Toshia Mori, “Blondie Johnson” (Warner Brothers, 1933)
Merle Oberon (1911-1979) is probably the greatest Asian leading lady of old Hollywood, but she is seldom celebrated as such because during her life, she hid her background and somehow passed as white, using skin-lightening creams (which eventually led to serious skin problems from poisoning), clever makeup and lighting, and a fabricated story about her past. She starred in dozens of major films and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress in 1935 for "The Dark Angel". Oberon was born in Bombay, India, to a mother of Sri Lankan and Maori heritage who was only 12 (!), and a British father. Merle was raised by her biological grandmother Charlotte, who was only 14 herself when she was raped by a British tea plantation foreman, giving birth to Merle's mother Constance. So Merle grew up as her biological mother's sister, as her grandmother was only 26 when she was born. It's little wonder she invented a story that she was born in Tasmania, Australia, where her birth records were destroyed in a fire. She grew up in abject poverty in Bombay and Calcutta, working in a restaurant, where her beauty was noticed; she started landing film roles at 17, and she was a natural onscreen. She went on to star with Laurence Olivier in "Wuthering Heights" and "The Divorce of Lady X", with Gary Cooper in "The Cowboy and The Lady", and in other hits like "Lydia", "Til We Meet Again", and "Berlin Express". None of that would have been possible if it had been known that Oberon had Asian ancestry (see: Anna May Wong). She was given a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960. The truth of her background began to unravel toward the end of her life, but didn't become known until after her death in 1979. An ABC miniseries based on Oberon's life aired in 1987, named "Queenie", Merle's nickname. In 2013, a New Zealand film named "White Lies" was partially based on her life as well. And who can blame her for those white lies; she wouldn't have had a career without them. I know she didn't really do it for us, but thank you Merle Oberon anyway, it's just cool seeing an Asian woman in leading roles in old Hollywood movies.
13 years for Z and me since the day that form was filed in city hall, and we'd been solid as a rock for 11 years before that, but we were plotting our next cross-border move and we thought the legality might be helpful, which it has been. Here's to the next lucky 13. No drama, nice and easy, every day a revelation of colours like a Song dynasty iron glaze fired in a mountain kiln.
In other news, my dad sent me this selfie he took last week with Alicia Keys in Shanghai, where they were both attending some grand opening, which I found both shocking and normal as he flies around the world doing such things. He isn’t even really familiar with her work, but so it goes. No word on whether she was working on some secret project...
Still cookin’. Homemade deep-fried chicken nuggets, anyone? (Boneless skinless chicken thighs marinated overnight in buttermilk, buzzed in the food processor with seasonings, formed into balls, battered and dropped into the fryer.)
Good morning folks, just dropping in for a quick visit. Obviously I’m mostly dormant on social media these days, but who knows. Hope things are good! I mean, other than like everything.
We at Redneck Revolt don't much care to debate with folks about the merits of free speech because ultimately, we question the authority and legitimacy of any politician or government to represent us. Whether the Government allows their speech or not, Redneck Revolt is resolved that it will attempt to crush white nationalist organizing in our communities, in any form it takes. We refuse to outsource our convictions, and understand that we are engaged in a real power struggle with hateful ideologies.
Directly confronting the Klan, white nationalists, and fascists is something you do in defense of your own family and community, not something you ask someone else to do for you. We put the responsibility on the community to be accountable for what it allows. No more liberal guilt or ally political actors that wring their hands on the sidelines. That behavior only allows for vulnerable communities to be continuously victimized while waiting for policy reforms, the "good police," or a candidate that will set things right.
The reality is that people who want to fight for their neighbors, their family, and alongside targeted folks in their neighborhood actually need to learn to defend themselves and each other, and come together to meet one another's needs. There are many ways to do that: learning how to grow food and teaching others, sharing extra resources, looking after each other's children, networking to help families through hard times, and training each other on firearms for community defense- that is how you transform counterproductive liberal white guilt into actual solidarity.
“Fighting Words”, Redneck Revolt
the-real-eye-to-see
“Sometimes people call me Middle Eastern, and I’m like, ‘No, I’m black,’” she told Teen Vogue.
thecringeandwincefactory
This is - elucidating. I have a job (the repatriation of Native American human remains and sacred objects) that specifically involves the confrontation of these issues on a daily basis, so this is a pretty useful list for me for understanding exactly what I rub up against when I get static about what I do. I.e., I don’t always fully understand the parameters of why I face resistance to repatriation, or policy changes, or, shit, even just my own fucking presence a lot of the time. I guess I’ve noticed that, if you’re not White, even your basic frame of reference can set White people off simply because it’s not their frame of reference. This is probably really naive and stupid of me after 40+ years of experiencing this, but - it’s still fucking bewildering every time it happens.
Every white person should read essays/research on white fragility. In order to start uprooting the roots of our racism, we need to be able to locate them and know how deep they go. Any time you feel uncomfortable when dealing with issues of race, that’s a sign you’ve found one, and an opportunity to unlearn whatever racist belief has been growing in you.
