Are Women Human?

lifeofanappyheadedfatchic:

I just had the craziest experience. It happened so fast but damn… wow.

I worked overnight at my site. I like to vary things up so I can supervise all of my staff, meet tenants who are night owls, and get paperwork done. I left about 8:30 and was happy to get home in 20 minutes. I came into my building, headphones on, and went in the elevator and pushed 6, which is my floor. Our elevator is one where one door slides open and you have to push the other outwards. I didn’t push the door too hard or fast because I’m well aware that sometimes people are standing behind it, having had people almost knock me out. My elderly White neighbor was standing behind it. I didn’t hit her, but I guess she was shocked enough that she jumped back. I said “Excuse me” but not “I’m sorry” because I didn’t feel like I did anything wrong. Mind you, this woman walks with one of those roller walkers, which she had almost pushed against the door. Still, I didn’t throw it open and I waited for her to back up before moving forward. I guess in her efforts to move herself back (she shouldn’t have been that close), she fell backwards. She gasped loudly and I heard her husband in their apartment yell “What happened??” I leaned forward to offer her assistance and then it happened. She pulled her arm back, recoiling from me, and I heard her say under her breath kinda “Don’t touch me stupid nigger”.

*shock face*

I was stunned. Paralyzed almost. Mind you, this was in front of my apartment. For like a good 5 seconds, I stood there leaned over her. Then, her husband comes out… and I’m stunned AGAIN.

He is Black.

He rushes over to help her up and I go into my apartment. My kitchen is by the door and I’m thinking of finding a knife. But nawl, Martin Luther the King didn’t have dreams of interracial unity for me to react in such a way. Besides, she is old, and old people have no filter.

But still. This happens at like 8:55.

I come in, take my clothes off and start cleaning my bathroom. About 9:10 there is a knock on my door. I’m expecting my dad, so I go to answer. I open the door and there are two police officers at my door. *screech* What? I ask “Yes?” One officer is Black and one looks maybe Italian. I see the woman behind them. I’m thinking “that was fast” but I’m stunned, still. Then again, this is a predominantly White neighborhood, so that’s standard. Guess they were patrolling the area. It went basically like this.

“Ma’am did you have an altercation with this woman?”

“No”

“We got a call that she was assaulted by her neighbor. She said you pushed her when you got off the elevator”

“No I didnt. She fell on her own because she was too close. She jumped back when I opened the door. She called me a stupid nigger when I tried to help her”

Black cop turns and looks at her. Woman neither confirms nor denies, but focuses on the Italian cop.

“Why would I push an old woman? Come on now!”

“Ma’am calm down” - Black cop

“No! she called me a stupid nigger when I tried to help her up after she tripped over her walker. I’m fucking mad right now!”

“Don’t curse ma’am. Dont need that language”  Black cop

I stare at him

“I didnt do anything wrong”

Husband from their apartment “I told you not to call them”

“Can I help you with anything else officer? Or can I close my door now?” - said with much attitude.

Black cop sighs. “Take care ma’am. Just… keep your distance”

I close my door.

I stand there for a good 45-60 seconds. I hear muffled voices. Guess they’re talking to her. I look through the peephole and see them talking to her, gesturing for her to go back into her apartment I guess.

I come to Twitter… livid.

Like… really?

fromonesurvivortoanother:

When Avatar: The Last Airbender came out, i was really amazed that an East Asian character was featured prominently in a kid’s cartoon. Even better, the cartoon was extremely accessible for adults. And even better than that— Aang had friends who were South Asian and Inuit, including two strong women who played equal roles in the story and group.

When I first watched Avatar, I was overwhelmed because I was seeing representation— people who looked like me— far more than I ever had in any Western media (Bruce Lee movies do not count). To give you an idea of how bad it is sometimes, let me just say that even seeing two Asian people in one show is still shocking to me, because we are that poorly represented. Often, growing up in the United States as an Asian American kid means you have to dig and claw your way around just to find a good role model who understands your raced reality and experience of the world. Or, like most of us, you end up half-heartedly following some white celebrity who has never understood what it is like to be Asian American a single day in their life.

Avatar, in contrast, was the first time I had seen a show with no white people, and it wasn’t made in another country. It was from the country I grew up in, the United States, and it was a show that I could finally see myself in. Even more surprising, Avatar eventually went on to prove that there is actually a market for realistic, non-racist, and human portrayals of Asian cultures and peoples.

And of course there’s always racist jerks who manage to fuck things up. The Avatar film adaptation was a big disappointment. But I have found the fandom (unlike a lot of other fandoms) to be consistently open and accepting of different people— of strong women, of People of Color as the central focus, and so on.

Now, The Legend of Korra is about to come out and it features a South Asian Woman as the main character. East Asians already struggle with visibility in Western culture, but because of colorism and other prejudices against people with darker skin, South Asians are seen even less than we are, much less South Asian Women who are strong, emotionally warm, and complex.

So I am again amazed at this. I never imagined something like this EVER coming out when I was a kid. Kudos to everyone who has supported this franchise— you are helping little Asian American kids, and adults who were once kids, see their dreams come true.

Avatar is, no joke, probably one of the most “progressive” (for lack of a better word) + least problematic show when it comes to race, gender, and ethnicity that I’ve seen. Which…makes me feel some kind of way. I mean, it’s awesome that there’s a show this great aimed at preteens and great for all ages - but where is a comparably awesome American show for an adult audience? Could be I just haven’t found one yet, but I don’t know of one.

I love seeing brown women on TV. It’s awesome.

(via polerin)

pearlfectchassi:

Source: Ben Bradley / ABC7Chicago.com

CHICAGO - A woman shot by an off-duty Chicago police officer on Wednesday morning died Thursday. Family members say she was an innocent bystander and are calling for an investigation into her death.

“How could this be justified? They took my sister away from me,” said Martinez Sutton, the brother of 22-year-old Rekia Boyd.

The suburban man is grieving the loss of his sister, who died Thursday at Mount Sinai Hospital after being shot in the head by an off-duty Chicago police officer.

Boyd and a man were both shot early Wednesday morning by an off-duty detective on the city’s West Side.

(via ibtk)

sourcedumal:

alliwantisdiamondsandlove:

http://www.change.org/petitions/prosecute-the-killer-of-17-year-old-trayvon-martin

Please sign this, please bring some justice to this boy’s family. They can’t bring him back to life, this is all they have.

If you have ANY sense of humanity, you will sign this petition. Zimmerman deserves to be put under the jail for his cold blooded murder.

(via polerin)

dreams-from-my-father:

So, some white feminists found it appropriate to post the picture of a battered Rihanna to make their point????? WHAT THE FUCKING HELL??? You spend hours talking about trigger this, trigger that but have so little respect for a BLACK WOMAN victim of abuse that you are ready to post a STOLEN picture of her. Rihanna said several times how humiliating and hurtful it was for her to see that picture leaked in the press, but your hatred for Chris Brown has apparently no limit! This should be common sense! I have officially lost all the little respect I had left for you UGH

The fuck? who pulled that shit?

(via karnythia)