play with fire

This is a resource post for all the Good White Person™s out there. You know, the ones who say things like “It’s not my fault I’m white! Don’t generalize white people!”, or “I’m appreciating your culture! You should be proud!”, or “Why do you hate all white people, look I’m a special snowflake who’s not racist give me an award for meeting the minimum requirements for being a decent human being”. Well, if you are actually interested in understanding racism and how it ties into cultural appropriation, please read instead of endlessly badgering PoCs on tumblr with your cliched, unoriginal arguments and repeating the same questions over and over.

On White Privilege aka don’t blame me just because I’m white:

It’s Not My Fault I Was Born White: Basics of White Privilege x

Racial Divide x

Endless Examples of White Privilege x

You Cannot Know What It’s Like To Be A Racial Minority x

Intersectional Feminism x

White Privilege Does Not Mean White People Have Perfect Lives x

White Privilege and White Supremacy: A Presentation x

You Will Never Experience Racism x

Understanding White Privilege x

White Privilege and Double Standards x

Systematic White Ignorance x

The Invisibility of White Privilege x

The Luxury of White Privilege x

White Privilege: The Harry Potter Analogy x

Privilege Denial Bingo x

Privilege and Cost x

Check Your Privilege 101 x

Whiteness x

Whiteness is Not A Culture x

White Privilege and Racism x

Deeply Embarrassed White People Talk About Race x

When White Anti Racists Talk About ~Their Struggle~ x

White Privilege As A System x

On Reverse Racism aka you are being racist against white people:

Are White People Racially Oppressed x

White People, the new Racial Minority x

People Don’t Value Pale Skin!! x

There Is No Such Thing As Reverse Racism x

Racism vs. Not Racism x

But White People Are Discriminated Against In Foreign Countries x

The Myth of Reverse Racism: Why Cracker is Not N**** x

Satire: A Step Wise Guide on Being Reverse Racist x

Racism Against White People vs. Racism Against POCs x

On Cultural Appropriation aka I’m just appreciating your culture:

The Basics x

Identifying Appropriation x

But When We Wear It … x

Why Can’t I Wear It (Hipster Headdresses) x

Not Yours x

If You Take The Bindi x

White People Do It Better x

Multiculturalism and Appropriation x

Cultural Appropriation and Portrayals In Print Media x

Diminishing the Cultural Significance of the Bindi x

The Cultural Appropriation Bingo x

Why We’re Fed Up of Your Responses x

Identities Are Not Costumes x

Hinduism And Appropriation x

Religion and Privilege x

Bindis Are Cool x

Exotic India x

What’s Wrong With Cultural Appropriation x

Racism, Bindis and Ganesh Tattoos x

BUT YOU’RE SPEAKING ENGLISH! x

Cultural Appropriation Trolls x

Guide to Being An Appropriating Douchefuck x

New Age ~Culture Mixing~ x

In case you’re tired of the prose, here’s poetry x

Why You Shouldn’t Wear A Bindi x

Appropriating and Sharing x

Our Culture is A Punchline Until It’s a Trend x

Homage Or Insult x

Tattoos and Appropriation x

Bollywood is Not Synonymous With Indian x

College Party Costumes and Stereotypes x

Dotheads x

Bindis and Racist Humour x

Hindu Iconography x 

Misuse of Hindu Iconography x

Your Appreciation Doesn’t Help Us x

Assorted Vials of White Tears and Miscellaneous Antidotes aka I can’t change that I’m white/not all whites are racist/we are all humans:

Unoriginal Arguments Refuted x

Quick Checklist: You Might Be Racist If x

Your Opinion Isn’t Necessary x

I’m Not Responsible For My Ancestors x

The Kumbayah Myth x

Proud to Be White x

Good White Person x

We Don’t Hate White People x

Brutality of Colonialism And Why You Can’t Tell Us To Forget the Past x

People Who Claim Not To See Race Are More Likely to Be Racist x

All Races are Beautiful Said the White Girl x 

Race Blindness Is A Luxury x

Well, You’re Racist For Calling Me Racist x

I’ve Read About Its Significance, I Know What It Means

Angry Because Someone Called You Racist x

We’re Not All Like That x

People Only Care About This Trivial Shit On The Internet x

I Can’t Apologize for Being Born White, It’s Not My Fault x

Why Can’t You Tell Me What I’m Doing Wrong x

It’s Easy to Be Color Blind When You’re White x

A Diagrammatic Guide To White Tears x

Conversations I’m Sick Of Having With White People x

Why Do You Hate White People x

I’m Trying To Be Cultured x

Sisyphean Conundrum x

What is Your Problem x

We Are All Human, We All Bleed Red x

It’s Just A Bindi x

How Not To Respond To Accusations of Racism x

I’m Italian And 0.009% Native American x

What White People Think Racism Means: A Venn Diagram x

White Guilt x

White Pride!!!111!!! x

I Like *Insert Foreign Country* I Want To Live There x

You Have So Much Hate, Fighting Fire With Fire Won’t Help x

BooHoo, Don’t Call Me Racist x

Not Everything Ended With Your Ancestors x

The Racist Reaction x

I Don’t See Why That Is Racist x

Crummy Apologies x

Okay. I agree. I’ve been socially conditioned not to notice racism and recognize my privilege. What can I do?

Listen x

A Step Wise Guide x

I don’t care about this bullshit; you’re making a big deal out of nothing, go home and delete your blog:

i feel so incredibly sick, i can’t believe this has happened.

if you don’t know who brandon bernard is, here is his story.

brandon was a young african american man who was an accessory to a crime in 1999. he was only 18 years old at the time. despite not having the main role in the case and even with several details remaining unknown, brandon bernard was sentenced to death. after 21 years in prison, he was put to death, murdered by the federal government on december 10th 2020.

brandon did not have a leading role in the crime committed. he was an accomplice at only 18 years old. he demonstrated positive behaviour throughout his two decades in prison and he even reached out to others to counsel them not to follow in his path. when he was found guilty, the government and jurors both lacked critical details and had an incomplete picture of the man brandon was and the offense committed.

five of the nine jurors who originally found brandon guilty, as well as the prosecutor who assisted in getting him on death row, all asked trump to intervene and halt the execution. when these jurors were given new information YEARS after his sentencing, they either fully supported brandon’s clemency petition to get him off death row or were not opposed to his death sentence beinf commuted to life without parole instead. the SAME jurors who 20 years ago, with the incomplete information they had at the time, found brandon guilty and unanimously voted for the death sentence. former prosecutor, angela moore, who helped put him on death row argued for the trump administration to spare brandon’s life. “i urgently hope that a court or the president will step in to stop brandon’s execution.”

brandon bernard was pronounced dead, on december 10th 2020 at 9:27pm.

despite a clemency petition and thousands of letters, the us government and trump administration murdered this man. brandon bernard was a friend. a son. a father. remember him. remember his smile and his kind words. this world needs to change and we have to be the change. please remember this mans name and his story.

“if these are my last days, i pray that my words will live on forever...i hope that my death will bring a meaning other than destruction and it will ripple through generations positively.” 🤍

to 2021: a new start, old friends, and the hope of joy.

I’m here to thank some people who have supported me since the beginning with my (second) fanfiction journey. i’m here to thank some new friends for their kind hearts. i’m here to say that this is just the beginning of so many wonderful stories of next year.

“So many of our stories are told here, in this little auditorium.” Kyle looks across the sea of faces before him. Hailey’s concern shown through her eyebrows; Laurel’s softness in her cheekbones, Poppy resting her head on Riley like she’d burst at the seams at any moment. Colton wraps his arm around Laura, who’s already misty. “And… for a few of us, this is our last story to tell.” A shared glance with Annie who’s hand is in Nikita’s both of them sporting the ambitiousness of cunning young adults, Carter smiling at his brother with fondness for the place where it all began, Melanie already standing to grab the surprise for the underclassmen, “And we figured it was time to pass down the torch to the next seniors.” He takes the time capsule from Mel, “Where one day, you can come back and see this little auditorium with big shining eyes. This is your new beginning; this is our ending. Some of us won’t ever be back here.” Kyle looks down to the box, “So make those memories count. Life is everything: sadness, anger, and joy. But being here, in this room? Is the definition of it.” Carter helps him stand up, and the five seniors take their cues. Melanie starts the song, Green Day’s cliche for a graduation song playing. But it’s their last stop before the next new adventure.          

              “It’s not a question—.”               “But a lesson learned in time.”                              “It’s something unpredictable—.”               “But in the end is right.”               “I hope you had the time of your life...”

You’re not ugly, you just grew up surrounded by beauty standards created by white European people.

Your ethnic nose is beautiful.

Don’t let them invalidate your struggles.

Your life matters and always will.

Do not degrade and belittle yourself for white entertainment. Do not humor them. They’ll start thinking it’s okay for them to do it to you. You are not their laughingstock.

it’s indigenous peoples’ day in the usa! to celebrate i am here to help non-indigenous folks in north america to think about the terminology they use because i know not all of y'all know how the nuances of the many things we’re called. in general, when talking about an indigenous person or character and referring to their indigeneity, referring to their specific culture is the best option. i am indigenous, but more specifically i am cree. that said, let’s talk about terminology while recognizing that the following list is super simplified to give you a brief overview.

indigenous is an umbrella term that refers to the original inhabitants of a land. it is used to talk about indigenous people worldwide. we use it as a collective term because we share many interests, but we are all different peoples and nations. people who are māori or sámi or ainu are all indigenous, but they’re all from very different places and cultures. indigenous as a term unites us, but shouldn’t be used to erase our differences.

aboriginal is, like indigenous, an umbrella term that refers to the original inhabitants of a land. aboriginal was a favoured term in canada for many years and is still used by some multi-nation organizations. canada’s indigenous peoples’ day (‪june 21‬) is also sometimes called aboriginal peoples’ day.

native american is a term that refers specifically to indigenous people living in what is currently the contiguous united states of america. people living in alaska or hawaii may prefer the term native hawaiian or native alaskan. if you call someone in canada native american they’ll know what you mean, but it’s not the preferred term. like indigenous, it is an umbrella term and covers many different tribes/nations. it is a term assigned to indigenous people and adopted by us, but not one we came up with ourselves.

native alaskan is an umbrella term that refers to indigenous people living in what is currently alaska. they are culturally distinct peoples from native american cultures. you may be used to calling native alaskans “esk*mos” and if you are you should stop that right fucking now because esk*mo is a derrogatory term that comes from cree slang. some native alaskan people are inuit (see below), but not all are.

native hawaiian is a term for indigenous hawaiians. this is another umbrella term. native hawaiians were not included in federal programs for native americans until the 70s and some programs still exclude them, as do many discussions about native american issues even though they are also an indigenous group colonized by the usa.

native is an umbrella term used by indigenous people to refer to themselves. in north america, it may be socially acceptable to refer to indigenous people as being native, but ymmv and elsewhere in the world, it carries more racist, colonial baggage than it does here, where it is generally understood as a shortened form of native american.

american indian is a dated term that is still used in some official spaces in the united states. older indigenous people may use this (or the term indian) because they’re used to saying it. if you’re not indigenous, you should probably say native american or indigenous. amerindian is a portmanteau of this term and similarly isn’t really favoured anymore.

indian is a dated term for indigenous people in canada and the united states. it stems from the time of christopher columbus when columbus decided to call us “indian”. if you are non-indigenous, do not refer to indigenous people as indian. in canada, it is also a legal designation tied to the indian act that means some indigenous people hold “indian status,” which grants them certain rights. some indigenous people in north america have reclaimed the term indian to refer to themselves.

ndn is a slang term we use to refer to ourselves online. if you’re non-indigenous then bro. do not. it just stands for indian, you can’t!

first nations is a term analogous to native american. it is used in canada to refer to the many indigenous nations south of the arctic circle. as someone who is cree, i’m first nations. it is an umbrella term, but not every indigenous person in canada is first nations. unlike “indian”, it is not a legal term.

inuit is the term for indigenous peoples that live in what is currently canada’s north. some indigenous people in alaska (and elsewhere) may also identify as inuit because the american/canadian border is a new addition in the grand scope of their histories. inuit are culturally distinct from first nations/native americans. also inuit means “the people” and y'all my inuk friend is so fucking amused every time someone says “the inuit people” because y'all are out here saying “the the people people.” not all indigenous people in the north are inuit.

métis is a term for people who are descended from specific communities where indigenous people and non-indigenous settlers intermarried and created their own culture. they are specific, cultural communities within canada with their own culture and language. not everyone with mixed indigenous and settler ancestry is métis. for example, my dad is white and my mom is cree. i am not métis because i don’t have any connection to a historic métis community. again, this is not a legal term the way indian is.

redsk*n is a derogatory term for native american/first nations people. the term originates from the genocide of our peoples, tied with the practice of collecting bounties for the scalps (the “red skins” in question) or other body parts of indigenous people in the west. do not use the term. even if you’re talking about the football team that recently changed its name, say “the washington team” or something similar. it’s a slur. (source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/a-brief-history-of-the-word-redskin-and-how-it-became-a-source-of-controversy/2016/05/19/062cd618-187f-11e6-9e16-2e5a123aac62_story.html)

Alaskan Inuit are called Inupiat (often spelled Iñupiat but not always, the singular version of the word is spelled with a “Q” instead of a “T” at the end). It’s not really offensive to say “Alaskan Inuit” but “Inupiat” is faster and more accurate and what we actually call ourselves and we won’t laugh at you for it.

The Inuit are very culturally diverse. Inuit in Eastern Canada and Inupiat are not the same and are not guaranteed to share any specific traditions (there are even dances specific to King Island, one of the smallest Inupiat villages, where my family’s from). Saying “it’s an Inuit tradition” may not be as specific as you think it is.

“Circumpolar peoples” would be a more accurate politically correct term to replace “Eskimos” than “Inuit” because the Inuit are not the only group to be called Eskimos. Also take a moment before accusing someone of racism or insensitivity if they use the term. I’ve gotten more than my fair share of nalauģmiu “you shouldn’t be saying that” comments because no one bothered to ask if I was Inupiaq, Inuk, or Yup'ik. And I learned it from my Inupiat family before I even had white teachers.