˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐟𝐞𝐦!𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬

joe biden, you stupid fuck. listen to me. Crimes are legal for sitting presidents as long as they’re official actions. Listen: Joe. You have one chance

There's not a fine line between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation. The difference is more obvious than you think it is.

Researching another person's cultural and really learning it is not appropriation in the slightest. I love learning others cultures. Genuinely learning and understanding another people's way of life and their traditions is appreciation. Asking questions about their culture and learning is a show of appreciation. And if you are lucky to be invited to join those people because they want you to be there and experience whatever it is they're doing, that is appreciation.

If you get gifted something of importance from another culture, that's appreciation. Because they willingly shared it with you. You standing by them in protests or in celebrations amplifying their voices is appreciation. You fighting with them against those who dismiss their culture or their way of life even when not they are not present is appreciation.

Appropriation is taking without asking (read: stealing) a part of a culture reframing or rewording it to seem a little different and claiming it as yours. Appropriation is wearing someone's artifacts for funsies. Talking over others experiences especially when you yourself are not prone to experiencing what they are more likely to deal with. A closed culture is closed for a fucking reason. You can do your research sure, but participation is not for you.

Appreciating is observation, understanding, a hands off unless invited or if it considered open for anyone to come and participate if they like. Appreciating is respecting the boundaries that have been made. Appropriation does none of those things.

And one more thing: The act of learning another's language unless specified that this should not be spoken by anyone outside that culture is not appropriation at all. In fact it breaks a huge barrier, and brings people closer together. Even if you're struggling to speak it, write it, understand etc. People will see that effort and encourage/help you.

I have such a deep hatred for (character)sister!reader. I don’t exactly know why but maybe it’s because the character reader (me) is meant to be related to (mind you it never says adopted) is always WHITE.

You may be saying “it’s really not that serious, calm down bitch”

To that I have to say

1. Don’t call me a bitch without a strap-on attached to you

2. It is that serious cause (and I will never shut up about this) white coded fics literally FLOOD every single crevice of the fan fiction world and it’s tiring. Same goes for skinny coded and short coded fics while we’re on the topic of exclusion.

Like can you imagine how frustrating it is to find a bomb ass fic with such a good plot and a word count that could have you reading till you’re dead, and you’re immersing yourself in it and really getting lost and throughly enjoying the story envisioning yourself however you want just to be broken out of it by

“she flushed a bright red”

“she craned her neck up at him”

“her thin pink lips”

“gripping so hard her knuckles turned white”

“Her petite frame”

Ect.

Like I’m not gonna police you on how to write your fics cause heaven knows I do not have the motivation to become a writer and posses the skill. But could we at least TRY to be POC, Plus Size, Tall person friendly? At least once in a while?

Cause I feel so pathetic when I get overly excited seeing descriptions that I can actually apply to myself or just neutral descriptors in general.

Anyways sorry not sorry ramble but 🤷🏽‍♀️ what can I do but complain until there’s change 🥰 MWAH 💋

idk something about being a girl and having 2016 be the first election I remember and this being the first election I am actually politically aware of just sucks and I know she hasn’t lost yet and there still is hope but like really is a woman that much worse than that man. And I know it’s not just about gender, it’s also about politics, but this reminds me too much of my math classes throughout middle and high school. I love this country, every speck of my souls belongs to it, but sometimes.

Hello,

How are you? I am Anas from Gaza. Due to the terrible situation, war, bombings, and the dire living conditions, could you please help us by donating through the GoFundMe link, even if it's just a small amount? And if you can't, could you please share the link?

GoFundMe link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/restoring-hope-for-my-family-and-gazas-struggling-communit

Unfortunately I can’t donate but I will share this too my followers.

THIS IS INSANE!!!! Why are some American voting for a rapist over a prosecutor????????

People who voted for donald "Orange" trump are heartless, selfish, uninformed and a rapist apologist!!!!!

If you self-harm...

• Be aware of basic first-aid and have a well stocked first aid kit handy.

• Make sure you are up to date with your tetanus jab (check with your GP – you should have a tetanus vaccination every ten years). Tetanus is a serious infection.

• Avoid alcohol and drugs - being intoxicated might mean you cause more damage than you planned, and might affect your ability to react to an emergency.

• Don’t ever feel that you are unworthy of medical care, and try not to let the possible response of medical staff put you off seeking help – your health is more important.

• Take care of yourself - you might not feel like it at the time but may later be glad.

Seeking medical help

In an emergency call 999 and ask for an ambulance, or go straight to the nearest hospital's Emergency Department (A&E).

IMPORTANT! If you’re ever in ANY doubt as to how serious the injury is, always seek medical advice.

Seek medical attention if…..

• The blood is pumping – continue to apply pressure and call emergency services.

• The bleeding does not stop after 10 minutes of applying pressure.

• The cut is very large or very deep, or may require stitches

• There is a chance that nerves or tendons have been affected.

• You go into shock

• The injury is on a joint – this can cause long-term movement difficulties.

• Something is embedded (stuck) in the wound.

• The cut involves the mouth, face, hand or genitals.

• The cut does not heal properly.

• The cut shows signs of infection (it is red, sore, or painful, hard or has pus oozing out)

General advice

• Make sure anything you cut yourself with is clean; for example, use new blades.

• Think carefully about where you cut - avoid visible major blood vessels, tendons and nerves, such as the insides of the wrists or the tops of the legs.

• You are less likely to cause serious long-term damage if you cut slowly and do not cut deeply.

If you have a small cut, scratch or graze, you should:

1. Clean the wound with running water (avoid antiseptic lotions or creams).

2. Pat the area dry with clean, non-fluffy material.

3. Cover the cut completely with a sterile dressing or plaster.

For more serious cuts that bleed more, you should:

1. Apply direct pressure to the wound using a clean, non-fluffy pad or cloth. Apply the pressure for a good 10 minutes, and avoid lifting up the pad to look – give it a few minutes.

2. Raise the injured area (unless it is broken) above the level of the heart to slow down the bleeding.

3. Bandage the pad or dressing firmly to control bleeding, but not so tightly that it stops the circulation to fingers or toes.

4. Do not remove bandages as this can interfere with blood coagulation (when your blood cells clot together to seal the wound). If bleeding seeps through the first bandage, cover with a second bandage. If bleeding continues to seep through, remove the second bandage and reapply.

5. If you lose a lot of blood, you can go into shock. This can be very serious and needs medical attention.

If something is embedded (stuck) in the wound:

1. Leave it in place – don’t try to remove it as this may cause further bleeding.

2. Raise the body part if possible.

3. If you can, firmly push together the edges of the wound to try to stem blood loss.

4. Gently cover the wound and object with a sterile dressing if possible.

Your cut may need stitches if:

• The cut will not stop bleeding.

• The cut is more than ¼ of an inch or 1 cm long.

• The cut is gaping (i.e. the edges don’t stay together and you can see tissue or fat).

Burns and scalds

Seek medical attention if:

• If the burn is larger than a 50 pence piece, painful, charred (white) or seems to be getting worse.

• If the burn is on the face, hands, genitals or across the joints – burns to these areas can cause long-term movement problems.

• If the burn is chemical.

If you have a minor burn, you should:

1. Hold the burn under cold, slowly running water for 10 minutes.

2. Chemical burns, for example from strong cleaning fluids, should be rinsed under cold, slowly running water for 20 minutes. Never try to neutralise the chemical by adding an acid chemical to an alkaline chemical or vice versa – seek medical advice instead.

3. If you can easily remove jewellery or clothing in the area of the burn, gently do so.

The burnt area may swell up and/or become sticky and attached to clothing or jewellery. However, if clothing or jewellery is already stuck to the burn, or cannot be removed without touching the burn, leave it alone and seek medical advice.

4. Do not apply any creams, oils, grease, butter, ointments, adhesive dressings or cotton wool. Cling film can be used to loosely cover the burn and prevent infection.

5. If the burn is painful, taking 1-2 pain killers can help.

6. Never interfere with the burn or break any blisters – this will delay the healing.

Poisoning and overdoses

Seek urgent medical attention if:

• You have overdosed on substances or medication, or ingested toxic (poisonous) substances. Contact Poison control centers or the Emergency department if you are unsure if what you have taken is an overdose. You might feel physically well, but the effects of an overdose can be delayed and fatal.

If you have taken an overdose or poisoned yourself, you should:

• Seek help immediately – the longer you leave it, the greater the likelihood of serious damage.

• Write down what medication you’ve taken, including the number of tablets and dosage, and also if you have drunk any alcohol.

• Take the packaging and any remaining medication with you to the Emergency Department (A&E).

• If you have called an ambulance or other help, consider leaving your door unlocked so that they can get in if you lose consciousness.

• Don’t try to make yourself vomit – this can be dangerous.

• Don’t drive yourself to hospital. If you are too unwell to use public transport, call an ambulance.

©BBC Health - www.bbc.co.uk/health/first_aid/index.shtml, LifeSIGNS self-injury guidance and support network www.selfharm.org, Mind information line, tel: 0845 7660 163 web: www.mind.org.uk, NHS Direct – www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk, Royal College of Psychiatrists information leaflet on self-harm www.rcpsych.ac.uk, St John’s Ambulance – www.sja.org.uk and © Better Services for People who Self-Harm 2007

Please send this person some requests please

𝑆𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝐼ˊ𝑚 𝑖𝑛 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝘩𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑛𝑜 𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑠 𝑤𝘩𝑎𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒٫ 𝐼ˊ𝑚 𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑟𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑠 𝑜𝑟 𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑓𝑎𝑛𝑓𝑖𝑐 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝐿𝑜𝑔𝑎𝑛 𝐻𝑜𝑤𝑙𝑒𝑡𝑡 𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝐻𝑢𝑔𝘩ˊ𝑠 𝑐𝘩𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠 (𝑆𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑡𝘩𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑒𝑛𝑜𝑢𝑔𝘩 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝘩𝑒𝑚) :))

There's a lot of conversations to be had around the current influx of Americans to Xiaohongshu (RedNote/Little Red Book) ahead of the TikTok ban, many of which are better articulated by more knowledgeable people than me. And for all the fun various parties of both nationalities seem to having with memes and wholesome interactions, it's undoubtedly true that there's also some American entitlement and exoticization going on, which sucks. But a sentiment I've seen repeatedly online is that, if it's taken actually speaking to Chinese people and viewing Chinese content for Americans to understand that they've been propagandized to about China and its people, then that just proves how racist they are, and I want to push back on that, because it strikes me as being a singularly reductive and unhelpful framing of something far more complex.

Firstly: while there's frequently overlap between racism and xenophobia, the distinction between them matters in this instance, because the primary point of American propaganda about China is that Communism Is Fundamentally Evil And Unamerican And Never Ever Works, and thinking a country's government sucks is not the same as thinking the population is racially inferior. The way most Republicans in particular talk about China, you'd think it was functionally indistinguishable from North Korea, which it really isn't. Does this mean there's no critique to be made of either communism in general or the CCP? Absolutely not! But if you've been told your whole life that communist countries are impoverished, corrupt and dangerous because Communism Never Works, and you've only really encountered members of the Chinese diaspora - i.e., people whose families left China, often under traumatic circumstances, because they thought America would be better or safer - rather than Chinese nationals, then no: it's not automatically racist to be surprised that their daily lives and standard of living don't match up with what you'd assumed. Secondly: TikTok's userbase skews young. While there's certainly Americans in their 30s and older investigating Xiaohongshu, it seems very reasonable to assume that the vast majority are in their teens or twenties - young enough that, barring a gateway interest in something like C-dramas, danmei or other Chinese cultural products, and assuming they're not of Chinese descent themselves, there's no reason why they'd know anything about China beyond what they've heard in the news, or from politicians, or from their parents, which is likely not much, and very little firsthand. But even with an interest in China, there's a difference between reading about or watching movies from a place, and engaging firsthand, in real time, with people from that place, not just through text exchanges, but in a visual medium that lets you see what their houses, markets, shopping centers, public transport, schools, businesses, infrastructure and landmarks look like. Does this mean that what's being observed isn't a curated perspective on China as determined both by Xiaohongshu's TOU and the demographic skewing of its userbase? Of course not! But that doesn't mean it isn't still a representative glimpse of a part of China, which is certainly more than most young Americans have ever had before.

Thirdly: I really need people to stop framing propaganda as something that only stupid bigots fall for, as though it's possible to natively resist all the implicit cultural biases you're raised with and exist as a perfect moral being without ever having to actively challenge yourself. To cite the sacred texts:

Like. Would the world be a better place if everyone could just Tell when they're being lied to and act accordingly? Obviously! But that is extremely not how anything actually works, and as much as it clearly discomforts some to witness, the most common way of realizing you've been propagandized to about a particular group of people is to interact with them. Can this be cringe and awkward and embarrassing at times? Yes! Will some people inevitably say something shitty or rude during this process? Also yes! But the reality is that cultural exchange is pretty much always bumpy to some extent; the difficulties are a feature, not a bug, because the process is inherently one of learning and conversation, and as individual people both learn at different rates and have different opinions on that learning, there's really no way to iron all that out such that nobody ever feels weird or annoyed or offput. Even interactions between career diplomats aren't guaranteed smooth sailing, and you're mad that random teenagers interacting through a language barrier in their first flush of enthusiasm for something new aren't doing it perfectly? Come on now.

Fourthly: Back before AO3 was banned in China, there was a period where the site was hit with an influx of Chinese users who, IIRC, were hopping over when one of their own fansites got shut down, which sparked a similar conversation around differences in site etiquette and how to engage respectfully. Which is also one of the many things that makes the current moment so deeply ironic: the US has historically criticized China for exactly the sort of censorship and redaction of free speech that led to AO3 being banned, and yet is now doing the very same thing with TikTok. Which is why what's happening on Xiaohongshu is, IMO, such an incredible cultural moment: because while there are, as mentioned, absolutely relevant things to be said about (say) Chinese censorship, US-centrism, orientalism and so on, what's ultimately happening is that, despite - or in some sense because of - the recent surge in anti-Chinese rhetoric from US politicians, a significant number of Americans who might otherwise never have done so are interacting directly with Chinese citizens in a way that, whatever else can be said of it, is actively undermining government propaganda, and that matters.

What it all most puts me in mind of, in fact, is a quote from French-Iranian novelist and cartoonist Marjane Satrapi, namely:

“The difference between you and your government is much bigger than the difference between you and me. And the difference between me and my government is much bigger than the difference between me and you. And our governments are very much the same.”

And at this particular moment in history, this strikes me as being a singularly powerful realization for Americans in particular to have.