Anyone who thinks whitewashing is a good or beautiful idea is wrong. It’s not.

panasonicyouth:

tranqualizer:

[photo: image of a Black homeless man wearing a white t shirt and holding a white Abercrombie and fitch branded t shirt in front of him.]

Why Fitch the Homeless is a Really Bad Idea

In response to some comments made by Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Michael Jeffries about not wanting large people in A&F clothes because he prefers “attractive…cool kids” in A&F clothes, there’s been a pretty big backlash, which is understandable. Most recently, I’ve learned about some “activism” aimed at giving Abercrombie and Fitch a “brand readjustment’” by giving Abercrombie and Fitch clothing to the homeless.

Because wouldn’t it be so awful for Abercrombie and Fitch clothing to be associated with homelessness and homeless people, because homeless people are so gross and disgusting, amirite? The video above says that it is striving to make Abercrombie and Fitch “the #1 brand of homeless apparel”. Maybe you’re thinking there’s no issue here because at least homeless people are getting some new duds and they were purchased from Goodwill, so what’s the big deal?

The big deal comes in when homeless people are being exploited to prove a point. Many homeless people are already widely disenfranchised and lacking a platform to be heard or to get access to the resources they need. By attempting to make a brand look bad by associating it with homelessness, the message is that homeless people are so gross, dirty, shameful (insert negative attribute here) that by associating the brand with these types of people, we are really making the brand look shitty, because these people are so shitty! get it? It’s all such a laugh! This type of “activism” is a farce. It contributes to and propagates a culture wherein homeless people can be used as props to further an agenda. This isn’t how you treat people. This is how you treat disposable objects. It isn’t funny, noble, or helpful to try and stick it to Abercrombie and Fitch by using homeless people as the medium for your message. Would the American population at large be comfortable with any other minority group being used to make a brand look “bad” by associating their clothing with that group? Sub out “homeless” for any other minority group and see how that sounds and feels. Pretty shitty, right?

Giving clothing, food, needed sundries, time, and other resources to the homeless or people who are in need is an awesome thing. But this isn’t about giving to the homeless. I don’t see any real or actual concern for homeless people in this “movement”. I see homeless people being used as the butt of a joke. The punchline? “Hahaha Abercrombie! You want cool and attractive people in your clothes and you claim to be exclusionary, so we’re going to give your clothes to homeless people because you would hate that!” The implication here is that homeless people are not cool or attractive and the brand can’t be exclusionary when worn by an already excluded group. This only “works” because homeless people are already part of an othered and excluded group, often left out of mainstream society, denied access to basic resources and the ability to have their needs met. Can’t.Stop.Laughing.

People who want to give to the homeless can do so at any time. Do it today! But giving a certain brand of clothing to the homeless in an attempt to make that brand of clothing look bad or unsavory or less-than-desirable is only possible when the population or group receiving the clothing carries the stigma you are trying to attach to that label. This doesn’t make Abercrombie and Fitch look bad. This makes Greg Karber and everybody supporting this “activism” look like an insensitive douche canoe who thinks homeless people are disposable props to be used to further an agenda, and that’s pretty sad and disappointing. Wanna help the homeless? Try not furthering the stigma surrounding homelessness by insisting that a brand being associated with homelessness would surely be less desirable or wanted. Wanna stick it to Abercrombie and Fitch? Easy Peasy! Don’t give them your money! It’s a simple solution that doesn’t involve stepping on the backs of the homeless in place of a soapbox.

(click through the link to watch the youtube video)

thank you so so so much for this. a beautiful and incisive analysis of why fitch the homeless makes me feel so awful

(via laffbending)

mythornsareofsteel:

the world is quiet here: About Star Trek

leupagus:

ave-atque-vale:

yennasollapoghirai:

alostbird:

ainemcfate:

I’m so tired reading about how it was racism and whitewashing to cast Benedict as Khan. I need to vent:

1st he was basically a replacement for Benicio Del Toro, so they were intending to make the character more true to the original.

2. I didn’t even notice that Khan was of color when I watched old Star Trek, he looked exotic and Benedict looks exotic to me. I think people who obsessed with this question are racists themselves.

3. Even with the iconic characters why would anyone want to watch the same thing all over again. I liked that they change everything, making it more contemporary. Spock is more emotional, Kirk is less of the prince charming he was, Uhura seems more useful and less naked. And an Indian villain was more of the 70-80s thing, now we have beautiful British in every movie.

anyway, I haven’t seen the movie yet what can I know

this post is full of ignorance and racism. not surprising.

“ And an Indian villain was more of the 70-80s thing, now we have beautiful British in every movie.”

 And an Indian villain was more of the 70-80s thing, now we have beautiful British in every movie. 

 And an Indian villain was more of the 70-80s thing, now we have beautiful British in every movie.

 And an Indian villain was more of the 70-80s thing, now we have beautiful British in every movie.

Amitabh Bachchan would like to have a word with you 

idek how to respond to this

sorry, south asian actors, you were more of a 70s-80s thing - if y’all want to find work in this millennium you’re just shit out of luck, you went out of style like velour jumpsuits and crimped hair.

also “I think the people obsessed with this question are racists themselves”

aaaaand right on cue, we have YOU’RE THE REAL RACISTS BECAUSE YOU TALK ABOUT RACISM!

i despise allegedly “colorblind” people, you’re all goddamned brimming with hatefulness and ignorance, yet any time someone turns a critical lens on the way race factors into various interactions & experiences, you guys get uncomfortable because OH GOD somebody mentioned that people aren’t white sometimes and this has an effect on stuff OH GOD that must mean we’re the real racists.

look, nobody likes that feeling of intense discomfort when we’re faced with harsh, depressing realities - NOBODY AT ALL - but if you decide that your momentary unease matters more than, y’know, actually addressing and combating those harsh, depressing realities?

you are fucked up.

I bolded that last bit by ave-atque-vale because YUP.

machistado:

actuallyamazingatheist:

actualcanadiansherlockholmes:

actuallyamazingatheist:

What the fuck is this bullshit I keep seeing on every commercial break?

I literally had to watch this four times because I couldn’t quite believe that this could exist in 2013

“WOMEN? EXISTING? IN A STYLE OF MAKE UP AND HAIR THAT ISN’T MY PERSONAL PREFERENCE? THEY ARE FREAKS AND MUST BE IMMEDIATELY CHANGED FOR MY VISUAL PLEASURE.”

Christ

Don’t forget that the voiceover guy specifically refers to them as “things.”

This inspires me to alter my “natural” appearance even more. Thanks, disgusting beer guys. 

Those nicely ironed waves, dark eyeliner and mascara, and plucked eyebrows are totally natural and not some man’s unrealistic fantasy, of course.

(Source: proudlybigotedmisandrist)

I wish I could post family stuff that just happened but irl people follow me.

thegoddamazon:

writeswrongs:

I think we should collectively endeavor to let John Caniglia of Cleveland, Ohio, know that he is attacking the life of a black trans woman who is already dead.

In another article, Caniglia goes on to quote officers from a police report that had nothing to do with the victim’s murder: 

“Acoff gave us verbal information stating that he was a female. Acoff later acknowledged that legal documents listed his identity as a man.”

What this has to do with Acoff’s death is unclear.  Caniglia goes on to cover Acoff’s miscellaneous petty crimes, including illegal possession of hormones, macing an attacker on public transportation, and unpaid bus tickets.  All of these crimes paint a picture of a queer person of color who has been the butt of ridicule, humiliation, and violence in the Cleveland community, and this continues even after her death.

Please, help hold John Caniglia, “the Plain Dealer” of Cleveland Ohio, accountable for his part in the death, murder, and humiliation of Acoff.  

You can contact  John Caniglia at 216.999.4097 or jcaniglia@plaind.com.

OMG seriously…

(via wretchedoftheearth)

you know how you get acclimated to living with so many things wrong in the world, but occasionally you’re just disgusted and shocked by them?

it’s really depressing talking to my teachers because they basically admit that the school board is repressing the things they can teach about, imposing conservative ideals, and highly discourages dissent. so the teachers have very little voice in anything, and the students even less. student council is treated like a fucking spirt club or art/decorating club instead of a real student government that gives a voice to what we want to the administration. of course most other students don’t even care but this shit makes me so sad.

Tyler Oakley’s going to be on Teen Wolf S3?

thirstrani:

Hari Kondabolu on the safety for South Asians today.

(via wretchedoftheearth)

buck-barnes:

i wish there was a non-assholeish way to say “our friendship has run its course, you make me uncomfortable with your feelings and a lot of shit you do pisses me off bye”

(Source: joan-watson, via crissonastick)

about that popular post going around about “~young radicals~” and social justice bloggers,

there is nothing wrong with disliking someone yourself or having bad experiences with them and complaining about how that person was bad

there is nothing wrong with saying that you still should acknowledge your [insert idol here] had bad behavior or was a bad person

Tyler Oakley personally went to my blog and sent my creepy hearts and liked my stuff after I was criticizing is behavior to a friend

you want me to be complicit with that or shut up when people on my dash gush about how perfect or funny he is when he was extremely creepy and condescending toward a 16-year-old child?

commiekinkshamer:

Teen girls get shit on when they try to attract male attention (in a society that bases their worth on their appeal to men)

They get shit on when they shun the male gaze, or in any way have an interest, passion, voice, purpose beyond performing for men

Shit on for having high self esteem, mocked for having low self esteem. There is really no winning.

And on top of that, they’re the first target for any kind of hate and harassment or mockery.

(via wretchedoftheearth)

still upset that Quinn was date raped and taken advantage of by someone who then pressured her to keep the child and let him see it and the show never took her assault seriously