“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!

The post Really a lot of thoughts on racism: A links round-up appeared first on Reading the End.

I also watched an episode of Star Trek: Discovery and it was x-tremely enjoyable and I was in favor of it. I have not seen other episodes of Star Trek: Discovery, but I am in full support of two hot people running around fighting with and for each other and traveling in time. Anyway! Have some links!

Real comfort food is epitomized by the house meal, that one meal that’s too weird for company and you’re making it because you are the only person who needs to be pleased by it. (link)

Participating in Tolkien fandom while Black is a constantly reminder of the racism within the canon (and also, like, society). (link)

Tressie McMillan Cottam broke my heart writing about Breonna Taylor’s post-it notes. (link)

What does it mean for something to be called “a people’s history”? (link)

We learn the rules for being a good person by talking about them with others. That is what makes Am I the Asshole such a valuable internet space. Maybe. (link)

Very excited that Ashley Reese has taken the time to explain Snapewives to me, as I was not in fandom at the time of this weird fucking phenomenon. (link)

Kamila Shamsie contemplates cultural appropriation and the American observer of the world. (link) Tajja Isen considers the place of sensitivity readers in the (mostly white) publishing landscape. (link)

Indoor dining: Will we ever do it again? (link)

The podcast You’re Wrong About explores the way we misremember news stories, and why. Featuring Monica Lewinsky, the Satanic Panic, and Kitty Genovese. (link)

Tolkien’s notes and papers offer a fascinating glimpse into the moral development of Boromir. (link)

Peak TV is already behind us. What we have now is a lot of mediocre filler produced by a veritable kakistocracy. (link)

Here at the end of the post I’d like to report that — speaking of mediocre filler — I’ve been watching Married at First Sight and have strong opinions about the likelihood that each couple is going to stay together. Let’s not think about that too much. I make other choices that are indisputably good, such as I did laundry yesterday and Tuesday, and on at least one of the evenings this week, I washed the dishes the selfsame night I dirtied them. Wow. What an impressive person.

The post HOUSE MEAL, a Revolutionary Concept: A Links Round-Up appeared first on Reading the End.