Icon from a picrew by grgikau. Call me Tir or Julian. 37. He/They. Queer. Twitter: @tirlaeyn. ao3: tirlaeyn. 18+ Only. Star Trek. Sandman. IwtV. OMFD. Definitionless in this Strict Atmosphere.
Things that I knew about: that the mass incarceration of people in the USA , particularly black men, has direct ties to/is an extension of slavery. Things I did not know: this specific shit about Louisiana HOLY FUCK this is evil.
The contradiction between what we were playing and reality is this: Oftentimes we worked until two or three in the morning. We’re not the only company still shooting, but, yeah, we’re late. Cars are going through the gate, the arm comes down. There’s a line of cars. Then when I get there, the gate comes down and security says to me, “Open your trunk.” I said, “No. Why? All these other cars just … Why? What do you think I have in this Volkswagon Rabbit? What’s in there, the Defiant?” What I’m trying to say is that the contradiction, or the paradox of it all, we can’t get away from. You see what I mean? I wish sometimes that were true; that the fact I played Sisko would make some kind of difference on the street. No, only on the screen. The contradictions are evident. They are inescapable in a way.”
Avery Brooks, quoted in, The Fifty-Year Mission - The Next 25 Years, Volume 2, Edward Gross, Mark A. Altman
Prison labor is a problem we need to address soon.
Convicts in prison should have to work like the rest of us.
You mean like slavery?
No, we’re giving them 3 meals and a bed, at our expense, while they just sit around and watch TV. They should have to work!
Right. Like slavery.
It’s not like slavery!
Can they leave?
No.
Can they refuse work?
No.
So how exactly isn’t this slavery?
We DO pay them!
Do we pay in accordance with labor laws?
No. We pay them between 33 cents and $1.41/hour with a maximum daily wage below $5, then take up to half of that as room&board fees and victim compensation.
Below URL image reads “fun bonus fact: enough of our labor market currently relies on labor at these depressed rates, that it has a substantial downward pressure on both wages and job availability in low-skilled sectors. Immigrants aren’t taking your jobs. Slavery is.
End description.
I’d also like to add it’s not just private prisons. It’s also private detention centers where ICE keeps the immigrants.
-fae
The constitution even acknowledges that it’s still slavery
a hefty chunk of items with that ‘made in america’ sticker are in fact made by prison labor
at the very least anything that is a product of prison labor should be required to have a similar sticker to inform consumers they are taking part of this system, which is difficult to track because prison made manufactured goods include almost the entire uniform of a US soldier, road construction in most southern states, and agricultural goods sold in most stores
this…. looks familliar
Prison is just covert slavery and that’s why they wanna keep so many black people in there for the smallest offences.
This is insane
(Just to clarify, I’m not saying you’re wrong. I’m just giving you more information because you’re right, and I like your blog, and I want you to have sources in case you need them.)
It’s not even covert. It’s blatant and overt. It’s even called slavery in the constitution.
“Slavery is illegal except as punishment for a crime.”
Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
People just don’t care because they think it’s all murderers and rapists, despite the fact that the number of violent criminals in jail is so small it might as well be negligible.
As of September 30, 2009 in federal prisons, 7.9% of sentenced prisoners were incarcerated for violent crimes,[39] while at year end 2008 of sentenced prisoners in state prisons, 52.4% had been jailed for violent crimes.[39] In 2002 (latest available data by type of offense), 21.6% of convicted inmates in jails were in prison for violent crimes. Among unconvicted inmates in jails in 2002, 34% had a violent offense as the most serious charge. 41% percent of convicted and unconvicted jail inmates in 2002 had a current or prior violent offense; 46% were nonviolent recidivists.[46]
It’s literally slavery, just dumbass racists and capitalists don’t care enough to figure out why we’re calling it that.
-fae
Actually, no, I got something to add and it’s this video by Knowing Better on Youtube:
Slavery is baked into the US American system so much more firmly than anyone ever really acknowledges.
There’s a very good and very hard-hitting documentary about it on Netflix
I don’t care about convincing every cis person to drop their prejudices against trans people I care about taking away their power and ability to act on those prejudices in ways that harm us
“If a white man wants to lynch me, that’s his problem. If he’s got the power to lynch me, that’s my problem. Racism is not a question of attitude; it’s a question of power. Racism gets its power from capitalism. Thus, if you’re anti-racist, whether you know it or not, you must be anti-capitalist. The power for racism, the power for sexism, comes from capitalism, not an attitude.”
On this day, 13 May 1985, Philadelphia police attacked the home of Black liberation and environmentalist group MOVE with automatic weapons, then dropped a bomb on it, killing five adults and six children, destroying 61 homes in the predominantly Black neighbourhood, and making 250 people homeless.
Almost 500 police officers fired over 10,000 rounds of ammunition into the house, which was filled with women and children, while other officers blew holes in the walls with explosives. The police commissioner then ordered the house to be bombed, which they did using an improvised device made from C4 given to them by the FBI.
Only two people survived the blast and ensuing fire: Ramona Africa, and Michael Ward, aged 13. While no officials were prosecuted, Ramona Africa was subsequently jailed for seven years on riot and conspiracy charges. The incident occurred during the tenure of Philadelphia’s first Black mayor, a Democrat named Wilson Goode.
The children killed were named Katricia Dotson (Tree), Netta, Delitia, Phil, and Tomasa Africa and the adults were Rhonda, Teresa, Frank, CP, Conrad, and John Africa.
In April 2021, it was revealed that anthropologists at Princeton and the University of Pennsylvania had the bones of one of the children, unbeknownst to the families.
*
Learn more about institutional white supremacy in the police in this book: https://shop.workingclasshistory.com/products/the-end-of-policing-alex-s-vitalehttps://www.facebook.com/workingclasshistory/photos/a.296224173896073/1986639618187845/?type=3
“No matter how angry you get, you try and remain calm. If you raise your voice even a little — regardless of what you say or how you say it — you are instantly labeled an ‘angry Black woman’ and judged wrongly, even when you’re right.”
“My mother taught me to ALWAYS ask for a bag and receipt, no matter how small the purchase, or you can be accused of stealing.”
“As a Black woman in a predominantly white area, I make a point of approaching staff first in stores when I walk in. I ask an innocuous question in a friendly, high-pitched voice, even if I don’t need anything. They seem to feel safer around me and do not follow me around when I do that first.”
“As a Black woman, I usually keep my college jacket in the car. If I have to go to the emergency room, I’ll receive better treatment if doctors see that I have a higher education.”
“I’m from Louisiana where they still have 'sundown towns.’ Avoid them at all costs, but if you have to pass through at night, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A FULL TANK OF GAS so that you don’t have to stop.”
“I am a Black woman, relatively new to my mostly white neighborhood. When I take a walk for exercise, I always walk in the middle of the street, not too close to houses on either side. I wear reflective gear and avoid staring too closely at any of the houses. I often think of Ahmaud Arbery while I’m walking.”
“I was taught to be an overachiever because no one expects a Black woman to be smart and well-spoken. I’m not expected to have a voice in anything, and many are shocked when I do. They are astounded when I can verbalize my thoughts and opinions in multi-syllable words. Melanin and ovaries do not cancel out intelligence and reason.”
“As a Black man, my father taught me, when being pulled over by the police, to pull your insurance and registration out of the glovebox and keep it ready on your seat. That way, you do not have to reach in the glovebox when the police are at your window.”
“Never EVER put your hands in your pockets while walking around a store. If you don’t want to give them a reason to follow you around or call the police, your hands need to be visible at all times.”
“As a Black man, never get into an elevator with a woman alone. Always wait for the next one.”
“Something I know I have to be careful of in public (as a person mixed with white and Black) is remembering which parent I’m with and how to act. This is called code-switching. I have to make sure I act okay so I’m not labelled as 'ghetto’ with my mom or 'white-washed’ with my dad.”
“No matter how cold or windy it is, my hood stays off, and my earbuds/headphones stay off my ears.”
“As a Black man who loves hip-hop, I often have to censor the music that I listen to so I won’t be judged as a 'thug.’”
“As a Black man, if there is a white woman in line, you stand back far enough so you cannot touch her by mistake or be accused of touching her.”
“Knowing that I’ll be followed when shopping in high-end stores, I have product-related questions prepared for when they invariably ask me if I need assistance. Replying with 'No thank you, I’m just browsing’ makes their suspicion jump, and suddenly, I have an unofficial entourage. I’m a college-educated Black man about to turn 40, but I still have to play these sorts of silly games. It can be very exhausting.”
“As a Black woman who works a swing shift and gets off work at 11 p.m., I will not take off my badge until I get inside my garage. I need to have a layer of protection to prove I’m not up to no good in case I get pulled over.”
“When meeting with executives or high-ranking officials where appropriate attire would be business casual for others, I wear full business attire. I’ve found that when I dress more formally, I receive more eye contact, head-nodding, and enthusiasm during conversations. This happens consistently.”
“I work in the hospital. Any time I get a patient out of bed, and they ask me to move their purse, I make sure it remains in their sight as I move it. I also hope that it’s a room with a camera, just in case any discrepancy comes up.”
“Don’t wear any jewelry/sunglasses of the brand where you are shopping in-store. As a Black woman, I’ve had an employee rip Gucci shades off my head (they were mine) and tell me not to stretch the merchandise.”
“Never let your kids play with toy guns.”
And finally, “I find myself begging to get adequate medical care for the autoimmune disease and pain I deal with. Pain in Black folks is viewed much differently than in white people. It blows my mind how a lot of people don’t realize that Black people get the short end of the stick in healthcare.”
Thinking about Frenchie, Oluwande and Roach as names… And both the tragedy and the privilege of being mixed/having lighter skin
Out of the three Black men in the Revenge, Oluwande is the only one who has a real name. He’s also the only one who has a last name (Boodhari). That, paired with the fact that he seems utterly unused to experiencing racism (his shock at the french person’s comment during the party) and the fact that he’s the darkest-skinned one out of the three, makes me think that Oluwande probably came from a relatively safe Black community. Maybe a quilombo or maybe he’s African and from a tribe that hadn’t been torn to shreds before he was born. Either way, Oluwande comes from a place where he’s fully human; he has a last name, he has a real name. He knows what it’s like to live relatively unaware of how much white people hate him
(Which is then, of course, lost; and because he didn’t grow up in that environment, and because he is so dark-skinned, he is the most vulnerable one now, and the one who, in the eyes of white people, needs to be put in his place the most. I want to make it very clear that I’m not trying to imply Oluwande is privileged here; but he is in a unique position as a person of color, especially in that time, and that comparison makes the violence the other two went through even more visible)
Compare that to Roach. Roach as a name is so utterly horrifying, and it leaves a bad taste in my mouth every time I talk about him. Which I think is absolutely intentional. It’s racism in its purest form, and you have to be uncomfortable about it. You can’t talk about Roach without thinking, to some level, about the horrors of racism and colonization
And also… Roach doesn’t have a last name
This, of course, tracks down historically - enslaved people were denied their last names. And having no last name while living in the Western world is having no history, no family, no origin. It’s being denied community and family and culture and richness. Someone without a last name is alone in Western society. And someone named Roach and only Roach… Well, they’re nothing. From the moment Roach was born, as a dark-skinned Black man who definitely came from a colonized environment, he was put in his place as less-than
And then you have Frenchie. Frenchie was named after the people who colonized his people, and that is fucking awful. Especially considering that Frenchie also doesn’t have a last name. So no connection to his own history or culture; all that’s left is the culture that hates him. Frenchie was born to be assimilated: forget your culture, forget your roots, spend your whole life trying to be like your colonizer
Except, of course, you’ll never actually be accepted by them. He’s not a Frenchman. He’s Frenchie. It’s derisive, it’s scornful. Forget who you are, but don’t forget that you’re also not really one of us. Embrace us, but remember, we won’t embrace you
(And if you’ve studied French colonial history - or read Black Skin, White Masks by Frantz Fanon - you know that the fact that he’s named after France absolutely cannot be a coincidence. That was the modus operandi of French colonialism down to the bone. Give your colonized French status, force them to trade their culture for yours, assimilate them in such a way that they might actually believe they are indeed Frenchmen; but never see their lives as equal or them as real Frenchmen)
So, Frenchie’s name is a tragedy and also leaves a horrible taste of colonialism, of culture denial, of assimilationism in my mouth. It reminds me of my own grandfather being taken away from his people and taking years to even find out the name of his tribe; it’s horrible, and painful in a way that’s hard to even put into words
At the same time, he’s not Roach
Because Frenchie is also too light-skinned to be anything that isn’t mixed, and so his name doubles - it’s about colonialism and assimilationism, yes, but it’s also being closer to being acceptable to white society. Frenchie can be a Frenchman, kinda; there is some space for him, if he forever accepts the abuse and violence that comes with not being white in that environment. Roach isn’t even offered this choice; his skin is not light enough for him to be human in the colonizer’s eyes. He could never be seen as even on the vicinity of French men. To them, he’s just a roach
It’s a good balance, I think, of tackling the privilege of light skin versus the horrible lack of belonging and the fact that said privilege is born out of violence that’s carved on your skin into the bone. A commentary made even better by the presence of Oluwande, reminding us that the best thing to be is neither Roach nor Frenchie - the best thing to be is Oluwande Boodhari, a full person, with a real name, with a family and history and a sense of belonging; and who’s not used to being treated as lesser than. And in that, OFMD also reminds us to have solidarity, and to not aim for crumbs of acceptance, but for the whole thing
(In this setting, Oluwande feels almost like a fantasy. Being whole, being unused to violence, having history and pride as a person of color. Which again, is not to say he’s privileged, because as the darkest-skinned one he’s the biggest target. But there’s something… Just amazing about seeing this man be so whole despite that)
And it’s really a nice balance of drawing solidarity while also pointing out privilege; having both what makes them similar and what makes them different; pointing out that no violence is better or acceptable; and encouraging that people band together instead of tearing each other apart. Plus commentary on history, racism, and assimilationism. It’s really so well done, and it blows my mind that they managed to fit so much commentary into nothing but their names
Hope you don’t mind me taking your tags because I actually forgot to talk about this!
So I want to first point out an important distinction, which is that those names are ostensibly and clearly nicknames and pirate names. We know that BlackBeard’s legal name is Edward Teach. We know that Buttons’ name is Nathaniel (the seagull, Olivia, calls him that). We know that Black Pete chose his own pirate name, and that his legal name is, presumably, Peter. We know that the Gentleman Pirate is Stede Bonnet and that he chose that for himself; we even know that Wee John’s legal name is John Feeney despite him being probably the most minor character in the whole crew. And even Oluwande himself has a nickname, as he’s called Olu, but we still know his full name is Oluwande Boodhari
With Frenchie and Roach, we have nothing to call them but Frenchie and Roach. Those might be nicknames, they might not; I’m not saying they are definitely their legal names (I think they probably don’t have legal names, since they don’t have last names, but that’s conjecture on my part). But it doesn’t actually matter whether or not they are, because they are the only thing they are ever called, and that makes those, for all intents and purposes, their names. It doesn’t matter if those are nicknames or not because they are reduced to these names, and as Black men living in the Western world, these names cannot be detached from their identities and the racism they face, and the history behind their every existence
The only other character who has a nickname whose name we never learn is The Swede, and the Swede is probably the most minor character other than Wee John. His only plotline is when he gets scurvy and even then he has like, 3 lines about it. He doesn’t get a name outside of his nickname, but that makes sense because the Swede is that guy you don’t know very well who’s a friend of a friend; you don’t learn much about him. Frenchie and Roach are way more relevant/present characters, and even other characters who are less relevant than them, but white (such as Wee John) explicitly have other names
So basically the options here are either that those are the only names they ever had, or that they are nicknames. And nicknames are usually given by other people, and in this context, most likely white people. And upon receiving these nicknames, their other names ceased to exist, and they never got to be anything but Roach and Frenchie again
Both of these options circle back to my analysis, which is that they have been reduced to these names due to racism, and that this is commentary on racism, colorism, and colonialism
There is also a third option, which is that they chose those names for themselves; I don’t tend to think that’s the case but that’s my gut feeling. I definitely don’t think Frenchie would have chosen this name for himself, especially considering his derision for colonizers. But even if they did, then this means that these facts about their identities (Roach’s less-than-ness and Frenchie’s liminar place as both a Frenchman and someone who could never be a real Frenchman) are so important to them they became their most important sense of self, and what they identify themselves by. This also cannot be detached from the lives they have lived as Black men in the Western world
So basically, the history behind how they got these names and the legal status of the names may vary, but it doesn’t matter because it’s still the direct result of the racial and cultural context they were raised in, and the specific types of violence they have faced in this environment
adding the definition of social-emotional learning here was an unintentional own
Can we fucking look at some examples of this “indoctrination.’
This is a page from a 1st grade math textbook (enVision Florida B.E.S.T. Mathematics Grade 1), showing that there are more than one way to reach the same conclusion by doing what makes most sense to the individual; that there is no right or wrong way of doing so.
The NY Times reviewed 27 of Florida’s prohibited textbooks and found that, “In most of the books, there was little that touched on race, never mind an academic framework like critical race theory.“ [link to article]
I could go on about the dark and drastic consequences of taking away social-emotional learning, but I won’t derail the post.
The fact that “teaching children how to think for themselves instead of following extra-rigid guidelines” counts as “indoctrination” into some leftist cult of wokeness or something is uh…fucking horrifying.
is it that or is it that it features a white girl and a black boy on the same page
