New book details the struggle of a blonde white thin girl to find love in reverse racism world

http://racebending.tumblr.com/post/28112744536/save-the-pearls-is-a-vanity-published-ya-novel

“Save the Pearls” is a vanity published YA novel trying to bill itself as the next “The Hunger Games.” The publisher says that “‘Save the Pearls turns the tables on racism.’”

It uses blackface as a plot device.

In author Victoria Foyt’s futuristic world, no one wants to mate with white people—or “pearls”—considered to be the ugliest humans oppressed by people of color. In order to survive, they must put on blackface make up to be attractive to the ruling class of “coals.” Hoyt explains: “their stunningly dark skin that carries the greatest amount of melanin…makes them the strongest, most powerful race alive.” The protagonist is a white girl who must smear her face with “midnight luster” make up in order to protect herself from radiation and in order to look beautiful to the oppressive “coals” in hopes that they will mate with her.

I have no fucking words for this. >_<

First, if this is reverse racism world, why are white people being referred to as a precious stone and black people referred to as "coals"? -_- Sure, you could claim it's to show just how backwards this world is! But more likely it's to show the innate awesomeness of white people and to imply the innate value of white people that's being unjustly ignored.

Secondly, seriously, with so few unconventionally attractive heroines in fiction, we need a book about the poor oppressed thin blonde white girl who struggles through "racism" to find true love?

Thirdly, the "look at this horrible future where a blonde thin white girl who would be a model is seen as ugly! How awful a world that would think this!" is SUCH a f-ed up message. >_<

Fourthly, I always hate when privileged people have escapist oppression fantasies. >_< Whether it's middle class white cis straight people lamenting that they don't live "interesting lives" like marginalized people, or MRAs and their oppression fantasies. If oppression is a fun fantasy to you, it says a lot about your privilege.

I'm also pretty pissed off about the constant "OPPRESSED WILL BECOME THE OPPRESSORS" crap in fiction, b/c it's a narrative that's used IRL to deny rights to marginalized people, and to dismiss our concerns.  "You just want to dominate and become the ones on top!"  "It's a slippery slope and then you'll take us over!" "You're as bad as us inside!"

I also always love the idea that if somebody MUST be on top (which I completely disagree w/ as a thing that must always happen anyways) it should be white, cis, straight, abled, etc people.  Like even as oppressors they are better, kinder oppressors than "we" would be.

Fifthly, that book sounds hella racist.
 
https://twitter.com/#!/search/realtime/%23savethewhites

Read these tweets for quote excerpts from the book. It's really an excuse to be racist to black people while saying "it's not racist for her to think such horrible thoughts about them b/c they are her oppressors in backwards upside down world!"

Sixthly, BLACKFACE IS HEROIC!!! GO HER!!!

Seventhly, that video actually has her in blackface.

Eighthly, as somebody who is currently struggling to get a date on OKC b/c I'm trans (And I know that I'm already very "lucky" in that I fit a lot of beauty standards) and face a lot of transphobic crap when ppl message me at all, that video to promote the book really pisses me off >_< Esp since of course the expected reaction is for men to go "OF COURSE I WOULD DATE HER!! SHE'S SO BEAUTIFUL! WHO WOULD THINK SHE'S UGLY?" and the expected reaction of white people is what I said above "what a f-ed up world where she's discriminated against!"

Ninthly, it's pretty sexist to equate her finding a husband as "saving" her. And the implication to men watching the video that by finding her attractive enough to f- you are "saving" her.

Tenthly, racism is all about people not wanting to date you. That's the biggest problem with racism.

I think the twist ending of the book should be there are no black ppl & it's all white ppl in blackface cluelessly oppressing each other. 

On Canada Day, the Toronto Star reminds me I'm being defined by the colour of my skin

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/1219639--a-markham-street-reveals-much-about-gta-ethnic-enclaves

(Markham is where I where I grew up and live... my family moved here before the boom, before it became 50% Asian and before it became rich. When I was a kid most stuff here was still farms and farmland)

This article is basically meant to make white Canadians feel good on Canada day that scary PoCs (specifically Asian people, the eternal foreigners who can never be trusted and never are "from here") are "integrating" and therefore safe, while of course reminding them that we're still different and kinda scary.

I'm born here, and I have no interest in gardening and I find "Canadian art" boring. My family has Chinese art on the walls. Am I not a real Canadian? Must I garden?

Do white people who don't garden, or can't garden, questioned about their Canadianess? Are they told that they need to "integrate" more (also wtf is this idea that non-white people can't garden!?)

The big thing about that story is essentially the "good immigrant" is one who is helpless, wants to be more Canadian, struggles, and is taught by the benevolence of their white neighbours how to be more Canadian. We're supposed to be dependent, not independent b/c that's scary. If we hung our own art that we understand better than our white neighbours on the walls, that'd be scary. If we don't struggle with a language so we can be condescended to, but speak our own language that white people must struggle with, that's scary. We have to look wide eyed at hockey, and not be threatening that we either like non-Canadian sports, or that we pick up hockey without needing to be confused and taught... cuz otherwise that's scary too.

White Canadians who have Chinese art are cultured, but if we do, then it's proof we're not really Canadians. Not that anything can really prove that because I'm born here and I'm CONSTANTLY asked where I'm "from" and when I say "Canada", they asked me "no, where are you REALLY from?" e_e

“Integration occurs because teenagers meet each other and develop relationships based on their areas of interests,” says principal Debbie Linkewich, noting the school has 65 clubs. “It absolutely happens naturally because that’s what happens in high schools.”

The school has also brought less welcome changes. Brunswick residents complain of teenagers hanging out in the street’s laneway, smoking drugs.

Two years ago, a summer student being marched back to school to be disciplined surreptitiously threw a plastic bag in a Brunswick garden. A resident discovered it was filled with small bags of marijuana.

“Last year (the police) strip-searched a guy right in the middle of the street — pants down and everything,” says the resident.

Drugs first became a street-wide issue on July 20, 2007. That day, a fire broke out on one of Brunswick’s brick homes. Firefighters who arrived discovered an ecstasy lab in the basement. Next thing residents saw was an old man in his underwear being chased by police. His partner — a grumpy and unfriendly woman of Asian origin, residents say — was also arrested.

Random segue into crime. Do profiles of white suburbs get random segues into crime? Also, of course most people reading this probably would be seeing this as being the fault of PoCs rather than it being an example of police abuse. Remember, the police are just protecting you against the scary Chinese people!

Ethnic enclaves are defined as places where 10 to 30 per cent of residents in a census tract are from a specific ethnic background.

I wonder how many people reading this live in a white enclave. Maybe we should call the cops to make sure nothing bad happens with all these white people hanging around int he same place. >_>

And, the area, she feels, is too Chinese. “It’s all one racial group. I prefer to live somewhere with a lot of people from different backgrounds. Because, this is a multicultural country and I like to meet different people from different backgrounds and different countries.

“It’s more interesting.”

Asked if she sees the neighbourhood as a good place to integrate into Canadian life, Chen gives a flat, “No. You only can speak Chinese. There is no opportunity to practise my English.”

Another example of the "good immigrant". There's nothing wrong her own personal opinion, she's entitled to what she feels is best for her, but her inclusion in this article isn't an accident. It's to show that this is the attitude Chinese Canadians SHOULD have. You don't want to be in a place with all Chinese people! That's "too Chinese"! Forget comfort level, or that for some people, it's a lot easier to learn and adapt when you're also comfortable, when you have a home and a neighbourhood you can speak the language you're fluent in and not be condescended to because you're struggling. What people don't get is that it's really humiliating to a lot of ADULTS to be treated as children and struggling to communicate with a society that takes no effort to reach back. What's WRONG with them wanting to live in a place where they can speak in a language they are treated as an adult in, where they aren't risking mockery or condescension?

This whole thing reminds me of an piece my school newspaper published a long time ago, where a Chinese student "called out" the other Chinese students saying we weren't "adapting" that we weren't Canadian enough, and that we needed to take an effort to learn hockey and cottage living. Because apparently if you don't like hockey and/or you don't own a cottage, you're not a real Canadian.

Raise your hand if you're white, Canadian, and don't like hockey and/or don't own a cottage. You're now banned from Canada. Luckily, for you, there's always China. You'll fit right in, as long as you hang certain kinds of Chinese art on your walls and play Ping Pong. Don't worry, we'll teach you. You'll be a good white immigrant in no time!