The Uighurs are mostly Muslims, and number about 11 million in western China’s Xinjiang region. They see themselves as culturally and ethnically close to Central Asian nations, and their language is similar to Turkish.
But
in recent decades, there’s been a mass migration of Han Chinese
(China’s ethnic majority) to Xinjiang, and the Uighurs feel their
culture and livelihoods are under threat.
Nowhere in the world, not even in North Korea, is the population
monitored as strictly as it is in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region.
Oppression has been in place for years, but has worsened massively in recent months.
- Uighurs can no longer openly practice Islam
- Men are not allowed to wear beards. Exception only for old people
- They can no longer learn their native language at school
- They cannot move freely around the country and cannot leave it
- All mosques have been turned into shops and office centers
Beijing has also turned
Xinjiang into a security state that is extreme even by China’s
standards, being a police state itself. The provincial government has recruited over
90,000 police officers in the last two years alone - twice as many as
it recruited in the previous seven years.
At the same time, Beijing is equipping the far-western region with
state-of-the-art surveillance technology, with cameras illuminating
every street all over the region, from the capital Urumqi to the most
remote mountain village. Iris scanners and WiFi sniffers are in use in
stations, airports and at the ubiquitous checkpoints - tools and
programs that allow data traffic from wireless networks to be monitored.
Checkpoints are installed in every district of the city. In simple terms, you can not get from one area of the city to another without passing the checkpoint and the police.
The data is then collated by an “integrated joint operations
platform” that also stores further data on the populace – from consumer
habits to banking activity, health status and indeed the DNA profile of
every single inhabitant of Xinjiang.
Anyone with a potentially suspicious data trail can be detained. The
government has built up a grid of hundreds of re-education camps. Tens
of thousands of people have disappeared into them in recent months.
“Qu xuexi,” meaning to go or be sent to study, is one of the most common expressions in Xinjiang these days. It is a euphemism for having been taken away and not having been seen or heard from since. The “schools” are re-education centers in which the detainees are being forced to take courses in Chinese and patriotism, without any indictment, due process or a fair hearing.
Xinjiang, one of the most remote and backward regions in booming China,
has become a real-life dystopia. It provides a glimpse of what an
authoritarian regime armed with 21st century technology is capable of.
Uighurs are very intimidated and refuse to talk to the press, even if they miraculously escaped the country.
What’s happening in China is terrible. Maybe some people finally realize that the
concentration
camps are the reality of our time. There are concentration camps in America too. Don’t forget that.
Glad I learned about this in school. I’m sure not many people have though, so here. It’s terrible.
The situation with Chinese internment camps for the Uighur people is only going to become more aggressive unless they are pressured from other countries. For that to happen more people need to be informed on what’s happening, but unfortunately the nature of Chinese security makes it difficult to find a plethora of first hand sources, apparently.
If you’d rather listen to a basic outline of the problem, here’s a very well done conversation piece from Chris Hayes’s podcast, Why is This Happening.
Hey, I’m sorry to make these kinds of posts but we’re now two months behind on rent and the apartment complex is starting to get upset. I’m in the middle of job interviews and I’ve got some good prospects but we’re also really low on food.
SO, I’m offering $5 tarot readings! I do a 3 card reading, and I’ve been told I do pretty good interpretations for folks!! Just shoot me a message, and my venmo is @ ChaoticJamie
Anything helps, I hope you guys have a good day!!!
I did another post on this topic last year, but I thought it could use an update with some more books! And yes, the last post had people repeatedly adding on queer books by white people, so I’m a bit salty about it.
I’m not transcribing all the text, but you can find the titles, authors, information on TW, etc beneath the cut.
When possible, I’m linking to my database of queer books. The page for each book includes the synopsis, content warnings under spoiler tags, and links to reviews from queer readers. If it’s not in the queer database at the time of posting (8/24/19), I’ll link to Goodreads instead.
[Queer science fiction and fantasy books by authors of color (these are mostly authors i’ve read there are more than this)
Fairytale princess, sapphic versions
Beauty and the Beast In the Vanisher’s
Palace by Aliette de Bodard
Beauty = failed scholar. Beast = single dragon mother of 2. Beauty is brought in to tutor dragon kids, adorable. Vetnamese world building.
Cinderella Ash by Malinda Lo
Bi main character, love triangle with both male and female love interest.
By sapphic book queen Malinda Lo.
The Little Mermaid The Little Homo Sapiens Scientist by S. L. Huang
Human scientist studying mermaids, falls in love with one. Mermaids are like lol what is gender.
Alternate history history + magic + queer people of color = awesome
Everfair by Nisi Shawl
Steampunk set in the Congo. Sapphic women! What if English socialists and African American missionaries tried to create a utopia in the Belgian Congo?
Dread Nation by Justina Ireland
Zombies and the reconstruction period. Bi black girl fighting zombies and racism. There’s an enemies to friendship arc with an ace girl! Young adult!
Historical fantasy
The Gilda Stories by Jewelle Gomez
Black lesbian vampire! Sort of like short stories set over the main character’s immortal existence? Set in the US, goes from the 1800s to the future.
The True Queen by Zen Cho
Diversity in Regency Englang with magic! Main character is all “woe is me the pretty girl I like (but I don’t realize I like yet) is into this guy” and you’re like “no no sweetheart, she likes you”
The Devourers by Indra Das
Mughal India with bi werewolves! Genderfluid narrator. Anti-colonialist and super feminist. For your information it’s super dark so look up trigger warnings.
Dystopia + Fantasy
We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia
Young adult, sort of fantasy but no magic. Enemies to lovers. Sapphic Latina protagonist, deals with immigration issues. For your information the audio book version is to die for.
Smoketown by Tenea D. Johnson
Subtle, art as magic. City afraid of birds. If you’ve read Charles de Lint it’s sort of like his stuff. Centers black lesbians.
Short stories There’s also some A+++ stories free online (legal!!!) link below the cut
Falling in Love With Hominids by Nalo Hopkinson
Really good collection omg. There’s this one dystopia one that scarred itself into my brain. Nalo Hopkinson is a Jamaican-Canadian queer woman and her stuff is awesome.
The Fox’s Tower and Other Tales by Yoon Ha Lee
Flash fiction fairy tales!!! They’re really pretty and really queer. Also lots of characters using they/them pronouns for your information.
Love Beyond Body, Space & Time, edited by Hope Nicholson
Queer Native Science-Fiction Fantasy collection, all by queer authors. My fave is Darcie Little Badger’s. it’s like two space sapphics bonding over taking care of little dogs it’s so freaking adorable.
Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado
Super literary, super feminist, super queer. Please Please read “The Husband stitch“, it’s metal as fuck and will emotionally destroy you with its feminist power.
Second World Fantasy
Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan
Young adult fantasy. F/f East Asian inspired world building. Main Character is taken as a concubine for a demon king, falls in love with one of the other concubines.
Beneath the Citadel by Destiny Soria
Young adult fantasy that’s sorta heist like. Queer rep includes: gay boy, bi boy, ace girl. Cinty that’s obsessed with prophecy.
Witchmark by C. L. Polk
Gaslamp fantasy. Feels like fantasy version of post WW1. Main character is gay dude with *secret magical powers*. Also he’s a war vet with PTSD and we stan mental health rep.
Science Fiction For some reasons I have way more fantasy recs than sci-fi? But here’s some sci-fi!
The Prey of Gods by Nicky Drayden
Rep includes a black cis queer boy getting a crush on his friend a white trans woman having gender realizations. Set in future South Africa.
An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon
Dark as fuck- a generation ship that’s like the US south before the civil war? Main character is a black, intersex, nonbinary woman with a nonbinary trans woman love interest.
Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee
Military space opera. Bunch of chaotic queers trying to bring down an oppressive government. Basically everyone is queer.
Urban Fantasy
The Root by Na’amen Gobert Tilahun
Urban Fantasy with a little bit of portal fantasy? Main Character is a black gay dude who discovers he has magic powers because he’s the descendant of Norse gods. Super diverse, tons of people of color and queer people.
Gods & Monsters Snake Eyes by Hillary Monahan
One of the weirdest books I’ve ever read I swear to god. Main character is like a snake woman who’s forced to help her monstrous mom kill people? Also the author is Roma and has some contemporary stuff with Roma rep.
Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova
Okay so this one’s maybe more portal fantasy than urban fantasy? It’s this Latina witches story with sisters and family and a bi main character.]
This is the most incredible time of year - the end of English Summer. The heather in full bloom at the end of August on the Quantock Hills. Get to a moor before the bloom ends!
(I cross mine from R to L, but Jake does his straight through)
I was watching a kdrama and they were tallying a vote and I was just like: 😍😍😍😍
Cus I’d never considered the cultural implications of tally marks. Lol, I just thought lines to five are lines to 5, ya know? Then I read the whole wiki page and now I want to learn more!
Are there other ways? How do you make tallies? Tell me moooooooore lol ^-^
Dear girls, be intensely wary of men considerably older than you obsessed with “mentoring” you. They’re most likely trying to groom you. Speaking from experience.
I want to make it clear I’m not just speaking to underage/teen girls. Any younger girl, and this can happen to not that young women as well.
Just because the guy isn’t technically a pedophile, doesn’t make him any less predatory. When you’re in your 20s you may not be a kid anymore, but you’re not fully developed as an adult either. You’re still vulnerable to predators who have the advantage of more experience and thus tools you don’t yet have, in addition to the other advantage of power imbalance due to gendered relations.
A man who wants to be your mentor, especially if he says he wants to “shape” you or anything similar, is a man who’s trying to turn you into his puppet, to make you “develop” (be molded) into the girl/woman that serves his pleasure, even if not directly sexual.
There’s predators who get off on the intellectual performance of the younger female objects of their obsessions. There’s predators who get off on your social development fitting their not-necessarily sexual fantasies. There’s predators who get off on the idea of taking a depressed girl and becoming her “savior”.
There’s people who get off to feet and fucking statues, you best believe there’s predators who get immense satisfaction from mental games against vulnerable girls/women even if they’re not (directly) sexual. And even if those things aren’t sexual at all to you, it will fuck you up. Because you’ll know or feel that you’re being used against your will, that you’re not being treated as a human, you’ll feel trapped, you’ll feel controlled, you’ll feel hopeless and disgusted with what he’s turning you into.
It’s about control, it’s about possession, it’s about ownership of who you are, it’s about having the perfect doll to play with.
It’s about you becoming mentally, emotionally, intellectually, socially dependent on them. It’s about a boost of their egos.
Regardless of your age, but especially if you’re considerably younger than him, and you see signs of him being fixated on this, RUN AS SOON AS YOU CAN.
Can people reblog this version? Because I’m tired of people who supposedly care about abuse victims dropping any concern and compassion for female victims of grooming as soon as a girl turns 18 like she wasn’t a literal kid five minutes ago.
this happens a lot in college and the workplace, sometimes with guys only a few years older, sometimes with freakin professors/bosses. to start with, what gives them the right to assume you even need/want their help? they think they’re smarter than you and really don’t care if you could get there on your own, they just want to feel big. ALWAYS be careful
honestly, the thing bout depression is that everything makes me want to nap. virtually any trick from anyone to “wake up” my dumbass brain will transform into an excellent reason to go lie down
take a shower so you’re alert? clean and comfy, the sheets would feel so nice, perfect time for a nap
eat some food so you have energy? nice full belly, time for some rest
go for a walk outside to break grogginess? need to take a break after that and lie down in bed
exercise to get blood flowing? there goes all my energy for the day! definitely time to sleep
meet up with a close friend? maybe I could curl up on their couch
spending time with my girlfriend? lets lie down and cuddle
reading or researching? I could lie down while I read and maybe nap after the next chapter
writing? definitely earned a nap after writing two pages
coffee? I could go back to sleep after that easy
something just scared me and my adrenaline’s racing? time to lock myself in my room and get under covers until I feel safe and then pass out from overstimulation and exhaustion
