Studying sexism with Skyrim — Fus Ro Va! Gina!
“I’m not saying Bethesda condones sexism, merely that they passively stood by while it took place when they could have actively worked to change the course of gender politics in video games.
I would wager the same thing happened with Skyrim that happens with most fiction writing: they didn’t even consider strong, respectable female roles as a possibility in the first place. I wouldn’t blame them. They’d be traversing largely unexplored territory. It’s rare for a game where gender is chosen to have a trailer featuring the one with tits. It’s rare to see a respectable female give you orders. It’s rare to see a female partner to be considered an equal. Hell, so few developers have made a game featuring a main female character at all.
Every one of the major, negative trends listed above is seen within the game and its advertising. While Skyrim should be applauded and held aloft as an example of goodness for all it does different, we can see that there are still a great many attitudes to change, a great number of paths to forge, and we should just as well hold Skyrim – and the industry that birthed it, as well as the community that supports it — accountable for what hasn’t been done differently.”
The trailer for the documentary “Scarlet Road” about a sex worker who focuses on men who are mentally/physically/developmentally disabled. As a guardian/student teacher of people with disabilities, this brings tears to my eyes. I wish that my 20 year-old kid (actually sister, but I largely raised her) had this opportunity to experience sex in a safe and comfortable environment like the men in this vid. So many people think that mentally and physically disabled people don’t experience any sexual desire (even involved parents who are otherwise educated about said conditions). I try and combat this stereotype whenever I encounter it (resulting in lots of awkward impassioned speeches). This DOESN’T MEAN REPRODUCTION. I don’t want my sister to reproduce, as she neither likes children nor is capable of caring for them (plus odds are any offspring would have major developmental problems). I still want her to happily experience this major facet of the human experience though. (Plus I’d like to limit the number of times I walk in on her masturbating as it is mortifying). Individuals with disabilities fantasize about the same things the rest of us do, and shouldn’t have to live without the sex they desire simply because of the way they were born. I know of at least one disabled man who has a relationship with a female sex worker and he is one of the happiest disabled adults I know (which is at least 40 individuals). We all deserve to have that chance. Sorry for the meandering ruminations, but this is a subject I have felt passionate about for many years/I have had a few cocktails. If this raises problems for you, please respond, as I would love to have an honest, polite, conversation (made possible by the superficial anonymity of the internet) about this subject.
Recently watched this and it is fantastic, thought-provoking, and educational all rolled into one. I highly recommend anyone interested in sex positivism, sex work activism and/or disability watch for themselves.
This clip made me cry. Rachel is a goddess and a blessing for these people.
Oh, my heart.
ALL THE TEARS.
I’m also pretty sure that some of the fees are covered by insurance in some countries. So rad.
LGBT Exceptionalism is Alive and Well. ALERT: You can be gender variant and still be an ignorant racist.
I’m not trying to be more or less oppressed than someone. I think it’s foolish that we argue over such things. I was told that I can’t be a transgender representative because I’m not a trans person of color. I think that’s crap because I believe that anyone can be a trans representative. You do not even need to fall under the transgender umbrella to be a trans representative. It doesn’t matter what age you are, what your gender is, what your sexuality is, where you work, what you do, everyone is a representative if they are actively doing something for the community. You can even be a rep. just by living your life as out and going through your transition publicly, even if it’s just to your family, or to your friends, because you are educating the people around you and now they have become less ignorant to trans people.
So, you’re really just salty that there are people who want to hear trans* people of color speak? How sad. Trans* POC are BY FAR one of the most marginalized, disproportionately brutalized populations today. Don’t get all pissy because some people might want to hear what a trans* POC might have to say, as opposed to an ignorant white trans* hippy has to say.
I’m not arguing that there is no such thing as white privilege. I’m arguing that you can be white and still be a representative to the community. Like I said, it shouldn’t matter who you are or where you come from or what your race is. All you have to do is the right thing. I believe that everyone should be happy of where they came from. There are downsides to every single race.
Please tell me what the downside of being white is. PLEASE tell me what it’s like to live in a world that is tailored to your notions of racial normality. When is the last time you were assumed to be a delinquent because of your race? ignorant? inept? uneducated? When you see photos of cultural icons (i.e. Santa, Jesus, etc) please share with me what color they are? In the media, what is the disadvantage of being white? being portrayed as clean, pure, fair, upperclass? White folks ARE SO DISADVANTAGED GUISE.
There are downsides and upsides to everything. We cannot deny that. For example I’m sicilian, 100%. You wouldn’t believe how many times my family gets harassed for it. There are hundreds of people who think just because we are sicilian we must be mafia related. I wasn’t allowed to tell my grandfather that I am transgender. He doesn’t even know that I had surgery. I was shunned and harassed by my extended family because if I’m “Italian I shouldn’t be transgender.” It makes no sense. I don’t let things like this bring me down. I don’t throw a pity party.
Also, I don’t know when the battle changed from being about being a transgender representative to be less likely to be arrested. I was only arguing about the transgender representative part.
It’s definitely messed up that our society still contains so much racism. It goes both ways. It goes all ways. I watched the show “Black.White.” I took African American literature and History in High School. I finished the class with a 100% average. I definitely paid attention. I definitely learned a lot. In this class I learned that there are privileges to all races.
Lol, it’s nice that you watched a show and read some things, but you should probably read something about how reverse racism is NOT REAL. POC do not have the social clout to discriminate and oppress white folks as a community. To discriminate, you’ve got to have some social power. By insinuating that reverse racism is a thing at all, you erase the history and modern practices of institutionalized racism. If you learned that there are privileges to all races….that class was shit and was a lie. You didn’t learn what you thought you learned. This is coming from someone who ACTUALLY works with anti-racism programs, in addition to plenty of fancy classes and book-learnin on race.
I’m not in a battle to be more oppressed than someone else. I’m not in a competition. I’m not trying to throw some pity party or be in someone else’s. I’m just trying to do the right thing by standing up for the community. To the people that don’t want me to be your representative: There’s absolutely no reason why you can’t represent yourself. And I constantly say during my youtube videos and speeches that this is my own story, it’s not the story of any other specific trans person but myself, and it’s my own interpretation, it applies to only me. Most cases I’m just speaking for myself.
You’re certainly not invited to my pity party, because discussion of racism within POC communities are not pity parties at all. They are empowerment parties. Giving a name, clear history and language to our oppression helps us fight it. It’s naive white hippies like yourself that put a downer on it and try to take away our empowerment by discounting our experiences all together by claiming that SOMEHOW white folks have it bad too. Get the fuck out of here.
I didn’t chose to be white. Nobody chooses their skin color. I’m not going to feel guilty for being white because I have it “less worse” than someone else. I think that’s foolish. I think that it’s absolutely terrible that I am getting harassed based on something that I couldn’t decide or choose. What is even worse is that I’m getting harassed by people in my own community, people that know what harassment feels like. We should not harass each other. We should not judge each other. We need to all stand together and be one. If we are missing one person in this community we are worth so much less in the march to equality. We need everyone.
No one wants you to feel guilty. Two things (usually) happen when white folks hear about their whiteness.
1) Completely deny it and continue being ignorant fucks.
2) Replace their notions of white privilege with one/all of the following (all equally ridiculous):
a) we’re all human, man.
b) hey, don’t judge anyone, not cool.
c) i’m oppressed in other ways, that cancels out my whiteness, duh.
d) i don’t see race/we all bleed red/I’m a humanist/I’m color blind/etc.
AND In rare cases:
3) Accept the fact that white privilege exists. Noting that, though they themselves may have not owned slaves/beat up POC/etc, that it is their responsibility to actively combat and acknowledge their privilege every single day. This is doing their part to restructure society, instead of taking a lazy approach to it like you have.
You live in a fantasy world. This naive shit that you’re typing is coming out as ignorance. Simply because you’ve experience oppression in one form DOES NOT mean that you know everything about racial oppression. Some of the most racist folks I know are LGBT identified. I will harass you, I will harass anyone who is ignorant and who thinks they’re correct in their ignorance. I will harass anyone pushing the basic ass notions of social justice that serve to keep white folks comfortable and makes POC compromise on our comfort. I will call you the fuck out and hold you accountable.
If you’re a fierce advocate for trans* folks, fucking awesome. This doesn’t give you a free pass to spout off at the mouth like you know what that fuck you’re talking about when it comes to race. You do not know what it is like to be POC, and even more than that a queer POC. Queer white folks are so damn phony sometimes when it comes to social justice and race.
(Source: ryancassata, via ryancassata)
I need a cigarette stat.
One of my residents is rolling his own, and I’m about to be that girl who gives him a dollar for one.
I do not recognize “Black History Month.” I do my best to spend time and energy to recognize Black History…Period.
There are no time restraints to that…. It can certainly never fit inside of one month, once a year…
Black History is American History.
It’s also a history of great betrayal, suffering and pure hatred.
It’s also a history of innovation, strength and passionate endurance.
Black History is a history of survival in the face of a goliath called Imperial Whiteness.
Though I do believe it’s important to not place a time constraint on Black History, you better believe I’m going to be saturating my conversations, my papers, my e-mails, my social networking with Black History during February. I recognize it as an opportunity to start the conversation about “History Months” in general.
NEED INDIAN HIPSTER PICS TO REBLOG, HELP ME<333
Right????? SO FUCKING APPALLING.
WHAT??!?!?! Actually. Your blog needs to be reported or at least renamed “Racist Compilation of Appropriation.” “It’s fashionable”??? GTFO. Retagged as racist.
HOPEFULLY SO YOU CAN CALL THEM OUT ON BEING RACIST, OTHERWISE WTF WTF WTF
um how are they racist..? it’s fashionable
DYING
omfg stop reblogging this you guys are so stupid and sensitive get over it
i don’t get mad when people dress up pretending to be guidos omfg
LOL I CALL TROLL
1) Because I want to believe for a few seconds that people THIS fucking ignorant don’t exist and can only exist in pure imaginative satire.
2) Because that fucking blog is too perfectly basic: “I LOVE DA INDIANZ so let me bastardize your culture to my heart’s content”
Being proud of being white is like being proud of winning a figure skating competition in which you broke your opponent’s ankle with a tire iron before they could skate.
White people: when you say that shit, you become Tonya Harding.
Do you wanna be Tonya Harding?




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