October 2011
jellykinder asked: Hi! I'm a follower of yours and I always love your responses to questions! It's really ridiculous how people are trying so hard to say "IT'S NOT OFFENSIVE" JUST to have the ability to dress up as a "Native American" despite everything that has been stripped away from them already. It's like, they know it belongs to that culture (Barely. Since those costumes...
Anonymous asked: What is the difference between dressing up as 'generic Native American princess' and dressing up as 'generic European princess', really? Europe has numerous cultures - France, England, Germany - not to mention time periods, each with their own unique fashion, at least as distinguishable as the differences between Iroquois and Cherokee fashion? Is it *just* a matter of the...
cheshirecaticus asked: Ahah, my family are pretty ashamed of their Irish heritage to (even though we have the full name of O'Kelly), it really kind of saddens me. From what I've experienced in Ireland, there is a lot of cultural/social unrest that affects the usage of Irish language/culture and then there's the perspective of people outside Ireland who seem to percieve Ireland as a magical fairyland with...
especiallyfromyou asked: I would have to agree on the last point about appropriation of Irish culture, although it often isn't appropriated as much as openly mocked even now in England, and not just pertaining to Northern Ireland, also the Republic of Ireland. My family lives in England but my mother is Irish and moved here some years ago, and she works as a teacher here. Over the years she has experienced countless...
Anonymous asked: (cont) as a leprechaun, I think that veers dangerously close, because the term has often been used as a racial slur. A better option might be a less obvious mythical creature from Irish legends - there are a lot to choose from, and they haven't been used to stand for a racist stereotype of Irish people the way leprechauns have.
Anonymous asked: On the appropriation of Irish culture - I'm ethnically English, but I consider myself British - however, I would feel really uncomfortable seeing someone dressed as an Irish stereotype for Halloween (or St Patrick's Day). As far as I can tell (with my privilege) the situation for Irish people in Britain (and also in Ireland) has improved immensely - I haven't heard an Irish joke for...
marrymejasonsegel asked: One thing that people often miss when they (rightly) critique the cultural appropriation of Native Americans, and the racist costumes that are worn is that there was no one Native American culture. There were as many as six million indigenous people living on the continent of North America before the settlers came. With no means of communication and a limited and slow means of travel, often tribes...
BCL!
Sorry if this week ends up being sort of light on the posts; I have a week off from work so I am chillin in Barcelona! So far I am loving that I can once again wear a short sleeved shirt outside. :P
I’m sitting on the second floor of the hostel right now, wondering if I should go down and try to be social with other people, or if I should wait until another night when I’m wearing a...
liketornado-deactivated20130228 asked: Oops I'm silly. Thanks for answering. I guess it's different because I do actually live in Ireland, but have english friends who mock me and my accent (which I guess happens to all kinds of people) but when you consider the fact that there is still unrest where I'm from (northern ireland) it gets kind of sickening when english people think it's okay to laugh at you. Or maybe I...
ex-amore asked: Hi :) I've been reading your blog all night and I was wondering, what are your thoughts on sex workers and the public image of prostitution? Thanks!
Anonymous asked: I was wondering what your opinion would be on Scottish people being offended when a non-Scot wears a kilt. I would imagine some may be offended as technically only meant for Scots and there are different patterns for different clan names/surnames. I know the Scots weren't oppressed in the same way as Native Americans, but there is a violent history and an old verse of the British National...
A reason I fight appropriation
moosedeevita:
So today I had an infuriating encounter on my way to work. I was driving, and noticed these girls in the van behind me had been following me for several blocks, trying to take pictures of my car (I have a “caution slow moving indian sticker on it). After making a few quick turns and they still stuck behind me, I slammed on my brakes in the middle of the street and got out. They...
Anonymous asked: Would you consider dressing up as a drunken leprechaun appropriating Irish culture? Something that people often seem to ignore in the field of discrimination is the fact that the majority of Irish immigrants faced oppression and discrimination against the English-American people.
Dear Kids Shows
Haven’t gotten enough feminist/cultural/whatever critique yet? (yeah, you probably haven’t if you’ve been relying on me, sorry I keep putting off reviews!)
ANYHOW this blog blow is just starting up, but I predict it will have some good commentary going before long, so be a hipster and like/follow this before it gets popular so you can say you did.
At:...
Anonymous asked: Have you ever seen Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind? And what are your thoughts?
“Privilege is: About how society accommodates you. It’s about advantages...”
– A Primer on Privilege
1 tag
"feminist slut: "So.."" →
its-all-just-shit:
feministdisney:
temperedsteele:
Blackface is racist (and it is, I’m not denying that), but whiteface is funny. Way to go world. Nothing like some hypocrisy to screw with my Halloween.
It’s not a good idea at all, but these things aren’t equivalent. To act as if they are is…
No one here has the right to say anything about it, really. Whether or not it’s racist is...
"N---- pleaseist "
thisshitisallracist:
omne-ignotum-pro-magnifico:
If you’re going to use “n——” every other word and then get upset when I use it because I’m white…that makes you the racist.
Get it?
That’s ah…that’s not how racism works…
[I myself censored the actual word out, not the OP]
I thought this post was especially… wtf in light of going to this person’s page. At the top,...
Anonymous asked: Why is it offensive to dress in an outfit if it is NOT a native costume of any culture (e.g the previous picture you posted, the person doesn't look like they are mimicking any one particular culture)?
"So.."
temperedsteele:
Blackface is racist (and it is, I’m not denying that), but whiteface is funny. Way to go world. Nothing like some hypocrisy to screw with my Halloween.
It’s not a good idea at all, but these things aren’t equivalent. To act as if they are is ignoring our collective history, especially if you are an American. White people were not imitated and stereotyped in...
3 tags
hallofensiveen
matrem-ursa:
My spirit name is “Drinks With Vodka”. I’m gonna fuck shit up tonight.
Making your costume a joke about native names AND involving alcohol-not such a good idea! Throwing a bunch of random native things together and making some of them out of paper as if these aren’t pieces taken from multiple native cultures and as if they aren’t being presented completely out of...
Anonymous asked: I think it may be important to note that in the time period reflected in the film, it was pretty common for men to have sex with their soldiers. Which of course we know Disney wouldn't want to portray that, but it's kind of what I took away from that part in the film. If that makes sense, idk.
my culture is not a trend.: Open Letter to the... →
mycultureisnotatrend:
deluxvivens:
Dear Person that decided to dress up as an Indian for Halloween, I was going to write you an eloquent and well-reasoned post today about all the reasons why it’s not ok to dress up as a Native person for Halloween—talk about the history of “playing Indian” in our country,…
Anonymous asked: I was wondering, what did you think of Shang's sexuality in Mulan? Did you think he was gay or queer? I have been watching Mulan practically every day since I was little (It's my favorite.), but Shang's possible queerness was something I wasn't aware of until someone mentioned it on tumblr. What are your thoughts?
stophatingyourbody:
Loving my body has been an ongoing struggle since I can remember. I have been plus sized since about 2nd grade.
I was very self-conscious and had really low self-esteem until my junior year in high school when I came out and started dating my girlfriend.
I decided I had to stop caring so much about what other people thought of me, I was sick of worrying about who was going...
octopole-deactivated20120419 asked: hey i really like yr blog just a lil "fyi" there
takemetothemidnightshow asked: I know it's not Disney but I think Matilda is a really great film/ female character :) Would love if you reviewed it.
Anonymous asked: I was thinking of being a chola for halloween but then i had to sit back and reflect on it since i HATE it when white girls do it for kicks. But im spanish, am i still being a jerk or would it be ok?
blue-mage asked: Not disney, but what do you think about white or otherwise pale actors who tan and speak in fake accents to play the Puerto Rican characters in Westside Story? It makes me somewhat uneasy, but would you say it's an actual cultural offense? Especially since there are decidedly anti-Puerto Rican lines in the play, some ironically said by the "Puerto Ricans" themselves.
2 tags
2 tags
Anonymous asked: Why do you say young girls should aim or want to be "being healthy and having a healthy lifestyle" - isn't that just another narrow standard set?
On last ask:
reply: It’s the fact that Lilo is a Hawaiian Native.
Simply being a native person doesn’t mean that everything you put on your body is a native piece of clothing and that anyone else who then wears it is appropriating. Even though Lilo is native, tank tops are not particulaly native only to hawaii. They’re a generic piece of clothing, like shoes. If you have a...
Anonymous asked: Do you think it would be appropriative to dress up as Lilo? i.e. wear a tank top and a floral skirt?
teammedea:
so, the police are forcing occupy chicago participants to walk constantly or be arrested.
they’re not allowed to stop walking. or to sit down anywhere. or to take a break.
they’ve been forced to march in circles for the past 4 hours.
what the FUCK.
up next
I watched The Incredibles and Hocus Pocus this week so those will be what I review next. Sorry, I know it doesn’t match up completely with what people have been requesting (aka… nightmare before christmas) but I don’t think there’s any way I’ll be able to watch that before halloween. I’m also going to spain for about a week so idk how much time I’ll...
wtfmovies asked: I'm sorry, but that sexy Ursula costume just simply can't hold a flame to this one heyytherecupcake. tumblr. com/post/11991712087/meredithonfire-found-my-halloween-costume
