Art blog / fandom blog (countryhumans, Misplaced IF, latin american + canadian history)
Call me benja :)) I'm 18 and I'm from CHILE !!!! 🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱 I speak spanish, english, catalan and I'm learning mapuzungun. Any pronouns (go crazy!!!). I'm a punk marxist birdwatcher and I'm also sex-repulsed. AI users fuck off
Tags: #benjascreatures for CH hcs and lore, #benjasillies for fun doodles, #benjascanvases for finished art pieces and #epic benja moment as a personal tag
I wanna post about Chile so bad I just can't find any posts I can respond to with my insanely long ramblings. and I have too many thoughts to just start a rambling without a topic or template. my life is so hard guys
THANK YOU YAYYYYY !!!! YIPPEE !!!! I ALSO LOVE YOUR SILLIES I ENJOY SEEING THEM AND LEARNING ABOUT THEM !!!! YOUR SUPPORT MOTIVATES ME !!!! AND I ADMIRE UR HISTORICAL ACCURACY !!!!!!
Ch fans, how would you like your countries to be represented/headcanoned as without it falling into stereotypes or being too offensive? (personality, clothes, etc) (mostly for non-americans for me personally as an american idc how usa is represented). Basically what's your pet peeve/major annoyance with the way different countries are usually represented in countryhumans?
My main pet peeve for Chile in this fandom is how common it is to ship Chile with countries that colonised it. Germany x Chile is one of the biggest Chile ships yet it is inherently colonial (Chile invited German colonisation upon itself despite German authorities being completely disinterested. Chile was actively planning the genocide of the indigenous Mapuche nation and so inviting German families to move to Chile for free was a way to replace indigenous people with Europeans. German influences in Chilean cuisine, music, farming and overall culture exist because of indigenous genocide. Furthermore, Chileans are culturally eurocentric because of European colonial efforts from Spain, the UK and sometimes France.) and so is Chile x USA which is also concerningly common (or portrayed as a relationship where the USA takes care of Chile) (the USA has a long history of interventionism in Latin America, Chile was the first ever country in the world to democratically elect a socialist president and it began a process of "socialism with red wine and empanadas" or "the Chilean way to socialism". This happened in the middle of the cold war and not too long after the Cuban Revolution. The USA spent 10 million dollars (which would be about 70 million in today's money) in propaganda to bribe newspapers to criticise the president, bribe workers to strike and pay stores to hide basic resources so Chileans would believe they were in a crisis. This is all well documented in over 20 thousand CIA documents that were released in the year 2000. The CIA later organised a coup which started a brutal 17 year long dictatorship in Chile which made all leftist and centrist parties illegal and punishable by torture, exile and death. It killed thousands. It ended less than 40 years ago. It fundamentally changed Chile and many of its survivors are alive today. All of this happened in order to change the Chilean constitution (which we still use to this day) and force Chile into becoming the first ever neoliberal government. Neoliberalism is the economic system that capitalism follows today. The USA also paid for dictatorships in Argentina, Guatemala, and many many other latino countries through "Operation Condor"). It's like Chile doesn't exist to people unless it is for a ship and its always done in a way that romanticises the deaths of thousands of innocent people !!! And since the fandom generally doesn't research characters well and doesn't center latino perspectives, it all gets normalised.
As for the hispanic side of the fandom I have a different biggest pet peeve (don't get me wrong, latinos have been propagandised to hell and back, latino x usa ships are concerningly common) and it's how they ignore indigenous history. They love to make Chile be the Mapuche nation's child, which is valid because Chile is a country made of cultural mixture, HOWEVER. They make it a very loving relationship or a relationship where the Mapuche nation is a bad parent. They completely ignore the fact that Chile is the main coloniser of Mapuche. Mapuche resisted Spanish colonisation for 300 years and it was the Chilean state that managed to take all indigenous land away. There is still conflict going on between the two nations because of the occupation of Mapuche land, the erasure of Mapuche culture and the legal and social discrimination against Mapuche in general. The hispanic fandom hates to acknowledge that latino nations carry a history of continuing colonial processes. I love my country, I love being both Chilean and Mapuche, but MAN! Can we not erase how harmful Chile has been towards Mapuche! Most importantly it's weirdly common for people to portray the Mapuche nation with the Mapuche flag made in 1992.. way before that year! Like you'll see art of the Mapuche nation in 1580 with the modern flag. The ancestral flag is well known and older than colonisation but people give that flag to baby Chile? For some reason? The lack of indigenous research in the side of the fandom that specifically focuses on latino countries is so odd. I understand not going deep into that topic if someone isn't a Latin America CH artist but the ignorance goes deep into latino CH and it's really sad !!!
Anyways that's all I got to say. Research your CH. Research relations between CH. Don't be scared of acknowledging negative history because erasing those events is worse than any other alternative. And have fun !!! CH is supposed to be fun !!!!!
what does awka think about capybara. does she know that they're waiting over the mountains. does she like them
hi klemi !!!! hello !!!!!!! i do get weird anon asks yes. i don't know what's up with that. i must be doing something to attract them i'm sure. in the meantime while i figure it out, i hope they start to become a bit less USA related because sure i love being a hater but i don't want this to be a u.s. themed blog...... who is going to the latin america + canada themed blog owned by an antiimperialist marxist and asking like five usa questions
and i dunno. probably thinks they're cute! chile is the only country in southern south america that has no capybaras as far as i know. likely because of the mountains yes.. also i think it might have smth to do with the amazon forest but that's just me saying random stuff don't trust me. they might be waiting over the mountains or they might just not like chile. like what if chile has like a menacing spirit to them. the real question is do capybaras like awka. probably not
i support its existence i think it should be talked about but can y'all calm down on the sex jokes. if someone says "im sex repulsed i don't like joking about it" then they mean it. they don't mean "only if it's reaaallly funny" or "only a tiny bit" they mean "please don't" is that really too hard to understand
thank u for tagging me king.. since apparently my FRIEND tagged everyone but me earlier.. VIK.. /j /silly (im kidding i love u both)
last song: "Looking For A Place To Happen" by The Tragically Hip
current obsession: las yeguas del apocalipsis and overall anything related to Pedro Lemebel
currently reading: "anthropology, ethno-marxism and the social responsibility of anthropologists" by Gilberto López y Rivas.. and "crime and punishment" by Dostoievski
currently working on: a chilean queer history talk im doing for a drag night hosted by the autism club i am a part of. also about five thousand uni assignments. just a rough estimate
currently wearing: pajamas because why would i leave my house on a saturday
last search: susana peña interview
tagging.. the beautiful & kind @balticliet !!! <3 and maybe @crunchyto4stf0x whenever star's back from camp !!! :3
Country Personification & Its Consequences Poll (seriously)
Here is a silly poll I remembered I should make.
I actually went around asking the same question in Countryhumans spaces a few years ago, but really only once or twice, and it didn’t really help because they had no clue what I meant.
This is probably a more effective spot to do it, and I’m pretty sure nobody else is gonna ask it! (unless maybe they have idk) So;
Has Country Personification, of ANY kind, had any sort of effect on your overall wellbeing?
Overall Major Negative Effects
Overall Moderate Negative Effects
No alterations noticed
Overall Moderate Positive Effects
Overall Major Positive Effects
Voting ended onJun 28
Probably Necessary Context:
This (negative effects especially) was kind of a topic that was thrown around a little bit in AntiCountryhumans spaces, and I took a little bit of interest in it due to a related interaction I coincidentally had that same year in a game I liked.
After that mess, I felt like it was something I should look into. Pretty sure nobody else ever did, so I might as well see what I can scrounge together.
I’m not very involved in the CountryHumans Fandom anymore, as I made a promise to myself a while ago that I will continue to uphold. However, I will say that CountryHumans HAS affected my wellbeing in a negative way. Though it’s the fandom itself, not the content. I enjoy doing research on history and politics and CountryHumans has allowed me to channel that research in a way that’s interesting and creative for myself. When I started branching out into different spaces, I started seeing more parts of the fandom and unfortunately met some genuinely awful people. I don’t blame CountryHumans for this though, I likely would have met people like that in any fandom. I will say though, there are some unique cases that come up with CountryHumans in the way that countries are treated. I don’t believe that they can be treated just like silly OCs that have a unique background, I believe they should be treated like the countries that they are and the beliefs that they uphold. However, as soon as I distanced myself and stopped caring how other people represented their versions of CountryHumans I found myself a lot happier. So I think initially it was a negative impact, but as soon as I stopped caring, I was pretty happy with it since I can use it for my own creativity.
I wrote this in a rush so sorry if my point isn’t very clear.
THIS !!!!! ABSOLUTELY !!!!
countryhumans as a concept in itself has not harmed me. countryhumans has given me a way to share my history special interest with people, it has given me more motivation to research things i love, my countryhumans to me are an expression of how much i love history and anthropology and politics. as an anthro student it feels like part of the reason why i'm studying this in the first place is how deeply i've been able to understand culture thanks to making my own personifications. if this question was about my personifications specifically or the ones that my friends make, my answer would be absolutely positive.
problem is anyone makes countryhumans. even people who don't like history or geography or anthropology or politics. even people who think somehow their CH art and designs and stories AREN'T political (i can guarantee you that they ARE), even people who like to draw the country that invaded my entire continent making out with the same land where it killed thousands. every time i look up any countryhumans related tag anywhere i end up seeing stuff that makes me wish i hadn't done it. i find it very hard to make new friends within CH spaces because it feels like almost nobody has actual care and consideration for the literal entire populations they are representing so they partake in harmful stereotypes and racism and normalisation of political abuse and colonialism and everything that's OBJECTIVELY BAD. countryhumans brings me joy until i have to look at anything made by strangers in the fandom. i hate almost every CH celebrity and i wish i could call my characters something else. i hate this fandom. i am never going to leave it
This fandom is so versatile to me because of it's absence of a canon base (contra APH), and I've poured so much into my own worldbuilding it's hard to let go. I wish I could somehow divorce it from the fandom because I'm afraid my content won't be able to be engaged with due to the gap in... perception/conduct? That you and the person before you noticed (a.k.a. mistreatment of personified nations) coming from inside the community (mostly made up of people who came from different fandoms that didn't have such abstract and restricting framework (ironic) they probably wouldn't know how to handle or engage with anyway). But it's hard to do so, because it literally came from this fandom, and it's outward appearance is immediately telling (banners my beloved.....), and the fandom aleady blew up in the most horrible way possible that I feel it's near impossible to somehow promote it as well, without raising eyebrows (though any personification of nations would invite some eyebrow-raising I think) from the outside.
Back on topic, I'd conclude that, yes, the fandom is uh bad, but the concept itself had a positive impact on my life, because it combined my interests and hobbies. I feel happy that I've found it as my source of creative outlet, especially when I also kinda stopped both engaging with and expecting too much from the fandom and started focusing on my own work; it actually reinvigorated my interest in the concept and made me very productive and positive overall.
The last few sentences really ring for me. I'm not letting this go, I love this whimsy of mine.
I am sorry you had to go through such horrible situations :( I hope you both are doing much better!
Country Personification & Its Consequences Poll (seriously)
Here is a silly poll I remembered I should make.
I actually went around asking the same question in Countryhumans spaces a few years ago, but really only once or twice, and it didn’t really help because they had no clue what I meant.
This is probably a more effective spot to do it, and I’m pretty sure nobody else is gonna ask it! (unless maybe they have idk) So;
Has Country Personification, of ANY kind, had any sort of effect on your overall wellbeing?
Overall Major Negative Effects
Overall Moderate Negative Effects
No alterations noticed
Overall Moderate Positive Effects
Overall Major Positive Effects
Voting ended onJun 28
Probably Necessary Context:
This (negative effects especially) was kind of a topic that was thrown around a little bit in AntiCountryhumans spaces, and I took a little bit of interest in it due to a related interaction I coincidentally had that same year in a game I liked.
After that mess, I felt like it was something I should look into. Pretty sure nobody else ever did, so I might as well see what I can scrounge together.
I’m not very involved in the CountryHumans Fandom anymore, as I made a promise to myself a while ago that I will continue to uphold. However, I will say that CountryHumans HAS affected my wellbeing in a negative way. Though it’s the fandom itself, not the content. I enjoy doing research on history and politics and CountryHumans has allowed me to channel that research in a way that’s interesting and creative for myself. When I started branching out into different spaces, I started seeing more parts of the fandom and unfortunately met some genuinely awful people. I don’t blame CountryHumans for this though, I likely would have met people like that in any fandom. I will say though, there are some unique cases that come up with CountryHumans in the way that countries are treated. I don’t believe that they can be treated just like silly OCs that have a unique background, I believe they should be treated like the countries that they are and the beliefs that they uphold. However, as soon as I distanced myself and stopped caring how other people represented their versions of CountryHumans I found myself a lot happier. So I think initially it was a negative impact, but as soon as I stopped caring, I was pretty happy with it since I can use it for my own creativity.
I wrote this in a rush so sorry if my point isn’t very clear.
THIS !!!!! ABSOLUTELY !!!!
countryhumans as a concept in itself has not harmed me. countryhumans has given me a way to share my history special interest with people, it has given me more motivation to research things i love, my countryhumans to me are an expression of how much i love history and anthropology and politics. as an anthro student it feels like part of the reason why i'm studying this in the first place is how deeply i've been able to understand culture thanks to making my own personifications. if this question was about my personifications specifically or the ones that my friends make, my answer would be absolutely positive.
problem is anyone makes countryhumans. even people who don't like history or geography or anthropology or politics. even people who think somehow their CH art and designs and stories AREN'T political (i can guarantee you that they ARE), even people who like to draw the country that invaded my entire continent making out with the same land where it killed thousands. every time i look up any countryhumans related tag anywhere i end up seeing stuff that makes me wish i hadn't done it. i find it very hard to make new friends within CH spaces because it feels like almost nobody has actual care and consideration for the literal entire populations they are representing so they partake in harmful stereotypes and racism and normalisation of political abuse and colonialism and everything that's OBJECTIVELY BAD. countryhumans brings me joy until i have to look at anything made by strangers in the fandom. i hate almost every CH celebrity and i wish i could call my characters something else. i hate this fandom. i am never going to leave it
Hi !!! I'm a Chilean queer !!! Chilean queer history is one of my fav things <3 I'm going to explain Chile's queerness in detail and how it's all specific to a Chilean historical-cultural context !!!
Cw: mentions of transphobia, homophobia and discussions of colonial acculturation.
Before we start, some context:
- Chile was colonised in the 1540s and became independent in 1818. My Chile CH specifically represents Chile from the start of the "New Fatherland" independence movement in 1817 to the present day. She is not colonial Chile, she is post-colonial Chile.
- My Chile CH is related to both colonial Chile and the Mapuche indigenous culture. You can read an in-depth explanation by clicking here
- Mapuche culture has always been traditionally accepting of queerness, duality is spiritually valuable and the weye (intersex, third gender and same-sex attraction) are dual people
- All CH are naturally aro/ace because they cannot sexually reproduce therefore they have no evolutionary need for attraction. CH birth is also explained in the post linked above. Queerness in CH exclusively exists within the concept of gender
OK LET'S TALK ABOUT CHILE !!!
THE SURFACE:
Chile is AMAB (assigned male at birth). Socially, she's seen as a trans woman, because she presents in a feminine way and has been on hormone replacement therapy for a few years. She goes by she/her pronouns.
SELF-PERCEPTION:
Chile self-identifies as a loca (literally "crazy woman" in Spanish). Loca is a term historically used to refer to fem gay men, trans women and crossdressers. What makes the term special is that it was also used within the queer community as an identity! It wasn't just an insult! Before terms like "transgender" or "transsexual" were common, loca gave all feminine AMAB queer people a word to describe their experiences, especially during the 70s and 80s in Chile and Argentina (you can see a self-identified loca in the 1976 Argentinian book "Kiss of the Spider Woman" by Manuel Puig!). It separated the queer people that were capable of blending in with straight society to some capacity, from the ones that simply couldn't. Being grouped together into one single category, trans women and gay crossdressers are deeply intertwined communities within local queer history!!! A lot of trans women from here, especially older ones, don't mind the term transvestite or crossdresser because they're cousin identities, they come from the same culture. Sisters !!!!
Now, it is an outdated term. And Chile preferring an outdated term is meant to show her old age and mindset. Still, it's a term that describes her accurately. Because Chile finds it extremely difficult to understand her own gender. It feels ambiguous, amorphous, slips away from her fingers when she thinks she's beginning to understand it. Chile's not a woman, despite being percieved as one. Loca is a term that doesn't really define gender identity, it refers to AMAB femininity within a society that sees it as atypical, it's an identity based on the outside regardless of what's inside. That is her. She is atypically feminine outside and would rather not think about what's within.
She's old and weird <3
WHY?:
If you thought I'd give a CH any complex trait without a proper reason, then you thought wrong !!! Here's why Chile is the way she is !!!!!
As I mentioned before, Chile is a half-Mapuche (despite being a yanakona !!!!) (a yanakona is a Mapuche that sides with oppressive forces that harm the Mapuche community, it comes from a time when the same word was used for Mapuche who worked with Spanish colonisers). In Mapuche tradition, Chile would be a weye. A weye is someone with both masculine and feminine energies. A lot of weye have historically been AMAB people who fullfill feminine roles within their communities, are spiritually both men and women at the same time and present in a feminine way. Chile spent a whole life wordlessly experiencing something she would've had a term for if she hadn't distanced herself from Mapuche culture.
Our bodies are how we connect to the land. CH bodies are symbolically land. Chile is a country built on indigenous land, a large portion of it violently invaded by the Chilean state. Indigenous peoples knew how to be sustainable and exist as part of that land, entire cultures built specifically for this specific weather and landscape. Chile sells that land to foreign companies, U.S.American and European, so they can exploit it and destroy it for money that Chile will never see. The Chilean system is not built for this land. Chile destroys itself by forcing a U.S.American-European system upon itself. Chile will not be able to put her identity into words because her identity was not meant to be said in Spanish, or English, or German or French. Chile will not understand herself until she opens her eyes to indigenous knowledge. That day will not come soon. She will pretend she feels comfortable with the foreign term. She will be a trans woman (or internally, a loca) because she clearly is not a weye.
Oh and <3 this is also just a way for me to acknowledge all the wonderful locas from Chilean history, like Pedro Lemebel, Hija de Perra, the ladies from the Blue Ballet, etc. We often say Chile is a country raised by single mothers. I'd like to include these women as part of the mothers who raised Chile. The political importance of locas in history is something I can barely even put into words.
cuál es el completo favorito de awka + con que le gustaría comerlo (un juguito una bebida una chela un pisco sour una leche un yoguyogu etc)
italiano 100% y yo creo q en su cerebro lo ideal sería un vinito pero pq idealmente comería todo con un vinito al lado. Es como el bodoque con sus papas fritas y vaso de vino
