so I’ve been rewatching Anne With an E quite a bit, as it used to be my comfort show, and I’ve seen a bunch of people angry that Ka’kwet hasn’t gotten her story resolved. I want a happy ending as much as the next person, don’t get me wrong, but that’s pretty much it. The residential school system absolutely bulldozed millions of families and lives and cultures. I’m nonnative myself, but I’m really surprised how many people don’t know about the residential schools. It’s really sad to see how uninformed about how dirty the US and Canadian government did indigenous peoples. Chances are Ka’kwet didn’t get to see her family again, or died there on the school grounds, like thousands of other children from diseases, starvation or abuse, buried in mass unmarked graves. THESE WERE CHILDREN!!!!!!! I’m also surprised by how little people are talking about this. Anyway I just think that this history is incredibly important…

If Lucky gets blood on his designer clothes does Sulla pay for a replacement or has he become extremely good at cleaning it off?

oh, he just buys new clothes entirely when that happens

at first, felix did pay for lucky's wardrobe, especially if lucky got blood on them for totally legal reasons (felix always pays because he treats his boyfriends and girlfriends real good), but later lucky becomes independently wealthy and he is not afraid to for everyone to know it. fucked up your white and gold trim outfit? throw it out, you can afford a new one! crasso is the one who'd rather just clean blood out of fabric.

anyway, playing off of this, there's actually a scene at a point where lucky finally lives up to his name and manages to dress crasso up to his own desires! it's definitely some kind of power play lmao

issues with calling or headcanoning sk as america’s child

 or, a deep dive and evaluation of sk-us relations over the years as a south korean

Recently, I saw a post where someone gave their hcs of america pursuing a relationship with nk, which resulted in sk’s “birth.” then nk was afraid this new child would usurp their title and basically cause them to die, and so wanted to kill this new child before that happened. then america intervenes and “saves” sk. I believe this is the quick version of that headcanon. 

I’m not trying to make this a callout post, I’m just giving my own thoughts based on experience living around US bases(Yongsan specifically)

As many have pointed out, this reeks of stereotypical “evil asian mom and chill/cooler white dad,” as well as us imperialism apologia. It also reminds me a lot of madame butterfly in a way? Additionally, it basically ignores the fact that South Korea has its own culture and existence long before US imperialism. 

If the US is like sk’s “dad” in a sense, then wouldn’t that ring true for other cold war states, like south vietnam, or west germany? 

I’ll leave my thoughts under the cut. This is the longest thing I’ve ever written.

CW, TW: war, colonialism, imperialism, SA, rape, murder

Primary issues with the headcanon

Throughout Korea’s history, there were times where Korea was unified, and times where Korea was not. There have also been splits of different states, north and south. I point to the Kingdoms of Goguryeo and Silla during the Three Kingdoms Period, and even before then with Gojoseon and Jin. So this split is not exactly new, and this is why I personally disagree with the headcanon that North and South Korea were babies around the time of the split, and rather that they represented Goguryeo and Silla. 

The Korean War had stemmed from a desire to reunite the two states. Kim Il-Sung had pursued this and that started the war, and even Syngman Rhee pursued this ideal as well after the UN forces recaptured Seoul, resulting in that further push to invade North Korea. But this desire would have never existed if they weren’t split to begin with and remained whole as they did since 700 years ago with the establishment of the Joseon Dynasty. The Korean War was not willingly fought by both South and North Koreans. 

It was a result of imperialist states splitting us up and then pitting us against each other(even the split was quite hasty, with families being split across the border), so it’s also wrong to draw parallels of SK fighting for its existence in the Korean War and the US during the Revolutionary War. One was fought to stay alive as a nation, and of which can be traced to outside forces laying their influence on the Peninsula, and one was fought willingly and of their own accord. 

So it’s important to remember that the War was not because of an attempt to kill a “child” made by North Korea and America, it was the result of a nation that has been unified as one for 700 years being split suddenly, and the desire on both sides to reunify, albeit under their own management. Additionally, the idea of South Korea being “a child” of the US ignores the centuries-worth culture and history that was not influenced by the US and propagates the idea that we belong in the US’s shadow, and that without them, we have no identity. 

South Koreans affectionately refer to the US as our “brother state,” but never think of the relationship as a parent and child. Remember that.

Next, we’ll talk about the role of the US in this. 

While doing some research into the split, I found that after Korea was liberated in 1945, a socialist government(People’s Republic of Korea) was organized and supported by the majority of the population. This made the most sense. There was a vast gap of inequality between the Korean peasants, and the Korean nobles(who were given/maintained that power by betraying their Korean identity and working with the Japanese), so they advocated for social reform, such as land reform. However, the US wanted to set up their own military government(which for some time had actually supported the Japanese colonial government). So the US censored and then outlawed the popular government, putting themselves in charge and keeping advisors such as former Japanese colonial officers, wealthy landowners, and businesspeople. You know, the exact people the popular government was against?

This government then set up elections. The majority of Koreans didn’t want that, because they knew that these elections would divide the country and leave no hope of unifying. So they protested, but they were put down by police and the US military. It might also be worth it to read about the Jeju Massacre, in which Jeju people protesting the UN-backed elections were brutally suppressed by Syngman Rhee and the US Military. This killed about 10% of Jeju’s population. Though the South Korean government has issued an apology, we have yet to hear from the US. 

So the US set up a government that supported a military dictator(it started with Syngman Rhee) and continued to support a long chain of these military dictators(who sent pro-democratic people to concentration camps) even during the Gwangju Massacre, when many pro-democratic students protested against the dictatorship and the then-president Chun Doo Hwan responded by commanding the military and police to fire on citizens. Though official government figures place the deaths at 200 people, citizens of Gwangju say it’s closer to 2000 people. 

I only found out about the concentration camps this year, and it’s because the South Korean Government, who wants to stay on the US’s good side, actively represses the role of the US in the military dictatorship. I’m pretty sure the US’s role is also barely taught in Korean history textbooks, since the government has tried to rewrite and issue textbooks themselves. 

Recently, the grandson of Chun Doo Hwan(the president that ordered the military to shoot on the protesters, and also was supported by US Presidents Carter and Reagan), apologized on behalf of his grandfather and family, who had constantly told him it was just a riot when he was a kid. He also took the time to expose his family, friends, and even his own money laundering crimes. He personally visited Gwangju and gave a full floor-level bow in apology. This was a first step in the correct direction. However, the government, especially with Yoon Seok Yeol’s pro-US and anti-NK sentiment, is trying not to shed light on these issues, and it’s why I believe a lot of people tend to continue to favor the US, because they don’t really know or are aware of the US’s full part in our military dictatorship. 

Another interesting read would be the Namyeong-Dong Anti Communist Investigation Office, a former prison facility and torture room for pro-democracy protestors.

Now for the existing US impact on South Korea: The USFK

The USFK(short for United States Forces Korea) is the Korean branch of the US Military. They have an active presence in South Korea since 1957, which is about 65 years ago. 

Not many Koreans have an Anti-American sentiment, but the USFK has consistently caused it to resurge throughout the nation. 

In 2000, it was found out that the US military had dumped about 20 gallons(75L) of formaldehyde into the Han River, which at the time was a main drinking source for about 12 million people in Seoul. 

They carelessly ran over two 14-year old girls(Shin Hyosun and Shim Miseon) with one of the US military’s armored vehicles in 2002. What made things worse was that the US Military Court found them not guilty. In response to the incident and other grievances with the US military, PSY actually rapped a song called “Dear American” written by a South Korean band criticizing them, mostly regarding the US military and their involvement in the Iraqi War, which he later had to apologize to the US military for rapping after he got famous singing Gangnam Style.

The US military was also involved in forced prostitution and human trafficking. In 1992, Yoon Geum-i, a military sex worker, was raped and killed brutally by Private Kenneth Markle. He was tried and initially received life in prison, but then later his sentence was reduced to 15 years in prison after Yoon Geum-i’s family received $72,000 as compensation from the US government. In 2006, he was released on parole and then deported to the US. @tianshiisdead further goes into detail on this on her post about these headcanons.

In 2020, it was found that the major camp of the USFK, Camp Humphreys, was hosting a no mask COVID party while the Korean government was urging locals to limit in person gatherings as the cases were surging. The party was on a Friday, and on Monday it was found that 408 USFK-affiliated individuals tested positive for COVID.

The South Korean government pays them to stay here... and do what? Cause trouble? 

The USFK and US funding the ROK military has led to the ROK military being one of the strongest. However, we are not allowed our own weapons, and the US constantly attempts to provoke North Korea through any presidential remarks, or actions. This keeps South Korea reliant on the US, and allows for a continued presence in South Korea.

Conclusion

All of this is why it’s so important to keep checking back on how you see Korea and America’s relationship in Hetalia. As positive as current relations may be, it’s important to remember the many failures on the US’s part to keep their military acting like decent human beings at times, and that they literally caused the split along with the USSR, and made it permanent through the suggestion and implementation of elections, which Koreans on both sides largely did not support. 

South Korea has one of the highest positive perception rates towards the US. This may be due to their hand in helping us develop as a nation and also providing aid during the Korean War, but it may also be due to the suppression of the full extent of activities the US has partook in South Korea, and due to the Anti-North Korea sentiment that was also propagated by the US. 

Also, the fact that Americans also call the Korean War “The Forgotten War” is so frustrating to me. Did we just... not matter in the long run? We’re just a pawn, or a strategic location, right? The separated families, the civilian casualties(which was a higher rate than WW2′s and the Vietnam War), the devastation of so many cities... just didn’t matter? Maybe you forgot, but it’s impacted us and our decisions for years. Just goes to show how selfish the US can be...

As much as I do wish one of my favorite ships were one of complete happiness where nothing is wrong, this is not the case, and I am trying my best to express that in art or headcanons. It is important to acknowledge that the 70-year long relationship, though sharing some positive, unproblematic moments through cultural exchange and joint collaboration in the modern era, is characterized by a lack of trust on South Korea’s end, largely due to how the US has wronged us over the years. 

Day 122 | id in alt

Panda finding out that Kugisaki is the only one that actually dgaf.

(also me putting the bare amount of effort into Panda bc I don't like him💥)

being daigo in january 2017 was probably the happiest month of his life because he just got out of jail Again for a crime he didnt commit Again and he's probably thinking how he has to keep running the tojo clan if he wants to respect kiryu even though hes """""""'gone""""""""" or whatever and then some bitch with the newspaper in his ear like 'the governor's trying to evict us what should we do' and i can only imagine the LOUDEST sigh of relief this man had to internalize as he began to flesh out his two-year plan then and there

glass half full, glass half empty

i keep constructing elaborate political speeches in my mind. as if somehow if i could just talk to pvv-voters compellingly enough, explain to all of em why this is moronic on every level, they'd all suddenly find out that they're actually leftists at heart who just heard a few facts wrong

“people are inherently selfish, government is necessary bc everyone would hurt each other without enforcement of rules” my local library has no late fee. sure, maybe some asshole who has been so deeply brainwashed by capitalism that they are convinced that ultimate success is material/monetary gain that comes at minimal cost to themself may steal a book every once in a while. this hypothetical asshole is not a representative of human nature, but a product of the society they live in. This asshole would not exist in an anarchist society. And then there’s the majority of the people who visit the library and know that stealing from a public library is an awful thing to do because libraries are sacred spaces and provide crucial resources. the majority of us who are not so far gone as to never even consider the community and to prioritize self gain above all else are who should be used as a more accurate representation of humanity. And sure maybe there’s another person who knows that stealing from libraries is bad and wouldn’t so in most circumstances, but maybe for whatever they really really desperately need a book permanently and can’t obtain it through other means, and so they steal. Because this is not to say that people aren’t inherently selfish, this person is a perfectly valid representation of human nature as well. It’s just that humans are also inherently communal and compassionate. We just live in a society where selfishness and individualistic drive is encouraged, praised, and necessary, while collectivity and striving for the common good is frowned upon and a burden, and efforts rarely have lasting tangible results. So with the question of the necessity of government or the potential for any economic system beyond capitalism, it is easy to say that nothing else would work due to the inherent selfishness of humans when that is what we have been taught and what we observe. And in situations of suddenly entering periods of anarchy, of course there was violence and theft. Of course after generations of viewing the accumulation of wealth and material goods as the ultimate goal, and being met with the shock of it all being within reach with no more regulation of what you can or can’t have, the people failed at self regulation and acted brashly. These instances can’t serve as examples of life under anarchy because they happened suddenly, under already strenuous and desperate circumstances. Such a system, or lack thereof, would have to be implemented gently, changing peoples mindsets alongside it.

My friend called Joseph From The Government James and it killed me

God imagine if he had any other J name... IMAGINE IF HE WAS JOSH FROM THE GOVERNMENT

i already complained on my close friends insta story about this but this is annoying me so much... ive been sitting here for the past 30 minutes hitting refresh on the website where germany and france are giving away 60000 train tickets for free to young people (bc of the 60th anniversary of the elysee contract) and the website literally crashed as soon as the sign up started. I HATE YOU GERMAN INFRASTRUCTURE LITERALLY WHENEVER SOMETHING LIKE THAT HAPPENS YOURE CRASHING AND BURNING KILL YOURSELF

When all of your pirate mutuals succumb to the Gaimen angels derangement and you can't join in the fun because you just do not give a fuck about them 😔

just got blocked over this controversial opinion:

if you have to choose between the literal worst people on earth and pretty bad people, maybe you have to choose the bad people. maybe praxis can come after. maybe damage reduction is better than saying "i wont participate in this system" and getting mad at the government. maybe the bad people wont fuck everyone over as bad as the literal worst people on earth and maybe theyll give you slightly more space to perform praxis than the actual worst people on earth would.

small rant just because: Neither F1 nor FE are contributing to car development or to solving the major mobility problems we face in todays world in a way that justifies them jetting around the world to break carbon parts in another place every other weekend.

It's entertainment, first and foremost, the rest is gimmicks, and I'm not saying you can't enjoy it, but to act like either of the series are bringing important technological advances for the future of mobility that couldn't be made without competition on track is ridiculous.

Sure, F1 has impressively efficient hybrid engines and FE powertrain development is impressive as well as them using low-emission fuel to power their generators, but the problem we're facing with mobility today in the world as is doesn't get solved by either of that. Electric cars or modern hybrids are expensive, can often only get repaired by brand-certified specialists with the right software and the infrastructure needed to charge those cars isn't in place and there is often low interest to change that (at least where i live). And even if all this was in place, most people can't just up and decide to trash their old car and buy a brand new electric vehicle, set up a charging port at home and go on without a problem.

There's over 1.4 billion motor vehicles in the world and keeping up the longevity of those while working on sustainable fuels and new filters should utopically (is that a word) be the focus. Of course, it doesn't make money so that isn't the focus of any car manufacturer, but 'electric mobility development through racing' is as much greenwashing as is saying 'buy our electric car next, do your part for the environment'.

The actual effort in regards to environmentally friendly transportation should be made in progressing public transport infrastructure, especially in rural areas and making it affordable to use as well as limiting the power that gas, oil and (speaking from my point/country) car lobbies have over the government, which of course is not in the interest of the car lobby and will obviously not be forwarded by any car racing series where big manufacturers whose higher ups have their fingers in government pies pay entry fees.

Obviously, apart from the development argument, transportation is the same, questionable sponsors are the same, CEOs with shady government relations who always manage to just stay on the fringes of major scandals are the same.

Enjoy F1 and FE as you want, I certainly do, I have fun watching both series, but in the end both of those series are only furthering the interests of car manufacturers and contribute little to the goal of sustainable mobility for everyone and it's important not to lose sight of that for the sake of petty arguments of which tax evader has the moral high ground (spoiler alert: neither). I still watch motorsports because yes, the innovation is super cool and impressive but it's still innovation with the goal of getting money in the pockets of the car industry and not with the altruistic goal of improving the world we live in.

One of the most annoying parts of doing social work is having to deal with little dick security guys. Like I don't care if this is a "secure building" i need to do a wellness check on someone who has a history of suicide. I will beat you and use your key to get in if I have to fuckhead.

begging solely-The Mandalorian fans to find another piece of Mandalorian lore/culture/history/etc to talk about other than a now-defunct laser sword used to keep one asshole family in power

Ngl finding out Jamie-Lynn actually managed to leave this show and other reality shows on mysterious medical reasons grounds is just....wow....she really just jumps from reality show to reality show to try and clean up her public image after it was revealed how she was apart of the group of family members who would benefit from Brittany's Conservatorship and when it doesn't work out for her, she just leaves.