frankly, fucked.

@7-melons

I've sold ma soul to the internet

2,989 posts

vpiuke-deactivated20240227

Michaelá is a 24 y/o Black woman who was physically assaulted at a nail salon in Michigan and was afterwards threatened online by the same workers who shared her personal information and created a false story for others to attack her. Police did nothing and even denied her to press charges against her attackers. This is her GoFundMe.

More information can be found on her original IG post. She has also made other posts updating her situation as time passes. Below are pictures of the place of the attack and some of the online threats she's been getting.

vpiuke-deactivated20240227

$771/$5000

vpiuke-deactivated20240227

$846/$5000

robertocustodioart

Margaux Hemingway by Helmut Newton 1975

caroldanversenthusiast

Everyone let’s admire Michaela Coel in suits

SHE is literally perfect i CAN’T

Photography by Ekua King / Styling by Candice Bailey / Hair by Charlotte Mensah / Makeup by Bernicia Boateng.

phantastische-illustrationen

Roger Zelazny - Damnation Alley (Artist - Paul Lehr)

frankiethebaron

writingwithcolor

Common Micro aggressions: African Americans and/or Black People

Anonymous asked: What are some common micro-aggressions that a black american will regularly have to deal with?

Behold! This masterpost of common micro-aggressions towards African Americans and/or people in the African Diaspora.

A Few Facts:

Micro-aggressions are the “little” incidents of racism that may not be so obviously racist, but come from a place of ignorance or stereotyped views

Micro-aggressions can be perpetuated by White people as well as fellow Black people and People of Color.

Several of these may be applicable to other People of Color.

We (Black mods writing this) live in different Westernized countries & have personally experienced every one of these or know someone who has.

For a fuller understanding of micro aggressions and the affects it has on individuals overtime, please see this: “These incidents may appear small…”

Use of microaggressions in writing

This is just to give a thorough understanding of some of the things a Black person (often in America or other western countries) deals with.

Unless writing about racism, we would not recommend overpacking your Black character with every one of these experiences, or at least not within the narrative.

Sprinkling in a few here and there is acceptable and adds realism.

Do not forget to include reactions to these micro-aggressions and when they occur, show they’re not okay somehow in the text.

The micro aggressions tag has plenty of applicable advice.

General Micro-aggressions

People excusing blackface.

Having our grammar and annunciation corrected.

“I don’t see you as a Black person/ I don’t see colour.”

Calling Black people ghetto, thugs, rachet, sassy, urban…

People debating why they should be allowed to say the n-word.

Then saying the n-word anyway.

Whispering, spitting, or stumbling over the word “Black” as if it’s a curse.

Refusing to pronounce your name right, or just calling you by a different name that’s easier.

Alternatively, “jokingly” calling you a “ghetto” name.

Constantly mixing up unrelated and not even resembling Black people, because you know.. ‘Black people all look the same.’

Dismissing our experiences as “just overreacting,” defending the wronging party, or using our plight to talk about one’s own experience (e.g. “well as a gay man i’ve got it rough…”).

Telling racist jokes and calling you sensitive when you don’t find it funny.

“______ is the new civil rights movement!” Black folks are still fighting for their rights, so…

Media

Fox news (xD)

Caricatured depictions of Black people on TV.

Casting calls for Black people only tailored for “race roles.”

Media treating white criminals and killers better than Black victims (see these headlines).

Stereotypes

Assuming you only listen to rap/hip-hop/r&b.

Assuming you love chicken, Kool-aid, and/or smoke weed.

Assuming you’re good at sports.

Assuming there’s no father in the picture in Black families.

Assuming all Black people (see: young girls) have children.

Calling Black people who don’t conform to preconceived images of Blackness “less black,” acting white or an “oreo.”

AAVE

Non-Black People mimicking/imitating AAVE.

People falling into AAVE when talking to Black People.

“Why don’t Black people speak real English instead of ‘ebonics’?”

Insults/doubting intelligence:

You’re so articulate!”

“You take advanced classes?!”

“How did she get into that [prestigious school and/or program]?”

“They only got x because they’re Black/Affirmative action.”

Assuming a Black person (usually male) attends college because of a sports scholarship.

Counselors discouraging Black students to take prestigious coursework, assuming it’s too difficult for them.

Respectability politics:

“You’re a credit to your race.”

“I’m glad you’re not like those other Black people. You’re not ghetto or listen to that rap stuff..”

Tone policing: dismissing someone’s reaction/argument/etc. because they are too “emotional.” Thinking that we need to be calm in order to be taken seriously.

Pitting African immigrants against African Americans, especially those coming to America for education, aka “Good Blacks.”

Beauty Standards and Dating

“You’re pretty for a Black girl.”

“You’re pretty! Are you mixed?”

“I don’t usually date/aren’t attracted to Black people.”

Calling attraction to Black people “jungle fever.”

Fetishization/Othering

People asking you what you are or where you’re really from.

Referring to Black people or our features as “exotic.”

Referring to Black people’s skin as chocolate or other foods.

Assuming dark skin doesn’t need sunscreen. Like other humans, we do!

Black Women/Misogynoir

Saying Black women are ”strong, independent and don’t need no man.“

Calling Black women ”sassy“ or angry if she shows passion/emotion.

Overreactions/exaggerating our actions. This often involves assigning aggression where there is none. (Black person speaking firmly is yelling. A Black woman disagrees with someone: “why are you attacking me?”)

Referring to white and non-black women as “girls” and “women” while calling Black women “Females.”

Men who apply courtesy to white women (holding doors, giving up seat) but don’t apply the same to Black women.

Referring to Black women on government assistance as “welfare queens” (While ignoring that white people, white women especially, get more government assistance than Black people in the USA).

“Black women All woman are beautiful.” (Stop. That. Please.)

Hair

People touching/petting your hair without consent.

“So is that your real hair? Are those extensions?”

Calling natural black hair unprofessional.

White people appropriating Black hair styles (dreads, twists, etc) and being praised as edgy, while it’s “ghetto, unprofessional, and unclean” on our own heads.

Poverty Assumptions:

“Do you live in the ghetto?”

“Can you afford that?”

“Here are the value prices of this product…”

Racial Profiling + Criminalization:

Crossing the street to avoid passing Black men/people.

Following in stores, assuming Black people are stealing.

Moving aside when we pass, clutching purse, locking doors.

Asking Black people for I.D. when paying with card (while white people are not asked).

Being pulled over + arrested at astonishingly higher rates than white people.

~Mods Colette and Alice

stupid leftists and their belief in *checks notes* the intrinsic value of human life

Reblog if you would burn down the statue of liberty to save a life

Here’s the thing, though. If you asked a conservative “Would you let the statue of liberty burn to save one life?” they’d probably scoff and say no, it’s a national landmark, a treasure, a piece of too much historical importance to let it be destroyed for the sake of one measly life.

But if you asked, “Would you let the statue of liberty burn in order to save your child? your spouse? someone you loved a great deal?” the tune abruptly changes. At the very least, there’s a hesitation. Even if they deny it, I’m willing to bet that gun to their head, the answer would be “yes.”

The basic problem here is that people have a hard time seeing outside their own sphere of influence, and empathizing beyond the few people who are right in front of them. You’ve got your immediate family, whom you love; your friends, your acquaintances, maybe to a certain degree the people who share a status with you (your religion, your race, etc.)–but beyond that? People aren’t real. They’re theoretical.

But a national monument? That’s real. It stands for something. The value of a non-realized anonymous life that exists completely outside your sphere of influence is clearly worth less than something that represents freedom and prosperity to a whole nation, right?

People who think like this lack the compassion to realize that everyone is in someone’s immediate sphere of influence–that everyone is someone’s lover, or brother, or parent. Everyone means the world to someone. And it’s the absolute height of selfishness to assume that their lives don’t have value just because they don’t mean the world to you.

P.S. I would let the statue of liberty burn to save a pigeon.

also, there is an extreme difference between what things or principles *i* personally am willing to die for, and what i would hazard others to die for. and this is a distinction i don’t think the conservative hard-right likes to face.

an example: so, as the nazis began war against france, the staff of the louvre began crating up and shipping out the artworks. it was vital to them (for many reasons) that the nazis not get their hands on the collections, and hitler’s desire for them was known, so they dispersed the objects to the four winds; one of the curators personally traveled with la gioconda, mona lisa herself, in an unmarked crate, moving at least five times from location to location to avoid detection.

they even removed and hid the nike of samothrace, “winged victory,” which is both delicate, having been pieced back together from fragments, and incredibly heavy, weighing over three metric tons.

the curators who hid these artworks risked death to ensure that they wouldn’t fall into nazi hands. and yes, they are just paintings, just statues. but when i think about the idea of hitler capturing and standing smugly beside the nike of samothrace, a statue widely beloved as a symbol of liberty, i completely understand why someone would risk their life to prevent that. if my life was all that stood between a fascist dictator and a masterpiece that inspired millions, i would be willing to risk it. my belief in the power and necessity of art would demand i do so.

if, however, a nazi held a gun to some kid’s head (any kid!) and asked me which crate the mona lisa was in, they could have it in a heartbeat. no problem! i wouldn’t even have to think about it. being willing to risk my own life on principle doesn’t mean i’m willing to see others endangered for those same principles.

and that is exactly where the conservative hard-right falls right the fuck down. they are, typically, entirely willing to watch others suffer for their own principles. they are perfectly okay with seeing children in cages because of their supposed belief in law and order. they are perfectly willing to let women die from pregnancy complications because of their anti-abortion beliefs. they are alright with poverty and disease on general principle because they hold the free-market sacrosanct. and i guess from their own example they would save the statue of liberty and let human beings burn instead.

but speaking as a leftist (i’m more comfortable with socialist tbh), my principles are not abstract things that i hold aside from life, apart or above my place as a human being in a society. my beliefs arise from being a person amidst people. i don’t love art for art’s sake alone, actually! i don’t love objects because they are objects: i love them because they are artifacts of our humanity, because they communicate and connect us, because they embody love and curiosity and fear and feeling. i love art because i love people. i want universal health care because i want to see people universally cared for. i want universal basic income because people’s safety and dignity should not be determined by their economic productivity to an employer. i am anti-war and pro-choice for the same reason: i value people’s lives but also their autonomy and right to self-determination. my beliefs are not abstractions. i could never value a type of economic system that i saw hurting people, no matter how much “growth” it produced. i could never love “law and order” more than i love a child, any child, i saw trapped in a cage.

would i be willing to risk death, trying to save the statue of liberty? probably, yes. but there is no culture without people, and therefore i also believe there are no cultural treasures worth more than other people’s lives. and as far as i’m concerned the same goes for laws, or markets, or borders.

Well said!

This is an excellent ethical discussion.

The first time I came across this post, randomslasher’s addition was life changing for me. I suddenly understood where the right was coming from, and I had never been angrier.

This is also why so many people on the right fail to see the hypocrisy of trying to make abortion illegal when they themselves have had abortions. They can tally up their own life circumstances and conclude that it would be difficult or impossible to continue a pregnancy, but they’re completely mystified by the idea that women they don’t know are also human beings with complicated lives and limited spoon allocation.

This is also why they think “get a job” is useful advice. In their heads they honestly do not understand why the NPCs who make up the majority of the human race can’t just flip a switch from “no job” to “job.” When they say “get a job” they’re filing a glitch report with God and they honestly think that’s all it takes.

This is also why they tend to view demographics as individuals. They think that every single Muslim is just a different avatar for the same bit of programming.

bemusedlybespectacled

Borrowed observation from @innuendostudios here, but: there’s also a fundamental difference in how progressives view social problems versus how conservatives view them. That is, progressives view them as problems to be solved, whereas conservatives do not believe you can solve anything.

Conservatives view social issues as universal constants that fundamentally are unable to be changed, like the weather. You can try to alter your own behavior to protect yourself (you can carry an umbrella), and you can commiserate about how bad the weather is, but you can’t stop it from raining. This is why conservatives blame victims of rape for dressing immodestly or for drinking or for going out at night: to them, those things are like going out without an umbrella when you know it’s going to rain.

“But then why do conservatives try to stop things they dislike by making them illegal, like drug use or immigration or abortion?” And the answer is: they’re not. They know perfectly well that those things will continue. No amount of studies showing that their methods are ineffective will matter to them because effectiveness is not the point. The point is to punish people for doing bad things, because punishing people is how you show your disapproval of their actions; if you don’t punish them, then you’re condoning their behavior.

This is why they will never support rehabilitative prisons, even though they reduce crime. This is why they will never support free birth control for everyone, even though that would reduce abortions. This is why they will never support just giving homeless people houses, even though it’s proven to be cheaper and more effective at stopping homelessness than halfway houses and shelters. It’s not about stopping evil, because you can’t; it’s about saying definitively what is Bad and what is Good, and we as a society do that by punishing the people we’ve decided are bad.

This is why the conservative response to “holy fuck, they’re putting children in cages!” is typically something along the lines of “it’s their parents’ fault for trying to come here illegally; if they didn’t want to have their kids taken away, they shouldn’t have committed a crime.” It doesn’t matter that entering the US unlawfully is a misdemeanor and child kidnapping isn’t typically a criminal sentence. It does not matter that this has absolutely zero effect on people unlawfully entering the US. The point is that conservatives have decided that entering unlawfully is Bad, anything that is not punishing undocumented immigrants – due process of asylum and removal defense claims, for example – is supporting Badness, and kidnapping children is an appropriate punishment for being Bad.

sartorialadventure

Benny Harlem, an aspiring singer, songwriter, and model, holds the Guinness Book of World Records’ title for tallest high top afro at 52.07 cm (20.5 inches). Photos with his daughter Jaxyn have taken social media by storm.

indigenousandangry

art

Flo Milli is the next Supreme

Good, the sooner we own up to our role in the slave trade and change the names of these streets, the better.

inthefaceofadaffodil

Here's a link to a petition to change the street names!

Petition to rename Glasgow street names which are named after slave owners

heavyweightheart

We may be socially distant in this traumatic time, but we're not alone.

For the last few weeks, I’ve been going through it. First there was the constant stream of news about the disproportionate impacts of COVID-19 on Black communities, then came the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Tony McDade at the hands of police and the wrongful death of Ahmaud Arbery. Meanwhile I’m navigating this pandemic along with everyone else, and trying to figure out how to make a positive impact along the way. It’s been dizzying. And I know I’m not alone.

According to Naj Austin, founder of the social community for people of color Ethel’s Club, all of those complex feelings and mixed emotions are normal in times of crisis and collective trauma. Ethel’s Club, which previously offered free mental health counseling for members in its Brooklyn location, has now transitioned to a digital model. “The great thing about a healing space like Ethel’s Club is that it takes our identity, and everything that comes with that, into account. You can’t talk about these complex feelings without talking about Blackness.” The club’s online community is hosting free, hour-long grieving sessions twice monthly.

For many Black people practicing social distancing, the need for virtual resources has never been more clear. So, I’ve compiled a list of six more mental health resources, in addition to Ethel’s Club, that are providing virtual support to the Black community right now. However you choose to grieve, process, and/or stand in solidarity, remember that you’re not alone, and that your personhood and wellness still matter.

Dive in Well

Maryam Ajayi founded Dive in Well, an organization offering digital classes on various wellness practices, to create a more inclusive wellness industry. Dive in Well hosts donation-based digital events like breathwork classes and therapy sessions aimed at centering self care.

Sista Afya

This Chicago-based, community-driven organization provides women from across the Black diaspora with low-cost group therapy sessions, workshops, and free online conversations known as Online Sista Support Groups, which cover topics like managing the stress sparked by consuming news.

Healhaus

Founders Darian Hall and Elisa Shankle created this space in Brooklyn to provide accessible and inclusive wellness to their community. HealHaus is currently closed, but their ethos has continued virtually through live streamed classes, including a healing cypher for men of color.

Therapy for Black Girls

Dr. Joy Harden Bradford founded this organization to combat the stigma around therapy that might otherwise prevent Black women from seeking care. Now, TBG has become a successful podcast, a directory that aims to connect women with culturally competent therapists, as well as a private community Facebook support group. The organization holds free group support sessions weekly on Thursday nights at 7 p.m. EST.

The Nap Ministry

Performance artist and poet Tricia Hersey founded The Nap Ministry to champion Black rest as a form of reparations and resistance against burnout culture and capitalism. While she normally hosts free pop-ups where visitors can take brief naps and workshops in the Atlanta area, Hersey has been using Instagram to provide mini sermons about the importance of slowing down and getting more sleep when you’re a Black person fighting oppression day-in and day-out.

Inclusive Therapists

Austin-based therapist Melody Li founded the Inclusive Therapists database to provide therapists with training for racial trauma and connect people of all identities, abilities, and bodies with culturally sensitive care. Li herself, and many other therapists in the Inclusive Therapists network, offer reduced-fee teletherapy options to ensure that financial limitations do not keep people from pursuing care. Decolonizing Therapy and Viva Wellness are two other therapy practices with active online platforms.

daydream-ings-deactivated202010

WAYS TO SUPPORT/BE AN ALLY

Here is a compilation of places to donate (IF you can, simply reblogging and sharing this can help) and petition to sign. I found these websites and organizations on twitter.

DONATIONS

THE MINNESOTA FREEDOM FUND: Donate to this to collect funds to pay jail bonds for the protesters who get arrested.

BLACK LIVES MATTER: An organization fighting for the BLM movement. Donate if you can.

BLACK VISIONS MN: an organization that is led by Black, Queer and Trans people. Donate if you can.

NAACP Legal Defense Fund: Fights for the overall equality fight. Donate if you can.

PETITIONS

Willie Simmons has spent 38 years in prison for a $9 robbery. He had two prior convictions similar to robbery that he served time for. He was prosecuted under the Alabama Habitual Offender law and was given a life sentence for his third strike - stealing 9 (NINE) dollars. Sign his petition.

Breonna Taylor was killed by police who were conducting an UNANNOUNCED drug raid, where they gave no request to enter. They bashed her door and entered, shooting her EIGHT times. They were in the WRONG HOUSE.

George Floyd was killed by a police officer who knelt on his neck and suffocated him to death, after George pleaded with the officer and told him he couldn’t breathe. The officer had pulled him from where he sat in his car on an alleged FORGERY. You can also text “FLOYD” to 55156

ARREST THE OFFICERS WHO KILLED GEORGE FLOYD: The main police officer who murdered George is being kept in PROTECTIVE CUSTODY. You probably have heard he was arrested, but this is NOT TRUE. He was placed under PROTECTIVE custody because of the riots and “threats” on his life.

If you know of ANY other organizations or petitions, PLEASE ADD TO THIS LIST. The fight for justice doesn’t end here, it will never end. Especially when the president of the United States calls white supremacists good people and protesters of a mans death THUGS. USE YOUR VOICE. NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE. FUCK COPS. FUCK “BLUE LIVES”. ALL BLACK LIVES MATTER!

the minnesota freedom fund is asking folks to donate to other organizations instead. the specific ones they listed are black visions, linked above, and these two:

northstar health collective, organized healthcare professionals working with anti-authoritarian groups

reclaim the block, a collective that aims to redistribute funding away from police and towards more community-oriented projects in minneapolis

these are the links i send to my facebook friends who keep running their mouths about “the protests hurting the community”

minnehaha food shelf & calvary church food shelf are both centered in the south minneapolis area where the riots started. the grocery stores in the area have been decimated, so food shelves and food insecurity charities need a lot of love right now.

northside funders group is a philanthropic group in the twin cities that’s using all its funds right now for helping local businesses

migizi is a native american media/history nonprofit whose office was destroyed in the riots

we love lake street is devoting funds specifically towards rebuilding the lake street area in south minneapolis

some more groups that could use your help

the healing justice foundation is a national nonprofit that’s specifically focusing on mental health resources for bipoc right now

ctul is a nonprofit focused on low-wage workers and workers rights in minnesota

mpd 150 is focused on policing and specifically trying to reroute the conversation from “we need to change police procedures” to “the police need structural reform”

the spiral collective is providing funds for supplies, medic kits, and other things that protesters will need on the ground

unicorn riot is a media collective that has had people on the ground filming every night in minneapolis

last but not least some more bail funds

atlanta

baltimore

brooklyn

columbus

connecticut

dallas

denver

detroit

houston

las vegas

los angeles

louisville

massachusetts

philadelphia

pittsburgh

seattle

HOW TO DONATE TO BLM WHEN YOU HAVE NO MONEY

a black woman named zoe amira posted a video on youtube. this video is an hour long and filled with art and music from black creators. it has a ton of ads, and in result will rack up a ton of revenue. 100% of the ad revenue from the video will be dispersed between various blm organizations, including bail-out funds for protesters. it will be split between the following, dependent on necessity

brooklyn bail fund

minnesota freedom fund

atlanta action network

columbus freedom fund

louisville community bail fund

chicago bond

black visions collective

richmond community bail fund

the bail project inc

nw com bail fund

philadelphia bail fund

the korchhinski-parquet family gofundme

george floyd’s family gofundme

blacklivesmatter.com

reclaim the block

aclu

turn off your adblocker and put the video on repeat. do not skip ads. let it play on loop whether you’re listening or not. mute the tab if you need to focus elsewhere. but let. it. play.

youtube will donate to blm for you.

please, please reblog. for people who don’t have money to spare, this is incredibly important information to have.

singinginthecar

while protestors are out on the streets asking justice for breonna taylor's murder, louisville law enforcement has senselessly murdered another black man, david mcatee. he was the owner of a bbq restaurant and he was literally at the protests feeding people when he was killed after law enforcement blindly shot into a crowd!! his family says he was shot while trying to protect his niece!! he was known to feed police officers for free!! he was a good, kind man! say his name!!

singinginthecar

singinginthecar

important reminder that his murder occurred a 10 minute drive (or approx. 40 min walk) away from the protest sites... in a black neighborhood. his body was left out in the streets for nearly 12 hours. the officers who shot him were not wearing / did not activate their body cameras... so there is no evidence of the shooting.

you can sign a petition to bring justice to david and his family, by requesting the louisville mayor to take appropriate action by making sure the killer is identified and arrested.

i understand that not everyone can donate rn even if they really wanted to. i myself am currently unemployed and cannot donate much more than i already have atm !! not donating is okay - pls don’t feel guilty if you do not have the means to do so.

if donating is not a possibility right now, ive found this 1 hour video you can watch on youtube where all proceeds from the ad revenue will go to an organization to help the cause (more info in the video’s description). op has compiled songs and art from Black artists to listen to. you can leave it on to play in the background or plug in earphones and go about your business as usual. it can’t get more simple than that.

as a fandom that’s known to mass stream, it would be amazing if you could channel that energy into watching this video !!!!!

hey i know we’re tired of change.org but julius jones is on death row and has been wrongfully imprisoned for 20 years so it really cannot hurt to sign this petition

The Justice for Julius Jones website also recommends that you email the parole board and they provide a template on the website.

https://www.freejoshwilliams.com/freejosh

Help Free Josh — Free Josh Williams

frankly, fucked. @7-melons - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag