VAMPY

Because when the mere existence of something that isn’t English, or Western, or let alone anything from Asia that isn’t Russia or China, is mentioned, they refuse to acknowledge it.

When I say something like “I’m from Taif” (I am not, this is just an example) people will look at me blankly, or with confusion.

What is Taif, what is Dammam and who is Hussain Abdullah? Who is he, and what are those two cities, who—despite being extremely well-known in the Arab world—are complete anomalies that seemed to start their existence just yesterday?

And people look at me weird when I look back blankly, wondering where “Anniston” is, why “Phoenix” refers to a city somewhere in the asscrack of Arizona and not the mythological Greek bird, and why I need to learn Fahrenheit (which, I did not) just so people who live on the opposite side of the globe—more than 6,000 miles away from me with our only way of communication being the Internet—can understand me?

Why do I have to learn every single intricate detail about English, why do I have to check my writing and spelling because they won’t be able to understand me and think I’m speaking another language when I add a single stray letter, when they don’t bother to learn “hello” and “bye” in my native language before travelling to my country?

When they don’t even bother to learn what my country even looks like on the map—which, mind you, is way bigger than most of Europe despite the very-Eurocentric map saying otherwise—let alone the capital city? When they don’t even bother to learn how not to be a fucking shit to the locals?

I am genuinely tired of USAmericans saying that we don’t understand them when we have to learn each and every part of their etiquette in full before going on the Internet, before daring to mutter even a single word to them.

When we literally have to memorise all the small silly-willy-nilly towns that lay in bumfuck Washington and each intricate part of their very #white European history.

Apologies if this is off topic, but I'm finding it really frustrating how posts like this only go around in response to discussions around racism in regards to these creators. Like I don't know much at all about gooseworx, but I know Toby Fox was very lightly criticized for not having an official spanish translation after 10 years of undertale being out and relying on fans to translate it for him (in the form of fan translations) and the utter disregard that shows for fans that speak spanish

How are we even supposed to have discussions around racism in fandom if it just gets dismissed out of hand to preserve the comfort people have with the material they're fans of.

I'm not sure how to even approach things like this. I don't support dogpiling obviously but people criticize indie creators because they like them and want them to improve and to have conversations about race in fandom. How is that lolcow behavior???

We have had this conversation numerous times by now. You can't force people who want willfully overlook (and contribute to) racism to be reasonable. Just remind yourself that there is no Not Talking About It. That's just tolerating bigotry for the sake of comfort, like you said. It's the Book or the Brick, my friend!

The situation: confront said person and tell them that their behavior is racist, and they-

Book: -make the choice to acknowledge the situation and learn to do better. It's hard, they're upset, but they recognize they have to learn to do better. This person has accepted the book (knowledge and antiracism!)

Brick: -decide to blow up and make excuses and 'theyre not racist' and everyone in the world is blaming them and deflect and blah blah blah... And get hurt when people treat them like the bigot they have chosen to be. This person has chosen the brick (public derision + more!)

These people have chosen the brick, to me. 🤷🏾‍♀️ If they want to defend themselves with "it's lolcow behavior you're chasing people away", let them say that... While you treat them like the bigot they are. Maybe if you think racism is funny, you SHOULDN'T be a creator. 🤷🏾‍♀️ I thought we kicked Nazis out of bars.

masterlist | ao3 mirror

summary: dex has zero social media literacy and doesn't know wtf you're talking about. (1.1k, gn reader, crack, fluff, office friendship, dirty joke, minions, dex tries to understand what memes are; honestly idk why this was so long i just want to have more of dex ig)

It’s just a stupid meme, so you don’t think much of it when you send it to Dex—a low quality, atrociously Photoshopped picture of a puppy with its brain getting poked with an injection, Ritalin pills and a 5G tower in the background: 

     theyre doing this to me at work tomorrow btw [Sent 9:06 AM]

“white men can’t be oppressed” -> gay men

“heterosexual men can’t be oppressed” -> trans men

“cis-het men can’t be oppressed” -> intersex men

“perisex men can’t be oppressed” -> disabled men

“able-bodied men can’t be oppressed” -> neurodivergent men

“cis-het perisex white able-bodied neurotypical men can’t be oppressed” -> buddy let me tell you about wealth and class and homelessness and immigrants and minority languages and cultures and being a child and being an elderly person and and and

I cannot be out at home because my family would be ostracized, I have a friend (cis bi girl) who is constantly physically abused by her mother because she found out that she has a girlfriend. Shit is not safe for queer people in these villages. I am out to classmates and a few professors at my college in the city where it's more progressive but I am misgendered multiple times a day and deadnamed every now and then even though I have been out at college for over a year. I am always seen as a woman when my professors address my class, "all girls class", "I don't see any men here", "you must know this because all of you are girls". 

I do not pass at all and I have no access to hrt or surgeries that would not involve outing myself (additionally I do not even know if I want to pursue those things because I like my appearance but I do not like being misgendered so ugh). I walk a little faster when cis men follow me and my friends, i have been whistled at before, my friends and I have been recorded by a cis man before, I have been told to do things more like a lady by older women before and been told about how I will someday want to birth children. I do not have male privilege.

The only times I am treated like a man is when I'm told that my family is disturbed by me not wanting to shave my peach fuzz or by wearing men's clothes.

(And that's not even getting super into my ex who accused me of SA for telling her I'm questioning being a trans man after telling her in depth about questioning my gender identity for months. "If you do identify as a man well you sure are acting like one" in response to me blocking her because she didn't want me to break up with her after she said more horrible things to me and also tried to tell me that I'm probably not a trans man bc I don't know if I want to physically transition). I'm tired of Americans talking bullshit, I am only acknowledged or treated like a man when others are trying to shame me and disapprove of my behavior, I do not have male privilege.