"I Love You"- S. Holmes, 2016

And Watson was like “wow the love and loyalty in his eyes, my bro, I’d get shot again just to see it”.

They told us they wouldn’t do a big Hollywood shooting in Sherlock. Then killed Mary off in a ridiculous way.

They told us “Childhood trauma masked by an invented memory. Boring!” when Henry told Sherlock about seeing a Hound. Then turned Redbeard into a boy.

They told us Sherlock thinks the “best man” is Billy Kincaid, a garroter who did so much for charity and children that it “evened out”. Then wrote Culverton Smith.

They told us “If I had to hit that face, I’d avoid nose and cheekbones too”. Then wrote the abusive morgue scene.

You were told. But did you listen?

For example, they have John say he rescued Sherlock from Culverton because “Mary taught him to be the man she already thought he was”. This is in direct contrast with John shooting the cabbie in ASIP. He was already that man; from the first hours they knew each other.

Or they have Sherlock joke about the baby’s name (“well you know what i think”) and John and Mary joke back in an overly happy way (“It’s not a girl’s name!”) while we all know the depth of emotions Sherlock and John showed on their faces during tarmac hell.

Or we have Mycroft throw up after seeing the Governor kill himself, while he watched emotionless (the iceman) in Serbia while Sherlock was tortured. He’s the British government - he’s seen worse things.

Or John “I can break every bone in your body while naming them” Watson who didn’t recognise children’s bones.

They took BBC Sherlock and gave us Opposite Day in Hell. I bet we could make a very long list of opposites.

Racism would imply we’re talking about at least two different races here; colorism specifically is about racist ideals within one race, people of one race policing others appearance within their own race. 

Aishwarya Rai, Kareena Kapoor, Kangana Ranaut 

Karisma Kapoor, Shruti Haasan, Zarine Khan

All actresses/models born in India to parents who were also born in India (or Pakistan), in a narrow view of “race.” 

If a Papua New Guinean hooks up with a Swedish person all you get is a human.  There’s no new thing you’re going to get. You just get a human. 

- Bill Nye: Race is a Human Construct (and don’t look at the comments; it’s the usual cesspool of bigots) 

Ideas on “race” have been in slow development over the years, but colourism is a real thing (often with roots in imperialism, especially as Western ideas of beauty began to intrude upon countries). 

The 100 Years of Beauty: Philippines has a jarring jump where April Villanueva (who has light/medium-toned skin) gets her skin darkened for the 1910s-20s aesthetic, then becomes powder-white when US/European colonial interests make a stronger influence on Philippine society in the 1930s (more in the research video). 

Two more examples of skin tone variation between famous women in countries where colourism has become prevalent in celebrity culture (ie, it was a lot harder finding photos of a dark-skinned Korean actress than a light-skinned one): 

Koreans: Song Hye-kyo and Lee Hyori 

Filipinos: Valerie Garica and Nicole Scherzinger (active in the US; Filipino father, Hawaiian/Samoan-Russian mother) 

Variation in skin colour across a “race” is as real as variation in eye colour (”oh, you have brown eyes? I guess you’re not a real Caucasian”). 

Colourism also pervades a lot of modern beauty marketing. 

What’s underneath your dark skin? A prettier, lighter version of yourself! Everyone should strive to be more fair and lovely because only then you’ll be happy with your flesh prison!! 

Dr. John H. Watson, The Adventure of the Empty House

That’s…… one hell of a long kiss, Dr. Watson. 10 years? You lucky dog.

Gatti di Roma