Battle For The Net

If you woke up tomorrow, and your internet looked like this, what would you do? Imagine all your favorite websites taking forever to load, while you get annoying notifications from your ISP suggesting you switch to one of their approved “Fast Lane” sites.Think about what we would lose: all the weird, alternative, interesting, and enlightening stuff that makes the Internet so much cooler than mainstream Cable TV. What if the only news sites you could reliably connect to were the ones that had deals with companies like Comcast and Verizon?On September 10th, just a few days before the FCC’s comment deadline, public interest organizations are issuing an open, international call for websites and internet users to unite for an “Internet Slowdown” to show the world what the web would be like if Team Cable gets their way and trashes net neutrality. Net neutrality is hard to explain, so our hope is that this action will help SHOW the world what’s really at stake if we lose the open Internet.If you’ve got a website, blog or tumblr, get the code to join the #InternetSlowdown here: https://battleforthenet.com/sept10thEveryone else, here’s a quick list of things you can do to help spread the word about the slowdown: http://tumblr.fightforthefuture.org/post/96020972118/be-a-part-of-the-great-internet-slowdown Get creative! Don’t let us tell you what to do. See you on the net September 10th!

via Battle For The Net.

Weed, alcohol and BAD FOODS is Bad for Melanin (the god particle)

Melanin

by MAD Writer Productions

Melanin is important because it’s the most primitive and universal pigment in living organisms. Melanin is produced in the pineal gland. Abundantly found in primitive organisms such as fungi, as well as advanced primates. Furthermore, within each living organism, melanin appears to be located in the major functional sites. For example, in vertebrates, melanin is not only present in the skin, eyes, ears, central nervous system, it can also be found in the pineal gland, pituitary gland, thyroid gland, thymus gland, adrenal gland, and the barathary gland. Melanin is abundantly present in the viscera, including the heart, liver, arteries, the muscles, and the gastrointestinal tract; thus, within each and every living organ which aids the human body melanin appears. Regardless of what color your skin appears to be all genes in all creatures on this planet are black because they are coated with melanin.

The…

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history “they” want us to forget

I’m posting this because some Americans are under the impression that this was centuries ago and no longer relevant today. They fail to understand the deep psychological and social ramification of these events. The people of that time are still around today, and if this is what they did back then because of how they felt, you can be sure that they sent on their “opinions” to their children and thus the next generation suffers in their own way.

My own mother faced this kind of nonsense. She told me a story about herself, mother, brothers, and sisters moving into one of the neighborhoods in Chicago (still, today, one of the most racially segregated cities) that was still majority white at the time. She said when they first moved there they burned a cross in their yard! Hello people, these people are still here today. Now back then the government stepped in to make it illegal to harass people of color in this way. So because PoCs aren’t being killed and harassed like this anymore some people are under the false impression that it’s all over now; but I tell you the racially ignorant mentality still persists and is here today. It’s not over how they want us to believe, it’s (the oppression) all done more subtly now. We still got work to do when it comes to social justice. These pictures serve as a reminder of a history that we can’t forget, because this did happen. I wish, as an African-American, that I did have an African-American ancestry to look back on that didn’t include this, but that’s not the case this IS a large part of my ancestry. I don’t have the privilege to look back on a great ancestral past, nor do some white Americans actually, that’s why, I think, some want PoC (and themselves) to just simply forget this ever happened. Like it can be written out of the history books like the rest of our past dating back to Africa, dating back to Egypt.

just looking at these images makes me uncomfortable, posting them is hard for me to do, I’m a sensitive person. So I’ll post the link: http://hip-hop-influence.tumblr.com/post/91154424212/totallynotagentphilcoulson-theriotmag

some of the comments:

cultureunseen: Salute to the enduring spirit of the children of the slaves…

latenightwithicewaterjones: A lot of the men and women that had to endure this are still alive. Don’t let white people act like this is the distant past. It’s not.

neptunespresenttheclones: Never forget, bring this up every fucking year that goes by. If you will forget about what the white people did to your race, to your family, everyone will. America already forgot what they did. Why doesn’t any of these pictures pop up in our history books? Because the white think they haven’t done this, they want to teach us that this never happened. They want that we will forget about all of this..

How are they helping when they’re smiling and posing for the camera ? They remind me of men standing around a lynched body acting as if they’re at a kickback

broodingsoul: I didn’t want to reblog this because of how uncomfortable it made me feel and then I realized, that’s the exact reason I need to reblog it.

Urban Neighborhoods | gentrification?

On Racially Prejudice, Negative Internet Commentary

| ARTICLE | In one of Chicago’s troubled neighborhoods, Englewood, there is a new store opening, Whole Foods. In the commentary there are plenty of controversial topics being brought up. Here is some of what I found.

A Book and A Thought

A Book and A Thought.

Apparel Industry and Cultural “Inspiration”

From a Tumblr Post: dynamicafrica

Found whilst going through my bookmarked links, I don’t recall how I came about Pikolinos and Olivia Palermo collaboration egregiously and lazily titled ‘Maasai Project’, but after reading through the website’s description and looking at the horribly styled safari and animal print lookbook featuring Palermo and Kikanae Ole Pere (or “William as he is known in the western world” – their words not mine), a Maasai community leader, I am sorry I ever stumbled upon this sight.

Pikolinos, a global shoe brand based in Spain, has employed Palermo as their ambassador for their Maasai Project – a sustainable fashion initiative that has tasked itself with improving the lives of Maasai people. A project that they claim has ‘sowed the seed of hope in the heart of Africa’.

Yes, because before there were white Europeans, hopelessness and despair was the order of the day in deep dark Africa and we were incapable of living fruitful and rewarding lives. Oh and, here’s some news: Kenya is the ‘heart of Africa’ (who the hell comes up with these ridiculous labels?!).

Aside from white saviourism, Pikolinos doesn’t give much reason for their particular interest in Maasai people and culture. However, foreigners and fashion brands seem to have a particular obsession with Maasai and Samburu aesthetics – from J. Crew and Louis Vuitton, to Emilio Pucci and Thakoon, so this is really nothing new. Then there are campaigns such as these that just don’t make sense on any level.

False claims of empowerment are instead rebranded with neo-colonialist imagery and statements that completely strip away any agency from the Maasai people.

This is not a stab at sustainable fashion but rather at the type of rhetoric and imagery that mars efforts that might otherwise be a step in a more positive direction.

It’s clear that not everyone’s read or heard of Binyavanga Wainaina’s ‘How Not to Write About Africa’.

chocohawlic:

The Maasai culture itself is so damn rich and iconic. One look at the first picture and I knew these disgusting white people were using the Maasai. The Maasai don’t even need this damn “help”. They’re one of the strongest and most resilient group of people and have been consistently praised for their farming techniques that allow them to have bountiful harvests in extremely dry and desert land.

In fact, the only major threat to the Maasai was colonialism. In fact the Maasai were known for being such fierce warriors and having such a strong stance against slavery (they NEVER enslaved people), that it was common belief that all Maasai land shouldn’t be even walked on by enslavers.

Fuck this campaign and fuck white people treating all African cultures as a trend.

tamzlavender:

This is precisely my concern with the apparel industry! Constantly we see tribal | ethnic styles, prints, patterns “trending” and they are, for the most part, always owned\operated\designed by these large corporations\industries where the only ethnic people involved are waaaay in the background and only used for inspirational purposes. I really am tired of seeing this imagery. It really shows you how tied-up\rigged-up this “system” is. Because this is the stuff that gets promoted. There are so many African designers in Africa and we never see their designs promoted like this. We are constantly being shown -this is the standard, the only way ethnic people can be seen (used). So many things have been taken and relabeled as inspiration for the profit of this greedy gold-digging humans that distort and misuse cultural exchange. We NEED to be talking about this.. Seeing this perspective. Because this is a reality. This is reality…

current society

From a Tumblr Post: http://queen-pharaoh.tumblr.com/post/82192019232/this-society-is-going-to-become-more-supremely

This society is going to become more supremely racist when it is apparently not racist. And that’s where it’s moving to at this point. When a white man tells you, “let’s not put race into this,” he is being the most racist at that point.

You can have a society that removes all public expression on racism. You can have a society were people no longer overtly express racial hatred, and racist statements and behavior is outlawed, but you can still have a system that destroys millions and millions of Black people. Colin Powell and others are the signs of that kind of racism where the Black middle class will be sitting in these jobs and positions defending the system.

You must recognize that racism is not an attitude. It is not a feeling of hatred toward another people. You must understand that racism and white supremacy is in the very structures and values of the institutions of the society itself. And until you revolve and change those structures and attitudes and values you will always be under the bottom.

Dr. Amos N. Wilson explaining racism and predicting the future almost twenty years ago (early 90’s).

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Izr1wxUgB-Q&list=PLBhR-EIi2zEVp8z25b8z7jIkUG7kJv2H1&index=14

Media

Post from Tumblr Blog: http://tamzlavender.tumblr.com/post/66155455794/when-the-issue-of-having-media-for-black-people

When the issue of having media for black people comes up, for some it is deemed as raciest; I find this laughable. If shows like Black Girls Rock and magazines like Jet, Ebony, and Essence didn’t exist I believe we would be even more segregated as a society and undermined as people of color. These outlets were created because “mainstream” media greatly caters to a white audience. All of this can be researched and validated.

I find it even more absurd when these comments are stated from one who is not considered a “minority”. It’s a shame that it can’t even be fathomed to these individuals about the psychological affects that this has and that these affects need to be counteracted with positive affirmations. It feels different and it is different when someone assumes they know all about you just by looking at you. When media shows only negative associations with people of color these images are implanted into our minds and are then brought up in everyday life, reinforcing itself into our psyche.

When you come from a family history of limited opportunities and struggling to make your voice heard, you need an outlet to begin to build a foundation you can stand on. These outlets don’t seem to be given to us by those who have most of the resources to do so; so of course we must uplift ourselves when no one else can or will do it for us.

When my mother was a little girl, she accompanied her mother one day cleaning for a white woman’s home. The woman made a comment about my mother growing up to be a maid too. My mom told the woman “no, I’m going to be a nurse” and that’s just what my mother did. She didn’t listen to the negativity that was around her, the assumptions that she wasn’t capable of making great accomplishments; she pursued her goals and accomplished them! She serves as a great example to me, that no matter what road blocks are in your way, don’t let it stop you. 

The article that prompted this entry: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/olivia-cole/why-im-not-here-for-white_b_4214132.html?utm_hp_ref=tw

The Radical Performance of the Carefree Black Girl

Bluestockings Magazine

The Carefree Black Girl (CFBG) in its most simple definition is user-produced and circulated portraiture of black women being happy. This concept and practice has its roots in Tumblr and has been written about at refinery29 as well as on Jezebel. These images depict black women smiling or laughing, often in natural settings such as fields, woods, or bodies of water, but they do not have to be. CFBGs often depict women with natural hair as these images seem to stem from an embrace of the eclectic and convey a “hippie” aesthetic with head wraps and beads. They sometimes feature women with multicolored hair and untraditional sartorial choices such as suits or un-matching prints. Many times they are selfies showcasing new hair and beauty choices but are more often pictures of black women doing things like riding a bike, dancing in the street, or lying happily in bed. An…

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Dialect⋅Sociolect⋅Ethnolect

Why all the negativity

when one speaks the same language

but with a different…

expression

or shall I say…

dialect?

– – – – – – –

Dialect – 1. a variety of a language that is distinguished from other varieties of the same language by features of phonology, grammar, and vocabulary, and by its use by a group of speakers who are set off from others geographically or socially. 2. a provincial, rural, or socially distinct variety of a language that differs from the standard language, especially when considered as substandard. 3. a language considered as one of a group that have a common ancestor

One dictionary definition even states: a form of a language that is considered inferior [World English Dictionary] <(seriously?!!!)

– – – – – – –

I never thought of the word dialect within this negative context

why is this considered:

“ghetto” “low-class” “ignorant” “bad-grammar” “slang”

when using words like,

fin’to | ain’t | a’ight | fo’ sho’

ebonics . black english

sociolect . ethnolect

– – – – – – –

Sometimes, I never really hear of the Black-American language being referred to in a positive light.

Maybe things are changing… “Ain’t nobody got time fah’ dat” I’ve heard this quoted by everyone, and I mean everyone. There still may be a bit of…ignorance lingering in the air about these matters though…