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bethanydelleman · 1 year

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Hotness of Jane Austen’s Dubious Men, Rated

Back by popular request! After rating hero men, heroine women, here are the other men by hotness:

1. John Willoughby: ridiculously good-looking. Too bad he’s also a coward and a first rate a**hole

in a manner so frank and so graceful that his person, which was uncommonly handsome, received additional charms from his voice and expression… His manly beauty and more than common gracefulness… His person and air were equal to what her fancy had ever drawn for the hero of a favourite story… I think he is extremely handsome… I hear he is quite a beau, and prodigious handsome… he certainly is not so handsome as Willoughby

2. George Wickham- Very handsome. The whole town is infatuated with him, including Elizabeth, for quite some time. It seems very likely that he is more attractive than Darcy (see my hero list for reference)

of most gentlemanlike appearance… All were struck with the stranger’s air… His appearance was greatly in his favour; he had all the best part of beauty, a fine countenance, a good figure, and very pleasing address…. but Mr. Wickham was as far beyond them all in person, countenance, air, and walk

3. Philip Elton: Very handsome, but his delicate compliments drive Emma out of the room to laugh. Seems to have the whole town in a flutter!

Mr. Elton is a very pretty young man…He was reckoned very handsome; his person much admired in general, though not by her, there being a want of elegance of feature which she could not dispense with… Mr. Elton’s being a remarkably handsome man… Mr. Elton had not his equal for beauty or agreeableness

4. Captain Tilney: Handsome. Catherine might not be that impressed, but she only has eyes for Henry.

very fashionable-looking, handsome young man… She looked at him with great admiration, and even supposed it possible that some people might think him handsomer than his brother,

5. Frank Chuchill - Very good looking, though as Emma has only seen a few people in her life, Miranda-esq, it’s hard to tell. I left out Mr. Weston’s description as it is way too biased.

“She believed he was reckoned a very fine young man… he was a very good looking young man; height, air, address, all were unexceptionable, and his countenance had a great deal of the spirit and liveliness of his father’s; he looked quick and sensible.

6. Sir Walter Elliot: So hot at 24 that his wife’s only mistake was being taken in by his manly beauty. Still looks good at 54, a real silver fox

vanity of person... He had been remarkably handsome in his youth; and, at fifty-four, was still a very fine man… His good looks… Modest Sir Walter! He was not allowed to escape, however. His daughter and Mrs Clay united in hinting that Colonel Wallis’s companion might have as good a figure as Colonel Wallis, and certainly was not sandy-haired.

7. William Elliot: He is not handsome, but is not called plain. A relatively good looking guy, probably aided by his wealth and dressing well.

He seemed about thirty, and though not handsome, had an agreeable person…. He did justice to his very gentlemanlike appearance, his air of elegance and fashion, his good shaped face, his sensible eye; but, at the same time, “must lament his being very much under-hung, a defect which time seemed to have increased; nor could he pretend to say that ten years had not altered almost every feature for the worse…. Mr Elliot was better to look at than most men, and he had no objection to being seen with him anywhere.

8. James Rushworth: He’s fine. We also know he must be tall because he mocks Henry’s shortness so often. Sorry Rushworth, all the growth happened in height and not in your mind.

there was nothing disagreeable in his figure or address

9. William Collins: At least he has height! Heavy-looking may not mean fat in this context.

He was a tall, heavy-looking young man of five-and-twenty. His air was grave and stately, and his manners were very formal.

10. Henry Crawford: He’s short and not good looking, but you don’t notice because he’s so freaking charming

Her brother was not handsome: no, when they first saw him he was absolutely plain, black and plain… but as she still continued to think Mr. Crawford very plain… “I do not think him at all handsome.” “Handsome! Nobody can call such an undersized man handsome. He is not five foot nine. I should not wonder if he is not more than five foot eight. I think he is an ill-looking fellow.

11. John Thorpe: Ugly and boring, pretty sure he is also poor, so nothing going for him.

He was a stout young man of middling height, who, with a plain face and ungraceful form, seemed fearful of being too handsome unless he wore the dress of a groom, and too much like a gentleman unless he were easy where he ought to be civil, and impudent where he might be allowed to be easy.

Note: I used “dubious” because I have a hard time saying that say, Frank Churchill is a straight up villain. But these are the main male antagonists. I guess Rushworth is barely even an antagonist, I just wanted to include him to make it clear that he isn’t ugly.

Also note: I am still waiting for a properly hot Sir Walter, Hollywood/BBC!

Last note: Tom Bertram is probably just as hot as his brother Edmund, who we all remember won the hero hotness

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ruleof3bobby · 2 years

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CLEMENCY (2019) Grade: C+

Solid filmmaking. No wow moments but the acting is terrific. Alfre Woodard was great. Aldis Hodge is / will be a star.

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oiforfoxsake · 2 years

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March/April Wrap Up

1. She Just Wants to Forget by R.H. Sin

2. Witchy by Ariel Slamet Ries

3. Ice Cream and Suicide by Jack Ray

4. What I Wish I Said to You by Isaac Paredes

5. The Perks of Solitude

6. Petals of the Moon by C. Churchill

7. I am Her Tribe by Danielle Doby

8. Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker

9. girl, isolated: poems, notes on healing, etc by Trista Mateer

10. Riggs by Sandy Alvarez and Crystal Daniels

11. The Sun Will Rise and So Will We by Jennae Cecelia

12. Wildflower Tea by C. Churchill

13. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

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kesara · 9 days

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IMG_0330 "Cart Wheels" by Kesara Rathnayake

#Churchill Island #Philip Island #victoria #Australia #holga #Holga HL-C #flickr

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preacherman316 · 6 months

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John 8:48-59

While revered and respected in history, Winston Churchill had his share of opposition as indicated by his personal and political enemies. However, he was the master of a witty rejoinder to his critics. George Bernard Shaw once invited Churchill to the opening night of one of his plays. Shaw sent him two tickets with the note, “One for yourself and one for a friend–if you have one.” Continue…

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#PassageToPonder #C. S. Lewis #Moliere #Winston Churchill

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napoleonic-sexyman-tournament · 2 months

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Jean Lannes:

a. “short, angry, ladderlord”

b. “His personality is attractive, plus the portrait of him by Julie-Louise Volpelière is so fine.”

c. “ITS LANNES also any1 who calls napoleon a whore with no fear of repercussions gets my vote”

Henry Paget:

a. “In 1809, Paget scandalously eloped with Lady Charlotte Cadogan (born 12 July 1781), the wife of Henry Wellesley and daughter of Charles Cadogan, 1st Earl Cadogan and Mary Churchill. On 28 March 1809, Charlotte's brother, Henry Cadogan, challenged Paget to a duel: "My Lord, I hereby request you to name a time and place where I may meet you, to obtain satisfaction for the injury done myself and my whole family by your conduct to my sister. I have to add that the time must be as early as possible, and the place not in the immediate neighbourhood of London, as it is by concealment alone that I am able to evade the Police." It was suggested to Wellington that working with Uxbridge might be awkward. He said that he'd be sure not to elope with Uxbridge. Later, when Uxbridge was wounded in the leg at Waterloo, he said to Wellington "By God, Sir, I've lost my leg" to which Wellington responded "By God Sir, so you have." According to his aide-de-camp, Thomas Wildman, during the amputation Paget smiled and said, "I have had a pretty long run. I have been a beau these 47 years and it would not be fair to cut the young men out any longer." Had a total of eighteen children with his two wives.”

Admin note: His leg that he lost at Waterloo became a tourist attraction. This probably doesn't sway you on whether he's sexy, but it is fun nevertheless.

#napoleonic sexyman tournament

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sgiandubh · 9 months

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'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers'

It is one thing to disprove and even despise The Shire and its netizens. It is a whole other affair to violently bash S's skills, based on absolutely nothing else than spiteful disappointment.

We are being told by Mordor's basement polymaths the man cannot act. It is probably by an unelucidated strike of luck or by charity that he was cast by *** to embody book boyfriend JAMMF, when he has only 5 (five) known facial expressions in his quiver. He was the weakest link of Season 1 cast: I suppose the BJ/Frank Randall 2-in-1 does have a fan club, after all. His acting is wooden. He has chemistry only with C and by Her grace only, because you know, gay as a bag of popcorn. He is a semi-literate hunk, with documented spelling problems. Even more so, when we conveniently toss aside the mounting hysteria during Quarantein Ha-wa-wee disgrace (hey Pooks and all the sock account Dobermans: I hope you remember your Twitter blaze of glory moment every single morning while brushing your teeth). And (also a favorite) he doesn't read, he doesn't prepare, he is sloppy, like that.

God forbid you'd try to set this colossal unfairness straight. You are automatically signed up to the Mommies for Sam Committee and labeled accordingly. Brainless victim (of what, since he is basically useless, but let's not embarrass ourselves with logic), unapologetic limerent inamorata, romantic whale, delusional rural shipper, conspiracy theory troll. Anything goes, really and we know the tune by heart, at this point in time.

Not so long ago, I was re-watching the oath sequence of (5.01) The Fiery Cross, for which I suppose all background/context is superfluous. The only clip I could find has appalling sound, but should still immediately take you back to the Return of the Kilt (starts at 0:56):

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It immediately reminded me of this:

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This is the extraordinary Henry V Saint Crispin's Day speech. Pure Shakespeare and unmatchable Olivier. It is also a well-documented kamikaze moment of the Battle of Agincourt (1415), when a heavily outnumbered English army defeated in an almost miraculous turn of events the French. Granted, the real speech must have been way more concise, but nevertheless a potent affair, with Henry's cunning use of rumors having it that the French would cut two fingers off each captured archer's right hand, to virtually neutralize them. And his army was, essentially, an army of longbows.

Whatever it was, it worked. It worked so well, that it even gave Winston Churchill the idea of asking Laurence Olivier to broadcast this speech for the BBC some time around 1942 and then make a movie of the whole play, in 1944. Again, context is important -it always is, by the way - and it sheds the right light on Olivier's performance. More than acting, it is damn effective war propaganda, a wonderful patriotic act and completely representative for the "we shall fight them on the beaches and we shall never surrender" spirit. It is also all about acting as summoning of energy: Olivier manages to channel Henry V, he is Henry V and this immediately gives an irresistible depth and truth to his performance.

For contrast, one could compare his version with Branagh's 1989 interpretation (https://youtu.be/y1BhnepZnoo), which I am not adding here for the sake of levity. The main difference is, for me at least, palpable: Olivier completely suppressed his ego, which I am afraid is something impossible to achieve for Branagh. His take on the speech aims to be more modern and natural, and yet it is still all about Branagh promoting his art. And we know it immediately. A fairly honest tableau vivant, but no depth and nowhere near as majestic as the other.

I am not saying here that S is on par with Laurence Olivier. That would really mean being a romantic whale and I am the one you start to get, I hope, acquainted with. What I am saying is that this guy you just love to humiliate and endlessly cackle about every single day God makes, really, deliberately knows what he is doing in there. I would bet handsome money on S carefully watching and re-watching Olivier's Saint Crispin's Day monologue, in order to prepare for that particular scene. The similarities are, to me, evident, as is the consistent hard work and - dare I say it?- massive talent. It's all about owning the scene and being in the moment. And it is arresting, at times.

All of this is not exactly some shipper far-fetched speculation. S wrote, after all, in Waypoints (and the reference is way too spot on to believe in a kind gesture of the ghostwriter) that he "devoured"

I see great things. I see a very gifted guy who has no ego (C was spot on and for an actor, that is a blessing) and also probably no idea of his (considerable) acting range. I also see a guy who, spare for OL, has been grossly, unfairly miscast and overlooked. And who was determined to take whatever was available or easy on the schedule, in order to remain relevant. I may not be a good client for his booze, but I would pay handsomely to see him in something along the lines of For Whom The Bell Tolls. Or even (if you want a more exotic but oh, so rewarding alternative) a still inexplicably missing Western adaptation of Bulgakov's Master and Margarita (probably not the best times for that one, but still: Bulgakov was, after all, born in Kyiv and not really a fan, to say the least, of tyrants). That's exactly how damn good he is.

How was it, Kidneystone BIF? Oh. "No boundaries. No respect. No class." Exactly, madam. You said it yourself.

#Youtube

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amerricanartwork · 2 months

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URL Song Game

Got tagged by one of my mutuals (@maddiethesapphic) to do this game, but the original post was lagging my computer, so I decided to put the songs on a separate post here!

It was quite a challenge picking out my favorites; even with just these letters there were a lot of good candidates! I'm also curious to see if anyone actually checks these out or recognizes them, because honestly I'm pretty eager to get to share some of my music tastes! I will say though, it's pretty all over the place in terms of genre and sources...!

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A - Another Believer (Rufus Wainwright)

M - Mébh's Tune (Kíla)

E - Embers of a Burning Dystopia (flashygoodness)

R - Reverse (Caravan Palace)

R - Road to Lisdoonvarna (Celtica)

I - I Bring You a Song/Looking For Romance (Frank Churchill and Larry Morey)

C - Collision Chaos Present JP (Naofumi Hataya, Masafumi Ogata)

A - Antonio's Voice (Germaine Franco)

N - No Strings Attached (Swingrowers)

A - Ave Maria, Op. 52 No. 6 (Leopold Stokowski)

R - Rapid As Wildfires (Yu-peng Chen)

T - Through Heaven's Eyes (Brian Stokes Mitchell)

W - What Would I Do If I Could Feel? (Nipsey Russell)

O - One Nation Under a Groove (Funkadelic) (This version is also very good!)

R - Rio Grande (The Oh Hellos)

K - Kingdom Dance (Alan Menken)

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

And for as many mutuals I can send this to: @laismoura-art @hail-strom @ghostlycoze @kociamieta @pansear-doodles @shkika @purpura-box.

And anyone else who wants to do this is free to join!

#reblog game #url song game #music

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bethanydelleman · 5 months

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Do you think the Austen heroines will get along with each other? Who do you think will become close friends and whose personalities will clash? (please include secondary heriones like Jane Bingley, Marianne, Jane Fairfax, Miss Crawford etc.) in your analysis as well

To be honest, I think most of them would get along because of the societal demands of mixing and their solid moral base, but here are some predictions:

Best friends:

Marianne Dashwood & Fanny Price, both of them are super into poetry and rhapsodizing about the outdoors. Marianne can stand up to Fanny's attackers and Fanny can teach Marianne some temperance.

Elinor Dashwood & Jane Bennet, they both are carrying the family in times of need, both disappointed in love through no fault of their own. Elinor's clearer-eyed view of the world would help Jane take off those rose-coloured glasses, but Jane's love and hope would be warm to Elinor.

Elizabeth Bennet & Fanny Price, extrovert/introvert adoption. Elizabeth is delighted when Fanny finally starts to talk and it turns out she's super smart, but she would have kept her anyway.

Jane Fairfax & Fanny Price, in very similar situations and similar personalities, they get each other. Fanny is very worried about this Frank Churchill character.

Catherine Morland & Emma Woodhouse, a healthier and more equal version of the Harriet/Emma dynamic. And given social class, this is one that can be sustained long term. Catherine starts by admiring Emma and then catches up with her.

Harriet Smith & Catherine Morland, they would get so deep into novels together it'd be amazing. The fanfics these girls would write together.

Caroline Bingley & Emma Woodhouse, they would enjoy making fun of Miss Bates behind her back... they would make each other worse. Eventually Emma would look at herself in the mirror with disappointment.

Anne Elliot & Anyone, please anyone who is an intellectual equal. Do you see the people that she has to put up with? It's literal torture. I could see Fanny Price, Elizabeth Bennet, or Jane Fairfax.

Mentor/Mentee:

Catherine Morland & Anne Elliot, Anne is the oracle of all knowledge and Catherine admires her exceedingly. (Fanny Price would also work here)

Elizabeth Bennet & Anne Elliot, Elizabeth could learn so much from her! Anne would see through Wickham in a minute. They could play some duets too!

Georgiana Darcy & Anne Elliot... just send everyone over to Anne Elliot. She's the group mentor.

Instant Hatred:

Elizabeth Bennet & Emma Woodhouse, Emma would be too much like Darcy and Elizabeth would hate her snobbiness. They would likely become friends in time, but it would be after a good deal of dislike.

Marianne Dashwood & Emma Woodhouse, Emma is not impressed by the drama and HOW DARE YOU CALL MR. KNIGHTLEY OLD! Marianne doesn't like Emma's attitude.

Elizabeth Bennet & Mary Crawford, they are similar and their personality tends not to like each other. Also, Mary C would probably try to take a mentor role with Elizabeth (as one who knows about town) and Elizabeth would hate her for it.

Catherine Morland & Marianne Dashwood, Marianne is astounded by Catherine's ignorance, because it tends in a different direction than her own.

(Honestly, the most clashing personalities are Marianne Dashwood and Emma Woodhouse, someone like Elinor Dashwood, Anne Elliot or Fanny Price can put up with almost anything placidly)

Bonus: Miss Bates & Mrs. Jennings would LOVE each other. They would totally talk at the same time. Another older lady pairing that would work is Lady Bertram and Mrs. Allen.

Feel free to add!

#friend pairings #jane austen #anne elliot #jane bennet #elizabeth bennet #catherine morland #marianne dashwood #elinor dashwood #emma woodhouse #harriet smith #mary crawford

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w1ldthoughts · 8 months

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The Forgotten One Chapter Ten: Love that Grows

Series Masterlist

A/n: The grand finale!! Thank you all so much for reading, commenting, reblogging and liking. This story had been so much fun to write but to share it with you all has been even better. Enjoy this final chapter and let me know your thoughts! As always, I love you all…you make my heart smile.

When you woke up, everything was white and smelled sterile. It was a real deja vu moment…you were in the hospital. You tried to stretch but the IV in your arm kind of restricted your desired movements. Cleo was in the chair next to your bed, typing away on her laptop until she heard your not-so-subtle movements.

“Well hey, sleepyhead. Top of the morning.” She tips her nonexistent cap at you. “Before you ask, I’ll just give you the rundown. You fainted from being overwhelmed and dehydrated so they gave you an IV but other than that you’re fine.”

“And where—where’s”

“Jack?” She finishes for you. “He drove you here and stayed with you until they told him that you were absolutely fine…repeatedly. But he had a meeting with some people that flew in from Europe so I forced him to leave.

You smiled to yourself at the thought of him being physically pushed out of the room because he wanted to stay with you. And then you were hit with the reality of what happened last night and you suddenly really needed to be at home.

“C, you have to get me out of here. There’s something I have to do. It’s really important.”

You spent the rest of the day going through your laptop, rehashing all of your memories and somewhat laughing at yourself at the thought of everything that happened the last few months. Some of it felt like a movie, a super dramatic Lifetime special, the ones that usually ended in someone getting murdered. You thought about Ben and Quinn and how a very small, but maybe big part of you still wanted revenge, even though the only real crime committed was lying and people got away with much worse every single day. The thought of having to put you and Jack through that entire ordeal seemed like a waste of time and the best course of action really was just putting it all behind you and looking into the future.

Every page of your computer diary was printed out, and you condensed them as you started writing. By the time you looked up from your task, it was dark outside and you needed to head to Churchill Downs, silently praying that Jack would still be in his office. You met Sadie on the elevator and she willingly helped you with your plan which was probably the most shocking thing to happen to you this year.

She knocked on Jack’s office door and handed him a letter, “this is for you, and so are all of those.” Sadie nodded to the trail of papers leading to the elevator with a bright smile on her face. “Good night Mr. Harlow, enjoy your night.”

“Thank—thank you Sadie. You um, have a good night.”

He read over the first note a hundred times before moving on to the next one.

Jack, I remember waking up…on our fourth anniversary and having you beg me not to go to work. The day was long and I couldn’t focus on anything but seeing you. I’m so glad that your face was the last thing I saw that day.

He would never ever forget that day. Everything started off so perfect and it turned into the worst moments of his entire existence. His worst fears had come true and there were so many times that he relived it, thinking he was alone. But you were starting to remember. He took a deep breath and picked up the next note.

I remember the look of pure joy on your face when I opened my eyes, like when you get the gift you’ve written on every wishlist for Christmas and I just made all your dreams come true. Little did I know that you were actually mine.

If there was one thing that had remained constant throughout all of this, was the fact that he would always be yours. Even when you begged him to forget it ever happened…part of him was always going to belong to you.

I remember the many nights we spent opening up about our daily struggles, simply putting one foot in front of the other and hoping that one day life would just go back to normal. But even when things were hard and the days were dark, you still managed to bring so much light into my life.

There was one night, after you’d moved out that he called at 4am. You were half asleep and disoriented but immediately woke up at the sound of his shaky voice. You ended up watching an entire season of Never Have I Ever on Teleparty. Jack wished that night had lasted forever.

I remember being a blank page, that you filled with so many happy memories that I wasn’t ready for. But you never gave up on me, you just loved me through it.

The first time he saw you, he was awestruck. On your first date, he knew he’d fall in love. The first time he told you he loved you, he envisioned spending the rest of his life with you. When I asked Cleo to help me design the perfect ring, he continued the many ideas in his head and the endless possibilities that the two of you would explore together. And then the unthinkable happened and he had no idea what to do and the odds were pretty stacked against him when he found out you had lost the entirety of the relationship you had. But losing your memory doesn’t mean the love that you shared was lost, and if he could just love you hard enough…you both would be just fine. Maybe even more than fine.

I remember our not so happy days too. The ones where we yelled at each other and left in tears. But the bad days, the sad ones just make the good moments that much more enjoyable. I want all my moments with you, the good ones, the bad ones and everything in between.

He thought that those days would break him. But then his mom gave him a reality check and gave him a new sense of hope. And that was enough to keep him going. Love doesn’t just fall out of the sky, it takes work. And he only wanted to do that work if it was with you.

Go to the 13th floor to find the rest.

Jack’s grin took over every muscle of his face as he happily trotted to the elevator and hit the button on the 13th floor, immediately met with another note on the ground.

I remember running away, looking for solace in something—someone that seemed to make life so simple. I’ve now come to realize that I don’t want simple. And I damn sure don’t want to spend the rest of my life looking for pieces of you in every man that I meet for all of eternity.

The thought of you, walking around hopelessly looking for someone that could take his place and being wildly unsuccessful admittedly stroked his ego a bit, but confirmed his fleeting belief that you could eventually find your way back to each other.

I remember finding myself on this wild goose chase trying to prove your innocence because deep down, I knew you’d never do anything to hurt me. No matter what we’d been through. So I dug deep to find out what really happened.

Quinn. The night that he met her haunted him for months. How could he ever betray you like that and be so careless? Had he really let it get that far? And when he found out that Quinn was pregnant it was like another gut punch. Everywhere he looked, there was another obstacle, another sign from the universe that maybe things wouldn’t work out in his favor. And just when he thought you’d fully given up, there was still a fire within you that burned only for him.

I remember shutting off my brain and some of my memories came flooding back with a rush. It was overwhelming and concerning and…fucking electrifying. Seeing almost the entirety of this beautiful life we shared and knowing that there was so much more life to live—and there’s nothing more that I want than to live it with you.

The closer he got to your office, which is where he knew he’d end up, the more nervous he got. And the more excited. And hopeful. And his body couldn’t move fast enough to get to you.

There are so many things that I should’ve told you. So many apologies to give and so little time to give them. But I’m willing to try.

“Any road—all the roads I take lead me back to you eventually.” You begin, as he appeared in front of you and stood in the doorway. Quickly closing the distance between you, you stared into his blue eyes, twirling a few curly strands of his hair in between your fingers. “No matter how many detours or accidents happened on that road, I found my way back. And I hope I always will. Because you are my final destination and I wouldn’t have it any other way. You’re it for me too.”

“Jack, I love you so much it hurts. It creates an actual ache in my bones and makes me do things I never thought I would do like a super cheesy love note trail across floors. You’re everything I could ever want and I—”

“I love you too. Always have, always will.” Jack whispers, leaning in to kiss your cheek. You pulled him down to your level as your lips connected and he cupped your face.

There it was. The fireworks, the butterflies, the—everything. And Jack had told you that a true love’s kiss wouldn’t magically fix everything. Good thing you had the rest of your life to prove him wrong.

Taglist

@jackharloww

@killatravtramp

@middlechild404

@harlowcomehome

@itsyagirljaz

@iknowdatsrightbih

@earthtoharlow

@alimaythings

@rosie-posie08

@heavyhitterheaux

@hoodharlow

@jackiehollanderr

#jack harlow #jack harlow imagine #jack harlow x reader #jack harlow au #jack harlow angst #jackman thomas harlow

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widthofmytongue · 1 year

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The other night I had drinks with coworkers. I increasingly dislike all of them. The topic of the Coronation came up, unsurprisingly. One of my colleagues said ‘we should have done what the French did’, and me and one other kinda went ‘haha yeah!’ and I thought for a moment that maybe I wouldn’t be in the political minority, even if these people will never be dedicated to the pursuit of global communism. My boss said, unironically, ‘what did the French do?’

Now I knew this was a bad sign, but me and person who initially referenced the French Revolution tried to sort of extol a few key details of the abolition of monarchy and formation of the First Republic, with probably disproportionate attention on the Terror. But anyway, my boss said something like ‘my knowledge of history isn’t great before the war’, and I asked genuinely ‘which war?’, which was interpreted as a sarcastic joke.

Anyway, this led to talking about WWII. Someone said something like ‘well the Second World War was unique among wars because it was essentially good versus evil’, to which I interjected ‘well kinda more like evil versus evil, right’. The response to this, from all three of my colleagues in the conversation, was ‘oh right, the Soviets’. I think if you follow this blog (or especially my politcal sideblog) you may have encountered my generalised view of the Soviet Union. Keeping in mind that it was Gevurah ShebeHod (since most of my personal posts seem to mark some significant point on the Hebrew calendar), I tried to rein in my response, and just said ‘interesting that when I mention the evil superpowers of the Allies in WWII you say the Soviets but not Britain or America.’ So the following dialogue came out of this:

Colleague (with history degree): Well I don’t know much about Roosevelt’s policy or ideological allignment... Me: Well he kinda committed genocide against the Navajo. C(whd): ...Churchill may have been a shitty guy... Me: Well he kinda committed genocide against India and Palestine. C(whd): ...But Britain essentially had to go to war with the Nazis. Me: To safeguard their material interests though, right, not for the altruism of saving the brutalised people of Europe. C(whd): Well Britain didn’t have any interests in Poland. Me: Well I think upholding a status quo is a very strong material interest for imperial Europe, but I was really talking about North Africa and the Middle East. C(whd): But those regions weren’t threatened by Germany, but by Italy. Me: Do you honestly think Churchill or whoever was thinking in such a two-dimensional way as to see these powers in a vacuum? [I wish I’d said ‘I think they were pretty threatened by Britain too, and remain so.’] Colleague who’d followed silently: Well every government has done horrible things at some point. Me: And yet when I mentioned evil versus evil, you all glanced right past the genocidal empires of Britain and America to look at the Soviets. Boss (unironically): I didn’t think when I mentioned the war that we’d be talking so much about genocide.

Now I wanna leave this on a couple crucial points. One is that I am very overt about being Jewish. I mention observing religious festivals; I use lots of Yiddish and occasionally Hebrew phrases; I have a hamsa and a Star of David badge on my backpack, as well as on the jacket I was wearing that night (I also have a Lenin badge on the jacket). The idea that these three white English men entered this conversation about WWII with a Jew and then were surprised (it was very clear they were all surprised and uncomfortable) at the mention of genocide is baffling to me, but I think all too common. I didn’t even mention the Shoah (although I think I did eventually say something like ‘I don’t think invading other countries is the greatest evil for which Nazi Germany is remembered’).

At some point later in the conversation I said something like ‘for all the negative views abounding on the Soviet Union, speaking as a queer Jew, I think I’d have preferred to live there than in Britain at the time’, to which my colleague with the history degree replied ‘well I obviously can’t speak to that’. It was very clear that he meant he can’t speak to Jewish and I guess queer identity. Now this is not the first time I’ve encountered this, but I think it’s an important phenomenon to observe. I once said to another colleague ‘well, there are lots of people in this country who want me dead because I’m Jewish or nonbinary’, and she said ‘well I can’t even imagine what that’s like’.

What I want to rhetorically ask is: why can’t you imagine it? Why do you imagine you’re safe from these same people? First they came for the communists, then they came for the Jews, then they came for that guy who wrote the poem! Eventually they’ll come for you too, when they drum up some new group to hate and mobilise against. If you can’t imagine what it’s like for fascists to want you dead, maybe you should try?

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