23.01.11
I had a really interesting discussion about identity, self hate, cultural capital etc with my BFF today and it got me thinking of Margaret Bowland’s selection of paintings of young black girls in white face. When asked to comment on ‘Kenyetta and Brianna’ Bowland that ‘It is a commentary on how women still have to jump through all these hoops to be desirable. These girls are still visible beneath all those layers of crap … they’re still looking back at you.’ I think that a lot of black girls looking at Bowland’s paintings would say that the metaphor transcends beyond the art world. For many black girls Bowland’s paintings are a life metaphor - reflecting a reality where black girls are often marginalised by European standards of beauty. I agree with Cherise Kramarae when she states that ‘For women of color who are viewers, trying to achieve idealised femininity entails not only adjusting or refining one’s body, but also rejecting one’s identity and certain characteristics altogether. To resist this artificial standard is to stand apart from beauty as defined by society’. The frustrating thing for me is that even if you put the fact that there is very little aesthetic diversity across all media platforms to the side, in the black community we impose European standards of beauty on each other with a vengeance. It’s black men that make fun of Alek Wek and it’s black girls arguing about natural hair v relaxer/weave war (e.g ‘These little nappy headed hoes need a perminator’ - Nicki Minaj) etc. It’s this infighting that is the real tragedy.
Somebody told a lie and we believed it.
I love her work.
unreal
that's why god made escort agencies
If you’ve got a spare half hour, please spend it watching Penn & Teller call bullshit on creationism as a big fat lie. I particularly enjoyed Dwayne Gish’s proposal of presenting all SCIENTIFIC evidence for both evolution and creationism and having the students think critically. Unfortunately, most of their viewpoints are so warped that it wouldn’t have any significant effect. I relish the thought that someone would’ve taught me that way though; I hope it can be instigated for future generations…
The most ironic thing about Gish is that he’s part of the Institute for Creation Research, which has as its mission statement “Evolution is no more scientific than creation; creation is no more religious than evolution.” Yet, if we actually instigated his plan of teaching both side-by-side in a scientific manner, evolution would blow creationism out of the fucking water. Holy fucking goddamn, there is SO much hypocrisy in creationist arguments…
The amazing Jackie Beat reads his “Carrie”-inspired “Born This Way Blog” story, live at Homo-Centric in LA, CA. It’s a powerful and scathing indictment to all a-hole bullies and religious zealots. See Jackie’s blog posting here.
The moment when Harry takes Draco's wand
- J. K. Rowling:I said to Arthur, my American editor - we had an interesting conversation during the editing of seven - the moment when Harry takes Draco's wand, Arthur said, God, that's the moment when the ownership of the Elder wand is actually transferred? And I said, that's right. He said, shouldn't that be a bit more dramatic? And I said, no, not at all, the reverse. I said to Arthur, I think it really puts the elaborate, grandiose plans of Dumbledore and Voldemort in their place. That actually the history of the wizarding world hinged on two teenage boys wrestling with each other. They weren't even using magic. It became an ugly little corner tussle for the possession of wands. And I really liked that - that very human moment, as opposed to these two wizards who were twitching strings and manipulating and implanting information and husbanding information and guarding information, you know? Ultimately it just came down to that, a little scuffle and fistfight in the corner and pulling a wand away.
- Melissa Anelli:It says a lot about the world at large, I think, about conflict in the world, it's these little things -
- J. K. Rowling:And the difference one individual can make. Always, the difference one individual can make.
- *Actors:We were just doing what it said in the script.
- #OMG WE ARE BECOMING OUR ENGLISH/FILM TEACHERS!!! ...see? You people are fine with moments being interpreted on multiple, deeper levels, as long as it's Harry Potter and not some actually transcendent literary masterpiece. Ditto people who can experience visual moments but can't grasp the subtleties of text that gave birth to that very moment (there are obvious exceptions, but I'm talking about pandering to the masses here). It makes me fucking sick that people have the nerve to criticise learned scholars, literary geniuses and playwrights who use a different style of English than we do today on such menial bases... and then hypocritically turn around and do just that, as long as it's within their favourite fandom; their interpretation of which CANNOT BE REFUTED because (and only because) "it ~means~ something to me." Well, guess fucking what? Blue curtains aren't just blue because they're blue. And that means something to me, cunt.
Rhythm 0 by Marina Abramović
Seeing the facial reactions of the people in my tutorial as I screened this video at uni was nothing short of immensely satisfying. A few people looked physically ill, while most gaped in open-mouthed horror at what they were hearing. After I explained how important performance art actually is, showing them a snippet of The Artist Is Present and responding to their questions, the feedback I got was that it was a very powerful and confronting experience that the majority of them had never thought of/considered before. Sitting back down, I felt a quiet sense of smug achievement.
These two autobiographies never fail to seize me up into a total emotional wreck; this is always accompanied by indicators that raw emotion is on the loose, manifest in the form of those wracking sobs that unearth themselves from some well hidden & carefully guarded place deep in my chest.
Each of them has such a unique blend of outright honest humour and darkly haunting recollections of personal experiences, as well as utterly gutwrenching & heartbreaking moments of such perfect sadness that I find it physically impossible to keep from weeping.
My two most highly recommended books if you want an actual good read.
- Blogger:#OMG LOOK AT THAT #LOOK AT THAT LOOK #YOU CAN SEE THE PAIN AND EMOTION IN THEIR EYES OF HOW MUCH IT HURT THAT SHE STOLE THE ONLY THING THEY SHARED TOGETHER #THAT ONE LOOK AT THE GROUND SYMBOLIZES EVERYTHING UGH IT EVEN REFLECTS HOW THEY FEEL THAT BARELY ANYONE CARES ABOUT THEM #THAT THEIR PAST IS ALMOST TOO HEAVY TO HOLD ON THEIR SHOULDERS #FLAWLESS ACTING I FUCKING CANT #ITS LIKE THEYRE FALLING AND NO ONE CAN SAVE THEM
- Actor:I was told to look down while acting sad.
- #OH MY GOD WE'VE BECOME OUR ENGLISH TEACHERS
- Not this again, ugh... ok YES, tumblr/fandom bloggers overexaggerate a shitton because they can't fucking let anything just exist on its own without their input of all-caps happy-gasm braindead comments. But also YES, there are both subtle and obvious nuances in acting that are worthy of commentary (actual good commentary mind you, not this #hashtag #bullshit). The level of disrespect for people who are actually trying to educate you in this makes me incredibly angry; the things I learnt from my english teacher put me in fantastic stead for university life/critical thinking in general... it's really obvious who took their teachers for granted, because they ask the most insipid questions of such little value it makes me sick. And I take such severe issue with the comparison of an actor's portrayal of literature to the literature itself because, while one can be derived from the other (especially in the case of on-set written/spoken direction from the script, I mean nobody is ever just told to "look down while acting sad" COME ON), there is often a vast fucking array of necessary and important differences between the two media. Which I've spoken about before (williams-blood.tumblr.com/post/4526171932) and which I believe speaks for itself. Fuck off, ignorant children.
If I had to write a book to communicate what I have already thought, I’d never have courage to begin it. I write precisely because I don’t know yet what to think about a subject that attracts my interest… When I write, I do it above all to change myself and not to think the same thing as before.
— Michel Foucault | Interview with Italian journalist Duccio Trombadore, quoted in Ann Laura Stoler’s Race and the Education of Desire: Foucault’s History of Sexuality and the Colonial Order of Things.
(The irony of all of this is how often Foucault’s philosophies are mentioned in art school grad courses as if to cement his ideas or to solidify them in some way into our collective consciousness and justify our works. In reality, the man was just a man, who was thinking things through and wasn’t even sure if he was onto something or not (or who he was for that matter). This quote goes so far as to only solidify what I’d always suspected about my own works: that the trial and error, the going through it all, is everything; and in the end, that process can be your justification. —TO) (via tobia)
(Source: derica)
View Larger This is the reason that I hate thesauruses, because so many of these words do not actually mean the same thing as their allegedly ‘baser’ counterparts. It makes the amateur writer ignorant of connotation, and teaches them to value the florid word over the quiet one. It’s also the reason that, whenever I read someone’s fiction to edit it, 3/4 of the time, I have to cross out every use of a replacement for ‘said’.
^ actual words of wisdom/sincerity/splendour
(Source: canadaka-eh)
How do YOU do self-care? →
sit your fine self down and tell me all about it
For me it’s really simplifying…drinking more water, eating fresh fruits & veggies. I’ve come to realize my bad moods heighten when I don’t do the basics. Ten minutes of sunlight. A walk, even just a half of block. Taking my jump rope & going for it for a few minutes. Old timey cartoons, classic albums that motivate me. Or booty bass. Reaching out to others & letting them know I need support. Not giving beyond my emotional & physical means. Resting, but moving my butt when I’m too lethargic. Little treats that make me happy, really enjoying a cup of coffee, looking thru the racks of a second hand store, comics, etc. Small maintenance so my home space doesn’t become too overwhelming & cluttered (huge one for me).
(Source: autopsy-of-violets)
