Well, we have come to the end of another week, and as such we must read some links and think about the world. I am writing this post whilst finally watching WandaVision, and you may expect that my next links round-up will contain lots of links about WandaVision, because I am enjoying it tremendously thus far. Also Teyonah Parris is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. I gasp every time she smiles. Anyway, have some links!
“It’s disingenuous to say their race doesn’t matter in this world, when the most prominent and numerous people are white.” On the racial casting choices of Bridgerton. https://observer.com/2021/01/bridgerton-sees-race-through-a-colorist-lens/ And along the same lines: If Bridgerton wanted Black aristocracy, why didn’t they portray Haiti? (link)
Repressed memories, implanted memories, false memories: How did the narrative around these things develop in psychology, and is it merited? (cw: child sexual abuse and CSA apologism) (link)
This GQ story of the 2020 capture of a Rwandan war criminal who has evaded justice for decades was extremely fascinating. (It does talk about the Rwandan genocide, and early in the article there’s some disturbing descriptions of the violence in that period.) (link)
I just can’t get enough of profiles and interviews with Amanda Gorman, whose performance was an absolute standout in the inauguration. (link)
“To tell a student that ‘said’ is her only option is ‘not to teach her to write better, but to teach her whose writing is better,’ Salesses argues.” An interview with Matthew Salesses, author of the new book Craft in the Real World. (link)
This is a fascinating, and horrifying, deep dive into the story of a German doctor accused of sexually assaulting vulnerable HIV patients for decades. (link)
“The character of a distributed, rules-optional game isn’t made of paper and ink, stony tropes or immovable stereotypes. First and foremost, it reflects the character of its players.” On racism in D&D. (link)
Namwali Serpell considers the racial politics of Soul and the tradition of race-transformation tales in American cinema. (link)
The Rahm Emmanuel Livejournal fan community is an embarrassing relic of the days when many liberals uncritically idolized political figures. WERE WE EVER SO YOUNG. (link)
Reading Sara Ahmed’s work always requires a lot of focus from me (her language is simple but her ideas are dense), but it’s invariably worth it for gems like this: “Reconciliation can be experienced as the enforcement of communication.” (link)
Who gets to escape into fandom? (White people! It’s white people.) (link)
Joshua Yehl considers the case of Harry Potter fandom and how, if at all, it’s possible now to ethically engage with JK Rowling’s work. (link)
“How many women—one, two, fifty, ten thousand, more—will we sacrifice to the ravenous maw of men’s promise?” Carmen Maria Machado on Promising Young Woman. (link)
AOC refuted the lies that Republicans want to tell about what happened on 1/6 of this year. (link)
The invention (and consequences) of printing books. (link)
“The fact that Levinson, who is white, has decided to deploy Washington, who is Black, as a shield for his rhetorical bomb-throwing inspires enough eye-rolling to power a household appliance.” Soraya Nadia McDonald on Malcolm and Marie. (link)
“Knowing that some people are already invested in the characters does mean you can skip straight to being very nasty to them.” The best line of an excellent interview with Emily Tesh, Everina Maxwell, and A. K. Larkwood. (link)
“They want to be safe from us, but they don’t want us to be safe from them.” On policing library patrons. (link)
What have y’all been reading this week? Books, internet articles? Tell me everything!