The more I watch things with arrogant, charming white cishet men who annoy everyone but turn out to be right anyway (Sherlock, Mentalist, Psych, House, Iron Man, etc), the more I keep thinking about all the arrogant, charming non-white cishet people who wouldn’t dare get away with that behavior.
The more I watch things with arrogant, charming white cishet men who annoy everyone but turn out to be right anyway (Sherlock, Mentalist, Psych, House, Iron Man, etc), the more I keep thinking about all the arrogant, charming non-white cishet people who wouldn’t dare get away with that behavior.
I know a kid from a tribal area that bikes several miles a day to go to school in Sana’a. His family have had drone aircraft hover over their homes. One day they could step in the capital city and come home to see their entire world shattered (literally) or worse a drone could strike their home while they’re inside. The only thing worse than instantly being killed is sustaining horrific injuries without any medical facilities nearby and succumbing to a slow, painful death. This is the sad reality that many Yemenis in the rural areas are forced to endure.
When we say we hate America, we don’t mean individual citizens. I wish Americans would step outside of their narcissism for a second to understand that the term ‘America’ is applied in a political sense here. We don’t wish harm on American people, because ultimately they’re not the ones responsible for what were forced to go through. We mean the imperialism, the militarism, the warfare that’s attached to America, the forced destabilization of our country, the dwindling economy, the rampant distrust of the West which therein festers into a vulnerability that’s turned most of these newer ‘militants’ onto the idea of terrorism. It’s a vicious cycle, you see. The more innocent people killed, the increase in extremist activity, which justifies even more drone strikes and it eventually will snowball into unforeseen chaos.
Of course the individual American isn’t responsible for this, but citizens of the U.S. need to understand that it’s their tax dollars that fund this weaponry. It’s their supposed protection that’s being protected at the cost of our lives, livelihoods, stability and economical comfort. Whether or not Americans like, they are inevitably a part of this killing machine and not directly lobbying, protesting and holding their government accountable is complicity. It’s the allowance of our deaths.
An excerpt from an email that my cousin Haseem sent me yesterday, upon hearing of Obama’s re-election.
How proud I am to call this kid my family. He’s so eloquent and well written.
(via eastafrodite)
I know a kid from a tribal area that bikes several miles a day to go to school in Sana’a. His family have had drone aircraft hover over their homes. One day they could step in the capital city and come home to see their entire world shattered (literally) or worse a drone could strike their home while they’re inside. The only thing worse than instantly being killed is sustaining horrific injuries without any medical facilities nearby and succumbing to a slow, painful death. This is the sad reality that many Yemenis in the rural areas are forced to endure.
When we say we hate America, we don’t mean individual citizens. I wish Americans would step outside of their narcissism for a second to understand that the term ‘America’ is applied in a political sense here. We don’t wish harm on American people, because ultimately they’re not the ones responsible for what were forced to go through. We mean the imperialism, the militarism, the warfare that’s attached to America, the forced destabilization of our country, the dwindling economy, the rampant distrust of the West which therein festers into a vulnerability that’s turned most of these newer ‘militants’ onto the idea of terrorism. It’s a vicious cycle, you see. The more innocent people killed, the increase in extremist activity, which justifies even more drone strikes and it eventually will snowball into unforeseen chaos.
Of course the individual American isn’t responsible for this, but citizens of the U.S. need to understand that it’s their tax dollars that fund this weaponry. It’s their supposed protection that’s being protected at the cost of our lives, livelihoods, stability and economical comfort. Whether or not Americans like, they are inevitably a part of this killing machine and not directly lobbying, protesting and holding their government accountable is complicity. It’s the allowance of our deaths.
An excerpt from an email that my cousin Haseem sent me yesterday, upon hearing of Obama’s re-election.
How proud I am to call this kid my family. He’s so eloquent and well written.
(via eastafrodite)
Dear Suzy Lee Weiss, I Took Your Spot At Harvard
Dear Suzy Lee Weiss, I Took Your Spot At Harvard
Dear Suzy,
You probably don’t know who I am but after reading your op-ed in the Wall Street Journal about not getting into any of the Ivy League schools you applied to, I felt I had to reach out. You see, I’m the girl who took your spot at Harvard.
I know this with absolute certainty. On my acceptance letter from Harvard, your name had been crossed out and mine had been written above it.
I know this must be really upsetting for you. You worked really hard for four years. You took all of the AP classes your high school offered. Your parents paid for expensive SAT prep courses and you did really well on the test. You did all kinds of volunteer work even though you had hours of TV unwatched on your DVR. Basically, you earned this.
I mean, don’t get me wrong. I did some work, too. I went to class and paid attention when the lesson wasn’t disrupted by a fight in the hallway. My textbooks might still reflect a Cold War world but not needing to know the names of all the Soviet republics made it much easier to study for global studies exams. Much less to memorize that way. That’s probably the only reason I managed an “A” in that course.
But when my parents got divorced and my mom came out of the closet and hooked up with the ¼ Navajo lady neighbor, I closed my textbooks and put down my pen. I figured—why bother? I’m a black female from the inner city with divorced parents, a gay mother, and a part-Native American stepmother. Every college was going to recruit me like I had a great jump shot.
Not only did Harvard accept me and shower me with financial aid, they put my photo on the cover of all of their recruiting materials. You were totally right—being a minority in 21st Century America only has upside!
It must be really tough to learn that you didn’t get what you totally deserved, but I’m sure you’ll do well at a state school. And I’m certain your parents will be able to find it in their hearts to love a daughter without an Ivy League pedigree.
As for me—I’m set for life. Obama is president, racism has ended, and law schools have already come a-callin.
Best to you in life,
Aaliyah Martin
Dear Suzy Lee Weiss, I Took Your Spot At Harvard
Dear Suzy Lee Weiss, I Took Your Spot At Harvard
Dear Suzy,
You probably don’t know who I am but after reading your op-ed in the Wall Street Journal about not getting into any of the Ivy League schools you applied to, I felt I had to reach out. You see, I’m the girl who took your spot at Harvard.
I know this with absolute certainty. On my acceptance letter from Harvard, your name had been crossed out and mine had been written above it.
I know this must be really upsetting for you. You worked really hard for four years. You took all of the AP classes your high school offered. Your parents paid for expensive SAT prep courses and you did really well on the test. You did all kinds of volunteer work even though you had hours of TV unwatched on your DVR. Basically, you earned this.
I mean, don’t get me wrong. I did some work, too. I went to class and paid attention when the lesson wasn’t disrupted by a fight in the hallway. My textbooks might still reflect a Cold War world but not needing to know the names of all the Soviet republics made it much easier to study for global studies exams. Much less to memorize that way. That’s probably the only reason I managed an “A” in that course.
But when my parents got divorced and my mom came out of the closet and hooked up with the ¼ Navajo lady neighbor, I closed my textbooks and put down my pen. I figured—why bother? I’m a black female from the inner city with divorced parents, a gay mother, and a part-Native American stepmother. Every college was going to recruit me like I had a great jump shot.
Not only did Harvard accept me and shower me with financial aid, they put my photo on the cover of all of their recruiting materials. You were totally right—being a minority in 21st Century America only has upside!
It must be really tough to learn that you didn’t get what you totally deserved, but I’m sure you’ll do well at a state school. And I’m certain your parents will be able to find it in their hearts to love a daughter without an Ivy League pedigree.
As for me—I’m set for life. Obama is president, racism has ended, and law schools have already come a-callin.
Best to you in life,
Aaliyah Martin
