what im learning from my years of being one of the annoying woke black people on here is that a Lot of white and nonblack people really do not understand what racism is and what it has done to African Americans. like when we learn abt it in schools they dont really tell you abt the mass rape and genocide and torture of Africans by white slave owners, they dont talk abt the murder of babies and the cannibalism either. its all in The Past so we should just get over it, lol. and then when nonamerican's colonial past gets brought up they start throwing tantrums too, because antiblackness is a global thing, many countries have exploited Africa and its people. this isnt unique to one nation. its so funny how all these Smart Communists are so ignorant abt racism in america and globally, and then when black leftist/progressive tumblr users try to say anything abt their real actual Lived Experiences as Black people its met with dismissal and hatred and condescension and Um, Actually, im not from america, can you talk to me like im 5 about racism please :) and if youre anything but Nice they will call you a slur
Iâm starting to realize we may not all be ready for Racism 102, aka âoften times, you donât think âIâm going to be racist,â you just act on it.â
It does not matter what other reasons you have for being racist. It was still racist. White people lashing out on people of color when In Their Feelings About Something is still racism. White people objectifying people of color for WHATEVER reason is still racism.
You can make a movie with where the only white character is a man named Ray Cism whose one line of his 16 seconds of screen time is âI seriously hate women and minorities.â and youâll find fifty bajillion reader x Ray Cism fanfics and renaissance style drawings of him with a halo of golden light
I notice White users on tumblr are also MUCH less likely to reblog posts they'd otherwise agree with, but the post is a racialized person expressing anger about racism from white tumblr users. They're more likely to reblog the post if the post is less specific about who is doing the racism or if the language seems to "coddle" them more or express sympathy to them
maybe i am swinging a bat at a hornet's nest here but i also genuinely want to learn and be better so im willing to risk the pushback if it means i can improve.
every now and then i scroll across a post from a racialize person that essentially amounts to "white people i hate you. i hate all of you. die in a ditch."
i am not making up a strawman here to beat down. because a) i have come across posts that say this practically word for word and, more importantly, b) i agree with the sentiment. it is a very, very understandable anger. to quote malcom x,
âWhen all of my ancestors are snake-bitten, and Iâm snake-bitten, and I warn my children to avoid snakes, what does that snake sound like accusing me of hate-teaching?â
anger at your oppressors, even anger at those who may have not oppressed you directly but inadvertently wield privilege to aid those who do, is justified and righteous.
but at the same time, a post that's only an expression of that anger sometimes feels a little too personal to broadcast. it feels as though i wasn't really meant to see it. and i don't want to just reblog a stranger's expression of distress for all of (majority white) tumblr to see because that might endanger their online presence or worse.
and there's also the issue of tone deafness. for someone to go "man i hate white people" only for a white guy to come in and say the online equivalent of "yeah same lmao" without having anything to add just feels. really disingenuous? like i'm not in a position to truly empathize as i'm not racialized, so i'd rather be able to give advice. but i can't really do that either as, again, i'm not racialized and any advice i give should be sourced from those who are. there's nothing i can really say that would add to the conversation so i'd rather not say anything at all.
(this obv doesn't apply when it's appended with "white people can rb" or something along those lines because then that implies the poster wants their post to be seen by white people en masse, vent or otherwise.)
at one point i did rb one of these vent posts thinking it would help but i got dm'ed with the advisement that it's common courtesy not to and i took it down. i've been iffy about reblogging those kinds of posts since. but meanwhile when a post says "i fucking hate you. here's what you can do about it." that carries the implication that it's more than just a raw expression of anger. there's an invitation and advisement for action. that i will rb because it carries a clear purpose outside the outlet of emotions. it doesn't feel like i've just stumbled upon someone's personal journal, but more like they want to be seen and heard. if it doesn't really have an overarching goal in mind other than venting than i don't fully get why i should reblog it. it sounds antithetical to a lot of what i've learned so far. i wouldn't reblog my friend going through it. so why should i reblog a stranger doing the same?
(i'm probably just misunderstanding the point of the post now that im rereading this. i wish i could definitively prove to you this is being asked in good faith and i'm not trying to sealion a debate or fish for reassurance or whatever, but all i have to offer in that respect is my word. i swear on my honor i'm just asking for clarification here so i can better understand.)
Starting off by saying a beloved mutual helped to overall explain the thesis of my post pretty well to the reblogger here so all is well, I'm just reblogging this here because said post by mutual would make it extra long lol. I'm just reiterating here as a supplementary.
This post is also on the same wavelength on what I was saying. I'll also reiterate the specific examples I gave in the notes and replies. There's a lot of (White, especially) users on tumblr who are reluctant to reblog posts that directly call out racism in general, but are even more reluctant when the post is directly mentioning racism BY White tumblr users (as in, racist actions by White users & the post is made by nonwhite users) or specific examples of it. More specifically like my post says, I'm talking about essentially tone policing. If someone is visibly, vocally angry about the racism they're talking about on the post, White tumblr users will avoid it. But if the wording says something to the effect of like "I know White people aren't trying to be racist when they do x" etc, then the post will be more popular. In my example in the notes, I was talking about racism within cottagecore many times, and I've noticed that even though I have multiple posts that boil down to the same thesis, the ones where my wording is (rightfully, justifiably) angrier are more ignored and have less notes than ones where I'm not. And like my mutual said as well, posts about White tumblr user's racism that are less direct in their wording will be more popular because White people will think "well this can't possibly be about me!". It's the same kind of idea.
Neutral toned posts will tend to be perceived within the "angry" category and usually will be ignored even if again, the wording and tone is neutral. And finally, posts that are expressing the same idea as posts by nonwhite people but are said by OTHER White people will be given much much more attention regardless of how they are worded. In my example within the replies, I talk about something that happened maybe a few months to a year ago where a White Ukrainian user was essentially making posts talking about racism towards Native Americans that would ALWAYS get VERY popular, more popular than other posts that said the same thing created by Native Americans. So White tumblr users were more happy to reblog the post talking about Native American racism if the post was made by a White person who is unaffected by it.
Literally just came across this today, what a fucking joke. I have been supporting my black community every since I found out about black Aces becoming a target in the asexual community and not taken seriously. I've been posting just good morning and good nights and positive vibes for my fellow black Aces. And all the white people in there are getting upset, nothing is centered around them. I hate knowing a post to uplift black people is getting white people and white centered poc in the comments like "what about me" cause the BLM is actually ALL LIVES MATTER for them.
And here this loser in the comments, literally getting upset because of a post I made about a very prominent problem within the asexual community about antiblackness. Directly feeling like they are attacked by a post that is only for white and white centered poc that have not unlearned white supremacy.
Some random really resonating with a "please don't be racist" to the point that they feel attacked. And they are telling me a fucking poc to hold and coddle their hand into being not racist. These people complain about straight and LGBTQ members but don't see these people going out their way to send documents or link on how not to be. Why are you asking for someone to pick you up on your big boy feet and show you how to treat people normal?
And the "they are targeting poc too", was when I talked about proximity to whiteness. Everything here is white centered.
Now I'm supposedly a bully for telling a kid whose decided to center themselves on a positivity post about black people, not to wait til they are 18 to start helping black people. Now they went ahead and decided to delete my post because they are white people who think they are justified cause they see someone calling out the antiblackness and it's making them uncomfortable.
All of it tone policing, all of it because they are uncomfortable, all of it because they are white and white centered. White people push back no matter what. Because they can't comprehend that being racist isn't a big bad wolf in the closet. It's humans.
Nazis were still regular people, racist can't comprehend that you can be an average loser and still be racist.
Stop asking poc to give you references
Stop asking poc to tone police
Stop asking poc to considered your feelings when we are talking about a topic that kills black women, children, queers, trans, and men.
Believe it or not, racist have the easy part. Just coming to terms with being racist and changing. But that's big and scared and we need to coddle white centered people and not the Lynchings to black people that have been happening or the fact that we have a white nationalist group that's comfortable out in the open.
Grow thicker skin. Black people are being directly attacked everyday because white people need to take a full week of the internet because someone called them racist.
You have no reason for push back when it comes to uplifting a community where you don't even belong. People still fight for ICE, people still advocate for Palestine and Sudan.
And you can't even advocate for a community that has been an integral part of the community.
Always uplift black people. This is how white people abuse the power when they feel targeted.
every now n then i think about how native americans as human beings just dont exist in like 99% of mainstream media. in movies or tv shows or books or video games or you know even in porn like we just arent people. when theres a native character theyre like a wild west indian. like truly to ppl we all died back in the 1900s.
The warmth of the crackling hearth reflected off the stone walls of your cottage, mingling with the faint aroma of tea. You sat on the low sofa, legs tucked beneath you, idly tracing the hem of your blanket with your fingers.
It was a peaceful evening, one of those nights youâd come to cherish. No storms, no chases, no battles. Just home, and just him.
Ace was sprawled across the floor like a lazy flame. His serpentine lower half, scales the color of burnished copper coiled around the table and vanished toward the fireplace where the heat was most intense.
His upper body was human, leaning against the sofa beside you. His hair was a mess, his face wearing a calm smile. A "Fire Naga," he would call himself with a smirk, but at home, he was simply Ace. Your Ace.
âYouâre such a cold-shell,â he teased softly as you pulled the blanket tighter.
âAnd youâre a walking fireplace,â you shot back, the corners of your mouth twitching.Â
You placed a palm on his arm. A pleasant heat radiated from his skin, never scorching, always exactly what you needed. He had learned that restraint just for you.
Ace shifted, his tail sliding lazily closer to the sofa, scales rasping softly against the wood. He reached up, gently brushing a stray lock of hair from your face. His touch was warm and tender.
âYouâre tired,â he said quietly. It wasnât a question.
âJust a long day. Everything was just⊠a lot.â You sighed, resting your forehead against his shoulder.
Ace smiled and drew you closer. His body slowly coiled around you, not tight, but protective. His tail formed a warm circle that made you feel utterly safe. It felt like being held in a nest.
âYouâre home now,â he murmured. âYou donât have to be strong all the time.â
You closed your eyes, letting the rhythm of his breathing lulled you. The fire popped in the grate, and outside the window, the wind howled. But inside, there was only stillness.
âYou know,â you began hesitantly, âsometimes I feel like you donât actually need me. Youâre warmth itself. Fire. Power.â
Ace let out a low, soft laugh. He pulled you tighter, his arms locking around your waist as he tucked his head into the crook of your neck. His hair tickled your skin.
âJust because I donât need someone elseâs warmth doesnât mean I donât want your cuddles,â he said.
You laughed, feeling a lump of affection rise in your throat. You ran a hand through his hair, stroking it gently.
âGood,â you whispered. âBecause I want yours, too.â
Ace let out a contented hum, his tail twitching slightly in response to your touch. The scales under your fingers were smooth and warm. Long ago, you had stopped fearing his fire and his form. You loved him exactly as he was, flames, coils, and all.
âWill you stay here with me?â you asked after a moment. âAt least for tonight.â
He looked at you with that soft gaze he reserved only for you.
âAlways,â he answered without a second's hesitation.
You eventually moved fully onto the sofa. Ace carefully folded his length so you could lean back against his chest. His tail wound around the couch and the blankets, as if anchoring you both in place. You lay against his heart, listening to its steady thrum.
âRemember when we first met?â he asked softly.
âHow could I forget? You nearly burned my house down.â You smiled against his skin.
âThat was an accident,â he defended himself playfully. âAnd you werenât afraid of me for even a second.â
âI didnât have to be,â you replied simply.
Ace fell silent, pressing you closer. His warmth flooded through you until you felt like you were melting. It wasnât the fire that warmed you most, it was the closeness.
Outside, the wind died down and the fire began to fade into embers. Ace swayed his tail slightly, rocking you. Your eyelids grew heavy, but before you drifted off, you felt a soft kiss atop your head.
âGoodnight,â he whispered.
You smiled, curled up in his arms home in a warmth that wasn't just fire, but love. And a memory of your first meeting flickered in your mind...
Flashback
It was a wild storm. Rain hammered the roof and the wind whipped branches against the windows. You had just returned from a neighbor's house, soaked to the bone, and were slowly opening the door to shed your cloak.
In moment, you heard a rustle and a faint scuffle. Something was inside. Your heart raced, and before you could call out, you found yourself face-to-face with something you had never seen before.
A serpentine body, copper scales glinting in the flashes of lightning, and the head of a young man with fiery hair, looking every bit as terrified as you were.
âUh⊠sorry, I didnât mean to-â he started, but your gaze dropped to a small fire that had suddenly sprouted on the rug where he was trying to hide.
âYouâre⊠youâre burning my house down!â you cried out.
Ace turned bright red, or perhaps his scales were just glowing with heat as he frantically waved his hands to smother the flames.
The rain drummed, the wind roared, and here was this fire naga, trying desperately not to ignite anything flammable. You didn't know whether to be scared, fascinated, or laugh at the absurdity of it.
âI⊠I was just hiding from the storm,â he mumbled. âI didn't want anything to happenâŠâ
He was wet, exhausted, and clearly hungry. Something in his voice made you soften.
âOkay⊠okay, just⊠don't move,â you said, half-pulling him toward the hearth, where you tried to dry his scales without letting them catch fire.
And so it began. Not with a romantic encounter under a starlit sky, but with a minor disaster on your doorstep.
Him, panicked and clumsy and you, half-frightened and half-fascinated. Yet, even then, there was something gentle in his eyes that pulled you in.
I see people are getting a little too comfortable with me so let me reiterate this.
I support black queers
I support black mental health
I support black outrage
I support black anger
I support the black experience
I support black lives
Don't ever pretend the black experience is anything that should not be taken seriously. And you do not have to be in a group to understand the pain. I'm happy to live and thrive without the existence of racist people around me.
Racism against Indians is actually a little insane when you consider how widespread it is even among liberals and leftists . Even people who consider themselves to be progressive will laugh at call center or tech support jokes. All scammers are inherently indian. Itâs okay to laugh at jokes making fun of Indians for their feelings towards animals or how they drive. India is inherently backwards and dirty so itâs okay to make jokes about getting food poisoning from even looking at indian food
