Friday, February 29, 2008

8th PoC in SF Carnival

The 8th people!

You have no idea how much squee and joy this brings me. This month's Carnival is about dialogue between PoC. Intra-Racial Dialogue; What Lies Between Us is up at LadyJax at Livejournal.

Kali921, now would be a good time to bring out that promo post you lost from last month, update it some and swing it round and 'round.

This 8th Carnival has PoC discussing being PoC and SF fans. It's a lot of Meta, a lot of thinking. And while it may no longer be filled with conversations you (general) knew nothing about - given that discussions on race and SF and fans seems to be happening more and more - it is a perspective that's internal and unique.

Go, read.

I'll be back later to update the archives.

[ Still looking for a HOST for March = Contact Me ]

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Blog Carnival Site

Does the Blog Carnival website serve a purpose for anyone else running a Carnival? Because all it's ever done is harass me on when to publish, if I've lined up hosts yet, and send me a useless half assed pre-formatted bit of links.

And those links inevitably are all spam or pretty damn close to spam; irrelevant entries.

I just don't see the point in using it anymore. The Carnival has a blog of it's own and I can spend the time I use updating the Blog Carnival site and running its circles, keeping the blog up to date.

Am I missing some fundamental importance to the site?

I don't think so, but I'd like to know before I go figuring out how to pull the plug on it.

NOTE: PoC SF Carnival @ Ladyjax's journal on livejournal should be out by the end of Feb.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Me, My Issues + Marvel

Read Damage Control.

I need to peer at the front and see who the artist and colourist is because I adore the combined style.* There's detail, but it's not photo-realistic. I really enjoy the thicker lines and subtle curves to it.

I also adored the story so far. This is the type of tale that I enjoy a lot. The type of tales I always wanted to write; who comes in afterwards, who makes the armor, who helps the hero with his physical recovery, etc.

I'm also digging New Yorkers (the super heroes in this case) coming out in spades to help make things right.

And then the Gestapo arrive demanding that people show their papers.

Gestapo being a contraction of the german word for Secret State Police. Secret State Police are also known as Political Police.

I'm jonesing on this story and then The Death Squad arrive. Death Squad as in paramilitary group sanctioned by the current state who're involved in violent political suppression in totalitarian states.

And it hits me then that mentioning S.H.R.A and registration cards arn't grace notes. The Marvel Universe is fucked up. They've finally gotten what their fundamentalists wanted, except it's not genocidal super robots hunting down mutants. It's human beings or humanoids happily and cheerfully incarcerating the good guys for THE GOOD OF THE STATE. Those good guys being mutants, gods, demi-gods, people who gained powers from weird accidents or experiments etc...

The distaste that rolled up from my stomach - I can't even begin to describe it. The utter DISGUST.

I'm told there are interesting stories to be had here. And I can believe it. I remember being intrigued by a few.

I'm told that the side sagas, those not part of anything big and main often are quiet jewels. And I can believe it. I remember being intrigued by a few there too.

But I realize I'm reading a story about a fascist state, and that state is America, and I just want to walk to the other side of the room.

I have no idea why Political Police and such Squads bring up such utter revulsion in me, as a personal feeling of painful distaste vs just feeling disdain in abstract theory. But it does.

Someone tell me when this long saga of wrong is over in Marvel, ok?

I'm just going to hunt down things from before 2006. Maybe even before 2005.

*eyes DC*

I'm being promoted pretty hard on The Rainbow Corps. But if there's anything like this going on over there, I will seriously just read manga and manga only until all the insanity goes the eff away.

No this isn't me making a far, far belated hue and cry over CW. This is me realizing that I cannot stomach even the aftermath of it.

I wrote this post last night, just before bed to get my thoughts out and did not remember about it until now. * And I have now looked up the artist; Salva Espin and Guru EFx. I'm laughing to myself because before I looked up even the name of Guru EFx, I was saying to myself that I liked the use of pointillism and film grain effect to add depth to the colour and life to the characters; whatever it might be called professionally by people who do more than play skippy wee in Photoshop and similar programs. Also is Espin new? I can't find reference pre Damage Control. But I really did enjoy his art. Especially the fact that women had more than one facial expression (several in fact and realistic to the environment) and how solid he made everyone feel. His work seems almost mangaesque. I have an odd burning desire to see him sketch something from Bleach or Claymore (hmm Claymore).

Thurs: Feb 28th. Somehow this got saved as a draft? Damn I loathe LJ, but Blogger you are so not my friend.

Totally Not Comic Related

Ze Mighty Aphrodite Kali(921) occasionally graces the world with bits of culture. So why not me?

Actually, I was pointed to this link and am just spreading the joy.

A page full of Hallelujah. Or rather covers of the song.


I'm particularly fond of Rufus Wainright's and kd lang's.

Not to mention the quatro/banjo version in the sidebar player labeled (black session). It's peppy. It makes me think of 'The Sad Clown'. You laugh, he cries on the inside.

Yes, my mind is weird.

And yes Sad Clowns make me think of Kurt Busiek and Astro City. So there's a comic reference for those who may insist there should be some glimmer of connection.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Dear White America (or your comic blogging equivalent)

I only saw this quoted section:

"He's the breadwinner, the provider of the resources. He's also the final arbiter and the disciplinarian because women as a gender are too instinctually compassionate to be good disciplinarians. That's why the black ghetto which is composed almost entirely of single mother households is in the shape that it's in, in my opinion. If you insist on trying to change men into women as a prerequisite for domestic tranquility, you are basically driving your men away and then you have a worsening discipline problem that proceeds to worsen from generation to generation."

And I knew I couldn't even go there to read anything because my gaze fell on this.

That's why the black ghetto which is composed almost entirely of single mother households is in the shape that it's in, in my opinion.

White boy PLEASE. Stop embarassing yourself. Or at least, stop doing it in public where negroes can see you and laugh at you.

Yeah, I'm not even angry. It's so stupid, it's like...watching a man in an American home made movie, get hit in the crotch with a football.

Kicked by a 5 year old.

*presses rewind*

Oh yeah, my point. Yo, someone needs to take that idiot back to the clubhouse and get him started right on the relevant propaganda, cause...

*presses rewind again*

Yeah... white = stupid. Y'all might want to correct that. Or something.

*presses rewind yet again*

Ball. Crotch. 5yr old. Idiotic Honkey.

*wipes the tears of mirth* Priceless.

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Things I've Said Before

I've a friend, a former roommate, who is all about reading. She loves stories. She loves good stories. She likes long stories. She likes stories that make her think.

But she is not a bibliophile. She doesn't look at hardcovers and note the gluing and touch the paper and ponder the quality. She doesn't contemplate how long the bindings will hold and miss the days of when books were sewn together AND glued AND bound.

Text books do not give her a thrill because of their solid nature and heft and durability.

She likes the stories, the text.

I on the other hand always considered myself a bibliophile until the possibility arose that I could get comics in digital format.

This should be an entry about how the cover art on the Cable & Deadpool, particularly the art at the beginning, absolutely turns me off. And if it weren't for a friend showing me scans again proving I'd like Deadpool, I wouldn't have looked twice at it.

That's what got me thinking.

But that led to going to Marvel.Com and that led to looking through some of their sample offerings (the free 4 pages). And that led to me thinking all over again about how excited I get at the prospect of non flimsy issues and non bulky trade paperbacks and how much I'd love to give Marvel my money for their digital offerings if they weren't such privacy invading bastards.

Is there a word yet for someone who loves digital media? Digitaphile? That seems awkward sounding.

I've posted recently about how much I don't like photorealistic art. But I also loathed the art of the late 80's and early 90's. And it's not all Rob Lifield.

**Eyes cross and tear pinkish liquid at the sight of his name**

I really love getting to zoom in and look at the art up close. I love the crispness of it.

I'd love even more if there were layered options and you could lift the speech and caption boxes off the art and just stare at those clean pages.

I love the colours.

I love seeing a good combination in styles of artist, inker, colourist.

And then, I love seeing a good story in the midst of it.

Comics led to Animation led to Comics.

Have I waxed rhapsodic about the wonder, love, uber-cool that is Starship Troopers: Roughneck Chronicles in this blog yet? If not, I should.

**sighs with love / sighs with love** So amazing for it's time in the history of cgi animation.

Anyway, back on topic, all this thinking about how much I love and would prefer digital product for comics (as an option, you flimsy lovers can have your cake too) led to me thinking about collectors. Would I understand the people who loath a thing, but buy it anyway so their collection isn't missing anything - if I liked the flimsies?

Cause the only time I want flimsies is when they don't bind all the stories, a and b and sometimes c plots all together in a trade. So it's not completest of me, it's me wanting to finish reading the damn story.

And yes, I can think various cover options are cool. But it would be easy of me to go with the one I liked the most (or just a little bit more). And yes, all the while I'd probably be thinking 'I wish this were on CD, with scratch art from the artist and maybe all the variation covers'.

Am I a product of an age?

Am I DVD spoiled? **hmmm DVD's... oh yeah, extras baby...**

Can anyone explain the completest collection comic fan to me? The comic book addiction? The people who loathe BND yet still buy it?

And while you're at it - could you explain the people who buy Rob Liefeld for the art?

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Further From Karen El

I apologise.

You are right. I shouldn't have told you to choose your targets better. It just upsets me when I see people avoiding controversy by removing any diversity.

I was also upset by some of the things you said about girl-wonder, who have been very supportive to me, and that made my response more aggressive than it should have been.



Karen El:

I do not accept your apology. But I am putting it here in a separate post so that people may see your attempt and the exact words you used in said attempt.

They can judge for themselves.

I personally do not understand how anything you originally said to me supported GW or defended it.

I also don't see your comments as being upset about people 'avoiding controversy by removing diversity'.

What I do understand is that you feel bad right now.

What I do understand is that it's likely someone told you you were showing your ass and to put on a pair of pants.

What I do understand, given the words you chose, is that this is you saying 'awh shucks' and toeing the ground without having actually learnt anything.



***


Who else saw this coming a mile away? Raise your hand.

*raises hand*

While I don't agree with with everything I know / have heard regarding Alcoholics Anonymous, I do agree with STEP 9 and their meaning for it.

Monday, February 18, 2008

What the fuck is up with this picture?

Who is that behind Wonder Woman?



Is that Vixen?

The yellow jumpsuit looks like it belongs to Vixen, if slightly the wrong colour. As do the bangles on the wrist and the belt on the waist.

But last I checked, Vixen was not a white woman.

*Rechecks*

Vixen, Vixen, Vixen, Vixen.

Nope, not a white woman.

And while she obviously uses relaxer on her hair, I've never heard of the chemicals automatically bleaching skin. So no plot or reasoning will be coming from that direction.

Seriously, what the hell is up with that? You know there is no way that from writer to printing press Superman could suddenly show up in a series that's part of current continuity, sporting braids and a darker skin tone.

Because people would call you on that!

LOUDLY.

And in all honesty, as cool as the idea would be to randomly show the heroes as different ethnicities and cultural identities to show how universal they truly are;

Today Superman is Black.

Today Batman is Korean.

Today Wonder Woman is Latina

Today Flash is Indigenous Australian...

You aren't that cool, DC.

You just aren't that cool.

Instead it all comes across very much like:

"We've secretly switched the usual black superheroine, for a white chick. Let's see if anyone notices."

There are only a handful of minority characters, in your universe DC. And while yes, said characters totally kick ass, that is no excuse for you to be cavalier. There's no reason for this not to have been caught.

What? Were you all mesmerized by Wonder Ass and the Astounding FF Breasts that somehow managed not to droop?

Stop fucking things up DC.

Stop fucking things up.

And oh yes, caption box, it is indeed CRAZY.

[ETA: Edited Feb 2011 - Update lost images]

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Legion of Superheroes Cartoon

Y'all bishes, all y'all bishes are fired. So fired.

Yeah sure Legion of Superheroes isn't really my thing. But why did no one tell me it was filled with the absolute adorable geeky love crush of Brainiac on Superboy/man. Which Supes seems to just fan the flames of, in all his earnest emoting.

OMG the adorable. I have to watch in 30 second installments cause it's just. too. much.

SO cute.

SO DAMN CUTE.

Brainiac's Sneaky Cheerleader Conniving Anime Blush Playing Innocent Smirk Smile.

GOLDEN!!!

Just GOLDEN.

The Machiavellian manuvering for personal ego stroking. OMG.

Nothing I love more than a brainy mad scientist with an obsession with Kal-El. Hell yeah, I'm including Batman as Brainy and Mad (passion baby).

Also the whole 'No one understands what I'm trying to do / accomplish /  with him-about him'

I. Must. WATCH.

And y'all are all still fired.

Friday, February 15, 2008

How not to confront your own privilege - by Karen El

1. So your complaint is that there is not nearly enough visual information in the simply drawn characters to immediately convey their ethnicity, except for when there is an element, but that is far too stereotyped so you don't like it.

I am all over greater cultural diversity in comics, and it's something I struggle with, myself. But if I introduced a character with a different ethnic background from my own and immediately got shouted at for not making it obvious enough without including stereotyped traits, or thinking through every aspect of their background, you know what? I might end up doing what most everyone else does, and avoid all the grief by making everyone white.

I agree, the Asian and Latina Janes weren't obvious to me, either. But their backgrounds weren't as relevent to the story as, say, The Re-Gifters.

It would be wonderful if I had people of differing ethnic background that I could call on to help me give depth to characters. You know where I could find anyone like that?

2. Is it over-simplistic of me to suggest that you go after the writers and artists that are making no effort towards cultural diversity, rather than advocating dogpiling on those that try, but don't succeed as well as you'd like?


3. Willow, yes. I agree it could have been better. In fact I think I already said that.

I'm not defending the author's comments. I don't speak for her.

And I totally knew you were going to throw white privilege at me. Of course anyone who actually gives a damn about being more culturally diverse in their work, but admits she doesn't have the experience to do a good job on her own must be absolutely brimming with white privilege, so let's make sarky comments and shoot her down for even daring to ask for help.

My mistake. I thought you were about promoting cultural diversity. You're quite good at the opposite.

I just want you to know that if you ever see some of my work that includes culturally diverse characters, it will be despite you, rather than because of you.

4. Well I can see where it's more satisfying to sneer at me than explain what I am missing.

Congratulations. You have achieved the irony of shutting out someone in a thread where you write about how bad someone else was for shutting you out.


***

Don't anyone ever tell me I should give GirlWonder* the Organization the Boards a pass or more understanding or any shit like that ever again. Because as you can plainly see, with this brimming example of one of their own - they want someone to hand feed them Racism 101.

And I quite plainly am not having conversations anymore with people who aren't at least at Racism 205.

I am not your magical negro. If I take the time to point out to you that you still need work to do re: your inner institutional racism, that's me being kind.

We cannot have a conversation when I'm working on a level you (the racist you) is not. Because I am fed up and refuse to spoon feed strangers the work, definitions and self-examination of Racism 101. I am fed up with having to point out your strawman arguments and twisted thinking. I am not your mammy or your maid. And I am not obligated to explain shit to you, politely and nicely. That's your privilege right there. Along with the bullshit "Well I'm going to be culturally diverse despite you not holding my hand, you mean black woman!"

To which my response is: [Redacted] take your [redacted] white [redacted] out of my blog and don't ever bring yourself or your friends around here again until you pull your collective [redacted] out of your [redacted].

ETA: And my other response is now at the top of my sidebar with an official graphic.

ETA: * Correction made between the GW boards and those who use their domain and the GW Organization (spokes people, chairperson and other members of the board). As much as I might want to throw them all together, it is not factual or accurate and Karen El does not have the power to represent them, only to besmirch them by association.

** Also I know and am friends with Karen Healy - she who writes Girls Read Comics & They're Pissed and who is also President of the GW Organization. And whom despite some prior cluelessness is someone I hope others will also call an ally.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Also About Plain Janes

It's come to my attention that Ms. Castellucci is on the boards at GirlWonder but that no one there has called her on her claim that the PLAIN JANES are multi-ethnic.

For personal reasons I don't go near the GW boards. That might have changed if health and RL current situations weren't at somewhat critical stages and I'd become more involved with the organization GW.

Still, the boards leave a lot to be desired. I hesitate to make the total claim that there's a lot of navel gazing there from all but a few and it's filled with white feminists being pro woman power. But that's how it felt to me the last time I was there and I will likely never get over being shut down on issues of race and called homophobic at the same time. Oh yes, and also called on my tone.

That said, if anyone reading this has an account on the boards there and wants to discuss this with her, vs being bewildered and aggravated (and not a little offended) here in my blog - feel free.

Am I advocating a dogpile on her.

Well, yes, yes I am. I admit it.

But it should be a POLITE dogpile.

Seriously though, I'm not expecting any work on her privilege will actually be accomplished over there. But if you do want to say something to one of the creators expressly, that might be a good place to do it.

Why I Don't Like Photorealism - An Essay By Willow

It sucks.

What? You were expecting some sort of well detailed, neutral, example filled assembly of words? Ahh did the title fake you out? Awwh, poor baby.

Seriously though, photorealism sucks. I can appreciate the technique and artistry that goes into it. But I don't want it in my comics. And not just because photorealism often relies on photo referencing and leads to my favourite characters looking like whomever is hot this week in porn, celebrity news or occasionally that really cool movie that came on near midnight that inspired the artist to hunt down some picture archives online otherwise they wouldn't know how to draw a black person.

Photorealism sucks because I don't want to see some real person's face on the page, I want to see the character's face.

Photorealism sucks because comics are fantasy to me; super heroes, flying horses, ancient gods long deemed mythology, immortal weak hearted 80yr old women. Fantasy and reality shouldn't mesh except in terms of context.

Photorealism sucks because Gothom as a city is a place of shadows and tone, not Seattle at night; not Chicago, not NYC. Once you start making the characters look like flesh and blood people I can recognize, the cityscapes in the background would be jarring in what used to be their hyper-realized glory.

I have to give credit where credit is due but it's sad to realize that Manga artists seem to realize and proudly promote a style (within individual expression) that says THIS HERE BE YAR FANTASY.

BLEACH for example is easily recognized as fantasy compared with the pseudo historical realism of Lady Snow Blood.

But the link previous, to the Harry Osborn 'I was in Europe' on Scans_Daily, take a panel from any of those scanned scenes and show it to someone who doesn't know or read Super Hero fantasy and aside from Harry's distinctive hair it could be from any graphic story telling medium.

Aside:By the way, does anyone know if Harry's bi-racial? Because I've always wondered about his hair and in photorealism it looks distinctive for a whole host of other reasons and makes me curious to see him rocking the redhaired afro. Though not when he's being photorealized as Adam Sandler. I don't need to see Adam Sandler in much of anything.

How did this photorealism trend start? When did comic readers decide it was a good thing and they wanted more of it? Why do they want more of it?

If I want to see wonderful stills, I'll go to a museum, or art gallery or somewhere a wonderful artist is willing to paint on commission. If I want to see a movie, I'll watch a damn movie.

What I don't want is to pick up a comic book and instead of finding myself thinking the artist did a good job with their own interpretation of Superman's strong jaw, or Batman's eyes in Bruce Wayne's face - find myself going 'Oh, so I guess he sees Scarlet Witch as Angelina Jolie doing cosplay' or in the case of Greg Land 'And another random porn actress'.

When did doing comics as comics begin to go out of favour?

Is it that the newer crop of artists don't know how to show motion when characters are standing still? Is it that they don't know how to make their creations leap off the page, so instead they do movie still after stagnant movie still? A collection of screen caps done with ink and colours and set with speech bubbles?

Cause note to them, DM of the Rings did it better and Darths & Droids isn't letting there be any slack.

Aside: And how much do you wish IWC was doing Wands & Warts for real? Just raise your hands. Mine's up already.

Comics informed how I read. In fact I think comics might be responsible for the fact that I think in pictures.

- Regular baby book: This is an apple [ picture of an apple ]

- Comic book: This is an apple [ picture of Wolverine giving a smack down one handed while eating an apple ]

Any wonder why the image with action stuck with me? Any wonder why I find this change over infuriating ? Any wonder why this is all important to me?

Right then.

Conclusion; photorealism sucks. It might be pretty, but it's lifeless with a focus on slick over active story telling and is an avenue easily abused by lazy and or overworked artists.

And if I think of more reasons why, I'll be sure to let the world know.

Saturday, February 9, 2008

On Batman (and then some other things)

I need to get my hands on JLA: Divided We Fall. I've seen scans of it, and read fic of it (Jen-in-Japan). I know I'll enjoy it.

But I need to get my hands on it and own it for the simple reason that I think it likely canonizes My Batman.

Separated (due to shenanigans from 6th dimensional aliens) it's Bruce who has all the rage and passion, frustration, fear and more and it's Batman who is an empty shell.

I've role-played Batman in RPG's and I've ended up defending my choice to make Batman the outfit that hides the identity within Bruce himself. I've defended my decision to make Bruce the Playboy the mask, but only because underneath it was Bruce the Champion of Justice and Batman was merely a costume, a way of protecting his identity.

I don't know where it came from, this concept of Batman, cloak and ears and skills being the true persona, the real thing. - that Batman overwhelmed Bruce himself. Maybe it was Dark Knight with its comparisons to Harvey Dent.

But I always thought that it was Bruce's pain and Bruce's loss , therefore Bruce was the one with the passion and that his true self had been born the night his parents died; with the decision that this was unjust, unfair and unneeded and he would find a way to make sure no other child ever felt the loss and despair he was feeling.

Maybe that's why it's always been easy for me to see Bruce in AU's, as a government agent or in some RPG's where he was a Presidential candidate. All that changes for me, when it comes to Bruce in these alternate universes, are his tools and his teachers.

Perhaps that's also why I could so readily call Terry McGinnis Batman and not feel like I was cheering on a replacement; because to me, Terry was seeded with the same loss, the same crack across the face from and about bullies, and might equals right and horrendous loss and he used Batman to try to balance the scales. More-over he used Batman as a way to make-up for the little losses and little pains he'd caused others in his mindless trip down 'the wrong path'.

Maybe Amanda Waller had it right, Batman is formed by pain but more- over he's formed by the decision to protect rather than avenge. And so the minute Terry made that turn over, he stopped being a wanna-be-Jason in a possible future.

And I think that's why I also cherish good Batman - Jim Gordon interaction. Because between the two of them, there's a whole hefty weight of 'To Protect & Serve'.

*blinks*

Batman, Wolverine, Smax - To Protect & Serve.

Oh yes, Wolverine's a savage, ravage son of a b*tch etc - secret agent blah blah blah. But even look at the movies, when did Hugh Jackson become the Wolverine for you? For me it was the moment he let Rogue into the cab.

Why do I like him in the comics? When do I like him in the comics? When he protects, when he continually faces the choice to destroy and avenge or to protect and serve and he chooses to protect.

Yes, I need to own JLA: Divided We Fall and I probably need to give the new Wolverine animated series a chance too.

Friday, February 8, 2008

No, try not, do or do not...there is no try

This link leads to an essay to which I just want to say WORD.

I rarely mention politics in this particular blog aside from how it impacts the plot and setting of the comics (or animated series) I may be watching.

But I just want it out there, that this blog is me mentioning tropes and fighting against oppression and racism enabled invisibility on TWO fronts.

TWO.

And yes, my feelings on several feminist blog movements is that NO - You don't get my allegiance for free. You don't know me just because we both have innies, tattas and wombs. Do not count on me to back you up unless you have a cause I've already stated is worth my strength, my voice and my energy.

On that note....

Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us

Does this look like a multi-ethnic group of girls to you?


The author claims that Theater Jane, aka Fat Jane is Asian and that Sporty Spice is Latina.

Now that she's said who is supposed to be what, I can kind of see some corralations. But I'm not supposed to be putting a book up to my eyeball, and then eyeballing well known art of a public latina figure to figure out that's a brown skinned young woman who happens to be athletic.

I also shouldn't be trying to figure out if one girl's eyes have the requsite eyefolds or if she's just so chubby, her eye shape has changed.

What does this have to do with assumed alligance? Well I've found myself wondering in the past two days since that interview went up, if the interviewer would even have said anything if I hadn't brought it up first - if she wasn't already aware that I as a WoC had issues with the book and we happen to speak about race SF/F + Comic genre semi frequently.

More over the author's response leaves me cold. She's rambling on and on about diversity and how important it is to her and yet her initial response?

That’s a total bummer! Not white at all.

No, Ms.Castellucci, when (young) women of colour look at your book and don't immediately see themselves it is more than just a bummer. It's yet another book, yet another aspect of fiction and entertainment and the world where we're invisible, were we don't count, where we're not important enough for someone to tell the artist to do more than add some bushy eyebrows and give another girl a short straight haired bob.

Ms Castellucci again says While it’s true that my main characters are white, their worlds are not.

And I call foul.

Don't tell me I have to read book two to see more of the diverse world when book one didn't hold my interest.

Also, why the hell is the book called THE PLAIN JANES if the Latina and Asian Janes don't count as main characters?

Are the main characters only; once upon a blonde Jane, now totally dark haired and emo + her white crush + her white sort of nemisis + the other white Jane + her white parents?

And as for "And Theater Jane, totally Asian"

Just which Asian culture does this Jane call her own? Is she Japanese, Korean, Taiwainse, Chinese, Chinese - Mongolian, or from the Philippines? Do you even know?

Do you even know why it might matter that in a book where the town calls for a curfew on teenagers and start to restrict their freedoms why in the first book there should have been parents of one of those minority students feeling uneasy about that?

Do you even know why that might matter if Theater Jane was Japanese? Or Taiwanese or Chinese-Mongolian?

For that matter, was anyone in that book Jewish? I honestly can't remember, that's how much of an impact your characters failed to make.

Just making it clear, you can be all for diversity as much as you want. You can claim to be trying to walk the walk, but nothing's showing.

And the minorities very likely aren't supporting you in email.

Friday, February 1, 2008

Speaking of familiar things heard over and over again

You always catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.

Also known as:

"Listen n*****, watch your manners now boy. You be nice to me, and I won't put you in your darkie place like you should be. Why do you presume to attack me. If I want to call your worthless sp** or P*** ass a sp** or p*** I can. It's been used before and it'll be used again. If you want me to change, get down on your knees and suck my big white cock and make me feel good about adjusting my attitude. After all, everyone agrees with me and you're the minority after all.

Yes, that's it... more tongue... now SUCK MY BALLS BITCH, that's putting honey on it. That's sucking away the liberal guilt... now stay still while I come down your throat..

Yes... yes...

There, last drops in your eyes.

Now kiss it and zip me up."


FOR THE RECORD: I am against non-con white privilege fellatio.