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http://www.cnbc.com/2015/08/24/caitlyn-jenner-halloween-costume-sparks-social-media-outrage-.html

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ne...een-costume-labeled-817515?utm_source=twitter

It's nowhere near October, but one ensemble is already on track to be named the most controversial Halloween costume of 2015.

Social media users were out in full force on Monday criticizing several Halloween retailers for offering a Caitlyn Jenner costume reminiscent of the former-athlete's Vanity Fair cover earlier this year.

While Jenner's supporters condemned the costume as "transphobic" and "disgusting" on Twitter, Spirit Halloween, a retailer that carries the costume, defended the getup.

"At Spirit Halloween, we create a wide range of costumes that are often based upon celebrities, public figures, heroes and superheroes," said Lisa Barr, senior director of marking at Spirit Halloween. "We feel that Caitlyn Jenner is all of the above and that she should be celebrated. The Caitlyn Jenner costume reflects just that."
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I’m An Asian Woman Engaged To A White Man And, Honestly, I’m Struggling With That

Tria Chang
Guest Writer
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“Oh, God, another Asian girl/white boy couple,” I groan, dropping my fiancé’s hand.

He hates it when I do this. So do I, really. I know it’s unkind and self-loathing, but every time I see another couple of our racial makeup, a little part of me sinks. We live in San Francisco, so this dip is as common as the hills. In these moments, I wish we were anything else ― that he were my gay best friend or we were startup co-founders, that he were Asian and I were white, that we were exquisitely ambiguous races, or that I could sink like my feelings into the sidewalk, be a little worm, and date whomever I want without considering social perception.

Shame is neither the wisest nor most mature part of oneself, but it still has a voice. “Stop it you guys!” my shame wants to say to these other couples. “Can’t you see the more of us there are, the worse it looks?”

“It” meaning the prevalent trend of Asian women seeming to end up with white men. “It” meaning the perpetuation of Asian fetish.

The first time I heard the term ”Asian fetish,” I was the only Chinese kid in a tiny school. Other students in my class had been pairing up to date since fifth grade, exchanging love notes and making each other Alanis Morissette mixtapes. I waited for my ”Jagged Little Pill” cassette, but nothing came in fifth grade. Or sixth. Or seventh. Or eighth.

Finally, in ninth grade, I got an email on Valentine’s Day from a sporty, popular boy. The subject: DON’T SHOW THIS TO ANYONE. The body: a truly terrible poem asking me to be his girlfriend. “Oh, my God,” was all I could think. “Someone likes me!” Who cares if his grammar left something to be desired! I got on Instant Messenger and said yes.

When classmates heard the news, I learned the term Asian fetish. Friends told me he’d been suffering from it for a little while now. I had only been familiar with the word “fetish” in regard to something like “foot fetish,” so I understood the implication: to be attracted to an Asian person was a kinky, odd thing. To be taught at a young age that someone likes you because of a “fetish” tells you that you are by nature strange, abnormal. I internalized: to be attracted to me was to have some sort of perversion. And so I learned to think of all Asians as less desirable and to be turned off by people who were turned on by me.

Even as I forayed into dating this boy, I was put off by much of what he said. My friends weren’t wrong about his Asian fetish. “I just feel like Asian girls are deeper than other girls, y’know?” he said to me once.

I learned to think of all Asians as less desirable and to be turned off by people who were turned on by me.

I thought it would get better in college but every time someone non-Asian showed interest, the whispers would start: I heard he had a half-Asian girlfriend in high school. He took a Japanese class last semester. Huge fan of sushi. Like, big time.

Sometimes it was hard to tell what was a valid warning sign and what was not. Misguided compliments were a pretty good indicator, though. “Every white and Asian male is jealous that I’m with you,” my first college boyfriend said. Even at the time, I remember wondering, why would you assume that I’m only desirable to white and Asian men? He assumed that, of course, because of my race. Race-based compliments reveal when people aren’t seeing you as the individual person that you are but as a piece of something.

It took me a little while to figure this out, but once I became more settled in college, I met my first Asian boyfriend, who ended up being my husband. Sadly, he also became my ex-husband. This relationship was followed by one with another Asian male. Suffice it to say, I went a decade without the thought of white men or Asian fetish even crossing my mind.

Now it’s something I think about every day, because of said fiancé.

He came into my life during a period when I had sworn off men. I had been in relationships my entire adult life and just wanted to focus on myself. “Single for five years!” I declared my goal proudly. Eleven months later, he showed up at my door.

He was there for a party I was hosting, and he didn’t hit on me. He asked me questions and listened to my answers. We discovered we had gone to the same college, had the exact same self-made major, were both left-handed, loved to write, didn’t drink and couldn’t handle spicy food. A mutual friend we both loved was sick, and we initially started seeing each other just to visit her in the hospital. One evening we found ourselves alone together. I told him my plan to be single for a long time and that we could only be friends. He told me that he honestly felt more but would respect my needs. He never pushed, but we kept seeing each other, kept asking each other questions, listening to the answers. It never got boring.

As I started to consider lifting my relationship ban, that old white ghost came back again: the whispers of Asian fetish. He has a pattern of dating Asian women. Do you know how many Asian girlfriends he’s had? He just might have an Asian fetish.

“What the fuck?!” I demanded of him.

“I’ve never seen it that way!” he insisted. “I grew up in Cupertino, so most of my classmates were Asian, and not all of my girlfriends have been Asian … but yes, most I guess. I just never thought about it.”

I rolled my eyes at the luxury white men have to not think about race in their daily lives. I, on the other hand, started obsessing over it. I couldn’t be the girlfriend of someone who had an Asian fetish because that would make me complicit in a pattern that was rooted in violence and colonization. I was busy trying to be a progressive, independent woman and an Asian fetish boyfriend did not fit the bill.

On the other hand, he hadn’t once given me a race-based compliment or made me feel anything but respected. I knew him to be a good person, someone who was working on being better every day. That’s the kind of partner I wanted, the kind of person who’s so hard to find.

I couldn’t be the girlfriend of someone who had an Asian fetish because that would make me complicit in a pattern that was rooted in violence and colonization.
So I returned to him with homework. “You can rationalize your dating history all you want,” I said one night in bed. (Do Asian women have a reputation for being good at pillow talk by the way? Because I feel like I’m killing it.) “But you can’t deny how it looks from the outside. And most importantly, you have to consider how it makes the women you’ve dated feel. Think about how it feels to be one in a line of many women who look like you. How replaceable must that make one feel? How demeaning is that?”

Despite his tendency to be defensive (is that one of those hot white guy traits?), he took my request to step outside himself seriously. He asked me questions, and he listened to my answers. We delved into not only the dynamic between Asian females and white males but also unfair portrayals of Asian men throughout history, and the backlash that public figures like Constance Wu and Chloe Kim have contended with for dating white men. It’s an uncomfortable conversation, but we’ve continued it through the years.

The reason we’re still together is that I know I don’t have to wrestle with these discomforts by myself. If we pass three couples in a row who are white men and Asian women and I ask, “But seriously, why?!” he won’t pretend he didn’t see it too. He’s making an effort to not leave me alone in the awkward parts of our love, and I’m making an effort to not let go of his hand. We’re not perfect. But after I rise from the little dips of shame, I wouldn’t actually want either of us to be anything else.
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Not going to lie, I'm pulling this directly from a Tim Pool video. This woman needs a (better?) therapist.
 
My situation isn't problematic! Yours is! Let me explain to you why, with a long story about why my romantic partner's Asian fetish is way more enlightened than your shitty boyfriend's.

Mine didn't even dump me for bringing up an awkward and uncomfortable topic, and only gave me a tepid "I'd never thought of it that way" when pressed on the single most obvious unifying factor of his dating history! He's clearly worked on developing a narrative that explains it away without saying the word "colorblind," and I'm going to run with that, because what a keeper I've found.

This marriage is going to really last forever, and not be destroyed by my constant overanalysis and self-conscious behaviors.
 
Ahriman said:
Oh shit yes! this should totally catch on. Can you imagine if rich people started talking about how triggered they are when they hang out with poorer people than them and they can't relate to them?
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That is the perfect final form of the SJW menace. It's basically what they've been saying all along, you dirty ignorant poors need to listen to your betters and realize you can never be good enough.
 
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'No pig in the Year of the Pig': Chinese netizens confused, disappointed over censored symbol
China's annual New Year's gala is meant to usher in the Year of the Pig, but the state broadcaster largely censored all words and images related to pigs during the biggest TV show of the year last night.

Key points:
  • The phrase "no pig in Year of the Pig" was censored on social media platform Weibo
  • The censorship is believed to be intended to respect Muslims in China
  • Many Chinese citizens are unaware about the country's massive re-education camps
The lack of reference to the Chinese symbol of 2019 disappointed many of CCTV's more-than 800 million viewers around the world, and came as a surprise after the country recently welcomed Peppa Pig back onto the big screen.

And while there was only one mention of Xi Jinping during the almost four-hour long Spring Festival Gala, the show still managed to sneak in references to the Chinese President.

The phrase "new era" — referring to Mr Xi's latest ideological addition to the party's constitution "Xi Jinping thought on socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era" — was repeated 18 times in songs and the presenters' preamble.

After the show, many viewers took to social media to vent their dissatisfaction with the lack of references to the Year of the Pig.

But those complaints, too, were then censored with all the posts and comments containing the phrase "no pig in Year of the Pig" on Chinese social media platform Weibo blocked.

Screenshots posted by Weibo users showed deleted posts and error messages saying that the posts "violated relevant laws or regulations".

Other netizens were able to post about the subject by skirting around key words and phrases.

"How can they completely not mentioning pig in the Year of the Pig?" one Weibo user wrote.

Some viewers also expressed confusion about why the imagery and references to the years of the dog and rooster were so prominent in the previous years' galas but there were almost no mentions of pigs this year.

The pig is the twelfth and final animal in 12-year zodiac cycle, and is widely seen as an animal representing kindness and good luck.

'We need to avoid talking about pigs' to respect Muslims
This is not the first time that China's state-owned broadcaster has censored imagery and mentions of the pig in the New Year's Gala.

The word "pig" was only mentioned twice in the 2007 gala ushering in the Year of the Pig and was also largely censored during the cycle before that in 1995, after protests were triggered by poor-taste jokes related to pigs and the Muslim community published in state media publications in the 1990s.

Since then, the CCP has been on high alert about religious movements among minority groups.

The former director at the State Ministry of Religious Affairs, Xiaowen Ye, wrote in his book Seven Days' Talks on Religious Issues confirmed that imagery and words related to pigs were censored during the 1995 gala to maintain China's social stability.

"When I arrived at the final rehearsal [of that year's gala], I saw over a hundred children dancing with pig-shaped lanterns … I immediately asked the director to stop using all those lanterns," Mr Ye wrote in his book.

While many living in China's Muslim communities also understand the sensitives around the promotion of pigs during the new year, many are unaware of the mass re-education camps in Xinjiang province, where nearly 1 million Uyghur Muslims and other minorities are allegedly detained.

Wang Siqi, a 22-year-old Chinese woman living in the western city of Xi'an — where one of China's biggest Muslims community is based — watched the gala during her family reunion dinner last night just like tens of millions of families across the country.

Ms Wang, a non-Muslim, told the ABC that while she was disappointed that there were barely any mentions of pigs, she believed the animals were censored with good intentions.

"We need to avoid talking about pigs [to respect] the Muslim community, who consider pigs as their heavenly ancestor," said Ms Wang, who was unaware of the situation in Xinjiang.

Biao Teng, a prominent rights lawyer, said the censorship of pigs did not mean the CCP respected the ethnic minorities — considering 1 million Uyghurs and other minorities were being held in detention.

Uyghurs Muslims are also reportedly subjected to forced political indoctrination, renunciation of their faith, mistreatment, and, in some cases, torture.

'The gala stresses the legitimacy of the CCP's power'
In addition to the state broadcaster's censorship of pigs, this year's gala — like many other years — had a political undertone.

More than 1,000 people performed in four locations across the country, including the country's political centre Beijing, Shenzhen, Changchun, and Jinggangshan, where the CCP established its first revolutionary base.

Dr Haiqing Yu, an expert in China's digital media from RMIT University, pointed to the massive phalanx of performers showcasing Chinese Kung Fu and Taichi, as well as popular singers from different generations praising the party in various songs.

All of this could be seen as part of China's propaganda campaign propagated by the Spring Festival Gala, Dr Yu told the ABC.

She added that "the gala's political mission was much stronger", and artists had no more creative space to talk about politics in their work.

"It's not fun anymore, because … the freedom of expression is becoming highly suppressed," she said.

"It is impossible to let people express themselves in public sphere.

"The gala stresses the legitimacy of the CCP's power, as it happens every year no matter how people criticise it before."

In 2016, a skit on the New Year's Gala that was intended to celebrate Chinese-African ties sparked widespread criticism when an Asian actress was seen with a dark face with exaggerated buttocks.
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"We need to avoid talking about pigs [to respect] the Muslim community, who consider pigs as their heavenly ancestor"
 
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A 24 year old man was killed when his Vaping device exploded in his face. Severing his carotid arteries and filling his grandmothers car with buckets of blood. I can’t wait to see the new Surgeon Generals warning for this one.

https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/l...says/287-d4d75924-4a2c-4a78-9467-e7960d8aea84
FORT WORTH, Texas — A Fort Worth man has died after a vape pen exploded in his face and severed a major artery, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's office.

William Brown, 24, died after his left internal cartoid artery was dissected due to penetrating trauma from an exploding vaporizer pen, according to a report from the medical examiner.

Brown's grandmother told WFAA he borrowed her car to run errands and stopped at the Smoke & Vape DZ vape store in Keller, where she said he purchased a vape pen. She said he sat back inside the car to use the device when the battery exploded.

"He popped it and it exploded, and that's when it shot across his mouth," Alice Brown said.

Brown said that the battery melted plastic in her car and sent debris flying into her grandson's face and neck. She said that her car was covered in blood, and that her grandson got out of the car to search for help before he was rushed to the hospital. She said he died two days after he was admitted.

"When they x-rayed him, they found the stem, the metal embedded to where the blood flows up to the brain," Alice Brown said. "I miss him already, and knowing he won't open that door and come through it ever again is the hardest part."

Smoke and Vape DZ refused to comment to WFAA about the incident. It's not clear which vape pen Brown was using.

A recent study published in Tobacco Control found more than 2000 e-cigarette explosions and burn injuries in U.S. emergency rooms from 2015-2017, and the study concluded there were likely far more injuries that went unreported.

According to reports last year, a Florida man also died after an exploding vape pen sent debris into his skull.

Brown, a licensed electrician, would have celebrated his 25th birthday this month. His family says his funeral services are scheduled for later this week.
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https://nypost.com/2019/02/05/texas-man-killed-by-exploding-vape-pen/
24-year-old man was killed in Texas last week when his vape pen exploded — slicing open his carotid artery and leaving his grandmother’s car covered in blood.

William Brown died after his left internal carotid artery was severed due to trauma from the exploding vape pen he just bought from Smoke & Vape DZ in Keller, a town just north of Fort Worth, his distraught grandmother told WFAA.

“He popped it and it exploded, and that’s when it shot across his mouth,” Alice Brown told the station.

Brown claimed the device’s battery malfunctioned, melting bits of plastic from her car to the vape pen — which launched the charred debris into her grandson’s face and neck, leaving her car soaked in blood. Brown died at John Peter Smith Hospital two days later, she said.

“When they X-rayed him, they found the stem, the metal embedded to where the blood flows up to the brain,” Brown continued. “I miss him already, and knowing he won’t open that door and come through it ever again is the hardest part.”

told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He suffered from asthma and was told that a specialized vape pen might help improve his breathing, she told the newspaper.

After the blast, William Brown managed to crawl out of the car and toward the trunk, where he collapsed on the pavement. A nearby witness called an ambulance, she said, and a medical examiner later ruled that his cause of death was penetrating trauma from an exploding vaporizer pen, making him at least the second person in the United States to be killed by an exploding e-cigarette, according to the newspaper.

Brown, a high school graduate who loved fixing up his Mazda RX8, was preparing to celebrate his birthday in just two weeks, his grandmother said.

“It just hurts so bad,” she told the Star-Telegram. “Now he’ll never see that birthday. It’s a waste of the thing he could have accomplished.”

She continued: “It just all seems so unreal. He was running around doing his thing at 24 and now he’s gone.”

told the Dallas Morning Newsthat the vaporizer was not purchased at the location. Authorities told the employee not to discuss details of Brown’s death.

The newspaper also cited US Fire Administration statistics from 2017 showing that 133 acute injuries from e-cigarettes, vaporizers and other similar devices were reported between 2009 and 2016. Most of the fires and explosions occurred while the device was being used or stored in a pocket and none had resulted in death, according to the report.

But a Florida man named Tallmadge D’Elia, 38, suffered multiple injuries to his face when he was killed by an exploding e-cigarette last May. A medical examiner’s report listed his cause of death as a “projectile wound of the head,” leaving him with burns on about 80 percent of his body, the Star-Telegram reports.

One of the pieces removed from D’Elia’s head featured the logo of Smok-E Mountain Mech Works, a company based in the Philippines, according to the New York Times.
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I especially love: “One of the pieces removed from D’Elia’s head featured the logo of Smok-E Mountain Mech Works, a company based in the Philippines, “

Now that there’s some old school reporting informative yet still gruesome.
 
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As a filthy neck beard I love my mouth fedora but mech-mods are too autistic even for me.

For you normal folk a Mech-mod is essentially just a short circuit, So if the coil you're using (or made) lets too much current through your battery will overheat. Now if you're using a decent battery it will vent and only cause horrific mutilating burning to your hand and face but if you bought some cheap no-name Chinese battery it won't vent it'll just explode in your face.
 
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User names must be unique said:
As a filthy neck beard I love my mouth fedora but mech-mods are too autistic even for me.

For you normal folk a Mech-mod is essentially just a short circuit, So if the coil you're using (or made) lets too much current through your battery will overheat. Now if you're using a decent battery it will vent and only cause horrific mutilating burning to your hand and face but if you bought some cheap no-name Chinese battery it won't vent it'll just explode in your face.
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Okay, and what's the appeal of the exploding face vape mod?
 
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User names must be unique said:
As a filthy neck beard I love my mouth fedora but mech-mods are too autistic even for me.

For you normal folk a Mech-mod is essentially just a short circuit, So if the coil you're using (or made) lets too much current through your battery will overheat. Now if you're using a decent battery it will vent and only cause horrific mutilating burning to your hand and face but if you bought some cheap no-name Chinese battery it won't vent it'll just explode in your face.
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It's partly because people don't know a damn thing about how to do basic electrical engineering, either. If you know what you're doing, you'll end up being able to up the wattage/voltage without effecting amperage/ohmage too much.

Dr W said:
Okay, and what's the appeal of the exploding face vape mod?
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I think the idea for the worst mods is that you get a bigger cloud and a deeper flavor. I guess. I just use a fucking juul because they don't explode.
 
breadandcircuses said:
It's partly because people don't know a damn thing about how to do basic electrical engineering, either. If you know what you're doing, you'll end up being able to up the wattage/voltage without effecting amperage/ohmage too much.


I think the idea for the worst mods is that you get a bigger cloud and a deeper flavor. I guess. I just use a fucking juul because they don't explode.
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That's odd, the obituary called him a licensed electrician. The first one did, the second said nothing.

I just don't smoke, vape, or do any kind of drug, so I guess I'm confused and behind the times.
 
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GrungyLawnChlorinate said:
'No pig in the Year of the Pig': Chinese netizens confused, disappointed over censored symbol


"We need to avoid talking about pigs [to respect] the Muslim community, who consider pigs as their heavenly ancestor"
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We need to avoid talking about pigs to respect the Muslims we have in giant concentration camps.

Only in current year.
 
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