brainrot

igas my parents went to many protests when they were younger, and although i can’t go to any protests because i’m too young (in their eyes) i do have some tips from them.

note: trump HAS given the word for the national guard to use lethal force against protestors. i understand that it is hard to stay silent if there is a protest in your area, but there is a chance the bullets won’t be foam or rubber. stay safe, stay smart. please don’t become a statistic.

secondly, if you are in the san diego area, do NOT attend the protest that was advertised on facebook. it was created by white supremacists to target black youths.

cover any scars, tattoos, or distinct features you have. cops will use this to identify you, especially if you live in the area. they will take anything you may have done and attempt to arrest you by any means.

wear a face mask, bandana, or some other covering. this is not only because of covid-19, but it will make it harder for them to identify you.

wear clothes you wouldn’t normally wear. this is for the same reason. make sure not to wear those clothes in public until after the protests are over, that way they can’t identify you based on your outfit. also avoid jewelry and accessories.

bring a backpack. this will not only help carry the items you should bring, but it will also keep your hands free and make running easier when needed. make sure it is a real backpack, one that is on your back. and over the shoulder bag or satchel will make it harder to run.

bring plenty of water, a tourniquet (or, if possible, the items needed for one) a medical kit, an extra face covering, and milk. the water is important for 2 things: rinsing your eyes from tear gas and putting out the actual grenades. a tourniquet will be especially important for when the cops start using lethal force. do your research before using one, though, to avoid causing additional harm. the milk will help with your actual skin that will be burning from tear gas, but don’t put it in your eyes.

prepare to be tear gassed. if you sense things are getting tense, try to douse an extra face covering (like a scarf) in water. it will keep the gas from getting in your airways. wear goggles, like the ones you use when you swim. they stick to your face to keep the water from getting in, and will do the same with tear gas. cover as much of your head as possible, and tie up long hair. don’t wear makeup, because tear gas clings to it like it does your bodily fluids. also, if possible, avoid contacts. it can get stuck behind your contacts and that isn’t something you want. similarly, don’t rub your eyes, because the chemicals can get behind your eyes, which will open a whole new set of problems.

if and when you get gassed, stay calm. if you are able, find anyone on the ground and get them help. tear gas will settle low to the ground shortly after being fired and will make their afflictions worse. make sure to watch out for yourself and others, and get out of the area as quickly as possible.

there are two methods to put out tear gas. the first is by covering the capsule with a traffic cone, then pouring water through the hole until it goes out. make sure to wear gloves and don’t touch your face. the downside is that this takes a lot of water because this is not very accurate. the second method needs to be handled with extreme caution. only do this if you are wearing heat protective gloves. take the capsule and put it inside of a metal water bottle WHILE WEARING PROTECTIVE GLOVES. shake it until the fire inside the grenade goes out. it is very important that you have proper protection, especially with such close exposure to the gas. a gas mask is your safest bet.

another way to avoid identification is by putting a rock in your shoe. im unsure of how advanced the stride detection system is in the us, but during the hong kong protests, they would recognize protestors based on their walk. if you put a rock in your shoe, although it will be uncomfortable, it will help keep you anonymous.

use your privilege for good. if you are not a poc and are attending the protests, protect your poc counterparts. unfortunately, cops are statistically less likely to attack white protestors. (see the physical protesting of the quarantine which was led mostly by white people.) if things are getting tense between a cop and a poc protestor, step between them if you are comfortable.

identify undercover cops. undercover cops will deliberately cause mayhem in a peaceful protest to give reason for cops to attack. you can identify them by their shoes and their masks, as well as their attitudes. all cops, undercover or not, will almost always wear the same shoes because they have iron fillings that allow them to break people’s feet/hands/other bones when they have no other defense due to being undercover. they will also wear the same gas masks as the other cops. if you see a protestor put on one of these masks, you should leave because it means there will be tear gas deployed soon.

don’t bring any weapons that are illegal. this will give them probable cause to arrest you.

most importantly: stay safe. protect yourselves and others. if things get bad, run. they can’t catch everyone, and if they take more lives it will only fan the flame.

𝐢’𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲‘𝐬 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝, 𝐢’𝐝 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞

“is white feminism really that bad??”

Hamilton is not for white people

I am white and I should not audition for Hamilton

If you are white you should not audition for Hamilton

DON’T cosplay the characters.

Don’t use the lyrics for your white faves.

It’s hard to find a comparison, but imagine a bunch of children in a playground, and a bunch of children start bullying this one new kid. The other kids know this is wrong, because basic morals tell us that everyone is equal and no one deserves to be bullied. If another kid joins in with the bullying, is it excusable, because other people were also doing it and it was ‘normal’? No!!! Because it’s not that difficult to recognise cruelty. jefferson should have known that slavery was disgusting, just like other people in that time period managed to understand

If you wanna admire his accomplishments or whatever, go ahead, i guess, but you can’t defend a slaveowners ethics wtf

I think the fundamental problem with a fair portion of the bullshit that’s going down in the Hamilton fandom is the willingness of people to say “this is just a story” as defense of [fill in the blank.] (Anything from white people wanting to cosplay characters, to ardently defending the characters or insisting they were feminists/abolitionists/etc, to all sorts of trends in fanfiction.) There are quite a few disgusting things also going down in this fandom that have nothing to do with this, but I’m going to address the “this is just a story” aspect because if you don’t listen when people call you out on direct racism I don’t think there’s anything I can say to convince you otherwise on whatever racist thing you’re stuck on.

The thing is, this is not just a story. The show has marketed itself according to its historical connections; has bragged about taking Chenrow on as a consultant; for the Ham4Ham of the opening night, Miranda read a passage from the Chenrow biography, they do outreaches to high schoolers to teach American history. The cast has spoken about how they’ve tried to understand and connect to the history behind the show. The show has aggressively marketed itself as historical. A lot of fans can agree that the historical figures are problematic; a lot of people appreciate this show for its story and its storytelling and do not appreciate the actual figures it was based on. That’s fine.

The thing is, there are people who believe that this is not just a story. Either consciously or subconsciously. Look around. There are people reblogging actual historical letters right and left. There are people reblogging funny quirks and stories about the figures in the musical (because, you know, it’s fun to laugh at how Washington would make all his aides-de-camp take breaks and go outside and play catch with him during the Revolutionary War, or Jefferson’s terrible mac and cheese, or how Burr once lit himself on fire trying to light a candle with gunpowder.) But you don’t get to appreciate the “cute” historical tidbits about these characters without also acknowledging the atrocities that they were directly a part of.

It’s really really easy to say the words “I don’t support slave owners, I understand those historical people were a part of atrocities, I just like the music and this version of the story, I’m not racist, stop making a big deal out of this.” But there’s a really disturbing trend that I see of the people who are saying this then turning around and not listening when poc say “actually this thing that you’re doing or defending is not okay with us.” There was a beautiful thing that one of my math professors taught me: you can say a thing as much as you want, but that doesn’t actually mean that it’s true. You’ve got to put in the effort to prove that it’s true. Translation, you can say “I’m not racist” however much you want, but that doesn’t make it true if your actions are contradictory. You have to actively fight to prove that statement is true.

The fundamental thing that I think people don’t understand is as follows: you don’t get to say the show is “just a story” when it’s convenient for you in an argument. Maybe you just want to appreciate the story, and give zero fucks about the historical context, who cares about American history anyways. Fine. But this isn’t a story to a lot of people, so “it’s just a story” isn’t a defense when people want to address problematic aspects. 

The legacy of slavery is still alive today in this country. That’s not something to be taken lightly. If you want to appreciate and celebrate the musical Hamilton, you need to be respectful of the fact that the legacy of slavery is still alive today in this country. And when people who are living with that legacy on their shoulders call you out about something, you really, really need to listen. In a lot of important ways, this isn’t just a story. You don’t get to pick when this is fiction as when is convenient for you. It’s not fiction. The cast’s actions have shown that, and the fan’s actions have shown that.

Hamilton is not for white people

I am white and I should not audition for Hamilton

If you are white you should not audition for Hamilton