Transcript Below The Cut:

What to do when you're not the hero any more

From Star Wars to Mad Max, a new, more diverse kind of storytelling went mainstream this year - and the backlash shows how much it matters.

The rage that white men have been expressing, loudly, violently, over the very idea that they might find themselves identifying with characters who are not white men, the very idea that heroism might not be particular to one race or one gender, the basic idea that the human story is vast and various and we all get to contribute a page - that rage is petty. It is aware of its own pettiness. Like a screaming toddler denied a sweet, it becomes more righteous the more it reminds itself that after all, it’s only a story.

Only a story. Only the things we tell to keep out the darkness. Only the myths and fables that save us from despair, to establish power and destroy it, to teach each other how to be good, to describe the limits of desire, to keep us breathing and fighting and yearning and striving when it’d be so much easier to give in. Only the constitutive ingredients of every human society since the Stone age.

Only a story. Only the most important thing in the whole world.

The people who are upset that the faces of fiction are changing are right to worry. It’s a fundamental challenge to a worldview that’s been too comfortable for too long. The part of our cultural imagination that places white Western men at the centre of every story is the same part that legitimises racism and sexism. The part of our collective mythos that encourages every girl and brown boy to identify and empathise with white male heroes is the same part that reacts with rage when white boys are asked to imagine themselves in anyone else’s shoes.

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Well. This just helped me identify certain feelings I've been repressing for aaaaages. *cough*bottommiddle*cough*

9 Questions Meme

I was tagged by wentworthsbitch.

1.What’s your name?

Jack!

2. What’s your URL?

carletoncolton

3. What’s your blog’s name?

I Know

4. Have a crush?

Uhm, in a way - on my BFF. Although, since my feelings in that direction are wholly platonic, it's probably more like a squish. ( ˘ ³˘) ♡ Casandra ❤

5. What’s your favorite color?

I can't choose, really. But black, red, and gold are always at the top of my list.

6. WRITE SOMETHING IN ALL CAPS:

PLEASE HIRE ME. ANYONE. PLEASE. *hurls an armful of cover letters and résumés into the wind*

7. Got a favorite band/singer?

Mm-hm, and it's Damon Albarn. I don't have to look for something to love in anything he does; it just presents itself all matter-of-factly. Blur, Gorillaz, his solo work, his operas, his film soundtracks... Hell, I even like the murmuring, circuitous way he talks.

8. Favorite number?

17, 27, 9... one of those.

9. Favorite drink?

I've been irrevocably seduced by coffee, I think, over the last few months. *gazes moodily into Star Trek mug*

Tag 10 other people:

Nine times out of ten I'd make my excuses when it comes to tagging, but ... this once, I figure I'll take my chances. So. Ten random followers I've never talked to, and wouldn't mind hearing a little bit about:

betteralwaysearly

ipackmycase

wristnipples

assassinofromeaor

endeavourmorsecod3

double-zero-agent-alison

hippiefreak23

lisaraiqiu

gnarlystarships

wanderingmind13

dragon age sideblog: andhers

day 23 - raphael santiago, shadowhunters happy pride month!

carletoncolton - Six Selfies of 2k14

Tagged by: nicegoth

Tagging:

11 Questions Meme

I was tagged by wentworthsbitch. ♥ ♡ ❤ (Third time’s the charm? A.K.A. carletoncolton reattempts the 11 Questions Meme.)

rule 1: always post the rules rule 2: answer the questions from the person who tagged you rule 3: tag 10 people and link them in your post rule 4: let them know you’ve tagged them

1. If you could be killed by any celebrity, who would it be and how would they do it? (yes they have to kill you shutup)

This one had me laughing facedown on my desk and then lying there drawing blank after blank for half the morning. Then I decided to approach this question logically and started researching celebrities with documented weapons training. After all, if I have to be murdered …

Right. So, after considering several likely candidates (Don’t read into my search history, NSA!), I settled on Lucy Liu. As a former student of kali-eskrima-silat, a traditional Filipino weapon-based system of martial arts emphasizing the use of blades, among other things, I’m confident she could have me crumpled in a pool of my own lifeblood before I could start running. And that’s really all that matters, right?

2. Whose face would you like to see on your currency besides the current old person that’s most likely on it?

Considering that only a scant few actual, non-allegorical, flesh and blood women have ever been printed/minted on US currency in all our history (and only Martha Washington on paper) … that would be a useful starting point for looking. I’d like to see Harriet Tubman on a bill, myself. Because disturbingly, but perhaps unsurprisingly, there hasn’t ever been a portrait of an African American featured on US paper money either. 3. If you were ever in London, where is the first place you’d wanna go?

I know absolutely nothing about London, really - not more than your average American does, anyhow. (Which, again, is basically nothing.) But if I know me, and do I ever, I’d make straight for the nearest decent-looking restaurant. 4. It’s 1am and you unexpectedly get kicked out. If money wasn’t a problem, what hotel would you stay at?

If money wasn’t an issue, I wouldn’t stay at a hotel - not here, anyway. I live in a small town in Michigan, so all we’ve got are a few chain hotels clustered together around our exit to US94. Red Roof Inn, that sort of thing. 5. What is your favorite post on tumblr of all times?

… Ummmmm.

6. You HAVE to pick ONE president to sleep with. You HAVE to. Who would you choose? (idc if youre not american answer it)

Ahaha … well. I’m demisexual, actually, so as far as the whole casual sex bit goes, I’ll pass. Every time. Even if I were to find myself in the (enviable?) position of being propositioned by a US president. If I just had to sleep with a president, though?

Another Google search I never thought I’d be making later …

James Buchanan. As the only US president to remain a lifelong bachelor, owing to either his heartbreak over a fiance’s untimely death and subsequent choice to remain celibate, or his possible asexuality or homosexuality (the strongest case can be made for the latter), he’s really the only one I’d feel even marginally safe in bed with. Best case scenario: heartwarming homo/demi sleepover complete with all the late-night philosophizing and snacking that comes with the territory. *stubbornly ignores his politics for the duration of this questionnaire* 7. Who’s your favorite character dressed in leather?

Zoë Alleyne Washburne! 8. Are you a mouthwash user?

Yes - it’s the least tedious part of the entire process, as far as I’m concerned. 9. When was the last time you went to a party? What was it for?

This is a little embarrassing (I’m a professional party avoider - depressingly, I’ve been to more funerals than parties this year), but it was my own birthday party in April. 10. A crack ship that is literally so crack you don’t even know why you ship it you just do?

I kinda wanna see Peter Jakes kiss Endeavour Morse and NO ID ON”T WNAT to talk about it. Ahem. 11. Do you find BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH ATTRACTIVE? I’M OFF AND ON ALL THE TIME, BUT I NEED TO KNOW GODDAMMIT. WHAT DO YOU THINK?

I do! Aesthetically. Though the first time I saw him, as Sherlock, I found the sort of skull-like aspect of his face … disquieting. I’m sure it has more to do with the dramatic way the production staff choose to light him for the first half-hour or so than the way he looks in life, but there was such an otherworldly, corpselike aura about him that I was genuinely worried about his health. Heh. （．＿．;)

Want an awesome Star Trek Backpack? Want it for free? Then this is the post for you!

It’s been a bit since my last giveaway, and I know everyone really likes the backpacks, so I thought I’d give one away!

There will be ONE prize: A custom backpack with the fabric of your choice! Or, if a backpack isn’t quite to your taste- any other bag in my shop! Awesome right?

To enter you are allowed ONE REBLOG and ONE LIKE per day. Each note gets you one entry and I’ll use a random number generator to pick the winner. (I’m not responsible for any tumblr fuckary i.e. lost reblog’s or likes.)

You do not have to follow me to enter- however, if you like Star Trek enough to wear a one of these backpacks, I’d say you have a good chance of liking my blog. Also if, when I select your name, I see you’re following me, you’ll get a little extra in your package!

And speaking of something extra: if you place an order between now and the deadline, use the coupon code 10STARTREK at my shop and get 10% off your order! 

The giveaway will close on Saturday June 22nd at 9PM PST. The winner will be tagged in a post and I’ll also send an ask, so be sure yours is open. The winner will have 24 hours to respond to the message. If I don’t receive a response within 24 hours, I will select another recipient.

Good luck!

I want to take a minute to rant about my favourite Firefox add-on

(Well. Second favourite. Shinigami Eyes is my favourite.)

Welcome to SponsorBlock.

SponsorBlock is a particularly sophisticated ad blocker for youtube that skips over promotional spots within youtube videos. You can customise it to allow, autoskip, or ask to skip various types of in-video promotion.

For example, I’m watching this video:

If you look down in the progress bar, you’ll see yellow segments highlighted for unpaid/self promotion (this is people telling you about their patreons, or new merch they have for sale, or new youtube series they’re making, stuff like that), and a green segment for paid promotion (for if they start ranting about skillshare or hellofresh or squarespace, you know the kind). I’ve got it set up so that SponsorBlock will automatically skip the paid promotion – I don’t even know who this guy’s sponsor is. But he’ll keep telling me about his new PO box unless I choose to skip it with a single button press. (You can set it up to autoskip this stuff to, if you prefer). Segments are user-submitted, so there’s no weird errors made by bots or anything. This is the cleanest, most ad-free youtube experience I’ve ever had; often I’ll forget I have this installed and be like ‘wow youtube’s been surprisingly good lately’.