The cultural erasure of Uighurs and other ethnic minorities in China and why the world isn't watching. “For the most part, we do not first see and then define, we define first and then see. In the great blooming, buzzing confusion of the outer world, we pick out what our culture has already defined for … Continue reading Cultivating prejudice and stereotyping: how human rights become negotiable.
Author: Andreea Ilie
In this series, I plan on writing about what caught my eye in the course of the past week and the thoughts that it inspired. Call it an information diet, if you will: instead of allowing every bit of knowledge I consume to sink into the bottomless pit of quasi-consciousness that we mortals really are, … Continue reading
Validation, a double-edged sword: what parenting, formal education, scouting and Jeffrey Epstein may have in common
I remember wanting to be seen. In fact, our entire childhood was spent working for it. Following rules to fit the rigid patterns of appropriate behavior set out before us and doing it so we didn’t get in trouble, always following and fitting in to stay safe; diligently applying ourselves to our assigned tasks, so … Continue reading Validation, a double-edged sword: what parenting, formal education, scouting and Jeffrey Epstein may have in common
Four months on: still there
I wrote this text on March 11, 2020. At the time, things looked grim, but I still hoped the pandemic would begin to drastically change the way we do things. As of yet, it has not. By the time I have children, all my childhood fears will have come true. Droughts and hurricanes take turns … Continue reading Four months on: still there
On clarity
If you asked me what I miss the most about working with children, I'd have to say it's the honesty. The clarity. To be told I look tired, "in the face and in the hair"; that they liked me better with my natural curls, or "before", with the "other colour"; "not saying you don't look … Continue reading On clarity
Out with the old, in with the ancient?
When is the appropriate time to resume our usual display of vanity? To fawn over our own faces and bodies and invite the sight of ourselves to other people's living rooms, or join them on their commute? When could we resume talking about the weather? Or the stray gray hairs that can take up much … Continue reading Out with the old, in with the ancient?
Fashionably Hypocritical: exposing the racist cultures of ‘inspirational’, ‘judgment-free’ and ‘sustainable’ fashion companies
The recent testimonies of former employees who have worked for fashion and media companies such as Reformation, Refinery29 and ManRepeller have brought to light a number of aspects regarding racist company cultures within the fashion industry that have systematically failed their POC employees. These companies, which have marketed themselves as “inspirational” (Refinery29), “a judgement free … Continue reading Fashionably Hypocritical: exposing the racist cultures of ‘inspirational’, ‘judgment-free’ and ‘sustainable’ fashion companies
The Pie of Privilege: Why We Won’t Share Easily
This is a pie. Pie is great to have. In fact, it's one of the sweetest tangible forms of privilege that we can enjoy. The right to consume it is inherent to us as human beings, regardless of who we are, where we come from and what we believe in. No one can deny that. We've … Continue reading The Pie of Privilege: Why We Won’t Share Easily
Bearing the burden: ending racism rests on my shoulders, too
I am a white non-American woman and yes, racism is my business too. I have never stepped foot on African soil and neither have my parents, or grandparents or those who came before them. We have been to the United States as visitors, enjoyed the best it had to offer from the safe distance of … Continue reading Bearing the burden: ending racism rests on my shoulders, too
Quarantine Discoveries
As long as change is constant, there is no immutability in solitude. I have never before seen the shadow cast by the Monstera leaves on the floor at midday-I was never home when it happened. At night, I'd look down at the tiles as I took my shoes off and would only see a surface … Continue reading Quarantine Discoveries
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