Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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SKYE FALLING
WINNER OF THE LAMBDA LITERARY AWARD ORDER NOW! A woman who’s used to going solo discovers that there’s one relationship she can’t run away from in this buoyant novel, a probing examination of the complexities of family, queerness, race, and community. “I can’t remember the last time a book made me laugh, cry, and reflect…
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Boy Story. Or, What Having A Baby Is Teaching Me About Gender
Words by Mia McKenzie Drawings by Ritapa Neogi I’ve always wanted kids and, since I started identifying as a feminist at around twenty years old, I’ve wanted those kids to be daughters. The idea of raising little Black girls, of loving them and giving them everything they’d need to become free and happy Black…
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On Adele, Beyoncé & Solidarity
I’m a big Adele fan. I have been for years. I own all of Adele’s albums and I know the words to all of her songs. If you see me walking with earbuds in, there’s a pretty good chance I’m listening to Adele. Her music has felt, for me, in times of heartbreak, especially, real…
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White-ish Christmas. Or, Dealing With My Non-Black In-Laws
Words by Mia McKenzie Drawings by Ritapa Neogi When I was a little kid, I was always the first one up on Christmas morning. I’d lie in bed for a few minutes trying to telepathically communicate to my sleeping family members that it was time to wake up, but it never worked, so I’d…
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TRUMPLED. Or, OMG What Have White People Done?
Words by Mia McKenzie Drawings by Ritapa Neogi The election of Donald Trump had me in a state of shock. For some reason, even knowing all that I know about oppression and the ways that it operates, even with alllllll that I’ve written about it over the years, I still wasn’t really prepared for this…
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How to Tell the Difference Between Real Solidarity and ‘Ally Theater’
If you’re a marginalized person who’s involved in activist work, or who spends a lot of time on social media, or both, you almost certainly deal with a lot of so-called “allies” whose idea of “allyship” is so convoluted you’d rather just do without it. From white fragility to cis fuckery, from “I’m on…
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“How Can White Women Include Women of Color In Feminism?” Is A Bad Question. Here’s Why.
When I’m invited to speak at universities, one of the questions I’m asked the most by young women of color and young white women alike is some variation of “how can white women include women of color in feminism?” My answer is always the same: that’s not the right question to be asking. While…
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4 Things We Should All Teach Kids About Racism Right Now
For the past three years, ever since Trayvon Martin was murdered for walking while Black and reports of unarmed Black people being killed by cops and wanna-be cops have surged, leading to the Black Lives Matter movement and push-back from Black communities all over the country, I’ve wondered how, and if, we’re ever going to…
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This Is What Rihanna’s BBHMM Video Says About Black Women, White Women and Feminism
The innanetz are all abuzz over Rihanna’s new #BBHMM video. White Feminists™ are especially upset, many of them calling the video “misogynist”. It’s been called “torture porn” and “incredibly violent”. I watched the video and…well…I see why White Feminists™ are so upset. Yes, there is violence (not nearly as much as an R-rated movie,…
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For Colored Girls Who Are Violently Quoted King When Their Own Words Are Enough
In my recent piece about Ferguson and so-called “violence” of protestors, I touched on the fact that racists, both liberal and conservative, who don’t value the lives of black people, love to quote Martin Luther King to us, in feeble attempts to silence us when we get too radical for their liking. In that piece,…
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