Dr Cameron, who is profoundly deaf, leads the sign language project at Edinburgh University, which has just added 200 new environmental science terms to the BSL dictionary.

She described how, in her own scientific career, a lack of vocabulary meant she was excluded from important meetings and conversations.

"I was involved in research for 11 years and went to numerous meetings but was never was truly involved because I couldn't understand what people were saying," she told BBC News. "I wanted to talk with people about chemistry and I just wasn't able to."

What is my aro latinidad (Carnival of Aros, March 2021)

I’m hosting Carnival of Aros this month (call for submissions can be found here) with the theme of intersectionality and inclusivity, and I figured I’d write a bit about my thoughts and experiences related to this. 

There is no denying that the aromantic community is marginalized. We are small, often not acknowledged or recognized, pushed aside…This feeling is something I recognize as an experience of another aspect of my identity. A lot of people experience this multiple marginalization. Our different identities intersect and mingle and can sometimes create complicated, messy, entangled stories of ourselves. To compartmentalize these is to deny ourselves the expression of our whole selves. This is why I find intersectionality so important. 

It makes sense that the aromantic community focuses on aromanticism. But we cannot deny that there can be many different ways to experience aromanticism. We engage in community and activism for several reasons: finding connection, having a place to be ourselves, increasing visibility, creating resources, and so forth. But I think an important reason for activism is to liberate ourselves. But we cannot liberate ourselves if we don’t include those who are marginalized for other reasons. It’s all of us or none of us. We may one day be able to “expand” the system to include us aromantics, but if we neglect those of us who are marginalized in other ways, it will be a false and tenuous freedom. It will become “alright, you’re allowed to be aromantic and we accept you, but only within this boundary.” This is the problem that I see with mainstream LGBTQ+ respectability politics. We complain about how “love is love” leaves us out… but we may be doing the same to our fellow aros if we don’t take diversity and intersectionality into account in our own community.

As I learn more about myself, the more realize how many times over I am a minority. But I will focus on one aspect of myself that I think receives little attention in the aromantic community. I am Latine. Specifically, I am a Latine immigrant, which influences how I experience my latinidad (and whether I am allowed to experience and express it).

Latine culture can have a rather strict view on marriage and children (especially in more conservative/religious populations). Getting married and having children is just something you do. It’s a duty. Depending on how strict it is, romance and attraction can be considered secondary (although I do see that changing). In a way, there is no romantic (or sexual) orientation because it doesn’t matter. Gay? Lesbian? Bi? Pan? Aro? Doesn’t matter, you still get married to someone of the “opposite” sex and have children. You might be queer, but it’s not something you do or act on. When I was a minor, dating was strictly prohibited in my household. The parents of my Latine peers were also often rather strict about dating, especially with girls. After I became an adult, my parents started pressuring me into dating but with the express purpose of getting married, not necessarily for “finding the love of my life” or for the purpose of romance. Saying things like “I’m not interested in dating or in romantic relationships” were often met with looks of “alright, and…?” Saying “I don’t want to get married and have kids” is what caught their attention.

I grew up with my parents telling me that family is the most important thing because you can’t rely on friends. “When you get older, your husband is going to be the only person you trust, and you can’t ever let friends interfere in that.” Now, an important detail. We are religious cult survivors. So it’s difficult for me to disentangle how much of this is due to distrust from trauma and being programmed (cults often program you to be insular and cut others out) and how much of it is due to amatonormativity and the cultural view on marriage. We are also immigrants, and marriage is often seen as a necessary (financial) safety net, so that could be a factor there too.

With all this, I find it difficult to come out to my family, not only because of potential backlash, but because… how do I even explain to them what a romantic orientation is? They’re aware that there are gay people, for instance, but to them that’s not an orientation. They would have to understand that 1) it is possible to be something other than straight, 2) it’s not a “lifestyle choice”, and 3) not being straight is not a consequence of trauma or abuse or mental illness. So I find often that coming out guidelines don’t really work for me because of this. Coming out as aromantic is already difficult because explaining aromanticism can be an ordeal in and of itself. In my case, I would have to start from the very beginning. Not to mention that the process and expectations of coming out are in some ways dominated by Whiteness.

One thing that was complicated in my aromantic journey is the differences in intimacy in Latine culture and in American culture, where I primarily grew up. For example, physical intimacy and affection are much more common and prevalent amongst family members and friends in Latine culture. In America, this is often reserved for romantic relationships. I am a physically affectionate person. Living in the US, you can guess the issues this brought. There has been growing acceptance of physical affection in friendship in American society, but it is frustrating to see how physical affection and other forms of intimacy are often considered romantic. This occurs even in the aromantic community sometimes, although much less so and I would say there is much more understanding that various forms of intimacy can occur in friendship. But it is sometimes odd for me when something I’d consider typical intimacy in friendship, such as physical intimacy, gets potentially labeled as sensual attraction. It would be great to see discussions on intimacy and relationships across cultures.

Also, as is in many areas, Latines and Hispanics tend to be left out or thrown in later as an afterthought. There is increasing recognition for the need of diversity in terms of racial and ethnic groups. Latines don’t always fit in neatly with PoC, so I wonder, where do I fit in? That same question arises when I see “aros of color” or “aro poc”… I’m a mix of things, but I am whitepassing (and therefore have White privilege). Let’s not forget the colonial and anti-Indigenous prejudices that have completely divorced me of my Indigenous heritage (greatly self-inflicted in my family). So I’m unsure if I can claim the aro of color label. But I also don’t completely fit into the typical White mold of the US or Western Europe, which are often considered the symbols of Whiteness. Nonetheless, because of living in the US and now Western Europe, their ideas of intimacy, relationships, and romance have been inflicted upon me as well. There is this feeling that aromantic community is largely White (at least the part of it that has garnered most attention), so the development of my aromantic identity has been shaped by this Whiteness. And it’s been a process for me to discover what a Latine version of my aromanticism would be. I don’t know yet what that is, to be honest. Latine culture can be diverse, and my version of latinidad is also complicated by the fact that I am a lifelong immigrant. Too American for Latin America, too Latine for America (funnily enough, my Latine identity is basically non-existent in Europe, I’m often just seen as American). Still, I would like to see more stories from Latine aros. I want to hear about what aromanticism means to Latines and how other Latines navigate coming out in their families. It seems that maybe there aren’t many Latine aros out there, but having more representation, while just a first step, would be so meaningful.

10 Reasons International Students Want a UK Degree

There are several reasons international students choose to study in the UK. The United Kingdom attracts thousands of students every year, and for a good reason. In addition to UK universities being highly reputed and globally ranked, students can choose between thousands of courses and thrive in a multicultural environment. Here are some of the reasons why international students choose UK degrees over those from other English-speaking countries. Don't have much time to read? Watch this short video instead-- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMUrF4PQAvY 1. You’re Desirable to Employers Studying abroad is an excellent way to impress future employers. However, studying in the UK has its advantages because of its reputation for excellence in education. A UK degree makes international students more desirable to employers and gives them an edge over other potential employees. This way, they can get the jobs they want easily. 2. Variety of Degrees UK degrees are amongst the most diverse globally, with students having thousands of options to choose from. Therefore, no matter your passion or interest, you’re sure to find the perfect degree to suit your needs and career goals. In addition to having so many subjects to choose from, international students studying in the UK can also choose different modules and types of education depending on their needs. While some UK degrees are more theoretical, others are more practical. Students can also opt for shorter degrees instead of long ones, opt for work placement, or study abroad. 3. Affordable Education While a UK degree isn’t the most inexpensive one you can get, it’s a lot more affordable than alternatives such as degrees from the US or Australia. Additionally, since UK degrees are generally shorter than those in other countries, this cuts down on tuition and accommodation costs and the overall cost of the degree. International students are also eligible for various scholarships and grants and can choose to study at some of the more affordable universities in the UK. Furthermore, living costs in the UK can be quite affordable. Of course, this isn’t true for larger cities like London, but outside of these, students can choose to live affordably. 4. Reputation of Excellence in Academics The United Kingdom is known as a hub for learning and boasts centuries-old universities. Oxford and Cambridge were both founded more than 800 years ago, and UK universities as a whole have enjoyed high rankings in some of the world’s most popular and trusted university lists, including the QS World University Rankings and the Times Higher Education World University Rankings. International students prefer UK degrees over those from other countries because these degrees are recognised and respected worldwide. No matter where you end up seeking employment, your degree will help and highlight your potential. With unrivalled excellence in education, world-class campuses, and some of the world’s best teachers, it’s no wonder that the UK is the second most popular study destination in the world. 5. Shorter Degrees and Earlier Graduation Studying full-time in the UK allows international students to finish their studies earlier than in other countries. While undergraduate degrees take four years to complete in the US, this is reduced to three years in the UK. Similarly, instead of the usual two years, master’s degrees can be finished in one year. In addition to graduating sooner, students can benefit from reduced tuition fees. 6. Multicultural Environment Unlike some other countries, the UK has always been welcoming to international students. Being a multicultural and tolerant country, the UK is an excellent choice for students who want an inclusive and diverse university experience. In addition to sampling various cuisines and attending various events and festivals, students will be exposed to different religions, faiths, and languages present throughout the UK. 7. Work Opportunities The United Kingdom allows international students to work as they’re completing their degrees. Those studying abroad often need financial assistance, and this allows them to earn some extra money while also completing their education. International students can work up to 20 hours per week during the academic year and full-time during the holidays. 8. Graduation Immigration Route One of the most beneficial aspects of studying in the UK is the opportunity for international students to find work in the country after they graduate. The UK government has created the Graduate Immigration Route, a post-study work visa programme for international students who have graduated with UK degrees. This programme started in summer 2021 and allows international students to work in the UK for two years after they graduate. PhD students can stay up to three years after graduation. Because of this, international students have the opportunity to find excellent work opportunities and build up their resumes in the UK. This can help with career advancement. 9. Access to Europe Another reason international student prefer UK degrees is because of the easy access to different European countries. Both plane and train travel are affordable and quick, and individuals can reach different countries in hours. Additionally, studying in the UK itself provides students with access to different countries such as England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. This allows them to explore and adds to their university experience. 10. High Student Satisfaction International students studying in the UK usually have positive experiences and an excellent time at their chosen universities. In fact, according to the UK Higher Educational International Unit, the country has one of the highest student satisfaction rates in the world. 85% of international students said they would recommend UK degrees to others, with their overall satisfaction being 91%. These are only some of the reasons international students decide to study in the United Kingdom. Many other reasons and plenty of considerations factor into the decision. Still, these are the major factors involved when deciding to study in the UK. If you’re an international student who has been on the fence about whether or not to pursue a UK degree, we hope this article was helpful and serves as a guide on whether a UK degree is right for your particular needs. Read the full article

Privilege in Nature Interpretation

Becoming comfortable and open to the idea of privilege and what that means in your life, is not an easy process. I am still working on accepting my own privilege and understanding the role of privilege in our world. Although we are all striving for a university degree, our economic, educational, and environmental conditions vary. Some students have unearned benefits or advantages by the nature of their identity and but that does not mean that they are immune to the hardships in life (Ebbitt, 2015). Privilege is different for everyone, but some common privileges include race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, socioeconomic status, country of origin, language, and/or ability. My privilege comes from the colour of my skin, gender, middle-class upbringings, education, resources to food, access to health care, and familial support. By being born with certain traits and resources, I had advantages growing up that some may not have had. Privilege is not something that I am completely comfortable with but recently I have begun to understand the importance of addressing the imbalances and discussing privilege with others and myself. Having privilege isn’t something that anyone needs to feel bad about, it doesn’t make you a bad person; it just means that you possess benefits that others may not have, and by acknowledging your privilege, you will be able to address it and do something about it.

In order to address privilege in nature programming, interpreters must get to know their audience. Knowing the characteristics and demographic of the audiences will allow the interpreter to effectively deliver content and experiences. Privilege plays a major role in nature interpretation; some people may experience barriers that limit access to nature interpretation programming. Some participants may struggle with physical disabilities, social or psychological barriers that may leave the participant feeling unwelcome or irrelevant. These reasons for non-participation are things that the interpreters need to understand in order to create programming to eliminate these barriers. It is important to adapt programming to make sure that everyone no matter their privilege, feels comfortable and welcomed to join. As a aspiring Landscape Architect, I hope to create spaces that focus on inclusion and engagement. I strive to create spaces that are welcoming for everyone; spaces without barriers. 

I had the opportunity to travel throughout Europe this year and it was amazing to see how different interpreters adapted based on the group they were working with. While on a bus tour of the Highlands in Scotland, there were some language barriers amongst the group; the tour company immediately adapted their programming by providing the individuals with headsets with a pre-recorded audio in their language. This way, the individuals who didn’t speak English were still able to learn and be a part of the entire experience. The interpreter used many gestures and expressions to ensure that the group was constantly engaged, no matter what language you spoke. Being able to understand and appreciate differences between participants can allow the interpreters to serve the group more effectively. Understanding privilege and diverse audiences ensures that everyone can positively benefit from nature interpretation and programming.

Attached is a picture of the bus we toured the highlands in. We participated in “roving interpretation” which is a newer approach to reduce barriers and increase participation. This experience allowed us to be fully immersed in the environment that we were being educated on and sparked amazing conversation and involvement amongst everyone.

References:

Ebbitt, K. (2015, February 27). Why It’s Important to Think About Privilege - and Why It’s Hard. Retrieved September 23, 2020, from https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/why-its-important-to-think-about-privilege-and-why/

Dust, Volume 6, Number 10

The Slugs 

September seemed to be the month when all the records on endless delay finally got kicked out the door, COVID or no, ready or not here we come. We’re deluged with music, some recorded before the world changed, some clearly cooked up mid-pandemic. There are a lot of covers EPs, lots of solo material, lots of home-made lo-fi, lots of benefit comps, and who are we to complain? Better, instead, to reach for the headphones, load up the hard drive, pile on the LPs and do some listening. Here’s some of the stuff that caught our attention, as usual ranging all over the continuum, from traditional to edgy and experimental, from silly pop punk to enraged death metal to bookish electro-acoustic improvisation. Contributors this time out included Jonathan Shaw, Patrick Masterson, Jennifer Kelly, Bill Meyer, Derek Taylor, Ray Garraty, Tim Clarke and Andrew Forell. Happy fall.

Amputation — Slaughtered in the Arms of God (Nuclear War Now!)

Slaughtered in the Arms of God by Amputation

Given the degree of smugness that accompanies utterances of the phrase “Old School Death Metal,” it’s frequently instructive to listen to some. Right on time, the misanthropic bunch at Nuclear War Now! has delivered some seriously Old School sounds to our digital doorstep. This new compilation LP gathers both of the demos of Norwegian knuckle-draggers Amputation, along with a contemporaneous rehearsal recording. Likely the resulting record will be of principal interest to fans of Immortal, the long-running, on-again-off-again Norwegian black metal band that Amputation would morph into in 1991. The songs collected on Slaughtered in the Arms of God have some additional musicological significance, as they document the sounds of 1989 and 1990, transformational years in Norway’s metal scene. Mayhem and Darkthrone tend to get most of the attention, for reasons both good and bad; and like Darkthrone, Amputation made death metal before transitioning to blacker, more brittle sounds. The music on Slaughtered in the Arms of God is muddy, thudding and thick. Perhaps that’s the result of the primitive recording tech the band used, likely of necessity. But through the murk (and to some degree because of it), you can hear the influence of Stockholm’s fecund death metal scene, especially Dismember’s earliest stuff. Scandinavia’s metal currents run deep and dark. Whether that means that Old School Death Metal is intrinsically a good thing is a different matter.

Jonathan Shaw

 Anz — Loose in Twos (NRG) 12” (Hessle Audio)

Loos In Twos (NRG) by Anz

I love the idea of listening to DJ mixes of original or all-new material; it’s probably why I still value, say, Ricardo Villalobos’ Fabric 36 so much. Manchester’s Anna Marie-Odubote, aka Anz, has been doing just such a thing annually since 2015 and really went wild with spring/summer dubs 2020, which compiled 74 tracks into nearly an hour and a half of new music. That would’ve been more than enough amid all of this (imagine me gesturing around vaguely), but “Loos in Twos (NRG)” on the venerable Hessle Audio imprint is an equally formidable, decidedly tighter release I played a lot at the start of September. Three club-ready tracks here break down acid, jungle and footwork, and while all three are heady breaks, the looped vocals and bongo of “Stepper” make it the one for me. Get those feet moving digitally now so they’re comfortable once the vinyl arrives in early October.

Patrick Masterson

 Ashes and Afterglow — Everybody Wants a Revolution (Postlude Paradox)

Ashes and Afterglow drops pop punk melodies into deep buckets of fuzz, lets them bubble and bob to the surface before shoving them under again. The band is mainly the output of one Luke Daniel, who appears to have been in other band called Sea of Orchids, but neither outfit has left much of an internet trail. And sure, this is the kind of thing that could easily get shuffled under; it breaks no moulds. And yet shuffling “To Take a Look at the World,” has a heart-worn resonance, Daniel’s voice echoing in reverbed hollow-ness against surging tides of guitar noise. “My Yesterday Girl” churns a little harder, with a bright, pop-leaning sort of hopefulness hedged in by seething feedback. It’s not bad, but it never hits a melodic vein the way that similarly inclined artists like Ted Leo or Ovlov or Tony Molina do, and it never pushes the noise over the top, either. Neither pop nor punk but somewhere in middle.

Jennifer Kelly

 Ballister — Znachki Stilyag (Aerophonic)

Znachki Stilyag by Ballister

A cake is still a cake, whether you put chocolate frosting and strawberries or white icing and a fondant roses on top. And while they don’t all taste or look exactly the same, a Ballister album is still a Ballister album, and the first Ballister album in three years does not mess with the recipe. Dave Rempis (alto and tenor saxophones), Fred Lonberg-Holm (cello and electronics), and Paal Nilssen-Love (drums and percussion) still trade in a particularly hard-hitting form of total improvisation. The changes are ones of emphasis — Lonberg-Holm sounds like he’s using a wah-wah pedal and deploys some especially slashing feedback tones, there’s a bit more space in Nilssen-Love’s intricate beat configurations, and Rempis left his baritone sax at home — and of location. Znachki Stilyag was recorded during the fall of 2019 in Moscow, Russia, which may explain why the big horn stayed at home. But the ones you hear still cut and thrust with broadsword force and rapier precision. This is a cake you can trust.

Bill Meyer  

 Vincent Chancey — The Spell: The Vincent Chancey Trio Live, 1987 (No Business) 

Vincent Chancey likely isn’t alone amongst his peers in feeling exasperated by folks singling out his instrument as uncommon or unusual to jazz. It’s a form of damning through faint praise and one that feel

s even more lackadaisical with any time spent with his music. Chancey plays the French horn and he’s plied it in settings as diverse as Sun Ra Arkestra, Lester Bowie’s Brass Fantasy and Charlie Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra as well as gigs supporting Aretha Franklin and Elvis Costello. It’s unclear whether the trio documented on The Spell was a working concern, but that hardly matters given how well bassist Wilbur Morris and percussionist Warren Smith gel with their convener. Spread across two sides of an LP, the concert recorded at a New York City art gallery covers four pieces, two by Morris bookending one apiece from Smith and the leader that stitch together very much like cohesive suite. An unadvertised surprise comes with Smith’s ample application of marimba alongside a regular drum kit. Recording quality isn’t optimal, but Chancey’s rich, rounded, phrases gain extra gravitas through the sometimes-grainy acoustics. Woefully underrepresented in the driver’s seat discographically, his acumen as both improviser and composer is easily vindicated by this limited edition (300 copies) release.

Derek Taylor 

 Che Chen — Tokyo 17.II.2012 (self-released)

Tokyo 17.II.2012 by Che Chen

Nowadays Che Chen has earned a measure renown as the guitar-playing half of 75 Dollar Bill, and all the praise is earned. But before that, he played a roomful of instruments in the True Primes, Heresy of the Free Spirit and duos with Robbie Lee, Tetuzi Akiyama and Chie Mukai. The through-lines to all these efforts is a willingness not to play things the way their supposed to be played, and a gift for supplying the right resonance in any setting. Since 75 Dollar Bill is a New York-based band made for social occasions, the COVID-19 lay-off has been especially hard — so there’s no better time to see what’s in those hard drives in the closet, right? Chen has released this solo concert from 2012 via Bandcamp. In Tokyo for a brief layover, he played amplified violin at a party held in the basement of someone’s apartment building. The amplified part is important; dips and swells of feedback count as much as in this 25-minute performance as the fiddle’s bright, plucked notes and rough, bowed tones. Chen moves purposefully from one mode to next, taking time along the way to savor the room’s lively acoustics.

Bill Meyer

 Jeff Cosgrove/ John Medeski/ Jeff Lederer — History Gets Ahead of the Story (Grizzley Music)

Odds are that even the estimable William Parker would be surprised by the prospect of a William Parker cover album. But that’s essentially what History Gets Ahead of the Story is as organized and realized by drummer Jeff Cosgrove. That the project is the province of an organ trio only adds to the potential consternation quotient. John Medeski officiates the Hammond B-3 console and saxophonist Jeff Lederer, doubling on flute, completes the combo convened by Cosgrove. The latter’s connections to Parker stem from a trio he was part of with the bassist/composer and pianist Matthew Shipp that disbanded in 2015 after fruitful collaboration. Parker’s personage and music left an indelible mark and the seeds for the present album were sown. Collective creative license doesn’t get in the way of soulful, energizing renderings of such staples as “O’Neal’s Porch,” “Corn Meal Dance” and “Wood Flute Songs,” but troika also cedes time for a triptych of strong originals that align aurally with their dedicatee’s inclusive tone world sensibilities.

Derek Taylor   

 Derelenismo Occulere — Inexorable Revelación (Le Legione Projets)

Inexorable Revelacion (FULL LENGHT 2020) by Derelenismo Occulere

This sounds like a rehearsal gone wrong. In the time of the COVID pandemic, Neo Apolion, a guy responsible for the music in this Ecuadorean duo, recorded a demo and sent it to the band’s vocalist Malduchryst with a message to do with it whatever he wants. Malduchryst took his band partner’s words all too literally. With complete disregard to the music he began vomiting a noisy, messy mass of screams to a microphone (has he never heard of a black metal with no vocals?). If it sounds totally batshit, you can rest assured that it is. This is what makes Inexorable Revelación actually great black metal. When a lot of metal bands these days are just Backstreet Boys with leather jackets on and with guitars, Derelenismo Occulere care about only fury and mayhem. Their Argentinean mix man Ignacio only adds more chaos to the album. The only flaw this tape has is that it is 15 minutes too long.

Ray Garraty  

 Whit Dickey — Morph (ESP-Disk)

Morph by Whit Dickey

Drummer Whit Dickey and pianist Matthew Shipp have been recurrent partners since the early 1990s, when they were both members of the David S. Ware Quartet. It’s fair to say that each man is a known quantity to the other, and that one of the things they know about each other is that they might still be surprised by the other’s playing. Dickey’s retreated from time to time in order to revise his approach, and while Shipp has often threatened to quit recording over the years, he has never stopped working or evolving. This double disc combines one duo CD and another that adds trumpeter Nate Wooley to the pair. Wooley’s done a number of dates with Shipp in recent times, but he and Dickey were musical strangers before they entered Park West Studios in March 2019. Without Wooley, Shipp and Dickey seem very free and trusting of each other, transitioning with dreamlike ease from abstracted gospel to sideways swing to restless co-rumination this the ease. The trio seems more considered. The trumpeter dips quite sparingly into his extended technique bag, favoring instead linear statements that instigate fleet perambulations from the pianist and more supportive, less overtly dialogic contributions from the drummer. Both sessions work, and their differences complement each other quite handily.

Bill Meyer

 Dropdead — S/T (Armageddon)

Dropdead 2020 by Dropdead

Yep, it’s that Dropdead, the Providence-based powerviolence band that hasn’t released a proper LP since 1998 and was on a long hiatus through much of the 21st century. Since 2011, Dropdead has put out a string of splits, with heavyweights like Converge and Brainoil. But a whole record? Maybe the unrelentingly shitty condition of our political and economic conjuncture motivated the four guys in the band (three of whom have been affiliated with Dropdead since 1991) to write the 23 burners, rants and breakdown-heavy hardcore tunes you’ll hear across Dropdead’s 25 minutes. It’s a welcome addition. Bob Otis’s voice doesn’t have the shredding quality of days of yore — but that ends up being useful. You can hear the lyrics, and they’re drenched in venom and righteousness. The rest of the band hasn’t lost a step. Pretty impressive for a bunch of guys with that much grey in their beards. That said, they don’t pull any intergenerational, “we’re-older-and-wiser” moves. This is still music that wants to collapse boundaries, between stage and mosh pit, between races and genders, between species, even. Not so much class positions: “Warfare State,” “United States of Corruption,” “Will You Fight?” Late capitalism’s depredations still bear the principal brunt of the band’s anger. Things have gotten worse, and Dropdead respond in kind. They may be a lot older, but they’re even more pissed off.

Jonathan Shaw

 Fake Laugh — Waltz (State 51 Conspiracy)

Earlier this year, Kamran Khan released his second Fake Laugh album, the charming, playful Dining Alone, which made its way into Dusted’s mid-year round-up of favorites released in the first half of 2020. Khan’s third album, Waltz, is a very different beast, featuring just piano, vocals and the odd keyboard texture, casting his songwriting in sharp relief. Undoubtedly created in this stripped-down way out of lockdown necessity, it’s hard to listen to these wistful, melancholic songs without imagining where Khan’s knack for colorful arrangements might take them, given the chance. (As a tease, closing song “Amhurst” offers up a shimmering electronic melody and some sighing synth chords.) There’s no doubting Khan’s way with a tune, and his naked vocal, though occasionally showing strain, suits the mood. It’s understated and undeniably lovely, yet Waltz feels like a minor release for this talented artist.

Tim Clarke

 David Grubbs / Taku Unami — Comet Meta (Blue Chopsticks)

Comet Meta by David Grubbs & Taku Unami

In the 23 years since Gastr Del Sol fell apart, David Grubbs has done many things that don’t sound much like his old band with Jim O’Rourke. And Taku Unami has worked in such varied settings and ways that the most persistent quality of his engagement with sound is its ability to induce question marks and ellipses in any train of thought intending to decode it. So, it’s both remarkable and delightful that this record, the duo’s second collaboration, sounds rather like parts of Gastr Del Sol’s Upgrade & Afterlife. The foundation rests upon the way two guys who can and do play intricate guitar duets make subtle use of other elements — creeping acoustic piano, humming synthesizer, urban field recordings — to make music that thickens atmosphere and accumulates mystery with such subtlety that you don’t notice it until you’re in it.

Bill Meyer  

 Guided by Voices — Mirrored Aztec (Guided by Voices Inc.)

I know, I know, it’s another Guided by Voices record, the fifth since 2019, but hear me out. Pollard is still tapped into the fuzzy, rackety, melodic sap of the rock and roll universe, and he has only to knock his hammer a few times against the gnarled tree of life to extract more of what sustains us. Shorter version: he can do this all day, every day, without any noticeable let-up in quality. So, let us celebrate another batch of Who-like power chords, of rumbling drums and monumental bass thuds, of melodies that curve out delicately like spring’s first vines, then thicken into thundering climaxes and triumphant refrains. Let us give thanks again for inscrutable lyrics that drift off into poetry then pull back in the most ordinary artifacts of the spoken word. “I Think I Had It. I Think I Have It,” crows Pollard in a voice that has been blasted by time but come out more or less intact, and yes, Bob, you still do.

Jennifer Kelly

  Edu Haubensak & Tomas Korber — Works for Guitar & Percussion (Ezz-thetics)

The celebrated Wandelweiser aesthetic serves as a loose overarching impetus for the four interpretations of compositions by Edu Haubensak and Tomas Korber that comprise Works for Guitar & Percussion. Classical guitarist Christian Buck and improvising percussionist Christian Wolfarth ply their instruments through pairing and isolation. Essayist Andy Hamilton describes context by delineating a distinction between music (based in the language of tones) and soundart (which is non-tonal) and placing the duo’s interpretations in the opaque border between these realms. Repetition and timbral disparity frame Haubensak’s “On” while Korber’s “Aufhebung” applies scrutiny to microtonal diversity and temporal impermanence. Wolfarth fields Korber’s “Weniger Weiss” from behind snare drum, trading recurring stick rolls with varying segments of silence that compel ears accustomed to Western musical structures to consciously fill in the blanks. Haubensak’s solo “Refugium” finds Buck bending two closely tuned strings in an extrapolation of an Arabic maqam that feels tenuously connected to the form, at best.

Derek Taylor 

 Inseclude — Inseclude (Inseclude)

Brad MacAllister of CTRL and Blue Images and Benjamin Londa of Exit have been working in the darkwave and chillwave scenes for several years and their first album as Inseclude is a long distance collaboration that mines the darker side of 1980s alternative and electronic rock. From Pennsylvania, MacAllister sent musical ideas to Londa in Texas who added guitars, lyrics and vocals to produce a set of songs that are well made and enjoyable if largely unmemorable. There are a number of contemporary bands doing similar things — Hamilton’s Capitol and Manchester’s Ist spring immediately to mind — taking the Cure, New Order, Sisters of Mercy template and why not? Unfortunately, the passage of time and the law of diminishing returns have led to overfamiliarity with this style of music that makes for easy and perhaps unfair comparisons. When they stretch themselves, Inseclude’s songs do hit. “Sondera” and “Failing To The Pulse” carry some real menace with the juxtaposition of wide-angle synths and paranoid vocals but elsewhere the pair seem held back by a restraint and lack of bottom end that diminish the impact of some pretty decent songs.

Andrew Forell

 Kvalia — Scholastic Dreams Of Forceful Machines (Old Boring Russia)

Схоластические Грёзы Силовых Машин by Квалиа

Krasnoyarsk sits on the banks of the Yenisei river in southern Siberia and is known both for the natural beauty of its surrounding landscape and for its primacy as an aluminum producer. Local musicians Aleksander Maznichenko and Aleksey Danilenko reflect the latter on their new five track EP Scholastic Dreams Of Forceful Machines, an icy, metallic collection of post-industrial clang pitched somewhere between Einstürzende Neubauten and early Clock DVA. Their machines are forceful but cranky, rusted, near obsolete. Maznichenko keeps the thrum of turbines is steady but the drum machines lurch and thump, the keyboards whine and scream, the Russian vocals protest their obstreperous charges. Danilenko’s bass is post-punk elastic skipping amongst the raining sparks hinting at a will to dance with his mutant riffs. They sound like they mean it and the result is a terrific EP full of fire, fumes, steam and sweat.

Andrew Forell  

 Mezzanine Swimmers — Kneelin’ on a Knife (Already Dead)

Kneelin' on a Knife by Mezzanine Swimmers

These songs circle around noise-crusted, repetitive beats, the drumming stiff and mechanical, the riffs chopped to short bursts, the vocals woozy and distended. “Sexy Apology” reiterates a three-note keyboard lick ad infinitum, as main Swimmer Mike Smith drawls the title phrase, similarly on repeat. Yet within this unchanging structure, chaos erupts in detuned keyboards, miasmic feedback and corrosive noise. It’s hard to say whether these songs are too tightly organized or too loose, a bit of both really, and yet, get past the headachy thud and there’s an unhinged psychotropic transport. No one ever said that kneeling on knives would be comfortable.

Jennifer Kelly

 Mosca — The Optics (Rent)

Mosca · The Optics [RENT001]

Part of the initial wave of neon-infused dubstep hedonism surrounding the Night Slugs camp at the turn of the last decade, Mosca’s Tom Reid has since survived on the strength of a regular slot behind the decks at NTS and sparingly deployed releases on such renowned labels as Numbers, Rinse, Hypercolour and Livity Sound. “The Optics” debuts his new Rent imprint, conceived as a way to get out music that doesn’t fit in elsewhere. (Originally, this was to be an a-side for a coming AD93 release, but as he says, “There's only so long you can keep a track with a baby crying in it back from the masses.”) Supposedly inspired by the Under the Skin beach scene, the five-minute track immediately throws you off with a dub-heavy shuffle and metallic, alien sounds that zoom around the mix. The main thrust of the melody arrives around a minute in, and gradually the sounds close in on you. There’s bells, birds, a baby crying and then, just when you’re feeling completely stressed out, it all falls away; a driving jungle rhythm carries you the rest of the way. Deeply satisfying dance from a head who hasn’t lost his way.

Patrick Masterson  

 Prana Crafter/ragenap — No Ear to Hear (Centripetal Force Studio/Cardinal Fuzz)

No Ear to Hear by Prana Crafter / ragenap

When Robert Hunter, the poet who wrote lyrics for the Grateful Dead’s “Dark Star,” “Ripple,” “Truckin’,” “Terrapin Station” and many other songs, died in late 2019, long form psych musicians Prana Crafter (William Sol) and ragenap (Joel Berk) mourned separately but simultaneously. The night he died, both took solace in improvised music, which didn’t so much evoke or represent Hunter, but captured some of their feelings about his work and their loss. When they talked, soon after, they found that both had made lengthy open-ended meditations on the same person. Those two extended pieces make up No Ear to Hear. Prana Crafter’s entry, “Beggar’s Tomb,” is weighted and slow moving, building gradually from simmering drones into towering edifices of feedback and dissonance. Although performed largely on guitar, the sound is filtered through gleaming effects and layers into astral strangeness, a mystic’s trip through mental interiors. ragenap’s “Nightfall” also takes shape slowly out of looming sustained notes and black velvet quiet and sounds that scratch and vibrate at the edges. A solitary acoustic guitar takes up space at the forefront finally, carving a hesitant melody across the hum. The tune turns fuller and more agitated as it progresses, adding layers of feedback and distortion. Neither of these pieces sounds much like the Grateful Dead, and of course, neither has any sort of lyrics. I doubt that anyone, hearing this album for the first time would say, “Oh yeah, Robert Hunter.” And yet inspiration works in strange and, in this case, fruitful ways. You can enjoy this even if you don’t like the Dead.

Jennifer Kelly

 Raven Throne — Viartannie (Chroniki Źmiainaj Ciemry) (self-released)

Viartannie (Chroniki Źmiainaj Ciemry) /The Return (The Chronicles of the Serpent Darkness) by RAVEN THRONE

These Belorussian black metal veterans are true materialists. On their seventh album, they show that nature is a social construct, not something given. And boy, their nature is not a loving mother. Unlike many metal bands convey nature via field recordings, Raven Throne craft their ferocious sounds with guitars and drums. Aren’t these as natural instruments as stone and wooden sticks? The atmospheric black metal subgenre has been contaminated by pop and folksy metal so that it’s hard to maintain a truly evil sound, while still bringing the atmospheric elements into it. Raven Throne pull it off. This is how darkness should sound.

Ray Garraty  

 The Slugs — Don’t Touch Me I’m Too Slimy (2214099 Records DK)

Don't Touch Me, I'm Too Slimy by The Slugs

The Slugs are an exuberantly lo-fi punk pop duo out of London who bash and thump and shout short, acidic ditties about being female, in a band, under assault and under the weather. Liberty Hodes, who is also one half of the comedy duo A Comedy Night that Passes the Bechdel Test, plays a jangling, forceful electric guitar, while her Phoebe Dighton-Brown bangs away in brutal simplicity on the drums. Both sing, sometimes in unison, sometimes in rough harmonies, occasionally in slashing counterparts. (One chants “Feel sick/can’t be sick” while the other rolls out mellifluous “ah-ah-ah-ahs” in “Feel Sick.”) There is a charming, unstudied quality to their music, which is a bit too smart and biting to be primitive, but nonetheless eschews frills. It’s hard to pick favorites—the whole EP is over in five tracks and 11 minutes—but “Pest” is giddy fun, with its slouching, battering guitar-drum motif and slacker choruses. The shout along chorus of “Don’t touch me! I’m too slimy!” is the best thing on the record, hitting a rebellious, unwashed spot of resonance in the work-from-home era. Second best, the gleeful tirade about sleazy male promoters in “Girly Gang” (“Give you all the gigs if you touch my wang”), which builds in round-singing euphorias until it ends suddenly and a la Jane Austen in matrimony (“Married in a dress by Vera Wang”). People are comparing the Slugs to the Shaggs, but that’s just short-hand for banging away anyway without all the training. The Slugs are smarter, slyer and more autonomous, and if they sound a little rough, that’s exactly how they meant to sound.

Jennifer Kelly

Tobin Sprout — Empty Horses (Fire)

Empty Horses by Tobin Sprout

Blessed with one of the finest names in music (alongside dEUS’s Klaas Janzoons), Tobin Sprout is best known for being part of the Guided by Voices line-up that created classic albums such as Bee Thousand and Alien Lanes in the 1990s. Though Sprout’s subsequent solo output has been a steady stream compared to Robert Pollard’s deluge, Empty Horses is his eighth solo album. In it, the now-65-year-old ruminates faith, mortality and American history atop a spare, country-tinged backing. There’s a deep ache to many of these songs, the kind of emotional weight that manifests in pointedly low tempos, sparse drum parts that hang behind the beat and vocal performances that are almost uncomfortably intimate. Running to a succinct half-hour, with many of the songs clocking in at just a couple of minutes each, Empty Horses confronts demons seemingly too pernicious to overcome. Yet, when the music becomes more expansive — such as the graceful pedal steel of “Breaking Down,” the woozy modulation of “Antietam,” or the biting fuzztone of “All In My Sleep” — Sprout sounds like he may be on the verge of making a much-needed breakthrough.

Tim Clarke  

 Son Lux — Tomorrows I (City Slang)

Tomorrows I by Son Lux

Son Lux’s songs embed unsettling sounds in deep wells of silence, finding disturbing textures in string sounds, electronics, percussion and the fluttering soul falsetto of founder Ryan Lott. Tomorrows I, reportedly the first of three related albums, has a quietly dystopian vibe and a moist, echoing unease that might remind of you Burial’s classic Untrue. A brief, looped, keening violin motif punctures the opening cut, “Plans We Made” with all the threat of Bernhard Hermann’s shower music for the film Psycho, while Lott trills haunted phrases about being afraid to let go. “Undertow,” near the end, brings in a whole string quartet to swoon dissonantly, as a knocking beat (drummer Ian Chang) sounds like a body being dragged across the floor. “Just waiting for the undertow,” sings Lott in the dread empty spaces between, in arias of muted desolation. Minimalist and menacing and mesmerizing.

Jennifer Kelly

 Ulaan Janthina — Ulaan Janthina (Part 1) (Worstward)

Ulaan Janthina (Part I) by Ulaan Janthina

Steven R. Smith contains multitudes, and Ulaan Janthina is the latest manifestation of his mutating musical self. This release exemplifies three aspects of Smith’s practice. First, he likes to make beautiful things. Hard copies of this tape come in a custom-oriented box that contains tinted photos, shells and printed communications as well as the cassette. And he’s project-oriented. While other iterations have been devoted to an Eastern European vibe, or guitar noise or a virtual ensemble sound, Ulaan Janthina results from a decision to work primarily with the keyboards in his house. It’s a winning strategy, since his synthesizers, organ and harmonium all benefit from the grittiness of Smith’s recording methodology, and his spare playing style makes his melodies stand out quite starkly from the background atmosphere. Like the name says, this is part one of the Janthina (named for a genus of sea snail that makes its own floating platform — not a bad metaphor for the survival-oriented independent musician) venture; a second, similarly packaged cassette is pending from Smith’s Worstward imprint soon, and a future release is already planned by Soft Abuse records.

Bill Meyer

 Various Artists — Spr Blk: Liberation Jazz and Soul From the '70s and Beyond (Paxico)

Liberation Jazz and Soul by Marcus J. Moore

Author Marcus J. Moore (late of The Nation but also found everywhere from Pitchfork to WaPo) has a book on the way in October, The Butterfly Effect: How Kendrick Lamar Ignited the Soul of Black America. In advance of its release via cassette devotees Paxico, Moore cobbled together “rare and somewhat familiar” Black music from his own crates. “These are the kinds of songs I play when walking through New York City or driving through Maryland,” he says in the release. What that means for you is a two-sided mix that burns slower on the A and gets more percussion-heavy on the B. Leading off with Doug Carn’s fittingly titled “Swell Like a Ghost” and featuring jams from Willie Dale, Milton Wright, Ronald Snijders and other lesser jazz, soul and funk lights, it’s a revealing mix that will no doubt pair well with that fall reading you’re about to get going on.

Patrick Masterson 

 Vatican Shadow — Persian Pillars of the Gasoline Era (20 Buck Spin)

Persian Pillars Of The Gasoline Era by Vatican Shadow

Dominick Fernow is hugely prolific, and most folks with ears tuned to the densely churning worlds of noise and industrial music will be familiar with his abrasive, unsettling output under the Prurient moniker. Fernow’s releases as Vatican Shadow are fewer in number, and more attuned to ambient, even melodic movements and textures. That’s sort of odd, given that the Vatican Shadow records thematize and explore Fernow’s obsession with the history of the Middle East, especially post-9/11 collisions of Western military force, Islamic traditions of resistance and the tactics of terror used by both sides. Relaxing stuff, that ain’t. Consistent with the larger project’s tendencies, Persian Pillars of the Gasoline Era claims an interest in the CIA-coordinated Iranian coup (MI6 helped out, too, those imperial scamps) that deposed Mohammed Mossadeq, installed the Shah Reza Pahlavi and inaugurated some of the principal tensions that have shaped the last half-century of world history. It’s unclear how Fernow’s pulsing, shimmering, sometimes juddering synth sounds are meant to represent or otherwise engage that history. For sure, record art and song titles summon all the right semiotics, sometimes with an interesting edge. But “Taxi Journey through the Teeming Slums of Tehran” sounds more like a malfunctioning MP3 player than a taxi or a “teeming slum” (can we all be done with that phrase now?), and “Moving Secret Money” is pleasantly trance-inducing, rather than insidiously evil. Musically, it’s quite good. The packaging seems to want strike other notes. Maybe that’s the point — too many folks are too busy consuming quietist pop to bother with the grind of the political. But is this the intervention we need?  

Jonathan Shaw

So You Want To Be An Ally

Over the last 2 weeks, I have been fielding many white-guilt questions at work and having very interesting conversations and Zoom calls. Overall, they have been well received, but I am not sure if anything will happen once this is no longer a hot topic. I hope we keep up the momentum, but the media and Politicians and other power holders will try to silence us as quickly as possible. All of the companies realizing that #BlackLivesMatter will inevitably fade away as well. WE HAVE TO KEEP THE PRESSURE ON. So I made a list of talking points for the company that I work for, I hope they put it to use. I will begin sending this to anyone that reaches out to me to “talk” or “to see if I am ok”. While I appreciate the concern (if it’s genuine), I cannot continue being your only Black friend or the only Black person that you feel comfortable speaking to. 

I saw this on Twitter recently, White privilege doesn't mean that your life hasn't been hard, it just means that the color of your skin isn't one of the things that makes it harder. I think this pretty much sums up what white people need to understand, what those people calling themselves our allies need to understand. Having Black pride & saying Black Lives Matter should not offend anyone. It does not mean that we are anti white people.

Black people are not a monolith. While we have all experienced racism in some form or another, we do not share the exact same experiences with it. To try and get an overall view of the different types of racism, you need to speak to many different Black people. Stop treating us as a collective, we are all individuals.  Racism has permeated every single institution in this country. Education, Housing, Banking, Healthcare, Criminal Justice, Entertainment, etc. Racism is very much systemic, not always overt. There are also many different microaggressions that do not present as overt racism. Also, if we are going to have these discussions, please make sure that we feel safe, that we will be heard without reprimand or cynicism or disbelief. Our silence is the reason why this has gone on for so long. We want to be heard. We are no longer willing to stay invisible. Fear makes many of us stay silent, not willing to upset the status quo.

Revamp your hiring strategy/quota. People and organizations tend to conflate diversity and inclusivity. They are NOT the same. While there are many women, LGBTQIA members, Black and other People of Color, the Executives, Sales Management, and HR do not reflect this.

Conversations about race and other social justice issues are uncomfortable. Having these conversations without any Black and People of color present is pointless. Make sure you have Black people and other People of Color in any discussions you have regarding race relations and any other social justice issues. Empathy and sympathy is great, but it will not replace an actual experience.

Understand that the current state of the world has been a long time coming. George Floyd was the straw that broke the camel's back. The only difference is that everyone has a camera now and the police aren't doing themselves any favors by brutalizing everyone who is protesting police brutality.

Acknowledge your privilege. Acknowledge that the system is built to benefit you more than it does us and that it always has.

Saying "I'm not racist" isn't enough anymore. You have to be anti-racist. You have to stop the jokes, stereotypes, etc amongst your circle of friends and family members. This will be hard. But Black and Brown lives have to matter more than offending anyone that is unwilling to change.

Racism is not up to Black people and other People of Color to solve. This wasn't created or instituted by us and as we remain the "minority" in positions of power, we are unable to change it. We only have the ability to fight it, to rise up and demand change. To show that we will no longer take it. We will no longer be silent. We were all taught to be quiet and hold our feelings in to make sure that white people are comfortable. To make sure that we don’t appear threatening or angry. That is changing. Things will not go back to the way that they were. 

Books to read in your journey of becoming an ally:

How To Be An Antiracist - Ibram X. Kensi

White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism - Robin Diangelo

So You Want To Talk About Race - Ijeoma Oluo

Me and white Supremacy - Layla F. Saad

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration In The Age of Colorblindness - Michelle Alexander

Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America - Ibram X. Kendi

Between the World and Me - Ta-Nehisi Coates 

Notes of A Native Son - James Baldwin 

Born A Crime - Trevor Noah

Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower - Brittany Cooper

Reproductive Injustice: Racism, Pregnancy, and Premature Birth - Dana-Ain Davis

Racism without Racists: Colorblind Racism and the Persistence of Racial Inequality in the United States - Edwardo Bonilla-Silva

Towards the Other America: Anti-Racist Resources for White People Taking Action for Black Lives Matter - Chris Crass

Two Faced Racism: Whites in the Backstage and Frontstage - Leslie Picca and Joe Feagin

How To Be Less Stupid About Race: On Racism, White Supremacy and the Racial Divide - Crystal Fleming

The Ethnic Project: Transforming Racial Fiction into Ethnic Factions - Vilna Bashi Treitler

Race and Racisms: A Critical Approach - Tanya Golash Boza

Racist America: Roots, Current Realities, and Future Reparations - Joe Feagin

White Rage; the Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide - Carol Anderson

Black Americans - Alphonso Pinkney

Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to Present - Harriet Washington

The Hollywood Jim Crow: The Racial Politics of the Movie Industry- Maryann Erigha

Code of the Street - Elijah Anderson

The Wretched of the Earth - Frantz Fanon

The Mis-Education of the Negro - Carter Woodson

UNESCO General History of Africa, Vol.1 - Joseph Zerbo

UNESCO General History of Africa, Vol. 2 - G. Mokhtar

Black Wealth/White Wealth - Melvin Oliver and Thomas Shapiro

Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations About Race - Beverly Daniel Tatum

Uprooting Racism: How White People Can Work for Racial Justice - Paul Kivel

Witnessing Whiteness - Shelly Tochluk

Race Talk and the Conspiracy of Silence: Understanding and Facilitating Difficult Dialogues on Race - Derald Wing Sue

The Emperor Has No Clothes: Teaching about Race and Racism to People Who Don't Want to Know - Tema Jon Okun

Understanding White Privilege: Creating Pathways to Authentic Relationships Across Race - Frances Kendall

The Possessive Investment in Whiteness: How White People Profit from Identity Politics - George Lipsitz

Waking Up White, and Finding Myself in the Story of Race - Debby Irving

How I Shed My Skin: Unlearning the Racist Lessons of a Southern Childhood - Jim Grimsley

Everyday White People Confront Racial and Social Injustice: 15 Stories - editors = Eddie Moore, Marguerite W. Penick-Parks & Ali Michael

Understanding and Dismantling Racism: The Twenty-First Century Challenge to White America - Joseph Barndt

Beyond the Pale: White Women, Racism, and History - Vron Ware

Charleston Syllabus: Readings on Race, Racism, and Racial Violence - editors = Chad Williams, Kidada E. Williams & Keisha N. Blain

We Have Not Been Moved: Resisting Racism and Militarism in 21st Century America - editors = Elizabeth Betita Martinez, Matt Meyer & Mandy Carter. Forward by Cornel West. Afterword by Alice Walker & Sonia Sanchez

killing rage: Ending Racism - bell hooks

Acting White? Rethinking Race in Post-Racial America - Devon W. Carbado and Mitu Gulati

Towards Collective Liberation: Anti-Racist Organizing, Feminist Praxis, and Movement Building Strategy - Chris Crass

White Like Me: Reflections on Race form A Privileged Son - Tim Wise

White Trash: Race and Class in America - editors = Annalee Newitz & Matt Wray

Rise of the Warrior Cop: The Militarization of America's Police Forces - Radley Balko

Race Traitor - editors = Noel Ignatiev & John Garvey

Feeling White: Whiteness, Emotionality, and Education (Cultural Pluralism #2) - Cheryl E. Matias

Disrupting White Supremacy

Hillbilly Nationalists, Urban Race Rebels, and Black Power: Community Organizing in Radical Times - AmySonnie, James Tracy

For White Folks Who Teach in The Hood...and the Rest of Y'all Too: Reality Pedagogy and Urban Education (Race, Education, and Democracy) - Christopher Emdin

Benign Bigotry: The Psychology Subtle Prejudice - Kristin J. Anderson

Subversive Southern: Anne Braden and the Struggle for Racial Justice in the Cold War South (Civil Rights and the Struggle for Black Equality in the Twentieth Century) - Catherine Fosl

How Jews Became White Folks and What That Says About Race in America - Karen Brodkin

America's Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege, and the Bridge to a New America - Jim Wells

Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race - Reni Eddo-Lodge

Living Into God's Dream: Dismantling Racism in America - editor = Catherine Meeks

Promise And A Way Of Live: White Antiracist Activism - Becky Thompson

What Does It Mean to Be White?: Developing White Racial Literacy (Counterpoints #398) - Robin Diangelo

I Fancy You - Never Let You Go

Summary: Under the careful and protective watch of one of Rome’s most powerful legion, you set off to go meet and wed your husband to be. However, as a person dedicated to the faith of the gods, you find your understanding of intimacy to be lacking.

And so you seek the advice and help of your guards, who only become all the more reluctant to relinquish you to their ruler. [Roman Empire AU]

Rating: NC-17

Pairing: Buccellati/Abbacchio/Giorno/Reader/Mista/Fugo/Narancia, Reader/Diavolo

G O O D N E S S

AS WE APPROACH THE END OF SUMMER, SO I SHALL CONCLUDE THIS MY LOVINGLY CRAFTED SPAM OF LEWD WITH AN AU I’VE BEEN SO EAGER TO SHARE WITH EACH OF YOU! THANK YOU ALL FOR SPENDING A BIT OF YOUR SUMMER WITH ME!!! I’M TOUCHED AS ALWAYS AND I HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS PIECE!!!

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A beautiful rose.

It had been some time since Giorno had seen roses bloom, but ever was he eager to carefully cut at the stem to retrieve the flower.

He wanted to be sure that rose remained in tact, for the bride of Rome's emperor deserved nothing less of perfection.

If anyone were to bear witness of the sight of him picking flowers, they would be astonished to see that one of the Empire's most prestigious legion would be spending his time even doing something like this.

However, this was all part of his responsibility entrusted to him and the rest of his group, Vento Aureo. He and the other five warriors were asked by Rome's emperor himself to cross over from the Empire capital to retrieve you, his new bride from the furthest corner of the land. To escort the soon-to-be wife of the emperor was a task befitting no one else than the famed Vento Aureo. Though, the only ones who could compare would be the disgraced assassination squad who had been banished to the outer lands after a failed attempt to seize control of Rome.

You were not of royalty, or anything to that effect. However, you were revered as that of an oracle from the gods themselves, tales speaking of your healing abilities and goodwill by your fellow citizens.

The emperor seemed to witness this for himself when he traveled to your country. There was fear that you would be punished for being seen as a false prophet, but he--a leader who carried himself around in shadow and disguised--ended up becoming fond of you.

And fascinated your abilities to wield and interpret the use of items ordained by the gods themselves.

Your knowledge of the heavens and celestials aside, for Giorno and the rest of Vento Aureo, it wasn't hard to see why the emperor would be so fond of you.

Your patience was saintly, your grace that of the gods, your beauty angelic.

From the moment your journey to Rome began, you soon became more than just a mission for the six of them, more than just the future spouse of the emperor.

There was Mista, the expert bowman with a steady eye and luck that was as blessed as it was cursed. When he wasn't fending off fiends with the pierce of his arrows, he was always looking for any chance to have some sort of physical contact with you, whether it was holding your hand while guiding you through a busy market, or having you inspect and tend to his wounds from battle.

As for Fugo, the legion's apothecary whose knowledge in poisons made him lethal, especially once his inner fury came boiling forth. When he wasn't dealing with the burden of his brilliance, he learned to find tranquility and patience during moments spent with you, from reading poetry by Rome's finest to melting within your touch as you cupped his cheeks and urged him to peace.

On the other hand was Narancia, whose mischievous nature and handiness with a dagger made him a menace in battle. When he wasn't going around using his status to get free food or demanding respect as elder to the likes of Fugo or Giorno, he was left completely and utterly infatuated by you. Fruit from the village market, a shoulder to rest upon, protection against Rome's enemies--he was ready to provide all for you.

In terms of Abbacchio, the eldest warrior of Vento Aureo, it took some time before he allowed himself to open up to you. You were just a task for him to complete, the mere spouse of an emperor he begrudgingly worked beneath. Never did he fail to see his mission through. However, for those times when you would cling to him out of trust during skirmishes across your trip, for when you remain so patient and accepting of whatever troublesome feelings were brewing within him, he grew to desire not only your well-being, but your heart as well.

With regards to the co-leader of Vento Aureo, Buccellati was among the first to become especially drawn to you. By his leadership and unwavering resolve, he was a celebrated commander amongst the ranks of the Empire's army. However, being aware of the ever growing shadows that lurked within the heart of Rome, he was beginning to feel hesitance on taking you from your home to be chained down to the Emperor. And as the two of you bonded during the trip, with him finding delight in explaining all the diverse wonders of the culture and people of Rome to you, always ready to embrace you within the warmth of his cape, his reluctance was quickly cementing into refusal.

And then there was Giorno, the other commander of Vento Aureo. Though he was the last to be formally recruited to the group, his quick wit and vicious justice displayed his prowess for leadership. While he was more approachable compared to the others, his eyes were fixated on the ruling seat of the Emperor and you would be his means to attain it. But for someone as calculating and reserved as he was, he found you irresistible to keep away from. During your strolls together, he was drawn to the pure awed look in your eyes as you listened to him explain all the wondrous nuances of nature. He found pleasure in feeling your fingers gently comb through his damp, golden locks after his baths, all while you spoke of parables of the gods, along with the significance of the special ore that comprised your cherished necklace.

For the six of them, what began as yet another but important mission soon turned into inner turmoil between the volatile mix of a yearning heart and a rigid sense of duty.

It didn't seem fair that an angel like you would be wed to a merciless brute who fancied himself in the nightly company of concubines before banishing them out of the empire once he was done with them.

Especially since you seemed to be aware of those open secrets and seemed accepting of the matter.

At first.

By the curious if not nosiness of Mista and Narancia, the inquiries about your imminent marriage and the intimacy that would come with it was a common topic.

Buccellati was the one to pick up on the subtle nervousness that was evident when you spoke further on the subject.

He verified your unease when his tongue trailed along the side of your neck, the tasted hint of your sweat telling him the truth amidst your stammers that all was well.

This was after you approached him one evening, the two of you alone.

You wished to practice kissing.

While you had no outright qualms about the Emperor's harem, you still wished to offer him as much love and passion as you could. Given your devout upbringing, love and intimacy were foreign to you.

Thus was the reason for your request.

Buccellati was astonished, but of course he could not deny the bride of the emperor.

Though he could not lie that his reasons for accepting your request were by selfish means, he was ready to ease your nerves with the brush of his lips onto yours.

The agreement was to slowly guide you along the steps towards physical intimacy, all while being mindful of maintaining your chastity for the night you would lay with your husband at last.

However, even with timing your practices carefully, from making sure the others were asleep at camp to sharing a kiss while hidden away in a tiny alley by a busy marketplace, your plan was unwittingly revealed.

All because Narancia witnessed everything one night.

He had stirred from slumber during one night while you all had made camp. His intention was to fetch some water from your supply of rations, only to stumble upon you wrapped so snugly within Buccellati's arms, your mouths locked together while his hands squeezed and caressed over your body through your clothes.

Narancia dared to not make a sound.

For that moment at least.

But once he managed to get you alone while accompanying you to the worship room of a nearby temple, he confronted and confessed as to what he saw.

All before his hands cupped your cheeks, eyes boring into yours as he pleaded to be able to share affection with you in such a way as well, the tremor of his desire for you on each word.

You couldn't deny those teary, darling violet eyes of his.

When Buccellati was told of Narancia's inclusion to your lessons, his concern was less on your intimacy being shared than he was with Narancia's loose lips.

Even if they were happily kept quiet while he cradled you upon his lap, his tongue swiping at your lips before delving into your mouth as his hands fondled your thighs.

If word leaked out to the others about what was a tryst against the emperor, he feared inner clashing amongst the group.

Thus, as he constantly reminded, gentle yet stern, that Narancia should be mindful of both the words he uttered and his actions.

Those words were not heeded.

It was when your party had crossed the borders of Italia at last when your plans took a drastic change. Camp was set-up for the night and everyone was eating the dinner that Giorno rummaged while Mista hunted.

All except for you, Buccellati and Narancia.

Buccellati was out on patrol while you had gone to a nearby shrine to commune with the gods in prayer.

Narancia wasn't anywhere to be found, apparently having slipped off without a word around when you left with Buccellati.

Fugo bit hard into his bread, his eyes beginning to narrow in thought. He had certainly noticed a change in demeanor in Narancia--even you and Buccellati to an extent. There was a pure joy he exerted that matched an almost primal aura whenever he was seen hanging around you. Not to mention, he was volunteering for any task--from the most mundane to the most tedious--if it meant being with you.

His dinner would have to wait, for his curiosity was especially starved.

Though, the moment he rose up to go and check in on you, it appeared that he wasn't alone with his suspicions--given that Giorno, Mista and even Abbacchio wished to join him.

There was nary a soul by the shrine. Your prayers had been offered moments prior.

However, they needn't not even approach the shrine itself to find what they were looking for, as just lying upon the steps leading up to the holy construction had all that they needed.

Namely with you squirming beneath Narancia, your robes undone and messily sprawled beneath your body with your veil in disarray. Your breasts were fully free from your clothes, and yet weren't completely exposed with him hungrily kissing and suckling upon your nipples while he groped and massaged your chest.

Shock? Horror? Jealousy?

The other four were at a loss for how to process what they were seeing. One of their own was tangled intimately with the pure bride-to-be of the emperor, the very one they were to protect both the life and purity of.

And by Narancia's actions, they were doing the exact opposite.

Of which immediately sent Fugo into a snarling fury as he rushed on over to rip Narancia off of you by the seize of his hair.

"You damned fool! Just what do you think you're doing?!" He hissed angrily, nails digging into the other's scalp. "You may as well have spat upon the emperor himself! Do you know what will happen to you?!"

While Fugo was used to vicious defiance, Narancia surprisingly didn't hold up much resistance--rather, even going so far as to be open about his actions with the cry of, "I don't care what fate lies for me! I'll take the worst of it all if it means we can be together--even if it's just like this!"

Fugo's hand was drawing back, curling into a fist as he snarled out, "Idiot! You stupid idiot! You'll start caring when you're thrown into the Colosseum--!"

"What's going on--?!"

The sound of Buccellati's alarmed voice and hurried footsteps could be heard close by. The silence from camp was unsettling him while he made his rounds from patrol, his intuition calling for him to investigate.

Once he was within close range of you all however, Fugo was ready to strike. But before he could follow through with the act, the pair of hands that clasped over the one that had a fistful of Narancia's hair urged him to peace, while the innocent eyes that peered up at him made his grip weak and loose.

Narancia was freed, but Fugo's hand was taken into yours, only to be held with utter delicacy.

Having slipped the front of your robes back on, you were in a more presentable attire as you proceeded to kneel before Fugo in repentance, your expression pleading. "Fugo, please--if you must be angry, then take it out on me instead."

"Y-You...?" Fugo repeated, his eyes becoming wide as his skin paled. "On you-- I could never! That would be a sin!"

"And it would be fitting to a sinner like me," you confided just before drawing away from him slightly so you could look towards the others at last, your expression soft as it was remorseful. "This was all a result of my own inexperience, my own selfish desire to be intimate and desirable in bed for the emperor--my husband."

A shiver trailed began to crawl along Fugo's skin, right as the warm, tender heat of your lips brushing over his palm made him stiffen. In face of the others, all could feel the pangs of jealousy and need.

Eyes adoring yet pleading, you gazed right into his eyes as you asked, "Fugo, would you--" Your head tilted slightly to the side as you faced the others, "--would the rest of you guide me through?"

"Well, hey, if this is a request by the emperor's bride, then I'm all for it!" Mista blurted out, unable to hide the grin that spread over his initially shocked features. At last, this opportunity could ease the debaucherous dreams of you that kept him sleepless with arousal.

Amidst careful pondering, Giorno soon spoke afterwards, a thoughtful finger pressed to his cheek while he held your gaze with his own, "As the bride or not, it would be a shame upon us to allow you to continue dealing with your nervousness." His expression softening, he remarked, "We will be sure to handle you with care."

Aghast at Mista's and Giorno's agreement, Fugo immediately snapped his attention over to Buccellati. "Do you see all this?! Will you stand for this maddening affair, Buccellati?!"

He only let out a sigh, his head lowering slightly. "It was I who began this tryst in the first place, Fugo. I couldn't bear to even think of the oracle feeling uneasy on her wedding night."

Fugo's fingers finally relinquished their hold on Narancia's hair. However, this was also due to him taking a shaky step back upon hearing his superior's words. "Th-- This--!"

"Somehow, I'm not surprised. It's never like you to turn someone in distress down, status be damned," Abbacchio spoke up with a snort while he eyed his friend. His stare only shifted over back to you, taking in your pure, pleading expression for an indulgent second before he remarked. "...Tch, you're already in our care anyway. May as well follow through."

Now all eyes were on Fugo, who still looked to be at an utter loss for words on what he was witnessing and what he must soon answer. There were many a logical reason why everyone's intentions to assist you would only lead to a punishing downfall.

However, there was a hazy warmth that was clouding his judgment all too strongly for him to be rational.

And that sensation was being emanated from the sweet touch of your hands as they continued to hold his.

His lips parted, and though it took a bit of stumbling over his words to speak up, he soon declared, "...Fine. But only because I also don't want you to be uncomfortable on your wedding night."

Thus began your descent further into the murky, enticing depths of intimacy.

Even with the paved roads that allowed for swifter travel across the vast span of the Empire, it would still take much time before you all would return to Rome. And with that time, with every stay at an inn at a passing village, with every camp made for stops in-between, you were bestowed with so much knowledge by your capable teachers.

On some lazy afternoons, Buccellati showed you the pleasures of having a tongue as skilled as his swipe over your core. During certain afternoons, Giorno had you mewling by the swift, expert thrusts of his nimble fingers. And while Narancia still couldn't quite control his urges, he managed through by fucking in-between your closed thighs with earnest vigor.

As for Fugo, despite him joining in, he wasn't about to let your secrecy go unpunished, expressing this by the swift strike of his hand on your ass before his fingers delved between your thighs. After a grueling day of travel, Mista enjoyed lying back and putting your mouth to the test, coaching you through being able to fit and pleasure a cock as fat as his.

While your chastity was to be maintained, Abbacchio still readied you for what was to come as he eased his thick, heavy cock into your ass, all while his fingers toyed and massaged your slippery, dripping core. He pumped in and out of you slowly, even while his self-restraint was wearing thin.

Each had their own versions of patience while guiding you through pleasure, but above all they made sure to keep in mind of your feelings.

Whatever it took to put you at peace.

Whatever it took to make you theirs.

Even for just this fleeting but crucial moment.

All six knew in the end that you would be wed to a man that wouldn't be either of them, but they cherished you deeply regardless. Though they're part of the legion that defended Rome--and thereby you--for just these few moments shared did they want to be seen as your lovers.

And it was by this yearning that they were not aware of the ever growing shadow that lingered around your group as you traveled onward.

By now, the borders of Rome were in sight, with a multitude of flowers blooming in greeting as spring swept over the lands. Roses were scarce by around where you lived, and with your journey with Vento Aureo soon approaching to a close, Giorno wanted make your night stay at a nearby temple all the more special.

However, the rose that he picked for you never had the chance to be held within your fingers, to have their petals admired by your eyes.

Instead, the flower would be left scattered across the floor of the temple in desecration.

This blessed sanctuary was a holy place.

Where a mortal may seek out the presence of their beloved gods, perhaps offer a plea for blessings.

A place of sacrament and piety.

Far gone from where lands were conquered, the remnants cast off as the realm of barbarians.

Or so decreed the Emperor.

But here in this temple, on this night, what was transpiring in the main hall of worship was far from holy.

It was utterly depraved.

Especially to the six men who had to bear witness to it all, their arms bound, weapons seized, knees sunk to the floor.

The six who comprised the most powerful legion in all of the Roman Empire did not look as glorious as mighty as they were acclaimed to be.

Not as they watched you, the one they revered most out of anything in the world, be defiled by a man who both subdued them all in the first place, the very one who had no right to take your hand in marriage.

For as powerful as a man that he was, the Emperor was a man who carried himself in absolute secrecy. Never once showing his face to the public, always communicating to the masses by another Senator and the like. Few were even made privy to his full face, for he always kept on a crimson mask to those who actually had the chance to regularly speak to him, concubines included.

The same applied to Buccellati, Giorno, and even yourself, who was drawn to his alluring, charismatic aura and his quirks.

Such was why it was alarming that he would show himself to you all. Locks of pink speckled with forest green, a physique looming and chiseled, and an aura that was as powerful as it was threatening, the Emperor was here, his ornate face mask of onyx and silver changed to one that only covered his eyes.

But how else would he get to flaunt to the others of his right to drag his tongue along the spots of your neck where his teeth had sunken into?

The night that you had devoted so much of your time and practice to had come at last.

But far earlier than expected.

And merciless.

He had to demonstrate something both to you and to your guards after all.

With your robes and necklace tossed in a careless heap by where the roses of Giorno's rose layed, every inch of your naked form was exposed both to the man you were to wed and the men who you had slowly divvied up your heart in offering towards. By the presence of a large hand firmly holding onto your waist while the other squeezed and fondled your breasts, you were left to the whims of your fiance as he had you ride his cock while he furiously met your hips with vigorous thrusts.

By your shudders and mewls, your chastity had now been seized, all in full display of your guards.

But rather than the tenderness you hoped to draw out from your husband to be on your wedding night, this all seemed to be a punishing display not just to your guards, but to you yourself as well.

And by this, Buccellati's wrists burned as they strained within their bounds, the look in his narrowed eyes as furious as they were pained, a sentiment shared by Abbacchio who was snarling under his breath as he damned the gods above for forsaking their own disciple.

If not for their restrains, Mista would have already allowed arrow upon arrow to pierce the Emperor in the neck after the very moment he rescued you whereas Fugo would have poured poison down the ruler's throat to have him rot from the inside out.

Whereas Narancia's head was lowered, unable to bear the sight of you being treated in such a way as he wished a millennia within the depths of hell to his ruler, Giorno looked on ahead, his gaze fixed in a hard, vicious glare as he yearned to throw the Emperor into an endless pit of thorns.

Though aware of the ire being cast his way, the Emperor paid little head to it all.

"I had come to deal with the traitors of Risotto's legion after hearing word that they made a pact with the barbarians," the Emperor spoke up, his fragmented emerald eyes gleaming as he stared down the six. "I feared for the safety of my precious bride and thought to meet you halfway on the way over--and what do I find but to see my future wife being defiled by savages in disguise as Rome's warriors."

He was met by defiant glares.

"Savages?! Coming from someone who would handle his bride like you are?!" Narancia snapped while his eyes were lined with hot, angry tears. "I can hear it in her voice, I can see it on her face--you're not pleasuring her right at all!"

"Narancia--!" Fugo snapped his head towards his friend, his expression alarmed.

The Emperor did not pay any heed to this slight, especially with his temper subdued by the pleasure of your warm, slick heat squeezing around his cock.

Not to mention with what he had in store for you all.

"You would do well to keep watch of your future empress then," he droned on just before his voice dropped to a hiss, the hand on your breast moving to cup your chin while he pounded into you even harder. "All of you--may this forever burn in your memory that she belongs not to you, not to Rome, but to me."

And by this, he held onto you harder, keeping your form still while he ravaged you by the thunder fervor of his thrusts, fucking in you until his hot, sticky heat flooded into you. Though, by no means was he done with you just yet, having you indulge him for a few more rounds as part of the entertainment he planned for Vento Aureo on this night, concluding fully by having you clean his cock with your mouth as he offered you muted praise.

Though, even with their punishment now to its end, he felt that the fault of your six was still not fully compensated in return.

Especially when he proceeded to whisk you away while leaving the six bound, left to remain imprisoned until he sent guards to apprehend them.

Thus, from that moment henceforth on this horrid night, the prestige of the Vento Aureo was effectively tarnished, with all six dragged from their renowned titles to that of disgraced traitors, prisoners who would be dragged to the Colosseum to fight for their lives as entertainment to the masses.

In the meantime, while your future husband was away to fully squash the impending rebellion, you were to be taken to Sicily to be kept under watch until the Emperor's return for your wedding.

Your heart ached at the thought of your guards not only being punished by your own selfish request, but any chance to possibly save them were stamped out before you could open your mouth in protest, especially since your pleas were ignored by your very own lover.

Thus, on your first and final night within the main Roman palace before you would be taken to Sicily, you approached the adjoining temple to pray. With an earnest heart, you hoped that once you attained the status of empress, you would be able to save your guards from their fate and bring them back to their former glory.

In the mean time, you would call for their safety.

As you entered the temple however, a sense of unease began to creep within you. Even though it was night, there was nary a soul around. No priest, not even a guard.

This was especially alarming since you knew that an arrow crafted from the gods themselves was preserved and protected here. In fact, the significance of the arrow was part of the reason why the Emperor was so intent on marrying you in the first place.

You quickly approached the main altar where you knew the arrow to be located.

But the arrow was nowhere to be found.

Rather, there was a rose in its place.

Instinctively, you reached to grab onto the rose, only to wince as a small but notable piercing pain shot through your fingers.

How did you not see the thorn on the stem?

Though, more importantly, just where did this rose come from?

Especially since the moment that your skin made contact with the rose's thorn, the flower seemed to sprout and grow as if touched by the gods themselves. The rose stem jutted out and grew into a coiling vine, one that quickly ensnared around your wrists before leaving you bound to the main altar itself.

Right as this occurred, the main palace had been thrown into utter chaos.

Arrows flew through the air as though guided by the gods themselves, the fierce strike of an eagle unseen, and the signs of what could only be a devastating plague. Guards and politicians who fanatically upheld the word of the Emperor were found in ribbons while bits and pieces of your possessions seized to an almost obsessive degree.

Though, oddest of all was the peculiar nature of flowers growing within the palace.

The existence of these mysterious occurrences wouldn't be brought to your attention until much later.

However, the origin of the fierce, raging tempest turning the empire's capital inside and out soon revealed itself to you.

All by the warm and gentle heat that embraced you from behind.

"At last--you can see the beauty of a rose. Lovely, isn't it?"

The saccharine gentleness of Giorno's voice eased into your ear, the heat of his breath making you squirm from the ticklish effect that it caused. However, even with your movements, he did not once loosen his grip--rather, he tightened his hold around you, all while his fingers feathered along your arm, brushing over the restraining vines before clasping over the back of your hand.

Fingertips from his other hand clasped under your chin, having you turn your head to face him at last. Though his warrior attire had seen better days, he looked the same as before, there was an otherworldly aura that emanated off of him, one befitting that of the gods you devoted your life to servicing.

Not to mention the fact that your discarded necklace was now situated around his neck.

However, before you could take in the sight of him further, you watched as a small grin slid onto his features as his eyes narrowed into yearning stare.

"It makes you never want to let go of it."

And so Giorno's lips took possession of yours as he drew you into a kiss.

As this occurred, you could hear the sound of approaching steps, signalling the presence of others all too eager to join.

Or wait for any sort of turn once the vines around your wrists relinquished their hold.

Much like how their wrath descended upon the capital of the Emperor's Rome, so did their relentless love upon you, providing the night that you deserved and more as you were brought to and laid upon the temple's center.

There was always a constant of lips capturing your lips, mouths and fingers toying with your breasts, and the heavy but vigorous slaps of skin meeting skin.

"You are truly a blessing from the gods, meus deliciae," Buccellati purred, his tone at a molten husk while his lips brushed over the valley of your breasts. "You saved us from our fate, and now we can be by your side once again."

"And eviscerate anyone who would think to separate us again," Abbacchio added with a low snarl, his large hand still cupping your cheek, pausing the barrage of hungry kisses he subjected your lips to.

The delicate licks dragging along your inner thigh paused as Narancia huffed out, "Yeah--stupid Emperor thinking he could keep us away from you! He'll pay for taking you in the first place!"

"For once, I have to agree with Narancia," Fugo murmured, his lips pressed against your other thigh as they inched closer to the dripping spot between your legs. "I want to drop that bastard's head into hell myself."

Calloused fingers that were gently wrapped around your wrist began to squeeze, if only from the pleasured gasp of your name that Mista let out as he guided your hand over his clothed erection. "Before that, we'll make him watch how he could never love and pleasure you like we could!"

"Not him, or anyone else in this universe--mortal or god," Giorno hummed tenderly, his fingers stroking your head with absolute care all while his mind raced with his urgent need of ravaging you with his passion.

But this was a fate you were willing to welcome.

Left absolutely bare and open to the six men you entrusted all of yourself towards, you served as the middle between the hard and heavy physiques of Abbacchio and Buccellati, lying on top of the former while the latter loomed above you as both pounded into your core and ass in blissful unison at a rate that was as far as brutal as it was gentle. Fugo and Narancia were clamoring for the taste of your breasts and nipples, their mouths clamped and planted over your supple skin, whereas Mista and Giorno were biding their time by trailing the heavy, wet tips of their cocks along your mouth while smearing their pre-cum over your cheeks.

And even by the rush of climaxes that would soon transpire, by no means would they be through with you yet with all they had so patiently and willingly endured. Whether it meant being skewered between Giorno and Narancia as you were made to ride between both, or to have Fugo and Mista stuffing your mouth and core full of their cocks as they claimed you from both ends.

Thus with the Rome that many knew it to be today succumbing to encompassing light of the future, all right within the view of the gods themselves, you fully cast away your crumbling piousness in favor of the depraved yet pure love that was meant for you and you alone.

Supporting the next generation of young changemakers

How young people will play an increasingly significant role in change movements and innovation across various sectors

Last January, for the first time in its history,  World Economic Forum (WEF) emphatically recognized the power of young people as a force for change by giving young voices prominent stage space throughout the event. The Annual Meeting of WEF is one of the foremost platforms for the world’s top leaders across business, government, NGOs, and academia to come together to shape the global agenda at the beginning of each year. Including young people and their ideas is a growing worldwide trend with young people finally being seen as active stakeholders in their own futures.

While for many people Greta Thunberg is the visible forefront of this generation of youth leaders, she is anything but alone. Globally, youth activists, scientists and campaigners such as Salvador Gómez-Colón, Autumn Peltier, Natasha Mwansa, Ayakha Melithafa, Melati Wijsen and Fionn Ferreira amongst others are taking action. Melati who has successfully campaigned against plastic bags on her island of Bali, is currently launching a youth empowerment project called Youthtopia; Ayakha represents many young climate activists from the African continent and is advocating for mandatory climate curriculums in schools; Salvador created the Light and Hope for Puerto Rico campaign which distributed solar-powered lamps to some 3.000 underserved families. 

Reimagining the role of children

For the past 6 years, we at Designathon Works have been advocating for a radical rethink on how society sees children. As our founder, Emer Beamer often asks: “What if we saw children as changemakers, engaged humans, activists, scientists or inventors, and then helped them to develop their abilities for these roles?”

Through our programs, we have worked with over 65.000 children between 7 and12 years old. Both our first-hand experience and our research shows that children consider global problems carefully and can come up with surprisingly creative and credible solutions. We found that 70% of children are very concerned about world problems. In contrast, only 34% of them believe that adults are genuinely concerned.  The concern of children reflects their willingness to take action, as we have seen in the Fridays for Future and Black Lives Matter Movements.

How to educate the next million changemakers

While we are of course big supporters of the Fridays for Future movement and how they advocate for a better future, we also see the need to have more paths of action. Children and young people can also fight for good by becoming inventors, scientists, and campaigners. We want to see education systems where children and young people learn to problem solve unpredictable and complex futures. Education systems help them develop their abilities to deal with social, economic, and environmental challenges in ways that fit their talents. 

That is why we need education programs that don't just provide children with knowledge on the Sustainable Development Goals such as clean energy, poverty, and equality. These education programs also need to focus on the (21st century) skills to collaboratively develop new solutions, use new technologies, and take action. 

To unpack this statement a step further there are multiple benefits if we combine education programs that aim at both SDG knowledge and 21st-century skills in combination:

Environmental education can potentially lead to an improvement of 83% of ecological behavior amongst school children. Stanford University studied more than a hundred scientific studies published from 1994 to 2013 by other institutions on the same subject, which led to this article and conclusion. 

Unesco’s Learning Objectives for achieving the SDG’s and New vision of education of WEF show an overlap in competencies that will help students to approach complex challenges such as creativity, critical thinking/problem solving, communication, and collaboration. These competencies are essential to the future workforce, being another reason to start embedding these competencies in current learning programs.

The OECD Learning Framework 2030 strongly promotes the concept of agency. Agency is the capacity to set a goal, reflect, and act responsibly to affect change. To act rather be acted upon. Meaning, if children are empowered to take action, they become the most active agents of change. They in turn become influencers of their parents’ behavior.

Last but not least, any such education programs should be inclusive by design. Inclusive meaning that all children, regardless of their gender, race, social-economic status, ability, or learning situation, can benefit from these programs. It should recognize that all children have something of value to contribute, which means it should aim for a universal way to create the next generation of changemakers around the globe. 

What can businesses do to support the next generation of changemakers?

Our expectation (and conviction) is that young people will play an increasingly significant role in change movements and innovation across various sectors. This wave is not coming, it’s happening. Whether we like it or not, young people worldwide are taking their futures into their own hands, from fighting climate change to fighting discrimination to TikTok hashtags and tackling poverty. 

We call on you as a business leader to play an active role in this wave by rethinking how you will run your business through and beyond this Covid-19 pandemic. How will you advance your business by including these brilliant, engaged, and innovative minds? How will you recognize the force for change by giving young people and children a voice as an important stakeholder? How will you engage children and young people as a new generation of customers of your brand? How will you empower children and young people to fight for the SDGs that your organization supports?

It is more important than ever to include diverse voices today! As 17-year old Salvador Gomes-Colon said: “We are not the future of the world, we are the present”. 

So what will you do to support him and others?

Anne Sallaerts, SEP INSEAD 18 Co-Founder & Managing Director, Designathon Works

Emer Beamer, Founder & Chief Learning Officer, Designathon Works

Curious about our work? Have a look at our website, these video’s and report:

Designathon Works website: http://www.designathonworks.com/ Video Global Children's Designathon 2019: Accra, Montreal and Paris Report Global Children's Designathon 2019: Global Voices of the next generation on food and climate (2019). Interview with a Global Children’s Designathon participant: Nora  Next iteration on what one of the inventions could look like: Lampje 

On June 4, the Council of Fashion Designers of America released a statement along with action steps the organization would take to address racism, promote inclusivity, and create opportunities for Black talent in the fashion industry. Among the initiatives are an “in-house employment program specifically charged with placing Black talent in the fashion industry,” mentorship and internship programs pairing Black students and graduates with established companies, and a diversity and inclusion training program it would implement and make available to its members.

According to Pyer Moss founder Kerby Jean-Raymond, the CFDA still isn’t doing enough. As one of the most prominent Black members of the council, the designer isn’t afraid to speak truth to power, or use his platform to amplify the interests of the Black community. He attended the June 2 meeting where the CFDA wanted to discuss the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests and the systemic racism that has long been prevalent in the fashion industry.

He says he worked with other members of the CFDA — like Virgil Abloh, designer Prabal Gurung, and Public School’s Dao-Yi Chow — to craft a list of reasonable, actionable demands that CFDA members and its associated companies could be held accountable for. The points they outlined are as follows:

1. We’re calling on all U.S. retailers to train and instruct their employees to not make frivolous 911 calls for non-violent infractions.

2. We’re calling on all companies to not hire off-duty police officers in their retail locations.

3. We’re requiring that all CFDA affiliated companies commit to having 15% of their senior leadership staff be Black, the representation of what we are in the population.

4. We’re no longer accepting brands into the CFDA that do not meet these bare minimum standards of diversity.

5. We’re calling on all US retailers to commit 15% of their shelf space to Black-owned brands.

6. We will create a placement division with the CFDA that pairs Black talent with companies looking to hire.

7. We will be creating a program that pairs Black talent with established Black talent in the fashion industry.

Instead, the CFDA chose to ignore these requests, and released what Jean-Raymond calls a “fucking watered-down, bubblegum-ass statement that didn’t address the issues.”

In addition to creating more opportunities for Black talent, these requests specifically diminish the involvement between the fashion and retail industries with the police. The abolishment of the police force is Jean-Raymond’s most urgent objective of the moment, and talking about how to do it is the only reason he even agreed to this interview.

The outline for what a world without police looks like already exists, as multiple examples on social media have shown us. Reallocating inflated police budgets to youth programs, education, and healthcare would do more to diminish crime and create self-sustaining communities more akin to the suburbs, according to Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

“Affluent white communities already live in a world where they choose to fund youth, health, housing etc more than they fund police,” Ocasio-Cortez explained in an Instagram Story. “White communities bend over backwards to find alternatives to incarceration for their loved ones to ‘protect their future,’ like community service or rehab or restorative measures. Why don’t we treat Black and Brown people the same way?”

It’s a sentiment that is quickly turning into action. Cities like Los Angeles and New York have vowed to cut police budgets and reallocate those funds. The Minneapolis City Council voted to dismantle its police force. Reform laws named for Eric Garner and Breonna Taylor, two Black lives lost to police brutality, have recently been passed. But Jean-Raymond knows that there’s still a long march ahead towards police abolishment, and he’s going to do everything he can to make sure no one loses sight of the goal posts.

All over the country we’re seeing states actively taking steps to dismantle police departments or reallocating budgets away from them. Broadly speaking, how do we even start working towards abolishing the police?

It’s a multi-step process, and it requires all hands on deck for it to happen quickly. There are the immediate, short-term solutions that you see with #8CantWait and Campaign Zero’s harm reduction programs that have been around forever, but it’s really a smart approach to a bigger problem.

Semantics and words matter. Seeing catchy phrases and things like that do work. We live in a meme society, and the revolution will be memed — I think it’s important for us to have a deep dive into all of these pieces that lead to the bigger solution, which is community policing, community safety, demilitarization of the police, abolishing the police,  and all of the things we can agree society needs right now.

That’s definitely something we’re seeing in how information is being spread and the Black history narratives going viral on social media.

All of these different facts are coming to light in bite-sized, tangible bits. You’re getting it in memes and people are reposting at a rate that’s dangerously fast. We’re getting a lot of historical information thrown at us that the public may have ignored before.

And I think our collective consciousness is understanding that police are trained like a cult. We just saw that in Buffalo with the older gentleman who was pushed down — 57 officers essentially turned in their resignation because they wanted to protect [their fellow cops].

This “blue wall of silence” is a proper cult. Just like MAGA is a cult, just like Kabbalah is a cult, and just like Jim Jones had a cult. One of the things that we have to look at — and why we have to disband our current police and create completely new community-serving public safety measures — is because these people are not trained to do what they were supposed to do in the first place. Something went wrong. They’re not serving their communities, they’re not living amongst the people, they’re only serving each other. Why would you become a cop just so you could protect other cops?

““These people are not trained to do what they were supposed to do. Something went wrong. They’re not serving their communities, they’re only serving each other. Why would you become a cop just so you could protect other cops?””

It’s clear that reform isn’t enough. Campaigns for police reform like #8CantWait have their fair share of criticism, but we’ve also seen laws passed in honor of Eric Garner and Breonna Taylor that ban chokeholds and no-knock warrants.

With #8CantWait specifically, their approach is to deal with the things that we can immediately address overnight. Mayors can put these things into effect. Banning chokeholds doesn’t mean that the violence is going to stop — I don’t think anybody believes that means the violence is going to stop — but with chokeholds clearly banned, it makes it a lot harder for the [police] unions and their legal defense to justify those actions. It’s an effective thing that can reduce harm to individuals almost immediately.

The common denominator is that people in power usually agree that these killings are wrong and egregious, but what we don’t talk about enough is how powerful these police unions are and these pre-negotiated collective bargaining agreements that keep police officers from facing accountability.

So ultimately, defunding the police is about taking power away from those unions?

Defunding the police is the ultimate goal, but we also have to remember that politicians and people in power have been trying to fight these police unions and these corrupt police departments all around the country forever. So it’s super important to give credit to these organizations, like Campaign Zero and the Know Your Rights campaign, who are using tactical approaches and playing chess with the system.

At the same time, we have to give credit to the people on the street who are making noise and doing whatever the fuck they need to do to get attention. We all know that America respects money, and if they fuck with somebody’s pocket, they’re going to pay attention. We need universal pressure being put on corporations and businesses that support police.

How do we keep putting that pressure on?

One of the things that we can implement specifically in fashion and retail is to no longer call the police for non-violent offenses. [George Floyd] shouldn’t have had the police called on him for a $20 counterfeit bill in the first place, especially when we know what police have done to Black men and women historically.

Speaking of accountability, you also took the CFDA to task for ignoring the list of demands you helped put together and instead issuing a statement you found totally inadequate. In many ways, these institutions continue to fail the Black community.

It’s fucking lip service to the movement, and it’s bullshit. Honestly, this is probably one of the biggest slaps in the face that I’ve ever gotten, and me and Virgil [Abloh] are going back and forth on this thing like, “What the fuck do we do?”

As far as the way that they conducted themselves and chose to omit specific language that can make Black people feel advocated for? A governing body like the CFDA holds so much prestige within the fashion space, and for them not to advocate in the proper way leads Black people to believe that there’s not going to be any help when we get here — or if we can ever get there at all.

““This is divine intervention. We got a pandemic, no distractions. We never had a movement free of distractions the way that we do now. Now all you can do is pick a side — and if you don’t pick a side, that means you picked a side.””

Not for nothing, the CFDA also has Black people in positions of power, however oftentimes these roles can be marginalized in their organizational influence.

I’m not going to speak too much on it, but what I will say is in my experience with working within these industries, the few people of color who are there are very scared to speak out, because they’re usually retaliated against in micro-aggressive ways. And I don’t blame them for not being able to speak out.

I have a privilege because I have rights to my own company, I don’t really answer to anybody — I’ve never had to — but for a lot of people, this is a new thing. Getting by and getting up is a means of survival for a lot of Black people, so I can’t fault them for showing up in spaces and not feeling like they can be their complete selves when the removal of all of their progress can be done in a swift instant.

One of the very first things you posted when the worldwide protests were gaining steam was “

Don’t get tired

.” We’re all trying to maintain this energy and sentiment as long as we can — why do you think it’s been so sustained?

The revolution needs to take naps. We went back to school, we went back to work, and if you were very outspoken about Black shit at home and how we were being mistreated by the system, then the next day, you had to take the LIRR and go into your racist, micro-aggressive office and deal with people — you got tired.

Now, this is divine intervention. We got a pandemic, no sports, no distractions, no new movies coming out, no concerts — nothing. The world has to focus on the same Black shit we’ve been trying to get done for the past several years. We never had this before. Not in the Civil Rights era, nowhere. We never had a movement free of distractions the way that we do. Now all you can do is pick a side — and if you don’t pick a side, that means you picked a side.

Jenna Wortham described this extraordinary moment as

“a glorious poetic rage.”

How does this feel different to you than what was going on in Ferguson six years ago?

We’re at a turning point in history where it’s like: Where do you want to be in this chapter? Where do you want to tell your grandkids you stood? And who do you really think is going to win? I’d bet on the winning team, if I was you.

Here’s the thing: If evil prevails, there will be no history books. In order for there to even be a history book where we’re talking about 2020, good has to win over evil before 2050. We have to accept it as a moral issue. I don’t want to liken this to other genocides and other tragedies that have happened in the course of global history, but a lot of us would feel like if we could go back and undo certain parts of human history, we would. We’re at one of those points right now. We can collectively make the change we need to make: completely dismantle the current policing system.

Only 5 percent of 911 calls are for violent crime, so why does an officer need to show up at your house with a gun? Why do you need to pull me over for a speeding ticket with a gun drawn? Why do you need to come investigate a missing child with a gun drawn? The same way you can gauge whether to send a firetruck or an ambulance, you can gauge whether to send somebody with a loaded gun or somebody with a pen and a pad.

This is a fight you’ve been engaging in through Pyer Moss for nearly a decade now, even back in 2015 with the “They Have Names” T-shirt. How do you stay so consistent and mission-driven?

Right now, I’m only lending you my likeness so that you can bring attention to defunding the police. That’s the trade-off. This is not a self-serving mission; this is something that needs to change in my lifetime. I’m terrified of bringing children into this world.

My nephew is 15 years old, and I started this fight when he was in the nut sac. He likes Odell Beckham a lot, so he dyed the top of his hair blonde, and now he has braids at the top. He likes NLE Choppa and he’s putting me onto all these young rappers that I didn’t even know existed, TikTok challenges, and things like that.

He’s stepping into adolescence, but to some random, trigger-happy cop who’s never lived in his neighborhood in Mount Vernon, who’s on their third week of the job, that little boy becomes a grown-ass threat. That story is not unique to all these mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, and grandmothers who are genuinely terrified for themselves and for everyone else just trying to conduct their normal, everyday lives. This shit is scary, and it has to stop. Anything else is not worth talking about.

““We’re in a turning point in history where it’s like: Where do you want to be in this chapter? We can collectively make the change.””

Between brands, stores, and publications, there’s certainly a renewed desire to leverage the equity of the Black community as a way to show support. But as you’ve

called out on Twitter

, there’s an egregious amount of virtue signaling and performative allyship.

I’ve remarked on it [happening] with clothing stores specifically, the ones who are now touting all these Black brands that they’ve never carried or even gone to see themselves. Magazines I’ve never even heard of are putting me in these round-ups, and it’s so disrespectful because they’re not even categorized; it’s just “Black designers.”

It’s detrimental to those who have put in the work to differentiate themselves and carve their own lanes. People who are doing really unique, gender-defying and poetic work like Telfar are being put in the same breath as a single-product DTC, venture-backed company. They’re not giving them any differentiation — just grouping them all together because they’re Black.

If they wanted to have a little bit more respect, they should admit they never supported us, and follow that up with why they’re going to start, and why you should, too. They should educate people about what we do instead of just putting us on these erroneous fucking lists. You can guilt people into buying things because we’re Black, but that can harm our businesses, because once these people feel like this “trend” is over, then they have a pass to forget about us.

The Importance of Diversity inside the Fashion Industry

In the United States, injustice is common in our system, where hegemony rules over a society and out lash against opposing groups.  And many times, it goes unaddressed or unchanged for way longer than it should. This is why it’s important to maintain cultural equity in the art world and to challenge inequities to make change happen.  In order to have a healthy society, there needs to be equal access to inspire creativity for young prominent artists (cultural equity).

There are many reasons as to why cultural equity is so important, an example of this comes from a Swedish retailer called Hennes and Mauritz (H&M).  On 7 January 2018, the retailer was criticized for putting a dark-skinned child model in a green sweatshirt saying “Coolest Monkey in the Jungle.”  Soon after, social media users accused H&M of being racist for comparing a comparing the dark-skinned boy to a monkey (Bjerre).

The controversy was immediately picked up by the media worldwide the next day, despite the sweatshirt being only published in the United States and the United Kingdom website.  Being so exposed, H&M was forced to give a public apology.  Soon after, removing the ad and replacing it with a generic photo of the sweatshirt, now no longer available for purchase in several countries, including the United States. However, consumers moved away from the retailer due to the controversy, refusing to buy anything from the company (Bjerre).

By the 18th, H&M as a response to the controversy, explained that they would hire more people of diversity so as to prevent a similar incident from happening again.  A display as to what extent as to what consumers will go to when a company displays negative aspects in their products.  And this shows the increasing importance of diverse leadership in the workplace (Bjerre).

A similar incident was brought upon the Italian luxury brand Gucci after the company released a turtleneck sweater that resembled blackface.  The black turtleneck featured a pull-up collar with a cutout mouth and bright red lips. According to the brand’s Creative Director Alessandro Michele, it was meant to be an homage to the flamboyant Australian performance artist and designer Leigh Bowery (Wharton).

However, it only spurred on the intensive backlash with not just consumers, but celebrities as well. Director Spike Lee used his social media to urge followers to boycott the brand.  Musician 50 Cent posted himself setting fire to a Gucci T-shirt on Instagram.  And in the same month, singer Katy Perry removed shoes from her collection as shoppers said it was similar to blackface.  Then Gucci collaborator Dapper Dan tweets, “There cannot be inclusivity without accountability. I will hold everyone accountable,” inviting the company’s chief executive to meet with him in Harlem (Wharton).

“A mea culpa and quick withdrawal of the offensive products is the right short-term strategy,” said professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business and a luxury branding strategist Thomai Serdari, who later states that the long-term strategy should be hiring a more diverse workforce.  However, it requires the company and others to have a sit down with their executives to convince and reconsider a more inclusive hiring strategy but in an honest and authentic way (Wharton).

Both Thomai Serdari and marketing professor of Lehigh University Ludovica Cesareo explain the headlines go deeper than just the momentary outrage (the two professors visited the Knowledge@Wharton radio show on Sirius XM to discuss the issues facing the fashion houses).  It is an example for up and coming companies to understand the global market and consumer values.  Especially now, where the generation is more diverse and do not tolerate cultural bias that were so evident in past marketing campaigns.  As Cesareo explains, “Advertising speaks to the current times, especially from a cultural perspective.  Through the advertisements that brands put out, but also the products that they design and decide to sell in the market, brands are taking stands on certain social issues.”  And Serdari agreed, stating that these companies and others need to understand how much influence they have and what they should put out on the market.  Or, at least, try not to offend a part of American culture (Wharton).

Americans would initially speculate that the problem is not cause by cultural insensitivity, but due to a lack of awareness of American culture, as Gucci and H&M are European companies.  “But that’s no excuse,” says Cesareo. “A lot of these brands are unaware of some of aspects of American culture and heritage, which by no means is a way of justifying them. It is simply that they just don’t do their research…  Gucci should have been much more sensitive to this issue and should have done its research before putting out a product like that.” And Serdari expresses her concerns, stating that the research from these companies would only be superficial because “they only stop at a certain point, whenever it is convenient or based on whatever resources they have. But to have people who are diverse or who have a better grasp of the culture within the market that they want to enter is what is going to make them more successful in the future.”  (Wharton).

Mrs. Serdari explain how creative directors have absolute power over the designs made in these corporate fashion houses and that there is no check or balance when issues pop up. There should have been more diversity in the workplace and the current employees should have been able to express their opinions without fear of retribution.  She also states that “there needs to be diversity at the high-up level of executives, and not just young designers … but people with voice and power.” And Cesareo agrees that Gucci “should have been much more sensitive to this issue and should have done its research before putting out a product like that.”  (Wharton).

Although, despite the backlash, they say that research shows that these brands will most likely not experience any kind of long-term loss because they have loyal customers that are willing to forgive them if they take particular steps in the right direction (Wharton).

Later, that December, Prada apologized for releasing a bag charm that resembled monkeys with red lips and announced that they are forming a diversity council to “elevate voices of color within the company and fashion industry at large.”  Appointing two celebrated black artists, Theaster Gates and Ava DuVernay, to chair the council (Wharton).

However, to others, the backlash is seen as a sign that people nowadays have become overly sensitive. And although Cesareo says she understands their perspective; the size of the offended group doesn’t matter to the company as social media allows negative messages to spreads fast and its important for a brand not to alienate even a small percentage of customers (Wharton).

Both professors state that the controversies surrounding these companies are teachable moments and express a need to reset hiring policies and practices.  “I think this is a really important learning point, not just for the brands involved but also for the industry overall, because there are negative spillovers to perceptions of the fashion industry more generally than just the single brand that made a mistake,” Cesareo said. “Going back to what we said, hiring practices and changes in these hiring practices are so important.”  (Wharton).

Talking about diversity can be uncomfortable but it’s an important discussion because it allows people to come to an understanding of each other’s cultures and resolve both social and personal dilemmas from home and at work.  Social media can open new doors for people, but can also close them to distasteful products that disrespects other’s culture.  And that companies should take note on management and hiring policies and practices because not all designs are considered kosher amongst certain groups (Takacs).

 Photos

· “Coolest Monkey in the Jungle,” Google Images, Google, 2019, web.  https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1368&bih=770&ei=bk9HXb_OJYzktQXQpqnYBw&q=coolest+monkey+in+the+jungle&oq=co&gs_l=img.3.0.35i39l2j0l8.26974.27377..28517...0.0..0.56.202.4......0....1..gws-wiz-img.....0.n6VEC6XF3L4

· “Gucci Blackface,” Google Images, Google, 2019, web.  https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&biw=1368&bih=770&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=i09HXZGrJovaswWYmrGQBQ&q=gucci+blackface&oq=gucci+&gs_l=img.3.0.0i67l4j0l3j0i67j0j0i67.63973.66527..68186...0.0..0.66.357.6......0....1..gws-wiz-img.......35i39.dUstSdtwjvI#imgdii=TaBc16nQPVCE9M:&imgrc=bwRD7YgMuO0dCM:

· “Katy Perry Blackface Shoes Ebay,” Google Images, Google, 2019, web.  https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&biw=1368&bih=770&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=0E9HXYKOKISctgWyj6C4Bw&q=katy+perry+blackface+shoes+ebay&oq=ka+blackface&gs_l=img.3.0.0i7i30j0i8i7i30.108914.109048..110548...0.0..0.65.116.2......0....1..gws-wiz-img.GkoXCYwaLsY

· “Prada Blackface Monkey,” Google Images, Google, 2019, web.  https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1368&bih=770&ei=PmBHXaz9G-O1tgXlopcI&q=prada+blackface+monkey&oq=prada+monkey&gs_l=img.3.5.0l5j0i8i30j0i24l4.1144.7686..12956...0.0..0.57.752.15......0....1..gws-wiz-img.....0..35i39.DEUrFpJl0s8#imgrc=8F8WPIUrV6E16M:

Sources

· “Statement on Cultural Equity,” Cultural Equity, Americans for the Arts, 2016, web.

· Morten Christian Bjerre, “"Coolest Monkey in the Jungle" - A study on correlations between crisis communication and intentional consumer behavior,” Copenhagen Business School, © ResearchGate, July 18, web.

· “Gucci’s Misstep: Why a More Diverse Fashion Industry Is the Answer,” Marketing, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, 18 February 2019, web.

· Takacs, Stacy. “What Is the Function of Popular Culture?” Interrogating Popular Culture: Key Questions. New York: Routledge, 2015. pp. 41 – 65.

The Challenges of Ethnic Ambiguity

While this isn’t a post about DID, it is about another important part of my identity; my ethnicity.

My father was born and raised in Syria with Syrian (and possibly some Turkish) descent. My mother was born in Australia to Egyptian parents, with a tiny bit of Turkish in her mix. I was born in Australia, moved to the U.A.E. when I was 7-8 yo , then returned to Australia when I was 13-14 yo. For those who don’t know, all three of these countries I’m descended from, but especially Egypt, are very ethnically diverse, which in turn means my physical appearance is very ethnically “different” and “confusing”. So when people see me, they feel the need to either force me into some guessing game about my ethnicity, make assumptions and treat me accordingly, or, in rare cases, actually ask me and get a mildly accurate answer. While in an ideal world, I wish people would just treat me as another human being, I don’t get that liberty with the way I look and the experiences I’ve had.

Just the other day, I was in an Uber with an Irish friend and we were chatting with the driver who turned out to be Afghani. We were talking about how the driver and I were both lactose intolerant, whereas my Irish friend was not, when I made the comment “only white people are not lactose intolerant”. The driver’s response was “But you’re white!” Right about now, y’all are probably thinking I’m crazy for getting annoyed about passing and being mistook for a white person, but the problem with passing means all your experiences with racism and otherness due to your ethnicity are completely disregarded as if they never happened, which is really damn offensive and hurtful.

That was one of the more innocent times I’ve been mistook for being white. There have been several occasions on which I’ve been blatantly told to my face that there’s no way I’ve ever experienced racism, because my skin is light. When in fact, the entire reason my family and I moved to the U.A.E. was because we were terrified of the backlash against Arabs and Muslims post-9/11. That’s right, I had to leave the country I was born in and grew up in because we felt so threatened. So, I guess I can’t really call Australia home, right?

So what about the U.A.E.? Well I certainly wasn’t welcomed there with open arms. Speaking the Syrian dialect of Arabic meant I was ridiculed every time I would speak Arabic in front of my peers, and having an Australian accent speaking English in a country full of people with American accents meant I was also ridiculed when speaking English, until I adopted the American accent.  Not to mention the times I was cornered by classmates to be called things like “foreigner” and “egg-head”, and sometimes even physically hurt and purposely left out of games and activities my classmates would engage in during our lunch breaks. So no, the U.A.E. certainly isn’t home.

Syria? I remember trying to get a haircut when visiting Syria once. My sister, who has very straight hair compared to mine, was given premium service; a perfect haircut, a blow dry afterwards, a cheap rate, and it was not a rush job. When the hairdressers got to my nappy ass hair, they didn’t quite know what to do, so they gave me a rush job with a shitty haircut and my uncle had to argue with them and pay them extra so they would actually finish the job. And buying clothes for me there was a nightmare because I’ve got the African bottom-heavy body shape. Plus, Arabs are very racist towards each other so the fact I was obviously not 100% Syrian meant I was treated as less than everywhere I went. So I don’t fit in in Syria either. And if I ever end up in Turkey, it’ll be more or less the same.

And then as for Egypt, I can’t speak the dialect, in fact I find it quite difficult to even understand, and my skin colour is far too light for me to appear Egyptian and fit into their society. And Egypt is a pretty dangerous place for foreigners right now. So where do I fit in? Where do ethnically ‘different’ looking people fit in this world? I feel like a god damn Chameleon at this point, constantly changing how I present depending on the ethnicity of the people around me. I’ll speak Arabic, keep my distance from men, and feign what Arabs like to call ‘modesty’ if I’m surrounded by Arabs to prove my Arabness. I’ll shade white people when I’m with my indigenous or black friends to prove my non-whiteness (although I’m also non-stop dissing white people in my head too). And I step up my whiteness, vocabulary, Aussie slang, and enthusiasm for ‘intellectual conversation and debates’ around white folks so I come across as educated, intelligent, and sophisticated enough to live amongst them in their white country. In all honesty, I love having intellectual debates and enjoy giving my Arabic a spin on the rare occasion that I can, but I can only handle so much debating with white people about shit they don’t know and speaking a language I barely remember. I actually feel the least like a fish out of water when I’m spending time with my African Australian and/or my Indigenous Australian friends, but even then I don’t feel truly 100% accepted. I actually kind of feel like an impostor.

I know this is going to be read by a bunch of people who do fit neatly into a certain ethnicity or race and be told that I’m being too sensitive or that there are so many people who are worse off or something else completely dismissive, but therein lies the issue. I am very aware that people of other minority races experience things I will never have to, but that doesn’t make any of my experiences any less valid. Also, the examples I’ve used here are very PG compared to most of the racist encounters I’ve had. I’ve had a group of white boys drive past me and scream out the window “what the fuck is that?” at me. I’ve had neo-nazis try to get me fired from the first club I worked at because they had decided I was Jewish because I’ve got a big nose (which actually looks a lot more African than Jewish tbh). I had to be escorted out of the club by security early that night because those same boys began bordering on violent and their bullshit kept escalating (and no, I wasn’t recompensed for the rest of the shift). I’ve been consistently mocked about my body shape, called all sorts of fat slurs, even starved with the intention of making me lose weight, by the Syrian side of my family ever since I started going through puberty. All because I don’t fit into their idea of an attractive body because I have curves, a fat ass, and thick thighs. And by the way, that has lead to some serious body dysmorphia because even when I do lose weight, my body shape/ proportions stay the same and I’ve been programmed to see that as fat. I was strip searched at the airport when I was 13 coming back to Australia from Dubai, and I’ve never been to an airport since and not been screened for explosives (random my fat ass). But all that considered, the hardest part of all these experiences is that no matter where I am or where I go, I’m literally always having to fight for a place in this world and the reality is that I just don’t neatly fit anywhere. And that leaves a person feeling extremely disenfranchised, discouraged, left out, alone, unaccepted, misunderstood, misplaced, and perpetually lost, a big part of why I tend to seclude and isolate myself from even my closest friends. So I suppose the take away from this is if any of y’all have ethnically ambiguous friends, do not assume their ethnicity. Ask, then accept. And be mindful that because we’ve never had a strong sense of belonging, we’ll likely try to assimilate into whatever your culture is and that’s a very uncomfortable process. So try to be conscious of at least the basics of their culture, whatever parts they’ve chosen to hold onto, and be inclusive with that knowledge in mind. I also want to say, before someone kicks up a shitstorm, that I don’t HATE white people. I just find a very large number of them to be annoying, naive, willingly ignorant, obnoxious, privileged, and superficial. And if you get defensive over that statement, you are one of those white people I just described.

June 25: How the Ultimate Trailer Works So Well

Amongst all the thoughts and discussion regarding Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, I don’t think any individual element of the game - even more than the confirmation of Ridley - warranted the level of adoration and excitement as not just the inclusion of every Smash character ever, but the short “Challenger Approaching” trailer explaining that.

So I decided I’d take some time and analyze it for how it works. Hoo boy, did that take longer than I expected.

For ease (and because I’m, well, lazy), I’ll be splitting this up into bullet points. I should also note that I’m avoiding a lot of stage analysis except in certain cases, largely because the emphasis on fighters is the focus. Also, this is quite long, so a “read more” tag is needed for this one.

Before the video: Sakurai adds this whole “character numbering” element, which is odd. Most viewers less familiar with this scheme (which has mostly always existed within the series) assumed this indicated the total number of characters from the start, but more than that it inherently acknowledges cut characters, something Sakurai tries to avoid as to not make their fans feel worse. No matter who is watching, it’s odd, and sets up the actual video in a way that feels odd.

00:02 - 00:15: We see Battlefield, something which since Brawl has always functioned as a focal point for the series - kind of in the way Mario does, too, which is why he appears here. Traditionally, Mario is also the character who reflects the visual direction of each game the most, so his “Brawl meets Smash For“ art style confirms it as a new game, one that will marry multiple iterations of Smash.

0015 - 00:28: Kirby, Samus, and Bowser are all Smash staples (two from the first game, one from Melee). They’re also not in numerical order, telling us to not expect things in a “normal” way. They also more clearly show a few returning stages, Castle Siege and Green Greens in particular, and Giga Bowser seems to function in a far new way.

00:28 - 00:34: Link is also one of the central Smash characters, but his drastic redesign tells us further that this will be a new iteration - one that will look to more recent games, at least in part (we also see a new Breath of the Wild stage, alongside Temple). Keep in mind that he gets a huge amount of time to emphasize this.

00:34 - 0:44: We see a lot of Donkey Kong (including a change to his Giant Punch), but it’s Falco’s appearance in 00:42 that’s surprising. He’s typically and understandably a hidden character; showing him off is kind of bizarre. For most viewers, it’ll just seem nice for a beloved character to return, but for the more attentive first-time viewers it is somewhat odd and continues the off-kilter vibe of Sakurai’s introduction.

00:44 - 00:48: Marth casually shows off the new changes to Shield Breaker, just like with DK earlier. Further indication that old fighters will have, to quote Sakurai from a decade ago, a “slightly different flavor this time around,” and that it won’t simply be an expanded port of Smash for Wii U (this emphasis will continue throughout the video and into Nintendo’s continued promotion of the game.

00:48 - 00:52: New Zelda! Not really new Sheik! Their having their default costumes implies they will remain separate fighters, and Zelda’s in particular bucks a trend of Zelda and Link’s costumes coming from the same game.

00:52 - 00:54: Our first post-Melee fighter, Villager, shows a new ability. His appearance also begins to move us from the more classic Smash fighters into a wider variety of ones new and old.

00:55 - 00:58: Meta Knight and Mewtwo. Notable for the former being the first Brawl character in general and the first one shown, and for the latter being the first Pokémon representative - before Pikachu, even. Mewtwo also looks like it did in Smash For, an indication the DLC would not be ignored.

00:59 - 01:01: And here comes Sonic - with a new version of Super Sonic and a returning Green Hill Zone in tow - as the biggest guest fighter out there, though that doesn’t confirm whether less established third party content would be joining him.

1:02 - 1:08: Peach and Pikachu, each with slight new changes in how Toad and Volt Tackle work. It’s notable how long it took to get to either of them, though their being more famous leads nicely into...

1:09 - 1:15: the Ice Climbers! Their return is such a big moment it’s hard to notice we’ve also got a returning Summit (and Living Room), and they unsurprisingly get a whopping six seconds to show off how they look in HD.

1:16 - 1:21: And from a beloved, long lost fighter to a highly desired new one, Nana and Popo formally introduce Inkling, with both a male and female design in tow. We get a good look at how diverse their weapon selection is, alongside a new Splatoon stage.

1:22 - 1:27: Pretty much the only thing we need to see with Falcon is the Punch, while Zero Suit Samus and Wii Fit Trainer show that even the less “iconic” of the cast aren’t going to be ignored. Given Boxing Ring’s centrality to Smash For, its being so prominent here makes sense.

1:28 - 1:30: here’s where things get weirder. The Ice Climbers coming back makes sense, but the Pokémon Trainer? I don’t really think it’s vague on whether the switching mechanic will return (he’s in the back, so...), but it’s out of the blue in a way none of what we’ve seen here is. That it only lasts about two seconds makes it all the more shocking.

1:31 - 1:36: Ness and Lucas. A little surprising for the former, given his traditionally being a hidden fighter, and more so for the former, who was last in the series as DLC.

1:36 - 1:41: The DLC concern becomes even more noticeable now, with Ryu fighting yet another normally hidden fighter: Ganondorf, surprisingly sporting the classic Ocarina of Time design Melee used. It implies a far greater amount of changes than what we were initially expecting, and assures the less confident of us that even third party DLC will not be ignored.

1:41 - 1:44: And look who else is looking new, but Ike, who’s reverted to the design Brawl used...except he isn’t. While the Inklings were expected to have male and female versions, this is the first indication we’ll have more pronounced alternate costumes for specific characters.

1:45 - 1:51: Cloud’s inclusion is another important one at this point, because compared to other guest fighters, the possibility of his return seemed far more up in the air. He gets a lot of airtime, space that comfortably confirms his two outfits and Omnislash, a great flashy move to send us into the big moment.

1:52 - 1:55: If Cloud’s return wasn’t a sure thing, than Snake’s was a pipe dream for fans (myself included). Having one go to the other is smart, because after him, Ice Climbers, and Pokémon Trainer, Snake‘s chances feel so much more possible. And it works so well. We don’t see an attack, or anything, because we don’t need to. It’s Snake, on Shadow Moses Island. That’s enough for us, until...

1:56 - 2:01: “EVERYONE IS HERE!” really just speaks for itself, but I’d also like to note the small feature of Snake running right after the words appear. It’s subtle, but it’s a flash of energy leading to the rest of the video (an energy that is supported by the music, which becomes far more intense up until the end). And it’s important to him be behind the words, because by this point a viewer is processing them, recognizing the totality of what that means.

2:02 - 2:04: And to prove how serious that claim is, Jigglypuff - the last of the original cast (minus Luigi and Yoshi) - brings back Pichu, likely the very fighter most people would think of after hearing that “everyone is here”: “even Pichu?” That the joke character of Melee has returned is proof of the claim, an example of how insane and wild this project is planning to be. But despite how notable it is, the two Pokémon are onscreen for only two seconds.

2:15 - 2:18: Truthfully, the next few reveals are less exciting. Roy is the fifth DLC character revealed to return, but Olimar, Diddy, and Lucario are all fairly normal. But it’s with Lucina that we get yet another oddity. She’s 21ε - an indication that something different was being done with the then-called “clone characters.” It’s yet another indicator that Smash is going to be different, and in rather unexpected ways.

2:26: It’s not a big detail, but Dr. Mario lacks the Epsilon, indicating that he’s different from how he used to be (given that he, Lucina, and Dark Pit are associated as the Echoes of the previous iteration of Smash, it stands to reason people might look for that on him, too).

2:30 - 2:32: And there’s Dark Pit literally one shot after Doc, with the Epsilon. It’s important to keep it all in mind more easily. I also think it’s notable that Palutena’s moveset isn’t shown at all in here; it’s one more thing about which Sakurai’s been coy.

2:39 - 2:42: It’s important, I think, to have the two versions of Link show up together; it highlights how they’ve both functioned as spinoffs of one of Nintendo’s (and Smash‘s) most important heroes. By this point, Young Link is the final character (again, other than Luigi and Yoshi) who came from a game before Brawl; he’s important as one more reminder of this game’s scope.

2:46 - 2:49: And if there were any fighters whose fate would seem as up in the air as any third party character, it’d be the Mii Fighters. And yet, they’re all here, too. And like with Palutena, we see no customization or anything beyond some very basic attacks.

2:55 - 2:56: Despite not being a huge surprise, Pac-Man’s new Final Smash (or new version of Super Pac-Man, technically) is fast, really fast. And that’s good because it kicks up the pace right to the finish. Like, it’s weirdly intense to watch at that point.

3:00 - 3:03: Wolf! While calls for him were probably not as loud as those for Snake and the Ice Climbers, he has remained a beloved Smash character and a fighter people really wanted. Having him here is good for a bunch of reasons - he was the last newcomer in Brawl, his style works really well for this point in the video - but probably the most is that people really wanted him back especially. And holding off on that until now helps emphasize this game’s scope.

3:04 - 2:08: Mega Man needed to be the final main shot for a lot of reasons. He’s a beloved gaming and Smash character, he’s got name recognition, and especially because his Final Smash is the best way to send off us. It’s just this huge blast that keeps up the momentum right until the end.

3:11: And we have the title. “Ultimate” really is perfect word for this, a video that is pretty much just about the history and power of Super Smash Bros. 

3:16 - 3:20: ...But it also wouldn’t be Sakurai without some goofing around, so we let the air out of all this pomposity with some silliness from Luigi and Yoshi. I think it makes sense for more reason than Sakurai often using those two for mirth. The Brawl trailer had all this bombastic, dark energy...but then Wario showed up and farted. The first Smash For trailer seemed exciting and crazy...and then Wii Fit Trainer appeared; almost all the character trailers after it had stingers afterwards, mostly goofy ones. It’s a good and important statement that Smash will always be goofy and weird. And you got that in some individual shots (Dedede and Wario, for instance), but it’s a deliberate anticlimax that mocks you, but only slightly, for all the energy you’ve hopefully gotten from what is a very long trailer, all things considered.

So, what have we learned, aside from me realizing I need to come up with shorter topics for this blog? I think it’s that you could have made this announcement any way. Sakurai could’ve just shown the character selection screen, Nintendo could’ve put it out in a press release, or they could’ve just not mentioned it entirely (though that’d be insane given that “everyone is here!” is the game’s tagline). But a video was the best way to do it. And I think this way was the best video they could’ve realistically made. Every fighter gets to show off a ton of personality in a couple seconds, and by basing the whole video around being before or after Snake, it can position the ideal fighters in a way that lets viewers slowly realize how much grander this is going to be than they realized. It’s all just great design in general, and more than just a really cool trailer that showed things off.

(Link to my writings on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate)

Coinbase is a mission focused company

There have been a lot of difficult events in the world this year: a global pandemic, shelter in place, social unrest, widespread protests and riots, and west coast wildfires. There seems to be additional bad news every day, including recent events regarding Breonna Taylor. On top of that we have a contentious U.S. election on the horizon.

Everyone is asking the question about how companies should engage in broader societal issues during these difficult times, while keeping their teams united and focused on the mission. Coinbase has had its own challenges here, including employee walkouts. I decided to share publicly how I’m addressing this in case it helps others navigate a path through these challenging times.

In short, I want Coinbase to be laser focused on achieving its mission, because I believe that this is the way that we can have the biggest impact on the world. We will do this by playing as a championship team, focus on building, and being transparent about what our mission is and isn’t.

Play as a championship team

During difficult times I think it’s important to go back to the guideposts we’ve established, like our culture doc, mission, and values.

One of the tenets of the Coinbase culture doc is to play like a championship team. What does this mean?

Be company first: We act as #OneCoinbase, putting the company’s goals ahead of any particular team or individual goals.

Act in service of the greater mission: We have united as a team to try and accomplish something that none of us could have done on our own.

Default to trust: We assume positive intent amongst our teammates, and assume ignorance over malice. We have each other’s backs.

Focus on what unites us, not what divides us: We help create a sense of cohesion and unity, by focusing on what we have in common, not where we disagree, especially when it’s unrelated to our work.

Sustained high performance: As compared to a family, where everyone is included regardless of performance, a championship team makes a concerted effort to raise the bar on talent, including changing out team members when needed.

Through this lens, we start to have a glimpse of a solution. A championship team wants to win, and every teammate is willing to make sacrifices to achieve that. They have each other’s back, and focus relentlessly on the long term goal, avoiding distractions.

Focus on building

There are many places that a company can choose to allocate its limited time and resources. There is never enough time to do everything, so companies need to choose what change they want to see in the world and focus there. It can take decades to move the needle on large global challenges.

At Coinbase, we say that we are focused on building. What does this mean? It means we are going to focus on being the best company we can be, and making progress toward our mission, as compared to broader societal issues.

We focus on the things that help us achieve our mission:

Build great products: The vast majority of the impact we have will be from the products we create, which are used by millions of people.

Source amazing talent: We create job opportunities for top people, including those from underrepresented backgrounds who don’t have equal access to opportunities, with things like diverse slates (Rooney rule) on senior hires, and casting a wide net to find top talent.

Fair talent practices: We work to reduce unconscious bias in interviews, using things like structured interviews, and ensure fair practices in how we pay and promote. We have a pay for performance culture, which means that your rewards and promotions are linked to your overall contribution to the mission and company goals.

Enable belonging for everyone: We work to create an environment where everyone is welcome and can do their best work, regardless of background, sexual orientation, race, gender, age, etc.

We focus minimally on causes not directly related to the mission:

Policy decisions: If there is a bill introduced around crypto, we may engage here, but we normally wouldn’t engage in policy decisions around healthcare or education for example.

Non-profit work: We will do some work here with our Pledge 1% program and GiveCrypto.org, but this is about 1% of our efforts. We are a for-profit business. When we make profit, we can use that to hire more great people, and build even more. We shouldn’t ever shy away from making profit, because with more resources we can have a greater impact on the world.

Broader societal issues: We don’t engage here when issues are unrelated to our core mission, because we believe impact only comes with focus.

Political causes: We don’t advocate for any particular causes or candidates internally that are unrelated to our mission, because it is a distraction from our mission. Even if we all agree something is a problem, we may not all agree on the solution.

Of course, there are exceptions here around internal employment matters, whistleblowing, etc. And we want all employees to feel safe disagreeing on the work itself. Candor and debate are core to a healthy team, where it is safe to disagree. We consider these to be related to our mission.

Why are we mission focused?

It has become common for Silicon Valley companies to engage in a wide variety of social activism, even those unrelated to what the company does, and there are certainly employees who really want this in the company they work for. So why have we decided to take a different approach?

The reason is that while I think these efforts are well intentioned, they have the potential to destroy a lot of value at most companies, both by being a distraction, and by creating internal division. We’ve seen what internal strife at companies like Google and Facebook can do to productivity, and there are many smaller companies who have had their own challenges here. I believe most employees don’t want to work in these divisive environments. They want to work on a winning team that is united and making progress toward an important mission. They want to be respected at work, have a welcoming environment where they can contribute, and have growth opportunities. They want the workplace to be a refuge from the division that is increasingly present in the world.

Change happens in the world only when a smart, talented, group of people come together to focus on a hard problem for a decade or more. Many companies never stand the test of time, because they decide to dabble in unrelated efforts, and distract and divide their workforce in the process. Paradoxically, by being laser focused on our mission, we will likely have an even greater impact on the world, through our products and growing customer base.

Lastly, it would go against our principles of inclusion and belonging to be more of an activist company on issues outside of our core mission. We have people with many different backgrounds and viewpoints at Coinbase, and even if we all agree that something is a problem, we may not agree on how to actually go solve it. This is where there is a blurry line between moral statements and politics. We could use our work day debating what to do about various unrelated challenges in the world, but that would not be in service of the company or our own interests as employees and shareholders.

What is the scope of our mission?

Coinbase’s mission is to create an open financial system for the world. This means we want to use cryptocurrency to bring economic freedom to people all over the world. This is difficult and important work, and every employee at Coinbase signed up because they are excited about this mission.

Economic freedom is unevenly distributed around the world.

I realized at some point this year that many employees were interpreting our mission in different ways. Some people interpreted the mission more broadly, to include all forms of equality and justice. It makes sense if you believe that economic freedom is not possible without equality for all people. Others interpreted the mission more narrowly, believing that we were trying to create infrastructure for the cryptoeconomy, and that yes, this would create more equality of access for all people, but we weren’t trying to solve all forms of inequality in the world.

The narrower interpretation is how I intended the mission to be understood. I don’t think companies can succeed trying to do everything. Creating an open financial system for the world is already a hugely ambitious mission, and we could easily spend the next decade or two trying to move the needle on global economic freedom. We will keep building the most trusted and easy to use financial products that help people access the cryptoeconomy, so everyone can get the benefits of this new technology and we can bring more economic freedom to the world.

A clear agreement

At the Q3 all hands meeting this past week, I shared with the company the above clarification of our culture and mission. These types of clarifications are needed periodically, as almost every year there will be some sort of event which tests the culture. My goal is to create clarity for all employees going forward about how we’re going to operate. I suspect the vast majority of people will be excited to proceed in this direction — after all, the mission is what we all signed up for and is what Coinbase is uniquely positioned to achieve as a company. But for some employees, working at an activism focused company may be core to what they want, and we want to prompt that conversation with their manager to help them get to a better place. Life is too short to work somewhere that you aren’t excited about, and we’re happy to make that a win-win conversation.

We’ve clarified this new agreement in some new internal communication guidelines that we published in the last month, but in summary it says:

We won’t:

Debate causes or political candidates internally when unrelated to our mission

Expect the company to represent our personal beliefs externally

Assume negative intent, or not have each others back

Take on activism outside of our core mission at work

We will:

Fight to get on the same page when we have differences

Support each other, and create team cohesion

Assume positive intent

Put the company goals ahead of our teams or individual goals

Make Coinbase a welcoming place for people of all backgrounds

Of course, employees should always feel free to advocate around issues of pay, conditions of employment, or violations of law, for instance. Hopefully the above sets some clear guidelines.

Conclusion

These are difficult times, and every CEO I know is trying to figure out how to lead through it.

I recognize that our approach is not for everyone, and may be controversial. I know that many people may not agree, and some employees may resign. I also know that some of what I’ve written above will be misinterpreted, whether accidentally or on purpose. But I believe it’s the right approach for Coinbase that will set us up for success long term, and I would rather be honest and transparent about that than equivocate and work in a company that is not aligned.

We need to do a better job of being authentic about who we are, and hopefully this blog post is a first step in that direction. We are an intense culture and we are an apolitical culture. We’re also committed to making Coinbase a place that creates incredible job opportunities and a welcoming environment for people of every age, race, gender, sexual orientation, etc.

With a strong, united culture, we can build a company that changes the world. At Coinbase, that culture means staying focused on our mission and being the best company we can be. I believe this is how we will have the greatest impact. With this clarity, hopefully everyone can make an informed decision and we can move forward as #OneCoinbase.

If you want to work at a company like this, please check out our careers page.

Coinbase is a mission focused company was originally published in The Coinbase Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

from Money 101 https://blog.coinbase.com/coinbase-is-a-mission-focused-company-af882df8804?source=rss----c114225aeaf7---4 via http://www.rssmix.com/

Sedation Dentistry Services-The Growing Practicality

Sedation Dentistry Services-The Growing Practicality

An excessive number of Americans are abandoning regular dental health care - and that's the ideal formula for giving minor dental issues a chance to form into major issues that are substantially more expensive to repair. 

Dental anxiety or unusual affectability to pain can result in individuals not getting regular checkups. That's the reason a standout amongst the most important changes in the world of Monarch Dentistry Services in Canada is that the sedation options are a great deal more readily available. 

This information is an opportunity for you to understand somewhat about its history, current approaches, and why it is a practical and safe consideration for dental patients.

How new is sedation dentistry?

You may not have heard much about it until the past couple of decades, however, it's been around for a long, long time. One of the sedation systems that are as yet utilized today dates back to the 1840s. 

That is when Connecticut dental specialist Horace Wells initially explored different avenues regarding and presented the utilization of nitrous oxide, now and again called laughing gas. And it was actually another dental practitioner (one of Wells' understudies) who presented the utilization of ether as a form of general anesthesia.

Since that nineteenth-century dynamic idea leadership in the field of dentistry and pain management, the range of strategies and medications utilized has broadened, and great steps have been made in giving safe administration of dental sedation. 

In the 21st century, both the world of dentistry and the world of medication at large have a brilliant understanding of the dangers associated with all kinds of sedation and anesthesia.

In addition, dentistry also has a greatly improved understanding of how two distinct issues - anxiety and pain - are so firmly interlaced. Dental practitioners also are exceptionally trained in the utilization of both psychological and pharmacological approaches that can be utilized to manage either or the two issues.

Are there various sorts of sedation dentistry?

In October 2007, the ADA (American Dental Association) adopted rules that address three unique dimensions of sedation - minimal, moderate, and profound sedation. (While the report Rules for the Utilization of Sedation and General Anesthesia by Dental practitioners is accessible on the ADA site, it is written in language more fit to those in the field of dentistry.)

What the general open ought to understand, however, is that these are rules - not legal necessities for practicing dental specialists. In the Assembled States, the regulatory duty regarding the practice of dentistry lies with the individual states. 

A few states have as of late adopted explicit laws that administer the practice of sedation dentistry as a support of the inhabitants of the state - to afford them the assurance of safety in the utilization of this increasingly popular dental administration. 

Individual states are not bound to the adoption of the ADA rules; they can characterize their own dimensions of sedation as well as the training, background, and accreditation process that will be utilized. That isn't to say that the ADA isn't profoundly influential in the individual states' basic leadership process.

What sort of sedation is likely to be directly for me?

That is a magnificent inquiry, yet in addition one to which there is no accurate answer except if you are knowledgeable in dentistry. A portion of the trouble lies in the fact that there are distinctive dimensions of sedation dentistry available, and that the number and names of those dimensions can vary among states where regulations are in place. 

And the answer can also be a particular dental procedure(s) being performed. In any case, this basic information can be useful to you as you start considering sedation dentistry for yourself or a family part.

- Sedation, as well as general anesthesia, is a pharmacological way of altering your dimension of awareness of what is happening around you (i.e., your dimension of cognizance).

- Your dimension of awareness/cognizance does not "venture down" by explicit dimensions, it is a consistent scale. (That's the reason characterizing explicit dimensions of sedation is, technically speaking, somewhat fluffy. Levels are normally fixing to a range of awareness/cognizance, which will have some overlap with the dimension above and underneath.)

- The medications used to give sedation can vary. In addition, some are administered orally, some by inhalation, and some intravenously (in the veins). Once in a while medications are utilized in combination. 

Both the sort of medication and how it is administered are usually factors in how various states characterize their regulatory statutes and dimensions of sedation.

- Diverse individuals react contrastingly to the same medication, regardless of whether they have the same physical characteristics and the exact same portion is administered. That's the reason training, background, and safety measures are important in sedation dentistry.

- Patient hazard (and the potential requirement for resuscitation) ascends as the patient's level of awareness and cognizance decreases. In general, you ought not to ask to be sedated more than your circumstances would propose.

- Sedation dentistry is anything but a substitute for local anesthesia (desensitizing agents). A few people assume that their dental practitioner will just utilize either. 

The choice to utilize sedation is, for the most part, a separate choice from that to utilize local anesthesia, despite the fact that both are pharmacological techniques used to give patient comfort.

A Matter of Practicality

What kind of sedation is directly for you isn't a choice that you have to make for yourself. Your sedation dental practitioner should base his sedation approach on the particular method, your personal affectability to pain, how much you may encounter dental anxiety, and whether for practical reasons it makes sense to sedate you for an all-inclusive timeframe for the service(s) being given.

In the event that you have dental anxiety that is related to a past painful affair, sedation dentistry, or perhaps simply the fact that your dental specialist is qualified to give sedation may be the very thing you, and many others like you, have to get regular registration, address existing dental issues, and make beyond any doubt you maintain your oral health. More and more examinations are revealing a relationship between oral health and your overall general health.

For those intrigued by restorative dentistry, sedation dentistry can regularly be a means to more rapidly achieve the grin of your dreams. With sedation, usually workable for your restorative dental practitioner to join into a solitary broadened visit that would some way or another require two or more visits.

Regardless of whether you do or needn't bother with sedation services at the present time, why not investigate sedation dentistry services? A dental practitioner who offers sedation dentistry - especially in states that mandate special training, knowledge, and hardware - is one who makes patient comfort, as well as great oral health, a priority.

Diversity with Different Dimensions

Why fit in when you were born to stand out?

The beauty of the world lies in the diversity of its people. Moreover, diversity has a strength of its own. Diversity is all about all of us. And about us having to figure out how to walk through this world together.  We all are different and unique but this different factor amongst all of us plays an important role in dealing with the world. Things that make us different are the things which distinguish YOU, ME and all the other people in the world.

Diversity can be the hardest thing to deal with but it’s the most comforting too. As CLEO WADE once said “don’t be the reason someone feel insecure. Be the reason someone feel seen, heard and supported’.

Diversity can be divided into dimensions namely primary and secondary. Primary dimensions will include age, ethnicity, race, gender physical abilities and sexual orientation. Whereas secondary dimensions will include income, educational background, marital status, geographical locations and many more…!

We have divided world into all of these dimensions in the dark of the fact that it is a state of being diverse – a workplace is better able to understand the marketplace and it better equipped to create value from it. I believe one should strongly believe that diversity is the only thing that we all have in common. We should celebrate it every day. Diversity is also accompanied by the term INCLUSION. These both terms go hand in hand. They are about giving values to every human being no matter our differences. In my opinion we should be enough curious about another culture rather being judgmental about. It.  We should learn to walk the path together.

 Vaibhav Nodiya

An Open Letter to the Tate Liverpool

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE TATE LIVERPOOL

I write this paper as a Jewish Artist. I write this paper as a South African Artist. I write this paper as a British Artist.

As someone with an acute interest in, and having studied, both History and Art History (the former in the broader and world sense)…I was interested when I saw on their social media page, that the Tate museum, specifically the one in Liverpool, England, had begun advertising an exhibition currently running until October this year, titled ‘Portraying a Nation: Germany 1919 – 1933’. After reading online this exhibition’s ‘synopsis’ I had immediately felt it in my bones to formulate some kind of response. Just as an artist I felt this need. My demographic had nothing to do with this need so much as my studies of history and artistic nature did. The rest only aided my feelings. The main issue I have with this exhibition from what I have seen of its advertising trappings so far has two main parts. The first is the title of the show. I will go into this after discussing the second part, which is the subject matter of the show. These two form the basis of any exhibition and do always need to be considered hand in hand. One cannot be irrelevant of the other, unless that is the purpose of an exhibition in a more dada-esque fashion. But this isn’t, there is some kind of attempted correlation. 

Here I feel it necessary to stipulate, maybe in just thinking of future readers, that no I have not seen this exhibition. So I do not intend this to be a critique of the exhibition nor a review. It is a face value response to the marketing of it, which I have so far seen, which alludes to the exhibition and it’s run itself. After reading the title I scrolled down the online page to see which artists were selected to be shown in order to highlight this highly fragile and contentious time in history. My disappointment was immediate. Don’t get me wrong; I have nothing against Otto Dix and August Sander or their work. On the contrary I think they are great artists, who produced great and necessary work. They stood up against the Nazi regime (after the time period of this show) when their repressions, including that of artists and art, began. It is important to note that Otto Dix was considered a ‘degenerate artist’ (amongst many great artists included in the Nazi’s famous ‘degenerate’ art exhibition, a show that had it’s intention backfired), lost his job under the regime, had some of his work burned and was forced to, like all ‘artists’ who were not persecuted, join the Nazi government’s chamber of fine arts. During his time under this chamber he did continue producing work, which was deemed degenerate and criticized the Nazis. 

The other included artist, August Sander, had a rough time during the Nazi regime as well. His work was also destroyed, his son lost to the regime for his political beliefs, and his studio destroyed. Sander didn’t continue his photographic practice after World War II. And so it is because of this that his work highlights the importance of this time in history. The Weimar Republic. Of course I do think Otto and August’s work should be included in any show about the Weimar Republic. Otto Dix’s work ‘Metropolis’ is a necessary inclusion in any show about this time period, German or not. Photography and painting form an interesting juxtaposition of art that is meant to have some kind of social commentary or reaction to the streams of life at the time. But the inclusion of these two and these two only simply is not enough. Not with a show of this title. The Western canon of Art history, and knowledge production in general, (by Western here I mean the USA and the UK) has always had an uncanny way of sweeping information, as integral as it may be, under the carpet. To be hidden. Who knows how many school and university students, let alone the general public, will leave the Tate Liverpool thinking that Otto Dix and August Sander hold the sole artistic integrity in history for representing this aforementioned fragile and repressive time in history? A show of this magnitude and at an institution such as the Tate has to be more considerate and think about the implications of what they exhibit, and what they call it. Don’t get me wrong here. I love the Tate. I have visited the Tate Modern and Britain many times upon my visits to London. Showing, albeit digitally, my work in the Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall in June 2016 has been crucial in my developing career as a young artist, and seeing my name on it’s wall a dream come true. It is thus all the more reason that I am disappointed at this attempt of displaying artworks from just two German, Anglo-Saxon artists. This at a time where I know that the Tate is trying to put to the forefront previously marginalized artists and art movements. Why just about to open is the Tate Modern’s much anticipated ‘Soul of a Nation: Art in the age of Black Power’ exhibition. (Note here the inclusion of the word ‘Nation’ in both of these exhibition titles.) I have not seen the late Barkley Hendricks’s work in person, as much of a fan of his work as I am; I was devastated when he passed away this year as I had studied his work from various publications. However, as long as some ‘nations’, as they like to call them, continue to be ignored and pushed under the carpet of Art History, any other attempt at fore fronting diverse and previously marginalized artists will continue to fall short as a shallow attempt to ‘keep up with the times’ and appear ‘with it’. It will be a success. They will charge ticket entry for this anticipated show and sell fridge magnets of Barkley Hendricks’s Icon for My Man Superman in the giftshop as you walk out of the exhibition’s particioned-off-from-the-permament-collections-walls. So Tate, you want to talk about the Weimar Republic? Well… let’s talk about the Weimar Republic.

The Weimar Republic was the state of Germany as partinioed by the West, and Russia, after the Germans lost World War One. This was done at the Treaty of Versailles. But we know this washed explanation. And yet there probably is still, as I type this today, a vinyl explanation in text of it’s ‘beginning’ plastered onto the walls of the Tate Liverpool. No…let’s talk about the Weimar Republic. This state took over the German empire, which, like most Western European countries, decided to colonize nations and Empires on the continent of Africa. This empire campaigned to exterminate through genocide, the Herero and Nama people of Namibia. Using racist eugenic pseudo-science as their reasoning. Shark Island a main site of this crime against humanity. I won’t mention a name here for fear of reigniting my own psycological and historical trauma, but one of the German ‘doctors’ that conducted medical experiments on these people from modern day Namibia, later was recruited to do the same experimentation on Jewish people in Nazi concentration camps. He was called merely because of what he had already done to Africans in the name of Germany. This is a man who’s practise predated, maintained, and succeeded throughout the duration of the Weimar Republic. Modestly put, Germany was a violent colonial presence in Africa and the establiishment of the Weimar Republic caused little positive effect to the African people in the South-West, West and East of the continent. As much reperations that Germany later provided financially to the Jewish people and the state of Israel, when will the Herero and Nama people who remain in Namibia receive a similar gesture? As far as my knowledge extends only skulls of victims, taken to Germany for study of white supremecy, have been returned. The western powers simply ‘took over’ the German ‘colonies’ in Africa during this period. Africans living in Germany during this time were of course not seen as German citizens, and therefore the depression of the Weimar Republic caused tenfold the burden on Africans living in Germany and African Germans. Resistance groups that were set up in Paris, Cameroon and other places to combat German impostion on their land now had to direct their focus to Belgium, England and France amongst others. Such was the struggle against European colonialism. No matter how much these powers fought each other in Europe, the African and Arab remained under their collective foot, stamping down on them for decades yet to come. The Weimar Republic, and the ‘depression’ experienced by all of its citizens, and non-citizens (As previously mentioned, African Germans were never officially granted this status.) are what ultimately led up to Hitler’s popularity and the rise of the Nazi regime into power. It is because of this, that one thing only happened because of what happened before it, that you cannot separate The Weimar Republic and it’s conditioning of people, including artists, from the Nazi regime, which followed it. Germany’s intentions for ‘its empire’ have more than one example of ideology continuity from before and after The Weimer Republic and it’s depression. The depression caused a rallying cry and scapegoating which lead to the Nazi party’s popularity and rise, after all they did win an election to obtain governmental power. What I am alluding to is that the establishment of The Weimar Republic and its depression, if anything, resulted in the strengthening of Germany’s empire’s intentions and quest for supremacy. An exhibition of this nature needs to therefore include artists, because there were these artists, that are not merely white Anglo-Saxon, ‘aryan’ if you will (although I hate that term) male artists who, although later ‘criticizing’ the Nazi regime, did little else to fight it other than paint degenerate art. You may argue how these men ‘suffered’ when the regime destroyed their work and studio, and possibly livelihood. But this suffering was a dream of suffrage in comparison to the suffering faced by Jewish artists, continent-wide. Their ordeals too painful and individual for me to provide examples here. For those not physically persecuted, there have always been artistic ways around this repression of work that faced Dix and Sander under the Nazis. Malevich signing his working-class-depicted oil paintings, which appeased the Soviet regime that repressed his constructivist work, with his famous black square just an example of this. One can go further into European art history to look at how Da Vinci and company kept their passions alive even though the Church repressed art depictions just for further examples. Therefore the Nazi repression of their work and practice stands little to me as a face of adversity. Basically any artist who did not paint romantic Germanic countryside’s, architecture, or blonde and blue-eyed white people were considered degenerate. Even artists who liked the Nazi’s faced disappointment at the regime considering their work ‘degenerate’. I confer little sympathy on Dix and Sander’s friction with their country’s regime, as opposed to it as they were. They after all lived. They lived because of their race, and died in their own beds. 

But by all means! By all means include Otto Dix and August Sander in a show about the Weimer Republic! They were not free of suffering in that depression before the Nazi’s took over. Include them. But also include the others. This is what I am getting at. And yes…they can and should all be German artists. German artists who lived under this republic. One example of an artist you cannot have a show like this without is Max Liebermann. Liebermann was a German-Jewish artist who was one of the leaders of German Impressionism. He died in 1935 in Berlin, in his own bed. He was not a victim of Hitler’s holocaust. And so one takes the Nazi factor to rest for now with him, a German artist who practiced and pioneered during The Weimar Republic. He was president of the Prussian Academy of Arts from 1920 until 1933, exactly the duration of this exhibition. He was granted a solo exhibition during this time and fostered many German artists, irrelevant of their political ideals. He was a true Cosmopolitan German, but also a Jew. In 1933 he resigned when Jewish artists were no longer allowed to hold such positions. And such again is an example of how one cannot separate the Weimar Republic from the regime that followed it. During his lifetime, even before the turn of the 20th century, he received anti-Semitic criticism to his work. This at a time when the Berlin conference saw Germany and others literally cut up Africa for their own consumption. His work was not even considered ‘degenerate’ as was Dix’s and Sander’s. So his paintings from this time period should hang side by side with his fellow German contemporaries. Why not? Another incredible marginalized artist who should be included in this show, unlike Liebermann, did not die in his own bed. This is where I introduce Felix Nussbaum. A surrealist painter. Nussbaum’s incredible work and career, like many artists whose work has hung in the Tate, was not recognized during his lifetime. During the Weimer Republic was when Nussbaum studied Fine Art. He studied the greats and continued pursuing his education so far as his political situation at the time allowed him. As Hitler took power, he dropped out of Berlin Academy of Arts. A significant moment which lead to the stifling of what would have otherwise been a promising career for a German Surrealist. But his homeland did not view him as a German, but a Jew. Felix Nussbaum’s work provides an incredible and haunting glimpse into life of a single Jewish artist and man on the run. His work is striking, surreal and showcases the immediate aftermath of The Weimer Republic and it’s end. Any show that contains a time frame within its title needs to provide context, and possibly work, from both before and after the said time frame. In order to properly ‘frame’ it. Nussbaum’s work, at least a portrait or two, would have provided the most intimate and raw sign off in the last room of a show with this title. Felix managed to hide his work while on the run but was eventually captured. Along with the rest of his family, Germans from birth, he did not survive the holocaust. Felix Nussbaum died in Auschwitz in 1944, after painting and leaving behind the most damning series of work from a German artist. Even more haunting than any German Expressionist work, which is so praised in art and painting history. Though I have begun to name artists that should be included in this exhibition, Jewish and cultivated by the Weimar Republic as they may be, I cannot be serious with myself in writing a paper like this about inclusion and exclusion in art spaces if I neglect to mention any women artists. And so I should do just that. Another name and body of work, which cannot be excluded from a show like this at the Tate Liverpool, is that of Charlotte Salomon. Charlotte was a German and Jewish artist born in Berlin. Although her artistic study and practice only began when the Nazi’s were already in power, she was sixteen in 1933 when the Nazi government signaled and end to the Weimer Republic, she has become most well known for an auto-biographical series of paintings titled ‘Leben? oder Theater?: Ein Singspiel’. This consists of over seven hundred individual works, all made while she was on the run from the Nazis. An autobiography for her, in any form, means life under the Weimer Republic. Her childhood was precisely this, and it is this history of the Weimer Republic, which conditioned her and her practice. Some of those works, stunningly beautiful as they are, contrast Nussbaum’s haunting work, and made at a similar time while both on the run, would also be a fitting end, along with Felix’s work, in the last room of the Tate Liverpool’s dedicated galleries for this exhibition. Charlotte Salomon also died at Auschwitz, a few months before Felix did. Her fate all the more tragic, having been gassed to death while pregnant with an unborn child. It is unknown if Felix and Charlotte, as well has her unborn child, lie in a mass grave at Auschwitz or if the Nazis had their bodies burned. Either way they both left something behind, incredible bodies of artwork, which cannot be ignored. Ah! But there exists the Felix Nussbaum Haus in his hometown in Germany as a platform for his work to be shown you say. Well a similarly named Otto Dix Haus museum also exists in Germany, so save me that spiel. Another German, female and Jewish artist who could have work contributed to this exhibition is Else Lasker-Schüler. One of the only women who was affiliated with the German-Expressionist movement, which arose simply to express life under the Weimer Republic. She trained as an artist but became famous a poet, which lead to her representation in the expressionistic movement. Famous for her poetry and bohemian lifestyle in Berlin, she won the Kleist prize, Germany’s leading literature prize to this day, in 1932. (A year that falls into the timeframe of this exhibition) After this, she was harassed by the Nazi’s and escaped a fate similar to Nussbaum and Salomon’s by fleeing to Zurich. She eventually settled in Israel where she passed away in 1945. Her poetry could be a fitting companion as wall text next to the works of these great German artists in the Tate Liverpool. Mostly written during the Weimer Republic, there is no reason as to why not. 

I am not merely suggesting that Jewish artists be included in this show. Where is Hans Bellmer’s work? That of Jean Arp? Whose very identity was shaped by the politics that lead to the Weimer Republic? Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, whose career took off before and during the Weimar Republic and shaped modern art, as we know it today? He could not even sell his work as the Nazi’s took over. It was branded ‘degenerate’ and he eventually took his own life in 1938. How his work is not included in a show of this title dumbfounds me. Earlier I mentioned the Prussian Academy of Arts, of whom Max Liebermann was president. I also mentioned the necessity to include woman artists. Well Käthe Kollwitz, a non-Jewish German was the first woman ever elected into this academy. Her work defined realism, and later experssionism in the Weimer Republic through various media. It too was despised by the Nazi regime. It makes no sense for her to be written out of the narrative of an exhibition like this. I also feel the need to reiterate here that, of all the Jewish artist’s who I have suggested should be in this show, they are all Germans. It is not simply a cry for inclusion of Jewish artist’s work, of whom it’s creators were persucted by a German fascist regime across Europe. No, that list would be too long to mention. I myself am of Lithuanian descent. I say again, all these suggested artists were German. This is a need to highlight the importance of the various walks of life that lived and practised, or began their practise, in the Weimer Republic. England in itself is not so innocent in the aforementioned atrocities I attributed to Germany’s history. They used Concentration camps in South Africa against Black and Afrikaans South Africans way before the Germans did so in Namibia and Europe, ‘owned’ many more colonies in Africa than the Germans did, let alone in other continents. Winston Churchill, whose face sits on the new ‘indestructible’ five-pound note, which will no doubt be used to purchase entry tickets for these shows, himself an active colonizer on South African soil and despite British role in fighting the Nazis as allies and liberating concentration camps, denied surviving Jews entry into the British controlled Port of Haifa, by intercepting the Exodus 1947 ship with the Royal Navy. A photograph even exists of these passengers holding a loft the Union Jack, with the Nazi logo attached on a flag. I wonder when Ruth Gruber’s photographs will be shown in the Tate. I move on now to the first part at hand. The show’s title “Portraying a Nation: Germany 1919 – 1933”. If the intention is to praise and display the work solely of just Otto Dix and August Sander, as this exhibition is using the framework of two ‘solo’ exhibitions by each of these artists at the Tate Liverpool (the interesting juxtaposition of their contrasting mediums I mentioned earlier probably not even curated), then by all means. But you cannot name it ‘portraying a Nation: Germany’. As I’ve stated, I have nothing against these artists or their work. So essentially it is the little which bothers me, and should bother any art historian or artist. A more fitting title for this show would be something along the lines of “Germany: A Nation Portrayed by Two Artists’ or ‘The Weimer Republic through the lens of August Sander, and the brush of Otto Dix’. The title has made an otherwise great show problematic. It reminds me of a recent and local example that brings me back home to Johannesburg. In 2016 Wits Art Museum put on a show entitled ‘Black modernisms in South Africa (1940 - 1990)’ (notice the dates in the title). The show rightly received a lot of criticism, in addition to the fact that it was put on by white curators (a paper critiquing the show was called ‘Black modernisms and white saviors’) and co-opted a Black academic involved in the research process as a ‘co-curator’ to avoid the very criticism they ended up receiving, the show only contained work from the museum’s own collection. You simply cannot put on a show with the title ‘Black modernisms in South Africa’ if you only use artwork from one collection. Many great Black modernist artists were excluded from this show for that very reason. Ernest Mancoba is one example of an artist who should have been included, left out. He, during his exile from Apartheid South Africa, was interestingly interred by the Nazi regime in a POW camp, being a ‘Subject of the British Empire’ in Paris at the time. Any South African art historian knows that Mancoba was part of the Danish ‘KOBRA’ movement, yet in many Kobra art history books his name and work is not even included. Yet he remains in all the photographs of the members. You cannot take that out. He was there. A member, like the rest. An example of how the western canon of art history can sweep marginalized peoples under the carpet. And so, similarly to the Black Modernisms show at Wits Art Museum, the title of this Tate Liverpool show cannot be used along with the work that is being shown. One or the other may work, but they need to correlate. The title of the anticipated show at the Tate Modern due to open soon brings to my attention, in comparing it with this Tate Liverpool title, another problem. I want to insert the names one above the other below for you to compare and read before I go on: Portraying a Nation: Germany 1919 – 1933Soul of a Nation: Art in the age of Black Power Why has the word ‘soul’ been used in the latter referring to Black Power, Black Art, Black Artists and Black History, whereas the White Germans are simply ‘Portraying’ a nation? I am not denying that Black people, especially in America, do have more ‘soul’ than white Germans of the twentieth century, but it seems a little belittling to the artists and their race of the Tate Modern’s upcoming show. Can they not simply ‘portray’ their ‘nation’ as the Germans have so done? Why must a ‘spin’ using a word that connotes rhythm and uniqueness be used for art in the age of Black Power? If anything, Barkley L. Hendricks PORTRAYED his contemporaries, friends and associates as he saw them. As they dressed. Is this not what portraying means? I will not further critique the Tate Modern’s upcoming show until I have seen glimpses of it. I look forward to seeing many of my London contemporaries’ Instagram stories of the halls of this exhibition; I cannot say the same for the show in Liverpool. The difference is this, the Soul of A Nation exhibition will no doubt showcase more than just two artists. I wonder now about the integrity of the Tate Britain in deciding to recently include a work by the late Khadija Saye, who tragically did not survive last month’s Grenfell Tower fire in London, on their walls? One of her magnificent photographs is shown along with a flower that sits next to it in remembrance of her young life, taken from us too soon as a result of the mismanagement and care of housing mostly populated by poorer communities in London. How long would it have taken the Tate Britain to include a work by her, had she not passed away in the blaze? There is little site specificity to either of these shows being shown in the island of England. I’m not saying there should be, foreign art should be accessible anywhere, but without proper consideration and research in naming these shows, as naming contains power, it can lead to these metaphorically violent shows that perpetuate stereotypes and exclusion in culturally sensitive landscapes of history. Unlike the Black Modernisms show of Wits Art Museum last year in South Africa, or in the 1980s with the Museum of Modern Art in New York’s problematic ‘"Primitivism" in 20th Century Art: Affinity of the Tribal and the Modern” exhibition, I am not sure that this Tate Liverpool show will garner that much, if any, public criticism. Such is the English way of ‘knowing that some form of tax goes into the ‘great’ art institutions and museums of Britain and therefore how can they show us something that is problematic or exclusionary’.  In fact the very gallery in question, Tate Liverpool, in 2010 ran an exhibition titled ‘Afro Modern: Journeys Through The Black Atlantic’. Any criticism garnered by this show has not had the same kind of ‘damning’ avail as received by the MOMA or Wits Art Museum in the immediate and recent canon of Art History. Perhaps because it was, and claimed to be, ‘inspired’ by a book. In fact the show was probably very well researched, endowed and exhibited. I admire many of the artists shown in that particular exhibition and it’s intention probably successful, however I wonder what mention or correlated link between having a show in Liverpool about ‘The Black Atlantic’, as it so states, and the fact that Liverpool itself served as a Slave port for the Atlantic Slave Trade was. Their website’s archive of the show’s press neglects to mention anything about the town’s own history and the African slaves who arrived there. The shows will probably garner high praise for the most part, but I as a British Citizen, and South African Jewish visual artist, who does admire the Tate monopoly in the United Kingdom as well as the opportunities that they have and do provide to young emerging artists, myself included, will not stand idly and respect anything that goes on their wall just because it is within their realm of planning, or what they deem necessary to showcase. 

I felt it necessary to write this open letter. I am not calling for a boycott of any kind or any show. I merely wish to highlight why this show and its title form a problematic nature of art, museum and exhibition showing. I am not even sure if anybody from any kind of Tate institution will read this, and if they do if they even have any power of what is shown or not. Expression through writing remains terribly important to me, even just as a way to formulate my own thoughts on the artistic sphere that I engage with. Maybe I will make an artwork as a response to this text, and maybe that artwork will one day…hang in the Tate. 

May the work of Felix Nussbaum, Charlotte Salomon and any other artist that has perished as the result of an atrocity, live forever. Kaddish.