#ramivent

It’s appalling, and I wish those pictures had never seen the light of day. I am feeling this way about Rami right now: 🤯

It’s not that he and his friends are at a beach, maskless, because that’s a moment in time stolen by a photog. It’s not that they are together; I could give a shit who he hangs out with.

It’s that they ALL saw it fit to TRAVEL.

Unless they are planning on living there, they are then traveling AGAIN, back to their community--that is the EXACT THING SCIENTISTS ARE TELLING US NOT TO DO. I don’t listen to the government--they have an agenda to push and that agenda is to stimulate the economy. They don’t give a fuck about us as long as we are working. I am listening to scientists and reading their data and they are telling us to limit our exposure to others as much as possible.

In the States, Myrtle Beach became such a hot spot that other states started implementing quaratine on folks who traveled from there. I followed this news, mystified that people would risk the health of their families, friends, and communities for one week at the beach. I LOVE THE BEACH. I live for it. I work so hard to have my week at the beach, but I cancelled it without a second thought because I care about being a good citizen.

And I’m left to sit here and question why--what good am I doing if no one else is, too? If everyone is just going to make a mockery of this virus that is a myriad of unknowns, very, very scary unknowns.

If I, a working class person who only gets one vacation a year, can give up my traveling to NOT INFECT PEOPLE, ANY celebrity sure as fuck could. They DO NOT work harder than any of the rest of us and they are NOT entitled to anything more than the rest of us.

So, pardon me if I sound salty. Pardon me as I prepare to do battle with this virus as our school insists on returning kids for face-to-face instruction. And pardon me for not wanting to get sick, or god forbid, get someone I love sick. And pardon me for not excusing ANYONE for not doing their absolute best to protect the community in which they live.

If you don’t follow Jessica Malaty Rivera, MS on Instagram, I highly recommend you do. I consider her my COVID-FACTS goddess. Also, here is a great diagram demonstrating what we can do safely to feel normal and what we should still be limiting and/or avoiding.

Use it, block it. Whatever tickles your pickle. When anons go back on, I’ll be using that tag. For now, I’m enjoying my peace and quiet.

No. But not because of Rami though. I’m just not a fan of her body of work (I’ve checked it out), and there is something about her that rubs me the wrong way. That’s my personal opinion on the matter. I have a really, really good friend of mine that met her some months back and told me that she was incredibly rude.

Fighting ignorance, sadly, has become the bulk of what we (at least as English teachers) do. I appreciate your thanks 🥰

It is frustrating because we know how many amazing things Rami has said in the past about diversity, compassion, and dangerous stereotypes, the most recent being a quote I’m sure we’ve all read a thousand times:

"I said, 'We cannot identify him with any act of terrorism reflecting an ideology or religion,'" said the actor.

"'That's not something I would entertain, so if that is why I am your choice then you can count me out.'" [x]

John Boyega’s interview is straight 🔥. And it’s funny you reference that one because in it he says,

“I feel like, especially as celebrities, we have to talk through this filter of professionalism and emotional intelligence,” he says. “Sometimes you just need to be mad. You need to lay down what it is that’s on your mind. Sometimes you don’t have enough time to play the game.”

First, I am still laughing over the hissing cat 😆

Second, I know. That part made me cringe, but he’s answering to his audience. WE, as his rabid fans, are reading these things too, but the people who are buying this shit are living in the same bubble as Rami. The average person is probably not reading the latest copy of GQ or STYLE. That’s not an excuse, but it is a theory for why he is “muzzled” (love that by the way) in these interviews. I am certain that it’s those luxury brands paying for these interviews, so he has to do whatever will sell more of their product. Rami acknowledging his privilege might make the poor elite buying those watches feel a lil bad about themselves! The horror!

Third, a part of me still thinks that he thinks all of this will be gone in a flash. He worked so hard to get to the top, and I wonder if he goes along with what his people say just because they got him there? Like he’s paying some sort of debt to them?

In conclusion, we need to get Rami in front of a video camera. The shit that comes out of his mouth when he’s live is what we want, what we’ve been missing. I’m going to enjoy the content for what it is, though, because Rami Malek, even though he may currently be muted, is still my sunshine and is still one of the good ones--I know that in my bones.

--------> I tell you what, though. What I wouldn’t give for comments from Sami fucking Malek right about now. He wrote that gorgeous op-ed about teacher cuts, and I yearn to hear what he has to say about teaching during the pandemic and during the BLM movement. I guarantee he and his fellow teachers are not being politically passive.

My best friend had five students request to be transferred from her class on day one because she is starting the year by teaching Born a Crime by Trevor Noah.

My work husband had a girl rage quit their zoom session because he was being “too political” by opening up a discussion on Black Lives Matter. Her parents said, “School isn’t the place to talk about that.”

My health teacher colleague had pockets of students unmuting themselves just to randomly yell the N-word.

I haven’t begun my unit on feminism yet, but I am waiting for the shitshow that happens every year when I dare to say that “f” word in class.

My colleagues and I do not have the luxury of being passive, of being inoffensive. Now is the time for all Americans to know that BLM is not a political statement, that equality is not a political matter, and that nothing, nothing changes in this country until we ALL demand that change.

Please vote Biden/Harris.

Listen.

I love Rami Malek. He creates characters that give me LIFE (for funsies, I would like to tally up how many words I’ve written because of my Rami-muse one day).

But I dislike that he’s the face of YSL. I dislike that he’s doing a Cartier campaign. I dislike that he goes to fashion shows. The *only* plus I see in any of it is that he is a person of Arab descent so he is helping to diversify a not-at-all diverse industry. He’s living the results of having kicked the Hollywood stereotypes of Middle Eastern folks directly in the face.

I live in a town of COVID-deniers, so seeing any justification of shitty behavior for anyone sets my teeth on edge. I don’t care if you’re the POPE for fuck’s sake--take this seriously! If I can’t call out the celeb I thirst over for being a dumbfuck, then I become the dumbfuck.

I can still be inspired by Rami’s characters, and I can still sit here in my little world hoping he will quit some of the nonsense he’s been up to lately (and that may make me a dumbfuck anyway, but whatever).

BUT when I go out into the real world, I have to deal with the consequences of  people who are NOT doing their part to quiet this virus. My mother is at risk every day because she works in a grocery store; she can’t quit or stay at home. She has to work to live.

I shared the example of people going off to Myrtle Beach, but this is another excellent reminder of just how much human contact we have any time we go somewhere:

Don’t forget misogynistic! If Rami were a woman, “raven tresses” would have been quite refined in comparison to how his leggy stems pumped the pedals of his bike while his buxomy bosom flexed under his semi-opaque white shirt. But! In order to maintain his modesty, he was sure to cover his curvaceous hind quarters with the jumper tied around his slender waist. 🙄

In all seriousness, I think you’re giving it too much thought. While there is a chance it was staged from beginning to end, there is another, equal chance it was a tip--hey, DM staff. Rami Malek rides his bike from point A to point B at this time of day.