We Don't Talk About Jamie, No, No, No!

So true!

Yellowstone is basically the plot of Encanto but instead of magic and dance numbers it’s got cowboys and politics

This post is very relevant today!

How to Criticize Israel Without Being Anti-Semitic

If you’ve spent any time discussing or reading about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, I guarantee you’ve heard some variation of this statement:

OMG, Jews think any criticism of Israel is anti-Semitic! 

In the interests of this post, I’m going to assume that the people who express such sentiments are acting in good faith and really don’t mean to cause pain to or problems for Diaspora Jewry.  For those good-faith people, I present some guidelines for staying on the good side of that admittedly murky line, along with the reasoning why the actions I list are problematic.  (And bad-faith people, you can no longer plead ignorance if you engage in any of these no-nos.  Consider yourselves warned.)  In no particular order:

Don’t use the terms “bloodthirsty,” “lust for Palestinian blood,” or similar.  Historically, Jews have been massacred in the belief that we use the blood of non-Jews (particularly of children) in our religious rituals.  This belief still persists in large portions of the Arab world (largely because white Europeans deliberately spread the belief among Arabs) and even in parts of the Western world.  Murderous, inhumane, cruel, vicious–fine.  But blood…just don’t go there.  Depicting Israel/Israelis/Israeli leaders eating children is also a no-no, for the same reason.

Don’t use crucifixion imagery. Another huge, driving motivation behind anti-Semitism historically has been the belief that the Jews, rather than the Romans, crucified Jesus.  As in #1, this belief still persists.  There are plenty of other ways to depict suffering that don’t call back to ancient libels.

Don’t demand that Jews publicly repudiate the actions of settlers and extremists.  People who make this demand are assuming that Jews are terrible people or undeserving of being heard out unless they “prove” themselves acceptable by non-Jews’ standards.  (It’s not okay to demand Palestinians publicly repudiate the actions of Hamas in order to be accepted/trusted, either.)

Don’t say “the Jews” when you mean Israel.  I think this should be pretty clear.  The people in power in Israel are Jews, but not all Jews are Israelis (let alone Israeli leaders).

Don’t say “Zionists” when you mean Israel. Zionism is no more a dirty word than feminism.  It is simply the belief that the Jews should have a country in part of their ancestral homeland where they can take refuge from the anti-Semitism and persecution they face everywhere else.  It does not mean a belief that Jews have a right to grab land from others, a belief that Jews are superior to non-Jews, or any other such tripe, any more than feminism means hating men.  Unless you believe that Israel should entirely cease to exist, you are yourself Zionist.  Furthermore, using “Zionists” in place of “Israelis” is inaccurate and harmful.  The word “Zionists” includes Diasporan Jews as well (most of whom support a two-state solution and pretty much none of whom have any influence on Israel’s policies) and is used to justify anti-Semitic attacks outside Israel (i.e., they brought it on themselves by being Zionists).  And many of the Jews IN Israel who are most violent against Palestinians are actually anti-Zionist–they believe that the modern state of Israel is an offense against God because it isn’t governed by halakha (traditional Jewish religious law).  Be careful with the labels you use.

Don’t call Jews you agree with “the good Jews.”  Imposing your values on another group is not okay.  Tokenizing is not okay.  Appointing yourself the judge of what other groups can or should believe is not okay.

Don’t use your Jewish friends or Jews who agree with you as shields.  (AKA, “I can’t be anti-Semitic, I have Jewish friends!” or “Well, Jew X agrees with me, so you’re wrong.”)  Again, this behavior is tokenizing and essentially amounts to you as a non-Jew appointing yourself arbiter over what Jews can/should feel or believe.  You don’t get to do that.

Don’t claim that Jews are ethnically European.  Jews come in many colors–white is only one.  Besides, the fact that many of us have some genetic mixing with the peoples who tried to force us to assimilate (be they German, Indian, Ethiopian, Italian…) doesn’t change the fact that all our common ancestral roots go back to Israel.

Don’t claim that Jews “aren’t the TRUE/REAL Jews.“  Enough said.

Don’t claim that Jews have no real historical connection to Israel/the Temple Mount.  Archaeology and the historical record both establish that this is false.

Don’t accuse Diasporan Jews of dual loyalties or treason.  This is another charge that historically has been used to justify persecution and murder of Jews.  Having a connection to our ancestral homeland is natural.  Having a connection to our co-religionists who live there is natural.  It is no more treasonous for a Jew to consider the well-being of Israel when casting a vote than for a Muslim to consider the well-being of Islamic countries when voting.  (Tangent: fuck drone strikes.  End tangent.)

Don’t claim that the Jews control the media/banks/country that isn’t Israel.  Yet another historical anti-Semitic claim is that Jews as a group intend to control the world and try to achieve this aim through shadowy, sinister channels.  There are many prominent Jews in the media and in the banking industry, yes, but they aren’t engaged in any kind of organized conspiracy to take over those industries, they simply work in those industries.  The phrase “the Jews control” should never be heard in a debate/discussion of Israel.

Don’t depict the Magen David (Star of David) as an equivalent to the Nazi swastika.  The Magen David represents all Jews–not just Israelis, not just people who are violent against Palestinians, ALL JEWS.  When you do this, you are painting all Jews as violent, genocidal racists.  DON’T.

Don’t use the Holocaust/Nazism/Hitler as a rhetorical prop.  The Jews who were murdered didn’t set foot in what was then Palestine, let alone take part in Israeli politics or policies.  It is wrong and appropriative to try to use their deaths to score political points.  Genocide, racism, occupation, murder, extermination–go ahead and use those terms, but leave the Holocaust out of it.

In visual depictions (i.e., political cartoons and such), don’t depict Israel/Israelis as Jewish stereotypes.  Don’t show them in Chassidic, black-hat garb.  Don’t show them with exaggerated noses or frizzled red hair or payus (earlocks).  Don’t show them with horns or depict them as the Devil.  Don’t show them cackling over/hoarding money.  Don’t show them drinking blood or eating children (see #1).  Don’t show them raping non-Jewish women.  The Nazis didn’t invent the tropes they used in their propaganda–all of these have been anti-Semitic tropes going back centuries.  (The red hair trope, for instance, goes back to early depictions of Judas Iscariot as a redhead, and the horns trope stems from the belief that Jews are the Devil’s children, sent to destroy the world as best we can for our “father.”)

Don’t use the phrase “the chosen people” to deride or as proof of Jewish racism.  When Jews say we are the chosen people, we don’t mean that we are biologically superior to others or that God loves us more than other groups.  Judaism in fact teaches that everyone is capable of being a righteous, Godly person, that Jews have obligations to be ethical and decent to “the stranger in our midst,” and that non-Jews don’t get sent to some kind of damnation for believing in another faith.  When we say we’re the chosen people, we mean that, according to our faith, God gave us extra responsibilities and codes of behavior that other groups aren’t burdened with, in the form of the Torah.  That’s all it means.

Don’t claim that anti-Semitism is eradicated or negligible.  It isn’t.  In fact, according to international watchdog groups, it’s sharply on the rise.  (Which sadly isn’t surprising–anti-Semitism historically surges during economic downturns, thanks to the belief that Jews control the banks.)  This sort of statement is extremely dismissive and accuses us of lying about our own experiences.

Don’t say that since Palestinians are Semites, Jews/Israelis are anti-Semitic, too.  You do not get to redefine the oppressions of others, nor do you get to police how they refer to that oppression.  This also often ties into #8.  Don’t do it.  Anti-Semitism has exclusively meant anti-Jewish bigotry for a good century plus now.  Coin your own word for anti-Palestinian oppression, or just call it what it is: racism mixed with Islamophobia.

Don’t blow off Jews telling you that what you’re saying is anti-Semitic with some variant of the statement at the top of this post.  Not all anti-Israel speech is anti-Semitic (a lot of it is valid, much-deserved criticism), but some certainly is.  Actually give the accusation your consideration and hear the accuser out.  If they fail to convince you, that’s fine.  But at least hear them out (without talking over them) before you decide that.

I’m sure this isn’t a comprehensive list, but it covers all the hard-and-fast rules I can think of.  (I welcome input for improving it.)

But wait!  Why should I care about any of this?  I’m standing up for people who are suffering!

You should care because nonsense like the above makes Jews sympathetic to the Palestinian plight wary and afraid of joining your cause.  You should care because, unfortunately, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has correlated to an uptick in anti-Semitic attacks around the world, attacks on Jews who have no say in Israeli politics, and this kind of behavior merely aggravates that, whether you intend it to or not. 

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a real minefield in that it’s a clash between oppressed people of color and an ethnoreligious group that is dominant in Israel but marginalized and brutalized elsewhere (often nowadays on the exact grounds that they share ethnoreligious ties with the people of Israel), so it’s damned hard to toe the line of being socially aware and sensitive to both groups.  I get that.  But I think it is possible to toe that line, and I hope this post helps with that.  (And if a Palestinian makes a similar list of problematic arguments they hear targeted at them, I’d be happy to reblog it, too.)

So, TL;DR version:

Do go ahead and criticize Israel.

Don’t use anti-Semitic stereotypes or tropes.

Don’t use overly expansive language that covers Jews as a whole and not just Israel.

Don’t use lies to boost your claims.

Do engage Jews in conversation on the issues of Israel and of anti-Semitism, rather than simply shutting them down for disagreeing.

Do try to be sensitive to the fact that, fair or not, many people take verbal or violent revenge for the actions of Israelis on Diasporan Jews, and Diasporan Jews are understandably frightened and upset by this.

May there be peace in our days.

You have my gun

Angel Eau de Parfum: Part 1

Good morning, afternoon, or evening to anyone reading my post! Thank you for taking the time out of your day or night to read my post.

I am very sorry for posting such long posts this past month. To change that, and make my content more digestible, I have decided to break up posts in multiple parts.

As such, to quote Lana Del Rey, "Question for the Culture": What is your opinion on Angel Eau de Parfum by Mugler?

Personally, I greatly enjoy the smell, and regularly use a dupe of it. I got the dupe from CVS, and it is vegan, cruelty-free, paraben-free, and phytate-free. However, some people do not enjoy the smell, citing the combination of sweets and patchouli to be offensive.

What do you think? Do you enjoy the smell, finding the combination of dessert and patchouli to be pleasant, or do you detest the smell, finding the combination of sweet and earthy notes to be offensive to your olfactory sense? Please let me know.

Thank you for taking the time out of your day or night to read my post, and have a good day or night!

natasha romanoff and yelena belova headcanons

incase it isn’t obvious, i’m very much in denial about natasha dying and i’m choosing to be delusional and pretend she’s not dead 🤪

like any little sister, yelena makes it her mission to pester natasha to no end. she will not let her big sister have a moment of peace.

lots of snuggling. both are very touch starved and find a lot of comfort in each other’s arms. yelena is usually the little spoon. she lays her head on natasha’s chest and curls into her side.

yelena is a very tough person and won’t flinch at most things, but the one thing that absolutely destroys her is tickles. she’s ridiculously ticklish everywhere, especially her feet. natasha takes advantage of this and will pin yelena down and tickle her until she has tears rolling down her cheeks. yelena will never admit this, but she doesn’t mind it that much.

tons of play fighting and wrestling. natasha usually initiates it, because yelena is being a little shit. they don’t really use any of their assassin skills, they just become a mess of limbs and laughter.

natasha has a lot of sweet pet names for yelena. she calls her the russian equivalents of baby, sweetheart, and love. yelena positively melts every time natasha calls her one those names. yelena will strictly call natasha poser.

they share a bed. they both seem to sleep the most soundly when they are next to each other, and it’s very typical for them to fall asleep cuddling. natasha has to move away when yelena becomes a furnace.

yelena will often pout to get natasha to give her massages. she’s not used to positive touches but absolutely relishes in it when natasha gives her positive touch. natasha doesn’t mind rubbing her back, but she is much less fond of touching yelena’s feet, unless she’s tickling her.

natasha sings american pie to yelena to help her sleep. not many people besides yelena know about this, but natasha has a really good voice.

natasha loves blowing raspberries on yelena’s cheeks, just to annoy her because her knows that yelena will squeal and squirm when she does this.

yelena will come up behind natasha and wrap her arms around her waist, burying her head into her shoulder. natasha instantly relaxes when yelena does this, no matter who is watching.

natasha kisses yelena’s forehead and cheeks frequently. yelena always melts into her touch.

no one has ever seen natasha as soft as when she’s with yelena. the avengers love seeing her like this, because they all notice how relaxed and happy she is with yelena. but they will of course still poke fun at her.

marvel studios will pay for my therapy

“But there were some parts of yourself you just couldn’t share, not even with your only friend. Because there were some parts of yourself that didn’t make sense, not even to you.”

Ava Orlova and Oksana Davis

Fanfiction Revisions and Edits Part 1

Good morning, afternoon, or evening to anyone reading my post.

Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read my post.

I apologize for the inconvenience.

After I proof-read my marvel-descendants crossover fanfiction "The Widows Caretaker", I noticed that it did not make as much sense as I wanted it to. As such, I revised and edited it. Unfortunately, to make it make sense, I ended up drastically changing the context of the story. I will explain more in another post.

Thank you for taking the time out of your day or night to read my post.

Have a good day/night!

Hirobel 90 Day Fiance Part 2

Good morning, afternoon, or evening! Thank you for taking the time out of your day or night to read my post.

About an hour ago, I posted a short summary about how Mirabel and Hiro would make a perfect 90 Day Fiance couple. As such, I wrote a timeline for their time on TLC.

Here it is:

In December of 2016, Mirabel and Hiro, both 21 years old, meet in downtown San Francisco, while Mirabel is on a college field trip.

Mirabel and Hiro, 22 years old, star in season 2 of 90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days, filmed in 2017 and aired in 2018.

Mirabel and Hiro, 23 years old, star in season 1 of 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way, filmed in 2018, and aired in 2019.

Mirabel and Hiro, both 23 going on 24 years old, marry on January 26, 2019.

Mirabel and Hiro, 24 years old, star in season 2 of 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way, filmed in 2019 and aired in 2020.

Mirabel and Hiro, 25 years old, welcome their triplets on November 27, 2020.

Mirabel and Hiro, 25 years old, star in season 3 of 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way, filmed in 2020 and aired in 2021.

Mirabel and Hiro, 26 years old, star in season 3 of 90 Day Diaries, filmed in 2021 and aired in 2022.

Mirabel and Hiro, 27 years old, star on 90 Day Fiance: The Last Resort, filmed in January of 2023, aired from August to October of 2023.

Mirabel and Hiro, 28 years old, star on season 8 of 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After?. The show was filmed in 2023 and aired in 2024.

Thank you for taking the time out of your day or night to ready my post. Have a good day or night!

So true. But TBF, @hadeantaiga, Kim Jong Un was deinitely no saint, to understate.

I really think people have forgotten just how bad things were under the Trump Administration. Literally every day there was news about some service being cut or someone terrible appointed somewhere they shouldn't be or what have you. He constantly flirted with WW3 and military dictatorship. It was such a blur of badness that there aren't big standouts for people to point to to make him "the XYZ president." it was everything. all the time. Why do we not remember this.

Thunderbolts

Good morning, afternoon, or evening to anyone reading my post!

In relation to my last post about my Black Widow movie fanfic, I wanted to ask a question: What is your opinion of the upcoming ThunderBolts movie?

Personally, I am 50/50 on it. I am excited for the return of some characters, but not others.

What are your thoughts?

Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read my post, and have a good day or night.