I was just reading someone elses' blog about how the media represents non white people.
I have seen far too many stereotypes in HollyWood films and it makes me really mad.
A lot of the time if there is an African American character they are often a criminal or gangster or rapper or something and they are always represented as liking R & B.
Asian characters are usually a bit dodgy, the men are often wife beaters/ don't respect women and somtimes terrorists or ex terrorists. Asian women are represented as being unable to think for themselves and they just do what there husbands' say and sometimes fall for a white guy (who is always great and going to treat them right).
Hispanic people are barely reprented at all and are made to look, poor,thick or lazy when they are.

It's just as bad with white people though because then there is the stereotype of the woman (this one pisses me off). She always has long hair, she's skinny (smaller than the average woman), dresses 'conventionally', and she is looking for love/ a man to take care of her, because she is weak and feeble and can't look after herself.
The film Miss Congeniality shows a woman who is happy with how she is (not 'feminine' in a stereotypical way), then she gets transformed into some perfect looking 'conventinal woman' and suddenly she is even happier and everyone likes her more and she finds herself a man etc.
The men are similarly always good looking, thin, good bodies etc.
Gay characters (Will and Grace for example) are simply laughed at. There are a few exeptions (Buffy The Vampire Slayer shows a gay relationship as love just like any other- Willow and Tyra) but generally it just takes the piss and gay people are always really camp or wierd or whatever.

Oh, by the way these are my own personal viewpoints, I didn't steal them off that person's blog that I just read, it just got me thinking that's all.

The media piss me off quite a lot sometimes, especially a lot of HollyWood films, there are only a few I really like actually.

I had an argument with my flatmate the other night (though it was only small).
We have a new flatmate who I think is Malaysian (only spoken too him once so far).
She said, "I don't want another chinese person in this flat." and then she called him a chinky.(he's not even Chinese... sigh)
Then I started saying what's the point in being like that because you don't even know him and you're not even giving him a chance and that's racist. I did go off on one I have to admit. She said that she was just racist because she got brought up in a small village where everyone's white, like that was supposed to be an excuse or something. I normally don't say anything when people say something racist but sometimes I just have to or I would loose all my self respect.
I have loads of morals and stuff and I really don't know where the line is sometimes, she said I was imposing my morals on her which I kind of was but I still felt it was the right thing to do.
At least I can look myself in the mirror and know that I'm not some fucking sheep and I can still respect myself though caring about things a lot can make life difficult I wouldn't have it any other way. I will continue to make my morals piss as many people off as possible. he he.

Oh by the way the charity shops went alright with my other friends. They would go in but didn't look around or anything but that's alright, at least they weren't funny about it or anything.

(-:

I went to some charity shops today with some friends from uni. They were ok about it, they weren't really snobbish or anything but they didn't look around either.
I'm glad it was ok though because sometimes people can be really funny about charity shops and I didn't want to find out that people I respect are prejudiced because then I could never look at them the same way again.

I haven't took my other friends to any charity shops though I don't think they're prejudiced or anything, they just don't shop there that's all. I bought two belts for £5 a black one with silver studs in and a denim one with silver stars on it. I am pleased with today overall.

I love charity shops because they sell some really funky stuff and at least you know the money is going to a good cause and not some multi national company who use child labour in Tiawan or something. I only buy new stuff when it's absolutely necessary, I prefer to buy everything 2nd hand.

Drinking games went alright exept I took my top off and ran outside for 30 seconds but I loved it and I was wearing a bra and everything (as you can tell I was drunk at this point).

Today was also good because I got invited to hang out with people which made me feel brilliant. I LOVE LEEDS!

I went away for the weekend with my parents to Edinburgh. It was very good. It's a pretty nice city. I spent saturday with my mother (Dad at confrence)and I bought 7 books and a bag all of which cost me £40! Everything was second hand though it is absolutely amazing the value of some things.
Books:
Northern Lights- Phillip Pullman
A wierd sci fi book
Hitchiker's Guide and Thanks for all the fish- Douglas Adams
Bad Bad world- A book of New Internationalist Cartoons *
Forgot what it's called

and a bag with rainbow stripes (-:

If anyone has read any of these then please met me know what you thought of them.

I also read 2 brilliant animorps books last night.
I have had a pretty good time so far since I got back to uni then.

So anyway I have finished all of my work for now so I am bored (I'm never satisfied). Tonight I am going to play drinking games with a few of my flatmates and other people. I will try not to embarrass my self by taking items of clothing off and making embarrasing confessions. It should be good apart from they will be at least one argument, which always happens when certain people are drunk.

Today I had fahita's with vegetables and chopped tomatoes but the sauce was too runny so it didn't quite go to plan though they were still nice. I made them myself. My breath still smells of garlic though and it won't go away- but maybe i'll scare the vampire's away.

I have also been thinking about my appearance- I am going to grow my hair to nearly shoulder length and get a slight perm in it so it is not just staraight and boring like it was before. I have got to stop biting my nails too because I want to put nail varnish on eventually.

I had another battle with one of my flatmates who wanted to do my make up for going out, but I don't wear make up. So I didn't let her force me into it. I had to explain to her that I like my face the way it is, imperfections and all and I didn't want to cover it up. Fair enough if other people want to wear makeup this is no judgement on them but this is just what I believe.
Later that night I pulled a black accountant, but I'm not going to phone him or anything. Plenty of men out there, I think he was a bit old for me anyway.

So that's what I've been up to anyway.

Yesterday I had another Bridget Jones moment. I wasn't just thinking to myself, you don't look like 'everyone else' and single etc. and then I thought mmm... look around you nobody is perfect stop feeling sorry for yourself, lots of people are single, stop moaning it could be worse.
So luckily I wasn't too self obsessed all day.

(-:

So... I'm back!
I have a 2000 word psychology essay to do today so it looks like I'll be in the library for a long time today. This essay is for tomorrow but I've already made a good start on it and its not too hard. I am a bit fed up of it at the moment so I am taking a break. Isn't my life exciting.
I'm going clubbing on thursday.The place I am going is ok and plays a good mixture of music so at least I won't be stuck with r & b or shitty dance music all night.

It's nice to be back, I feel at home again. I have been so busy over the last week (it's my own fault because I put stuff off to till the last minute) so I have neglected my blog.

*Grovels for forgiveness*

So yesterday was quite emotional. I felt pretty fragile anyway so when my Dad started going on about how much stuff I was taking down with me I started to cry. Then I was talking to my brother and saying I love him and stuff. I don't know why I was so emotional because I don't even like being at home that much and I felt fine when I got down there. I think it really hit me that I probably would never come back home again after uni again. I was shocked that I actually felt grown up and confident.
In case you're wondering- which I doubt you are- I am wearing my pink shirt today because although I like black I think it's time to branch out a bit and start wearing more colours. This colour is working today because I feel really positive.
I LOVE LEEDS!
I've got work to hand in today which is still not finished so I'd better get on with it.
*starts working really hard and gets loads of work done and gets good mark in essay*

I'm going tomorrow and I'm pretty excited.
I have had my hair cut and died black again as usual. Yesterday I got a new piercing. It is a small gold star on the bottom of my right ear. I love it- I got it because I was starting to feel like I 'needed' it. I get really lonely in Durham so this is something to help me remember this feeling- and remind me to always be grateful for having friends etc. in Leeds.
My Grandad came over and we looked at photos of me and my brother together and he started to get really emotional. He said it was hard being alone and it was hard watching me and my brother grow up because we're not kids anymore. I gave him a photo of me on my 18th birthday which he really appreciated.
Oh and I also have a picture of me and my brother after our snowball fight which we had a couple of weeks ago.

Here is another photo of just me this time.

I have spent all day on the computer trying to finish my essay on gloabisation for uni but it seems to take about 3 hours to write two paragraphs. It is so frustrating. I have nearly finished now though. But then I'll have a load of work to do still when I get back to uni.
*Makes pathetic moaning noise in the hope of some sympathy*

Okay time for one of my ramblings about the state of the world etc.

Overall the world has not improved for the people who need help the most. There is more fairtrade than their was before thanks to the issues highlighted to the public at Live8. There have however been no big changes though. There are still a lot of people across the world suffering due to western greed so maybe I'll just buy my fairtrade tea like usual and pray that it makes a difference. I am very afraid a lot of the time that my 'ethical' lifestyle doesn't make a difference. Maybe I'm just so fucking stubborn I can't accept reality whilst a lot of people do because they don't want to loose their minds (like I am doing now).
Domestic violence and alcohol or drug problems are still an issue which is not being tackled. Drug abuse isn't tackled because a lot of the illegal drugs are probably grown directly or indirectly by the big drug companies so they can make money. The world is controlled by corporations and not governements. Big corporations can threaten to leave and take their jobs with them if the government make their taxes too high etc. So nobody fucks with them because they control the world and they can inflict a lot of damage with no remorse.
Domestic violence is largerly ignored by the governemnt because most governments have a male majority so the issue is not seen as important. The police just think domestic violence is a nuisance usually. The only stories I've heard about women who got out of violent relationships were about people who were strong enough to do it themselves- they didn't get a lot of help from anyone else.
Nobody cares enough- we're all fucked. I feel like I am fighting a mission against a largerly indifferent world. I have hope in the fact that many other people feel the same way even if they don't talk about it. Maybe I need to chill out a bit now and watch Due South. /-:

Well last night I stayed in with my mother and her friend and got a bit tipsy. I was feeling a bit down because I don't like being in Durham- I'd rather be in Leeds. I am starting to think of Leeds as my home now and it is really hard to be away. I have friends in Leeds- which is something I don't have here. I feel sorry for myself again.
Anyway I am going back to Leeds on the 8th so I don't have to feel isolated for much longer. Tonight I just started to feel really emotional so I went in my room and just lay on my bed and put my head in my hands and my hands in my ears and over my eyes so I could block everthing out and stop feeling for a minute.
"I like pleasure spiked with pain
And Music is my aeroplane
I'ts my aeroplane"

"Looking in my rear view mirror
I can make it dissappear"

"Just one note
could make me float
Could make me float away"

Red Hot Chilli Pepper's - Aeroplane

I like to listen to this song or just listen to it in my head and it just blocks the world out when I feel kind of low.

Anyway... Happy new year... this year is going to be a good year for me because I will be in Leeds soon with my friends.