#systematic oppression

[afriblaq]

How many people need to die at the hands of police before we realize promising to give police total immunity is a dangerous idea? (warning: distressing)

@NowThisImpact.

[tavern-get-togethers]

Did you know that there is no accurate way to document or classify which minority group is most oppressed within society (if not for the fact that a global universal society does not exist and varies greatly per location)? And that it's useless to try and argue back and forward about 'who has it worse'?

It's comparing apples to oranges.

A trans white woman with a prosthethic limb living in the United States wont experience the same as a developmentally disabled blind black agender person living in Pakistan. And there isn't really a point trying to make these people compete with eachother to figure out who suffers the most. It's also entirely dependent on the community a person lives in and whether someone has access to acceptance, accomodations, protection, love, food, shelter, peace, autonomy, healthcare, job opportunities, etc.

So instead of throwing other minority groups under the bus to try and get people to listen to our suffering (which is real suffering that deserves to be listened to) we need to focus on changing the oppresive systems in place by voting for representatives that want to change outdated and bigoted laws and by showing up at protests and signing petitions. By educating others about injustice taking place. By participating in our local community, by supporting the people in our direct environment. By standing together with communities we aren't a part of in solidarity. Even if we don't know what it's like to live in their shoes.

[novella-november]

Two videos that are now required viewing for anyone that wants to try to dismiss the harm of racist stereotypes in media, or say that media is never political. These two videos are the *minimum* you can do as an aspiring, non-Black writer to *start* to unlearn harmful thinking patterns and sterotypes, and make you more aware of them when you encounter them in media you consume, as well as media you create.

[in-every-breath-i-seek-you]

Listo enfermo, lunara y Tumblr Home son malas comunidades, ahora pasa la página y deja de molestar no te unirás a ellas porque son malas, no le darás importancia porque se supone son espacios que para ti no aportan nada.

Pasa la página y ya sigue tu vida, con tu blog y cosas no molestes a los demás. Enfermo

Spanish Version: El Postureo de la Falsa Academia y las Cuentas Fantasma

El anónimo que ha llegado a mi bandeja de entrada no es más que el reflejo perfecto de lo que son estas dos comunidades: un intento desesperado de aparentar una superioridad intelectual que, en realidad, nadie tiene. Da bastante pena ver cómo intentan insultar la inteligencia de todo el mundo en Tumblr cuando sus propios espacios se están cayendo a pedazos. No estamos hablando de que sean comunidades un poco flojas o que tengan malas raras; la realidad es que son lo peor que hay ahora mismo en la plataforma en todos los sentidos, empezando por una administración nefasta cuyos niveles académicos dan bastante vergüenza y no cumplen ni de lejos con lo que prometen en sus descripciones.

Si uno rasca un poco la superficie de esos blogs, lo único que encuentra es puro humo y una obsesión enfermiza por los números de cara a la galería. Mantienen una cantidad ridícula de blogs fantasma completamente inactivos solo para hacer bulto en la lista de miembros y fingir que son una comunidad viva. Por si eso no fuera suficiente ridículo, meten a gente de fuera que ni siquiera habla español en comunidades que supuestamente nacieron para hablar de literatura hispánica. Todo esto lo hacen con el único objetivo de inflar las estadísticas y hacer que parezca que hay movimiento en los dashboards con publicaciones vacías que no aportan absolutamente nada. Han perdido por completo el norte y la verdadera razón de ser de estos espacios: crear una comunidad real, apasionada y seria en nombre de la literatura en español.

Tanto que se llenan la boca con la palabra "internacional" para justificar este desastre de organización, cuando lo único que demuestran es que no saben gestionar un espacio cultural. Si lo que tanto les emociona es ver banderas de diferentes países juntas, ver números fluctuar en una pantalla y pretender que forman parte de un evento global sin tener que usar una sola neurona, lo tienen muy fácil. En lugar de arruinar los espacios de literatura con su incompetencia y su falso bulto, lo que deberían hacer es apagarse la pantalla, salir a la calle, tocar un poco de hierba y ponerse a ver el Mundial de fútbol. Ahí tienen toda la internacionalidad que sus cuerpos necesitan, con transmisiones tanto en español como en inglés para que nadie se pierda. En el fútbol la masa y el ruido son la norma, y no hace falta fingir un nivel académico que claramente les queda demasiado grande.

English Version: The Flop Eras of Digital Fandoms and Ghost Blogs

The anonymous ask sitting in my inbox is honestly embarrassing, mostly because whoever sent it is trying to insult everyone’s intelligence on this platform while defending absolute clownery. Let’s be real for a second: the two communities being defended here aren't just hitting a rough patch—they are in their ultimate flop era. From the ground up, they are the absolute worst spaces on Tumblr right now. The administrative team claims to hold these incredibly high academic and literary standards, but in reality, their actual output doesn’t even hit the bare minimum of what anyone would expect from a basic high school book club.

The entire setup is a massive illusion built on inflated metrics and desperate clout-chasing. The dashboard is filled with ghost blogs that the mods keep on life support just to make the member count look impressive. To make matters even funnier, they are actively pulling in random foreign accounts who don't even speak the language into spaces that are strictly branded as Spanish literature communities. They are doing all of this just to artificially trigger the algorithm and manufacture fake activity. In doing so, they have completely abandoned the actual plot: building a genuine, meaningful community centered around a shared passion for Hispanic texts.

If the defense for this absolute mess is that they are trying to be a "global" or "international" space, they are completely missing the point. Throwing a bunch of random internet users into a blender to watch the posting numbers fluctuate isn't culture; it’s just desperate administrative mathematics. If you are that obsessed with seeing a superficial melting pot of different countries competing for attention, stop ruining literary spaces and just go watch the World Cup instead. You can tune into the English or Spanish broadcasts, eat some snacks, and enjoy a massive international crowd where nobody expects you to show any academic competence whatsoever. Leave the literature to people who actually care about the books, and go find a sports bar.

[this-is-infantilization]

Being told I was throwing a tantrum.

I was incredibly overstimulated, in pain from an RA and fibro flare up, hungry, having an allergic reaction from inhaling vapors from shrimp frying, and was promised a break only to be given work that made me skip it and unable to even order food because there were just so many customers that the register was never empty. I would likely end up spending my entire break waiting for food with no time to eat and the dining area where I was supposed to eat was filled with loud people taking up every single booth, leaving only tables that are incredibly small and painful for me to sit on.

Apparently I was being argumentative because I couldn’t think well enough to articulate why I was upset, and being a baby because my only method of dealing with severe stress and overstimulation is either hitting something or grabbing my face

So to them I guess it looked like I was having an argument and threw a tantrum when I couldn’t “win” or something?

This is infantilization of disabled people and systematic ableism.

You had a flare up, you weren't provided food in time, you coped with it as best as you could without harming anyone else. For then to treat you like a baby and then was systemically discriminated for it by it by giving you less work therefore making you losemoney, which with you being disabled could've left you homeless/without money for medical care/etc. As disabled people are much more susceptible of poverty. I'm so sorry this happened to you. If you're able and it wouldn't impact your source of income I'd suggest reporting it (I don't really know where as I'm not in the workplace, but this looks like a violation of your rights, at minimum the fact that they didn't warn you.)

Edit: Also as @sagethefae commented, the whole shrimp allergy is a huge violation if you've informed them. They should've warned you or smth. It's as far as I know a sue almost impossible to lose if you have proof. Sorry for forgetting, while writting it I completely missed that.

[afusionoffandoms]

Did you know that

It's only been 10 years since every transgender person in Norway had to undergo forced sterilisation in order to change their gender marker,

and till this day neither the state nor the singular hospital with a state sanctioned monopoly on all gender affirming care - the same ones who once tore organs out of trans people - (NBTK) have acknowledged or apologised for the systematic modern day eugenic practice which only ended in 2016? In fact the NBTK still lies on record about this not being forced or obligatory.

Norway continues to be one of the worst countries in Europe in regards to gender affirming care. While trans people are (still) free to use whichever bathroom they like, it takes on average over a decade for a trans person to get the gender affirming care they need, and only if they are:

Willing to lie about themselves and their identity at every corner

Presenting as binary as possible (makeup and skirts are mandatory for trans women, as an example)

Expressing bioessentialist views

Not suffering any mental illness such as depression or neurodivergencies

Willing to go through invasive and humiliating interviews*

As well as trials which can quite literally cost them their job, family and network**.

And only if you're a binary trans person, as the NBTK claims there's no scientific basis for providing non-binary people gender affirming care.

This has resulted in half of all Norwegian trans people paying out of pocket for their transition - often abroad - which makes transitioning a privilege reserved for the rich and those willing to put themselves in lifelong debt, and it especially hurts people in need of testosterone, as it is nearly impossible to DIY.

A fresh audit by an independent legal firm just concluded that the rights of transgender citizens are not upheld by the Norwegian healthcare system. The NBTK has yet to respond.

This while they've been in hot water for years already as the NBTK has already been found guilty of illegal and unethical research on transgender people and the misuse of their personal data without consent - or by blackmailing trans people by making them belive they will forfeit their access to healthcare if they decline. The case is still under works.

One of the leaders at NBTK, dr. Anne Wæhre, not only has a long history of lying to the public about all of this, but she has published works especially criticising the "epidemic" of AFAB trans people - calling them 'the nation's daughters' - even though the number of AFAB trans people is still far lower than AMAB trans people in their system. To make matters worse, she's known to associate with the anti-trans hate group SEGM, going so far as to attend their meetings and be a part of their panels, with Norwegian tax payers footing the bill.

The NBKT has stated on record that they are aware that they aren't following neither international nor national Standards of Care, claiming that their more conservative approach is better.

Universal healthcare does not fix systematic transphobia, or regrow the reproductive organs which were torn out. The EU's disapproval is meaningless, as we well know from various ongoing genocides.

When you fight for trans rights, keep Norwegian trans folks in mind too.

*it's not uncommon for healthcare providers at the NBTK to ask you invasive and irrelevant questions such as how distressed you are by your own body hair, and whether or not you fantasise about your parents while you masturbate.

**the most notorious of these trials is a "real life test" where the trans person is forced to be fully and completely out and "live as their perceived gender" without hormones, aids or support. This often results in trans people getting assaulted, raped, disowned, fired, made homeless, and it's terrible for one's mental health - which is especially damning when depression alone can be grounds for being declined gender affirming care. After all you're not sane of mind while depressed. This test is at minimum 12 months long, but can be much longer if the NBTK doesn't deem you "ready".

[rottingangelic]

this is something i've been thinking about for awhile

everybody loves our town, mark yarm (p385)

DIRT tour schedule.

very intense back to back shows.

NO REST IN BETWEEN.

no mental health breaks, no supervision.

we need to hold music corporate entities and management of these systems accountable. they obviously knew the kind of behavior that was going on, drugs and partying. this was not substantially discouraged.

in this environment, the only way to ensure the artists' health, and long term stability within the career, is to (at the very least) give adequate rest time beneath shows.

time to slow down, rest, get bored, balance with life again.

instead, a high intensity environment is created where self destruction is encouraged if not through verbal direction, through negligence, enabling, and lack of prioritization.

[this-is-lookism]

The amount of reality TV shows about cosmetic surgery.

Bridal Plasty, Let me in (Korean show that brought up abuse as a reason the women wanted to look "pretty"), My 600lb Life (was for health reasons but many people died after weight loss surgery and the show focused about their "transformation"), and so many more I likely don't know about.

(plus shows about specific people who needed surgeries because of deformations that presented these people as entertainment rather than documentaries about their experiences. still looksism but in the opposite direction (?) since these surgeries weren't cosmetic and were actually necessary for a better quality of life.)

This shows are inherently lookist.

I haven't seen any of these specifically, but this kind of reality TV shows are very common and I've found a lot of them with similar premises and they all fall in this saneist lookist ideology.

But I want to also talk a little about what they could've been. As a show talking about a specific topic doesn't inherently have issues portraying it —It certainly can, and commonly does, but it also always could have a lot of potential if done with good intentions and knowing about the demographic without dehumanizing them.

First with the plastic surgeries. Almost all of them are generally gender affirming care, be it trans or cis individuals alike. So they could've for one, gone in depth about how GAC is not a trans thing. And they could've also gone in depth about the intersection of the general idea, of this surgeries happening so often because of toxic social pressure and standards of commodifying people and making them have to fit into boxes of desirability. Which are always full of ableism, misogyny, racism, colorism, orientalism, antisemitism, classism, homophobia, transphobia, etc. But also the connection that us as individuals are often victim of this system, and the pressure and disadvantages of not following it are undeniable. So it's a much more nuanced topic than just, "cosmetic surgery bad" or "The cosmetic surgery industry is perfect!".

Then for the one about obesity. Extreme obesity can and often ends up being very disabling to a person. It reduces mobility extremely, like the ability to walk longer distances because of the weight the legs have to suspend. It reduces the ability of self care sometimes, making some parts of your body inaccessible when showering or to look for skin cancer for example. And it has it's own side effects in heart health and other organs. But apart from being able to give someone the support they need to live better, which is almost always partly losing weight, it's also very important to note why someone ends up like this. Why are the basic foods like vegetables and fruits so expensive? Why do people have so little time to actually cook? Why do people have so much bad mental health? Could the physical and mental health systems improve? Would that help? Giving support to people earlier? How do all of these intersection with class inequality, the lasting effects of segregation and slavery, abusive situations, etc? These are just some basic ideas. And it's already way better. Also, focusing on improving health and lived experience should always be the focus of this.

And regarding surgeries for deformities/disfigurements. It's important to note that still to this day, most surgeries on disabled people have other alternatives for improving life experience/pain relief. A lot of these surgeries aren't actually done with informed consent. As the patient isn't actually in the fully known of other alternatives and the pros and cons of each of them. But systematically, surgeries are recommended to "look more normal". Like how if you need braces medically, they most likely will insist on you using them until you have what's considered "perfect teeth", or how while they do that they can and even do without consent the act of shaving off your canines for it (as it happened to me, which I still I'm mad about as I loved my little fangs). So this should be present in any TV show about it.

These are just some general ideas of how a show about "X" could be done respectfully. But these aren't done for that. They're done to create impact. To surprise the audience. And to make this idea of "How sad they are, so naive/stupid/ugly! I'm glad these doctors are saving them!"