True Left

Comrade Confucius
@confucian_the
Men's clothing from the Majapahit Empire was cool AF. Far cooler (both figuratively and literally) than the stupid asexual Capitalist monkey suit.
I've even got an antique bronze men's ring from around that time period.

Gwen Stefani: "I Said, 'My God, I'm Japanese'"
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"I said, 'My God, I'm Japanese and I didn't know it.'" As those words seemed to hang in the air between us, she continued, "I am, you know." She then explained that there is "innocence" to her relationship with Japanese culture, referring to herself as a "super fan."

"If [people are] going to criticize me for being a fan of something beautiful and sharing that, then I just think that doesn't feel right," she told me. "I think it was a beautiful time of creativity… a time of the ping-pong match between Harajuku culture and American culture."
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I am a woman who has been called racial slurs because of her appearance, feared for her father’s safety as he traveled with her on New York City subways, and boiled with anger as grandparents were being attacked and killed because they were Asian. I envy anyone who can claim to be part of this vibrant, creative community but avoid the part of the narrative that can be painful or scary.

I spent 32 minutes in conversation with Stefani, many of them devoted to her lengthy answer to my question about Harajuku Lovers. In that time, she said more than once that she is Japanese. Allure’s social media associate (who is Asian and Latina) was also present for the interview and we were left questioning what we had heard. Maybe she misspoke? Again and again?
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I don’t believe Stefani was trying to be malicious or hurtful in making these statements. But words don’t have to be hostile in their intent in order to potentially cause harm, and my colleague and I walked away from that half hour unsettled. I wanted to better understand why.
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I asked Fariha I. Khan, Ph.D., codirector of the Asian American Studies Program at the University of Pennsylvania, to help clarify the line between inspiration or appreciation and appropriation. "Simply put, cultural appropriation is the use of one group’s customs, material culture, or oral traditions by another group," she said, and raises two important factors to consider: commodification and an unequal power relationship.

In terms of commodification, Stefani has certainly made a lot of money tapping into other cultures for inspiration. "A hit is a hit," Stefani told me, referencing the success of her Harajuku Mini children’s clothing line in Target from 2011 and her fashion line L.A.M.B. from 2003.
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And then there’s the power part: "When a group has been historically marginalized and/or racialized by another group, the issue of power is central to cultural appropriation," explains Dr. Khan. "The dominant group has the power to take (or appropriate) the marginalized group’s customs and practices and give these traditions meaning — without the original context or significance."

And the unequal power relationship between the person with the power (often a white person) and the group they claim to be part of can create negative repercussions for the latter — no matter the intentions of the former. "While I think [lack of awareness] is a valid reason, I don’t think it’s a valid excuse," says Angela Nguyen, MSW, a therapist at the Yellow Chair Collective, a psychotherapist group with an emphasis on serving the Asian American community.

"A white person doesn’t have to face the racism, prejudices, or discrimination that a Japanese, Mexican, or El Salvadorian person would have to face," continues Nguyen. "They can put on those bits of culture sort of like a costume." And that can lead to a diluted perception of the minority group, Nguyen explains. When it comes to the AAPI community, she says, "It can affect, first, how AAPI people are perceived and, second, how AAPI people perceive themselves."

I don’t like how condescending she sounded, nor do I like or agree with what she said. Gwen is untouchable

when she came out with her new look with those Japanese women, I literally lost all respect for that woman. I noticed even in the music videos that she treated them like pets... As if they were her personal dolls or some ****. Either way it was messed up. It's time she faces what she did! I have no issue with people exploring and appreciating others cultures but this bs is vial! These women were used as a gimmick to make some white lady richer than they could even imagine. Absolutely disgusting!

and they will gladly adopt her into the fold, they 'worship; at the alter of whitness...****

Wypipo always wanna take and culturally appropriate. Thieves for centuries.

Racism kills, and a new study on the potentially harmful effects of chemical hair straighteners has shown the paradox many nonwhite people face when forced to conform to white beauty standards.

Late last week, the National Institutes of Health released findings from a study that suggested women who use chemical hair straighteners could have a higher risk of developing uterine cancer than those who do not use them.

As NBC News reported:

    Women using chemical hair-straightening products are at a higher risk of uterine cancer than women who reported not using them, a new study by the National Institutes of Health found. Researchers noted that Black women may have a higher risk because they are more likely to use such products more frequently. A group of researchers with the NIH’s National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences looked at the hair care habits of more than 33,000 women and found that those who used chemical hair straightening products at least four times a year were more than twice as likely to develop uterine cancer.

Studies like this are precisely why activists and lawmakers have been demanding full passage of the Crown Act, a federal bill that would ban discrimination based on hair style and texture. The House passed the bill in March, but the Senate hasn't yet voted on it.

Conservatives like Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert, who mocked the Crown Act as the “bad hair bill,” have, ironically, made the argument for its necessity with their insulting actions.

Rest assured: Many Black people know not to take style advice from oppressive white folks like Boebert. But because people like her wield outsize influence in American society, many Black folks are forced to conform to a look they wouldn’t be caught dead wearing otherwise, just to gain access to jobs, competitive schools and anything else that could be kept from them.

It's what inspired me, in 2019, to create Black Hair Defined, a multimedia project designed to celebrate Black hairstyles, highlight their cultural significance, and encourage the Black people wearing them to reject claims about these styles’ inferiority.

Mandating or encouraging Black people to comb out their hair kinks could put them in harm's way — both mentally and physically. Ultimately, it’s a sick offer to make: “Black folks, you may be accepted into our exclusive groups if you agree to cover your head in cancer-causing chemicals. And to our liking, please — you know how we feel about frizz.”

This new study reinforces the very real dangers posed by hair discrimination. The Crown Act is needed now more than ever.

Reuter was born as Israel Beer Josaphat in Kassel, Electorate of Hesse (now part of the Federal Republic of Germany).[4] His father, Samuel Levi Josaphat, was a rabbi.
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In November 1891, Queen Victoria granted him (and his subsequent male-line successors) the right to use that German title (listed as Baron von Reuter) in Britain.[1][10]

(German) One who cleared land for tilling.
— Dictionary of American Family Names (1956) by Elsdon Coles Smith

Rutter or Roter, is the name of an ancient and influential family of Kingsley, where they owned considerable estates from the 13th to the 17th century (O.). The name of Rutter is now best represented amongst the farmers around Tarporley, which is only some seven or eight miles from Kingsley, so that we may repeat the remark made by Ormerod about 70 years ago "that the descendants are still living (as yeomen) and day labourers within the precincts of the feudal power of their ancestors." The name is also established in the counties of Northumberland, Durham, and Lincoln, and in the North and East Ridings of Yorkshire. As Rotar, Rotur, and Ruter, often preceded by "Le," it occurred in Shropshire, Oxfordshire, Hertfordshire, and in other counties in the 13th century (H. R.). Rutter is the old German word for a soldier (L.).

As West says evidence mounting of Moscow-Tehran military alliance, Iran’s FM claims he’s ‘against arming both Russia and Ukraine’

“I stressed to Mr. Borrell that if… it becomes clear to us that Russia has used Iranian drones in the war against Ukraine, we will definitely not be indifferent about this issue.”