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Episode 6: Miss Elle’s Guide to the Emmys! The 2012 Emmy...

Sun, 22 Jul 2012 18:27:34 -0400

Episode 6: Miss Elle’s Guide to the Emmys!

The 2012 Emmy nominations were announced last week and if you’re not a huge TV buff like me, you might not be up to date with all of the future winners. Don’t worry, I got you! Here’s a quick guide on what to expect from the Emmys this year (and every year.)

Subscribe to me on Youtube (if you wanna!)/Contribute to Explain This!

Thanks for watching!

arulpragasams: Okay, so. I just finished watching Michael Moore’s Bowling for Columbine because I’m...

Tue, 10 Jul 2012 05:42:02 -0400

arulpragasams:

Okay, so. I just finished watching Michael Moore’s Bowling for Columbine because I’m weak for a good documentary and also when I was in the ninth grade I was obsessed with cults/Columbine (not the white kids, mind you, but like—the media surrounding the affair. Very fascinating what a culture of fear will get you.)

Anyway, people in 2002 were really bold, you know that? Michael Moore spends the majority of the documentary going around and asking white people what they thought led to the Columbine shootings. That famous gifset of Marilyn Monroe talking about the “culture of fear” comes from this documentary; I feel like he’s the one who truly got it right, but that’s only because I’m a cynical bitch.

But anyway, he asks all these white surburbanites what contributes to school shootings and they all give really bullshit reasons, most of them implying racism or are just plain racist. What really interests me is when Moore interviews the creator/producer of COPS at the time, who says he doesn’t believe that showing primarily black/Latino suspects on his show leads to a stereotype that demonizes/criminalizes black/Latino people. Like anyone with an extensive knowledge of history and race relations in this country knows that fear of POC is an inherent backbone in the media + in capitalism; the culture of fear in general is propelled by the fear of the unknown/of being hurt + since America’s society isn’t so greatly infused w/ POC culture, POC are constantly the unknown. The Islamphobia found in aftermath of the 2001 attacks is a great example of what this looks like blown up to the millions.

I don’t pay a lot of attention to the Second Amendment or gun rights because I’m not really interested in the bullshit reasons white people use for owning guns. Safety is the keyword here, but it doesn’t stick for me. If we’re talking about a low-income neighborhood in Detroit where the police don’t even show up anymore, then we can talk about safety. But the majority of the white people discussing safety and the right to protect their own lived in neighborhoods where crime was not easily found unless the residents were creating it themselves.

Read More

There are some fucked up subreddits:

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 17:58:30 -0400

trigger warning for anti-trans* slurs + violence

abaldwin360:

thisgingersnapsback:

afternoonsnoozebutton:

r/rapingwomen: Readers that love rape.

r/beatingtrannies: Saying the word “Tranny” is the same as murdering a homosexual. It’s true! Try it. Feels good, man.

r/SexyAbortions: Pictures of sexy abortions from your fap folder.

r/BeatingCripples: Post your favorite cripple gore! Discuss your hatred of the handicapped with like-minded individuals.

r/beatingwomen: Give and get advice on what to do about back talk. Share your favorite Irish sunglasses stories.

(Honorable mentions to r/CreepShots and r/KillingWomen. Sign the petition to remove these petitions that promote abuse, hate, and sexualized violence here.)

Oh my god, signal fucking BOOST.

Sign the petition!

jsmooth995: jsmooth995: On Frank Ocean’s Independence...

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 14:42:10 -0400

jsmooth995:

jsmooth995:

On Frank Ocean’s Independence Day

Also check out dream hampton and Nitsuh Abebe on the topic, if you missed them.

Wonderful video from JSmooth as always, folks. I encourage everyone to check it out!

One thing that does perplex is me is one of the initial reactions Smooth has to Ocean coming out; although I can understand the idea of being wary against the more nefarious ways artists self-promote, I can’t imagine anyone confusion coming out with self-promotion. Maybe it’s because I’m queer and therefore biased against the logic that being publicly queer in any space (not just hip-hop or rap, despite whatever the media would have you believe)—but as dream hampton pointed out in her letter on Jay-Z’s blog, plenty of artists have seen the downfall of their careers right over the shoulder of their coming out stories. Had Ocean really been looking for a way to promote his upcoming album, coming out would not be the way to do it.

On the night Ocean came out, I wrote a post that clearly showed how I was all up in my queer feelings, and someone reblogged it with the same sentiments Smooth showed above—except the person in mind wasn’t really wary so much as cynical. There was an obvious difference of wanting to protect one’s self as a consumer (what I feel like Smooth was doing here) and writing off the artist completely (what the aforementioned was doing there.) It’s really shocking to me that people still view sexuality as a publicity stunt—not because sexuality isn’t important but because it it is too personal to be anything as open and as demanding as publicity stunt.

As far as the Nicki Minaj affair goes: I really want people to realize that I am probably always going to give her the benefit of the doubt. I’m not condoning or demonizing her transition from bisexual to straight, because sexuality is pretty fluid and people do tend to fuck up sometimes. I’ve fucked up plenty of times on my way to being what I am now, and things can get confusing. I’m not totally comfortable with likening Minaj’s transition to a publicity stunt. Is there a probability of it? Of course, but that’s pretty much only for Minaj to know at this point.

Episode 5: Miss Elle on Blocking the Vote! Think you have the...

Sun, 08 Jul 2012 17:00:36 -0400

Episode 5: Miss Elle on Blocking the Vote!

Think you have the right to vote? Think again! There’s been a lot of talk about voters suppression bills on Tumblr, so I’m here to help you through them. Know your states’ laws & get yourself registered!

Sources: 1, 2, 3

Subscribe to me on YouTube (if you wanna!)/Contribute to Explain This!

Thanks for watching! Feel free to pass it around!

"Anyone who believed your voice could make a difference, I want to reaffirm your belief: You made..."

Sat, 07 Jul 2012 05:52:57 -0400

“Anyone who believed your voice could make a difference, I want to reaffirm your belief: You made this happen.”

- President Obama, signing a bill just now to prevent student loan interest rates from doubling. Tumblr, he means you. Keep it up. (via barackobama)

humanformat: [Image: A graphic entitled “The 11 Best...

Fri, 06 Jul 2012 12:00:22 -0400

humanformat:

[Image: A graphic entitled “The 11 Best Representatives For Gay Rights”. Beneath are eleven portrait photos of the following: Rep. Pete Stark, an older white man in a suit. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, a blonde white woman. Rep. John Lewis, a smiling middle aged Black man. Rep. Edolphus Towns, a middle aged Black man. Rep. Lynn Woolsey, an older white woman. Rep. Barbara Lee, a middle aged Black woman. Rep. Raul Grijalva, an older Latino, Rep. Keith Ellison a relatively young Black man, Rep. Bob Filner, a middle aged white man and Rep. Tammy Baldwin, a middle aged white woman.]

inflateablefilth:wretchedoftheearth:cgdageek:think-progress:

We name the 11 most pro-gay U.S. representatives. Read more about their great LGBT records.

Last week, we named 7 most anti-gay Republicans.

Please note how many of them are People of Color…

^This.

If I have to hear one more white queer person going on about “minority communities being inherently more homophobic than white communities” I’m going to…I don’t know what I’ll do, but it’ll probably be highly amusing and slightly illegal.

and PS: the 7 most anti-gay republicans? ALL WHITE.

This post is like one big “fuck you” to Dan Savage. I love it.

"An even bigger issue is that if people think social justice is about niceness, it means they have..."

Fri, 06 Jul 2012 05:46:02 -0400

“An even bigger issue is that if people think social justice is about niceness, it means they have fundamentally misunderstood privilege. Privilege does not mean you live in a world where people are nice to you and never insult you. It means you live in a world in which you, and people like you, are given systematic advantages over other people. Being marginalised does not mean people are always nasty to you, it means you live in a world in which many aspects of the cultural, social and economic systems are stacked against people like you. Some very privileged people have had awful experiences in life, but it does not erase their privilege.”

- The Revolution Will Not Be Polite (via hiphopcheerleader)

Settling in for a long night of research and note taking. Tomorrow is film day and I have three...

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 23:09:52 -0400

Settling in for a long night of research and note taking. Tomorrow is film day and I have three videos to do for Miss Elle! EXCITED TBH

Hope everyone is enjoying their night! I’m gonna fill up the queue again so you all have some cool stuff to look at until Sunday. Have a good night! :)

"I am sorry that the world is such a hateful, spiteful place."

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 05:50:56 -0400

dolgematki:

Now let’s get to the core of this mother of all fauxpologies ever uttered in any medium, format or language.

Whoever says anything like this by way of an apology isn’t interested in taking responsibility for anything, including their own very specific actions that they were actually called out on, at all. That much is clear to anybody, because nobody asked them to apologise for “the world”.

And another thing that bothers me about statements like “it’s the way of the world”, “the world’s fucked up” etc. is the language that is intended to shift any/all responsibility and complicity from the speaker to something much bigger that they could not possibly change by themselves, as if they were even asked to go against something like that.

Newsflash:

We are the fucking world. The world in these statements is made up of people who just try to get by and make the best of whatever they’ve got. And yes, sometimes circumstances are overwhelming. Sometimes there are no good options. That is real and those situations need to be dealt with differently.

But even so they do not cancel out the ultimate responsibility of the person who is faced with the choice of what to do, how to act, what to say. And few and far between are the people on tumblr who do not have a choice or power over what they themselves are doing.

The Internet is one of the few places in which you have TOTAL FUCKING CONTROL over your own output. Think about that for a second before you blow up people’s ask boxes or comment threads with fauxpologies over how there is racism in the world or some shit like that. Nobody asked for it, and nobody certainly needs another white opinion on the matter.

I see white people blaming “the world” for their ignorant, racist and hurtful actions against POC online all the damn time and let me tell you, you insipid little bitches, it just doesn’t work that way.

Who do you choose to be? Who is it you are?

Because if “the world” is really preventing you from seeing how you have hurt another person (unwittingly or not) and apologizing for that, you’re a fucking sheep.

Another reason why I personally deliberately avoid thinking about injustice on broad terms like “the world” is because of the feeling of powerlessness that it often engenders because it’s not the job of one person to change it all. There’s the danger of totally losing perspective of what I can personally, actually, really do that will have a positive effect and thereby change at least a small part of the world better.

So think about it.

numol: numol: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1009464&...

Wed, 04 Jul 2012 17:56:08 -0400

numol:

numol:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1009464&l=cd98d31ec9&id=339090676148507

text in image:

Florida State Conference of the NAACP and The Jacksonville Branch

FREE MARISSA
MARISSA ALEXANDER IS INNOCENT!

Handed a 20 Year Mandatory Sentence for Defending Herself From an Abusive Husband

Victim of Domestic Violence

MARCH & RALLY
FRIDAY, JULY 13, 2012
8:30am to 12:00pm

Join the NAACP and other organizations to demand justice.

Speakers, Musical Tributes & Much More

Line-Up for March:
Begins at 9am
Hemming Plaza
135 Monroe Street West
Jacksonville, FL 32202

Rally After March:
Hemming Plaza
135 Monroe Street West
Jacksonville, FL 32202

For More Information:
Call - Isaiah Rumlin • 904-764-1753
Or log on to www.Justice4Marissa.com

donations: http://justiceformarissa.blogspot.com/2012/06/donations-for-marissa-alexander-legal.html

Marissa Alexander is very fortunate to have a great team of Pro Bono attorneys however; there are many additional legal expenses. Donations for Marissa Alexander’s Legal Defense are now tax deductible. (June 6, 2012)

Payments are accepted via several methods:

US Mail - paper checks
Global Alliance, Inc.
For: The Marissa Alexander Legal Defense Fund
Global Alliance, Inc.
P.O. Box 290956
Columbia, SC 29229

Pay Pal

We Pay

direct link to the WePay page: https://www.wepay.com/donations/178785

PayPal link is on the right column of the blog.

twitter page: https://twitter.com/#!/FreeMarissa

petition: http://www.change.org/petitions/free-marissa-alexander [WARNING for details of domestic violence]

[queued post]

grrlyman: objectimpermanence: found this on the side of a...

Wed, 04 Jul 2012 12:00:06 -0400

grrlyman:

objectimpermanence:

found this on the side of a house in halifax. go halifax.

Quote from Mark Aguhar, These are the axes

Rest in power, darling.

Last night about broke my heart.

Wed, 04 Jul 2012 05:43:23 -0400

karnythia:

thisgingersnapsback:

So we’re all familiar with how horrible my job is, right? And I mean, I’m not talking about what I have to do—that’s a breeze. It’s the people I work with, the people I work for, and the environment I work in. It’s all toxic, toxic, toxic.

Last night was just sad.

It was late, which is when most mothers with W.I.C. will come in the store. I’ve always had suspicions that this was because they felt embarrassed or ashamed for having to use WIC, and since running WIC checks usually takes a long time, practically everyone in the nearby area is aware how they’re paying for the food they’re getting.

Well, last night my suspicions came true.

A very young mother and her mother came through my checklane late last night, probably around 10pm. “This is our first time,” the older woman explained as her daughter loaded the belt up with WIC-approved groceries. “We’ve never done WIC before—so we’re sorry if we messed it up.”

I told her it was absolutely fine—I get first-timers all the time, and it’s nothing to worry about. She seemed surprised by how friendly I was, so I kept it up—I was already liking these two women a lot, they seemed like genuine, caring and friendly people, so being super nice to them wasn’t a problem.

“I’m just—embarrassed,” the younger woman said quietly, looking behind her mother at the growing line of customers behind them. And I knew what to expect, I knew that I’d be hearing the customers behind them complaining—usually loud enough for those buying with WIC to hear—and my heart sank.

“It’s why we came in so late,” her mother chimed in, “I told her, you know, there’d be less people here.”

“That’s awful.” Was all I could think to say for the moment. I continued through the checks, moving quickly (I like getting them through fast to avoid the biting comments customers behind them sometimes have to say, but it doesn’t always work) and just couldn’t help it anymore. “It’s so stupid,” I said abruptly. I probably sounded angry, and the two women looked surprised. “No, it really is. I love WIC, it’s absolutely awesome. I have family members and friends who use it, and it’s a great program. But people want to automatically judge anyone who walks in here and uses it, like they’re lazy or something, and it’s not okay.”

The older woman agreed, “We tried this once before, across the street, but the cashiers were so nasty, we left. And my daughter—she works HARD,” her voice got a bit louder, and she shot looks at the customers behind her, as if to say “I dare you to say one word about her.” She shook her head. “She has a job, she has a family, and she just needs a little help, that’s it. Just a little help. She’s not some freeloader like people think.”

I nodded, and proceeded to keep my mouth closed. Not because I disagreed obviously, but rather because if I began talking about it too, I would get heated and wouldn’t shut up.

I continued with the checks, still moving quickly, and at the end the two women thanked me profusely. Before they left, the young mother stopped and asked, “What nights are you here?”

I told her, and realized I’d probably be seeing a lot more of her. And from what I hear, this isn’t uncommon—mothers on WIC will look for particular cashiers and attendants who they feel comfortable with, who they’re not afraid of being judged or scorned for needing a leg up.

And that just broke my heart. The state of things, where it’s so accepted to make fun of, look down upon, and even apparently openly mock and scorn mothers for using WIC that the goddamn cashiers will do it. And these mothers are too ashamed and embarrassed to file a complaint—and even if one is made (I’ve seen it happen once when feathers got SERIOUSLY ruffled) no one takes it seriously.

Just, no. Fucking no. If you’re one of these people who has the “If you can’t feed ‘em, don’t breed ‘em!” fucked up mentality, go drive off a cliff. I hate you. I hate you with every fibre of my being. These mothers NEED assistance. And you’re probably the same goddamn mouth-breathers who hate abortion or birthcontrol or at least coverage for either one—you just want more and more excuses to hate on these mothers, these women*, these people who need help. I mean, fucking hooray that you’re not in their situations, because you probably couldn’t handle the emotional strain that a fucking SHOPPING TRIP puts on them.

And if you work in a grocery store, or any store that accepts EBT, WIC, etc., and you see this kind of behaviour among your co-workers, STOP IT IN IT’S TRACKS. Tell them THIS IS NOT OKAY. Even if someone is selfish and cruel enough to want to act on these fucked up ideas of harassment, they should be professional enough to keep their attitudes to themselves or they should lose their fucking jobs if they can’t.

Sorry for this long rant, but just… Ugh. It broke my heart and disgusted me, and made me realize why a lot of the WIC customers I check out are repeated customers who will wait in a giant line for me rather than a shorter line for someone else—sure, it’s nice to think that it’s just because they like me, but now their actions and preferences hold a much different, much more saddening reality.

Seriously, if you begrudge people food there’s something deeply wrong with you as a person & you should get that shit checked out.

How undocumented youth can apply for work visa

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 18:02:02 -0400

How undocumented youth can apply for work visa:

dreamactnow:

Pass it around! I will post more as it becomes available.

On POC, Collective Memory & the Media

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 16:08:17 -0400

I’m not sure if anyone following me here follows Dionthesocialist, but last night he witnessed the aftermath of a boy being shot two doors down from his home. I haven’t really been following it on account of my own emotional/mental safety, but anyone who would like details is welcome to read his blog (TW for murder.)

There has already been news stories about the incident and of course, they are less than true. I really think any of person of color is well acquainted with the way media has been able to spin the truths of our deaths in ways that have been unfair and dehumanizing. Trayvon Martin is a recent example, but not even the epitome in which the ways the American media is capable of spinning on our deaths on us.

But to be honest, I think this is the first time everyone is getting and up & personal taste of how it really works. The contrast is really amazing, I think. It’s cognitive dissonance at its finest—here’s what you know & here’s what they tell you. This is what you believe & this is what they want you to believe. Our first instincts as American citizens and as people well acquainted with American media is to take everything at face value. We know of bias, but we generally believe that the media cannot tell lies.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about a person of color’s relationship with media & especially the news. There’s a lack of trust there, along with a lack of representation, a frustration with said representation if it happens, and a general sense of anxiety and fear. You want to be represented but you’re afraid in which you will be or if you will be at all. I can’t speak for the entire community and honestly don’t want to; I can only speak of my experiences and know that for the first time in a long time, I was really fighting a lot of my ingrained instincts as I watched this story unfold. From the incident to the aftermath to the headlines the next morning, I had to keep checking in with myself. This is what happened. This is what happened. They are lying.

Is this how a community feels after a tragedy? It must be hard to grapple with what you all collective know and what the media will tell about your neighborhood. I don’t know, I feel very strange. I’d like to keep following this, but I’m not sure if I really can.

"In order to be a Queen, gather your resources, your allies, and especially your mind: that is all..."

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 11:56:31 -0400

“In order to be a Queen, gather your resources, your allies, and especially your mind: that is all you need. Do things that make you feel at the top of the world: dress the way you want, eat what you want, consume media that you want to consume, and feed the feelings of greatness by continuing to do those things. Be your own cheerleader, have additional cheerleaders, and make them eat it. The world is yours.”

- Compact Fuku: Make Them Eat It: Giving No Fucks & Taking Charge of Your Life (via bouvier)

ACLU: Stop And Frisk Fact Sheet

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 05:57:00 -0400

jalwhite:

NYPD’s Over-reliance on Stop and Frisk

The NYPD stopped, questioned and/or frisked over 508,540 people in 2006, an increase from just 97,296 in 2002.

Even using “the most liberal assumptions” about the national average when it comes to the rate of the public’s contact with police officers, the Rand Corporation’s study notes, New York should have had “roughly 250,000 to 330,000 stops rather than the 500,000 stops actually recorded.”

Only 10 percent of stops led to summonses or arrests. The overwhelming majority of New Yorkers questioned and frisked by the NYPD were engaged in no criminal wrongdoing.

As compared to a 1999 study by then Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, which reported that police stopped nine people for each arrest they made, twice as many people now are being stopped for each arrest.

Disproportionate Stops of People of Color

89 percent of those stopped in 2006 were people of color. 55 percent of the stops were of black people – more than double their percentage of the population – and 30 percent were of Latinos.

Stops of whites, who number about 3.6 million according to recent census estimates, amounted to only 2.6 percent of the white population. By contrast, stops of blacks, who number about 2.2 million people, represented 21.1 percent of the entire black population.

Residents of Brownsville’s 73rd Precinct and Harlem’s 28th Precinct had a 30 to 36 percent chance of being stopped and questioned by police in 2006. Citywide, the average was about 6 percent.

A total of 2,756 cops filed 54 percent, or approximately 274,000, of all stop-and-frisk reports in 2006. Of that group, 15 percent, or about 413 officers, stopped no whites.

Disproportionate Outcomes of Stops for People of Color

In 2006, 21.5 blacks were stopped for each arrest of a black person as opposed to only 18.2 whites stopped for each white arrest.

Cops found guns, drugs, or stolen property on whites about twice as often as they did on black suspects.

Whites were stopped on suspicion of possessing a weapon at a rate lower than their weapon-possession arrest rate. Blacks were stopped on suspicion of possessing a weapon at a rate greater than their weapon-possession arrest rate. These findings indicate that cops were more often unjustified in stopping black people on suspicion of having weapons.

Disproportionate Use of Force on People of Color

Police used force – i.e. handcuffing, frisking, drawing weapon, restraining – about 50 percent more often on blacks than on whites in 2006.

45 percent of blacks and Latinos who were stopped were also frisked, compared with only 29 percent of whites.

Sources Used:
Gardiner, Sean. “Frisk Management.” Village Voice, 11 December 2007.
NYPD Stop, Question, and Frisk Reports, 2006 and 2007.
Ridgeway, Greg. Analysis of Racial Disparities in the New York Police Department’s Stop, Question, and Frisk Practices. Santa Monica, CA: Rand Corporation, 2007.

Click here to download a PDF copy of the fact sheet.

Why "Transgender" is Better Than "Transgendered"

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 18:00:02 -0400

kiriamaya:

stfuconservatives:

epochryphal:

It’s largely linguistic in reasoning!

The -ed removes agency and passivizes the modified subject. That morpheme suggests that the subject is operated upon, transgender-ed, by something (presumably society), and is thus altered from an original (“normal” - cisgender) state.
As evidence: there is a fairly common faulty back-formation, the verb “to transgender,” from “to be transgendered.” This is sometimes used to mean “to transition,” which is a mistaken meaning of what transgender means anyway.

This phrasing basically posits nurture over nature (regardless of the individual’s personal feelings on their identity’s source), suggests being transgender is a result of brainwashing/group-think or faulty raising or some sort of change, and leads to a pathologizing and “cure”-based approach.

Of course any individual may prefer transgendered to transgender! I have heard some folks speak up and say that they do indeed feel society made them this way. Completely valid.
But as a universal application, it is far less neutral and leaves trans folks less room to position themselves, and honestly gives people the wrong overall impression and gives media pundits a subtle way to continue painting trans people as passive victims and objects.

It may not be a big issue, but it definitely does influence how people think, however subtly. Language is tricky that way!

A few of you sent me this link — thank you! Googling “transgender versus transgendered” didn’t bring it up. I knew it was “transgender” but I couldn’t figure out how to explain it. Many thanks to all the folks who helped me out :)

Oooh, this is a really good explanation.

babsissuchafuckinglady: stopracismandhomophobiaongrindr: The...

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 06:00:01 -0400

babsissuchafuckinglady:

stopracismandhomophobiaongrindr:

The first thing out of this mouth is NO ASIANS. Which is pathetic considering the FACT that Asians are not knocking down the doors to get to him

I’ll change your life…Literally.

watch him say it’s just a preference.

fuck you and your bitchassness

Found this great blog yesterday. I encourage everyone to get a look at it so we can all start having real conversations about the homophobia and racism prevalent in the queer community. Given the Sharon Needles situation, I think it’s an important conversation to have.

I’ve been on a positive tip lately, especially in regards...

Sun, 01 Jul 2012 18:01:44 -0400

I’ve been on a positive tip lately, especially in regards to Miss Elle and my other projects. What is everyone out there doing to stay positive? I think I’ll take Beyonce’s advice and regulate the self-pity to one day out of the year! There are so many better things I could be doing.