And I will always love you

[clevermanka]

This article explains why I don't eat or drink anything with soy lecithin even though most people (a former health care practitioner included) say it's okay, even with my soy allergy, because it was "so highly processed the body doesn't recognize it as soy." Frankly, that explanation of why it was supposedly safe did a lot to convince me not to eat it.

I'm sure everyone is sick to tears of the whole Miley Cyrus/VMA awards debacle, but most people are talking about the problematic sexuality issues. I'm of the opinion that the larger issue here is one of racism. This article addresses it well, and in particular this part struck me on a personal level:

It's not that we can't share. It's that until such time as black people are not ridiculed and debased for the styles and music and lifestyle that they create, live and breathe, hands off. Until such time as black fashion, art and music can become mainstream without having to be passed through a white filter, hands off.

Until such time as being black is no longer seen as something less than, hands off. That's it.

In light of those very true words, I'm giving up on learning to twerk. I know this sounds like a joke, but really it's not. I honestly think it looks like a lot of fun and I'd love to learn to do it, even if I never actually did it in public, but now...no. Sorry, aprilstarchild.

Check out my new Out to Lunch sign for the office.

The graduate student from Korea returned from her visit home with some presents for me: actual CDs for Psy (Psyfive and Psy from the Psycho World) and 2NE1's first full-length album.

Fuck Yeah

I can't wait to get home and listen to these in full quality on our home system!



Speaking of people giving things to me, tessagratton gifted me with this Tumblr post yesterday. I laughed until my face hurt. She promised to do this for me since she'll probably outlive me. mckitterick suggested putting it on my tombstone, too, only with a slight change to say "this place" instead of "this park" and I think it should also include an engraving of the planet Earth just to hammer home the message. YES.

Also seen/reblogged on Tumblr:
.
WHAAAAAAT. I don’t follow professional baseball anymore since the Actions Of Certain Players have broken my heart too many times. But FUCK I still love the game. This gif captures some what I love. The physical grace of it, the amazing feats that I just don’t see (or appreciate) in other sports, and the camaraderie between players—even those on opposing teams. I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU, BASEBALL. Even when players let me down, I will always love The Game.

Comments

[ms-danson.livejournal.com]

I didn't know there was an awards program on until my Tumblr exploded over the racism thing.

[blackdwarv.livejournal.com]

Yeah. Me too.

Also a huge dose of 'didn't we just go through this?'? Jackson's 'wardrobe malfunction'. Madonna/Britteny's kiss. And so on and so on. Personally, I could give a crap what whatever starlet does these days. I'm just tired of manufactured outrage.

...and nobody had better not believe that this wasn't 100% manufactured. I wouldn't be at all shocked if some intern was putting accusations of racism out on there just to make people talk more.

This pretty much sums up my feelings on the whole brouhaha (http://skepchick.org/2013/08/miley/). Damned if you do, damned if you don't... she intended it to be humorous, but like the best humor, it's got a sharp underside...

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't be at all shocked if some intern was putting accusations of racism out on there just to make people talk more...she intended it to be humorous, but like the best humor, it's got a sharp underside...

Okay, NOPE. Not on my LJ. It was racist, plain and simple. I'm gonna brook no conversation on that topic. If you think this was an example of simple, misunderstood, "best humor" then you have no place here.

Go take the time to educate yourself about racism, and how people of color are reacting to this. You're free to your own opinions, but DO NOT come in my house telling me something isn't racist when I've presented adequate proof that it most certainly is.

[blackdwarv.livejournal.com]

Nobody was saying anything about humor. But I have no doubt that the marketing execs behind this have no issues whatsoever to use racism or even the accusations thereof just to drum up more conversation. Fanning the flames. Making disposable accounts to further encourage outrage.

Is it racist? Yup.
Is it a manufactured media event, designed to cause the internets to explode? OHGODYES. And it worked.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Nobody was saying anything about humor

Dude, READ YOUR OWN COMMENT.

[blackdwarv.livejournal.com]

Okay. I see the confusion.

The Skepchick article that I linked to, was what I was referring to as 'intended as comedy'. Which Rebecca Watson says in the article was (mostly) intended with a tongue in cheek slant. I didn't make that clear enough that that is what I was referring to. Mea culpa.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

I agree that it was manufactured. I mean...what isn't? But that's fine. I like pop music. I like bubblegum stuff. It's fun.

I do not, however, think it's wrong to talk about how wrong it was what she did, and to discuss how unequal we are in placing blame.

[blackdwarv.livejournal.com]

Agreed. However, the act itself was just a small part of a large engine of promotion. And to blame it all on Miley seems ludicrous. Sure, she is the center of the bullseye on this, but there are plenty of promoters and managers who knowingly and willingly set this whole thing up. From the teddybears to the nude suit to the endless pearl-clutching in reaction. The VMAs have been about getting more and more controversial every year. This year, maybe they went to far...

...nah. They'll be doing something even more tasteless next year.

[saffronhare.livejournal.com]

Can't stop watching that baseball gif. Awesome!

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

TELL ME ABOUT IT.

In-fucking-credible.

[msmitti.livejournal.com]

that was a pretty spectacular catch. It looked like he just stuck his hand out, without any effort, to catch this ball that was traveling and what? 200 mph?

[redheadfae.livejournal.com]

It wasn't until I read this that I could figure out what just happened!

Thank you for both that blog with the soy lecithin article, and that article on Miley's performance.
APPLAUSE SO HARD!!
I am SO GLAD someone mentioned her smacking that woman's ass, because THAT bugged me far more than her shaking her own (and for the love of dance, will everyone please stop calling her stripper wobble "twerking" because it's not.)
Her "I'm so ghetto, check me out" all over almost everything she does now is truly sad. She's a Disney child, and yeh, like Britney, she's rebelling hard against that, but damn child, quit it. You look as ridiculous as the JoCo white boys playing at thug life.
I'm done with learning hip-hop, too. It's not a wonder we weren't greeted warmly by the groups we approached to learn it. NOW IT ALL MAKES SENSE TO ME.

Yay for new music, what a sweet thing for your friend to do.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

I'm avoiding coming down too hard on Miley herself not because she's blameless, but because she's twenty-one years old for godssake. Where were her handlers when these decisions were being made? Where was her agent? Her parents? ANYONE? And where is the outrage for Robin Thicke's equal participation in this debacle.

Humanity can suck my left tit.

But yes, Yay! for awesome people doing small, awesome things for each other.

[redheadfae.livejournal.com]

Her manager, Larry Rudolph, also managed Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan.

That explains a lot.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

YES YES IT DOES.

[alryssa.livejournal.com]

Oh, this explains SO MUCH. :/

[redheadfae.livejournal.com]

"Organic" he says.
"healthy" he says.

What a jackass. (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/earshot/miley-cyrus-evolution-is-organic-579958)

[alryssa.livejournal.com]

This guy needs a close conversation with a chainsaw.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

[redheadfae.livejournal.com]

The fucking sad part is that he's right in one way.. the old saw of "any publicity is good publicity".. but FFS this is a despicable use of young women.

I wouldn't be surprised to see her in the 27 Club (http://www.buzzfeed.com/daves4/15-other-musicians-who-died-at-age-27)in six years.

[alryssa.livejournal.com]

The corporate Disney Popstar Machine is truly relentless. :/

[nottygypsy.livejournal.com]

Dang and I had lots near my office today. LOTS (of chainsaws)

[msmitti.livejournal.com]

it is all so clear now!

[alryssa.livejournal.com]

I didn't watch the VMA's (I don't do awards shows... my ex-roomate was very into them however and they bore the pants off me as I'm not into celebrity worship at ALL) - but the reactions alone and the commentary have been a fascinating and (in terms of the descriptions of her performance) trainwrecky read. It's sadly very true, that one person pointed out, that white people using Black culture are seen as edgy or hip, while those same elements of culture are being used to justify young Black kids being shot in the street, as evidence that they 'deserved' it. Very sobering.

[zitronenhai.livejournal.com]

I love that baseball gif. And I will always love baseball, too.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]