was physically and mentally abusive. Despite her accomplishments since then, which include earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Relations with a minor in Sociology from Northern Arizona University, many Navajos refuse to forgive and forget. “Someone, (a Navajo), wrote ‘I hate you’ on my Facebook page after I received the Grammy nomination,” said Cody.

At the Nokia Theater for the Pre-Telecast, the family and friends in Team Cody screamed and yelled as if they were at a basketball game on the reservation when host David Alan Grier, actor, comedian and fellow Grammy nominee, introduced Cody as a presenter. It was the first time in Grammy history a Native American had served as a presenter. After introducing herself in Navajo, Cody announced the winners in ten categories. “It was exciting. It was nerve-wracking. I was very nervous but I was so honored (to present),” said Cody.

…Two days after attending the Grammys, Cody learned she is a nominee for a Native American Music Award (NAMA) for Best Female Artist, Record of the Year and Best Traditional Recording. The 14th annual NAMA ceremony will be held, Friday, May 10, at the Seneca Casino & Hotel in Niagra Falls, New York.

[source]

BLACK NATIVE PRIDE!

fuckyeahfeminists: You’re not worthless. Promise.

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 21:04:36 -0500

fuckyeahfeminists:

You’re not worthless. Promise.

"A woman is beaten every nine seconds in this country. Just to be clear: not nine minutes, but nine..."

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 18:27:17 -0500

“A woman is beaten every nine seconds in this country. Just to be clear: not nine minutes, but nine seconds. It’s the number-one cause of injury to American women; of the two million injured annually, more than half a million of those injuries require medical attention while about 145,000 require overnight hospitalizations, according to the Center for Disease Control, and you don’t want to know about the dentistry needed afterwards. Spouses are also the leading cause of death for pregnant women in the U.S.”

- Rebecca Solnit, The Longest War | TomDispatch (via nickturse)

An Open Letter To White Feminists

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 19:06:00 -0500

fuckyeahsexpositivity:

Imagine that you are at a job interview. There is only one other candidate for the job, a man. You have equal qualifications and equal education; on paper, you are identical, except for gender and name.

In person, however, the differences become more obvious. You arrive on time for your interview; you are well-dressed and you answer questions clearly and clearly know what you are talking about. You are very professional and make an overall good impression. The other candidate, however, is extremely unprofessional: he shows up fifteen minutes late and, while he is not slovenly, he certainly isn’t dressed properly for an interview of this kind. He stumbles over some of his answers and, while he makes some effort, he clearly doesn’t know as much about the company’s workings as you do. The impression he makes is mediocre at best.

Shortly after his interview is over, you are informed that you have not gotten the job.

Later, you are at a restaurant with a group of female friends. You are discussing, over lunch, the unfairness and apparent sexism of what has happened to you, and some of your friends mention similar incidents. You’ve been talking in this vein for several minutes when a guy who is not sitting anywhere near you passes your table on his way back from the bathroom, and overhears part of your conversation. He then sits down at your table and starts explaining to you that what happened to you was not sexism, and gives you a patronizing list of reasons why.

Presumably, this makes you pretty angry.

When you tell PoC that they are overreacting to racism, you are being that guy. This is not your conversation to contribute to, you probably don’t have the entirety of the context, and you have no firsthand experience of the situation being described. You are walking into a discussion that is not about you and telling everyone involved that they are wrong, even though you have no way of knowing this is the case.

Respect PoC’s opinions. Don’t be that guy.

New Mexico Bill Would Imprison Rape Victims Who Receive Abortions | ThinkProgress

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 18:45:51 -0500

New Mexico Bill Would Imprison Rape Victims Who Receive Abortions | ThinkProgress:

fuckyeahsexpositivity:

bemusedlybespectacled:

frumpyprincess:

justinspoliticalcorner:

Should a recently introduced bill in New Mexico become law, rape victims will be required to carry their pregnancies to term during their sexual assault trials or face charges of “tampering with evidence.”

Under HB 206, if a woman ended her pregnancy after being raped, both she and her doctor would be charged with a felony punishable by up to 3 years in state prison:

Tampering with evidence shall include procuring or facilitating an abortion, or compelling or coercing another to obtain an abortion, of a fetus that is the result of criminal sexual penetration or incest with the intent to destroy evidence of the crime.

Sexual assault trials are infamously grueling for survivors, who are often subjected to character assassination and other attempts to discredit their accounts. State Rep. Cathrynn Brown’s (R) bill would add the forced choice between prison or an unwanted pregnancy to these proceedings.

After several failed GOP candidates, including Todd Akin (R-MO) and Richard Mourdock (R-IN), made offensive comments about rape victims during the last election season, Republican consultants launched sensitivity training to teach candidates how to avoid talking about rape. But GOP policy speaks for itself. At the federal level, former vice presidential candidate Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) introduced a failed bill that would negate sexual assault that are not deemed “forcible rape.” And another New Mexico lawmaker, Gov. Susana Martinez (R), advanced a proposal to require women who become pregnant from rape to prove they were “forcibly raped” in order to qualify for childcare assistance.

h/t: Aviva Shen at Think Progress Health

Can we just…okay…What?!

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME

THE FUCK

THE FUCK IS THIS SHIT

HOW CAN YOU SIT DOWN WITH A STRAIGHT FACE AND JUST COME UP WITH THIS SORT OF FUCKERY

Signal boosting this. This is horrible and more people need to know about it.

—BB

WHO THE FUCK COMES UP WITH THIS HORSESHIT

Seriously, is there some committee that sits around all day doing nothing but trying to come up with the ways to make rape victims even more traumatized than they already are? How the fuck do they expect rape victims to even want to report the crimes committed against them when they face shit like this?

You don’t report the crime, your rapist gets away with it. You do report the crime and you get punished to high hell (by the “justice” system no less) for doing so. Just… what the everloving fuck?!

thepeoplesrecord: Police murder man @ movie theater for...

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 05:51:52 -0500

thepeoplesrecord:

Police murder man @ movie theater for disobeying orders
February 17, 2013

On January 14, 2013, a young man with Down syndrome went with his companion to see Zero Dark Thirty at the Regal Cinema in Frederick, MD. At the end of the movie, apparently because he wanted to see it again, he refused to get out of his seat. A Regal employee, rather than allowing him to stay and dealing with the situation later with his parents and the companion, called not one, not two, but three off duty Frederick County police officers who were working security for the theater at the time.

According to published reports, when the officers/ security guards asked him to leave, he mouthed off at them and “resisted arrest”. Those of you who know my son Landon can visualize what this would look like. In response, the officers wrestled him to the ground where he asphyxiated in handcuffs. The handcuffs were removed and EMS called and according to the police news release he later died at hospital. I don’t know how that reconciles with the coroner’s finding of asphyxiation which I thought was pretty immediate.

The price of a ticket at the cinema is between $9 and $11. The additional cost to Regal of allowing him to watch the movie again was ZERO. But instead a beloved young man died on the floor of a movie theater in his neighborhood at the hands of people he was taught would protect him.

The police officers remain on duty and were allowed to invoke their rights as police officers not to provide statements even though they were not on duty or performing official duties at the time. They were security guards in police uniforms.

The county police are investigating and the story has received local news coverage. Please share this everywhere both to ensure justice but also to raise public awareness.

Where is our humanity when a young, obviously disabled young man dies for the price of a movie ticket? My son is worth a lot more to me & society than eleven dollars.

Text source: Facebook - Awaken the mind

MSM source: Washington Post article

popelizbet: crackerhell: many-worlds: [Image: The Mississippi...

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 05:42:45 -0500

popelizbet:

crackerhell:

many-worlds:

[Image: The Mississippi flag, which features the Confederate flag prominently within it. Text: On Feb 7th, Mississippi finally, officially, ratified the 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery. That’s Feb 7th, 2013. Apparently it was an “oversight” but when you spend most of your time attacking women’s rights, some stuff is gonna slip through the cracks.”] End.
crackerhell:

whycantipickafuckingurl:

You can read about this here

ahahahahahahaha

This sort of obscures the point that what Mississippi spends most of its time doing is fucking over Black people and Black people’s rights, whether they are women or otherwise. That’s the lesson in them not getting around to officially ratifying the 13th Amendment: that white people of any sex are their priority, not that men are.

bold

reblogged for more commentary.

43 Ways to say, "That's sexist."

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 18:28:20 -0500

menagainstassholesandmisogyny:

43 Ways To Say, “That’s Sexist.”

Sometimes it can be awkward to call your friends out if they say something that makes you uncomfortable. Often they’re not being malicious, just thoughtless. But remember, your friends will only change their behavior if you speak up! Here are 43 ways of letting someone know he’s being sexist. Only you can know what’s right for your specific relationship and circumstance. Feel free to mix and match, or add your own!

I don’t like those kinds of jokes.

Dude, that’s pretty sexist.

That actually makes me really uncomfortable.

(later, in private:) Hey, I just wanted to let you know that what you said earlier really upset me.

(later, in an email:) Hey, I didn’t want to get into a whole thing in front of everybody, but I was actually really upset by what you said, and here’s why: [YOUR REASONS HERE]

Come on, you’re better than that.

Wait, hold up, is it the 1950s? It isn’t, right? Seriously though, is it? No but seriously, is it? Is it actually the 1950s right now? I’m like 90 percent sure that it isn’t. It isn’t, right? It isn’t?

Psh! Sexist!

Don’t say that. That’s not funny.

Hey, remember that time just now when you said something really sexist?

You don’t really believe that, do you?

What?! I can’t believe you just said that!!! That is SOOOO SEXIST!!!

Seriously though, don’t say stuff like that around me.

Just so you know, if you keep saying things like that, people are going to think you’re a sexist.

(Frown and shake head disapprovingly.)

That’s really weird that you think that’s an okay thing to say.

Hey, are you LMFAO? Because THAT’S SEXIST AND YOU KNOW IT. (Then, do a little dance.)

Wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait. WHAT did you just say?

Oh, I get it, you’re doing the whole “politically incorrect” thing. Cute.

This is not your best look.

Just FYI, your jokey “pretend sexism” sounds a lot like real sexism.

Um, sexist much?

Hey, knock knock. [Who’s there?] Ida. [Ida who?] Ida know why you think it’s okay to make sexist jokes in front of me.

Wow, that’s awkward.

I’m seriously going to stop being your friend if you keep saying things like that.

You know what you just said objectifies women, right?

I don’t get it. Can you explain what you meant by that? No, I don’t understand. Talk me through it step by step. How did you reach those conclusions?

Sharp social satire, friend! Not tired and offensive at all!

Gross.

Wow, that is some OLD SCHOOL sexism!

I’m just kind of over that whole ironic post-sexism sexism thing, you know?

Uh oh, you might be sexist! Quick, say something progressive! Five! Four! Three! Two! One! Oh no, too late, you’re a sexist!

That’s a great impression of something a misogynist would say!

I’m sorry, but I can’t pretend that’s not sexist.

Whoa, weird. A sexist thing just happened.

Boo! Boooooo! Booooooooooo!

Do you hear yourself?

Could you just try to not say stuff like that when I’m around? It really bothers me.

Hey, I just met you. And this is crazy. But you’re a horribly misogynist. So call me never.

I was totally with you until that last part when you got kind of sexist all of a sudden.

Why would you say something like that?

Stop. I can’t even deal with your sexism right now.

Ugh, enough.

By Raphael Bob-Waksberg

What if gun control laws were like abortion laws?

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 02:07:48 -0500

What if gun control laws were like abortion laws?:

fuckyeahfeminists:

What if gun rights were regulated like abortion rights? Here’s a list of just some of the hoops you’d have to jump through before you could own a gun:

Only one store in the entire state would sell guns. (See: Mississippi, Arkansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming for states with only one abortion provider.)

You’d have to fill out an enormous personal background check including intrusive personal information that has nothing to do with your ability to own or use a gun. Then you’d have to wait at least 72 hours and come back to the store. (Remember, it’s the only one in the state. You better hope you don’t live on the other side of Wyoming.)

Upon your return, you’d have to sit through intensive mandatory counseling. Your counselor, regardless of his personal beliefs, would have to tell you that gun ownership is actually a bad idea, and that it would negatively effect your mental health to own a gun. (This, despite there being no scientific evidence to support the claim.)

Next, you’d sit through a gruesome movie showing the actual aftermath of domestic gun crimes. You’d see people with half a head. You’d see dead children in their beds. You’d see the bloody aftermath of a school shooting. You’d be shown statistic after statistic warning you that you’d be contributing to this morally degenerate sanctioning of murder.

If you lived in Virginia, you’d have to come back (again) for an invasive and uncomfortable fMRI (which costs around $300 out of your pocket) to ensure your honesty in answering all the background check information and your intentions to use your gun responsibly. (This was as close as I could get to the invasive transvaginal procedure included in the recently passed Virginia bill.)

Oh… and if you were married, your spouse might have to sign off on your gun ownership.

otaachimow: thelustfulwizard: otaachimow: Making zines at...

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 19:09:34 -0500

otaachimow:

thelustfulwizard:

otaachimow:

Making zines at mblgtacc and I have feelings about the way two-spiritedness gets talked about, natch

I like to refer to myself as Two Spirited because I feel like it defines me more than any other words put together. I learned the word from the leader of the Native group at my school. I feel a lot of respect for the words and the history. I’m not doing it for a “fad” but because its a label I relate to. I’m non native (at least not enough of one to tell people I am) and I use it.

No. Get the fuck out. I don’t care if you have respect or if it’s not a “fad.” The definition of two spirit includes being Native and if you are not Native then it is inappropriate. Two spirit is a term that was made because Native people have experiences with gender and sexuality and race and spirituality that non-Natives will never understand. You are taking a word we made for ourselves and our experiences and giving it your own meaning that directly contradicts its actual meaning. How the fuck is that supposed to be respectful?

God I fucking hate this attitude that you are entitled to take any word that you happen to like.

confrontingmywhitegirlprivilege: imwithkanye: Boxer Orlando...

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 19:02:51 -0500

confrontingmywhitegirlprivilege:

imwithkanye:

Boxer Orlando Cruz finally finds happiness after telling the world that he’s gay | NY Daily News

When he was 19 years old, Orlando Cruz competed in the Sydney Olympics. He had a girlfriend in Puerto Rico and a growing reputation as a fast, tough, counter-punching lefthander. Before he left for home, he had his first sexual experience with a man, pitching him into a state of complete confusion. “I was wondering, ‘What is wrong with me? Am I crazy? What is going on?’” Cruz says.

So nice to see a qpoc finding peace and a happy ending after coming out :)

What was the first novel published by an African-American woman?

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 19:14:38 -0500

fearfullymade-locs:

from African-American Firsts: Famous, Little-Known and Unsung Triumphs of Blacks in America:

Harriet Wilson’s 1859 novel, Our Nig: Sketches from the Life of a Free Black, was the first published novel by an African-American woman and the first novel by a Black writer to be published in the US. By being the recollection of a free African-American woman’s experiences as a servant for a white family in Massachusetts, Our Nig provided a picture of racism in the antebellum North.

Virtually unnoticed when it was published, the book was rediscovered in 1981 by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., who conducted research into Wilson’s life… In 2001, Gates acquired an unpublished manuscript that he said was the first known novel by an African-American slave. The handwritten manuscript, titled The Bondswoman’s Narrative, was written about 1857 by a slave who had run away from a North Carolina plantation. The novel, signed by Hannah Crafts, tells of a woman’s life as a house slave an later as a teacher in the North

karnythia: deliciouskaek: nerdpoet: barack-rocks: YOU CAME...

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 18:26:30 -0500

karnythia:

deliciouskaek:

nerdpoet:

barack-rocks:

YOU CAME TO THE WRONG NEIGHBORHOOD MOTHERFUCKA!!!

What is this from?

someone said 4.3.2.1. i’ve never seen it so i can’t call it

I need this. Yes.